vessels of honour and the vessels of shame the assaultes of falshood and the glory and victory of truth Here shall we see how God leadeth euen into Hell and yet bringeth safely backe how he killeth and yet reuiueth howe he refuseth the full and feedeth the hungrye howe he is the ruine of many and the resurrection of many Here may we see the wonderfull wayes and the vnsearcheable iudgments of GOD. It is a place full of terrour and a place full of all comfort In respect hereof the Prophete Dauid saith O Lorde our Lorde how wonderful is thy name in al the world Againe he saith One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I wil require that I may dwel in the house of the Lorde al the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lorde and to visit his Temple Hiericho was a mighty strong Towne wel manned well victualed well walled well fenced and in affiaunce thereof it withstood the whole power of Gods army Iosuah notwithstanding he had great force of armed men during the assaulte suffered no man to vse his weapon hee willed them all to walke quietly and silent without doyng violence his strength was not in the number and courage of men but onely in the Arke that is in the presence and power of God Thus it fareth oftentimes in spirituall warfares falsehood is armed truth goeth naked falsehood maketh outcries and trueth saith title falsehood is bold and truth is outfaced Blindenesse of it selfe naturally is hardy and ventrous and falsehoode is wyly and shifting When the high priestes captaines of the temple the elvers were come to lay handes on Christ he said vnto them This is your very houre and the power of darknesse Their hearts were darkened their eyes were blynded they saw not their wayes they knewe not their daungers they would not vnderstand they woulde not be taught malice and frowardnes had made them blinde therefore the feare of God was not before their eyes Herein stoode their power therfore they were bolde and sayde Let vs breake their bandes and cast their cordes from vs Therefore they sayde Wee will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. Therefore they sayde The word that thou hast spoken to vs in the name of the Lorde we will not heare it of thee Thus cryed they because of the blindnes which was in them and because of the folly of their hearts Yet is there no souldier so stoute in defence of Hiericho as hee that thinketh his cause is good and that his doing pleaseth God well and therefore is moued thereto in conscience None so desperate and wilfull for the falsehoode and darkenes of Hiericho as such who haue zeale without knowledge as are blinde and followe their blinde guides who when they slaunder or persecute or kill others for righteousnesse sake thinke they make a sacrifice vnto God and that GOD is highly pleased with their doing Such were they that cryed against Christ Crucifie him crucifie him he hath blasphemed Therefore Christe maketh his prayer for thē Father forgiue them for they know not what they do They know not me they knowe not whence I come nor who it is that sent me they take light for darkenesse and darknesse for light Therefore the wise man saith Leane not vnto thine own wisdom do not the thinges that seem right in thine own eies There is a way which seemeth right to a mā but the issues therof are the waies of death It seemeth Catholique it seemeth holy but the ende thereof leadeth to death S. Paule saith of the Jewes If they had known the wisdome of God they would not haue crucified the Lord of glory If their eyes had beene open to see him if their heart and vnderstanding had been open to know him they had not been guilty of innocent blood they woulde not haue betrayed the Lord of glorie But Hiericho is not onely thus fensed with blinde zeale and wilfull ignoraunce but also oftentimes hath helpe of mans strength and the fauour and succour of worldly power The Aegyptians had mighty Chariots straked and barred with yron in the strength whereof they put their trust The people of Babylon built themselues a Tower as high as the Heauens to shew forth their pryde and get themselues a name Hereof Dauid sayth The kinges of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord against his Christ He sayeth not the vulgar people or a sort of Raskals onely but Kinges and Princes and they which beare authoritye in the worlde assemble them selues against the Lord and in this power they thinke they are inuincible When Moses and Aaron did the message of God vnto Pharao saying Thus sayeth the Lorde God of Israel Pharao sayd Who is the Lord that I should heare his voyce let Israel goe I know not the Lord neither wil I let Israel goe What is his power what hurt can he doe I knowe him not I care not for him Israel shall not depart my Countrey So said Nabuchodonosor who is that God that can deliuer you out of mine hands In like sort did Sennacherib king of the Assyriās vaunt himselfe in the pride of his strength and bidde defiance against the God of Israel Thus shal ye speake to Ezechiah king of Iuda and say Let not thy God deceiue thee in whom thou trustest saying Ierusalē shal not be deliuered into the hand of the King of Asshur Haue the gods of the heathen deliuered thē which my fathers haue destroied And euē so doeth Saint Iohn bewray the folly of Babylon She saith in her heart I sit being a Queene and am no widow and shall see no mourning In trust heereof they sayde sometymes and commāded the Apostles that in no wise they should speake or teach in the name of Iesus They sayde We are the children of Abraham wee are the sonnes of the Prophetes They sayde we cannot erre for it is written The Priestes lippes should preserue knowledge and they shoulde seeke the Law at his mouth In trust hereof they saide Doeth any of the rulers or Pharisies beleue in him but this people which know not the law are cursed In trust hereof they haue sayde Let vs cut them out of the land of the liuing let the name of Israel he had no more in remembraunce this doctrine is schismaticall this Religion is new it hath no grounde it shall not preuayle it shall not stande Such courage haue the Citizens of this ignoraunt Hiericho taken in the strength ofmannes arme and in the helpe of worldely policy Then they fell to sworde and persequution and all kinde of tormentes and cruell death the people despayred the very electe beganne to faynte Saint Paule sayeth Wee are made a gasing stocke vnto the worlde and to the Angels and vnto men The Prophet Dauid prayeth vnto GOD against suche Arise O God mainteine thine
not according to this worde it is because there is no light in them Chrisostome saith Nullo modo cognoscitur quae sit vera Ecclesia Christi nisi tantummodo per Scripturas By no meanes may it by knowne whiche is the true Church of Christ but onely by the Scriptures Without them our faith is no faith without the helpe of them wee cannot knowe Christ from Antichriste wee cannot know the Church of Christ from the Sinagogue of Sathan Hereby let vs learne to knowe Hierusalem hereby let vs learne to knowe Hiericho Certainely if the woorde of GOD and the breathe of his mouthe bee not able to shewe this tradition and custome shall be much lesse able It is a good thinge to bee thankefull and to prayse the Name of the most high the seruants of God finde cause of thankfulnes in consideration of the great wonderful mercies continually powred vpō them Moses comanded Nisan to bee the firste moneth in the yeere because God had deliuered Israell from the hande of Pharao in that month In like sort Mardocheus the Iewe and Esther the Queene sent letters vnto al the Iewes that were through all the prouinces of the king Assuerus both nere farre enioying them that they shoulde kepe the fourteenth day of the month Adir with ioy and feasting for that vppon that daye God had deliuered them from the hande of Haman and that they woulde not fayle to obserue the fame euery yeare Upon this day euen vpon this day I say the xvii of this moneth God sent his handemaide and deliuered vs. Let vs be kinde and thankfull vnto God for so great blessing I say not let vs make it the first day of the yeere Yet this I say let vs haue it in remembrance let vs singe with the prophet When the Lord brought againe y e captiuitie of Sion we were like them that dreme thē was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with ioy The Lord hath done great things for vs wherof we reioyce Let no man be offended herewith it is onely a remembrance of the mercy of God it behoueth vs to remember it it is good to speake of it For if we haue eyes to see and neglect not our owne saluation wee haue nowe much greater cause to reioyce then Dauid had because the things which are this daye restored vnto vs by the goodnesse of our God are farre greater and worthyer then those which Dauid and the people of Israell receiued in their deliuerance out of the capitiuitie of Babylon For by howe much the heauens are greater then the earthe and God is more excellent then a creature so much doeth the knowledge of God and his true worshippe passe all worldly blessinge and all other felicitie that can bee deuised vnder the Sunne For what knoweth hee which knoweth not God Or what worshippeth he whiche worshippeth not God Hee that worshippeth not God hath not the comforte of GOD but hee that hath God and knoweth God and serueth God hath a sure helpe and defence in all assayes Let vs therefore bee glad and reioyce let vs witnesse our ioye and singe vnto the Lorde a new songe Let vs kindle in our heartes the fire of the loue of God and of our neighbour and let the flame thereof breake out to the glory of God Let vs decke the Altars of our heartes with the florishing branches of vertue and good woorkes let vs sacrifice and kill our lustes and affections In this maner if wee shewe our thankefulnesse towardes GOD wee shall hinder the wicked purpose of thē that wish the restoring of Hiericho we shal see the lande of Gods promise and enter into his rest The fourth stay to hinder this buyldinge is discipline whiche is so needefull that neyther without it shall yee be able throughly to discomfort those that seeke to build vp Iericho againe nor your selues happely and prosperously to goe on forward in setting foorth the glory and maiestie of our God and to passe safely to the countrie promised It is as the sinewes of the church to strengthen it and to ioyne and knit the parts thereof together But because the time is passed and this matter weightie and worthy of larger discourse I wyll leaue it to your godly considerations and for some other time And thou O mercifull father rise vp we beseeche thee to iudge thine owne cause stablishe the thinge thou hast begonne in vs guide our feete in the way of peace giue force vnto thy worde blesse thine inheritance blow downe the walles of Hiericho so shal Hierusalem prospet and her walles be made strong so shall the daye starre lighten our hartes so shall Israel reioyce and all the people truly know thee and prayse thy name for euer Amen Aggaeus 1. Thus speaketh the Lord of hostes saying This people say The time is not yet come that the Lords house should be builded Then came the word of the Lord by the ministery of the prophet Hagge saying Is it time for your selues to dwell in your seiled houses and this house lie waste THese words be written in the first Chapter of the Prophet Aggaeus For better vnderstandyng wherof I must call to your remembrance the storie of that time vpon occasion wherof these words were spoken Almighty God beinge for many and sundrye causes highly displeased with his people the Iewes after he had chastened thē many wayes and sawe none amendement at the laste gaue them ouer into the handes of their enemies and suffered both the kinge and all the people of the countrie to be carryed away prisoners into Babylon where they continued in miserie the space of seuentie yeeres In the meane season their countrey partly lay waste and grewe full of wylde beastes partly was inhabited by foreyners the temple that Salomon had built them the stateliest richest work of the whole world was burnt to the grounde and all the ornaments therof rauened vp and caried into Babylon After fiftie yeres king Cyrus shewed fauour towardes his people did lycence them to depart home agayne But as they were aboute the building vpon occasion of cōplaint of their enemies the whole worke was stayed At y ◠length after 70. yeeres God remembred his promise and mercy and stirred vp the heart of king Darius king of Persia who had then conquered the Chaldees to lycence the Iewes to depart home agayne into their countrie and to reedifie theyr Citie and Temple This king Darius as the Rabbines or Doctors of the Iewes and most parte of learned men coniecture was sonne vnto the king Assuerus begotten of the good Ladie Queene Hester which Ladie Hester he maried after he had imbased diuorced from hym the prowd and stubborne Queene Vasthi This was Gods marueylous prouidence by that meanes twice to deliuer his people Fyrst by the good Lady Hester from the tyranny of Hamā as it appeareth by the storye and after by her child Darius cleerely to delyuer them and
wil be their God and they shalbe my people Let vs then know this our selues of others let vs with the prophet Esay say Therfore let them see and knowe let them consider and vnderstande together that the hand of the Lorde hath done this Hee is able to set starres and heauens out of course to set the Sunne backe and to make it stand to open the earthe to deuide the sea to make the drie rocke to yeelde water to make the clouds to giue breade to make Children to preach to make an Asse to speak to make the diuels to confesse his holy name to say I know who thou art euē y e holy one of god With this power he blew downe the walles of Hiericho with this power he beateth downe whatsoeuer holde is built vp against god This power standeth not in worldly strength but is shewed in weakenesse God hath chosen the weake thinges of the worlde to confounde the mightie things saith the Apostle Paule Some trust in chariots some in horses but wee will remember the name of the Lorde our God Our helpe is in the name of the Lorde which hath made both heauen and earth Thus is the prince of darknesse caste out thus is the Gospell of Christe caried throughoute the world this is the ouerthrowe of Hiericho this is the might of Gods hande But is Hiericho so layde flat that no mā wyl attempt or wishe to restore it Uerily it was afterward restored in the dayes of Achab but bee that restored it was accursed Euen so it fareth with this spirituall Hiericho it is neuer so blowne downe but some woulde wyshe to rayse it vp God deliuered his people out of Egypt and yet there were that looked backe and wisht to bee there agayne and when they had Manna in their mouthes they thought it a lothsome and a squamishe meate and wisht for their Goordes and Ouyons and hauinge the Angels of God to goe in visible forme before them to hee their guydes both daye and night yet wyshed to bee vnder Pharao in the house of bondage to be tormented with labors to liue in tyrannie and oppression where they had their children slayne before their faces Notwithstandinge God had deliuered his people from the captiuitie of Babilon yet the greatest part of them remayned still there and would neuer returne to see Ierusalem Babylon the great citie is fallen and is become the habitation of deuils yet Iohn sayeth Many shall mourne and weepe lament and cry ouer her alas alas the great citie Babilon the mightie citie Babilon that was clothed in fine linnen and purple skarlet gylded with golde precious stone pearles What citie was like to this great citie Dauid sayth Their sounde is gone foorth through all y t earth their words into the ends of the world And the prophet Esaye Howe beautifull vpō the mountaines are y e feete of him y t declareth publisheth peace y t declareth good tydings publisheth saluation Yet S. Paul saith They haue not al obeyed the gospel And Esay Lord who hath beleeued our report or to whō is the arme of the lord reueled And againe I haue spred out my hands all the day vnto a rebellious people whiche walked in a way y t was not good after their owne imaginations The truth of god is not alway taken it is neuer so receiued that euery man liketh thereof The Lord knoweth who are his and to whom he wil make himselfe knowne Christ himselfe was a stumblinge stone vnto the vnbeleeuinge Iewes and a signe that should be spoken against Saint Iohn saith This is the condēnation that light is come into the world men loued darknes rather thē light because their deedes were euill The Gospel of Christ is the power of god to saluation it is the sauour of life vnto life yet is it also the sauour of death vnto death For many wyll not suffer wholesome doctrine but hauing their eares itching shal after their owne lust get them a heape of teachers and shal turne their eares from the truth and shal be giuē vnto fables shal giue heede vnto sprits of error doctrins of deuils Because wisdom cannot enter into a wicked hart nor dwell in a body that is subiect to sinne the deuil the prince of this worlde was cast foorth yet S. Peter sayeth He walketh about like a roaring lion seking whō he may deuour And euen so standeth it with Ierusalem the Cittie of the Lorde and that cursed Cittie Hiericho Many refuse the blessinge of the Lorde in their deliuerance from vnder Pharao and feedinge them with heauenly Manna and giuinge them his Angels to be their guides they wyll not returne home to their owne countrey out of their captiuitie in Babylon though they see the iudgements of God done vpon proude Babilon yet they mourne and lament ouer it they looke not vpon the hands that are spread all the day vnto them they obey not the gospel Christe is vnto them a stumbling stone and so seeke they to restore agayne Hiericho which the Lord hath ouerthrowen and which he would not haue built againe but curseth them that shall seeke to restore it And this doe they because they knowe not how amiable the Tabernacles of the Lord are because they did neuer taste and see howe sweete the Lord is Three speciall helpes the deuil hath vsed to further this purpose of restoring Hiericho First the hard heart blindnes of the people secondly the eloquēce and subtil perswasion of the learned thirdly the sworde and violence of tyrants Of these three the first is the greatest for blindnesse and stubburnnesse wyll preuayle where cunning and tyranny can doo nothinge Hereof the prophet Ieremy complayneth My people is foolish they haue not known me they ar foolish childrē haue none vnderstādīg they ar wise to do euil but to do wel they haue no knowledge Of this sort our sauiour speaketh This peoples heart is waxed fat their eares are dul of hearing with their eies haue they winked least they shuld see with their eies heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts should returne that I might heale them Of this sort Esay reporteth It is a rebellious people lying children and children that would not heare the law of the Lorde whiche say vnto the Seers see not vnto the prophets prophecie not vnto vs right things but speake flattering things vnto vs prophesie errors depart out of the way goe out of the path cause the holy one of Israel to cease from vs. Through blindnes stubburnes al the children of Israel murmured against Moses Aaron Wherfore now hath the lord brought vs to this land to fal vpō the sworde were it not better for vs to return into Egipt Therfore y e lord said I wil do to thē as they haue spoken they shal not see the
eyes are ouer the righteous and whiche is nigh vnto all that call vpon hym was also able to make his owne cause good to giue courage to his Seruantes tremblinge and anguish of minde to their enemies For the more his seruannts were deminished the more they encreased and the more tyrants preuailed the more they were weakened He that should die was bold and carelesse he that shoulde kyl was fearefully amazed the tormentor mourned the condemned reioyced the dead had the glorie the Tyrantes the shame their sacrifices decayed their Temples were forsaken theyr Goddes laught to scorne their Priestes were wood and lacked their large offringes the Lorde did let the curse fall vpon them whiche he made by his seruant Ioshuah and whiche shall come vpon al those that wyll seeke to raise vp Hiericho To rehearse the examples of Gods myghtye hande and to declare what hee hath done in all ages to shew foorth his power no tongue is able yet it is expedient to giue foorth one or two examples thereof Licinius an vngodly Emperour after hee had extended his force against the Christians to suppresse them and gaue greatest shew of his fauour to such about him as could best deuise new and straunge torments felt y e plagues of god was sundry times vanquished by Constantinus to whom he yeelded himself and led a priuate life in Thessalia vntill at length hee which had beene before the enemy vnto al learning was slayne by his own souldiers The palme of the hande whiche Balthazar saw write vpon the plaster of the wall did more amaze him his countenance was more changed and his thoughts more troubled therwith then if he dad bene assaulted with the force of a hundred thousand men King Pharaoh first saide to the messengers of God Moses Aaron I know not the Lord I care not for him But when he felt the smart of Gods hand he cried out vnto them The Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked pray ye vnto the Lord for it is enough that there be no more mighty thunders haile and I wil let you goe and you shal tarie no longer Antiochus placed idols in the Temple of God and blasphemed his name and brought Ierusalem into bondage he burnt the bookes of the Lawe in the fire and cut them in pieces that so the name of God might no more be remembred but when the tormentes which God cast vpon him began to vexe him then hee began to leaue off his great pride and selfe wil when he was plagued came to the knowledge of him selfe with the scourge of God when he himselfe might not abide his owne stinke he said It is meet to be subiect vnto God that a man which is mortal should not thinke himselfe equall to God through pride Then he prayed to the Lord then he deliuered the Iewes theÌ„ he would restore the temple then he would also become a Iew himselfe and goe through al the world and preach the power of God Maximianus practising the like attemptes was likewise striken his fleshe was eaten with lice his body rotted in wardly hee was not able to abyde the smel of himselfe Then hee confessed his errour found his guilte called in his proclamation stayed his sword and albeit it were against his mynd commaunded that the Christians shoulde haue their Bookes and vse their Churches and heare the Scriptures and call vppon the name of Christ as they had done before Iuliane of all other began most politiquely and subtlely and therefore most mightely to set vp Hiericho He gaue commandement that no Christian mans childe should goe to schoole deuising thereby to keepe them rude and barbarous that no Christian shoulde beare office or liue in any manner authoritye thereby to make them vyle that they should neuer be Captaynes or souldiers that so they might be kept in weaknes he remoued the Christians out of his court He opened againe the temple of the Heathen did erecte Idolles in them and the more to giue credit and countenaunce to the matter he himselfe being the Emperour tooke vpon him the office of a Bishop and did offer sacrifice many of the nobles many of y e people applied themselues to followe this example and did the like He liceÌ„ced the Iewes to returne home again to build vp Ierusalem he allowed them mony he gaue them liberties and all this onely in the despite of Christ onelye to discredite and deface the glory of the sonne of God Hereby the Heretikes vpbrayded and defied Christ the faithfull were dismayed and the church of GOD was brought to great confusion But now let vs enter into the sanctuary of the Lordes counsels and behold the later end of these doinges The Iewes fell to woorke layd their foundation prouided al thinges needefull and began to buylde sodainely brake out an earthquake and ouerthrew their worke lighteninges fel from heauen and burnt their tooles in their handes and their coates on their backs The print that the lightning made in their garments was a crosse in token that they were the enemies of the crosse of Christe Then was the name of Christ more glorious and his Gospell more beautiful then before Iulian tooke his iourney into Persia and had made great threates y t at his returne hee would consume the name of Christians roote out the name of the Galilaeans and not leaue one Christian aliue and would set vp the Image of Venus in all his Churches But being in the field he was sodainely striken in the breast with an arrow from heauen he pulled it out the wound was deadly he cursed Christ hee tooke of the blood into his hande threwe it vp into the ayre and thus cried Vicisti Galilaee O thou Christ of Galilee thou hast conquered Thus sodeÌ„ly the tyrant was sâ—aine his attempts were accursed his frame of Hiericho would not stand The faithful Christians were set at liberty they went to their Churches they gaue God y â— glory they made triumphs were ioyful Thus God looketh vpon his faithful such is the power and readines of his hand The diuel himselfe confessed that when any Christian was present his mouth was musted he could not speake he could doe nothing The like might be said of Nero Caligula Maximinus Dioclesian Valerian others they had â—oÌ„quered Fraunce Spain Germany EnglaÌ„d Hungarie Dalmatia Arabia India Persia Scithia they had the world at commandement yet a few poore Christians artificers women maydens ignorant and vnlearned people they coulde neuer conquer Nero had crucified Peter and beheaded Paule that preached the Gospel but the Gospel whiche they preached they could not behead they could not crucifie Nero Caligula Commodus and sundry others like â—yrants were slain Dioclesian as it is thought was striken mad made vnable to rule and therfore left the Empire Valerian was taken in the field by Sapores King of Persia and tyed in a chaine and being the Emperour of the
true hearts of your subiectes Oh turne and employ these to the glory of God that God may cōfirm in your Grace the thing which he hath begun To this ende hath GOD placed Kinges and Princes in their state as Dauid saith that they serue the Lorde that they may see and cause others to see to the furniture of the Church The good Emperor Iustinian cared for this as much as for his life Constantine Theodosius Valentinian other godly Princes called themselues Vasallos the subiects and bond seruants of God They remembred that God furnished them in their houses and were not vnmindful to furnish his house When Augustus had beautified Rome with setting vp many faire buildings he said Inueni lateritiam marmoream reddidi I foūd it made of bricke but I leaue it made of marble Your grace when God sent you to your inheritance and the right of this Realme founde the church in horrible confusion and in respect of y ◠true worship of God a church of brick or rather as Ezechiel saith daubed vp with vnseasoned morter Your grace hath already redressed the doctrine now cast your eyes towardes the Ministerie giue courage countenance vnto learning that Gods house may be serued so shal you leaue a Church of God a testimonie that the zeale of the Lords house hath eaten you vp And you O dearely beloued if there be any such which are neither hot nor colde which doe the work of the Lord negligently which esteem the word of GOD but as a matter of pollicie which are ashamed to bee called Professours of the Gospel of Christ pray vnto God that he wil increase your zeale Let vs continue rooted and built in Christ and stablished in the faith Let vs haue care for the house of God Whosoeuer is not after this sort zealous is a man of a double heart We may not halt between two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be he then go after him he that is not with Christ is against him Many talke of the Gospel and glorie in their knowledge but it is neyther talke nor knowledge whiche shal saue them in that day He that feareth the Lorde and serueth him with a pure heart and may truely saye the zeale of thine house hath consumed me he shall be saued If they shall not escape which haue zeale without knowledge what shall become of vs which haue knowledge without zeale And you whosoeuer you are that by such meanes haue decayed the Lordes House and abridged the prouision and maintenaunce thereof and see the miserable wracke of Gods Churche if there be any zeale of God in you if you haue any felowshippe of the spirite if any compassion and mercy if you loue God if you desire the continuance of the Gospel oh remember you haue the patrimonie due vnto them that shoulde attend in the Lordes house you take vnto your selues wrongfully that which was not lotted for you Giue vnto Caesar those things which belong to Caesar and vnto GOD the thinges which appertaine to him and make for the beauty and furniture of his house Enrich your selues by lawfull meanes and without the spoyle and waste of Gods Church Let not the Ministery by your meanes be despised You enriched them which mocked blinded deuoured you Spoyle not them now that feed and instruct and comfort you Let vs seeke the glory of God Let vs at length serue the Lorde and not our bellie and greedy wantonnesse So shal God blesse you and prosper you in al your affaires so shal he strike a terrour of you into all forreine Princes that dwell about you so shall your heart be kept stedfast in the hande of God so shal your heart be perfect before the Lorde so shall you leaue suche as shall alwayes praise the Lorde in Sion so shall you see your childrens children and peace vpon Israel And thou O most mercifull Father graunt that thy wordes be not spoken in vayne it is thy cause Thou art our father we are as claye in thine handes Thou hast the key of our hearts Giue zeale to them that haue knowledge giue knowledge to them that haue zeale that they may be inflamed and rauished with the loue of thy house to sorrow for the decay thereof and to doe al their indeuour to build vp and establish the same for euer Amen Matthew 9. Then said he to his disciples Surely the haruest is great but the labourers are few Wherefore pray the Lord of the haruest that he would send labourers forth into his haruest CHrist our Sauiour after he was baptized by Iohn tēpted by Satan in the wildernes began to execute y ◠Cōmission wherunto his father had sent him chose vnto him self a number of disciples to be at his commandement and so tooke his progresse through a great part of the Countrey In the meane way in euery place where he came he taught the people that the kingdome of God was come amongst them he healed their diseases wrought straunge miracles before their eies and gaue manye singular and euident tokens of his comming But specially he behelde in what state the poore people stood touching their readines in receiuing Gods truth in al the countrey where he had byn therfore at the end of his circuite he was moued w t pity said he saw thē in most woful case forsaken and lost as if they had byn a flocke of sheepe without a heard and that not through their owne malice but through the wilful blindnesse and negligence of them that were set to guide them Sheepe as Aristotle and Plinie write of them are a simple kinde of cattell profitable to many vses ready to receiue all maner wrongs without skil to helpe or succour it selfe it coueteth to breake out of the folde or close if it may espie any hole open it strayeth and wandreth abroade many times hangeth in the briers many times is taken vp by the Wolfe it is euer in dāger of the wynd rayne yea of the very grasse and water it liueth by and thereof is infected oftentimes with a number of maladies so that the health and safety of the sheepe resteth only in the care and diligence of the shephearde To such a kind of cattel are the people likened Christ saith not they were like vnruly sheep that would not be guided by their heard but he saith They were like poore lost sheep that had no heard at al. For the people of thēselues were not vnwilling to receiue the Gospel but there was none to instruct them And for that he addeth an other similitude to declare the same and saith The haruest indeed is great but the workmen are but few the corne is ripe ready to be cut but there lack hands to fetch it in The comming of these times was promised long afore euen from the first creation of mankinde but the perfourmance thereof at the first was darke and as it were wrapt vp and hid
Gods hands is to haue prophets preachers by whō they may be instructed When y ◠prophet declareth y ◠mercy of God towardes Israel y ◠he would put an end to their afflictions bring thē home again from Babylō he saith thus Behold saith the Lord I wil send out many fishers they shal fish thē In the like sort saith Esai How beautiful vpō y ◠moūtaines are the feet of him that declareth publisheth peace that declareth good tydings publisheth saluatiō saying vnto Siō thy god reigneth The voice of thy watchmē shalbe heard they shal lift vp their voyce shout together And Baruch Nor the Agarēs that sought after wisdom vpō the earth nor the marchāts of Nerrā Themā nor the expoūders of fables nor the scarchers out of wisdom haue known the way of wisedome There were the giāts famous frō the beginning that were of so great stature so expert in war Those did not the Lord choose neither gaue he the way of knowledge vnto thē but they were destroyed because they had no wisdome perished through their own foolishnes He hath foūd out al the way of knowledge hath giuē it vnto Iacob his seruant to Israel his beloued And againe O Israel we are blessed for the thinges that are acceptable to god are declared vnto vs. He hath not dealt so with euery nation neither haue they knowledge of his iudgmēts saith the Prophet Dauid But when God taketh away his ministers whiche should preach peace open vnto the people the wil of God make known his iudgemēts it is a token that God is highly displeased with his people Where there is no visiō the people decay they know not what to beleeue Of this misery speaketh Iere. The young children aske bread but no mā breaketh it vnto them Of this speaketh Esay The poore needy seeketh water there is none They would haue some counsell some comforte and there is no man to giue it them My sheepe wandered saith God through al the mountaines and on euery high hill yea my flock was scattered through all the whole earth and none did seeke or searche after them They were full of diseases they were pined for hunger and taken vp by the wolfe but none had care to deliuer them In such state as the flocke is in which hath no shepheard or the shippe which is tossed by the tempestes amiddes the surges and rockes of the Sea and hath no skilful Pilote to guide it or the yong sucking childe that hath no nource to feede it euen in such stace are your soules if you haue not the ministery of Gods worde abyding with you You are children the Preacher is your nource you are a shippe in daunger of many wreckes through the boysterous tempests of this worlde the Preacher is your Pilote to guide you safely towardes the hauen of rest you are the flocke the Preacher leadeth you from dangerous places to feede vpon the whole some pastures of Gods holy worde Whosoeuer they be which reioyce not in the increase of the Lords haruest hee forsaketh them and leaueth them comfortlesse and giueth them fewe or no labourers Wherfore pray the Lorde of the haruest that he would send forth labourers into his haruest It is the Lorde which casteth the firste seede into the earth whiche doeth moysten the ground and maketh it fruitful and giueth forth his sunne that it may come to ripening Al the soile field corne and the husbandry therof is the Lordes Let vs pray to him to send forth labourers to trauaile and take paines Notwithstanding we ought to praye to God that hee will stirre vp and set foorth men to instruct his people yet that nothing embarreth the authority of princes For as God calleth him inwardly in the heart whom he wil haue to bee a minister of his word so must he be authorized of his Prince by outward and ciuil calling as I could shew at large if time would suffer it So Salomon the king deposed Abiathar the high priest and set vp Sadoc So Iustinian deposed two bishops of Rome Siluerius Vigilius authorized others And the same Iustinian was wont to say that he had no lesse regarde to the Church of God thē he had to his own soule So Constantinus Valentinianus and Theodosius called themselues Vasallos Christi The vasals of Christ And Socrates in his story saith Wee haue also herein comprised the Emperours liues for that sithence the Emperours were first christned the affaires of y ◠church haue depended of them the greatest counsels both haue byn are kept by their aduise It pertaineth therefore also to kings and Princes to send out labourers into the haruest Labourers they must be and not loyterers For Christ compareth the teaching of his people to thinges that be of greate labour as to plowing and fallowing of the grounde to planting of a Uine to rearing of a House to threshing of Corne to feeding of sheepe to leading of an Hoste and keeping of warre in which thinges is required much diligence and labour Cato in his bookes of husbandry saith it was an old saw among husbandmen Qui terram colit ne sedeat est enim aliquid semper quod agat He that plougheth the ground must not sit stil for he hath alwaies somwhat to do The worke of the husbandman is neuer ended hee falloweth stirreth soweth harroweth weedeth and tendeth his land Therefore if they he Pastours let them feede the flocke if they be Doctours let them teach the people if they be watchmen let them stande vppon their watche if they bee messengers let them doe their erraunt This is the way to buylde vp the Churche of Christ This commission Christ gaue vnto his Disciples Ite in mundum vniuersum c. Goe ye into al the world and preach the Gospel vnto euery creature Thus by twelue poore Apostles al the world was conquered Princes and kings and Emperours were subdued to the faith of Christ This is the key that openeth the conscience this is the two edged sword which entreth through euen to the diuiding asunder of y e soule and the spirit Therefore the Apostle saith The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe holds casting down the imaginations euery hie thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captiuity euerie thought to the obedience of Christ This is the only instrumēt wherwith we may cut down and haue in the haruest of God For all mens deuises Actes Iawes or commandements be the authority thereof neuer so great yet are not sufficient to content one mans conscience For the wisedome of man is but follie before God God knoweth the fancies and cogitations of men that they be but vayne and foolish Aristotle the great wise Philosopher on a time being sick when the phisition came to him to minister him