all the people praise thee And God euen our owne God giue vs his blessing that the earth may bring forth her increase Thou hast O Lord sent vnto vs thy measure thou hast giuen vs thy squire whereby to measure and rule our liues thou hast sent I say vnto vs thy Gospell thy holie word the light of thy déerely beloued Sonne Iesus Christ whereby we may guid our selues direct our waies vpon the earth And when we shall thus liue when we shall once begin so to direct our doings as Gods Gospell teacheth his holie word commaundeth vs then shall the earth bring forth her increase then shall she yeeld vs her fruit in due season For like as God when we turne from him following our owne lusts and desires plagueth and punisheth vs so when we repent and returne vnto him he is good he is louing he is mercifull vnto vs. Turne vnto me sayth God by his prophet Ieremie and I will turne vnto you When soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes I will forget his iniquities saith the Lord. It is the Lord that gyueth vs fruit it is the Lord that maketh the ground fertile it is not the ground of it selfe that bringeth forth fruit it is not the corne that féedeth vs it is the blessing of God the blessing I say of God alone And therefore saith the prophet Dauid If thou O Lord wilt open thy hand then all things shall be filled with thy blessing It is the Lord that maketh the Sunne to shyne the Moone to giue light the raine to fall on the earth I am the Lord that doth all this sayth God Dauid also in his Psalme saith Sciant quòd manus tua fecit haec Let them know O Lord saith he that thy hand alone hath done these wonders It is God I say that causeth the earth to be fruitfull and bring forth increase it is God that causeth the heauens to heare the earth the earth to crie vnto the Heauens Your harts shall be full of my blessing saith the Lord. If we shall forsake our sinnes if we will leaue our wickednesse and turne vnto God our harts shall be full of his blessing and then shall the earth bring forth her increase the earth this dead thing this vnsensible thing this masse of clay at Gods commaundement at his will and pleasure it shall bring forth corne it shall bring forth grasse and all other kind of fruits to serue them that neuer thinke vpon him that bestowed them O that wée were kinde that wée were not vnmindfull that we would remember God But alas wée are vnkind we are vnmindfull we neyther thinke on God nor his works and therefore God closeth vp his hand therefore he gyueth not vnto vs hys blessing therefore is the earth barren and vnfruitfull And this our owne sinnes causeth this our owne wickednesse and sinfull lyuing causeth Ose the prophet vnto the people of Israel when they had forsaken God their Lord and therefore were gréeuously punished cried out and said Malum tuum ex te ô Israel Thy euill is come of thy selfe O Israel All this scarsitie all this dearth all this plague commeth of thy selfe alone Thou art saith he the cause thou thy selfe art the cause hereof And euen as they were the cause of their plague so are we the only cause of all this our punishment and yet we sée not nor know Gods anger I haue striken thee saith God by his prophet and yet thou feelest not and where shall I strike thee once againe Filios educaui saith God by his prophet I haue bred vp I haue nourished vp children and they despise me they set nought by mée they will not acknowledge mée their father Good Bretheren let vs turne vnto God let vs amend our sinfull lyuing let vs submit our selues wholy to his mercie so shall the earth bring forth her increase so shal she yéeld vs her fruit in due time season Let vs consider the dignitie that God hath giuen vs he made vs in Paradise he fashioned vs to his owne likenesse he breathed life into vs and lastly where we by the fall of our first parent Adam were all adiudged to eternall death he redéemed vs again by the blood of his déere Sonne and Passion of our Sauior Iesus Christ Behold these things and be not vnthankfull Let vs good Bretheren behold our selues let vs behold our owne vocation our owne profession let vs behold Christ our Sauior We are the children of God the bretheren of Christ and heyres of the euerlasting kingdom we are Christian men we professe Gods Gospell let vs therfore remember that we must walke as becommeth the seruants of Christ we must liue like the professors of Gods holie Gospell Let vs remember how many wayes God calleth vs how diuersly he allureth vs vnto him by what sundry meanes he prouoketh vs to come vnto him O thou proud soule sayth God by his prophet thou earth ashes when wilt thou forsake thy sinfull lyuing and come vnto me when wilt thou repent and turne vnto me Alas do we looke that the stones in the stréets the verie stones vnder our féete should rise vp and call vs to repentance The heauens drop downe teares for our sake they wéepe and are sorie for vs and wilt not thou O man burst out in teares and bewaile thy sinfull life God looketh when we will come he wayteth when we will returne vnto him he daily and hourely watcheth when we will submit our selues receiue his mercie So louing so good so gratious a Lord is he Why should you perish saith Christ giue me thy hart O thou man and I am contented Let vs all therefore my Bretheren let vs all returne vnto God let vs altogether come forth confesse Gods holie name let our hands our mouthes our harts praise and laud him for euer let all the people reioyce and be glad that God iudgeth the folke righteously and gouerneth the Nations vpon the earth So shall the earth bring forth her increase so shall shée yéeld vs her fruit in due season so shall we be blessed in our houses blessed in the fields blessed in our commings in and our goings out so shall our corne our cattell our shéepe and oxen be alwayes blessed and so shall Gods blessing be vpon vs and our Children and God euen our owne God shall blesse vs and remaine with vs for euer Amen THE THIRD Sermon Rom. 6. vers 19. 19. Like as ye haue giuen ouer your members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other euen so now also giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse that ye may be holie c. FOr the better vnderstanding of these words written by the Apostle S. Paul we must consider that there be two Princes of contrary dispositions and natures which haue the rule and gouernance of this world that is to wit God and the Deuill and that neuer was there man
vs if wee turne from him And so almightie God most mercifully vsed his promises vnto Abraham Ego sum protector tuus merces tua I am said he thy defender and thy reward Ego benedicam benedicentibus tibi maledicam maledicentibus tibi I wil blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee So ample so large so great a promise made God vnto him And thus almightie God when he wold deliuer his elect people the children of Israell from their great bondage and captiuitie Inducam te in terram fluentem lacte melle I will bring you into a land that shall flow with milke and hony this will I performe this will I bring to passe for you and this will I doe for my names sake And so likewise to these his people he made this merciful promise against their enemies saying Yee shall chase your enemies and they shall fall into the sword before you fiue of you shal chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall chace ten thousand Thus also God by his Prophets promised his people and said Turne vnto mee and I will turne vnto you And euen thus likewise Christ in the Gospel maketh most cleare and manifest promises of euerlasting life and saluation to all such as for his name shall forsake the pleasures and delights of this word and repose their felicitie onely in him Beati pauperes spiritu beati qui lugeant beati qui esuriunt beati qui persequutionem ferunt Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger thirst blessed are they that suffer persecution And why so For what cause are they blessed that are poore in spirit For what cause are they blessed that mourne Why are they happy that hunger What reward shall they haue that suffer persecution because saith Christ theirs is the Kingdom of Heauen they shall be comforted they shall bee filled they shall obtaine a crowne of glorie When two or three are gathered together in my name saith Christ I will bee in the middest of them Whatsoeuer yee shall aske my father in my name it shall be giuen vnto you These manifold and great promises it pleased almightie God to make vnto his chosen elect people these coÌ„fortable promises Christ himself vouchsafed to pronouÌ„ce to al such as shal cleaue vnto him thus mercifully it pleased God by faire promises to allure and win vs vnto him But oftentimes alas we set little or nothing by these swéet comfortable promises we little estéem or regard them and therfore god then vseth his threatning his rigor and Iustice among vs when no swéet words can win vs then hee striketh his terror into vs. For when god in old time perceiued that no gentlenes no kindnesse no mercy of his could win his people vnto him he caused Esay his prophet to cry out said Impius in beneficijs me noÌ„ aguouit in angustijs auteÌ„ clamauit ad me The wicked and sinfull man saith he in my great goodnesse benefits bestowed vpon him would not acknowledge nor confesse me but in his miserie and trouble in his anguish and woe then he ran vnto me and called on my name And so likewise by the Prophet Ieremie God him selfe sayeth Conuerterunt ad me terga non faciâ—s suas in die autem tribulationis inclamant me They haue turned their backes and not their faces vnto me but in the day of their trouble in the time of necessitie they call and cry vpon me And so in like the same Prophet Ieremie or rather God by this Prophet saith Impinguatus incrassatus est populus meus My people are waxen fat and lustie they haue forsaken mee the well of life and digged themselues pits yea vile and broken pits that can hold no water Such a thing is the felicitie and pleasure of this world that it maketh vs soone to forget God and the felicitie of the world to come And therfore God so often warned his people of Israel that when they were once come into the land of Canaan into that plentifull country which flowed with milke and hony wherein should bee no dearth nor scarcenesse that then they shold not forget the Lord their god that then their hearts should not be deceiued that then they should not goe aside and serue other gods and so his wrath and indignation waxe hote vpon them And therfore when faire promises louing kindnesse cannot win vs to God then vseth he another way then doth he appoint another meane then beginneth hee to threaten and feare vs and that of his rigour and iustice And thus did hée to our first father Adam because he would not he should transgresse his commaundement he threatned him and said In quocunque die comederis ex hoc fructu mortem morieris In what-euer day thou shalt tast of this fruit thou shalt dye the death So likewise God to the whole multitude of his people of Israell said Vnlesse ye giue eare to the voice of the Lord your God to doe all his commandements and ordinances cursed shall you be in the towne and cursed in the field cursed shall thy basket be and thy store cursed shal be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy land cursed shalt thou bee in thy comming in in thy going out You shall call and I will not heare you shall cry vnto me and I will not giue eare Dabo vobis caelum aeneum terram ferreum The heauen shall be as brasse and the earth as Iron the heauens shall giue you no raine the earth shall bring you forth no fruit your trauell and labour shal be lost your land shal not giue her encrease Thus almightie God threatned his elect chosen people and all to kéep them in awe and feare of him And so in another place he saith I will set my face against you and ye shall bee slaine before your enemies and they that hate you shall haue dominion ouer you ye shal fly when no man chaseth you Thus you see that it pleaseth almightie God oftentimes to vse these and such like words of threatning to vse such rigour to beat a terrour into his people when faire promises and swéet words can doe nothing and this doth hee of his great iustice And therfore Dauid in this place God is indeed saith he a rightfull iudge and God is euer threatning If men will not turne he hath whet his sword and hath bent his bowe and made it readie He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrowes to destroy So mightie so omnipotent is God that hee can punish and so righteous a iudge is he that hee will punish when it best pleaseth him But some man would here peraduenture say if God be thus able to punish and will indéed punish when hee is offended why then doth he it not by and by why
Christ So Paul Hic sensus sit in vobis qui fuit in Christo Let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Iesus which when he was egall with God yet neuerthelesse made himselfe of no reputation humbled himself vnto death euen the death of the Crosse So Dauid notwithstanding he was a King a Prophet and a man chosen euen according to the heart of God yet he humbled himselfe said Non ambulaui in magnis nequè in mirabilibus super me I am not high minded I haue no proud lookes I do not exercise my selfe in great matters which are too high for me So Paul God hath chosen the foolish things of this world that by them he may be able to confound the wise he hath chosen the weake things that thorough them he may subdue the strong Thus God vseth humble lowly things saith S. Paul Ex ore infantium et lactantium perfecists laudem tuam Out of the mouth of verie babes sucklins hast thou made perfit thy praise euen by the mouths of infants sucking babes thou hast ordeined strength and spred abroad the glory of thy name So Paul notwithstanding he was a great learned man and skilfull in the Lawes among the Iewes yet he bragged not nor boasted of his great knowledge he had but he humbled himselfe and said Ego me arbitror nihil scere nisi Christum eum quidem crucifixum I thinke thus of my selfe that I know nothing saue Iesus Christ euen the same that was crucified other knowledge haue I none to auaunt my selfe of said S. Paul And vpon this foundation of humility it pleased almightie God at the first to erect build his holie Church vpon his Apostles I say who were the very paterns of méeknesse it séemed good vnto God to build his holy Church And after them such as were of the congregation of Christ such as professed the name of Christ were not proud men were not men of haut courage nor high minded And therefore as we read in the Acts of the Apostles Erat illis cor vnum anima vna They were all of one heart and one mind together So at the beginning the Disciples of Christ were poore in spirit and therefore were they méet to inherite the kingdome of Heauen they were méeke in heart humble of mind and therefore were they méet to possesse the earth they learned at Christ to be méeke and lowlie they had the same sence in them that was in Christ and therfore they humbled them selues vnto death they were counted the foolish things of the earth therefore were they méet instruments to confouÌ„d the wisdome of the world they were counted the weake things therefore were they méet to ouercome the mightie The Babes were méeke lowlie and therefore were they méet to spred abroad the glorie of God Saint Paul of all his learning thought that he knew nothing so much he humbled himselfe and therefore was he méete to be an Apostle of Christ and Preacher of his Gospell There is a storie or rather a fable writen of S. Anthonie whether you take it as a storie or a fable I much recke not but it serueth well for this purpose it is thus Saint Anthonie on a time lay in a traunce and as he so lay he looked downe from Heauen as he thought saw all the whole earth so thicke couered with snares that possible it was not for any man to tread vpon the earth and not be intangled therewithall and this when he beheld suddeinly he cried out and said O Lord and who can then walke on the earth and not be intrapped with that he heard a voice that answered him and said Sola humilitas Only humilitie it is said that voice that may go and not be intangled only Humilitie and nothing else Who so is Humble he may walke without daunger he may go and not be taken This is written that S. Anthonie should sée and heare in his traunce But Dauid the prophet of God saith in déed Sacrificium Deo spiritus contritus The contrite and humble heart is a sacrifice vnto God the méeke and lowlie heart is a swéet and acceptable Sacrifice vnto God saith the prophet Dauid So againe in another place he saith Deus humilia respicit alia à longè prospicit God hath regard to the humble and lowlie and as for the proud he beholdeth them a far off Esaie also or rather God by his Prophet Esaie saith Super quem râ—quiescet spiritus meus nisi super humilem Vpon whom shall my spirit rest saith God But vpon the humble and meeke for otherwise saith Saint Paul Qui inflatur cadit He that is puffed vp with pride falleth into the hands of the Deuill Thus good Bretheren humilitie preserueth the Church of God humilitie vphouldeth all good Common weales Pride it is that scattereth the Church of God pride ouerthroweth all good Common weales There was yet neuer pride in any Citie without dissention nor dissention that continued without destruction of the whole Common weale Ye shall neuer read in any record eyther of Citie Kingdome or Common weale but that if pride raigned therein there consequentlie followed dissention and of dissention insued the ouerthrow of the same In the Citie of Rome which was called the Ladie of the whole world there were two that tooke vpon them the gouernance of the Empire Iulius Caesar and Pompey Iulius Caesar was a man of so haught courage that he could abide no péere Pompey was of such an high mynd that hée could suffer no man to be his egall And thus for dominion stroue these two together and thus thorough their dissention was not onlie the whole Citie but the kingdome it selfe brought to destruction The state of the Gretians which then chiefly aboue other florished because it was diuided came to vtter confusion But what speake I of these what speak I of Rome and the state of the Gretians Who is there that hath not heard of Ierusalem Ierusalem I say that great City that same Towne that God had chosen to him selfe euen that same Towne wherein God would haue his Temple erected and his holie name honored after that the Rulers thereof began to be diuided after that the Magistrats fell to discord and each man would be a Captaine and no man would be ruled then came the enemies in then was it besieged then was the Mother for verie famine constreined to eat her owne childe then was it vtterly destroyed and no one stone left vpon an other and which was most miserable there were slaine in that Citie xj hundred thousand people and the verie chanels in the stréets ran all with blood Thus miserably was it ouerthrowen and in such wretched estate were the whole people thereof and this only came to passe thorough pride and dissention And this was it that Esaie long time before prophesied of and said Then shall the