â—â—ermon preached aâ— Paules Crosse the 19. of Iuli 1579 setting forth the excellencye of Gods heauenlye worde The exceeding mercye of Christ our Sauiour The state of this world A profe of the true Church A detection of the false Church or rather malignant rable A confutation of sundry haeresies and other thinges necessary to the vnskilfull to be knowen By Iohn Dyos Seene and allowed AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate Anno. 1579. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the right honourable and reuerend Father John by Gods gratious prouidence Byshop of London I. D. wisheth euerlasting felicitye ALBEIT right learned vertuous Prelate the wonderful workmaÌ„ship of the whole world the greatnes and beawtye of the celestiall bodyes the inuiolable order which they keepe in their coÌ„tinuall most swift mouing the inestimable benefites which they yeeld to the inferior partes by their seasonable interchaunges the straunge and sometyme terrible effectes that proceede of their secret influences and operations the continuall intercourses of the dayes and nightes the orderly succeeding of the tymes as winter Springtyme Sommer and Haruest the generation of Cloudes Frosts dewes windes thunder lightning and such other impressions and alterations of the ayre the situation of the huge earth in the middes of the world without any proppe or stay to hold it vp the highnes of the mouÌ„taynes the fertilitye of the valleyes the largenes of the chaÌ„pioÌ„ grouÌ„des the beawtye and vertue of plantes trees herbes and flowers wherewith the earth is so excellently adorned the vnmeasurable widenes of the maine seas some inuironing the compasse of the whole earth and some shooting forth into the maine land to the incomparable commoditye of all countryes the maruelous comming going of the tides the dreadfulnes of the waues rayzed by tempestuous windes the great plentye of all kinde of fishes and moÌ„sters in them the amiablenes of the freshe waters some flowing with restlesse streame into the great Ocean sea some sincking into the earth from whence they spring some staÌ„ding in vnmoueable Lakes and all of them fraught with fishes and other liuing creatures necessarye to the vse of man the propagation multiplication and preseruation of all liuing thinges in their seuerall kindes and finally the most wise and skilfull making of man the Lord of all earthly thinges who is rightly called μικÏόκοσμος that is to say a litle world whose head is euen as it were a litle globe of the world and conceiueth all worldly thinges doe plainly declare shew that there is a God a wise deuiser a mighty worker and fatherly preseruer maintayner of all thinges to whome we ought of right to be subiect in such sort as all our doinges may be agreable to his will yet notwithstanding sinne the mother of all calamityes hath by the fall of our first pareÌ„ts so venemously infected vs all their miserable posteritye and progenye and so blinded vs that what God is and what his will is concerning true religion righteousnes and eternall lyfe wee of our selues are vtterly ignorant Therefore hath he mercifully geuen vs his heauenly worde a rule whereby wee may learne to acknowledge celebrate inuocate and worship him according to the saying of the kingly Prophet Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete Of the vertue of this heaueÌ„ly word according to the abilitye which God hath gratiously geuen me I hauing not long sitheÌ„ce publiquely spoken being earnestly requested of certayne vertuously disposed to coÌ„municate my labours to them others haue thought it meete to satisfie their reasonable request which labour I consecrate to your good Lordship and offer the same to your learned iudgement as a scholler to his Maister as a souldiar to his captayne Wherein my endeuour is to seeke the glory of God to encourage the faythfull and to bring into the kinges high way of their saluation such as goe astray and daungerously wander in the marishes of idolatrye and superstition Yet I protest to your Lordship that considering the infelicitye and malignity of this present tyme and the vanitye of opinions I was almost discouraged to speake or to write And if I could doe it without offence to God I would enioyne mee selfe not with Pythagoras schollars to fiue yeares silence but to seuen yeares silence These be the vnhappy dayes that the Apostle sawe so long before wherein men can not abide souÌ„d doctrine The Prophet Esai sayth there were schollars in his time that would say to their teachers Loquimini nobis placentia Speake to vs such thinges as may lyke vs And truely there are now a dayes I feare me too many such scholars too many itching eares too many newfangled persons and to many wranglers But I am coÌ„forted whan I consider that the veritye ouercommeth falshod and that the thinges which are of God doe daunt whatsoeuer is obiected of men and of Sathan himselfe â–ª what hurteth the enemye yf God protect what preuaileth enuy yf the highest preserue They may mutter and murmure brawle and cauill but they cannot hurt Truth will get the vpper haÌ„d Christ will haue the field I would to God euery man would seeke the truth in the worde of god S. August sayth Vbi inueni veritatem ibi inueni Deum meum ipsam veritatem Where I fouÌ„d the truth there I found my God who is the truth it selfe I would to God men would embrace the truth and now at length stick no longer in their mire but cease to defend the denne of Antichrist the house of their spirituall whoredome shops of falshode fraughted with shadowes dreames pride vaineglory and all other abhominable abuses It is great pitie that learning should be so ill bestowed For how much might they be able to doe to the aduauncemeÌ„t of the truth which shew so great cunning and skill in defence of falshod Erasmus a man of excellent and exquisite learning writte much of the prayse of follie what could he haue written in the prayse of wit Cornelius Agrippa writte much of the vanitye of scieÌ„ces what could he haue written in the commendation of sciences how could he haue praysed helth that praysed the feuer quartane how could he haue praysed bewtifull heare that praysed deformed baldnes how many aduenture witte in desperate causes It is a desperate cause that can not be smoothed with words of eloqueÌ„ce No follie so vaine but by some shift it may be maintayned By meanes wherof the blinde drincketh many a flye and the simple eye is sone beguiled Yet notwithstaÌ„ding their Transubstantiation their Purgatorye their Merites their Inuocation of Saintes their Supremacy and such other Romish platyre can not be iustly defended by scripture or Doctours Therfore it were good for those kinde of teachers to cease to abuse the simplicitye of the people and to professe the trueth S. Ambrose sayth Nullus pudor est ad melior a transire It is no shame to remoue to the better Augustine was an infant in Christes
c. But the people preassed vppon him These wordes are very emphaticall and significāt notifieng the feruent study of those people to heare the word of god For this cause they followed him from Galilee from Decapolis from Hierusalē from Iudea from beyond Iordan They followed him ascendyng to the mountaine they folowed him descending from the mountaine they folowed him to the sea side they folowed on foote to the wildernesse Whether dyd they not follow him The paynefull clyming of the mountaines did nothyng discourage them the high craggye rockes did nothyng terrifie them the tēpestuous waues of the sea did nothyng dismay them Great multitudes came vnto hym lame blynd dombe c. Of multitudes folowyng read Mar. 3. 8. Luk. 6. Ioh. 6. Mat. 15. Certaine women folowed him with multitude of other folkes and they that caryed the mā sick of the Palsey because of the preasse went vp on the top of the house and let him downe through the roofe You also heare how to day they preassed vpon him They departed not from him sodeinly but continued sometyme iij. whole dayes with him and not a few sometyme iiij thousand some tyme v. thousand at a tyme beside women children You sée how the people in those dayes feruently pressed vpon Christ paynfully folowed him louingly cōtinued with him They folowed him to the wildernes to heare the sweetenes of his word wee Citizens hauyng the same within the walles of Cities loue it not but oftē ragingly contemne it They taryed with him whole dayes we thincke long to tary with him few houres and thinke not long to wayte vpon vanitie many houres Euery thyng encreaseth sauyng godlynesse Houses now are more large smoke lesse more eatyng more drinkyng more sléepyng more spendyng more cost for apparel more vanitie in talk mē more vitious but at Sermons in any case we cannot tary longer thē an houre It is tedious to many to tary so long They preassed vpō him we leisurely and slowly scarce come to him To the worlde as quicke as bées to the word as flow as snayles They heard him attētiuely we heare him negligently without courage as we were halfe asléepe and our mynd a pilgrimage coldly coldly Such is the behauiour of the multitude of this tyme such is the contēpt of the word such is the folly of men such is the loue of earthly thynges hate of heauenly things And therfore looke surely for plague and punishment They preassed vpon him Not vpō Hickscorner not vpon Iack Iuglar not vpō Tomtumbler not vpon corruptours destroyers as vayne men of our tyme but vpon him euē vpon Iesus Christ the Phisicion of the sinful the light of the world the expresse Image of the inuisible God the first borne of all creatures the wisedome power of God the way the truth and lyfe the Prince of Pastours the great shepheard of our soules the founder and finisher of our fayth the Euangelicall henne the true Vyne the bread of lyfe the rocke and fountaine of the liuyng waters the Emanuel the blessed séede the reconciler of God and man the cornerstone of the buildyng the foundation of the same the kyng of glory the prince of peace the high Priest the annoynted of God the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world the hope and redēption of Israell Iacobs ladder whereby we clyme to the omnipotent father the sonne of righteousnes the true light the starre of Iacob the mercyfull Samaritane the price of our redemption our sacrifice for sinne our satisfaction our righteousnes our guide our way to God the conquerour of Death Hell Sinne Sathan the giuer of lyfe the fountaine of grace veritie They preassed vpon him whose nobilitie riches wisedome bewtie strength puritie honour and goodnes can neuer be sufficiently commended without him our light is full of darkenesse Our strength full of weakenes our truth full of falsehode our perfection full of imperfection He is good we are euil yea our nature is euill Saint Austen saith Nemo erit bonus qui non erat malus None shal be good which hath not bene euill He onely is happy we are miserable wretches He is omnipotēt eternall we are weake yea weakenes it selfe dust and corruption By his righteousnes we be made righteous by his holynesse we be made holy by his glory we are glorified It is honest and comely that the wayfaryng man shoulde folow his guide The creature his creator the saued his Sauiour The subiectes their king the sheepe their shepheard the seruaūts their maister the schollers their teacher the members their head the children their parentes the souldiours their captaine the patiēts their Phisicion He is our guide we are the wayfaring men he is our creator we his creatures he our Sauiour we the saued he is our kyng we his subiectes he our shepheard we his shéepe he our master we his vnprofitable seruauntes he our heauenly scholemaister we his negligent scholers he our head we his members he our father we his children he our captaine we his souldiours hee the omnipotent Phisicion we the faint and féeble patientes Therfore it is good to folow him to preasse vpon him with the disseased woman to touch him Consider the cause why they preassed vpon him The finall cause why they preassed vpon him was to heare the word of God note their feruent desire to heare the word of god The worde of God not the traditions of men not vanities as vayne men of our dayes preasse to heare vanities yea euē on the Sabboth day which is intolerable The Sabboth day ought to be cō secrate to the seruice of god The true sanctifieng and halowyng of this day consisteth in the true worshippyng of god Many other folowed preassed on him for other causes The hypocriticall Phariseis folowed and preassed to deride him Some folowed preassed for noueltie Such were the mē of Athens which gaue them selues to nothyng els but either to tell or to heare some newes We haue multitudes of men of Athens now a dayes Some preassed to sée his miracles Vidimus mirabilia hodie we haue sene straunge thynges to day Some to get bodily health Some folow Christum Fortunatū wealthy rich Christ for their cōmomoditie that they maybe enriched as the mā that offered his seruice to Christ saying maister I wil folow thee whether soeuer thou goest And Iesus aūswered said to him Fores haue holes the byrdes of the ayre haue nests but the sōne of mā hath not where to rest his head The Foxe hath his hole in hipocrites the byrdes of the ayre the deuils haue their nestes in hypocrites no place for the sonne of mā in hipocrites Some folow and preasse for their belly sake as those which sayd Rabbi when camest thou hither c. Some to entāgle him in his talke The auncient
men shaking and extreme tempest of death eternall tempest for the wicked in hell The sea is full of monsters the world is full of monsters the world is full of monstrous men not worthy the name of men Some haue their faces in their féete and their féet in their faces as all foolish Nabals and couetous carles But God gaue man a face to look vp to heauē which thing euen the heathen Poet knew Some haue many heads for that they serue many maisters pride couetousnes dronkēnes drowsines murther c such and so great vices raigne in them Therefore haue they as many heads maysters as they haue lustes and affections raigning in them Qui facit peccatū seruus est peccati Whosoeuer committeth sinne is the slaue of sinne Some haue two tongues as all flatterers and slaunderers Some haue swordes in their lips raylers ill tonged persons blasphemous wretches There is a generacion whose téeth are as swords and their chawes as knyues Of such the Prophet Dauid speaketh saying whose téeth are as speares and arrowes and their tongue as a sharpe sword Behold they speake with their mouth and swords are in their lips Proud mē couetous men vsurers drunkards hereticks blasphemers slaunderers are monsters The world therfore is full of monsters The sea casteth out her dead to the shore the world casteth out and banisheth those that are dead to the world and doe not the workes thereof S. Paule sayth we are made a gasing stocke to the worlde Truth sayth if ye were of the world the world would loue his owne howbeit because ye are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world Therfore the world hateth you truth farther sayth yf they haue persequted me they will also persecute you The seruaunt is not greater then the lord The world sayth let vs oppresse the poore righteous let vs not spare the widow nor old man let vs not regard the heads that are graye for age let the law of vnrighteousnes be our strength for the thing that is féeble is nothing worth Therefore let vs defraud the righteous why he is not for our profite nay he is cleane contrary to our doinges he checketh vs for offending agaynst the law Lactantius Firmianus speaking of th end of this world sayth Si qui erunt boni praedae ac ludibrio habebuntur If there remaine any good men at that tyme they shall be counted a pray a bootye and a iesting stock Canst thou not flatter canst thou not lye canst thou not play the hipocrite cāst thou not follow the facion and serue the stage no. Then thou art no méete man to lyue in this world Choose a few companions The sea is no place to make our continuall abode For no man sayleth on the sea to tarye stil on the sea but spedely to passe ouer This world is no place of continuall abode for we are straungers and pilgrimes Here haue we no continuing Citye but we séeke one to come Yet wee build stately as though it were the tower of Babel We ruffile monstrously in apparell as though our fraile bodyes should neuer turne to dust We lyue sensuallye as though there were no other heauē we gather gold and siluer gredely as though we should alwayes néede to vse the same By this dealing it should séeme wee are not straūgers and pilgrims The kinglye prophet Dauid saith I am a staunger with thée and a soiourner as all my fathers were S. August writing vpon that place hath these wordes Non ait sicut omnes homines sed sicut omnes patres mei Non omnium est fides infideles non possunt dicere se in terra peregrinos He sayth not as all men but as all my fathers for all men haue not fayth The faythles cannot say that they are straungers and pilgrims vpon earth Here then is their abode they are Citizens of Babylon not of the heauenlye Hierusalem Notwithstanding in another sense the faythlesse worldlings at the length shall finde that they were straungers and pilgrims when with the glotonous cormorant in the torments of hell they shall crye in vayne for mercye That riche man desired a drop which denyed a crome And there are rich men to whome now I speake they be all one with the other in name let them beware that they drinke not all of one cup with him In the sea are deuouring fishes and the great fishes deuoure the litle fishes In the world great men mighty men deuoure and vndoe poore mē Here might often tymes ouercommeth right Here many take their brethrē by the throte Here Anacharsis may sée Solons lawes lyke to cobwebs which held fast the litle flees and let the great flées breake thorow them Here Socrates may laugh to sée litle théeues trust vp at tiburne and great theeues without any punishment liuing still Here Heraclitus may wéepe to sée vertuous men despised and vitious men extolled ▪ Notwithstanding vertuous men be despised and deuoured of tyrānes yet they lyue as Ionas liued in the whales bellye As dying and behold wée liue sayth S. Paule You sée now how the sea is an Image of the world you sée the sea you sée the world To speake all in sūme The world is the kingdome courte of Sathan a denne of théeues a shop of lyes a Babylon of sectes a wildernes full of wild beastes an Inne full of cuttbrotes a cage of doltes a Sodom an Egypt A mother to the euil a Stepdame to the good Here is no place for godly men here deuouring fishes destroy all here all wicked crimes raigne no religion no fayth no charitye or very litle Therefore let vs not loue the world nor worldly thinges for he that loueth the world hath not the loue of God in him but let vs goe with Lot out of Sodome with Abraham out of Chaldée with the Israelites out of Egypt with Christ from the Iewes and with Paule from the Pharisies Christ taught out of the ship He performeth his office to the which he was sēt of his father into this world and because he had not a pulpet on the land and the people pressed vppon him he entred into a shippe and taught vpon the sea for the office of Christ was to teach He sent me to preach good tidinges vnto the poore By his example he teacheth vs to doe the dutyes of our vocations faythfully The type or figure declareth that the functiō of them which preach the worde of God is paynefull and full of perill The world hateth the light of veritye Woe be vnto me sayth S. Paul if I preach not the Gospell It is daungerous to be silent daungerous to speake if we speake wickedly or if we be silent foolishly wée offend god If we speake truely and reproue disobedience boldelye we become hatefull and odious to the most part of men Truely if euer the office of preaching hath bin subiect to
vpoÌ„ my Lady This I know Some they suborne to vtter their dregges by writinges and other lewd practises They are not content to be euill themselues but they indeuour also as much as in them lyeth to make other partakers of their euill If you make diligeÌ„t search you shall finde fat bulles of Basan of this company in Cathedrall Churches duÌ„me dogges and hinderers as farre as they dare of the Gospell of Christ Iesu They are called Pastores a pascendo Pastors of féeding and féede not at all and Doctores a docendo Doctors of teaching and teach not at all as also Mons a mouendo a hill hath his name of moouing and moueth not at all These truely are Caterpillers deuouring the swéete fruite of the land They should be serued aright if they were rewarded with Caterpillers All these men thinke that they can walke vnespied as though they had Gyges ring vpon their finger to goe inuisible by Non sic impij non sic not so honest men not so Now they are very bold They are in their ruffe and looke for a day God I trust will mercyfully kéepe vs from that day And yet I can not sée if they had their purpose but they shoulde féele the smart of that day They are weary of their welfare The clemencie of our most clement Quéene Elizabeth hath long tyme bin abused Now it staÌ„deth her Maiestie vpoÌ„ with weapoÌ„ of Iustice to bridle insolencie The dissease of coÌ„tempt of lawes which now attacheth so many can by no meanes be cured but by the medicine of correction For all this we are not to iudge and condemne these men to the pit of Hell. Leaue iudgemeÌ„t and condemnation to god The right hand of God is mightful he is able of stones of hard Idolatrous hearts to rayse vp children to Abraham He is able to turne the great Turke the Cane of Cathai Lord if it be thy will enlighten their dimme eyes with the influence of thy heauenly grace that they may sée the truth open their vncircumcised eares that they may heare the truth mollifie their hard hearts that they may loue and embrace the truth that thou mayest be glorified thy people edified and Sathan confounded A question is proposed Why is the net broken I aunswere Oportet haereses esse There must be also heresies amoÌ„g you that they whiche are approued amoÌ„g you might be knowen Many are called fewe are chosen This place aunswereth an Argument of aduersaries agaynst the true Church In the true Church are no sectes But in your Church are sectes Ergo your Church is not the true Church I aunswere Oportet haereses esse There must be heresies c. Also they went from vs but they be not of vs Furthermore tares are amoÌ„g wheat Secondly I say this Argument is nought Heretiques are among the elect Sathan among the children of god Goates among shéepe Tares among wheat ill fishes among good thornes among lilies false brethren false ChristiaÌ„s amoÌ„g true ChristiaÌ„s vessels of dishonour amoÌ„g vessels of honour Ergo heretiques are no heretiques SathaÌ„ is not SathaÌ„ Goates are no goates tares are no tares and so of the rest What wise kynde of reasonyng is this Are not hypocrites in the Church you know the maÌ„ which was amoÌ„g the ghestes at the mariage of the kynges sonne without a weddyng garmeÌ„t The mariage was furnished with ghestes good and bad Take a Foxe tye him vp with a chayne and cherish him with bread milke and howsoeuer you can whole vij yeares if the chayne breake the Foxe will get away runne into the wood A Foxe wil be a Foxe Many false Christians two legged Foxes now tyed with the chayne of gouernment and fed with the swéetenesse of the land outwardly shewe them selues conformable to lawes loyall and obedieÌ„t subiectes Such Prince such subiectes commoÌ„ly for the tyme But if the chayne of gouernemeÌ„t and life of Quéene Elizabeth whose life God long continue should breake vndoubtedly these Foxes these hipocrites would runne to Rome He that doth euill let him do euill still He which is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still Albeit Goates féede with Shéepe they shall not stand on the right hand with Shéepe Albeit chaffe is thresshed with wheat it shall not be caried into the barne with wheat Albeit ill fishes swimme with good fishes with in the net of our Lord they shall not be put into vesselles with good fishes but cast away Let no man forsake the wheat of Christ for darnell sake neither the flooer of Christ for chaffe sake neither the great house of Christ for vesselles of dishonour neither the net of Christ for ill fishes neither the lillyes for thornes neither true Christians for hipocrites neither the children of God for Sathans sake Preasse vpoÌ„ Christ with this godly people to heare the swéet and comfortable word of god Beleue it loue it doe it Know the true Church be of the true Church continue in the true Churche depart not with the Rauen out of the Arke With Simon in the name of Christ launche out into the déepe to make a draught Euery man folow his vocation with inuocation with prayer So shall yée haue prosperous successe with Simon so shall yée receiue the fruites of faythfull obedience in this world peace and quietnes of conscience in the world to come such passing abouÌ„dant ioy such passing excellent blisse as no eye can sée no eare can heare no tongue can tell nor hart can thinke purchased by Iesus Christ for all those which folow Simon in fayth full obedience to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all prayse glory and dominion for euer and euer Psal. 118. 1. Tim. 4. â— 2. Tim. 3. â— â—sa 30. 10. â—ugust â—â—m 1. â—onfes lib. â— cap. 24. Ambros in epist. ad Theodosium Tom. 1. in Possidonio 1. Cor. 13. Mat. 6. 33. Mat. 11. 25. Mat. 5. Mat. 13. Marc. 3. Mat. 14. Mat. 15 Luc. 8. Luc. 5. Mat. 15. Mat. 9. Ioh. 8. Collos 1. 1. Cor. 1. Ioh. 14. 1. Pet. 1. Ebru 12. Ioh. 15. Ioh. 6. 1. Cor. 10. Ioh. 4. Marc. 12. Luc. 20. 1. Pet. 1. Psal. 24. Esai 9. Esai 62. Luc. 4. Ioh. 1. Psal. 130. Gen. 28. Malach. 4. Ioh. 1. Num. 24. Luc. 10. Ebru 7. 8. 9. Ose 13. Mich. 7. 1. Cor. 15. Zach. 13. Ebru 1. Ephes 2. 3. August de Ciuit. Dei Lib. 15. cap. 1. Mat. 9. Luc. 16. 4. Act. 17. 21. Luc. 5. 26. Luc. 6. Mat. 8. Luc. 9. Ioh. 6. Mat. 22. Luc. 20. Marc. 12. Origen in Mat. cap. 22 Aretius in Psal 1. Mat. 12. 38. Ioh. 19. 15. Mat. 13. Marc. 4. Luc. 8. Gen. 3. Gen. 22 â–ª Luc. 1. Psal. 2. Psal. 110. Gen. 28. 2. Cor. 3. 6. Ioh. 8. 51. Rom. 1. Ioh. 1. 17. Mat. 13. Mat. 23. Leuit. 18. Galat. 3. Deut. 30. Rom. 10. Esai 55. Rom. 3. 23. Rom.