eyes see that which the Angels did lacke you sée that which the Patriarches and the Prophets neuer saw you said Christ you my Disciples are blessed that sée me that heare my gospel and beléeue the same and therefore blessed are your eyes and the eyes which sée that you sée For otherwise the Scribes saw Christ as the Apostles did the Pharisies saw him as the Aposles did and yet were they alwaies Scribes and Pharisies that is such as withstood Christ and gainsaid his doctrine Caiphas saw Christ as the Apostles did and yet hée rent his clothes and sayd that Christ was a blasphemer Pilat saw Christ as the Apostles did and yet hée gaue iudgement against Christ Iudas saw Christ as the rest of his fellows the Apostles saw him and yet he betrayed Christ The Souldiers and such as hung Christ on the crosse saw Christ as the Apostles did yet were they wicked men did put Christ vnto death Shall we then say that these mens eyes were blessed that the eies of the Scribes and Pharisies were blessed that Caiphas eyes Pilats eyes Iudas eyes were blessed shall wee say that the Souldiers eyes the eyes of them that put Christ vnto death were blessed because they saw Christ beheld his bodie O good brethren these men saw Christ and yet saw him not they saw him with their bodily eyes and yet they knew him not they saw him as the Asse the Wolfe and the Dogge saw him they saw him as the diuell saw him and said Tu es filius Dei Thou art the sonne of God thus they saw Christ as touching the bodie but they saw him not as the Apostles saw him they saw him as a man but not as the sonne of God they saw him as the sonne of a Carpenter for so they said he was but they saw him not as the Apostles saw him to be the verie sonne of God they saw Christ as a miserable man but the Apostles saw him as the Sauiour of the world And therefore Peter was bold to say Tu es Christus filius Dei viui Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God And againe he was in like able to say Tu habes verbum salutis Thou hast the words of life Thus the Apostles saw Christ and beléeued him to be the redéemer of the world therefore Christ said vnto them Blessed are your eyes and the eies which see that you see For I say vnto you many Kings and Prophets would faine haue seene the things that you see and could not see them This promise good brethren of the birth of Christ and his comming into the world to redéeme mankind was made long before yea it was promised by God the Father euen in the first beginning of the world as I haue already declared vnto you And therfore in hope of the performance of this promise many a godly man did put his affiance in Christ and long before his comming had a fixed trust in the merits of his passion The Patriarches the Prophets and all such as liued vnder the old law had the same Law and Testament that wée now haue they had the same doctrine the same faith the same prayer the same Sacraments that wee now haue wée drinke of Christ and so the Iewes dranke of Christ Bibebant de petra petra autem erat Christus They drank of the rocke saith Saint Paul and the rocke they dranke of was Christ They were circumcised and so are we for saith Saint Paul We also are circumcised but with circumcision without hands We are circumcised but we are circumcised in heart by the power of the holy ghost The Patriarches and the Prophets knew well and beléeued that by Christ they should be redéemed that by his only blood shed on the crosse all the world should bee saued but this they knew this they saw only by faith in spirit for then was not Christ borne we haue the lamb of God offered vp for vs so had they the same lambe offered vp for them For S. Iohn saith Agnus oblatus a principio mundi Christ was the lambe offered vp from the beginning of the world And now therefore forasmuch as the Patriarchs the Prophets the holy men in old time had the same â—â—â—â—ament the same doctrine the same faith the same prayer the same Sacraments that we haue forasmuch as they drank of Christ as we do forasmuch as they were circumcised and so are we forasmuch as they did beléeue that they should be saued by the death of Christ as we doe shall wee thinke that they were not blessed that their eyes were not as happy as ours that they saw not as much as we do Shall we think that Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph and diuers other such good men lackt any part of their felicitie Or if they were blessed why said Christ onely to his Apostles Blessed are the eyes which see that yee see When our Sauiour Christ said thus blessed are your eyes and the eyes which sée that yée sée he meant not and peculiar blessing giuen vnto them alone but he signified the blessing of that time as if he should haue said blessed is this time blessed are the dayes that you sée For there is in times and seasons a great difference and diuersitie Some one time is blessed another is accursed The time of the wicked king Manasses wherin the Testament and law of God was burnt Baals altars reedified and Idols set vp was a miserable time this time I say of Manasses raigne was an accursed time But the time of Iosias wherein the law of God was restored againe Baal cast out of the Temple the Idols pulled downe and all good orders againe set vp in their former estate was a blessed time a time most happie and blessed was he that liued to sée that time So likewise the time of the birth of Christ was a blessed time and the time of Antichrist a time accursed And therfore Christ oftentimes wept ouer Ierusalem and said O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest my Prophets and stonest them that are sent vnto thee O that thou knewest the time of thy visitation O that thine eyes would once sée thine eares heare and so thou wouldst know when God hath sent his sonne vnto thee Saint Paul saith Nunc tempus est nobis à somnis surgere Now is the houre for vs to arise from sleepe Nox praecessit dies autem illuxit The night is past and the day now beginneth to shine and therefore in conclusion he saith Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile Behold now is the acceptable time behold now is the time of saluation These were blessed times these were acceptable times that Christ our Sauiour and S. Paul spake of Dum habetis lucem ambulate in luce Whiles you haue light walke in the light saith Christ receiue the light and so shal you be the children of
sithence the first foundation of the world but was in subiection and vnder obedience either of the the one or of the other And as God is the father of light the God of all good men so is the Deuill the father Prince of this world the Lord of darknesse the king of this age as saith S. Paul and ruler of the wicked And like as all good men fight vnder the banner of God their Lord so all vngodly fight vnder the standard of the Deuill their Prince And euen as the iust man hath his reward of God so hath the wicked man his stipend of the Deuill And thus be Infidels Turkes Iewes and all Heathen people vnder the power and dominion of the Deuill vnder the standard of Sathan and therefore are they not able to thinke any good to conceiue one good thought because they fight vnder his Banner because they haue giuen ouer all their members to be ordered of the Deuill without any féeling of good without any feare of God And thus as I said do the Turkes thus do the Infidels thus do all Heathen people at this day and so did the Iewes in the time of Paul In vmbra mortis ambulauerunt saith he They walked in the shadow of death But after that it pleased God the Father by the comming of his déere Sonne Iesus Christ to reueale himselfe vnto them to open and declare his Gospell among them then began the people to renounce the Deuill to forsake his Law and seruice and to betake themselues wholy to the gouernance of God And therefore S. Paul the further to incourage them thereunto willeth them in this Epistle of his That like as before time they gaue ouer their members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to another so should they now giue ouer the same their members to the seruice of righteousnesse For to this end was Christ borne into this world to this end liued he here among vs to this end preached he and taught the people Gods holie word that we by his example and the doctrine of his Gospell should liue an vpright and holie life And therfore Zacharie that holie prophet being filled with the holie Ghost prophesied and said before Christs birth that Christ should for this cause appeare in this world That we being by him deliuered from the feare of our enimies might serue him in purenesse and holinesse all the daies of our life And S. Paul likewise saith Ye were darkenesse but now ye are light walke therefore as becommeth the children of light Therefore are we deliuered from the power of darkenesse saith S. Paul that we should walke in the light and haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse And so in like Vocauit nos Deus non ad immunditiem sed ad sanctitatem God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holynesse and sanctitie of life Thus hath he called vs that we not only in Body but in Soule should be pure vnspotted And therefore S. Paul vnto the Romanes Know you not saith he that all we which are baptized into Iesus Christ are baptized into his death Therefore are we buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead euen so also should we walke in a new life And for this cause this same Paul likewise saith Exhibete vos tanquam viua membra Shew your selues as quicke and liuely members And in an other place Exhibete corpora vestra sacrificium sanctum acceptatum Deo Giue ouer your bodies for a sacrifice holie and acceptable before God And also Nescities corpora vestra esse templa Dei Know you not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you These and such other many lessons hath S. Paul giuen vs to call vs vnto purenesse and holynesse of life Let vs therefore good Bretheren liue holy consider that God hath not called you to vncleannesse but to puritie of life consider if yée be baptized with Christ into death you must also walke with him in a new life let your bodies be a sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God shew your selues liuely members of Christ and the Temple of the holie Ghost Vocauit nos Deus saith S. Paul Vt viueremus sobriè God hath called vs God hath appointed vs to liue in sobernesse to liue in purenesse to liue in holynesse and this not in one part of our Bodies not in one part of our Soules but in our whole bodies in our whole soules For Christ our Sauior suffred not his bodie to be crucified in one part Sed à planta pedis vsque ad summum capitis But euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his head was he beaten rent and torne and miserably tormented in his whole Bodie His Bodie was scourged with whips his head prickt with thornes his hands and féete nayled to the Crosse his side pierced with a sharp speare For Christ speaking of himselfe saith Foderunt manus meas pedes meos They haue digged my hands and my feete they haue made holes thorough them And thus sithence Christ suffred all his whole Body to be tormented for vs sithence he suffred all his members to be crucified for our sakes let vs applie our selues and all our member to serue and please him in holynesse and vpright lyuing all the dayes of our liues And therefore saith s Paul here Ye haue now betaken your selues vnto Christ therefore let your conuersation be according liue as becommeth the seruants of Christ For euen as before this time ye gaue ouer your members to vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other so now giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse And such good Bretheren was the life of all Christian men in the beginning of Gods Church such was I say their life lyuing They subdued their flesh they mortified their members and gaue them ouer wholy vnto Christ and so made them members vnto righteousnesse When Christ walked here on this earth was conuersant in our flesh and this nature of ours at what time he entered into the house of Zacheus which was a Ruler of the Publicans desired to sée Iesus by and by Zacheus was turned into a new man and by and by he stoode forth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue vnto the poore and if I haue defrauded any man I restore him foure fold Thus was he only by the presence of Christ turned into a new man thus he of an vncircumcised Publican was made the child of Abraham and of a sinfull and wretched creature he became forthwith a Christian And so in like when Christ had but once called vnto Mathew and bad him follow him immediatly he left the Toll-gathering he left the receipt of the custome he left his owne proper game and profit and ran after Christ
knocketh let vs open the gates of our hearts vnto him hée calleth let vs heare him hee cryeth and willeth vs to come vnto him O therefore let vs runne let vs make hast let vs flye vnto him I haue euer stretched out my hands to an vnfaithfull people saith God by his Prophet Esay all the day long haue I stretched out mine armes vnto a people that will not heare me all the day long haue I stretched out my hands vnto them and yet they will not know me I haue sent you the acceptable time I haue giuen you the dayes of grace the dayes of mercie the dayes of saluation O then let vs not receiue this acceptable time in vaine let vs not take this grace of God in vaine Let vs remember how many thousands of people perish this day for want of the gospell of God and knowledge of his holy word Wée are they whom God hath called to bee his children whom hée hath appointed to bée saued whom he hath receiued to his grace and mercie If wée haue any great policie if wée haue any great wit if wée haue any learning riches wealth and felicitie in this world let vs consider that we haue them from God alone that God giueth vs our policie that God giueth vs our wit that God giueth vs our learning that hée alone giueth vs our riches our wealth and all other felicitie that wée haue in this life O then let vs not take these great gifts of God in vaine let vs not take these graces of his in vaine Let our liues so shine before men that they may sée our good works and glorifie our father which is in heauen Amen THE SEVENTH Sermon Rom. 12. vers 16. 17. 18. 16. We desire you that ye thinke all one thing that yee haue like affection one to another Be not high minded be not wise in your owne opinion 17. Recompence to no man euill for euill 18. If it bee possible haue peace with all men DEerely beleued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ This Epistle or letter of Saint Paul written vnto the Romans is diuided into two seuerall parts In the first part Saint Paul instructeth and telleth them of the beginning of their religion of the foundation of their faith of the grace whereunto they are called by the merits and death of Iesus Christ And for because he saw and well perceiued that euen such of the Romans who had receiued the faith to bée farce from the works of the faith and the profession of the gospel of Christ therefore he instructeth them that they know the testament of Christ that they know the couenant of their saluation and that they should remember that where before time they were strangers from God cleane without any promise of grace enemies vnto God and the children of perdition were now called vnto God were become the sons of Abraham Gods deere friends and the children of adoption and this not of any desert of theirs not by any merit of their owne but onely through the great grace and méere mercy of Iesus Christ For the whole world was couered vnder wickednesse the whole world I say the Iewes onely excepted was ouerwhelmed in sinne and had no promise at all of any saluation by God But yet when Christ Iesus the Sauiour of all the world appeared and the Iewes would not acknowledge him their redéemer it pleased God by him to saue the whole world and call vnto his grace aswel the Gentile as the Iew the vncircumcised as the circumcised and this did he onely of his infinit and great goodnesse And therefore Saint Paul in the conclusion hereof crieth out and saith O the deepnesse of the aboundant wisedome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his wayes past finding out Who knoweth the mind of the Lord who was his Counsellor Who hath giuen vnto him first that hee might bee recompensed againe And therefore hée concludeth thus Quia in illo ex illo per illum omnia illi omnis honor gloria For of him through him and for him are all things to him therefore bee glorie for euer Thus doth Saint Paule conclude the first part to know the couenant of their saluation to know the greatnesse of Gods mercie whereunto they are called and to giue the prayse and thankes therefore to him alone In the second part which I now handle hee instructeth them of a vertuous life of honest conuersation and vpright liuing among all men For it is not enough to change our Religion it is not sufficient to alter our faith but we must also change our old life wee must walke in newnesse of life we must walke in holinesse wee must walke as becommeth the professors of a new Religion as becommeth them that are of a right faith as becometh all such as confesse God and his Gospel And therfore S. Paul writing vnto the Hebrews saith Seeing that we by the means of the bloud of Iesus haue libertie to enter into the holy place let vs draw nigh with a true heart in a sure faith let vs prouoke vnto loue and to good workes So in another place he saith You were sometimes darknesse but now ye are light in the Lord walke therfore as becommeth the children of light So God himselfe when he had chosen the Iewes to be his people and them alone amongst all other Nations to worship him said O Israel what is it that I require or seek for at thy hands but that thou loue mee and keepe my commandements This is the onely thing that I would haue you to doe that you kéepe my Law and walke in my Precepts Therefore Saint Paule himselfe also after hee had declared and set forth at large the great goodnesse and mercie of God he said I beseech you that yee make your bodies a quicke and liuely Sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of God Renew your spirits make your selues new harts that it may shew and appeare in you that you are reconciled vnto GOD that you are the children of adoption and professours of Gods holy name Therfore bee not high minded bee not wise in your owne opinions recompence no man euill for euill prouide aforehand things honest in the sight of all men and if it bee possible haue peace with all men Marke well my brethren these words by the way If it be possible haue peace with all men Christ though hee was the author so peace and the true peace it selfe yet could he not haue peace with all men Non veni pacem mittâ—re in terras sed bellum sed discordiam I am not come saith Christ to send peace into the world but war and dissention for from hence forth there shall be fiue in one house diuided three against two and two against three The Father against the Son and the Son against the Father The mother against the daughter and the daughter against the