losse of his life will at all times bee willing to minister the same to the glory of his name Therefore oh my soule be of good comfort and cheere thy selfe in the Lord for if thou maist but touch the hemme of his vesture by faith thou shalt be whole And this deerely beloued is one of the benefites and blessed Tryumphes which we inioy through Christe and his Gospel That he is our Phisition which is bothe willing and able too heale all our diseases of sinne be they neuer so greeuous which indeede is a benefite without comparison The Lorde make vs thankfull for it and open our eyes that wee may see it cleerely in the cloudy dayes of desperation The seconde comparison The whole neede not c. The seconde comparison heere to bee noted is that the Pharisees be lykened to whole men which kinde of comparison we must so much the more diligently marke how much the more straungely it is made For he calles them whole not because they were so indeede but in derision because they were so perswaded of them selues smoothing vp their foule faultes with selfe loue and selfe lyking In the like sense Elias called the abhominable Idol Baal God not that hee was so but because his Priestes did so account of him Likewise Paule calleth Satan the God of this worlde not that he either made or redeemed or ruled the worlde but because worldlings serue him more duely then the liuing God After the same manner our Sauiour in the third answere calles the Pharisees righteous euen because they were so bewitched with the workes of their owne hands that they made no accounte of the righteousnesse of God There cannot be a more especiall token of reprobation then when the Lorde falles to laughing and scorning his enemyes as you shall finde in perusing the 2. Psalme A man that had seene these Pharisees outwardly woulde haue thought that our Sauiour had beene in good earnest when he coÌ„pareth them to whole or sound men For none had more regarde of Moyses law then they they would not abrogate one ceremony there commaunded None fasted more then they twise in the weeke was the least None prayed more then they in euery street they went babling mumbling their prayers None gaue almes more then they they souÌ„ded trumpets to haue the greater resort of the pore None payd tithes better then they they left nether Mint ne CuÌ„min vntiched yea if you looked in their handes you shoulde see scrowles wherein the lawe was written If you looked in their forheads you might see the law written If you looked vpon their doore postes ye might see the Lawe written If you looked in their garments you might finde thornes and needles too make them remember the the Lawe written They had alwayes in their mouthes Templum Domini Templum Domini You coulde no sooner aske them of their Proginie but they would be ready to answere Pater noster Abraham And when any inquired of their inheritance they would tel him Nos haeredes terrae promissionis What a wonderfull matter was this were not these men whole and sounde Indeede to the outward appeeraÌ„ce they were but what they were inwardly those manifold woes which our sauiour Christe pronounced against theÌ„ Mat. 22. may at large testifie And now you may see that it is one thing for a man to be whole in the sight of God an other thing in the sight of the world He is whole in the sight of god which beleeueth that Iesus Christ is able willing to heale his disease of sin But he is whole in the sight of the worlde which thinks that the works of his owne hands do make him sound And this is such a kind of health as I pray God neuer any good christian haue set the Pope neuer so greate store by it assuredly it is farre worse then any sicknesse in the worlde If the rules of Phisicke be true That there is no disease like too that when a man thinkes him selfe whole and yet is hearte sicke I might heere stande in comparison betweene the Pope and the Pharisees and shewe you that they bothe are alike whole sound but it is no matter of such importaunce as I haue to speake therefore to the thirde comparison The thirde comparison The sicke neede c The third comparison is of the Publicanes and sinners vnto sick men which haue neede of the Phisition These Publicanes had beene as very cutâ—hrotes and Catchpoules as euer lyued But as he goes farre that neuer returnes so they at the length hearing our sauiour preach repentance and remission of remission of sin had remorse of conscience in so much that their disease had cleaued faste vnto their bones had they not hearde of a Phisition which was bothe willing and ready to helpe them The panges of sinne pricking the conscience are euen as the fittes of sicknesse gryping the heart causing many a deepe sigh and many a pitious grone Dauid beeing in the agonie of sinne bemones him selfe after this manner Haue mercie vppon mee O Lorde for I am weake O Lorde heale Psal 6. me for my bones are vexed My soule is also soretroubled but Lorde howe long wilt thou delay And Paule was no sooner griped at the hart with the remembraunce of his sinne but hee cryed mainly out saying O miserable maÌ„ c Yea and all the godly considering howe many wayes God hath blessed them and howe vnthankfully they haue behaued themselues considering againe their dayly trespasses and offences and howe long the Lorde hath looked for their amendment and how often he called them to repentance by and by they fall sicke grone so rufully that you would lament too heare them O my tender Father whome I haue displeased O my sweete redeemer Christe Iesus whome I haue crucified againe O my soueraigne comforte the holy Ghoste whome I haue greeued O the time that I haue mispent O the grace that I haue dispised O the creatures of God that I haue abused Wo worth my vncleaue thoughts Woe worth my idle wordes Wo worth my damnable workes O howe bitter is the cursse of the lawe Howe heauy is the burthen of my sinne Howe horrible is yâ— sight of death How intollerable are the paines of hel Ah my soule begins to faint therfore help me to a phisitioÌ„ or els I perish I dye Do you not think deerly beloued that a PhisitioÌ„ should not be welcome well intreated among such sicke soules as these yes neuer hart so thristed after the Riuers of waters as they long after Iesus Christ Such men haue nede of the Phisition and therefore they will seeke vnto him as these Publicanes did yea and because of their necessitie they will honor him likewise in calling him to their houses biding him to their feasts they are so desirous of health saluation In whome wee haue a notable president how to behaue our selues in our sicknesse of sin First that we must seeke our Phisition
A Sermon preached at Paules crosse the firste Sunday after New-yeeres day beeing the thirde day of Ianuary 1580. By William Fisher Student of Diuinitie ☞ Imprinted at London for Edwarde Aggas and Thomas Chare 1580. MATH 9. vers 11. When the Pharisees saw that they said vnto his disciples why eateth your Maister with Publicans sinners 12 When Iesus heard that he said vnto them The whole neede not a Phisition but they that are sicke 13 But go ye and learne what this is I will haue Mercie and not Sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance IT may appeare by these woordes which I haue read vnto you Right Honorable men brethren right dearely beloued in the Lorde that Christ Iesus the true Messias and redeemer of mankinde no soner presented him selfe in the faithfulnesse of his office among the lost sheepe of the house of Israel but by and by he became as a sanctuarie to some of them and as a stumbling stone and rocke to fall vppon to other some He was the only sanctuary and refuge of miserable Publicanes and sinners which had no righteousnesse to accompt of no good workes to trust vnto but being condemned by the lawe and oppressed with the heauy waight of their sinnes were in a maner confounded with the horror of their owne consciences and terror of Gods most dreadful iudgemēts in so much that if they had not takē sanctuary and founde rescue at his handes which was wont to say Come vnto me al Matth. 11. ye that be heauy loaden c Their deadly enemies the Lawe Sinne Death and hell had deuoured their soules like so many raging Lyons No marueile then if they folowed him into the wildernesse if they made him glad to take a boate to preach vnto them on the shoare if they vntiled houses to haue accesse vnto him if they left all and came after him if it did them good to eate and drinke in his companie as the text here witnesseth for he was their blessed sanctuarie And as he was to them so assuredly he will be vnto you dearely beloued if you flee vnto him with like measure of Faith of what outrage so euer the enemies bee that chase you For Esay ca. 8. Speakes generally to all the faithfull Sanctifie the Esay 8. Lorde of hostes let him be your feare let him bee your dread and hee shall bee as a sanctuarie But howe should we sanctifie the Lorde that hee might bee our sanctuarie First with Faith trusting onely and assuredly in him Secondly with prayer calling vpon him in all perplexitie and extremitie Thirdly with Pacience wayting meckely for his helpe Fourthly with Feare and Trembling least you should displease him Thus sanctifie the Lord of hostes and he neuer shewed him selfe so ready or so safe a sanctuary to any Publicane as hee will bee to you Nowe as the Messias was a Sanctuarie to saue so contrariwise he was a stumbling stone and a rocke to fall vpon vnto other some as namely to the proude Pharisees and stately Iusticiaries for God knowes they tooke many exceptions against him and were marueylously offended at him First they tooke offence at his Parentage bicause hee was but a Carpenters sonne Then they misliked with his state which was so beggerly that hee had not a house wherein to put his head Thirdly they snuft and snarlde at his doctrine and letted not to call it seditious Fourthly they found fault with his miracles As when he caste out Deuils they auouche that it was through Belzebub the chiefe of the Deuils and when hee cured the man of the Palsey by forgiuing his sinne they Matth. 9. made a muttering as if it had beene blasphemy But that which did most of all nettle and sting their malicious hearts was his eating and drinking and keeping companie with Publicanes and sinners This was a marueilous heartburning vnto them and made them out of measure repine against him for in deede there can not bee a greater eyesore to the deuill him selfe whose instrumentes they were then too see Iesus Christe in the company of wretched Publicanes and sinners for then hee knowes there is no roume for him and hee sees that all his former temptations are too no purpose And this made him to egge on the Pharisees in this place against our Sauiour Iesus the quarell being nothing els but bicause hee did eate and drinke c. and their drifte too discredite our Sauiour Christ in the worlde and so consequently too worke the decaye of his kingdome Wherein you may see the fetching pollicie of Satan He knew that the Pharisees had it giuen in charge by Moyses lawe to auoyde the company of the wicked aboue all things therefore none so meete too sette the matter abroche as they and hee was not deceiued therein for they did it ful cūningly God knowes Marke their subtiltie to bring the Messias and sauiour of the world in contempe with all the worlde and so too supplant him for euer they beginne with his owne Disciples thinking that if they coulde possibly bring it about that they might mislike with him once it were no masterie to preuaile with the rest And herevpon dearely beloued like suttle foxes they came as the blessed Euangelist recordeth vnto his Disciples and moued the matter saying Why eateth your Maister c But the disciples being but rawe in their maisters doings for that they had not beene long with him and not well knowing howe to answere so odde a question our Sauiour Christ therefore framed them such an answere as may very well be called the confusion of all malignant hypocrites and the sweete comfort of all miserable sinners and the very pith and marowe of the glorious Gospel of Iesus Christe The whole neede not the Phisition c. And thus you see howe orderly these wordes deuide them selues into a questiō and an answere too the same Nowe in what maner I am too speake of them may it please you to vnderstande First in the question I wil note vnto you the qualities and properties of the stumbling aduersaries of Christ and his Gospel Secondly in the answere I will doe the best I can by the assistance of Gods holy spirite too shewe the benefites and blessed treasures which we enioy through Christ and his Gospell And this that I may the better perfourme there are two thinges which I most humbly desire you to graunt me The one is your fauourable and Christian patience for in trueth I haue not any wanton Eloquence too make you too wonder at neither come I in any brauery of wordes to amase you withall But only my drifte and desire is because it hath pleased God to call me hether this first Sunday of the newe yeere to giue you some spirituall gift in such wise that you may be comforted and God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe glorifyed And therefore it is that I craue an other thinge at your handes which
Secondly we must honor him the best we can This president is but meanly followed in most places in England God knowes For so far foorth as Christ will feede their bellyes they will followe him through thicke and thinne And they are so farre from honouring him at their feastes that they will not stick too say they cannot be mery at their meate when a Preacher is at their Table But there is good cause the Citie of London should become an other Thessalonica in seeking and honouring our Phisition Christ Iesus There is so much Preaching and so diligent hearing that needs there must be some following If London haue stopped her eares and shutte her doores against Christe and his messengers there were iust cause why shee should tremble and quake in the guiltinesse of her owne conscience But if shee haue played the sicke Publicane in seeking and honouring Christe her Phisition let her not faint but in the testimony of a good conscience pluck vp her harte in these dreadfull times and dayes of perill For the Lorde will be founde of those that seeke him he wil not forsake those that feare him If Sodom or Gomorrha or Samaria or Ierusalem or Antwerpe could haue pleaded for themselues no more but that they sought the Lord honored his Christ euen as sicke men do their Phisition I am sure their confusion had beene farther from them then the Easte is from the west Therfore London seek thou thy Phisition Christ Iesus beleeue in him pray to him serue him in singlenesse of heart as thou oughtest to do and he wil not deliuer his power into captiuitie nor his beautie I meane his Gospell into the enemyes hand The second part of the Answere Goe learne what that is I will haue mercie c. A good Lawyar perceiuing the subtletie of his aduersary will speake to the case and bee earnest in the matter And commonly a skilfull Chirurgian seeing the rotten flesh begin to fester and corrupt the sound will launch it too the quick Much after the same manner doth our Sauiour Christe shewe him selfe in his second answere Go learne what c. As if he should say in sharpe and rounde speech Doe you make your selues so perfect in the Scripture and yet doe you finde faulte with him which sheweth mercie to the miserable and comfortles Goe learne goe learne of the Prophet who in the person of God him selfe saith I will haue mercie c. Then shall you see that I doe nothing against the will of God I warrant you I will haue mercie and not sacrifice c. When the Lord maketh choise of mercie rather then sacrifice we haue to vnderstand that his will is that we shoulde bee pittifull one tending an others distresse and not bleare his eyes with an outward shew of godlinesse Now for your better instruction in the will of God it shall be expedient that I speak seuerally Firste of Mercie then of Sacrifice I will haue mercie c. It should bee of no small force to make vs shewe mercie and compassion one towardes another When the Lorde sayeth I will haue mercie c. For if wee bee seruaunts we must doe the will of our maister And if we be children we must obay the will of our father But alas it fareth with vs as often times with young Children the more the father doth cocker and dandle them the lesse they care for him and if he say vnto them I will haue this or that doone none so ready too bid him commaunde and doe it him selfe as his owne Children So it falleth out with vs God our heauenly Father hath blessed vs and blessed vs again and yet when he sayth I wil haue you to be mercifull and pittiful to your needy brethren like stubburne children we sit stil stop our eares as if we heard not There is no one thing so much called vpon and commended vnto vs in Scripture as mercy yet on our partes there is no one thing so little regarded He that is merciful saith the Prou. 11. wiseman rewardeth his own soule And Micheas sheweth Israel what it was that Mich. 6. the Lord required at their hands indeed bidde them first doe iustly and next loue mercie c. In the fifte of Matt. Blessed Matth. 5. are the merciful for they shall c. In the 6 of Luke Be ye therfore mercifull Luke 6. as your heauenly father is merciful S. Iames also in his 2. Chapter saieth in Iames. 2. plaine words that there shall be iudgement without Mercie too him that will shewe no mercie And all this is to stirre vs vppe and to pluck vs forewarde too shewe mercie and compassion one towardes an other And surely happy is that Christian whose faith is exercised in mercie For as the wiseman sayth Prou. 20. Mercie truth preserue the king c. His throne shal be established with mercie So al estates may be sure that mercy is one of the strongest Pillers of their health safetie And therefore I beseech you right honourable deerely beloued haue due regard of your health welfare which partly coÌ„sisteth in mercy For this your noble citie of Lond is builded scituate vpon foure Golden pillers Iustice Concorde Sobrietie and Mercie the Foundation beeing Iesus Christe And so long as these stand and florish in London shee is safe and sure by the grace of God But if they shoulde by any meanes decay then great and woefull should bee your downefall Therefore it stands you vpon so much the more heedefully to looke about you and to preuent the worst For you haue not so many pillers to vpholde your welfare and safetie but there be as many wayes too vndermine them if that they be not the better forseene First Iesus which vpholdeth right and suppresseth wroÌ„g wtout respect of persons may bee vndermyned and ouerthrowne through bribery For hold you the sword right honorable neuer so vpright in your hands yet if your substitutes whoÌ„e you put in trust haue their handes ful of brybes they must needes wincke at scant measures and iustifie the bagge of deceitful waighâ—es and alowe of the wyne which is mixed with water and so bleare your eyes with omnia benâ— and so shall Iustice bee vndermyned and fall too the ground Therefore it behoueth your Honor to be the more circumspect in appointing your Substitutes and too haue an eye too their dealing vnder you for feare of the worst Secondly Concorde which is the bond and sinewes of euery well ordered Citie may be vndermined by the roote of bitter discentioÌ„ which maketh the members of the selfe same body too iarre anâ— snarle one with an other is commonly found by Pickthanks and talebearers which carry speeches and reportes from partie to party of whatsoeuer they heare or see and all to feede the humors of such cancred natures as delight in debate Therefore such Merchants are woorthy of seuere punishment and to be thrust out of
the Citie as priuy conspiratours against the health and welfare of the same As for them which delight in discorde ruptures breaches and sallinges out for euery trifle they are euil woorthy to inioy the freedome of Citizens yea the name of a Citizen doth not become any such And if I may call them Citizens they are the worstmembers of the Cittie For as she which would haue the Childe whom she falsely claimed to bee diuided was therby known to be an vnnatural mother And as they who wold haue the vnseâ—nied Câ—ate of Iesus Christ deuided were counted beryer theeues then they that caâ—â— lottes for it euen so if you cut out all the wâ—ste members of the citie and set them togither tâ—ose which delight in deâ—â—sions and dissention rather then in vnitie and Concorde will easely appeare in your sight to bee the worst of all Try whom you will Thirdly Sobriâ—tâ—e which is the beautie and comelinesse of you all may be vndermined and ouerthrowne many waies But especially through excesse of dyeâ— and excesse of apparel For â—uen these Epicures and Bellygods which eate them selues a sleepe and sleepe them selues an hungâ—ed And those aleknights which drinke out all the wit out of their heades and all the money out of their purses haue vowed themselues conspirators to banish all Sobrietie Againe those proude puppies which think all too little they talâ—â—ap and rende to hang vpon them which make no accounte what their behauiour he so their attire be fresh and gallant which haue no other way to purchase credit but only by weating outragiâ—us apparell which strecâ—h their Armes farther then their sleeâ—es will reach and all to ruâ—â—le it out which are in their chaunge for to day and to morrow and the nexte day which are in their fashions The Gaâ—kdine the Uâ—nâ—â—can the French the Spanish the Dutch c. These I say haue likewise sworne too confounde the beautifull Pilles of Sâ—brietie Therefore right Honourable and you all good Citizens of London haâ—e an eye to them and what lyâ—â— imâ—â—st preuent them either by reformation correction or expulsion out of the Citie Fourthly and lastly Mercie the golden Piller of Mercie which is the exercise of the rich the lyfe of the poore and the preseruation of you all may bee vndermined and ouerthrowen so many wayes that I feare me it is downe alreadie and that I shall warne you too late iâ— foresee that that is past For euery harde hearte euery Churlishe Nigarde euery pinchyng Myser euery greedy Vsurer is a mortall enemy to the goodly Piller of mercy but especially and principally the Vsurer for he hath such long Nayles and so sharpe teeth that he wil scratch gnaw it downe rather then it should stand And if a man controule him for it and byd leaue for shame and tell him that in the ende it shall be too the ruine and destruction of the Ciâ—tie he shall finde that he hath an Iron sinewe in his necke and a browe of Brasse For wil he not reply and say that such as he is doe good seruice in the Citie are very profitable members and might ill be spared And yet if you take him and looke in his mouth you shall see his teeth all gore blood with eating and deuouring his needy debtors Then let a man take one of them aside shew him Luke 6. the words of our Sauiour Christ Luke 6 If you lende to them of whome you hope too receiue againe what thanke haue you For euen sinners lende too sinners in hope too receiue the like Wherefore loue your enemyes doe good and lende looking for nothing againe and your rewarde shal be great c. And what shal be his answere Tush Tush Scripture is scripture but for all the Scripture a man muste liue by his owne and I tell you my money is my Plough Is it not a worlde too see that Usurers would be like Plowmen yet nothing so vnlike for the paineful Plowman gets his liuing by the sweate of his owne browes but the Usurer liues by the sweate and sweete of other mens laboures Therefore they are such Plowemen as the Prophet Dauid speaketh of Psal 129. and their needie brethren may Psal 129. complaine of them as hee did of their predecessors saying The Plowers plowed vpon my back and made long furrowes And if they bee such Plowmen they shall bee as withered grasse on the house toppes as appeareth in the ende of the Psalme But be it so thy money is thy plough and thou thy selfe doost holde thy plough couetousnesse doth drawe thy Plough and the Diuel dooth driue thy Plough and so thou plowest the furrowes of thine owne confusion and doost so we the seedes of thine owne destruction and without speedy repentance shal reape the fruites of thine owne damnation And all because Sâ—â—â—pture is Scripture and thy money is thy Plough For Whososoeuer Prou. 22. ploweth Iniquitie shall reape mischiefe Prou. 22. And thus much of Mercie which the Lord willeth And not Sacrifice The seconde point to be noted This generall inhibition of Sacrifice is not so to be vnderstoode as if the Lord woulde haue all manner of Sacrifice vtterly abolished but it is spoken by way of correction because he coulde not abide this Sacrifice which smelt of Hypocrisie It is expedient therfore that there be a disstinctioÌ„ made what sacrifice the lord wil haue and what sacrifice he wil not haue Sacrifices mentioned in Scripture are of three sundry sortes The Sacrifice of the Iewes The Sacrifice of Christe The Sacrifice of Christians Now these woords are to be vnderstoode of the Sacrifice of the Iewes which at the first were appointed by God him selfe to very good purpose for after that man through disobedience had defaced the liuely Image of God in him he could not approch the sight of GOD by any meanes but needes hee must appeare more fulsome then vile sâ—inckâ—â—g Carion Wherefore it pleased the Lorde in his mercie to woorke the meanes of his reconciliation which was by Sacrifice And this Sacrifice thus ordayned was to be offred vppe as a witnesse of mans sinne and as a figure of the pretious sacrifice of Iesus Christe which one day should be offred vppon the Aultar of the Crosse for the full satisfaction of all sinne Nowe if any Sacrifice were offred otherwise then thus That is to acknowledge sinne and to foreshewe an other Sacrifice to come which was the Lambe of God Iesus Christe it was abhominable to the Lorde and he would not haue any such too come in his presence And verely this it was which made him abhorre their Sacrifice for many times they offred sacrifice vpon custome and for fashions sake neither respecting the true sacrifice Christe nor respecting their sinne but rather committing the more sinne and vsing Sacrifice as a Cloke to couer the same Therefore the Lorde tolde them he woulde haue Mercie and not such Hypocrisie vnder the colour of Sacrifice Hee might vse the like