euill men so swarme euery where in the world that the promise made to Christ seemeth to be of small effect h Math. 11.19 Wisedome shall surely be iustified of her children who though they appeare but few vnto vs yet are exceeding many in the eies of God so that we need not thinke we goe alone or be the worse perswaded of the way wherein we goe because we see but few to walke therein Let vs goe on forward in faith and patience and we shall see that the l Ioh. 14.2 many mansions in our fathers house shall haue men to furnish them and that the church of Christ is not so barren but that thereby he shal breede k Heb 2.10 many children vnto glorie 22 Secondly the morning dew waiteth not for man nor is wrought by mans hand Our second birth the worke not of man but of God onâ—ly but descendeth from the Lord and falleth many times in such sort as that we see it is come but know not when or how it came Euen so is that generation and new birth whereby we become the children of God It is not wrought by the hand or power of man but this worke also descendeth from the Lord. It is the hand of God the inspiration of the holy ghost that worketh in you men and brethren that chaunge whereby you are newly created and borne the people of Iesus Christ Indeede we speake the words vnto you which tend to the conuerting and regenerating of the hart but what can our words doe in your harts if there be not the worke of some other power that is mightier then our words The husbandman may manure and till the ground but it is not he that can make the fruite a 1. Cor. 3.6.7 Paul planteth Apollo watereth but God giueth the encrease and neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the encrease That that we doe goeth no further then to the outward man and our words make but a sound in the eare of the body but they that are inwardly taught to the conuersion of the soule they are b Ioh. 6.45 all taught of God It is a secret and hidden worke our eies see it not our eares here it not our vnderstanding cannot sufficiently conceiue it nay they cannot throughly conceiue it in whom it is c Cypr. de cardin Christi operibus As the lightning breaketh the cloudes saith Saint Cyprian and with the suddaine flashing doth not so much enlighten as astonish the eie so a man is sometimes touched with I know not what motion and perceiueth himselfe to be touched and yet beholdeth not him that toucheth him There are spoken vnto him certeine secret wordes inwardly which he is not able to vtter so that he cannot doubt but that he is neere him yea within him that mooueth him and yet showeth not himselfe that 〈◊〉 may see him as he is This is that which our sauiour Christ saith d Joh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but knowest not whence it commeth nor whither it goeth so is euery one that is borne of the spirite And hence it commeth which we else where also reade by the words of Christ e Mar. 4.26 so is the kingdome of heâ—en as if a man should cast seede in the ground and should sleepe and rise vp night and day and the seede should spring and grow vp he not knowing how We sow the seede but we know not how it groweth and though we know not how it groweth yet in the end we see and perceiue that it hath growen Thus we comfort our selues that though we cannot giue successe vnto our owne labours yet we loose not our labour but the spirite of God as it were in the hart of the earth fostereth and cherisheth the seede that we sow and quickneth it to bring foorth fruite and out of the wombe of Gods eternall election still raiseth vp a newe youth and ofspring to serue in the Lordes campe and to receiue the promises of grace and saluation by Iesus Christ It resteth that for the growing of this seede in our harts wee praie vnto him c. The fourth Sermon vpon Twelfth day Verse 4. The Lord hath sworne and will not repent Thou art the Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedec THis verse setteth foorth vnto vs the calling of Iesus Christ to the office of priesthood Christ both in humilitie and maiestie our priest and mediatour vnto God where by he is be come our redeemer and aduocate with the father that in the kingly height and maiestie of Iesus Christ there may be nothing to dismay vs seeing we know that both in his humilitie and in his maiestie he is made our priest and mediatour to reconcile vs and bring vs vnto God The Scripture woont to qualifie the dread of Gods maiestie with the consideration of his mercie And thus is the Scripture woont to qualifie the glorious and dreadfull maiestie of God with the consideration of his gracious and most mercifull inclination towards vs that we may learne so to reuerence him for his greatnes as that by his goodnes wee bee allured to loue him and by praier to seeke vnto him assuring our selues that he a Esa 57.15 Who is high and excellent that inhabiteth eternitie whose name is the Holy one that dwelleth in the high and holy place yet is with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to reuiue the spirite of the humble and to giue life vnto them that are of a contrite hart b Psal 138.6 Though the Lorde be high saith Dauid yet hath he respect vnto the lowly and c Psal 102 1â—.19.20 out of the heauen he beholdeth the earth to turne him to the praier of the desolate and to heare the mourning of the prisoners and to deliuer the children of death 2 Thus Iesus Christ is described vnto vs sitting in glorie at the right hand of God and yet stowping downe to the compassion of our infirmities that the conceite of his greatnesse may be no terrour vnto vs but rather a ground of exceeding great comfort whilest we stande perswaded that he who by mercy is so readie to succour vs is by power so able to do for vs whatsoeuer pleaseth him There is nothing more fearefull then the guiltie conscience of a sinner which is still running away from God and hiding it selfe as Adam did vnlesse it be embouldened and established by the acknowledgement and assurance of his fauour and good will And hence it came to passe as hath beene before touched that they who no otherwise cosidered of Iesus Christ but in his maiestie sitting at the right hand of God conceiued of him a doubtefull and distrustfull feare and shadowed themselues vnder the winges of other mediatours and hidde themselues vnder the patronage and intercession of saints and angels that by them they might haue accesse
heart which the same worde of Christ had ministred vnto them Yea how strange is it and howe greatly doth it commend the power of this worde to see weakenesse heereby preuailing against strength simplicitie against policie to see the Lambe standing without feare before the lion the seely turtle before the deuouring kite women and children and weakelings before the great monarches and potentates of the world not fearing their threatning words nor dreading their tormenting hands but boldly vttering d Reuel 12.15 the worde of their testimonie in despight of all their furie and neuer yeelding to shrinke from it by any thing that coulde be deuised against them The worde of God in their hearts gaue them courage and resolution and strength to goe through fire and water to beare all aduentures of winde and weather and howsoeuer they seemed to be beaten against the rockes yet they escaped shipwracke and arriued safe at the hauen of their desire If we haue felt the worke heereof in our selues we cannot but acknowledge it to be a diuine power we can not but cōfesse and say e Psal 76.10 vulg edit Haec est mutatio dexterae excelsi◠this change is wrought by the right hand of the most highest For to deny our owne wisedome to crosse our owne desires to tread nature and affection vnderfoote to say vnto our pleasures and delights we know you not nor will haue any thing to do with you to be profite and gaine farewell that we may folow the commaundement of the Lord to worke these things in vs argueth a hand that is mightier ouer vs then we are ouer our selues and setteth foorth the glorious and superexcellent power of the worde of Christ The hardnes of our harts in that we are not mooued with the worde 6 Now the greater the power of this word is approued and commended to be the greater must needs be the hardnesse of our hearts when we are not at all mooued therewith when we heare it and yet our hearts remaine dead and cold and without feeling of those things that are spoken as though they did not belong vnto vs. But great is our sinne and a threefold condemnation we purchase vnto our selues when purposely and maliciously we strengthen our hearts against it and wilfully put backe the hand of God from vs by the refusing of his word as if we would say vnto the Lord. Away from vs we will make no triall of thy power to worke in vs we will die in our sinnes and will not behold the light of life Far be it from vs thus to doe yea rather let vs offer our selues to the power and worke of this scepter and rod of Christ and it shal be vnto vs as the rod of Moses to worke woonderfull things both for vs and against them that are against vs. The due receiuing and honoring of the word of Christ is the token that we acknowledge him our king 7 And here we are to obserue a certeine and infallible token whereby we may know where the kingdome of Christ is and where it is not where he reigneth as king and where he raigneth not For where the scepter of the word of Christ is admitted and men stoupe and yeeld due obeisance vnto it there it is certaine that Christ raigneth and is acknowledged for a king But where his word is excluded or dishonoured there howsoeuer men professe his name in word yet indeede they say a Luc. 19.14 We will not haue this man to be our king or to raigne ouer vs. Will a mortall prince be perswaded that we take him for our king when we presumptuously crosse and thwart his words and refuse to be gouerned by his lawes Will he not rather thinke that we dally with him and deride him Will he not hold vs and that iustly for traiterous and dissembling rebells And shall the Lord account any otherwise of vs when by our owne words we giue check vnto his words and set up lawes of our owne against his lawes and refuse to be guided at his will The Papacy is not the kingdome of Christ Whence we gather that vndoubtedly the Papacy is not the kingdome of Christ that Christ is not therein faithfully holden for Lord and king For they haue cast the scepter of Christ to the ground and haue troden it vnder their feete and haue giuen greater authority to their owne lawes then to his word and a Mat. 15.6 by their tradition haue made the commandement of God of none effect All their deuotion what is it but mens deuise what else but a peruerting and deprauing of those things which were instituted and ordeined by Iesus Christ Christ by his word teacheth vs one thing they by their tradition and deuise teach vs quite the contrary Christ teacheth vs that b Heb. 13.4 mariage is honorable amongst all men but fornicatours and adulterers God will iudge they teach vs that mariage is damnable in some men and that it is more tolerable for them to be fornicatours then to be maried men Christ teacheth vs c 1. Ioh. 5 2◠to keepe our selues fram idols they teach vs to worship them Christ saieth of the cup of the Sacrament d Mat. 26.27 drinke yee all of this they say all shall not drinke of it but onely the Priest Christ teacheth vs not e Gal. 6.14 to reioyce but onely in his crosse they teach vs to reioyce and to seeke remission of sinnes in the crosse of Peter and of Paule and in the crosses of all the saints Many more examples might be alledged very pregnant to this purpose wherein we may obserue a repugnancie and direct opposition betwixt Christianitie and Popery vnlesse wilfully we blinde our eies and refuse to see Now thanks be vnto God which hath deliuered vs from the tyranny of that Scepter of Antichrist and hath broken from our neckes the yoke of his superstitions and hath caused the fresh and reuiuing winde of his word freely to blow vpon vs and hereby hath giuen vs assured token of his most gratious and louely presence and of the kingdome of Christ amongst vs. Let vs now walke in the light that he hath giuen vs and willingly yeelde our selues to be gouerned by his Scepter lest if we despise his word and bring foorth no fruit of the labour that he hath bestowed vpon vs we bring vpon our selues that sentence which Christ pronounced of the Iewes f Mat. 21.43 The kingdome of God shall be taken from you and shall be giuen to a nation that shall bring foorth the fruites thereof The word is directed and sent vnto vs from the Lord. 8 It foloweth concerning the Scepter of Christs power that the Lord doth send it foorth For the word of Christ neither goeth foorth nor prospereth by the will or power of man but the Lord it is that sendeth it and it is the Lord that giueth successe vnto it The ministery of the word one of the
we harbour with in our selues b August cont Iâ—l Pelag. lib. 2. exercitum quendam cupiditatum as Saint Austen saieth An army of sinfull affections within vs still occasioning vs to fight a very army of vicious and sinfull affections which yeeld vs continuall matter and occasion of fighting from our beginning to our end against the wantonnesse and wilfulnesse of youth against the crookednesse of olde age in prosperitie against presumption and carnall securitie in aduersitie against impatiencie and despaire in high estate against disdaine in low estate against enuie in aboundance against excesse in want against vnlawfull shifts in the folowing of vertue against vaine glory in the hatred of vice against curiositie and rashnes in iudging censuring other men in religion against schisme heresie infidelitie in ciuill conuersation against wrathfulnesse vnfaithfulnesse vnmercifulnesse selfeloue and all iniustice against euill workes in the profession of true faith against misbeleefe in the practise of good works Temptations of sinne still succeeding one another Yea and as they say of the heads of Hydra the Serpent that one being cut off there grew vp moe for it and as the waues of the sea one still folow in the necke of another euen so it is with the temptations of sinne the ending of one is the beginning of another and one victorie is the drawing on of another fight a Cypr. de mortall If couetousnesse be ouerthrowen saith Saint Cyprian then ariseth wanton lust if lust be repressed then ambition comes in place if ambition be reiected then anger prouoketh pride swelleth enuie fretteth c. So â—…e is it which the same Father elsewhere saith b Idem de duplicimartyrio Although there be not alwaies Neroes Diocletians and Maximines raging against the Church yet neuer doth the deuill cease to busie and trouble them that haue professed the warfare of Christ. And Saint Hierome c Hierony epis ad Heliodorum Erras si vnquam putas Christianum persecutionem non pati tunc maximè oppugnaris quum te oppugnarinescis Thou art deceiued if thou thinke a Christian man at any time free from suffering persecution and then is a man most of all oppugned when he doth not know himselfe to be oppugned 7 Now being thus beset with enemies on euery side nay carying within our selues enmitie against our selues we see a necessitie of fighting we see a reason why we are called the armie of the Lord. Let vs therefore be as we are called let vs euery man take sword in hand and d Iudg. 5.23 goe foorth to helpe the Lord against the mightie against e Reuel 12.9.17 the Dragon and the Angels thus making warre against the womans seede If in the middest of so many so dangerous so deadly enemies we sit still and sleepe and refuse to fight what doe wee but betraie our selues and the quarrell and cause of him that hath chosen vs to be his souldiours No seruant of Christ that is not his souldiour And surely if we doe not fight wee are none of his if thou be no souldiour thou art no seruant of Iesus Christ because to be his seruant is to be a souldiour And therefore thou be not skilled in this spiritual battel if thou be not daily if exercised a Iam. 4.7 to resist the diuell and to b Heb. 12.4 fight against sinne if there be not in thee a daily controuling of thine owne waies a checking of thine owne hart a resisting of thine owne desires a subduing of thine owne affections that thou maiest c 2. Cor. 10.5 bring euerie thought to the obedience of Christ if all bee at peace within thee and thou findest no diuision no contradiction betwixt the flesh and the spirite betwixt the old and the new man betwixt that which thou art of thy selfe and that which thou art of God what doest thou in the Lordes tents to what end doest thou professe the seruice of Christ Go out of the campe if thou wilt not fight and keepe not a standing there idlely and in vaine Many say they are Christs who yet are not so because they fight not for him 8 Let vs consider this in our harts for many there are that say they are Christs and take his name in their mouthes who yet neuer drew sword nor gaue stroke in Christs behalfe who defie the diuell with their mouthes but wrestle not against his workes who haue renounced the worlde and yet liue in league with the worlde and continue deepely entangled in the corruptions thereof whose lust is their law and they make their owne carnall desire the rule and measure of all their doings These men deceiue themselues They would faine liue with Christ in heauen but yet they would d 2. Cor. 5.15 liue to themselues here vpon the earth they would be blessed in the world to come but yet would not be crossed in the pleasures of this world But this cannot be He that hath called vs vnto eternall life hath told vs that we must e Luc. 13.24 striue to enter in at the straight gate that leadeth vnto it He that hath set before vs f 1. Cor. 9.25.26 an incorruptible crowne hath withall warned vs that we must g 2. Tim 2.5 fight for it And as Saint Ambrose saith h Ambros in psa 118. ser 18. Non decet redimitos floribus corona sed puluerulentos c. The crowne is not for carpet knights that loue to be beset and garlanded with posies and floures but for them that are beraied with wrastling and tumbling in the dust and victorie is not the honour of nicelings and wantons but of them that haue sweate and laboured for it If therefore we desire the reward of victorie and the crowne that is promised to them onely that ouercome let vs as I haue saide addresse our selues vnto the fight and applie both our harts and our hands to the pulling downe of the kingdome of Satan and to the maintenance and aduancement of the kingdome of Iesus Christ We are to fight for Christ by doing the duties of our seuerall callings 9 Now because as in earthly armies there are men of diuers sorts and places generals captaines lieutenants sergeants coronels common souldiours c. So in the warfare of Christ there are likewise diuers callings and conditions of men we are euery one to consider the standing and place whereunto we are assigned of the Lord and faithfully to imploy our selues therein for his aduantage that we may still be getting ground of the enemy against whom we fight Princes and Magistrates by well managing the sword of ciuill authoritie by establishing and executing good lawes for Christs behoofe and for the setting foorth of the glory of God Ministers by vsing carefully and wisely the sword of the spirit the word of God for the cutting downe of sinne and vnrighteousnesse and to breede in mens hearts the feare of God and the loue of his