poore protestants who must be faine to receyue their Priestes to be ouerruled with their Cannon law to take their Ceremonies which now as I haue sayde are prickes in our eies and thornes in our sides I am perswaded in my conscience that the word of God would better fructifye amonge vs and we should enioye more quietnes if we did receyue as little from them as they do of vs And I besech God if it be hys holy will it may be so But some man may here say do you not know that many good men haue beene deceiued wil you haue none such receiued Yes dearely beloued my meaning is not but that Godly meete men hauing â—nounced their popish orders and satisfyed 〈◊〉 church of God may be receiued and adâ—itted to serue in the church of God but I â—iâ—ffly speake of those blind guides and eâ—mies to gods truth which are not to be â—rmitted to remaine for the ministratiâ—â— of the word and sacraments What should I heare complaine of the â—â—nd ignorant and vnmeete ministers that â—e admitted I might say much herein but I â—â—yst not nowe speake of that whereof I â—â—nnot think without great greffe This on 〈◊〉 I say that this is a great offence to many â—â—d a great sclaunder to the worde of god â—o graunt it may be redressed Here I may â—â—mplaine of the great lack of doctrine and 〈◊〉 the preaching of Gods word vniuersally 〈◊〉 â—odâ— in the country London hath great â—ause to praise god for that his word is here 〈◊〉 plentyfully preached And if London do â—ot thankfully receiue it and truely folow â—t it shal be easyer for Sodom and Gomorâ—ah in the day of iudgement then for thys Citye But surely when I come out of the â—untry hether to the City methink I come â—nto another world euen out of darknes inâ—o light For here the word of God is plentifully preached I pray God it may be as pleÌ„tifully folowed In the country their wonderful great want thereof that a man may go a great way and cannot heare the word of the Lorde preached Here be many good meÌ„ endued with many good gifts of knowledge zeale and godly life able to do much good in the church of god I besech God for his crucifyed Christs sake that they may be well fauoured cherished maintained In the country be fewe labourers Loyterors inow Here in London as I am perswaded is much good ground many which receyue the word of God with a good honest hart and bringe forth fruites some thirtyfolde some sixtifolde and some an hundrethfolde In the cuntry for want of tylling oft plowing for without oâ—t plowing and much labour barren ground will not bring fourth fruit there springeth fourth brambles bryars and wéedes But here is a misery to be considered although there is great lack of profitable pastors and faithfull labourers in the Church I meane in those cuntries that I haue bene in and I think other contryes be not farre vnlyke yet notwithstanding there be mo then be placed in any charge or preferred to any calling I know myself good and godly men learned men of long â—ontinuance in the vniuersity and able to do â—uch good in the Church of God and yet â—ot called in any charge or placed ouer any â—ock Yea some haue told me that they haue â—ene offered many benefices as they be calâ—ed and yet they could not haue taken one â—nlesse they had taken part with Iudas Isâ—ariote or with Simon Magus But what â—eane you by that will some man say For â—â—uth ether they must haue said with Iudas â—hat will you giue me will you giue me â—â—enty markes or poundes and take you â—he rest and so I shall not be able to contiâ—â— on the chardge but I wyll betray all â—his people to the diuell and to you or els â—hey must haue sayde with Simon Magus â—hat shall I giue you for your benefyce I â—il giue you such a dish of Apples as Maiâ—ter Latimar speaketh of or I wil giue you â—x or xl l. a yeare out of it I will giue you so much that I shall not be able to giue a poore body a peece of bread But I will here admonish these patrons that for as much aâ— to them it perteineth to place faithfull pastors ouer Christes congregations which can and will féede them with knowledge and direct them by example of godly life if they loking vpon their owne commodities do not prouide such men but place blinde guides dum dogges and lewd hyrelinges the people for want of instruction shal perish for where prophecy that is the preaching of Gods word faileth ther the people perish faith Salomon but ther bloud shal be required at these patrons or rather latroÌ„s hands Let them trust vnto it and looke for it But here is another abuse which is partly an occasion of the other Not only papistes but also professers yea and preachers of Gods word do ioyne many liuinges together and place vnder them careles Curatos doing little or no good themselues to diuers of theÌ„ Patrons see this and gather hereof that they may as well enioy the benefice as other ecclesiasticall men which come neuer or seldome to their charge I cannot tell what to say hereto but that both is nought and that the patrone which doth not prouide a good man for his charge and that minister which doth not carefully looke to his charge and diligently feed his slock these both euen the patron and the pastor shall perish and the peoples bloud shal be required at their hands I am sory euen in my hart that professors preachers of the Gospell should so far ouer-reach themselues in this behalfe that they â—ust be reformed and restrained by lawe I â—ray God that the state of the Church of â—ngland may be brought to that order that â—her may be to one flock one sheperd to one â—hurch on Minister and that all faculties â—luralities residences and such other abhoâ—inacions may return to Rome froÌ„ whence â—hey came I may here lykewise complaine â—â—w that the liuinges appointed to maineâ—â—ine the Ministery are made vniuersally â—ayes and spoiles for al sorts of men They â—aineteyne â—oyes in the vniuersity gentelâ—en in the Innes of courte gentelmen and â—awyers in the cuntrey and are commonly â—ade rewardes for seruing men Thus the â—ople pay their deuties to thys ende that â—â—ey may haue a learned man amongst theÌ„ 〈◊〉 teach comfort them the same be vngodâ—â— conueied to other vses the people being as â—attered sheepe without a shepheard This is â—meÌ„table to see so many gatherers of tâ—eth 〈◊〉 few preachers of the word this had neede to â—e reformed for vntolerable abuse is herein 〈◊〉 may here coÌ„plaine of great want of Ecleâ—asticall discipline and punishment of synne 〈◊〉 heare great complaint here of abrode â—â—the â—ountry that there is ether no punishmente for synne or at the least very lyttle Which whether it be throughe the
iudg â—niustly Iustice must haue but and eye â—nd not twoo not to looke on the cause â—ith the one and on the purse with the oâ—â—er not on the matter with the one and â—pon the partie with the other No Iustice â—ust haue but one eye which directly must â—poke vpon the cause Iudge therefore â—stly for as you iudge so shall you be â—udged and with what measure you meate â—o other with the same shall it be measured â—o you againe This can the poet Phocilliâ—es whom I had like to haue called a proâ—hane Poet but in deede hee was a deuine Poet teache vs in these verses reiect not â—he poore iudge no man vniustly for if thou â—udge wrongfullye God shall afterwarde â—udge thee And thus much by the way touching the iudgement of man Now to come againe to my text when I take a conuenieÌ„t tyme saith God I will iudge iustly Thys iust iudgement of God I haue before touched consisteth in these two things in sauing and deliuering his people and plaging hys enemies And when is it a conuenient time for God to iudge thée iustly Surely it is a conuenient time for God to iudge iustly in punishing of the wicked when their synnes are growen to a ripenes and fulnes when no admonition will amend them when no correction will reclayme them then I say it is a conuenient tyme for God to poure downe his heauy iudgements vpon them When the wickednes of man was waxen great vpon the earth and all flesh had defiled their wayes and God had appointed theÌ„ a space office score yeares to repent in and called them by the mouth of Noah to repentance had caused the Arke to be made in signe of their destruction when nothing I say could amend them but they neglected gods calling dispiseâ— his preacher and continewed in their wickednes then was it a conuenient tyme for god to execute hys iust â—â—ogementes against them So lykewise when the crye of the synnes of Sodom had ascended vp vnto heauen and they would not be warned by righteous Lot buâ— rather vexed him with their vncleane conversation then was it a conuenient tyme for â—od terrybly to destroy them with fyre and â—rimstone from heauen So likewise the Iewes when God of his great mercy had â—ysen vp early as the scripture tearmeth it â—nd had sent al his seruaunts the prophets â—nto them had cryed vnto them but they would not heare him had called vnto them but they would not answer him but walked â—n the stubbernnes of their own hearts and mocked Gods messengers misused his prophets and dispised his wordes Then when there was no remedy it was a conuenient tyme for the wrath of the Lord to arise against them who brought the Caldeans vpon them by whom their cuntrey was spoiled their Cities subuerted their temple wherein they so glorified was raised their people destroyed and the rest caryed into miserable captiuity The like may be sayd of the Iewes afterward for when neither the diuine doctrine which our Sauiour Christ taught nor the wonderfull workes which he had wrought among them could moue theÌ„ to acknowledge and embrace him for their only Messias Sauiour but they would crucify the Lord of glory persecute his Apostols theÌ„ was it a conuenient tyme for God to bring the Romanes vpon theÌ„ by whom they were miserably and terribly destroyed Let vs dearely beloued be admonished by these examples to take heede that we walke not in the like stubbernnes and commit not the like wickednes as they did for surely if we do we shall drink of the same cup as they did But when I consider our great vnthankfulnes towardes God our great wickednes against God our backslyding and backstarting from god I stand in horror and terror of these heauy iudgemeÌ„ts which I feare me hang ouer vs God for his mercy turne them away from vs and the onely way for vs to auoid them is to turne by true vnfeyned repentance to the Lord our God who is gracious mercifull slow to anger and of great goodnes Thus you haue heard when it is a conuenient tyme for God to plauge his enemies Now let vs consider when it is a conuenient tyme for God to iudge iustly in sauing and deliuering his people When god hath sufficiently corrected his people for their synnes hath tried their fayth and proued their pacience and when al power of man and all help of fleshe and bloud faileth then is it a conuenient tyme for almighty god to put to his hand and to deliuer them from their miseries When God had punished the Isâ—alites in Egipt where they were greuousâ—y oppressed and there was no meanes for man to deliuer them then God hearde their â—rye considered their sorrowes and sent Moses vnto them and deliuered them with 〈◊〉 mighty hand and an outstretched arme And after that they were come out of Egipt and the Egiptians did pursue theÌ„ the red sea being before them and the Egiptians â—ehind them and no way in mans iudgement to escape then was it a conuenient tyme for God to stretth foorth his mighty hand and to make a passage for his people â—hrough the red sea 〈◊〉 to ouer whelme his enemies in the same So likewise when god had plaged the Iewes as â— haue before touched with the captiuity of â—abylon at the last when the .70 yeares were eâ—pired and no hope of deliuerance in the sight of man then God remembring his promise which he had sworne vnto AbrahaÌ„â—nâ— hys word which he had reueled vnto â—â—ereâ— râ—moued the hart of king Ciâ—â—s to send home his people to repaire theâ—â— City and to build hys temple So to applye this doctrine vnto our selues when Goâ— for our iniquities had of late bâ—ought vs into the captiuity of Egipt and babilon and the wild bore of Rome had rooted vp the Lordes vyneard when for the light of the Gospel we had the light of candels for the holy bible bables and banners for Gods word mans triffling traditions for preaching massing and for our free iustification by the mere mercie and grace of God in Christ Iesus through faith mans merites and righteousnes established Yea when not only a forrein prince and proud people were brought in vnto whom wee were like to haue bene made thral and thuâ— when there was no expectation of any deliuerance from these great miseries then was it a conuenient tyme for God séeing the oppression of the â—â—dy and hearing the sighes of the poorâ— to aryse and set them at liberty whom the wicked had thralled Then God did 〈◊〉 vs from aboue and did send vs a gracious prince flesh of our flesh bone of our bones by whom he hath restored vnto vs the comfort of his worde destuâ—â—ed vs from this foreyne oppresion slauery translated vs out of darknes into hys maruelous â—ight I wold to God that we would continually remember these great mercies which God hath stewed vs herein O that we
not those whom we call Morians â—â—tural fooles but the wicked and vngodly â—â—ho how subtil and crafty soeuer they séeme â—â—to man yet vnto God be very fooles And â—â—erfore whom the prophet in the first part â—f the verse calleth fooles in the other part â—e calleth wicked I sayd vnto the wicked â—â—t not vp your horne on hye So likewise 〈◊〉 another place The foolish shal not stande â—efore thy eyes thou hatest all those that â—orke iniquity Whom in the first part the Prophet calleth fooles in the second he calâ—eth workers of iniquity Such fooles be those of whom Dauid speaketh Dixit in saâ—iens in corde suo non est deus The foole hath sayd in his hart their is no god Those that professe in their words to know God and in their workes deny him being abhominable disobedient and vnto euery good worke reprobate are such fooles God saith by the prophet Hieremy â—tultus est populus mens me non cognouit c. My people is foolish they haue not knowen me they are foolish children and haue no vnderstanding they are wise to do euill but to do wel they haue no knowledge Those that haue wit to worke mischefe and none to do that which is righteous are such fooles They that haue not the true knowledge of God by his worde are al together foolish The beginning of wisdome is the feare of God without the feare of God there is no true wisdome Reâ—ecerunt verbuÌ„ deum c They haue reiected the word of the Lord and what wisdome remaineth in them That which is not grounded vpon the word of God is mere foolishnes And here I would admonish all men and especially rulers and magistrates to beware of carnall councels worldly policies which be not builded vpon God and his worde They which although they seme plausible to the flesh because they vs the fruites of the flesh and procéede from mans braine yet are they not acceptable â—ut rather detestable before god And in his iustice doth often confound them and turne vpon them vpon the heades of those that were the Autors of them He catcheth the wise in their own craftines Iosephes Breâ—heren hearing that he had dreamed that his â—ather and they shuld yeld reuerence to him they tooke crafty councell together to disappoint this matter and solde him into Egipt But thys which they thought shoulde haue â—ene a meane to haue auoided this their subâ—ection to Ioseph God made it a meane to bring the same to passe Ieroboam after â—hat the ten tribes were fallen from Roboâ—â—m had made him their kinge he thought with himselfe that if the people did go vp â—till to do sacrifice in the house of Hierusalem then their harts would turne againe to Roboam and so forsake him he tooke a subtil and politike counsel to make .ij. Calues and placed them in Dan and Bethel sayd these are thy Gods O Israel which brought thee out of the lande of Egipt and they lyke Calues went vp worshipped these calues This counsell redounded to the destruction of â—eroboam and his posterity and at the last of the whole realme and estate The Iewes thinking that if he shold suffer Christ our sauiour to procéede as he had began the Romaines wold come and take away their place and nation they thought it good counsel they procured gods anger and indignation against them who for the same brought the Romaines vpon them which miserably destroyed theÌ„ This we see the saying of the poet true Euell counsell is worst to him that giueth it Let all men therefore learne to direct their counsels to the glory of God and to build them vpon Gods worde and then though the raine fal the sloudes come downe and the wynnds blow yet they shal stand because they be built vpon the rock but if they build them vpon the vncertaine and vâ—suce sandes of their own braines a little blast of wind wyl easely ouerthrow them for ther is no wisdom vnderstanding nor counsale against the lord Submit therfore your wisdom to the wisedome of God Euen man saith the Prophet is a least of hys own knowledge the which may moue vs not to trust to much to our own wisdom and counsaile but rather to take counsaâ—â—e at the mouth of Goâ— to say with Dauid thy testimonies are my delight and my couÌ„sailers these counsellers will neither lye â—atter nor dissemble God graunt that wee may be counsailed by them Christ our sauiâ—ur said to the rich man that went about to â—nlarge his barnes and sayde to his soule â—oule thou hast much goods laid vp in store â—r many yeares take thine ease eate drink â—nd take thy pastime Thou foole this night â—al thy soule be taken from thee Those â—â—at be careful for this scaile and vncertaine â—fe and careles for the life eternal are very â—ples It is true wisdome first to séeke the â—ngdome of God and all other things shal 〈◊〉 giuen vnto vs The virgines which had â—â—t oyle in their lampes aâ— the coÌ„ming of the â—â—dgrom but wold seke for some of others â—â—e called foolish virgines and were shut out This oyle I take to be the righteousnes and â—eedes of others Iustus ex fide sua viuet the â—ighteous shall liue by his owne faith We â—ust all stand before the tâ—â—â—unall seat of Christ to receyue euery man according to â—hat he hath done in his own body whether â—f be good or euill Salomon saith stulti deâ—ident peccatum the foolish laugh at synne Those therefore that laugh at synne when â—hey be admonished or reproued are fooles and if God do not giue them repentaunce they shal be ther where ther is no laughing but weeping and gnasshing of téeth And he that sitteth in the heauens shall laugh them to scorne the Lord shall haue them in derision The Prophet saith they altogether dote and are become foolish for the flocke is the doctrine of vanity All Papistes which not only worship images but also make theÌ„ doctors and teachers of the lay people are coÌ„uinced by this place to dote and to be foolish the prophet Abacuc saith they be teachers of lyes A foolish thing it is for a man endewed with wit reason and the senses to fal down before a dum stock or block which hath no reason nor vnderstanding which hath eyes and seeeth not eares and heareth not nose smelleth not c But these fooles with their folly I will let go only I exhort theÌ„ not to do so foolishly but rather to seeke for true wisdome which is ioyned with the feare of god Let not the wicked lyft vp their horn I might here show you how the Pope hath lifted vp his horne He will needes be Christs Vikar vpon the earth Peters successor head of the vniuersall Church and byshop of the whole world is not this to lift vp his head very hye Yea he wil be Dominus deus noster Papa our God the Pope he wyll haue power in heauen
earth and purgatory he will forgiue sinne and make Saintes and is not this to lift vp his horne very hye Is not this to exalt himself aboue all that is called God He hath made Emperors and kinges to kisse his féete and holde his styrrop to waite at the gates of a cyty â—j or iij. dayes in frost and snow barefooted he hath troden in their neckes he hath deposed them from their crownes kingdomes and hath absolued their subiectes from their obedience and loyalty and is not thys to â—ift vp his horne very hye Thys Romish â—â—ul hath of late lifted vp his horne against â—ur gracious Soueraigne against thys our â—ountry and the estate thereof But Gods â—ame be praised this Buls hornes are now sawed he cannot goare vs this Boores tusshes are now cut he cannot raâ—s vs And if we will vtterly flye and forsake hym all his damnable doctrine and depend wholly vpon God he shal neuer be able to goare vs or hurt vs God hath here promised in thys Psalme that the hornes of the wicked shal be exalted And let the Pope looke for thys that for as much as he hath thus exalted himselfe God wil put him down And although this great whore say that she fitteth lyke a Quéene is no widow and shall sée no mourning yet shal her plagues come at one day death and sorow famine and shée shall be burnt with fyer for strong is the Lord God which wil condemne her And the spirite of God by S. Paule did forshew that the Lord shal consume him with the spirit of his mouth and abolish hym with the brightnes of hys comming And let all those that séeke to flye a loft with the winges of vanity and seeke to exalt themselues by bribery flattery or any other vngodly meanes know that the Lord God wil throw them down The Angels which kept not their first estate but would exalt themselues either aboue or against God God threw them downe into euerlasting chaines of darknes vnto the iudgement of the last day Adam and Eue would be exalting themselues and would be lyke vnto God hauing knowledge of good and euill but God pulled them down shewed theÌ„ their nakednes and driue them out of Paradise Corah Dathan and Abyram woulde néedes exalt theÌ„selues against Moses their godly gouernour but God caused the earth to open and swallow them vp Absalon would exalt himself against his own father and king and would haue bene king in his place but God quailed hys courage and he â—me to a shameful ende as he wel deserued â—eing hanged in his heare and thrust throw â—ith speares Nabuchadonozer king of Baâ—ilon would ascend into heauen and exalt â—is throne aboue the starres of heauen and 〈◊〉 like to the most hyest but God brought â—im downe and made him eate grasse like â—â—n Oxe Beware therefore of exalting your â—elues let God exalt you for true prefermeÌ„t â—ometh neither from the East nor from the West nor froÌ„ the South but froÌ„ the Lord â—e exalteth Moses from kéeping of shéepe to â—e the deliuerer gouernour of his people â—e exalted Ioseph to be gouernour of Egipt â—nder the king he chose Dauid his seruant â—nd tooke him from the sheepefoldes euen â—rom behind the â—wes with yong and exalted him to feede his people in Iacob and his inheritance in Israel God exalted the virgine Mary froÌ„ low degree to be mother of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Christ calleâ— the Apostles from the nets and made them pillers of his truth thus we sée that true which Annasaid Ichoua pauperâ—â— facitâ—◠〈◊〉 humiliatâ—et exaltat The Lord maketh poore and ritch bringeth low and exalteth And that which the Virgine Mary sayde Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltauit humiles He hath put down the mighty froÌ„ their seate and hath exalted the humble méeke And howe daungerously they haue fallen which haue ascended very hye But as I haue sayd to consider that true preferment commeth from god And here I will admonish all those that be exalted to any authority to remember who hath exalted them and from what they haue bene exalted and thirdly to what ende they are exalted to acknowledge that what power or dignity soeuer they haue they haue it of God that to edification and not to destruction I might speake much more of exaltation but the tyme will not suffer me wherefore I wil now come to the last part wherein is set forth a commination against the wicked that in the hand of the Lord is a cup and the wyne is red it is full mixt and he poureth out of the same al the wicked of the earth shall wring out drinke the dregs thereof This word Cup is often tymes in the scripture taken in the euyll parte for affliction plague and punishment as in Hieremie Babel hath bene a cup of goulde in the Lordes hand that made al the earth dronken the nations haue drunkeÌ„ of her wine therfore do the natioÌ„s rage that is to say Babel hath â—e a scourge in the hande of the Lorde to â—rge the wickednes of the world So likeâ—ise Esay Awake awake stand vp Ierusaâ—â—m which hast drunken at the hand of the â—ord the Cup of his wrath thou hast drunâ—â—n the dregs of the Cup of trembling and â—ung them out And in the Psalme Pluet â—per impios vpon the wicked he shal raine â—ars fyre brimstone stormy tempest â—is shal be the portion of their cup. In this â—nse Christ said to his Disciples that were â—spiring to primacye ye know not what ye â—ke are ye able to drinke of the cup that I â—al drink of And againe Father if it be thy â—yl let this Cup passe froÌ„ me So we reade 〈◊〉 the Apocalips if any man worship the â—east and his image and receiue his marke 〈◊〉 his forhead or on his hand the same shal â—rinke of the wine of the wrath of God yea â—f the pure wine which is poured into the â—up of his wrath and he shal be tormented â—n fyer brimstone before the holy Angels 〈◊〉 before the lambe So dearly be loued if we â—o not vnfeinedly feare God stand in awe â—f his iudgements but worke wickednes â—oÌ„mit abominations in the sight of God â—urely we shall drinke of this cup which is filled with Gods wrath For vnto theÌ„ saith the Apostle which are contentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnes shal be indignation wrath tribulation anguish vpon euery soule that doth euil Let vs take heede that we prouoke not Gods anger by our synnes Consider that it is a terrible thing to fal into the hands of the liuing God wherfore I exhort you dearely beloued vnfeinedly to repeÌ„t you of your sins truely to turne to the lord your God to serue him in holines righteousnes all the dayes of your liues earnestly to pray vnto god that ye may drink of the cup of his mercies in Christ not of the cup of his wrath And this if we wil do god shal be our God we his people God shal blesse vs both with temporal benefites spiritual graces and we shal drinke the cup of his great mercies the which god our mercifull father for hys crucifyed Christes sake graunt vs to whom with the holy ghost three persons one true and immortal god be al lande prayse and glory both now and for euermore Amen Caluine in his preaface before the Psalmes Psal. 41 9 〈◊〉 â—5 15 Mich. 33 Psal. i4 4 Pro. 21. i3 Pro. 28.9 〈…〉 Caluine in his preaface before the psalmes Mich. 33 Psal. i4 4 Pro. 21.13 Pro. 28.9 〈…〉 Caluine in his preaface before the psalmes Mich. 3â— Psal. i4 4 Pro. 21. 13 Exo. 2.24 Exod. 3.9 10. Exe. 14.16 Psal. 14.4 Mich. â—â— Exo. 2.24 Exod. 3.9 10. Exe. 14. â—6 Psal. i4 4 Mich. 3â— Exo. 2 2â— Exod. 3.10 Exe. 14. iâ— Mich. 3â— Exe. 14. â—
would say with Dauid What that 〈◊〉 render vnto the Lord for all his benefites â—wards vs We will take the cup of salâ—ation and prayse the name of the Lorde â—et duety one of vs lay My soule prayse 〈◊〉 the Lord al that is within me praise â—ys holy name my soule praise thou the â—ord and forget not all his benefites Let â—s beware that we prouoke not God by our â—nthankfulnes and wickednes to depriue â—s of all these great benefites For surely 〈◊〉 God of his mercy hath restored vnto vs 〈◊〉 holy word so of hys iustice he may take 〈◊〉 same from vs. Here â—e may further learne that as God â—â—iâ— all things in conuenient time so ought 〈◊〉 also dâ— all thinges in conuenient tyme â—ho worldely wise men much obiect thys â—onuenient tyme chiefely against the reformation of religion and the house of god O say they it to not yet conuenient tyme thy â—yme wyll not suffer it the tyme will not beare it you must tary the tyme In deede 〈◊〉 â—â—â—dued â—s it is very mâ—â—te althings 〈…〉 â—â—ne in conuenient tyme so ought we 〈◊〉 the other sâ—â—e to take heede that we omit 〈◊〉 conuenieÌ„t time to do good in the church 〈◊〉 of God when it is offered How dangerous a thing it is in al kind of maters to let passe oportunity and conuenient tyme any man may easely perceiue If the Generall omit oportunity of tyme to charge his enemies when it is offered he may loose the victory as we read of sundry others as namely of Iohn Frederick the Duke of Saxonie and the Lantgraue against Charles the fiftâ—â— the Mariner take not conuenient tyme of wynd and wether when he may haue it he may lose his passage if the Merchant slyp conuenient tyme of making his bargaine he may forgo his gaines Therefore the prophet doth admonish vs to take oportunâ—ty of time Querite dominâ—m dum propeâ—st Seeke the lord whilest he is neare which teacheth vs that if wee doo not séeke the Lord whilest we haue oportunity when we our selues wold we shal not find him Christ our Sauiour tooke this tyme I must work saith he the workes of hym that sent me while it is day To this also S. Paule doth exhort vs Dum tempus habemus operemuâ— bonum while we haue time let vs â—o good I feare me we haue omitted this conuenient tyme When God at the first dyd rest oâ—â— vnto vs the comfort of his gospel then was it a conuenient tyme to haue made a â—ight reformation of religion But our eye was â—ot then single nor our doings simple then â—e drew not out of the booke of God a right â—at neither laid we a sure foundation of â—ght reformation we did not then vtterly â—bolished all superstitious vanities which â—ow by Gods iust iudgemeÌ„t are prickes in â—r eies and thornes in our sides But here peraduenture some men may say all things be wel and in good order we ought to praise the name of God for this we haue and be thankfull vnto the prince In deede as I doubt not but all that feare God earnestly prayse the name of the Lorde for these hys mercies that god may finish that good work which he hath begon by her maiesty So yet we must needes confesse that al things be not well and in right order For I thynke that there is no wise or learned man will hold that popish opinion that the church is sine macula et ruga without spot or wrincle or that nothing can be bettered or amended But if any should so say I would say that he wer ether wilfully blind and would not see or starke blind and could not see And ere I wyll touch some abuses which remaine in the Church not as God who seeth the secrete of mens harts knoweth to maintaine any contention which I vtterly haâ—e and abhorre in my soule but onely to moue vs to seeke some earnest reformation It is a misorder that popish priestes who haue be witched the world haue burnt incense to the idoles of the house of Israell who haue led the people to worship straunge gods haue caused them to commit fornication with stocks and stones shold by the vertue of their idolatrous orders remayne ministers in the Church of god No man saith the Apostle taketh this honor vnto himself vnlesse he be called of God as was Aaron but these popish priestes were neuer called of God as was Aaron for they were called to sacrifice for the quicke and the deade which calling is not of God for that they haue not the warrant of gods worde for it therefore I conclude they ought not to take this honor vnto them That zealous King Iosiah in hys zealous reformation did put down the Chemerims that is to say those black priests which had burnt incense in the high places and would not suffer theÌ„ to come vp to the Alter of the lorde which was in Ierusalem Euen so I say that these popish priestes ought not to come vp to the Alter of the Lorde which is in Ierusalem they ought not to remaine ministers in thâ—â—hurch of god These be those dragons of whom you heard lately in this place which â—uerthrow in the night all that was built â—n the day Yea these with their priuy presuasiâ—ns secret suggestioÌ„ wil ouerthrow more â—n one day or night then a Godly learned â—reacher is able to build vp in many daies Yea these wil so mumble and tumble vp the â—eruice as they call it that the poore people â—hall get small edification or comfort by it â—nd therein they haue their hartes desyre â—nd I will adde hereto this reason The â—apistes will not admit our ministers to â—ay masse vnles they be shauen greased and â—rdeyned againe And why should we then â—dmit their priestes to serue in the church â—f God hath not God commaunded vs to do vnto the great whore of Babilon as she hath done vnto vs But here I may rightly make that complaint which Tertullian in hys daies made O meâ—ior fides natioâ—um in suam sectum quae multam solemnitatem Christianorum sibi vendicat non dominicum â—em non pentecosten etiamsi nossent nobiscum non communicassent timerent enim Christian viderentur Nos ne Ethnici pronuÌ„ciemur non veremur that is to say O better faith of the natioÌ„s or gentils towards their sect who wil take to them selues no solemnity of the Christians not the sunday not whitsuntide neither wil they coÌ„municate with vs in any other thing that they know for they would feare least they should seeme to be Christians but we fere not to be counted or named to be Ethnikes EueÌ„ so many A say O noble papists O better faith of the Papistes towards their sect who wil none of our ministers none of our seruice none of our orders no not so much as a text of scripture painted on a wall but it should be washed out and defaced But O séely Christians O