slacknes of the lawe which doth ouer rule vs or by the corruption of them that haue the execution of the law in their handes I will not now say but this I may to truely saye that there is great lack of seuere discipline As for excoÌ„munication it is more vsed for mony matters then for correction of sinne These and sundry such other abuses and enormities be the thinges which greeue good men and cause them both to praye and to preach for the reformation of them It is not a cappe tippet or surples only which are but small matters and the smallest of many matters which are to be reformed in the Church of England And yet my meaning is not that smal accoÌ„pt shuld be made of these things For hereof I am wel assured that how small soeuer they seeme they do no smal hurt in the church of God for to clogge mens consciences to hinder the course of the goâ—pell to breede contentions amonge bretheren is no small hurt Sâ—al thinges may do much hurte a graine of a grape is but a smal thinge and yet it killed Anacreon the Poet a haire is but a very smal thinge and yet it choked on Fabius a senator of Rome a flee is but a small thing and yet it straugâ—ed a proude Pope yea the proudest I think â—hat euer was Adrian the .iiij. a contry man â—f our owne a smal mote may hurt the eye 〈◊〉 smal thing may trouble a good consience 〈◊〉 smal deale of LeaueÌ„ wil Leauen a whole â—mp to eate meate is but a smal thing yet â—a maÌ„ eate it with a douting repining coÌ„â—ience he is condeÌ„ned because he enteth not â—f faith It is a smal thing to say Aue to a maÌ„â—et S. Iohn saith that he which saith Aue â—hat is God speede to him that bringeth not â—is doctrine is partaker of hys euill deedes â—hrist sayth that he which is faithfull in a â—tle wil be faithful in much and he that is 〈◊〉 faythfull in a little wil be vnfaithfull in â—uch So also the poet sayth Vnleâ—se thou â—ke heede to small thinges thou shalt loose â—reat thinges Wherefore I woulde make â—umble sute and supplication vnto those â—hom I loue reuerence and honour that â—ood mens consciences in thys case myght â—ot be enforced but perswaded Surely it 〈◊〉 a token of Gods anger wrath when the â—outhes of his seruauntes the prophetes be â—opped It is conuenient tyme that these â—hinges were redressed Let vs not saye as â—he Iewes â—id who after they wer returned from captiuity said as appeareth by the prophet Aggeus the tyme is not yet come that the Lordes house shuld be builded but God by his prophet sayde vnto them is it tyme for your selues to dwel in your sealed houses and this house lye wast Euen so may I now saye is it tyme for you to lye in your faire houses to seeke your own commodites and follow your owne pleasures and not to seeke reformation of religion and the house of God Let vs not defer and put of the time Salomon saith he that obserueth the mynd shall not sow and he the regardeth the clouds shall not mow for either the wind is in the north then it is to colde or els in the south and then it is whot or els in the East and then it to dry or els in the west and then it is to wel and so a maÌ„ shal neuer sow This teacheth vs that we must not stand to muâ—h looking to the time and putting of the time but we must earnestly zealously go about gods cause and God shal blesse our trauaile giue good successe vnto the same Thus you haue heard how the church is dissolued and disordered Let vs pray vnto God to establish the Pillers of it Our gracious Soueraigne the Queenes Maiesty is the principall piller of this church of England vnder Christ It standeth vs greately vpon earnestly to pray vnto God long to establish this piller amongst vs. For if the strong Sampson the mighty God shoulde for our syns lay hys hand vpon this piller and pull it down O Lorde what ruine were lyke to folow I sée nothing but destruction lyke to fall vpon vs as did vpon the wicked Philistians All those pastors who are either in chefest place or endued with greatest giftes are called in the scriptures pillers so Iames Cephas and Iohn who were counted to be the pillers gaue vnto Paule and Barnabas their right hands of society fellowship Let â—s likewise pray vnto God for these pillers that they may all ioyne their harts hands of felowship together to fight manfully together to ouerthrow the kingdome of Antichrist and darknes and to establish the kingdome of Christ among vs The Church of God is called the piller of truth we ought lykewyse to poure out our prayers before God that thys piller may stand stedfast among vs And here if I dyd loue digressions discourses from my matter I in got aunswer the papistes who bragge much of this place cry mightely out saying the church is the piller of truth we be the church therfore we be the piller of truth but this reason I will returne vpon them The Church is the piller of truth now if they can proue that they be the pillers vpholders mainteners of truth then must we and wyll we graunt them to be the Church But if they be the pilers of damnable doctrine contrary to Gods holy word howsoeuer they braggs themselues to be the Church of Christ they be in déede the Sinagoge of Satan In the Arke of the Couenant wer three things the tables of the testament the pot of Mannâ— the rod of Aaron which be .iij. certain signes of the visible Church of Christ Whereby we may learne that where the worde of God is truely preached the sacramentes according to Christes institution ministred and Ecclesiastical discipline dewly executed there is the church of Christ Now if the papists can proue that in there Church true doctrine grounded vpon Gods word hath bene preached that the sacraments haue bene vsed ministred according to Christs institution and that discipline hath bene rightly executed then will we recant and reuoke whatsoeuer wee haue mainetained or preached then will we ioyne handes with them But thys they can neuer be able to proue therâ—â—e they can neuer proue theÌ„selues to be the â—e church of God which is the piller of truth But to leaue thys now I wyl come to the â—ird part of my matter which conteyneth I haue before touched an exhortation of â—e Prophet vnto the wicked to cease from â—eir folly and wickednes not to trust to â—uch to their own wisdome and power not 〈◊〉 exalte themselues against God and hys â—eople but rather to remember that all true â—eferment commeth from God and he exalâ—â—â— some and putteth downe other I sayde â—o the foolish be not so foolish c. First 〈◊〉 vs consider whom the prophet calleth â—â—â—sh
and eased of their synnes These beleue that almighty God for Christ Iesus sake wil be merciful to their synnes and forgiue them their iniquities And thus by faith Christs obedience is made their obedience Christs fulfilling of the law is become their fulfilling of the lawe Christes righteousnes is their righteousnes and couereth all their vnrighteousnes So that although they be vnrighteous synners in themselues yet before God they be righteous for Christ Iesus sake I pray God we all may be in the number of this sort of synners These synners God loueth and heareth The eies of the Lorde are ouer the righteous and hys eares be open vnto their prayers But there is another sort of synners which commit syn without griefe of mind â—r compunctioÌ„ of hart which delight in syn â—nd run forward in synne like the stoned â—orse in the battel wallow in wickednes â—yke the sow in the myre They haue not â—hys lyuely faith which is an assurance of Gods loue towardes vs in Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 lyuely apprehension of Gods mercyes in Christ These cannot prayse God nay the â—nger of almighty God hangeth ouer them â—o route then out Let vs beware and take â—éede that we be not in number of these synâ—ers These god heareth not but hath as it â—s in the Psalm Odisti omnes qui operatur â—niquitâ—tem 1. Thou hatest al those the work wickednes But rather let vs rent our harts not our garments and turne to the Lord our God who is gracious and mercifull flow to anger and of great gooones Here also I wyl show you that the papists â—annot praise god and yet they boast much of prayer and say that praier is despised neglected of vs But I trust any man may easily perceyue partly by the earnest zeale of Godly men in praier partly by the earnest exhortacions of good men to prayse lastly by the Godly bookes that we haue written or prayer that thys is no true reporte by them to deface gods touth and to bring vs into hatred with the people In deede as our Sauiour Christ dispised the hipocritical praiers of the papistes We condemne their vnfruitefull numbling in a straunge tounge and their vngodly calling vpon creatures which is not warranted but coÌ„demned by the word of god But as for true prayer which is a lifting vp of our soules and a pouring forth of our harts before God an earnest inuocation of his holy name in the only name of hys deare sonne Christ Iesus our sauiour we greatly coÌ„mend earnestly exhort al men vnto it But howsoeuer the papists glory in their prayer I wil proue vnto you by gods grace that they cannot frutefully praise God for howe can they fruitefully prayse God who dishonor God and spoyle Christ Iesus of hys glory Christ Iesus was appointed annointed of his father to be our king who onely should conquer and ouercome Sathan sinne death and damnation who only shoulde rule hys vniuersall church with hys spirite and word who onely should be the head of hys church and gyue lyfe vnto the same being his body But the papistes â—aue robbed him hereof for they haue deuiâ—ed many other meanes â—o ouercome sinne 〈◊〉 Satan besides Christ You heard of late â—n this place how that the papistes affirme â—hat Christ died only for originall synne â—nd that for other synnes wee our selues must makâ— satisfaction you heard also how â—hat Pigghius the papiste doth confidently â—uouch that originall synne is not synne â—ut onely so called because it floweth and â—ommeth from syn So that of this doctrine 〈◊〉 must needes folow that Christ died for â—hat which is not in deede synne but hath â—nly the name and title of synne They â—aue commit the regiment of Christs vniâ—ersall church to one man who hath bene â—uer so vnable to â—usteine so great a charge â—hat hetherto he was neuer wel able right â—y to rule that one city of Rome nor his colâ—edge of Cardnals Him they haue made â—ead of the Church in whom as they say â—he vnity of the Church consiâ—teth vpon â—hom the safety of the Church dependeth â—o that he which is not in thys Church whereof the Pope is head is out of Noes â—rke out of peters ship cannot be â—aued â—ut must néedes be drowned Thys is thâ—â—â— doctrine by the which they depriue Christ Iesus as much as in them lieth of that function vnto the which his heuenly father tâ—o appoint him Christ was annointed and appointed to be our onely prophet and scholemaister whom onely we shuld haue as his heauenly father did testify of hym saying Hic est silius meus dilectus in quo mihi benae complacitum est ipse andite 1. This is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am wel pleased heare him He hath deliuered vnto vs his holy word and gospell which is able to saue our soules and also to make the man of god perfect prepared to euery good work this he hath sealed and confirmed with his bloud Yet notwithstanding the papistes do affirme that all things needeful and necessary to our saluation aâ— not conteined in the scriptures but that we must receyue many traditioâ—s which yet are but triffles and beleue many vnwritten verities And thus in effect they take from hym the office of being our prophet to instruct vs Christ Iesus was annoynted of God to be our hiâ— priest where with the sacrifice of his body and bloud once offered hath payd the price and raunsome of our sinnes who entred once into the holy place and found eternal redemption who with one sacryfyce once â—ffered hath made perfyt al those that shal be saued who died once the righteous for the vnrighteous and bare our sinnes vpon the wood But the Papistes haue brought in a fained forged sacrifice of their owne deuise auailable as they saye not onely for the synnes of thosâ— that are alyue but also for them that are dead Thys feyned sacrifice as it hath no warrant at al in the word of God so is it a great derogation to the death and passion of Christ coniured by the Pope Peccatum â—rangit vt Christi Sanquis et augit It breaketh and greueth synne as wel as the bloud of Christ For thus ful rudely or rather blasphemously dyd Pope Vrbane runne to Freâ—erick the Emperor They say that holy water is aueileable ad salutem animae et corporis to the saluation of the soule and body They haue taught vs to say and pray Iesu bonae per Thoma merita nostra nobis demitte debita i. Good Iesus for the merits of Thomas forgiue vs our debtes that is to say our synnes And againe Tu per Thoma sanguinem c which in a rude rime they thus translated make vs Christ to clime whether Thomas did ascend Thus we may plainely perceiue that the papistes ascribe that which is only proper to the merites and bloud of Christ Iesus the sonne of God to the merites and
iudg â—niustly Iustice must haue but and eye â—nd not twoo not to looke on the cause â—ith the one and on the purse with the oâ—â—er not on the matter with the one and â—pon the partie with the other No Iustice â—ust haue but one eye which directly must â—poke vpon the cause Iudge therefore â—stly for as you iudge so shall you be â—udged and with what measure you meate â—o other with the same shall it be measured â—o you againe This can the poet Phocilliâ—es whom I had like to haue called a proâ—hane Poet but in deede hee was a deuine Poet teache vs in these verses reiect not â—he poore iudge no man vniustly for if thou â—udge wrongfullye God shall afterwarde â—udge thee And thus much by the way touching the iudgement of man Now to come againe to my text when I take a conuenieÌ„t tyme saith God I will iudge iustly Thys iust iudgement of God I haue before touched consisteth in these two things in sauing and deliuering his people and plaging hys enemies And when is it a conuenient time for God to iudge thée iustly Surely it is a conuenient time for God to iudge iustly in punishing of the wicked when their synnes are growen to a ripenes and fulnes when no admonition will amend them when no correction will reclayme them then I say it is a conuenient tyme for God to poure downe his heauy iudgements vpon them When the wickednes of man was waxen great vpon the earth and all flesh had defiled their wayes and God had appointed theÌ„ a space office score yeares to repent in and called them by the mouth of Noah to repentance had caused the Arke to be made in signe of their destruction when nothing I say could amend them but they neglected gods calling dispiseâ— his preacher and continewed in their wickednes then was it a conuenient tyme for god to execute hys iust â—â—ogementes against them So lykewise when the crye of the synnes of Sodom had ascended vp vnto heauen and they would not be warned by righteous Lot buâ— rather vexed him with their vncleane conversation then was it a conuenient tyme for â—od terrybly to destroy them with fyre and â—rimstone from heauen So likewise the Iewes when God of his great mercy had â—ysen vp early as the scripture tearmeth it â—nd had sent al his seruaunts the prophets â—nto them had cryed vnto them but they would not heare him had called vnto them but they would not answer him but walked â—n the stubbernnes of their own hearts and mocked Gods messengers misused his prophets and dispised his wordes Then when there was no remedy it was a conuenient tyme for the wrath of the Lord to arise against them who brought the Caldeans vpon them by whom their cuntrey was spoiled their Cities subuerted their temple wherein they so glorified was raised their people destroyed and the rest caryed into miserable captiuity The like may be sayd of the Iewes afterward for when neither the diuine doctrine which our Sauiour Christ taught nor the wonderfull workes which he had wrought among them could moue theÌ„ to acknowledge and embrace him for their only Messias Sauiour but they would crucify the Lord of glory persecute his Apostols theÌ„ was it a conuenient tyme for God to bring the Romanes vpon theÌ„ by whom they were miserably and terribly destroyed Let vs dearely beloued be admonished by these examples to take heede that we walke not in the like stubbernnes and commit not the like wickednes as they did for surely if we do we shall drink of the same cup as they did But when I consider our great vnthankfulnes towardes God our great wickednes against God our backslyding and backstarting from god I stand in horror and terror of these heauy iudgemeÌ„ts which I feare me hang ouer vs God for his mercy turne them away from vs and the onely way for vs to auoid them is to turne by true vnfeyned repentance to the Lord our God who is gracious mercifull slow to anger and of great goodnes Thus you haue heard when it is a conuenient tyme for God to plauge his enemies Now let vs consider when it is a conuenient tyme for God to iudge iustly in sauing and deliuering his people When god hath sufficiently corrected his people for their synnes hath tried their fayth and proued their pacience and when al power of man and all help of fleshe and bloud faileth then is it a conuenient tyme for almighty god to put to his hand and to deliuer them from their miseries When God had punished the Isâ—alites in Egipt where they were greuousâ—y oppressed and there was no meanes for man to deliuer them then God hearde their â—rye considered their sorrowes and sent Moses vnto them and deliuered them with 〈◊〉 mighty hand and an outstretched arme And after that they were come out of Egipt and the Egiptians did pursue theÌ„ the red sea being before them and the Egiptians â—ehind them and no way in mans iudgement to escape then was it a conuenient tyme for God to stretth foorth his mighty hand and to make a passage for his people â—hrough the red sea 〈◊〉 to ouer whelme his enemies in the same So likewise when god had plaged the Iewes as â— haue before touched with the captiuity of â—abylon at the last when the .70 yeares were eâ—pired and no hope of deliuerance in the sight of man then God remembring his promise which he had sworne vnto AbrahaÌ„â—nâ— hys word which he had reueled vnto â—â—ereâ— râ—moued the hart of king Ciâ—â—s to send home his people to repaire theâ—â— City and to build hys temple So to applye this doctrine vnto our selues when Goâ— for our iniquities had of late bâ—ought vs into the captiuity of Egipt and babilon and the wild bore of Rome had rooted vp the Lordes vyneard when for the light of the Gospel we had the light of candels for the holy bible bables and banners for Gods word mans triffling traditions for preaching massing and for our free iustification by the mere mercie and grace of God in Christ Iesus through faith mans merites and righteousnes established Yea when not only a forrein prince and proud people were brought in vnto whom wee were like to haue bene made thral and thuâ— when there was no expectation of any deliuerance from these great miseries then was it a conuenient tyme for God séeing the oppression of the â—â—dy and hearing the sighes of the poorâ— to aryse and set them at liberty whom the wicked had thralled Then God did 〈◊〉 vs from aboue and did send vs a gracious prince flesh of our flesh bone of our bones by whom he hath restored vnto vs the comfort of his worde destuâ—â—ed vs from this foreyne oppresion slauery translated vs out of darknes into hys maruelous â—ight I wold to God that we would continually remember these great mercies which God hath stewed vs herein O that we
poore protestants who must be faine to receyue their Priestes to be ouerruled with their Cannon law to take their Ceremonies which now as I haue sayde are prickes in our eies and thornes in our sides I am perswaded in my conscience that the word of God would better fructifye amonge vs and we should enioye more quietnes if we did receyue as little from them as they do of vs And I besech God if it be hys holy will it may be so But some man may here say do you not know that many good men haue beene deceiued wil you haue none such receiued Yes dearely beloued my meaning is not but that Godly meete men hauing â—nounced their popish orders and satisfyed 〈◊〉 church of God may be receiued and adâ—itted to serue in the church of God but I â—iâ—ffly speake of those blind guides and eâ—mies to gods truth which are not to be â—rmitted to remaine for the ministratiâ—â— of the word and sacraments What should I heare complaine of the â—â—nd ignorant and vnmeete ministers that â—e admitted I might say much herein but I â—â—yst not nowe speake of that whereof I â—â—nnot think without great greffe This on 〈◊〉 I say that this is a great offence to many â—â—d a great sclaunder to the worde of god â—o graunt it may be redressed Here I may â—â—mplaine of the great lack of doctrine and 〈◊〉 the preaching of Gods word vniuersally 〈◊〉 â—odâ— in the country London hath great â—ause to praise god for that his word is here 〈◊〉 plentyfully preached And if London do â—ot thankfully receiue it and truely folow â—t it shal be easyer for Sodom and Gomorâ—ah in the day of iudgement then for thys Citye But surely when I come out of the â—untry hether to the City methink I come â—nto another world euen out of darknes inâ—o light For here the word of God is plentifully preached I pray God it may be as pleÌ„tifully folowed In the country their wonderful great want thereof that a man may go a great way and cannot heare the word of the Lorde preached Here be many good meÌ„ endued with many good gifts of knowledge zeale and godly life able to do much good in the church of god I besech God for his crucifyed Christs sake that they may be well fauoured cherished maintained In the country be fewe labourers Loyterors inow Here in London as I am perswaded is much good ground many which receyue the word of God with a good honest hart and bringe forth fruites some thirtyfolde some sixtifolde and some an hundrethfolde In the cuntry for want of tylling oft plowing for without oâ—t plowing and much labour barren ground will not bring fourth fruit there springeth fourth brambles bryars and wéedes But here is a misery to be considered although there is great lack of profitable pastors and faithfull labourers in the Church I meane in those cuntries that I haue bene in and I think other contryes be not farre vnlyke yet notwithstanding there be mo then be placed in any charge or preferred to any calling I know myself good and godly men learned men of long â—ontinuance in the vniuersity and able to do â—uch good in the Church of God and yet â—ot called in any charge or placed ouer any â—ock Yea some haue told me that they haue â—ene offered many benefices as they be calâ—ed and yet they could not haue taken one â—nlesse they had taken part with Iudas Isâ—ariote or with Simon Magus But what â—eane you by that will some man say For â—â—uth ether they must haue said with Iudas â—hat will you giue me will you giue me â—â—enty markes or poundes and take you â—he rest and so I shall not be able to contiâ—â— on the chardge but I wyll betray all â—his people to the diuell and to you or els â—hey must haue sayde with Simon Magus â—hat shall I giue you for your benefyce I â—il giue you such a dish of Apples as Maiâ—ter Latimar speaketh of or I wil giue you â—x or xl l. a yeare out of it I will giue you so much that I shall not be able to giue a poore body a peece of bread But I will here admonish these patrons that for as much aâ— to them it perteineth to place faithfull pastors ouer Christes congregations which can and will féede them with knowledge and direct them by example of godly life if they loking vpon their owne commodities do not prouide such men but place blinde guides dum dogges and lewd hyrelinges the people for want of instruction shal perish for where prophecy that is the preaching of Gods word faileth ther the people perish faith Salomon but ther bloud shal be required at these patrons or rather latroÌ„s hands Let them trust vnto it and looke for it But here is another abuse which is partly an occasion of the other Not only papistes but also professers yea and preachers of Gods word do ioyne many liuinges together and place vnder them careles Curatos doing little or no good themselues to diuers of theÌ„ Patrons see this and gather hereof that they may as well enioy the benefice as other ecclesiasticall men which come neuer or seldome to their charge I cannot tell what to say hereto but that both is nought and that the patrone which doth not prouide a good man for his charge and that minister which doth not carefully looke to his charge and diligently feed his slock these both euen the patron and the pastor shall perish and the peoples bloud shal be required at their hands I am sory euen in my hart that professors preachers of the Gospell should so far ouer-reach themselues in this behalfe that they â—ust be reformed and restrained by lawe I â—ray God that the state of the Church of â—ngland may be brought to that order that â—her may be to one flock one sheperd to one â—hurch on Minister and that all faculties â—luralities residences and such other abhoâ—inacions may return to Rome froÌ„ whence â—hey came I may here lykewise complaine â—â—w that the liuinges appointed to maineâ—â—ine the Ministery are made vniuersally â—ayes and spoiles for al sorts of men They â—aineteyne â—oyes in the vniuersity gentelâ—en in the Innes of courte gentelmen and â—awyers in the cuntrey and are commonly â—ade rewardes for seruing men Thus the â—ople pay their deuties to thys ende that â—â—ey may haue a learned man amongst theÌ„ 〈◊〉 teach comfort them the same be vngodâ—â— conueied to other vses the people being as â—attered sheepe without a shepheard This is â—meÌ„table to see so many gatherers of tâ—eth 〈◊〉 few preachers of the word this had neede to â—e reformed for vntolerable abuse is herein 〈◊〉 may here coÌ„plaine of great want of Ecleâ—asticall discipline and punishment of synne 〈◊〉 heare great complaint here of abrode â—â—the â—ountry that there is ether no punishmente for synne or at the least very lyttle Which whether it be throughe the