An ouersight and deliberacion vpon the holy Prophete Ionas made and vttered before the kynges maiestie and his moost honorable councell by Ihon Hoper in lent last past Comprehended in seuē Sermons Anno. M D.L. Excepte ye repente ye shall al peryshe Luke xiii Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum ¶ To the mooste puisaunt Prince and our most redoubted Soueraign Lord Edward the syxt by y ◠grace of God Kyng of England Fraunce and Ireland defender of the fayth in earth next and immediately vnder God of the Churches of England and Ireland the supreme head And also vnto the moste wyse godly and most honorable Lordes of his highnes priuie coūcel his most humble louing and obedient subiecte Ihon Hoper electe and sworne Byshoppe of Glocester wysheth al grace and peace from God wyth long and the same most godlye prosperous raigne ouer vs in all honoure healthe and perpetual felicitie AMong al other moste noble and famous dedes of kinges and Princes none is more godlye commendable nor profytable to the cōmon wealth then to promote and set forthe vnto their subiectes the pure and sincere religion of the eternal God kyng of al kynges and Lord of al Lordes Then shal iustice peace and concord raygne the doore of Idololatrie be shut vp vi the whyche hath entred all euyl and kynges and kyngdomes fallen into ieopardye as the writinges of y ◠Prophets do testifie But the more thys noble fact is glorious godly and princely the more difficile hard it is For the enemy of God of al mankynd the Deuyll customablye is wont to deceiue the princes of y e world so that eyther they vtterly neglect the religion of the true God as a thynge folyshe and of no estimacion eyther prouoke thē cruelly to persecute it If he cā bryng neither y e one neither the other of these to pas he wyll do the beste de can to preserue a myxte and myngled religion that shall nether playnly be agaynst nor wholye wyth hym And so vse the matter that partly goddes truth shall take place partly the supersticious inuēcion of man The whych myngled and myxed religion is so muche the more daungerous as it is accompted for pure and good Therfore it is earnestlye forbidden by God as the examples of the scripture declareth Iehu the kynge of the Israelites when he had remoued all grosse and sensible Idololatrye and with the swerde had taken away all the Idololatricall priestes iii. Reg. x is reproued of God neuertheles because he walked not in the lawe of God wyth all his herte and lefte not the wayes of Ieroboam And againste these minglers and patchers of Religion speaketh Elias the Prophet iii. Reg. xviii Howe longe sayth he wyl ye halt on both sides If y ◠Lord be God folow hym if Baal go ye after hym Euen so we may iustly say If y ◠priesthod ministery of Christe with his notes and markes be true holy absolutely perfect receiue it in case it be not folow y ◠pope Christ can not abide to haue the leuē of the pharises myngled wyth hys swete flowre He wold haue vs ether hote or cold the luke warme he vometeth vp and not wythout a cause For he accuseth God of ignorancie and folishenes that entendeth to adorne and beutifye his doctrine and decrees with humaine cogitacions What kynge or prince of the world wold suffer hys statutes lawes and testament to be cut of and set on at euery mans libertie and pleasure Shulde not the same glory maiesty and honour be geuē vnto the lawes and testament of Christ that is sealed wyth hys precious bloude The worde of God wherwyth he gouerneth and ruleth his church is a septer of yron Psal. ii and not a rod of wylowe to be bowed wyth euerye mans finger either a rede to be broken at mans wyll no neither a pece of lether to be stretched and reached out wyth any mans teth These thynges be spoken of me most gracious and vertuous kyng to commende youre maiestyes and your moste honorable councels doinges that seke the glorye of God and the restituciō of hys holye and Apostolycall churche The whyche thing as your highnes your most honourable and wyse councel haue gracyouslye be gon goddes mercye in the bowels of Chryst Iesu graūt you moost gratiously to perfourme The people of Englande were oppressed wyth the vyolente and cruel tyrannye of Antychryste darckenes and ignorauncie occupied y ◠mindes all moost of all menne so that fewe knew the true way to eternal saluatyon And yet manye Prynces and wysemen delyte and tarye in thys darckenesse and can not or wyll not bare nor suffer the radiant and shynynge beames of the Gospell more then the night crow can the beames of the sonne but the merciful father of heauen shall better their syghte when hys good and mercyfull pleasure is But the Lorde be praysed your magestye youre moste honourable and wyse counsel haue not cared what y ◠greatest parte but what the better dothe that the lawe of the hyghe and myghtye God maye be knowne to your hyghnes people as did Dauid Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosyas And in your maiesties so doing ye bynde not only the true and lyuynge members of Chryste to geue God thanckes in thys behalfe but also declare your selfe to be the verye fauroure nource and helper of the word of God according to the sayinge of Esaye .xlix. Perseuer gracyous kynge in thys quarel daungerous enterpryce Youre hyghnes shall not neade to feare eyther the strength or cautelles of your ennemyes for there is no witte wsdome nor coūcel against y e Lord as Salomō saith pro. xxi No although they had syluer as the grauell of the sea and golde as commune as the claye of the stretes zach ix for albeit the horse is prepared for the day of battell yet the vyctorye commeth from the Lorde Prouerb .xxi. I am he sayth the Lord that do comfort you what art thou that fearest mortall manne eyther the sonne of manne that shalbe made as haye canst thou for got the Lorde thy maker y t streachith forthe the heauens and laieth the foundacion of the earthe Esa. li. Let these diabolycall soundes speakynges of euel menne nothyng trouble your highnes nor your wise and godly councellour◠As long as the kynge is in hys tender age hys councell shulde do nothinge in matters of religyon For those mens folishenes rather I shuld sai malice is condemned by the worde of God that teacheth howe a kynge in hys younge age wyth hys wyse and godlye counsell shoulde abolyshe Idolatrye and sette forthe the true godly religyon of the liuing God Thus declareth the notable godlie facte of Iosias that folowed the relygyon of hys father not Ammon the Idolater but of Dauid nor declynynge to the rightt hande neyther to the left hand And destroyed not onlie the Images of his father but also of Ieroboā of Solomon iiii Reg. xxii .xxiii.
nor come wythoute the prouision of God Gracious kynge and my lordes of the councell remember this doctrine of Ionas and thē ye nede not to fear to refourme thys Churche of Englande vnto the primatiue state and apostolical doctrine Let the deuyl wyth al hys ministers do what they wil yf the iudges remēbred this doctrin they would not feare to punish euyl doers If y e people knewe thys doctryne they would not take Armoure and weapon agaynste the Magistrates but seke helpe frō God Before all men let the preacher comforte himselfe with this word for he is in daunger of most displeasure if he preach not truly Also let y e persecutours of Gods worde take heede of this doctryne for in the Lorde shalbe their health let them persecute what how they wyl thoughe they burne y e Lord wil quēch If they kil the lord wyl make aliue if they curse the Lorde wil blesse if they damne to hel the Lorde wyl saue in heauen Blessed is thē the man y t trusteth in y e Lord. Now foloweth the conclusyon of the chapter And y e lord spake vnto the fish it cast out Ionas againe vpō the dry lande Here ye may se the effect of a godly ernest prayer that it obtayneth deliueraunce from the daunger Of thys in the hole wee learne that ther is none so great daunger but that we may escape if w t penytēce we returne vnto the Lorde and aske hym mercy As mani Ionasses therfore as be in thys realme that hath doth or falsli vse or negligētly contēne theyr vocaciō let thē acknowlege their offēce and beg pardon or els doutles where penitēt Ionas was cast a drye land they shal remayne for euer in the paines of hel as Saule doth Let them se therfore that be bishops and priestes in what daunger they be that neglect or abuse their vocation if they amende healthe commeth as vnto this miserable and penitent man This I speake to the noble mē and to the lawers also to the cōmen people I pray God al Ionasses of this realme thus repēt Incase al do not yet y t some folow thys godly man that they may be saued as he is So be it ¶ The fifte Sermon vpon Ionas made by Iohn Hoper ¶ The Preface THere is no man that hath anye respecte or care at al of his heal the that would not gladly hys faythe knowledge and faults should be aproued and wel taken of God For he knoweth all labours paines to be in vaine and lost that are not cōmēded by hym Yet in thys behalf mē greuosly offende and goo oute of the way when the thyng that god most estemeth is of our parts most neglected and the thyng that god hateth and is displeased wythal we most diligently do and exercise oure selues in Men be broughte to thys ignorauncie and contēpt of god and hys word that they iudge euery thing done of a good in tenciō and wel meaning shuld please the Lord. From whence spronge this infinite daungerous and supersticious nombre of sacrifices and other seruings of god But what thing after the tyght iudgemente of the scripture chieflye pleaseth God Obediēce that is to say when euerye man in hys state hys vocacion doth the thing he is cōmaūded to do As it is writtē .i. Sa. xiii I desire obediēce not sacrifice Let nomā therfore thynke he can do anye thing acceptable vnto the lord if he neglect the workes necessary appoynted vnto hys vocacion Here may prynces take hede they go not aboute wyth liberalitie to make other men good for them learned for thē vertuous for thē wyse for thē and they them selues neglecte study praier paines labour but to know and do al things thē selues that is requyred to a princely office by the expres word of God Study wysedō knowledge and exercise is requyred in the prince hym selfe Let the bishoppes and prestes beware they goo not about to please God wyth Masse Dirige Pardons Rytes and ceremonyes inuented by men But let them do the workes of their vocacion grauely study dilygently and trulye preache the worde of God Christianely minister the sacramentes seuerely vse discipline and correccion of indurate mens fautes So let the counceloure see what equitie byndeth hym to do the honour of god the obedyence vnto hys prynce and the loue of hys country and so iudge and councel for the glorye of God and wealth of the realme and not for hys owne affeccion or profit and thynke that the persō byshop or priest is able to sing or sai the remission or pardon for the neglectyng of his duety but he must do the works therof him selfe The common sorte of people let them learne to know and obey both god and mā and not trust to the pardon and remission of theyr ignorauncie and disobedient treason and sedicion at the Persons or Uycars hand but thei must know and feare both God and gods magistrat them selues How feyre and relygyous good and Godlye so euer the good intencion of mā appeare and shewe it selfe to men it is playne iniquitie before God as ye maye see by Saule that though God would be pleased wyth the wel ment fat sacrifice of kynge Agag i. Samu. xiii And also that he fought wyth the heathen before Samuels commyng .i. Sam. xv he was not onely rebuked greuouslye for his fault but disherited also of hys kyngdom for euer I dare pronounce y t al these mischeues troubles that happē in thys shyp cōmon wealthe of Englande sprynge oute of thys fountayne No man laboureth to do the workes that God hathe apointed to his vocaciō And an exāple hereof we haue sene in Ionas whose disobedience and want of doyng hys vocacion moued the wyndes in the ayre the waters of the sea so that it had lyke to haue drowned hym selfe the shyppe and as many as were within bord And seynge there is none of vs but is culpable from the hyghest to the lowest in neglecting the workes of out vocacion and therby inobedyent to the good wyl and commaūdement of God let vs repent and returne to a better mynde He that erreth shal not perish if being admonished he return home agayn Eze. xviii Mat. xi Io. x. Let thys glas myrroure of Ionas suffyce vs to behold an other mans yuel in before we fele the lyke our selues we haue sene the disobedience of Ionas and the payne therof we haue sene his amendement and pensyuenes the frute therof hys delyueraunce and saluacion Let vs also nowe see howe much he hath profited learned in Gods schole vnder the rodde of aduersitye and lette vs learne to dooe the same But before we come to the obedyence that thys man learned in aduersytie we wyl pray vnto God WE be come so far as y e text hath made menciō of y e restitucion of Ionas in lyfe vpō the dry groūd And now foloweth his second legacion embassage to Niniue But
to fall in this parte into the handes of God For what shal it auayle them to wynne al the world and lose their own soules I wold lykewyse praye admonysh the Magistrates to se the scholes better maintayned for the lacke of them shall bring blindnes into this church of Englande againe And such as be the patrōes and geuers of benefyces lette them take hede they gyue and bestowe them vpon worthie menne and sel them not to Asses and blind blocke headed felowes For if they bestowe theire benefices for lucre or affeccyon to suche as can not or wil not fede with the worde of God the people of hys cure the patrone shall dye eternallye for it as well as hys blynde and naughtye curate person or vicar The forth doctrine of this first part is very necessary for when the Bishoppes and priestes heare theyr offyce is to preache then thinke thei but what we prech it is no matter it lyeth in oure arbitrement pleasure Naye sayeth the texte Preache that I byd the and so sayth Saint Peter .i Pet. iiii Math. xxviii In thys vocation of preachynge the preacher should so vse hym selfe as he myght saye all wayes my doctrine is not my doctryne but hys that hathe sende me For it is goddes woorde and his lawe that turneth the hartes of people to repentaunce Psal. xix cxix For the word of God written is as perfect as God hym selfe and is in deade hable to make a man perfecte in al thinges .ii. Timo. iii. Wherefore it needeth not that blasphemous and stinkinge helpe of the Bishoppe of Rome that durst say the law of God is not of it self but by his interpretacion holsome and sufficiēt But by this meanes he gote authoritie ouer the scripture to bury it and to stablyshe what he woulde were it neuer so deuilishe and heretical Therfore let suche as be of God do as they haue in commission from hym and not as they please them selfes for if they do they be of the deuell and not of Chryste The obedience of Ionas Then Ionas arose and wente to Niniue at the commaundemēt of the Lorde Ionas now being an obediente seruaunt loketh no more for a shyppe to flie but goeth the nexte waye whether he is commaunded though the iournye was paynefull and daungerous to the fleshe But the Crosse of trouble is not vnprofitable to the Chrystyans it mortyfyeth the fleshe so that in the afflicted dwelleth the spirit of God it excersiseth the faythe and proueth obedience As Dauid saith wel it is with me that thou haste chastened me Lord that I maye learne thy commaūdemēts Both good bad are afflicted in this world but y ◠good therby is amended and the euel is appeyred so they peryshe in theire trouble Dauid was amended herewith ii Regum xii xxiiii So was Ezechias esa xxxviii So was Daniel Dani. ix These like vnto them be chastened in the world because they shulde not be dampned wyth the worlde The euyll wyth affliction be not amended but indurated hardened throughe their owne malyce obstynacie as Saul and Pharao And the paines tormēts here be the beginning of the paines eternal This diuersitie and contrarye effect of persecution godly setteth forth the holy prophet Dauid Psa. lxxv wonderful godlye The whiche Psalme I woulde all Byshopppes shuld reade that knoweth the truthe yet wyl take no paynes to set it forthe but liue idle such as haue no liuyng to set it forth or of malice whister and secretlye hyndreth the settynge forthe of it for doutles at length they shal not only drinke of the wyne of aduersitie but be compelled to drinke dragges and all So shal al these rauenyng and couetouse noble men that wyth iniuries and wronges now afflicte the poore at length they shalbe most afflicted them selues so shall the auaricyous iudge the Couetous marchāt and the traiterous and sedicious subiect But I red you be wyse in time and as ye haue folowed this rebell Ionas in euyll so folow hym in the good and amende if not the kinges maiestie muste caste you in to the sea The obedience of Ionas is set forth and cōmended with manye circumstaunces and shulde therefore the better be noted Fyrste because he went the next waye to Niniue and hyred none other nor substituted hys suffragane nor wente not into Samaria to aske coūcell at hys fryndes what was beste to do but went streighte way hym selfe The second circūstance is worthy annotaciō that he dyd all thynges as the Lorde bad hym Wherein we are taughte to be diligente we see all our doinges actes and obedience to be according and as the worde of God biddeth There is putte in as thoughe it were by a parentesis the descripcion of Niniue And Niniue was a great citie to the Lord of three dayes iourney Thys dyscryption settethe forth the obedyence of Ionas that diligentelye preached the roughe the hole cytye the pleasure of God that it shoulde be destroyed wythin .xl. dayes The cytye is called greate vnto God that is to saye euerye greate cytye as the Cedre of God the mounte of God c. Or else it is called the cytye of God for the wonderfull respecte and pitye that the Lorde had in the sauinge of it Whether the cytye were thre dayes Iournye aboute or else thre dayes space to vysytte all the streates thereof it is not agreed yet vpon amōg al wryters but this we knowe it was a notable cytye and amonge al cytyes in the Easte of mooste famous reporte Nowe it foloweth what Ionas dyd after he entrede into the cytie When Ionas hadde entred the cytye one dayes iournye he cried and saued within this xl dayes Niniue shall be destroyed Of this text we learne that Ionas lyued not idle after he came to the place whether he was sente by God but that he walked abrode and cryed So shulde euerye man that is called to the office of a Bishop or pastor it is not inoughe he go to his dioces or personage but that he must walke abrode there and crye oute the comaūdemente of the Lorde Or else they be wyth al theire titel glorye pompe and name dome dogges subiect vnto the vengeaūce and plage of God And this is the marke thoushuldest knowe a Byshoppe and priest by by hys tounge that soundeth the worde of the Lorde and not by hys cap or vtward vesture So shulde the iudge go abrode in his countrey and speake and declare euery wher iustice So shuld the prouost heades of Colledges masters of scholes go and teache the thynge apertayneth to theyr place and vocacion The texte maketh mencion of the summe and pryncypall state of hys sermō that is that the citie shuld be destroied w tin .xl. daies and y t spake he simple and playnely wythout cōdicion or glose Yet maye wee easily gather of y ◠long time of x◠dayes that was geuen vnto it that it was reuersed vnto penance and amendemente of lyfe And god
The second the faciliti and promptnes of these Niniuites to beleue and amend their religion and cōuersaciō doth condemne the vngodlye obstinacye and frowardnes of such as detract and prolong their amendemēt and saye they wyl belyue when the kynge commeth to age Thus the deuil geueth thē one occasion or other to defer their belefe If the kings magesty and hys Nobles shoulde hate the trueth they woulde saye howe can we beleue the doctryne y t our learned and wyse Magystrates detesteth If the kynges maiestye and hys nobles loue and fauoure the best part thei excuse thēselues vpō the tender younge age of the kynge as thoughe hys Magesties yonge age or olde age coulde make any religion of God true or false when in deede all ages and powers be or oughte to be subiecte vnto the religion and law made allredye and geuen to be obserued of and by all menne of what sort condiciō or state so euer they be of Thys thynge came to the Kynge of Niniue who arose frome his seate doyng of his apparell clothed hym selfe in sacke cloth It is not wythoute a synguler councell of the holye goste that thys kynge is mencionated of so copiously Nether that hys behauoure and doynges after hys conuercion is so diligentlye manyfested Fyrste the Texte setteth forth the manner of hys conuersion and sayeth he returned vnto God vpon the fame and rumoure of Ionas preachynge Wherefore we learne how much the truth is wurthye to be estemed seyng that a kynge vpon the brute thereof made by hys people embrased and resisted not as now we se many tymes done by the greatest part of the world Euē so did Iosias as soone as he beynge yet but a chylde hearde of the true boke of God embraced it .iiii. Reg. xxii So dyd Dauid and Iosaphat heare graunt to the admonicions of y e Prophetes All kynges therefore and magistrates shuld harken vnto the truthe and learne it them selues oute of the lawe Deut. xvii But thys studye and knowledge of gods lawe in Princes and kynges the Byshops Priestes and other do let bearyng them in hande that it appertayneth nothinge to theyr office to study and labour in the worde of God but the iudgement and study therof to be committed vnto them and so by y ◠same meanes they perswade cause prynces many times to persecute the truth and veritie by ignoraunce as the kynges of Israel dyd that burned the wrytynges of the Prophetes But most gracious kyng and ye my lordes of hys most honorable coūcel Ye haue not only heard the rumour fame of Gods word but wyth your owne eares haue heard youre selfe the truth and ye do credit and beleue the same therefore in al thynges expresse and declare it in facte And most gracious kynge take ye hede that the vertues ye learn and be brought vp in in youth ye practyse exercise them in age And incase your Magesty wil so do beware of one thing y ◠poison of flaterie The whyche youre Magestye may vse as a good medycine and not a poisō if ye take hede of it Yt wyl be poison yf your grace thynk your selfe to be at al times as flaterers wyl bear youre hyghnes in hand to be It shall be a medicine yf your Magestye studye to be the same in dede that flaterie commendeth Youre Magestye may see an Example hereof in kynge Iehoas that in hys youthe fauoured and sette forthe the truthe but in hys elder dayes he fell from it by the meanes of flatteroures that deceaued hym But youre Magestye shall do best to folowe thys Godly Kynge of the Niniuites and embrace contynually the word of the lyuynge God And thus shal youre grace be the better able to doo incase youre highnes woulde haue before you euerye Sundaye one sermon whych shoulde brynge muche knowledge grace into youre hyghnes courte Nowe foloweth the fruite of thys Godly kynges penitence Fyrste he ryseth from his seate and putteth on sackclothe Of thys we learne that infayth and true repentaunce is no diuersitie betwene the king and a meane subiect And thus shall it be at y e later iudgemēt The rych the poore the kyng the subiect y ◠bishop y e prieste al shal apere naked before the trone of Christe and be holpe nothyng there by anye tytle or name of glory Here the honor and ryches haue theyr estimacion and glorye Let all men therfore looke to amend theyr fayth and lyuyng here in thys worlde As for this external doing on of sackeclothe it was the maner at that tyme so to doo and declared theyr repentaūce and amendemente And so I woulde it were nowe He that offendeth in apparel he wolde remoue the pryde thereof and goo soberlye he that in meate would vse more sobryetie Yet noman shuld thyncke any holines to be in the external vestiment nor yet any hurt or dānacion in the meate but the abuse of both displeaseth God As for the vestimentes of the priest in y e ministerie I wolde wyshe the Magistrate to remoue thē for they either shew or not shewe vertue If they shewe not they vse theym in vayne If they do declare and shew vertue eyther the vertue is wyth them in deede or absent If he that weareth them haue the vertue why sheweth it he to the world If he haue not the vertue then is he an hypocrite whom God hateth ¶ The other frute of penaūce of the kynge wyth hys counsell beyng conuerted to God THere was as the texte sayeth a proclamacion made throughe al the Citye of Niniue by the cōmaundement of the kyng and hys councell In thys proclamacyon fyrste muste be marked who be the authours of thys proclamacion Then what is cōtayned in the proclamacion The persons be the kyng and the Nobles of hys realme In these persons fyrst note that it is the Kynges offyces and the Peeres of the realme to pourge theyr cōmune wealth from false relygyon by Publycke and open proclamacions So dyd Nabuchadnezer Darius and Cirus kynges of moste notable fame therefore Christe calleth the Princes the Nurces of the church And so I doubte not most Gracious kynge but youre hyghnes wyll accordynge to your tytle style pourge thys Churche of Englande to the puritie and synceritie of gods woorde Farther we learne howe that the Prynces and councellours of a realme shoulde helpe foorth the Godlye purposes and statutes made for the glorye of God wythin a Realme So was this kinges Godlye purpose holpe by hys councel so Dauid so Iosias In that the kynge and hys nobles do confyrme the doynges of hys people we learne that Godlye magistrates shuld not let but further and confyrme al godly purposes and vertuous study of theyr people when they study amendement of false relygion so did Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias ¶ The sūme of the proclamacion IT containeth the true and ryghte forme of repentaūce that pleaseth God whyche is contayned in foure partes Fyrst in outwarde sygnes of heuynes Then