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
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
A Sermon PreaCHED AT PAVLS Crosse by Iohn Walsal one of the Preachers of Christ his Church in Canterâ—urie 5. October 1578. And published at the earnest request of certeine godlie Londoners and others Neither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giueth increase 1. Cor. 3. 7. AT LONDON Printed for G. Byshop TO THE RIGHT worshipfull vertuous and his verie good Ladie the Ladie ANNE BACON Iohn Walsall hartily wisheth mercy and peace from God our father and from our Lord Iesus Christ THIS my present attempt and enterprise will perhaps minister vnto the reader double cause of admiration the one by reason of the publishing the other in the respect of the dedication of this simple and plaine discourse Touching the first albeit I may iustly depose and call God to witnesse that this sermon is thus imprinted and made common not by any vaine desire of mine or terrene purpose in me but at the importune suite of diuers godly men both of the Citie where it was preached and of the Countrie where I inhabite yet I am enforced openly to acknowledge that it is my bounden dutie of my selfe without request euery way to seeke the glorie of my God by exhorting priuately by preaching publikely by writing generally to the verie vttermoste of my power and abilitie Howbeit I am here constrayned humbly to bewraye myne owne infirmities with heartie prayer for greater strength For mine own simplicitie and want of profounde knowledge the aboundaunce of most learned volumes dayly set out together with coÌ„sideration of many curious heades and carping tongues these so preuailed with my flesh as neither I could of my selfe be moued nor by the importunitie of others for a good space induced to publishe this treatise But at length my weakenesse was somewhat strengthened and I persuaded not onely by the reasons of men whome I haue good cause greatly to reuerence but also by the holy spirite of GOD to collect this Sermon out of my notes send it abroad to the end that as by vttering thereof it pleased the LORD GOD mercifully to touch the heartes of some so by writing and imprinting thereof it may like the same Lord as graciously to touch the heartes of many So that my onely drift and purpose herein is to seeke the glorie of our good God by attempting as he hath inhabled mee to reclaime the wicked to confirme the godlie to conuerte the deceiued to encourage the conuerted that as God hath created all offered saluation to al and nourished vs all so through his sonne our Sauiour CHRIST he may be glorified by vs al. This glorie of our God ought to bee of so precious and deare accounte with vs that we shoulde directe whatsoeuer good thing wee haue to the aduauncement of his glorie This is not the doctrine of carnall man but of that moste excellent doctour IESVS CHRIST and of his holy Apostle S. Paule Christe the maister saith First seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse c And Paule the seruant speaking of the Lord God telleth vs that Of him throughe him and for him are all thinges and therefore addeth to him be glorie for euer Amen These and many the like scriptures teach vs that we are created redeemed sanctified and preserued yea that all the Lordes blessinges so without measure dayly powred vpon vs tend to this end that his most glorious name maye bee continually extolled by vs Both Moses and Paul were so zealous for this glory as they preferred the same to their own saluation But alas such is the miserable condition of the world that few are founde willing to take anye little paine or to susteine the short displeasure euen of the vilest men thereby to shewe their longing desire of God his glorie Men of all sortes are made so drunken with their own vaine glorie and in such manner bende them selues to maintaine that ignominious and shamefull glorie as in the meane time the glorie of God is cared for accounted of and longed for but of verie fewe and as it were of an handfull in respecte of the huge multitude of so innumerable people From this most impure and deadly impoysoned fountaine of vaine glorie issueth the Papistes glorious opinion of their meritorious workes their proude conceipt of mans righteousnesse their bloudie argumentes against iustification by faith their obstinate defences of most grosse impieties their daily coyning of newe counterfeit miracles for the vnderpropping of their nowe falling kingdome From this filthie puddle of vaine glorie springeth the contemptuous disdayning of ouermanie to submitte their stiffe necks to the sweet and easie yoke of Christe Hence it is that the verie Angelles of GOD his Church and true ministers of his worde are sternly frowned vppon iniuriously thrust to the walles and handled vnreuerently vnles with Popishe dirige they will sing Placebo and as the Iewes willed Esay speak Placentia and with the Terentian Gnato ait aio negat nego that is to say vnlesse they will with Iudas betray their maister Christe and frame them selues to feede the sinfull humours of carnall men by wilfull neglecting the seuere commaundementes of Almightie god Hence it is that if contempte of true religion lothing of Christs holy Gospel countenauncing of the wicked cormeranting of earthly thinges carnall talke vaine delectations horrible blasphemie pride in apparell epicurisme in diet deceite in bargaining vnchristian conuersation if these and the like enormities be reproued and the terrible iudgementes of God denounced againste them vaine glorie will then be inflamed and set on fire with reuenging anger and at daggers drawing with such preachers Thus I might proceede to prooue that vaine glorie doth euery way so abound as the aduauncement of God his glory is lamentably neglected Oh that man had regenerate eyes to looke throughly vpon and deepely into himself he should then wel perceiue that no glorie but all shame is due to him he shoulde then be compelled to confesse that whatsoeuer good thing he hath of the bodie or minde the Lorde God hath there with adorned him that he the authour therof might be glorified with and for the same Saint Paul to extinguish and quench out mans greedie thirst of vain glory demaundeth of man this question What hast thou that thou hast not receiued To the same ende that vniuersall speach of Saint Iames may be fitly applied Euery good giuing and euery perfect gift is from aboue c. Wherein the holy ghost teacheth that all the good things we enioy either temporall or spirituall they haue streamed from the euerlasting founteine of God his vnspeakable liberalitie that for and with the same we shoulde magnifie and praise his most glorious name The Lord therefore in mercie graunt that euery man in his seuerall vocation may so hartely bend all his affections giftes welth wisedome worship honour or what soeuer the Lorde hath blessed him withal to the magnifying of him our most gratious and louing
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