may soon deceive himself and think in his own phantasie that he by Faith knoweth God loveth him feareth him and belongeth to him when in very deed he doth nothing less For the tryal of all these things is a very Godly and Christian Life He that feeleth his Heart set to seek God's Honour and studieth to know the Will and Commandments of God and to frame himself thereunto and leadeth not his Life after the desire of his own flesh to serve the Devil by Sin but setteth his Mind to serve God for his own sake and for his sake also to love all his Neighbors whether they be Friends or Adversaries doing good to every Man as opportunity serveth and willingly hurting no Man Such a Man may well rejoyce in God perceiving by the trade of his Life that he unfeignedly hath the right knowledge of God a lively Faith a stedfast Hope a true and unfeigned Love and Fear of God But he that casteth away the yoke of God's Commandments from his Neck and giveth himself to live without true Repentance after his own sensual Mind and Pleasure not regarding to know God's Word and much less to live according thereunto Such a Man clearly deceiveth himself and seeth not his own Heart if he thinketh that he either knoweth God loveth him feareth him or trusteth in him Some peradventure fancy in themselves that they belong to God although they live in Sin and so they come to the Church and shew themselves as God's dear Children But St. John saith plainly If we say 1 John 1. that we have any company with God and walk in darkness we do lye Others do vainly think that they know and love God although they pass not of the Commandments But St. John saith clearly 1 John 2. He that saith I know God and keepeth not his Commandments he is a lyar Some falsly persuade themselves that they love God when they hate their Neighbors But St. John saith manifestly If any man say I love God 1 John 4. 1 John 2. and yet hateth his Brother he is a lyar He that saith that he is in the light and hateth his brother he is still in darkness He that loveth his brother dwelleth in the light but he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knowe h not whither he goeth For darkness hath blinded h s eyes And moreover he saith 1 John 3. Hereby we manif stly know the Children of God from the Children of the Devil He that doth not righteously is not the child of God nor he that hateth his Brother Deceive not yourselves therefore thinking that you have Faith in God or that you love God or do trust in him or do fear him when you live in sin For then your ungodly and sinful Life declareth the contrary whatsoever you say or think It pertaineth to a Christian Man to have this true Christian Faith and to try himself whether he hath it or no and to know what belongeth to it and how it doth work in him It is not the World that we can trust to the World and all that is therein is but vanity It is God that must be our Defence and Protection against all temptation of Wickedness and Sin Errors Superstition Idolatry and all Evil. If all the World were on our side and God against us What could the World avail us Therefore let us set our whole Faith and Trust in God and neither the World the Devil nor all the power of them shall prevail against us Let us therefore good Christian Poople try and examine our Faith what it is Let us not flatter our selves but look upon our Works and so judge of our Faith what it is Christ himself speaketh of this matter Luke 6. and saith The tree is known by the fruit Therefore let us do good Works and thereby declare our Faith to be the lively Christian Faith Let us by such Virtues as ought to spring out of Faith shew our election to be sure and stable as St. Peter teacheth 2 Pet. 1. endeavour yourselves to make your calling and election certain by good Works And also he saith minister or declare in your faith virtue in virtue knowledge in knowledge temperance in temperance patience in patience godliness in godliness brotherly charity in brotherly charity love So shall we shew indeed that we have the very lively Christian Faith and may so both certifie our Conscience the better that we be in the right Faith and also by these means confirm other Men. If these fruits do not follow we do but mock with God deceive ourselves and also other Men. Well may we bear the name of Christian Men but we do lack the true Faith that doth belong thereunto for the true Faith doth ever bring forth good Works as St. James saith James 2. Shew me thy faith by thy deeds Thy Deeds and Works must be an open Testimonial of thy Faith Otherwise thy Faith being without good VVorks is but the Devils Faith the Faith of the wicked a phantasie of Faith and not a true Christian Faith And like as the Devils and evil People be nothing the better for their counterfeit Faith but it is unto them the more cause of damnation So they that be Christians and have received knowledge of God and of Christ's Merits and yet of a set purpose do live idly without good VVorks thinking the name of a naked Faith to be either sufficient for them or else setting their Minds upon vain pleasures of this VVorld do live in Sin without Repentance not uttering the fruits that do belong to such an high Profession upon such presumptious Persons and wilful Sinners must needs remain the great vengeance of God and eternal punishment in Hell prepared for the unjust and wicked Livers Therefore as you profess the name of Christ good Christian People let no such phantasie and imagination of Faith at any time beguile you But be sure of your Faith try it by your living look upon the fruits that come of it mark the increase of Love and Charity by it towards God and your Neighbor and so shall you perceive it to be a true lively Faith If you feel and perceive such a Faith in you rejoyce in it and be diligent to maintain it and keep it still in you let it be daily increasing and more and more by well-working and so shall you be sure that you shall please God by this Faith and at the length as other faithful Men have done before so shall you when his Will is come to him and receive the end and final reward of your Faith as St. Peter nameth it the salvation of your Souls 1 Pet. 1. The which God Grant us that hath promised the same unto his Faithful to whom be all Honour and Glory World without end Amen A SERMON Of Good Works annexed unto Faith IN the last Sermon was declared unto you what the lively and true Faith of a
read it to comfort their Hearts and to encourage them to perform that which of God is commanded 1 Reg. 14. 2 Per. 20. 1 Cor. 15. 1 John 5. It teacheth Patience in all Adversity in Prosperity Humbleness What Honour is due unto GOD What Mercy and Charity to our Neighbour It giveth good Counsel in all doubtful things It sheweth of whom we shall look for Aid and help in all Perils and that God is the only giver of Victory in all Battels and Temptations of our Enemies Who profit most in reading Gods Word Bodily and Ghostly And in reading of God's Word he not always most profiteth that is most ready in turning of the Book or in saying of it without the Book but he that is most turned into it that is most inspired with the Holy Ghost most in his Heart and Life altered and changed into that thing which he readeth He that is daily less and less Proud less Wrathful less Covetous and less desirous of worldly and vain Pleasures He that daily forsaking his old vicious Life increaseth in Virtue more and more And to be short there is nothing that more maintaineth Godliness of the Mind and driveth away Ungodliness than doth the continual Reading or Hearing of God's Word Esa 5. Matth. 22. 1 Cor. 14. What discommodities the ignorance of God's Word bringeth if it be joyned with a Godly Mind and a good Affection to know and follow God's Will For without a single Eye pure Intent and good Mind nothing is allowed for good before God And on the other side nothing more darkeneth Christ and the Glory of God nor bringeth in more Blindness and all kinds of Vices than doth the ignorance of God's Word The Second part of the Sermon of the Knowledge of Holy Scripture IN the first part of this Sermon which exhorteth to the Knowledge of Holy Scripture was declared wherefore the knowledge of the same is necessary and profitable to all Men and that by the true Knowledge and Understanding of Scripture the most necessary points of our Duty towards God and our Neighbors are also known Now as concerning the same Matter you shall hear what followeth If we profess Christ Why be we not ashamed to be ignorant in his Doctrine Seeing that every Man is ashamed to be ignorant in that Learning which he professeth That Man is ashamed to be called a Philosopher which readeth not the Books of Philosophy and to be called a Lawyer an Astronomer God's Word excelleth all Sciences or Physisian that is ignorant in the Books of Law Astronomy and Physick How can any Man then say that he professeth Christ and his Religion if he will not apply himself as far forth as he can or may conveniently to read and hear and so to know the Books of Christ's Gospel and Doctrine Although other Sciences be good and to be learned yet no Man can deny but this is the chief and passeth all other incomparably What excuse shall we therefore make at the last day before Christ that delight to read or hear Mens Phantasies and Inventions more than his most Holy Gospel And will find no time to do that which chiefly above all things we should do and will rather read other things than that for the which we ought rather to leave reading of all other things Let us therefore apply ourselves as far forth as we can have time and leisure Vain excuses diswading from the knowledge of God's Word The First The Second Matth. 22. to know God's Word by diligent hearing and reading thereof as many as profess God and have Faith and Trust in Him But they that have no good affection to God's Word to colour this their fault alledge commonly two vain and feigned excuses Some go about to excuse them by their own frailness and fearfulness saying that they dare not read Holy Scripture lest through their ignorance they should fall into any error Others pretend that the difficulty to understand it and the hardness thereof is so great that it is meet to be read only of Clerks and learned Men. As touching the first Ignorance of God's Word is the cause of all Error as Christ himself affirmed to the Sadducees saying that they erred because they knew not the Scripture How should they then eschew Error that will be still ignorant And how should they come out of ignorance that will not read nor hear that thing which should give them knowledge He that now hath most Knowledge was at the first Ignorant yet he forbare not to read for fear he should fall into Error But he diligently read lest he should remain in Ignorance and through Ignorance in Error And if you will not know the Truth of God a thing most necessary for you lest you fall into Error by the same reason you may then lye still and never go lest if you go you fall into the Mire Nor eat any good Meat lest you take a Surfeit nor sow your Corn nor labour in your Occupation nor use your Merchandise for fear you lose your Seed your Labour your Stock and so by that reason it should be best for you to live idly and never to take in hand to do any manner of good thing lest peradventure some evil thing may chance thereof And if you be afraid to fall into Error by reading of Holy Scripture I shall shew you how you may read without danger of Error Read it humbly with a meek and lowly Heart How most commodiously and without all peril the Holy Scripture is to be read to the intent you may glorify God and not yourself with the knowledge of it And read it not without daily praying to God that he would direct your Reading to good effect And take upon you to expound it no further than you can plainly understand it For as St. Augustin saith the knowledge of Holy Scripture is a great large and a high place but the Door is very low so that the high and arrogant Man cannot run in but he must stoop low and humble himself that shall enter into it Presumption and Arrogancy are the Mother of all Error and Humility needeth to fear no Error For Humility will only search to know the Truth it will search and will bring together one place with another and where it cannot find out the meaning it will pray it will ask of others that know and will not presumptuously and rashly define any thing which it knoweth not Therefore the humble Man may search any Truth boldly in the Scripture without any danger of Error And if he be ignorant he ought the more to read and to search Holy Scripture to bring him out of Ignorance I say not nay but a Man may profit with only hearing but he may much more profit with both hearing and reading This have I said as touching the fear to read through ignorance of the Person Scripture in some places is easie and in some places hard to be
earthly Prince doth come in his Regiment the greater Blessing of Gods mercy is he unto that Country and People over whom he Reigneth and the further and further that an earthly Prince doth swerve from the example of the heavenly Government the greater plague is he of Gods wrath and punishment by Gods justice unto that Country and People over whom God for their sins hath placed such a Prince and Governor For it is indeed evident both by the Scriptures and daily by experience that the maintainance of all Vertue and Godliness and consequently of the Wealth and Prosperity of a Kingdom and People doth stand and rest more in a wise and good Prince on the one part than in great multitudes of other Men being Subjects and on the contrary part the overthrow of all Vertue and Godliness and consequently the decay and utter ruin of a Realm and People doth grow and come more by an undiscreet and evil Governor than by many thousands of other Men being Subjects Eccles 10. d. 16. Prov. 16. 29. Eccles 10. Esa 32. a. Thus say the Scriptures Well is thee O thou Land saith the Preacher whose King is come of Nobles and whose Princes eat in due season for necessity and not for lust Again A Wise and Righteous King maketh his Realm and People wealthy And a Good Merciful and Gracious Prince is a shadow in Heat as a defence in Storms as Dew as sweet showers as fresh Water-springs in great droughts Again the Scriptures of undiscreet and evil Princes speak thus Eccles 10.16 Pro. 28. 29. Wo be to thee O thou band whose King is but a Child and whose Princes are early at their Banquets Again When the wicked do Reign then Men go to Ruin And again A foolish Prince destroyeth the People and a covetous King undoeth his Subjects Thus speak the Scriptures thus experince testifieth of good and evil Princes What shall Subjects do then shall they obey Valiant Stout Wise and Good Princes and Contemn Disobey and Rebel against Children being their Princes or against undiscreet and evil Governors God forbid For First What a perilous thing were it to commit unto the Subjects the Judgment which Prince is Wise and Godly and his Government good and which is otherwise as though the Foot must judge of the Head an enterprise very heinous and must needs breed Rebellion For who else be they that are most enclined to Rebellion but such haughty Spirits From whom springeth such foul ruin of Realms Is not Rebellion the greatest of all Mischiefs And who are most ready to the greatest of Mischiefs but the worst Men Rebels therefore the worst of all Subjects are most ready to Rebellion as being the worst of all Vices and farthest from the duty of a good Subject as on the contrary part the best Subjects are most firm and constant in obedience as in the special and peculiar vertue of good Subjects What an unworthy matter were it then to make the naughtiest Subjects and most inclined to Rebellion and all evil Judges over their Princes over their Government and over their Counsellors to determin which of them be good or tolerable and which be evil and so intolerable that they must needs be removed by Rebels being ever ready as the naughtiest Subjects soonest to Rebel against the best Princes specially if they be young in Age Women in Sex or gentle and courteous in Government as trusting by their wicked boldness easily to overthrow their weakness and gentleness or at the least so to fear the minds of such Princes that they may have impunity of their mischievous doings But whereas indeed a Rebel is worse than the worst Prince and Rebellion worse than the worst Government of the worst Prince that hitherto hath been both Rebels are unmeet Ministers and Rebellion an unfit and unwholsom Medicine to reform any small lacks in a Prince or to cure any little griefs in Government such lewd Remedies being far worse than any other maladies and disorders that can be in the Body of a Common-wealth But whatsoever the Prince be or his Government it is evident that for the most part those Princes whom some Subjects do think to be very godly and under whose Government they rejoyce to live some other Subjects do take the same to be evil and ungodly and do wish for a change If therefore all Subjects that mislike of their Prince should Rebel no Realm should ever be without Rebellion It were more meet that Rebels should hear the advice of wise Men and give place unto their Judgment and follow the example of obedient Subjects as reason is that they whose understanding is blinded with so evil an affection should give place to them that be of sound judgment and that the worst should give place to the better and so might Realms continue in long Obedience Peace and Quietness But what if the Prince be undiscreet and evil indeed and is also evident to all Mens eyes that he so is I ask again What if it be long of the wickedness of the Subjects that the Prince is undiscreet and evil Shall the Subjects both by their wickedness provoke God for their deserved punishment to give them an undiscreet or evil Prince and also rebel against him and withal against God who for the punishment of their sins did give them such a Prince Will you hear the Scriptures concerning this Point Job 34.10 Hos 13.6 God say the Holy Scriptures maketh a wicked Man to Reign for the sins of the People Again God giveth a Prince in his anger meaning an evil one and taketh away a Prince in his displeasure meaning especially when he taketh away a good Prince for the sins of the People as in our Memory he took away our good Josias King Edward in his young and good years for our wickedness And contrarily the Scriptures do teach 2 Par. 2.9 Prov. 16. That God giveth wisdom unto Princes and maketh a wise and good King to Reign over that People whom he loveth and who loveth him Again If the People obey God 1 Reg. 12. both they and their King shall prosper and be safe else both shall perish saith God by the mouth of Samuel Here you see that God placeth as well evil Princes as good and for what cause he doth both If we therefore will have a good Prince either to be given us or to continue now we have such a one let us by our obedience to God and to our Prince move God thereunto If we will have an evil Prince when God shall send such a one taken away and a good in his place let us take away our wickedness which provoketh God to place such a one over us and God will either displace him or of an evil Prince make him a good Prince so that we first will change our evil into good For will you hear the Scriptures Prov. 21. The heart of the Prince is in Gods hand which way soever it
continual Prayers unto Almighty God even from the bottom of our hearts that he will give his grace power and strength unto our gracious King to vanquish and subdue all as well Rebels at home as Foreign Enemies that all Domestical Rebellions being suppressed and pacified and all outward Invasions repulsed and abandoned we may not only be sure and long continue in all obedience un o our gracious Sovereign and in that peaceable and quiet life which hitherto we have led under his Majesty with all security but also that both our gracious King and we his Subjects may all together in all obedience unto God the King of Kings and unto his holy Laws lead our lives so in this World in all Vertue and Godliness that in the World to come we may enjoy his everlasting Kingdom which I beseech God to grant as well to our gracious Sovereign as unto us all for his Son our Saviour Jesus Christs sake To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost one God and King immortal be all glory praise and thanksgiving World without end Amen Thus have you heard the First Part of this Homily Now good People Let us pray The PRAYER as in that time it was Published O Most mighty God the Lord of Hosts the Governor of all Creatures the only giver of all Victories who alone art able to strengthen the Weak against the Mighty and to vanquish infinite multitudes of thine Enemies with the Countenance of a few of thy Servants calling upon thy Name and trusting in thee Defend O Lord thy Servant and our Governor under thee our Sovereign Lord the KING and all thy People committed to his charge O Lord withstand the cruelty of all those which be Common Enemies as well to the Truth of thy Eternal Word as to their own natural Prince and Country and manifestly to this Crown and Realm of England which thou hast of thy Divine Providence assigned in these our days to the Government of thy Servant our Sovereign and gracious KING O most merciful Father if it be thy holy Will make soft and tender the stony Hearts of all those that exalt themselves against thy Truth and seek either to trouble the quiet of this Realm of England or to oppress the Crown of the same and convert them to the knowledge of thy Son the only Saviour of the World Jesus Christ that we and they may joyntly glorifie thy Mercies Lighten we beseech the their ignorant Hearts to embrace the Truth of thy Word or else so abate their cruelty O most mighty Lord that this our Christian Realm with others that confess thy holy GOSPEL may obtain by thy aid and strength surety from all Enemies without shedding of Christian Blood whereby all they which be oppressed with their Tyranny may by relieved and they which be in fear of their cruelty may be comforted and finally that all Christian Realms and especially this Realm of England may by thy Defence and Protection continue in the Truth of the Gospel and enjoy perfect Peace Quietness and Security And that we for these thy Mercies joyntly all together with one consonant Heart and Voice may thankfully render to thee all Laud and Praise that we knit in one Godly concord and unity amongst our selves may continually magnifie thy glorious Name who with thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost art one Eternal Almighty and most merciful God To whom be all Laud and Praise World without end Amen The Second Part of the Homily against Disobedience and Wilful Rebellion AS in the First Part of this Treaty of Obedience of Subjects to their Princes and against Disobedience and Rebellion I have alledged divers sentences out of the holy Scriptures for proof so shall it be good for the better declaration and confirmation of the said wholsom Doctrin to alledge one example or two out of the holy Scriptures of the Obedience of Subjects not only unto their good and gracious Governors but also unto their evil and unkind Princes As King Saul was not of the best but rather of the worst sort of Princes as being out of Gods favor for his disobedience against God in sparing in a wrong pity the King Agag whom Almighty God commanded to be slain according to the Justice of God against his sworn Enemy and although Saul of a Devotion meant to Sacrifice such things as he spared of the Amalechites to the Honor and Service of God yet Saul was reproved for his wrong Mercy and Devotion and was told that Obedience would have more pleased him than such lenity which sinful humanity saith holy Chrysostom is more cruel before God than any Murther or shedding of Blood when it is commanded of God But yet how evil soever Saul the King was and out of Gods favor yet was he obeyed of his Subject David the very best of all Subjects and most valiant in the service of his Prince and Country in the Wars the most obedient and loving in Peace and always most true and faithful to his Sovereign and Lord and farthest off from all manner of Rebellion For the which his most painful true and faithful Service King Saul yet rewarded him not only with great unkindness but also sought his destruction and death by all means possible so that David was fain to save his life not by Rebellion or any Resistance but by flight and hiding himself from the Kings sight Which notwithstanding when King Saul upon a time came alone into the Cave where David was so that David might easily have slain him yet would he neither hurt him himself neither suffer any of his Men to lay hands upon him Another time also David entring by night with one Abisai a valiant and fierce Man into the Tent where King Saul did lie asleep where also he might yet more easily have slain him yet would he neither hurt him himself nor suffer Abisai who was willing and ready to slay King Saul once to touch him Thus did David deal with Saul his Prince notwithstanding that King Saul continually saught his death and destruction It shall not be amiss unto these Deeds of David to add his words and to shew you what he spake unto such as encouraged him to take his opportunity and advantage to slay King Saul as his mortal Enemy when he might 1 Reg. 24. b. 7 c. 1 Reg. 26. b. 9. b. 10 c. The Lord keep me saith David from doing that thing and from laying hands upon my Lord Gods Anointed For who can lay his hand upon the Lords Anointed and be guiltless As truly as the Lord liveth except that the Lord do smite him or his days shall come to die or that he go down to War and be slain in Battel the Lord be merciful unto me that I lay not my hand upon the Lords Anointed These be Davids words 1 Reg. 24. a. 1 Reg. 1 b. 7. b. 9. 2 Reg. 1. b. spoken at sundry times to divers his Servants