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
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
that worketh all in all Wherfore as not onely Paul Apollos Cephas but all are ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods so let vs comfort and strengthen one another in our holy faith holding nothing more deere vnto vs then the saluatiō ech of others and in Gods holy feare commend we one another to that faithful creator who is father of all aboue vs all and through vs all and in vs all To him be rendred all thanks and all honour geuen for euer and for euer The order and matter of the Sermons 1 The first Ho euerie one that thirsteth come to the waters c. Esa. 55. 1. 2 Be this sinne against the Lorde far from me that I shoulde cease to pray c. 1. Sam. 12. 23. 3 Take vs the little foxes which destroie the vines for our vine hath florished Cant. 2. 15. 4 I exhorte therefore before all thinges that requestes supplications c. 1. Tim. 2. 1. 5 Be like minded hauing the same loue being of one accorde c. Phil. 2. 2. 6 Teach mee thy way O Lorde and I will walke in thy truth Psal. 86. 11. 7 Drawe neere to God and he will draw neere to you Iac. 4. 8. 8 Seeke the Lorde while he may bee founde call vpon him while hee is neere c. Esay 55. 6. 9 All the daies of this my warfare do I waite till my changing come Iob. 14. 14. 10 That being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we may serue him c. Luc. 1. 74. 11 Owe nothing to any man but this to loue one another for hee that loueth c. Rom. 13. 8. 12 He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lorde requireth of thee c. Mich. 6. 8. 13 And Iesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that soulde and bought c. Matth. 21. 12. 14 Then Peter opened his mouth and saide Of a truth I perceiue that God c. Act. 10. 34. 15 We therfore as helpers beseech you that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine c. 2. Cor. 6. 2. 16 Mariage is honorable in all Heb. 13. 1. 17 After these thinges Iesus went his waie ouer the sea of Galile c. Ioh. 6. 1. 18 Then there shalbe signes in the sunne and in the moone c. Luc. 21. 25 19 And when he was entred into the ship his disciples followed him c. Mat. 8. 23. 20 The end of all thinges is at hand Be ye therefore sober c. 1. Pet. 4. 7. 21 Offer the sacrifices of righteousnesse Psal. 4. 5. 22 For the rest brethren fare yee well be perfect be of good comforte c. 2. Cor. 13. 11. A Sermon made in Paules on the day of Christes Natiuitie ESAY 55. 1 Ho euerie one that thirsteth come to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come buy and eate come I say buy wine and milke without siluer and without money 2 Wherefore doe ye lay out siluer and not for bread and your labour without being satisfied Hearken diligently vnto me and eate that which is good and let your soule delight in fatnesse 3 Encline your eares and come vnto me heare and your soule shall liue I wil make an euerlasting couenant with you euen the sure mercies of Dauid OVR Euangelical Prophet Esaias through the spirit of reuelation hath in the former part of this his prophecie 800. yeres before the birth of Christ euen as if the thing had alreadie beene performed such is the certainetie of his prophecie most liuely described and set foorth the natiuitie the preaching the persecution the apprehension the death the resurrection the ascension yea and the latter comming of our Sauiour Christ to iudge the quicke and the dead in such wise that for the substance thereof no Euangelist hath more perfectly or plainly set foorth this great mysterie of our saluation He foretelleth that Christ shall be borne of a virgin that his name shalbe Immanuel that his office shalbe to preache the glad tidings of saluation to the poore in spirit that he shalbe led as a sheepe to the shambles to be slaine that he shall be stricken for our sakes and beare the burthen of al our sinnes vpon his backe 2 His birth foreshewed so long agoe by this heauenly Prophet was in fulnesse of time accomplished as this day in Bethlem a citie of Dauid according to the testimonie of that Angel sent from heauen to proclaime the birth of the sonne of God at the same time saying Behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shalbe vnto all the people because this day is borne vnto you a Sauiour which is Christ our Lorde in the Citie of Dauid This is that seede of the woman which breaketh the serpents head that meeke Abel murthered by his brethren for our sinne that true Isaack whom his father hath offered vp to be a sacrifice of pacification and attonement betweene him and vs. This is that Melchisedeck both a king and a priest that liueth for euer without father or mother beginning or ending This is Ioseph that was solde for thirtie pieces of monie This is that Sampson full of strength and courage who to saue his people and destroy his enemies hath willingly brought death vpon his owne head This is that Lorde and sonne of Dauid to whom the Lord sayde Sit thou on my right hand This is that bridegroome in the Canticle whose heart is so inflamed with heauenly loue towards his deare spouse which is his Church This is he whom holy Simeon imbrasing prophesied that he should be a light to the Gentiles and a glorie to his people Israel he vpon whom the holy Ghost descended and of whom the father testified from heauen This is my welbeloued Sonne This is that lambe of God pointed at by Iohn and sent to take away the sinnes of the world to redeeme vs from thraldome not with golde nor siluer but with the inestimable price of his pretious bloud to be made our wisedome iustification sanctification and redemption This is the childe that is borne for vs the sonne that is giuen for our cause the king whose rule is vpon his shoulders whose name is maruellous the giuer of counsell the mightie GOD the euerlasting father the prince of peace the same Messias which was shadowed in the ceremonies and sacrifices of olde which was prefigured in the Lawe and is presented in the Gospel and hath beene approoued to the worlde by signes and wonders by so cleare euidence as cannot bee either dissembled or denyed Let vs therefore embrace this babe with ioie let vs kisse the sonne let vs with the Angels of heauen praise the Lord let vs sing their Psalme to the honour of his name Glorie be to God on high and on earth peace 3 The Prophet Esaias hauing in spirite espied Christ and seene the day though farre off wherein the Sauiour of the world should be borne
an eare left were so effectual to deceiue al sorts of men that knowing this we cannot meruaile if poperie were spread far wide He did the Pope very profitable seruice which first found out this ground to builde on It bare vp their building a great while But after that the light began a litle to appeare when men had gotten once a sight of the scriptures in a knowen tongue they woondered to see the world so deluded in so much that euen amongst themselues such as had any small freedome of iudgement spared not plainely to auouche that this ground was but mire and slough altogether vnfitte for spiritual building Why that booke should be called a golden legend saith Viues for so it was intituled I doe not knowe sith it was written by a man of an yron mouth and a leaden heart and is altogether full of most shamelesse lies Erasmus likewise At this day saith he euerie bodies dreames yea the dotages of sillie women are read amongest diuine Scriptures 19 The last ground which they haue and the fairest to the eye is their traditions Vnder the name of doctrine receiued from Moses by word of mouth without writing that is to say tradition the Scribes and Pharisies were able smoothlie to carie away anything til Christ recalled all things to the Lawe the Psalmes and the Prophets til he opened the scriptures And as in other grounds so in this the Pope hath found by good experience that they cannot stand longer than the scriptures lie secret and vnknowen 20 He therefore that buildeth vpon these grounds hath cause I thinke to besturre hand and foote that men may be alwaies kept off from the scriptures For whatsoeuer is builded vpon these grounds by the scripture it is ouerthrowen The scriptures haue prescribed an holie communion they vpon their foundation haue reared a blasphemous Masse The scripture maketh baptisme the consecrated seale of mans saluation They vpon their foundation haue builded the baptisme of belles and shippes The scripture saith Christ was offered vp but once they vpon their foundation haue erected an altar whereupon he is daily offered vp The scripture wil haue the scriptures to be read of all men prayer to be made with vnderstanding Christ to be a full satisfaction for sinne worship to be doone vnto God alone They vpon their foundations haue builded a doctrine that forbiddeth Gods people to reade his word that teacheth them to powre out their prayer in a tongue which they cannot vnderstand that hath found out a way to satisfie the wrath of almightie God in this life by penaunce and after this life by indurance in Purgatorie a doctrine that commaundeth them to call vpon Saints and soules departed to worship the worke of their owne handes to say to a peece of bread My Lord my God If these doctrines of theirs did not containe as they doe most manifest impietie yet all religion builded vpon such grounds must needes be vaine and friuolous For although we offer vp neuer so many sacrifices though we keepe all the daies in the yere holie though we pray and giue thankes and doe almes yet except we knowe that herein we shewe obedience to the lawes and statutes of our God we doe but tire out our selues in vaine Wil God reward those things wherein he taketh no delight Or taketh he delight in any thing and hath not shewed it Or hath he shewed it and not in scripture Doubtlesse they worship him but in vaine which either teache or practise the precepts of men for the Lawes of God That they teache or practise the precepts of men they wil not graunt yet the most that possibly they can alledge to prooue any one of these things to be of God is this Such or such a father saith that this or this being not written is neuerthelesse Apostolicall And they knowe that the witnesses whom they cite in matters of tradition doe sometimes checke and contrarie one another In the controuersie that was betweene the East and West Churches concerning the feast of Easter the one part alledged tradition to prooue their custome and the other part tradition to prooue the contrarie It might be that neither was Apostolicall both could not be when eche gainesaide other Yet both must be if al be Apostolicall which the Fathers haue saide is Apostolicall If al be not where is the certaintie of these grounds Why doe they murther burne and persecute from place to place as many as make any doubt of these things which are grounded vpon so fickle and weake foundation 21 But to leaue the foundation whereupon they builde their doctrine if in the rest we finde them as corrupt as in this they haue beene declared weake surely then we may boldly affirme that the Church of Rome is rather a sinke of all abhomination than a fountaine from whence those liuing waters or a storehouse wherein that heauenly foode whereof the Prophet Esay speaketh may be had Let vs therefore nowe consider the end as wel of our religion as of theirs Let vs viewe the marke whereat eche part doeth shoote Whatsoeuer men doe they doe it to some end And the qualitie of things which are doone to any ende is iudged to be good or bad by the ende whereunto they are doone Hereof it is that in scripture things otherwise highly commended as prayer fasting and almes deedes are most bitterly reprooued when they tend to bad ends As there is but one author from whom all things are so there is but one end vnto whom al things should encline and bend themselues God is Alpha the first from whom all other things haue their being and beginning wherefore in reason he is Omega the end and finall cause of all things vpon him they must attend and seeing they are not of themselues therefore they may not serue themselues but for the glorie of him by whom they are From hence a rule may be gathered to iudge betweene pure religion in deede and that which is vntruely so called For that religion no doubt is best which most aduaunceth the glorie of God and that which taketh most from him the worst Ipsi gloria in Ecclesia In the Church of God all glorie is giuen not to men but to him This is the song of the true Church of Christ Righteousnesse O Lord belongeth vnto thee but vnto vs open shame 22 Wherefore touching our selues we teache with the blessed Apostles and Prophets that by nature we are the children of wrath that corruption is bredde and setled within our bones that we are both borne and begotten in it that with it all the powers and faculties of our nature are infected that still it cleaueth fast vnto our soules and although the deadly sting be taken from it yet there it sticketh as long as life doth endure so irkesome and so grieuous that it forceth the most vpright and perfect to crie Miserable man who shall deliuer me
the safetie thereof for in the peace thereof your peace doeth stand In this sort God is to be feared in this sort of all sorts he is to be serued and by this meane the common wealth is to bee maintained and preserued If we linked together in the feare of God and in true concord and amitie among our selues put to our helping handes euerie one duetifully in his calling to the supporting of this state and defending thereof doubtlesse no enemie no forren power can hurt vs no Bull of Basan shall preuaile against vs but wee and our common wealth in despite of all both corporal and spiritual enemies shall be strengthened and stablished for euer So true is it that kingdome which is grounded vpon good wil standeth fast and sure for euer 36 But as the naturall bodie without sinewes can not growe waxe strong or continue no more can a ciuil bodie without his sinewes The sinewes of the common wealth are the treasures Tributes therefore and subsidies are due to the Prince Giue vnto Caesar those things that are Caesars tribute vnto whom tribute belongeth It is not giuen to the Prince but to the common wealth it is in trueth bestowed vpon our selues The prince in respect of priuate vse neither needeth neither requireth our money It is the common wealth whereunto we owe not our goods onely but our liues also it requireth this at our handes for our owne safetie The prince will be but a steward hereof seasonably to lay it out for publike vse Good common wealthsmen haue not spared to giue their very liues for their countrie as Themistocles Curtius Codrus and others And who can so litle regard the common wealth as by pinching at a peece of monie to pinche it He that seeth his house ruinous and for sparing will not repaire it if it fall vpon his head let him fall himselfe Moses found his subiects maruellous readie in this behalfe when a voluntarie contribution was required towardes the building of the tabernacle they brought in so much that he was forced to crie Sufficit Nowe ynough Cyrus was a gentle and a good prince and he had thankefull subiects their voluntarie gift at one subsidie surmounted all the long heaped treasure of riche Craesus The Princes treasure is wasted in our defence our duetie is to repaire it againe for our safetie This duetie God and our common wealth require at our handes Let vs paie franklie this debt so shall we worke our owne safetie strengthen the common wealth and serue God and our countrie in trueth 37 And thus we learne that if the ministers earnestly praie for and faithfully teache the prince and the people if the prince and the people syncerely feare and serue God feare him as an omnipotent Lord and iust Iudge and withall loue him as a most louing father serue him in cleansing and feeding his Church cleansing it from false doctrine Idolatrie superstition and symonie feeding it with the word by causing it eueriewhere to be preached which will be by prouiding maintenance for the preachers thereof and compelling all subiects to heare Gods word and receiue his sacraments Further if the Prince carefully consider of the common wealth to represse the euil encourage and strengthen the good and ouerlooke the whole and doe choose wise religious louers of the trueth and haters of couetousnesse vnder him to gouerne it If in this great and stately counsell of the kingdome banishing priuate affections it syncerely be sought by Lawe to set foorth and preferre true religion and withall to bridle the desperate tongues of gainesayers If by strength of good Lawes they represse monstrous apparell and excessiue dyet deceitful bargaining vsurie adulterie vnlawfully stolen contracts and so prouide for the poore that Christ in his members may be relieued If the officers of the common wealth keepe good Lawes themselues and faithfully without foolish pitie which is crueltie see them executed vpon others If the people like good subiectes feare God honour the Prince liue peaceably and seeke the safetie of their countrie Lastly if we all linked together in loue liberally relieue the common wealth and frankly supplie the want therof for our owne safetie then doubtlesse the Lord wil blesse and preserue our Prince and vs and stablish this kingdome in peace and prosperitie to flourish and to continue But if we be cold and negligent in Gods cause if we be vnthankefull and disobedient to our good Samuel to our gratious Soueraigne then let vs looke for that which God threateneth here by his prophet Both you and your king shall perish God graunt in his mercie that assisted with his grace we may syncerely seeke and serue him to his great glorie and our great safetie in this life and eternal saluation in the world to come To that immortall onely wise and most gratious God c. A Sermon preached in Yorke at the celebration of the day of the Queenes entraunce into her Raigne CANTIC 2. 15 Take vs the litle foxes which destroy the vines for our vine hath flourished SVch solemne assemblies in so sacred a place to giue God thankes for great benefites receiued are no rare things among Gods people but are confirmed by sundrie examples in the scriptures Nehemias after that the house of God was reedified assembled the people caused the Lawe of the Lord to be openly read gaue thankes vnto the Lord for their deliuerance from Babylon and for restitution of religion and with great reioising and feasting kept that day holie vnto the Lord. When by the meanes of Queene Hester the Iewes had gotten rest and giuen a great ouerthrow to their enemies she likewise with the aduise of hir godly vncle Mardocheus commanded the people to keepe that day the fourteenth of the moneth Adar holie vnto the Lord yerely to feast and giue thanks for Gods great mercies and their maruellous deliuerance When God had deliuered his people Israel from the tyrannie of Triphon by the meanes of Simon the high priest a gouernour and prince of the Iewes Simon ordained that the same day of their deliueraunce should yerely bee kept holie vnto the Lorde with gladnesse feasting and thankesgiuing The feasts of Passeouer Pentecost Tabernacles and such other were commaunded to be kept holie in remembraunce of great benefites receiued at the Lords hands The people of Israel with thankefull hearts remembring what a great benefite they had receiued when hee chose and annointed Dauid to be their king gathered together in a solemne assemblie to celebrate that happie daie and to giue God thankes sang with ioyfull acclamation vnto the Lord This is the daie which the Lord hath made let vs reioice and be glad in it 2 Greater cause to assemble together and to giue God thankes for blessings and benefites receiued had neuer nation or people than we presently haue For as this day now twentie yeres fully finished the Lorde in his mercie
remembring vs when wee litle hoped and lesse deserued deliuered vs from the state of miserable seruitude and gaue vs our gratious Soueraigne his owne elect Elizabeth by his grace our prince and gouernour the restorer of our religion and libertie Lorde shewe vs the light of thy fauourable countenance multiplie these good daies graunt vs many of these happie yeres O Lord I praie thee saue nowe O Lord I pray thee now giue prosperitie Lord preserue whō thou hast giuen giue her O Lord good successe and prosperitie Eusebius the Bishop of Cesarea thought himselfe much honoured that he was appointed to celebrate with a Sermon the Inauguration of Constantinus the Emperour Euen so I take it for my great good happe that it falleth to my lot at this present to put you in remembraunce of the great happinesse which hath befallen vs as on this day that we may reioice and be thankefull for it 3 And for the better performance hereof as the publike minister of the Church I bring vnto you the voice of the Church a part of the most excellent song of Solomon Which at the first sight although it may seeme a strange peece of scripture and skantly fit for this time yet when it shall be throughly considered of it wil appeare very pertinent to our time and purpose For herein is contained a doctrine touching the mercies of God towards vs the malitious frowardnesse of his and our enemies and our duetie towards him concerning them Our vineyard hath flourished behold the meere grace and fauour of God towardes his Church Litle foxes deuoure it behold the ingratitude of the people resisting the grace of God and abusing his mercie Take vs these litle foxes behold the commaundement of God and the duetie of his seruaunts Of these three things in order as they lie my purpose is by Gods assistance to speake 4 The Church of God by a metaphor is many times in the scriptures termed a vineyard neither can there bee a better resemblance in any thing and that in diuerse respects But because it were more curious than profitable particularly to follow the comparison I wil onely remember vnto you the chiefe parts The vineyard that shall fructifie must fall into the hands of a skilful and laboursome husbandman who first must weede it stone it and prepare it then he must in season and with cunning plant a good vine that will beare a pleasaunt grape in it water vnderprop and prune it and lastly compasse it about with a ditche a strong wall or a sure hedge for defence Such a vineyard must needes bring foorth good fruite God of his goodnesse hath prouided for this vineyard his church of England all these helpes aboundantly he hath beautified it and furnished it most plentifully with rare and woonderfull blessings 5 He hath giuen it a skilfull ouerseer one indued with al gifts and qualities fit for gouernement An vnwise King destroyeth his people but where they that be in authoritie are men of vnderstanding there the Citie prospereth Be wise therefore O ye Kings be learned ye Iudges of the earth saith the Prophet It pleased the Lord greatlie that Solomon asked rather wisedome than riches knowledge than honour Giue vnto thy seruaunt O Lord an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people that I may discerne betweene good and bad If learning and wisedome be so necessarily required in a gouernor how great is the goodnesse of almightie God to vs ward which hath so plentifully bestowed this gift of knowledge and wisdome vpon our Soueraigne not farre inferior to Mithridates for diuersitie of languages but farre surmounting al former English princes in learning knowledge and vnderstanding which rare and excellent gift dwelleth not in her royall brest alone but is beautified and accompanyed with sundrie other most singuler graces She is the verie patronesse of true religion rightly termed The defender of the Faith one that before all other things seeketh the kingdome of God If the threatenings of men could haue terrified her or their allurements entised her or any craftie perswasions haue preuailed she had reuolted long ere this so fiercely by great Potentates her constancie hath beene assaulted But God hath strengthened his royall handmaide the feare of God hath put to flight the feare of men her religious heart is accepted of the Lord and glorious it is also in the eyes of the worlde A Prince so zealous for Gods house so firmely setled in his trueth that she hath constantly determined and oftentimes vowed rather to suffer all torments than one iot to relent in matter of religion She is not fraudulent and treacherous but dealeth iustly and truely in woord and deede with all men promiseth and performeth Herein her Maiestie passeth all princes and therefore in credite she is farre before others And her great desire is that all men placed in authoritie vnder her should deale truely iudge rightly and giue to euery man his owne according to iustice matching alwaies with iustice mercie which two are so linked and coupled together that they may not be seuered Iustice without mercie is too sharpe and rigorous and mercie without iustice is not mercie but follie That no Prince of this Realme inclining so much to mercie did euer lesse hinder the course of Iustice than her Highnesse hath doone such as are placed in Iudiciall roumes must needes confesse So truely it may be saide The scepter of thy kingdome is a righteous scepter thou louest iustice and hatest sinne Of nature a prince most mercifull in iudgement vpright and iust A prince voide of all corruption an hater of bribes free in bestowing in taking close handed one that hath learned and doeth practise our Sauiours lesson It is a more blessed thing to giue than to receiue A right Samuel that cannot bee charged with indirect dealing A prince milde as Moses iust as Samuel peacefull as Solomon zealous as Dauid Neither speake I this in flatterie which thing be farre from me but in an vpright conscience not of gesse but of knowledge not seeking my selfe but the glorie of God that being put in minde of your happinesse yee may praise God for his mercie and glorifie him in his gratious gifts Thus hath God blessed this vineyard his Church with a learned wise religious iust vncorrupt milde mercifull peacefull and zealous Prince to gouerne it A great blessing the Lord continue it and make vs thankefull for it 6 This skilfull manurer of the vineyard must first ridde the ground purge the Church The barnefloore must be cleansed before the haruest be brought in Ieremie commaundeth the thornes first to be rooted out and then the seede to bee cast into the ground Moses gaue charge to cast out all leauen before the people might celebrate the passeouer Iosua willed the Cananites to be expelled ere he would establish his common wealth of Israel Iacob would not sacrifice vnto God till he had purged his house of Idols The like
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
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
are in authoritie that wee may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie MOSES speaking to the people of God concerning the institutiō of the Passeouer to be kept at the appointed season from yere to yere saith When thy Sonne shall aske thee What is this thou shalt say vnto him With a mightie hand the Lord brought vs out of Egypt out of the house of bondage and in remembraunce hereof wee celebrate this feast In like sort when your children shall aske you what this our assemblie meaneth you shall aunswere that it is to giue God thankes for that great benefite which we receiued at his hands as this day when in his mercie he gaue vs our gratious elect Elizabeth whom hee hath vsed as his mightie arme to worke our deliuerance to bring vs out of Egypt the house of Romish seruitude This is the day which the Lord hath made this is that our happie day the Lorde in his mercie hath made it let vs be thankefull for it let vs reioice and be glad in it This is the acceptable time the day of saluation the happie time of our deliuerance This day God shewed vs the light of his gratious countenance and had mercie on vs in bestowing vpon vs so great a treasure so good a gouernour so worthie a Prince The Lord graunt vs many of these daies and long continuance of these happie yeres And as our Apostle doeth exhort vs let vs both praise the Lorde and praie vnto him that vnder so good a gouernement we may liue a quiet a godlie and an honest life as the Lords goodnesse towards vs and our duetie towardes him and profession of his name require I exhort you therefore before all things c. Here are two things offered to our consideration first an exhortation Pray for all men especially for princes and rulers secondly a reason of this exhortation that by their good gouernement we may liue a quiet a godly and an honest life 2 In exhorting vs to praie he sheweth the benefite and fruit of our praier We must praie to God to giue vs good Princes and rulers vnder a good prince we ought to leade a good life a good prince should procure peace pietie and honestie to the people a good people should liue peaceably godlily and honestly vnder their prince The exhortation is Pray for all men especially Princes and rulers In this part we haue to consider what praier is To whom we should pray What be the parts of praier When where and how we should pray For whom we should pray 3 Praier is a lifting vp of the minde vnto God or a friendely talking with the Lord from an high and a kindled affection of the heart In the word God speaketh vnto vs in praier we speake vnto him Praier is the powring out of a contrite heart with a sure perswasion that God wil graunt our requests and giue eare to the suites which we make vnto him This praier must be onely vnto God It is praier vnto God that onely hath promise that onely hath example in the scriptures Call vpon me saith God Aske the father in my name saith our Sauiour Aske and ye shall haue When yee shall pray saith Christ pray thus Our Father which art in heauen So and none otherwise praied all the Patriarches Prophets Apostles and Christ himselfe and all true Christians in all ages In praier no creature may be ioyned with God God and our Ladie help vs is no allowable praier 4 This praier which must be made onely to God our Apostle diuideth into his partes Requests Supplications Intercessions Thankesgiuings Requests or petitions are when wee praie for the increase of Gods good gifts in vs and that of his mercie and fauour he would giue vs whatsoeuer is necessarie for bodie or soule and for as much as we cannot obteine any thing for our owne merites that he would graunt vs all things for his sonne our Sauiours sake 5 Supplications when we praie to be deliuered from euill as when we pray that the wrath of God which we haue deserued may through his mercie be remooued from vs as farre as the East is from the West that our sinne may be remitted and blotted out of Gods bookes 6 Intercessions are when we praie for such as doe afflict and wrong vs for our enemies which persecute vs that God would forgiue them turne their hearts and better them Or when wee praie for others either for remoouing of euill from them or for Gods fauour and blessing towards them 7 Thankesgiuings are when we praise and thanke God for the great mercies graces and gifts which wee haue receiued at his hands For we must acknowledge that euery good and perfect gift commeth downe from aboue from the father of lights and is by his mercie freely giuen Praier generally may be diuided into two parts Petition and Thankesgiuing in the one we aske of God in the other wee offer vnto God both are accepted as sweete smelling sacrifices pure and through the merite of his sonne pleasaunt in his sight I shall not neede to put you in remembrance that we must praie both for our selues and others that there is a priuate and a publike praier that we must pray for things perteining to saluation absolutely and for things that pertaine to this life conditionally These are matters wherewith yee are throughly acquainted 8 The next thing to be considered in praier is when where and how to praie When Alwaies without ceasing Where In all places especially that place which being sanctified to this vse is therefore called the house of praier How from the heart lifting vp pure and cleane hands that is to say in faith and in loue Our praier fethered with these two wings flyeth straight into heauen 9 Thus we are by the Apostle willed to pray before all things according to the commaundement of our Sauiour Seeke first the kingdome of God Let vs begin all our workes our enterprises our actions our iourneies our lying downe our rising vp our eating our drinking and all our studies with praier So our bread shalbe multiplyed our oyle encreased our meate sanctified all our endeuours and actions blessed If the very Ethnicks in the beginning of their bookes first prayed vnto their gods to prosper and giue good successe to their labours it were a shame for vs not to praie to our God before all things knowing that the praier of the iust is greatly auaileable before him Praier is a succour vnto vs a sacrifice to God and a scourge to Satan Examples are infinite Israel in praier groned vnto God and was deliuered out of Egypt Moses by praier so held God that he could not destroie his idolatrous people The blast of praier ouerthrew the walles of Ierico At the praier of Iosua the Sunne stoode stil. The young men prayed in the burning fornace
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
hath the greatest skil the prince because he hath the highest roume the people because they are most in number If the pastor goe before the sheepe will be the readier to followe after if the fountaines bee sweete the riuers that flowe from them will not be sowre if there be darkenesse in the hils there will bee more in the valleies if those that should giue light vnto others be turned into darkenesse how great shall the darkenesse of others be Examples haue a meruelous force to leade men The whole world is led as they haue others especially their superiors for examples And therefore you that be chiefest in authoritie should by reason be foremost in the waie of trueth Walke in what way you wil you are sure to haue followers Iosias walked in the straite waie to heauen and the people followed Ieroboam in the broade waie and the people were caried after in heapes If you liue in securitie carelesse for Gods matters carelesse for the causes of the common wealth carefull to feede vpon pleasures and fancies carefull to passe ouer your owne times in ease and quietnesse the people will easily take after your your townes and cities will soone be made like to that secure and carelesse citie of Lais. If ye will haue the people of the Land watchfull you your selues must not slumber If you make light of the word of God the people will learne by your example to despise it if you embrace the truth they also wil loue it You my Lords you whom God hath placed before you must goe before for Gods loue striue no longer take your places and goe on that the people of God being guided by you as by lights may follow after in the way of trueth It is a monstrous thing to see the basest liues in the highest roumes Your conuersation must be a glasse for others to looke into Others shall aunswere for their owne faults but you for your owne faults and for others who through your example are faultie To conclude let vs all so walke as becommeth the children of the light let it suffice that in times past wee haue walked according to the vanitie of the Gentiles let vs now returne vnto the Lord let vs cast away impietie and worldly concupiscence and liue a sober a righteous and a godlie life let vs with true repentance craue pardon and mercie at the handes of God and hereafter walke humbly before him not for a day or for a moneth or a Lent season but continually all the daies of our pilgrimage vpon earth He onely shall be saued that continueth walking in trueth to the ende God for his mercie sake let fall plentifully the drops and dewe of his heauenly grace vpon the hil of Hermon and the mountaines of Sion to the fruitefull watering of the whole Land of Israel Teach vs O Lorde euen our princes our prophets and our people thy waies direct all our goings that we may walke for euer in thy trueth This that wee may doe all and euerie of vs in our seuerall callings God the father graunt for his Sonne Christs sake to whom c. The seuenth Sermon A Sermon preached before the Queene IAC 4. 8 Drawe neere to God and he will drawe neere to you Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purge your hearts ye double minded 9 Suffer affliction and be sorie Weepe Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your iote into heauinesse 10 Cast downe your selues before the Lord and he will lift you vp GOD requireth in his houshold steward the minister of his blessed word fidelitie and discretion fidelitie to deliuer to Gods familie such meat without mingling as he hath receiued at his Lords hands discretion to giue it fitly in due season by respecting the time place auditorie like circumstances Al men are not of one kind of constitution Some are able to receiue and digest strong meate high mysteries deepe secrets of God Others must be fed with milke simple and plaine lessons yet auaileable to their saluation These differences are in the foode it selfe The maner of diuiding it standeth in doctrine and exhortation Doctrine is for the ignoraunt to instruct them exhortation for the learned to monishe and strengthen them both may most profitably be ioined together Paul hauing to doe with the ignorant Gentiles learned in profane arts but barbarous in true religion is ful of doctrine Iames dealing with the learned Iewes traueileth more in exhortation Our times are learned times God hath blessed our daies with vnderstanding Wee are inriched by him in all speeche and in all knowledge But we knowe and doe not and that deserueth stripes Miserable is it to be ignorant of Christ not to knowe the path which leadeth to heauen Yet better it were not to knowe the way of truth than not to walke in it being knowne I will therefore followe the wisedome of S. Iames and with his owne woordes exhort you Drawe neere to God and he will drawe neere to you c. In which woords first hee exhorteth vs to drawe neere vnto God secondly he sheweth vs the meanes how we may so doe lastly hee telleth what commoditie we shall reape thereby 2 He exhorteth sinners double hearted men to draw neere vnto God Sinners are such as be notable open offenders who make all the world witnesses of their wickednesse Marie Magdalene is called a sinner because she was knowne to be a great offender Behold a woman that was in the Citie a sinner The Sodomites and the Amalechites are likewise termed sinners for the excessiuenesse of their sinne because their sinnes were notorious and manifest Double hearted men are hypocrites resembling painted sepulchers beautifull without and within full of rottennesse such as say and doe not pretending holinesse for aduantage and working mischiefe in their hearts 3 This exhortation is generall it reacheth to all for wee are al offenders euen against the maiestie of almighty God although not all in the same degree All haue sinned and do need the glorie of God Euerie mans waies are corrupt The imagination of mans heart is euill euen from his youth What man liuing can say My heart is pure Betweene an open sinner and an hypocrite there is a difference in their sight which take them as they seeme there is no difference before God who beholdeth them as they are As God wil not heare the praier of the open obstinate sinner so doeth hee powre his grieuous curse vpon all hypocrites and counterfeite Christians Woe be to you ye hypocrites 4 Dauid when hee committed that great follie was an open sinner and gaue great offence It was told him by Nathan Thou hast made the Lords enemies to blaspheme Mariage is honourable in the sight of all men but fornication and adulterie the Lord doth abhorre and the offenders therein the Lorde shall iudge This one sinne drowned the whole world it called fire out
of heauen to burne vp cities it destroied the Tribe of Beniamin Let it not be once named amongst you They that are such shall not inherite the kingdome of God These fowle offenders are here termed Sinners 5 The Iewes were grieuous sinners which slewe their Prophets and stoned such as were sent vnto them But they escaped not his heauie hand whose seruaunts they did so cruelly entreate God plagued this their sinne with strange desolation Hee made their house like Shilo and their citie a curse to all the nations of the earth The Lord hath also sent wise men Scribes and Embassadors vnto vs of them in these our daies we haue killed and crucified none we haue scourged none of them in our Synagogues we haue persecuted none from citie to citie we haue not beaten one and stoned another wee haue not dealt thus cruelly with any one of them but wee haue dealt hardly and vnkindely with moe than one No mans life hath beene touched many mens liuings are They haue not beene murthered and slaine they are defaced reuiled and made contemptible to the whole worlde These messengers ought to be better esteemed for their masters and for their message sake But the sonne of God whose seruants they are wil in his good time reuenge it he will not beare this iniurious ignominie doone to himselfe He that despiseth you despiseth me Such contemners of Christ and of his ministers may most iustly be called Sinners 6 Achab gaue great and open offence in robbing Naboth of his vineyard And God did reuenge this open sinne with an open plague punishing the deuourer with deuourers bloud with bloud The vineyard of the Lorde is set ouer to the spoile it is the onely pray that is left for greedie cormorants to rauen vpon The hedge is broken wilde boares are entred in for to destroie it If God had not set his elect ouer it no doubt ere this day it had beene vtterly laide wast You could haue looked for no grapes of pietie of learning or of religion of it but beeing rooted vp by these violent boares it would haue brought out nothing but sowthistles ignorance superstition and grosse Idolatrie But Woe be to thee that spoilest shalt not thou be spoiled How both the Church and common wealth are spoiled all men see it but fewe wil tell it and no man goeth about to redresse it These greedie gleaners are also in the number of them whom our Apostle here nameth Sinners 7 The sinne of king Saul was heinous in consulting with a witch that had a familiar spirite inquiring of her what chaunce should befall him This grieuous sinne God grieuously and without delay plagued On the next morowe he and his sonnes were slaine all Israel discomfited murthered and put to flight If euerie good gift come from God shall wee seeke helpe at diuels hands If onely God knoweth the heart of man and things to come shall we inquire of secrets at the mouth of Satan The diuell is a lyer and shall we beleeue him Hee is our aduersarie and shall we seeke aide of him Hee is a deceiuer and shall wee trust in him There is no fellowship betweene Christ and Beliall neither ought the seruaunts of Christ to communicate with such seruaunts of Satan Let witches sorcerers and sowthsaiers die the death saith the Lorde Such as communicate with them communicate with diuels and such also are Sinners 8 Doeg sinned greatly in accusing faithfull Dauid and the good high Priest Aâ—imelech to king Saul who being light of beleefe persecuted the one and murthered the other Haman dealing so with godlie Mardocheus brought him almost to the gallowes and his people to great confusion The Arrians accused the right Christian Bishop Athanasius of incontinencie before the Emperor Constantinus but his innocencie through the prouidence of God cleared him Christ was charged to bee a drunkard a companion of sinners a destroier of the Lawe and of the Temple an enemie to Caesar. Such false accusations are more current in these our euill times and latter daies than euer If the Heathen accounted it a discredite to be termed an accuser may we not iustly call false accusers sinners By whose meanes if false accusations may get credite innocencie shall be condemned Christ shall be crucified as a malefactor and Barrabas as an innocent shall be let loose Wherefore the Ciuill Lawe hath wel prouided that the false accuser receiue as much dammage as hee seeketh to bring vpon an other And this Law hath beene sometimes executed He that falsely accused Appollonius was so serued For failing in his proofe sentence was giuen that both his thighes should be broken This is another kinde of Sinners 9 Now as our Apostle remembreth vnto vs open sinners so doth he also couert sinners whom he calleth double minded The Sichemites were double minded in matters of religion who in respect of gaine and profite were content outwardly to yeeld to Iacob and his sonnes to receiue the Iewes religion and to bee circumcised Men for commoditie can transforme themselues into all colours and conditions and in open shewe professe any religion inwardly keeping their false hearts to themselues 10 Which practise the Familie of loue hath lately drawne to a precept and hath newlie broached it as saleable doctrine that men neede not openly be of any religion whereby they may endanger themselues that it is good Christiandome to lie sweare forsweare to say and vnsay to any sauing such as be of the same Familie with whom they must only vse al plainnes keep their mysteries secret from all others to themselues These men may doe any thing to auoide affliction and they haue scripture for that purpose Your bodies are the temples of the holie Ghost you may not suffer Gods temples to be touched As fitly alleaged as Scriptum est by the diuell 11 In a paper which of late came from the Pope as a token to his deare children there were printed the fiue woundes of Christ with this poesie Fili da mihi cor tuum sufficit Sonne giue me thy heart and it sufficeth Whether his Holinesse did meane thereby to allowe dissimulation or no I will not define His practises are mysticall and his broode is so throughly framed in this way that they seeme to take the Popes embleme in no other meaning They halt on both sides they serue all times and turne with all windes By professing all religions they shew themselues plainly to be of none They haue double hearts one heart for the Prince another for the Pope one for Christ and an other for Baal one for a Communion and an other for a Masse These dissembling wolues put vpon themselues sheepes skins to deceiue withall Now are they milde and gentle flattering and promising all loyaltie to the prince conformitie to gouernement and consent to religion But if the times should turne they would turne off the
idle vaine wanton and prophane life with sober righteous and godlie behauiour Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your ioie into heauinesse For our God seeth all our thoughts he heareth all our words he beholdeth all our workes There is no wantonnesse nor wickednesse but our God who doth hate it seeth it the Lorde bee mercifull vnto vs yea our iust God who will iudge vs according vnto our deedes seeth it O Lord be mercifull vnto vs. O Lorde who shall stand in that most dreadful daie Lord graunt vs true repentance that forsaking our selues and detesting our sinnes we may flie so vnto thy mercie that we may tast of thy tender compassions and not receiue according to thy iustice and our most sinnefull deserts Enter not Lord into iudgement with thy seruants O let vs at the length wash our hands and purge our hearts Let vs mourne and bewaile our sins that so being cleane we may approch and come neere vnto our God 35 The onely thing which hindereth and keepeth vs backe from this is that ouerweening which wee haue of our selues Whereby it commeth to passe that when we should be sorowful we are puft vp The Apostle therefore to meete with this fault and remooue this let addeth Cast downe your selues Humble your selues in the sight of God The countrie which we seeke for is on high but the way is belowe that leadeth vnto it He that seeketh the one must not refuse the other The Publicane humbling himselfe before GOD drewe neere vnto him and was receiued To whom hath God regard on whom doth he looke to whom is he neere Euen vnto him that is poore and of a contrite spirit add that trembleth at my woordes saith the Lord. Manasses notwithstanding his idolatrous sinnefulnesse yet by humilitie drewe neere vnto God and found his sauing mercie And all that are or shall be his must learne of him to be milde as he is milde to humble themselues vnto Christes mercie who humbled himselfe vnto mans crueltie 36 What hath man wherein of right he can boast himselfe or whereof he may be prowde It is God who hath giuen vs those good gifts which we haue wee haue them not of our selues and he hath giuen them vs not to pride our selues in them and so to make them ill but humbly to be thankefull for them and to dispose of them well to his glorie knowing and remembring that we must straitely reckon for them Render an account will one daie be a fearefull speeche For why doth thy nobilitie power and authoritie lift vp thy minde These are giuen thee from aboue By me kings raigne by me Princes beare rule There is no power but of God He that setteth vp can likewise cast downe Nay Hee hath cast downe the mightie from their seate and hath exalted the humble and meeke And what he hath doone once he can doe againe The highest place is not the sweetest nor the safest place much authoritie is cōbred with many cares Such as haue entred into a great charge must enter into a great account And greater cause haue they to feare their reckoning than to bee prowde of their ruling The more that God hath lift thee vp the more thou oughtest to humble thy selfe before him least hee eternally cast thee downe 37 A Christian heart must be an humble heart and the way to humble our selues is to knowe our selues For if wee did looke vpon our blacke feete our faire Peacocke fethers no doubt would soone fall downe If we did cast our eyes vpon our fowle handes and polluted hearts if we did sift our selues and search our soules and see how ouglie we had made our selues in the sight of God hauing blotted out his gratious image in vs and cloathed our selues with the maculate coate of sinne the rewarde whereof is that eternall death of hell this sight would terrifie vs this consideration would pull downe our hawtinesse and cause vs to mislike and vtterly denie our selues and flie onely vnto Gods mercie Our cheerefull countenance would be changed into an heauie our mirth into sighing our pastime into praier It would make our sorowfull heartes to water our wanton eies with bitter teares It would cast downe our bigge and high lookes flat vpon the earth and turne our curled frisled writhen haire into a baser vse euen into a towell to wipe the feete of Christ withall In the steade of monstrous apparell we would put on sackecloth and ashes and crie with S. Paul Miserable man that I am who shall deliuer me This sight of our selues would humble vs in the sight of God This humilitie would cause vs to drawe neere vnto him If wee drewe neere vnto him he would drawe neere vnto vs If wee did cast our selues downe he would mercifully lift vs vp 38 For so it followeth in the last part This commoditie remaineth to such as in such humble sort drawe neere vnto him He will drawe neere vnto you he will lift you vp If we sinners and double hearted men wash and purge our hands and hearts if by faith and vnfeined repentance we drawe neere vnto him hee will meete vs in the way embrace vs with his armes of mercie kisse vs with the kisse of peace and reconciliation put on our spowsall ring vpon our finger as fully restored vnto our gratious and blessed spowse in that perfect spirituall mariage Hee is as readie to forgiue our sinnes as we are to aske forgiuenesse If we turne vnto him by repentance he doubtlesse wil turne vnto vs in mercie He will refresh vs and we shall finde eternall rest for our wearied soules Be our sinnes as bloudie as skarlet is red hee will make them as white as snowe Though they now presse sore vpon vs yet he will remooue them as farre from vs as the East is from the West yea he will drowne them in the verie bottome of the sea he wil wholy blot them out of his booke forgiue them and forget them for euer This our gratious God hath promised this our true God who cannot deceiue will performe Lastly if with penitent and humbled hearts for our sinnes wee cast our selues downe before God our God will lift vs vp If we condemne our selues with trust in his mercie our God will iustifie vs. If we die vnto sinne wee shall bee raised vp vnto happie righteousnesse The more we humble our selues the more he wil exalt vs not for our owne deserts but for his promise sake of free mercie and his sons complete merites To conclude if here we be humbled with Christ hereafter wee shall bee exalted with Christ euen into the high heauens and there bee placed in the ioyfull presence of God our father to whom with his Sonne Christ Iesus our Sauiour and the holie Ghost our Sanctifier and Comforter be all honour and praise nowe and for euer Amen The eighth Sermon A Sermon preached before the Queene ESAY 55. 6 Seeke ye the
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
it more than ordinarie or vsuall blessings As the blessings of that man are by God accursed so where he curseth there the Lord blesseth and to the eternall reproofe of that our enemies vniust and vncharitable execration he hath in these our daies opened his bountifull hand farre wider than in former times when those Antichristian blessings came posting yerely from Rome and embraced our Lande so kindely that they sucked the sappe of wealth both from braunche and roote The Land of Canaan was a pleasaunt and a fruitefull Land flowing with milke and abounding with honie truely it was barren and almost beggerly in respect of our aboundance and store God may iustly say to vs What could I haue doone more vnto my vineyard which I haue not doone vnto it He hath miraculously giuen and continued with vs that grand blessing of his glorious Gospell he hath wonderfully preserued our Soueraigne his seruant he hath kept her safe as Moses and Dauid from Pharao from Dathan and from Amalek from Goliah from Saul from Absolon from the hands of her open enemies and treasons of her deceitfull friends he hath not onely giuen her a circumspect heart to foresee and to preuent and I trust to cut off all intended destruction but also hath more than miraculously abated the pride and confounded the manifold counsels of her and our enemies and contrarie to all expectation kept vs in peace and safetie GOD make vs thankefull and giue vs hearts syncerely bent to seeke him which so mercifully by his benefites and graces hath sought vs. How great is thy goodnesse O Lord which thou hast laide vp in store for them that feare thee For this shall euerie one that is godlie make his praier vnto thee in a time when thou maist be found and call vpon thee while thou art neere 9 If this way will not serue to bring vs vnto God another must be assayed if we wil not be led by faire meanes we shall be drawne by fowle God hath blessings for them which are of a pliable minde but for the froward rods Them he first threateneth as hauing no delight or pleasure to punish hee punisheth as one vnwilling to destroie Gods corrections is for our reformation but if it will not reforme vs for our confusion This selfe loue of ours this senselesse securitie this contempt of Gods woord this want of godlie zeale these contriuings of treason and conspiracie are tokens that God hath bent his dreadfull bowe and is preparing to make his arrowes drunke with our bloud If hee spared neither Israelites nor Angels doubtlesse neither will he spare vs except vnfeinedly we seeke him and seeke him nowe 10 For now is the acceptable time now is grace offered the Lord now stretcheth out his handes of mercie this is the daie wherein the Lorde may be found of them that seeke him But some stop their eares at this and will not heare they are too wise to be enchaunted with these times If ye tell them of seeking the Lord their answere is Who is the Lord They say plainely in their foolish hearts There is no God But the iust God will one day shew himselfe to their confusion Others haue their excuses of worldly hinderaunces and lets Fermes or Oxen or Wiues haue tied them by the legge when they should goe and seeke the Lord. Others haue a minde not vtterly vnwilling to seeke after him but they would faine staie a while seeke him hereafter Youth they say must haue his swinge let olde age waxe holie Such nouices there were of whom Chrysostome writeth that they would not be baptised vntill they were in their death beddes least baptisme should be as a bridle to hold them in They were desirous to haue their foorth in their carnall desires and at the end of their daies by baptisme to wash away all at once But God shall mocke such craft and they who wil not come when he calleth when they call shal not be heard Beware of these delaies Let vs not differre and put off till to morowe but while it is called to day euen whilest this acceptable day is let vs seeke the Lorde that wee may finde him Nowe he is readie to meete vs by the way and louingly to embrace vs with the armes of his eternall mercie 11 The second thing to be cōsidered is how we may seeke the Lord in seking him be sure to find him I wil omit to shew how vainly the Gentiles in their Idols the Iewes in their ceremonies traditions the Papists in their superstitions do seeke the Lord. They seeke him and finde him not because they seeke him where he is not not where he is as themselues haue imagined and not as he hath prescribed The first entrance into the waie where God will be found is faith Fide tangitur Christus fide videtur saith S. Ambrose By faith Christ is handled by faith he is seene By faith he is found All our trauell in seeking without faith is but a fruitlesse wearying of our deceiued soules For he that commeth vnto God must beleeue 12 And the way to beleeue is hearing for by hearing commeth faith The word is that starre which guideth and directeth vs vnto Christ. Search the Scriptures For to this end they are written That ye might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and that beleeuing ye might haue eternall life They were written to be red and therefore S. Paul chargeth Timothie straitlie Giue attendance to reading They were written to bee red not of him onely but of vs also in what condition or estate soeuer God hath placed vs. Princes are not exempted more than others no they aboue others are especially charged to trauell heerein What charge can be deuised more effectuall than that which is giuen vnto Iosua Let not this booke of the Lawe depart out of thy mouth but meditate thou therein day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe Good reason it is that as Kings doe raigne and hold their power by him so his will reuealed in his word should be the rule and direction of their gouernement If they thinke to establish their thrones better by their owne wise and politike deuises they are greatly deceiued There is no policie no wisedome like the wisedome of GOD. The common wealths which Aristotle and Plato haue framed in their Bookes otherwise full of wisdome yet compared with diuine policies with that citie for whose sake and benefite the Lord doth watch what are they but fancies of foolish men As for Machiauels inuentions they are but the dreames of a brainesicke person founded vpon the craft of man and not vpon godlie wisedome which onely hath good effect Godlie Princes haue no neede to seeke for counsell at these mens hands the mouth of the Lord
compassion vpon the poore Let vs seeke vp Christ and prouide for him He sought vs and found vs when we were robbed spoiled and deadly wounded let not vs turne away our faces from him seeking crauing so small help at our hands He became poore to make vs riche let vs out of the aboundance of our riches spare somewhat nowe to the reliefe of his pouertie He will well requite it It is not lost which is bestowed vpon him in his poore afflicted members that which wee put in the handes of the poore we lay it vp in the Lords bosome where neither dice nor cards hawkes nor hounds horses nor harlots can consume it rust and canker can not eate it theeues can not robbe and bereaue vs of it Vnwoorthie we are to be called Christians if wee suffer our head Christ Iesus to be naked and cloath him not if we see him hungrie and giue him no bread Woorse wee are than Iewes if we suffer this ignominie to bee doone vnto Christ this ingratitude to be shewed to so gratious a God O let vs be mercifull that as children we may resemble our heauenly father for he is mercifull Vnto this mercifull God the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost be honour glorie and praise nowe and euer Amen The ninth Sermon A Sermon made in Pauls at the solemnization of CHARLES the 9. the French Kings funerall IOB 14. 14 All the daies of this my warrefare doe I waite till my changing come THE custome of funerals as it is auncient so is it commendable Abraham the father of our faith purchased a peece of ground to burie his dead in And in that place he himselfe Sara Isaak Iacob and Ioseph were buried with great solemnitie much mourning Tobias is commended for burying the dead So is Marie Magdalene for preparing of ointment for the burying of our Sauiour So is Ioseph and also Nicodemus for the care that they had about Christs funerall 2 Causes of funerals S. Augustine giueth three First it is the office of humanitie the duetie of charitie decently to commit the dead corps to the earth out of which they came This charitable dutie is commended in Toby and others whose names I mentioned before and was of the verie Heathen religiously obserued Secondly it is a thing verie seemely and conuenient with reuerence to laie the corps in graue because our bodies are the temples of the holie Ghost wherein by which as by liuely instruments both God hath beene glorified and his people haue receiued good Knowe yee not that your bodie is the temple of the holie Ghost which is in you That which hath beene so notable an instrument would not be vnreuerently entreated though dead Thirdly our faith is hereby confirmed touching the article of our resurrection For we laie downe the bodie in the earth vnder hope that This mortall must put on immortalitie as confessing with Iob I beleeue that my redeemer liueth and that I shall see God in my fleshe mine eyes shall behold him and none other But the Christian Church doeth not neither ought to vse funerals thereby to relieue or benefite the dead All these things saith S. Augustine furniture of funerals order of burying and the pompe of exequies are rather comforts to the liuing than helps to the dead The glutton of whom S. Luke speaketh in the Gospell was buried no doubt with pompe ynough yet his wicked soule was plunged into hell There commeth therefore no part of blessednesse to the dead by funerals but Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Lazarus wanted as it is to be thought his funerall but the want thereof bereaued him not of his happie estate he died in the Lord and so was blessed 3 Sith therefore death bringeth with it our particular iudgement sith he that beleeueth on the sonne hath euerlasting life but he that beleeueth not on the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Let vs liue as we will die and die as they that hope to rise againe and liue with Christ hereafter As euerie man departeth hence so shall he be iudged at the last daie And Euerie man shall sleepe with his owne cause and with his owne cause rise againe At our particular death is our particular iudgement at the glorious comming of Christ shall bee the generall reuelation of the iudgement of the whole world After this life there is no helpe remaining to the dead to the liuing there is mercie offered to the deade there remaineth onely iudgement He that is not purged heere shall be iudged as filthie there 4 Vaine therefore and dangerous is the opinion of Purgatorie Vaine because it hath no foundation at all in Gods woord Moses prescribing all kindes of sacrifices in the old Lawe maketh no mention either of sacrificing or praying for the dead Paul instructing the Thessalonians what they ought to doe in funerals neither doeth remember vnto them sacrifice nor praier Iust Simeon neuer dreamed of Purgatorie when as he saide Lorde now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word Small peace is there in Purgatorie as Papists report It neuer came into Saint Pauls minde when he said I desire to depart hence and to be with Christ. It was not reuealed to the Angell when he said Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord they rest from their labours There is no rest but intollerable paine imagined in Purgatorie euen to them which die in the Lord. Neither Lazarus not the rich man were acquainted with it the one was immediately caried into heauen the other cast into hel He which said to theefe This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise knewe onely two waies the straite way to heauen the broade way to hell hee who knewe all things was ignorant of this third way For there is no such waie to knowe This opinion is perilous The hope of helpe in Purgatorie hath sent many deceiued soules into hell This opinion is iniurious to the bloud of Christ. For if any sinne remaine to bee purged by these after paines then The bloud of Christ doth not cleanse vs from all sinne and then â—e make God a lyer It destroieth repentance without which there is no remission of sinnes here and with which satisfaction for sins afterward cannot stand For faith and repentance cease with this life He that hath not his pardon heere deceiueth himselfe if he hope to haue it hereafter elsewhere Euery man after life shal beare his owne burthen as euerie man hath wrought in his bodie There commeth nothing to the spirits of them that bee dead but that which they wrought while they were aliue Worke thou righteousnesse before thy death for in the graue it is too late And thus it doth appeare that although the vse of funerals be auncient and that for good causes they are
may more easily eate vs vp He setteth the generals together by the eares The captaines they enuie one another The souldiers take parties and are diuided The generals captaines souldiers and all contemne the watcheman and will not giue eare or regarde the sound of the trumpe The kingdome the citie the house thus diuided can it thinke you stand long The diuell plaieth his part and plieth it busilie but we like cowards yeeld and doe not resist are at variance amongst our selues and thereby at agreement with that aduersarie whom who so hateth his brother serueth Our second enemie is the world the world which is altogether set on al wickednesse The third our flesh our flesh which rebelleth and lusteth contrarie to the spirite Fleshly lusts fight against the soule And thus we haue enemies on euerie side yea and that which is most dangerous of all within vs which daily giue vs fore assaults For loue of the victorie and shame of this cowardlinesse and feare of that dreadfull and eternall captiuitie let vs put on our armour the girdle of trueth the brest plate of righteousnesse the helmet of saluation and the buckler of faith a sure defence against all the fierie darts of Satan and let vs take in our hand the sword of the spirite the woord of God the dint whereof he dare not abide Resist the diuell and he will flee from you Resist him in faith in prayer and in the word Be crucified vnto the world euen as strangers which are not of the world For we haue here no abiding Citie Chastise the bodie with watchings with labour with fastings It is a great victorie to ouercome the diuell a greater to ouercome the worlde and the greatest of al to ouercome thy selfe euen thine own flesh To him that ouercommeth shal be giuen a crowne But he that is ouercome shall be the continuall bondman of Satan our vile and cruell enemie Let vs so striue that we may ouercome He onely that striueth lawfully shall be crowned 13 This warre at length will haue an end a change Man is mutable subiect to change and desirous of change No man is long contented with his owne estate be it neuer so excellent The Angel would change to be like vnto God Adam would change to be as wise as hee that made him Absolon would change and sit in his Fathers seate Salomon would haue chaunge of wiues The Israelites woulde chaunge Moses and Aaron both magistrate and minister They would needes chaunge their Iudge for a King their Samuel for Saul The Sichemites would change their religion The Israelites would change Manna the foode of Angels for the flesh pots of Egypt The wauering Iewes changed Christ for Barrabas their Sauiour for a murtherer We are like affected to them in liking and louing change change of meate change of apparell change of maners Wee change simple dealing into craftie vndermining faithfulnesse into trecherie truth into falshood liberalitie into couetousnesse humilitie into pride chastitie into lewdenesse mercie into malice light into darkenesse day into night all vertue into all vice And that which is more monstrous sheepe are chaunged into goates sheepeheardes into wolues and as Bernard saith Prelates into Pilates Nurces of the Church into robbers of the Church The hearts and tongues of men are changed and of single both made double Our times breede men of the nature of the fish Polypus which can chaunge it selfe into all colours to deceiue And as he saith in the Comedie There is a change of all things 14 But while wee are thus occupied about these choppings and changings we seeme neuer to remember that great change whereof Iob here speaketh which hee daily looked and longed for And that is the change of this mortall life looking for that great and glorious resurrection Death is here termed a change This change is certaine all fleshe must die The time till this change doth come not long the daies of man are short and miserable The time when this change will come vncertaine 15 We all must die God gaue a Lawe to our father Adam forbidding him to eate of the fruite adding the penaltie of death if he did Adam transgressed the penaltie was inflicted The sentence of death was this Dust thou art and into dust thou shalt In our fathers fall wee fell and of his punishment his children are partakers This is a statute made by the three states It is appointed to all men once to die Thou hast appointed man his bonds which he cannot passe This is the waie of all flesh what man is he that liueth and shal not see death Neither king nor kesar could euer be dispensed withall from this statute The good king Ezechias sought and sued vnto God for a dispensation but it would not be graunted only he obteined the prolonging of his daies for a fewe yeres This Lawe standeth fast this debt is due vnto all flesh And the time that wee haue before the daie of paiment is not long 16 The daies of man are short the number of his moneths is knowen onely to the Lord. All creatures now waxe olde with the aged world This is euen the last houre the worlde cannot continue long Mathusela liued 969. yeres If in our age wee reache to 80. it is with sorowe and labour Thou hast made my daies as it were a spanne long saith Dauid All flesh is grasse saieth the Prophet and all the glorie thereof as the flower of the fielde both the grasse and the flower quickely fade and fall away and the flower sooner than the grasse 17 The people are the grasse and wil abide the withering The flower is the Nobilitie set aloft in great beautie yet euerie frost causeth the flowre to fade and euerie blast of winde ruffleth the leaues and euen shaketh them off This all times doe teache and the action we haue in hand doth presently put vs in mind therof This mightie king this great Prince CHARLES THE FRENCH KING whose funerall we now celebrate in his young yeeres in his flourishing age in the perfect strength of his bodie when he minded weightie matters and great attempts euen then was hee stopped in the midst of his race and the line of his life cut off This glorious flower is faded and falne away How soone how sodainely It falleth out in experience true which is written by Ecclesiasticus The life of Potentates endureth not long Some though fewe are consumed with the cares of the common wealth The good king Dauid complaineth that his bones were euen dried vp with the cares he tooke for his countrie Some are wasted away by wantonnesse as Commodus Claudius Nero Alexander the great Some are shortened by ambition they wil neuer leaue climing till they catche a fall That cut off the daies of Absolon that brought Haman to the tree Some God
taketh away because the world is not worthie of them and some because they are not worthie of it He cut off Iofias for his souâ—e pleased God therefore he made hast to take him away from the midst of iniquities He cut off Achab Agag and Herode because they were bloudie and wilie men therefore they did not liue out halfe their daies 18 So true it is Man that is borne of a woman hath but a short time to liue it is euen as true that followeth in the same sentence that his fewe daies are full of miserie He commeth vp and is cut downe like a flower he fleeth as it were a shadowe and continueth not Mans life is as vnlasting as a flower Hee commeth vp and is cut downe as a flower He vanisheth away like a shadowe of a flower And while he liueth he is full of miserie He commeth into the world with sorowe and weeping whilest hee liueth in the worlde hee is hated of the worlde or else which is woorse of God assaulted of Satan in continuall warre subiect to the manifold diseases both of the bodie of the soule the one truely miserable but the other most intolerable He neuer continueth in one state To day in his princely throne to morowe in his dustie graue to day placed in great authoritie to morow cast out of countenance to day in high fauour to morow in high displeasure now rich now poore now in wealth now in woe now sound now sicke now ioiefull now ful of sorowe to day a man to morowe nothing O how short how changeable and howe miserable is the state of mortall man which we neglect but Iacob well considered when he aunswered Pharao of his age The daies of my peregrination are pauci mali fewe and euill Walke therefore circumspectly saith S. Paul for the daies are euill Wee are fallen into those euill daies and perillous times of the which both Paul and Peter forewarned vs. These may bee rightly called dismall daies The God of this world hath blinded the eyes of men Let him therefore that standeth I say it againe take heede that hee fall not Let vs expect our change and pray the Lord to increase our faith that wee may bee able to stand before him in that day that dreadfull day of his iust iudgement 19 As our daies here are short and euill so is the time of our change either to better or woorse vncertaine What is most certaine Death What most vncertaine the time of death saieth Bernard We are all tenants at will vncertaine how long to remaine in this our earthly tabernacle Of this we are put in minde in the Lords praier Giue vs this day our daily bread We say this day as vncertaine of to morowe It is written of one that beeing inuited to a dinner on the morowe by his friend hee aunswered These many daies I neuer had to morowe Therefore saith S. Iames let vs not appoint for to morowe but with conditions If the Lorde will and if we liue The Egyptians considering the vncertaintie of mans daies were accustomed at their great feasts in the midst of their iollitie to haue one sodainely come foorth with an image of death and shewing it to the gests to pronounce this speeche Eate drinke be merie within a while thou shalt be such as this And the Israelites dwelt in tents vncertaine of their abode euer readie to shift whereby they represent vnto vs our peregrination in this mortalitie wherein because we are vncertaine to stay long wee ought at all times to be readie to depart so that we may enter into that celestiall Canaan This time of mans life and death God hath made vncertaine for two causes the one that his minde might not be troubled the other this present text giueth and it is the last member of our diuision 20 This ende or chaunge is daily to bee looked for Seeing that death is certaine our daies short and the time of our dissolution vnknowen wisedome would haue vs to put our selues in readinesse looking for our change the end of this bad life that it may be to vs the beginning of a better It is good counsell which S. Augustine giueth Death looketh for thee eueriewhere if thou bee wise looke thou eueriewhere for him The remembraunce of this our end would bridle sinne well in vs. Remember thy ende and thou shalt neuer doe amisse Christ saith Watch for you knowe not at what houre he will come He commeth sodainely as a theefe in the night The Lorde will come when thou lookest not for him and in an houre that thou knowest not Let vs watche therefore with the wise virgins hauing our lampes continually burning waiting for the comming of the bridegroome that wee may enter with him into his ioie 21 And as mans life is short so is the comming of Christ at hand Waite for it will surely come and will not stay The time is short This we knowe though it be not in vs to knowe the definite point of time which to the Angels of heauen is vnreuealed But Christ hath set downe certaine tokens of the ende which all are fulfilled and amongst others he saith Iniquitte shall abound charitie shall waxe colde the Gospell shall be preached in all the world and then shall come the end Neuer more iniquitie neuer lesse charitie the Gospel neuer so liberally taught behold the ende Peter saieth The end of all things is at hand If then at hande howe much neerer now If those were the latter times surely these are the last times the verie ende of the ende Heare the counsell of a wise man Make no tarying to turne vnto the Lord and put not off from day to day for sodainely shall the wrath of the Lord breake foorth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroied and thou shalt perish in the time of vengeaunce 22 By procrastination driuing off forslowing our turning to the Lord and looking for our change three great dangers doe ensue First if we slumber and sleepe in securitie if we accustome our selues with sinning not looking for our chaunge neither remembring the fearefull comming of our Lord our custome will waxe to be our nature and hard will it be for vs to rise from sinne in which we haue beene so long and so deepely buried After that Lazarus had laine foure daies in the graue Christ vsed many circumstances for the raising of him againe who raised others with a woord 23 Secondly it is daungerous in respect of the sodaine taking away which happeneth to many in so much that they haue not time sufficiently to think vpon God or once to crie Lord help The first age in all their iollitie not thinking on death were sodainely drowned The Sodomites sodainely by fire consumed Pharao with his armie swallowed vp in the sea The Israelites gnawne of deadly serpents Dathan
daily looke for our change Let vs expect the comming of Christ. Hee commeth in post the forewarnings are fulfilled Iniquitie aboundeth Christian charitie is frosen the Gospell is preached Then is the ende Let vs not slumber in securitie or driue off to returne vnto our God For it is hard for the buried in sinne to rise Man often is sodainely smitten that he hath no time to repent In his last daie he is disquieted by sickenesse by Satan yea by his friendes yea by his owne conscience Let vs liue in reuerent expectation of the Lord with our loines girt and with our lampes light and let the trumpet of iudgement euer sound in our eares it will wel stirre vp our hearts Let vs liue these fewe daies that remaine vnto the Lord whom we ought to haue serued all our daies And lastly recounting the vanitie of the worlde the miserable state of this life and the inestimable blessednesse of the life to come let vs with Iohn Paul Elias the blessed seruants and Saints of God looke for the appearance of the comming of Christ Iesus who will place vs vpon the right hand of his father and giue vs possession of our inheritance that we may haue the perfect fruition of all the treasures prepared for vs by our God in heauen To him euen the Father the Sonne and the holie Ghost three persons and one God of eternall maiestie be all honour c. The tenth Sermon A Sermon preached at his first comming to Yorke Lvc. 1. 74 That being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we may serue him without feare 75 In holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the daies of our life THE greater and better part of holie Scripture either setteth foorth Gods goodnesse towards vs or our duetie towards him In these fewe but most pithie woords of Zacharie both are comprehended The great benefite we receiue from God is our redemption in Christ. The dutie which wee owe to him againe is in holinesse and righteousnesse of life continually to serue him He toucheth our redemption in one word but in many words explicateth the dutie which we owe for it vnto our redeemer giuing vs hereby secretly to vnderstand that men are easilie taught to knowe but hardly brought to doe their masters wil. We are rich in al speech and vnderstanding but in deedes ful poore and barren We know much but litle doe we although amongst other things knowne this be one that He which knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes and this another that Not euerie one that saith Lord Lord but he which doth the will of the father shall enter into the kingdome of heauen Wee are for all this such as those Pharisees were whom Christ reprooueth because they saide and did not Euen such we are become as Iude doth describe Wels without water Clowdes without raine Trees without fruite dead though not as yet pulled vp by the rootes Wee are hearers of the woord and yet skantly that but workers of the woord we are not God graunt that the woord wherein wee nowe glorie bee not one day to our shame that the Gospel of saluation beare not witnesse against vs and condemne vs that the words which Christ hath spoken vnto vs heape not iudgement vpon our heads that this be not our condemnation also that light beeing come into the worlde wee loue darkenesse more than light Surely if wee continue to professe in woords and denie in deedes to crucifie to our selues our Sauiour Christ afresh to feede vpon our vomit and to welter in the lothsome myre of our filthie sinne wee shall make our selues vnwoorthie of the kingdome of God wee cannot claime the benefite of Christs merits neither bee partakers of that glorious redemption which Zacharie heere remembreth vnto vs but the bloud of Christ shall be vpon our heads and wee shall perish in our sinne as being guiltie of our owne damnation Thy destruction O Israel is of thy selfe 2 Wherefore to auoide Gods perpetual indignation and our perpetuall confusion let vs followe the counsel of Zacharie who instructed by the spirit of wisedome teacheth vs First that wee are redeemed secondly that the ende of our redemption is that we may serue him that hath redeemed vs thirdly after what sort we should serue him Where he saith that wee are deliuered out of the hands of our enemies it argueth that we once were in their hands We are freed therefore we were bond And in this point we haue to consider First our bondage then the meane of our deliuerance and lastly the cause by which we were deliuered 3 Adam through his rebellion lost his freedome and became a bondman and all we through him and in him are bond conceiued and borne in sinne the children of wrath bond vnto Satan and seruaunts vnto wickednesse the deserued reward whereof is death euen double death this our present mortalitie and euerlasting damnation As by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death so death went ouer all men in asmuch as all men sinned With Adam we lost Gods first fauour and protection with him the gratious image of God was blotted out in vs also with him we were expelled out of paradise cast vpon the face of the cursed earth throwen into the hands of our cruell enemie whose liuerie wee did put on and vnder whose miserable thraldome wee liued In this fall from God we lost our immortalitie we lost our freewill wee lost our wisedome our vertue our light our glorie our ioie our heauen our God Our peruerse heart became prone to all euill and full of all sinnefulnesse we became vnwise in our iudgement disobedient to our God deceiued and deceiuing seruing lusts and deadly pleasures liuing in malitiousnesse and enuie hatefull and hating one another We were without hope and without God in this present world all blinded in ignorance and wrapped in all sinne For as we changed our master so changed we our mindes and maners also and for Christ we serued Antichrist we threwe away the loue of Gods eternall truth and according to the ignorance of our blinded hearts hungerly fed vpon all poisoned error and plunged our selues into all wickednesse This was our most miserable estate thus we were thus we are by nature This was the pitifull condition of all humane flesh 4 Let vs now see the meane of this our deliuerance from this deadly captiuitie Wee are ransomed out of the handes of our enemies pulled out of the iawes of Satan freed from the seruitude of Antichrist of ignorance and of sinne onely by the mediation of our redeemer Iesus Christ. He is the Lyon of the tribe of Iuda which alone hath trodden the winepresse alone hath fought the battell in fighting atchieued the victorie and by vanquishing brought our enemie Satan vnder our feete for euer On the crosse with his bloud hee
king but as contemptible pesants and base outcasts of men Away they are sent loaden with spitefull words with slanderous reproches iniurious dealings all kindes of contumelie and disgrace But note of whome of the Ammonites which feare not God of the prophanely minded Atheist of the carnal gospeller of the zealous hypocrite of such in whom the feare of God or the care of their soules remaineth not of such as also spoile the patrimonie of Christ such as would not sticke I thinke to sell Christ himselfe if they might for monie as Iudas did and to cast lots for his coate with Pilates souldiers This robberie and spoile this despitefulnesse and ignominie done vnto Dauids messengers he tooke in such sort as doone vnto him selfe For the wrong or ignominie done to the messenger is done to the master who sent him and on whose businesse hee goeth Dauid would not put it vp so but reuenged it Hee comforted his faithfull messengers sent them newe apparell and caused them to remaine at an appointed place Iericho vntill their beardes were growne againe for it was ignominious to the Iewes to be beardlesse Afterward he addresseth forth an armie of strong souldiers who set vpon the Ammonites put them to flight made great mortalitie And doeth not Christ our king esteeme the ignominie doone to his messengers as if it were doone to himselfe Hath he not saide He that despiseth you despiseth me No doubt hee shall comfort his afflicted and despised messengers As they suffer for him so shall they raigne and shine in glorie It is a righteous thing with him to render vnto them that are despised rest but vnto despisers tribulation and vengeance in the day when he shal shew himselfe from heauen with armies of Angels in flaming fire to the confusion of his enemies And if in this world also hee take from such vnthankefull Ammonites the Gospell religion all knowledge and learning if for the light he giue them darknesse for truth lies for knowledge blindenes for learning barbarisme for Christ Beliall they haue the iust rewarde which is due vnto them that truely feare not the Lord. Wee must serue wee must serue him we must serue him without seruile feare 20 But after what sort In holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the daies of our life Here we are to note first that God himselfe prescribeth how men shal serue him then what seruice it is which he prescribeth God accepteth of no seruice but such as he commandeth Ye shall not doe euerie one that which seemeth right vnto you but ye shall doe what soeuer I inioine you saith the Lord. Our seruice is limited to that which God liketh Their worshipping and seruing of God is in vaine which teache doctrines the precepts of men That which men thinke highly of that doth God abhor Saul thought that sacrifice had beene seruice God had liked better of his obedience Oza supposed hee had doone God verie good seruice in holding vp the arke which was like to fall But God taught him that it was farre otherwise The Scribes and Pharisees thought themselues the onely men that serued God because of their long and often praying their much fastings their washings their tithings their giuing of almes but who required these thinges at their hands Where hath God prescribed these kinds of outward seruice and worship to be done as being acceptable to him without inward holinesse and true righteousnesse In the same ranke with these Pharisaicall deuises we may place those papall inuentions of Masses Pilgrimages Vowes auricular confessions and whatsoeuer man hath inuented without the warrant of Gods word seeme it neuer so godlie and holie vnto them For the word of God is the onely rule of our religion our onely direction in the seruice of God 21 The seruice which God hath heere prescribed vs is this To serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the daies of our life Heerein is conteined whatsoeuer God commaundeth in his Lawe This is the briefe of both the Tables Holinesse hath relation to the former table and righteousnesse to the latter In holinesse is set foorth our dutie towardes God in righteousnesse towards man Wee must serue God in holinesse in respect of himselfe we must serue man in righteousnesse in respect of God For that which we doe to men if he commaund it we doe it vnto him In as much as ye haue doone this saith Christ to one of these litle ones ye haue doone it to me 22 Holinesse is the end of our election He chose vs before the foundations of the world that we might be holie Our holinesse is a thing which God doth greatly desire This is the will of God euen your holinesse Vnto holinesse wee are not onely constrained by his commandement but allured also by his example Be holie because I am holie Vnto this wee are called For God did not call vs vnto vncleannesse but vnto holinesse So that vnlesse we esteeme vilely of our own election vnlesse wee refuse to satisfie the will to obey the commaundement to followe the example and to answere the vocation in which God hath called vs we must be holie 23 And this our holinesse in seruing of him must not bee smothered in our minde or concealed in our chamber but bee shewed in open place As his benefites towardes vs are more cleare than the noone day so our confession of him and praise of his name must be openly in the face and eies of the worlde especially in the congregation of his Saints For whosoeuer saith Christ is ashamed of me before men I will bee ashamed of him before my father Christ hath giuen vs example he made a good and an open confession vnto Pontius Pilate Daniel being forbid by the king praied openly thrise a day to the God of Israel God commaunded Salomon to build him a temple wherein publikely he would be serued and worshipped of al his people Al the people ascended vp to Sion to the house of the Lorde of hosts there publikely to serue and praise their God Such as will be members of Christ must bee knit together in one bodie and in one place with one minde and one mouth glorifie the Lord. 24 It is true that when the Church is infected and polluted with idolatrie and superstition when the house of praier is made a denne of theeues the temple of God a synagogue of Satan when the truth of God is persecuted with the professors thereof then we are to serue him as wee conueniently may When publike seruice is publike idolatrie then wee are to listen vnto those admonitions Auoide the worshipping of Idols Beare no yoke with Infidels Depart Goe out Touch not that which is polluted Rather celebrate the Passeouer in the wildernesse with Christ than in a temple prophaned and defiled with Idolatrie When the gospell is persecuted secret congregations are allowed When Christ was crucified the
poore releeued that he hath bound himselfe by promise to make almes most gainefull to the giuer so that it is not in this as in other common expenses but whatsoeuer we laie out that we laie vp He that giueth to the poore lendeth to the Lorde a sure discharger of his debts to the vttermost For hee leaueth not a cup of colde water giuen in his name vnrewarded The occasions which we haue to shewe foorth this fruite of mercie are very many and great we haue the poore with vs and we haue them with vs in great numbers Are we not woorse than Iewes if we suffer our Christ at whose hands we haue receiued all our riches in his naked and hungrie members to beg his bread at our dores pitifully to die euen in the midst of our streetes for distresse for colde and hunger If our gospell bring foorth in steade of mercie this crueltie in stead of kindenesse this hardnesse of heart doubtlesse God will take his pretious gospell from vs and giue it to a people that will bring foorth better and sweeter fruite Nowe if the loue of God and mercie towards our brother can not pierce our flintie heartes yet let shame of the worlde compell vs and our owne commoditie induce vs well to consider of this lamentable case If that which is giuen were giuen in good order it would ease this common griefe By good order and wise prouision the impotent might be so releeued that they should not need to beg and such as are able might be forced in the sweate of their browes to eate their owne bread And if the matter were taken in hande by them by whom it should I doe not doubt but GOD would touche the hearts of many a man with tender mercie that they would both cheerefully and liberally contribute to this worke of mercie which God doth more esteeme than any other sacrifice nay he refuseth sacrifice and craueth this The Lorde loueth a cheerefull and a bountifull giuer and will plentifully reward him Let euerie good man set forward this worke it is the worke of the Lord the fruite of mercie good and gainfull not onely to others but also to our selues For behold howe the works of mercie doe returne backe againe vnto them from whom they proceed Iudge not and you your selues shall not bee iudged Forgiue and yee shall bee forgiuen your selues giue and it shall bee giuen vnto you 20 All which notwithstanding the bowels of compassion are in some men so maruellously dried and closed vp that they turne away their faces from all men that desire any thing at their hands though they aske it not of gift but of loane vnlesse they aske to buie the loane with vsurie The Iewes euen till this day will not lend vpon vsurie among themselues but lende freely to their brethren and without gaine Iudas himselfe that solde his master for monie was not more cruel harted I suppose than these men are who for monie deuoure their brethren Their hearts are yron hearts They haue no sparke of pitie or compassion left in them Let them not thinke but that one day their gaine shall be their exceeding losse If Chrysostome thought that one euill gotten groate laide vp amongest a chestful of monie would be as a canker to fret out and eate vp the rest what shall become then of so much gotten by so vnmerciful vngodlie meanes Where is loue where is mercie when lending of monie is become merchandise Inough hath beene saide in this place of this matter which if it be not amended be yee assured that the Lorde God in his iust wrath will plague you both in your selues and in your posteritie for it 21 Nowe that we haue seene what duetie we owe to men let vs see what God requireth to be performed vnto himselfe Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good Our dutie towards him is to humble our selues and to walke carefully with our God He that will walke with God must be of an humble heart It is the milde-hearted and not the proude-minded the Publican and not the Pharisee that walketh with him 22 To walke with him is to be syncerely and heartily carefull to set forward his cause to promote his gospell to defende his trueth to amplifie his kingdome to the vttermost of our powers Princes and they that iudge the earth whome God hath blessed with so high an honour especially should in feare and reuerence serue their God loue his woord and gospell earnestly cheerefully aduaunce maintaine and defend true religion They are able to doe most good and therefore most is required of them Bishops and ministers the dispensers of Gods blessed mysteries should carefully trauell in their Lords cause and glorie in season and out of season to preache the gospell euen so much as in vs lieth or else the Vae of God which hangeth ouer our heads shall be powred downe vpon vs. But the saying of S. Paul is verified in these our daies vpon al sorts of people All men seeke their owne The preferring of true religion the seeking of Gods glorie is the least part of mens care or thought It was otherwise with Moses who both loued Gods seruice with perfect loue hated superstition with perfect hatred Theodosius for want of this warmenesse zeale in Gods quarell suffered by his too much lenitie the Arrians who denied Christ to be God quietly to spreade abroad their heresies in his dominions without checke or controlling The good Bishop Amphilochius vpon this occasion repaired to the Emperor who had at that time with him his sonne and heire Arcadius The Bishop did his obeysance and dutie to the Emperor but saluted not his sonne wherewith the Emperor finding fault saide Why salute ye not our sonne who shall sit on our seate No Emperor for somuch as thou doest not care for the sonne of God but sufferest him to loose his honour and place neither shal thy sonne be regarded or sit on thy seate Here at his owne cause called into question hee waxed warme and foorthwith expelled the Arrians out of his dominions Many of them who are hoat in their owne matters are colde in Gods cause Yet our Prophet biddeth vs carefully to walke with our God and to bee earnest in seeking of his kingdome and glorie 23 Be carefull ouer your conuersation giue no cause of slander to them which are without or of offence to the litle ones Let not the gospell be discredited by your behauiours Be careful that the light of your life so shine before the worlde that therein your heauenly father may be glorified Yee ought to shine as lights Take heede that your light be not turned into darkenesse Be bright starres and not mistie cloudes If an Eclipse fall amongst you the rest of England will be darkened with it Ye are seene and marked of men and Angels The world hath many eies eares and tongues London Westminster the Innes of Court and Chancerie from
they receiuing not their portions were fled and so the temple was left destitute this saith Nehemias grieued me sore But whence grewe this fault Where did Nehemias laie the blame but in the gouernours I reprooued saith he the rulers and saide vnto them Why is the house of God forsaken If iniquitie doe abound for want of punishment they which haue authoritie bee it Ciuil or Ecclesiasticall to represse sinne must answere it 19 It is not sufficient for them to mislike sinne but they must proceede against it and that so farre till they haue throughly redressed things amisse Christ did not cease pursuing theeues till their catell were gone their tables ouerthrowne their monie scattered themselues expelled and driuen out Which example Constantine well following hath made himselfe a president woorthie by other Christian gouernours to be followed He did not content himselfe with misliking or reproouing or lightly punishing heretikes but quite and cleane disburthened the Church of them Shall wee suffer saith he the contagious infection of so great euils to creepe further knowing that long delaie may cause euen the sounde and the strong to be infected with it as with a plague Why doe wee not speedily with rigor of publike punishment cut vp the verie rootes of such iniquitie The Angel of the Church of Thyatira did not performe his dutie in this behalfe so long as Iesabel was permitted to teach nor of Pergamus so long as any one Nicolaitane was there suffered nor of Corinth so long as there was any iot of their corrupt leuen kept I would to God saith the Apostle they were cut off which trouble you not rased on the skinne or launced in the flesh but cut off 20 This can neuer bee doone where there lacketh zeale for want wherof in the Church of Ierusalem their corruptions grewe so fast that there was no place left free and cleare the leprosie of their sinne cleaued euen to the wals of the house of God till hee came whom the zeale of that house did as it were consume and deuoure If there were any sparke of the like zeale remaining in any Pope or Prelate of the Church of Rome could they choose but bewaile the vnhallowing of their temple could they patiently abide to see it possessed by heathenish despisers of Gods Law to see it made a denne of theeues a kenel for dogs and vncleane beasts There haue not wanted euen of their owne which haue put them in minde of things to be reformed in the bodie of their Church in their Pope and Court of Rome in their Bishops and Prelates in their seuerall orders of religious men in their Clergie and in their Laitie there haue not wanted from time to time such as haue clearely conuicted them of spoiling murthering destroying But the answere of the Church of Rome hath beene alwaies I cannot erre I am riche and increased with goods and haue neede of nothing Thus she refuseth yea she hateth to bee reformed not knowing or at least wise not acknowledging that she is wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked To let them goe and to come to our selues If God haue vouchsafed to choose himselfe an holie dwelling place amongst vs ought not we to doe the best we can to cast out all that steineth and marreth the perfect beautie of his Church 21 What to amend both in our selues particularly and generally in the bodie of the whole Church together with the right and orderly meanes of woorking this amendement it is not humane policie that can teache vs. But Scriptum est It is written what God requireth This is the onely rule as of building so likewise of repairing the Church Iosias heard the woords of the booke of the Lawe and then reformed his Realme binding himselfe and all the people by couenant to walke after the Lorde to keepe his commaundements and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and with all their soule So in the daies of Nehemias when it was found written in the booke that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not enter into the congregation of God when they had heard the lawe they separated from Israel all those that were mingled with them The same booke was opened and red vnto vs. It was found that our fathers had not obeyed the woords of that booke to doe according vnto all which is written therein for vs. Hereupon our gratious Soueraigne wel following the blessed example of Christ Iesus did that in her dominions for which shee hath as woorthily as euer any Prince deserued that praise whereof the Prophet speaketh saying Thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the pathes to dwell in She hath caused the vessels that were made for Baal and for the host of heauen to be defaced she hath broken downe the losts that were builded for idolatrie shee hath turned out the priestes that burnt incense vnto false gods she hath ouerthrowne all polluted and defiled altars she hath abolished darkenesse and caused the light of Gods eternall truth gloriously to shine as we see it doth in the Church of England at this day Remember her O Lorde for this and wipe not out the kindenesse that she hath shewed on the house of her God and on the offices thereof 22 Our Sauiour alleaging the words of Scripture before mentioned doth not onely hereby warrant his owne deede and lay open the grosnesse of their fault but also instruct them in the right vse of that which hitherto they had so greatly abused My house shall be called the house of praier for all nations In which woords wee learne first that the Church is consecrated to the seruice of God in respect whereof it is called his house secondly what seruice it is which he requireth My house shal bee called the house of praier thirdly of whom this seruice is required namely of all Nations 23 It addeth much to the wickednesse of the sonnes of Hely and prooueth the sinne of the young men to haue beene verie great in the sight of the Lorde that they shewed their rauening nature vpon the purest and holiest things that they made no difference betweene the offerings of the Lorde and common flesh that they shamefully abused themselues with women euen in the dore of the tabernacle of God The Prophet Daniel hath set it downe as a note of extreme impietie in Balthazar that hee with his Princes wiues and concubines drunke wine in the golden and siluer vessels which were taken out of the temple at Ierusalem When the men of Tyrus brought fish and other wares and solde them on the Sabaoth to the children of Iuda Nehemias reprooued the rulers of Iuda and saide vnto them What euill thing is this that ye doe breaking the Sabaoth day Did not your fathers thus and our God brought all this plague vpon vs and vpon this Citie Yet yee increase wrath vpon Israel breaking the
as haue dominion and rule ouer others Whereupon the princely Prophet doth exhort them Ye kings ye iudges of the earth serue the Lorde with feare as iudging them happie whose common-wealth is ruled by such as are professors and fauourers of true religion such as feare the Lord. Which is most true For happie was Israel while Dauid Iehosaphat Ezechias and Iosias ruled because they were religious men feared God But vnhappie when as Ieroboam Achab Amon and Manasses ruled because the feare of God was farre from their hearts they went a whooring after idols and made Israel to sin Howe much the greater care should Christian Princes haue to place none in authoritie but such as Cornelius men that are truly religious and feare God such as Constantius the woorthie christian Emperour retained in his Court when hee cast out them who forsooke Christ saying that they could not be faithful to their Prince who were vnfaithfull to God Neither onely princes but the people also to whom the election of magistrates appertaineth should haue the like care remembring the exhortation that Iethro made to Moses Prouide thou men fearing God 9 And Cornelius praied God continually Faith and feare of GOD doe breake out into his praises and calling vpon him by praier Praier is an acceptable seruice of GOD prescribed by himselfe and practised by his seruaunts to the glorie of his name Call saith he vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me Of praier there are two sorts priuate and publike both which Cornelius vsed Publike with his familie which he brought vp in the feare of God priuate in secrete place hauing his appointed houres to praie When the Angel appeared he was in priuate praier at the ninth houre that is at three of the clocke in the afternoone Nowe as Cornelius vsed them both so by his example should euerie christian doe For touching publike praier the Disciples of Christ continued altogether with one accord in it When Peter was cast into prison the church made earnest praier vnto God for him Wee reade of the Pharisee and Publicane both that they went vp into the temple to praie Whereby we may learne that they who refuse to ioine themselues in publike place the church of God to praie with other men they are woorse than either Pharisees or Publicanes Cornelius made his house such a publike place for his whole familie therein to serue God For as hee feared God with his whole familie so is it to be thought that he serued God with his whole familie too Insomuch that there was a church in his house as in the house of Philemon A lesson for all them who haue families that they be religious and feare God indeede they should vse priuate praier in their houses and cause their families to frequent it So shall they make their houses to be churches And Christ will be in those assemblies according to his promise I will be in the midst of them As for priuate praier it is also fruitefull and effectuous For therein without suspition of Pharisaicall hypocrisie we powre out heart before God Anna in the temple so behaued her selfe in her priuate praier that Ely the high Priest esteemed her as drunke and sharpely reprooued her for it To whom she aunswered mildely I am not drunke but in my praier I doe powre out my heart before God Christ appointed himselfe certaine times of priuate praier as in the garden where hee praied in such earnest vehement sort that there dropped from him both water and bloud Dauid had his priuate night praiers wherein such was the earnestnesse of his affection that with his teares night by night he watered his couch It appeareth that Cornelius praied earnestly and heartily for his praier pierced into the heauens and was acceptable vnto the Lord. But God abhorreth praier that falleth out of the lippes and proceedeth not from the heart He detesteth the Pharisees who woorship him with their lippes but their heart is farre from him The Israelites powred out many teares when they praied in Babylon The verie Ethnikes would not dallie in their praier with their false gods It is written euen of the Heathenish Romans that when they honoured their idols with solemne praiers and procession the cryers saide to euerie one whom they met Hoc age Set thy mind on this thing wholly Be attentiue to this and to nothing else Praier is the lifting vp of the minde to God He requireth the heart But alas our praiers are for the most part onely for a fashion that men may behold vs. Furthermore the praier of Cornelius was continuall Praie ye continually without intermission We must pray stil and not waxe faint Which yet is not meant as though we shold cease from all other trauell and giue our selues onely to praier That is the error of the Euchites whose Disciples were the superstitious Monkes that made the house of God a denne of theeues by their hypocrisie But we are taught hereby to praie often for we haue alwaies occasion of praier giuen vs. Daniel praied thrise daily in his house with his windowes open towardes Ierusalem yea though the king forbad it For hee would not bee restrained from praying to his God Dauid testifieth that he praied vnto the Lord seuen times euerie day Satan ceaseth not to assault our faith Let not vs therefore cease to crie vnto God O Lorde increase our faith Our tottering boate is tossed in the stormie seas let vs lift vp our voice to Christ and say Saue vs we perish We are in danger of greedie roaring lions the world the diuell and the flesh Let vs pray O deliuer vs from the mouth of the lyon Let vs crie and the Lord will heare vs. Praier is an helpe vnto him that praieth a sacrifice to GOD a scourge to the diuels saith Austin And thus much of Cornelius his deuotion feare of God and continuall praier the points whereby is shewed howe he liued towards God 10 It followeth to be noted how he ordered his familie hee feared God with all his houshold He plaied not Nicodemus that came to Christ by night hee openlie professed his religion and faith yea and instructed his whole familie therein Neither did he feare to send for Peter to teache him the religion and faith of Christ. First the open profession of his religion is commendable The Romans had forbid by Lawe that any subiect shold professe or receiue peregrinam religionem a straunge religion They considered that it was dangerous to their state to suffer diuersitie of religion They seuerely punished the transgressors of this law Yet Cornelius had learned that it is better to obeie God than man that we must obeie princes vsque ad Aras as the prouerbe is so farre as we may without disobeying God Although the Iewish religion was hatefull to the Gentiles
lawfull when maidens are asked to wiues of their parents and are giuen by them openly to their husbandes otherwise they are not mariages but whoredomes The best writers both olde and newe subscribe hereunto Tertullian Ambrose Chrysostome Augustine with all the learnedst of latter times whose particular sentences I omit to recite for breuities sake But if youthfull children haue so litle reuerence both of God and men that such admonition wil not make them leaue such disordered mariages it behooueth magistrates who are the common parentes of the weale publike to bridle their lusts with seuere Lawes for the redresse of this euill and the mischiefes ensuing of it And thus much of S. Peters entraunce into his sermon the sermon doeth followe 33 Ye knowe the word which God hath sent to the children of Israel preaching peace by Iesus Christ and so foorth The summe of the sermon is this Iesus Christ which is Lord of all the preacher and author of peace did faithfully performe the office for the which he was sent preaching to the people the glad tidings of the Gospell and healing all their diseases for God was with him and hee was slaine and hanged on tree the thirde day he arose again from death he ascended into heauen from thence shall he come to iudge the quicke and the dead to whom all the prophets beare witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall haue remission of their sinnes Such as this is were the sermons of the Apostles Here is all things necessarie to saluation expressed This is that which God commanded his great Apostle S. Peter to preache In this doctrine would hee haue his people trained vp The people receiued it as a sufficient doctrine Peter and Paul were directed by one spirite they neither esteemed to knowe any thing but Iesus Christ and him crucified neither could they testifie or preache ought but him This sermon is diuided into three parts the first that Iesus Christ the Lord of all was sent vnto the people of Israel to preache peace the next that he died rose againe from death to procure vs this peace the last that we are made partakers of this peace by faith in his name Iesus Christ the Lord of all was sent vnto the people of Israel to preache peace Let vs weie the words seuerally they are most effectuous fully setting foorth the mysterie of our saluation 34 Iesus by the interpretation of the Angel is a sauiour Thou shalt call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes The Angel appearing to the sheepeheards saide Behold I bring you tidings of great ioie that shall be to al the people that is that vnto you is born this day a Sauiour The Ethnikes doe seeke their safetie in their idols the Iewes in the obseruances of the Lawe and traditions the Papistes in their pardons purgatorie masses merites the true Christians seeke it in Iesus Christ the Sauiour and in none but him He will not be matched therein with any other but he is a full perfect and onely Sauiour He is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sin of the world There is neither water nor fier buls nor bels masses nor merites pope nor pardon that can saue vs. There is neither diuel or flesh nor world if he saue vs that can condemne vs. For who can condemn whom he doth iustifie And whom he iustifieth not who can saue Christ is annointed And Iesus is called so because hee was annointed of God aboue his fellowes Whereupon Esay the prophet writeth of him The spirit of the Lord is vpon me for he hath annointed me Annointed he was to be a king and priest for they among the Iewes were woont to be annointed Hee is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords The wise men of the East did acknowledge him a king Where is he that is borne king of the Iewes Zacharie sheweth further what maner of king Behold thy king commeth to thee meeke and riding vpon an asse and vpon a colt the foale of an asse This our king doth gouerne vs with a right scepter The scepter of thy kingdome is a scepter of righteousnesse He doth defend vs with a mightie and stretched out arme against whose power no power can stand He is that triumphant prince which hath most victoriously vanquished and throwen vnder foote our enemies They labour in vaine that kicke against the prickes that striue against his Gospel For he is a prince of might that doeth defend it and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it The sunne wil runne his course the passage of the Gospel cannot bee stopped The Gospel is not bound While it is persecuted it is inlarged The bloud that is spilt for it is the very seede of it Nowe as he is our king so our priest and prophet too at whose mouth wee should require the Lawe of God That prophet like vnto Moses the searcher of truth That very sonne of God of whom the father hath saide Ipsum audite Heare ye him He is the priest which once for all hath sufficiently sacrificed for our sins by himselfe and by none other once and not often vpon the crosse and not vpon the altar sufficient for all such as shall be saued He is the priest the high bishop that maketh intercession for vs the onely mediator betweene God and man to teach man the wil of God to reconcile God to man to make intercession betweene God and man These are the peculiar duties of Christ as wee are taught in the Epistle to the Hebrues 35 Which is Lord of all Least the Gentiles should conceiue that Iesus Christ was promised and sent to be a Sauiour onely to the Iewes hee answereth that obiection by a preuention so to terme it calling him Lord of all the Lord of the Gentile as wel as of the Iewe. Christ wil that all men shall be saued that is men of all sorts He was sent to preache peace to all both Iewes and Gentiles He is the Lord ouer all euen the Lord of glorie to whō all power is giuen both in heauen and in earth He hath bought vs al with a great price that we should serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse Let vs remember therefore that of the prophet If I be a Lord where is my feare saith the Lord of Hosts Feare not them which kil the bodie but be not able to kill the soule but rather feare ye him which is able to destroie both bodie and soule in hell 36 Which God hath sent When the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his sonne made of a woman and made vnder the Lawe that he might redeeme them which were vnder the Lawe He was made man for vs that in our nature he might suffer for vs. He was sent of his father being equall
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
close by the altars from the presence of which he was exiled In the ende to shewe the happie case wherein they are to whom continuall and daily accesse to the house of the Lord is graunted he preferreth one day spent there before a thousand any other-where the meanest roome about the house of God before the highest throne in the pallaces of the wicked In another Psalme he so speaketh as if euery daies absence from that holie place were a thousand yeeres When shall I come to appeare before the presence of God As if he should haue said Shall I neuer Neuer shall I be so happie So the Israelites at such time as they were exiles in Babylon declared their earnest desires this way by their bitter teares Nehemias by his heauinesse in the presence of the king Christ by leauing his mother to present himselfe at holie exercises in the temple being but as yet of greene and tender age And with what zeale ioye and gladnesse the Disciples of Christ after the death of their master ioyned themselues together in priuate houses when by reason of the cruell persecution by the Priests they durst not shewe themselues abroade it appeareth both in the Euangelists and in the Acts of the Apostles Yea when afterward the spirite of God miraculously descending vpon them had increased both their zeale and courage they openly professed him whom before they worshipped in secrete places No feare no prohihition no threatning of higher powers was able to withholde them they spake they entred into the temple they taught daily and beeing persecuted were glad that God thought them woorthie to suffer for his sake who had died for theirs God according to his promise is euer present in his congregation Wheresoeuer two or three are assembled in his name he is with them yea what thing soeuer his Saints so assembled shall lawfully aske his promise is it shall bee giuen them 3 With what earnest desire deare brethren ought we then to stand in this place before the Lord beeing driuen from the tabernacle of God as Dauid persecuted as the blessed Apostles of Christ exiled as Israel cast out of the Churches wherein we were nurced and trained vp Howe thankefull ought we to be to our heauenly father who hath in so ample manner in the midst of our manifold distresses griefes caused the light of his countenance to shine in the faces of vs his poore afflicted seruaunts For althogh because we our princes our prophets our people haue grieuously sinned in not esteeming so preciously nor following so religiously his blessed Gospel as we ought to doe therefore he hath bereaued vs of our worldly prosperitie and brought these miseries vpon vs wherein we nowe are yet knowing that we are the sheepe of his pasture howsoeuer wee haue wandered and gone astray it hath pleased him in great aboundance of mercie so to temper the sharpenesse of his correction that we finde him still our present helper at hand and readie most to succour vs in our extreemest neede Could wee wish for more at the hands of God than beeing banished and constreined to forsake all the profites and comforts which we inioied at home in our natiue countrie here amongst aliens and strangers to finde a citie so safe to dwell in maintenance so competent for our needeful and reasonable sustentation such grace in the eies of the godly magistrates vnder whom we liue such fauour and respect to our hard estate such free libertie to come together to call vpon God in our common praiers to heare his word syncerely and truly preached in our owne natural tongue to the great and vnsearchable comfort of our soules finally all things so strangely and almost miraculously ministred and brought vnto our handes as doubtlesse we could neuer haue found heere if the Lorde himselfe had not gone before as it were to make readie to prouide for vs O what tokens of mercie special fauour hath our kind gratious father shewed vs in this our exile and distresse for his Gospell in these our sorowful and afflicted times Wee haue lost the sauing truth at home and found it abroade Our countrie-men are become our enemies and strangers are made our friends Being persecuted by our natiue rulers foraine magistrates haue shewed vs fauour In banishment wee haue a place to dwell in In anguish we abound with comfort And as the Apostle speaketh hauing nothing we are as possessing all things Therefore deare brethren hauing receiued these so great and rare graces at the mercifull hands of our good God I may iustly as one of your poore helpers in these holie labours vse the words of S. Paul which in the beginning I recited exhorting and beseeching you that yee receiue not this grace of God in vaine Be not an vnthankeful people neglect not the great benefite now offered vnto you approch with all reuerence and present your selues as humble petipetitioners before the Lord and careful seruants before our God For I say vnto you as Iacob saide in his iourney towardes Mesopotamia Verè Dominus est in loco isto Truly God is here euen present amongst vs. We doe clearely and plainely perceiue that our fathers and mothers our friends and familiars hauing forsaken vs he hath receiued vs as his dearest 4 Let vs nowe take a viewe of S. Pauls words which I haue propounded to intreate of In the entrance of which he professeth himselfe to bee our helper furthering vs and setting vs forwarde in the course of our saluation not onely by teaching the woord of reconcilement remission of sinnes free mercie in the death and through the merites of Christ crucified but also by most earnest and vehement exhortation beseeching vs woorthily to receiue this so freely offered grace and blessing Nowe as Paul was an helper and a moouer vnto godlinesse so no doubt we ought all to bee helpers euerie one to another according to our calling in distributing and communicating such gifts as we haue receiued at the bountiful hands of God Euerie one according to that of S. Peter as hee hath receiued grace himselfe so ministring it to another as good dispensers of the manifold graces of GOD. For he hath not deliuered vs our talents to bee wrapped vp hidden and buried in the earth We are stewards so to vse the riches of his grace as may bee most to the aduantage of his glorie amongst men 5 Vnto this our blessed Apostle exhorting setteth three especiall things before our eyes to be considered First hee putteth vs in remembrance of the great mercie of God towards vs whereof we are mooued not to shewe our selues vnwoorthie receiuers Secondly hee sheweth that this is the acceptable and onely accounted time wherein it must appeare whether wee receiue that grace in vaine or no Thirdly he teacheth wherein and howe wee must declare our selues so to haue receiued it as behooueth 6 Receiue not the grace of God in vaine I will
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
to God we were but the Lorde and our owne consciences doe knowe how farre otherwise the case doth stand I will not enter into particulars nor open the sores of any man but send you home into the closet of your owne heartes to see it And if we prosecute the comparison in such wise as hath beene touched I nothing doubt but euerie one of vs may iustly lay the cause of this heauie displeasure of God and grieuous plague vpon himselfe euerie one may say and crie out with the prophet Dauid It is I that haue sinned I that haue committed iniquitie and deserued this great vengeaunce The smart whereof as wee doe outwardly feele so if it inwardly pierce vs to the quick of our hearts and soules if we be truly wounded and humbled in deede with the grieuous remembrance of our former sinnes this is of all other the most acceptable time for vs to receiue the sauing health of God who as he taketh his time to offer vs grace so we must also take ours to receiue it beeing offered To day saith the Apostle if you wil heare his voice harden not your heartes It is to day so long as he speaketh by his Prophet saying Returne euerie one from his euill waie make your waies and your workes good If this nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them It is to day so long as that voice of Iohn the Baptist is heard Repent So long as wisedome vttereth her voice in the streetes and crieth Turne so long as our Lord and Sauiour saith Come it is to day These so often callings and so sweete admonitions ought to be of force sufficient to set vs forward to repent to turne and come to our mercifull Sauiour in this day of saluation and to follow the worthie examples of our wise forefathers who being stirred vp in like sort haue awaked and haue beene saued That very daie that Nathan the Prophet tolde Dauid of his fault hee repented and was receiued to mercie The Niniuites likewise were a wise and a circumspect people they tooke their time euen the acceptable time of their repentance which else had come too late So they which repented at the preaching of Iohn made speede to retire from their owne by-paths and ro turne into the waies of God As many as receiued fruitfully and effectually the grace which the Lord did offer by the hands of Peter preaching the remission of sins they also tooke the opportunitie of that selfesame houre so were saued All these things as S. Paul witnesseth are written for our instruction that wee might learne wisely to redeeme the time and to knowe the day of Gods most gratious visitation 15 Especially nowe sith we doe not onely heare the sound of his voice but also feele the smart of his correction There is no hope that euer we wil receiue the grace of God if in the midst of our afflictions we refuse it His case is desperate whom aduersitie cannot cure whom eternall death hath so possest and benummed that the very sharpest medicines are vnable to woorke vpon him Turne you therefore saith wisdome at my correction When men are heauie laden with griefe and sorowe then are they fittest to call for and to receiue refreshing Examples hereof are almost infinite After Iosephs brethren were brought into comber and into feare of their liues they remembred their fact committed against their brother and it grieued them much which before had much contented them Whilest men are at ease and haue rest in the flesh grace is no grace the promises of God cannot haue their effectuall and powrefull operations no not in the very elect of God Looke vpon Manasses in his throne and in prison vpon the people of Israel at home in peace and abroade in banishment vpon Noah Dauid Ezechias all the Saints and seruaunts of God in their flourishing estate and in their grieuous troubles and yee shall finde that the gratious offers of God were neuer receiued woorthily in deede but in great extremities When a man is striken with sorowe vpon his bed and the griefe of his bones is sore saith Elihu in the booke of Iob so that his life causeth him to abhorre bread and his soule daintie meate If in such a case there be a messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto man his righteousnesse how that God wil haue mercie vpon him and wil say Deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation such a message of grace no doubt will then be heartily accepted or else be in vaine for euer It is affliction that maketh the kingdome of heauen to suffer violence When we are in miserie in trouble in distresse of bodie mind then especially is the acceptable time thē is the high day of our saluation Thou didst chastise me saith the Prophet Ieremie and then I came to vnderstanding So that the most especiall time to shewe our selues woorthie receiuers of the grace of God is when his chastisements are vpon vs and his anger doth afflict our soules Wherefore most properly beloued in the Lord to you it may be spoken Receiue not the grace of God in vaine This is the acceptable time this is the day of your saluation Although the grace of God haue heeretofore beene offered and vnkindely refused yet nowe that the hande of his heauie displeasure nowe that the rodde of his correction is laide vpon you O receiue it not nowe in so acceptable a time in vaine 16 The onely way to shewe our selues woorthie receiuers of grace is by heartie and vnfeined repentaunce to acknowledge that we haue sinned in peruerting righteousnesse and to amende that which we knowe and acknowledge to bee amisse If wee thinke to be receiued into his fauour without this brethren wee deceiue our selues He is gratious but to the penitent and will haue mercie vpon sinners but vpon sinners which forsake their sinnefulnesse It is true that he wil heale whom he hath spoiled and whom he hath wounded he will builde vp he wil quicken the dead and raise vp them that are throwne downe yet so if they say Come and let vs returne vnto the Lord. The first effect therefore of grace in the heart of man is vnfeined repentaunce With the doctrine whereof we are throughly ynough acquainted We haue no neede to be taught what the name doth signifie the nature properties and parts thereof are knowne Onely the practise wanteth whereunto wee are so slowe and so hardly are drawne that in this one point we wearie out all our teachers about this one thing they wast they spend themselues And in the end we are most commonly as wee were at the first like the Leopard that chaungeth not his skinne To bring men to repentance is such a worke
into the hands of their enimies and they that hated them were Lordes ouer them he cast them into exile and miserable bondage he burnt vp their holie citie he destroied their glorious temple he left them to be deuoured with pestilence with hunger and with the sworde the accustomed instrumentes of his wrath Insomuch that euen to this day the remnant of that elect and chosen people is scattered farre and wide and doth liue in all contempt hatred and slauerie marked like Cain to be knowne as a murdering vagabond vpon the earth to be a byword an example of Gods Iustice to all the worlde throughout all succeeding ages 6 Now all these thinges came vnto them not onely for their punishment but also for examples vnto others were written to admonish vs vpon whom the endes of the world are come They are patterns for vs to looke vpon that seeing their sinne and the punishment thereof we may eschew the one if we desire to escape the other And they crie dayly in our eares Let not your faults be like their faultes least your destruction also be like to their destruction for God is the same yesterday to day for euer he hateth sinne no lesse now then before no lesse in vs than in them 7 He hath visited vs in mercie as he visited them yea we haue tasted perhaps more aboundantly of his goodnes than euer they did And as the benefittes we haue receiued doe at the least equall theirs so their vnthankfulnesse is much behinde ours if it be rightly and duelie considered God hauing so straungly so farre beyond all hope so much beside our expectation and more besides our desert so many times and so many wayes deliuered vs not out of one Aegypt from vnder one Pharao through the middest of one sea but out of sundrie places of most grieuous irkesome and tedious captiuitie from vnder the heauie yooke of sundrie cruell tyrants through the middest of sundrie maine seas of troubles and afflictions Yet haue we for all this buried the memorie of our deliuerance in forgetfulnesse yet doe wee for all this sinne dayly and that with greedinesse yea and spiritually as farre as in vs lyeth crucifie Christ a freshe and sheede his most precious bloud againe We are wearie of the Gospell the foode of life is reiected as a thing vnsauorie we haue no liking to feede as the Lordes table our desire is rather to franke vp our selues with that which we shoulde abhorre and loath Euerie house and corner is full of idolatrie and superstition of sinne and filthinesse full of murmuring against God full of grudging and repyning against the Lords annointed For of his Prophetes what shoulde I say was there euer any time any age any nation countrie or kingdome when and where the Lordes messengers were worsse entreated more abused despysed and slaundered than they are here at home in the time of the Gospell in these our dayes wee are become in your sight and vsed as if wee were the refuse and paringes of the worlde Euerie mouth is spitefully opened euerie tooth is sharpened and whetted against vs. Harde it is to finde one foorth that will loue and reuerence vs as fathers obey vs as gouernours honour vs as Gods embassadours learne of vs as of schoolemaisters here and follow vs as sheepeheardes giue vs worthie wages as workemen that take paines for your saluation But our exspectation is not deceiued Christ our Sauiour hath told vs long ago that the world should hate vs our case is no worse herein thē the blessed Apostles was our reward is great in heauen And it were well if this vnkinde affection did reach no further than vnto vs only But it spreadeth wider regardeth as little the throne of Dauid as the chaire of Moses the sworde as the booke the Prince as the Prophet the ciuill as the ecclesiasticall state Some desire a chaunge Others not onely desire it but conspire for it too and contriue treacherie greedelie expecting their looked for time the daie of their felicitie and of their great ioy But if God in his wrath graunt such a time which for his mercie sake I trust he will neuer do it wilbe euen to them who now so earnestlie desire it a day of death and not of life of lamentation and not of ioy What gayned they who desired the chaunge of Samuell for Saull of Christ for Barrabas they procured Gods wrath their owne confusion perpetuall slauerie So it fareth with miscontented mindes Their own desires plague them 8 Thus we cannot but see Gods godnesse and our vnthankefulnesse his giftes and our abusing of them his patience and our continuall frowardnesse Our sinnes are come to the fulnesse with the Ammorites iniquitie hath gotten the vpper hand and crusheth downe all pietie Can our God thinke you winke at so manifest or holde his hande at so grieuous sinne If he spared not the braunches of the true oliue not his first borne Israell not his elect people but often punished and at length gaue them quite ouer for that they neglected his worde and despysed the Preachers of it if he spared not his owne onely citie not the holie temple wherein he woulde be worshipped but for that they were both polluted and prophaned destroyed both for euer whar can wee which are but as wilde twigges whose father was an Ammorite and whose mother an Hittite who haue not harkned to his worde sent from heauen who haue defiled his sacred temple and euen crucified his Christ looke for any other but Gods great plagues and dreadfull vengeance to be powred vpon vs to our eternall miserie doubtlesse we haue deepely prouoked him vnto anger The onely way to pacifie and appease his wrath to mitigate his indignation and to remoue his plagues from vs which euen now hange ouer vs is our earnest repentāce to turne vnto our God with our whole harte that he may turne to vs to lament and forsake our wickednesse to trust in mercie and to craue pardon to promise performe amendment of this sinnefull life Thus we must doe and that speedelie or else without doubt and without delay we perish 9 The threatned destruction of the temple hath occasioned me thus much to say Now when Christ had vttered the sentence of ruine desolation against that holy place the Disciples as Mathew reporteth cam secretly vnto him asked not only of the time when the Tēple should be destroied but also of the second comming of Christ and of the end of the worlde They enquired as men desirous to learne that whereof they were ignoraunt And they asked of Christ the wisedome of God the appointed schoolemaister of whome we should seeke for knowledge They asked as I sayde three seuerall thinges of the destruction of Ierusalem of the seconde comming of Christ of the ende of the worlde which two later are indeede but one To whom Christ maketh answere not assigning any certainetie of the times when
these thinges should be accomplished but shewing signes that should goe before as well the destruction of Ierusalem as also his seconde comming It is not for you to knowe the times and seasons sayth he which the father hath put in his owne power No not the sonne of man as man knewe them 10 This knowledge is kept from men for two causes as Saint Augustine well noteth The one least it should hinder and withdrawe vs from perfourming our necessarie duties least it should terrifie and amase vs and make vs carelesse to prouide for our selues and others An other reason why the time both of our owne particular ende and of the generall consummation of all thinges is left vncertaine is that we might at all times make readie and prepare for it seeing it might happen at any time euen at any instant Watch and pray because ye know not what hower God hath therefore kept the time it selfe secrete but hath reuealed certaine tokens and signes going before it that when we see the messengers and forerunners of him which commeth swyftly to iudge quicke and dead wee may lift vp our heades knowing that our redeemer and redemption is neere at hande Christ foresheweth as I saide the signes that should happen as well before the ruine of Ierusalem as also before his second comming in the ende of the worlde The Euangelistes haue mixed and folded them one within another so that which do serue for the one and which for the other it cannot precisely be discerned S. Chrysostome thinketh that all the signes simply and literally vnderstoode haue relation to the destruction of Ierusalem but mystically or spiritually considered of they may be applyed to the end of the worlde Others whom in this I do rather followe referre the former signes as false prophets warre sedition earthquakes famine pestilence persecution hatred of the Disciples of Christ and beseeging to the destruction of Ierusalem And these latter signes in the sunne moone starres c. to the latter comming of Christ to iudgement 11 In this comming of Christ to iudge the quicke and the dead we may for our better instruction consider these thinges First that there shall be a Iudgement and who shalbe that iudge Secondly the time when this iudgmēt shalbe Thirdly the signes which shall goe before it Fourthly the manner of it Lastly how we ought to be in perpetuall preparation and readines therunto 12 A day the Lorde hath set in the which he will iudge the worlde in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath appointed whereof he hath giuen an assuraunce to all men in that he hath raysed him from the deade Heere we see plainely that there is a day appointed for righteous iudgement of the whole worlde that there is a man appointed to giue sentence in that day that there is an assuraunce alreadie giuen to all men of all thinges that are written concerning both the day the iudgement and the iudge With God sayeth the Apostle speaking to the faithfull which suffred tribulation for the name of Christ with God it is a righteous thing to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you to thē which are troubled rest This righteous thing with God is not perfourmed heere as yet For this worlde is as an hel vnto the godly an heauen vnto them which despise righteousnesse Therfore it cannot be but that God hath appointed a day heereafter to iudge the worlde with that iustice which shall giue vnto euerie man according to that he hath done be it good or euil which shall render vengaunce vnto them that know not God but rest vnto such as now are trobled for his sake Our Lord knoweth to deliuer the godlie from temptation but to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be tormented Wherefore S. Peter threatning false prophetes and lying maisters which bring in sectes of perdition and denie him that bought them euen the Lord sayeth that their iudgement long agoe was not farre off and their perdition sleepeth not The day of their eternall condemnation is appointed the man that shall condemne them is alreadie assigned and well knowne We must all appeare before the iudgment seate of Christ. The father hath giuen all iudgement to the sonne He is constituted iudge of quicke and deade 13 This iudge hath three properties First he is more priuie to our thoughtes wordes and deedes then we our selues are he seeth in darkenesse as well as in light at midnight as at noone day no secrete is hidde from him neyther can any man conuey himselfe out of his eyesight He sawe Adam when he ate of the fruite which was forbidden him he looked vpon Cain when he slewe his onely brother he behelde Cham when he discouered his fathers nakednesse he tooke a viewe of Sara when she laught behinde the doore of the sonnes of Iacob when they solde their brother Ioseph into Egypt His eye was open vppon Dauids filthie and bloudie actes vpon Absolons treason vpon Achitophels wicked counsell The oppression of Achab the crueltie of Iesabell the pride of Haman the couetous heart of Balaam and of Geze the pride and hypocrisie of the Pharisee could not be kept from him Hee seeth all sleightes in merchaundise all shiftes in vsurie all malitious mindes all flattering tongues all lying lippes He looketh downe from heauen and beholdeth all the children of men from the habitation of his dwelling place he beholdeth all them that dwell on the earth he fashioneth their heartes euerie one and vnderstandeth all their workes Hee shall be both a iudge and a witnesse in that day of all the wicked deedes which the vngodly haue committed and of all the cruell speakinges which wicked sinners haue vttered against him and his who as nowe they cannot auoyde his sight so neither shall they then be able any way to escape his hande O consider this you that forgette God He that made the eye shall not he see Can your deedes be concealed from him that seeth all the children of men and can call them euerie one by his name 14 Another propertie of this heauenly iudge is the infinite greatnesse of his power He doth what pleaseth him all thinges are subiect vnto his will vnto him euerie knee boweth of thinges in heauen and thinges in earth and thinges vnder the earth He hath power to saue and to kill to lift into heauen and to cast into hell heauen is his seate earth is his footestoole What he willeth is as sure as it were alreadie done We should feare therefore this mightie iudge who hath such power to doe his will and who will doe that only which is iust 15 For his third propertie is his iustice Hee taketh no rewards his scepter is streight his iudgement righteous his eye simple he will not be intreated of the wicked neither shew them any mercie In that day euerie one of them shall receiue iustice
and iust punishment These are his properties and hee chaungeth them not He seeth all he hath all power hee is a righteous iudge of all ouer all for euer By this which hath beene spoken we see that we haue to looke for a day wherein the worlde shall be iudged and we see who it is that in that day shall iudge the world 16 Of this the Lorde hath sufficiently assured vs. For when diuerse thinges are spoken of before they come to passe the perfourmaunce of the first is the assurance of the rest He which promised to raise vp Iesus from the dead hath also promised to iudge quicke and dead by the same Iesus so raised Sith the one is perfourmed how can we stande in doubt of the other We may assure our selues that there is a day of iudgement to come because the resurrection of the iudge is alreadie accomplished past and gone So then euerie one of vs shall giue accounts of himselfe to God There is no prince no potentate no prophet no Apostle no man no woman neither rich nor poore high nor lowe that can escape this iudgement We must aunswere for our facts euen as euery man hath wrought We must aunswere for euerie idle worde for euerie corrupt and wicked thought What can the vncleane fornicator the couetous vsurer the mightie oppressor the proude contemner the ambitious climer the enuious hypocrite the bloudie murderer the false deceauer the cruell prince the vnfeeding pastor the vniust iudge the deceitfull merchaunt what may they aunswere in that day but pleade guiltie and what can they looke for but Ite maledicti Go ye cursed Once againe I say O consider this ye that forget God 17 But when shall this iudgement be As this question is mooued by two sortes of men so there are in scripture two kinds of answeres made vnto it There are mockers which walke after their owne lustes and these aske Where is the promise of his comming Since the fathers died which were ouerwhelmed by the floude of Noah all thinges continue as they were from their first creation To whom Saint Peter maketh answere that they erre of set purpose Otherwise they that are so wittie in reasoning against the truth of Gods promises might knowe this that the power of the worde which created the worlde and kept it till the day appointed for the punishment of the wicked by water doth also nowe keepe the heauens and the earth in store and reserue them to fire against the day of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Hauing stopped their mouthes with this aunswere he leaueth them without any further instruction because they were but swine and the doctrine of the iudgement to come is precious But the Disciples of Christ with an other minde making this demaunde Tell vs when these thinges shalbe and what signe of thy comming and of the ende of the worlde are abundantly instructed by their Lorde and maister which knoweth all thinges and withholdeth nothing from his which is any way needefull to be knowne Touching the time they are forbidden to enquire about it For as in the dayes before the floude they did eate and drinke marrie and giue in marriage and knewe nothing till the floude came and tooke them all away so shall also the comming of the sonne of man bee In the howre that ye thinke not will the sonne of man come in a day and in an howre which no man knoweth no not the Angels of heauen but the father onely It is therefore both vaine and daungerous which some haue attempted in setting this and that yeere beyond which the world cannot endure But such is the crookednes of our nature In watching which is commaunded howe carelesse are wee And howe curious in seeking out the time and season which to do we are so oft and so expressely forbidden 18 Touching the signes and tokens going before the comming of Christ to iudgement they are set downe for our benefit and instruction And therefore let vs make some stay in the due consideration of them There shall be sayeth the Euangelist signes in the sunne and in the moone and in the starres c. These signes shall appeare before the comming of Christ partly that the worlde may be admonished of the fearefull iudgement that is at hande and thereby prouoked to repentance partly that the wicked may in this life be punished by the creatures of GOD whom they haue abused partly that it may appeare that the creatures which haue serued sinnefull man against their will will nowe no longer serue the enemies of their creatour and partly to declare that the worlde is come to his iust olde age and shall haue an ende There shall be signes in the sunne What signes these shall be it is elsewhere in the scriptures declared The heauens shall shake the sunne and moone shall be darke and the starres shall withdrawe their shining Againe the sunne shall be turned into darkenes and the moone into bloud before the great and terrible day of the Lord come The like we reade in the booke of Reuelation I behelde and loe the sunne was blacke as sackecloth of heare and the moone was like bloud and the starres of heauen fell vnto the earth as a figge tree casteth hir greene figges when it is shaken of a mightie winde Whereunto the wordes of S. Matthew also do agree The sunne shall be obscured and the moone shall not yeelde hir light the stars shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shall be shaken The simple literall vnderstanding is that there shalbe wonderfull and terrible Eclipses in the sunne and in the moone which things in this last age in this last houre of the worlde since the ascension of Christ haue sundrie times and in most strange sort beene seene Or else euen as when Christ was crucified the sunne lost his light and darkenes for a time was vpon the face of the whole earth so shall it be at his seconde comming to iudge the children of darkenesse with eternal death Others expound it that whē Christ shal come in his glorie the beames of his brightnesse shall so farre surmount the shining of the sunne moone or starres that in comparison thereof they shall seeme darke giue no light Of this his brightnes he gaue a glimse when he was transfigured in the mount Tabor To seeke out many expositions of these woordes it shall not neede This wee may obserue in the writinges of the prophetes that with them it is vsuall when they foreshewe great plagues to vse these and the like spheeches So doth Esayas in his prophecie concerning the plagues of Babylon The starres of heauen the planets thereof shall not giue their light the sunne shalbe darkened in his going foorth and the moone shall not cause her light to shine Againe The earth is vtterly broken downe the earth is cleane dissolued the earth is moued exceedingly
all The bonde of peace the lincke of loue that malitious enemie hath burst a sunder What shall I saye Surely all thinges doe shewe that the ende of all thinges is at hande 25 Nowe what effectes these signes before mentioned shall haue in mens heartes those woordes doe plainely declare which followe There shall bee vppon earth trouble among the nations with perplexitie By the nations sayeth Saint Augustine he meaneth those that shall stande on the left hande and not those that are of the seede of Abraham and shall bee blessed Those dogges goates hypocrites and counterfaite Christians which are without the folde of Christ hauing their owne conscience to accuse and beare witnesse against them that they haue despised the sonne of GOD euen him who shoulde haue beene their sauiour Christ Iesus that they haue reiected his Gospell resisted the trueth weltered in all vncleannesse and sinne like beastes shall at that day fall headlong into deepe desperation knowing that at the handes of that iust and seuere iudge they shall receiue the due rewarde of their frowardnesse and iniquitie These terrible signes shall smite such feare into their heartes and so woonderfully amase them that whatsoeuer they beholde they shall tremble at it whatsoeuer they heare it shall be in their eares as it were the roaring of the seas Mens mindes shall be troubled their faith shall wither and wast away as an vntimely plant they shall vtterly fall from GOD and all hope of saluation Yea the verie elect shall quake and tremble they shall be for the time voyde of counsell and as it were men at their wittes ende For if nowe their mindes be troubled to see the present confusion of thinges in the worlde to see kingdomes and nations in armour one against another to see so much monstrous crueltie shewed so much innocent blood powred vpon the ground to see the wicked so prosper and the godlie so trodden vnder foote like duste to see the matter of saluation euen the woord of God called into question so earnestlie and doubtfullie to be disputed of euen amonges the learned sorte with most hatefull and despitefull contention whereof there is like to the eye of man to bee no ende if this doe so much astonish mens mindes nowe that it maketh them doubtfull what to thinke or what to doe in what great perplexitie shall they bee in that day when false Christes and false prophetes not one nor two but many shall arise so forcible in perswasion that they might deceaue if it were possible euen the elect of God and when the powers of heauen shall be mooued When these thinges are doubtlesse mens hartes must needes faile them for extreame feare and for looking after those thinges which shall come vpon the world Our mercifull Lord comfort vs that we doe not faint and strenghen vs that we may stand in that day After all those signes in the sunne and the moone and the starres in the powers of heauen and in the heartes of men betokening Christes approch Then sayeth the Euangelist they shall see the sonne of man come 26 The manner of his comming is thus described Hee shall come in a cloude with power and great glorie It was tolde the Disciples before whose faces Christ was receaued vp into glorie This Iesus which is taken vppe from you into heauen shall so come as yee haue seene him goe Hee went in a cloude and shall come in a cloude His first comming into the worlde was contemptible but his seconde comming shall be glorious his first to be iudged of the worlde his seconde to iudge the worlde He shall be accompanied with the Angelles of heauen partly to sette foorth his princely honour and royall Maiestie for so it is written Let all his Angelles worshippe him and partly to be his ministers in thinges apperteyning to this iudgement for so we reade He shall sende his Angels with a great sounde of a trumpet they shal gather together his elect from the foure winds and from the one end of the heauen vnto the other S. Paul ioineth with these Angels flaming fire He shall shew himself frō heauen with his mighty Angels in flaming fire rendering vengeance vnto them that do not knowe God and which obey not the Gospel of our Lorde Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lorde and from the glorie of his power when hee shall come to be glorified in his sainctes and to be made marueilous in all them that beleeue This fire shall whereof the Apostle speaketh dissolue and melt away the heauens and the earth Which burning shall bee as it were the fining of goulde in the fornace not consuming but purging the substaunce of these creatures from the drosse of those alterable qualities whereunto they are nowe subiect So Bede speaketh of them Per imaginem transeunt per essentiam subsistunt praeterit figura huius mundi non substantia Their shape vadeth their substaunce remayneth the figure of this worlde doeth passe awaie but not the nature Wee looke for newe heauens and a newe earth sayeth Saint Peter These heauens shall passe away with a noyse these elementes shall melt with heate this earth with the workes that are there in shall be burnt vp Then shall God be glorified and appeare merueilous Let the mightie remember this which build their nestes aloft the rich which ioyne house to house whose garners sellars and pastures are full of graine wine and cattell whose chestes are stuft with money who wholie applie the worlde as they should liue euer vpon the earth All this geare will be consumed it is but matter for the flame Flee therefore flee from this worlde which will sodenlie melt away looke not backe towarde this pleasant Sodoma which the Lorde will shortlie set on fire For what doeth it profit a man to gaine the worlde which though it be enioied for a while yet at length must needes melt as waxe and to loose his soule which if it were not lost might liue in blisse for euer Loue not seeke not the things of this world looke vnto that by which wee may stande in the day when the Lorde shall shewe himselfe from heauen when he shall come to be glorified in his Saintes and to bee made merueilous in them that beleeue The wicked shall not be able to stande in that iudgement neyther sinners in righteous mens companie At the comming of this power at the presence of this great GOD at the sight of this Tribunall seate so full of glorie and of terrour the deriders of Christ the contemners of his worde the workers of iniquitie shall tremble and quake and desire through despaire that the mountaines may fall on them and couer them from his fearefull presence But the faithfull the elect shall lift vp their heades with ioye and be made partakers of exceeding glorie they shall sit vppon the twelue seates and iudge the twelue
Tribes of Israell Where the faith of the Apostles shall condemne the vnbeleeuing Iewes the pietie of the Centurion all vngodly magistrates preaching Paul all vnpreaching prelates Zacheus al vsurars and Lazarus al repining impatient and wicked beggers The bookes shall be layd wide open in the sight of all fleshe The booke of God and the booke of mans conscience the booke of his lawe and the booke of our life It shall be examined in the one what GOD hath commaunded in the other it shall be testified howe man hath obeyed in the one what workes of mercie hee hath required at our handes in the other what fruites of mercilesse affection the grounde of our stonie heartes hath yeelded And according to the euidence both of the one and of the other the eternall and irreuocable sentence shall passe from the mouth of God The periured the vsurer the adulterer the lyer the idolater shall be cast into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone into that vtter darkenesse where shall be wayling weeping gnashing of teeth endlesse horror and euerlasting woe But the elect which haue liued a sober a iust and a godly life which haue loued the comming of Christ Iesus more than this worlde or their present liues they shall enter into the kingdome of their Lorde they shall be glorified with Christ and possesse with him that euerlasting enheritaunce hauing hearde that most ioyfull sentence Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the first foundations of the worlde 27 Heereuppon Saint Peter inferreth this conclusion seeing all these thinges must be dissolued what manner persons ought yee to be in holie conuersation and godlinesse looking for and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God And Saint Luke this threefolde exhortation Take heede to your selues watch pray continually Take heede of surfetting and dronkennesse least your heartes bee opprest least that day come vppon you at vnawares and vnlooked for least it happen to you as it happened to the fathers in the dayes of Noa they ate and dranke and sodenly the water ouerwhelmed them or as to the Sodomites they burned in lust and sodenly fire consumed them from heauen or as to the Israelites they fedde themselues greedilie surfeted and died with the meate in their mouthes Let their dreadfull endes make vs eschewe their sinnes Beware also of the cares of this life They be perillous thornes and pricke thy heart to death Iudas was carefull by any meanes to gather money and to what it brought him yee all knowe Ananias and Saphira caring howe to liue made no conscience to lye to the holie Ghost their destruction was most sodaine When the riche man was in the middest of his care howe to enlarge his barnes that verie night his soule was taken from him Beware therefore and take heede specially of these two things Let not your hearts be ouerwhelmed with excesse of meates and drinkes nor choaked with the cares of this present life 28 Besides this warinesse and heedetaking it is further required that we bee also watchfull For sith wee knowe not what time the Lorde will come expedient it is that wee shoulde bee in continuall expectation of him that wensoeuer hee come wee may bee readie with ioye to meete him Happie is he that watchfully looketh for the comming of Christ Iesus and hee miserable whom the Lorde shall ouertake vnlooked for S. Ierome did so liue in continuall watching and waiting for this daie of redemption that the sounde of that voyce was still in his eares Arise yee deade and come to iudgement I doe waite sayth Iob all the dayes of my warfare till my chaunge come The like wee reade of the Prophet Dauid whose watchfulnesse was such that the watchman standing vppon his warde being wearie of the discomfortablenesse of the night doth not so eye the rising of the morning as hee did the glorious appearing of the Lorde I haue wayted saith hee vpon the Lorde my soule hath wayted and I haue trusted in his worde My soule waiteth on the Lorde more than the morning watch watcheth for the morning How happy is their estate whom the Lorde in that day shall finde thus readie for him 29 But because we can of our selues neither rightly beware nor diligently watch without the speciall assistance of his spirite therefore as wee are exhorted to watch so are we likewise admonished to pray The Lorde of his infinite mercie graunt that being thus prepared to meete the Lorde in the day when he commeth to iudge the quicke and the deade we may be founde worthy to enter with him into that rest which hee by the shedding of his most precious bloude hath purchased for all the blessed of his father to whome c. A Sermon preached at Pauls crosse MATTH 8. 23 And when he was entred into the ship his disciples followed him 24 And beholde there arose a great tempest in the sea so that the ship was couered with waues but he was asleepe THIS short historie doth by way of a type or figure set forth the state of the Church putting vs in minde that the waie to the kingdom of God is rough that wee must enter into ioy through much sorrowe that here wee must be alwayes on the suffring side that the whole life of a Christian man vpō earth is a warfare that such as will be disciples of Christ must beare the crosse that as many as will bee in the same ship with him must prepare them selues vnto daungerous stormes The sea of this wicked worlde is troublesome the Church of God is beaten and tossed like a boate it is disfigured with sharpe and stormie weather Feeble is all flesh manifoulde are our infirmities faint is our faith and seeing our sinne with the remembraunce of the stipende due for the same wee are readie to sinke into the bottomlesse gulfe of desperation In this daungerous estate wee finde no helpe in our selues But beholde the disciples of Christ haue taught vs by their example where helpe is to be sought in the middest of these manifolde and great distresses And that is onely in Christ who is alwayes a present helper of them which seeke him in time of neede who hath ouercome and victoriously triumphed on the crosse against Satan sinne the worlde hell death and condemnation To him all power giueth place against him no force is able to stand vnto him all things are made subiect He is that Samson which by his owne death hath slaine his foes that Dauid which hath dasht out the braines of Goliah the grād enemy of Gods people that seede which hath brused the serpents head that almighty which rebuketh windes ceaseth stormes easeth the burthens of them that mourne washeth awaie iniquitie freelie forgiueth sinne heareth and deliuereth out of trouble If we crie with the disciples in our distresse Helpe Lord he will in mercie awake and heare vs through his mighty power
it will one day appeare Our conuersion will be called vnto an hard account In that day wee must stande before the tribunall seate of God and render a reckoning yea and receiue as we haue wrought in our bodies good or badde The iudge is euen at hande Veniens veniet He will come surely without fayle and without staie He standeth before the doore This is the last houre the trumpe is in a readinesse to bee blowne to iudgement 2 For sayeth Peter the ende of all thinges hangeth ouer vs. In which wordes the Apostle doth both comfort vs and exhort vs. Such as are afflicted oppressed with wrong burdened with pouertie vexed with sickenesse slaundered persecuted or hated of the worlde heere they may receiue comfort Your miserie shall be but momentanie and short your ioy shall be great and endlesse Lift vp your heades for your redemption draweth neare The ende of your affliction together with the end of all thinges is at hande Againe vpon these wordes a most necessarie exhortation is inferred Christ is comming in the cloudes all fleshe shall rise and recken he onely that hath his lampe burning shall enter in with the bridegrome as wee are founde so shall wee be taken and iudged The ende is at hande bee sober therefore and watch vnto prayer 3 Whereas the holy scriptures doe make often mention of a double ende the one wherein wee are to yeelde vp our mortall liues the other wherein Christ at his seconde comming shall finish the course of all this sinnefull worlde the Apostle treating in this place of the later I shall at this present followe his foote-steppes and speake of Christ his seconde comming to put an ende to all thinges For they which say Where is the promise of his comming deceaue themselues Hee hath set a day wherein he will iudge the worlde in iustice hee is appointed iudge of quicke and dead The Angell of God beareth witnesse of his comming This Iesus which is taken vp into heauen shall so come as ye haue seene him goe And S. Iohn as if he beheld and sawe him comming sayth Beholde he comâ—eth with cloudes and euerie eye shall see him 4 But as his comming is most certaine so the houre day moneth yeare or time is most vncertaine It is not for you to knowe the seasons and precise pointes of times which the father hath appointed in his owne power Of that day and houre no man knoweth No not the verie Angels of heauen but my father onely The day of the Lorde will come stealing vpon vs as a theefe in the night 5 Nowe as we knowe not the day and time so let vs be assured that this comming of the Lorde is neere He is not slacke as we doe count slackenesse That it is at hande it may be probably gathered out of the Scriptures in diuerse places The signes mentioned by Christ in the Gospel which should be the foreshewers of this terrible day are almost alreadie all fulfilled The prophecies of Daniell of the foure Monarchies of the little horne and of the times weekes and dayes are manifestlie come to passe The defections or fallinges away which are spoken of in holie scriptures are also in great part accomplished The prouinces the tenne kingdomes are fallen from the Romaine Empire and that wicked one hath wrought the misterie of iniquitie Againe there hath beene in a manner a generall falling from the Catholike faith as the Apostle long before foretolde vs some vnto Mahomet some vnto Antichrist his brother Euen about one time Mahomet appeared and the Pope swarued from the true faith of Christ the one renouncing him in name the other in deede the one quite blotting out the mention of Christ and denying at all to professe him in woorde The other keeping his name but robbing him of his office and shutting him out of his right place both falling from the faith That defection also is come vpon vs which Saint Paul did prophecie of In the latter times men shall fall from the faith giuing eare to deceiuing spirites and doctrines of diuelles And Saint Peter There shall come in the last dayes mockers that walke after their owne lustes and say where is the promise of his comming Thus heretiques and Atheistes haue fallen from Christ and Christian faith We that professe Christ and his Gospell are also charged with a defection a schisme and a falling away But in euerie Apostasie two thinges must be considered from whom and to whome this sliding is We gladly graunt that we are fallen away from the Bishoppe of Rome who long agoe fell from Christ wee doe vtterly abandon his vsurped and proude authoritie we haue happely forsaken that Synagogue of Satan that den of theeues that polluted Church that simoniacall temple and we ioyfully confesse that we haue no societie or fellowship with his darknes In our sermons we preach Christ and none els but him we knowe nothing we teach nothing we beleeue nothing but Christ and him crucified In our Sacraments we shewe foorth the Lordes death in no other sort then he himselfe hath done and commaunded vs to doe In our liues we woorship the Lord alone and in yeelding vp our soules we flie for mercie onely to the merites of Christ Iesus our mercifull sauiour This is our Apostasie We haue forsaken him that hath forsaken God and whom God hath forsaken we haue left that man of sinne that rosecolored harlot with whom the kinges of the earth haue committed fornication that triple crowned beast that doublesworded Tyrant that theefe and murderer who hath robbed so many soules of saluation and sucked so much innocent bloud of Christian martyrs that aduersarie vnto Christ that pretensed vicar who hath displaced the person not onely taking vpon him Christes roome and office but also boasting himselfe as if he were a God being content of his parasites so to be called This wicked man of sinne is at length reuealed by the sincere preaching of the Gospell Daniell in his prophesies Paule in his Epistles and Iohn in his Reuelations haue most liuely described pointed him foorth euen as it were with the finger Yea through his pride and ambition his vsurping authoritie and worldly rule his tyrannie and persecuting of Christ in his members hee hath sufficiently reuealed and detected him selfe if none had doone it for him 6 This wicked man the Lorde shall destroye with the breath of his mouth and then shall be the ende The blast of Gods trumpe hath made him alreadie stagger he hath caught such a crampe that hee beginneth nowe to halt his long and farre reaching arme is marueilously shortned his cofers are waxen leaner his falshoode is espied many princes refuse to tast any more of his poysoned cuppe he is fallen from beeing the head and come almost to be the taile he was too cruell and too violent to continue There is no counsell nor power
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
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
father disallowe her the same day that he heareth all her vowes and bonds wherewith shee hath bound her selfe they shall not be of value and the Lord wil forgiue her because her father disallowed her If promises made to GOD without consent of parents are of no effect can promises made to men be effectuall where the parents consent is not had Children saith the Apostle obey your parents in all things In all things and not in this the greatest of all When S. Augustine was required to helpe to make a mariage in the behalfe of a young man the other partie was named hee aunswered I like that matche well Sed mater adolescentulae non adest cuius voluntatem vt nosti requirere debemus but the mother of the young damsel is not present whose good will as you knowe well ynough wee must aske And as the parents or tutors consent is to bee had in all good and lawfull mariages so it is against the duetie of good parents either to keepe their children longer vnmaried than in conuenient or thorough an ouergreat desire of enriching them which is the common disease to marie them against their liking Such mariages seldom or neuer proue wel but are for the most part the cause of great sin much miserie There can be no lawfull coÌ„mendable match where there wanteth full consent and agreement of the parties whom it most concerneth Rebecca was asked whether she would goe with Abrahams seruant and be maried vnto Isaak or no. Her parents did neither keepe her backe from mariage when she was fit for it nor conclude it til her owne minde were knowne Such then as marie not in the feare of God making a religious and a godlie choise hauing the full consent of their parents or tutors doubtlesse God is no author of their mariage it is not he that coupleth and ioyneth them together their estate is base and not honourable in his sight 16 Touching the causes for which God appointed mariage we haue heard that the first is mutuall helpe and comfort For the man is a couer of defence vnto his wife and the woman a piller of rest vnto her husband As a bodie without a heade so is a woman that hath no husbande And As where no hedge is there the possession is spoiled so hee that hath no wife wandereth to and fro mourning This is the iudgement of the wise But the mouths of fooles are alwaies open to aggrauate the incombraunces troubles and sorowes which the maried are woont to sustaine in the flesh neuer remembring the helpes and comfortes which notwithstanding men religiously yoked in the Lord must needes acknowledge far to exceede all those grieuaunces both in number and measure If any find it otherwise â—ith the fault is not in mariage which was instituted for our helpe but in the maried who make it a hinderance to themselues by their owne follie let the men be blamed let the thing be honoured 17 But as in this case it fareth so doeth it also in the next A vertuous sonne is his mothers glorie they that see him count the wombe that bare him blessed Yea though his father die yet is he as if he were not dead because he leaueth one behinde him like him In his life he sawe him and had ioye in him and was not sorie in his death neither was he ashamed before his enemies Thus when our children doe well and prosper mariage is honoured But are they dissolute disobedient Doe they trouble vs as Simeon and Leuie did their father Doe they make vs abhorred amongst the inhabitants of the land By and by wee grudge and thinke vnreuerently in our hearts Behold this is the fruite of mariage So that which giueth honour to the birth of man receiueth dishonour by his lewde behauiour 18 To come to the last The Physitian must be honoured because God created him for necessitie In like sort mariage which God hath giuen as a remedie and not onely as a meane vnto propagation If therefore we neede it and doe not vse it howe doe we honour it S. Paul was so careful in this respect that euen where he giueth the highest commendation to single life there he addeth This I speake for your coÌ„moditie not to tangle you in a snare but that ye follow the thing which is honest And againe Hee that hath decreed in his heart to keepe his virgine doeth well yet so if he stand firme in his heart that he hath no neede but hath power ouer his owne will Otherwise were it not better to vse an honourable remedy than to nourish and increase an incurable sore Let vs take heede howe we feede the flesh in her vnlawful desires For it cannot be in vaine that God should speake so directly and as it were so particularly vnto euerie one that lewdely defileth prophaneth the temple of the holie spirite Perdet te Deus Thee God shall destroie This the enemie knoweth therfore he laboreth so diligently by all meanes to keepe his sore euer festering within it selfe For which cause it is strang to coÌ„sider how he hath dulled the hearts of many by setling a strong perswasion in them that although they frie in the heate of their vile affections yet their outward continencie of bodie is of it selfe meritorious before God their single life of it selfe acceptable and holie What a puddle of vncleannesse what a sinke of filth what ouglie abhominations haue growne in the worlde vnder this pretense to the great displeasure of almightie God The dishonor of mariage the slaunder and shame of Christian profession the inlarging of the kingdome of sinne and darkenesse the sending of soules innumerable downe to hell time will not suffer mee to discourse 19 I will therefore adde somewhat concerning the disgrace which commeth vnto mariage in regard of the duties thereunto belonging and so end The companie and felowship of maried folkes if discreetely louingly and religiously they performe those needefull dueties eche vnto other which God requireth at the handes of both then no doubt their estate is blessed of the Lord and deserueth to be honoured amongst men But if there want discretion in them wee see what contentions strifes and heart-burnings are wont to grow betweehe couples to the great disquieting of their owne mindes inwardly and if thinges doe chaunce to breake out as such flames commonly doe to the discrediting also of their persons openly in the worlde How vnsweete and vnpleasaunt such a life is the wise man sheweth by comparing a troublesome and contentious wife to a continuall dropping as contrariwise If there bee in her tongue gentlenesse meekenesse and wholesome talke then is not her husband like other men 20 Let heartie loue and affection be lacking betweene them and what enemie can deuise so great a torment against them as they exercise continually vpon themselues Doe they not finde that daily whereof Iob