God and doeth it both are one for his worde is his will and therefore it is called his will As hee spake therefore of doing so hee speaketh of a certaine rule which hee calleth The worde of God whereby all mens doinges must be squared for if I doe all the workes that I can to satisfie an others will or mine owne will it auaileth mee nothing with God because I doe it not for God Therefore hee which alwaies before followed his owne will when hee was stricken downe to the ground and began to repent he cryed out Lorde what wilt thou haue mee to do as if he should saye I will doe no more as men would haue mee or as the diuell would haue mee but as thou wouldest haue mee So Dauid praide Teach mee O Lorde to do thy will not my will for wee woulde not to be taught to doe our owne will euerie man can goe to hell without a guyde Here is the rule nowe if you liue by it then you are knit to Christ. As other kindreds go by birth or by marriage so this kindred goeth by faith and obedience Hearers are but halfe kinne as it were in a farre degree But they which heare and doe are called his mother which is the nearest kinne of all Therefore if you haue the deede then you are kinne in deed There is no promise made to bearers nor to speakers nor to readers but all promises are made to beleeuers and to doers If you aske God Who shall rest in the holie mountaine he sayeth the man which walketh vprightly doeth Iustice Here are none but doers If yee aske Christ Who shall enter into the kingdome Hee saith Not they which crye Lorde Lorde though they crye twise Lorde But they which doe the will of my Father Here are none but deedes If you aske him againe howe you may come to heauen hee sayeth Keepe the commaundements If you aske him againe who are blessed He sayth Blessed are they that heare the worde of God and doe it If you aske an Angell who are blessed He sayeth Blessed are they that keepe the wordes of this booke If you aske the Prophet Dauid who are blessed Hee sayeth The man is blest that keepeth iudgement and doeth righteousnes If you aske Salomon who are blessed Hee sayeth The man is blest that keepeth the Lawe If you aske Esay who are blessed He sayeth He which doeth this is blessed If you aske Iames who is blessed He sayth The doer of the worde is blessed in his deede Here you see al these are none but doers Thus blessing and doing runne together lest any man should looke to be blessed without obedience Christ calleth Loue the greatest commandement but Salomon calleth Obedience the ende of all as though without obedience all were to no ende When Micah had gotten a Leuite into his house now he sayth I know the Lord will be good vnto mee seeing I haue a Leuite in my house so manie thinke when they haue goten a Preacher into their parish now the Lord wil be good vnto vs now Christ will loue vs now we are good sonnes seing we maintaine a Preacher amongest vs But Micah was not blest for a Leuite nor you for a Preacher But as you would haue vs doe as wee teach so GOD would haue you doe as you heare for you shall bee no more saued for hearing than wee for speaking When God created the tree he commaunded it to bring foorth fruit so when he created Faith he commaundeth vs to bring foorth workes and therefore it is called a liuely faith When our Sauiour woulde proue himselfe vnto Iohn Baptist to be the Messias in deede he saith to his disciples tel what things you haue heard seene not onely heard but seene So if we will proue our selues to be Christes kinsmen in deede we must worke that which may be seen as well as heard Iohn Baptist was not onely called the voice of a cryer which might be heard but a burning lamp which might be seene so all which are crying voices must be burning lamps Iames doth not saie let me heare thy faith but let mee see thy faith As the Angels put on the shape of men that Abraham might see them so faith must put on works that the world may see it The works which I do saith Christ beare witnes of me so the works which wee do must beare witnes of vs. Therefore Christ linketh faith and repentance together Repent beleeue the Gospell Therefore I conclude That which Christ hath ioyned let no man separate Thus I haue shewed you Christ preaching and a great prease hearing his kinsfolkes interrupting Christ againe withstanding the interruption By this you may see what a spite the diuel had to hinder one sermon therefore no maruell though hee cause so manie to bee mute no maruell though he stand so against the learned ministerie No maruell though hee raise such slaunders vpon Preachers no maruell though he write so many books against the Christiā gouernment in the Church no maruell though he make so manie ingrossers of church liuing that being themselues without conscience are vnwilling to haue the cure of soules committed to any other thā such as themselues for these men make him the god of this worlde The Diuell is afraide that one Sermon will conuert vs and wee are not mooued with twentie so the diuell thinketh better of vs than wee are Againe by this wee may knowe howe to withstande temptations whether it be the father mother brother sister kinsman rulers master or wife that tempteth As Christ would not knowe his mother against his father so thou shouldst not knowe any father or mother or whosoeuer against God If a mothers sute may be refused somtimes a mightie mans wil may be refused too he which can turne his hinderance to a furtherance as Christ did here may make vse of euerie thing Againe by this you may learne how to choose your friend As Christ counted none his kinsmen but such as heare the worde of God do it So wee should make none our familiars but such as Christ counteth his kinsmen Againe by this you may see the difference betweene Christ and the world Christ calleth the godly his kinsmen though they be neuer so poore wee scorne to call the poore our kinsmen though they be neuer so honest so prowd is the seruaunt aboue his master Againe by this yee may knowe how Christ is to be loued for when he calleth vs his mother he sheweth vs the waye how to loue him like a mother for in deede he is the mother of his mother and his brethren too Againe by this all vaunting boasting of kindred is cut of Glorie not that thou hast a gentleman to thy father but that thou hast God to thy father Glorie not that thou hast Kings to thy brethren but glorie that thou hast the Lorde to
thy brother Hee which called Abraham his father fried in hell fier because God was not his father If Marie might not be prowde of such a sonne as Christ much lesse may wee bragge of any friend or sonne that wee haue Againe by this you may knowe whether you be kinne to Christ as those priestes were shut out of the Temple which could not count their Genealogie from Aaron so they shall bee shut out of heauen which cannot reckon their pedegree from Christ. Here are the Armes now whereby you may shewe what house you come of If you heare the worde of God and doe it then Christ saith vnto you as he said vnto them these are my mother and my brethren my sisters you women are his sisters you men are his brethren and if you be Christes brethren then are you Gods sonnes and if yee be Gods sonnes then are yee his heires for all Gods sonnes are called heires Lastly by this yee may knowe the diuels kinsmen for if Christ counted none his kinsmen but they which heare the worde of God then they which doe not hear the word of God but contemne it are the diuels kinsmen and therfore Christ sayeth You are of your father the aiuell for the diuell and the wicked are as nere kinne as Christ and the faithfull Now as Dauid sayeth Seemeth it a light thing vnto you to be the sonne of a King seeing I am a poore man and of small reputation so I may say seemeth it a light thing vnto you to be the sonnes of a King the King of Kings seeing you are pooremen and of small reputation It is counted a great honour to Abraham Isaac and Iacob that God was not ashamed to be called their God What an honour than is this that God is not ashamed to be called our Father nay our brother as though we were matches with him If the Israelites had such care to marrie with the seruaunts of God what a blessing is this to marrie with the sonne of God Therefore if anie affect rich kinsmen or great marriages here is a greater than Salomon to marrie with you this kinsman of ours is nowe gone vp into heauen that we may haue a friend in the court IOSEPH desired the Butler to remember him when hee stoode before PHARAOH and he forgot though he had pleasured him but a theefe desired Christ to remember him when hee came into his kingdome and he receiued him into Paradise the same daie though hee had alwaies offended him to shew that though wee haue beene as bad as theeues yet wet may haue hope in Christ. Therfore I may conclude you haue heard the worde If you goe awaie and doe it then you are mother brethren and sisters of this heauenly King to whom with the Father the Holie Spirite be all honour and glorie for euer and euer Amen FINIS Gen. 3. 6. Iob. 2. 9. Math. 12. 47. Mark 3. 31. Luk. 8. 10. Gen. 25. 25 Deut. 15. 22. Gen. 12. 5. Luke 2. 51 Iohn 19. 26. Luke 20. 25. Mat. 19. Exod. 20. 12. 1. King 2. 16. Ephes. 6. 1 Rom. 13. 5 Act. 4. 19. Mat. 19. 5. Luk. 14. 26 Iohn 2. 4. 1. Sam. 2. Ioh. 1. Mat. 10. 14. 2. Iohn 1. Act. 27. 11. Gen. â— Heb. 12. 9. Galla. 4. 10 Gen. 43. 34 Psal. 11â— Act. 9. Psalm 15. 2 Mat. 7. 21 Luk. 18. Luk. 11. Reuel 21. 7. Psal. 106. 3. Pro. 29. 18 Esa. 56. 2. Iam. 1. 25. Iud. 17. 13. Gen. 1. Luk. 7. 22. Ioh. 1. 13. 5. 35. Iam. 2. 18. Gen. 18. 2. Ioh. 5. 36. Mar. 1. 15. Mar. 10. 9. The conclusion Luke 16. Rom. 8. 17 Iohn 8. 44 1. Sam. 18. 23 Gene. 40. 14. Luke 13. 42
THE AFFINITIE of the faithfull Being a verie Godlie and fruitfull Sermon made vpon part of the eight Chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke By Henrie Smith AT LONDON Printed by William Hoskins and Henrie Chettle for Nicholas Ling and Iohn Busbie 1591. Luke 8. 19 20 21. Then came to him his mother and his brethren and could not come neare him for the prease and it was tolde him by certaine which said thy mother and thy brethren stand without and would see thee but he answered and said vnto them my mother and my brethren are those which heare the word of God and doe it HEre Christ is preaching a great prease hearing his mother and his friends interrupting and Christ againe withstanding the interruption with a comfortable doctrine of his mercies towardes them which heare the word of God do it When Christ was about a good worke manie were gathered to heare him the diuell thought as the Priests and Sadduces did in the fourth of the Acts If I let him alone all the world will follow him and I shal be like Rahel without children therefote deuising the likeliest policie to frustrate difgrace but one of his Sermons thereby to make the people more vnwilling to heare him againe As he set Eue vpon Adam made Iobs wife his instrument when hee could not fit it himselfe so hee sendeth Christ his mother putteth in the minde of his kinsmen to come vnto him at that instant when hee was in this holy exercise call vppon him as he was preaching to come away and goe with them Christ seeing the Serpents dealing how he had made his mother his tempter that al this auditorie might goe away emptie say where they came Wee heard the man which is called Iesus and he began to preach to vs with such words as though he would carie vs to heauen but in the midst of his Sermon came his mother and brethren to him that it might be knowen what a kinsman they had and so soone as hee heard that they were come suddenly he brake off his Sermon and slâ—pt away from vs to goe and make mercie with them Christ I saie seeing this traine laied by Sathan to disgrace him as hee would do his miniâ—â—ers did not leaue off speaking as they thought hee would but as if God had appointed all this to credit it renowme him that which was noysed here to interrupt his doctrine he taketh for an occasion to teach another doctrine that there is another coniunction betweene Christ and the faithfull than betweene the mother and the sonne which are one flesh and therefore when they saie Thy mother thy brethren aâ—e come to speak with thee hee pointeth to his hearers and saith These are my mother and my brethren which heare the word of God and do it as if he should saie I haue a mother in deede which brought mee foorth but in respect of these which heare the worde of God and do it shee is like a stepmother and these are like a natural mother With this wise aunswere he quieted the auditors made them heare him better than they did before for nowe they thought with themselues what man is this which loueth vs more than his mother his mother called him yet he would not goe from vs his brethren staye for him and he maketh as if he did not know them but sayeth Who is my mother Who are my brethren Thus Christ stoode vp as I weene in an indignation against Sathan said Sathan this sermon was not begun for thee neither shall it ende for thee this worke was not done for my mother neither shall it be left for my mother Thus he caught the Diuell with his owne baite made the people more louing and attentiue to him by that which Sathan thought to disgrace him He was so armed with the spirite that let Diuell tempt or the woman tempt him or Princes tempt him all is one Here are two doubtes the first is the difference betweene the Euangelistes for Mathewe saith that one brought this message vnto Christ Marke and Luke attribute it vnto moe Both may stand for the worde which his mother gaue of calling him foorth was receiued of the rest and so passed amongest manie till it came vnto Christ so that one and manie may be saide to bring this message because one may sende it first and manie noyse it after The seconde doubt is because Christ had no brethren how then they saide Thy brethren woulde speake with thee You must vnderstand that they which are here called Christes brethren were his Cousins by the Mothers side that is to saie his Mothers sisters children for there were three Maries and these three were sisters Marie the virgine and Marie the mother of Iames Marie the wife of Cleophas whose sonnes these were their names were Iames and Ioseph Iudas and Simon and they are called the Lordes brethren because they weâ—e kinne vnto him Therfore note that in holie Scriptuâ—es there be iiij sortes of brethren brethren by nature so Esau and Iacob are called brethren because they had one father and one mother Brethren by Nation so all the Iewes are called brethren because they were of one countrey Brethren by affinitie so all are called brethren which were of one familie and so Abraham calâ—ed Lott his brother and Sara his sister because they were of one lyne Brethren by profession so all Christians are called brethren because they are of one Religion these were brethren of the thirde order that is by affinitie because they were of one familie Nowe when his mother and his brethren were come to see him it â—s said that they could not come neere him because of the prease here were auditours enough Christ saw now that his mother could haue no rome to heare him but after a while it was lowe water againe When the shepheard was striken the sheepe were scattered when he preached in the streetes and in the Temples and in the fieldes then many flocked after him but when hee preached vpon the Crosse then they left him which said they would neuer forsake him then there was as great a prease to see him die as there was here to heare him preach and manie of these which he calleth his mother and his brethren his sister were his betrayers and accusers and persecutors so inconstant we are in our zeale more than any thing else Thus much of their comming to the doctrine Here be two speakers one saith Thy mother and thy brethren are come to speake with thee the other sayeth These are my mother my brethren which heare the words of God do it The scope of the Euangelist is this First to shew that Christ would not hinder his doctrine for mother or brethren or any kinsmen then to shewe that there is a neerer coniunction between Christ and the faithfull than betweene the mother and the sonne The first is
alreadie and preach his conscience in reproouing sinne a voice commeth to him againe as this did to Christ and sayeth Thy friendes would haue thee be quiet or thou wilt be enuyed for that which thou sayest or there be fellowes which lye in wait to returne scornings for thy paines so somtimes with a litle intreatie he beginneth to drawe vp his hande and laye his fingers to his mouth and preach peace when hee is sent with warre Thus are wee cumbred like our master before our sermons and in our sermons and after our sermons euen of those sometimes which shoulde incourage vs and therefore as Christ saieth Beware of men so I saye beware of kinsmen So soone as the children bee borne their Parents bring them to the Temple and baptise them and offer them vnto GOD but as soone as they are able to serue him they tempt them awaye from him some to the Lawe some to Physicke some to marchaundise and some to husbandrie and had rather they should be of any other Tribe than of the Tribe of Leni which serueth in the Temple hee which wil be hindred shall haue blocks enough but we must learne to leape ouer all as Christ did ouer this If wee shoulde leaue father and mother and wife and children for Christ much lesse shoulde wee care for labour or losse or shame or trouble or displeasure for wee would venture these for our friends Thus much of his naturall kindred nowe of his spirituall kinred Here is another Genealogie of Christ which MATTHEVV and LVKE neuer spake of As CHRIST sayeth I haue another bread which you knowe not So he sayeth that I haue other kinsmen which you knowe not Saint IOHN writing to a Christian Ladie which brought vp her children in the feare of God calleth her The elect Ladie shewing that the chiefest honour of Lordes and Ladies and Princes is to be elect of God LVKE speaking of certaine Beroeans which receiued the worde of GOD with loue calleth them more noble men than the rest shewing that God counteth none noble but those which are of a noble spirite As Saint Iohn calleth none elect but the vertuous and Saint Luke calleth none noble but the religious so our Sauiour Christ calleth none his kinsmen but such as are righteous these are my mother and my brethren which heare the worde of God and do it As Abrahams children are not counted after the flesh but after the Spirite So Christes kinsmen are not counted after the flesh but after the Spirite for the flesh was not made after the Image of God but the Spirite therefore God is not called the father of bodies but the father of Spirites Now God which is a Spirite preferreth them which are kinne vnto him in the spirite therefore Esau was not blessed because he was of Isaacks flesh but Iacob was blessed because he was of Isaacks spirite As wee loue in the flesh so Christ loueth in the spirite therefore hee calleth none his kinsmen but them which heare the worde of God and doe it It seemeth that Paul thought of this saying when he said till Christ be reformed in you If Christ be found in vs as Saint Paul saith then wee are Chists mother euerie one which will haue Christ to be his Sauiour must be Christ his mother The virgin asked the Angel how shee could beare Christ seeing shee had not knowen a man so you may aske how you can beare Christ seeing he is borne alreadie As there is a second comming of Christ so there is a seconde birth of Christ. When we are regenerate and borne againe then Christ is borne in vs againe The virgin Marie was his mother by the flesh and the faithfull are his mother by the Spirite Againe the Holie Ghost did conceaue him in her the Holie Ghost likewise did conceaue him in them Hee was in her wombe and hee is in their hearts Shee did beare him and they doe beare him Shee did nurce him and they doe nurce him This is the seconde birth of Christ. As the soule of man may be called The Temple of the Holie Ghost so it may also be called the wombe of the sonne that is the mother of Christ. Before those wordes it is sayde that Christ asked Who is my mother and who are my brethren As if hee should saye You thinke that I am affected to my kinsmen as you are But I tell you that I count them my kinsmen which heare the worde of GOD and doe it To shewe that Christ loueth vs with an euerlasting loue he sheweth that he doeth not loue vs for any temporall things but for that which endureth for euer If Christ loued vs as ISAAC loued ESAV for Venison then wee might misse the blessing as ESAV did But as IOHN saith He loued in the trueth so Christ loueth in the trueth To loue in the trueth is the true loue Euery loue but this at one time or other hath turned into hatred but the true loue ouercommeth hatred euen as the trueth ouercommeth falshood No we see this loue Christ calleth them by the names of loue his mother his brethren and sisters In the sixth to the ROMANES they are called his seruaunts If that be not enough in the fifteenth of saint IOHN they are called his friends If that be not enough in the thirde of MARKE they are called his kinsmen If that be not enough in the 24 Chapter of LVKE there he calleth them his brethren If that be not enough in the first of MARKE they are called his children If that be not enough here they are called his mother If that be not enough in the fifth of the CANT they are called his spouse to manifest that he loueth them with all loues the mothers loue and the brothers loue and the sister loue and the masters loue the friends loue If all these loues could be put together yet Christes loue exceedeth them all and the mother and the brother and the sister and the childe and the kinsmen and the friends and the seruaunt would not doe and suffer so much amongest them all as Christ hath done and suffered for vs alone Such a loue wee kindle in Christ when wee heare his worde and do it that wee are as deere vnto him as al his kindred together Nowe as wee are his mother so wee should carrie him in our hearts as his mother did in her armes as we are his brethren so we should preferre him as Ioseph did Beniamin as wee are his spouse so wee shoulde embrace him as Isaac did Rebecca if thou be a kinsman do like a kinsman Nowe wee come to the markes of these kinsmen which I may call the armes of his house As Christ saieth By this all men shall knowe my Disciples if they loue one another So hee sayeth by this shall all men knowe my kinsmen if they heare the worde of God and doe it Here it is continuallie saide Hee which heareth the worde of