he hath gotten Haman a man of great knowledge and aâ—…thoritie and fauour with his Prince Yet because he abused this faâ—…our to the oppression of gods people and of true religion therefore he lost it And that mischiefe which he imagined against others lighted vpon his ownâ—… paâ—…e Indeede when god hath appointed any one to be a notable instrâ—…ment of his glorie either in Church 〈◊〉 Common-â—…ealth then sodainly the Lord giueth him extraordinary fauour So he gaue Ioseph fauour with king Pharao so he gaue Mardocheus fauour wiâ—…h king Assuerus For fauour and promoâ—…ion commeâ—…h neither from the East nor from the West nor from the North nor from the South but god it is which setteth vp one and casteth downe an other He as the blessed Virgin singeth in her Magnisicat casteth down the mightie from their seats and exalteth the humble and meâ—…ke Wherfore man getteth not fauour by knowledge onely but by the fauour of god Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god This doctrine teacheth vs that if we haue gotten the race gotten the battel gotten bread gotten riches gotten fauour we should not ascribe these things to our owne sacrifices to our owne strength to our owne wisdome to our owne vnderstanding to our owne knowledge but to the grace of god and the blessed word proceeding out of his â—…outh Thus the Prophet exhorteth saying Let not the wise man glorie in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength but let him that gloried glorie in this that he knoweth the Lord. Now no maÌ„ knoweth the Lord but he which knoweth that all good successe he hath in any thing coÌ„meth of the Lord. And thus much for the first place of Scripture which is a commentarie vpon this text Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god The second place of Scripture is written in the Prophet Hagge Ye haue sowen much and bring in little ye eat but you haue not enough ye drinke but ye are not silled ye cloth you but ye are not warme and he that earneth wages putteth the wages into a broken bagge First sâ—…ith the Prophet Ye haue sowed much and bring in little Almightie God for the sin of the people makes many times the heauens brasse and the earth yron So that neither the heauens droppeth downe seasonable showres neither doth the earth bring forth her â—…ncrease When one came to a heape of twentie measures there were but ten saith this our Prophet when one came to the winepresse for to drawe out fiftie vessels out of the presse there were but twentie This is to sowe much and bring in little to looke for twentie measures and finde but tenne to looke for fiftie vessels and finde but twentie On the other side holy Isaac sowing in the land of king Abimeleck gained euerie yeare an hundred fold so mightily saith the Scripture did the Lord blesse him For except the Lord build the house they labour but in vaine that build it and except the Lord till the field and sowe the seede they labour but in vain that sowe it Paul planteth Apollo watereâ—…h but God giueth the encrease which is true not onely in the spirituall waâ—…ering of the word but also in naturall planting and sowing seede So that man bringeth not much in by sowing onely but by the enâ—…ease which God giueth Man liâ—…eth â—…ot by bread onely but by euery word which poceedeth out of the mouth of God Secondly saith the Prophet Ye eate but ye haue not inough Many there are which want for no eating but like that rich glutton fare deliciously euerie day yet it is smally seene by them But as those seuen leane kine hauing deuoured the seuen fat were neuer a whit the fuller so these Wheras holy Daniel hauing nothing to eat but poore pulse nothing to drinke but cold water looked more cherefully and beautifully then any of the children which did eat of the portion of the kings meate And that the Eunuch saw well inough and consessed at the tenne dayes ende Therefore a little thing which the righteous inioyâ—…th is better then great riches of the wicked Better is a little with the feare of the Lord then great treasure trouble therewith Better is a dry morsell if peace be with it then a house full of sacrifices with strife Better is a dinner of greene hearbes were loue is then a stawled oxe and hatred therewith In conclusion then Man hath not inough by eating onely but by the peace and and loue of God Mâ—…n liueth not by breade onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Thirdly saith the Prophet Ye drink but ye are not filled Many consume and as we say drinke downe their whole patrimonie Like the horseleach they euer say Giue giue like the man in the gospell that had the dropsie they driâ—…ke still and the more they drinke the more they list Committing in the meane season two sinnes forsâ—…king God the fountaine of liâ—…ing waters and digging to themselues pittes that can hold no waters On the other side Elias when as the Angel brought him a cake bakt ' on the harth and a pot of water was so â—…ully satisfied with these that he went in the strength of this meate and drinke fortie dayes vnto Oreb the mount of God Could such a small pittance of bread and water of it selfe sustaine him so long No marrie What was the matter then The word that proceeded out of Gods mouth had appointed so that one cruse of water should suffice him all that time Whereby we see that man is not filled with drinking only Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Fourthly saith the Prophet Yea cloth you but you are not waâ—…me Peter Martyr sheweth that clothing doth keepe the bodie warme two wayes By keeping in the naturall heat of the bodie and by keeping out the accidentall cold of the ayre Now though this be the property of cloathing yet God as it pleaseth him can suspend the effect of it Whereupon he saith I will take away my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and I wil deliuer my wooll and my flaxe Signifying that euen when the corne is come to the ripenesse and the wine nowe readie to be drunken God will depriâ—…e them of it But especially we must marke that he sai's I will deliuer my wooll and my â—…laxe Whereby he teacheth vs that God hath as it were if I may so say bound all his creatures prentises to vs to preserâ—…e vs and serue vs if we serue him But in case we serue him â—…ot then the creatures are deliuered and are bound no more to serue vs. The wool and the flax contrary to their â—…ature will not serue our turne if we contrary to
exceeding massie and waightie But what speake I of wine VVhat of a peny God himselfe shall be our glory According to that Thou art my glorie and the lifter vp of my head As if he should haue sâ—…id asâ—…liction would make me cast downe my couâ—…ance and hold downe my head like a bulrush but the remâ—…brance of this that thou art my glory 〈◊〉 me liâ—…t vp my head So sâ—…i's God to Abraham Fâ—…re not Abraham I am thy buâ—…ler and thy exceeding gâ—…at reward I am thy buâ—…kler to lâ—…ch thâ—… blowes which affliction 〈◊〉 lay vpon thee and thy exâ—…ding â—…reat 〈◊〉 blessing thee with exâ—…eeding waightie glorie For they that shâ—…ll enioy this glorie shall see God Agreeably to that of our Lord Blessed are the pure in sâ—…irit for they shall see God And how shall they see God Not stâ—…nding behind thâ—… lattisse or looking out of a window that is darkly and obscurely but face to face talking with him familiarly as one friend doth to an other O ioy aboue all ioyes O glory that passeth all vnderstanding when we see the amiable and gracious countenance of our Lord reconciled to vs by Christ. Doâ—…btles if the Queene of Saba thought her selfe happy for hearing the wisedome of Salomon and seeing the riches of his house and the order of his seruants then much more shall we be happie when we shall see the glorie and heare the wisedome of the Faâ—…her not as the preachers shewe it out of â—…he word but as our owne â—…ies shall behold it in heauen O how blessed shall we thinke our selues then that by any paines by any afflictions we haue at length attained to such waightie glorie For this glorie is wine running ouer is a peny waightie according to the shekel of the Sanctuarie is the blessed sight and fruition of God himselfe Wherefore considering how waighty our glorie is we must be patient in all aâ—…liction For the momentarie lightnes of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie Compare then th' affliction on th' one side with the glorie on the other side the shortnes of th' affliction vvith th' eternitie of the glorie the lightnesse of th' affliction with the waightinesse of the glorie And then be content for an eternall glorie to suffer momentarie affliction for waightie glorie to suffer light affliction The Stoickes if their griefe were either momentary or light cared for no more For if it were short they cared not how heauie it were againe if it were light they cared not how long it were Our affliction is both momentarie and light One helpe was sufficient for them we haue two for fayling A starke shame therefore it would be for vs if heathen and pagans hauing fewer meanes then we haue should shewe greater patience then we shewe But the Scriptures affoard vs yet more forceable inducements Iacob being in loâ—…e with Rachell serued for her first seauen yeares and afterward seuen yeares more in all fourteene and these many yeares seemed to him but a fewe dayes O deere Lord that we had thy grace to loue thy eternall waightie glorie but as well as many a man hath done a mortall earthly creaâ—…ure Then nâ—… doubt many yeares of afflictioÌ„ would seeme to vs but a fewe dayes heauy burthens of affliction would seeme to vs very sweete and light Christ Iesus for the ioy that was seâ—… before him endured the crosse and despised the shâ—…me and now 〈◊〉 aâ—… the right haâ—…d of the throne of God Questionles beloued thâ—… crosse of Christ was tedious and long the shame that he suffred was heauie and vntollerable Yet this crosse seemed but momentarie to him and this shâ—…me seemed but light vnto him in comparison of the ioy that was set before him and of the eternall waightie glorie which he haâ—…h now attained sitting at the right hand of the throne oâ—… God To the which plâ—…ce of honour and worship we beseech thee O louing Lord to bring vs aâ—…er all the afflictions of this wretched world not for our owne deserts or merits but for the merit of that crosse which Christ endured of that shame which Christ despised To whom for his crosse be all praise â—…or his shame be all glorie together with the â—…ather and the holy Ghost now and eâ—…rmore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE Kingâ—… Maiestie lying at the Lord SAYâ—… house called Broughton besides Bâ—…c the 2. day of 〈◊〉 1604. Rom. 8. 31. If God bâ—… with vâ—… who can bâ—… against vâ—… Tâ—…ese words 〈◊〉 a most 〈◊〉 and triumphant coÌ„clusion arising oâ—… of the â—…ormer discourse For the A postle hauing beâ—…re prooueâ—… thâ—…t man is iustified onely by the sâ—…e grace merâ—…ie of Christ 〈◊〉 any merit and desert of goâ—… workes at length concludeth in the beginning of this chapter Therfore there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesâ—…s and so likewise here If God be with vs who can be against vs Maximilian the Emperour so admired this sentence that he caused it to be set in letteâ—… of checker work vpon a table at which he vsed to dine and suppe that hauing it so often in his eye he might alwaies haue it in minde also si Deus pro nobis quis contra nos If God be with vs who can be against vs The truth of it is so apparant that it hath beene made a common watâ—…hword not of Chrisâ—…ns onely but euen of heathenish souldiers Our word is Immanuel that â—…s by interpretation God with vs. And some of the aâ—…ent Romanes vsed likewise i. their warres this watchword Nobiscum Dâ—… God with vs. â—…or indeede if we be of the colledge and societie of Immanuel and if God be on our side we shall be sure to preuaile If God be with vs who can be agâ—…inst vs 〈◊〉 saith well according to the Scripture Our God is aboue all Gods And so likewise Cyrill The power of our God is aboue all power Therefore if that power be on our side which is aboue all power and that God which is aboue all gods nothing can hurt vs If God be with vs who can be against vs S. Austiâ—… shewâ—…th out of the verse immediately going before that fowre especiall waies God is with vs. God is with vs in that he hath predestinated vs God is with vs in that he hath called vs God is with vs in that he hath iustified vs God is with vs in that he hath glorified vs. Innocentius the tâ—…ird sheweth out of the words consequently following aster that fowre speciall enemies are against vs. The inferiour enemie against vs is man the exteriour enemie against vs is the world the interiour enemie against vs is the flesh the superiour â—…emie against vs is the deuill So that whereas the Apostle sâ—…i's here If God be with vs who can be against vs It is all one as if he should haue said If God haue predestinated vâ—… what can man
walke on long enough and no man enuie you no man maligne you or malice you But because God hath inspired you with his principall spirit and endewed you with speciall great graces aboue your fellowes therefore doth your aduersarie the Deuill the old enemie of all goodnes and vertue who is readie to burst to see you doe so well he I say doth bestirre himselfe and raise vp enemies against you But O blessed be our good Lord what a wonderfull comfort and incouragement haâ—…e all you what a horrible terrour affrightment haue all your enemies in this text For the holy Ghost saies not They shall be clothed or you shall cloth them but I euen I shal cloth them with shame It is impossible saies he that you should alwaies be armed at all points circumspect at all places vigilant at all times prouided at all occasions to preuent the mischieuous practises of your deuillish enemies No counsell of man no policie no wisdome no wit can foresee all their barbarous vndertakings and complottes to escape them But in heauen in heauen there is an eye an hand there is in heauen an eye to descrie them and a hand to persecure and punish them both an eye and an hand to deliuer you from daunger and to cloath them with shame Therefore saith he Cast your care vpon me let me alone with them your perill is my perill your case my case I le pay them that they haue deserued He take the quarrell into mine owne â—…ands I le trimme them well enough As for your enemies I shall cloath them with shame RemeÌ„ber I pray you beloued though indeede they haue made themselues worthie neuer to be remembred or once to be mentioned in our mouthes any more yet remember I say to their egregious dishonour reproch how those are now clothed with shame who were the first cause of the solemnizing or as I may say of the sanctifying of this present day for the day of the weeke and of yesterday for the day of the moneth of the twelue moneth with so holy an exercise How odious how execrable is their very name vnto vs what true hearted loyall subiect such as I am sure all are here doth not detest them hate them loath them as a toad or as a viper or as some hidious mishapen monster and curse the very day wherein such a rebellious generation and such a trayterous brood were borne Certainly my good brethren if the mercie of God which is incomprehensible did not giue them grace at the last gaspe to repent and crie to God for pardon as they are cloathed with shame in this world so shall they be much more in the world to come And as we hold them for no better then cursed creatures so shall the Lord at last say vnto them Goe ye cursed into euerlasting fire So let it be o Lord euen so to all the enemies of thine aâ—…ointed either open or secret so let it be to them As for his enemies doe thou thou O Lord thine owne selfe doe thou cloath them with shame But vpon himselfe shall his Crowne flourish These words vpon himselfe either are altogether impertinent and superfluous or else they are very important and materiall For it had beene sufficient to haue saide As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but as for himselfe his â—…rowne shall â—…lourish It is not greatly necessarie as it should seeme to 〈◊〉 his crowne shall â—…lourish vpon himselfe Yet the Lord in his gratious answer vnto Dauids praier thought good to put in this as a supernumerarie word ouer and besides the necessitie of the sentence to teach the good King and vs all likewise a very notable lesson Namely that he would blesse the crowne the dignitie the flourishing estate of his louing seruant not onely in his owne person and his posteritie in this world and in the world to come as I haue shewed alreadie but also from a lesser weight of glory still to a greater and greater Vpon himselfe saies he shall his crowne flourish For not onely it shall be as flourishing as Dauid left it at the day of his departure to God but after his dissolutioÌ„ and death as faâ—…t as his bodie corrupteth in the earth so fast shall his crowne encrease still in heauen Trust me truly I speake it before the liuing Lord and this high presence all the whole Church which shall be edified to saluation by Dauids blessed and godly gouernement euen after his death shal yet suffer his crown neuer to die but shall continually keepe it fresh and greene Yeâ—… as euery one brought to the building of the tabernacle and to the reedifying of the temple such as they were able so I assure you I speake now a great word euery particular subiect that is saithfull to God and to his Prince as he goeth on forward to God by the peace and by the religion which he hath enioyed vnder his Prince so he shall still beautifie and decke Dauids crowne one shall bring a white rose another shall bring a red rose and adde it to the crowne that so vpon himselfe still his crowne may slourish the white rose and the redde rose that are in the crowne alreadie beeing euer made more and more fragrant and slourishing O Christ what a crowne is this And what will it growe to much more in the ende You that are mighty Kings and Potentates vpon earth haue indeede great cares and continuall businesse in your heads but yet vouchsafe I pray you to hearken a little what I shal say vnto you You watch oftentimes ouer vs when we are asleepe our selues You care for our peace when it is not in our power to further it you procuring good to Sion and prosperitie to Ierusalem yet many times enioy the least part of it your selues But no force Take this still for your comfort We that cannot all our liues long doe the hundreth part of that good vvhich you doe euery houre shall haue nothing so flourishing a crovvne as you shall haue Vpon you vpon you shall euerlasting peace rest vpon you shall the glorie of Gods Maiestie shine vpon you vpon you shall your crovvne slourish Which the Lord of his mercie graunt I most humbly beseech him for Iesus Christs sake that as Dauids crovvne euer slourished till the first comming of Christ so our gratious Kings crovvne may euer flourish till the second comming of Christ and then that afterward for euer his royall Maiestie may be roy ally crovvned vvith eternall life thorough the same our deare Sauiour Iesus Christ to vvhom vvith the father and the holy Ghost be all honour and glo rie povver and praise dignitie and dominion novv and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE the Kings Maiestie that day he entred into Oxford at Woodstocke August 27. 1065. Luk. 8. 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring
we haue beene perswaded by him if he had beene perswaded by the deuill For he might haue seemed to haue done this miracle not only by the deuills appointment but by his power The summe is this therefore To conuert any poore soule vnto God or to make a sonne of God he would haue done it vaine-gloriously to shewe himselfe the sonne of God he would not doe it but said Man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God The word man is verie materiall As if he should haue said Any ordinarie man liueth not by the bread but by the power and strength and as the Prophet calleth it the staffe of bread which God giueth it Now if he that is but a bare man liueth rather by the blessing of God then by the bread much lesse need I presume vpon vnlawful meanes that am both man and God Againe we must obserue that by The word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God we are not to vnderstand the written will or word of God but the secret counsell and decree of God in preseruing and sustaining his creatures For example if the word haue gone out of Gods mouth and if God haue set it downe and saide it that I shall liue as well without bread as with bread so it shall be Or if God in his prouidence haue prouided that a stone shal nourish me as well as bread then I shall not neede to distrust his goodnesse or to vse vnlawfull means for my releefe For Man liueth not by bread onely but by ◅ery word that proceedeh out of the ◅outh of God There are two places of Scripture which are fit commentaries vpon this text The first is written in Ecclesiastes I returned saies Salomon and I sawe vnder the sunne that the race is not to the swift nor the battell to the strong nor yet bread to the wise nor also riches to men of vnderstanding neither yet fauour to men of knowledge First saith the preacher The race is not to the swift Asahel was as swift of foot as a roebuck yet Abner met with him smote him vnder the sift rib slew him So that the swiftest that is may sometimes be ouertaken It is not in him that willeth or in him that rūneth but in God that sheweth mercie Nec curentis Ne◅ volentis saies S. Paul but a noble man giues it for his word Nec volentis ne◅ volantis It is not in him ◅hat willeth or in him that runneth yea though he could runne as fast as a bird can flie but in God that sheweth mercie Therefore man get◅eth not the race by swistnes onely but by the mercie of God Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Secondly saith the Preacher The battell is not to the strong Golias was a mightie strong gyant His height was sixe cubits and a hand breadth he had an helmet of brasse vpon his head and a brigandine vpon his bodie and the weight of hi◅ brigandine was fiue thous◅nd shekels o◅ brasse He had bootes of b◅asse vpon his legs a shield of brasse vpon his shoulders And the shaft of his speare was like a weauers beame and ◅is speare head weighed sixe hundred shekels of yro◅ one bearing a shielde went before him Wherefore thinke you is all this furniture so particularly set downe Wherefore say you Marry to shewe how great strength the Lord if the word haue proceeded out of his mouth can ouercome with weakenes For so little Dauid confesseth Thou commest to me saith he with a sword and with a speare and with a sheild but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts This name of the Lord of hosts this mightie word proceeding out of Gods mouth stroke the stroke Euen as holy Dauid humbly confesseth saying We got not the victorie by our owne sword neither was it our arme that did saue vs but thy right hand O Lord and thine arme and the light o◅ thy countenance because thou hadst a ◅uour vnto vs. So that man getteth not the battell by strength onely but by the fauour of God Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Thirdly saith the preacher Bread is not to the wise One would thinke him but a simple wise man that can not by his wisdome prouide himselfe bread that is sufficient maintenance for his estate Yet thus it fallet◅ out oftentimes The prodigall child was wise enough Beeing but the yonger brother he handled the matter so as that he got of his father an equall portion of goods with his elder brother But what came all his wisdome to in the ende Forsooth at length he was driuen to such shifts that for want of bread he was faine to eate husks with the hogges And then he saide How many hired seruants in my fathers house haue bread enough and I starue here for hunger Thus falleth it o◅t many times wi◅h thē that are wise to sollow their owne pleasures and not to serue god But with the seruants of god it is not so Therefore saith the princely Prophet I haue beene young and now am old yet did I neuer see the righteous forsake◅ nor their seede begging their bread So that man getteth not bread by wisdome onely and when he hath gotten bread Man liueth not by bread onely but by eue◅y word that proc◅edeth out of the mouth of god Fourthly saith the preacher Riches are not to men of vnderstanding That rich man in the gospel wanted not greatly any vnderstanding When he had so much riches that he could not tell what to doe with them he resolued to pull downe his olde barnes which were too little and to build bigger But what saide the answer of god Thou foole this night shal they take away thy soule from thee and then whose shall thy goods be Wherfore he that thoght himselfe of great vnderstanding before is here declared to be a foole and a poore foole also hauing not so much as his soule left to helpe him The losse whereof can not be recompenced and counter◅ailed with winning the whole world A mans life then doth not confist in the aboundance of those things which he possesseth But the louingkindnes of the Lord is better then riches better then liuing yea better then life it selfe For in God onely we liue And onely the blessing of god maketh a man rich Whereupon we may conclude that man getteth not riches by vndersta◅ding onely but by the blessing of god Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god Lastly saith the preacher Fauour is not to men of knowledge It seemeth that a man of knowledge and learning should obtaine fauour and acceptance wheresoeuer he becommeth But it is not so Oftentimes either he getteth none or els he looseth that which
matter to saue not onely as well with a small or a weak power as with a great or a strong power but also as well with no power as with some power It is a good carpenter who haâ—…ing crooked and rougâ—… timber put into his hands can hâ—…w it and make it fit for the building Onely the creator of all it is which can worke hauing no matter at all to worke vpon The ordinarie meanes for plants and hearbs to growe by is raiâ—…e Yet God prouided for Adam plants and herbes 〈◊〉 eâ—…er it had rainâ—…d The vsuall â—…eanes for light is the sunne Howbeit â—…od 〈◊〉 light before he made the 〈◊〉 Light the first day the sunne the 〈◊〉 day We see then that God is tiâ—… to no meanes God can saue with no 〈◊〉 as wel as with some power God can giâ—…e vs hearbs with no raine as wel 〈◊〉 with some raine God can giue vs light without any suâ—…ne as well as with â—…he sunâ—…e God can feede vs if it please him as well with no bread as with bread Therefore God can worke some matâ—…rs with no meanes and so Man liâ—…eth not by bread onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouâ—…h of God Fourtâ—…ly that God can worke othersâ—…me 〈◊〉 wiâ—…h contrariâ—… meanes â—…e câ—…n noâ—… onely shewe vs light withâ—… any sâ—…nne but also bring light out of darkenesse So our Sauiour when â—…e went about to cure him that was 〈◊〉 blind tempred spittle and clay 〈◊〉 put it vpon his â—…yes This plaister 〈◊〉 more likely to put out his eyes 〈◊〉 sees then to cure his eyes who is blind Yet this is the power of the word proceeding out of Gods mouâ—…h So the Prophet Elizeus when colloquintida was put into the pot by casting in a little mealâ—… into it made of ranke poison a wholesome brotâ—… So when the Israelits wanted bread in the desert God sent them Manna from heauen and Moses said vnto them This is the bread which the Lord hath giuen you to eat Many things here were contrarie to nature One thing especially that the dew which made the manna fell in the morning whereas other dewe vseth to fall in the euening and ascend in the morning Therefore Moses putteâ—…h Israel in minde of this strange miracle afterward God made thee hungrie and fed thee with Manna saith he which â—…hou knewest not neither did thy fathers knowe it that he might teach them that man liueth not by bread only but by euerie word that proceedeth ouâ—… of the moâ—…th of the Lord doth a man liue Christs answer then to the tempter is as if he should haue said I vvant novve bread in the desert as long ago the Israelites wanted it But God by his word prouided for them Thereâ—…ore I neede not incroach vpon vnlawfull meanes but depeÌ„ding stil vpon his prouidence I shall â—…euer want For God can worke great matters with small meanes strong matters with weake meanes many matters with no meanes and some matters with contrarie meanes So that Man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God And yet this is no doctrine of idlenesse and securitie neither As we must not by diffidence or distrust in God vse vnlawfull meanes so we must not by presuming vpon God neglect lavvfull meanes That vve be not too distrustful vve are sent to the lilly and yet that vve be not too negligent vve are sent to the ant S. Paul knevve right vvell neither he nor any of his companie should be cast avvay in that shipvvracke yet for all that he did not lay him dovvne vpon a pillovve and sleepe but he vsed all good meanes for the safetie of the compaâ—…ie He cast out the vvheat and the tackling of the ship he loosed the rudder bands and hoysed vp the main saile And vvhen the ship vvas splitted he persvvaded some by bords and other by other peices of the ship to svvim safe to land The more to blame vvere they yesternight vvhich vvhen they might haue done good stood by still and looâ—…ed on As though it vvere a disparagement or rather it vvere not a verie honourable part for any to help in a common danger Or as though the fire vvhich vvas kindled by negligence should haue beene extinguished vvith negligence also Yea rather the Lord did by this fire chastice the negligence of some that he might stirre vp the diligence of all No lesse blame vvorthie vvas the vvhole tovvne vvhich standing so neere the royall presence of the kings maiestie and the Qâ—…eenes maiestie yet vvas vtterly vnprouided of all helpe in this case No buckets no hookes no ladders no axes could be gotten no carpenters could be heard of vvhich might haue done most good at such a time So that if the mightie and mercifull vvord proceeding out of the mouth of God had not helped in necessity and time of neede suddainly caulming and stilling the vvind euen at that very instant vvhich had beene busie all the day before no question it had grovven to a farre greater dammage and danger But I am ill aduised to meddle vvith these things I make no doubt but order vvill be taken though I hold my peace that hereafter the â—…ovvne for all such casualties be better prouided Therefore here I ende God for his mercie sake grant that neither by too much presuming confidence vve may neglect the lavvfull meanes nor yet by too much distrusting diffidence vve may vse vnlavvfull meanes but that depending vpon thy prouidence O Lord vve may diligently follovve the vvorks of our calling and so continually receiue a blessing from thee thorough Iesus Christ to vvhom vvith the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise and glorie novve and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT HAMPTON Court before the Kings Maiestie the 23. day of September 1604. 2. Cor. 4. 17. The momentarie lightnes of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall weight of glorie SAint Peter foretelleth that some should peruert S. Pauls epistles to their ovvne damnation Such are they of the church of Rome Among other places of S. Pauls epistles they doe notably pâ—…ruert this For out of that the Apostle saith Affliction vvorketh glory they endeauour to conclude that the patience of the Saints and other their vertues merit euerlasting life But first the word To worke is verie generall and signifieth not onely causes properly so named but also any antecedent though it be but an adiunct or an accident Againe the Apostles words elsewhere are these I suppose that the afflictions of this life are not worthie os the glorie which shal be reuealed Wherefore they might haue done well to chuse some indifferet construction which would haue reconciled both these places together rather then to imbrace such an exposition of the one as doth iustle nay quite thrust out the other S. Bernard doth thus saying that good worâ—…es are not any cause meriting a
Onely in one point I am proud and very proud namely in renouncing an◅ denying the deuill He is indeede a strong man But yet a stronger then he hath thrust him out and spoiled him of all his goods He is a roaring lyon But the lyon of the tribe of Iud◅ hath ouercome him He is an old serpent almost of sixe thousand yeares standing and experience But Christ the new serpent prefigured in the brasen serpent hath bin too cunning for him Therefore though he seeke to winnovv Peter as corne is sifted yet no daunger Christ hath praised for Peter that his faith should not faile Where by the vvay vve may marke the difference betvveen Christ and the tempter Christ hath his fanne in his hand and fanneth vs the tempter hath his siue in his hand and sifteth vs. Novv a fanne casteth out the vvorst and keepeth in the best a siue keepeth in the vvorst and casteth out the best Right so Christ in his trialls purgeth chaffe and corruption out of vs nourisheth and increaseth his graces in vs. Contrarivvise the deuill is there be any ilthing in vs that he confirmeth if faith or any good thing els that he weakneth But Christ hath prayed for vs yea doth still at the right hand of the father make intercession and request for vs that our faith should not saile So that all Sathans power yea the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against vs. In like manner S. Paul beeing buffeted by the angel of Sathan prayed that he might be deliuered The answer of God was My grace is sufficiēt for thee Whether Satan busset vs or not buffet vs still the grace of God shal suffice vs. Much more his glorie who hath glorified vs. For God doth giue both grace and glory no good thing wil he withhold frō thē that liue a godly li◅e Therefore euerie child of God may triumph with Iob saying Stand thou beside me and let any mans hand fight against me For if God be on our side what can the deuill doe against vs if God be with vs who can be against vs N◅ianzen makes a good conclusion This onely is a fearefull thing to feare any thing more then God Feare God and seare nothing else feare no◅ God and feare euery thing For in the feare of the Lord is the confidence of courage Because sai's Gregory he that in a chast and fili◅ll feare is subiected to God by a hopesull kind of boldnesse is aboue all saue God But he that feareth not the Lord may be annoyed by any thing Mice were too strong for the Philistims and lice for the Egyptians So that if God be against vs who can be with vs But if God be with vs who can be against vs Now certainely God is with vs. Doe you doubt of this Then consider how that all great Potentates os the world who of late were some of them scarse our good friends doe now earnestly desire to be made partakers of our peace What doe I speake of men The very heauen the elements and this so seasonable haruest such as hath not beene known if one may take any gesse by these outward things doe plainely declare that God is now with vs and purposeth to powre out his blessings and benefits most abundantly vpon vs. Nothing then remaineth but that as God is with vs so we labour to be with God And as S. Peter admonisheth vs make our election sure by faith and good workes liuing soberly vprightly godlily in this present world That so we may feare no cruelty of man no miserie of the world no entisements of the flesh no terrors of the deuill but in all these things may be more then conquerours assuring our selues that if God be with vs nothing can be against vs. Which that it may be so God graunt for Iesus Christs sake to whome with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour and glorie now and euermore Amen Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the fellowship of the Holy ghost be with vs that nothing may be against vs this day and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT THE Court at Whitehall March 10. 1598. Iohn 20. 27. After saide he to Thomas Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull OVr blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his bodie for foure causes First to approoue his resurrection secondly to appease his father thirdly to confound his enemies fourthly to comfort his friends After said he to Thomas Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull The first cause why Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his bodie is to approoue his resurrection When Iacobs children told him saying Ioseph is yet aliue his heart failed and he beleeued them not but as soone as he saw the chariots which were sent for him by and by his spirit reuined and he said I haue inough Ioseph my sonne is yet aliue In like manner when the dis◅iples said to Thomas we haue seene the Lord he beleeued them not but now that he beholdeth Christs glorious wounds the triumphant tokens o◅ his victorie and the chariots as I may say whereby we are with Elias carried vp into heauen he confesseth indeede that Christ is risen againe and that the true Ioseph is ye◅ aliue Euen as Anna seeing that spaniell cōming homeward which went forth with her sonne at the first knewe certainely that her sonne Tobias himselfe was not farre off but followed immediately after so Thomas seeing those wounds in Christ which accom◅anied him to his graue knew assuredly that no other bodie was risen again but onely the very selfe same bodie of Christ which was buried S. Peter being brought out of prison by an Angel went forth with to the house of Marie where kno◅king and calling to get in a maiden named Rhode before euer she sawe him knewe him by his voice And although they that were within told her she wist not what she said yet shee still constantly affirmed it was none other but he Christs rising out of the graue was as strange as Peters deliuerance out of prison the rovvling avvay of the stone as strange as the opening of the yron gate And albeit Thomas vvas not so forvvard as Rhode to knovv Christ by his voice vvhen he said Peace be vnto you yet as soone as Christ tooke him by the hand and shevv d him his side he made no more doubts but presently beleeued For if Protogenes seeing but a little line dravvne in a table knew straightwaies it was Apelles doing whome he had neuer seene how much more easily then might Thomas know Christ seeing not onely one line but very many lines
head and his left hand doth embrace vs so that though we should fall yet we can not be hurt because the Lord stayeth and supporteth vs with his hand Therefore S. Chrysostome giues vs good counsell not to haue iayes eyes but eagles eyes that we may behold these hands of Christ and see his side in the sacrament For indeede as o◅ten as we celebrate the memorie of our Lords death Christ our Sauiour deliuering the bread and the cuppe by his minister saith in a sort to euery faithfull receiuer Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithfull But yet we shall not alwaies drinke of this fruit of the vine The time will come when we shall drinke a new kinde of wine in Christs kingdome Wherefore he saies As often as ye shal eate this bread and drinke this cup you shall shew the Lords death til he come Till he come Declaring hereby that when he is come his death shall be shewed an other way Namely by his wounds which alwaies he sheweth to his Saints Euen as vve sing in that heauenly Hymne or Psalme The humble suit of a sinner Whose bloody wounds are yet to see though not with mortall eye yet doe thy Saints behold them all and so I trust shall I. O how vnspeakeably doe the Saints reioyce how glori◅ also shall we triumph when we shall see Christ in his kingdome and behold those blessed wounds of his whereby he hath purchased so many and so great good things for vs This is the new wine which we shall drinke This is the Eucharist of the Angels the food of the Elect the spirituall banket of the Saints For wheresoeuer the dead bodie is thither fhall the eagles resort And we that with eagles wings flie vp by faith into heauen shall euer resort to this dead bodie and we shall vnsatiably desite to feede our eyes and our soules with the sight of Christ who was once dead and euen now hath in his bodie those skarres which continue the memorie of his death that in all eternitie it may neuer be forgotten Thus these heauenly wounds of Christ delight and comfort his friends As the cities of refuge which saue the sinner as the holes of the rock which defend the doue as the shadow of the iuniper tree which reuiueth the wearied as the doore of the Arke which preserueth the world as the lure of the soule which calleth home the Shulamite as the pot of Manna which nourisheth the Israelite as the well of Iacob which refresheth the ◅hirstie as the poole of Bethesda which ◅ealeth the sicke as the armes of the shepheard which gather his lambs as the wings of the eagle which beare vp her birds So doe the hands and side of Christ comfort his friends As if our Sauiour should say thus to euery one of his friends Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassion on the son of her wombe though they should forget yet would not I forget thee Behold I haue grauen thee vpon the palmes of my hands Here I haue still in my hands that price of thy redemption which I paid for thee so that no man can take thee out of my hands Yea I haue written and sealed thy saluation in my side A speare is the penne my blood is the inke my bodie is the paper Here thou maist see the bowels of my compassion thorough the wounds of my passion Assure thy selfe therfore assure thy selse of my loue of my good will of my fauour for euer Make no doubt of it If thou doubt any thing Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but faithful So much for the fourth cause which is to comfort his friends You see then blessed Christians you see how these causes of Christs wounds differ one from an other The first cause to approoue his resurrection was but neither is nor shall be The second cause to appease his father was and is but shall not be The third cause to confound his enemies neither was nor is but shall be The fourth cause to comfort his friends both was and is and shall be So that Christs wounds did serue to approoue his resurrection onely between his resurrection and his ascension doe serue to appease his father onely between his ascension his second comming shal serue to confoūd his enemies onely at the day of iudgement did doe and shall serue to comfort his friends for euer Wherefore though we be neuer so great sinners yet let vs neuer despaire of the grace and mercie of Christ. His hands are still stretched out to embrace vs his side is alwaies open to receiue vs. Therefore let vs creepe low and come humbly to him that we may with the woman in the Gospel touch but the hemme of his garment nay that we may with S. Iohn leane vpon his blessed bosome yea that we may with S. Thomas in this place put our fingers into his hands and our hands into his side And euen as Constantine the great vsed to kisse that eye of Paphnutius which was boared out in Maximinus time and the Iayler in the Acts washed S. Pauls stripes wounds so let vs kisse the Sonne least he be angrie honour his holy wounds which are the pretious balme wherewith he hath healed vs and restored vs to euerlasting life To the which we beseech thee O good Lord to bring vs not for our owne deserts or merits but for the tender bowels of Christ Iesus loue and mercie toward vs to whome with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour and praise both now and for euermore Amen FINIS Matth. 5. v. 19. He that both doeth and teacheth the same shall be called great in the kingdome of heauen BEloued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ It is a verie monstrous thing that any man should haue more tongues then hands For God hath giuen vs two hands and but one tongue that we might doe much and say but little Yet many say so much and doe so little as though they had two tongues and but one hand nay three tongues and neuer a hand In so much as that may be aptly applied to them which Pandulphus said to some in his time You say much but you do litle you say well but you doe ill againe you doe little but you say much you doe ill but you say well Such as these which do either worse thē they teach or else lesse then they teach teaching others to doe well and to doe much but doing no whit themselues may be resembled to diuerse things To a whet stone which being blunt it selfe makes a knife sharpe To a painter which beeing deformed himselfe makes a picture faire To a signe which beeing weather-beaten and hanging without it selfe directs passengers into the Inne To a bell which beeing deafe and
Christ is so exalted now that all power is giuen him in heauen and earth yea God hath giuen him a name aboue al names that at the most sweete and most excellent name of Iesus euerie knee and euerie heart also might doe obeysance And as the Apostle prooueth out of the eight Psalme The Lord now after all his dolorous paines and torments hath crowned him with honour and glorie Neuerthelesse in a secondarie sort this promise may be applyed also to Dauid who was a notable type of Christ and so consequently to euerie faithfull successor of Dauid which is Christs vicegerent and liefienant vpon earth For yee knowe what vvas the ende of all Dauids enemies Absolom his disobedient sonne hung vp by the goldylockes of pride Achitophel his travterous Counsellor made avvay himselfe Shemei a reuiler of him and a deâ—…ractor from him in his gray haires put to a shamefull death The same may be saide of the rest But holy Dauid himselfe could neuer be ouercome For though many enemies specially Autiochus Epiphanes bent all their force to the very vttermost to roote out Dauids posteritie and to destroy Gods people yet mangre their heads and their heâ—…ts Dauids crowne yet flourished and continued in his stocke till at the length the sonne of Dauid came into the vvorld of vvhome the Angel Gabriel spake to the blessed virgin Marie in this sort He shall be great and shall be called the sonne of the most High and the Lord God shall giue him the throne of his Father Dauid and he shall be ruler ouer the house oâ—… Iacob and of his kingdome shall be no ende Novv if this Scripture be so notably verified in Dauid he hauing faithfully serued in his time and beeâ—…g novv by the vvill of God dead no reason but that vve may vnderstand it also generally of euery holy one of God which treadeth in Dauids steps going in and out before Gods people As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselse shal his crowne flourish Here are two parts His enemies himselfe His enemies first shall haue shame secondly shall be cloathed with shame Himselfe first shal haue a crown secondly shal haue a flourishing crown As for his enemies I shall cloth them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish The shame which the Lord God assureth Dauid shall light vpon his enemies is a veriâ—… dreadfull iudgement against them Nicetas saies plainely No punishment so grieuous as shame And Nazianzene yet more expressely Better were a man die right out then still liue in reproach and shame This diuerse valiant worthies haue shewed to be true ridding themselues voluntarily of their life that so they might be rid of their shame Aiax beeing readie to dispatch himselfe vsed these as his last words No greife doth so cut the very heart of a generous and magnanimous man as shame and reproach What should I speake of any more Grecians or Romanes as of Brutus Cassius Antonius Cato Vticensis and such others In Scripture we haue a plaine proofe Mightie Sampson beeing about to pull the whole house vpon his owne head saide thus O Lord God I pray thee strengthen me at this time onely that I may be at once auenged of the Philistims for my two eyes He desired rather once to die valiantly then long to liue wretchedly For as Saint Ambrose writing of Samson saith For a man to liue or die is naturall but for a man to liue in shame and contempt and to be made a laughing stocke of his Enemies is such a matter as no well bred and noble minded man that hath any courage or stomacke in him can euer digest it Yet the Lord God promiseth Dauid his anointed that shame shall be the reward of all his enemies shame I say which is a great deale worse then death it selfe As for his enemies saies he I â—…hall cloath them with shame Secondly they shall be clothed with â—…hame To be clothed is an Hebrew phrase signifying to haue any thing vnseparably cast vpon one And it is taken both in the better and in the worser part As a little before I cloath her Preists with saluation that is I will furnish Syons Priests with such indowments and graces from aboue which they shall be as it were inuested into that both by their life and doctrine they shall still further the saluation both of themselues and of them which heare them Contrariwise in this place I will cloath them with shame That is shame shall so vnseparably accompanie them that as wheresoeuer a man goeth he carrieth his cloathes with him so wheresoeuer they goe they shall carrie their shame with them And that which is strangest of all they which are ashamed vse to cloath or couer their shame and then thinke themselues well enough But Dauids enemies shall be so shamed that euen the very couering of their shame shall be a discouering of it and the clothing or cloking of their ignominie shall be nothing else but a girding of it more closely and more vnseparably vnto them So the Prophet speaketh elsewherâ—… Let them be put to confusion and shame together that reioyce at mine hurt Let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour that lift vp themselues against me O Lord God say Amen to it let it be euen so O Lord Let them be clothed with rebuke and dishonour that lift vp themselues against thine anointed And againe Let shame be vnto him as a cloake that he hath vpon him and as the girdle that he is alwaies girded with all And yet againe Let mine aduersaries be clothed with shame and let them couer themselues with their owne confusion as with a cloake But to leaue the word and come to the matter The enemies of Dauid shall be clothed with shame three waies In their owne conscience In the world In the day of Iudgement Touching their owne conscience S. Austin saies well All vnordinate desires as none are more vnordinate then trayterous and rebellious enterprises carrie in themselues that bane vvhich poysons and punishes them at the last Whereupon the Prophet saies Hide me O Lord vnder the shadow of thy wings vntill iniquitie be ouerpast as the Septuagint translate it But we read it Vntill this Tyrannie be ouerpast And others translate it Vntill this Calamitie or this Miserie be ouerpast Which indifferent acceptation of the Hebrevv vvord shevveth that nothing doth so tyrannize ouer the conscience nothing is such a calamitie and miserie to the minde as iniquitie and sinne Iudas after he had betraied his Lord and Master was so confounded in his owne conscienâ—…e that he cried out and said I haue sinned in betraying innocent blood Proditor Casâ—…a vile traytour if his blood be innocent then thy conscience is guiltie And if thou caâ—…st confesse thou hast sinned when it is too late why diddest thou 〈◊〉 take heede of sinning when 〈◊〉 time I haue sinned saies he sinned in betraying innocent blood
pure gold for forme with branches and flowers did well nigh dazill the eyes of any that entered into the Temple so the Lord here giues his word that the kings crowne shall euer flourish in the house of our God disparkling and displaying those rayes of Maiestie those beames of beautie which shall amaze the world and be a wonder as well to Angels as to men Wherefore as I said euen nowe of his enemies shame that it shall be threefold so here I repeat the same againe of his crownes flourishing His crowne shall flourish in his owne conscience in the world in the day of iudgement Touching his owne conscience the blessed Apostle calleth the Philippians his ioy and a crowne And to the Thessalonians he writeth thus What is our hope or ioy or crowne of reioycing Are not euen you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming yes ye are our glorie and ioy Now if this precious vessell of honour reioyced in nothing so much as in the testimonie of his conscience that in simplicitie and godly purenesse and not in fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God he had his conueration in the world the power of Gods spirit working still most mightily by his ministerie to the conuersion of the world to Christ how much more shall the Lords anoynted haue his conscience crowned with flourishing ioy with comfort with content with heauenly peace when he shall remember that not onely sor matters of religion and Gods true seruice he hath beene and still is with Saint Paul prositable to the Church but also is a strong bulwarke and a tower of defence to maintaine euen the outward 〈◊〉 and prosperitie of Gods people yea the verie particular tight wealth life of euery one of them all this I say and a 100. 〈◊〉 more 〈◊〉 he considereth what a great and a glorious instrument be 〈◊〉 beene euerie way of Gods glorie O Lord God what a heauen shall he haue in his heart what a sweet paradise 〈◊〉 pleasure in his soule what securitie â—…hat assurance of Christâ—… loue what a 〈◊〉 and vndaunted hope of eterâ—… glorie what a slourishing crowne 〈◊〉 reâ—…oycing shall he haue euen in his very conscience vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish Touching the world our holy Prophet speaking to God though in the third person yet of himselfe saies Thou hast preuented him with liberall blessings and hast set a crowne of pure gold vpon his head His honour is great in thy saluation glorie and great worship hast thou 〈◊〉 vpon him Nowe that crowne which is of gold yea of pure gold must needes be verie flourishing euen in the viewe and face of the world Neither is this to be vnderstood of Dauids person onely but euen of his posteritie in all ages to come How was he himselfe crowned with conquests and victories ouer his enemies How was his â—…onne Salomon crowned with riches with wisedome with fame and glorie in the whole world which â—…lourishing of his sonne as of a noble branch graced in a manner the verie rooâ—…e of Dauid himselfe For as his worthie sonne teacheth Childrens children are the crowne of the elders and the glorie of the children are their fathers Therefore as children may iustly glorie of the renowne of their fathers vertue and honour so the excellent father is in a sort crowned with happinesse in this world when he sees his childrens children like to grow vp and flourish after him But vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish Lastly touching the day of iudgement then then shall all the righteous flourish when as hauing beene faithfull vnto the death they shall receiue the crowne of life A crowne as S. Peter calleth it immortall and vndefiled and that fadeth not away Denying that eeuer it fadeth away he affirmeth that it euer 〈◊〉 I would here be bold 〈◊〉 I might doe it without offence as I hope I may to shewe you one goodly 〈◊〉 of grapes of the land of Canaan a land flowing with milke and honie whether you are now going before you enter into it A worthie and vertuous gentleman whom I neede not name in this place because no doubt many ages â—…il name him and renowne him hereafter giueth for his armes three crownes with this posey Quarta perennis erit As if he should say these three crownes which I beare in my coate are but the difference of my house and gentry but Quarta perennis erit the fourth crowne which I looke for in heauen shall be euerlasting and immortall That fourth though it be but one crowne yet shall be worth all those three crowns yea three thousand more such as these are The fourth shall be eternall Now if he and we that are such as he no question is faithfull to God and loyall to the chosen seruant of God may well hope for a most flourishing incorruptible crowne of glorie then much more may Dauid himself reioyce in God his Saâ—…iour and say Quinta aut sexta perennis erit The fift or the sixt shall be eternall This crowne which God of his grace with his own right hand and his holy arme hath set vpon mine head is indeede thanks and praise be giuen vnto the same God a verie flourishing crowne flourishing in mine owne conscience flourishing in the world both for my person and for my posteritie But it is nothing in respect of that flourishing crowne which I shall receiue at the day of iudgement For the iust shall flourish like a palme tree and shal grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Such as be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God And then indeede shall this bountifull promise of God be most fully performed But vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame but vpon himselfe shall his crowne flourish To draw then to an ende it may seeme very strange that Dauid had any enemies Yet out of these words As for his enemies I shall cloath them with shame it may well be gathered that some he had What had Dauid meeke Dauid Lord remember Dauid and all his meekeâ—…esse saies he in the beginning of this Psalme He was the kindest and the meekest man aliue When he had his mortall foe at a vantage and at a dead lift as we say and might haue naâ—…led him fast to the ground with his speare he onely did cut off a lappe of his garment to shew that when he might haue hurt him he would not Posse nolle nobâ—…le Yet this meeke Dauid patient Dauid mercifull Dauid valiant and victorious Dauid holy Dauid had enemies Wherefore you most honourable and blessed seruants of God you that excell in vertue if you haue some enemies thinke not strange of it For if you had nothing in you no feare of God no reuereÌ„ce towards his word no loue and loyaltie towards your Soueraigne no fortitude no temperance no good thing in you you might perhaps
forth fruit with patience IN this parable of the sower are 4. grounds mentioned Whereof three are bad and onely one good Namely they which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruite with patience Almightie God powreth out his benefits no lesse plentiously then continually vpon vs yet we can make no requitall our goodnes cannot reach to God The onely thing that we can doe for him is to loue and honour his word WhereupoÌ„ king Dauid thought it a death vnto him that beeing banished from his people he could not goe vp to the house of the Lord with the voice of ioy and gladnes among such as keepe holy-day And on the other side he said I reioyced when they said vnto me We will goe vp into the house of the Lord. The Prophet Esay likewise foretelling what alacritie and good will should be in the Gentils after they were conuerted to Christ saith thus It shall be in the last daies that many people shall goe and say Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his pathes Looke how it is in the health of the bodie and so it is in the state of the soule If a man haue a good appetite and a stomacke to his meate t' is a signe he is well in health in like sort if a man be content to followe Christ for the loaues to fill his bellie and care not for the food of his soule questionles all is not well betweene God and him but if he haue a longing and a hungring desire of the word then indeede his heart is vpright in the sight of God For as S. Austen noteth well if the word of God be taken by vs it will take vs. Seeing the word of God so is and so ought to be vnto the faithfull as a hooke is to fish Then it takes when it is taken Neither are they which are taken hurt by it For they are not caught to be kild but to be drawne out of the damnation of this world aâ—…d to be translated to the libertie and glorie of the children of God Wherefore as fishers take most delight in angling when they see the fish bite quickly and greadily so if you would put life into your Preachers which are called fishers of men that they may preach the vvord vvith ioy not vvith griefe you must shevve by your countenance by your attention by your reuerence by all your outvvard behauiour that you desire nothing so much as 〈◊〉 bite at this sâ—…eete baite that so you may be drawne by the father to Christ. For they onely are good ground as we haue it here which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Here are three properties of good ground set downe All opposite to the three bad grounds mentioned before First they that are good ground heare the word with a good hâ—…rt contrarie to the ground on the high waies side which when they haue heard let the deuill take the word out of their hearts so they heare not with a good heart Secondly they keepe the word with a verie good heart contrarie to the stony ground which for a while receiue the word with ioy but in time of temptation they fall away and so they keepe not the word with a verie good heart Thirdly they bringe foorth fruit with patience contrary to the thornie ground which after their departure are choaked vvith cares and bring no fruit and so doe not as it is said here that the good ground doth bring forth fruit with patience But that which fell in good ground are they which with a good and a very good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience The first propertie of the good ground is this that they heare the word with a good heart The two disciples going to Emans when Christ was departed from them said thus one to another Did not our hearts burne within vs when he talked with vs by the way and opened to vs the Scripture O Beloued nowe you are busied in hearing the word Christ talketh to you and you are in the right way to heauen Therefore that we may heare with a good heart we must feele in our hearts that burning of which the disciples say Did not our hearts burne within vs when he talked with vs by the way For so the Spirituall spouse confesseth of her selfe My beloued put his hand to the hole of the doore and my heart was affectioned towards him And againe My soule melted when my beloued spake Now Christ puts his hand to the hole of the doore desiring himselfe to enter and vs to repent now our beloued speaketh to vs out of his word So that we cannot be good ground except our heart be affectioned and our soule melt towards him When the blessed Virgin saluted her cousin Elizabeth she felt the babe spring in her wombe for ioy Certainely Beloued you haue euery one of you a babe in your hearts euen the child Iesus which is formed and fashioned in you This babe we must feele euen to skip spring in our hearts for ioy if we would assure our selues that we be good ground and heare with a good heart Neither must we onely reioyce but alfo feare Serue the Lord with gladnesse and reioyce before him with trembling saies the Psalmist We read that when the Almightie vttered his voice the foure beasts whereby are meant the Angels let fall their wings Where are then our plumes of pride our feathers whereby vvee flie so high in an opinion of our ovvne knowledge and wisdome why are they not all let downe that we may wholly submit our selues to the Lord to be taught and directed by his word Remember I pray you what good Cornelius said I knowe well there was neuer more reuerent hearing of the word in the Court then at this day yet that which is verie well alreadie must so be commended as that which may be bet-â—…ter and better be euermore enforced Therefore as I was about to say remember what the Captaine Cornelius said to S. Peter when he was readie to preach vnto him Now saies he are we all here present before the Lord to heare all things that are commanded thee of God O that we had this good heart to consider vvhen vve heare a sermon that vve stand not before a man but coram domino before the Lord. Then vve should heare the vvord not as the vvord of man but as it is indeede the vvord of God Then vve should put a difference between other things vvhich perhaps shortly vve shall heare either to recreate the mind or sharpeÌ„ the wit or for state and maiestie or for some other earthly purpose and betweene this engrafted word which
be as a candle that neuer goes out and as a cleane creature that neuer leaues chevving the cudde euen as Iacob noted his sonnes dreames and the blessed virgin kept the shepheards sayings and pondered them in her heart For they onely are good ground vvhich vvith a good and a very good heart heare the vvord and keepe it and bring forth fruit vvith patience The third propertie of the good ground is this that they bring forth fruit vvith patience Good ground is like a good tree For indeede good ground will make a good tree Now a good tree bringeth forth good fruit And the blessed man which meditateth day and night in Gods law is like a tree planted by the waters side which bringeth forth his fruit in due season So that it is not enough for the word to goe in at one eare and out at the other but it must goe in at both eares by reuerent and religious hearing and settle deepely into the heart by faithfull and diligent keeping and lastly goe out at both hands by bringing forth fruit with patience Simeon the son of Onias was as a faire Oliue tree that is fruitfull and as a Cypres tree which groweth vp to the cloudes A cypres tree is high but barren an oliue is fruitfull but low So a Christian must not onely as a cypres tree reach vp to the clouds by meditation of high mysteries in the word but also he must as an oliue tree bring forth fruit with patience Then he shal be like Simeon neither low nor barren But though he be an oliue yet he shall be as high as the cvpres tree and though he be a cypresse yet he shall be as fruitfull as the oliue tree Noah is commanded to make a windowe in the toppe of the arke and a doore in the side of it A windowe is for the eie to look out a doore is for the whole bodie to goe out And in like manner he that would be good ground must not onely make him a window for contemplation as Daniel did at which he prayed thrise a day but also a doore for action as Abraham did at which he sate once a day At the windowe of contēplation he must meditate with a very good heart to keepe the word at the doore of action he must go out to bring forth fruit with patience The Lord also commanded Moses to make a lauer with a base or with a foote Now the Latine word Labium signifies as well a lip as a lauer So that the lauer which washeth must haue a base and the lip which vttereth great knowledge must haue a foote to walke according to it Otherwise if knowledge doe not stand vpon doing and vpon fructifying as vpon a foot thē questioules it is footelesse and so consequently it is bootelesse and the lauer wanting a base is altogether vnprofitable The Prophet Isaiah is willed to lift vp his voice like a trumpet Many things sound lowder then a trumpet as the sea the thunder and such like Yet he saies not List vp thy voice as the sea or lift vp thy voice as the thunder but lift vp thy voice as a trumpet Why so Because a trumpeter when he sounds his trumpet he windes it with his mouth and holds it vp with his hand And so euery faithfull heart which is as it were a spirituall trumpet to sound out the praises of God must not onely report them with his mouth but also support them with his hand And then indeede holding vp the word of life with his hand and bringing forth the fruit therof with patience he shall lift vp his voice like a trumpet The Patriarch Abraham buried Sarah in the caue of Macpelah that is in a double sepulchre He that buries his mind in knowledge onely without any care of bringing forth fruit he buries Sarah in a single sepulchre as Philo Iudaeus doth allegorize vpon this storie but he that burieth his minde as well in the performance and practise of religion which is all in all as in the knowledge and vnderstanding of it he buries Sarah in a double sepulchre And so must all we doe which are the true children of Abraham For then with Abraham burying our spirit in a double sepulchre we shal with Elizeus haue a double spirit A spirit that heareth the word with a verie good heart and with patience bringeth forth fruite Neither is this addition with patience altogether to be omitted For though a man cannot heare the word without patience nor keepe the word without patience yet patience is neuer so requisite as in bringing forth fruit according to the word which we haue heard and kept Wherefore the holy Ghost saith Ye haue neede of patience that after ye haue done the will of God ye may receiue the promise He saies not After ye haue heard it with your eare or kept it with your memorie but after ye haue done the will of God and brought forth the fruit thereof yee may receiue the promise For wherefore did not the stonie groūd bring forth fruite but onely for want of patience They receiued the word with ioy and seemed to haue verie good hearts for a time but in time of temptation for want of patience they fell away Wherefore did not the thorny ground bring forth fruit but onely for want of patience After their departure wanting patience to digest their griefes they were choked with cares and so brought forth no fruit Therefore as a good field must endure many a cold frost snow and hard vveather in the winter time before it can yeeld a fruitfull croppe in Summer semblably ◅e that vvould be good ground must possesse his soule in much patience and continually endure yea euen manfully reiect all the motions of his flesh all the allurements of the vvorld all the temptations of the deuill vvhereby he may be hindred from bringing forth the fruit of good life according to the holy vvill and vvord of God He must like a good tree bring forth good fruite he must with Simeon be not onely high as the cypresse but also fruitfull as the oliue he must with Noah make him not only a windowe for contemplation but also a doore for action he must with Moses make him a lauer with a base he must with Esay lift vp his voice like a trumpet he must with Abraham bury Sarah in a double sepulchre in one word he must alwaies bring forth fruit with patience For they onely are good ground which with a good and a verie good heart heare the word and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience To conclude then It is not greatly needefull to exhort you with a good heart to heare the word Neuer heretofore such diligent hearing in the Court as now a dayes I dare be bold to say it All the preachers in England in verie many yeares by all their exhortations could neuer haue done halfe so much good in this kind as the
turmoiled and tossed Wherfore let vs in time crie aloud and awake him with our praiers Or rather indeede he is not asleepe but awake alreadie We haue awaked him not with our praiers but with our sinnes Our sinnes haue cried vp to heauen And the Lord beeing awaked as a gyant comes forth against vs and as a mighty man refreshed with wine For not onely those are waters which are in the chanell or in the sea but as waters are here vnderstood euen those fires are waters those fires I say which very lately awaked vs at midnight affrighted vs at noone day which raged on the South side and anon after on the North side oâ—… the towne It was but a fewe mens losse but it was all mens warning And what shall we make nothing of this that one kind of disease deuoureth vp the townesmen an other the schollers This is now the tenth course of schollers which within this moneth hath beene brought forth to buriall not one of them dying of the plague whereas heretofore if one or two scholers haue died in a whole yeare out of all Colledges it hath beene accompted a great matter This and such like grieuous iudgements beloued doe plainely declare that the Lord beeing awaked with the cry of our sinnes is grieuously displeased and offended at vs. Wherefore let vs yet now at the length in the name of God rowfe vp our selues and awake out of our deadly sinnes Let this that our holy brother did so sodainly in a manner fall asleepe be a loud O yes as it were to awake vs all Let euery one of vs amend one iudge one accuse one condemne one that we be not all condemned of the Lord. Let euery one of vs I beseech you crie vp to heauen for mercie and say with Dauid I haue sinned and done wickedly Or with Ionas Take me for I knowe that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you Then our most mercifull father shall blesse vs all as he hath done this holy Saint both in our life and in our death by the pardoning of our offences couering all our sinnes with the bowells and blood of Christ. And though in this world we be euer subiect to a flood of many waters yet he shall drawe vs still out of many waters as hee did Moses Surely in the floode of many waters no more then they did to Ionas they shall not come neare vs. Neither onely shall we be safe in the flood of death but also in the flood of the day of iudgement For that also is a flood and a terrible fearefull one too To wit not of water but of fire As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be at the comming of the sonne of man In the first flood they which had not an arke ranne vp to the toppes of houses to the tops of trees to the toppes of mountaines because they desired to hold vp their heads aboue the still rising raging water In the second they which are not found in Christ shall say to the mountaines Fall vpon vs and to the caues Couer vs and hide vs from the wrath of the Lambe Then they shall be glad to creepe into euery hold and corner that they may auoide the burning of fire But we that confesse our sinnes and forsake the fame shall lift our heads to no other mountain but tò Christ from whome commeth our saluation we shall desire to be couered with no other rocke but onely with that out of which came the blood and water of life For neuer did Noahs flood so cleane wash away all wicked men from the face of the earth as the blood of Christ shall purge vs from all our sinnes and present vs blamelesse before the face of our father onely if we be faithfull vnto death For then the next thing is felicitie and the crowne of life Which God for his mercie sake graunt vs all that as we make no doubt but this our holy brother now triumpheth with Christ so all and euery one of vs after we haue waded through this world as a flood of many waters may inherit that kingdome of glorie which our louing Lord Iesus hath purchased for vs with his deare blood to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glorie now and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED AT WHITEhall before the King on tewsday after Lo Sunday 1604. 2. Cor. 3. 18. But all we with open face behold as in a glasse the glorie of the Lord and are transformed into the same image from glorie to glorie as by the spirit of the Lord. THe old Testament and the new Testament in summe and substance are all one Christ Iesus the very summe substance of them both in himselfe is one and the same yesterday and to day and for euer Those mysticall wheeles which Ezekiel sees in a vision are one within an other After the same sort there is gospell in the lawe and there is lawe in the gospell One wheele is within another one testament is within another For neither is the lawe so full of threatenings but that it hath some comforts in it neither is the gospell so full of comforts but that it hath some threatenings in it So that the lawe is nothing else but a threatning gospell and the gospel is nothing els but a comfortable lawe The two cherubims which shadowe the merey-seat haue their faces one toward another In like manner the two testaments which shadowe out Christ the true mercy-seat vnto vs haue their faces one toward another For the old testament looketh forward toward the newe which is come and the newe testament looketh backeward toward the old which is past Those glorious seraphims which sing Holy Holy Holy do call to one another So the lawe and the gospell lauding him alone which is the holy one of God doe call to one another Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world There the lawe calls to the gospell when Iohn commends Christ. Among them that haue beene borne of women there hath not risen a greater then the Baptist. Here on th' other side the gospell calls to the lawe when Christ coÌ„mends Iohn Whereupon also commending his spouse he saies Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins feeding among the lillies The two breasts of the church are the tvvo testaments out of which vve that are the children of the church suck the pure milke of the vvord of God These testaments feede among the lillies Because they treate and discourse especially of Christ vvho saies I am the lilly of the valleyes These testaments also are like tvvo young roes that are tvvins Because tvvins as vve reade of Hippocrates tâ—…ins vvhen they goe they goe together vvhen they feede they feede together And after the same fashion the tvvo testaments beeing the tvvo breasts of the church go together and feede together like tvvo young roes that are
whole earth According to the prophesie of Esay It shal be in the last dayes that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountaines and shall be exalted aboue the hills and all nations shall flow vnto it So that now Christ which is the head-corner-stone may be fitly called the second Adam The Greeke letters of which name as S. Cyprian writeth do seuerally signifie all the quarters of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the East 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the West â—… againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the North M. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the South According to the promise of God vnto Abraham Thy â—…eed shal be as the dust of the earth that is As the first Adam was made of the dust of the earth so thy seede which is Christ the second Adam shall be dispersed as dust ouer all the earth Thy seede shall be as the dust of the earth and thou shall spread abroad as a great mountaine to the East and to the West and to the North and to the South and in thee and in thy seed shall all the familes of the earth be blessed The lewish Synagogue speaketh in this sort My soule troubleth me for the chariots of Amminadab Amminadab signifieth a willing or an obedient people Such are the faithfull Gentiles Of whom God saith A people which I haue not knowne shall serue me As soone as they heare of me they shall obey me But the strange children shall dissemble with me The strange children shall faile and be afraid out of their prisons Though God haue beene a louing father to the Iewes yet they dissemble and are strange children to him Contrariwise though God haue not knowne the Gentiles yet they doe knowe and serue him Therefore the obstinate Iewes repining and grudging that the Gentiles are called say euery one of them Anima mea conturbauit me My soule troubleth me thorough enuie malice blindnes and disobedience Because they faile and are afraid out of their prisons On the other side the obedient Gentiles beeing called to this libertie of the sonnes of God lie not in any prisons but ride in the chariots of Amminadab Because as soone as they heare of God they willingly obey him Which is implied in that a man of Cyrene named Simon did carie the crosse of Christ. A man of Cyrene is a Gentile Simon signifieth hearing and obeying Therefore a man of Cyrene named Simon carying the crosse is a faithfull Gentile which as soone as he heareth of God doth willingly obey him For now God hath perswaded Iapheth to dwel in the tents of Shem That is he hath perswaded the Gentiles comming of Iapheth to embrace that obedience vnto Christ which the Iewes comming of Shem haue refused This is the reason why the Hebrew Scriptures are translated into Greeke and Latin and all other languages To shew that Iapheth doth now dwell in the tents of Shem. And that those oracles which before were appropriated to the Iewes are now imparted vnto all the Gentiles So that the prophecie of the Patriarke Iacob is now also fulfilled who saith Nepthalie shal be as a Hind let loose giuing goodly words For Christ did first preach in the land of Nepthaly among the Iews But seeing the Iewes would not obey him therefore he hath turned to the Gentiles And so Nepthalie is as a hind let loose giuing goodly words Because Christ who first preached in Nepthalie is not now any longer in prison among the Iewes but as a hind let loose leaping by the mountaines and skipping by the hills so he hath run swiftly oâ—…er all the world and with his goodly words with his gratious words he hath perswaded Iapheth and all the Gentiles to dwell in the tents of Shem and to ride in the chariots of Amminadab These chariots of Amminadab are called in Latine Quâ—…drigae because each of them is drawne with foure horses Which very aptly befitteth the doctrine of the Gospel For as Calâ—… 〈◊〉 in the Epistle before his Harmonie God hath of set purpose ordaâ—…ed that the Gospel shold be written by foure Euangelists that so he might make a triumphant chariot for his sonne Which beeing drawne with fowre horses and running vpon fowre wheels might quickly passe ouer all the earth and so shew the glorie of the Lord vnto all his Church Wherefore the Church is like a graine of mustard-seede which is indeede the least of all seeds but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and it is a tree so that the birds of the aire come and build in the branches thereof Thus the congregation of Christ riseth from small beginnings to great proceedings Aâ—…d though at the first it was but aseed yea but a graine yet now it is growne to be an hearb yea to be a tree wherein all the birds of the ayre all the faithfull in the world doe make their nests Therefore the church of Christ may be compared also to the Samaritans inne For that inne is called in greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it receiueth and lodgeth all strangers that come So the church lodgeth all pilgrims vpon earth In the Synogogue there was not lodging for all For then it was said The Ammonites and the Moabites shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord But novv Christ is borne in an inne To signifie that in the Church there is lodging for all For Christ is the host the Church the inne the crosse is the signe Harken to the Host which is Christ and you shall heare him say Come vnto me all you that labour and trauaile and I will refresh you I will bring you into the wineseller yea I will suppe with you and you with me Go into the inne which is the Church and there you shall finde Parthians and Medes and Elamites and all nations vnder heauen staied with flagons and comforted vvith apples yea refreshed and filled vvith nevve vvine Looke vp to the signe vvhich is the crosse and you shâ—…ll see diuerse things First you shall see one crowne of thornes To shew that the earth is the Lords and all that therein is the round world and they that dwell therein For the roundnes of the crowne doth declare the large dominion oâ—… him that is crowned Namely that his dominion is from the one sea to the other and from the flood vnto the worlds end Secondly you shall see two hands To shew that God is not the God of the Iewes only but of the Gentiles also For not only one hand but both his hands are fast-nayled and stretched-out The one to the one theefe the other to the other theif the one to the Iewes the other to the Gentiles that he may embrace all that loue him Thirdly you shall see three tongues To shew that Christ is not the king of the Hebrewes
only but of the Grecians and the Latins also For his title Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes is written in Hebrew Greeke and Latine That at the most sweet and most excellent name of Iesus euery knee may bow and all tongues may confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord Fourthly you shall see fowre quarters os the crosse To shew by the fowre quarters of the crosse the fowre quar ters of the world For God is no accepter of persons but in euery quarter and countrey he that feareth him is accepted with him Therefore also Christs garments were deuided into fowre parts Because out of what quarter or part soeuer we come of all the fowre parts of the world if we be naked Christ hath garments to cloath vs if we be harbourles Christ hath room to lodge vs. Euen as he himselâ—…e saies All that the Father giueth mee shall come to mee and whosoeuer commeth to mee Non eijciam forâ—…s I will not turne him out of doores Wherefore whether we respect the host or the hosts inne or the innes signe and about the signe it selfe whether we respect one crown or two hauds or three tongues or fower quarters euery of these doth plainly shew that now in the Church there is lodging for all and so consequently â—…hat the Church may be compared to the Samaritans inâ—…e It may be compared likewise to Salomons troupe of horseâ—… For Salomons troupe of horses was kept in fowre thousand stables ten and ten in a stable so that he had in his whole troupe fourtie thousand horses which were either bought by him or else brought to him out of all countries So the Apostles as we may read in th' Acts brought by one sermoÌ„ three thousand soules brought by an other sermon fiue thousand soules to Christ and so euerie day out of all countreys and kindreds there are added to the church by infinite and innumerable multitudes such as shall be saued It may be compared to S. Peters sheete For in Peters sheete were all sort of beasts fowre footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts creeping things and foules of the heauen So in the Church there are all manner of men Circumcised and vncircumcised Barbarians and Sythians It may be compared to Noahs Arke For there came to Noah into his Arke all kind of creatures cleane and vncleane male and female So there commeth to Christ into his Church all manner of men Iewes and Grecians bond and free It may be compared to S. Iames his net For that net had corke aboue to make it swimme and lead belowe to make it sinke that it might â—…ake all sorts of fiishes So the Church hath diuerse fishers of men some that teach slightly and superficially some againe that teach more deeply and profoundly that all manner of men may be taught and caught and drawne vnto Christ. Lastly it may be compared to king Assuerus his feast For that feast entertained all kind of guests seuen dayes together in the court of the garden of the kings pallace So in the church the Lord of hosts hath made vnto all manner of men a feast of fat things euen a feast of fined wines to vse the Prophet Esais words and fat things full of marrow of wines fined and purified Before that this feast was prepared the oxen and fatlings killed and euery thing els prouided all men were not bidden But now that Christ hath bin killed he keepeth as I may say open house and sendeth his seruants into the high waies to gather together all that euer they finde Yea his seruaÌ„ts haue not only biddeÌ„ all that they could sind in the hie-waies but also they haue crost the seas and called the very further most Ilands of all the world to behold the glorie of the Lord. Blessed O blessed be the Lord for his vnspeakable mercies towards this Iland now farre more slourishing then euer it was in which we liue For alas in the time of the olde Testament who was there I pray you in this whole Monarchie at least wise that euer we could read or heare of which had any true knowledge of God S. Ierom in th' end of his dialogue against the Pelagians writeth thus Vntill the very comming of Christ saies he the Prouince of Brittain which hath bin oftentimes gouerned by tyrants and the Scottish people and all the nations round about the Ocean sea were vtterly ignorant of Moyses and the Prophets So that then by the testimonie of S. Ierom all our religion was superstitioÌ„ all our church-seruice was idolatriâ—… all our Priests were Paynims all our gods were idols Then there was in Scotland the temple of Mars in Cornewall the temple of Mercurie in Bangor in Wales the temple of Minerva in Malden in Essex the temple of Victoria in Bath the temple of Appollo in Leycester the temple of Ianus in Yorke where Peters is now the temple of Bellona in London where Pauls is now the temple of Diana Therefore it is very likely that they esteemed as highly then of the goddesse Diana in London as they did in Ephesus And that as they cried there Great is Diana of the Ephesians so they cried here Great is Diana of the Londoners Euen no more then three and fiftie yeares before the incarnation of Christ when Iulius Caesar came out of Frauce into England so absurd and senslesse were the people of this land that in stead of the true and euerliuing God they serued these heathenish and abominable idols Mars Mercurie Minerva Victoria Apollo Ianus Bellona Diana such like And not long after to wit an Christ. 180. King Lucius being first christened himselfe forth with established religion in this whol kingdom But thanks thaÌ„â—…s be to God in the time of the new Testameâ—…t three and fiftie yeares after the inâ—…arnation of Christ when Ioseph of Arimathea came out of France into England many in this Realme os blind and ignorant Pagans became very zealoâ—…s and sincere Christians For Saint Philip the Apostle after hee had preached the Gospell through-out all France at length sent Ioseph of Arimathea hither into England Who when he had conuerted very many to the faith died in this Land and he that had buried the bodie of Christ was buâ—…ied in Glasceâ—…burie himselfâ—… Also Simon Zelotes an other Apostle afâ—…er he had preached the Gospell throughout all Mauritania at length came ouer into England Who when he had declared likewise to vs the doctrine of Christ crucified was in the end crucified himselfe and buried here in Brittaine Abâ—…t this time 〈◊〉 one of the seaâ—…ntie Disciples whâ—…m Sainâ—… Paul mentioneth in 〈◊〉 Epistle to the Romans was a 〈◊〉 and a renowned Bishop in this Lâ—…d Also 〈◊〉 a noble English Ladie whom Saint Paul mentioneth in his second Epistle to Timothie was here amongst vs a famous professor of
of the Iewes did consist onely of Israelites yet the Sidonians and all other nations should one day come together and put-too their helping hand to edisie and build vp the Church of Christ. Euen as the father of Salomon prophesied of it long before The kings of Tarsis and the Isles shall giue 〈◊〉 the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts Al people shall fall downe before him all nations shall doe him seruice We read that the Israelites remooued their tents from Marah and came to Elim where they found twelue fountaines of water and seauentie palme trees All the while they were in Marah which signifieth bitternes they saw no fountaine no palme tree But when they came to Elim which signifieth raâ—…s then they found twelue fountaines and seauentie palme trees This iourney of the Israelites did intimate thus much That the Church of Christ should neuer leaue iourneying on forward till it came from Marah to Elim That is from the Iewes whose mouthes are full of cursing and bitternes to the Gentiles which are the true flocke and sheepfold of Christ. Here the Church findeth twelue fountaines and seauentie palme trees twelue Apostles and seauentie Disâ—…iples Which twelue Apostles as â—…welue fountaines haue floâ—…ed more geneâ—…ally oâ—…er the face of all the earth to renew it theâ—… Noahs slood did to deâ—… it And thâ—… 〈◊〉 Disciples as seauentie palme trees haue flourished and spread theÌ„selues ouer all the world so that as the Psalmist speaketh The hills are couered with the shadow of them and the boughs thereof are like the goodly Cedar trees Almightie God commanded Moyses to make 12. cakes which should be set continually vpon the table of shewbread yet so as they should be changed euery Sabbaâ—…h dâ—…y These tvvelue cakes did presigure the twelue Apostles and all those disciples of Christ which continually shew to his people the bread of life that is the word of God Now these twelue cakes are changed when as the tvvelue fountâ—…ines and the seauentie palme trees are changed into twelue Apostles and seauentie disciples That so Gods promise to his Church may be fulfilled vvhich is this In steed of thy fathers thou shalt haue children vvhome thou maist make Princes in all lands As if in other words he should haue saide Thy shewbread shall be changed For in steed of thy tvvelue fountaines and thy seauentie palme trees thou shalt haue twelue Apostles and seauenty disciples vvhome thou maist make Princes in all lands To this mysterie of the tvvelue fountaines is ansvverable that vvhich is vvritten of the tvvelue oxen The molren sea did stand vpon twelue oxen whereof three looked towarde the North and three looked toward the West and three looked toward the South and three looked toward the East The great caldron was called a molten sea because it did foreshew the depth of the twelue Apostles doctrine which flowing from them as from twelue fountaines did make as it were a maine sea This sea did stand vpon twelue oxen that is as Saint Paul doth interpret it vpon twelue Apostles Which in that they looked fowre wayes East West North and South they did teach all nations And in that they looked three and three together they did represent the blessed Trinitie Not only teaching all nations but also in that sea of water baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Wherefore though the two kine which carried the Arke wherein were the tables of the Law went straight and kept one path turning neither to the right hand nor to the left Yet these twelue oxen which caried the molten sea signifying the doctrine of the Gospel went not straight neither kept one path but turned into the way of the Gentiles â—…ea they looked all manner of waies East West North and South And those two kyne stood still and lowed no more when they came to the feild of Iosua dwelling in Bethshemesh that is in the house of the sunne To note that all the kine and calues and sacrifices and ceremonies of the old law weare to cease and stand still when they came to Iesus which is the true Iosua dwelling in heauen which is the true Bethshemesh But these twelue oxen weare so farre from leauing off either to goe or to low when they came to Christ that euen then they went much faster and lowed much lowder so that now their sound is gone out into all lands and their words into the ends of the world and in them hath god set Bethshemesh that is a house or a tabernacle for the sunne Therefore as the materiall sunne thorough the twelue sigâ—…es in the Zodiake goeth forth from the vâ—…termost parts of the heauen and runneth about to the end of it againe in like sort the spirituall Sonne of righteousnesse by the twelue Apostles as by twelue signes hath beene borne round about the world that he might be not onely the glorie of his people Israel but also a light to lighten the Gentiles and that al al the ends of the earth might see the saluation of our God Truth it is touching the Synagoge of the Iewes Christ saith My sister my spouse is as a garden enclosed and as a fountaine sealed vp For as Saint Ierome writeth the whole countrie of Iewrie where the Iewes dwelt lying betweene Dan and Beersabee was scarce a hundred and three score mile long So that it might well be likened to a garden enclosed and to a sountaine sealed vp But now this sealed fountaine hath beene turned into a springing well since the twelue fountaines haue flowed ouer all the earth and this enclosed garden hath beene turned into an open feild since the twelue oxen haue plowed the feild of all the whole world Therefore now Christ saith of himselfe I am a flower of the feild And so likewise to his spouse Come my welbeloued let vs go forth into the feild let vs remaine in the villages For though before his passion he was appreheÌ„ded in a garden yet at his passion he was crucisied without the gate To signisie that he would be not onely a garden-flower but also â—… feild-flower that he would remaine not onely for the saluation of the Iewes within the city of Ierusalem but also for the saluation of the Gentils without the gate of the citie in all the villages round about Nabuchadnezar saw in a vision a stone cut without hands which became a great mountaine and silled all the whole earth This stone cut without hands is Christ begotten of a pure Virgin without the companie of man Who was indeede a very little stone or as I may say but a sparke at the first Wherefore the Iewes for his pouertie and humilitie despised and refused him But now this poore little stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone in the corner and it is made a great mountaine which filleth all the