Trinity O grosse ignorance and greeuous Idolatry many cakes many images many Christs and yet these cakes these images Baruch 6. â—… these false Christs cannot saue themselues Doctor Clement much lesse thee out of the fier as likewise else no image Sathan the prince of darkenesse hath a great drift herein to take the booke of Scripture out of mens handes and to force them to hold vp handes and hang downe head before a puppet of cloutes before a titularie image of Christ and not only of Christ but of all his creatures yea the vilest creatures as Saint Anthonies pig Saint Georges horse Saint Frances ragges haue their roome and place in the chiefest places of our sacred assemblies There is no point in popery but serueth for gaine Images make Pilgrimages Pilgrimages make the pot seeth and without ignoraunce there would be no Idolatry and without Idolatry the Popes kitchin would be cold and the liuing god should bee serued as hee ought and would and the persons and things which by nature are no gods should be esteemed accordingly in their owne nature Christians woulde neuer relaps to the first follies the Gentils were borne and trained vp in and the Israelites and Iewes sometimes for wantonnes and euer for want of good knowledge and true instruction were tainted with But now seeing yee knowe God The comfort of true knowledge Once they knewe not now they know they were in darknes they are in light And in this light is life for in their darknesse was death and confusion And as while Toby lacked his sight and when Sampson had lost his eies both were in a comfortles case so the want of this knowledge of that inwarde sight of God was the he auiest lotte that might befall and the restitution or graimt of this good vnderstanding was a very heauen of ioy If labour might compasse it the traficke thereof were much better than of siluer goolde euen the goolde of Ophir The Galathians knew but the Apostle by way of correcting himselfe or else rectifieng the sense of that saying addeth that they were knowen of God For our knowledge is as water infused into a vessel and not as water in the spring where it floweth naturally and he knoweth not god whom God knoweth not first and whom God endueth not with his knowledge The 7000 that serued not Bal that by nature was an Idol and no God those 7000 serued God but therefore they serued him because he first had * King 19 18. reserued them vnto himselfe And no man yea no man the case is no speciall case no man commeth to christ and to this knowlege of the sonne but the father driueth nay * Iohn 6.44 draweth him thereunto But now for the Galathians being brought to this passe that they were wel enstructed after al this knowlege which was a blessing of blessings ensuing vpon their former ignoraunce any way to relapse againe was a passing follie and perfect shame And to speake directly to the purpose the Apostle prosecuteth they who were so ignorant were deliuered not onely from their ignorance but also from the prison the schoole-house the none-age and seruice the Iewes were detained in and should they desire to bee in case that the Iewes were before They had the body and they catch after the shadow they haue Christ and in Christ al-sufficiency and they wil haue Moses withal They haue the maister and they care for the seruaunt They haue the fish and they esteeme the shel They were as men of perfect growth and they long for the swathes and truckles and beggerly elementes of the Iewish childhoode Is not this a very childishnesse The ceremonies at the first were beautiful rites but being expired are but beggerly Elements and al their beuty is most perfectly found in Christ whoÌ„ they signified By the way bee it noted that Paul calleth the ceremonies once ordained of God impotent rudiments and beggerly elements in deed beutiful at the first when they were instituted as it were a new garment But now in continuance as an out worne vesture torne and tottered and things out of date Euery thing hath his time The huske is for the good of the Corne to keepe it in the eare but when it is winoëd the huske is a beggerlie chaffe And what neede a rich man be a begger and a begger at a beggers doore Mat. 9.20 The woman in the gospell had an ishue of bloode twelue yeares together went to the Physicions spent her mony and wasted her body and al but scant to some litle purpose at length she came to Christ the Physicion of our soules and found remedy of her bodilie sicknes Whereupon I ask now were it not more than a folly being throughly recured to recourse to her olde vnprofitable Physicke To repaire to any Gilead if ther be no treacle no healing gome no souerain balm no helping medicine in Gilead The Apostle for the foresaid respectes feareth least al his former labor with them were but lost He looked for an 100 fold for 60 folde or at least for 30 fold encrease espectally after so good a feed time But their ceremonious seruile obseruation of dayes of the saboth and of moneths and years and times decreased his expectation encreased his Apostolique care and feare in their behalfe What thinges are abolished in the Saboth and what remaineth to be obserued on our Christian Saboth daies And here you see fit occasion is offered to treat somewhat of the vse of the saboth and holy-daies 1. There was a ceremonious vse of them 2. And there remaineth a ciuil vsage and an ecclesiastical order in them among vs yet The bond of the ceremony in the Saboth was of a stronger twist to keepe in the Iewes and they were willed precisely to remember to keepe holy the Saboth both in their minds and in the bodies of al that euer was in their housen The seruaunt the stranger and their cattle were not excluded This rest so determinatly sette the seuenth day is not so prescribed to vs Christians I say so as to the Iewes whose Saboths had many significations The ceremonious vse was various 1 First their Saboths were tokens they should rest with ease in the promised Land 2. their Saboths were signes they should rest spiritually with all happines in the Messias to come 3. their Saboths were figures of eternall felicity in the Land of the liuing 1 First for their rest in the promised Land of Canaan so many of them entred that rest as were of a patient spirit and with whom God was pleased should enter and possesse the land 2 As for the blessednes in Christ promised all the promises haue had their accomplishment in him and in him are they yea and Amen 3 CoÌ„cerning the fruitioÌ„ of euer lasting blisse we walke in faith and liue in hope and not vp figures Colos 2.16 the kingdome of Christ consisteth not in meates and drinkes in a newe
it coulde not bee Saraes laughter though it were stoln behind the doore was seene of God Elizeus may say the Lord hath hidde or concealed this or that from mee but no man can say I can hide any thing from thee O lord which searchest the reins and seest the hart and readest the booke of my conscience though I would clasp and shut it vp neuer so fast Thou art the God that wilt not bee mocked and wilt mocke them that shal seeke to illude thy commandements which thou hast so carefully prouided for the prouision of thy seruantes in their holy trauailes Though the Parson bee naught yet the Parish must pay their tither Yea mary say some if they would trauel if our minister were such a souldiour such an haruest man as you speake of I could be content to haue giuen the benefice free at first and still yet would I pay my tithes and make him partaker of al my goods euen by the tenth which was an order set downe before the Law as a reasonable rate in nature and vnder the Law of Moses continued and by the positiue Law since imitating the wisdome of God constituted by great consent of all Christendome for the ministery and the fry thereof in Vniuersities Schools Cathedral Churches and collegeat houses and separate parishes Yea if their sponges were full of holsome water if their brestes of syncere milke that we might sucke them if wee were taught by them we who are taught would communicate of al our substance very willingly to our teacher but our Parson neuer commeth at vs we neuer saw him since he read his Articles and as we heare he soiournieth in some Hall or Colledge in one of the Vniuersities and doth nothing there neither that we may conceaue some hope that he will come to vs and doe vs some good heare-after I am sorry to heare these complaints in part perhaps tru in part I hope false but suppose they be true yet your benefices and tythes by publicke Law are laide foorth you must not priuately alter a publicke order And as the Leuits and ministers of whome I spake before when there was a hard diuision made their part left out yet were they not their owne caruers but the ancient and chiefest amongst them brought their cause before Eleazar and Iosue and so order was taken And I am sure you of the laity as they speake and yet hauing in your handes the Church-liuings which were giuen to spirituall vses will not suffer that we enter vpon our owne euen therefore because you haue by hooke or crooke gotten and impropriated them against al reason in the time of darckenesse into your handes Likewise no more may you deale euil with the euill or refuse to render your tythes and duties thereby not agnising God to bee the giuer and the blesser of your possessions because some of Helies childrē play vnruly pranckes either being present or in their absence from their charge No certes and I am perswaded if discreet complaint in this necessary matter were made to Eleazar Iosue in dutiful sort some speedy remedy woulde haue bin thought of gone through with ere this Why He that laboreth not shold not eat Tru. But priuate men must not barre men their commons at their discretion no more than subiects may withdraw their fealty and tribute from Caesar if Caesar should deal otherwise than beseemeth his imperial function These reasons send to confusion and mutinies and must be represt And yet dear brother as God wil not be mocked of the scholar that mocketh him in his tythes so wil he not be mocked of thee thou teacher in thy security Catechising He that seeth the false-hood in tything seeth also thy not teaching the worde is Catechising whereby a most religious a godly Echo is heard in the church of God and the elements of religion are taught and the euidences of our saluation are thoroughly perused to the euerlasting saluation of many a soule And though thy Parish deale corruptly with thee they in the end shal reape as they sowed But deale thou according to duty tille thy lande cast thy seede and that plentifully couer it warily and commit the successe to God and possesse thy soule in hope and patience and in the end the Lord will be thy sufficient reward far exceeding al the commodities out harde and pinching masters detaine from vs. 9 Let vs not therefore be weary of wel doing For in due season we shal reape if we faint not 10. While wee haue therefore time let vs doe good vnto all specially vnto them which are of the household of faith The last exhortation was proper for the maintenance of the ministerie and this is inferent and concluding the same togither with an enforcement of doing good vnder hope of an answerable haruest in due season if we tarry our time and expect his leysure without wearines fainting being bountifull 1. While we haue time 2. Generally to al 3. But specially to the faithful Couetousnes The extreme couetous man keepeth his goods and all is for himselfe Auidis auidis natura parum est Hee woulde faine reape but hee dare not sow and if he sowe he so dealeth as hee supposeth he may be sure to vndo another and gain himselfe But blessed is the rich-man that is founde without blemish that knoweth howe to doe good and is not weary of wel doing For it is good to ware old in this seruice of wel doing The * Plato Heathen man said it was a harder thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was a harder matter to be good stil than to be made good for a while And for the speciall hinderāce in this wel doing our sauior giueth out this caueat Take heed of couetousnes Luk. 12. Take heede it assaulteth secretly it entreth like a friend it hath pretenses many and faire as men drincke many times much at the first to quench their thirst yet in drincking too much and too often the dropsie is engendred so though at first a man take pains in the sweat of his browes to maintaine himselfe and his yet if hee looke not to it this lawful paine at first may end in a couetous desire to gaine ouer hastily and to lay vp to purposes hee shall neuer enioy whereas a Penny wel gotten and wel imploied is the grace of God and wealth enough 1 The first note was that wee doe good in due season and that while we haue time For the life of man is a span long of smal continuance we see it so but where is he that considereth therof in such sort as he should The suddēnes the certainty of death is known but that knowledge sleepeth in a man and is not remembred to amend euerie man himselfe In the booke of Genesis Genes 5. it is repeated and repeated again on this wise al the daies that Adam liued were nine hundred and thirty yeares and
preciousnesse of the gift 3. the certaintie in receauing 4. and the neede of the receauer 1. The freenesse of the giuer For what is freer than gift And then a gift proceeding of loue Which loued me 2. For the preciousnes of the gift what can bee more precious than the Sonne of God the heire of al Hee gaue himselfe 3. The certainty of receauing is vttered in the specialitie of speaking for mee But O blessed Paul what meane these * Christ is not receaued in a general conceat but by a special applying enclosures Why Is Christ thy Christ Is hee thy Sauiour And is hee not rather the Sauiour of the world That which is thine is none of mine Is it not so In worldly thinges true the right and propriety is in the true owner onely and in him alone and in none other In spirituall rightes it is not so altogether Christ is the Christ of all in generall and in speciall too yet not a diuided Christ but whole and entire whosoeuer hee is In natural thinges see a resemblance hereof the Sunne in the aire is a generall light in the eye a speciall and the sound in the ayre a generall noyce yet seerely discerned in the eare so Christ is a general Sauiour of all that shall bee saued but specially is hee receaued discerned and applied by the eye of faieth which faieth commeth by hearing him generally deliuered but specially applied As take eate take drinke at the Lordes Supper feede on him by thy faieth And blessings so speciallie and certainely taken haue euer a quicker tast in the receauer and prouoke thereby the more thankefulnesse towarde the donor 4. The neede of the receauer appeareth in this * The price of the ransom doth proue the neede of the party and the hainousnes of his trespas who is to bee ransommed that if a lesse ransom would haue doone the deed so great a payment had not needed But somuch it cost to saue one Soule And whereas hee saith Christ gaue himselfe For me it is plaine in how harde a case hee was before that Christ must dy that wee may liue or else wee dy euen as the Ramme was Sacrificed that Isaake might bee saued Wherefore of his perfect mercy and for our pure neede Christ dyed for thee for me and for vs al. Why Christians die though Christ died for them It is but an easie demaunde and soone satisfied why I must dye though Christ died for mee Yet God doubtlesse requireth no double satisfaction hee desireth not to bee twise paied for one debt Notwithstanding nothing is more certaine than that death is the common and vneuitable Lodge and Receptacle of the liuing The Wiseman shall dye as wel as shal the Foole. Dauid when he had * Acts. 13.36 serued his time was reposed to his Fathers and the statute is generall and cannot not be dispensed with al must dye By sin * Rom. 5.12 came in death and as sinne is in al so must all dy If there had beene no sinne there shoulde haue beene no death nor dissolution no not of our mixt bodies no more than there shall be of the very same bodies after their restitution glorification By sinne death entered and must goe ouer all But the question is why wee dye whom Christ hath deliuered both from sinne the cause and from death the consequent of sinne As we are deliuered from sinne not that it bee not but that it sting not so are wee deliuered from death not that it come not but that it conquer not that it lead vs not in a triumph ô death where is thy sting The sting of death is sinne but sinne is doone away and therefore ô graue where is thy victory Death is no Death to a good Christian Thou takest holde of vs not because wee are stung to death but because of a natural necessity indeede inducted thorough sinne at first yet for that the guilt of sinne is taken away death is no right death nowe but a dissolution and a passage to a better life and a very instrument whereby mortality putteth on immortality and whereby we liue for euer And the assurance of our certaine departure hence is hence-foorth a noble monument of the weight of sinne to weane vs from sinning and to win vs to Christ in perpetual thankefulnes for that we are freed from the curse of the Lawe against sinne from the guilt of sinne in it selfe and from the danger of death for sinning and all this by his infinit desert in dying for vs that otherwise should haue died a death euerlasting This grace would not bee abrogated I abrogate not the grace of God this grace of his Gospell Steuen Gardiner Steuen Gardiner in King Edwards time whē he stood much but falsly vpon his innocency and would not yeelde that hee had offended yet at length being asked whether he would accept the Kings pardon or no nay saith he I am learned enough not to refuse the Kings pardon In like manner men may dally and play and vse figge leaues at pleasure truly the greatest wisedome in the end will be to renounce all and craue mercy and stand vpon pardon and to trust vnto Christ and onely in him Grace is reiected when works are annexed And for a good fare-well and end of this Chapter be it remembred and written in the hartes of humble men for euer that wee after the example of our Apostle we disanull not we reiect not we frustrate not we abrogate not we throwe not away the grace of God which necessarily ensueth by meashing or adnexing either the association of Ceremonies or the obseruation of the Lawe vnto his free and absolutely free Grace free in GOD though deserued by Christ our Iesus and onely Sauiour CHAP. III. 1 O FOOLISH Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the trueth to whome Iesus Christ before was described in your sight and among you crucified 2 This only would I learne of you Receaued ye the spirit by the workes of the Law or by hearing of faith 3 Are yee so foolish that after ye haue begun in the spirit ye would now end in the flesh 4 Haue yee suffered many things in vaine If yet in vaine 5 He therefore that ministreth to you the spirite and worketh miracles among you doth he it through the workes of the Law or by the hearing of faith O YEE foolish bewitched and disobedient or incredulous Galathians These are vehement speeches But this vehemency proceeded of great zeale and this zeale for them was grounded vppon many reasons 1. Christ was described before their face and crucified in their sight 2. They had receiued the spirit and the graces of the holie Ghost not by the deeds of the Law for they were Gentils but by the Ghospel preached vnto them And the Law in comparison is flesh and grosse the Ghospel is spirituall Should they beginne with the better and relaps to the worse Be
he died all the daies of Seth were nine hundred and twelue years and hee died All the daies of Enos were nine hundred and fiue yeares and hee died and so foorth of others and still though the daies were neuer so many yet and he died was the conclusion of al. It is strange the Scripture should so curiously inculcate a matter whereof no man doubteth why doth it tel vs that we know We knowe that they are dead And we see daily that men dy before our face and our life is a vapor a buble a flash a weauers shuttle c. In deede if in reading such like sentences to this effect or going with a corse to the graue or hearing the preacher beate vpon the immortality of man we assent thereunto but when the remembraunce of death should bee as it were the siue or searser to our owne and of our owne actions Omnis illa assensio illabitur Our former knowledge is quite forgotten Yea euen when we see other men weake sick or feeble and when we can thinke and when wee can say of them as they who ferrey on the tems that the bote that goeth harde on the other side by vs rideth swiftly yet we dreame that our own barge standeth still as it were a shippe at anker or that we passe verie slowly O Lord while wee haue time and the time is short while we yet liue and haue any being which cannot bee long for the life of man is not a perpetual light but as the little candle that is wasted with the winde and blowen out with a puffe or consumed after a while O while wee haue time let euery man conforme himselfe to some well doing These * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after-wits were neuer good that wil be wise when it is too late that would enter when the dore is shut that come to the faire when market is don the Lord abhorreth the blind sacrifice that cannot see the acceptable time the halting sacrifice that is soone turned out of the way neuer commeth duely in a timely season Too much curiositie in giuing of an almes is not good 2 My second note was for the generalitie of doing wel If thy right hand be extended to many thy left hand must not draw it in If thy clouds be ful they may powre downe both vpon the habitable and inhabitable places better loose an almes giuen to one that needeth it not than to withholde thy mercy vppon suspicion where the neede is great though for circumstances a man may be perswaded to the contrary An almes giuen to one in the name of a Prophet though he be a counterfait yet giuen vnder that forme looseth not the reward so a reliefe bestowed as to a man as thou art and to thine owne fleshe is accepted of God that made you both The times are not nowe that Israell must forsake the land for famine and go into Aegypt The times are not as they haue beene that men haue bin constrained to buy Pigeons-doung at a deare rate the times are not as when men haue eaten their own ordure yea the mother her own child the times are not as when the Father the Vncle and the Son haue strouen for a rotten mouse and when whole multitudes haue beene driuen to fry out moysture out of old leather The times are not as they haue beene in England when bread was made of fearn-rootes as of late in Queene Maries time commonly of Ackornes Notwithstanding this yeare is a deare yeare the multitude are needy and their need is great And therefore a large releefe and a generall liberality is most requisit and he that hideth his corn will not giue nay will not sel is the curse of the people But he that selleth reasonably and giueth cherefully blessing be vpō his head for euermore Good Zacheus when saluation came to his house hee began to thinke whether hee had dealt hardly by wrong cauillation with any man offered to make quadriple recompence with the one halfe of his goods the other moity hee was content franckly should be for the poore Halfe your goods in constituted cōmon-weals vnder christian dealings is not euer required and the poore sort must bee no proud beggars Ruth was content with peaze Elias with a litle meale Lazarus wished but a few crommes and beggers must be no chusers Yet in the booke of Ruth I note to the great commendation of Booz that Booz seruantes when Ruth came at meale-time Ruth 2. and stood not like a saucy begger but mannerly beside the reapers they gaue her plentifully and she did eate and was sufficed and left That the poore may eate and be sufficed it is liberality but to be sufficed to eat leaue is great liberality A wanton prouerb amongst beggars The diet then was but parcht corne Our age is ouer nice And broun bread breedeth melancholy But very neede must teach vs the parcymony and homelines of elder yeares and yet if we could spare our impertinent attire and our superfluous fare our country dearth were yet but a cheapnes our hospitality might be greater our charity enlarged our bodies more holesome and our soules better accepted of God that accepteth them that liue temperately and in their temperance consider the needy and regarde the poore In this story I note one note more that Booz tooke order that Ruth should bee liberally vsed and yet he would haue her labour and gleane for that shee had So my brethren if there were order taken that they who coulde woorke and take paines and if their paines would not fully suffice then there might bee some supply by letting fall some sheaues of our plenty some lone of mony and some way else to further the labors of numbers which now goe vppe and downe idly and of this idlenes there now commeth nothing but innumerable inconueniences and thus much for the generality of relieuing 2 It is the wise mans exhortation cast thy bread vpon the waters Eccle. 11. By bread may be ment the seed of bread by casting may be ment sowing and men when they sow they sparse not all in one place but they sowe with discretion by waters some think is meant moist places which in whote countries are most fruitfull Some by waters think are signified the sea that on the very Sea a man should not stick to venter his goods and euen to ship them ouer to farre countries to doe them good and in the sight of God this trafique will be a very acceptable trade and in the ende to thee verie profitable For though men maie thinke thy bread is cast away and thy seede is lost yet in the returne of time thou shalt reape of thy liberalitie thy bozom ful But I argue Must I cast my bread vpon the waters If by waters the fruitfull ground bee ment as the bozom of the poore who euer is the fertill ground so yet the case of the poore faithfull