all the people praise thee And God euen our owne God giue vs his blessing that the earth may bring forth her increase Thou hast O Lord sent vnto vs thy measure thou hast giuen vs thy squire whereby to measure and rule our liues thou hast sent I say vnto vs thy Gospell thy holie word the light of thy déerely beloued Sonne Iesus Christ whereby we may guid our selues direct our waies vpon the earth And when we shall thus liue when we shall once begin so to direct our doings as Gods Gospell teacheth his holie word commaundeth vs then shall the earth bring forth her increase then shall she yeeld vs her fruit in due season For like as God when we turne from him following our owne lusts and desires plagueth and punisheth vs so when we repent and returne vnto him he is good he is louing he is mercifull vnto vs. Turne vnto me sayth God by his prophet Ieremie and I will turne vnto you When soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes I will forget his iniquities saith the Lord. It is the Lord that gyueth vs fruit it is the Lord that maketh the ground fertile it is not the ground of it selfe that bringeth forth fruit it is not the corne that féedeth vs it is the blessing of God the blessing I say of God alone And therefore saith the prophet Dauid If thou O Lord wilt open thy hand then all things shall be filled with thy blessing It is the Lord that maketh the Sunne to shyne the Moone to giue light the raine to fall on the earth I am the Lord that doth all this sayth God Dauid also in his Psalme saith Sciant quòd manus tua fecit haec Let them know O Lord saith he that thy hand alone hath done these wonders It is God I say that causeth the earth to be fruitfull and bring forth increase it is God that causeth the heauens to heare the earth the earth to crie vnto the Heauens Your harts shall be full of my blessing saith the Lord. If we shall forsake our sinnes if we will leaue our wickednesse and turne vnto God our harts shall be full of his blessing and then shall the earth bring forth her increase the earth this dead thing this vnsensible thing this masse of clay at Gods commaundement at his will and pleasure it shall bring forth corne it shall bring forth grasse and all other kind of fruits to serue them that neuer thinke vpon him that bestowed them O that wée were kinde that wée were not vnmindfull that we would remember God But alas wée are vnkind we are vnmindfull we neyther thinke on God nor his works and therefore God closeth vp his hand therefore he gyueth not vnto vs hys blessing therefore is the earth barren and vnfruitfull And this our owne sinnes causeth this our owne wickednesse and sinfull lyuing causeth Ose the prophet vnto the people of Israel when they had forsaken God their Lord and therefore were gréeuously punished cried out and said Malum tuum ex te ô Israel Thy euill is come of thy selfe O Israel All this scarsitie all this dearth all this plague commeth of thy selfe alone Thou art saith he the cause thou thy selfe art the cause hereof And euen as they were the cause of their plague so are we the only cause of all this our punishment and yet we sée not nor know Gods anger I haue striken thee saith God by his prophet and yet thou feelest not and where shall I strike thee once againe Filios educaui saith God by his prophet I haue bred vp I haue nourished vp children and they despise me they set nought by mée they will not acknowledge mée their father Good Bretheren let vs turne vnto God let vs amend our sinfull lyuing let vs submit our selues wholy to his mercie so shall the earth bring forth her increase so shal she yéeld vs her fruit in due time season Let vs consider the dignitie that God hath giuen vs he made vs in Paradise he fashioned vs to his owne likenesse he breathed life into vs and lastly where we by the fall of our first parent Adam were all adiudged to eternall death he redéemed vs again by the blood of his déere Sonne and Passion of our Sauior Iesus Christ Behold these things and be not vnthankfull Let vs good Bretheren behold our selues let vs behold our owne vocation our owne profession let vs behold Christ our Sauior We are the children of God the bretheren of Christ and heyres of the euerlasting kingdom we are Christian men we professe Gods Gospell let vs therfore remember that we must walke as becommeth the seruants of Christ we must liue like the professors of Gods holie Gospell Let vs remember how many wayes God calleth vs how diuersly he allureth vs vnto him by what sundry meanes he prouoketh vs to come vnto him O thou proud soule sayth God by his prophet thou earth ashes when wilt thou forsake thy sinfull lyuing and come vnto me when wilt thou repent and turne vnto me Alas do we looke that the stones in the stréets the verie stones vnder our féete should rise vp and call vs to repentance The heauens drop downe teares for our sake they wéepe and are sorie for vs and wilt not thou O man burst out in teares and bewaile thy sinfull life God looketh when we will come he wayteth when we will returne vnto him he daily and hourely watcheth when we will submit our selues receiue his mercie So louing so good so gratious a Lord is he Why should you perish saith Christ giue me thy hart O thou man and I am contented Let vs all therefore my Bretheren let vs all returne vnto God let vs altogether come forth confesse Gods holie name let our hands our mouthes our harts praise and laud him for euer let all the people reioyce and be glad that God iudgeth the folke righteously and gouerneth the Nations vpon the earth So shall the earth bring forth her increase so shall shée yéeld vs her fruit in due season so shall we be blessed in our houses blessed in the fields blessed in our commings in and our goings out so shall our corne our cattell our shéepe and oxen be alwayes blessed and so shall Gods blessing be vpon vs and our Children and God euen our owne God shall blesse vs and remaine with vs for euer Amen THE THIRD Sermon Rom. 6. vers 19. 19. Like as ye haue giuen ouer your members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other euen so now also giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse that ye may be holie c. FOr the better vnderstanding of these words written by the Apostle S. Paul we must consider that there be two Princes of contrary dispositions and natures which haue the rule and gouernance of this world that is to wit God and the Deuill and that neuer was there man
vs if wee turne from him And so almightie God most mercifully vsed his promises vnto Abraham Ego sum protector tuus merces tua I am said he thy defender and thy reward Ego benedicam benedicentibus tibi maledicam maledicentibus tibi I wil blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee So ample so large so great a promise made God vnto him And thus almightie God when he wold deliuer his elect people the children of Israell from their great bondage and captiuitie Inducam te in terram fluentem lacte melle I will bring you into a land that shall flow with milke and hony this will I performe this will I bring to passe for you and this will I doe for my names sake And so likewise to these his people he made this merciful promise against their enemies saying Yee shall chase your enemies and they shall fall into the sword before you fiue of you shal chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall chace ten thousand Thus also God by his Prophets promised his people and said Turne vnto mee and I will turne vnto you And euen thus likewise Christ in the Gospel maketh most cleare and manifest promises of euerlasting life and saluation to all such as for his name shall forsake the pleasures and delights of this word and repose their felicitie onely in him Beati pauperes spiritu beati qui lugeant beati qui esuriunt beati qui persequutionem ferunt Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger thirst blessed are they that suffer persecution And why so For what cause are they blessed that are poore in spirit For what cause are they blessed that mourne Why are they happy that hunger What reward shall they haue that suffer persecution because saith Christ theirs is the Kingdom of Heauen they shall be comforted they shall bee filled they shall obtaine a crowne of glorie When two or three are gathered together in my name saith Christ I will bee in the middest of them Whatsoeuer yee shall aske my father in my name it shall be giuen vnto you These manifold and great promises it pleased almightie God to make vnto his chosen elect people these coÌ„fortable promises Christ himself vouchsafed to pronouÌ„ce to al such as shal cleaue vnto him thus mercifully it pleased God by faire promises to allure and win vs vnto him But oftentimes alas we set little or nothing by these swéet comfortable promises we little estéem or regard them and therfore god then vseth his threatning his rigor and Iustice among vs when no swéet words can win vs then hee striketh his terror into vs. For when god in old time perceiued that no gentlenes no kindnesse no mercy of his could win his people vnto him he caused Esay his prophet to cry out said Impius in beneficijs me noÌ„ aguouit in angustijs auteÌ„ clamauit ad me The wicked and sinfull man saith he in my great goodnesse benefits bestowed vpon him would not acknowledge nor confesse me but in his miserie and trouble in his anguish and woe then he ran vnto me and called on my name And so likewise by the Prophet Ieremie God him selfe sayeth Conuerterunt ad me terga non faciâ—s suas in die autem tribulationis inclamant me They haue turned their backes and not their faces vnto me but in the day of their trouble in the time of necessitie they call and cry vpon me And so in like the same Prophet Ieremie or rather God by this Prophet saith Impinguatus incrassatus est populus meus My people are waxen fat and lustie they haue forsaken mee the well of life and digged themselues pits yea vile and broken pits that can hold no water Such a thing is the felicitie and pleasure of this world that it maketh vs soone to forget God and the felicitie of the world to come And therfore God so often warned his people of Israel that when they were once come into the land of Canaan into that plentifull country which flowed with milke and hony wherein should bee no dearth nor scarcenesse that then they shold not forget the Lord their god that then their hearts should not be deceiued that then they should not goe aside and serue other gods and so his wrath and indignation waxe hote vpon them And therfore when faire promises louing kindnesse cannot win vs to God then vseth he another way then doth he appoint another meane then beginneth hee to threaten and feare vs and that of his rigour and iustice And thus did hée to our first father Adam because he would not he should transgresse his commaundement he threatned him and said In quocunque die comederis ex hoc fructu mortem morieris In what-euer day thou shalt tast of this fruit thou shalt dye the death So likewise God to the whole multitude of his people of Israell said Vnlesse ye giue eare to the voice of the Lord your God to doe all his commandements and ordinances cursed shall you be in the towne and cursed in the field cursed shall thy basket be and thy store cursed shal be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy land cursed shalt thou bee in thy comming in in thy going out You shall call and I will not heare you shall cry vnto me and I will not giue eare Dabo vobis caelum aeneum terram ferreum The heauen shall be as brasse and the earth as Iron the heauens shall giue you no raine the earth shall bring you forth no fruit your trauell and labour shal be lost your land shal not giue her encrease Thus almightie God threatned his elect chosen people and all to kéep them in awe and feare of him And so in another place he saith I will set my face against you and ye shall bee slaine before your enemies and they that hate you shall haue dominion ouer you ye shal fly when no man chaseth you Thus you see that it pleaseth almightie God oftentimes to vse these and such like words of threatning to vse such rigour to beat a terrour into his people when faire promises and swéet words can doe nothing and this doth hee of his great iustice And therfore Dauid in this place God is indeed saith he a rightfull iudge and God is euer threatning If men will not turne he hath whet his sword and hath bent his bowe and made it readie He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrowes to destroy So mightie so omnipotent is God that hee can punish and so righteous a iudge is he that hee will punish when it best pleaseth him But some man would here peraduenture say if God be thus able to punish and will indéed punish when hee is offended why then doth he it not by and by why
me So Christ himselfe also said Auferetur à vobis regnum Dei The kingdom of God shal be taken from you giuen to the heathen which shall bring forth the fruits of it But alas when Gods kingdom is taken away in whose kingdom and dominion do the people then liue when Gods gospel his word is no longer preached what learning what doctrin what discipline is there left to bee taught And this oftentimes commeth to passe by means of our owne sin and wickednes that for the misusing of God and his gospel we neither haue Gods Kingdome nor his Gospell among vs. But then alas in what great miserie in what wretchednesse in what wofull case shall wée stand For if Gods Kingdom be shut from vs whither shal we fly If the light of his gospell be taken from vs what light shall be left vs If God will get him away from vs who shall bee our succour And therefore no man ought to reioice hereat no man ought to be glad of such a change But though Gods kingdom be taken away from vs though Gods Gospell bee no more preached vnto vs though God fly from vs and will hide himselfe away yet is God and his gospell nothing thereby altered God is still one and the same God his gospell is the same gospell that it was before his Kingdome continueth in one stay and estate it is not changed nor altered For saith Christ Caelum terra transibunt verbum autem meum non transibit Heauen and earth shall perish but may word shall not perish And again Portae inferorū nō praeualebūt aduersū illud The gates of hell shal not preuaile against it And therefore S. Paul hauing on his side this word of God which neuer changeth but alwayes continueth one and the same hauing I say this word of his which shal neuer perish and against which the verie gates of hel shal not preuaile he was bould to appeale from the slaunderous iudgement of the people and say I passe not what you thinke of me It is but a small matter for mee to bee iudged of you or of mans day c. Good people you haue here heard declared vnto you and thereby you may well perceiue that S. Paul notwithstanding hée was the seruant of God an elect vessell of the holy Ghost and the chiefest Apostle of Christ yet was euill spoken of and misliked euen of the Chrians and such as professed the name of God notwithstanding he was indéed the true seruant of God the minister of Christ and a faithfull dispenser of the secrets of God yet could not all men speake wel of him al men could not giue him a good report And therefore to cause them to conceiue a better opinion of him and report of him none other than he deserued he here willeth them that they should first weigh well and consider his doings they should examine his doctrine and the gospel that he had preached amongst them they should marke well and see whether he had been a faithfull dispenser of the mysteries of Gods gospell and then so estéeme him as the minister of Christ and Steward of the secrets of God And therefore iudge you nothing saith he before the time that the Lord come which shall bring that to light which is hid in darknesse and open the counsels of the hearts and then shall euerie one haue prayse of God And so in these daies as Paul in his time was misliked of many so I say in these our dayes the ministers of God and preachers of his gospell are euill spoken of amongst all men some say they are vnlearned they know nothing they are crafts men they were neuer set to school this they haue said and do yet report of them Some men say they preach they cannot tell what they speake against prayer against fasting against almes déeds and all other good works they allow nothing that good is they disallow in manner all things This you know hath béene spoken and yet is reported of such as now are ministers in Gods gospell But hereunto haue I none other thing to say than that which S. Paul in this place writeth to the Corinthians It is sufficient for vs to bee found the seruants of God the ministers of Christ faithfull dispensers of Gods secrets In the meane season doe not you good brethren thinke euill of the preachers of Gods word report not amisse of the ministers of Christ account not them your enemies that bring vnto you the glad tidings of the gospel When Paul came to Berea from Thessalonica and began there to preach the Gospell of Christ the people ranne to their bookes searched the Scriptures conferred his doctrine with the word of God and when they found that in all points it agréed therwith then they beléeued Paul then they embraced his doctrine then with willing harts they claue to his discipline And as they did euen so let vs do good brethren let vs not iudge rashly of Gods ministers let vs not ouer hastily giue sentence of them let vs not report euill of Gods seruants but let vs well weigh and consider what thing they teach vs let vs examine trie their doctrine with the touch-stone of Gods word let vs conferre their preaching their teaching their discipline with the Scriptures of the holy Ghost And this when you haue done then bée you our iudges then if you sée that we teach you nothing but the mysteries of God if you perceiue that we onely disclose vnto you the will of God if you sée that wée preach vnto you none other thing than the secrets of Gods gospell estéeme vs to be the seruants of God the ministers of Christ and stewards of the secrets of God The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND Sermon Psalme 67. 3. 4. 3. Let the people prayse thee O God let all the people prayse thee 4. O let the people reioyce and be glad that thou iudgest the folke righteously and gouernest the Nations vpon the earth c. AT what time the Iewes had grieuously offended God their Lord forgotten their obedience towards him and betaken themselues to strange gods euery man wandring after his owne lust and fansie and thereupon God began to plague and punish them with sundry and diuers plagues and with vnseasonable weather so that their grasse their corne their fruits what euer other commodities sprang out of the earth were al in great danger then Dauid the Prophet séeing all these miseries at once fall vpon the people called them home againe shewed them how they should returne from their wickednes come vnto God For God desireth not our destructiō he is loth to work reuengement vpon vs when we anger displease him In what euer houre the sinner shal returne from his sin come vnto me saith the Lord I shall be readie to receiue him As for all his sins that hee did before they shall not be thought vpon but in
by him of the apparance of Christ our Sauiour and his comming into this world And these words thus spoken by the Prophet S. Paule here fitly applyed to the preaching of Christs gospell For like as our Sauiour came into the world at such time as Christ was borne so when the Gospell is truely preached and Gods holy word sincerely taught vs then is Christ opened vnto vs then is the acceptable time and our saluation is wrought thereby Therefore S. Hierom that holy father and old Doctour of the Church saith Quotiescunque audimus Euangelium Christi toties caro sanguis Christi funduntur in aures nostras As often as we hear the Gospel of Christ preached vnto vs so oft the flesh and bloud of Christ is powred into our eares saith S. Hierom. And these words of his do plainly and most euidently shew vs how we should vnderstand the eating of Christs body drinking of his most holy bloud in the Sacrament these words I say may sufficiently teach vs what is meant by the eating drinking of Christs body bloud This is it that S. Paule here speaketh of that they receiue not the grace of God in vain And whensoeuer the gospel of God is truly sincerely preached and it receiued accordingly then is the acceptable time then is the time of grace and saluation O what a comfortable saying is this whensoeuer we heare the Gospell taught vs whensoeuer we heare Gods holy word preached vnto vs then is the gate of saluation set open vnto vs and then is the time of grace And on the contrarie part when Gods word is taken from vs and the light of his Gospel hidden from our eyes then is the gate of saluation shut vpon vs and then is the time of perdition But alas the time of grace the acceptable time the time of mercie and saluation hath oftentimes but little continuance among vs oftentimes it hath small time of abiding with vs. For before Christ appeared and was borne into this world for the space of foure hundred yeares the whole world the Iewes onely excepted was in ignorance and altogether blindnesse And when Christ was borne when hee once appeared then was the acceptable time then was the time of grace then was the time of saluation Here some man will peraduenture say Why did God suffer the whole world so long to be in blindnesse why would he in that long time haue no respect to any other nation but onely to the nation of the Iewes This case is déepe and passeth our capacitie to reason it is aboue the reach of mans wit and therefore herein wee haue onely to submit our selues to humble our hearts and our minds and say with Paul the Apostle O homo quis tu qui Deum arguis O man what art thou that findest fault with God What art thou that reproouest the almightie As God of his prouidence and good wisedome hath appointed for vs both Sommer and Winter the spring and likewise the fall of the leafe againe So hath hee ordained a time of light and a time of darkenesse a time of saluation and a time of destruction And no man may say vnto him Why doest thou thus These things séeme good in his eyes and therefore what art thou O man that wilt call God to account why hée doth this or why he doth that Thus it pleaseth God and standeth with his good will oftentimes to shew vs his light and the glorie of his gospell and oftentimes againe to take the same from vs and leaue vs altogether in blindnesse altogether in ignorance altogether in vtter darkenesse For so hée hath said by Amos his Prophet I will send an hunger vpon the earth not the hunger of bread nor the thirst of water but an hunger to heare the word of the Lord so that they shall goe from one Sea to the other yea from the 〈◊〉 vnto the East running about to â—â—ke the word of the Lord and shall not find it Christ himselfe also in the Gospell sayeth The kingdome of God shall bee taken away from you And yet when hée hath thus done when hée hath sent an hâ—nger and thirst of his worâ— into the â—arth when hée hath taken Gods kingdome from amongst vs yet I say hée oftentimes powreth downe his tâ—ueth into the earth hée distilleth his grace from heaheauen that it may sinke into the hearts of men For so sayeth God by his Prophet Malachie Abortu solis vsque ad occasum magnum est nomen meum inter Gentes My name is great euen from the rysing of the Sunne to the fall thereof amongst all Nations I am a great King sayeth the Lord and my name is feareful amongst the Heathen This is the time that the Prophet Esay calleth The acceptable time And what néedeth moe examples the whole Scriptures both the old and the new Testament are full of these and such like other There are times that are times of knowledge there are times againe that are times of ignorance And who is there now what man so old or child so young but may well remember the blindnesse that hath béene in our time and our fathers times before vs Who is so blind who so farre past knowledge but may both well sée and remember the darke ignorance that hath béen in times past and the great grace that God hath now powred down vpon vs in these our dayes Therefore as Saint Paul gaue the Corinthians warning that they should not receiue the grace fâ— God in vaine euen so now he warneth vs and biddeth vs beware that wee take not this grace of God in vaine that wee turne not to our old vanitie againe that wée returne not to our former wickednesse that wée defile not the Gospell of God by our euill and corrupt liuing And therefore in another place hée saith Giue your members as instruments of righteousnesse vnto God and let not sinne haue power ouer you Herein is set out vnto vs and as it were painted before our eyes our whole office and duetie and how that wée as well by our workes as our words should bée an example and paterne for other men to follow and that wée giue no cause of offence or slaunder of the Gospell of God I speake this not onely to the Preachers and Ministers of Gods word though chiefly to them indéed but I speake it generally to all you my brethren that professe Gods Gospell and beare the name of Christ For S. Paul indifferently to all men saith Yee are not the children of darkenesse but the câ—â—iâ—ren of light walke you therefore as becommeth the children of light And againe in another place hée sayth Giue no man occasion of euill offend no man that in your office yee bee not found faultie And such was in old time the life of all good godly men such was their liuing that professed Gods Gospell and the name of Iesus Christ But if it so happen as oftentimes