Lord of Heauen and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding hast opened them vnto babes It is so O Father because thy good pleasure was such Héerein the Disciples might learne First that the Gospell cannot be comprehended with mans vnderstanding and reason Secondly that there is no power disposition or inclination in mans will to receiue the Gospell being not onely not congruous but flat contrary to the same For these Cities though they were not such brutish sinners as the Sodomites but ciuilly honest or naturally vertuous yet they were as vnbeléeuing and more vnbeléeuing then the Sodomites would haue béene therefore they shall receiue the greater condemnation Thirdly the Disciples héereby might learne that to repent and beléeue is the meere mercy and grace of God Fourthly that this mercy and grace méerely procéedeth of the good pleasure of his will Fiftly that God being absolute Lord of all the world and maker of all men respecteth not persons but hath mercy on whom hée will and passeth by whom he will Rom. 9. 15. Therefore séeing that these old rotten rags our darke hearts cannot retaine the new péece neither that these olde corrupt vessels can conteyne the new wine of the Gospell there must a new heart be giuen vs and a new spirit put within vs Ezech. 36. 26. 27. We must be borne againe before we can enter into the kingdome of grace and of glory Iohn 3. 5. Now this second birth is not of flesh and bloud nor of the will of man but of the spirit of God who regardeth not persons ages sexes worldly prerogatiues 1 Cor. 1. 26. 27. 28. Brethren you see your calling how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the mighty things and vile things of the world and things that are despised hath God chosen and things that are not to bring to nought things that are Christ chose not nor called any of the Politicians or Péeres of Ierusalem to bée the planters and builders of his Church and Kingdome nor yet any of the Pharises Scribes or Lawyers for they were not fit nor apt to make Disciples of those rotten tattered garments and fusty vessels were too farre worne and spent and too much corrupted with fleshly wisdome worldly policy and craft sensuality bodily pleasures pomp vanities of naturall life So far were they ouergrowne throughly corrupted herewith as they could not empty themselues nor lay aside these things to prepare themselues for Christ vnlesse they should lay their whole selues aside But hée chose simple and silly Fishermen which hauing their businesses and getting their liuing by sea had least fellowship and smallest dealings with men which were men of no imployment little acquainted with the subtilty craft of the world and were as babes in comparison of Citizens and such as deale in great and many matters These and such like as are least infected with the world and whose bodies are broken and tamed with labour and trauell hunger and cold are fittest instruments for the holy Ghost to worke in They are the fittest by whom God might shew forth his sauing wisedome and by and in whom his goodnesse mercy and grace might be most clearely manifested to the world And this is the glory of his mercy and grace to exalt honour and glorifie the foolish weake and contemptible things of the world by calling them to be the greatest in the kingdome of grace to whom the honour glory and wisedome of this world must stoope and yéeld it selfe in homage yea the least in this kingdome is aboue all principality and power Another example hereof there is in the poore family of Lazarus of Bethania whether Christ often resorted to dinner to supper and to lodging and where he had his heartiest intertainement Why was not Ierusalem the most conuenient place for the Lord of Heauen and earth the King of glory to be intertained in Was it not more fitting that Herod the King that Pilate the Romaine president or rather that Caiphas the high Priest or that some of the Princes or at the least-wise that some of the Elders should haue giuen him royall intertainment according to the maiesty of a King Where were the Scribes and Pharises that sit in Moses chaire whose Disciples they boasted themselues to be How could they be better imployed then in receiuing and glorifying the Sonne of God before all the people teaching all men by their owne example to reuerence to fall downe and worship him Why doe they not with all submission and prostrate humilitie as their Maister Moses commanded them heare this Prophet that the Lord their God hath raised vp vnto them which is greater then Moses than Elias than Salomon being the Lord of life the Prince and Sauiour of the world If Christ had appeared in earthly royalty worldly ostentation pompe power dignity then would Annas and Caiphas the high Priests the Elders the Pharises haue gathered to him and giuen him royal intertainment because they would haue hoped by him to haue béene freed from the tributes taxations and seruitude of the Romains from the pollage and pillage of the Publicanes and Officers because that by him they might be honoured and graced in the sight of the Commons and because that by him they might be promoted to worldly dignities But because his appearance was spirituall not worldly hée hath neither forme nor beauty Esa 53. 2. they saw nothing in him wherefore they should desire him They saw onely out of their proud couetous and enuious hearts matter of contempt because that for the endlesse comfort of the meanest and basest estate he appeared in forme of a seruant And though the brightnesse of the glory of the Father together with his mercy compassion and goodnes towards man more manifestly shined heerein yet they looking on him with fleshly eyes iudge of him according to the outward appearance Ioh. 7. 41. Therefore as a seruant they estéeme him and vse him And because he wholly did the workes of God in gathering together and sauing the Elect to the onely honor and glory of God and not to the honour of himselfe and of them especially therefore do they condemn him for the most wicked man and handle him like the vilest creature of the earth Let our litterall teachers that are so ripe headed but dead-hearted and all common Protestants commonly carnall Gospeliers thinke and consider well of this and apply it to the present times and their present selues if so be that in séeing they can perceiue and in hearing they can vnderstand For as Christ the head was receiued intertained and vsed then so shall his true members be to the worlds end among them that professe his name For this is the mistery of iniquity And the Apostle testifieth that the afflictions of Christ are accomplished in his members And all that are in
hard and stony hearts to humble our selues before thée with dread and reuerence and on the other side the sauing feeling of thy loue shed abroad in our hearts by thy holy spirit may comfort vs in the stedfast assurance of the frée forgiuenesse of all our sinnes in the bloudshed and death of thy deare son Christ Iesus and incourage vs with all delight and chéerefulnesse constantly to practise all good duties both in time of afflictions and troubles and in time of peace and prosperity And séeing that it hath béene thy good pleasure to call vs with an holy calling into the communion and fellowship of Iesus Christ thy onely Sonne to the ende that denying all worldly and fleshly lusts wée should be vnto thée a chosen generation a royall Priest-hood an holy natition a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues and graces of thy good spirit inable vs to mortifie all euill workes and sinfull lusts that our liues may expresse our light and faith in thée And principally giue vs victory ouer those personall sins which thou knowest our nature most prone to commit Powre vpon vs thy holy spirit of wisedome and grace gouerne and lead vs by thy good word that it may be a lanthorne to our féete and a light to our paths So inlighten the naturall blindnesse of our darke hearts by thy spirit as that wée may daily be renued by the same By the which we pray thée to purge the grosnes of our hearing and vnderstanding that wée may euer-more profitably reade heare and vnderstand thine holy word and heauenly will And to that end O Lord beget in vs a true loue and reuerence of all the faithfull Ministers of thy Gospell Giue vs melting hearts to feare and tremble at thy voyce turbing all worldly vaine and light imaginations in vs that commonly shut the doore of the heart against the effectuall passage of thy word into the same O Lord our naturall hearts are so full of rebellion and hatred of thée as that we cannot abide to hear thy voyce or know thy will All our deuotion towards thée is as the morning dew and the exercises of Christian dueties quickly become wearisome vnto vs. Giue vs grace therefore to loue thy word feruently to search the Scriptures diligently to read them humbly to vnderstand them truely to heare thy word attentiuely and to liue thereafter effectually and carefully Giue vs such measure of wisedome and discerning of spirits that among the manifold errors opinions and iudgements that are in the world wée may stand vpright and constant in thy truth taught in thy holy word O Lord sanctifie euery one of vs throughout in spirit soule and body that wée may be kept blameles till the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ Strengthen our faith more and more confirme our hope increase our loue towards thée and our brethren for thy sake giue vs a feare of thy name a reuerence of thy maiesty a zeale of thy glory In time of peace and safety kéepe vs from contention oppression and cruelty In plenty and prosperity from pride vain-glory wantonnes intemperancy contempt of thee thy word thy Ministers and the poore In afflictions comfort vs that neyther we despaire nor blaspheme thy holy name but with patient thankefulnes trust in thy deliuerance And as wée daily fall into one sinne or other through humane frailty so giue vs continuall penitent hearts and spirits that wée may be sorry without desperation and trust in thy mercy without presumption That wée may more and more amend our liues and become truly religious without hypocrists lowly in heart without feigning faithfull without deceit ioyfull without lightnesse sad without distrust sober without slothfulnesse conscionable in all our dealings without gripplenesse content with that which thou sendest without couetousnesse ready to euery good worke apt to draw all men from vaine and foolish behauiour by our sober counsells godly spéeches and religious carriage To make much of them that feare God and entertaine them gladly to embrace the fellowship of the godly wise and to eschew the company of all prophane persons and despisers of them that are good to assist comfort and incourage the Ministers of thy worde in that high waighty and glorious calling to our vttermost power to gather together with them and constantly to withstand all scatterers spoylers and deuourers These vertues and graces of thy good spirit O heauenly Father like as wée acknowledge to receiue them from thée by vertue of our ingraffing into the mysticall body of thy Sonne Iesus Christ so wée beséech thée to beget to cherish preserue and increase the same in vs that wée may daily more and more be transtormed into the image of thée that hast translated vs out of darkenes into thy maruellous light and that to thy honour and glory the destruction of the kingdome of sinne and Satan and to the vtter and endlesse confusion of all Inffdells Idolaters and hypocrites that exalt and magnifie themselues against thée and thine holy ordinances And in these our weake and imperfect praiers O Lord we are not mindful of our selues alone but of the whole estate of the Catholike Church militant héere in earth and euery particular member thereof Blesse all Christian Kings and Princes that call vpon thy name and especially poure downe thy blessings vpon our dread Soueraigne whom next and immediately vnder thy selfe thou hast appointed to be our King and Gouernour Blesse him both in body and soule inrich him with all gifts necessary for so high a calling and make him long a nurcing Father in Israell Blesse him in his Quéene make her an helpe to him in all good things Blesse the young Prince and all their royall issue on this side and beyond the Seas and grant that there may not want one of that line to sit vpon this throne so long as the Sun and Moone endureth Blesse all his Maiesties most honourable priuy Counsell be thou present with them in all their Counsells and president ouer all their consultations that whatsoeuer they intend or doe may be to thy glory the honour of the King and comfort of thy people Blesse al Iudges Magistrates giue them thy heauenly grace indifferently to execute iustice to the punishment of wickednes and vice and to the maintenance of god inesse and vertue Blesse all the Ministers of thy word and Sacraments thou that art Lord of the haruest thrust forth many faithfull and painfull labourers that may féede thy people with knowledge and vnderstanding And giue to all thy people humble loyall and obedient hearts to thy Gospell with loue and reuerence to the Ministers thereof whom thou hast appointed to be the Shepheards Teachers and Gouernours of their souls in thy roome and place till thy comming to iudgement at the last day Moreouer we desire to render vnto thy heauenly Maiesty all hearty and possible thanks for all thy mercies and blessings bestowed on vs from the beginning of our dayes till this present time
THE Blinde-Mans Sermon OR Confutation of the blinde Pharises By THOMAS GRANGER Preacher of the Word at Botterwike nere Boston in Lincolnshire LONDON Printed by T. S. for Thomas Pauier and are to besold at his shop in Iuie-Lane 1616. TO THE WORshipful and my very good friend Mr. Charles Leuenthorpe Student in Christs Colledge in Cambridge SIR the duty that I owe vnto you on the one side and the consideration of your worthinesse on the other moued me first to send this small present vnto you desiring thereby to exhibite some testimony of my sincere affection towards you in the good opinion that I haue of you for your good choise and hope of your happy proceeding therein Trusting in the Lord that as you haue deuoted your selfe to Learning and intend to consecrate your selfe to the Church of God so the Lord will blesse you in all your studies and make you a powerfull instrument in the building and maintaining of his kingdome Your Worships in the Lord to command THOMAS GRANCER THE BLINDE-MANS Sermon IOHN 9. 31. Now wee know that God heareth not sinners but if any be a worshipper of God and doth his will him hee heareth THese are the words of one that was borne blinde to whom our Sauiour Christ had restored his sight And hée was occasioned héer eunto by the enuious and ignorant Pharisées who said in the verse 24. that they knew Christ to be a sinner And in the vers 29. that they knew not whence hée was that is whether his doctrine and miracles were of God or of Sathan In the verse 30. he closely reproueth their ignorance by way of admiration Doubtlesse this is a maruellous thing that you know not whence hee is c. Now in this verse hée goeth forward teaching them and prouing vnto them that Christ is not a sinner and that he is of God That Christ is not a sinner he proueth in this verse and thus he argueth God heareth not sinners But God hath heard this man Therefore this man is not a sinner The Assumption namely that GOD hath heard him he proueth in the vers 32. his argument being drawne from the effect of Gods power in him namely the wonderfull Miracle that hée wrought in restoring him to his sight which he amplifieth by the comparison of all times Since the world began it was neuer heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind The greatnes of the Miracle appeareth héerein that being borne blind he had no eyes therfore it must néeds follow that hée made him new eyes and hée that can make eyes can also create a man which none can doe except God alone and hée to whom God giueth power to doe it The Proposition is a doctrine which he first confirmeth by the ground that is the common knowledge and consent of all men in the first words We know Secondly he illustrateth the same by the contrary But if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him hee heareth Heerein therefore thrée things are to be handled First the ground of the Doctrine Secondly the Doctrine it selfe Thirdly the illustration thereof I. Wee know Which is as much as if hée had said all men learned and vnlearned Iew and Gentile euen all men by the light of Nature know that God heareth not sinners And héerein we are to obserue that whereas he saith wee hée alludeth to that proud and ignorant spéech of theirs in the verse 24. closely deriding their ignorance As if hée had said you Pharises that are puft vp with pride and vaine-glory whose hearts Satan hath filled with couetousnes whose minds the poyson of blacke enuy hath blinded whose iudgments worldly lusts haue corrupted that you neyther will nor can discern the truth nor iudge righteous iudgment you know this man to be a sinner Because this man conuinceth you of open rebellion against GOD laying open the foule corruptions of your hearts which with your subtle delusions of Almes Fasting and Prayer you kéepe secret and close within your selues from the eyes of the poore Commons and because he glorifieth not your persons neither any whit respecteth you in the sight of the people which would be honoured and called Rabbi of euery man but contrarily reprooueth your pride couetousnesse cruelty in deuouring widdowes houses and hypocrisie whereby you thinke your selues greatly disgraced therfore are you incensed in malice enuy and hatred against him deuising plotting against him séeking to insnare and intangle him in his spéeches if by any meanes colour or pretence you might bring him within the compasse of treason or danger of Law Hence it is that euen contrary to your owne knowledge you say that you know him to be a sinner But I that haue béene afflicted euer since I was borne that haue euer till now borne this heauy crosse of blindnesse now at length haue obtained mercy that not onely bodily eyes should be giuen mée to behold this comfortable light of the Sun but the eyes of my mind should be opened to behold the son of God I and such as I euen we know that this man is not a sinner whatsoeuer it pleaseth you to know and iudge of him Héere wée obseruc and sée a poore and vnlearned man teaching the learned Pharises profest Doctors of the Law and Prophets and yet are they so ignorant in both as that a common man must teach them yea they are so dull as that they cannot learne which maketh the man to maruell at them Surely indéede it is a maruellous thing that plaine simple and vnlearned men should teach learned Clerks the wise and prudent yet so it is for the Gospell is a Mystery it is all wonder for it is not grounded on any principle in nature therfore it is as great a wonder also that any man should beléeue it but that it should be rather to the Iew a stumbling block to the Gentiles foolishnes In Mat. 11. Our Sauiour Christ had preached the Gospel to thrée great populous cities Corazim Bethsaida and Capernaum whereof Capernaum was euen lifted vp to Heauen with the wealth pompe and pride of this world In this city there were many rich Merchants that had knowledge enough by their traffique to encrease their substance In it were learned men and great Schollers In it were prudent and politicke gouernours yet for all this when Christ preached the Gospell among them there is none that repenteth none that beléeueth none that vnderstandech They flockt about him to heare newes for so his doctrine was accounted and to sée wonders and when they had sufficed themselues with nouelties there is no more repenting beléeuing remorse for sinne than if they had béene at a play but they returned backe againe like the Dog to his vomit and the Sow to her wallowing in the mire Héereupon hee declareth the causes héereof by way of thanksgiuing for the instruction of his Disciples then present ver 25. I thanke thee O Father
Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution though not at all times with extremity as very many of the children of God haue done yet in some measure and degrée euen in the most reformed and established Church yea and almost in the best reformed house Noahs family was the most godly and best in all the world yet is there in it an vngratious Cham. In Abrahams house a mocking Ishmael In Isaaks a prophane and reuengefull Esau and amongst the Disciples of Christ a couetous theefe and a traitour Where was our Sauiour crucified but amongst his owne He came amongst his owne but his owne receiued him not Iohn 1. And where are the members of Christ afflicted persecuted but amongst their owne The brethren of Christ euen Church-men as we say betrayed him sold him put him to death so the brethren of the godly shall be their persecutors euen they I meane of the same profession as Dauid complaineth It was not mine open aduersary that did me this dishonour but euen thou my companion and familiar friend wee tooke sweet counsell together and went to the house of God as friends Vse This teacheth Christian men not to thinke the better of themselues for their worldly wisedome wealth honour learning degrées in the Vniuersity c. Séeing a man in the ample possession of all these these may be the least in the kingdome of heauen I speake not this to derogate from learning In Luke 10. 17. The seauenty Disciples that Christ sent to preach in the Cities whether himselfe would come returned againe with ioy saying Lord euen the Deuills are subdued to vs through thy name but in vers 20. Christ curbeth their reioycing which sauoured too much of the world Reioyce not saith hée that spirits are subiect to you but that your names are written in the booke of life Whereby wee plainely learne that a man may be excellently furnished with gifts for the discharge of any calling and for the ministery as well as any other and yet notwithstanding be a reprobate for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life Therfore let a man glory in a good conscience which is a continuall feast Let him reioyce in that he féeleth the loue of God shedde abroad in his heart and in the testimony of the holy Ghost assuring his spirit that hée is one of the sonnes of God Secondly this teacheth the poorest not to thinke the worse of themselues for their meane estate because they want these outward things 1 Cor. 7. 21. 22. Art thou called being a seruant Care not for it For hee that is called in the Lord being a seruant is the Lords freeman likewise also he that is called being free is the Lords seruant And Iam. 1. 9. 10. Let the brother of low degree reioyce because hee is exalted Euen to be the brother of Christ the sonne of God and heyre to the kingdome of glory Ver. 10. And he that is rich in that hee is made low for as the flower of grasse so shall he vanish away The inward man of the one is euer flourishing the outward man of the other perishing He that hath much worlds wealth and dignity and but a small measure of Grace is inferiour to him that hath a great measure of grace and but little or no worlds wealth For spirituall things among themselues admit comparison but betwéene spirituall things and earthly things there is no comparison at all This knowledge and consideration that worldly men want whose felicity consisteth in these outward things this I say in the children of God worketh lowlinesse of heart humility of minde méekenesse of spirit in such sort as that they had rather make themselues equall with them of the lower sort than to stand vpon comparisons and to striue for preheminence as the fashion of the world is Lazarus the beggar found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ though depriued of all earthly things Dauid the King found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ onely Psalme 4 6. 7. 8. As other men euen the men of this world reioyced and gloried in the increase of their substance with the rich man in Luke 12 So he on the contrary reioyced in the loue fauour and countenance of the Lord. And Psalm 119. Thy Law is deerer vnto mee than thousands of gold and siluer And Paul the Apostle found matter of glorying in Christ onely Phil. 3. 8. He counteth all things losse for Christ and iudgeth them to be but doung And as concerning any worldly thing hée will glory onely in his infirmities and reioyce in this that he is counted worthy to suffer for Christs cause These thrée examples teach all men of all estates degrées and callings to reioyce in Christ alone and to estéeme of themselues by their Christianity not by worldly prerogatiues For as for the prophane rich though he had all the world with the glory thereof yet the losse of all shall be his inheritance and the godly poore though hée want all or rather séeme to want all for the time present yet shall hée haue not onely this world but the world to come for his inheritance Thirdly this reformeth the erronious conceit of them who measure men by the measure of their learning they haue indéede the greatest meanes and helpes but the grace of God is the onely cause reuealing the mistery of Christianity to whom hée will Otherwise the most learned men are often the most enemies of Christ and Christians and when they thinke themselues to be most wise they become the greatest fooles To this purpose Dauid acknowledgeth Psal 119. 98. 99. 100. That he had more vnderstanding than his teachers than the ancient than eyther the man of great reading or the man of much obseruation and great experience by reason of yéeres And why because hée kept the commaundements For indéede how much a man practiseth so much hée sauingly knoweth and vnderstandeth He that knoweth a country and can plainely describe it onely by the mappe is not to be compared with him that hath trauailed it through although the one be learned and eloquent and the other vnlearned and plaine of spéech The man that hath no tast may by relation of others talke and discourse of tasts and the differences therof euen so may hée talke much of the Lord that neuer tasted how swéet the Lord is and speake much of the Scriptures in whom they were neuer powerfull to his conuersion Hereof the Lord complaineth by Ieremy They say the Lord liueth and yet they sweare falsly Ier. 5. 2. Likewise by Ezechiell They say let vs goe and heare the word of the Lord and sit before the Preacher as the people vseth to do but their heart goeth after their couetousnesse and after their pride and after their adultery Ezech. 33. Their outward pompe sheweth their inward humility and not their heart-sicke but braine-sicke deuotion Thus much of the ground we know The Doctrine God heareth not sinners The Interpretation of the words First to heare