Lord hath chosen to him selfe a godlie man the Lorde will heare when I call vnto him The consideration hereof if we way it as we should may giue vs courage and strength against that man of bloud which at this day doth so cruelly persecute the professours of the Gospell and so proudly take vpon him to depose Christian princes and to place hypocrites in their roomes at his pleasure Let him also know that the Lorde hath chosen to himselfe godlie men the Lord will heare when they call vpon him he that toucheth them toucheth euen the apple of the Lordes owne eye Let him tremble that lifteth but a finger against them 10 Contremiscite Be afraide to set your selues against God and your prince to attempt such an ouerthrow to the common state cease from conspiracie leaue your treacherous deuises bee not deceiued you cannot preuaile you doe but worke your owne confusion call your selues to a reckoning betimes haue some quiet and sober consideration of your doinges when you are in your beddes free from all trouble then common with your owne heartes waigh the cause that you take in hand I am your prince God hath placed me ouer you ye are my subiectes God hath so placed you you shoulde loue me and not seeke my shame and subuersion ye owe me obedience not rebellion honor and not treason What occasion haue I giuen you thus to set your selues against me I haue dealt righteouslie and graciouslie with you I haue bene mercifull not cruell ouer you I haue sought your safetie more than mine owne But whom woulde ye haue to raigne ouer you A false worshipper an hypocrite a murderer of his owne brother an incestuous fornicatour one that will flatter you and deceiue you sweare and not performe Consider these things waigh what wickednesse you haue taken in hande and be quiet be still Cease from rebellion and obey peaceably the prince whom God hath placed ouer you So long as ye continew in the hardnesse of your heartes though you offer him all the beastes vpon a thousande hilles it is all in vaine Repent and offer vp the sacrifices of righteousnesse The Israelites when they had sinned were wont to offer sacrifice to pacifie God as appeareth in the law But for the most part this was done without feeling of their sin without true repentance formallie and for fashion sake onely But outward seruice without inwarde remorse and repentaunce for sinne God doth abhorre The rebell Absolon offered sacrifice in Hebron but in vaine because his heart was full of treason Antichrist renueth his oblations euerie day but to what purpose so long as he mindeth murther stirreth rebellion and maliciouslie persecuteth the spouse of Christ Sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousnes offer God repentance for your former faults and put your trust in the Lorde Thus wee see by what occasion the Prophet vttereth these wordes which I haue chosen to speake of at this time 11 To offer vp sacrifices it hath hen vsual in all ages amongst all people kinreds and nations of the earth But I will onelie speake of such as the people of God haue offered vp Before the law Abell Abraham Iacob Iob and othets in the time of the law Aaron with the Leuites presented offerings before the Lord. In the time of the Gospell the Apostles had and at this daie also Christians haue their sacrifices which being faithfully offered are graciouslie accepted in the sight of God 12 Sacrificing is a voluntarie action whereby wee worshippe God offring him somewhat in token that we acknowledge him to be the Lorde and our selues his seruauntes Ye are made saith S. Peter an holie priesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. God therefore doth require this dutie at our handes It was commaunded in the law the Prophet Dauid calleth for it and S. Peter teacheth that euen now it is also due vnto God from men 13 Let vs now consider who are priestes to offer vp these sacrifices For there cā be no sacrifice without a priest as there can bee no priest where there is no sacrifice In the scriptures I finde a threefold priesthood allowed of God a Leuiticall priesthoode such as that of Aaron and his sonnes a royall priesthoode figured in Melchisedeck and verified in Christ a spirituall priesthood belonging generallie to all christians The Leuiticall priesthoode continued vnto Christ then ceased For being a figure of the truth which was to come the truth being come it coulde no longer continue Neither is there in the roiall priesthoode of Melchisedeck anie other that hath succeded but onely Christ. He is a priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedeck a king a priest a God a mā perfectinnocēt vndefiled vnspotted seuered from sinners yet numbred punished plagued with the wicked humbled to the depth and exalted farre aboue the highest heauens without beginning without ende without father as man without mother as God The thirde priesthood is that which is common to all Christians For he hath made vs kings and priestes vnto God his father Where the popish priesthoode taketh footing in what grounde the foundation thereof is layde I cannot finde in the Scriptures Antichrist is the authour of that priesthoode to him they sacrifice him they serue 14 What sacrifices Aaron did offer vp and what sacrifice Christ hath presented to his father we all knowe It followeth now to bee considered what kinde of sacrifice we must offer Aaron offered sacrifice which coulde not in it selfe bee accepted of God nor take awaie the sinnes of them for whom it was offered For whether they bee offeringes of thankes giuing they were not of that value that God should take delight and pleasure in them or sinne offeringes it is impossible that the bloud of bulles and goates shoulde take awaie sinne impossible But the priest according to the orer of Melchisedeck hath offred the sacrifice of his owne flesh acceptable euen for the worthinesse of it and by the vertue which is in it forcible and more then sufficient to wash awaie all sinne This he did willingly He made himselfe an offering for sinne Hee did it perfectly without offring hee consecrated for euer them that are sanctified Where full remission of sinne is there needeth no further sacrifice for sinne and the holie ghost beareth vs recorde that wee haue full remission of all our sinnes Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Wee are healed with his stripes where there is no sore there needes no salue Not that wee haue no sinne but acknowledging that wee haue it it is as if we had it not because hee is faithful to forgiue it iust to cleanse vs from it The bloud of Iesus clenseth vs from all sinne The bloude of Iesus once shed the offring of the bodie of Iesus Christ once So that there remaineth no other sacrific to be dailie offered but the sacrifice of righteousnesse which wee
might bee shewed in Dauid Ezechias Nehemias Mattathias But one example may serue for all being of our Sauiour who is aboue all and Lord of all Christ at his first entrie into the temple purged it by casting out buyers and sellers Our gratious Gouernor following Christs example hath laboured most earnestly first to cleanse this ground and to purge this church of England hath caused the stones to bee picked out brambles and breers to be pulled vp all rubbidge and whatsoeuer was hurtfull to be remooued the denne of theeues to be dispersed buyers and sellers of popish trash Monkes Fryers Massemongers with like miscreants to bee hurled and whipped out the stumbling stones of superstition the baggage of mans traditions with all monuments of Idolatrie vanitie and poperie to be cast out of the house of God and vineyard of the Lord So that the field of God is cleared the vineyard cleansed the church purged readie for the seede to be sowen and the vine to be planted And all this without resistance or tumult It was the worke of God it is maruellous to as many as duely consider it 7 Nowe it behooueth the vinitor to take great heede what vine he planteth in this vineyard Thornes will not bring foorth grapes nor thistles figges If thou sowe the giddie darnell of humane traditions looke for like fruite for he that conceiueth vanitie shall bring foorth winde But our skilfull housholder our wise gouernor hath planted in this our vineyard neither thornes nor thistles but the true vine Christ growing in the heartes of his elect This vine hath beene diligently watered with the dewe of Gods trueth syncerely preached it hath beene cherished with his sacraments reuerently administred according to his will it hath beene vnderpropped with the continuaunce of authoritie and defence of zealous Christian magistrates pruned with the two edged sword of Gods spirit working by the ministerie of his seruaunts who with the sweete promises of the gospel haue reared vp the drooping braunches ouerburthened with sinne and with the sharpe threatenings of the Lawe haue cut off the lasciuious wilde boughes of wickednesse No flocke better fed no people more instructed no vineyard in the world more beautiful or goodly to behold 8 This vineyard so prepared this vine so planted watered and vnderset hath also beene strongly hedged and fensed with godlie Lawes of good discipline to put backe all enemies to punish all transgresiors to bridle the vnrulie and to keepe men in order that the church of God may liue in all peace and tranquillitie with all pietie and honestie This is the flourishing vineyard of the Lord the beautifull arke of couenaunt wherein are reposed the treasures of God the golden pot with Manna the rod of Aaron and the tables of Moses No church vnder heauen more inriched with treasures and gifts of God so that wee may truely say We are inriched by him in all knowledge and in all speeche in so much that we are not destitute of any gift The Lorde may iustly say to vs as to his people of olde What might I doe for my vine which I haue not doone and wee may well sing the song which the spirite hath indited euen of purpose as it seemeth for vs Vinea nostra floruit Our vine hath flourished 9 And although the ground where this vine is planted hath beene very barren yet hath it brought foorth many goodly and pleasaunt grapes The gospel hath chased away walking spirites it hath cast out diuels banished much ignorance and blindnesse put horrible blasphemie in maner to flight vtterly cleansed that sinke the stewes made vaine and filthie songs lesse currant than they haue beene in former times and caused sinne to bee more shunned although it be God knoweth too much stil frequented But one pleasaunt grape especially the gospel the worde of reconciliation hath brought foorth and that is the sweete fruite of peace peace towards God and peace amongest our selues The gospel preacheth Christ. Christ is our peace and peacemaker He that hath Christ hath peace with God and hee that beleeueth in him hath him By this meanes we haue peace of conscience peace with God The other peace is ciuill peace among men This is a pleasaunt fruite and a great blessing Hee that knoweth the hurt of warre can best iudge of the worth of this benefite The God of peace hath doone this for vs to our singular commoditie and comfort he hath giuen peace in our daies England neuer so long tasted the like Warre heretofore hath torne this Realme in peeces all Nations round about vs starue in the field tumble in warre wallow in bloud expecting no end of their troubles but vtter ruine and desolation In the meane while we sit safe vnder our vine euerie man in peace may quietly followe his vocation God hath not dealt thus with all nations as hee hath dealt with vs the least nation of all It must be graunted some stormes haue beene stirred vp to disturbe this our happie rest But the prince of peace and Lorde of our tranquillitie hath ceased the waues of the sea stilled the rage of the people maruellously preuented their wicked deuises and confounded the deuisers of them There is neither power nor counsell against the Lord. God taketh away the hearts of the enemies and then as fearefull Hares they flee at the wagging of euerie leafe yea they feare where there is nothing to be feared For this great calme for this miraculous peace we haue to praise our God 10 This peace hath fructified and brought foorth his natural fruite which is plentie Warre is a locust deuouring all fruites peace as a sweete and pleasaunt dewe maketh all things fruitfull Peace hath made this Land flow like Canaan with milke and honie God hath opened his mercifull hande and replenished vs with all his blessings the Lord hath shewed vs his louing kindenesse and our Land hath brought foorth her encrease 11 These earthly blessings God hath giuen to trie vs whether prouoked by his gratious benignitie we will walke in his Lawe or no. I will raine downe bread out of heauen that I may trie you whether ye wil walk in my Law or no. After this sort he proued Adam giuing him all dominion ouer his creatures with all the fruite and plentie of the earth So prooued he the Sodomites with a Countrie for pleasure and plentie termed The Lords Garden So prooued he Israel when he gaue them Canaan but they were forgetfull of the giuer and abused his gifts both their peace and plentie they prouoked GOD vnto wrath and they felt his heauie hande their peace was turned into warre their plentie into distresse their pleasure into paine their ioie into sorowe 12 These things are written to warne vs that we should beware of the like sinnes least we feele the like plagues For if wee regard not the fauour of God if wee contemne his woorde the worde of saluation if we
not into the temple as did Aaron wil hardly behaue themselues in the house of the Lord as Aaron did Iason obteined a superioritie in the Church by monie But howe behaued he himselfe in this his purchased function Began he not immediatly to drawe his brethren to the customes of the Gentiles Did hee not by and by change their Lawes and policies and bring vp newe statutes contrarie to their Lawe As the good sheepeheard entring in at the doore when he is entred guideth his sheepe as Dauid in the discretion of his hands feedeth them carefully with wholesome doctrine walketh in all vprightnesse of holie and vndefiled conuersation before them so he that climeth vp an other way after hee hath gotten himselfe in seeketh nothing but to steale kil and destroie The theefe commeth not but to steale to kill and to destroie Hee hath no other ende or purpose 13 The onely thing that should be desired by the pastor is the weale and benefite of his flocke For if the marke whereat wee shoote be but to make our commoditie by the Gospell of Iesus Christ wherein doe we differ from theeues and robbers Is not our intent and purpose the very selfesame with theirs Wherefore S. Peters exhortation is Feede the flocke of God caring for it not for filthie lucre but of a readie minde If a man haue al knowledge in so much that he be able to speake with tongues yea and to prophecie yet if the thing for which he laboureth be his owne gaine if he vse this vocation than which nothing is more pretious and holie onely as a way or trade to liue by whatsoeuer hee receiueth with such a minde he stealeth rather than receiueth it This is that whereof the Lorde complaineth so grieuously by his Prophets The priests teache for hire the prophets prophecie for monie yet will they leane vpon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among vs And againe These sheepeheards cannot vnderstand they all looke to their owne way euerie one for his aduantage and for his owne purpose Moses blessing Leuie before his death saith first They shall teache Iacob thy iudgements and Israel thy Lawe they shall put incense before thy face and then addeth Blesse O Lord his substance accept the worke of his hands As if he should haue saide So long as Leuie and his sonnes doe not seeke their owne commoditie but thy glorie thou art righteous and canst not forget to prouide in large maner both for them and theirs As indeede till the men of that sacred order tooke fleshhookes in their hands and sought to better their estate by force til they became like to greedie mastiues rauening curres who euer sawe the Leuite of the Lord forsaken or the sonne of the Leuite begging his bread So likewise the Church of GOD was neuer spoiled till her pastors were ouercarefull to be inriched In the prime and first appearing of Christian religion as long as that heroicall contempt of earthly things continued in the guides and leaders of the people what heapes of worldly treasure were brought and laide downe euen at their feete Men thought themselues to performe nothing worthie of that profession into which they were entred vnlesse they sold away their lands goods and possessions and gaue al to make thē rich by whose meanes thēselues were become righteous The contrarie to which affection as in other parts of the Christian world so in this also hath taken such roote and is growen nowe so strong that God may iustly charge vs as sometime he did his owne people saying Ye haue spoiled me euen this whole Nation If therefore we be grieued as who is not grieued to see the hauocke that is made of the Church of GOD let vs change our earthly and worldly affection that he may change the condition of his Church God is no puruey or for theeues and robbers Let vs in synceritie and in truth heartily and in deede despise our own gaine for his glorie and prooue him if hee will not rebuke these deuourers for our sakes 14 The next thing which Christ obserueth in theeues is this they destroie the flocke and make as litle conscience to kill as to steale They kill not the bodies but the soules of men The life of the soule is the word of truth wherein whosoeuer hath taken vpon him to instruct the flocke of Christ and either cannot or wil not doe it what doth he else but kil and destroie Moses speaking of the obedience of Israel to the Lawes and statutes of their God This is saith he your wisedome But howe came Israel by that wisedome Did they naturally knowe the Lord as beasts doe naturally knowe their dammes No The Lord said vnto me saith Moses Gather the people together and I wil cause them to heare my woordes that they may learne to feare me all the daies that they shall liue vpon the earth and that they may teache their children So they came neere and stoode vnder the mountaine and were taught of God which spake vnto them out of the midst of the fire Thus God taught Israel then Afterward he raised vp prophets among them of their owne brethren and they were taught by men like vnto themselues Neither hath God at any time ceased and left off but from the beginning of the world to this verie houre he hath giuen men knowledge by instruction and saued his elect by teaching Can not God then giue wisedome from aboue without a teacher Yes God is able to mainteine the life of man without bread But why doe we talke of his absolute power when his wil is that Cornelius be taught by Peter Lydia by Paul Paul by Ananias the Eunuch by Philip euerie soule that is wise in the doctrine of saluation by Apostles Prophets Euangelists teachers appointed for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edification of the bodie of Christ. As therefore he that wil liue must eate so he that will bee saued must haue a teacher Wherefore when the Lorde meant a blessing to his people hee made them this promise I will giue you pastors according to my heart which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding When their pastors were voide of knowledge and vnderstanding this was euer a token that their ruine and destruction was at hande Come nowe saith the prophet all ye beasts of the field come to deuoure euen all the beasts of the forrest this people cannot continue nowe they must needes perish for their watchemen are all blinde they haue no knowledge they are all dumme dogges and cannot barke they lie asleepe and delight in sleeping We are vnworthie of our liues if we doe not acknowledge the woonderfull blessing of God in our ministerie at this day For howsoeuer it bee debased by some yet is it so farre off God be thanked from the state of the Iewish Clergie in those daies that I am perswaded
past al helpe His rotten relikes cannot comfort you His blinde dumbe and wormeaten Idols can doe you no good It is cast awaie which is spent vpon his shamelesse pardons they wil not preuaile God wil not admit them By his Latine seruice ye cannot be edified or made wiser Yet this trumperie they sel for monie and vpon this trash they cause sillie men to wast their substance and to these to commit their soules Thus you see a manifest difference betweene Christ and Antichrist the doctrine of God and the learning of man true teachers and false sounde and counterfaited religion The one offereth true bread freely the other that which is no bread for bread and that not freely neither but for monie The diuersitie of religion professed in these our times is here most plainely and liuely depainted For the better clearing whereof I wil in three notes lay before your eies the whole difference which is betweene them 9 First we disagree in the very foundation They lay one ground and we an other We lay no one stone but onely vpon that foundation of the Prophets and Apostles whereupon whosoeuer is builded groweth into an holie temple in the Lord a temple which no winde no waues no storme no tempest is able to ouerthrowe The foundation of our religion is the written worde the Scriptures of God the vndoubted records of the holie Ghost We require no credite to be giuen to any part or parcel of our doctrine further than the same may be clearely and manifestly proued by the plaine words of the lawe of God which remaineth in writing to be seene read examined of all men This we doe First because we knowe that God hath caused his whole Lawe to be written Secondly because we see that it hath beene the practise of all the defenders of the truth since the beginning to relie their faith onely vpon the Scripture and written word Thirdly because it is euident and plaine that we cannot receiue any other foundation of heauenly truth without the ouerthrowe of Christian faith 10 There was neuer any Lawemaker so simple as to make statutes for perpetuitie and not to register them in bookes or engraue them in tables When Memucan was desirous to haue a Law made for the bringing of women in subiection vnder their husbands his perswasion was this If it may please the King let a royall decree proceede from him and let it be written The Lawes of the Medes and Persians that might neuer be altered were for euer recorded When God deliuered his first Lawe vnto his people the Lawe which commonly we call morall he gaue it them written in tables of stone Againe when he deliuered them ciuil ordinaunces for the administration of iustice betweene man and man Moses first proclaimed all those Lawes and ordinances amongst the people afterward he tooke and wrote in a booke all the words of the Lord. As for the Lawes of rites and ceremonies they are likewise written in this booke To these we must adde that Lawe which the blessed Apostle doth call the Lawe of faith This Lawe God preached vnto Adam by himselfe The seede of the woman shall breake the serpents head vnto Abraham by his Angel In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed to the children of Abraham by his Prophets Behold a virgin shal conceiue and beare a sonne finally vnto vs by his sonne and by them whom his sonne hath sent into the world to make it knowen that through this man is preached remission of sinnes and from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the Lawe of Moses by him euerie one that beleeueth is iustified And the statutes of this Lawe are also written God being moreouer desirous to haue his seruaunts not only taught by doctrine but prouoked also by examples gaue them a fift sort of Lawes and testimonies called historical not leauing these neither to men to deliuer vnto their children by word of mouth but all by writing If God haue committed his Lawes moral ciuil ceremonial euangelical and historical also vnto writing where should we seeke for the statutes of the almightie but in his written word 11 The auncients of the house of God knewe no fountaine of his truth but this They neuer enquired what had beene whispered in mens eares that which they beleeued and taught they read it out of the booke In the Historie of Iosua it is recorded howe hee did assemble the Tribes Elders Heads Iudges and Officers of Israel together shewing them what God had spoken vnto them by Moses but vttering to them no speech which was not writtē Iosias with all the men of Iuda and all the inhabitants of Ierusalem the Priests Prophets and all the people small and great made a couenaunt before the Lord to keepe his commaundements and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and with all their soule But what statutes what testimonies The words of the couenaunt written in this Booke Christ speaketh many things his Apostles many things concerning the doctrine of the Prophets but no one point of doctrine which is not found in their bookes and writings The prophet Esay crieth Adlegem testimonium To the lawe and to the testimonie If they teache not according to this Lawe it is because there is no light in them Consider the practise of Christ Iesus His proofes are Scriptum est It is written His demaunds are Quomodo legis Howe doest thou reade His Apologies are Scrutamini Scripturas Searche the Scriptures they beare me record His Apostles tread in the same path they goe not the breadth of an haire not a whit from that which is written Thus S. Paul protesteth I deliuered vnto you that which I receiued how Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose the third day according to the Scriptures It is not lightly to be marked which is twise repeated He deliuered nothing but according to the Scriptures I would heare the voice of my pastor saith S. Augustine Reade this out of some Prophet reade it out of some Psalme recite it out of the Lawe recite it out of the Gospel recite it out of some Apostle reade it and we will beleeue it These be good presidents for vs to followe til sufficient reason be alleaged why we should lay an other foundation than that which hath beene laide by so many so wise so reuerend builders 12 Especially sith this foundation is so peculiar to the trueth that we cannot rest vpon any other without manifest daunger of the vtter ouerthrowe of Christian faith For first what certainetie or assurance can we haue of any of those things which are beleeued if our faith doe not leane onely vpon the Scriptures If once a religious credite be giuen to vnwritten verities and to mens reports the vndoubted articles of our beleefe cannot choose but at the
they say partly by grace but principally by the power and strength of their owne nature For being ashamed to affirme with Pelagius that a man may doe the workes of righteousnesse by nature without the grace of God they hold his grace to be a thing indeede necessarie But howe As a birde that is tyed or a man that is in fetters needeth onely to haue those incumberances remooued hauing then a naturall abilitie to flie and walke without any further helpe so man as they say hath in himselfe abilitie to doe good if the grace of God doe but remooue lets Is not this to make nature the principal cause of our well dooing whereas in trueth without the speciall motion of Gods spirite and that in euerie particular action wee are no more able to walke in the waies which GOD hath commaunded than a drunken man to goe without leading who staggereth euen in the plainest ground though all stumbling blockes be remooued though his waie lie neuer so smooth before him such is our weakenesse In consideration whereof the blessed Apostle sayth plainely It is not in him that willeth or in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie We dragge and are not able of our selues to set one foote before an other Drawe me saith the spouse in the Canticles and then we will runne after thee But these men litle considering of what fraile metall they are made perceiuing not how sinne hath weakened the faculties of the soule vaunt of freedome of strength of inward power and make their owne will the chiefest cause of their wel dooing 30 And when they haue doone any thing which to their seeming is wel doone they prise it so high and esteeme so much of it that God as they thinke should doe them iniurie if in iudgement he did not pronounce them iust and righteous for their workes sake If it were possible that God entering into iudgement should finde any so vpright and perfect that by their workes they might be iustified in his sight doubtlesse he should finde his owne seruaunts to be such or else none if any of his seruaunts surely his Prophets if any Prophet rather Dauid than any other But Dauid crieth out Enter not into iudgement no not with thy Seruaunt O Lord. For in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified For whether we consider workes forbidden or commaunded by the Lawe what man is there liuing which can say in the one My heart is pure in the other I haue doone all that is enioyned me For if it were so that we knewe nothing wherein we had transgressed the lawes and statutes of the almightie yet herein could we in no wise be iustified because of secret sinnes hidden euen from our owne selues For which if God shal call vs to our reckoning and marke straitely what is doone amisse O Lord saith the Prophet who shall stand Againe if we had doone whatsoeuer wee could yet because we cannot doe so much as we should we ought to acknowledge our selues vnprofitable whereas we euen the best of vs are farre from dooing that which if we would we might doe 31 Nowe if God notwithstanding for his sonnes sake doe so allowe and accept the worke of our hands that he bountifully rewardeth our weake seruice with an excellent and an eternall waight of glorie how much are wee bound both to praise his mercie and to hate the insolencie of those men who besides al this swelling in the proude conceit of their workes will haue eternall life which is his gift to be their merite nor onely that but the worthinesse of their deserts to be so great that many of them dooing God more seruice than can bee sufficiently rewarded in their owne persons deserue heauen not onely for themselues but for others too These shipwracks of faith they haue made by reason of their inward pride 32 The excessiue desire of outward pompe hath furthermore caused them to disdaine the basenesse of Christ Iesus and of his Apostles to bee ashamed of the meane and lowe estate wherein they liued to make of their Deacons and Priests Cardinals exceeding the kings of the earth in glorie of their Bishop a Monarke vnder whose foote the Emperour himselfe hath beene a footestoole whose stirrop the greatest Soueraignes haue scarse beene deemed worthie to holde at whose bridle kings haue attended as seruaunts that the wordes of the Preacher might bee iustified Follie is set in great excellencie and the riche set in the lowe place I haue seene seruaunts on horses and Princes walking as seruants on the ground 33 This pompe cannot bee maintained with nothing it must haue strong sinnewes And therefore whatsoeuer mans wit might possibly deuise for gaine they haue both founde it out and put it in vre setting Offices Masses Prayers Pardons Sacramentes Heauen and Earth all the treasures of the house of GOD to sale if wee may terme it the house of God which they haue made a shoppe of so vile merchaundise It were infinite to recite what huge summes of money they haue heretofore by religious pretenses euerie yeere gathered within the compasse of this one Ilande What heapes then haue they raked out of other partes of Christendome Which offals and profites if once men beginne as here so in other kingdomes also to withholde from them if men leaue off buying their wares any more if things which are fatte and excellent depart doubtlesse that citie which nowe is cloathed in fine linnen and purple and skarlet which nowe is guilded with golde and decked with pretious stones and pearles shall in one houre be made desolate This they know and it maketh them carefull to maintaine whatsoeuer is commodious and gainefull to them As for the glorie of GOD it is the least part of their care nay they care not howe heynous sacrilege they commit in spoyling and robbing him of his honour 34 It is an honour vnto God when all men by faith point their fingers as it were at Christ Iesus naming him the onelie Lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde when he is acknowledged the onely mediatour betweene God and vs when wee confesse that hee is that Priest according to the order of Melchisedech which hauing offered one sacrifice for sinnes hath therewith because it was a perfect sacrifice consecrated for euer them that are sanctified when our faith is so ascertained and grounded vppon his promises that we can bee bolde as Lyons assuring our selues that the eye of the Lorde is on them which trust in his mercie to deliuer their soules from death as the Prophet witnesseth But how doe they giue vnto him this honour who haue deuised so many waies to take away sinne besides the bloud of the Lambe of GOD who as though wee might not be bolde to enter into the holie place by the newe and liuely way which hee hath prepared for vs through the vaile which is his fleshe or as
the middest of them and what the Bishoppes in Synode did so conclude to bee godly and behooueful that he did ratifie and confirme 11 The ministers you see should teache the right waie He which beareth that name and performeth not this office is but an Idoll Let another take his Bishopricke Such drones were better smothered than suffered in that hiue where none should liue that wil not labour Such as sowe not why should they reape Neither is it any new thing to cast out vnworthie ministers who cast off care of their duetie Solomon deposed Abiathar the high Priest and Iustinian depriued Syluerius and Vigilius Bishops of Rome These are good presidents for Princes in like case to followe 12 Again such as teach but teach not the good right way such as are open and publike maintainers of errors and heresie such in the iudgement of God are thought vnworthie to liue Falsus Propheta moriatur Elias and Iehu did not thinke themselues imbrued but rather sanctified with such bloud I haue no cruell heart bloud be farre from me I minde nothing lesse Yet needes must it be graunted that the maintainers and teachers of errors heresie are to be repressed in euery Christian common wealth Such troublers of the quiet of the Church such deceiuers of the people are at leastwise according to the auncient commendable custome of the church to be remooued from the ministerie It is no reason that the church enemies should bee fostered in the bosome of the church The histories of things doone by good princes and rulers in these cases are so many and manifest that I neede not trouble you with recitall of them Amphilochius the Bishop sharply reprooued Theodosius the Emperour that he so long winked at Arius and suffered him to spreade his pestilent heresie farre and wide ouer the bodie of the church The Emperour was not angrie at the words of iust reproofe but foorthwith banished Arius and gaue him some part of his iust deserts The ministers what roume soeuer they haue in the church of God ought to pray and teache the good and right way or else to giue place to others that can and will And thus much for the duetie of the ministers 13 It followeth Feare the Lord and serue him in the trueth withall your hearts The Prophet in these words putteth the prince and people in remembrance of their dutie Wherin double seruice is required The seruice due vnto God and the seruice due vnto the common wealth The seruice which we owe vnto God is feare which feare is euer ioyned with loue and for that cause called a sonnelike feare to distinguish it from that seruile feare the ende whereof is desperation as the fruite of the former is loue which maketh not ashamed Feare God for they which feare him shal not feele his power All things bee naked and open before him He doeth see and wil iudge Feare him therefore but loue him too who hath so loued thee that hee hath not spared his onely sonne but giuen him to death for thee 14 God putteth the heads in minde of this duetie knowing that as they goe before so the people wil followe after Ieroboam gaue euil example and he made the people sinne Iosias feared and zealously serued God and the people did the like Quomodo reges Domino seruiunt in timore nisiea quae contra Domini iussa sunt religiosa seueritate prohibendo atque plectendo Aliter rex seruit vt homo aliter vt rex vt homo fideliter timendo vt rex leges iusta praecipientes contraria prohibentes sanciendo How doe Princes serue the Lorde in feare saith S. Augustine vnlesse with religious rigor they forbid and punish things wherein the statutes of the Lorde are broken The king serueth God as a man one way and an other way as a king As a man by leading a faithfull life as a king by making Lawes such as inioyne things that are iust forbid the contrary Ezechias did God the seruice of a king in destroying the groues and temples of Idols which were builded against the commandement of God Iosias did the like in reforming the church in dispatching all Idolatrie and superstition Darius did God royall seruice when he gaue the Idol into Daniels handes and cast his enemies into the denne of Lions Nabuchodonazer did the like when by straite Lawe hee commaunded that none should blaspheme but that all should serue the God of Sydrach My sach and Abednago Herein Princes doe rightly serue God as Princes when to serue him they doe such things as vnlesse they were Princes they could not doe 15 The first point of kinglie seruice vnto God is to purge and cleanse his Church Christ teacheth this by that which he did at his entering into that fowlie defiled temple of Ierusalem It appertaineth to Princes to Magistrates to them which are nowe assembled in this honourable Court of Parliament by all good meanes and Lawes to see Gods house made cleane that it may be the house of prayer and not a denne of theeues 16 First it must be purged from all false doctrine from all Idolatrie and superstition The good kings Ezechias and Iosias were careful in this behalfe They could not abide Idolatrie to be committed or God to be blasphemed within their dominons It had beene hard to haue purchased such a thing as a Masse at Moses hands with a masse of money That zealous Prince king Asa deposed Maacha his grandemother wholly from all gouernment for setting vp a foule Idol in a groue He that dealt so sharply with his grandmother for this surely would in no case or respect haue tolerated a blasphemous masse in his reformed church and kingdome The euill which others doe by our sufferance is ours We doe it when we suffer it to be done Princes to please princes may not displease the prince of all princes Feare the Lord and serue him in zeale and in trueth cast out of the church of England all leuin of blasphemie and Idolatrie So shall you glorifie God and he shal glorifie you Pauls heart was set on fire his spirit was kindled within him when hee sawe the citie of Athens giuen to Idolatrie Ye knowe the Historie of that woorthie man Mattathias We praie daily Hallowed be thy name but with what mindes if wittingly we suffer his name to be prophaned blasphemed 17 Feare the Lord purge his Church remooue all stones of offence out of his vineyard S. Pauls rule is Let all things in the Church be doone seemely What that seemelinesse is he himselfe expoundeth in these words Let all things be doone vnto edification The primatiue Church casting away Iudaicall and Heathenish rites was simple in her ceremonies The pope hath polluted and burthened the Church with both Wee may haue no other than such as are comely and serue for the
good And as it is profitable for them to be constrained so is it a thing verie reasonable to constraine them For why should not the Church enforce her lost children to returne to saluation if lost children enforce others to turne to destruction Seeing that the whole seruice in our Church is no other than Gods written worde as there can be alleaged no iust cause why any man should withdrawe himselfe from this word so appertaineth it vnto princes that feare God within their dominions to compel euery subiect to come and heare this worde least the church by this euill example should be greatly offended Gods causes are zealously to be seene vnto and the winning of mens soules is religiously to be sought And thus much briefly touching the seruice of God To see the Gospel eueriewhere preached the ministers prouided for and the people compelled to come heare the worde This is the feare of God which Samuel requireth 22 Whereunto must bee added a speciall regard to the common wealth It is commonly saide that the common wealth is sore diseased and that euerie member of that bodie seemeth to be grieued Remedie would bee sought in time least remedie come too late But I am no Phisition for that bodie and therefore is it not fit for me to minister any medicine to it But I shall pray for the health thereof and set it ouer to such as haue skill and can helpe The care of the common wealth chiefly appertaineth to the head of the common wealth who is Parens Patriae the mother of this sicke childe It is required at our handes to feare and serue the Lorde in trueth That prince doth serue God in trueth and in deede which is careful that the euill may be punished and repressed and that the good may bee defended and aduaunced When generally all men are seene vnto that euerie man doe his duetie then God is in trueth and synceritie serued 23 The prince is set as the head ouer the bodie as the chiefe shepeheard ouer the flocke These titles are giuen to Princes and gouernours to put them in minde not onely of their honour and preeminence but of their charge and office also But the prince cannot doe this alone it is a burthen too heauie for one to weeld And therefore hee must according to the counsel which Iethro gaue vnto Moses choose out of all the people men wise and fearing God louers of the trueth such as hate couetousnesse and out of them make rulers ouer thousands hundreds fifties and tennes that they may sit and iudge the people at all seasons Magistrates should bee chosen out of all the people for their woorthinesse It is vnmeete that such things as should followe deserts bee procured by other sinister meanes Magistrates should be wise men furnished with learning vnderstanding good skil and long experience men that feare God religious louers of his trueth fauourers of the Gospell and of all such as liue in the feare of God True and vpright dealers such as will stedfastly fasten their eies vpon the causes brought before them and not regard the face of any man lastly haters of couetousnesse bribes and rewardes Good officers should thus be qualified And to the end that magistrates may be such it must be prouided that there may be choise of officers without sale of offices It is not probable that he which obtaineth such a roume for a price wil leaue it freely or deale iustly in it A greater corruption than this cannot enter into a common wealth For by this meane both the prince and people are deceiued To punish the euil to maintaine the good to ouerlooke the whole and to choose appoint forth worthie officers for the gouernment of the common wealth this is the duetie of a prince that feareth God That prince which doth this serueth God in trueth 24 Homer bringeth in Iupiter sitting in the middest of the assemblie of gods whom he menaceth and threateneth on this wise Let not any god or goddesse attempt the breache of my mandate If I vnderstand that any doe I wil giue him small ioie of this place or prouide him another farre ynough hence a dwelling place the gates whereof are yron and the ground brasse I will plunge him as deepe vnder hel as heauen is ouer earth He shall well knowe his might to be somewhat beneath mine For if ye thinke your selues to be stronger than I am make triall of your strength fasten a chaine in heauen and ioyne all your force at the end thereof But yee shall neuer be able to pull Iupiter out of heauen no though ye sweate much about it whereas if I list to put but my finger to the haling of you I wil pluck vp sea and lande with you So much am I superior vnto gods and men Kings and princes in their seuerall dominions haue such power through the prouidēce of almightie God by whose appointment they weare their crownes that their ordinaunces bee not lightly broken vnlesse themselues be carelesse to haue them kept For by reason of the Maiestie that God hath giuen them they are feared of all estates and conditions of men They can throwe downe whom they wil and whom they wil they can aduaunce They haue the chaine and the reine in their hands they can draw others whither they wil but others are not able to drawe them vnlesse they list This power and strength and glorie which GOD hath giuen vnto kings and whereby they are able to leade the worlde as it were in a string leaueth them vtterly without excuse if they vse it not to the benefite of the common wealth They cannot serue God in trueth and giue the bridle to their subiects to sinne without restraint These times of greatest and grauest consultation are fit occasions wherein Princes may most effectually shewe howe heartily and truely they feare the Lord. These are the times to prouide chaines that is to say good statutes and lawes to holde all men within compasse and to binde together the skattered parts of the common wealth When the great counsel of Rome entered into the Senate to consult for the good gouernment and defence of the Empire first they went sacrificed to Iupiter and there euerie man offered vp and left behinde him his priuate affections promising that their consultation should onely tend to the common benefite Leaue you all priuate affections likewise cast them behinde you seeke not your owne commoditie Let it appeare that you loue your Countrie God the Prince and the common wealth require a faithfull performance of this seruice at your hands Seeke by Lawe the syncere setting foorth the maintenance and continuance of Gods true religion Let this be your first and principal care and so shal ye serue the Lorde in trueth 25 Seeke by Lawe to represse the gainesayers and the enemies of this trueth This libertie that men may openly professe diuersitie of religion must needs be dangerous to the
common wealth What stirs diuersities of religion hath raised in nations kingdoms the histories are so many so plaine and our times in such sort haue told you that with further proofe I need not trouble your eares One God one king one faith one profession is fit for one monarchie common wealth Diuision weakneth Concord strēgtheneth The storie of Scilurus the Scythian is knowen who vpon his death bed taught his lxxx sons the force of vnitie by the strength of sticks weake by themselues when they are tyed in a bundle Let conformitie and vnitie in religion be prouided for and it shal be as a wall of defence vnto this Realme 26 And as these things are especially to be regarded as our principal care must be for the highest matters synceritie and vnitie in religion so we may not neglect or passe ouer smaller things which neede redresse For as diseases and sores in the basest and vilest parts of the body doe grieue and may endaunger the chiefest vnlesse they bee cured betimes so the least abuses by sufferance may worke the greatest harme Gorgeous apparel and sumptuous dyet with such like matters may seeme small things but they are the causes of no small euils They eate vp England and are therefore to bee repressed by straite Lawes It is a part of true seruice done vnto God to see euen vnto these things 27 Wee may seeme to cast our eyes very lowe when wee looke into the dealings of euerie officer vnder the Prince Yet euerie one must be seene vnto They waxe sodainely rich by the spoile of the Prince Reforme it by Lawe that all may walke in trueth If merchaunts with other artificers and meaner trades doe inriche themselues by impouerishing others through deceitfull shifts the common wealth suffereth dammage by their vneuen dealings If we wil haue God serued in trueth wee must by Lawe reforme them 28 That biting worme of vsurie that deuouring wolfe hath consumed many many it hath pulled vpon their knees and brought to beggerie many such as might haue liued in great wealth and in honour not a fewe This canker hath corrupted all England It is become the chiefe chaffer and merchaundise of England We shall doe God and our countrie true seruice by taking away this euill Represse it by Lawe else the heauie hand of God hangeth ouer vs and wil strike vs. 29 That vile sinne of adulterie in Gods common wealth punished with death so ouerfloweth the bankes of all chastitie that if by sharpe Lawes it be not speedily cut off God from heauen with fire will consume it Preuent Gods wrath bridle this outrage so shal you serue the Lord in truth 30 There is nothing more hurtfull to the common wealth than these corner contracts without consent of parents contrary to the woorde of God the Lawe of nature the Lawe ciuil and all right and reason The inconueniences that followe are not sufferable Euaristus a Bishop of Rome saith It is not wedlocke but whoredome when the consent of parents is wanting God cannot bee better serued than if by Lawe yee restraine this vnlawfull contracting The children of this inconuenient mariage may scarsely bee termed lawfull The deuill that hath euer hated wedlocke and loueth whoredome was the first author of this great disorder God graunt you vnderstanding heartes and willing mindes faithfully and in trueth to trauell to represse and take away these euils 31 And as euill is to be controlled by Lawe so that which is good is also by Lawe to be procured God hath made vs many wayes riche For what wee haue freely at his hands we haue it But he himselfe is become very poore in so much that for want of reliefe he is forced to begge and for want of lodging and meate hee lieth and dieth in our streetes This great ingratitude God cannot but reuenge Oh what shame is this to a Christian common wealth in a reformed countrie Obstinate Iewes would neuer shew themselues so vnthankful Their auncient Lawe forbidding beggars is euen to this day most straitly kept amongest them Lawes in this behalfe haue beene prouided but as they wanted perfection so haue they in manner in no point or any where had execution Serue God in trueth prouide that Christ craue not Such as wil not feede him here he wil neuer feede in his kingdome Thus haue I point by point let you see disorders and wants in the common wealth Ye haue authoritie by Lawe to reforme them Consider duetifully of it and serue God truely as ye ought alwayes remembring the saying of the Prophet Esay Woe be to them that make wicked Lawes 32 When good Lawes are made they must be put in execution Lawe is the life of the common wealth and execution the life of the Lawe And better not to make Lawes than not to execute Lawes when they are once made This is the dutie of the publike ministers of the common wealth They must first keepe Lawes themselues then see that others in like sort may obserue them If the officers and ministers of the common wealth contemne lawes doubtlesse the people wil neuer reuerence them if they breake them the people wil neuer keep them Which Solon wisely considering wisely aunswered being demaunded what was chiefe safetie for a common wealth If the Citizens obey the Magistrate and the Magistrate the Lawes You that are appointed to this purpose and put in trust therewith lay aside dread and meede fauour and friendship gift and gaine and with simplicitie of heart punish the transgressor of the Lawe according to the Law Make not Anacharsis webbe of the Lawe Let not the hornet escape and the litle flie bee caught Fewe Lawes well made and well kept would serue the turne This is Gods seruice the execution thereof he hath set ouer to your hands Serue him in trueth and singlenesse of heart Cursed is he that negligently doeth the worke of the Lorde 33 Thus much hath beene spoken concerning higher powers and of their duetie in the seruice of God Samuel speaketh not to them alone to the people it is spoken as well as to the prince Feare and serue ye the Lorde in trueth Feare God embrace the Gospel leade your liues in holinesse and righteousnesse according to the word of trueth The Lorde is a strong defence to them that feare him They that feare him want nothing 34 Giue vnto the Lordes annointed due reuerence and honour Let euerie soule be subiect not by constraint but for conscience sake Imitate those worthie Israelites who were so willingly obedient to Iosua that they cryed with one voice Whosoeuer shall rebell against thy commaundement and will not obey thy woordes in all that thou commaundest him let him die Grudge not repine not at higher powers say not in your hearts Let vs breake their bands and cast away their chaines from vs. 35 Seeke the peace of the common wealth and
that harlot inseparablie henceforward which to doe they must take a solemne oath and in token thereof weare some marke of the beast as a Crosse an Agnus Dei a medall or some such badge of recognisance These popish proctors haue poisoned many and the obseruing of this most wicked oth hath made many sillie soules especially women breake their faith to Christ their loyaltie to their Prince and their promised obedience to their husbands A wicked promise is best vnmade but being made is better broken than performed It had beene a lesse offence for Herod to breake his oath than to behead an Innocent Wee may neither make nor keepe any promise oath or vowe against the Lorde As for reconciliation Be reconciled vnto God He it is which alone remitteth sinne and they onely which are reconciled to him shalbe saued 25 But these destroiers and subuerters of the Lords vineyard cease not thus Some credite they thinke to winne to their owne cause if they can worke the discredit of such as are maintainers of the contrarie To this end they raise vp slanderous reports against our magistrates ministers that the people first misliking them may afterwards be brought with more ease to mislike of that religion wherof they are This is an old practise of the anciēt enemie Daniel was charged to contemne the decree of Nabuchadnetzar Micheas to be a lier Ieremie to be an enemie to the common wealth Elias to be a disturber of the state Christ to be an enemie vnto Cesar Paul to be factious seditious the Christians in the daies of Traian the Emperor to haue their women cōmon in their night assemblies to worship an Asses head in stead of God with many such like shamelesse reports How these foxes haue falsely slaundered both magistrates and ministers of God in these our daies it shalbe needelesse here to recite Their bookes are extant as full of lies as lines Thus you see howe they labour by all meanes to hinder the passage of the Gospel and vtterly to subuert true religion We see also how the Lorde of hostes fighteth for vs how the almightie is our defence how he that keepeth vs slumbereth not how strangely and miraculously hee preserueth his annointed Dauid both from the bloudy hands of Saul abroad and Absolon at home in the midst of so many conspiracies treacheries snares and traps which these foxes haue deuised and laid We see how God preserueth his vineyard how hee maintaineth his church so many waies assaulted maugre all his and all our enemies It is his onely worke maruellous in our eyes it is the Lord let vs praise his name 26 But although God hitherto hath preserued his vineyard from the spoile of these foxes yet his wil and commaundement is that we should not liue in securitie but beware of them watch them and catch them if we can Take vs the litle foxes This last and most necessarie part for order sake may be thus diuided First we learne that foxes are to be taken secondly to whom thirdly by whom and lastly how they are to be taken 27 These foxes are to be taken For so the spouse of Christ or rather Christ himselfe commandeth And why Because they are hurtfull to his vineyard God commaundeth false prophets not onely to be taken but also to die the death Let the false Prophet die Paul wisheth that the disturbers of the peace of the church were cut off He laide an heauie hand vpon Elymas the sorcerer when he stroke him starke blinde Moses at the commaundement of God made a speedie dispatch of Idolaters The Apostle would that dogges euil workemen sectmakers should be shunned that all heretikes not recalling themselues by admonition should be auoided The scabbed sheepe must be remooued out of the flock the leper should be seuered the adulterer cast out the leauen put away foxes taken and tyed short This is the wil of God the request of the spouse the commaundement of Christ. The Lawe of nature God and man crieth Take these foxes 28 But vnto whom Nobis Catche them vnto vs saith the spouse of Christ. Christ came into the world to saue sinners he willeth not the death of a sinner but rather that he should cōuert and liue He came to recall the lost sheepe of the house of Israel his wil is that stonie hearts be turned into fleshie that foxes be chaunged into sheepe that enemies bee reconciled and made friends that strangers be made citizens with his Saints that all come vnto him that all may find rest for their soules He created man for himselfe for himselfe he redeemed him his will is that foxes be taken and brought to him that he himselfe may be glorified in them 29 But who should take them The friendes of the spouse the seruaunts and officers of the bridegroome Christ. There be two especiall seruaunts whom the Lord hath appointed to hunt for these cubbes the magistrate and the minister These are to ioyne their force together to be as brethren Moses and Aaron knit in loue and liking to giue all diligence and mutual endeuour for the apprehension of these foxes For why the vineyard of the Lord is set ouer to their ouersight and gouernement Kings and Queenes should bee as Nurces to tender and cherishe the church of Christ to keepe euerie noysome and hurtfull thing from it Ministers are they whom God hath set to sweate and labour in the vineyard to gouerne and feede the flocke which he hath purchased with his owne bloud These are the Lords two hands to both these he speaketh when hee saith Take the foxes But all the craft is in the catching Wee must therefore learne how they are to be taken 30 The minister hath his nets to take withall the magistrate hath his traps The first is the net of Gods word to cast into the sea for fishes or to set vpon the land for foxes Preach the word be instant in season and out of season The Lawe of the Lord conuerteth soules With this net Iohn Baptist caught at one time a great number of foxes Scribes Pharisies Publicanes souldiers and sinners they came confessing their sinnes and asking What shall we doe Peter cast out this net and in one Sermon brought three thousand vnto Christ. With this net at Cesarea hee tooke Cornelius the captaine with a great multitude Paul by spreading this net gate huge numbers in Asia in Africa in Europe in all parts and quarters of the world Christ himselfe with this nette tooke so many that they saide Behold the whole worlde goeth after him Philip tooke the Eunuche in this net in the same net Lidya Dionysius Paulus Sergius was caught Ambrose set this net for Augustine tooke him in it Verily if this net were diligently set it would catche these cubbes apace For they erre because they knowe not the scriptures and they cannot knowe because they are not taught Woe therefore
wee haue to praise our God that in publike doctrine touching the substance of religion wee all agree in one truth we all builde vpon one foundation Christ Iesus slaine and offered vp for our full redemption according to the doctrine of the scriptures So much the greater pitie it is that there should be such dissent in matters of small importance in rites and circumstances that by contention in such things the course of the Gospel should be hindered Christs aduersaries strengthened and his church offended The ministerie cannot bee well executed without her rites which rites are left indifferent to euerie policie so that they be not disagreeing from the word so that they tend vnto edification so that they be seemely and according to decent order Bee it graunted that some rites vpon some consideration might be bettered or omitted yet can I not say neither any man I suppose can prooue that any thing is set downe to be obserued in the Church wicked or contrarie to the woord And it were scarse wisedome when as in many yeres a beautifull and a costlie house is builded if a windowe be set a litle awrie or some small like eye sore doe appeare in respect thereof to disturbe the whole house to put it downe and laie it flat with the ground For euerie change being so full of perill surely these great alterations vpon so light aduise these newe common wealthes howsoeuer they be shadowed with the plausible name of reformation yet in seeking for vndoubtedly this is sought and that by many to haue the patrimonie of the Church diuided mangled and impaired they threaten the vtter ouerthrowe of learning and religion For take away liuing at which roote this axe especially striketh and ye take away learning take away learning and yee ouerthrowe teaching take away teaching and what shall become of the church of Christ Where there is no vision there the people cannot choose but come to decaie There is no state no not the state of a prince excepted to whom feare honour obedience and tribute is due that may more rightly chalenge a competent and sufficient liuing than the minister of the word of God They seeme to haue put out the verie light of nature in themselues which repine at the reasonable maintenance of them that minister before the Lorde in these sanctified labours For who doeth plant a vineyard and doeth not eate of the fruite thereof or who feedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke of the flock Marke how the scriptures both in the Lawe and in the Gospell doe beate vpon this point In the Lawe it is saide Thou shalt not mussle the mouth of the Oxe Doeth God take care for Oxen No his care is for vs. For our cause it is that he hath saide The labourer is worthie of his hire For our cause he hath ordeined that they which preache the Gospell should liue of the Gospell Hee had a care of his church and therefore gaue charge Let him that is taught in the word make him that taught him partaker of al his goods This is large yet but reasonable For if we haue sowen vnto you spiritual things is it a great matter if wee reape your carnall things is it much to make vs partakers of all your goods The Elders that rule well are worthie of double honour specially they which labour in the woord and doctrine They which labour amongst you and are ouer you in the Lorde and admonish you haue them saith the Apostle we beseeche you in singular loue for their works sake It was foreseene no doubt by the spirite how Gods portion should be pinched howe the ministers of the word should be contemned howe iniuriously men in these last vncharitable daies would seeke for the hauocke and spoile of the Church this mooued him in so large and ample sort to speake of maintenance and honour due to his ministers If any man bee slowe and rechelesse in dooing his office if there bee any Idol-sheepeheard that feedeth himselfe onely and not his flocke let him be reformed or remooued But for the fault of a fewe that the whole state should be subuerted and the patrimonie of the church of Christ spoiled and deuoured it were verie hard No prince nor people Christian or Heathen could euer consent to such a thing without sacrilege Wel as we are at vnitie in substance of religion so God graunt that at length in these things also we may agree and be as one euen as becommeth the congregation of Christ which is a societie linked and knit together not sundered by diuision and rent in peeces by varietie of opinions and iudgements To this vnitie Paul exhorteth Be of one meaning This vnitie Christ commendeth to his Disciples saying Be one 6 Of this vnitie and coniunction of men agreeing in the trueth ariseth that brotherly concord whereof S. Paul in the woordes that followe saith Be like minded hauing the same charitie Where dissent in religion is there can hardly be consent in loue Diuersitie of religion sundered the Iewe and Gentile caused the one to be an abhomination to the other Wherefore hee that came to bring religion into the world came not to bring with it peace but a sword a sworde to diuide asunder not onely kingdomes and cities but euen the man and the wife the father and the childe a sword to cut off one brother from another For there can be no agreement betweene Christ and Beliall the light of the one and the others darkenesse such as are not of one true religion with vs their profession may be friendshippe but their practise is deceit they may with speeche and countenaunce flatter and fawne but they carie for the most part a malitious heart set vpon mischiefe Caine spake Abel faire ynough but for the diuersitie of his sacrifice he hated him and spying opportunitie shed his bloud Herod pretended to worship Christ whose death he fully purposed in his malitious mind There was neuer therfore wise Israelite that would trust an Amorite It is and will bee true for euer that Constantine saide Qui perfidi sunt in Deum in Principem fideles esse non possunt They cannot be sure to their Prince who to God-ward are not syncere They count trueth heresie and No PROMISE TO BE KEPT WITH HERETIKES is their posie Children they are like to their father which is a murtherer and lier from the beginning But when we speake of loue and charitie we speake of the badge of Christianitie of the vertues of true Christians who consenting in faith bring foorth the fruite of faith which is loue without which howe neere soeuer we approche vnto Christ in word and in outward profession we are in deede none of his He cannot agree with Christ that is at discord with a Christian. God is so delighted with this affection that he professeth himselfe to hate them that are enemies of it yea the soule of the Lord abhorreth
euerie good worke 5 The Prophet beeing inflamed with a desire of knowledge and vnderstanding sawe no other waie to attaine thereunto but by ioyning with continuall meditation earnest prayer Teache me thy waies O Lord Giue me vnderstanding Shewe me thy Law He knewe that praying was as needefull altogether as reading that if there be any difference at all it is this By praying we profite more than by reading 6 As he desireth to be taught so it is especially to bee noted that his desire is to be taught of God Teache thou me O Lorde There is none that can open the sealed booke of God but onely the Lion of the tribe of Iuda the roote of Dauid the Lambe of God For Thou art woorthie to take the booke and to open the seuen seales thereof because thou wast slaine and hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud It is he that hath the keie of Dauid which openeth and no man shutteth shutteth and no man openeth For the outward reading of the word without the inward working of his spirite is nothing The precise Pharisees the learned Scribes red the Scriptures ouer and ouer againe they not onely red them in bookes but woore them on their garments they were not onely taught but were able themselues to teache others But because this heauenly teacher had not instructed them their vnderstanding was darkened their knowledge was but vanitie they were ignoraunt altogether in that sauing trueth which the Prophet Dauid is so desirous to learne The mysteries of saluation were so hard to be conceiued of the verie Apostles of Christ Iesus that he is forced many times sharpely to rebuke them for their dulnesse which vnlesse he himselfe had remooued by opening the eyes of their mindes they could neuer haue attained to the knowledge of saluation in Christ Iesus The eares of that woman Lydia would haue beene as close shut against the preaching of Paul as any others if the finger of God had not touched and opened her heart As many as learne they are taught of God and no man knoweth the father but he to whom it pleaseth the sonne to reueale him There is but one teacher in the schoole of Christ hee it is that leadeth vnto all trueth 7 Nowe although Christ onely openeth the booke of knowledge giueth vnderstanding and reuealeth vnto vs the wil of his father although the spirite onely bee the schoolemaster that inwardly guideth the heart in the way of trueth yet may wee not gape for reuelations as the Anabaptists doe or thinke that God hath reuealed vnto vs whatsoeuer wee doe vainely imagine and conceiue in our braines For as there is a spirite of truth so there is also a lying spirit S. Iohn therefore giueth vs a caueat not to credit euerie spirit but to trie spirits whether they be of God or no. We are to bee taught of God yet by such meanes as God hath appointed The riche man beeing in torments craued reuelations for his brethren to whom it was aunswered They haue Moses and the Prophets God doth teache inwardly but by outward meanes He spake in old time by Angels by dreames by visions by reuelations But now in these latter daies he hath spoken by his sonne and he by his ministers He taught the Eunuch but it was by Philip he taught Cornelius but it was by Peter he taught Paul but it was by Ananias 8 But howsoeuer or by whomsoeuer we taught the thing which we must learne is the woord of God not the decrees and decretals of Popes not the quiddities of too curious schoolemen not lying legends not amorous arts not the daungerous discourses of Politikes voide of the feare of God denying defacing Christian religion This is not our schoole these are not our studies What we should desire to learne the Prophet sheweth by the words following Thy waies 9 This word WAIE by a translation or metaphor in the scripture hath sundrie significations Sometime it is taken for doctrine as thou teachest the WAIE of God truely sometimes for religion as when S. Paul saith I persecuted this WAIE and againe According to this WAIE which they call heresie I woorship the God of my Fathers sometimes it is taken for the course and order of a mans life as in the words of the Prophet Esay The Lord taught mee that I should not walk in the WAIE of this people sometimes for the counsels and purposes of men so Elihu meant it saying His eyes are vpon the WAIES of man and he seeth all his goings The waie which the Prophet heere would learne of God is true religion the doctrine of his holie wil in his word reuealed but chieflie the doctrine of the true Messias promised the waie of trueth it selfe hee onely being the waie the trueth and the life hauing giuen vs an example that we should followe his steps who did no sinne Now as God hath his waie so man hath his My waies are not your waies The waies of Christ and Antichrist of the Church of God and the Synagogue of Satan of religion and superstition these are contrarie eche to other Christ saith of himselfe I am the waie In the knowledge of this waie S. Paul glorieth I esteemed to knowe nothing but Christ Iesus and him crucified and in the knowledge of this waie the Prophet desireth to be taught of God Teach me thy waie O Lord. 10 To this petition he addeth a promise first to walke and secondly to walke in trueth We may not be idle We are created vnto good workes which God hath prepared that we might walke in them Wee are redeemed and bought with a price not to doe nothing or to liue as we list but to serue him which hath redeemed vs. Our Sauiour could in no wise abide idlenesse Why stand ye still Saint Paul would haue all men to be stirring Let euerie man walke Not one is excepted not one can be dispensed withall Whosoeuer hee bee that will not labour let him not eate For it is good that euerie man should eate his bread in the sweate of his browes And worke in the wise mans iudgement is euen as needefull for men as meate There is no such bane to a common wealth or kingdome no such poison to the maners of euerie particular man as idlenesse is Examples we haue too many in all ages Idlenesse in Dauid was a cause of lewdenesse so that it is not good no not for Princes to bee idle Idlenesse was the roote of all that filth in Sodoma Israel in the absence of Moses being idle fell to feasting dauncing and idolatrie And therefore seeing that such as bee idle are subiect to so many noysome temptations S. Ieroms counsell is this See thou be alwaies dooing somewhat that the diuell may finde thee occupied he that is out of good exercise is easilie snared of the diuell And idlenesse saith S.
Lord while he may be founde call vpon him while he is neere 7 Let the wicked forsake his waies and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lord and he wil haue mercie vpon him and to our God for he is verie readie to forgiue HERE we learne by the Prophet that saluation is not sold but freely giuen of God to as many as hunger and thirst after it that they which seeke the Lorde shall finde him so that they seeke him in due and seasonable time and that the time of seeking the Lord is nowe Seeke the Lord c. In this exhortation of the Prophet let vs first consider why secondly how God is to be sought and thirdly what gaine doth growe to the seeker If I should particularly prosecute this distribution and followe it at large as euerie part shall minister occasion of speeche I should bee too long for this place But I minde breuitie because I knowe before whom I speake Fewe woords will be sufficient for the wise and to a minde well instructed alreadie a short putting in minde will serue If I chaunce to say what other men haue saide before me for what can bee saide which hath not beene saide before I must beseeche you to remember the words of the blessed Apostle S. Paul which was not ashamed to tell euen his owne tale twise To write vnto you the same things to me it is not tedious and to you it is necessarie 2 God preferreth obedience before sacrifice He accounteth it better to obey than to offer For as all vice is contaiued in the name of disobedience because that onely is naught which God misliketh and that which he misliketh hee hath forbidden So I may be bold to say with S. Augustine that There is no vertue but obedience onely If therefore the Centurions souldiers obediently went came and did what he commaunded if the Israelites were so duetiful vnto Iosua that they saide All things which thou hast commaunded vs we will doe he that shall not obey let him die the death if mortall men for conscience sake must be obeyed shall we despise the voice of him that saith from heauen Seeke ye the Lord When God doth bid vs goe we may not stand still And that which his Prophets in his name commaund vs hee commaundeth himselfe 3 But least that the maiestie of him which commaundeth should rather astonish men than set them forwarde to seeke the Lord with rough commandements he ioineth oftentimes sweete allurements Come vnto me Come and ye shall finde rest for your soules Not entising men with faire and sweete words only but powring his benefites also plentifully vpon them So he dealt with his old and auncient people whom by his Prophet Micheas hee putteth in remembraunce of three especiall blessings whereby they were prouoked to serue the Lord Surely I haue brought thee vp out of the Land of Egypt and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage and I haue sent before thee Moses Aaron and Myriam O my people remember nowe what Balak king of Moab had deuised and what Balam the sonne of Peor aunswered him from Shittim vnto Gilgal that ye may knowe the righteousnesse of the Lord. 4 The chiefest benefite which the Lorde powred vpon his people and the first whereby hee allured them to seeke him was this With an outstretched arme hee brought them foorth from the Land of Egypt the house of bondage where their dwelling place was a prison and a long life long miserie No doubt a mightie and a mercifull worke of God to deliuer his people out of such thraldome and to set them at such libertie as they afterwards enioyed Bondage is an heauie yoke an exceeding plague freedome and libertie a great benefite a sweete blessing The like benefite in as great a measure of loue fauour and power we haue receiued at the hands of our mercifull God Hee hath doone that for vs a reiected nation which hee did for his owne inheritaunce Hee hath deliuered vs from the tyrannie and thraldome of that great Pharao from Satan sinne hell death and condemnation by the mightie hand of our Moses our graund captaine Christ Iesus who on the crosse gate the victorie spoiled our enemie cancelled the writing of our bondage and seruitude brought vs through the red sea and by his bloudshed wrought our perfect and full deliuerance Againe when we groaned vnder the heauy burthens of a second the childe of the former Pharao when the tyrannie of Antichrist lay grieuous vpon our soules constraining vs by force vnto those things in comparison whereof the gathering of stubble or making of bricke the sustaining of burthens farre heauier than the Egyptian laid any vpon Israel would haue seemed tollerable light and easie in the midst of these insufferable griefes euen then when these Egyptians were most fiercely and eagerly bent when they thought their kingdome most strongly established and vs past looking for any deliuerance and what else could the reason of man suppose euen then our mightie and mercifull God to whose workes mans thoughts aspire not by the hand of his milde and faithfull seruaunt deliuered his people out of that thraldome of bond made vs free discharged vs from the intollerable tyrannie of Antichrist deliuered vs from the vsurped power of poperie from the Romish yoke of seruile superstition that we might serue no longer that man of sinne but our God not with a slauish minde but in perfect freedome of conscience according to his most holie woorde and not mans blasphemous doctrine If wee did not passe ouer this blessing of God with blinde or closed eyes surely the consideration thereof would mooue vs it would force vs to breake into woordes of wonderment and to crie out with the Prophet How great is thy goodnesse It would stirre vp in vs an earnest desire to seeke our gratious Lord and when hee is found for euer to cleaue fast vnto him 5 God further prouoking his people Israel to seeke him putteth them in mind of a second benefite of sending Moses Aaron and Marie before them Moses to be their Magistrate and Aaron to be their Priest the one to iudge and the other to teache the one to punish sinners the other to praie and to offer for them These two were brethren that the bond of nature might vnite their mindes in gouernement and that their vnitie might more aduaunce Gods glorie and procure the tranquillitie and safetie of their countrie So Ioas the king and Iehoiada the Bishop ioining hands and drawing in one line mans policie giuing place to the word of God the onely fountaine of true honourable policie Israel had a prosperous and happie state 6 Moses was a woorthie magistrate And his greatest commendation is that he was no lesse sharp and seuere in Gods cause than milde and gentle in his owne His mildenesse caused him many times to put vp other priuate iniuries it neuer caused him
to bee celebrated yet neither purgatorie nor praier neither any other after helps can be auaileable for the partie departed and therefore wee must nowe sowe as hereafter we will reape Cast away impietie and worldly concupiscence and liue a sober a iust and a godlie life looking for the blessed hope and the appearance of the glorie of the great God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ. Here we are as Christs souldiers appointed to fight a good fight to fulfill our course to keepe the faith and so to looke for the promised crowne of glorie which God will giue to such as looke for and loue his comming 5 Whereof Iob is a good remembrance vnto vs. All the daies of this my warfare doe I waite till my chaunging shall come In which words we haue three things chiefly to bee considered First that our whole life is a warfare Secondly that this warre will haue an ende Thirdly that this end is daily to be looked for 6 He which saith here I waite all the daies of this my warrefare saith otherwhere also Mans life is a warrefare vpon earth In this Christian warre some be generals some captaines some trumpetors the rest be common and ordinarie souldiers Euerie one must keepe his standing answere his calling fight and manfully striue for the victorie 7 Kings and princes are generals Gods lieuetenaunts vpon earth to defend Gods people to set them in order to see them well gouerned to fight in Gods quarell to preferre and promote Gods cause They should serue the Lorde the king of kings in feare Imbrace the sonne aduaunce true religion Seeke the kingdome of heauen wherein doth consist their victorie and glorie This they will doe if they be zealous in Gods cause if they be in deede the Nurces of his Church they will hate his enemies with perfect hatred they will punish transgressors protect the innocent execute iustice and iudgement without respect of persons So shal they militare Christo doe the office of a good general in Gods warre Such generals were Dauid Iehosaphat Ezechias and Iosias These generals are placed of God and therefore of dutie to be obeyed Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher power for there is no power but of God God giueth good princes as a blessing and the same God giueth euill princes as a curse He gaue Samuel in his fauour and in his wrath the gaue Saul He maketh an hypocrite to raigne for the sins of the people These generals haue authority frō the Lord of Hosts to draw the sword against transgressors and to execute martial law according to such limitatiō as God hath prescribed 8 The captaines are the Nobilitie put in their seueral authorities our seuerall bands They must valiantly goe before striue and stand for Gods cause giue good example to their souldiers in honest behauiour in painefull trauell according to their callings So vpright in all their dooings that the people may be enforced to iustifie them as the Israelites did their Samuel Good captaines make good souldiers 9 The trumpetors are the ministers of Gods woord by the blast of the trumpe both to giue warning of the enemie and also to order the going forward of the armie To these men God saith Crie out alowde leaue not off lift vp thy voice like a trumpet and shewe my people their offences If these men be dumme dogges and sound not the trumpet as well to forewarne as to guide Gods armie The perishing bloud shall bee required at their handes by whom it hath beene betraied Paul was faithfull and skilfull to sound this trumpe and to sound it in season to striue for the truth and to powre out his bloud in Gods quarell He ended his daies like a man full of valour I haue fought a good fight I haue fulfilled my course I haue kept the faith His faithfull heart was carefull for the whole armie of God I haue care of all the Churches 10 The common souldiers must keepe their stand and station in all obedience and readinesse stowtly they must fight vnder Christs victorious banner They are not trifles for which they striue Therefore let them not shrinke nor cowardly runne away but with an inuincible courage in an assured hope of the victorie abide all warrelike miseries sustained with the comfort of that reward which no man shall receiue except he striue lawfully No man that laieth his hand to the plough and looketh backeward is woorthie of the kingdome of heauen But hee that endureth to the ende shall be saued 11 Now we must striue for Christ and not for Antichrist for the truth and not against it I can doe nothing against the trueth but for the truth saith S. Paul For the gospel and not for the doctrine of man for true religion and not for superstition must wee striue But our striuing for the most part is all awrie and wicked Wee striue who may be the prowdest pretending equalitie wee striue in deede for superioritie Neither equall nor superior can wee abide wee striue how to supplant and ouerthrowe one another Enuie hath made men impudent striuing to vndermine and cast downe the wals of innocencie striuing how to place and how to displace how to disgrace and how to bring into fauour howe to set vp and how to throwe downe And in so dooing wee striue against our selues and for the aduauntage of our deadly foes This warre is not Christian this is not to striue lawfully This is not to fight a good fight This victorie shall not be crowned 12 Our principall and common enemies against whom wee must all iointly fight are the diuell the world and the flesh The diuell is strong and subtile a roaring Lion and an olde Serpent of long and great experience So soone as we professe to be Christs souldiers as a malitious and fierce enemie hee inuadeth vs. My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of God stand fast in righteousnesse and feare and arme thy soule to temptation Christ himselfe was tempted immediatly after that he was baptized His waies of assault are these He perswadeth to euill he either hindereth or infecteth that which is good that no action which we doe may be pleasant in the sight of God Hee tempteth and ouercommeth euen the perfectest as he did Adam the strongest as he did Sampson the wisest as he did Solomon Hee therefore that standeth let him take heede that he doe not fall No perfection no strength no wisedome ought to free vs of this care But we neede to praie continually Leade vs not into temptation And yet we beeing in the midst of the battle with such an enemie still sleepe in securitie But the diuell sleepeth not And this malitious aduersarie hath spials in our armie he laboureth by corruption to make a mutinie amongst vs that whilest we striue amongst our selues he
Disciples kept themselues secretly together in a parlour at Ierusalem for feare of the Iewes and there serued God Such priuate congregations the Ecclesiasticall histories plentifully set foorth and commend In such tempests to serue our God in deserts in hils in dennes and holes of the earth wee must bee content But conuenticles or priuate meetings when the gospell of God being strengthened with the ciuill hand hath his free and safe passage is publikely and syncerely preached when al persecution and feare therof is wholy vanished haue beene euer suspitious and they are the nurces of all errors It is the propertie of froward sectaries whose inuentions cannot abide the light to make obscure conuenticles when the doctrine of truth is set at libertie The Donatists the Arrians the Anabaptists the Familie of loue with all others of the like sort fostered vp their errors in secret and darke corners But such as bee of the flocke of the great sheepeheard Christ ought to assemble themselues in one sheepefold Peruersitie neuer wants excuses neither is satisfied with any reason but no man can in right refuse to communicate with vs in our Church It is the sanctuarie of the Lord the house of God the arke of God wherein the treasures of heauen are laide open for our vse no other than such as God hath commanded The golden pot with Manna the flourishing rod of Aaron and the tables of Moses these are no bugges to fray away Gods children They haue nothing offered them but the heauenly foode whereupon the elect of GOD should feede euen that bread which Christ hath sanctified and broken vnto vs for our comfort 25 Such stray sheepe therefore as will not of their owne accord assemble themselues to serue the Lorde in the midst of this holie congregation may lawfully and in reason ought to be constrained thereunto For though religion cannot bee driuen into men by force yet men by force may be driuen to those ordinarie meanes whereby they are woont to be brought to the knowledge of the truth Parents cannot constraine their children to be learned But parents may constraine them to repaire thither where they may be taught Thus you see that God must be serued of vs in holinesse holinesse openly declared and professed not secretly kept and laide vp onely in our hearts and bosomes 26 It followeth in the words of Zacharie And in righteousnesse This righteousnesse hath chiefly respect to the second table and putteth vs in minde how we ought to vse our neighbour In dooing right vnto him we serue the Lord Iesus whose commaundement this is in righteousnesse One lesson well obserued were sufficient for this matter If we could loue our neighbours with that kindenesse which we doe our selues which is the precept of the Lawe we would not want in any part of righteous duetie towards men Render vnto euerie one that which is due this is righteousnesse 27 They which are in authoritie are called Iustices to the end that their name might put them in minde of that duetie which they owe to the common wealth If they doe not see that Lawes be put in practise and execution if in iudgement they doe not iustly punish transgressors and deale in deciding matters of controuersie betweene man and man with an euen hand if for feare they cruelly cast away the innocent for cowards beene euer cruell or for fauour spare the rich if they be men of corrupt minds patrones of euill men and of euill causes for their owne commoditie if they be not wise with Salomon if they feare not GOD with Moses if they loue not the truth as Dauid if they hate not couetousnesse as did Samuel surely they doe not serue God in righteousnesse and iustice because they are iniurious towardes their neighbours 28 The minister of Gods woord is also a seruaunt Wee are your seruaunts brethren for Christes sake whose embassage wee bring If we bee fraudulent or negligent in performing the parts of this duetie we are most vnrighteous 29 To serue in iustice is the duetie of euerie man The riche man is a seruaunt to the poore to releeue and comfort him as he is able For that is right and to that end God hath made him rich that he as a faithful steward might bestowe those riche blessings vpon the familie and houshold of God Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople who for his liberal releeuing of the needie was surnamed the Almner was woont to prouide daily meate for the poore and when it was made readie to come foorth and himselfe see it serued This seruice is of vs very slenderly and slackely doone Christs impotent miserable members are sent away not releeued To suffer him in his members so to begge who hath giuen thee all that thou hast is horrible ingratitude it is not the part of a Christianly afdicted heart of one that serueth his Lord in righteousnesse 30 The counseller at the Law is a seruant to his client whom he ought to serue in righteousnesse Take not excessiuely of the poore for that is not right and equall Of right you should euen without monie pleade his cause so God commaundeth who wil no doubt in that respect pay you your fees with a bountiful hand Take not of both parties for that is trechery and not iustice Thou takest not those fees but stealest them Neglect not thy clients cause if thou promise performe neither take vpon thee more than thou canst well answere If with words and subtile handling thou winnest an euil cause to another mans wrong thou art guiltie of that wrong if thou doest by negligence loose a good cause thou art guiltie of that losse and seruest not thy client nor thy God in righteousnesse 31 To conclude and knit vp all in a woord of what trade or vocation soeuer we be this we must knowe that hee onely serueth God in holinesse and righteousnesse who denying impietie and worldly concupiscence liueth soberly iustly and holily in this present world soberly as touching himselfe iustly towards his neighbour and holily as concerning God he that casteth off the olde Adam and putteth on Iesus Christ he that truely repenteth that leadeth a newe life who heareth the word and worketh it who knoweth the will of God and doth it 32 And this we must doe coramipso before him The seruice which we doe before him must bee zealous heartie and syncere We may not serue God with lukewarme seruice as the Laodiceans did For then God no doubt will vomit out vs as he threatened to doe them Vehement therefore and zealous must we bee for the house of God for the glorie of God and in Gods seruice 33 But euerie zeale God doth not accept or like of For as there is a zeale according to knowledge so there is a blinde headie zeale voide of true knowledge and therefore of true faith S. Paul in his blinde zeale persecuted the Church of God The Iewes
conscience sake pay this debt of true obedience in all lawfull causes to their lawfull magistrate 7 Let the magistrate pay vnto the people the debt which he oweth them The debt of the magistrate is the iust execution of lawfull punishment against transgressors The sword is deliuered vnto him for that purpose neither is any open transgression of any kinde whether it concerne the first or second table of the lawe of God or any man of any calling bee hee Prophet or Priest exempted from this iudgement Salomon deposed Abiathar the high Priest Iehu slewe the false Prophets Elias the Baalites This sword is giuen of God to magistrates to execute iust iudgement against all sinnes and all sinners and this part of debt is to be paide It is also a part of the magistrates debt to giue vpright sentence in matters of controuersie betweene parties For which cause the Poets faine Iustice to carie a sword in the one hand and a balance in the other to kill sinne with the one and with the other to weie litigious and controuersed causes 8 Such as are magistrates to whom the deciding of causes punishing offences is committed should be chosen out of al the people the best and fittest men for their wisedome and courage their religion and heartie affection to the truth and for the hatred which they beare to couetousnesse For this is no office for a foole and he that feareth not God will shewe partialitie he that loueth not the truth will iustifie the wicked and condemne the innocent he that hateth not couetousnesse will take rewards and be corrupted with bribes as the sonnes of Ely which receiued gifts with the one hand and with the other peruerted iudgement The eyes euen of the wise are blinded herewithall Feare also affection and commiseration with desire to please men are great hurts vnto iustice Pilate for feare of Caesar gaue sentence against Christ For feare of displeasing a man on earth hee murthered the king and God of heauen Whom monie cannot corrupt affection will carie away it is the cutthroate of al iustice the people daily both feele it and rue it Pitie or commiseration made Iosua spare the miserable Gabionites contrarie to the expresse commaundement of God Desire to please caused Pilate to send Iesus ouer vnto Herod who together with his band despised and mocked him It caused Herode to imbrue his hands in the Baptists bloud It causeth many euen against the light of their owne consciences to iustifie the wicked and condemne the man whom they finde innocent Such doe very ill discharge the debt which they owe vnto their brethren 9 The minister is also a debtor to the people committed to his charge I am a debtor saith the Apostle both to Greekes and Barbarians to learned vnlearned The pastor is a debtor vnto his flock to feed it so much as in him lyeth to feed it both spiritually corporally spiritually by life and doctrine corporally with hospitality according to his abilitie Woe be to that pastor y t paieth not this debt For if the flocke perish for want of food al y t perishing bloud shal be required at his hands A hard reckoning for him to answere a sharp punishmēt to sustain for not answering 10 The flocke is indebted to their pastor to honour and to reuerence him as their father to heare him as their schoolemaster to obey and submit themselues vnto him as to one whom God hath set ouer them for to rule them to obserue his wholesome precepts to followe him in life as hee followeth Christ to loue him and to minister necessaries vnto him for his conuenient sustentation All this debt is set downe in the scriptures and God requireth paiment of it 11 The husband doeth owe vnto his wife due beneuolence tender and faithfull loue prouision for things needefull and honest wise gouernement good instruction protection custodie and honour The wife is indebted vnto her husband to honour him to loue him to obey him to learne of him to be gouerned by him to liue vnder him in silence with all subiection to ease him in the orderly nurturing of his children and the wise gouerning of his house to be not onely an helpe but a credit vnto him by her keeping home by her industrie and painefulnesse by her sober holie and discreete behauiour The master oweth to his seruaunt meate wages correction instruction The seruant to his master honour obedience faithfull seruice and whatsoeuer he is able by labour to performe 12 Euerie man is to his neighbour a debtor not onely of that which himselfe boroweth but of whatsoeuer his neighbour needeth a debtor not onely to pay that he oweth but also to lende that he hath and may conueniently spare to lend I say according to the rule of Christ Lend looking for nothing thereby And your reward shall be much you shall be the sonnes of the most high So that these ouerpaiments the vsurie which hath spoiled and eaten vp many the canker of the common wealth is vtterly both forbidden to man and abhorred of God To bargaine for leade graine or leases with such as haue neither leade graine nor lease to pay neither any such matter meant but onely vnlawfull gaine of monie the partie to forfeit his obligation because hee neither can nor meaneth such paiment and the lender not content to receiue lesse aduantage than thirtie at the hundred this is but a patched cloake to couer this vile sinne withall Whatsoeuer thou receiuest vpon condition or by what meanes soeuer thou receiuest more than was lent thou art an vsurer towards thy brother and God will be a reuenger against thee Hee whom thou shouldest obey if thou wilt be saued doth in expresse words command thee not to lend thy monie for vsurie If thou lend monie to my people to the poore with thee thou shalt not be as an vsurer vnto him If thy brother be impouerished and fallen into decaie thou shalt relieue him and as a stranger or soiournour so shall he liue with thee And againe Thou shalt not giue to vsurie to thy brother vsurie of monie vsurie of meate vsurie of any thing that is put to vsurie This woord of God man cannot dispence withall and it shall not returne in vaine If it cannot be a conuerting commaundement it shall bee a confounding iudgement The reasons of men for vsurie must giue place to the precept of God against it What man art thou that wilt bee wiser than thy maker Hath God condemned it and darest thou defend it Is it in his iudgement iniurious and doeth thy censure thinke it equall Hath he seene reason to prohibite it and doest thou see reason why thou maist vse it Such reasons with the makers and vsers of them the Lords iustice shal destroie And yet in truth all reason and the verie Lawe of nature is against it all Nations at all times haue condemned it
of Christ but also to view and see in what state the Church of God committed to my ouersight and gouernement standeth And as Christ began with the most magnificent temple of Ierusalem which hee found prophaned and polluted through the practise of the priests so thought I it conuenient and meete first to visite this most auncient and famous church the head and example to all the rest wel hoping to finde it in better order 2 That we may learne by the doctrine and example of Christ howe we ought to vse our selues in the house of God as well for the establishing of true religion of the syncere seruing of God as also for the expelling of that which is vaine corrupt and counterfeit there are in this action of Christ two thinges especially to be considered of first he commeth to Ierusalem entreth into the temple findeth it full of corruption and doeth purge it secondly he teacheth the true vse of it and sheweth them their fault who did abuse it 3 Christ comming towards Ierusalem was at the first highly magnified and receiued with applause of the people crying Hosanna Blessed is he that commeth king in the name of the Lorde peace in heauen and glorie on high But this faire wether did not long continue So soone as hee entred into the citie and taught the chiefe priests the Scribes the Princes of the people sought to destroy him yea the people which before gaue so great applause crying Hosanna soone after cried with a lowde voice Crucifige The gospell in prosperitie hath many pretensed friends and fauourers but when it is persecuted by the wise and mightie men of the worlde then these counterfeits shewe themselues in their owne colours the hollownesse of their hearts is then descried Let the minister therefore which mindeth indeede the glorie of God beware that he neuer depend vpon men whose mindes are changeable and alwaies wauering but let him rest vpon GOD and relie himselfe wholly vpon his prouidence Let vs all faithfully and painefully trauell in our function making our selues readie for the crosse patiently to suffer with Christ Iesus 4 Being come to the citie hee streight way entered into the temple either as Gregorie noteth to declare quòd ex culpa Sacerdotum ruina populi that the fault of the priestes is the ruine of the people and therefore his principall care was to correct and reforme them or else to giue all men an example of diligence in repairing to the house of God 5 Hauing entred the temple he findeth there in steade of pastors teaching the woord of God drouers and brokers making sale in stead of pues for praier tables for exchange in steade of righteous men brute beasts theeues in steade of a sanctified congregation Thus hee found the Church of Ierusalem disfigured and forlorne this was the state of that Synagogue at what time he came to visite it 6 Howe to proceede in reforming a Church so greatly disordered our Sauiour hath taught vs by his owne practise amongst the Iewes He entred into the temple threwe out the men that bought and solde whipped out the beasts powred out the changers monie turned their tables vpside downe ouerthrewe the seates of them that sold doues and withall told them Scriptum est It is written 7 In that wee reade howe Christ did all these things wee are thereby giuen to vnderstand at whose hands wee must expect reformation of things amisse in the Church of God Christ had authoritie to cast out of the temple whatsoeuer displeased him because he was supreme Lord ouer it The persons therefore to whom this worke of reformation belongeth are not al men indifferently but they onely to whom hee hath graunted the seate of speciall authoritie in his Church If they whom he hath set ouer his house as principall seruaunts guides and stewardes either ciuilly or spiritually as Moses or as Aaron to rule and gouerne it vntill his comming shal in such maner as agreeth with their seueral places and callings performe his dutie in the church of Christ whosoeuer in such proceedings withstandeth them the same vndoubtedly rebelleth against God Yea I say further when GOD hath giuen his people kings which are as nurcing fathers and Queenes which are as nurcing mothers to his church when princes are not enemies but professors of the faith and protectors of the faithfull their hands ought to be chiefe in this worke neither is it lawfull for subiects of what degree and order soeuer by themselues to attempt alteration and chaunge in the church of God though it be from woorse to better In the daies of Iosias Helchiah although he were the Lords high priest knew things to be very much out of order did not thereupon according to the custome of the turbulent and seditious by woord or writing alienate and estrange the mindes of the people from the present kind of gouernment either of the Church or publike weale but peaceably and orderly hee sent Shaphan the Chauncelor to the king who perceiuing the things which were amisse went immediatly vp to the house of the Lord with all the men of Iuda and the inhabitants of Ierusalem with him and the priests and prophets al the people where the faults and abuses being cleerely set down that euerie one might see them he gaue commandement to Helchiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the doore to bring out of the temple of the Lorde all the vessels that were made for Baal Thus the prince did his duetie and the priests theirs he by iniunction and they by execution they instructing him and he strengthening them in the worke of the Lord. Seeing therefore we haue on the one side the name of the Lord be blessed for it the highest power zealous for the glorie of God as theirs was let not vs whom this care ought especially to touche shewe our selues lesse readie than they were to bring out of the temple of the Lord all such filthie corruptions as are crept into it by the wicked dealings of those vngodlie men which care not howe shamefully they pollute and defile it let not vs whom the Lord hath made the ouerseers of his house be slothfull in proceeding to sweepe cleanse and purge it according as Lawes and statutes haue wisely prouided in this behalfe let vs consider that we are the Lords labourers that the worke we haue in hand is his husbandrie that our duetie is as well to destroie as to build to roote out as to plant 8 But what is that which we must labour to destroie what weedes be those which we must indeuour to root out We reade here that our Sauiour did cast buyers and sellers out of the temple terming them Theeues For although to buy and sell be actions in themselues lawfull and honest yet the time and place with other circumstances may so change their qualitie that he which buieth
shall be as one that robbeth and hee that selleth as one that stealeth They bought and solde in the temple this Christ condemneth Yet beholde what a beautifull colour they had set vpon their wicked practises to make them seeme allowable before mē For of the iudgement of God they made no account It is written in the Law Thou shalt eate before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose to cause his name to dwell there the tithe of thy corne of thy wine and of thine oyle and the first borne of thy kine and of thy sheepe that thou maist learne to feare the Lord thy God alway And if the way bee too long for thee so that thou art not able to carie it because the place is farre from thee where the Lorde thy God shall choose to set his name when the Lord thy God shall blesse thee then shalt thou make it in monie and take the monie in thine hand and goe vnto the place which the Lorde thy God shall choose and thou shalt bestowe the monie for whatsoeuer thine heart desireth shalt eat it there before the Lord thy God and reioice both thou and thine housholde Vnder pretense of prouiding that according to this lawe men which dwelt farre off might alwaies at their comming to the temple haue sacrifices there and offerings in a readinesse to present before the Lord their couetous humor fed it selfe vpon the people without all feare of God without any reuerence at all of his sanctuarie May they not iustly be termed Theeues who pretending thus to serue the Lord in his sacrifices robbed and spoiled him in his Saintes No doubt Ierusalem had shee knowen the things which belonged to her peace would haue blest the houre wherein the Lorde of the house came to ease that holy place of so intollerable burthens to rid his temple of so noisome filth 9 Now because the roote from whence these abuses and corruptions grewe was the setled wickednesse wherewith the hearts both of the priests and people were possest therefore wee may without swaruing from the true intent of this historie take occasion heere to note some speciall pollutions of the mysticall Temple of GOD which is his Church and to shewe the great necessitie of remoouing them Wherein as the present occasion of our assemblie at this time requireth I will especially touche such as properly belong to that part of the Church which hath the spirituall regiment of the other This therefore is the principall matter which now we haue to obserue in the fact of our Lord and master Christ that if in visiting our temples wee finde them possessed with wicked pastors they are not there to bee suffered the rodde of seueritie must whippe them out Who bee good sheepeheardes and who be theeues it is soone discerned yee shall knowe them by their fruites 10 Vnto good pastors our Sauiour opposeth hirelings theeues and robbers shewing also the difference betweene the one and the other The good sheepeheard loueth his flocke intirely it grieueth him not to powre out his verie soule for their sakes he gathereth them as Lambes into his armes carieth them in his bosome and kindely intreateth them Contrarywise the hireling careth not for the sheepe he beareth a sterne and a stonie heart towards them And as their inward affections are farre different so their outward actions are much vnlike whether we looke vpon their entring into their function or their dealing after they are entred 11 The true sheepeheard goeth in by the dore to him the porter openeth He taketh not this honour vnto himselfe but expecteth a calling from God as Aaron did hee breaketh not in by violence but waiteth till the porter open vnto him till they giue him entrance to whom Christ hath giuen power and authoritie to ordeine But theeues and robbers clime vp another way they winde in themselues by vnlawful meanes with monie they purchase the roomes which they occupie in the Church of Christ. Thus did Menelaus get the priesthoode from Iason at the handes of the king by giuing three hundred talents of siluer more than the other albeit hee had nothing in himselfe woorthie of the high priesthood but bare the stomacke of a cruel tyrant and the wrath of a wilde beast Thus Leo the tenth Innocentius the eighth Siluester the third two Gregories the sixt and the twelfth yea the most part of the Bishops of Rome for many yeeres haue obteined their popedomes Thus doe their Cardinals Bishops and Prelates thus doe their clergie euen to this day And I would to God this were onely their fault A thing both condemned by the commendable Lawes decrees and constitutions of sundrie Councels and also by the blessed Apostle S. Peter so grieuously accursed in him whose heart was first therewith infected that in the whole bodie of the sacred Scripture a note of the like indignation conceiued against any other sinne as I am perswaded can scarcely be found For why If they which bought and solde but the beasts of the field and birds of the aire doues sheepe and oxen in the place which God had sanctified to himselfe were therefore termed by a name that declareth their dealings to haue beene as much abhorred in his sight as if they had spent all the daies of their life in theft robberie how can we think any bitternesse of speeche or sharpnesse of punishment too great for so extreme licētiousnes as theirs that make sale of the cure of soules that bargain for the gifts of the holie Ghost For so they are The making of Bishops the bestowing of benefices the presēting instituting and inducting of pastors the placing of teachers guides and ouerseers in the Church is and should be accounted the very work of the holie Ghost Attend saith S. Paul take heed to your selues and to the whole flocke wherein the holie Ghost hath placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God which hee hath purchased with his owne bloud Whosoeuer therfore be the man that presumeth to staine a thing so holie with the execrable filth of indirect dealing of buying selling couenanting bargaining either for monie or monie worth may it not as iustly bee saide to him as to Magus Thy monie perish with thee because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obteined with monie Thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this buisinesse for thine heart is not right in the sight of GOD I counsel them with S. Peter that are in the gall of this bitternesse and in the bonds of this iniquitie betime to repent them of their wickednesse and to praie vnto God that if it bee possible the thoughts of their hearts may be forgiuen them 12 It is a true saying Vix bono peraguntur exitu quae malo sunt inchoata principio Thinges ill begun are not commonly well ended neither are their proceedings likely to be good whose beginnings are so greatly out of order They which enter
Sabaoth Such traficke is as bad in the house as on the daie which God hath sanctified Wherefore in the Lawe these two are iointly coupled together Yee shall keepe my Sabaoths and reuerence my Sanctuarie The prophaning therfore of the temple the house of God the place of praier is an euident token that amongst the Iewes all religion was now trodden vnder feete all reuerence of God abolished This sheweth that there was nowe no difference at all holie and common pure and prophane cleane and vncleane all was one When they which ought not to die but without the citie were suffered to liue within the temple yea of and at the altar when Gods owne house was made a denne of theeues we cannot easily imagine a degree of prophanesse beyond this At this the Lord himselfe doth seeme to woonder Is this house become a denne of theeues whereupon my name is called before your eyes What reuerence or seruice is it likely that they would shewe other-where vnto the Lorde who liued as theeues in that glorious sanctuarie where all the earth should tremble before him 24 In the house of God they had the Lawe both red and expounded they offered sacrifice and they praied But because the seruice for which the temple was ordeined though not only yet principally is praier therefore he hath saide My house shalbe called the house of praier In Deuteronomie it is called the place which God chose to cause his name to dwel there It is true indeede saith Salomon that God will dwell on the earth No doubt where his truth is syncerely professed where his sacraments are rightly and duely ministred where his name is called vpon by heartie praier where two or three are gathered together in his name that is to say to serue him in these things there the woorking of his spirite is so forcible and effectuall his mercie is so obiect euen vnto sense his grace is in such sort felt seene and tasted that he seemeth as it were to stand before mens eyes to walke to inhabite to dwel amongst them when they are thus occupied The dore of the Church is the gate of the Lorde and the righteous wil surely enter into it They reioice when they heare men say We wil goe into the house of the Lord the house of praier where as many as call vpon the name of the Lord shall vndoubtedly bee saued But because no man can call on him in whom he doeth not beleeue nor beleeue without hearing the word of God requisite therefore it is that the house of publike praier should also be the house of publike preaching For this cause the Iewes heard the Lawe euery Sabaoth day in their Synagogues 25 And as they did not onely heare the word but also offer sacrifice in the house of God so we in our Churches haue both the Gospell preached and the Sacramentes which are seales of the Gospel administred knowing that Christ hath commanded both alike Hee which sent his Disciples to teache sent them also to baptize he which inioined them to preache gaue them also an other charge Hoc facite Doe this in remembrance of me Therefore as often as we speake vnto you out of these places as often as here we minister the Sacrament of baptisme to your children in token of their new spirituall birth as often as we doe here present our selues at the Lords table to eat of his bread and to drinke of the wine which he hath prepared for the comfortable nourishment of our soules wee keepe the Lordes institution and not our owne wee doe as he hath commaunded not as we haue deuised we vse the house of God not as theeues but as Saints 26 For these things the Sanctuarie was erected for these the house of God was sanctified and for praier Therefore the twelue told the rest of the Disciples as it is in the historie of their Acts We will giue our selues continually vnto praier and ministration of the word Aaron was appointed vnder the law as to offer so also to pray for himselfe and for the people Be this sinne against the Lord saith Samuel farre from me that I should cease to praie for you The request which Salomon made vnto GOD in the first dedication of the temple was that if his people Israel should at any time for their sinnes be ouerthrowen before the enemie or heauen bee so shut vp that they should bee in distresse for want of raine or if there should be famine in the land or pestilence or blasting or mildew or grassehopper or caterpiller if the enemie should beseege thē if they should fall into any aduersitie whether it were of bodie or of minde his eares might alwaies bee open to the praiers which they should make before the Lord in the house of praier Heare the supplications of thy people Israel which pray in this place 27 Nor only their supplications but moreouer Salomon addeth As touching the straunger that is not of thy people Israel who shall come out of a farre countrie for thy names sake and shall come and praie in this house heare thou in heauen thy dwelling place and doe according to all that the stranger calleth for vnto thee that all the people of the earth may knowe thy name and feare thee as thy people Israel doe Agreeable wherevnto are the words of the prophet Esay It shal be in the last daies that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shalbe exalted aboue the hils and all nations shall flowe vnto it And againe The strangers that cleaue vnto the Lord to serue him and to loue the name of the Lord and to be his seruaunts euery one that keepeth the Sabaoth and polluteth it not and embraceth my couenaunt them will I bring also to mine holie mountaine and make them ioyful in mine house of praier their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall bee accepted vpon myne alter For myne house shall be called an house of prayer for all nations This prooueth that article of our Christian faith to be most certain wherein we acknowledge the Church of Christ to be Catholike vniuersal For we must vnderstand that there was a time when the Lord gaue expresse charge comandement No vncircumcised in the flesh shall enter into my Sanctuarie The adoption the glory of the sons of God y e couenants the law the seruice of God the promises al the riches wherwith the church of Christ is adorned did belong vnto Israel vnto none else they were the only people that obteined mercie al y e world besides was Loammi amongst them God was knowne but as for the nations they heard not of him Iudea was the onely garden of the Lord the rest of the earth was a meere wildernesse they were the vineyard and we the forrest they within the wals of the citie of God and we
Peter tooke vp Cornelius and would not suffer him to worship him His successor compelleth princes to cast themselues downe before him and to kisse his filthie feete This beastly pride declareth him neither to be Christs vicar nor Peters successor but rather his childe who saide to Christ in the mount All these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me If man who is the liuely image of God may not haue this worship how much lesse stockes and stones the dead images of men For is it not more reasonable that the image-maker should be woorshipped than the workes of his hands 21 Finally Cornelius thanked Peter for his comming and declared withall howe readie he was to heare him For in that he saide thou hast doone well to come he shewed a thankefull minde for his paines taken So all should bee thankefull to such as bring them glad tidings the word of saluation He sendeth his woord and healeth them saith the prophet Let them confesse therefore before the Lord his louing kindenesse and his wonderfull woorkes before the sonnes of men The philosophers write euen by the Law and rules of nature that the children can neuer yeeld woorthie thanks vnto their parents for their birth and breeding Such as beget and breede vs spiritually deserue more thankes euen so much more as the soule is better than the bodie spirituall regeneration better than naturall procreation Such as will not be thankefull for the ministers of the trueth shall be requited with deceitful teachers For God will send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies that all they may be damned that beleeue not the truth 22 Nowe howe readie himselfe and his companie were to heare Peter preache it appeareth by the woords following We are all present here before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Wherein both the dueties of the hearer and the preacher are plainely set downe The dutie of the hearer first to be present before God To remember that he standeth in the sight of God the seer and searcher of hearts from whom nothing is hid To stand before the preacher is to stand before God The presence of God requireth feare and reuerence Feare and reuerence should occupie the hearts of them who stand so Secondly to heare and learne There is none so well learned but hee may learne more For while we liue we knowe in part saith S. Paul and therefore we must giue diligent care and applie our mindes to that which is spoken We must not be as a beaten way where the seede can take no roote We must not suffer preiudice to treade downe and destroie the seede nor the birds of the ayre Satan to pull it out at the one eare so fast as it entereth in at the other We may not let our mindes wander but comming of purpose to heare to our profite we must beseeche God to giue vs memorie and vnderstanding to print into our hearts that which wee heare with our eares Thirdly to heare all things euen all the doctrine of God not things that doe please but things that displease our flesh not other mens faults but our owne not onely profession but also conuersation not onely faith but also workes not onely to heare but also to doe Herod heard Iohn gladly while hee carped others but hee could not abide to bee rubbed on the gall himselfe Hee heard Iohn in many things but not in all The Iewes at Rome heard Paul vntill hee applied the woords of Esay vnto them The heart of this people is waxed fat and their eares are dull of hearing and with their eyes haue they winked least they should see with their eies and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and returne that I might heale them Then they shrunke from him and would no more heare him The preacher is gladly heard of the people that can carpe the magistrates cut vp the ministers crie out against all order and set all at libertie But if hee shall reprooue their insolencie pride and vanitie their monstrous apparell their excessiue feasting their greedie couetousnesse their biting vsurie their halting hearts their muttering mindes their friendly words malitious deedes they will fall from him then He is a railer he doteth he wanteth discretion Not so Cornelius and his companie but they were readie to heare all and so fashioned and framed according to all that which God by his word should require at their hands 23 The duetie of the preacher is expressed in these woords That are commaunded thee of God The preacher may teache no other than he hath commission to speake than is commaunded him of God He may not adde to the written word neither take from it Gods Lawe is perfect it doth perfectly instruct and teache all things necessarie to saluation The Disciples must only breake those loaues vnto the people which they haue receiued at Christs hands They may not teache their owne dreames inuentions or doctrines For God will not haue them woorship him so but thou shalt heare the word saith he at my mouth and giue them warning from me And thus much of Cornelius what he was on what occasion he sent for Peter and howe he receiued him at his comming to him 24 Likewise in Peter three things we haue noted Howe he was occupied when the messengers came to him howe readilie he went with them and what the sermon was that hee preached to them The messengers found him at the sixth houre which is twelue as wee count fasting and praying on the house toppe where he sawe a vision in his traunce a sheete let out of heauen knit at foure corners wherein were all fowre footed beasts of the earth and wilde beasts and creeping things and fowles of heauen And a voice saide arise Peter kill and eate First wee see that Peter had his appointed houres of praier Praier is an acceptable sacrifice to God and a Christian exercise for the vse wherof the godlie will prescribe themselues certaine times For mans corrupt nature is easily caried away to worldely affaires Hee matcheth fasting with praier as needefull to stirre vp our slothfull drowsie spirits to pray the more feruently For a full bellie maketh a faint praier And he sought also a priuate place to pray in because in priuate places we may powre out our hearts more freely vnto God But of this I haue spoken before 25 The vision that appeared was to teache him that Christ was borne a Sauiour to the whole world that the Gospel was to be preached to all that he would all should be saued and come to the knowledge of the trueth And so was declared the calling of the Gentiles For Peter was commaunded to make no difference betweene Iewe and Gentile although the Gentiles were esteemed as vncleane in the eyes of the Iewes Peter being commaunded to kill and eate abstained in respect of the Lawe God
instrument to receiue it withall is faith He that beleeueth is made partaker of it and not of it onely but of eternall life also For he that beleeueth in me hath life eternall saith our Sauiour Christ. But this faith this iustifying faith doth worke through loue and sheweth it selfe by workes The good tree will be fruitfull The beleeuing iustified childe of God will feare God and worke righteousnesse 46 This doctrine of iustification by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ Iesu is witnessed by all the Prophets It is no newe doctrine but olde not onely proceeding from the Apostles but also from the Prophets For Moses and all the Prophets beare witnesse of him And as they so the Apostles after them Whose steppes we must followe and acknowledge that no doctrine is to be established but that which is testified by the Apostles and Prophets The true Church of Christ doth builde her faith on their foundation God will be worshipped and serued according to his prescript woord and not according to the braine of man The Prophets and Apostles with all such as be ministers of the woord are heere and elsewhere called witnesses Yea Christ himselfe termeth himselfe a witnesse of the truth For this cause am I borne and for this cause came into the worlde that I should beare witnesse to the truth And Christ saith to his Apostles Ye shall be witnesses vnto me both in Ierusalem and in Samaria euen to the vttermost endes of the earth 47 The truth is to bee testified by publike preaching Paul commendeth the Thessalonians for beleeuing his testimonie His testimonie was the Gospel which he did preache and testifie vnto them According to the voice that did speake vnto him when he was cast off his horse I haue appeared to thee for this purpose to appoint thee a minister and witnesse both of things which thou hast seene and of the things in which I will appeare vnto thee The truth is also testified by writing By the writings of the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists the truth of God Iesus Christ was most plainely testified As Iohn to name one of them among many This is that Disciple which testifieth of these things The truth is also witnessed when as it is testified in bloud for a martyr is a witnes Christ told Peter that when he was young hee girded himselfe and walked whither he lusted but when he waxed old other should gird him and carie him whither hee would not Nowe this saith Iohn he spake signifying by what death he should glorifie God Many Martyrs haue thus testified the truth with suffering for it But they ouercame by the bloud of the Lambe and by the woord of their testimonie not louing their life no not to the death That minister which will neither testifie it by publike preaching nor by writing will hardly testifie it by suffering but will rather say with Peter I knowe not the man But I must here make an end for the time hath ouertaken me and without repetition as you knowe the maner is To God the father God the son God the holie Ghost three persons one almightie almerciful God be rendred all thanks all glorie giuen for euer and for euer Amen The fifteenth Sermon A Sermon preached at Strausborough in the time of Q. Maries reigne 2. COR. 6. 2 Wee therefore as helpers beseeche you that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine 3 For he saith I haue heard thee in a time accepted in the day of saluation haue I succoured thee behold now the accepted time beholde now the day of saluation THE Prophet to abate the hawtie conceit which naturally wee haue of our selues in such sort as euery man were his owne God and had no other whom to praise for the graces and gifts wherewith he is beautified and set forth as a mirror for al other creatures to beholde and woonder at indeuoureth to turn away our eyes frō too much gazing vpon our owne excellencie by pointing as it were his finger at him who is author of euerie good perfect gift saying Hee made vs and not we our selues For what end and purpose Zacharie teacheth namely that we might serue him in holinesse and righteonsnesse before him all the daies of our life For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which God hath ordeined that we should walke in them Ye are not saith S. Paul to the Corinthians your owne Why so For you are bought with a price Glorifie therefore God in your bodie and in your spirite for they are Gods Forsomuch then as we are all of the houshold of God all one in Christ all members of one and the same spirituall bodie woorshipping one Lord receiuing one baptisme professing one faith expecting one glorie to be reuealed vpon vs in that great day it is our duetie in token of our neere coniunction in the spirite with one heart one minde and as it were with one mouth to present our selues before his mercie seate to praise him to heare his word to receiue the seales of his merciful couenaunt in the Gospel and to offer him our needeful supplications together that in all things it may appeare that we are one as hee and the father are one euen one God to be blessed for euer 2 With what zeale desire Gods people of old were woont to do this we may gesse by that which we reade of y ◠Prophet Dauid who being persecuted of his wicked vnnatural son driuen from y e presence of that glorious tabernacle which with great triumph ioye himselfe had placed in the Citie of Dauid where he was woont with the rest of the people to call vpon the name of the Lord to heare the Lawe and to offer sacrifice vpon those beautiful altars conceiued such a deepe impression of griefe by the sorowfull meditation of those sweete and heauenly comforts whereof his soule had tasted in former times that forgetting quite the losse of all other royalties whatsoeuer he maketh mone for nothing but onely this that he might not nowe be partaker of those inestimable benefites and the comforts of minde and conscience which he was woont to receiue at the hand of God at such time as with the rest of the Israelites he resorted to the tabernacle where God promised to be present and fauourably to heare the petitions there made vnto him Of this his great miferie he complaineth him lamentably in diuerse of his Psalmes but especially in the 84 where he breaketh out into these woords of great zeale O Lord of hosts howe amiable are thy Tabernacles My soule longeth yea and fainteth for the courts of the Lorde mine heart and my flesh reioice in the liuing God He goeth on and magnifieth the blessed estates of those sillie birds which might haue their nests and lay their young euen
not trauell to tel you howe diuersly the name of grace is taken in the sacred scriptures but rather note vnto you in what sense the holie Ghost doth chiefly vse it in this place Grace is the fauour and mercie of God towards sinnefull men It is called grace because it is giuen gratis freely and vndeseruedly on our parts to whom it is giuen For vs it is purchased by the onely meane and meere merite of our Sauiour Christ and to vs it is both offered and exhibited by the voluntarie and vnprouoked operation of the spirite This grace in it selfe being large more than sufficient for all men the holy Ghost diuideth and bestoweth vpon eache breathing where and as he listeth according to the secrete pleasure of his will Thorough it we haue saluation whereas through sinne wee deserue death For out iniquitie was heinous in the sight of God first committed by Adam and since continued in vs but farre more exceeding was the mercie of our Lord who when we were his enemies sent foorth his sonne made of a woman and made vnder the Lawe that he might redeeme them which were vnder the Lawe and that we might receiue the adoption of sonnes No tongue can expresse neither any minde conceiue this gratiousnesse Yet let vs ponder it with such consideration as we are able Great therefore I say was the mercie of our creator who gaue his sonne and great the loue of our Sauiour who gaue euen himselfe for vs. Our thraldome was great that required a ransome of such value our guiltinesse much that could no otherwise be washed away but with the verie heart bloud of the innocent lambe of God Christ Iesus our Lord Yea inestimable and vneffable was the loue of our gratious Lord who to spare vs spared not himselfe He was content to become ignominious before men that we might be glorious with his father to be condemned that wee might be absolued to bee crowned with thornes to purchase vs a crowne of immortalitie to loose his life that we might gaine life to suffer death that we might escape it and to become as hated and accursed of God that we might find fauour and eternall grace with him In his death our sinne is pardoned by his bloud our filthinesse is washed away by his resurrection we are reconciled to his father and made at one with God Let vs not breake this so happie truce betwixt the Lord and vs let vs not through sinne condemne our selues againe nowe that we are iustified let vs not walke toward hell hee hauing made plaine and easie the path to heauen The image of God in vs defaced through Adam is repaired by Christ Let vs appeare therefore in this pure image before God that wee may be acceptable in his pure sight Through Christ we are called to be citizens with the Saints and Gods houshold-seruaunts let vs then put on the garments of trueth and innocencie that so it may appeare whose seruaunts we are by our Lords liuerie We are made the happie heires of his glorious kingdome and fellow heires with Iesus Christ wherefore let vs not seeke so possessions here that we loose a better inheritance aboue in heauen If wee doe it is in vaine that the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ hath beene so largely offered vnto vs and plentifully powred on vs. Yea his grace will encrease the wofulnesse of our destruction 7 Grace is offered and receiued by two especiall outwarde meanes the preaching of the Gospel and the holie administration of the blessed Sacraments These two are the instruments or rather the hands by the which the holie Ghost doth offer exhibite seale and deliuer the grace of God vnto vs. 8 And there bee two sorts of men to whom grace is offered by the word in vaine The one are they which wil not giue it so much as the hearing but doe vtterly contemne and vnkindely refuse that which the Lord doth so kindly and so gratiously offer to them The other they that heare it indeede reade it but consider it not receiue it but altogether without fruite and for fashions sake Of the former sort are all such as Pharao was who enioined Moses to come no more in his sight for hee would not heare him Such also were the Iewes to whom when Stephen preached they stopped their eares Such they of whom the Lorde complaineth by the Prophet saying I spake and they would not heare 9 Of the latter sort there be three kindes shadowed in the parable of the sower which went foorth to sowe his seede whereof some fell in the high way side some in stonie grauelly ground some also amongst thornes That which fell by the high waie side either the birds of the aire picked vp or men trod vpon with their feete Which our sauiour applieth vnto him that heareth the word of the kingdome and vnderstandeth it not and by and by the diuell taketh it away least he should beleeue and so be saued For it fareth with the woord preached as with the seede sowen Some are so dissolute and rechelesse that they let it in at the one eare and out at the other The hearts of some be so be so hardened and parched because they want the watering of Gods spirit which doth only mollifie that his word can take no roote in them The diuell and his deceitful Angels doe so bewitch them and fil their harts with vain cogitations so abalienate their mindes and trouble their memorie that they cannot tell what is saide it is forgotten by that it is spoken Yea the diuell doth so throughly occupie the hearts of many other with superstitious opinions and fond perswasions or with such worldly desires such fleshly lusts such froward affections that the hearing of the blessed word is a wearisome worke vnto them euery houre spent that way is as tedious as a yere and thought to bee wholly lost Many likewise both heare the woord preached and reade the Scriptures as the Pharisees did heare them that they may seeme to fauour the Gospel and so vnder pretence of holinesse blinde the eyes of others and purloine commoditie to themselues Such come in amongst the children of God as did Satan of old yet God knowes them to be children of darknesse not of light yea and oftentimes he so shaketh them out of their painted rags that the whole world may espie their ouglie and deformed nakednesse Whilest by their hypocrisie they labour to deceiue others they deceiue yea and damne themselues To this sort of men therefore the word is offered but all in vaine Either they receiue it not or they receiue it to their owne destruction 10 The second sort are resembled to the stonie soile which receiueth the seede and it taketh roote for a time but when the heate of the sunne commeth it withereth away Many such there be which haue gladly heard the Gospel haue frequented sermons with appearance of great deuotion and could freshly
If a prince giue out his letters patent of a gift so long as the seale is not put to the gift is not fullie ratified and the partie to whom it is giuen thinketh not him selfe sufficientlie assured of it Gods gift without sealing is sure as hee himselfe is al one without changing yet to beare with our infirmitie and to make vs more secure of his promise to his writing woord he added these outward signes and seales to establish our faith and to certifie vs that his promise is most certain He giueth vs therfore these holie and visible signes of bread wine saith Take and eate this is my bodie and blood giuing vnto the signes the names which are proper to the things signified by them as we vse to doe euen in cōmon speach when the signe is a liuelie representation and image of the thing 13 Let vs therefore bee thankefull vnto our redeemer Christ for these his great benefites and so vnspeakeable and vndeserued mercies and let vs receiue this holie sacrament as a sure pledge that the vertue of his death and passion is imputed vnto vs for iustice euen as though we had suffered the same which hee did in our owne naturall bodies Let vs not be so peruerse as to drawe backe when Iesus Christ calleth vs so louingly to this royall feast but with good consideration of the woorthinesse of this gift present we our selues with a feruent zeale that we may come woorthily to this holy table Let eche man trie himselfe and so eate saith the Apostle Let vs enter into our selues therefore and examine the estate of our hearts and soules and consider in what case we stand If we be not of the sanctified houshold of God not Christs seruaunts and faithfull Disciples shall we dare presume to presse in being aliens and strangers to the Lords as most comfortable so also most dreadfull table No let no impenitent blasphemer of God no whoremonger or vile and vnrepented sinner presume to touch or tast this foode for such shall not feede vpon Christ and his merits but they receiue their owne damnation But such as wil woorthily feede at this blessed feast must earnestly and truly mourne for their sinnes past in a setled purpose and resolution neuer willingly to defile themselues againe And such as will be partakers of this bread that came from heauen Iesus Christ our one and onely Sauiour must also be as one bread or loafe and as one bodie ioined together in brotherly loue and all other offices of godlie and Christian charitie For if thou come to this banket without this vesture of loue it shall be saide vnto thee Friend howe camest thou hither not hauing on thy wedding garment A wofull speeche and an ende most miserable Let this suffice for the first point which is the blessed Apostles exhortation not to receiue the grace of God in vaine 14 Concerning the second member wherein wee are put in mind that this is the time to shewe our selues woorthie receiuers of grace he applieth to his purpose the words of the Prophet Esay who speaking vnto Christ as in the person of his father saith In an acceptable time haue I heard thee and in a day of saluation haue I helped thee The acceptable time is that whereof S. Paul speaketh When the fulnesse of time came God sent his sonne made of a woman It was indeede an acceptable time and full of grace wherein the sacrifice of Christ was so gratiously accepted and his praiers heard of God And it may well be called a day of saluation wherein his father gaue him a triumphant victorie ouer those so bitter torments of death An acceptable time was it a day of saluation not so much in respect of him who at all times was accepted as of vs who without him and his death had beene refused For in that day was your redemption wrought by our redeemer and sinners saued by his passion who had no sinne And as hee died and rose so he praied and was heard for vs. I pray for them I pray not for the world I pray for them whom thou hast giuen me saith our Sauiour Nowe the acceptable time and day of saluation which Esay spake of S. Paul doth very aptly and effectually applie to his present occasion Beholde nowe is the acceptable time beholde nowe is the day of saluation For the Fathers liued in hope of this acceptable day of grace and fauour to come but the verie time beginneth from the suffering of Christ Iesus and continueth euen to the worlds end And vnto euerie one of vs so much of this acceptable time is granted as we haue time granted here to liue Which being not long because our life is but as it were a span it may fitly be called a day or rather an houre of saluation This day therefore grace is offered vs of God Against whose maiestie forasmuch as all haue sinned and by sinne are depriued of his glorie wee must needes acknowledge that for the recouering of our losse wee stand all in present neede of his grace Nowe is the time wherein our soules doe groane to be releeued with grace and mercie For who can say My heart is sound I neede no Physitian What one man is there amongst vs all who hath loued God as he ought to doe or tendered his neighbours case as he would his owne We may dallie with our selues and thinke that we suffer not for our owne transgressions that we are not cause of that great plague calamitie which presently is come vpon our countrie Beloued do not deceiue your selues Our God is a righteous iudge who blesseth the innocent and heapeth punishment vpon the offending soule For truly if we searche our selues as we ought to doe with a single eye if we examine out thoughts take a reckoning of our words and peise our deedes and waies in an equall ballance aske our hearts and they wil tell vs enquire of our conscience it wil declare vnto vs that euerie one of vs hath wel deserued more than hath happened vnto any of vs Yea wee shall finde that all haue not suffered halfe so much as euerie one hath deserued Our first parents for tasting the fruit that was forbidden them were themselues cast out of their pleasaunt habitation and punished in all their posteritie to come for euer Haue wee being terrefied by the horror of their example withheld our hands and bridled our affections from euerie vnlawful and forbidden thing Corah Dathan and Abiram with their fauourites and confederates were swallowed vp of the earth for whispering against Moses and against Aaron Did we neuer once mutter against our good and lawfull magistrates against our iudges and against the Lordes ministers Dauid for numbring of his people procured such a plague that 70. thousand were consumed with it and are wee so vnspotted that we haue not in as heinous a matter as this offended God would
e law hath plainly said None shall come neere to any of the kindred of his flesh The vnrulie desires of men which presume to go further in these cases than the shamefastnes of natural honestie doth permit must be restrained repressed For this cause Iohn the Baptist tolde Herode It is not lawfull that thou shouldst haue thy brothers wife For this cause S. Paul dealt so sharpely and seuerely in the cause of that lewde Corinthian with whose foule and vnnaturall fault the whole Church of Corinth was much disgraced 13 In mariage therefore there ought to bee a reuerend regard of nature that this state be not dishonoured by vnseemely copulation as in like sort it is by the vngodlie ioyning of the faithfull with vnbeleeuers Of this thing holie Abraham in prouiding a wife for his son had as we see an especiall care For the eldest therefore by likelyhoode the discreetest seruaunt of his house yea and the trustiest as it seemeth for he had rule ouer al which Abraham did possesse was not permitted to deale in this matter without taking a corporal oath before hand I wil make thee sweare saith Abraham by the Lord God of heauen and God of the earth that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Cananites amōgst whom I dwell Abraham would not linke his sonne with the wicked Hee remembred what had come of such mariages in the age before him when the sonnes of God tooke them wiues of the daughters of men onely for their beautie without regard of religion or honestie Their destruction was a lesson vnto him he auoided their sinne by fearing their punishment GOD gaue his people expresse charge concerning this that they should beware in ioyning mariage with Amorites and Cananites the indwellers of that prophane Countrie not onely forbidding this kinde of mariage but also shewing the reason why his people should forbeare it least idolatrous wiues should make their husbands also to become idolators least they make thy sonnes goe a whoring after their gods Whereof wee haue a notable example in Salomon whose pitifull fall being so wise a prince to so horrible impietie ought to be admonition sufficient vnto vs to submit our wisedome to the wisedome of the almightie and our desires to his commaundement But had Salomon neuer beene or had his fall beene vnrecorded our owne times may teache vs what fruites haue come of such vngodlie coniunctions Mans nature is corrupt and fraile he runneth headlong into wickednesse but to righteousnesse must be drawen by God and sooner can the euill peruert the good than the good persuade the euill This kinde of mariage therefore seemed so wicked vnto Esdras that hee caused the Israelites after their returne out of captiuitie to put away their strange not women only but wiues which they had taken to themselues in Babylon And shall Christians doe wel in receiuing such into mariage as Iewes being maried vnto did wel to put from them 14 But the common sort of men in making their matches this way haue chiefly two outward vntoward respects regarding nothing in their choise except it be either beautie or monie The sonnes of God of olde bewitched with the beautie of the daughters of men procured the general flood to ouerflowe them all to wash the defiled world Samson tooke one of the daughters of the Philistims to wife because shee pleased his eye but what came of it It cost him a polling wherein stoode his strength and it lost him both his eyes which before were rauished in the beautie of that deceitful woman Others there are yet of a baser note whose only care is to match themselues wealthily Their question is with what monie not with what honestie the parties whom they seeke are endowed whether they bee riche not whether they be godlie what lands they haue on earth not what possessions are laide vp in heauen for them Such as marie for monie as the monie wasteth so their loue weareth neither is there any loue or friendship constant saue onely that which is grounded on constant causes as vertue and godlinesse whereof onely neither time nor man can spoile vs. There was a riche man in Athens which had a daughter to marie and he asked counsell of Themistocles howe to bestowe her shewing him that there was a verie honest man that would gladly haue her but he was poore and there was a riche man which had also desired her but he was not honest Themistocles aunswered that if he were to choose he would preferre monilesse men before masterlesse monie It is true that S. Paul saith Godlinesse is great gaine Whether it bee man or woman that is godlie they be rich and as Salomon saith He that findeth a good wife findeth a good and a pretious thing the value of golde is not to be matched with her In mariage therefore it behooueth vs to be carefull that they whom we choose bee of the houshold of God professing one true religion with vs the disparagement wherein is the cause of all dissension true friendeship being a louing consent as in all things so chiefly in Gods true seruice 15 But this is not ynough For although the parties maried be such as the lawe of the Lorde alloweth to come together yet can it not be saide that they marie in the Lord except they also marie in such sort as the lawe prescribeth For mariage may be as much dishonoured by the one as by the other For orderly entring into the state of matrimonie it is required that they which be vnder the tuition and gouernement of others haue the ful consent of their parents tutors or such as haue rule ouer them to direct and guide them Abraham prouided a wife for his sonne Isaak Isaak sent Iacob into Mesopotamia to his vncle Laban and there commaunded him to take a wife and he did so In the law of Moses children are commanded to honour their parents And what honour is giuen vnto parents if in this chiefe case beeing the weightiest one of them that can happen in all their life their aduise wisedome authoritie and commaundement be contemned The lawe saith If a man finde a maide that is not betrothed and take her and knowe her then the man that knewe her shall giue vnto the father of the virgin fiftie shekels of siluer and she shall be his wife What Although the parents be against it No. For If her father refuse to giue her to him he shall pay the monie and not marie her Againe the lawe saith Whosoeuer voweth a vowe vnto the Lorde or sweareth an oath to binde himselfe by a bond hee shall not breake his promise but shall doe according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Neuerthelesse if a woman vowe a vowe vnto the Lord and binde her selfe by a bond beeing in her fathers house in the time of her youth and her
to be honoured of what qualitie soeuer they be in them selues The foode which they gaue to the people did miraculouslie growe by diminishing and by consuming increase So it was with the meale and oyle of that poore widow of Sarephta It was in sight too little to suffice one in vse it proued more than sufficient for manie So it is with all the graces giftes of God they grow in the handes of him that spendeth and in the cofers of him that saueth they wast Thus I haue brieflie gone ouer such thinges as I thought most conuenient for this time The Lord blesse the seede of his word sowne amongest vs and giue it a plentifull and a large in crease to his owne glorie and our comfort through the merite of Iesus Christ by the gracious operation of the holie Ghost to whom c. The eighteenth Sermon A Sermon preached at Pauls Crosse. LVKE 21. 25 Then there shall be signes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres c. GOD bethinking him selfe and as it were musing vppon the benefites and blessinges which he had in great abūdaunce of mercie bestowed from time to time vppon the people of Israell breaketh out by his prophet into these wordes What might I doe for my vine which I haue not done The graces wherewith he enriched them were infinite their prerogatiues aboue all other people of the worlde were manifolde and for the preciousnesse and rarenesse of them most wonderful to them the adoption the glorie the couenaunte the Lawe the seruice of God the promises were impropriated of them were the fathers and of them as concerning the fleshe Christ came who is God ouer all blessed for euer They had the Arke the Temple and the Oracles with a promise that God woulde be their God and they shoulde be his euen Gods owne elected and beloued people if they walked in his wayes and wrought his will for euer But this vngracious and vnthankfull nation was vnworthy of such worthynesse they worshipped God with lippes and not with heart outwardly in shew but not inwardly in harty sincere truth according to the letter but not according to the spirit after their own conceipts but not agreeablie to his blessed will reuealed in his holie word Their crie was still The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lorde but through their prophanation they made the temple of the Lord a den of theeues They cried Lord Lord but they did not his wil on whom they cryed for sweete grapes they yelded soure for hartie and sincere seruice hypocriticall and painted shewes of religion their glorie was in the externall beautie of their materiall temple they wondred at the stones and goodlie buildinges at the gorgeous furniture and precious guiftes wherewith it was both outwardly and inwardly adorned and enriched 2 Wherupon our Sauiour to take away the cause of this vaine hope and foolish ioy tooke occasion thus to prophecie of that glorious temple Are these the thinges that you looke vpon The dayes will come wherein there shall not be left a stone vpon a stone which shall not be destroyed This prophesie was as euidently accomplished as it was made For thirtie eight yeares after that they had crucified Christ their promised Messias the Lorde of glorie God raysed vppe the seruauntes of his wrath Vespasian and Titus Emperours of Rome who beseeged conquered and rased their Ierusalem made hauocke of the people as of dogges murdered eleuen hundred thousande man woman and childe of that cursed nation Then was fulfilled the crie of those crucifiers His bloud be vppon our heades and vppon our children It hath bene and shall be for euer Yea the violence of the Romaines proceeded farther and pulled downe the Temple and layde flat with the grounde their onely glorie insomuch that according to the expresse wordes of our Sauiours prophecie they left not one stone vpon another The Iewes sundrie times hauing licence thereunto attempted to builde it vp againe but it woulde not be for what their hande builded in the day the hande of the Lord most miraculouslie hurled downe by night Most true it is that Christ sayth there is not one worde that commeth out of Gods mouth not one title or iot written in his word which shall not in his due and appointed time be accomplished 3 Hence we may take this instruction that God is not delighted in outward shewes in gorgeous pompes in beautifull buildinges in painted sepulchers It is the inward beautie of the kinges daughter and not the outwarde brauery of the harlot of Babylon wherewith God is pleased It is the contrite heart of the postrate Publican and not the proude ostentation of the Pharasie wherein he doth take delight God aloweth as well of Peter in his mantell as of Aaron in his miter All these external shewes are but as the beautie of a paynted wall not onely not acceptable but euen lothsome vnto God when the soule the minde the inward parte is polluted 4 The causes why this house this costlie building and temple of God was so miserablie destroyed Christ himselfe declareth saying Because thou hast not knowne the time of thy visitation There is a double visitation the one in mercie the other in iustice Our mercifull God first visited this people in great often mercy He deliuered them out of the handes of Pharao He gaue them good guides He deliuered vnto them his law written in tables of stone He caused heauen to giue them bread the hard rocke to yeelde thē drink He made them triumphe ouer their enimies possesse strang cities He brought them to a land that flowed with milk honie caused them to reape that which their fooes had sowne He gaue them Priests Prophets builded them both an Arke by Moses and a temple by the handes of Solomon wherein he woulde be worshipped All which notwithstanding this stif-necked people was obdurate and vnthankefull no benefittes coulde euer winne them They prouoked their gratious Lord vnto most fierce and most iust wrath After their deliueraunce they lusted to returne to the place from whence they were deliuered they muttered against Moses and despysed holy Aaron They loathed and misliked the verie foode of heauen euen the meate of Angels the written lawe of God they mightely transgressed his messages they contemned the Prophetes and Messengers they derided euill entreated murdered lastly to adde a crowne to all their former wickednesse their promised Messias their king Christ Iesus the Sonne of the liuing God they most spitefully cruelly and villanouslie crucified 5 This great vnthankfulnesse of theirs did greatly prouoke the iust Lord to displeasure as it were enforce him to visit them in iustice sharpely and with the rod of more then vsual correctiō Wherefore he plagued them with mortalitie in the wildernesse onely two entred the land of promise of all the number that came out of Aegypt he gaue them ouer
the moone shall be abashed the sunne ashamed when the Lorde of hostes shal raigne in mount Sion The like we read in Ezechiel threatning destruction and desolation to Egypt I will couer the heauen and make the starres thereof darke I will couer the sunne with a cloude and the moone shall not giue hir light all the lightes of heauen will I make darke for thee and bring darkenes vpon thy lande sayth the Lorde I might alledge the like out of Ioel Ieremie Amos and Micheas but the matter is cleare inough needeth rather to be considered thaÌ„ prooued 19 The wordes being literally thus vnderstoode may be morally applied not without great fruite vnto the vnderstanding and wise hearer which can discerne betweene interpretation of scripture application thereof In the one we giue you the bare sense of the scripture in the other we teach you the profitable vse of it For the vse of scripture may be very well shewed not only by such collectioÌ„s as do probably gather or necessarily coÌ„clude one thing out of another but also by those allegoricall comparisons which shewe how in one thing another is shadowed a spirituall thing resembled in a corporall As for example if heere we refer the sun to Christ that sunne of righteousnes the moone to the Church and the starres to the pastors and doctors of the Church 20 The sunne in this sence is most euidently in this our age darkned Christ is obscured by that great enimie Antichrist the man of sinne who hath set himselfe in Christs peculiar place and will be exalted aboue all that is called God To make any other mediator betwene God and man sauing only Christ Iesus which is not onely man but also God To seeke else where remission of sinnes iustification redemption sanctification or saluation than only in this Iesus in him crucified doth darken make dimme both him and his merites And of this treason the Romish Antichristian Church which they terme Catholike is founde guiltie For the children of this harlot labour by al meanes to obscure the sonne of God to robbe him of the glorie of his desertes in our saluation I would neuer haue beleeued that any professing learning or hauing had but a glimse of the course of the woorde of God could haue beene so grosse in such sort to haue eclipsed the brightnesse of Christ Iesus by giuing his glorie vnto earthly creatures if of late I had not to my great greefe and their great shame heard their owne blasphemous conâ—essions therof Surely the Romish strumpet hath rubbed hir forehead hir children are become altogether shamelesse whatsoeuer shee determineth they make it equiualent with the written word of God There is no absurditie in poperie in which there are ful many and full grosse which they doe not defende to be right good and Catholike The Popes pardons purgatorie masses merites praiers both for to y e dead pilgrimages images reliques yea holy water and holy bread All these they will haue some one way and some another to bee forcible remedies against sinne and death This is their religion and seruing of God thus they honour the Lambe that was slaine for the sinnes of all the worlde If this doe not derogate from him and stoppe the brightnesse of his glorie who is the only once offered propitiation for all our sinnes by whose bloud we are only purged whose death only hath made vs free from death if this doe not obscure the glorious beautie of Christ Iesus if this doe not deface the woorthinesse of his merites what doeth or what can do Hath the glorious sonne of God sacrificed his precious life for our sakes vpon the crosse that Thomas of Caunterburies bloud powred out in an earthly quarrell should make passage to heauen for vs Is there any man in whose heart the light of the glorie of God hath shined which seeth not how this fogge doth darken this blessed sunne 21 Againe this sonne is obscured when as we professe that in our woordes which in our liues and deedes we doe denie After that king Dauid had committed adulterie Nathan the phophet charged him therewith in these words Thou hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme When men professe wel liue ill their life is not tolerated for their profession but their profession is slandered by their conuersation When the Iewes which professed the Law did not practise it the Law which they professed heard euill thereby For a bad professor of a good thing is a staine to that thing which he doth professe This is the speciall fault of our wicked dayes these our times are clowdie and full of this darkenesse our light doth not shine to glorifie God but our darkenes doth abounde to the obscuring of his Christ. The mercilesse rich men which wring and oppresse by deceitfull and iniurious dealing which neglect and despise their afflicted brethren the needie members of Christ doe not they blaspheme the woorthie name wherewith both they and we are named It were a great deale better neuer to haue professed then not to practise neuer to haue receaued then not to obserue neuer to haue knowne then not to obey the word of truth Vnto them which heare the word and keepe it being heard a blessing is promised but vnto theÌ„ of whom it is written Dicunt non faciunt They say do not woes againe and againe are denounced This knowe sayth the Apostle that in the last dayes shall come perillous times For men shall be louers of themselues couetous boasters proude cursed speakers disobedient to parentes vnthankefull vnholy without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers intemperate fierce despisers of them which are good traitours headie high minded louers of pleasure more than louers of God hauing a shewe of godlinesse but hauing denied the power thereof Let all the worlde iudge whether these be not the cloudes which haue darkned the sunne of our dayes 22 Now as the sun reseÌ„bleth Christ so the moone his Church For as the moone hath hir light from the sun so the Church hirs from Christ. And as the sunne being vnchangeable is at all times exceeding bright and glorious but the moone doth change and some times is at the full sometimes at the wane hir light to the eye of the worlde now encreasing and nowe diminishing nowe filling the whole globe and now in no part thereof appearing so Christ and his Church Christs glorie is alwaies great and alwaies one His Church vpon earth doth varie nowe she flowrisheth and nowe is blacke sometimes shee ouer spreadeth the face of the whole earth at other times she is brought to so narrowe streightes that mortall eye is vnable to espie hir When the Church of Christ is persecuted as it was in the dayes of those cruell Emperours which were of olde and as it is at this daie vnder Antichrist and Antichristian Princes this is as it were the chaunging
laboured rather by perswasion to reclaime transgressors then by correction with which kinde of dealing because stubborne mindes will not be bowed my softnesse I graunt hath rather deserued reproofe then praise My life and conuersation amongest you I leaue wholy to your secret iudgementes I cannot not saie for who can that my heart is cleare If in manie thinges we offende all how can any man saie hee is no sinner except hee saie also that God is a lier Howbeit this the God of my righteousnesse knoweth that wittingly and willingly I haue wronged no man if I haue reddam quadruplum I will render foure times so much good If any haue wronged mee I hartelie forgiue and will forget it for euer While I liue I will acknowledge that I haue receiued more good liking fauour and friendship at your handes then I coulde either looke for or deserue God no doubt hath his people hee hath many a deere childe in this citie But nowe that by his prouidence not by my procurement I am called from hence to serue elswhere in the church of Christ I will with S. Paule take my leaue of you and that the more willingly as well because it is Gods good will and appointment as also for that I trust the chaunge shall bee good and profitable vnto you My hope is that the Lord hath prouided one of choice to bee placed ouer you a man to vndertake this great charge so well inabled for strength courage grauitie wisedome skill in gouernement knowledge as in manie other thinges so especiallie in the heauenlie mysteries of God that I doubt not but my departure shall turne verie much to your aduauntage Amongest whom sith a great parte of my life is nowe spent and a fewe euill daies doe remaine otherwhere to bee bestowed I must vse the wordes of the blessed Apostle For that which remaineth my brethren fare ye well my deere and faithfull flocke farewell my crowne and my ioy farewell againe with griefe I speake it farewell I must in bodie goe from you yet in heart and good will I shall euer bee with you you shall euer bee most deere vnto me and I shall not cease God forbid I shoulde to powre out my prayers before the almightie in your behalfe that the greate sheepeherd of the sheepe of the Lorde Iesus Christ may take charge of you and by his holie spirite direct and gouerne you in all your waies In like sorte I most hartelie craue at your handes that yee bee not vnmindefull to praie also for mee thaâ— I may walke worthely in my calling and fulfill the ministerie which I haue receiued that God may open vnto mee the doore of vtteraunce to speake the misteries of Christ as becommeth mee to speake that I maie in faith and boldnesse do his message that hee maie deliuer mee from the disobedient and that my seruice maie bee accepted of the Saintes that the worde of the Lorde may haue his free passage and that I may finishe the residue of my course in the Gospell of Christ to the glorie of God and profit of the Church 3 And nowe brethren for my last and longe farewell I can vse no fitter wordes of exhortation then these are Bee perfect haue consolation bee of one minde liue in peace and the God of charitie and peace shall bee with you Two speciall thinges there are comprised in these wordes an exhortation and a promise Wee are exhorted to bee perfect to bee of good comfort to liue in vnitie and peace and wee are promised that so doing the God of loue and peace shall remaine with vs. The first parte of the exhortation is as it were the roote aâ—d fountayne of the seconde and the seconde likewise of the laste For perfection breedeth comforte and comforte causeth peace But let vs particularlie consider of euerie braunch of the exhortation Bee perfect 4 Integritie or perfection is of two sortes the one is deuine the other humaine That which pertaineth vnto God is absolute that which is of men is not without defect In God there is full and absolute perfection Your heauenlie father is perfect sayth our Sauiour So perfect that there is not so much as anie shadow of imperfection at all in him Hee is light perfect light there is no darkenesse in him Hee is the fountaine from whence all perfection floweth euerie perfect gift is from aboue Hee which planted the eare shall not hee heare hee that formed the eye shal not hee see He that teacheth man knowledge shall not hee vnderstande sayth the Prophet Shall I cause to bring foorth and shall I bee barren sayth the Lorde Hee cannot but be perfect in himselfe which is the cause of all perfection in others 5 And as he is perfect so all thinges are perfect which are his His law is perfect and maketh them perfect which fulfill it O that my waies were directed according to thy statutes then should I not be confounded saith the Prophet His commaundements are holy iust good Scimus quia bona est lex the goodnes and perfection of it is apparant cleare and manifest wee knowe the lawe is good But S. Paule seemeth to charge the lawe with imperfection The lawe saith hee brought nothing vnto perfection It is true that the lawe in it selfe is perfect able to saue and make perfit all such as are able perfitlie to obserue it For what saith the lawe Do this and thou shalt liue Yet no man liueth by the lawe why so Because the lawe in vnperfit God forbid The cause then why being perfit it bringeth nothing to perfection is the weakenesse and infirmitie of our flesh Wherefore that which was impossible to the lawe in as much as it was weake because of the fleshe God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnes of the lawe might be fulfilled Although no man therefore be brought to perfection by the law yet the law remaineth perfit euen as he is perfit which gaue the lawe 6 Euerie worke of the mightie God is perfit When he had made heauen and earth sea and lande fishe foule man beast and whatsoeuer is contained within the compasse of the whole world hauing finished all he behelde the works of his owne handes and saw they were all exceeding good If there bee this perfection in the workes of God then whatsoeuer hee doe in heauen or in earth seeme it vnto vs neuer so much out of order yea although it bee euen against all reason in our eyes yet must wee alwaies set our handes vnto this It is of God therefore perfit For woe bee to him that saith to his father what hast thou begotten or to his mother what hast thou brought forth Shall the claie saie to the workeman what makest thou dust and ashes to the creator of heauen and earth it is not good and perfit which
thou doest 7 As God is perfit in himselfe in his worde and in all his workes so we are exhorted to fashion our selues according to that similitude and likenesse which is in him and to become perfit as our father in heauen is perfit There is a perfection which all beleeuers haue by imputation whereof although S. Paule doe not speake directly in this place yet because it is the roote of that perfection whereof he speaketh it is not besides the purpose for me to put you in minde of it Vnto euerie sonne of Adam it may iustlie be saide Thou wast perfit in thy waies from the day that thou wast created till iniquitie was founde in thee But our sanctification being once defiled and polluted with sinne he which liketh no vncleane or vnperfect thing if hee looke vppon vs as wee are in our selues cannot but loath vs. Wherefore except the perfection of righteousnes which is in Christ be imputed vnto vs and accounted as ours except in him we be made the righteousnes of God howe should we euer hope to appeare without spot and wrincle in the sight of God He therefore is perfect whose imperfections Christ with his perfection hath couered This is a secret which because the Iewes were not able to comprehende therefore they stumbled Israel sought perfection and found it not Wherefore Because they sought it by the workes of the law and not by faith they thought perfection by imputation to be a meere fancie Contrariwise the Gentils not following that perfection which is by the lawe attained vnto that which is by faith which S. Paule did so esteeme that although he were concerning the righteousnesse which is in the lawe vnreproueable yet he thought all the labour and trauell lost which hee had spent about attaining perfection that way and desired nothing more than to be found not hauing his owne perfection which was of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ. 8 But the perfection wherof S. Paul heere speaketh is nothing else but the finishing of that which the grace of Christ hath alreadie begun to worke in our hearts our growing and increasing in true godlinesse our proceeding and going forwarde from vertue to vertue from strength to strength till we come vnto that whereunto we striue Brethren sayeth the Apostle I count not my selfe as if I had attained it or were alreadie perfect But one thing I forget that which is behinde and endeuour my selfe vnto that which is before and followe harde towardes the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Let vs therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded let as many as haue attained the former perfection striue vnto this which is the latter 9 For this cause Apostles Prophetes Euangelistes pastors and teachers at the first were giuen vnto this all doctrine and exhortation doth tende that being builded together to be the habitation of God by the spirite wee might rise to a perfect man vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ and in all things growe vp into him which is the head in all thinges whether they be inwarde vertues or outwarde duties which God requireth at the handes of men Touching inwarde vertues although we haue knowledge and be established in the present trueth although our faith bee such that it be knowen and spoken of through out the worlde although we abound in godlinesse in brotherlie kindenesse and in all loue it is neuerthelesse a thing needefull as long as we are in this tabernacle that we be alwayes put in minde stirred vp and prouoked to endeuour that in these thinges we may abounde more and more and go forward in them to perfection 10 The worde of truth which is the Gospell was fruitfull among the Colossians from the very first day that they hearde and truely knewe the grace of God Yet S. Paule ceased not still to pray for them and to desire that they might be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome spirituall vnderstanding that they might encrease in the knowledge of God and so be perfect The Hebrues no dout were not vtterly ignorant in the highest mysteries of their saluation yet are they sharply reproued for their rawnesse and exhorted to proceede from the doctrine of the beginning of Christ and from the first principles of the word of God that at the length they might come to some perfection We must all confesse euen the best learned amongst vs all that as yet we are but beginning to learne we knowe but little our skill is of small and tender growth It behooueth vs therefore to pray continually with the prophet Lord teach vs thy statutes make vs to vnderstande the way of thy preceptes that we may profit in meditating of thy lawe leade vs on in our way by the gracious conduction of thy holy spirite so direct our course that we may run out the race into which we are entred not ceasing till thou hast brought vs into all truth fully instructed vs in thy righteousnesse made vs absolute and perfect vnto all good workes 11 Where there is backwardnesse in knowledge there must needes be also weakenes of faith if we growe in the one we are the nearer to perfection in the other Howe great care the blessed Apostle had that the faith of as many as did beleeue through his preaching might be perfited let that one speach of his to them of Thessalonica serue to shewe in steede of manie Bretheren wee had consolation in you in all our affliction and necessitie through your faith For nowe are we aliue if we stande stedfast in the Lorde What thankes can we recompence to God againe for you for all the ioy for which we reioyce for your sakes before God night and day praying exceedinglie that we might see your face and might accomplish that which is lacking in your faith If he were thus carefull for the faith of others shall we neglect to make perfect our owne When we heare that this is the victorie which ouercometh the world euen our faith that by faith all the firie dartes of Satan are expelled and driuen back that vnto beleeuers all thinges are possible that he which beleeueth commeth not into iudgment but hath passed from death to life are we not glad to say in our hartes Lord we beleeue If we be then considering that by how much our faith is more stedfast by so much we are the more certainlie assured of all these thinges let vs ioyne in request with the disciples of Christ and beg of him to increase faith in vs let vs crie euen with teares Lorde helpe our incredulitie 12 But how can you beleeue saith our sauiour that receaue glorie one of another and the glorie which is of God onelie ye seeke not How should we growe vnto fulnesse of faith which are so emptie and void of godlinesse The complaint