those that lie in darkenes and shadow of death vntill they haue accesse into the Church of the faythfull For so lōg as we be without the church and number of the faythfull we are aliants strangers pilgrims and men without God in this worlde yea wee bee enemies to God vntil we be reconciled to the father by Christ We are without mercy and polluted in our bloud vntil by him we obtaine grace be washed from our sinnes We are dead in trespasses and sinnes till we be raised vp with the righteousnes of Christ We be drunkē with the poisoned dregges of superstition vntil we haue the soueraigne triacle of Gods promises in the worde of the truth for our preseruation How thē ought we think you to make haste into this arke your owne cōsciences herein shal be my iudges Surely we can not be partakers of the heauenly graces except we be within the church of Christ for onely vpon the same they are bestowed Where can our soules be fed with the worde of God but among the faythfull who are the sheepe of Christ heare his voice Where shall we shew our thankfulnesse and confirme our faith with the sacraments but in that Church where thei be sincerely ministred Where can we haue forgiuenesse of our sinnes the grace of God the holy ghost the righteousnesse of Christ and other his benefits vnlesse we be within the Church for whom he wrought the same If therefore we hope for happines looke assuredly for saluation thē must we keepe within the arke then we shall be safe and sounde And that we be not deceyued with the title of the Church which the aduersaries always haue in their mouthes the Lord hath left vs his true and sincere worde the right administratiō of his sacraments and ecclesiasticall discipline to be the perfect marks of this his spirituall arke whereto whilest we do cleaue stick we cannot be deceyued or perish with the wicked What then sayth the papist shall we thinke of all those which liued in the time of ignorāce and were without the Church which now we haue which was so lately found shall we iudge them to be damned which thing we must needes do except wee make the Church of Rome the arke and Church of Christ Concerning the Church of Rome this is to be obserued that this Church of Rome which nowe is is not the same but only in place with that which was in the primitiue time For then they followed the doctrine of the Apostles nowe they haue reuolted from the same and Antichrist sitteth in the Temple of God. And though the auncient fathers speake much in the commendation of the Church of Rome yet speake they only of the church before that superstition crept into the same And now before I answere to this question I must propounde the like to them Before the time of Boniface the third then Pope of Rome when superstition and corruptiō crept into the Church and the light of the trueth began to be darkned were all damned which neuer before or after yeelded to the sea religion of Rome Were all vndone which neuer beleeued transubstantiation concluded by Innocētius the third or those which neuer worshipped their breaden god which thing Honorius did decree What need I speake of other vanities Were all the Prophetes and holy men of God was Christ and his Apostles and the auncient fathers of the primitiue Church beside the way and out of the arke which had the spirite of God to lead thē into all truth who taught the sacred verities and all things necessarie to saluation and yet did neuer retaine such vanities as these men holde And if they did foretell any thing thereof it was but to bid the Church beware of such vngodlinesse And as for the arke or Church wherein we bee it was before theirs was euer deuised not newly and of late yeeres as many iudge begunne but renued and reformed of late according to the worde of God and is in substāce and doctrine all one with the Church of God from the beginning directed by his spirit and by the scepter of his worde And albeit it was long hid through the tyrannie of the deuill who draue the woman into the wildernes yet ceased there not infinite numbers to withstande and gainsay the pollutions of Idolatrie whom God preserued by his grace though they could not bee seene by the eyes of men For like as faith is chiefly knowē to God and cannot be discerned by outwarde senses otherwise then by the declarations thereof so the Lorde knewe onely who were his whose fayth was knowne by their resistance to the beast When Iohn foretold the corruptions of the later times and of the man of sinne he shewed that there was of all tribes many sealed with the spirit of God and marked with the blood of the Lambe receyued by fayth who perished not in the lake of Antichristes pollutions He tolde that the two witnesses of Christ whereby he meant the smal number of the true Church should be murthered by the beast who should make warre with the saints of God and torment them to death who should be drunken with the blood of saints and holy martyrs which could neuer haue beene if there had bene none to haue gainsaid his wicked ways I neede not speake of the churches of Grecia who still withstood the popish vanities yea there neuer ceased some to withstande hir erronious religion Neither must we thinke that all was lost that liued thē For why the Lord hath wayes meanes vnknowen to man to saue his people as hee saued the thiefe euen in the last houre vpon the crosse And as he hath chosen in his secret purpose vnknowne to man who shall bee saued so will he not lose one of them but call them in due time As for this argument which they vse herein it hath bene a stūbling blocke to the wicked of all ages The Iewes were mooued with nothing so much to gainsay the doctrine of the Prophets calling them from their Idolatrie but that their fathers had liued as they did at that present and yet they ought not to haue folowed their fathers further then their fathers folowed the worde of trueth The woman of Samaria reasoned thus against our Sauiour Christ Our fathers saith shee worshipped in this mountaine but hee made hir an answere that they worshipped they knewe not what for saluation came of the Iewes But it is not the part of a good cōscience whē the trueth is opened to leape from the same into the seat of iudgement and define who were saued who were not but rather referring al to the mercy and good pleasure of God both concerning our forefathers all others to labour our wittes to do his will. For now this thing is condemnation that light is come into the world
owne imaginations and all the curses of the law and so we shall lye downe in our owne confusion and bee couered with our shame because wee loathed instruction and hated to bee reformed For surely the ouerthrow of the wicked sleepeth not though yet they liue in al prosperitie and florish as a greene Bay tree Let not vs then folowe their â—â—usion of ryote but in time receiue the Lordes warning with Noe to huÌ„ble our selues to walke before our god The Storcke in the ayre as sayth the Prophete knoweth her appointed times the Turtle the Crane and the Swallowe obserue their opportunitie of comming and shall not we knowe the iudgements of our God Or can the Oxe know his masters stall or the Asse his masters cribbe and shall not Israel know his God Let vs be warned by the voyce of God let vs receiue instruction and be wise betime For blessed is the man that heareth wisdome watching dayly at hir gates and giuing attendance at the postes of hir doores For hee that findeth hir findeth life and shall obtaine the fauour of the Lord and onely this is our wisdome and perfect vnderstanding to receiue and obserue the admonitions of our God. When Noe were thus admonished by the Lorde he did not by and by forget his worde or choke it with the cares of life and voluptuousnesse of liuing then preuailing but as his fayth was wrought thereby so was he now emboldned and his fayth encreased and preserued by these admonitions concerning thinges to come For as by meats drinks the bodie is increased and by the wholsome counsell of physitions the sicknes to be feared is preueÌ„ted so by the woorde of God the fayth of Noe was increased and by the admonitions thereof the daungers to bee feared were auoyded whilest he willingly gaue credit to that which was spoken By this his readinesse to beleeue the worde appeareth plainly beloued the faythfull heart which the godly ought to haue towards the same that in beleeuing the worde of trueth the Lord may be their God and they his people This readinesse was in the Kenites when they left their owne couÌ„try to go with the Israelites into the land of Canaan that they might be further instructed in the law of God. This readines was in the good king Iosias wheÌ„ his heart melted within him for feare of the plagues of God towardes the land neither ceassed he vntill he had enquired of the Lord what was to be done This readinesse was in all those which wente through the valley of teares from strength to strength to seeke the Lorde in Sion This readinesse was in the Prophetes and Apostles whilest they left all thinges to obey the will of God. This readines was in the Iewes when they were fired with the wordes of Peter and with penitent hearts required what to do And this ought to be our readines towards the word of our saluation and towards the admonitions of the most highest that whilest he speaketh we giue eare whilest he crieth that wee make answere and whilest it is said to day that we beleue and heare his voyce These should be the daies wherein men shoulde follow no more the stubbornnesse of theyr wicked hearts but rather should goe vp to the mountaine of the lord to be instructed in his lawes with reuerence and feare These should be the dayes wherein the idoles shoulde de destroyed and men shoulde forsake their molten gods These should be the sweete and ioyfull dayes of Ierusalem wherein the people shoulde offer willing offrings of obedience and thankfulnesse These shoulde be the Halcionios dies of the Church when righteousnesse and peace when mercie and trueth shoulde meete and kisse eche other But in steade of readines to the worlde the eares of many are vncircumcised that they neither can nor will heare the lawe of god In stead of casting away the vanities of Idoles they are marked with the beastes marke whome they worship In stead of quietnes loue the heartes of many are set on mischiefe whilest discorde enuie and debate preuaile so much I feare therefore these dayes are more like the daies of Noe wherin the coÌ„tempt of trueth bare rule amongst so many They are the dayes of the prouocation in the wildernes wherein the delights of Egyptiacal seruitude is preferred before the sweete Manna of euerlasting happines I wonder what euill spirite hath bewitched men that they should not beleeue the truth Why haue they put vpon them an whorish face and a shameles looke and made their hearts like an adamant whilest they walke in the errour of theyr hearts and in the vanitie of their own imaginations Euery man flattereth himselfe in his owne wayes thinketh him selfe more holy then his fellowe but yet hee pluckes not the beame of pride out of his eie Wee say with filthie Iuda that we be not polluted nor haue folowed after Baalim and yet we are vncleane by meanes of popishe superstition Wee bragge and boast with the proud Pharisie of our righteousnes yet feele we not the burthen of our sinnes and faith in Christ and therfore remaine vniustified We say with the angell of Laodicea that we be rich and much encreased with goodes and haue neede of nothing yet we know not that we are wretched miserable poore and blind naked What remayneth then for vs but to bye of the Lords fine gold that we may be rich white rayment that we may be clothed that our filthie nakednes do not appeare that our eies may be anointed with the eie salue that we may see with al readines to obey the truth to be warned with Noe to make preparation against the flouds of euil to come But especially welbeloued the faith of Noe appeared in this that he saw the things to come which presently could not by outwarde senses be discerned For seeing that the floud was not come before an hundreth and twentie yeeres were ended the tract of time might haue remoued and banished away the remembrance thereof It might also haue seemed incredible to flesh and bloud that such a water should come so quickly besides all these the wicked folowed their delights without respect and to be short these threatnings of such floods might haue bene iudged vaine but Noe his faith did mouÌ„t aloft and reached aboue the capacitie of outwarde senses and looked vp to things more excellent by much theÌ„ could by outward meanes be vnderstood which things yet hid and not apparant the holy ghost sealeth in our harts for our more assurance According whereunto the Apostle calleth fayth the substance of things hoped for the sure demonstration of thinges which are not seene thereby not onely lifting vp our fayth to things to come but also fully assuring vs of the performaÌ„ce therof for God is faithful
hire Sir Iohn Lackelatine to sing or say the seruice howe shall the Gospell haue good successe whilest Church to Church is ioyned and non residencies borne withall and well liked what can go forewarde in the building of the Lorde where preaching is but once a quarter I say not where it is seldome or neuer which I might or once a moneth which some thinke more thē needes if it be eche Saboth it is counted a worke of supererogation how can the people be reclaimed from their vanities or kept within the fold in dew obedience Go to what springes of such contempt in these estates euen effusion of all ryot and running into sinne of the inferiour sort For as the wall within and eke without is made of squared stones betweene the which the lesse stones are contained to make the building vp euē so the minister within the Churche the Magistrate in the common weale should support and vpholde the meaner sort in dewe obedience If then the squared stones within or els with out fall downe the lesse can neuer long endure because they lacke their stay And of cōtempt in these degrees it comes to passe that lacke of discipline good liuing is the cause of many sinnes both in the Church and commō weale Neither woulde I haue this forgotten that whilest ecclesiasticall officers may for money dispense with offendours and also vayne pitie in the common weale maye shadowe iniquities the Churche can not go well Surely Surely it is with Englande as the Prophet Osee saide it was with Israel The Lord hath a controuersie with the people of the land because there is no mercy no truth no knowledge of God in the land But by swearing lying killing stealing and whoring men break out and blood toucheth blood therfore shal the land mourne c. How ripe the sinnes of England be for the sickle of Gods vēgeance euerye Christian eye can testifie And yet for all this we are fast a sleepe with the carelesse world in the time of Noe. We eat drinke we marie giue to mariage most like vntill the flood shall take vs hence wee lye vpon our soft couches and put away the euill day farre frō vs we blesse our selues when wee heare the threatnings of the Lord and curses of his law and say We shall feele none euill we are drunken with foolish Nabal vntill Abigail bring vs word that we must dye We spoyle and make our selues merie with the goods of other men as the Amalekites did in Ziklag vntill Dauid Gods scourge come vpon vs to wounde vs to death and make a reskewe We drinke with Balthasar in bowles vntill the Medes take away our kingdome we enriche our selues also enlarge our barnes and laye vp treasure in store for many yeres and yet this present night our soule must be taken away and then who shal possesse our substance we waste and spoyle our masters goodes liue vnmindfull of our duetie vntill we be called to render an accompt of our stewardshippe we sleepe full harde with the foolish virgins and our lampes quite put out till that the bridegrome be gone in and the doore fast locked that we can not enter We sit like the proud strumpet Babylon feede our selues with folly that we shall feele no sorowe nor widowhead yet al sorows shal sodainly come vpon vs Finally we say Peace peace all things quiet euen when the end is at hand Nay rather let vs watche pray and haue our lampes of righteousnes burning that we may enter into rest with the bridegrome at his comming leaue betimes our great securitie least we perish with the wicked It is reported of Tamberlane the king of the Parthians who tearmed himselfe Iram dei orbis vastitatem to haue set vp three seueral dais three seueral kinds of tents wherof the first was white betokening mercie if his enemies would that day yeeld the secōd day the tēts were red betokenīg the bloodshed of the rulers the thirde was black signifying the burning and destruction of the citie neyther was there hope of mercie when the white tents were takē down although they humbled themselues with lawrell Let vs goe foorth with lawrell braunches in this our time and day of grace for it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God who is a consuming fire let vs be admonished by the woorde of trueth or els the same will condemne vs with the wicked But the time is past I haue wearied you to much I wil therfore note one worde or two of the last wordes and so make an ende He was made the heire of righteousnes which is according to fayth This is nowe the acceptation reward of Noe his faith who first was receiued into fauour by beleeuing the promise of God and thereby had God a mercifull father Of whō this his obedience was accepted not for anye the worthines of flesh blood which was none but by the free grace of God accepting in good worth what he did For when faith beleueth the promises of God concerning saluation apprehendeth the adoption of the children then foloweth the inheritaunce of our righteousnesse for that we being by fayth the children of God are heires euen felowe heires with Christ of his kingdome For after we beleeue we are sealed with the spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance vntill the redemption of the possession purchased vnto the praise of his glorie This is that which the Apostle saith that wee being iustified by the grace of God should be made heires according to the hope of euerlasting life And for this cause is Christ the mediatour of the newe Testament that through death which was for the redemption of the transgressions which were in the former Testamēt they which were called might receiue the promise of the eternal inheritāce Blessed be God therefore let vs all say euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundant mercie hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance immortal and vndefiled reserued in heauen for vs. This inheritance of righteousnes Abraham behelde with the eyes of fayth whē he forsooke his owne countrey looking for a better and euerlasting in heauen reioycing in spirite to see the day of Christ the Messias This inheritance Dauid longed after when like as the Harte desired the water brookes euen so his soule longed after the Lorde hoping to see the goodnesse of the Lorde in the lande of the liuing This inheritance the Apostles beleeued to haue when they confessed Christ to bee the Sonne of God and to haue the woordes of Eternall life This inheritance the Saints in the reuelatiō cast their eyes vpon when with patience they endured the tormentes