obiection by citinge this my present texte out of Deuteronomie from the verie mouth and lawe of Moses By whiche testimonie so produced Peter doeth not onely declare his reuerende opinion conceiued of Moses but also firmlie proueth that his doctrine doth not dissent from Moses the lawe sith both Moses and the law do in these wordes prophesie of Christ which was then to come and command obedience to be yelded vnto him at his comming and that vppon paine of eternall ruine and destruction As hitherto yee haue briefly hearde of this scriptures excellencie in respect first of the holy Ghost being author and then of Moses Peter Stephan vtterers of the same so now Christ willing I will in more ample maner discouer the dignitie and worthinesse thereof by reason of the matters therein comprehended The whole matter doeth generally concerne the raysing vp of a Prophete out of which generall head there plainly growe these foure particular and especiall braunches 1 First By whome and for whom this Prophet shall bee raised vp 2 Secondly what manner of Prophet this shall bee 3 Thirdly The attentiue eare and heartie obedience which must be yelded to this prophet 4 Fourthly The Punishment allotted to such as will not so heare and obey this Prophet The Lorde your God shall raise vp vnto you a prophet It is not vnknowen right Christian audience and dearely beloued in our Sauiour Christe but vniuersally knowen receaued and beléeued of all true Christians that as the Lorde GOD before the foundations of the worlde were laide did in his excéeding ritch mercie electe and chuse vnto saluation a certaine number of mankinde whereof his Church should consist and stand so the same our heauenly father determined in his good time and at his good pleasure to call those his electe and chosen people vnto the true knowledge and comfortable féeling of his sonne Iesus Christ that so they might be iustified by fayth in him and afterwarde glorified with him Thus much Saint Paul teacheth vs in this short sentence Whome he predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he iustified and whom he iustified them also he glorified For a meane whereby these so elected might be called into the bodie and bosome of the Church the Lorde hath mercifully giuen and mightily preserued his holy worde wherein his will is reuealed which his will is the verie perfect rule of righteousnesse whereby the children of God are to frame and square out the whole course of all their life aswell for true religion the righte worshipping of him as also for their conuersation dealing in the worlde To the ende this wil of God thus conteined in his word might be manifested and made knowen both to the elect for their calling vnto Christe and also to the reprobate for their iuster condemnation to this end the Lord hath in his Church ordeined a ministerie of his worde and will and that by the meanes of men to whome seuere commandment is giuen to shew the people their transgressions to admonish the wicked of his way to teach and baptise all nations to preache the worde instantlie in season and out of season to exhorte with wholesome doctrine to improue them that say against it And Moses in this place cited by Peter assureth vs that as God hath of his mercie once set an instructing ministerie in his Church so with the same hee will euer blesse his Churche so long as it shall bee militaunt and warfaring vpon the earth and therefore stand in néede of ministers For whereas Moses sayth The Lorde your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet He doeth vs to vnderstande that God will continually stirre vp such as shall diligently instruct his people in the true knowledge of his holy worde So that this first entraunce into our present text teacheth that the Ministerie is no mans ordinance but the Lordes institution To confirm this many strong substanciall testimonies may be produced out of the sacred scriptures For that Commission Marc. 16. Goe ye into all the worlde and preach the gospel to euery creature Those wordes of Christ to the disciples As my father sent me so sende I you that speache of Paule how shall they preache except they be sent that rehersall of ecclesiasticall functions whiche Paule maketh that charge giuen by our sauiour Wherefore pray the Lorde of the haruest that he woulde thrust out laborers into his haruest those seuē starres in the right hand of Christ doe not al and euery one of these places strongly proue that the ministerie of the worde and sacramentes is no fancie of man no inuention of fleshe and bloude no alone politique order for the gouernement of the common wealth but the very holy ordinance of the Lord our God Hence therefore spring these considerations touching the ministery to witte The reuerend care to be vsed in the Election and creation of ministers The conscience and abilitie of suche as desire the ministerie The account and estimation of the ministerie If the Lord God be the authour of the ministery then what men of whatsoeuer countenāce in the vniuersal world shall once dare with vnwashen hands that is to say of corrupt affection to elect or admit any to the ministerie whiche the word of God alloweth not to be ministers and many times not to be so much as Christians If I hastened not to other matter I mighte in this place discouer the Romish Clergie and shew both howe the holy ordinaunce and institution of the ministerie is by them profaned and how miserablie they haue seduced the Lord his people when as al their Priests are horrible Idolatours and in most of them is found neither abilitie nor will either to instruct and féede their flockes or to explane and open their owne Idolatrous seruice or to make anie reckening of a right faith and therefore I may iustly wipe that greazed generation out of the number of god his true ministers For in the ministers of god it is necessarily required that as Paule writeth to Titus they hold fast that faithful word according to doctrine and be also able to exhorte with wholesome doctrine and to conuince them that say against it Sith the Romishe Cleargie are so farre of from imbracing beléeuing following and teaching this faithfull worde that they oppose and set them selues against it with all their might and mayne prophane it corrupt it burne it take on and rage with fire and sworde against it howe then can they be accounted in the number of true ministers It may be that some will thinke to méete with me by and by and to beate me with mine owne rodde obiecting that if none bée true and good ministers but such as are able and willing soundly without halting sincerely without corruption valiauntly without feare to deliuer the whole will of God conteined in his
father that euery one of vs may with a good conscience and truly say with holy Dauid Not vnto vs ô Lorde not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glorie c. And with Saint Paul God forbid that I should glory or reioice but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified vnto me and I vnto the worlde Thinke not right Christian Ladie that these words are vttered so much to instruct you as to enforme the reader of this letter vnto you For by good experience I haue comfortably found both in the right honorable my very good Lord your wise and louing hous bande and in your good Ladiship his Godly and obedient espouse such care of Gods glorie in aduauncing true religion in demeaning your selues in the educatioÌ„ of your children in gouerning your family in countenauncing of vertue and learning in cherishing the poore and needie as I might deseruedly be deemed vnwise if I had not obserued it carelesse if I did not remember it vnthankefull if vpon offred occasion I would not testifie it But thanked be the king of eternal glorie this your care of GOD his glory is so vniuersally knowne to the whole realme so ioyfully acknowledge of the Godly therein that I neede not produce my self for an experienced witnes of the same Wherfore to conclude this branch I will heartily offer vppe mine incessant prayers to the Lorde God in the name of his sonne our sauiour CHRISTE that both you and all Christians may daily and continually growe not onely into such contempt of vaine glory and al vaine thinges but also into such loue and longing of his true glorie and all heauenly things as in these euill dayes ye may haue the sure testimony of your owne consciences that you haue zealously sought GOD his glory and in the end through Christ be made partakers of his eternall glorie As this care of Gods glorie hath drawen others to desire and me to publish this sermon which I trust will preuent the vncharitable suspicioÌ„s of some and stay the rash tongues of others so me thinketh I am to be blamed neither by you nor of any other for dedicating the same to your Ladishippe For notwithstanding nothing be therin taught which you haue not long ago learned and nothing in such manner deliuered by me but hath ben and may be much bettered by others yet your Ladiship by perusing thinges alreadie learned shall not be altogether vnprofitably occupied and at the least this my fact shall make some outwarde shewe of mine inwarde heartie thanksgiuing for the benefits bestowed vpon and the trust reposed in me your humble and faithfull seruaunt And when I considered that by my Lorde and your La. I was first called from the vniuersitie to teach your two sonnes and those such children as for the true feare of God zealous affection to his word obedience to their parents reuerence to their superiours humility to their inferiours loue to their instructour I neuer knewe any excell them also that by the same meanes I was likewise first called from teaching of children to enstruct men verely I coulde not but dedicate the first fruites of these my so generall labours to some of that house whence I was first sent out to be a poore labourer in the Lords great haruest You shall here find no profounde learning no exquisite art no curious eloqueÌ„ce to delight your learned eares but finde you shal the simple truth now imprinted as it was then vttered to comfort your Christian hearte And I am throughly perswaded that as I haue the sure warrant of Gods expresse worde for confirmation of the trueth herein conteined so the holy spirite of God will in such wise affect you with a like and loue thereof that he will compel your heart to think and your toung to say Amen Yea and to confesse that albeit a sinnefull man was the homely vtterer yet the holy Ghost is the vndoubted authour of the same Nowe least the portall shoulde be as great as the house and the preface as long as the treatise I will conclude and cease from further troubling you But I trust not to surcease from hearty praying the Lord God so to deuor the harts of your good La. of your children and whole family with the holy fire of his heauenly spirite that ye may dwell in his court and be satisfied with the pleasure of his house euen of his holy temple that the zeale of the Lordes house may eate ye vp that with good consciences and ioyfull spirites ye may truely say ô Lord I haue loued the habitacion of thy house and the place wher thine honour dwelleth Finally that ye may be of that bright heauenly wheate whiche shall bee gathered into the celestiall garner by the Lorde Iesus who for euer mightily protect and mercifully preserue you At Easeling by Feuersham in the Countie of Kent Your Lad. heartie Orator and humble seruant Iohn walsall ⧠A SERMON preached at Pauls Crosse by John Walsall one of the preachers of Christs Church in CANTERBVRIE the fifte of October 1578. Actes 3. 22 For Moses sayde vnto the Fathers the Lorde your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet of your brethren like vnto me yee shall heare him in all things whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you 23 For it shall be that euery person which shall not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed out of the people IF right honourable worshipful and welbeloued in our sauiour Iesus Christ either the principall cause author of this scripture or the instrumentes and seconde causes vttering the same or the matters therein comprehended if all or any of these be duely considered of vs we shall finde this present texte to bee of verie great authoritie and fully replenished with heauenly profite and comfort Our custome and manner is carefully to respect the authour both of wordes spoken and déedes done and as he is learned or ignoraunt wise or foolishe well affected or euill disposed so wée commonly receiue or reiect what soeuer procéedeth from him for the most part still measuring in temporall thinges the matter by the man I say in teÌ„poral things bicause in matters spirituall not so much the men that speake as the matters spoken are to be regarded according to that of our Sauiour The Scribes and Pharises sit in Moses châ—â—â— Al therefore whatsoeuer they bid you obserue that obserue and doe but after their workes doe not for they say and do not But the authour of this scripture is of such learning wisedome holines as we may safely and are commaunded streightly not alone to credite and beleeue his wordes but also to conforme and fashion our selues after his workes For as of all the sacred Canonicall Scriptures so of this nowe in hand the holy Ghost that spirite of truth that comforter of the elect that director of the faithfull iâ— the cause and authour To this â—nd Paul in the laste
scriptures of three sortes and kindes of Prophetes The first are such as were extraordinarilie stirred vp by the LORDE and vsed to aske counsell of the Lorde for the comfort of the Churche in her great extremities These Prophets were called Séers of whom it is spoken in the firste booke of the Cronicles as of God Dauids Séer and of Samuell the Seer The seconde sorte were also extraordinarily sente by the Lorde too interprete the lawe of God when the priestes ceased such were Isay Ieremie c. The thirde kinde of Prophetes are such as the Lorde hath blessed with abilitie and giftes to enterprete and applie the holie scriptures so that to prophecie or to bee a Prophete in this last sence is to open the worde of GOD by a sounde diligent playne and faithfull interpretation and to applie the same both for the ingendring encrease and confirmation of faith and also for the reformation and amendement of life such as some thinke were the Prophetes at Antiochia spoken of in the thirtéenth of the Actes In this sence all true preachers are prophets Thus likwise I take Salomons saying Where Prophesie fayleth the people perishe that is where there is not a faithfull ministery a true diligent interpretation a through application of the word there the people by heapes runne headlong into vtter destruction To this ende and in this meaninge doeth Moses vtter these wordes The Lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophete signifying a continuall ministerie of the worde for inlarginge the kingdome building vp the church of Christ Howbeit both Stephan in the seauenth and Peter in the thirde of the Actes doe so vse the testimonie of Moses that they doe more particularly restreigne the same vnto our Sauiour Christe For their purpose is to persuade the Iewes that to hearken vnto and beleeue in Christ is not repugnante and contrarie to the Lawe of Moses because Moses him selfe speaking of Christ sayth A Prophete shall the Lorde c. There is no contrarietie betwéene my first interpretation of this prophet for all the ministerie and my thus vnderstandinge of Christe by this Prophete For as this Prophete doeth generally importe the whole number of true ministers prophetes and preachers so it hath also an especiall relation vnto Iesus Christ the head and prince the butte marke the scope end of all the true ministery which euer was is presently or shall be hereafter vpon the whole face of the earth Beholde here then the comfortable signification and importaunte nature of this prophete euen that Iesus Christ by his might and mercie shall euer bee with his Church and that from time to time the Lorde will rayse vp and sende out true ministers for his Church This alone consideration and knowledge is fully fraught with singular comforte If we call to our remembrāce that an houshold with out a stewarde waxeth disordered that schollers wanting an instructour cannot be learned that a shippe destitute of a guide is vnlikely to be preserued we shall then easily perceiue and clearely sée the moste lamentable estate of the Church when it is depriued of true ministers which are the Lords stewards to dispose his secretes the Lords scholmasters to teach his people the Lords vnderguides to direct his flock of Shéep in to the sheepefold of Iesus Christe The faithfull among all other griefes reckon this for one of the greatest we see not our sagnes there is not one Prophet more But although for our sinnes ingratitude contempt and disobedience the Lorde in his displeasure doth often take away his worde and ministers in such sort as the worlde many times iudgeth the worde vtterly abandoned and the ministers thereof altogether destroyed yet euen in those times of hott afflictions the Lord hath continually raised vp true prophetes and preachers to his true hearted Israelites whereof this Citie hath often had most comfortable triall experience Therefore let vs faithfully holde in our harts as a sure ground and infallible principle for euer that if wee wil be diligent hearers faithfull beleeuers and obedient practizers of his worde The Lorde our God shall raise vp a Prophet vnto vs that is will still mercifully blesse vs with the presence of Iesus Christe and with sincere learned painfull discréete and godly interpreters ministers of his worde Moses procéedeth in the description of this Prophet and sayth of your brethren like to me Ye haue alreadie heard that Moses speaketh these words in generall manner respecting both Christe and his ministers but that Peter doth more particularly applie them vnto Christe and therfore it behoueth me to speake of the same wordes First as they generally concerne the whole ministerie Thē as they especially touch Christ To preserue and keepe the Israelites in them all Christians from béeing defiled with the impious maners of the gentiles to make them for euer wholy cleaue to the word of God Moses hath promised a cōtinual opening of the word wil of god therin comprised The people might haue said to Moses peraduenture thy meaning is that the Lord himself will teach vs in his owne person But this wee canne in no wise brooke For we founde his maiestie so glorious his voice so terrible his words so pearcing at the giuing out of the lawe vppon moūt Sinai that we looked for present death and therefore prayed that wee might no more heare the Lorde speake vnto vs in his owne person Moses to take away this feare telleth them that this prophet shall be of their owne brethren that is of their owne stocke bloude and kinred and like to him that is a man as he is in companie with thē as he is teaching them as familiarly as plainely as mildely as louingly as he doth Hence we are taught that as it is a great benifit to be rightly instructed in the will and way of the Lorde so the Lorde hath dealt gratiously with vs in that he teachech vs not in his glorious maiestie to confounde vs but in his great mercie to saue vs not fearefully by thundring lightening tempests to afraie vs but by men of our own countrie of our own nature of our own acquaintaunce to encourage aad allure vs. Now to vnderstād this speach of Christ as Stephan and Peter doe it must be thus construed that Christ touching his humane nature shoulde descende from the stocke of Abraham and bee borne among the Iewes And therefore ther was no cause at al why the Iewes shoulde either feare or dispise Christe sith by byrth he shoulde bee their owne countrieman and in familiar and louing instruction like to Moses But this Christes likenesse to Moses must not be so taken as if in Christe there coulde bee founde nothing more excellent then was in Moses For Moses was but a man Christ God and man Moses was a man
and such like thinges then they mourne and pull themselues a peeces This as I tolde ye is golden mouthed Chrisostoms excellent comparison wherin he notably proueth the heathen men to be children babes when as they made such great reckoning of vaine transitorie thinges and yet resisted and contemned Christ Iesus If ye vnderstād our vngentle Papists for his gentiles ye shall as it were in a glasse clearely behold the mad and more then childish follie of our Romanistes who so estéeme their Crosses Altars banners holy water Copes Images and suche like superstitious toyes as in the mean time they make none account of worshipping God in spirit and truth or to heare Christ and his gospell fruitfully and therefore the conclusion is direct and true That Papistes are not true hearers of the worde of God. Nowe touching carnall protestantes to proue them no true heares of god his worde is a matter of no great difficultie and hardnesse but may easily be accomplished and brought to passe by the former discription of true and effectuall hearers For in true hearers two thinges are necessarily required the one faith in beléeuing the other obedience in following Faith is the trée obedience is the fruit whereby faith may be discerned and knowen Let vs therefore by obedience as it were by an especiall good bloud hound trace out the faith of these carnall professours and so shall we find in them no sound faith but a pretended faith no liuely iustifiing faith but a dead condemned faith whereof S. Iames speaketh in the second chapter of his epistle Obedience is an heartie submission and through conformation of our selues to that which the Lorde our God hath prescribed in the holy scripturs either for the worship seruice of him or for our behauiour towardes men If we looke for this obedience when or how shall we finde it in these maner of men For one sort of these men wil go no further in religion then they may liue in all worldes please euerie prince serue euerie turne and susteyne neither losse nor lacke nor any kinde of trouble or displeasure If these good fellowes méet with Papistes they resist not if with Atheistes they striue not if with temporizers and seruers of time their humours are fedde if with zelous true Christians they become key colde and yet hollowe pretenders of loue and good will to the Gospell These honest men can w the Cameliō trāsforme thēselues into euery colour with their breath they can as is in the fable make warme their handes and make colde their pottage And although by reason of the state and time present they will bee accounted protestantes yet if yee marke it they cherish none trust none kéepe companie and delight heartely in none but such as are notorious and knowne Papistes Aesope felleth a pretie tale of an husband man who séeing his cornefeld spoiled with Géese and Cranes did therefore set a snare for them and at length tooke them both and a storke with them The storke fearing death vehementely and like an Orator pleaded her owne cause declaringe her innocencie her excellencie aboue other birdes her singular care ouer her aged parentes and vpon these considerations praied to be set at libertie The husbandman more regarding his losse of corne then the Storkes glorious wordes saide vnto her As I haue taken the in euill companie so thou shalt also die with them In like manner when the Lorde Iesus that heauenly husbandman shall call these carnall wretches to an accoūt for their treading vnder féete and spoyling the holy séede of his eternal word cōtinually cast out sowen among thē for their drawing the yoke with infidels ioyning with the sworne enemies of the Gospell let them bee assured that no wordly pollilicie no humane reason no fine deuice no forged excuse shall be accepted but as they haue kept companie with those wicked ones most offensiuely so without spéedie repentance they shall perish with them euerlastingly The good prophete and noble Kinge Dauid knowing what a great let and hinderaunce the companie of the wicked is and how it entiseth men from the zealous and heartie seruing of the Lorde doth with great zeale and in most vehement maner breake out into these words Away from mee ye wicked for I will keep the commaundementes of my God. And being taught by the holy Ghost what a good prouocation it is to godlinesse to be alwayes conuersant familier with the faithfull and godlie the same Dauid in moste ioyfull manner vttereth these wordes in the sixtéenth Psalme All my delight is vpon the Saintes that are in the earth and such as excel in vertue But the worlde doeth now take a cōtrarie course For the Saints of God are not esteemed their companie not regarded the name of saintes is derided and laughed to scorne All delight is reposed in Italianate heades discoursing tonges merie conceited companions Epicures tossepottes riotous persons leude talkers these growe nowe a dayes vnto greate credit But true Christians carefully endeuouring to shewe themselues conformable to their profession of Christ are nothing or verie little and a verie few estéemed set by But this is not to be woondered at for the verie word of God and the true preaching thereof is now so contemned and dispised so crossed and maliciously and of set purpose ouer wharted that euery vaine fidler and vagabound Piper in the country doth carrie away the vnthankefull people euen vppon the Lorde his holy Saboth dayes and other times dedicated to his seruice and that from the hearing of Gods holy worde and worshipping of him vnto carnall vnchristian and filthy dauncinges the verie nource of carnal talke of horrible blasphemie of damnable fornication of pride of theft of disobediēce to God to prince to parentes to all superious The filthines of this vsuall dancing moued the auncient fathers often and sharpely to inueigh againste it in their dayes but what woulde they haue done if they had liued in this present age Chrisostome saith vbi saltus lasciuus ibi diabolus certe adest where wanton dauncing is vsed there the diuel is certenly present And in the same homilie they that daunce nowe a days desire not that Iohn should bee headed but the soules of such as are in their company should be destroied Likewise Augustin vpon the third psalme saith Obserua diem Sabbati nō carnaliter c. that is kéepe the Saboth day not carnally not with Iewishe vanities whiche abuse and prophane their rest make it a cause of lendenesse Againe saith Augustine speaking of the rest vppon the Saboth day Non dico vt delitteris quemadmodum Iudaei solent Melius est enim toto die fodere quà m saltare die Sabbati my meaning is not saith Augustine that thou shouldest spende the Saboth daye vainely as the Iewes vse to doe For it is better to digge and delue all
of the Actes saith Well spake the holy ghost by Esaias the Prophet vnto our Fathers c. Againe the whole scripture is giuen by inspiratioÌ„ of god c. Peter also in his second epistle first cha vttereth these wordes Prophesie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost In like maner the words spoken at the giuing out of the lawe may truely be vnderstanded of the whole body of all the holy scripture to wit God spake all these wordes Thus it is apparent and manifest of what reuerend and holy account both this and all the sacred scripture ought to be and with what heartie obedience we are to yelde ourselues and stoup downe vnto it sith the holy ghost is authour of the same If we likwise respect the instruments whereby this scripture as by certein second causes and meanes hath bene deliuered to vs the excellencie thereof will also comfortably and plainely apeare For it is vttered by three excellente ministers and seruauntes of the Lord by Moses the gouernour of Israel by Stephan the martyr by the Apostle S. Peter Moses as we reade in the booke called Deuteronomie and as these two Stephan and Peter doe witnesse was the first speaker of this diuine sentice that by the inspiration and direction of the holy Ghost the occasion whereof is also put down in that place of Deuteronomie and consisteth in these two branches First Moses forbiddeth the Israelites to follow the impious maners of the heathen people in vsing witcheraft sorceries charming soothsaying in obseruing times and the fléeing of birdes in making recourse vnto and asking counsell of spirites and the deade pronouncing all these abhominable vnto the Lord the cause why the Lord hath rooted out those nations which were infected and defiled with these superstitious and damnable vanities In the other branch Moses chargeth the Israelites to demeane themselues with all duetifull and true harted obedience towards the Lord their God saying Thou shalt be vpright therefore with the lord thy God thereby signifying that if we wil haue the lord to be our God his mercies continued his vengeaunce deteyned we must then not play the lame â—réeples and hypocriticall halters by making a mingle mangle hodgepoge of true religion vile superstition but we must go vprightly become vnfeigned detestoures of al impietie superstition and hartie zealous worshippers of the Lord according to that religion worship which the Lord him selfe hath prescribed and coÌ„maunded in his word So that the drift of Moses by this scripture is to induce and persuade the children of Israell and all true Christians not to depende vpon the vile and vaine illusions either of sathan or of his wicked instruments but to yelde theÌ„selues to the word of God that with true haâ—â—ie through obodience If the Israelits had obiected to Moses that the word of God was intricat and harde Prophets to interprete the same were fewe and that Moses and all the prophetes should be taken from them by death and so the worde of God coulde bee no suche sure staffe for them to trust and leane vnto Moses in this my text doeth skilfully and to their and our great comfort answeare this obiection saying The lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet c meaning that the Lorde will neuer suffer his Church to bée vtterly destitute of true Prophetes and faithful interpreters of his worde The seconde instrument whereby the holy Ghost hath vttered this scripture the seconde by mine order is Stephan the Martyr For Stephan in hys notable Sermon sealed with his bloud death labouring to winne the Iewes vnto Christ and to pul them from their superstitious obseruation of Moses lawe he maketh rehearsall of Moses whole historie as of his byrth of his casting out of his taking vp and nourishing by Pharao his daughter of his care ouer afflicted Israel his killing of the Egyptian his fléeing into the land of Madian of the Angels appearing vnto him in a flame of fire of the Lordes sending him into Egipt of the wonders done by his hand in the lande of Egipt Lest the Iewes should be too superstitiously wedded to Moses and therby hindered from imbracing Christ Stephan procéedeth and substancially proueth that euen this their Moses whom they so loue obey maintaine and cleaue to euen that he in the lawe and by his office endeuoured to conduct and guyde them vnto Christ This saith StephaÌ„ is that Moses which said vnto the children of Israel A prophet shall the Lord your God raise vp vnto you c. By which words it is euident that Moses would not haue the Iews obstinatly tied to him for euer but did prophesie and foretell of Iesus Christ the Prince and head of all the prophets the very mark wherevnto Moses the lawe and all the Prophetes were directed by whom a newe ministerie to wit the Preaching of the Gospell shoulde bee published for the frée remission of sinnes Last of al this scripture is vsed by the Apostle S. Peter in this thirde of the Acts Peter Iohn hauing in the name of Christ that is say by the vertue and power of Christe restoared him that was borne lame vnto his lims the people in woondering wise ran vnto Peter and Iohn accouÌ„ting them the workers of this miraculous eure Herevppon Peter toke direct occasion to make an excellent sermon wherein he openly and with all humilitie acknowledgeth that this lame créeple was healed not by their cunning power and holinesse but by the vertue of Iesus Christ he also vpbraideth them with the villanies done to Christ setting before their eyes their betraying him their denying of him the holy one and the Iust and desire of a murtherer to bee giuen vnto them their killinge of the Lorde of life After hee had thus pearced their heartes with recitall of this barbarons crueltie the rather to reclame bringe them to some déepe swéet féeling both of their owne sinnes and of God his mercies in Christ he sheweth that hee is not persuaded they did these thinges wittingly willingly and of a set malicious purpose but telleth them that after this manner the Lord God perfourmed that whiche was long before spoken by the Prophetes And therefore Peter exhorteth them vnto repentance and to turne vnto the Lord which cannot be done vnlesse they apprehend and catch holde vpon Iesus Christe the promised and perfourmed sauiour that with the stronge hand of a liuely faith This doctrine was straunge and odious to the Iewes who thought Moses and Christ so repugnant and the lawe and the Gospell so contrarie as if they had embraced Christ and his Gospell they would by and by haue reputed and taken themselues for horrible schismatiques and backsliders from Moses and the lawe Peter wisely preuenteth this
worde vnto his people then we shall finde in these dayes of ours and in this our owne Churche many that are no good ministers It were a straunge and lamentable case if in this age of our Church such grosse imperfections should be founde and if suche bee founde verely rather teares are to bée shedde and prayers powred out for spéedy reformation then any long aunswere made in this place to that former obiection But this I must néeds say that as in the beginning when the abolishing of poperie was attempted flesh and bloud might haue pretended some reasons for the placing of vnméete ministers namely that the number of Popish sacrificers to be displaced was great the number of learned ministers to succéede them was small the Vniuersities were infected as man might haue coulorablie pretented these causes of a rawe ministerie in that beginning So I knowe no expresse worde of God no sounde authoritie of any writer no good reasō which can be now yelded for the continuance and encrease of the same especially in this longing of the people to be taught in this staruing of soules with wante of teaching in this comfortable aboundaunce of able ministers whiche both the Vniuersities maye and are willing yearely to sende out into the Lordes great haruest Let vs all therefore as many as wishe for the perfect beautie of Sion heartily pray the Lord so thoroughly to deuour the heartes of all placed in authoritie with his gratious spirite that both in making ministers and in bestowing liuings appointed for ministers the glorie of God the profite of the church the institution and description of ministers conteined in his worde may alwaies be carefully obediently resoected Mée thinkes I sée by his outwarde countenaunce that some Romanistes heart is inwardly cheared with this my speach of our ministers But soft a while looke before ye leape and be not merrie without cause For blessed bee God Englande hath at this time good and great cause spiritually to reioyce and hartily to blesse and praise the Lord for the goodly store of godly learned wise painfull ministers wherewith he in his rich mercie thath so blessed vs as our forefathers albeit no doubt they often wished yet they seldom or neuer enioyed the like And this I may boldly say and proue it substantially that the meanest of all our ministers though vnable to preach are notwithstanding such as for their true religion right worshipping of God zealous affection to the Gospell prayinge for and with their congregations in a knowen language onely to the Lord and their wishing well and séeking as they can to doe good in their charges c. may iustly bee preferred to the learnedst to the wisest and deuoutest of all that Romish rabble of sacrificing priestes As yee haue hearde that the Lorde God beeing authour of the ministerie therefore great care must be had in opening the dores of the ministerie that none vpon any carnal respect be therevnto admitted so this consideration that the Lorde is the raiser vp of Prophetes the ordeiner of ministers the sender foorth of preachers ought so to preuaile in the hearte of euery priuate true Christian man that hee shoulde make choyse rather to begge his bread and abide any hard estate in the world then beeing vnfite for that function to intrude himself into the same either for a last refuge or for ease or for profite or anye other vnchristian considerations It is saide in the Epistle to the Hebrues No man taketh honour to himselfe but hee that is called of GOD c. It is then Gods calling that maketh the office entring into the same lawefull Whosoeuer therefore taketh on him the office of a minister without this inward calling of god cannot haue the sure testimony of a good cōscience y he is a true minister And how shal any mā assure himselfe that the Lorde hath called him to take the charge of his people to guide his flocke to breake vnto their soules the bread of life vnlesse hee finde that the same Lorde hath mercifully adorned and beautified him with such graces as are requisite and necessarie for a minister of the worde to witte sounde knowledge of the worde abilitie sincerelie to teache it strongly to maintaine the trueth valiauntly to conuince errour and to applie thys worde with profite and discretion This consideration of these notes and markes whereby the Lordes calling of any man to the ministerie maye bee discerned will I trust teach men to holde themselues thankefully contented with their owne vocations and not to leape of from their stalles and out of their shoppes and trades into the ministerie to the offence of the godlie the hardening of the wicked the contempt of the worde and displeasure of the LORDE our GOD which is the author of the ministerie Héere according to promisse I woulde speake of the dignitie and excellencie of Christ his true ministers but that the same is so often and so plainely mentioned in the holy worde of God as no diligent reader or hearer of the worde can bee ignorant of the same The names whereby they are called the office to them inioyned the person they represent all these euery one of these diuers other respects to the same end do plainly certifie vs of their high holy and excellent function They are called the salt of the earth the light of the worlde the ministers of Christe disposers of the secretes of God preachers of the worde starres Angels Their office is to season and poulder the heartes of the elect with the swéete sauour of Iesus Christ their sauiour to be meanes to illuminate and lighten our darke vnderstanding by a sincere interpretation of the worde to minister the Gospell and sacramentes of Christ to receiue light frō Iesus Christ the Sunne of righteousnes and to conueigh the same to vs for the guiding of our steppes to carie like trustie Ambassadours and faithfull messengers the Lorde his will and pleasure to his seruaunts They represent the verie person of the Lorde Iesus as is euident by his owne wordes He that receiueth you receiueth me again He that heareth you heareth me he that dispiseth you disspiseth mee c. These fewe but yet greate thinges spoken of the worthynesse of Christe his ministers are I trust sufficient to bringe them out of that contempt wherevnto they are growen by the malice of Sathan by the wicked practises of his instrumentes and by the horrible vnthankefulnesse of the worlde THE SECOND PART AS ye haue heard in the first parte that the Lord shal raise vp this prophete whereby hath béen declared that not carnall man but the immortall and euerliuing God is authour of the ministerie so in the second place we are to consider what manner of Prophete the Lorde shall raise vp our text saith A Prophet of your brethren like to mee Wée reade in the holy
subiect to sinne Christ is a man frée from sinne Moses was but a seruant Christ is the Lorde and Maister But Christe and Moses are herein like bicause they were both Prophets and interpreters of God his will to his people because Moses was a liuely figure of Christ as may appear by a briefe comparison made betwéene Christ and Moses Moses being in credite in king Pharaho his house chose rather to suffer afflictions with his brethren the Israelites then to liue in ease and estimation in the Courte of Pharaho Our sauiour Christ being in the glorious heauens the second person in Trinitie had suche compassion on our most miserable estate that he descended and came downe into this vale of myserie for the accomplishment of our redemption Moses was vnkindly entreated of his brethren the Iewes Christ comming among his owne was not receiued Moses deliuered Israell from Egypt and drowned Pharaho his hoste in the red sea Christe raunsomed vs from spiritual Egypt which is hel and from spiritual Pharaho which is the diuell Moses fedde the Israelites with Manna from heauen Christ nourisheth vs with his body and bloud Moses tolde the people so muche of the Lords will as was néedeful for them to know Christ hath left writtē in the sacred volume of the holy canonical scriptures whatsoeuer is necessary to oure saluatiō I might cōtinue this comparisō but thus much is sufficient to shewe the reason of Moses speach and thus we percieue how these words ◠Prophet of your brethren like to me may well be vnderstanded both of all the ministerie in generall and of our sauiour Christe especially and of each and of both to our verie greate comforte and encouragement to become carefull and effectuall hearers of Christ and his ministers The third part Ye shall heare him in all thinges what soeuer he shall say vnto you THe former scripture before handled hath certified vs that God shall stir vp this prophet and that he is therfore authour of the ministerie and also that by this Prophet Iesus Christe and in him all his true ministers are vnderstanded Nowe these words conteining the third parte doe vs to vnderstand of the eare which must be giuen and the obedience which must be yelded to this Prophet Ye shall heare him in al things c. that is to say ye shal with al obedience conforme your selues to his doctrine Here Peter proueth that Moses attemted not to tie the Iewes vnto the lawe for euer but that the office of Moses and the Lawe was to bring them vnto Christe So Paule writing vnto the Galathians saith The lawe was our Scholemaister to bring vs vnto Christe that wee mighte bee made righteous by faith but after this faith is come we ar no longer vnder a Scholemaister Whereby it is plaine that the lawe canne claime no longer righte in vs or rule ouer vs after it hath once brought vs vnto our sauiour Iesus Christe The scholler is in subiection to his scholemaister till he become learned and then he is set at libertie In like manner the law hath perfourmed the office therunto appointed whē by it we haue learned to sée and knowe and acknowledge our infirmities corruptiō sinfulnes vnrighteousnes to fly vnto Christ to be iustified by faith in him Sith this Christ which is the marke whereat the law shooteth and the iustifier of the vnrighteous sith he is come Peter out of the law exhorteth the Iewes vs al to heare him with heartie obedience Yea the glorious voyce of almightie God sounding from heauen appointeth this the only Messias to be our onely scholemaster and vs to be his onely schollers saying This is that my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him Here we must make a distinction of hearing Christ and his worde There is one kinde of hearing which is onely externall and outward when as the alone sounde and voice of the gospell occupieth the eares of man but entreth not into the heart there to take good comfortable effect Of this hearing Esai speaketh in the 6. chapter which our sauiour citeth in the 13. of Matthew By hearing ye shall heare and not vnderstand Wher the Prophet in the person and name of the Lord God manaceth the wicked that through their own malice their hearts shal be so hardened as they shall onely heare the outward sounde of the worde to their condemnation but it shall not swéetely touche their heartes for their conuersion saluation Such hearers were traiterous Iudas the obstinate Pharises the malitious wicked ones to whom the preaching of the gospell is the sauour of death vnto death But an other kind of hearing there is which hath alwayes accompanying it and inseparably ioyned to it faith in beléeuing that which is heard and obediēce in following that which is heard and beléeued This hearing Moses vnderstandeth by saying Yee shall heare him in all things c. This hearing the voyce from heauen signifieth giuing to heare him This hearing our Sauiour meaneth He that is of God heareth Gods words and in an other place My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they followe mee Thus Abraham with faith and obedience heard the Lordes calling when as hee departed out of his countrie Gene. the xii circumcised himselfe Genesis the xvii and offered vp his onely sonne Isaac as is recorded in the xxii of Genesis Thus the Prophets Apostles Martyres and all the faithfull heard Christ and his word when as neither pennury and lacke of necessaries neither hatred and malice of men neither pollicies and fetches of Sathan neither tormentes and cruelties of Tyrantes neither losse of life and death it selfe coulde make them fal away from Iesus Christ their Generall and captaine It is written that Zeusis so artificially painted a cluster of grapes that the birds flew to it and picked at it supposing it had ben a true naturall cluster These silie poore byrdes were much deceiued for they founde but painted grapes Verilie whosoeuer shall heare the worde of God in this last sense of hearing and after the example of these hearers thus liuely discribed by the holy Ghost they shall finde that those were and themselues are no peinted and counterfeit hearers but verie true and effectuall hearers of this prophete Christe and his holy gospell They shal neuer deceiue their own selues as did the birdes and the vaine hearers do but shall be blessed in their deed These hearers heare not Christe and his word after their owne fancie liking but in whatsoeuer he saith vnto thē as Peter here teacheth out of Moses From the premisses matters before spoken concerning true hearers of the worde there groweth this conclusion If none be true fruitfull and profitable hearers of the worde either to their owne comforte and commoditie or to God his honour glory but such
as heare with faith to beléeue in Christ and his worde and with obedience to followe Christe and his worde then both idolatrous Papistes and carnall protestantes I will not once name Atheistes are quit clean excluded out of the number of true right Christian hearers That Papists hear not Christ his ministers in this sense of hearing that is that they do not conforme their religion according to the doctrine conteined in and deliuered vnto them out of the worde of God this is a matter so manifest as all the faithfull do lamentablie and with griefe of hearte beholde the same And to giue themselues if any be present some taste thereof I will here ioyne battell and incounter with them vsing that onely sentence vtterred by our sauiour in the sourth of Iohn for the weapon whereby I am sure I truste the greatest number present will confesse that their whole religion or rather superstition is wounded at the hearte and stricken quite dead For Christ in that place talking with the woman of Samaria telleth her the God is a spirit and they that worshippe him must worshippe him in spirit and truth If we either looke on the whole body of their religion in grosse or dismember and rippe the same into péeces and beholde euerie member euerie ioynt euerie sinewe euerie veine euerie arterie euerie muscle thereof we shall be enforced to confesse that among them there is no worshipping of God in spirite and trueth but that all their worshippe and religion is corporall externall and ceremoniall Whosoeuer shall with iudgement indifferētly view their Religion shall in déede perceiue it to be nothing else but an apishe and counterfeite imitation of the ceremoniall law Hence they fetch their alters candlestickes Sensours Perfumes garmentes Oblations festiuall dayes solemne feasts difference of times obseruation of meates purifications sacrifices and a number of the like nature But as in all these and the residue they haue no sauour of spirite and trueth agréeable either to gods nature discribed or to the doctrin of the Gospell deliuered by Christ so in their following of the lawe they doe shamfully halte To giue yee an instance they celebrate their masse at the Altar but Christ ministred his laste supper at a table I cannot denye but the lawe Ceremoniall doeth commaunde Altars howbeit such Altars as shall be neither of hewed stone nor haue any steppes ther vnto belonging But the Romish Altars are of hewen stowne and haue steppes as is apparant in their Sinagogues and as appereth by steppes yet remayning in many of our Temples whereby either longing for that heathenish superstition or at the least colde affection to aduance true religion is vndoubtedly signified But admitte their whole religion were fully in euery pointe correspondent and answerable to the law ceremoniall what else shoulde that bée but a full and flatte deniall of Christes death and passion and of all the merits of the same This is most substancially proued by our sauiour Christ and by his seruaunt Paule Christ in that former scripture before cited saith that God is a spirit and therefore they that worshippe him must worship him in spirit and trueth In that place Spirit truth are opposed and set against the ceremonies of the law and the words of Christ so vttered to the woman of Samaria importe thus much Before the incarnation of me the then promised and nowe perfourmed sauiour ye worshipped God in shadowes in figures in ceremonies in sacrifices but I béeing nowe come who am the body of those shaddowes the trueth of those figures the substāce of those sacrifices the matter of those ceremonies nowe that externall worship ceaseth and ye muste now worship God onely in spirite and trueth Here Paule saith in his Epistle to the Ephesians the second chapter He that is Christ is our peace which hath made of both one and hath broken the stop of the partition wall in abrogating through his flesh the hatred that is the law of cōmandementes which standeth in ordinaunces c. Again writing vnto the Collossians he hath the same in effect and meaning By both these places we are taught that Christ by his death and passion hath abrogated taken away the whole law of ceremonies that place also in the last to the Hebrues is verie notable to this end and purpose We haue an Altar wherof they haue no authoritie to eat which serue in the Tabernacle Whereby it is concluded that such as yet dwell in ceremonies of the law much more of mens deuising are strangers frō Iesus Christ who by his one sacrifice of his own body once offered for al hath cancelled the obligation and handwriting of the ceremoniall lawe which was against vs By these the like testimonies of holy scripture we sée that such as worship God either after the ceremoniall law of God or after the ceremoniall deuises of men do therby deny the force of Christs death yea they deny that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh Of such mē S. Ioh. speaketh in his first epistle Euery spirit that cōfesseth not Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is not of god but this is the spirit of Antichrist c. I referre the néerer application of this sentence to their own consciences praying the lord to giue them grace effectually to sée cōfortably to fele faith fully to acknowledge the Lord Iesus togither with the mightie force of his most effectuall death passion Plinie in the eight booke of his naturall historie reporteth the Swallowes vse to make the blind soare eyes of their yong ones to sée by rubbing the same w an herbe called Celandine so named some say of the swallowes first finders and such vsers therof some say quia confert caelestia dona bicause it hath heauenly vertues The papists eyes are very sore blind they cannot abide to looke vppon Iesus Christ the glorious sonne of God thus brightly shining amōgest vs The Lord in his mercie giue thē his heauenly Celandine I mean his holy spirit that therewith their blind eyes may bee opened their darke vnderstanding lightened their hard harts mollified softened If as in grosse we haue viewed the whole bodie of their religiō so nowe we looke vppon the same by piece meale shal we therein finde any spirite and truth shal we not finde it altogether deuoid of spirite and trueth and wholy corporall carnall and earthly Spirite and truth will haue the Lord God alone worshipped and serued they worship and serue Saintes creatures Reliques bootes buskins nailes c. Spirit trueth will haue God alone to be prayed vnto they pray to Saintes to creatures to Images to stockes and stones Spirite and trueth will haue our praiers procéede from an vnderstanding hart they teach charge the people to pray in a strange and vnknowen language Spirite and trueth will haue
vs fréely iustified by faith in Christ they ioyne mans merits purchasers with the pretious bloude of Christ Spirite and truth wil haue but two Sacramentes to wit Baptisme and the Lords supper they adde to these two fiue moe of their owne coyning so will haue seuen sacraments Spirite and truth willeth vs simplie to administer the Sacramentes according to the Lords holy institutiō they haue added altred deminished augmented as them selues lusted To baptism they haue added oyle creame spittle crossings baptizing by women baptizing before the birth of the childe a tying of saluation vnto baptisme To the Lord his supper they haue added Altars candlestickes Tapers pixe Transubstantiatiō Adoration reseruatiō circumgestation and carrying about of the Sacrament c. Spirite and trueth willeth vs to heare christ In al things whatsoeuer he shal say vnto vs Wherby we are throughly assured that all things necessarily required vnto our saluation are conteined in the sacred scriptures but they ground vpon reuelatiōs apparitions vnwritten verities lying myracles and most absurd fables Thus I might right welbeloued in the Lord examine the huge mōstrous masse of all their religion and nether in it al generally nor in any particular part thereof finde any spirit and trueth but only that which is earthly corporal carnal and fleshlie If it be replied that the papists are learned men antient men wise men of long experience and that therfore it is maruel they shold so grosly be deceiued that wheras god being a spirit therfore wil be worshipped in spirit and truth they haue yet in al their seruice worship no spirit truth The scribes Pharises were as ancient wise learned and expert as the papists yet they persecuted crucified Christe and with all violence opposed set themselues against his gospell In the eleuenth of Matth. Christ breaketh out into these words I giue thee thanks O father Lord of heauē earth bicause thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hast opened them to babes It is so O father bicause thy good pleasure was such This our heauenly Scholemaster here teacheth that true religion right knowledge of the worde and a thorough féeling of Christ are not tied to the Vniuersities to great Doctours to gray heads but that the Lord God bestoweth these good giftes fréely in what place soeuer at what time soeuer and vpon whome soeuer he pleaseth And verily as the Scribes and Pharises framed to themselues certeine deuices to kéep them from Christ as that he was but the sonne of a carpenter kept companie with sinners abounded not with worldly iolitie in princely maner so for all the world do our Papists deuise means to hinder them from comming vnto the same Christ We cannot say they away with his newe doctrine for so they sclanderously call the auntient trueth of God his worde all is new plaine Dunstable the seruice is in the vulgare toung euerie bodie may vnderstand it the edifying of the soul is now altogether cared for there is now in our Church no pleasing and delighting of our outward sēces In our masse time the verie name whereof comforteth our hart our seruice was in a learned language it was not vnderstanded of the common sorte wee prayed to the blessed Saintes in heauen we knéeled to trim painted images our churches were gailie decked there was ringing singing sēcing piping glittering copes siluer Censours golden Crosses mitred fathers encloistred brethren religious Sisters Christening of belles hollowing of fontes créeping to the crosse offering of egges sprinkling of holy water dealing of holy bred auriculer confession good sporte on Alhallon night lighting of tapers making merrie going on pilgrimage pardoning of sin for a litle monie we liued as we lusted Priestes were good fellowes adulterie was borne withall bread was bigger ale was stronger béefe more plentifull troutes fatter and better all thinges cheaper xxiiij egges for a penie Nowe all these ar gone euerie childe can now vnderstand the seruice Images are forbidden God is now worshipped in spirite truth euery bodie is now skilfull in the scriptures the knowledge of the Catechisme and abilitie to yelde an account of our faith is looked for and commaunded We were borne and christened in the Masse time our forefathers were of that stamp we wil none of this new doctrine Euen so the Iews when they were deliuered from Idolatrie restored vnto the true knowledge and worship of God many of them misliking that estate as Ieremie witnesseth cried out against him in this manner We will not heare the worde that thou speakest vnto vs in the name of the Lorde but we will doe euery thing that shal proceed from our own mouth as to burne incense to the queene of heauen to offer vp drink offerings vnto her as both we haue done our fathers our kings and princes in the Citie of Iuda and in the streates of Ierusalem For then had wee plentie of victualles and were well and felt none euill c. These deare brethren these are the reasons which stoppe manie Papistes eares from hearkening to this Prophet Iesus Christ Ye heare and sée the vanitie of these reasons and howe farre they are from any reason They néede no cōfutation very children haue them in derision and laugh them to scorne Chrisostom most notably compareth the gentiles or heathen people to children which comparison will serue now verie fitlie if in stéede of his heathen men we vnderstand our heathenish papists Saieth Chrisostom Vt pueri nullius vtilitatis curam suscipiunt c. As children haue no regarde of any profite so the gentiles are desirous to play continually and they lye flatte vppon the ground and are in loue with base things When we often talke of necessarie matters children vnderstand not our talke but fall a laughing Euen so the gentiles when wee speake of the kingdome of heauen they doe nothing but laugh And as out of a childes mouth there issueth much spitle which nowe and then marreth both meate and drinke so the wordes which come out of the gentiles mouthes are vaine and vile and if thou set needfull food before thē they vexe thee with cursed speches wish it to be taken frō thē Childrē moreouer when they see a theefe goe into the house and steale away the furniture thereof they doe not onely not reuenge but they smile look pleasātly on him but if you take awai their suckling box or rattle or any such like childishe bable then they take that heauily they are grieued they teare them selues they stampe vpon the pauement So do the gentils when they see the diuell steale away all they haue both their inheritance or liuelihod what soeuer thinges are necessarie for their soules health they laugh and as if he were their friend they go out to meet him But if any man lay hand vpon their possessions riches
the day then to daunce vpon the Saboth daye If we had grace that one exāple of the murdering of innocent Iohn Baptist by occasion of wanton dauncing might set before our eyes how daungerous a matter it is to frequent the cōmon dancing places And how streightly the holy ghost doth commaund mortification subduing of our wanton affections holinesse in thought wordes workes eyes tongues generally and particularly this ye haue learned by the often hearinge and readinge of the scriptures and therefore ye cannot be ignorant but must néedes knowe and confesse howe vnséemely how vnchristianlike how displeasant to God and offensiue to good men the accustomed dauncing of men women vppon the dayes before named is yea and that their maner of dancing may verie well truely be called as Augustin calleth it a flattering Diuell a sweete poyson a sinfull pleasure or a pleasaunt sinne And so far are thoy from hope to reformo this deformed dancing as we lamentably see many placed in authoritie to like well thereof and rather maintaine irreligious dancers then estéeme and hearken vnto the iust complaint of godlie preachers which openly in sermons priuatly by supplications euery waye haue laboured for the suppressing of this notable cause of many mischeuous inconueniences It is déepely layed to our charge that we speake against al manner of recreations And yet it is well knowen that we like and vse recreations In déed we say this that both wée and all that feare the Lorde muste not alone in earnest and weightie affaires but also in our verie sportes and mirth and pastimes séeke the glorie of god by endeuouring to put of the olde man of sinne and to shewe foorth liuely fruites of true regeneration that whatsoeuer we say or doe it may thereby appeare we haue béene baptised as with water so likwise with the holy ghost and fire that is inwardly and effectually wherof they can neuer truely and comfortably assure themselues which let loose the bridle of their affections and as it were sell their bodies and soules to riotous vnchaste and vngodly dauncing and such other carnall delightes so horribly frequented by the common sort of people in many places of this Realme to the frustrating of oure labours the hinderance of the gospell the increase of wickednesse therfore to the greate ioy of Sathan and all his adherents The Lord in mercie giue suche strength and courage to all magistrats that setting a side frendship respect of gaine care to be popular and all earthly considerations they may throughly friendly ioyne their temporall sworde with the woorde of God whiche is the sworde of the spirite for the cutting downe of what soeuer thinges shall be founde any manner of impediment and let to the inlarging of Christes kingdome And the same Lord turne the froward harts of many people that wheras now they bende themselues to nothing so much as to erect and set vp vanities and to vexe molest and grieue the heartes and discredite slaunder and stain the names euen of their learned godly teachers they may spéedily shew harty repentāce become obediēt hearers followers of God his word And as in the countrie minstrels thus seduce bewitch the people so it hath bene sayd I trust it be reformed that vaine plaiers haue had about this citie of London farre greater audience then true preachers This vniuersal lothing of Christes holy gospell doth prognosticate a famine not of bread and water that is not of corporall foode but as the Prophet sayth a famine of hearing the worde of the Lorde It woulde pearce through our heartes with intollerable griefe to féele our selues and sée our children perish with wāt of bodily sustenance This was the miserable condition and estate of the wicked Iewes at the finall destruction of that moste famous Ierusalem Then the Parentes sawe the pitifull famine and staruing of their children the children of their Parentes one of an other Almost all things they layd hands vppon though most vnnatural thei vsed as meat The tender hearted mother spared not with her own hands to slea her own innocent and natural child and with his vnpleasāt flesh to nourish her famishing body to stay her vnreasonable hungrie appetite Verilie this is a sorrowful narratiō But another maner of griefe shal the famine of God his word bring with it when as by means therof manie fathers and mothers with their children manie maisters with their seruaunts many gouernours with their people shall pine away and perish euerlastingly with the eternal death of body soul This will be a dolefull daunce and to this ende without heartie and present amendement the vsuall contemptuous dauncing the despising of the Gospell the sinnefull delightes the disordred life of the vngodly the profanatiō of holy dayes the loue of playing the lothing and hatred of preaching will bring our happie and golden dayes if God bee not verie mercifull to vs Thus haue ye heard that in these first sort of carnall Protestantes there can be found no obedience and therfore no liuely faith and so consequently they are no fruitfull hearers of the worde Another sort of lippe prefessours are zealous in religion feruentlie bente against poperie great talkers of the scripture pretenders of much honestie but yet among them ye shall finde vnmercifull vsurers couetous oppressours extreame dealers in worldly thinges insatiable cormorantes filthie Epicures these men wil vse faire words but haue foule hearts they will sweare and yet lie they make a shew of simplicitie and for all that are full of deceipt they can talke of mortification yet vse meanes as it were with bellowes to blowe vp and kindle the fire of carnall conuersation The case of these men are most miserable Better they had neuer knowen the worde of god Better they had neuer bene borne Better a milstone had ben hāged about thier neckes then so to haue offended Christs litle ones Their owne knowledge of the word and yet disobedience to the worde pronounceth sentence of iust condemnation against them These are such as Christ speaketh of Not euerie one that saieth vnto mee Lord Lorde shall enter into the kingdome c. These are foolish lookers into the glasse of God his worde hearers only deceiuing their owne selues These are cloudes without water carried about of windes corrupt trées and without fruite These are chaffe whiche the winde driueth away Yea that chaffe which Christ will burne with vnquenchable fire These are figge trées which beare leaues only no fruite and therfore vnable to endure the presēce of christ In the seconde booke of Samuell it is written that King Dauid sent some of his seruants to comfort Hanun king of the Ammonites lamenting for his fathers deth But Hanun perswaded by his noble men that Dauids seruantes came rather as espialles then as