inhibition at this day against a number of gospellers For many false Brethren abuse the gospell and make it a common Cloake for their Usurie Adulterie and Crueltie To them the Lord might say I wil haue Mercie and not the Gospell Noe not the Gospell so professed as they professe it The seconde kinde of Sacrifice mentioned in Scripture is the Sacrifice of Christ which the Lorde wil haue For howsoeuer hee tollerated the bloode of Gotes and the bloode of Calues for the time yet hee coulâ—e not bee pleased with any other but with this onely As for al other Sacrificesâ— they were but Shadowes this was the body They were but huskes this was the Kernel They were but Chaffe this was the Wheate They were but Leaues this was the fruite They were but signes this was the thing signified and the trueth it selfe For Christe Iesus beeing the brightnesse of the fathers glory and the ingraued forme of his person humbled himselfe vpon the Crosse and offred his body to affliction his soule to anguish all too purge our sinnes whereby hee hath wrought our atonement with God and taken away the cursse of the Lawe and destroyed the woorkes of the Deuill and tryumphed ouer hell it selfe O blessed Sacrifice No sauour but this could perfume our stincking soules No sacrifice but this coulde pacifie the wrath of God And heere deerely beloued we may see an other benefite which we haue and inioy in Christe who hath giuen him selfe a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauour to God that hee might purge our sinnes The Lorde make vs thankfull for this benefite and faithfully to take holde of it in all the assaultes of Satan The thirde kinde of Sacrifice is the Sacrifice of Christians which S. Peter calleth an especiall sacrifice acceptable to God for Christes sake and this kinde of Sacrifice is manifolde as may be gathered in Scripture The Sacrifice of a sorrowful heart The Sacrifice of God Psal 51. is a troubled spirite and a broken and contrite heart O God shalt thou not despise This sacrifice Christians ought to offer vp as often as they call to minde their wicked and sinfull wayes Secondly we haue the Sacrifice of Righteousnesse which is newnesse of life true godlines This sacrifice Christians are willed to offer by the prophet Dauid Psal 4. Offer to god the sacrifice of righteousnes put your trust in the Lord that is walke in the light as Children of the light haue no felowship with the vnfaithfull workes of darkenesse Resist the flesh liue in the spirit this is to offer sacrifice of Righteousnesse Thirdly we find in Scripture the sacrifice of Praise and thanksgiuing which is called the Calues of Christian lips Offer to God praise Psal 50. pay thy vowes vnto the most highe That is shew thy self mindfull of Gods benefits by thanksgiuing Fourthly we haue the sacrifice of almes whereof the Apostle speaketh To doe good and to Heb. 13. distribute forget not for with such sacrifice God is pleased And this sacrifise is to be offered of much plenteâ—usly and of little diligently and it shall be accepted according too that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Lastly we haue the Sacrifice of obedience or reasonable seruice of God which Saint Paule commendeth I beseech you therfore Rom. 12. brethren by the mercies of God that you giue your bodyes a liuing Sacrifice holy and acceptable too God which is your reasonable seruice of God This Sacrifice we are to offer as often as wee celebrate the Lordes Supper For as the carnall Sacrifices of the Iewes were too foreshewe the blessed Sacrifice of Christ to come So muste this liuely Sacrifice of our soules and bodyes bee offred vp too testifie that it is already come that his body is already broken and his blood already shed for the remission of sinnes Heerevppon it is that the Schoolemen say that the Lordes Supper is a Sacramente and a Sacrifice It is a Sacrament in that we receiue the bread and Wine in remembraunce that Christ his body was giuen and his blood shedd for the remission of sinne It is a Sacrifice in that wee doe offer vpp our selues that is our soules and bodyes too shewe our thankfulnesse for so greate a benefite These are the Sacrifices which christians are of dutie to offer vnto God who will haue them and accept them for Iesus Christes sake And in respect of these Sacrifices Christianitie is a Royall priesthoode and Christians are Royall Priestes Their heartes are royall Aultars Their faith is Royall Incence And their feruent loue towards God and man is a Royall fire to make them haue a sweete sauour before God The Sacrifice of the Masse But what shall wee say of the Sacrifice of the Masse Is not that holy sacrifice to be numbred among those which the Lord will haue When the Church of Roome and all her Catholike children make so great accounte of it which is of force to releace the tormented soules in purgatory and to chace away Deuils from the possessed in Earth which whoso euer heareth as long as he heareth it he shall neuer wax olde which preserueth yong children in their mothers wombes deliuereth both olde and young from al imminent perils and daungers No I auouche and protest that the Lord will not haue it strugle the Catholicks neuer so mightely shuffle they neuer so cunningly for the magnifying of their Idol The Lorde will not haue it It is a worlde to see how eueÌ„ of late they began to set vp their crests and to clapp their wings as if they would crowe the Pope day againe into England all because they imagine that their golden day begins to spring wherein the masse shal shine againe Yea they begin to looke vpon vs as if the Deuil should look ouer Lincolne and doe account it halfe heresie to speake to any man that is a known Gospeller They passe by vs humming mumming and whether they wishe out heads in their dishes or their swords in our bellyes wee cannot tell yea or noe But let them knowe that their sacrifice of the Masse is too full of Idolatrie abomination and blasphemie for the Lord to heare it And doe they thinke that her maiestie the Lords annoynted wil heare it God be thanked by the space of one and twentie yeeres shee hath bin a nursing and a naturall mother to the gospel and now will shee become a stepmother and fancy the Masse No it hath caused too many conspiracies and rebellions against her most noble persoÌ„ for her maiestie euer to brooke it euen in pollicie And whereunto serue the Prayers of Gods children her faithfull subiects but euen to beseech God to continue her maiesties godly proceedings that shee may be so farre from backsliding as to growe from grace to grace from faith to faith that as shee hath planted nourished the Gospel so she may not be ashamed of the Gospel which is saluation to
losse of his life will at all times bee willing to minister the same to the glory of his name Therefore oh my soule be of good comfort and cheere thy selfe in the Lord for if thou maist but touch the hemme of his vesture by faith thou shalt be whole And this deerely beloued is one of the benefites and blessed Tryumphes which we inioy through Christe and his Gospel That he is our Phisition which is bothe willing and able too heale all our diseases of sinne be they neuer so greeuous which indeede is a benefite without comparison The Lorde make vs thankfull for it and open our eyes that wee may see it cleerely in the cloudy dayes of desperation The seconde comparison The whole neede not c. The seconde comparison heere to bee noted is that the Pharisees be lykened to whole men which kinde of comparison we must so much the more diligently marke how much the more straungely it is made For he calles them whole not because they were so indeede but in derision because they were so perswaded of them selues smoothing vp their foule faultes with selfe loue and selfe lyking In the like sense Elias called the abhominable Idol Baal God not that hee was so but because his Priestes did so account of him Likewise Paule calleth Satan the God of this worlde not that he either made or redeemed or ruled the worlde but because worldlings serue him more duely then the liuing God After the same manner our Sauiour in the third answere calles the Pharisees righteous euen because they were so bewitched with the workes of their owne hands that they made no accounte of the righteousnesse of God There cannot be a more especiall token of reprobation then when the Lorde falles to laughing and scorning his enemyes as you shall finde in perusing the 2. Psalme A man that had seene these Pharisees outwardly woulde haue thought that our Sauiour had beene in good earnest when he coÌ„pareth them to whole or sound men For none had more regarde of Moyses law then they they would not abrogate one ceremony there commaunded None fasted more then they twise in the weeke was the least None prayed more then they in euery street they went babling mumbling their prayers None gaue almes more then they they souÌ„ded trumpets to haue the greater resort of the pore None payd tithes better then they they left nether Mint ne CuÌ„min vntiched yea if you looked in their handes you shoulde see scrowles wherein the lawe was written If you looked in their forheads you might see the law written If you looked vpon their doore postes ye might see the Lawe written If you looked in their garments you might finde thornes and needles too make them remember the the Lawe written They had alwayes in their mouthes Templum Domini Templum Domini You coulde no sooner aske them of their Proginie but they would be ready to answere Pater noster Abraham And when any inquired of their inheritance they would tel him Nos haeredes terrae promissionis What a wonderfull matter was this were not these men whole and sounde Indeede to the outward appeeraÌ„ce they were but what they were inwardly those manifold woes which our sauiour Christe pronounced against theÌ„ Mat. 22. may at large testifie And now you may see that it is one thing for a man to be whole in the sight of God an other thing in the sight of the world He is whole in the sight of god which beleeueth that Iesus Christ is able willing to heale his disease of sin But he is whole in the sight of the worlde which thinks that the works of his owne hands do make him sound And this is such a kind of health as I pray God neuer any good christian haue set the Pope neuer so greate store by it assuredly it is farre worse then any sicknesse in the worlde If the rules of Phisicke be true That there is no disease like too that when a man thinkes him selfe whole and yet is hearte sicke I might heere stande in comparison betweene the Pope and the Pharisees and shewe you that they bothe are alike whole sound but it is no matter of such importaunce as I haue to speake therefore to the thirde comparison The thirde comparison The sicke neede c The third comparison is of the Publicanes and sinners vnto sick men which haue neede of the Phisition These Publicanes had beene as very cutâ—hrotes and Catchpoules as euer lyued But as he goes farre that neuer returnes so they at the length hearing our sauiour preach repentance and remission of remission of sin had remorse of conscience in so much that their disease had cleaued faste vnto their bones had they not hearde of a Phisition which was bothe willing and ready to helpe them The panges of sinne pricking the conscience are euen as the fittes of sicknesse gryping the heart causing many a deepe sigh and many a pitious grone Dauid beeing in the agonie of sinne bemones him selfe after this manner Haue mercie vppon mee O Lorde for I am weake O Lorde heale Psal 6. me for my bones are vexed My soule is also soretroubled but Lorde howe long wilt thou delay And Paule was no sooner griped at the hart with the remembraunce of his sinne but hee cryed mainly out saying O miserable maÌ„ c Yea and all the godly considering howe many wayes God hath blessed them and howe vnthankfully they haue behaued themselues considering againe their dayly trespasses and offences and howe long the Lorde hath looked for their amendment and how often he called them to repentance by and by they fall sicke grone so rufully that you would lament too heare them O my tender Father whome I haue displeased O my sweete redeemer Christe Iesus whome I haue crucified againe O my soueraigne comforte the holy Ghoste whome I haue greeued O the time that I haue mispent O the grace that I haue dispised O the creatures of God that I haue abused Wo worth my vncleaue thoughts Woe worth my idle wordes Wo worth my damnable workes O howe bitter is the cursse of the lawe Howe heauy is the burthen of my sinne Howe horrible is yâ— sight of death How intollerable are the paines of hel Ah my soule begins to faint therfore help me to a phisitioÌ„ or els I perish I dye Do you not think deerly beloued that a PhisitioÌ„ should not be welcome well intreated among such sicke soules as these yes neuer hart so thristed after the Riuers of waters as they long after Iesus Christ Such men haue nede of the Phisition and therefore they will seeke vnto him as these Publicanes did yea and because of their necessitie they will honor him likewise in calling him to their houses biding him to their feasts they are so desirous of health saluation In whome wee haue a notable president how to behaue our selues in our sicknesse of sin First that we must seeke our Phisition
doth likewise call vs to repentance and amendment of life Lastly his death conspired by his owne disciple pursued by his owne nation purposed by his owne father purchased by our sins without any desert of his own doth it not strike our hearts and wound our consciences with remorse Those bloody tears those piteous grones those cruell scourgings those reprochfull buffetings those bitter tauntings and raylings which hee put vp in al patience as the due rewards for our sins shal they not make vs morne and lament when they made the vayle of the temple to rent in sunder the gates to open the dead bodies to arise the earth to quake and tremble and the sunne to waxe darke If an earthly prince shuld punish euery rebellion treason conspiracy contempt offence and default which his subiects make vpon his beloued son would they not in pitie be ashamed sory too Our heauenly father punished the sinnes of the whole worlde vppon Iesus Christ his only begotten sonne hanging him vpon the crosse Oh then where is our sorrowe why are we not ashamed to heape sinne vpon sinne and to nayle him to the crosse againe Thus is Christes coÌ„ming the meanes of our calling wherin are included other more special means as ye shal heare in the next circumstance The second circumstance Moreouer in these wordes we are giuen to vnderstande who they are which Christ came purposely to cal I come not to cal the righteus but sinners c Yea and this circumstance may stirre vs vp to magnifie the benefite of our calling as much as any For here we see plainly that he renounceth al those which think better of themselues then sinners as these Pharises who dreamed that their owne righteousnes was sufficient to fulfill the lawe without Christ But what is the matter that he doth so flatly deny that hee came to cal the righteous It is wel worth the noting For whom doth he cal righteous but those which trust onely in their owne righteousnes and make no account of the righteousnesse of Christ Nowe these he doth renounce First because it was the determinate wil purpose of his father which sent him that whosoeuer wil make himself righteous is his owne Christ his own Iesus shal lye stil in blindnes sleep in his own coÌ„fusion An other cause may be that forsomuch as he came purposely to seeke to saue that which was lost the righteous imagin that they neuâ—r went astray therefore he lets them be as they are An other reason may yet be taken of the setting forth his fathers glory for that there shal be more ioy in heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth then ouer ninety and nine iust persons which need no repentance And no doubt if hee had offred to cal them he had but lost his labour For had he said to them as he did to Matthewe Come folow me they would haue answered by and by We folow Abraham our father we folow Moses our Prophete wee followe the lawe of God we haue ceremonies we haue traditions wee haue prescriptions wee haue our inuentions to followe we looke for another maner of Messias to followe then such a beggerly outcast as thou art Therefore go where thou wilt we will not follow thee Wherfore dearely beloued beware howe you stand vpon your owne righteousnes because of a few good workes surely you haue no more portion in Christ then the veriest Pharisie that euer was For if our Sauiour Iesus will be found faithfull in his Messiaship he must renouÌ„ce you and say I came not to call the righteous Not the righteous whom then sinners sinners Beholde dearely beloued if you thinke to reape the benefites of Christes comming you must humble your selues and become sinners But how or in what maner doeth he call sinners The callyng of Christ is of two sorts the one is coÌ„moÌ„ wherwith we are in deed stirred vp after a sort but not effectually bouÌ„d brought to the purpose for that they are not pleased with the meanes as Gods worde the Sacraments Sermons c and this is common to the reprobate righteous as wel as to the elect sinners Now the other is a conuenient and a mightie calling wherby the minds of sinners are touched and thorowly charged For in this very manner hee doeth call sinners to repentance First hee soundeth in their eares by the voyce of his Lawe the greate daunger of death and dampnation wherein they stand because they haue so wilfully transgressed his coÌ„mandements this striks them in such horror of their sinnes feare of his vengeance that they would be glad to be reconciled to God the father lest he shuld poure vpon them their deserued punishment Then he sends them the sweete comfort of the gospel which shews them that Iesus Christ is become their mediator aduocate if they beleeue in him they shal be safe sure whervpoÌ„ he giues theÌ„ faith plants it so fast in theÌ„ that nothing can drawe them from Christ And lest this faith shuld be Idle frutlesse he sends them the holy ghost the spirit of adoptioÌ„ to work in their hearts according to their calling And thus you see how Iesus Christ calleth sinners to repentance If you should question farther with me enquire of the time when hee calleth sinners That is counsaile to vs. For there is no time excepted there is no time to be in this world Therefore let no man dispair For hee cannot bee called so late into the Lords vineyard but he shal haue his peny wel truely paide him Lastly if you yet question further with me and enquire the cause why he calleth sinners and not righteous I must either hold my peace or els with Paule exclaime saying O the deepnes of the riches both of the wisdome Rom. 11. knowledge of God How vnsearchable are his Iudgements and his wayes past finding out Who hath knowen the mind of the lord or who was his counsailor c. For dearly beloued be it knowen vnto you heauen earth shal beare me witnes that the Lord in his doings is neither vniust nor vnmerciful No he is most iust and most merciful Is not hee most iust which hath punished with extreme rigor the offences of al those sinners whom he calleth vpon his own dear son Iesus Christ yea and wil no vouâ—safe to receiue them into his glory vntill hee hath perfectly iustified and sanctified theÌ„ in Christ is he not most mercifull who hath elected and called those which had neither worke nor meat but onely a liuely faith in the blood of Christ which hee himself had giuen them Therefore let al sinners reioice in the Lord againe and againe for Christ came to cal them c. The third circumstance Lastly we see here to what end purpose we are called in Christ to repeÌ„tance To call sinners to repentance is to work two things in them that is to make theÌ„ knowe