kind thankfull to him and his agayne The God and father of heauen earth hath entayled and assured the lande of eternall ioy to vs bys children Their good friende and brother Christ Iesus hath giuen them himselfe to be borne of a virgin to hunger thirst to be spitted on and scurged to be rent and torne to suffer death death of the crosse to heare the paynes and forments of hell and Gods wrath He hath giuen them his holinesse his righteousnesse his truth his pacience his mercy and the inheritance of his glorious kingdome And therefore they ought to be obedieÌ„t to so good a father and to be thankfull to so louing a brother The Oxe dothe knowe his owner and the Asse his masters cribbe and muche more ought man to know the mightie Lord and mercifull God. The sunne setteth riseth the Moone kéepeth his full his wane and change the sea dothe ebbe and flowe the earth yéeldeth grasse and corne and fruite for man as God hath made them and appoynted them to do And shall not man labour and watche pray and fast be mercyfull iust holy and true as God hath made him and appoynted him to be The frowarde sayth we may do what we liâ—t but the holy ghost sayth thou shalt only do that I coÌ„mauÌ„d thée The Epicure saith Let vs eate and drinke and be mery for to morowe shall we dye But the holy ghost sayth Meates are ordeyned for the bellie and the bellie for meates but God shall destroy bothe it and them The reiecte sayth It is as good to sitte idle as worke idle it néedes not or it bootes not But the holy Ghost sayth All these blessings shall come vpon thee and take holde of thée if thou shalt kéepe my worde Blessed shalâ—e thou be in the citie and also in the fielde blessed shalt thou be when thou goest forth and when thou coÌ„mest in blessed shall be the fruite of thy body and the fruite of thy grounde and the fruite of thy cattell and all that thou settest thy hande vnto But if thou do not kéepe my lawe Cursed shalt thou be in the Citie and also in the fielde cursed shalte thou be when thou goest foorth and when thou commest in cursed shall be the fruite of thy body and the fruite of thy ground and the fruite of thy cattell and cursed shall be all that thou settest thy hande vnto The time of our remembrance IN the dayes of thy youth The Hebrue word Bakarah signifieth youth or a thing chosen of the roote Bakar For that a yong man is chosen and apte for any worke or any thing So the time of â—ur remembraunce is our young yéeres our flourishing days the time of prosperitie y time of this our life whilest we may be framed to remember God. In the morning sowe thy séede make no tarying to turne vnto the Lord and put not off from day to day for sodaynly shall the wrath of the Lorde breake forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed and thou shalt perishe in the dayes of vengeance for man dothe not knowe his time but as the fyshes that are taken in an euill nette and as birdes that are caught in a snare so are the children of menne besnared in the euyll tyme when it falleth vpon them sodaynly Ecce venio sicut fur Beholde I come sodaynly lyke a theefe Blessed is he that watcheth and kéepeth his garmentes What soeuer thy hande can doe doe it by and by For there is neyther worke nor inuention nor knowledge nor wisedome in the graue whither thou goest Worke while day is for nyghte wyll come when no body can worke Cast thy bread vpon the waters for after many dayes thou shalt finde it Giue a portion to seuen and also to eyght for thou knowest not what euill shall be vpon the earth Noah buylded the Arke whylest the wether was fayre Ioseph made barnes and grayners and layde vp grayne and corne in the sâ—uen plentyfull yeres The Ante hauing no guide master nor ruler prouideth meate for hir selfe in sommer Ante languorem adhiâ—e medicinam Before sicknesse take phisicke and before iudgement trye thy selfe and thou shalte finde fauour in the sight of God. The fiue wyse Uirgins tooke oyle in their vessels with their lampes and were readie when the Bridegrome came foorth and went in with him to the mariage The Lord prayseth the vniust Stewarde for that be had done wisely and Chryste willeth his to make them friendes of the Mammon of iniquitie that when they fayle they may receyue theÌ„ into euerlasting tabernacles Nowe for oure particular instruction God hath deliuered England from forren bondage the burden whereof as we may beholde in our neighbours on euery side so haue we domesticall glasses to sée it in Howe the Danes ouerrunning this lande caused the Englishe men to eare and sowâ— their lande and doe all other labours and the Danes did vse their wiues daughters and seruants at their pleasure and if any Englishe man had met a Dane vpon a bridge the Englishe man might not stirre one foote before the Lord Dane was past and if the English man had not made low curtesâ—e to the Dane at his comming by he was sure to be sharply punished The Normands hauing title by English bloud and spéeding by the good will of the most of Englishe nation yet burdened them with great tribute and exactions tooke to themselues the chiefe possessions of the lande ordeyned newe lawes and newe coynes ouerthrew the houses of the Nobilitie and filled all Churches with strangers God hathe delyuered hys Englishe Church from the Romish Pharao whiche dyd not onely kéepe it vnder with the burdens of Annates ElectioÌ„s Preuentions Totquots Tollerations Bulles Seales Signatures Smokefarthings and Peter pens and such like But also loaded their consciences with the straw and clay of superstition errour and ignorance God hath caried the chiefe of England the Nobles Ministers many other good folk vpoÌ„ the Eagles wings through maruelous dangers miraculously preserued them as their owne consciences doe best knowe For remember what Athalia and hir bloudy priest Matham what Balam of Italie his persecuting kings Balaac and Sehon what his cruell Dukes â—absache and Holoferne what Adoâ—ias and Abisac had deuised and what their Balamites answered them from Sittim to Gilgall from the beginning of thornes and troubles to the whéele type of rule and dominion God hath planted his English Churche in a pleasant fertile and healthfull soyle he hathe giuen it plentie of all manner of vittailes he hathe endued it with peace and concorde aboue all countreys rounde about it He hath hedged it with his Gospell the séede of grace which sowen in the â—urrowes of Christian hearts encreaseth and multiplieth excéedingly the precious iewell more deare to the godly than all
¶ A SERMON preached before the Queenes Maiestie by the reuerende Father in God the Bishop of Chichester at Grenewiche the .14 day of Marche 1573. Seene and allowed according to the order appoynted Quam speciosi pedes euangelizantium pacem euangelizantium bona Rom. 9. ¶ Imprinted at London dy Henry Binneman for Francis Coldocke Anno. 1573. ¶ To the Reader Thomas Browne wisheth grace and peace WHeras among other learned and notable â–ª Sermons preached thâ—â— Lent before the Queenes most excellent Maiestie and by hâ—r grace highly commended I vnderstood by those that were presente that hir Highnesse also liked very well commâ—nded most graciously that sermon whiche the learned reuerende father in God the Bishop of Chichester preached before hir Maiestie in so much that some noble Peeres and many other desired a copie of the same I partly to satisfie their desire â–ª partly to signifie some sparke of my good will and duetie towardes the author and preacher of thyâ— Sermon my very good Lord of whom I haue receiued benefite trauelled so fâ—rre wyth those that could pleasure me in this behalfe that I oâ— length not onely receyued notes â–ª but almost the whole discourse of that learned sermon although not altogither in suche sorte as it was by the reuerend Father preached â–ª yet as â—â—gh ther vnto as could be remembred And for the benefit of other I haue heere publisheâ— the â—ame trusting that this my labour wyll be no otherwise construed than thus thaâ— whereas I my selfe can offer as of my selfe very little or nothing at all to the buylding of Gods Temple I thoughte good to bring therevnto a goodly and beautifull pyller made by a cunning and noble workeman which I truste for the excellencie thereof will be of a greate manye with plausible allowance ioyfully receyued to whome for the greater encreasing of their ioy I will say that which Aeschines sayd vnto the men of Rhodes who wondered maruelously at the oration of that famous Orator Demosthenes beeing but sayde and recited by him vnto them Quid inquit Aeschines â—i ipsum audissetis sua verba resonantem sentiens in Demosthene magnum Demosthenis partem deesse â—i quae ipse dixit ab alio recitarentur Doe ye maruell sayde Aeschines at this my rehearsall of Demosthenes oration what if you had hearde him selfe sounding and pronouncing hys ownâ— words Meaning therby that in Demosthenes great part of Demosthenes was wanting when that those things which he spake were recited of an other I doubt not but vnto all this my little trauell wil be acceptable to them that were present bicause they shall agayne be put in mynde of that whiche they before heard and so maye more deepely consider the same to those that were absent for that they shall heare that whiche before they heard not so be made better learned vnto saluation And thus desiring thee good Reader â–ª to be thankfull vnto God for this and other good fruites of the laborers in his vineyardes I bid thee farewell from Westminster the .vj. of April 1574. A godly Sermon preached at Grenewiche God bee mercyfull vnto vs and blesse vs and shewe vs the light of his countenance and bee mercyfull vnto vs that his waye may bee knowne vpon earthe hys sauyng health among all Nations through our Lorde Iesus Christ. Amen REmember thy maker in the dayes of thy youth before the tyme of trouble come and the yeres approch of the vvhiche thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them 2 Before the sunne the light and the moone and the stars be darkned and the cloudes returne after rayne 3 Before the keepers of the house doe tremble and the strong men do bovv and the grinders do cease being fevve in number and they that looke out of the vvindovves vvaxe darke 4 And they shut the doores in the streate through the vveaknesse of the voyce of the grinding they yvake at the noyse of the birde and all the daughters of musicke de deafe 5 Before the high ones doe dreade and shake in the vvay The Almond trees doe blossome and the Grashoppers doe stickâ— vp and the Capers vvasted for man shall go to his long home and the mourners shall goe about in the streate 6 Before the siluer thread be lengthned and the golden caule do shrinke and the Pype bee broken vpon the spring and the vvheele vpon the cisterne 7 For dust shall returne to earthe from vvhence it vvas and the spirite to God vvhich gaue it Before I procâ—ede any farther I shal most humbly beseeche you to pray THe Preacher king Salomon in the .ii. chapters going before hathe reckened vp all the ioyes pleasures bothe of the body and of the minde hath found by the wisedome of God that they be all méere vanitie and miserie for he saithe I haue considered all the workes that are done vnder the sunne and beholde all is vanitie and vexation of the spirite And thervpon taketh occasion in this twelfth chapter to exhort euery one to serue God in tyme before trouble come or sicknesse gréeue or age presse or death carrie vs away For the body that is but dust shall goe againe to dust and the spirite whiche is eternall shall returne to God as wyll more playnly appeare by a bréef discourse and expounding of the Metaphors and darke speaches Remember thy maker in the dayes of thy youth That is Serue the Lord thy God that made thée of nothing redéemed thée of worse than nothing whilest thou arte yong strong helthfull riche and mery Before the time of trouble come and the yeeres of the whiche thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them That is before pouertie sicknesse losse of friâ—nds banishmeÌ„t persecution and miserie come vpon thée in the which flesh and bloud bath no pleasure Before the sunne and the moone and the starres be darkned and the clouds returne after rayne That is Before thou fall to such extremitie that thou not only do not take any ioy or coÌ„fort of the light of the sunne of the moone of the stars other creatures which God hath made for the coÌ„fort of man but the clouds returne after rayne sicknesse grow vpoÌ„ sicknesse grief vpon grief paine vpon paine sorow vpoÌ„ sorow These Metaphors do signifie trouble and sicknesse Before the keepers of the house doe tremble The body is called the house for that as a man is lodged dwelleth in his house for a time So the soule or spirite is lodged dwelleth in the body as in his house for a time The handes be called the keepers of this house or body for that as the kéepers of the house do dresse vp the house repayre and defende the house from spoyles and breaches So the hands do apparell féede repayre and defende the body from spoyles and inconueniences The strong men do bow The legges bée called strong men for that as strong men be porters and beare burdens as postes
the treasures of the world the spirituall sworde that cutteth the hearts and parteth the flesh from the spirite the heauenly Nette that encloseth and bringeth togither the children of God the water of life which washeth away our sinnes the sacrâ—d fyre that burneth away the superfluous humors of worldely desires the wholsome leauen that seasoneth and edifyeth the soule the swéete bread that â—éedeth the man of God And the true keye that openeth to vs Christ Iesus the doore of the kingdome of heauen God hath buyldâ—d in it the sincere and substantiall walles of the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lordes Supper the seales of fayth the watche words of Christian souldiers the images of our Resurrection and the pawnes of our saluation He hathe pickte out the stones of errour and heresâ—e God hath set ouer it Miriah â–ª â—o set foorth his glory to cause his worde to be taught to aduaunce vertue to punishe vice to be a nurse and fosterer of his people to write out his booke and to reade on it continually to keepe his commaundementes not turning from them to the lefte hande nor to the right He hath set ouer it many good Moyseses that many stande in the gappe to turne away Gods wrath to guide gods people in the wildernesse of these perillous dayes and to iudge them from morning to euening and many good Aarons to ring the golden belles of the Law and Gospell in Gods Sanctuarie and Churche to present sacrifices of thankesgiuing and to giue light to Gods people by his worde He hath plaâ—â—d in it kéepers and watchemen preachers ministers whiche feâ—dâ— his flocke plowe his grounde and sounde the trumpet of his worde so godly so learnedly and paynefully as thys 〈◊〉 seldome or neuer hathe tasted the lyke Although Cicerâ—es dogges that should barke at the Romishâ— wolues begiâ— to snatche at the christian Belwethers He hath made a winepresse of Iudges Iustices and Magistrates to presse the husk of controuersies and suites from the iuyce viâ—e from vertue falshoode from truthe And al these hath he done to moue vs to beléeue that he is God almightie the first and the last the God of Gods Lorde of Lordes and that besides him is none To moue vs to feare the profoundnesse of his riches wisedome and knowledge Who is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things who yéeldeth wrath in the day of wrath to euery one according to the hardnesse of his heart who if we will not turne hath wheâ— his sword bent his bow and prepared the arrowes of deathe To loue him as true and faythfull as gentle and mercyfull who hath not dealte wyth vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs after our iniquities But looke howe wide the East is from the west so farre hath he set our sinnes from vs. All these hathe he done to moue vs to séeke the Lorde with all our hearts to be zelous in the truthe of the ieolous God whiche giueth not his glorie to an other whiche will haue vs all or no part of vs and casteth the luke warme oute of hys mouth To kéepe our spirites soules and bodies pure and without blame to the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ. To be faythfull and constante that we may receyue the crowne of life To labour to ouercome that we may eate of the hidden Manna to be clothed with whyte aray and to be made pillers in the Temple of God. All these hathe he done to moue vs to girde our selues with truthe to binde it about our neckes and to write it in the table of our heartes to flye the softe pillowes of flatterie the paynted cloake of dissimulation the sharpe rasors of slandering and speake the truthe eche one to another To arme our selues with righteousnesse and to make good good and euill euill darkenesse darkenesse and lighte lighte swéete swéete and sowre sowre To put on the shoes of peace the chayne that lincketh Christians togither wyth the bonde of loue the Image of Christâ— grauen in mans heart the swéete dewe oâ— Hermon and the precious oyntment of Aaron to the Leuites and seruaunts of god To moue vs to kéepe the garments of innocencie to labour the woâ—ke of God in the day of this life to cast ouâ— bread vpon the waters to deale our breade to the hungry to bring the poore that wander into our houses when we see the naked to cloth them to loose the bandes of wyckednesse to take off the heauy burdens to let the oppressed go free to breake euery yoke of the vngodly to helpe the blind and lame the widow and fatherlesse the staunger and friendlesse All these hath be done to moue vs lyke prudente Noahs to buâ—lde the arke of a good conscience before the floud of Iudgement doe ouerflowe Like prouident Iosephs to lay vp the grayne of godlynesse in the barnes of our heartes before the dearth of mercy shall be Like paynefull Antes to prouide the foode of thâ— soule before the winter of Iustice approche Lyke tractable patients to take the preparatiues of repentance before the pangs of deathe do come Likewise virgins to haue readie the lampe of fayth and the oyle of vertue before the bridegrome Christe Iesus doe shutte the doores Lyke good Stewardes to prouyde for the Tabernacle of heauen before we loose the office of this life In the dayes of fayre wether of plentie of Sommer of health of oportunitie of this life to remember our maker and to serue him dutifully And thus much of the first principall lesson Trouble age sicknesse and death be Gods Bayâ—â—ffes BUt the nature of man is so crabbed and frowarde that commonly the mercies and graces of God do little preuayle with him and therefore when man forgetting the goodnesse of God beginneth to waxe secure and carelesse God hathe certayne Bayliffes and scourges as trouble sickenesse age and deathe whiche he sendeth foorth to arest them to come to his Court of Iustice thâ—re to be warned of their duties 〈…〉 for their offences As the holy ghost dothe teache in the .28 of Deuteronomie by Moyses If they will not obey the voyce of the Lorde their God the Lorde shall sende vpon them trouble cursing and shame The Lorde shall make the pestilence cleaue vnto them the Lorde shall smite them with pouertie sicknesse and colde drought blasting and meldewe the heauen that is ouer their heads shall be brasen and the earth that is vnder them yron In the .32 of Deuteronom Thou haste forsaken thâ— mightie God that begatte thée and haste forgotten the Lorde that made thée Thâ— Lorde then sawe it and was angry and sayde I will hide my face from thée and thou shalte bee consumed wyth hunger and burnte with heate and bitter destruction I will also sende vpon
The graue is my house darknesse is my bedde I sayd vnto rottennesse you are my father I sayd vnto the wormes you are my mother you are my sisters What say some I haue in bank a hundred thousand pounds my plate my iewels my landes are worth as muche and yet must you say The graue is my house darknesse is my bedde yet muste you say to rottennesse you are my father and to the wormes you are my mother you are my sisters But I am able to ouerrule any case in the lawe I am able to be an Embassadour through the worlde I haue the knowledge of all toungs and learning I am able to serue any Prince in the field I am able to bée of Councell with anye Prince Christian. Yet must you say the graue is my house c. I am a gentleman a Noble man I came in with the conqueror I can fetche my pedegrée long before the Conquest a King was my father a Quéene was my mother a King my brother a Quéene my sister yet muste you say The graue is my house darknesse is my bed yet must you say to rottennesse you are my father and to the wormes you are my mother you are my sisters For the siluer threads sinewes shal stretche your golden caule and brayne-skinne shal shrinke your spring and hart your pipes and Arteries shal fayle your cisterne and whéele your liuer stomacke shal be dried vp and consumed and man shall goe to his long home and duste to earthe from whence it came And now followeth the thirde principall lesson That eche one shall rise agayne and giue an accompt to God of his doings THe earth is a mistresse vnto vs of our resurrection whose trées floures and hearbes doe dye in winter and reuiue in sommer The day the moneth the yeare the spring the sommer y winter do passâ— returne againe teach our resurrection We our selues once in .24 houres do as it were dye in sléepe but the morning awaketh vs out of sléepe sheweth vs a manifest token of our resurrection But we maruel how the dry and rotten bones can be fetched out of the Sea out of the earth out of the ashes agayne He that fetcheth the sunne out of his caue euery morning â—e that as it were quickeneth the deade Moone euery moneth he that caused Aaron his rodde that had béene many yeres dried in one night to bud blossome beare ripe Almonds can also bring the dry bones out of the graue sea ashes cause them to heare ripe perfect flesh And why shuld we doubt that of the rotten body a perfect body may spring since we sée by dayly experience that of rotten corne perfect corne doth grow and that of rotten séedes kirnels perfect séedes kirnels do come which be clothed with stalke huske leaues and this mortalitie shall put on immortalitie and this corruption incorruption Iohn 5. The houre shall come when all that be in the graue shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of GOD and shall come foorth Rom. 8. If the power of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwelleth in you he that raysed vp Christe from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies For as in Adam all doe dye so in Christ all shall bée made alyue Apoca. 20. I sawe sayth S. Iohn a greate white throne and one that sate on it from whose face fled away bothe heauen and earth I sawe the dead bothe great and small stande before god For the sea gaue vp hir dead that were in hir and death and the graue gaue vp the deade that were in them and they were iudged euery one according to their workes Whosoeuer was not written in the booke of lyfe were caste into the fire As S. Iohn Baptist sayth he hath his fanne in hys hande and wyll make cleane hys floore aâ—d gather hys Wheate into his garner but will burne vp the chaffe with vnquenchable fyre In the tyme of Haruest in the ende of the world the Sunne of man shall sende foorthe his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offende and them that do iniquitie and shall caste them into a fornace of fire there shall be wéeping and gnashing of téeth Then shall the iuste shine as the sunne in the kingdom of the father The kingdome of Heauen is lyke vnto a draw nette cast into the Sea that gathereth of all kinde of things which when it is full men drawe to lande and sitte and gather the good into vesselles and cast the bad away so shall it be at the ende of the worlde The Angels shall goe foorth and seuer the good from the badde and shall cast theÌ„ into the fornace of fyre there shall be wayling and gnashing of téethe When the Sonne of man commeth in his glorie and all the holy Angelles with him then shall be gathered all Nations and he shall separate them one from an other as a shephearde separateth his shéepe from the Goates And hée shall sette the Shéepe on hys ryghte hande and the Goates on the lefte Then shall the Kyng saye to them on hys righte hande Come yée blessed of my Father enherite yée the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the worlde Then shall he saye to them on the lefte hande Depart from me yée cursed into euerlasting fire whiche is prepared for the Diuell and his Angelles And therfore S. Paules rule to the Corinthians is very necessary where he sayth Let euery man take héede howe he buylâ—eth for other foundation can no man lay than that which is layde whiche is Iesus christ And if any man buylde on this fouÌ„dation golde siluer precious stones tymber â—ay or stubble euery maÌ„s work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it bicause it shall be reuealed by the fyre and the fire shall trye euery mans worke of what sort it is If any mans work that he hath buylt vpon abide he shall receiue wages if any mans worke burne he shal loose Beholde the Lorde will come with fire and his chariots like a whirle winde that he may recompence his anger with wrath and his iudgement with the flame of fire for the Lorde will iudge with fire and with his sworde all flesh Thou after the hardnesse of thy heart whiche can not repent heapest vnto thy selfe wrath in the day of wrath and of the iust declaration of the iust iudgemeÌ„t of God who wil reward euery one according to his works that is to them which by continuance of well doing seeke glorie honour immortalitie eternall life But vnto them that are contentious â— disobey the truth and obey vnrightuousnesse shall be indignation and wrath tribulation and anguishe vpon the soule of euery man that doth euill For we must all appeare before the tribunall seate of Christ that euery man may receiue the things that are done in his