will walke in his paths I thinke I cannot truely say with Hosea that the Lord hath a coÌ„trouersie with the inhabitants of this land because there is no knowledge of God in the land For our heads are not so sicke as our hearts are heauie Isa 1.5 I meane our heads are not so void of knowledge as our hearts are of obedience but I dare boldly say that which followeth By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring Hos 4.2 they breake forth and blood toucheth blood Wil you heare the iudgements annexed in the subsequent words Therefore shall the land mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off This is a terrible curse he that dwelleth in heauen still auert it from vs but yet it is a conclusion which the Lord vseth to inferre vpon such premises Giue me leaue ro repeat a parable vnto you Isa 5.1.2.3 c. My beloued had a vineyard in a very fruitfull hill and he hedged it and gathered the stones out of it and hee planted it with the best plants and hee built a Tower in the midst and made a winepresse therein The Prophet in that place applieth it to the land of Iudah Surely the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the land of Israel and the men of Iudah are his pleasant plants me thinkes I may not vnfitly apply it vnto this Island Surely the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the land of Britaine and the men of this land are his pleasant plants Now therefore O ye inhabitants of this and iudge I pray you betweene him and his vineyard what could he haue done vnto it that hee hath not done Hee hath planted it with his own right hand hee hath so hedged it about with his heauenly prouidence that the wild boare out of the woods cannot roote it vp nor they that goe by pull off his grapes Hee hath watered it most abundantly with the dew of heauen he hath gathered the stones of Popery and superstition out of it he hath set the winepresse of his word therein he hath giuen it a Tower euen a king as a strong tower against his enemies whose raigne the Lord continue ouer vs if it bee his pleasure as long as the moone knoweth her course the sun his going down and let all that loue the peace of Britaine say Amen Now hee hath long expected that it shuld bring forth grapes but behold it bringeth foorth wild grapes He looked for iudgement but behold oppression for righteousnesse but loe a crying These were the sinnes of Ierusalem and you know her iudgments he that was Ierusalems God is Britaines God too and therfore if shee paralell Ierusalem in her iniquities let her take heed she tast not of her plagues God though he hath not yet begun to punish her in his fury yet hath he sundry times shaked his rod of correction ouer her if this will not worke amendment her iudgement must be the greater Fearefull was the case of Samaria whoÌ„ Gods punishments could not moue to repentance I haue giuen you cleannesse of teeth in al your Cities Amos. 4. and scarcenesse of Bread in all your places yet haue yee not returned vnto me saith the Lord God I haue with holden the raine from you when there was yet three moneths to the haruest and I caused it to ruine vpon one Citie and brought a drought vpon another yet haue yee not returned vnto me saith the Lord. Pestilence haue I sent amongst you after the manner of Egipt and yet ye haue not returned vnto me saith the Lord. I haue smitten you with blasting and mildew c. yet ye haue not returned vnto me saith the Lord God The Lord hath not hitherto dealt with vs after our sinnes nor plagued vs according to the multitude of our iniquities yet he hath made it manifest that he is displeased with vs His mercy hath pulled backe his hand from drawing his sword of vengeance against vs yet hee hath left vs sundry tokens that hee is angred with our sinnes It is not long since that the heauens were made as brasse Deut. 28.23 and the Earth as yron nay the very waters became as yron or as brasse so that neither the heauens from aboue nor the earth or water from below did aford comforts for the seruice of man This extraordinary cold disteÌ„perature of the ayre might by an Antiperistasis haue kindled some heate of zeale deuotion in our brests when it had not the expected effect Psal 105.16 then he Called for a dearth vpon the land and destroied our prouision of bread euen such a famine that if we were not releeued from forraine countries Ten women might bake their bread in one Ouen as the Lord speaketh Leuit. 26.26 But all this hath not brought vs vpon our knees nor humbled our soules before our God therefore once againe he hath put life in his messenger of death and set him on foote which heretofore of late yeres hath raged in this city like a man of warre and like a gyant refreshed with wine and bestirred himselfe though not with the like violence almost in euery part of this kingdome Psal 91.6 I meane the pestilence that walketh in the darkenesse and the sicknesse that hath killed many thousands at noone day all these are infallible tokens that he is offended with our sinnes Howbeit he is so mercifull that he will not suffer his whole displeasure as yet to arise Horum si singula duras Flectere non possunt poterint tameÌ„ omnia mentes If each of these by themselues cannot preuaile with vs yet if they be all put together they may serue as a threefold cord to draw vs vnto repentance If these be not of force but still wee continue to blow vp the coales of his anger then let vs know for a certainty that they are the forewarners of a greater euill as the cracking of the house is a forewarning of his fall these bee but the flashing lightnings the thunderbolt will come after The cloud that is long in gathering will make the greater storme he is all this while in fetting his stroke that hee may giue the sorer blow Eurum ad se Zephirumque vocat hee is in bringing the windes out of his treasures that he may rain vpon our heads a showre of vengeance which shall bee the portion of al the vngodly to drink I beganne like a Barrabas I will not end like Boanarges my song had an Exordium of mercy I am loath to bring for an Epilogue a thunderclap of iudgment Wherefore my beloued Brethren now that you see the true causes of the ruines of euery common-wealth and the iudgement that hangeth ouer your heads like Damocles his sword for our iniquities flatter your selues no longer in your own sinnes but turne vnto him by speedy and vnfained repentance that hee may repent him of the euill turne away his plagues from you let the wanton leaue his dallying and the drunkard his carrowsing and the Vsurer his biting and the swearer his blaspheming and the oppressor his grinding and euery one amend one in time before the Lords wrath bee further kindled then will the Lord bee mercifull vnto this land hee will quicklie turne the sowre lookes of an angry and sinne reuenging Iudge into the smiling countenance of a mild and gentle Father Hee will take the rodde which he hath prepared for you and burne it in the fire These plagues which doe hang ouer you for your iniquities he will blow away with the breath of his nostrils as hee did the Egyptian Grashoppers into the red sea he will command his destroying Angell to put vp his sword into the sheath he will open the windowes of heauen and power downe a blessing vpon you without measure Then shall you be blessed in the Citie and blessed in the field blessed at your going out and blessed at your comming in and whatsoeuer you put your hands vnto shall be blessed your sonnes shall a Psa 129.4 grow vp as Oliue branches and your daughters shall be as the b Psal 144. polished corners of the Temple Your grounds shall so abound with grane that the tillers shall laugh and sing your garners shall be full and plenteous with all manner of store c Ioel. 2.24 your presses shall abound with Oyle and wine your sheepe shall bring forth thousands and tenne thousands in your fields Euery thing shall prosper nothing shall stoppe the current of Gods blessings there shall be no decay nor leading into captiuity and no complayning in your streetes and which is better then all â—hese hee will giue you faithfull painefull Pastors to feede you his spirite to comfort you his word to instruct you his wisedome to direct you his Angels to watch ouer you his grace to assist you and in a word He will be your God and you shall be his people Esther 6.9 thus shall it be done vnto all those whome the King of heauen shall honour so that all the world shal wonder at your felicity say Blessed be the Lord which taketh pleasure in the prosperity of his seruants happy are the people that bee in such a case yea blessed are al they which haue the Lord for their God thus wil he be with you and direct you in the desert of this world till he bring you into a faire and Goodly place the promised land a land that floweth with better things then abouÌ„dance of Milke and Honey the celestiall Paradise the heauenly Canaan the kingdome of glory prepared for you from the beginning of the world euen that kingdome where the King is verity the Lawes charity the Angels your company the Peace felicitie the life eternity To this kingdom the God of al mercy bring vs for his sake that bought vs with his owne blood to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit three persons in trinitie and one God in vnitie be ascribed all honor glory power and Maiestie both now and for euermore Amen FINIS
anger slow to reuenge Esau that was borne red f Gen. 25 25. and rough God disinherited as a Monster and no true Child of his but smooth Iacob hee acknowledged to be his Sonne The child of wrath is no Sonne vnto the God of mercy How often doest thou sinne against thy God By thy blasphemous oathes thou tearest him by thy hypocriticall holinesse thou mockest him by thy vncleannesse thou polutest him by thy arrogant pride thou disdainest him and spittest in his face The least trespasse that thou committest against him is no lesse then treason against his royall person and doth God for euery offence vn-sheath his sword against thee Si quoties peccant homines sua fulmina mittat Iupiter c. If God should in iudgement punish euery sinne vpon the offendor where should wretchedman be now when God writeth thy sinnes in dust wilt thou write thy Brothers in Marble When he forgiueth thee ten thousand tallents wilt not thou forgiue thy Brother an hundreth pence If thou wilt be indeede his Sonne bee like vnto him be pittifull tender-harted full of mercy and compassion if thou bee angry beware that thou sinne not Eph. 4.26 by speedy reuenge if thy wrath bee conceiued in the morning and perchance increase his heate with the Sunne till mid-day yet let it settle with the Sunne at afternoone and set with it at night 1. Kings 3. Let not the Sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath if its conception bee in the night vse it as the harlot vsed her child smother it in thy bed make it like the vntimely fruite of a woman which perisheth before it see the Sun Psal to this purpose remember that the Citizens of this Ierusalem are at vnity amongst themselus the stones of this temple are fast coupled and linked together the members of this Body as they are vnited in one head with the nerues of a iustifying faith So are they knit in one heart with the Arteries of loue The branches of this Vine as they are vnited with the boale froÌ„ whence they receiue nutriment so haue they certaine tendrels whereby they are fastned and linked one to another Now if without compassion thou seekest thy brothers hurt thou dost as it were deuide Christ thou pullest a stone out of this Temple thou breakest a branch from this Vine AEneid 3. nay more then so thou cuttest the Vine it selfe Virgill tells vs that when Aeneas was pulling a bough from a mirtle tree to shadow his sacrifice their issued drops of blood from the boale trickling downe vnto the ground at length he heard a voice crying vnto him thus Quid miserum AEnea laceras iam parce sepulto parce pias scelerare manus the Poet tels vs that it was the blood of Polydorus Priamus his sonne which cryed for vengeance against Polymnestor the Thracian King which had slaine him in like maner wheÌ„soeuer thou seekest the ouerthrow of thy Christian Brother and hast a desire to reuenge thy selfe of him as hee had to pull a bough from the Tree thinke that it is not the branches but the Vine thou seekest to cutte downe Thinke that Christ will count this indignitie done to his members as it were done to himselfe Thinke that thou hearest him cry vnto thee after this maner iam parce sepulto parce tuas scelerare manus imbrue not thy hands in my blood haud cruor hic de stipite manat it is not the branches thou fightest against Iude. 9.5 Nam Polydorus ego I am Iesus whom thou persecutest Titus 9.5 I am now come neare to a point which I haue pressed heretofore in the other publique place of this citie At the Spittle therfore I proceede no further but turne aside to my second generall point obserued in this verse which was Ierusalems misery The Tree is very fruitfull and I am but a passenger and therefore must be contented to pull two or three clusters which I conceiued to be the ripest and the readiest to part with the boughes which when I haue commended to your seuerall castes I will commit you to God First the Paucity of true professors if ye can find a man or if there be any Secondly the place where In Ierusalem Thirdly that God will bring his iudgments vpon her because of her wickednesse not expressed but necessarily vnderstood From these three I collect three propositions from the first Gods flocke militant may consist of a small number from the second There is no particular place so priuiledged but that it may reuolt and fall from God from the third No place is so strong nor City so fenced but the sinnes of the people will bring it to ruine Of these three in order Gods holy spirit directing me and first of the first God made all the world PropositioÌ„ and therefore it is great reason that he should haue it all to himselfe yea and hee challengeth it as his owne right c Hag. 2.8 The Golde is his and the siluer is his and all the beasts of the fielde are his and so are the cattell vpon a thousand hils and the heauens are his for they are his Throne and the earth is his for it is his footestoole and the reprobate are his Psal Act. 749 Ierem. 25 for Nebuchadnezzer is his seruant and as Iuda is his so is Moab likewise but in an other kind of seruice in a word The earth is the Lordes and all that therein is Psal 24. the compasse of the worlde and all that dwell therein but not in that property which is now ment for that belongs onely vnto men and yet not vnto all but to a few which are appointed to be hâ—yres of saluation Heb. 1.14 God made all men so that they are all his sonnes by creation but hee ordained not all to life so that there is but a remnant which are his sonnes by adoption our first Father did eate such a sowre grape as did set all his childrens teeth on edge by transgressing Gods commandement he lost his birth-right and was shut out of Paradise by committing treason against his Lord and King Gen. 3. his bloud was stained and all his children were made vncapable of their fathers inheritance but God who is rightly tearmed the Father of all mercy 2. Cor. 1.3 God of all consolation as he purposed to shew his iustice in punishing the greater part of such as so greeuously incurred his displeasure so on the contrary side it was his good pleasure to shew his mercy in sauing of some though they deserued as great a degree of punishment as the other and therefore it is a Parliament holden before all times it was enacted that the naturall sonne of God the second person in the Trinity should in the fulnes of time take vpon him mans flesh and suffer for our transgressions and gather a certaine number out of that Masse of corruption Austin wherein all mankind lay these be they
which shal follow the Lambe whethersoeuer he goeth these bee his people and the sheepe of his pasture these be they which haue this prerogatiue to be called the sonnes of God Psal 100. Gal. 4.1 Rom. 8.17 and the heires of God annexed with Christ and these are they which I affirme to be often contained in a very narrow roome in respect of the wicked There is much chaffe and little wheate it is the wheate that God keepes for his garner there are many stones but few pearles it is the Pearle which Christ hath bought with his bloud 2. Cor. 4. Many fowles but onely the Eagles bee good birds Sathan hath a kingdome and Christ but a little flocke it is like to Bethleem in the land of Iudah Luk. 12.32 Mich. 5.2 Gen. 8.3 but a little one amongst the Princes of Iudah it is like to Noahs floud going and returning like the sea flowing and ebbing or like to the Moone filling and waining sometimes so Eclipsed and darkened with the earth that thou canst not perceiue that Christ the sonne of righteousnesse doth shine vpon it The story of Times will make this plaine innumerous were the men of the old world yet Gods flocke was onely contained in the family of Sheth they onely were called the Sonnes of God Gen. 6.2 afterward this flocke was compassed in a very narrow fold in Noahs familie it was enclosed in one Arke and yet there was one Wolfe amongst these few sheepe Nat lupus inter oues Ouid metam lib 1. Thus it continued in a very narrow compasse till Abrahams time and so downeward till it beganne to multiply in the land of Egypt and afterward in the promised Canaan as yet it was still tied to one place there was but one pasture for Gods sheepe the rest of the world playde the harlot with other louers and went a whoring after their owne inuentions and in this one pasture there were more Goates then sheepe for though the number of the children of Israel were as the sand vpon the sea shore Rom. 4.27 yet onely a remnant was to be saued When the fulnesse of time was come that God had sent his sonne made of a woman this Moone did suffer such an Eclipse as that the quickest eye could hardly perceiue her then she beganne to recouer her light for God broke downe the partition wall and rent the vaile of the Temple and made no difference betwixt the Iew and the Gentile Tuos Niriusque mihi nullo discrimene agetur Then Gods sheepe brought forth thousands and ten thousands in the streets then the Vine stretcheth forth her boughes vnto the riuer and her branches vnto the lands end then God gaue vnto his Sonne the heathen for his inheritance and the vtmost part of the earth for his possession Yet then and euer since the gleanings of Satan haue bin more then the vintage of Christ Yet take a suruey of the world as it is at this day deuide it into three parts with Ptolome or into fowre with some later writers nay into sixe or seuen with our last Geographers Maginus and you shall not find much aboue one of these seauen which professe Christ Amongst these seperate the orthodoxe from the heterodox and you shall find that Christ is now almost banished out of the world so that if the sonne of man should now come Luk. 18.8 he should scarce find faith in the earth the true profession of the Gospell is confined in a little corner of the Northwest and in this corner remoue the Athiests and Hereticks and Worldlings and Neuters and Hypocrits how little will the remainder be after so many substractions And no maruell for many are caled but few are chosen and broad is the way that leadeth to distruction Gods sheepe haue a little narrow path but the Goates haue a beaten Cartway Vse 1 This being so it is strange what Bellarmine ment to make amplitude and multitude to be a note of the true Church especially when he proposeth to speake of such notes by which it may be most easily knowne and distinguished from the false religion of the Iewes and Heretickes and Pagans and Infidels whatsoeuer and therefore such as are both g Notae debent esse propriae non coÌ„munes lib 4. cap. 2 et postea in eodem cap. notae variae inseparabiles auera Ecclesia proper and inseperable in respect of the Church and againe such as thogh h Non quidem efficiunt euidenter veruÌ„ ipsam esse veram Dei Ecclesiam sed tameÌ„ efficiuÌ„t euidenter credibile De ecclesiae lib. 4. cap. 3. they make it not euidently true yet they make it euidently credible not only probable for i Lutheranorum notae non sunt vllo modo sufficientes nam non declaraÌ„t quae sit vera Ecclesia se cuÌ„duÌ„ haeretic nisi probabiliter lib eod cap. 2 that is the imperfection of our notes if you will beleeue him nay amongst those which admit of the Scriptures and Ecclesiasticall Histories and writings of the ancient fathers faciunt etiam euidentiam veritatis Lord how plausible a Doctrine would this haue beene vnto Ahab how would it haue fitted his turne to plead for Baal what meanest thou Eliah thus to trouble Israel As though wee were all Idolaters and thou onely a true worshipper of God Consider the matter aright and thou shalt find what a weake ground thou standest vpon those are the true worshippers of God who are the most in number now thou art but one and the Prophets of Baal are fower hundreth and fifty how pleasantly would it haue sounded in the eares of the Iewes when Ieremiah thus prophesied Behold might they say all the inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem are against thee and is the spirit of God departed from vs all to possesse thee Thus Constantius disputed with Libanus Bishop of Rome against Athanasius k Hoc orbis terrarum comprobat quota tu pars es orbis terrarum qui solus facis cum homine scelerato pacem orbis dâ—ssoluis Theod. lib. 2. cap. 16. The whole world is of this Opinion and what art thou that thou shouldest take part with a naughty fellow and disolue the peace of the world If this obiection had bin vrged against Luther when he first began to baite the Popes Bull hee might easily haue answered in Athanasius his words Athan. Epist ad solitarian vitam agentes What Church is there now that doth openly adore Christ if it bee godly it is Subiect to danger for if there bee any that feare God as indeede there are many euery where they haue hid themselues with Elias in Dens and Caues of the earth But the example of the Iewes will not much mooue our aduersarie quia non est eadem ratio populi Iudeorum et populi cristianorum Bellar. li. 3. dâ—â— Eccle. milit cap. 16. and might the Church of Christians bee still knowne by the multitude of professors
18.1 and remooued vnto Ierusalem as the onely place which hee had picked and culled out of all others to set his name there according to that of the Prophet He refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph chose not the tribe of Ephraim but he chose the tribe of Iudah euen the hill of Sion which he loued and there hee builded his sanctuarie as an high palace like the earth which he stablished for euer Psal 78.67.68.69 Thus he made a seat for himselfe an holy place for the tabernacle of the most highest Here was a Temple for the Lord an habitation for the mightie God of Iacob those that shall but sleightly peruse the graunts and priuiledges which God hath promised this one citie will thinke that it had beene as impossible for her to fall away as for the found to be darkened in the midst of heauen The hill of Sion is a faire place euen the ioy of the whole earth vpon the North-side lieth in the citie of the great king God is well knowen in her palaces as a sure refuge Ierusalem haue I chosen out of the tribes of Israel to put my name in it for euer 2. King 21.7 The Lord hath chosen Sion to bee an habitation for himselfe hee hath longed for her saying this shall be my rest for euer Psal 132.14.15 heere will I dwell for I haue a delight therein Heere was the seate of iudgement euen the seate of the house of Dauid To whom the Lord had sworne by his holinesse that his seed should endure for euer Psal 132.5 his seat should be as the Sun before him that he should stand fast for euermore as the Moone the faithfull witnesse in heauen Psal 89. When the Israelites were yet in the wildernes God told them by his seruant Moses that hee had appointed them a place in the land of Canaan where they should all meete out of their seuerall tribes and townes to offer their first fruits to sacrifice vnto the Lord You shall seeke the place which the Lord your God shall chuse out of all your tribes to put his name there and thither you shall come and shall bring your burnt offrings your sacrifices your tithes the offrings of your hands and your vowes c. And there yee shall offer before the Lord. Deut. 12. This was Ierusalem for thither the tribes came vp euen the tribes of the Lord to testifie vnto Israel and to giue thankes vnto the name of the Lord. Psal 122. Moreouer here was there συνεδÏιον their chiefe Councell Sigon de rep haeb lib. 6. Cap. 7. or high Commission consisting of the king and princes of the people to wit the chiefe of euery tribe and of seuentie Elders Gijon de resp haeb lib. 6. cap. 7. and of the high Priest with the Doctors of Law in which all matters of greater moment were concluded and vnto which as vnto the Oracles of God in difficult pointes which could not be decided by the Iudges of particular Townes and Cities they were to haue recourse for the full determination therof according to that of the Prophet If there rise a matter too hard for thee to iudge betweene bloud and bloud betweene plea and plea betweene plague and plague in the matters of controuersie within thy gates then shalt thou arise and goe vp vnto the place which the Lord thy God shall chuse and thou shalt come vnto the Priestes of the Leuites and vnto the Iudge that shall bee in those dayes and aske and they shall shew thee the sentence of iudgement and thou shalt doe according to that thing which they of that place which the Lord hath chosen shall shew thee and thou shalt obserue to doe according to all that they enforme thee Deut 17. Beside this the law was there more diligently then in other places expounded the Prophets did reueale Gods secrets vnto the people and by thundering out the Canons of the law did striue to weane them from their euill wayes and by the promises of the Gospell to wooe them vnto God the Iebusites which before time God had permitted to dwell amongst them that they might be thornes in their eyes and prickles in their sides were now extirpated Sigonius de rep Haeb. li. 1. so that they could not choke the word of God which was sowne amongst them and make it vnfruitfull Was there euer City vpon the face of the earth which had such a Charter as this it was the Citie where God had promised to be resident where was the Arke of the Couenant and the glorious Temple which Solomon had built at Gods appointment where the Kings of Iudah had their abode where the Law and the Prophets were diligently read and expounded vnto the people where all points of difficultie were handled where was the Priestes Pallace whether the whole land had recourse out of their seuerall Tribes as vnto the place where men ought to worshippe Iohn 4. it was a heauen vpon earth and a type of that glorious City which is aboue and is Ierusalem so fallen from God can there not one righteous man bee found within her walles is the holy City become so wicked is the faithfull Spouse become a Harlot are her Princes become Rebels her Iudges Murtherers her Golde drosse her charity oppression her ripenesse rottennesse her almesdeedes al-misdeedes Hath the leprosie of sinne so infected euery part of her body Isai 1. that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head there is nothing whole therein but woundes and swellings and sores full of corruption What neede we goe further for prouing our conclusion for as hee speakes in Tully Cicero lib. 1. de orat Eyther this is enough or I know not what will suffice if you would haue Topicall Arguments after such a demonstration as this I could leade you through many places of inuention which would manifestlie confirme my assertion I could shew you the Churches of Gallatia and Philippi and Corinthus which Paul had planted Apollo and other Disciples had watered and God had wonderfully encreased I could instance in Smyrna and Pergamus and Laodicea c. In which the Euangelist Iohn had so painefully laboured in Constantinople and Ephesus and Nice and Chalcedon famous for the generall Councels in Carthage and Hippo and other Churches of Affricke in Antiochia the first Godmother of Christians and in a word in all the Easterne and Affrican Churches in which so many Worthies haue florished What is the cause of these particulars at this day behold they are fallen as though they had not been planted as though the seede of the word had not beene sowne amongst them Isa 40. as though that stocke had taken no roote in the earth the Lord hath blowne vpon them and they are withered and the whirlewind hath taken them away like stubble the abhomination of desolation let him that heareth it consider it sitteth in their holy places which are now