not altogether hang vpon the almes basket of their Counsell but vnderstand of themselues in some measure those things which concerne their places Erudimini qui quia indicatis Wherefore yee must needs obey Because all powers are of God because they bring with them the good of order because it is a sinne to disobey because iudgement temporall and eternall accompanie this sinne because gouernment is the meane of our weale because Kings are hired by tribute to serue their seruants and care for their subiects It is necessarie wee should obey both ex necessitate finis praecepti for hereby wee shall doe that which is acceptable to God and profitable to our selues acceptable to God enioining obedience profitable to our selues enioying the good of gouernment that we may leâ—de a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie Not onely for feà re of vengeance but also because of conscience Thus all must obey bad men for feare good men for loue The Kings Bench compels the one for he beareth not the sword in vaine but the Chancerie moues the other and therefore the Papists and Schismatikes are not good men in pretending conscience for their disobedience to the Ciuill Magistrate For as a learned father of our Church obserues excellently Tutâ conscientiâ praestari possunt quae propter conscientiam praestanda sunt A man may doe that with a safe conscience which he must doe for conscience Tribute to whom tribute Soueraigne Sublimities on earth are Gods among men in respect of their attributes and tributes Almightie God himselfe expects and receiues at our hands his immediate rents as prayer and thanksgiuing the rest as tithes and tributes hee doth accept being faithfullie paied vnto his Stewards and Vicegerents It is very remarkable that our Sauiour neuer did any miracle about honour or money except that one for giuing tribute to Caesar. For â—e must giue to Caesar the things which appertaine to Caesar honour to whom honour tribute to whom tribute but how much is not defined by Christ or Paul They leaue that as Bishop Latymer obserues to Caesars Counsell for to determine Wherefore let all such as are in Commission for the subsidie remember that excellent speech of Saluianus Illâ—d indignius poenalius quòd omnium onus non omnes sustinent imò quòd pauperculos homines tributa diuitum premunt infirmiores ferunt sarcinas fortiorum res diâ—ersissimas dissimilimasque patiuntur inuidiam egestatem inuidia est enim in solutione egestas in facultate The Gospel MATTH 8.23 And when he entred into a ship his Disciples followed him c. SAint Matthew reports in this scripture two miracles one wrought by Christ in the water another on the land The first is both an Historie The first is both an Mysterie The word of God is a two edged sword hauing one edge saith Tertullian in the sense of the matter and an other in the sound of the words or as Ludouicus Viues obserueth being sharpe in a literall exposition and sharp in an allegoricall sense Most Interpreters therefore note that the ship heere mentioned is a type of the Church militant tossed in the world which is most like the sea with stormes of persecution vntill Christ the Master of the ship who seemes to sleepe for a time doth awake by the prayers of passengers and makes a calme In the storie two things are to be considered especially the shipping of Christ In the storie two things are to be considered especially the sailing of Christ. In his shipping two points obseruable 1. That he entred himselfe 2. That his Disciples followed him In the sailing two principall occurrences are to bee noted also the raging of a tempest stilling of a tempest The tempest is said here to be Sudden Behold there arose The tempest is said here to be Great so that the ship was couered with waues and Christ who was to comfort and help all was asleepe In the stilling of the tempest foure things are regardable 1. Christ awaketh His Disciples came and awoke him saying Master saue vs c. 2. The Disciples are rebuked Why are ye fearfull O ye of little faith 3. The tempest calmed He rebuked the windes and the sea 4. The beholders of this miracle wondred saying What manner of man is this c. Iesus entred into a ship As the superstitious Papists in latter daies assigned seuerall Saints for seuerall seruices as Apollonia for the toothach for hogs S. Anthony for horses S. Loy for Souldiers S. Maurice for Seamen S. Nicholas c. so the grosse idolatrous Heathen in old time marshalled their gods into seuerall rankes allotting Heauen for Iupiter Hell for Pluto the Sea for Neptune Christ therefore to shew their vanitie and to manifest himselfe to be the sole Commander of the world so soone as he had wrought miracles on the land in healing the leper vers 3. in curing the Centurions seruant vers 13. in casting out diuels vers 16. in helping al that were sick vers 17. he comes now saith Origen to shew wonders on the sea Wee neede not then exhibit supplications either vnto the no gods of the Gentiles or moe gods of the Papists importuning the virgin Mary for euery thing as if her sonne Iesus were still a babe not able to helpe For if we be schollers he is our saint Gregorie the God of wisedome if souldiers he is our Mars the God of hosts if wee desire to liue in quietnesse he is the God of peace if mariners he is our Nicholas and Neptune that enters into the ship and calmes the tempest If we ascend vp into heauen hee is there if we descend downe into hell he is there also if wee take the wings of the morning and dwell in the vâ—termost parts of the sea yet thither shall his hand lead vs and his right hand hold vs hauing all power ouer all things in all places and doing whatsoeuer hee will in heauen earth sea Psalm 139.6 Saint Mat. vers 18. of this chapter and saint Marke cap. 4. vers 36. intimate another reason why Christ entred into the ship namely to shun the multitudes of people for as the sunne though a most glorious creature oculus mundi the worlds eye is regarded little because it shineth euery day so ministers the light of the world are eclipsed much by the grosse interposition of earth It is true that familiaritie breeds contempt and as true cuius persona despicitur eius praedicatio contemnitur and therefore clergie men as Christ heere must vpon occasions often withdraw themselues à turbâ turbulentâ Bartholomaeus Angâ—icus mentioneth a lake in Ireland in which if a staffe be pight and tarieth any long time therein the part that is in the earth is turned to iron and the part in the water to stone onely the part aboue the water remaines in his
He is stiled elsewhere the Lord of hosts and therefore all creatures as his warriours are ready pressed to reuenge his quarrels and to fight his battels His souldiers against the wicked are either celestiall or terrestriall all the Creatures in heauen and on earth In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth Gen. 1. and all that therein is Exod. 20. And in this acception according to the Bible which is a lantern vnto our feet and a guide vnto our paths I finde three heauens as Paul saith he was taken vp into the third heauen the 1. Airy 2. Starry 3. Glorious Airy heauen is all the space from vs vnto the firmament so the birds which flie betweene vs and the starres are called in holy writ the fowles of heauen In this heauen are meteors haile wind raine snow thunder lightening all which are at Gods absolute command to serue such as serue him and to fight against them that fight against him As when the wicked old world was filled with cruelty The windowes of heauen were opened and the raine was vpon the earth forty daies and forty nights insomuch that this one souldier of the Lord destroied all his enemies euery thing that was vpon the earth from man to beast onely Noah Gods holy seruant remained and they that were with him in the Arke whom the raine did not hurt but rather helpe for the deeper the flood the safer the ship the water had peace with Noah and his company but open warre with all the rest of that old world So likewise the Lord out of heauen rained fire and brimstone vpon the Sodomites and hailestones out of heauen vpon the cursed Amorites at Bethoron and they were moe saith the text that died with the haile then they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword But what need we looke so far the great wind this yeere the great frost the last yeere sensibly demonstrate this point What a wracke on the sâ—a what a worke on the earth occasioned by the one what a dearth and so by consequence what a death ensued vpon the other If God cast forth his ice like morsels who is able to abide his frost Psal. 147.17 To step higher the second heauen is the firmament coelum quasi coelatum because it is ingrauen as it were enameled with glorious lights as Moses in the first of Genesis God made two great lights the greater to rule the day the lesser to gouerne the night he made also the stars and placed them in the firmament of heauen Now this heauen declares the glory of God and the firmament shewes his handy worke though they want vnderstanding and are dumbe yet they trumpet forth his worthy praises in such sort that there is neither speech nor language but their voice is heard among them And as they speake for God as schollers so they fight also for God as souldiers for the starres in their course fought against Sisera Iosua 5.20 and when Duke Iosua fought against the wicked Amorites he said in the sight of Israel Sunne stay thou in Gibeon and thou Moone in the valley of Aialon and the Sunne abode and the Moone stood still vntill the people of God auenged themselues vpon their enemies the Sunne abode and hasted not to goe downe for a whole day Iosua 10.13 O Lord our gouernour how excellent is thy name in all the world When I consider the heauens euen the works of thy hands the Sun and the Moone which thou hast ordained what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the son of man that thou shouldst thus regard and gard him The third heauen is called by Philosophers empyreum by Diuines the glorious heauen by scriptures heauen of heauens or heauen aboue the visible heauens In this heauen Almighty God hath two sorts of tall wariours Angels Saints Angels are heauenly souldiers ministring spirits of God instruments of his mercy toward the good executioners of his iudgements vpon the bad When Iosua was about to sacke Iericho an Angel appeared vnto him as a Captaine with a drawne sword to fight for his people When Zenacherib and his innumerous host came against Israel the Angel of the Lord in one night slew one hundred eighty and fiue thousand 2. Kings 19. The first borne of Egypt slaine by an Angell Exod. 12. blasphemous Herod smitten with an Angell Acts 12.23 To conclude this argument Angels at the last and dreadfull day shall binde the tares that is make fagots of the wicked and cast them into hell fire As they pitch their tents about Gods elect being the Saints guard and nurses as it were to carry them in their armes lest at any time they hurt their foot against a stone so contrariwise speedy messengers and Ministers of Gods anger vnto the reprobate Now for Saints albeit they be milites emeriti as the Romans speake souldiers discharged the field past fighting past sighing for all teares are wiped from their eies euen so saith the spirit they rest from their labours and their good works follow them Apocalyp 14.13 Theâ— be past warfare and now liue in eternall welfare crowned as conquerors in heauen where there is neither militia nor malitâ—a Though I say their fight be ended and they rewarded with an immortall crowne of glory yet for as much as there is a communion of Saints a fellowship betweene the triumphant Saints in heauen and the militant Saints on earth the blessed soules departed and deliuered out of the miseries of this sinfull world howsoeuer they be secure for themselues yet are they carefull for vs as our Churches in their Harmonie speake de foelicitate suà securi de nostrà salute soliciti they wish well vnto vs and pray still for vs in generall albeit they know not our wants in particular Howsoeuer they fight not any longer against Gods enemies with pen or pike with paper or powder yet they continually fight against them with push of praier as Saint Iohn expresly The soules of them that were killed for the word cried with a loud voice saying How long Lord holy and true dost not thou iudge and reueâ—ge our blood on them that dwell on the â—arth Albeit they contend not with earthly weapons yet they maintaine Gods quarrell with heauenly wishes in generall against Satan and his kingdome out of zeale and heat to Gods cause not out of any spleene or hate to any of the wicked in particular I dare not say so for wheâ—e the spirit hath not a pen to write the Pastor must not haue a tongue to speake not the people an eare to heare but that the blessed soules in heauen pray for vs against our enemies in generall is an article of faith and an euident truth of the Bible I come from Gods selected band in heauen to the common band the host of his creatures on earth the which containes both sea and land and
together immoderate diet begets chambering chambering wantonnes wantonnes strife strife enuying thus sinne doth first couple then increase This text ought to be regarded of vs the more because it was the very place to which Augustine that renowned Doctour by a voyce from heauen was directed at his first conuersion as himselfe witnesseth Lib. 8. confess cap. 12. Put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ. As we must put off the old man so put on the new man and that is done two waies either by putting on his merits or by putting on his maners Our Sauiour Christ in his life but in his death especially wrought for vs a garment of saluation and a long white robe of righteousnes now the spirituall hand of faith must apprehend and fit this wedding apparell on vs in such sort that all our vnrighteousnes may be forgiuen and all our sinne couered Secondly we must put on the maners and excellent vertues of Christ in whom was no worke of darknes but all armour of light so the phrase is vsed Iob 29.14 I put on iustice and it couered me my iudgement was a robe and a crowne This apparell is the true Perpetuan neuer the worse but the better for wearing The Gospel MATTH 21.1 And when they drew nigh vnto Hierusalem c. CHrist is Alpha and Omega the first and the last the beginning and ending wherefore the Church allotting a seuerall scripture for euery seueral Sunday thoroughout the whole yeare begins and ends with the comming of Christ for the conclusion of the last Gospell appointed for the last Sunday is Of a truth this is the same Prophet that should come into the world and the first sentence in the first Gospell for the first Sunday Behold thy king commeth vnto thee Wherein the Church imitated the method of Gods owne Spirit for as the first prophesie mentioâ—ed in the old Testament is The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head and the first historie deliuered in the new Testament is The booke of the generation of Iesus Christ so the first Gospell on the first Dominical according to the Churches account is Aduentual a scripture describing Christ and his kingdome fitting the text vnto the time teaching vs hereby two things especially first what maner of person the Messias is who doth come secondly what maner of persons we should be now he is come In the former part obserue two points a Preface All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophet verse 4. Prophesie taken out of Zacha. 9.9 Tell the daughter of Sion c. All this was done that it might be fulfilled An vsuall phrase with our Euangelist as cap. 1.22 cap. 8.17 cap. 27. 35. It doth insinuate the sweet harmonie betweene the Prophets and Apostles as Numenius said Plato was nothing els but Moyses translated out of Hebrew into Greeke and Ascham that Virgil is nothing els but Homer turned out of Greeke into Latine and as the Nouelists affirme that our Communion Booke is nothing els but the Romane Missall and Portuis thrust out of Latine into English and as Diuines haue censured Cyprian to be nothing els but Tertullian in a more familiar and elegant stile so the new Testament is nothing els as it were but an exposition of the old That difference which Zeno put betweene Logicke and Rhetorick Diuines vsually make betweene the Law and the Gospell the Law like the fist shut the Gospell like the hand open Euangelium reuelata Lex Lex occultum Euangelium The Gospell a reuealed Law the Law a hidden Gospell This harmonicall concent may serue to confound our aduersaries and to comfort our selues It doth abundantly confute obstinate Iewes who expect another Messias to come conceiting as yet all things not to be done in the Gospell which was said of him in the Law so that whereas the great question of the world is Who is that Christ and the great question of the Church Who is that Antichrist the Iewish Rabbins are ignorant in both Secondly this harmonie conuinceth all suâ—h Hereticks as hold two sundry disagreeing Gods to be the authors of the two Testaments one of the Law another of the Gospell It affordeth also comfort first in generall it may perswade the conscience that the Bible is the booke of God For if Prolomee was astonished at the 72. Interpreters because being placed in sundry roomes and neuâ—r conferring nor seeing one another did notwithstandiâ—g write the same not only for sense of matter but in sound of words vpon the selfe-same text as Iustin Martyr and Augustine report then how should we be moued with the most admirable diuine concoâ—dance betweene the Prophets and Apostles who writing the word of God in diuers places at diuers times vpon diuers occasions do notwithstanding agree so generally that they seeme not diuers pen-men but rather inâ—â—â—ed only diuers pens of one and the same writer In more particular it may strengthen our faith in the gracious promises of Almighty God he speakes the word and it is done commands and it is effected Heauen and earth shall passe but not one iot of his word shal perish he promised by Zachary that the Messias of the world should come and he tels vs here by Matâ—hew that he is come All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Behold thy king commeth vnto thee Thus much of the Prâ—face generally now to fist the words seuerally Thaâ— is taken here non causaliter sed consecutiuè not for an efficient cause but rather for a consequence and euent Christ did not thus â—ide into Hierusalem because Zachary foretold it but Zachary foretold it because Christ would thus ride Christ being the complement of the Prophets and end of the Law yet the word That insinuates as Chrysostome notes the finall cause why Christ did thus ride namely to certifie the Iewes how that himselfe only was that King of whom their prophet Zachâ—ry did thus speake that none but he was the King of the Iewes and Messias of the world Fulfilled A prophesie may be said to be fulfilled foure wayes especially 1. When the selfe-same thing comes to passe which was literally deliuered in the prophesie So S. Math. cap. 1.22 saith Esayes prophesie Behold a Virgin shall conceiue c. was fulfilled in Mary who brought forth a Sonne c. 2. When the thing allegorically signified is fulfilled as Exod. 12 46. it is said of the Paschall Lambe Yee shall not breake a bone thereof yet S. Iohn cap. 19.36 affirmes this to be fulfilled in Christ The souldiers brake not his legs that the scripture should be fulfilled Not a bone of him shall be broken 3. When as neither the thing literally nor allegorically ment but some other like is done so Christ Math. 15. tels the peâ—â—le in his time that the words of Esay This people draweth neere vnto
to wit the Vncertaintie Of Christs second comming The certaintie that he shall come the vncertaintie when he shall come The certaintie is declared heere by Words Affirmed barely vers 27. They shall see the Son of man come in a cloud c. Enforced with an asseueratioÌ„ verse 22. Verily I say vnto you c. adding further a pereÌ„ptory conclusion vers 33. Heauen and earth shall passe away but my words shall not passe away Wonders vers 27. There shall be signes c. The words are spoken by Christ as it is apparent vers 8. Now Christ is truth Ergo this prophesie cannot be false That which hee foretold touching Hierusalem in this Chapter is in euery particular come to passe why then should this prophesie be thought vntrue concerning the worlds destruction when as that other was true concerning Hierusalems desolation Zachary foretold that the Messias in his first comming should in meekenesse ride vpon an asse and as S. Matthew reports all that was done behold here a greater than Zachary tels vs that the Messias in his second comming shall ride vpon the clouds and shall we doubt of his word who is that eternall Word shall wee beleeue Zachary who was but one of the small Prophets and shal we distrust him who is that great Prophet Ioh. 6.14 But because men will not beleeue him vpon his bare word who made all the world with his word Psal. 33.9 He spake and it was done he doth vse an oth and earnest asseueration in the 32. verse Verily I say vnto you c. Because there is none grâ—ater then â—imselfe he doth sweare by himselfe Truth doth protâ—st by Truth This generation shall not passe till all be fulfilled The word generation hath perplexed as well old as new writers exceedingly Sometime generation in scripture signifieth an age As one generation passeth and another commeth and the truth of the Lord endureth from generation to generation that is euer from age to age Now generation in this acception is 100. yeares So Nestor is said to liue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 three ages that is three hundred yeares and therefore some Diuines haue referred this vnto the destruction of Hierusalem only which happened within an hundred yeares after this prophesie so learned Erasmus and Beza construe the place both of them interpreting the word aetas and the translators of Geneua following them in our lesser English Bible This age shall not passe but as well the translation as obseruation is defectiue because Christ saith here This generation shall not passe till all these things be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only those which concerne the desolation of Hierusalem but all those likewise which concerne the worlds end Other by this generation vnderstand the nation of the Iewes as Luke 17.25 The sonne of man must be reproued of this generation and Math. 23.36 All these things shall come vpon this generation that is this nation S. Hierom by generation vnderstands all mankinde as if Christ should say the generation of men shall continue till all be fulfilled and then in fine they shall acknowledge that I spake the truth Chrysostome Theophylact Euthymius expound this of that generation onely which seeke God of Gods elect and faithfull people as if Christ should speake thus Albeit there be signes in heauen and troubles on earth yet hell gates shall not preuaile against the Church I am with you alway saith Christ vntill the end of the world The generation of such as beleeue in me shall not passe till all this be fulfilled and therefore let none of my followers be discouraged but rather lift vp their heads in that their redemption is so neere This exposition I take to be both pertinent and profitable because Christ in this Chapter had foretold that his Disciples should be persecuted and brought before Kings and Princes for prosessing his Gospell verse 12. Yet this generation shall not passe but there shall be a Church alway to confesse the faith in despight of the Diuell The Church one day shall passe too but not till these things be done then in the end it shall inherit a better possession in Gods owne kingdome without end Other by generation vndâ—rstand all that time betweene Christs first comming and his last for the whole world being diuided into three generations a time before the law a time vnder the Law a time after the Law the time of the Gospell is Hora nouissima the last houre 1. Epist. Iohn 2.18 and We are they vpon whom the ends of the world are come 1. Cor. 10.11 so that ye shall not looke for another Gospell or another change for the preaching of this Gospell and the world shall end together Other by generation vnderstand not only the Iewes or the Christians or all men only but the whole vniuersall world termed elsewhere the Creature This generation that is this world in which all things are generated shall not end till these signes forerunners of it ruine shall come to passe So Christ interprets himselfe in the verse following Heauen and earth shall passe but my words shall not passe aâ—ay That is howsoeuer the earth be moueable and the powers of heauen shake though both wax old as doth a garment and all things in them are subiect to mutation and change yet Christ is yesterday and to day the same also for euer so that if you will credit Christ either vpon your owne reason and experience or vpon his word and oath beleeue this also that he shall come riding on the clouds with great power and glory to iudge both the quick and the dead Secondly Christs comming to iudgement is shewed heere by wonders in heauen in earth and in the sea which shall be like harbingers of that dreadfull and terrible day There shall be signes in the Sunne and in the Mâ—one and in the earth the people shall be at their wits end through despaire the sea and the water shall rore c. Euery man is desirous to buy the Kalender that at the beginning of the yeare he may know what will happen in the end Merchants and Husbandmen especially that they may see this yeare what dearth or death or other accidents are likely to ensue the next yeare Behold then here Christs Prognostication foretelling by signes in the Sunne and in the Moone and in the Starres what shall come to passe in the end of our yeares as also what shall betide vs in the new yeare the world to come The Mathematicians of the world neuer mentioned or dreamed of an vniuersall eclipse of the Sunne and Moone together only Christs Almanacke reports this I purpose not in particular to discusse any curious question but only to note in generall that these wonders in heauen and extraordinarie troubles on earth are manifest forerunners of the worlds ruine that as we know Summer is neere when the trees bud so when
doore of your hearts and yet ye will not let him in In the wildernes That is in the world a desert of goodnes wherein the Preacher must fight with beasts as Paul at Ephesus in the shapes of men crying vnto rauening wolues couetous foxes roaring lions c. Here is the place where he must crie for in heauen there is no crying but all singing and in hell there is no crying to take heede of woe but howling and crying for woe while then you are in the way while it is called to day giue eare to the voice of the crier Or in the wildernes That is Ierusalem out of order as a desert or in the wildernes that is among the gentiles and desolate people strangers from the common-wealth of Israel and aliants from the couenants of promise before Christs comming but now the desolate hath moe children then the married wife The Gentiles heretofore were without an husband and the synagogue of the Iewes had God for her loue but now contrariewise the Church conuerted to the faith beares moe children vnto God then euer the synagogue did The voice of the crier shall gather and call so many sheepe to Christs fold that the wildernes shall say in her heart Who hath begotten me these children seeing I am barren and desolate Or in the wildernes Literally because that is the most fit place for the Preacher of repentance wherein there is least tumult and againe to signifie that the people should follow the Pastor not the Pastor humour the people The Preacher is the voice of a crier in the wildernes not a carpet diuine for table Gospellers in a corner I will not any further examine the place the end is all and that is to make straight the way of the Lord. The wicked walke either in circles or else in ouertwhart waies Impij ambulant in circuitu saith Dauid wearying themselues in the labyrinth of their vnruly desires or if they walke not circularlie they walke in wrie waies and by-waies opposite to the Lords way for example The vaine glorious doe all their good workes to be seene of men and so they crosse Gods way tending to another end onely the children of God walke in the straight way in a right line beginning and ending in God as euery good gift is from him so it is by them referred vnto him as his is the power so his is the praise The end of our preaching is not to make way for our selues our own preferment but for our Master and his glorie Make streight the way of the Lord as saith the Prophet Esay Wherefore leauing all other expositions I come to the Prophets interpretation as it is recorded in his 40. Chapter at the 3. and 4. verses A voice crieth in the wildernes prepare yee the way of the Lord make streight in the desert a path for our God Euery valley shall be exalted and euery mountaine and hill shall be made lowe and the crooked shall bee straight and the rough places plaine Now these things are to be construed in a spirituall sense For as Kings in their solemne progresses haue their waies leuelled and straightned against their comming into the countrie so the Preachers as harbingers and sumners of Christ ought to prepare the people that he may come vnto them as about this time he came vnto them Presumption and pride make mountaines and hils in Christs way desperation holes in Christs way vaine-glorie makes crooked the way couetous cares are briers and bushes in the way noisome lust makes foule the way wherefore the voice of the crier in the wildernes must dig downe the mountaines exalt the valleis stub vp the briers make smooth the rough rectifie y e crooked Behold saith God to the Prophet I haue set thee ouer the nations and ouer the kingdomes to plucke vp and to roote out and to destroy and ouerthrow to builde and to plant The which text is wrested by the Papists exceedingly to proue that the Pope hath authoritie to depose Princes and dispose of their crownes at his pleasure But God expoundes himselfe in the words immediatly before I haue made thee a Prophet and put my words into thy mouth a Preacher with words in his mouth not a Magistrate with a sword in his hand and therefore their owne glossographer interprets it thus I haue appointed thee to roote vp that is to roote vp vices to beate downe heresies and to build vp vertues And Theodoret To root vp kingdoms is nothing else but to denounce Gods heauie iudgements against them As Hierome To cast them downe by the word of Almightie God Vt facias opus prophetae sarculo non sceptro opus est tibi saith Bernard That thou maist doe the worke of a Prophet thou must haue a weeding hooke not a scepter And as Gregorie notes aptly the Prophet is willed here first to roote vp and after to plant because the foundation of truth is neuer well laid except the frame of error be first subuerted at the first wee must cast downe the mountaines by the preaching of the Law then exalt the valleyes by the preaching of the Gospell Such a voice was the Prophet Nathan at the first he did cast downe the mountaine the presumptuous hypocrisie of King Dauid rebuking him for his sinnes and thundring out iudgements for the same but when he saw this huge mountaine cast down when Dauid was vnder foote deiected in spirit crying out I haue sinned against the Lord Nathan presently raiseth vp this valley saying The Lord hath taken away thy sinne This course S. Peter vsed in his first sermon in beginning whereof hee charged the Iewes with their sinnes but so soone as they were pricked in their hearts and said Men and brethren what shall we doe S. Peter presently lifteth them vp againe by preaching Christ for the remission of sinnes And well might Iohn call himselfe such a voice for all his preaching stood vpon two legs repentance and faith digging downe the mountaines by the one and raising vp the valleyes by the other The great Doctor hauing heauen for his chaire earth for his schoole the whole Bible for his text and the whole world for his audience began this method in the first sermon that euer was made Gen. 3. Adam by following his new schoolemaster the diuell waxed proud and began to grow so big as a mountaine God therfore doth first cast him downe shewing the greatnesse of his fault and then hee raiseth him vp againe by promising that the seede of the woman should bruse the Serpents head Seeing then wee haue both precept and paterne from God himselfe let vs bee followers of him as deare children pulling downe the mightie from their seates and exalting the humble and meeke To begin with the first There are two sorts of mountaines One assuming too much vnto thēselues out of their owne merit The
lust thereof being onely certaine in being vncertaine Secondly things of this world are not satisfactory they doe not fill and content the mind of man The eye cannot be satisfied with seeing nor the eare filled with hearing all things haue an emptinesse and extreme vanity purchasing vnto the possessors nothing but anguish and vexation of spirit and the reason hereof as Viâ—aldus obserues is because the heart of man is made like a triangle and the world round as a circle Now a circle cannot fill a triangle but there will be some corner empty There is nothing can fill the mind of man but the blessed Trinitie when God the Father the most ancient of daies shall fill our memory God the Sonne who is wisdome it selfe shall fill our vnderstanding God the holy Ghost who is contentation and loue shall sit in our will then all the powers of our mind will be at rest when as they shall inioy him who made them But the things of this world afford no perfect and absolute contentment and therefore ne vos configurate seculo isto fit not your selues according to the worlds figure which is a circle but be ye renewed in your mind which is a triangle representing the sacred Trinitie Take a view with the Wise man of all worldly things in briefe doth any pleasure satisfie No pleasure is like lightning Simul oritur moritur it is sweet but short like hawking much cost and care for a little sport The prodigall child wasted both goods and body yet could not haue enough at the lest not enough hogs meat Virgo formosa supernè Desinit in turpem piscem malesuada voluptas Doth learning that incomparable treasure of the mind satisfie No The more a man knoweth the more hee knoweth that hee doth not know so that as Salomon said Hee that increaseth knowledge doth increase sorrow Doth honour content a man No The poore labourer would be written Yeoman the Yeoman after a few deare yeeres is a Gentleman the Gentleman must bee Knight the Knight a Lord the Baron an Earle the Count a Duke the Duke a King the King would Caesar bee and what then is the worlds Emperour content No. Vnus Pellaeo iuueni non sufficit orbis Aestuat infoelix angusto limine munde One world is not enough for Alexander and therefore he weepes and is discontent as if hee wanted elbow roome In the state Ecclesiasticall the begging Frier would be Prior the Prior an Abbat the Lord Abbat a Bishop the Bishop an Archbishop the Metropolitane a Cardinall the Cardinall Pope the Pope a God nay that is not enough aboue all that is called God 2. Thes. 2.4 This made Bernard wonder O ambitio ambientium crux how dost thou paine yet pleasure all men Doe riches content No the more men haue the more men craue and that which is worst of all they are the greatest beggers when they haue most of all He that loueth siluer shall not bee satisfied with siluer As the poore man crieth out Quid faciam quia non habeo so the couetous wretch as fast complaineth Quid faciam quia habeo Luke 12.17 Those drinks are best that soonest extinguish thirst and those meates which in least quantity doe longest resist hunger but here the more a man doth drinke the more thirstie so strange in some is this thirst that it maketh them dig the pits and painfully draw the water and after wil not suffer them to drinke This saith Salomon is an euill sicknesse and a great vanity when a man shall haue riches and treasure and honour â—nd want power and grace to ioy in them Thus you see the world is like a butterflie with painted wings vel sequendâ— labâ—mur vel assequendo laedimur either we faile in pursuing it or else wheÌ„ we haue caught it it is so vaine that it giueth no contentment Herein is the true difference betweene earthly things heauenly things the one are desired much but being obtained they content little the other are desired little but once gained satisfie much and therefore Lay not vp treasure vpon earth where the moth and canker corrupt and where theeues dig thorow steale for these things are neitheâ— vera nor vestra but lay vp treasure for your selues in heauen If ye will not heare the words of Scripture behold the works of nature mans heart is broad aboue narrow beneath open at the top close below to signifie that we should inlarge and spread our affections toward heauen and heauenly things and draw them to as narrow a point as possibly we can concerning earth and earthly things and so by the fashion of our heart we may learne not to follow the fashion of the world Be ye changed by the renewing of your mind We are formed by God deformed by Satan transformed by grace 1. Sacramentally by baptisme 2. Morally by newnesse of life which our Apostle meanes in this place That which followes in the text is expounded Epist. for the next Sunday The Gospel LVKE 2.42 The father and mother of Iesus went to Hierusalem after the custome of the feast day c. THis Gospell is a direction how parents ought to carrie themselues toward their children and how children also should demeane thâ—mselues toward their parents the one by the practise of Ioseph and Mary the other by the paterne of our Sauiour Christ. Parents care touching their children concernes their Soule Bodie Their soule that they bee brought vp in instruction and information of the Lord that is in godlinesse and ciuilitie by the one they shall keepe a good conscience before God by the other they shall obtaine a good report among men the which two conscience and credit must chiefly be sought after in this life For the bodie Parents ought to prouide competent sustenance and maintenance guarding their persons and regarding their estates all which is performed here by Ioseph and Mary toward Christ. First for the soules institution they did instruct him by precept and example precept bringing him to the Temple that he might be taught and that not only this once but often as often as law did require So Iuuencus expressely Ad Templum laetis puerum perducere festis Omnibus annorum vicibus de more solebant This should teach al parents how to teach their children especially that they send them vnto the publike Catechising in the Church and that according to Canon and custome for the common Catechisme which Authoritie commands is fit and full as containing all the vertues necessarie to saluation and the meanes whereby those vertues are receiued and conserued The principal vertues of a Christian are Faith Hope Charitie The Creede is necessarie for faith as teaching vs what wee haue to beleeue The Pater noster is necessarie for hope teaching vs what we are to desire The ten Commandements are necessary for charitie teaching vs what we
wicked in the darke conceit euery thistle to be a tree euery tree a man euery man a diuell afraid of â—uery thing they see yea many times of that they doe not see Polydore Virgil writes that Richard the 3. had a most terrible dreame the night before Bosworth field in which hee was slaine hee thought all the diuels in hell halled and pulled him in hideous and vgly shapes Id credâ— non fuit somnium sed conscientia scelerum I suppose saith Polydore that was not a fained dreame but a true torture of his conscience prâ—saging a bloodie day both to himselfe and all his followers The penner of the Latine Chronicle de vitis Archiepiscoporum Cantuariensium in the life of Archbishop Hubert records a will of a couetous oppressor in this forme Lego omnia bona mea domino regi corpus sepulturae animam diabolo The godly mans will alway runnes in this stile Terram terra tegat daemon peccata resumat Mundus res habeat spiritus astra petat I bequeath my bodie that is earthly to the earth my sins which are diuellish vnto the diuell my goods that are worldly to the world my soule that is heauenly to heauen but this vnhappie wretch in great despaire yeelded vp his coyne to the King whom hee had deceiued and his soule to the diuell whom he had serued It is written by Procopius that Theodoricus as he was at supper imagined he saw in a fishes head the visage of Symmachus a Noble man whom hee had vniustly slaine with which imagination he conceiued such terror as that he neuer after enioyed one good houre but pining away ended his vnfortunate daies Cardinall Crescentius the Popes Vicegerent in the Chapter of Trent on a time writing long letters vnto Rome full of mischiefe against the Protestants and cause of Religion had a sudden conceit that the diuell in the likenesse of a huge dogge walked in his chamber and couched vnder his table the which affrighted him so much as that notwithstanding the counsell and comfort both of friends and Physitians hee died a disconsolate death To conclude this argument the diuell Iudas out of the hell of his conscience was Bailiffe Taylor witnesse Iurie Iudge Sheriffe deaths-man in his owne execution Thus as you see the wicked haue no peace with man no peace with God no peace with themselues The very name of peace betweene man and man is sweete it selfe more sweete like the pretious ointment vpon the head of Aaron that ranne downe vnto his beard and from his beard to the skirts of his clothing Yet the peace of conscience is farre sweeter a continual feast a daily Christmas vnto the good man as the rich Epicure Luke 16. so the godly fareth deliciously euery day The man that trusteth in the Lord is fat saith Salomon he feedes himselfe on the mercies of God and merits of Christ. And so the peace of God passeth all these for it passeth all vnderstanding without which one gift all other are rather curses then blessings vnto vs. As Cyril excellently Dominâ— priuante suo gaudio quod esse potest gaudium It is the consolation of Israel and solace of the Church Reioyce greatly ô daughter Sion shout for ioy ô daughter Hierusalem for behold thy King commeth vnto thee That God is our God that Christ is our Christ that the King of all Kings is our King that he is reconciled vnto vs and we to him is a ioy surpassing all ioyes a iubilation as the Scripture termes it which can neither be suppressed nor yet expressed sufficiently How wretched then are the wicked in being debarred of all this sweete of all this exultation of all these iubilees of ioy for if they can haue no peace abroad no peace at home no peace with themselues no peace with other no peace with man no peace with God assuredly the proposition is most true There is no peace to the wicked Yea but you will say there is none good except God all of vs are gone astray if we say wee haue no sinne the truth of God is not in vs. Of what kinde of wicked is this then vnderstood Answere is made that this onely concernes incorrigible malicious impenitent senselesse sinners For when once men feele their sinnes and repent for their sinnes grieuing much because they can grieue no more then in such as sinne aboundeth grace superaboundeth all things worke for their good euen sinne which is damnable to other is profitable to them occasioning repentance neuer to be repented Remember the speech of God to Rebecca The greater shall serue the lesser Albeit our spirituall enemies are stronger and our sinnes greater then we yet they shall serue for our good the greater shall serue the lesse God who can bring sweet out of sower and light out of darknesse shall likewise bring good out of euill Such offenders haue peace with men so far as is possible with all men indeuoring to keep the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace Secondly being iustified by faith they haue peace toward God in Christ Rom. 51. Lastly Christ dwelling in their heart they want not peace of conscience but abound with ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 When sinners are rather passiue then actiue in sinne when it is rather done on them theÌ„ of them albeit their conscience accuse them of the fact yet it doth not condemne them of the fault and so there is all kind of peace to the penitent no kind of peace to the wicked impâ—nitent saith my God Hitherto concerning the thing proclaimed I come now to the person proclaiming in these words saith my God The subordinate proclaimer is Esay the principall God himselfe As heretofore the Prophet so now the Preacher is not onely the mouth of God as Luther cals him but as Iohn Baptist said of himselfe The very voice of God For albeit we speake yet it is Christ who by vs and in vs calleth vnto you 2. Cor. 5.20 See Epist. dom 3. Gospel dom 1. and 4. in Aduent If then the Lord hath said it let no man doubt of it Heauen and earth shall passe but not a iot of his word shall passe he is not like man that he should lie or like the Sonne of man that he should deceiue Yea that we might the better obserue it Almighty God hath spoken once and twice as it is in the 62. Psalme For the Lord had made this proclamation once before in the 48. chapâ—er at the last verse So that as Augustine in the like case verba toties inculcata vera sunt viua sunt sana sunt plana sunt One text repeated twice pressed againe and againe must needs be plaine and peremptory And assuredly beloued if we further examine the person of this Chiefe we shall finde him able to make this war because God and willing to maintaine this war because My God
man could number of all nations and kinreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lambe clothed with long white robes and palmes in their hands The number of Angels is infinite Thinkest thou said Christ to Peter in the 26 of S. Matthâ—w that I cannot now pray to my father and he will giue me moe then twelue legions of Angels A legion is 3000. footmen and 300. horsemen or as Caluin vpon the place 5000. foote 500. horsemen as Vegetius 6000. in all and â—uery particular Angell able in one night to kill as is recorded in the storie of Sennâ—cherib one hundred eightie and fiue thousand The number of starres in the skie of fowles in the aire of fish in the sea of beasts in the field of diuels in hell are without number How infinitely infinite then is the number of all his enemies in what a fâ—arefull â—state doth hee stand when as God and man Angels and Diuels saints and sinners heauen and earth fish and fowle beasts and birds other and himselfe in a word all that is within him all that is without him all that is about him combine themselues together to maintaine Gods holy warre against him I know there are degrees of sinners as there are degrees in sinne some be fautores some actores a third sort authores Of the first Seneca wittily Nihil interest faâ—eas ne sceleri an illud facias It is in a manner all one to commit and commend a villanie Non caret scrupulo occultae societatis qui manifesto discrimini non occurrit saith Gregorie He is suspected to be an abetter of euill who doth not endeuour to better the euill A commoner then that flattereth a Commander that fauoureth vngodly wretches in a citie le ts in so many strong foes to cut your throtes and ruine your estate Yet actors on the stage be worse then idle spâ—ctators for howsoeuer sinne be commendable because common as Sâ—luiâ—nus complained in his time In hâ—c scelus res deuoluta vt nisi quis malus fuerit saluus esse non possit In plaine English except a man be first bad he cannot be reputed a good fellow Yet horrible blasphemers incorrigible drunkards shamelesse whoremongers makebate pettifoggers malcontent accusants on the one side recusants on the other are the very men and meanes which bring and keepe the dearth and plague so long among you But authors of euill and plotters of mischiefe are worst of all as it appeares euen by Gods owne censure giuen of the first sinne in Paradise where the serpâ—nt had three punishments inflicted vpon him as the originall contriuer the woman two being the mediate procurer and Adam but one as the partie seduced Applie for I can no further amplifie When Phocas had built a mightie wall about his palace for his securitie in the night he heard a voice O King though thou build as high as the clouds yet the citie might easily be taken the sinne within will marre all as see Ambrose notably Grauiores sunt iniâ—â—ci mores praui quam hostes inâ—esti Wicked manners are stronger then armed men If God be with vs who can bee against vs if we stand against God who can withstand him And as God is ablâ— because God so willing to maintaine this warre because my God that is the God of his people whom the wicked persecute for his Grant is faire in letters patent to Abraham and his seed for euer I will blesse them that bleâ—â—e thee and curse them that curse thee Or my God that is the God by whom I speake who dealeth alway with his seruants according to his word The gods of the Gentiles are lying gods and dying gods but my God is the truth and the life who can neither deceiue nor be deceiued Or my God because wee must not only beleeue the Maior of the Gospell but the Minor also saying with Thomas my Lord with Mary my Sauiour with Esay my God If we can gaine this assumption it will bring vs to the most happie conclusion enioying peace of conscience which is an heauen on earth peace of glory which is heauen in heauen Vnto which hee bring vs that hath made peace for vs euen Christ Iesus the righteous to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost as we are bound so let vs heartily yeeld all honour c. Amen The Epistle COLOS. 3.12 Put vpon you as the elect of God tender mercy c. THis Epistle consists of two parts In the first Saint Paul exhorts the Colossians vnto many speciall vertues as tender mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long suffering c. In the second because it is infinit to insist in euery particular he drawes them and all other duties vnto two generall admonitions in grosse whereof the 1. concernes our theory Let the word of Christ dâ—ell in you plenteously c. 2. our practise whatsoeuer ye doe in word or deed doe all in the name of the Lord c. Put vpon you Christ had two sorts of garments as we read in the Gospell one without seame not diuided at his death and that was a figure of faith which maugre the rents of all heretikes and schismatikes in the Church is but one Another with seames parted among the souldiers and that was a type of loue which seekes not her owne but communicates it selfe to many So the Christian must haue two coates one of faith indiuisible by which he puts on Christ another of loue parted among many by which one Christian puts on another reioicing with them that reioice weeping with them that weep Vpon the point these two coates are but one faith being inside and loue outside faith in respect of God and loue toward the world This Epistle speakes of the outside put on tender mercy quoad affectum kindnesse quoad effectum meeknesse bene vtendo prosperis long suffering bene se habendo in aduersis c. These vertues are both ornamenta and munimenta clothes and corslets Ephes. 6.11 Put on the whole armour of God that yee may be able to stand against the assaults of the diuell Seeing we must euery day sight and euery day be seene let vs as well for armour as honour put on tenâ—er mercy kindnesse c. that we may walke vprightly and confidently See epist. dom 21. post Trinit How loue is said to be the bond of perfectnesse and chiefe vertue See epist. dom quinquages As the elect of God Saint Paul builds all these good exhortations vpon one argument drawne ab honesâ—o seâ— debito you are the elect of God holy and beloued chosen and beloued of God before the world through baptisme consecrated solemnly to God in the world wherefore being thus electi selecti dilecti Gods owne workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works it is most meete new men should vse new maners in stead of
been in effect As Paul sheweth in the like case For if there bee first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Illud pro facto reputat Deus quod homo quidem verè voluit sed non valuit adimplere 3. We must pay generally owe nothing to any whether he be friend or foe rich or poore stranger or neighbour restore all to all If any man corrupting or corrupted in secular offices hath iuiured many whom he doth not know then his best course is to restore to God that is to the Church and to the poore Touching these and the like questions of debt the learned may further examine Thomas Catetan Aragon Emmanuel Sa. with many moe but the best Schooleman in this argument is thine owne conscience For whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne That is all thou condemnest in thine heart for sinne to thee is sinne satisfie then all other so far that thou maiest satisfie thy selfe owe nothing to any Yet this precept hath his except But this that yee loue one another here then obserue first a difference between ciuill debts and religious A ciuill debt once paied is no more due but charitie being payed is still due debetur etiam reddita when a man dischargeth other debts accedit ad eum cui datur sed ab eo recedit a quo datur But in paying the debt of loue the more we giue the more wee haue Reddendo multiplicatur habendo enim redditur non carendo cum reddi non possit nisi habeatur nec haberi potest nisi reddatur Imò etiam cum redditur ab homine crescit in homine Et tanto maior acquiritur quanto pluribus redditur As Augustine doth excellentlie glosse this text peruse the cited Epistle for it is short and sweet of worldly wealth it may be said truely bonum quo communius eo minus but in spirituall riches it is quite contrarie honum quô communius eô maâ—us or as the Philosopher eo melius in the words of Salomon He that scattereth encreaseth in this except then I note with Gorran The Matter in the word diligatis The Manner in the word inuicem The Priuiledge in the word nisi The matter is to loue the manner mutually to loue the priuiledge continually to loue Owe nothing but loue for hee that loueth another fulfilleth the law This is the first reason enforcing the former exhortation and it is taken from the worthinesse of the thing Loue is the fulfilling of all the law which he prooues by this induction Thou shalt not commit adulterie thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale thou shalt not beare false witnesse thou shalt not lust and if there be any other Commandement it is all comprehended in this saying namely Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Loue doth no euill vnto his neighbour in deed forbidden in the 6.7.8 Commaundements in word forbidden in the 9. in thought forbidden in the 10. Loue then is the complement of the whole law concerning our dutie to God and man For our loue to man ariseth originally from our loue to God Amicum in Domino inimicum pro Domino We loue our friend in the Lord our foe for the Lord. This saith Luther is the shortest and longest diuinitie the shortest as touching the words and sentence but as touching the vse and practise it is more large more long more profound and more high than the whole world I shall often handle this common place especially Epistle on Quinquagesima Sunday I come now to the second argument from the fitnesse of the time verse 11. This also we know the season how that it is time that we should awake out of sleepe for now is our saluation neerer c. The summe of it is that wee must be more studious in performing our dutie now than heretoforeÌ„ when wee did first beleeue for wee must goe forward and grow vpward from grace to grace from vertue to vertue till we be of full growth in Christ Iesus or as it is here till we haue Put on the Lord Iesus A violent motion is quicke in the beginning but slow in the end a stone cast vpward is then most weake when it is most high but a naturall motion is slow in the beginning but quicker in the end for if a man from a Tower cast a stone downeward the neerer to the Center the quicker is the motion and therefore when a man at his first conuersion is exceeding quicke but afterward waxeth euery day slower and slower in the waies of the Lord his motion is not naturall and kinde but forged and forced otherwise the longer he liueth and the neerer he comes to the marke the more swiftly would he run the more vehemently contend for that euerlasting Crowne which he shall obtaine at his races end The night is passed and the day is come Some by night vnderstand the life present and by day the world to come in this life many things are hidden as in the darke but at the last and dreadfull day the bookes and registers of all our actions shall bee laid open and all things appeare naked as they are to God men angels diuels If we make but twelue houres in our night and sixe ages in the world as vsually Diuines account then fiue thousand yeeres that is ten houres of the night were past when Paul wrote this and since that almost sixteene hundred yeeres that is an houre and an halfe and a quarter so that now there can remaine but some few minutes and then the terrible day of the Lord will come When the heauens shall passe away with a noise and the elements shall melt with heate and the earth with the workes therein shall be burnt vp Wherefore seeing the end of this night and beginning of that day is at hand let vs cast away the works of darknesse c. Other more fitly by night vnderstand the time of ignorance by day the time of knowledge by night the law wherein our Sauiour Christ was onely shadowed by day the Gospell wherein he is openly shewed and so saluation is nearer because clearer Our Apostles argument then is like that of Iohn the Baptist Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand Matth. 3.2 The Gospell is the day Christ is the light faith is the eie which apprehends this light and therefore seeing the day is come let vs cast away the works of darknesse and put on the armour of light Sinnes are called the workes of darkenesse The foole maketh a mocke of sinne as Abner called fighting a sport Let the young men arise and play before vs so many men make sin their ordinarie pastime but our Apostle termes it a work and the wiseman a wearie work too Wis. 5.7 We haue wearied
first we must beleeue Christ to be that Iesus vers 11. that great Prophet who is the Messias and Sauiour of the world For the second wee must professe and confesse this faith hauing Hosanna in our mouthes and crying Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest vers 9. For the third we must spread our garments in the way cut downe branches from the trees and straw them in the passage vers 8. that is forsake all and follow Christ profering and offering our selues whollie to his seruice or as the Epistle doth expound the Gospell seeing our saluation is neere the night past and the day come let vs cast away the works of darknes and put on the armour of light c. I am occasioned here iustly to direct their ignorance who do not vnderstand and correct their obstinacie who will not vnderstand the wisdome of the Church so fitly disposing of the Gospels and Epistles as that often the one may serue for a Commentary to the other As heere S. Matth. Behold thy King commeth And S. Paul Our saluation is nigh and the day is come S. Paul doth aduise not to make prouision for the flesh and S. Matthew reports how the people accompanying Christ spread their garments in the way S. Paul commands loue in all men S. Matthew commends loue in these men who gaue such entertainment vnto Christ. The whole Gospell is a liuely picture of the Church in which are foure sorts of persons especially 1. Christ who is King and head verse 5. and 12. 2. Prophets who loose men from their sinnes and bring them vnto Christ verse 2. and 7. 3. Auditors who beleeue that Christ is the Messias openly professing this faith Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid vers 9. and manifesting this faith also by their works in obeying the Ministers of Christ verse 3. and performing the best seruice they can verse 8. 4. Aduersaries who much enuy Christs kingdome saying Who is this verse 10. Concerning Christs seueritie toward those who played the Merchants in the Temple See Gospell Dom. 10. post Trinit Epist. ROM 15.4 Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime they are written for our learning c. THis Scripture containes in it three things concerning the Scripture What it is written Shewing the Scriptures authority When aforetime Shewing the Scriptures antiquity Why for our learning Shewing the Scriptures vtility For the first things only told passing thorough many mouthes are easily mistold it is long ere we get them and we soone forget them Almighty God therefore commanded that his Law should be written in bookes and engrauen in stone that the syllables thereof might alway be in our eyes so well as the sound in our eares and that for two causes especially 1. That the godly man might exercise himselfe therein day and night 2. That the wicked might neither adde to it nor detract from it In like maner albeit the sound of the thundring Apostles went out thorough all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world yet the Spirit of wisedome thought it meete that there should be a treatise written of all that Christ did and said and that from point to point entituled The Booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. The Scripture then is a Bible because written and the Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in many respects excelling all other bookes especially for the maker and matter in so much that S. Paul saith If an Angell from heauen preach otherwise let him be accursed And Iustin Martyr goes yet further If Christ himselfe should preach another God or another Gospell I would not beleeue him Ipse non crederem Domino Iesu. This doctrine makes against vnwritten verities of Papists and fond reuelations of Anabaptists and factious interpretations of Schismatikes and impudent conceits of Libertines all which equall their owne phantasies with the Scriptures authority The Papists and Schismaticks are all for a speaking Scripture the Libertines and Anabaptists are all for an infused scripture the true Catholicks only for the written scripture to the Law and to the Testimony Thy word is a lanterne vnto my feet and a light vnto my paths The second point to be considered is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scriptures written aforetime being the first booke so well as the best booke for as Tertullian was wont to call Praxeas hesternum Praxean so we may terme the most ancient Poets and Philosophers in comparison of Moyses vpstart writers Omnia Graecorum sunt nâ—ua heri As Galaton painted Homer vomiting Reliquos verò poetas ea quae ipse euomuisset haurientes to signifie saith Aelian that he was the first Poet and all other as well Greeke as Latine but his apes In like maner Moyses is called by Theodoret Oceanus theologiae the sea of Diuinitie from whom all other writers as riuers are deriued The which point as it is excellentlie confirmed by Theodoret Clemens Iosephus and others so it is ingeniously confessed euen by the heathen Historiographers Eupolemus lib. de Iudaeaâ— regibus auoweth Moyses to be the first wise man Plato that a barbarous Egyptian was the first inuentor of Arts Appion Ptolomey Palaemon haue granted the same and vpon the point Strabo Plinie Cornelius Tacitus and others as â—icinus reports lib. de religione Christiana cap. 26. To demonstrate this more particularly The Troian war is the most ancient subiect of human history but Trâ—y was taken in the dayes of Dauid about the yeare of the world 2788. and Homer flourished anno 3000. whereas Moyses was borne anno 2373. Secondly this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confutes the Marcionites and Manichees and all such as reiect the old Testament For the place to which the text hath reference is taken out of the 69. Psalme verse 9 that the scriptures of Moses and the Prophets are written for our instruction It is plain by Christs iniunctioÌ„ Search the Scriptures as also by that of our Apostle 1. Cor. 10. These things happened vnto them for ensamples and were written to admonish vs vpon whom the ends of the world are come If all little histories then much more the great mysteries are our scholemasters vnto Christ Let vs examine therefore the third obseruable point concerning the Scriptures vtilitie Whatsoeuer things are written afore time they are written for our learning The Scripture saith Paul is the peoples instruction the Scripture say the Papists in the vulgar tongue is the peoples destruction The Scripture saith Paul doth make the man of God absolute the Scripture say the Papists in a knowne language makes men hereticall and dissolute but the Bible makes men heretikes as the Sunne makes men blinde and therefore Wickliffe truly To condemne the word of God translated in any language for heresie is to make God
we see these things come to passe we may be sure that the kingdome of God is nigh for as a man that is dying hath many phantasies euen so saith Chrysostome the world declining shall haue manifold errors in so much if it were possible Gods elect should be deceiued Matth. 24.24 Aristotle could not conceiue the world should haue an end because he thought and taught it had no beginning but diuine Plato who liued in Egypt and read as it is supposed the bookes of Moyses acknowledged the worlds creation and so subscribed to the worlds destruction holding this axiome Quod oritur moritur That which hath a beginning hath an end Whatsoeuer hath an end had a beginning the which is to be construed of compounded elementarie substances subiect to generation and corruption as all things in this world are For as we reade in scripture Some things haue a beginning but no end as Angels and the soules of men Some things haue no beginning but yet haue an end as Gods eternall decrees One thing to wit Ens Entium Almighty God hath neither beginning nor end who only hath immortalitie of all other things the first and the last and yet in himselfe there is neither first nor last Some things haue both a beginning and end as the world which had a creation and is subiect to corruption The world passeth away and the glory thereof and then when as the powers of heauen shall be shaken and the element shall melt with heat and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp then the sonne of man shall come in a cloud with power and great glory Now this certainty of Christs comming to iudgement affordeth abundant matter of comfort to the godly affordeth abundant matter of terror to the wicked affordeth abundant matter of instruction to both Comfort to Gods elect for when these things come to passe then saith Christ in 28. verse Lift vp your heads for your redemption draweth neere Now you are prosecuted and persecuted deliuered vp to the Synagogues and cast into prison but at that great assise there shall be a generall goale deliuery and you that haue done good shall goe into euerlasting ioy and your enemies who haue done euill into euerlasting fire Heere ye mourne but hereafter all teares shall be wiped from your eyes here ye sow in hope but then ye shall reape with ioy when as ye shall see the sonne of man comming in the clouds c. As God is the God of comfort so his booke is the booke of comfort Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime they are written for our learning that wee through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope The very soule of all the Bible is the Gospell and the summe of all the Gospell is the Creede and the maine point of all the Creed is that article concerning our resurrection and hope of eternall glorie when Christ shall appeare The Church then hath well aâ—nexed that Epistle to this Gospell as a consolation against desolation By the booke of comfort wee know that our Redeemer liueth and that he will come againe to iudge and reuenge our cause We beleeue that an eternall kingdome was secretly granted vnto vs in our election openly promised in our vocation sâ—aled in our iustification and that possession shall bee giuen in our glorification when as the Iudge of the world shall say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit ye the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world When the Lord himselfe shâ—ll descend from heauen with a shout and with the voyce of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God we shâ—ll be caught vp in the clouds to meete him and so shall euer be with him And therefore pray wee daily Thy kingdome come Come Lord Iesus come quickly Amen Now as this is comfortable to good men so most terrible to the wicked as Christ vers 26. Their hearts shall 〈◊〉 them for feare They shall seeke death in those daâ—es and shall not finde it And as it is Apocal. 6.16 They shall sâ—y to the mountaines and rocks fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe This hath been their day wherein so farre as they could they haue done their will the next is the Lords day wherein they must suffer his will a day of anger a day of trouble and heauinesse a day of destruction and desolation a day of obscuritie and darknesse a day of clouds and blacknesse The reprobate shall see the sonne of man in the clouds aboue to condemne them beneath hell mouth open readie to deuoure them before the diuels haling them behinde the Saints and all their dearest friends forsaking them on the left hand their sinnes accusing them on the right iustice threatning them on all sides the whole world made a bone fire terrifying them to goe forward insupportable to goe backe impossible to turne aside vnauailable no maruell then if at the worlds end men be at their wits end Thirdly this administreth instruction vnto all for as it is in the Epistle Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime are written for our instruction And this is so good a lesson that if we could obserue it well wee should neede no more teaching so saith the Wiseman Remember the last things and thou sâ—alt neuer doe amisse The last things are foure Death Iudgement Heauen Hell But the chiefe is iudgement for all the rest attend it Death is vsher to iudgement going before Heauen and Hell executioners following after Death would not bee so fearfull if iudgement did not follow Hell would not be so painfull if iudgement went not before without it heauen would not be desired nor hell feared Hee then that remembers the last day remembers in it all the last things and he that remembers the last things cannot do amisse Wherefore let vs euer embrace that godly meditation of S. â—â—â—rome Whethâ—r I eate or drinke or whatsoeuer I doe else I thinke I hâ—â—re the last trâ—mpe Arise yeâ— dead and come vnto iâ—dgement The consideration of the worlds destruction is a suffiâ—ient instruction to keepe good men in honest courses to terrifie bad men from euill waies Italians in a great thunder vse to ring their bels and discharge their cannon shot that the roring of the one may lessen the terror of the other In like sort Satan hangs tinckling cymbals on our eares and delights vs with the vanities and musicke of the world that we may forget the sound of the last trumpe and so that day be seene before foreseene of most As it is certaine that Christ shall come so most vncertaine when he shall come for he speakes of the time not definitly but indefinitly vers 25. Then there shall be signes vers 27. Then shall they see the Sonne of man comming in a cloud vers 28. When these things come to
passe then look vp for your redemption draweth neere But how neere now no man or Angel can tell Esay saw God in his throne and the Seraphims stood vpon it couering his face with two wings and his feet with two wings his face keeping vs from the secrets of Gods eternall predestination in the beginning his feete not disclosing when he will come to iudge the world in the end The certaiâ—tie then of this vncertaintie may teach vs not to bee curious or carelesse not curious for why should we presume to know more then other men more then all men more then Angels more then Christ himselfe It is a kinde of sacriledge saith Sâ—lâ—ianus to breake into Gods holie place and prie into his secret sanctuarie and to know more then he would haue vs to know Christs Apostles were his Secretaries his especiall fauourites and followers from whom hee kept nothing which was for their good and yet he said vnto them It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power The glorious Angels abound with much knowledge naturall experimentall reuealed hauing farre better meanes of knowledge then wee forasmuch as wee know the Creator by the creatures whereas they know the creatures by the Creator Opus habet humana anima quasi quodam vehiculo Creaturae vt adcognitionem Creatoris assurgat Cùm è contrà longè perfectius angelica natura in Creatore notitiam habet creaturae Angels alway behold the face of God in heauen in which as in a glasse they see much more then is possible for vs on earth to discerne Let not then an heauie lump of clay presume to know more then heauens heralds and yet Christ to satisfie further our curiositie saith in the 13. of Marke that himselfe knowes not that day and houre Now the disciple is not aboue his master nor the seruant aboue his Lord It is enough for the disciple to be as his master is and the seruant as his Lord. He is a foole that will be wisâ—r then Wisedome it selfe but Christ as man was either ignorant of it or else had no commission to reueale it or as Aqâ—in Dicitur nescire quia non facit scire Hee is said himselfe not to know because he would not haue vs to know Such as will enquire more touching that text may see Sixt. Seâ—en Bib. sent lib. 6. annot 105. Soarez Conimbricen traect 3. in Mat. Bellarm. lib. de anima Christ 1. cap. 5 sect â—am de quarto Iansen concord cap. 124. Maldonat in Matth. 24.36 I will end with the saying of Augustine Ne nos addamus inquirere quod ille non addidit dicere Let vs not seeke the things that are too hard for vs but that which God hath commanded let vs thinke vpon with reuerence Secret things bâ—long to the Lord reuealed things vnto vs. Secondly this vncertaintie of Christs second comming may teach vs not to be carelesse Nam ideo latet vltimus dies vt obseruetur omnis dies God would haue vs ignorant of the last day that we might be vigilant euery day This vse Christ makes in the words immediatly following my text and Matth. 24.42 and Mark 13.33 It behoueth vs vpon whom the ends of the world are come to bee more watchfull because Satan is growne more wrathfull Apocal. 12.12 as Lysards cut in peeces Threat with more malice though with lesser might And euen in dying shew their liuing spight The Father of mercies and God of compassion increase our faith and fill our lampes with oyle that when the Bridegrome shall come wee may meete him and enter with him into the wedding where there is ioy beyond all ioy pleasure without paine life without death euery thing that is good without any thing that is euill Amen The Epist. 1. COR. 4.1 Let a man this wise esteeme vs euen as the Ministers of Christ c. THe people of Corinth in Pauls age like the people of England in our time were very factious and humorous extolling some Preachers and despising other indiscreetly without either iudgement or loue S. Paul therfore rebukes sharply this insolent rashnes and sheweth in this scripture 1. What euery man should iudge verse 1. Let a man c. 2. What he should not iudge of the Preachers in which point he doth 1. report verse 2. 2. reproue their fault and that two wayes 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of correction I passe very little to be iudged of you c. vers 3.4 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of direction He that iudgeth is the Lord and therfore iudge nothing before the time vers 5. Let a man Whereas the Corinthians ascribed either too much or too little to their teachers our Apostle shewâ—s a meane Let a man this wise c. neither magnifying them as Christ for they are not Masters but Ministers and yet not vilifying them as ordinary seruants in Gods house for they are stewards and that of Gods own secrets Albeit Paul plant and Apollos water only God giueth increase Paul planted in preaching Apollos watered in baptizing some plant by their words other water by their works some plant by doctrine other water by their exhortation some plant by speaking other water by writing but in all God is all He that planteth is nothing he that watereth is nothing that is no great thing no principal agent but a subordinate instrument wherefore let not a man boast in 〈◊〉 Whether it be Paul or Apollos or Ceâ—has or the word 〈◊〉 or death whether theâ— be things present or things to come euen all are yours and â—e Chriâ—ts and Christ Gods If then the Preachers are yours and you are Christs and Christ Gods as of him and through him and for him are all things so vnto him and not vnto men giue all the praise and glory Let a man esteeme vs not as Christ but as the Ministers of Christ not as Lords but as stewards in Gods house now stewards administer not their owne goods but their masters and one day must account for them and therefore ye must haue and we behaue our selues as accountants Antichrist then is not the vicar of God but a factor of Satan in preaching his owne Decrees and equalling them with the diuine law But albeit Preachers are seruants yet are they not meane but high stewards and this is an exceeding great dignitie to be Christs mouth Christs voice Christs messengers Christs angels in so much as he that receiueth them receiueth him and he that despiseth them despiseth him as ambassadours speaking from him and for him as our Apostle elsewhere They be not only common ambassadors but legati à latere stewards of his hidden secrets not only dispensatores ministeriorum as in the vulgar Latine but according to the originall mysteriorum administers of his
and valediction the which custome is reteined in the Christian Church that no man depart out of the Temple before the diuine prayers and sermon end so the 4. Councel of Carthage decreed excoÌ„municating all such as offend in this kind Thus you see Christ was instructed by good lessons and life so that if Iesus had not been Iesus to be saued and not a Sauiour hee might haue said of his mother Mâ—râ— which Augustine writes of his mother Monica Mâ—â—ori sollâ—citudiâ—e me parturiebat spiritu quà m carne pepererat parturiâ—it carne vt in hanc tempâ—ralem nascerer corde vt in aeternam lucem râ—nascerer Now for his bodie when he was missing Ioseph and Mary sought him instantly with all diligence till hâ—e was found Behold thy father and I haue sought thee weeping Where literally note Maries humble carriage toward her husband Ioseph and the care of them both ouer Christ their childe The dutifull respect of Marâ— toward Ioseph is obserued ex ordine verborum in that she saith thy father and I not I and thy father as Cardinall Wolsees stile Ego rex meus I and my king is insupportable in the Politâ—kes so I and my husband insufferable in the Oeconomicks It was Assuerus his edict and it is Gods law that all women both great and small shall giue their husbands honour and that euery man shall beâ—re rule in his owne house for the man is the wiues head and the wife is her husbands subiect Subdita eris sub potestate viri Thou shalt bâ— subiect to thine husband and he shall rule ouer thee Gâ—n 3.16 So that a woman murthering her husband is accounted by the Ciuill lawes a parricide by the statutes of our land a traitor The next remarkable point is the ioynt care of them both ouer Iesus Thy father and I haue sought thee weeping As Paul said to Timothie so we to euery father serâ—a deposiâ—um keepe that which is committed to thee Haue a tender eye ouer thy childe which is a pledge of Gods goodnesse and that happily which may moue thee more flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone not only a liuely picture but a liuing and walking image of thy selfe Barren Sâ—ra was so glad of a childe that she called her onely sonne Isack that is laughter How wicked then is that parent who neglecteth his owne flesh his owne childe which is a token from heauen and ordinarilie the best monument of himselfe after death on earth As this example concernes the naturall father so likewise the ciuill and ecclesiasticall for incuria praepoâ—iti iniuria depositâ— detrimentum pecoris ignominia pastoris c. Pastor and Prince must sâ—â—ke the good of such as are vnder them as Ioseph and Mary did Christ with carefull hearts c. In a mysticall sense these words insinuate when where and how Christ is to be found of vs. 1. When On the third day 2. Where In the Temple 3. How Socialiter in vnitie thy father and I. Desidâ—rabiliter with an earnest desire to finde Lachrymâ—biliter with teares haue sought thee sorrowing First Christ is to be found on the third day vers 46. It came to passe three daies after that they found him in the Temple The first day was the time before the law in which as Christ told his Apostles all the Patriarks and holy fathers desired to see the things which they saw and could not see them and to heare the things which they heard and could not heare them The second day was the time vnder the law when also the Priests and Prophets expected Christ but they could not finde him therefore the Prophet Esay crieth out in his 64. Chapter Oh that thou wouldest breâ—ke the heauens and come downe The third day is the present time thiâ— acceptable time of grace wherein Christ is to be found hora est nâ—nc The houre is now Therefore to day while it is to day seâ—ke the Lord euen while he may be found call vpon him while he is neer for the next day which is the fourth day is the time after death and then he cannot be found or sought Ioseph and Mary could not finde Christ among their kinsfolke c. Non humana cognatione nec cognitione comprehenditur He that wil finde Christ must forsake friends forget his owne people and his fathers house They found him in Ierusalem that is in the Church among the faithfull not among barbarous Heathens or blasphemous heretikes his dwelling is at Sion there you may finde him among the Doctors in the Temple not in the market not in the tauerne but in the Temple for hee is to be found in his word in his sacraments among the Doctors and Preachers If this lesson often taught were once learned it would make you to frequent Gods house more diligently thirst after his word more greedily respect Christs ambassadours more reuerently The third point to be considered is how Christ is to be found Socialiter in vnitie pater tuus ego God is loue and his followers are the children of peace and his Ministers the messengers of peace his doctrine the doctrine of peace and therefore if we wil finde him we must follow the truth in loue God said to the serpent I will put enmitie between thee and the woman and betweene thy seed and her seed But if wee seeke Christ in contention all the feud is among our selues and not betweene Satan and vs. Odium in nos ipsos conuertimus all our fight is against our friends and not against our foes Againe we must seeke Christ earnestly Quaerebamus te nihil extrate Iesus for Iesus and lastly we must seeke Christ lachrymabilitèr sorrowing Now Mary did feare for three causes as Interpreters obserue 1. Lest Christ should leaue her and ascend to his father in heauen 2. Lest he should fall into the hands of persecutors 3. Lest he should forsake the Iewes and goe to some other nation So we must seek Christ with three sorts of teares of Deuotion lest he withdraw his gracious countenance froÌ„ vs. Contrition when he doth absent himselfe for a time Compassion when any member of his is afflicted and persecuted And he went downe with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them As the former part of this Gospell is a paterne for parents how they should instruct their children so this latter is a glasse for children how they should obey their parents Omnis enim actio Christi instructio Christiani For euery line of Christ is a copie for a Christian. In that therefore the Lord of all submitted himselfe to the gouernment of his supposed father and vnderling mother as Hierome notably Venerabatur matrem cuius ipse erat pater colebat nutritium quem nutriuerat and that for the space of thirty yeeres executing filial and oeconomicall duties
in their house what doth he but teach obedience to superiours especially that children should honour father and mother albeit they be neuer so meane for this subiection is a vertue not a weaknesse If parents inioine things vnlawfull and contrary to scripture then as expositours vpon this text commonly note we must prefer our father in heauen before our fathers on earth and say with Christ How happened it that ye sought me wist ye not that I must goe about Gods businesse Otherwise we must not offend them so much as with a very looke See decalog com 5. The dutifull child shall prosper as Christ in fauour with God and men but gracelesse Cham shall be cursed rebellious Absolon disobedient Phinehas and Hophni shall not liue out halfe their daies It was Gods law that the stubborne child should be stoned to death openly that all might heare and feare By the common lawes he that murthers his parent is reputed a petty traitor By the Ciuill lawes in old time an offender in that kind was sowed in a sacke with a dog a cocke a viper and an ape and so cast into some deepe water as vnworthy to reap the benefit of any element For so Tully doth excellently glosse that law Vâ— qui eum necásset vnde ipse natus esset careret ijs rebus omnibus ex quibus omnia nata esse dicuntur Etenim quid est tam commune quà m spiritus viuis terra mortuis mare fluctuantibus littus eictis Ita viuunâ— dum possunt vt ducere animam de coelo non possint ita moriuntur vt eorum ossa terra non tangat ita iactantur fluctibiâ—â— vt nunquà m abluantur ita postremò eijciuntur vt ne ad saxa quidem mortui conquiescant It is probable that Christ submitting himselfe to Ioseph vsed his occupation but what it was I cannot shew you need not know Saint Hilary thinks he was a Smith Hugo that he was a Mason most Diuines that he was a Carpenter So Iustin Martyr and other ancient Doctors haue gathered out of Matth. 13.55 Marke 6.3 See Six Sinen bibliothâ—c lib. 6 annot 62. Baron â—nnal tom 1. an 12. Iansen concord cap. 54. Maldonat Rhemisan Matth. 13.55 Now then in that Christ exercised a mechanical trade we may learne that a poore man may serue God and often doe much good in an honest occupation the text saith Iesus prospered in wisdome and in fauour with God and men He was a lambe and therefore the bigger the better but the wicked are goates and therefore the longer they liue the worse they are Mary kept all these sayings together in her heart It was well she laid them vp better that she kept them best of all that she kept them all Let vs also lay these things vp in our secret treasury that being inwardly grafted in our hearts they may bring forth in vs the fruit of good liuing This Gospell is well fitted to the day for after the celebration of Christs birth circumcision Epiphanie what should follow but his first manifestation in the Temple and then on the next dominical his first miracle wrought in Cana of Galile The Gospell and Epistle concord for what Christ doth in the one is a paterne of that Paul saith in the other Paul doth require first that we should offer our selues a quicke sacrifice to God and then according to the measure of grace that we should become seruiceable to men euerie one among our selues one anothers members euen so Christ here did first dedicate himselfe to God in celebrating the Passeouer in hearing the Doctors in disputing about religion in neglecting his acquaintance to doe the businesse of his Father in heauen and then hee went with his parents and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them Or as other obserue the Gospell and Epistle both insinuate that two things are requisite to saluation humilitas mentis munditia carnis For the first Pauls precept is that no man stand high in his own conceit but so iudge of himselfe that he be gentle and sober as a member helping other And Christs paterne is he became subiect to Ioseph and Mary though he was Lord of all For the second Pauls precept is Offer your bodies a quicke sacrifice holy and acceptable to God And Christs paterne is hee did the businesse of God in the Temple neglecting the pleasures of the flesh among his friends and acquaintance Sweet Iesus indow vs plentifully with thy grace that we may thus preach and practise that following thee who art the way wee may come to thee which art the life Amen The Epistle ROM 12.6 Seeing that we haue diuers gifts according to the grace that is giuen vnto vs c. LVther is of opinion that this Epistle should be capite breuior sine prolixior shorter in the beginning longer at the end For the beginning appertaines vnto the conclusion of the Epistle for Sunday before and the end to be the beginning of the Epistle for Sunday following yet so that it may be both read and expounded as a text absolute in it selfe The summe whereof is that wee must imploy and improue the manifold gifts of God vnto the glory of his name and good of his people This exhortation is inferred vpon a familiar comparison vsed in the words immediatly before for as we haue many members in one body and all members haue not one office so we being many are one body in Christ and euery man among our selues one anothers members In which obserue foure instructions First as the members are not made by their owne vertue but created by Gods almighty power before they could execute any function in the body not members because working but on the contrary working because members In like sort Christians are not members of Christ through their owne good works but they doe good works because they be members and inserted into Christ as the tree brings forth the fruit and not the fruit the tree The Papists then in their works of congruitie run too much vpon the figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 setting the cart before the horse merit before mercy Potes à te de ficere saith Augustine sed teipsum reficere non potes ille reficit qui te fecit Secondly the members are well content with their seuerall offices and place the foote is not grieued at the heads supremacie neither doth the nose maligne the eye nor eye couet to be tongue but euery one performes his function without any faction euen so we which are members of Christs mysticall body must be content with our vocation and calling neither enuying such as are aboue nor despising such are vnder vs. Although there be diuersities of gifts yet but one spirit diuersities of administrations yet but one Lord diuersities of operations yet but one God who worketh all in all Are all
imploy them and so multiplie them vnto the Donors glorie who gaue some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edificatioÌ„ of the bodie of Christ. If any giâ—â— lâ—t him doe it with singlenes With an vpright intention not to bee seene of men or to gaine much by giuing a little for that is not simplicitie but duplicitie Or because Paul speakes of Deacons publike guardians of the poore such as wee call Almoners and ouerseers he would not haue them deale subtilly for their own benefit but simply for the common good distributing the Churches beneuolence committed vnto their charge without respect of persoâ—s according to the seuerall necessities of the Saints Let him that ruleth doe it wiâ—â— diligence The slothfull and idle person is the diuels shop there he workes euer busie when men are lasie Wherefâ—re doe that which is in thine hand with all thy power especially take heed that thou doe not the worke of the Lord negligently That which Christ said of our redemption euery Christian must say of his particular vocation It is meate and drinke for me to doe my fathers will Vnto diligence there are two maine motiues 1. In regard of God who bestowes his gifts for this end that they may be well imployed in his holy seruice 2. In respect of our selues for vnto euery one that hath it shall be giuen and hee shall haue abundance and from him that hath not euen that hee hath shall be taken away The priuate duties are Generall Hate that which is euill cleane to that which is good Particular concerning our Faith Be feruent in spirit continue in prayer Hope Reioyce in hope be patient in tribulation Charitie in Giuing due respect to Superiours In giuing honor go one before another Equals Be kind one to another with brotherly loue Inferiours Distributing to the necessity of y e saints harboring the distressed equalling our selueâ— to theÌ„ of the lower sort Forgiuing Blesse them that persecute you c. All which offices are to be performed Freely Fully Fitly Freely with cheerefulnes and compassion Be merie with the merie weepe with such as weepe Fully without sloth or dissimulation Let loue be without dissimulation Fitly Applie your selues to the time for there is a time for all things and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth fit the place better then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Luther postil Erasm. Martyr in loc His meaning is not that we should alter our manners and religion according to the time like the Polypus and Camelion for in the beginning of this chapter hee doth aduise the contrarie Fashion not your selues according to to the world But that we should apprehend the best hint to doe good in the Church euermore redeeming the time Ephes. 5.16 so shall we be sure to serue God in obseruing the time The Gospel IOHN 2.1 There was a mariage in Cana c. MAriage is honorable saith Paul Honoured of God the Father Sonne Holy Ghost Father instituting it at the purest time in the best place for it was his first ordinance in Paradise when man was innocent Honoured of God the Sonne by his presence and first miracle wrought as the text saith at a wedding Honoured of God the holy Ghost who did ouershadow the betrothed virgin Mary Christs mother Honoured of the whole blessed Trinitie both in Deede for in the worlds vniuersall deluge maried persons and couples onelie were deliuered Gen. 7. Word comparing it to the kingdome of heauen and holinesse to a wedding garment calling it a great mysterie representing the spirituall vnion betweene Christ and his Church Honoured by the primitiue fathers as a fruitfull seminarie which fils earth with men and heauen with Saints Honoured of Iewes honoured of Gentiles honoured of all except heretikes and Papists herein appearing rather like diuels then Diuines as Paul tels vs 1. Tim. 4. The Papists in making mariagâ— a sacrament seeme to commend it more then wee but in affirâ—ing that holy Prâ—esthood is prophaned by this holy sacrament is to honour it as the Iewes honoured Christ in clothing him with a purple robe Mariage is a sacrament and yet a sacrilege So Bellarmin plainly Coniugia post solennia vota non coÌ„nubia sed sacrilegia so the rest of that vnchast generation generally such as vow first chastity then marry begin in the spirit and end in the flesh mad men saith Luther not vnderstanding what is the spirit or what is the flesh For in single life to burne with lust when one concubine wil not serue to commit villany with many strumpets are manifest workes of the flesh on the contrary for a man to loue his owne wife to gouerne his family to bring vp his children in instruction and information of the Lord are fruits of the spirit We might rather say that in heat of youth as Augustine speakes inquietâ adolescentia to vow single life were a sinne for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Sed de talibus perpetuae virginitatis votis fides nulla nulla in sacris literis est litera Saint Ambrose writes peremptorily that all the twelue Apostles had wiues except Saint Iohn and almost all the Romish Postils obserue that Iohn was the bridegroome at this wedding If this annotation bee true why doe they condemne mariage in Priests If false why doe they suffer it for currant as well in their accurate new writers as in their olde fustie Friers If any desire to be further satisfied in this curiositie let him reade Maldonat vpon the first of Saint Iohn in the preamble and Cardinal Baronius annal Tom. 1. fol. 94. In this historie foure things are regardable 1. The occasioÌ„ of the miracle want of wine at a wedding described by circumstances of Time the third day Place in Cana a town of Galile Persons Guests inuited as Christ and his disciples Gossips comming of their owne accord to further and helpe the businesse 2. Certaine passages of speech vpon this occasion betweene Christ and his mother vers 3.4 3. The miracle it selfe vers 6.7.8.9 4. The consequent and effect of the miracle vers 11. And the third day These circumstances of time place persons are set downe to confirme the truth of the miracle The time was the third day mystically there are three daies of the world the first before the law the second vnder the law the third after the law The world was instructed before the law by the Patriarks example by the writings of the Prophets vnder the law but in the third day which is the gospels acceptable time by Christ and his miracles or literally the third day from his being in the wildernes as Euthymius or the third day after his conference with Nathaniel as Epiphanius or the third day after he
tombes as Christ aptly Sepulchra quasi semipulchra exteriùs nitida interius foetida Before God but not before men as the male-content and vndiscreet professor by whose euill example the name of God is often blasphemed Neither before God nor men as the shamelesse ruffins and Atheists of the world whose glory is their shame delighting in doing euill and boasting of iniquitie reputing dishonestie no dishonour but the top of their gallantrie So Saint Augustine writes of himself before he was a saint Vbi non suberat quô admisso aequarer perditis fingebam me fecisse quod non feceram ne viderer abiector quô eram innocentior Both before God and men as Elizabeth and Zaâ—harie who were iust before God and vnreproueable before men so must euery Christian abstaine so farre as hee can from all appearance of euill yet this honest care of our cariage must not be to please men but only to praise God As S. Peter interprets S. Paul Haue your conuersation honest that they which speaâ—e euill of you as of euill doers may by your good workes which they shall see glorifie God in the day of the visitation Let your light saith Christ shine before men not onely that they may see your good workes but also that seeing they may glorifie your father which is in heauen Vt hoc ipsum quod homo per bona opera placet hominibus non ibi finem constituat vt hominibus placeat sed referat hoc ad â—audem Dei propterea placeat hominibus vt in illô glorificetur Deus As wee may not conceale from our enemie wisedome and knowledge which are good so much lesse render euill Recompence to no man euill for euill A Magistrate may punish a malefactor and so pro malo câ—lpae render malum poenâ—e But this is not to recompence euill for euill but good for euill because corrections are directions as well to the seer as sufferer the flesh is destroyed that the spirit may be saued A Magistrate then may render euill for euill but a priuate man out of a priuate grudge may not auenge himselfe but rather giue place to wrath The which may be construed of our owne wrath The which may be construed of aduersaries anger The which may be construed of Gods iudgement Of our owne wrath as Ambrose Resiste irae â—i potes cede si non potes An hastie cholerick man is like one that dwels in a thatched house who being rich in the morne through sudden fire is a begger ere night It is extreme folly to doe any thing in furie but wisedome to giue place and space to wrath It was an excellent decree of Theodosius enacted by the counsell of S. Ambrose that execution after a seuere sentence should be deferred thirtie daies vt ira decocta durior emendari possit sententia that all heate of contention allaied if need require the seueritie of the censure might bee qualified and moderated Secondly this may bee construed of our aduersaries anger for as thunder and gunnes hurt not any thing which yeelds vnto their fury but only that which is hard and stiffe so the raging and roring of our foes are best quelled by patience Turne to the brauling curre and he will be more fierce but ride on neglecting him and he will soone be quiet You may turne the prouerbe Veterem iniuriam feres do vitas nouam Thirdly this may bee construed of Gods iudgement and that most fitly for to God onely vengeance belongs and he will auenge our cause The malitious man in reuiling thee doth treasure vp wrath against the day of wraâ—h and therefore giue place to Gods wrath Cast all your care on him â—or he â—â—reth for you Yâ—a but may we not coâ—plaine to the Magistrate for redresse of iniurie yes surâ—ly for he iâ— Gods lieutenant on earth and therefore the vulgâ—r Latine vâ—smâ—tipsâ—s dâ—fendeâ—tes is inâ—uâ—ficient as our Diuines haue well obserued and the Rhemistâ— haue well mâ—nded it râ—ading as we doe reuenge or 〈◊〉 not â—our sâ—lueâ— For we may be so wise as serpents in defending our sâ—lues howsoeuer so innocent as doueâ— in â—ffending other Hee that commits his cause to the Magistrate giues place to diuine iudgement for all superiour powers are Gods ordinance but whosoeuer auengeth his owne quarell steps into the Princes chaire of estate yea Gods owne seate dethroning both and so disturbes heauen and earth Here then is no place for duell a fault as it is vsed in England the Low Countries especiâ—llâ— France for euâ—ry punctilio of honor falsely so called against not only the rules of reason and religion as Bernard notably Quis hic tà m stupendus error quis furor hic tà m non ferendus nullis stipenâ—ijs militare niâ—i aut mortis aut criminis Nam occisor lethâ—â—â—ter peccat occisus aeternâ—liâ—er perit but euen â—gainst the first principles of that art As a Christian may warre in loue so a Christian must iarre in loue so contend with his aduersarie before the lawfull Iudge that the partie cast in the sâ—ite may bee bettered if not in his money yet in his manners and Satan onely conquerâ—d Vt qui vincitur 〈◊〉 incat vâ—nus taâ—tummoâ—o vincatur diâ—bolus Otherwise when wee sue for our rigâ—t out of rancor and malice we commit not our case to God and his deputie the Pâ—ince but make them both our deâ—uties our instruments of reuenge the which is such an horrible crime that Paul calles it a mâ—sterie of iniquitie 2. Thess. 2.7 I say this secret exalting of our selues aboue all that is called God vsing Soueraignes as seruants in our priuate quarels is to play the diuell and the Pope We may not then dissemblingly but simply giue place to wrath An hard saying and therefore Paul doth sweeten it with a louing tearme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dearely beloued as if hee should speake thus It is my loue that I write so much against malice not for your hurt but for your eternall good If you will not beleeue me beleeue God himselfe who saiâ—h in his holy word Vengeance is mine I will repay sâ—ith the Lord. God doth reuâ—nge the quarell of his children vpon the wicked in this and in the world to come In this life so the children who mocked his Prophet Eâ—â—â—â—â— were rent in peeces with beares 2. King 2. So when Hierusalem had killed the Prophets and stoned such as preached vnto her Almightie God was wâ—oth and sent foorth his warriers and destroyed those murtherers and burnt vp their citie Matth. 22.7 Three shamelesse ruffins accused Narcissâ—s a reuerend and holie Bishop of a most hainous crime confirming their accusation with imprecation the first wished if it were not so that he were burnt the second that he might dye of the iandise the third that he might lose his eyes And afterward in processe
of time the first had his house set on fire in the night and he with all his familie was burnt the second had the iandise from the crowne of his head to the sole of his foote whereof he died vncomfortably the third seeing what was befallen these twaine repented and confessed the conspiracie yet for all that he lost his eyes Earle Godwin swearing at table before the King that hee did not murther Aâ—frâ—â— after many words in excusing himselfe said So mought I safely swallow this morsell of bread as I am guiltlesse of the deede But so soone as he had receiued the bread foorthwith he was choked What need we looke so farre the confounding of the Spanish Armado the defeating of so many cruell treasons against our late Queene of blessed memory the frustrating of that hellish Gunpowder Treason are plaine demonstrations that vengeance is Gods and that hee will repay that hee doth plead the cause of his seruants against such as striue with them and fight against such as fight against them Againe God rewards the wicked in the world to come Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his angels For I was an hungred and ye gaue me no meat I thirsted and ye gaue me no drinke c. If they shall be punished who did no good how shall they be tormented who render euill to the members of Christ If negligent Diues be tortured in hell for omitting onely the works of mercy what shall become of violent Diues for committing the works of cruelty Some sins are punished only in this life as poore Lazarus and that incestuous Corinthian Other only in the life to come as the rich Glutton who while he liued had the world at will Other are both tortured in this life and tormented in the next as the filthy Sodomites who for their burning lust had here sulphureum ignem and shall haue there gehennalem ignem Or as Saluianus lib. 1. de gubernat Dei God sent vpon them in this life Gehennam è coelo Wherefore seeing Almighty God doth reuenge our quarell either immediatly by himselfe or mediatly by his ministers and wariers euen all his creatures in heauen and earth it is both faithlesse and fruitlesse for our selues to right our selues It is faithlesse not to belieue that the Lord wil deale with vs according to his word who promised by the mouth of his holy Prophet With thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the vngodly Fruitlesse for as much as it is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God whose little finger is heauier then our whole hand If it be possible so much as in you is liue peaceably with all men We must seeke peace yet vnder these conditions If it be possible and as much as in vs is For we cannot haue peace with some men and wee may not haue peace in some matters See Gospell on all Saints and ser. on the first Lesson for the next Sunday ioined to the Gospel and Epistle If thine enemie hunger feed him There are degrees of loue Doe good to all men especially to them which are of the houshold of faith Among the faithfull the neerest ought to be dearest vnto vs a wife father child ally neighbour friend is to be respected more caeteris paribus then a stranger or an enemy yet in case of necessitie thou must feed thy foe blessing him that did curse thee By the ciuill lawes he that bequeathes a man nourishment intends he should haue bed and boord apparell and dwelling Alimentis legatis cibaria vestitus habitatio debentur In like sort God inioining vs in his Testament and last will to feed our enemies includes also that we must harbour them and cloath them and according to their seuerall necessities euery way relieue them In so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire vpon his head I finde two constructions of these words one bad another good It is a senslesse sense to say by well doing thine enemie not deseruing it thou shalt heâ—pe coales of fire vpon his head increase Gods heauy iudgements against him Our Apostles intent is to moue men vnto charitable works euen toward their enemies hereby to doe them good and to purpose the same But if that were the meaning Paul should teach vs how to be reuenged and in shew of doing kindnes to worke mischiefe pretending good intending euill The better construction is In so doing thou shalt either confound or conuert thine aduersary Confound him in his conscience making him acknowledge that thou art more religious and more nobly minded then himselfe So when Saul vnderstood of Dauids honest and honourable cariage toward him instantly brake forth into this ingenuous confession Thou art more righteous then I for thou hast rendred mee good and I haue rendred thee euill Or else thou shalt conuert him to thy selfe For loue is strong as death the coales thereof are â—iery coales and a vehement flame There is no greater prouocation to loue then preuention in loue Nimis enim durus animus qui dilectionem ersinolebat impendere nolit rependere Kind respect to thy foe shall blow the coales of his affection and inflame his loue toward thee Be not ouercome of euill We must haue patience when we cannot haue peace so we shall be more then conquerours ouercomming without resistance which is the most noble kind of victory or ouercome euill with goodnesse that is make the wicked good by thy good example Probum ex improbo redde For as Augustine from Seneca diligendi sunt mali vt non sint mali We must manifest our loue to the wicked in winning them to God not in fostering or flattering them in their folly The Gospel MATTH 8.1 When he was come downe from the mountaine c. DOwne from the mountaine From the mount of heauen into this valley of earth as a Physitian to cure our leprosies Or from the mount of the law to the plaine of the Gospell Or from the mount of contemplation vnto the field of action Or he came downe from the mountaine first instructing his disciples and after descending to the capacities of the people Teaching all teachers hereby to deliuer high points vnto the learned and plaine principles to the simple Doctores ascendunt in montem vbi perfectioribus excellentia praecepta descendunt autem cùm inâ—erioribus lâ—uiora demonstrant Behold a leper In Christ preaching and practise meet together So soone as he had said well he proceeds for the confirmation of his doctrine to do well Acting good works and great works good works of mercy great works of miracle Of mercy in helping of miracle in healing a leprous man present and a palsie man absent Intimating hereby that it is not enough to talke of Gods waies except we walke in his paths and
God to make me cleane but if thou wilt thou thy selfe canst and therefore thou art the very Christ neither doth he doubt of his mercie for he saith not make me cleane but if thou wilt make me cleane It is enough to shew my need I coÌ„mit the rest to thy cure to thy care Thou canst doe whatsoeuer thou wilt and thou wilt do y â— which shall be most for my good thy glorie This may teach vs how to confesse our wickednesse to God as also to professe his goodnesse vnto men Our wickednesse vnto God for as Seneca truly Prâ—ma sanitatis pars est velle sanari The first step vnto health is to be desirous of helpe Ipse sihi denegat curam qui suam medico non publicat causam Our sinnes are a spirituall vncleannes and leprosie defiling the whole bodie making our eyes to lust our mouth to curse our tongue to lie our throte an open sepulchre our hands nimble to steale our feete swift to shed blood It is therefore necessarie we should manifest vnto Christ our sores that he may see them and search them and salue them Againe by this example wee may learne to professe the faith of Christ openly Though the kings of y e earth stand vp and the rulers take counsell against the Lord and against his anointed Other happily thinke so but dare not say so Some peraduenture say so though they thinke not so but I beleeue as I speake and speake as I beleeue Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Hitherto concerning the patient I come now to the physition in whom two things are obseruable 1. His mercie who would so readily 2. His might who could so easily cure such an incurable leprosie And Iesus put foorth his hand He granted that cheerefully which the leper desired earnestly The leper said if thou wilt and Christ answereth I will and as I will I say be thou cleane and as I say I doe His leprosie was immediatly cleansed hee spake the word and it was done hee commanded and it was effected euen with a little mouing of his lips and touch of his finger Here then is comfort for the distressed soule the leper calles and Christ heales him the Centurion comes and Christ helps him Other Physitions are deceiued often themselues and often deceiue others and therefore we venture much when we trust them a little The best physicke as one said is to take no physicke but if wee commit our cause to this heauenly Doctor our venture is without all peraduenture for hee cureth all that call vpon him and easeth all that come vnto him Iesus put foorth his hand and touched him Extendens manum suam quod fuit liberalitatis contra auaros tetigit eum quod fuit humilitatis contra superbos dicens volo quod fuit pietatis contra inuidos mundare quod fuit potestatis contra incredulos It was vnlawfull to touch a leper as we finde Leu. 14. In that therfore Christ touched here this leper he shewes himselfe to be greater then Moses aboue the law When Elisha cured Naaman hee did not put his hand on the place because hee was subiect vnto the law but Christ touched this leper as being Soueraigne of the law So Chrysostome Ambrose Theophylact Ludolphus and almost all other vpon the place Secondly note with Melancthon that morall duties are to be preferred before ceremoniall offices and therfore Christ neglects a ceremonie to saue his brother and that according to Gods owne commandement I will haue mercie not sacrifice The best glosse vpon the Gospel is faith and the best exposition of the law is loue Christ therefore did offend the sound of the law but not the sense Thirdly this intimates that Christ was homo verus and yet not homo merus a very man in touching but more then a meere man in healing with a touch Ambrose pithily Volo dicit propter Fotinum imperat propter Arium tangit propter Manichaeum He did touch the leper to confute Manichaeus denying him to be very man he did vse the imperatiue moode be thou cleane to confound Arius denying him to be very God Fourthly obserue with Cyrillus of Alexandria the preciousnes of Christs humanitie the which vnited vnto the Godhead is the sole salue of all our sores his rags are our robes his crying our reioycing his death our life his incarnation our saluation Fifthly with Aquin to demonstrate that himselfe and none other cured him because himselfe and none other touched him Sixthly with Caluin and Marlorat Christs humility who did vouchsafe not onely to talke with the leper but also to touch the leper According to this example we must learne not to loath any Lazarus as the rich Glutton in the Gospell but rather at it is reported of Elizabeth the Kings daughter of Hungary to make medicines for his maladies and plaisters for his wounds in humanity to relieue the distressed in humility to kisse the very feete of the poore As Christ stretched out his hand to the leper so we should put forth our hand to the needy Let not thine hand saith the Wise man be streâ—ched out to receiue and shut when thou shouldest giue Lastly with Tertullian and other how Christ in this action respected not the letter but the meaning which is the soule of the law The scriptures are not in superficie sed in medulla non in verborum folijs sed in radice rationis Now the reason of the law forbidding the cleane to touch vncleane was lest hereby they should be polluted But Christ could not be thus infected he therefore touched the leper not to receiue hurt but to giue helpe so the text of Paul is to be construed hos deuita The Nouice may not be familiar with an old subtill fox but a iudicious Diuine may confer with an heretike not to peruert himselfe but to conuert his aduersary Christ may touch a leper if it be to heale him and the Minister of Christ may teach an heretike if it be to win him and not to wound the truth I will be thou cleane I will If God will is the stile of man our will being subordinate to Gods eternall decrees in whom we liue and moue and haue our being But I will is the stile of God only who doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him in heauen in earth in sea Ps. 135.6 The commanding terme then I will and imperatiue moode be thou cleane except we reade the text with the spectacles of Arius euidently proue that Christ is God Almighty And immediatly his leprosie was clensed This amplifieth exceedingly Christs greatnesse and goodnesse first in that he cured this vncleane person thorowly then in that he cured him quickly for in all our suits vnto men we desire two things especially that they deale soundly and roundly Christ dealt so soundly with this leper as
malum culpae whosoeuer resisteth power resisteth the ordinance of God poenae they that resist shall receiue to themselues damnation submit our selues is good because the Magistrate is the minister of God for our good for the good of peace protection iustice religion the like For this cause we pay tribute quia ministri Dei sunt in hoc ipsum seruientes iucundo wee must obey for conscience the which vnto the disobedient is a perpetuall hell but vnto such as obey Gods ordinance is a continuall feast No power but of God An argument from the Author of authority all higher powers are from the highest power vnto whom all creatures must be subiect It happeneth often that potens the ruler is not of God Ipsi regnauerunt non per me They haue set vp Kings but not by me they haue made Princes and I knew it not And the maner of getting kingdomes is not alwaies of God Alexander 6. obtained the Popedome by giuing himselfe to the diuell Phocas by sedition got his Empire Richard 3. came to the crowne of England by butchering his Nephewes and other of the blood Royall yet the power it selfe is euer from God By me Kings reigne Thou couldest haue no power saith Christ to Pilate except it were giuen thee from aboue The powers that be are ordained of God Insinuating that the Magistrate is not from God after any common manner as all things are but after a more speciall fashion ordained The Lord is the God of order and order is the good of euery creature with whom it is better not to be then to be out of order Whosoeuer therfore resisteth If there be no power but of God and nothing done by God but in order he that resisteth authoritie resisteth Gods ordinance So the Lord himselfe said to Samuel They haue not cast thee away but they hauâ—â—ast me away that I should not reigne ouer them And hee might haue said of Princes as hee doth of Preachers He that despiseth you despiseth me For hee said of both Ego dixi dij estis As God is a great king so a king is as it were a little God He therefore that resisteth the Prince resisteth him that sent him almightie God the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1. Tim. 6.15 There are two binders of the conscience 1. Proper Gods law 2. Improper mans law Gods holy word hath absolute and soueraigne power to binde the conscience for God is Lord of conscience creating it and gouerning it and only knowing it The lawes of men improperly binde conscience not by their owne vertue but by the power of Gods law which here and elsewhere commands obedience to princes He therefore that willingly with a disloyall minde breakes any wholesome lawes of men is guiltie of sinne before God Non enim habendae sunt pro traditionibus humanis quandoquidem fundatae sunt in generali mandato liquidam habent approbationem quasi ex ore Christi So S. Augustine notably Hoc iubent imperatores quod iubet Christus quia cum bonum iubent per illos non iubet nisi Christus They that resist shall receiue to themselues damnation It may be construed either of temporall punishment or eternall iudgement Of temporall for the wrath of a King is like the roring of a lion he that prouoketh him vnto anger sinneth against his owne soule By the lawes of England a traitor conuicted and attainted hath his iudgement to be drawne from his prison to the place of execution as being vnworthie to tread any more vpon mother earth and that backward with his head downward for that hee hath been retrograde to naturall courses after hanged vp by the necke betweene heauen and earth as deemed vnworthie of both his priuie parts are cut off as being vnprofitably begotten and vnfit to leaue any generation after him his bowels and intrals burned which inwardly had conceiued and concealed such horrible treason then his head cut off which imagined the mischiefe last of all his whole bodie quartred and made a prey for the birds of the ayre as one said of a Romish treacherous Iesuite Sic benè pascit aues qui male pauit oues How Rebels haue ruinated vtterly themselues and their families all histories are full of tragicall examples acquirunt sibi damnationem as it is in the vulgar they doe not only receiue but pull vpon themselues heauie iudgements Againe this may be construed of eternall damnation as is manifest in Chore Dathan and the rest of that conspiracie who went downe quicke to hell If murther be fitly termed a crying sinne then treason may well bee called a roring sinne For as he that robs a scholer is said to rob many so the traitor that murthers a Prince kils many sometime the whole State the which assuredly cries aloud to the Lord in such sort that it awaketh him and often calles him to speedie iudgement He is the minister of God for thy wealth If hee be a good Prince causa est he is the cause of thy good temporall and eternall if an euill Prince he is an oâ—casion of thine eternall good by thy temporall euill Si bonus nutritor est tuus si malus tentator tuus est If a good king he is thy nurse receiue thy nourishment with obedience if euill he is thy tempter receiue thy triall with patience So there is no resistance either thou must obey good gouernours willingly or endure bad tyrants patiently Magistrates are Gods ministers ergo subordinate to God If then higher Powers enioyne things against him who is higher then the highest It is better to obey God then men Hic saith Augustine contemne potestatem timendo potestatem In that thou fearest Gods power feare not mans power as Iulians souldiers would not worship Idols at his command yet when he led them against an enemie they obeyed most readily Distinguebant dominuÌ„ temporaleÌ„ à domino aeterno tameÌ„ subditi erant propter dominum aeternum As al power is from God so for God and therefore when the Prince commands against truth it is our dutie to be patient and not agent For this cause pay ye tribute Subsidies are the Kings stipend or pay for he is the minister of God and great seruant of the State So S. Paul expressely Seruing for the same purpose not to take his owne ease but to wake when other sleepe taking such care that al men else may liue without care Magnaseruitus est magna fortuna nam ipsi Caesaricui omnia licent propter hoc ipsum multa non licent Erasmus wittily Miserosesse principes si intelligant sua mala miseriores si non intelligant A Prince must be like Iob eyes to the blinde and feete to the lame Be ye wise therefore ye Kings Intelligâ—te Reges Intelligere est intus legere they must
own kind So it is with Aarons rod and with the crozier staffe if it sticke long in the common puddle it will not diuide the waters aright but become so rusty as iron so stonie as flint onely that rod is like it selfe which is aboue the waters aboue the streame aboue the people The vulgar is like tapestrie the further the fairer but the neerer you come the worse they are He that is pinned as a cognosance to the towne coate and depends vpon the common sleeue pendet magis arbore quam qui pendet ab alâ—â is as base as a signe that hangs on a painted maypole Paul then had good cause to desire that he might be deliuered from vnreasonable men and Christ here to decline troublesome troopes entring into a ship with his disciples Our Sauiour Christ could haue walked on the water as he did Mat. 14. or else drie vp the water as hee did for the children of Israel Exod. 14. but he did neither for if hee should haue vsed his omnipotent power in euery thing as God no bodie would haue beleeued him to bee man hee did therefore take this course in the whole course of his life to manifest both If hee were not God whom did Gabriel call Lord If not man whom did Mary beare in her wombe If not God whom did the wisemen worship If not man whom did Ioseph circumcise If not God who promised Paradise to the thiefe If not man who hanged on the crosse If not God who rebuked the windes and the seas If not man who slept in the ship If not God who raised the tempest If not man who went into this barke His disciples followed him A ship as Hilary notes doth fitly resemble the Church of Christ for as a ship is small in the foredecke broade in the middle little in the stearne so the Church in her beginning and infancie was verie little in her middle age flourishing but in her old age her companie shall be so small and her beleefe so weake that when the sonne of God shall come to iudge the sonnes of men he shall scarse finde any faith on earth Luk. 18.8 It is obseruable that Christ and his Disciples failed all in one ship he did enter in first and his Disciples followed Vnus mundus docet vnum esse Deum The world being but one teacheth vs that there is but one God one God that there is but one Church one Church one truth and therefore as the Church is called by Paul Columna veritatis so by Salomon Columba vnitatis Cant. 6.8 My doue is alone Noes Arke represents the Church all in the Arke were saued all out of the Arke perished All that continue with Christ in his ship are secure though the Sea make a noise and the stormes arise but hee that vtterly forsakes the ship and swims either in the cockboate of heretikes or vpon the windie bladders of his owne conceits shall neuer touch the land of the liuing As in Salomons Temple there were three roomes the porch the body the sanctum sanctorum so likewise in Christianitie we cannot enter into the holiest of holies but by the Church nor into the Church but by the porch of baptisme First there must be shipping then sailing last of all arriuing First wee must be shipt with Christ in baptisme after saile with him in the Pinnisse of the Church or else wee shall neuer anchor in the hauen of happinesse Saint Mattheâ— doth vse the word follow signanter insinuating that all Christs disciples ought to follow him as himselfe saith If any will be my disciple let him forsake himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me Some in their high towring thoughts and immoderate zeale run before Christ as Iames and Iohn other goe cheeke by iole with him as Pelagians and all such as mingle their merit with Christs mercy making him but halfe a mediator mediatum dimidiatum mediatorem Other follow Christ but a far off as Peter Matth. 26.58 Other follow Christ neere but not for Christ not for loue but for loaues as the people Iohn 6.26 Few follow him in a troublesome sea as the disciples here The people followed him in the plaine not vp to the mountaine nor into the sea but Christ leauing the multitude would haue his company tossed in the waues of affliction lest they should be puffed vp with presumption and pride Apollonius writes of certaine people that could see nothing in the day but all in the night In like maner manie men are so blinded with the sunshine of prosperity that they see nothing belonging vnto their good but in the winter night of misery schola crucis schola lucis no such schoolehouse as the crosse house The Palsiman lying in his bed desired to be brought vnto Christ. Ptolomaeus Philodelphus being so sickly that hee could not follow worldly delights as he was wont gaue himselfe to reading and builded that his renowned Library The disciples here seeing the wonders of the deepe and dangers of the sea were humbled in feare and raised vp in faith And behold there arose a great tempest Vntill Christ was in the ship there was no storme While men haue pillowes sowed vnder their elbowes all is peace but so soone as Christ rebukes the world of sinne the wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest whose waters cast vp dirt and mire Iohn Baptist raised such a storme by preaching against Herod that it cost him his head When Paul preached at Athens Corinth Ephesus c. there followed alway tumults and vprores among the people When Luther first preached the Gospell instantly there was great thundering froÌ„ Rome a great tempest in Germany France England Scotland and in the whole Christian world which all the Popes Buls and calues too could not appease This storme was not by chance but raised by Gods prouidence who brings the winds out of his treasures Psal. 135.7 and the tempest was great that the miracle might be great the greater the tempest the greater was the triall of the disciples faith In so much that the ship was couered with waues The Church is often in danger but it cannot be drowned hell gates cannot ouercome it Robur fidei concussum non excussum Albeit Satan goe about daily like a roaâ—ing lion seeking whom he may deuoure yet there shall be some still whom he shall not deuoure He was asleepe He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep He did sleep as man but watch as God I sleep but mine heart waketh He seemes onely to sleep that we might wake Nobis dormit Iesus nobis surgit à somnô Christus videtur non attendere patientiam bonorum poenitentiam impiorum expectans He doth as it were neglect vs for a time for the greater manifestation of his power and our patience His
loue of God in electing the fellowship of the holy Ghost in comforting is far from them so long as they continue in their sinnes and vnbeliefe so long they be traitours enemies rebels vnto the King of all Kings he proclaimes war and they can haue no peace Thinke on this ye that forget God Yee that ioine house to house and lay field to field till there be no place for other in the land ye that rise vp early to follow drunkennesse and are mighty to powre in strong drinke Ye that speake good of euill and euill of good which put light for darknesse and darknesse for light c. Agree with your aduersary quickly while you are in the way seeke the Lord while he may be found and call vpon him while he is nigh O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent vnto thee Suffer the words of exhortation harden not your heart but euen in this day heare the voice of the Crier confesse thy rebellion and come in to the Lord thy God for he is gentle patient and of much mercy desire of him to create in thee a new heart and to giue thee one drop of a liuely faith one dram of holy deuotion a desire to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Suffer not thine eies to sleep nor thine eie lids to take any rest vntill thine vnrighteousnesse is forgiuen and sinne couered vntill thy peace be made with God and thy pardon sealed O pray pray that thou maist haue this peace O pray pray that thou maiest feele this peace for it is the third kinde the peace of conscience betweene man and himselfe There are foure kinds of conscience as Bernard hath well obserued 1. A good but not a quiet 2. A quiet but not a good 3. Both good and quiet 4. Neither good nor quiet The two good belong properly to the godly the two bad vnto the wicked whose coÌ„science is either too too quiet or else too too much vnquiet in neither peace non est gaudium impijs as the Translators of the Septuagints reade non est gaudere impijs There is no ioy to the wicked Somtime their conscience is too too quiet as Paul speakes euen feared with an hot iron when habit of sin takes away the sense of sinne when as men are past feeling in a reprobate sense giuen ouer to worke all vncleannes euen with greedinesse Ephes. 4.19 This is no peace but a numnesse yea a dumbnesse of conscience For at the first euery mans conscience speaks vnto him as Peter to Christ Master looke to thy selfe Her prick-arrowes as the shafts of Ionathan forewarne Dauid of the great Kings displeasure but if wee neglect her call and will not lend our eares while she doth spend her tongue this good Cassandra will crie no more Now it fareth with the maladies of the minde as it is with the sicknes of the bodie When the pulse doth not beate the bodie is in a most dangerous estate so if conscience neuer prick vs for sinne it is a manifest signe our soules are lulled in a deadly sleepe That schoole will soone decay where the monitor doth not complaine that armie must necessarilâ—e be subiect to surprise where watches and alarums are not exactly kept that towne is dissolute where no clocks are vsed â—o likewisâ—â—ur little citie is in great perilâ— when our conscience iâ—â—ill and sleepie quiet but not good tunc maxime oppugnaris si tâ— nescis oppugâ—ari saith Hierâ—me to Heliodore None so desperatly sicke as they who feele not their disease Saint Augustine notably Quid miserius misero non miserante seipsum and Bernard Ideo dolet charitas mea quòd cùm sis doleâ—dus non doleas inde ma is miseretur quòd cùm miser sis miserabilis tamen non es and Hierome to Sabinian Hoc plango quòd te non plangis When the strong man armed keepes â—is hold the things that are possessed are in peace Where Diuines obserue that vngodly men already possessed with Satan are not a whit disquieted with his temptations As God is at open war so the diuell is at secret peace with the wicked but yet saith Hierome tranquillitas ista tempestas est This calmâ— of conscience will one day prooue a storme For as God said vnto Cain If thou doest ill sinne lieth at the doore Where wickednesse is compared to a wilde beast which dogs a man wheresoeuer hee goeth in this wildernesse And albeit for a time it may seeme harmlesse for that it lieth asleepe yet at length except men vnfainedly repent it will rise vp and rent out the very throte of their soules A guiltie conscience being once roused and awaked thoroughly will make them like those who lie on a bed that is too strait and the couering too short who would with all their heart sleepe but cannot they seeke for peace of minde but there is no peace to the wicked sâ—iâ—h my God As the coÌ„science was heretofore too too quiet so now too too much vnquiet As godly men haue the first fruits of the Spirit and certaine â—asts of heauenly ioyes in this life so the wicked on the contrarie feele certaine flashings of hell flames on earth As there is heauen on earth and heauen in heauen so hell on earth and hell in hell an outward hell and an inward outward in outward darknesse mentioned in holy Scripture where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth at this feast as Bishop Latymer wittily there can bee no mirth where weeping is serued in for the first course gnashing of teeth for the second Inward hell is an infernall tormenting of the soule void of hope faith and loue this hell the diuels haue alwaies in theÌ„ and reprobate forlorne people carrie about theÌ„ insomuch that they can neither disport themselues abroad nor please themselues at home neither comforted in companie nor quiâ—ted alone but in all places and times Erinnys conscieâ—tiae so Melancâ—hon calles it hellish hags and infernall â—uries affright them Auâ—ustine in his â—narration of the 45. Psalm thus liuely describes the wofull estate of a despairing sinner Fâ—giet ab agro ad ciuitatem à publico ad domum à domo in cubiculum He runnes as a mad man out of the field into the citie out of the citie into his house from the common roomes in his house to his chamber from his chamber into his studie from his studie to the secret closet of his own heart ecce hosteÌ„ suum inuenit quo confugerat seip sum quò fugiturâ—s est and then last of all he is content least of all himselfe being greatest enemie to himselfe The blinde man in the Gospel newly recouering his sight imagined trees to be men and the Burgundians as Comiâ—aeus reports expecting a battell supposed long thistles to be launces so the
by their example to bee solicitous for the good of the corne to come to Christ and to pray that faithfull labourers may be sent into Gods haruest Paul was grieued because some cockle grew in Philippi Dauid was grieued because the Heathen had broken into Gods inheritance Christ was grieued because Gods house was made a denne of theeues and so Christians in our time should bee grieued because Satan hath sowed such offences and scandals among the professors of the Gospell Secondly this parable makes against the Brownists in their criticall doctrine hypocriticall coÌ„uersatioÌ„ It condemnes their doctrine for there was is and euer shall be darnell in Gods field tares among wheate bad among good in the visible Church I confesse the Church militant may be called the suburbs of heauen our Sauiour here termes it the kingdome of heauen because the King of heauen doth heauenly gouerne it with his holie word and blessed Spirit but it is not heauen in heauen it is but heauen on earth and therefore in this heauen are many fire-brands of hell the children of the wicked whose end is damnation and vtter confusion in vnquenchable fire Wee may not therefore leaue Gods flower because there is some chaffe neither breake Gods net because there are some baggage fish neither depart out of his house because there be some vessels of wrath neither runne out of his field because there growes some cockle but as Augustine determined against the Donatists accurately Non propter malos boni deserendi sed propter bonos mali tolerandi We must not forsake the good for the bad but rather tolerate the bad for the good Almightie God would haue spared a whole citie for tenne good mens sake let vs not then condemne a whole Church for tenne wicked mens companie Ecclesiam tenco â—lenam tritico palea emâ—ndo quos possum tolero quos emendare non possum fugio paleam ne hoc sim non aream ne nihil sim In Gods house there are not onely vessels of gold and vessels of siluer but also of wood and of earth and some to honour and some to dishonour It is our dutie to striue that we may be golden vessels and as for earthen we must leaue them to God in whose hand is a rod of iron to breake them in peeces like a potters vessell I will say to the Brownist as Augustine to the Donatist Accusa quantis viribus potes si innocentes fuerint nihil eis tanquam frumentis oberit ventositas tua si nocentes non debent propter zizania frumenta deseri accusa quantum potes vinco si non probas vinco si probas si non probas vinco iudice te ipso sin probas teste Cypriano qui docuit horreum non esse deserendum ob paleas Hee might haue said teste Christo commanding here Let both grow together vntill the haruest Wee may not iudge before the time calling out of our immoderate zeale for fire from heauen to consume the tares but expect hell fire to burne them vp and that for two reasons especially that the bad may be conuerted and the good exercised Omnis malus aut ideo vinit vt corrigatur aut ideo vt per illum bonus exerceatur He that is now cockle may proue by Gods especiall grace corne weed not the field therefore presently lest while ye gather the tares ye plucke vp also the wheat Saint Peter was an apostate S. Matthew a Publican Zacheus an oppressor Paul a Saul Iustin Martyr was a Gentile Saint Augustine a Manichee Martin Luther a Monke Tremellius a Iew Leo Africanus a Mahumetan if all cockle had then been rooted vp at the first Gods field would haue wanted much good wheat the Church manie good men yea all men for Adam in Paradise was a tare when he disobeied Here the Gospell and Epistle meet againe For if we may not root vp the tares it is very requisite that we put on tender mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long sufferance forbearing one another and forgiuing one another c. Againe the cockle must grow for the cornes exercise There must be heresies among you that they which are approued among you might be knowne If Arius had not bin borne qui posuit cum Trinitate personarum Trinitatem substantiarum and Sabellius on the contrary qui posuit vnitatem personae cum vnitate essentiae the questions about the blessed Trinitie would neuer haue been determined so sufficiently by those great lights of the Church Athanasins Augustine Hilary c. If superstition had not a long time growne in Gods field among thâ— wheat principles of the true religion especially the point of iustification by faith onely would neuer haue been so well vnderstood If Anabaptists and Brownists had not contended against the Church it would haue gone worse with the Church as Augustine said of Rome Maegis nocuit Romanis Carthago tam cito euersa quà m priùs nocuerat tà m diù aduersa The counsell is good Sic viue tanquam inimici semper te videant for the Church as Christ must suffer and ouercome in medio inimicorum in the midst among all her enemies Psal. 110.2 Secondly this makes against the Brownists in their hypocriticall conuersation It is said here that so soone aâ— the malitious man had sowne tares among the wheat hee went his way Not that he departs from hypocrits and heretikes but he putteth on another face when hee doth a worke of darknesse he transformes himselfe into an Angell of light He is no more blacke nor browne but a white diuell saith Luther And therefore when it is obiected against the conformable Clergy that heretikes and schismatikes are graue men and good men our answer may be that the diuell is now gone rauening wolues are in sheeps clothing Tares are so like good corne that they cannot be discerned vntill the blade spring vp and bring forth fruit Fitches haue many fetches hypocrites are like Goodwin sands in dubio pelagi terraeque neither of both and either of both as occasion shall serue Gentilem agunt vitam sub nomine Christianô They play the Turkes vnder the names of Christians oues visu vulpes astu there is no more diuell appearing but all is now the spirit of God and secret reuelations euen from heauen Thirdly this parable makes against the Papists in the question of their religions antiquity putting to death of heretikes Purgatory We protest and that vnfeinedly that no Church ought further to depart from the Church of Rome then she is departed from her selfe in her florishing estate Shew then say the Papists in what age the tares were sowen among the wheat When and where purgatory praier for the dead indulgences auricular confession and other new tricks of Popery crept into the Church Answere is made for vs here by Christ While
are Saints I wonder who are Scythians if these be Catholikes who are Canibals In this question as in all other I submit my selfe to the iudgement of our Church and practise of our Country Which as Diuines and Statesmen auow neuer put any to death meerly for the cause of religion I conclude with the glosse of Luther Hoc verbum Sinite non est confirmationis aut approbationis haereticorum sed consolationis exhortationis nostri ad patientiam Apertè saeuit persecutor paganus vt leo haereticus insidiatur vt draco ille cogit negare Christum iste docet aduersus illum opus patientia adâ—ersus hunc opus vigilantia Consulas Augustinum epist. 48.50.61.127.158.159.160 Diligite homines interficite errores sine superbiâ de veritate praesumite sine saeuitiâ pro veritate certate Contra literas Petilian lib. 1. cap. 29. Thirdly this makes against Popish Purgatory prouing it to be superfluous and idle for whatsoeuer is in the Lords field is either corne or cockle a barne is prouided for the one and vnquenchable fire for the other A third place for a third sort of persons is that which neither God made nor Christ mentioned nor the Apostles belieued nor the Primitiue Church imbraced It is an heathenish fantasie founded by the Poets not by the Prophets by Plato and Virgil not by Peter and Paul and that vpon so tickle ground that the most learned Papists can neither tell vs where it is nor what it is Bellarmine reports eight sundry different opinions about the place confessing honestly that the Church as yet hath not defined vbi siâ— purgatorium it is in so many places as that it can be in no place quod vbique nâ—llibi Sir Thomas More said that in all purgatorie there is no water and that hee would proue by the words of Zach. 9.11 I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water On the contrarie Roffensis affirmed that there is great store of water and this he proued by Dauid Psalme 66.11 Wee went thorow fire and water Albertus and Roffeâ—sis are of opinion that purgatories executioners are good Angels Other as Dioâ—yâ—ius Carthusianus and Sir Thomas More make no doubt but that they be diuels Cardinall Bellâ—ermine is of both sides and no side concluding this point Maneat hoc inter seâ—reta quâ— suò tempore nobis aperientur Happily this vncertaintie is a great certaintie to the Pope being Lord of Purgatorie for hee can when he please make gaâ—le-deliâ—â—rie anâ— auoid all the soules in Purgatorie being â—is peculiar the Pope may command Gods Angels to fetch away from thence whom he list and therefore this imaginarie fiâ—e may make his kitchin smoke but it is altogether needlesse for the people because Christ saith Paul hath purged our sinnes all our sinnes saith S. Iohn as Augustine sweetly Gods pitié is mans purgatorie Lastly this makes against Atheists imagining that either eternall iudgement shall haue an end or else that the world shall haue no end our Sauiour confutes both in his exposition of this parable vers 39. The haruest is the end of the world and the reapers be the Angels who shall gather the tares c. but the wheate shall be gathered into Gods barne The glorious Angels at the great haruest shall first gather the tares separating them from the wheate which is poena damnâ— priuation of God and all that is good Angels Saints friends and then they shall binde them in sheaues to be burnt which is poena sensus a possession of hell and all that is euill they shall not be bound all in one but in many fagots an adulterer with an adulteresse shall make one fagot a drunkard with a drunkard another fagot a traitor with a traitor another fagot as there be seuerall sinnes so seuerall sheaues all shall not be punished in the same degree though in the same fire all shall be burnt yet none consumed In that vnquenchable flame poenae gehennales torquent non extorquent puniunt non finiunt corpora mors sine morte finis sine fine defectus sine defectu Dauid said of his enemies in the 55. Psalme Let them goe downe quicke into hell in another sense wee may wish so much vnto our best friends euen our own selues as one fitly let vs often goe to hell while we liue that we come not thither when we be dead let vs euery day descend into hell by meditation that in the last day wee may not descend by condemnation Gather the wheate into my barne In Gods field tares are among wheate but in Gods barne no tare no care shall molest vs in the kingdome of grace bad are mingled with the good but in the kiâ—gdome of glorie there shall bee none but good enioying nothing but good good Angels good Saints aboue all our good God in whose light we shall see such light as the eye of man hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither heart sufficiently can conceiue c. The Epistle 1. COR. 9.24 Perceiue ye not how that they which runne in a courseâ— runne all but one receiueth the reward THere are two waies of teaching one by precept and another by paterne S. Paul vseth here both a precept so runne that ye may obtaine a paterne I therefore so runne c. The precept is pressed by two similitudes 1. FroÌ„ runners in the 24 verse 2. From wrastlers in the 25. The summe of both is if such as runne for a wager and coÌ„tend for a corruptible crowne suffer great pains and abstaine from many pleasures to winne the gole what should wee doe what should wee not doe to gaine the crowne of glorie proposed and promised onely to such as runne trauell and endeuour for it So runne therefore that ye may obtaine In which exhortation 4. points are regardable the Men ye Matter runne Manner so runne Marke that ye may obtaine Runne ye That is all yee for that is taken as granted here Perceiue ye not All men are viatores in this valley of teares before they can be comprehensores ascended vp to heauen and resting on Gods holy hill the blessed Virgin not excepted the most blessed of all the sonnes of men Christ Iesus himselfe not exempted he first suffered and after entred into glorie first he did runne then obtaine God hath three houses Heauen for ioy Hell for paine Earth for labour Man is borne to trauell as the sparkes flie vpward Iob 5.7 The matter then in the next place to be considered is that we must runne Runne ye Wherein obserue 2. things especially 1. The labour of our life 2. The shortnesse of our life The labour in that wee must runne the shortnesse in that it is but a race Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance and full of trouble Animal
6. is said to haue done for his Poâ—edome The Lord saith Thou shalt haue no other Gods but me neither in hâ—auen aboue nor in earth beneath nor in the water vnder the earth and yet as the Scripture doth intimate the proud man makes honour his god the couetous man gold his god the voluptuous man his belly his god The first hath his idoll as it were in the aire the second his idoll in the earth and the third his idoll in the water as one pithily notes vpon the second Commandement Secondly some pawne their soules albeit they be not so desperate so giuen ouer to commit sinne with greedinesse as to sell their soules right out yet for their profit and pleasure they will be content to pawne their soules vnto the diuell for a time so Dauid in committing adulterie did as it were pawne his soule Noe when hee was drunke did pawne his soule Peter in denying Christ did also pawne his soule but these being all labourers in Gods vineyard redeemed their soules againe with vnfained and hartie repentance But let vs take heede how we play the merchant venturers in this case for our soule is our best iewell of greater value then the whole world and the diuell is the craftiest vsurer and greatest oppressor that euer was if he can get neuer so little aduantage if we keep not day with him he will be sure at the iudgement day to call for iustice and to claime his owne speaking vnto God as the King of Sodome did vnto Abraham Da mihi animas caetera tolle tibi Giue me the soules which haue been pawned and forfetted vnto me the rest take to thy selfe There is another kinde of pawning of soules and that is vnto God for Princes and Prelates Ministers and Masters are bound to God as it were in goods and bodie for all such as are vnder them as the Prophet said vnto King Ahab Keepe this man if he be lost and want thy life shall goe for his life But if thou dost thy best endeuour though the wicked incorrigible sinner die for his iniquitie thou shalt deliuer thy soule redeeeme thy pawne and when euening is come the Lord of the vineyard shall giue thee thy reward Thirdly some lose their soules as carnall and carelesse Gospellers ignorant negligent people who though they come to Church either for fashion or feare yet alas they seldome or neuer thinke of their poore soule from whence it came or whither it shall goe trifling away the time in the market neither buying nor selling nor giuing but idly gaping and gazing vpon other a fit pray for the cutpurse betraying themselues and their soules vnto that old cunnicatcher Satan who goes about daily seeking whom he may deceiue cunningly snatching and stealing such soules as are vnguarded vnregarded O blockish stupiditie will you keepe your chicken from the kite your lambe from the wolfe your faâ—ne from the hound your conies and pigeons from the vermine and will not you keepe your soule from the diuell but idly lose it without any chopping or changing in the market Fourthly some giue their soules as first the malitious and enuious person for whereas an ambitious man hath a little honour for his soule a couetous man a little profit for his soule a voluptuous man a little pleasure for his soule the spitefull wretch hath nothing for his soule but fretting and heart-griefe like Cain who said of himselfe Whosoeuer findeth me shall slay me Secondly such as finally despaire giue their souls away for the diuell bestoweth nothing in liew thereof but horror and hell of conscience The distressed soule may comfort himselfe with the conclusion of this parable The first shall be last and the last first The last in 〈◊〉 owne iudgement the first in Gods eye Thirdly such as destroy their bodie that the diuel may haue their soule giue themselues away for nothing in one word this is the case of all such as stand idle in the market they serue the diuels turne for nothing for the wages of sinne saith Paul is death and death is none of Gods workes a nothing in nature Why therefore do you stand idle in the market all the day goe into the vineyard saith the Lord and whatsoeuer is right I will giue you Now there be diuers labourers in the vineyard as there be diuers loiterers in the world one plants another waters some dig some dung the householder giues vnto one man a shredding hooke to another a spade to a third an hatchet so there be sundrie vocations and offices in the Church diuersities of gifts and diuersities of administrations and diuersities of operations 1. Cor. 12. But about the trimming of the materiall vine there be three sorts of labourers especialâ—y the first to proyne the second to lay abroad and vnderprop it the third to digge away the old mould and to lay new to the root al which are so necessarie that if any of them faile the vine will soone decay No lesse needfull in Christs Church are these three estates Clergie Magistracie Commonaltie It belongs to the Priest to cut away supersâ—uous branches with the sword of the spirit The Magistrate must protect vnderset and hedge in the vine lest the wilde bore out of the wood roote it vâ— and the wilde beasts of the field deuoure it The common labourer must dig and till the ground that hee may get sustenance for himselfe and other If no Priest what would become of our spirituall life if no Prince what would become of our ciuill life if no common people what would become of our naturall life We must al be labourers and that painfull and profitable painfull called in this our parable thrice workmen Non otiandum in viâ sed laborandâ—m in vineâ There is no roome in y e vineyard for sluggishnes Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently But because Satan is the most diligent preacher in the world and heretikes compasse sea and land to make proselyts and to draw disciples after them it is not enough that labourers in the vineyard be painfull except they be profitable for as one said of the schoolemen A man may magno conatu nihil agere take great paine to little purpose toile much and yet not helpe but rather hurt the vineyard The by-word Euery man for himself and God for vs all is wicked impugning directly the end of euery vocation and honest kind of life That our paine may be profitable wee must labour in a lawfull calling lawfully for the good of the vineyard and then as it followeth in the last point of the parable wee shall receiue Gods peny for our paine When euen was come the Lord of the vineyard said vnto his steward Call the labourers and giue them their hire beginning at the last vntill the first Wherein obserue two things especially When at euening What giue theÌ„ their hire the
which is good to heare y â— which is good well Aures audiendi sunt aures meÌ„tis scilicet intelligeÌ„di facieÌ„di quae iussa sunt A good eare saith the Wiseman will gladly hearken vnto wisedome where note two lessons as concerning hearing first that wee hearken vnto nothing but that which is good vnto wisedome Secondly that we hearken vnto it gladly with a great desire to learne for in Scripture phrase obaudire is obedire so Christ in the Gospell Hee that heareth you heareth mee that is he that obeyeth you obeyeth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me If thy brother heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother that is if thy brother follow thy counsell and will be content to be ruled by thee We reade in the law that if a bond seruant will not be made free but stay still with his master hee shall bee brought before the Iudges and set to the doore or the post and his master shall boare his eare thorow with an aule and so he shall serue him for euer Euery sinner is the diuels vassall and therefore if hee refuse to be free when libertie and free grace of the Gospell is offered ere it be long the diuell will so boare his eares as that they shall be made vnfit to heare and then hee shall serue his old master for euer Hee may peraduenture come to Church and heare the sermon but hee shall be like the man that beholds his face in a glasse for when he hath considered himselfe he goeth his way and forgets immediatly what manner of one he was Wherefore when yee come to Christ bring your eares with you eares to heare so to heare that ye may vnderstand so vnderstand that ye may remember so remember that ye may practise so practise that ye continue so Gods seede shall be sowen in good ground and bring foorth fruite in some thirtie in some sixtie in some an hundred fold c. The parables exposition is occasioned by the Disciples question vers 9. What manner of similitude is this Where note their carefulnesse in asking Christs readinesse in answering For the first the Sabbath is aptly termed a schole day wherein all Gods people must come to the Temple which is the schoole to learne his word their lesson In this seminarie Christ is the chiefe seedman stiled in the beginning of this parable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sower In this Vniuersitie Christ is the prime Doctor Vnus est doctor vester e cuius schola in terris cathedra in coelis His Apostles sowed as vnder-bailiffes in his field and his Preachers in our time teach as vnder-vshers in his schoole As then in the schooles of humane knowledge so soone as the lecture is read it is the schollers dutie to question among themselues how to parse construc it and when they doubt to haue recourse to their Grammar rules by which all construction is examined and when they doe not vnderstand an hard rule to come for a resolution vnto their master who is as it were a liuing Grammar and a walking booke So likewise in Gods Academy in the Diuinitie schoole when either the lecture of the Law is read or sermon on the Gospell ended it is your part to reason among your selues as you walke abroad in the fields or talke at home in your house how this and that may be construed and when you cannot resolue one another with the men of Beroea to search the Scripture daily whether those things are so to trie the spirits of men by the spirit of God for the Bible is our Diuinitie Grammar according to which all our lessons ought to bee parsed and construed And if yee meete with a difficult place repaire to Gods Vsher the Priest whose lippes should presâ—rue knowledge Demand of your pastor as the Disciples of Christ here What manner of parable is this It is apparent in the Gospell that the Disciples euer tooke this course when Christ had deliuered any deepe point first they disputed among themselues and then after came to him and asked his resolution Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come How can these things be Declare vnto vs the parable of the tares In our daies if the pastor be learned in the lawes of the land and well acquainted with businesse of the world his house shall be reputed oraculum totius ciuitatis as Tully speakes all his neighbours will haste vnto him for aduice in law but few for counsell in religion Indeed they come to schoole but like truants onely for feare of punishment and when they come they care nâ—â— how little learning they haue for their money Bâ—t let me tell them of another schoole tricke at the worlds end there is a black friday a generall examination at which time Conscience the monitor 〈…〉 her bookes and bils of all our faults and our 〈◊〉 Schoolmaster in his owne person shall reward euery 〈◊〉 according to his worke It behoueth euery one therefore to be diligent in comming to schoole to be carefull in hearing painfull in examining fruitfull in practising And he said Christs readinesse in answering teacheth all Preachers his Vshers and Curates not only to preach in publike but also to catechise their auditors as occasion is offered in priuate especially such as hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for vnto them it is giuen to know the secrets of Gods kingdome The which words containe Gods donation vnto his elect and it is cum priuilegiô gratiâ with priuiledge to you but vnto other in parables cum gratiâ it is giuen Consulas Augustin de praedestinat Sanctorum cap. 8. lib. de bono perseuerantiae cap. 8.9 11. lib. de correp gratiâ cap. 4.6.7.8 Sauing knowledge of God is a gift and grace for the naturall man vnderstands not the things of God hee beleeues oculô magis quà m oraculo trusting his fiue senses more then the foure Gospels It is a mysterie reuealed vnto you but hidden vnto many whose eyes the god of this world hath darkened that seeing they should not discerne and hearing they should not vnderstand O father saith Christ thou hast hid these things from the wise and hast opened them vnto babes It is so because thy good pleasure was such As it is our fathers will alone to giue vs a kingdome so likewise his good will alone to make vs know the secrets of his kingdome There are mysteria regis which may not be knowne and there are mysteria regâ—i which must be knowne many mysteries of our heauenly king are knowne onely to himselfe Canst thou saith Iob finde out God canst thou finde out the Almightie to his perfection The heauens are high what canst thou doe it is deeper then the hell how canst thou know it The measure thereof is longer then the earth and it is broader then the sea God therefore requires rather we should remember what hee