required at the Stewards hand that he be found faithful In this world the Master committeth the order of his house to the gouernance of his Steward the disposing of his whole liuing order of all other things he committeth only to his Stewards wisdome he looketh that he be found faithfull in all his doings And if this be in worldly things if the Master here in this world will look for require faithful dealings at his Stewards hands in such things as are but transitorie of little value how much more then will God require faithfulnesse in his Stewards as touching things Eternall things Heauenly and the disposing of his secrets But from the beginning euen from the first beginning of the world there haue béen alwayes vntrustie and wicked Stewards For at what time God framed man and placed him in Paradise in great ioy and pleasure the Deuill enuying this his felicitie became a wicked Steward and said vnto Adam Tush ye shall not dye eate of this fruit ye shall not dye God doth but mocke with you for he doth know that in what euer houre ye eate of it your eyes shal be opened ye shall be as God knowing both good euill And thus he became a most wicked Steward Ieremy also the prophet saith that in his time ther were wicked and vntrusty Stewards Currunt saith he at ego non misi loquuntur at ego non sum loquutus illis They run saith God but I sent them not they haue spoken but I spake not vnto them So Christ himselfe said that in the later dayes there should come false Stewards false Prophets false Preachers and say Hic est Christus illic est Christus Lo here is Christ there is Christ and should do great wonders and tokens in so much that if it were possible the verie chosen should be brought into error also Antechrist in likewise shall come saith Paul The man of sinne the sonne of perdition he shall exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God he shall sit in the holie place in the Temple of God in the conscience of Men and when he commeth he shall not say I am Antechrist I am a false Prophet I am a wicked Steward but he shall rather say I am a true Prophet I am a faithful Steward I am Christ the Sonne of God yea I am God himselfe Now therefore how will you know the true seruant from the false Minister how will you trie the faithfull Steward from the vnfaithfull Mary saith S. Paul if he doth his Masters will and commaundement if he doth all those things faithfully that his Master requireth at his hands if he this doth then is he a faithful Minister and a trustie Steward By this shall you know him by this token none other shall you soone discerne whether he be a faithfull Steward this is the point of a trusty seruant And therfore God vnto Ezechiel his prophet and so by him to all such as shall become his Stewards Preachers of his Gospel saith I haue appointed thee a Watchman ouer my house of Israel to crie vnto my people therefore take good heed to the words of my mouth and giue them warning at my commandement thou shalt heare it at my mouth saith God and then shalt thou pronounce it vnto my people So Paul was bould to say Quodaccepi à Domino tradidi vobis That which I deliuered vnto you receiued I of the Lord what thing soeuer I receiued of the Lord that haue I deliuered sthewed vnto you without adding any thing thereto or diminising any thing therefro Euen so Christ himselfe said Sermo quem audistis non est meus sed patris mei qui misit me The doctrine which you hear is not mine but his that hath sent me These words that you haue heard are not mine but my fathers that sent me I do but my Fathers message saith Christ all that I teach all that I preach vnto you is nothing else but the will of my Father By this therefore my Bretheren shall you soone trie whether they are true seruants of God for if they shall only disclose vnto you the wil of God if they shal preach vnto you the secrets of Gods Gospell the glory of his holie name then are they true seruants then are they Christs ministers faithful dispensers of Gods secrets But if they teach you not the sincerity of Gods Gospel if they preach not vnto you the mysteries of Gods word if they disclose not vnto you the will of God if they do not this then are they not Gods seruants then are they not Christs Ministers nor Stewards of Gods secrets And therfore saith S. Iohn in his Epistle If any man come vnto you bring not this doctrine receiue him not into your house neither salute him if any man saith he come vnto you teach you any other Gospel than this that I haue preached let him not enter into your house do not somuch as bid him God spéed So Esay the prophet If they speak not according to this word they shall haue no morning light Now as touching the variance diuersity of opinions nowadaies as touching the dissention controuersie that is at this time among vs I would to God that all such as defend maintain the Popes authoritie power would be content to be iudged by this rule to be tried by this only rule that S. Paul here giueth These are the most the greatest controuersies wherupon hath risen all the contention variance that we haue séen whether we should haue a Communion or a priuat Masse whether the Communion should be ministred vnder both kinds or not whether we ought to haue our Prayers in our vulgar tongue whether we shold haue and set vp in our Churches any grauen Images and whether we may lawfully haue the Scriptures in our common tongue that euery man may read and vnderstand them These are I say the controuersies whereon hangeth all our debate But now let vs sée and consider whether such as taught you to haue a priuate Masse such as would haue the Communion ministred vnder one kind alone such as taught you to worship Images such as would you to pray in an vnknowen tongue such as would not suffer you to haue the knowledge of Gods word and his gospell let vs I say according vnto S. Pauls rule sée whether they were the true Ministers of Christ faithful stewards of the secrets of God let vs weigh whether they disclosed vnto you the mysteries of Gods word and whether their doctrine agréed with the gospell of Christ Christ at his last Supper ordeyned a Communion for the comfort of all our Soules but they turned this into a priuat Masse that one man should receiue alone This was contrarie to Christ contrarie to that he ordeined And how then should wée esteeme them as the Ministers of Christ Stewards of the
Sauiour whom thou hast prepared for al people Euen so in this place the prophet Dauid considering the great mercie that God had shewed the wonderous work that he had then wrought how that in his time al the whole people knew Gods way he said Laetentur exultent populi c Let the people reioyce be glad yea let all the people reioyce because thou iudgest the folke righteously gouernest the nations vpon the earth Now good brethren forasmuch as we haue here séene considered the state of Gods Church before Dauids time the state wherunto it was restored again in Dauids time Euen so let vs in like consider the state of Christs Church before our time the state condition of the same in our own time in those daies that we our selues haue séen Let vs cōsider how horrible darknesse what error confusion hath of late time bin in the Church of god let vs weigh consider I say the deformity great abuses the were in the same For alas we had the sacraments we had the holy gospel word of god but wee had them al in vain Baptism we had but we knew not the Principles of our faith The Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ wee had but wee vnderstood not why Christ left vs this Sacrament we knew not why he said Take eate this is my body c. It is the greatest Sacrament and yet we perceiued not what it meant We had Praiers wee had Psalmes wee had supplications vnto God and yet we vnderstood them not we vnderstood no word of them Wee worshipped things made with mens hands Images of blockes and stones such as had eyes and saw not eares and heard not neither had any breath in their mouthes such things we worshipped and this contrarie to the expresse commandement of God The Scriptures were rent were torne were troden vnder foote were burnt before our eyes We groped our way in the middest of the day as said the Prophet Ieremie And as the same Prophet of his owne time spake saying Secundum numerum Ciuitatum tuarum sunt Dij tui According to the number of the cities are thy Gods O Iuda so might we of our owne time haue said For looke how many cities we had so many Gods had wee also Euery Borough euery Towne yea euery village in a maner had his proper and peculier Saint It was then come to passe that Esaie prophesied saying Hell hath opened her mouth maruellous wide Hell hath gaped saith hee because they haue no knowledge of God because they haue no vnderstanding And so likewise Salomon When Prophesie faileth the people must needs be scattered This is the word of God and this is the miserie that wee our selues haue séene The old father Tobie when God had stricken him with blindnesse and so taken his sight from him and therefore his friends and acquaintance resorted vnto him to comfort him and somwhat if they might ease him of his great grief Alas said he what comfort can I receiue that cannot see the light of the Sunne Thus said he only because he could not behold the light of this world Alas what comfort then what ioy what consolation could wee haue when God tooke from vs the knowledge of his gospell the light of his word yea the knowledge of God himselfe when euery man ran whither himself best liked folowed that way which pleased his owne phansie Therefore were wee caried away therefore were we led into errour therfore lost we the knowledge of God because prophesie failed because Gods word was not taught and preached vnto vs. But now it hath pleased God to reueale himselfe vnto vs now we know what is what now can we discerne light from darknesse good from bad now we vnderstand know this I say Now we haue the Scriptures in our mother tongue that euery man may read and vnderstand them the same Scriptures that Christ hath sealed with his owne bloud And these Scriptures Ieremie that old father calleth The prop of our Faith So Christ himselfe Illae sunt quae testimonium perhibent de me They beare witnesse of me saith Christ and they shall lead you into al truth Hillary saith The Scriptures are the squire and Rule of our life In the Scriptures saith Christ you shall find euerlasting life And Paule writing vnto the Romains saith The Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saue all that beleeue theron The Scriptures were written saith he that we thereby should know our saluation All these things God hath now restored vnto vs. Now are wee able to know our profession now are we able to know our Religion to know God to know Christ to knowe our saluation Now haue wee the vse of the Primitiue Church the Communion vnder both kinds now haue wee our praiers in our knowne tongue as in the Apostles time as in the old Fathers and Doctors times they were vsed Tertullian that old Doctour speaking of his time We come together saith he and hear the Scripturs read vnto vs. We may now do as S. Basil writeth the people in his time did Sonus virorū mulierū paruulorū in orationibus claugorē edit tāquā fluctus ferientes littora The sound saith he of men women and children praying together maketh a noyse like the waues of the Sea beating on the shore Thus saith that old father they did in his time and thus may you now do Now may we say as Athanasius said If I be deceiued thou hast deceiued me O Lord. For thy word is plaine thy Gospell is true and therefore if we be now deceiued it is thy word it is thy Gospell that deceiueth vs God hath so plainly shewed vnto vs the light of his Gospel the knowledge of his word Therfore haue we most iust cause to say with the prophet Dauid Laetentur exultent populi Let the people reioyce be glad And therfore let vs not be vnkind let vs not be vnthankful let vs say thou O Lord iudgest the folk righteously gouernest the Nations vpon the earth Thou hast now restored vnto vs our praiers in our known tongue thy sacraments as they were vsed in the Apostls time in the Primitiue Church in the old Fathers Doctors times And let vs say with Zachary that holy father Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel Blessed is the Lord God of Israel Let vs say with Dauid Haec est dies laetemur exultemus in ea this is the ioyful day let vs reioyce be glad therin Let vs with Simeon the prophet say Nunc dimittis seruum tuū Domine secundum verbum tuum in pace Now lettest thou thy seruant O Lord depart in peace according vnto thy word Let vs say as the prophet here saith Laetentur exultent populi Let the people reioice and be glad because thou rulest the Nations vpon the earth O let the people praise thee O God let
and marke well whether we reueal vnto you Gods mysteries and his holie Gospell Consider with your selues and sée whether wée open vnto you Gods hidden Secrets By this shall you know whether wée be the seruants and dispensers of Gods mysteries But like as in S. Pauls time there was dissention strife great debate euen amongst the Christians and such as professed the name of God So likewise in our dayes good Bretheren euen in the time that wée our selues haue séene there hath béen discord and parts-taking among vs. Some haue said I will beléeue the old learning some againe haue said I will beléeue the new some haue said I will credit this man some I will beléeue that man And thus the father hath fallen out with the sonne the Mother with the daughter the brother with his brother and one neighbor with another ech man defending that part which he himselfe best liked But alas good Bretheren this is no new thing this hath béen from the beginning and euen in Christes time For at what time Christ himselfe walked here on this earth began to preach the glory of his father some said he was a good man some other said no some said he was a Prophet some other said he was none but one that deceiued the people some reioyced that it pleased God to send such a Preacher as Christ was some againe despised his doctrine and said he had a deuill These words the people then spake of Christ these words I say they spake of Christ himselfe He was called a Samaritane a wine-bibber a friend of publicans and sinners a seducer of the people Therefore it is the lesse maruaile if such words be now at these dayes spoken as were spoken in the beginning of the Church if such words be spoken against vs as were spoken against Christ himselfe But S. Paul hath here giuen vs a rule whereby to know the true seruants of Christ and Stewards of Gods secrets Christ was the true Prophet and why so because he preached his fathers will What euer I haue heard of my Father saith Christ the same haue I declared vnto you Saint Paul was the true seruant of Christ and steward of his secrets and why so because he labored in Gods vineyard he preached he taught more than all the rest of the Apostles of Christ did Laboraui plus quà m caeteri omnes I haue labored more than all the rest of the Apostles haue done Therefore was he the true and faithful minister of Gods mysteries because he thus diligently alwaies taught Gods Gospell and the glorie of his name for this cause I say and none other was he the Steward and dispenser of Gods secrets So were the Patriarches and the Prophets the true seruants of God because they declared the will of God And here haue we to consider that Christ which was the true Prophet the Apostles which were the ture Ministers and Stewards of Christ the Patriarches Prophets which were the true and faithfull seruants of God were all greeuously afflicted persecuted from place vnto place and lastly put to most cruell death This I say hapned to Christ himself and all his Apostles S. Iohn the Euangelist only excepted And yet was Christ Gods own sonne the Apostles were the true Ministers and Stewards of Gods secrets And therefore if we shall in our time sée the Preachers of Gods word afflicted the Teachers of the Gospell of Christ persecuted the Stewards of Gods secrets miserably tormented yet let not vs good Bretheren let not vs giue ouer and shrink from Gods gospell let vs consider that this is no new thing no strange hap but such as hapned to the Patriarches to the Prophets to the Apostles yea and to Christ himselfe Now then let vs take this rule of S. Pauls and thereby let vs trie whether the Preachers in times past the Popes the Cardinals the Bishops were the true seruants of God Stewards and dispensers of his holie secrets There are at this day some that be called Bishops some that be called Cardinals they say that they carry vp the Church of Christ and are the props pillers of the same and therefore in token therof they haue alwaies pillers borne before them At this day the Bishop of Rome calleth himselfe a generall Bishop an vniuersal Bishop not ouer this part or that part but ouer all Christendome yea he saith he is the head of Christs Church he saith that he hath power ouer Kings ouer Princes he hath power ouer purgatorie ouer Soules departed ouer Deuils ouer Angels he can parden not only sinnes alreadie done but such also as shall be at any time hereafter committed and that he can not mistake the Scriptures of God that he can not erre and be deceiued what euer he doth all is well done no man can iudge him and sit vpon his doings I speake not this of malice I speake it not for any grudge or hatred I owe to his person God is my witnesse I neyther know him that now is nor any of them that haue heretofore time béen Bishops of Rome But all these their doings are written all these words which I haue here spoken are written I say euen in their owne Lawes and Decrées the places may be alleaged and brought forth Alas these are glorious titles to be called vniuersall Bishop and head of Christs Church to haue dominion ouer Kings and Princes to haue power ouer Purgatorie ouer Soules departed ouer Deuils ouer Angels to haue authoritie to pardon sinnes past sinnes hereafter to be committed not to erre not to be deceiued all these are glorious and triumphant titles as you well sée But let vs now take Pauls rule the rule I say that S. Paul hath here giuen vs and let vs by the same trie whether the Bishops the Cardinals the Popes haue heretofore time or at this time do dispense vnto vs the mysteries of the Gospell as Stewards of the secrets of God whether they do preach teach the Gospel of Christ as the seruants and Ministers of Christ Alas we sée they do nothing lesse they do we sée nothing lesse than set forth the Gospell of God the glory of his holy name Now then can they call themselues Pastores when they féede not Gods shéepe how can they call themselues watchmen when they haue no regard to Gods flocke how can they call themselues pillers of the Church yea and the head of the Church when they shew themselues rather destroyers of the Church of Christ and not members of the same Alas if they be not Gods seruants whose seruants are they if they be not Dispensers Stewards of Gods secrets of whose secrets are they Stewards if they be not so much as members how are they then the Pillers head of Christs Church Saint Paul goeth further and saith It is not sufficient to be called Seruants to be called Ministers to be called stewards of Gods secrets but it is further
his gospel If thou say thou knowest God if thou say thou knowest his gospell if thou liue not as God commaundeth thée if thou liue not as it becommeth a professor of Gods gospell thou blasphemest Gods name and dishonorest his gospel Ore suo appropinquant ad me saith God by his prophet Esay corda autem illorū longe absunt à me this people draweth nigh vnto mee with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from me They honor me with their mouthes but with their hearts they deny mée And in another place God by his Prophet Dauid saith O thou man why doest thou preach my lawes and takest my couenant in thy mouth for with the sinfull thou art sinfull with the théefe thou art a théefe with the adulterer thou art an adulterer Therefore if wee haue the word of God as a song to delight our eares if we turne the truth of Gods gospel into riot and wantonnesse if we confesse God with our lips deny him in our déeds if we say we know Gods law we know his commaundements and yet liue not thereafter we do not prayse God and confesse his name but we shame God and dishonor his holy name we cause the people to thinke euil of Gods word and slaunder his gospell And this is the cause why the common sort of people iudge that not to be the gospel which is this day preached taught vnto them because such as professe the gospell liue not after the gospell because such as say they know Gods way walke not in Gods way And thus through our own folly through our owne euill and corrupt liuing we offend our brethren we offend our selues and so in them offend Iesus Christ and their bloud shall bée required at our hands Let vs remember what God by the Prophet Esay saith Haec est vera via ambulate in ea This is the true way walke in the same Chrysostome saith if yee heare Gods word preached vnto you and yee follow it not yee learne saith he but your owne damnation yee learne nought els but your owne destruction The words that you heare preached vnto you shall accuse and condemne you God sayth Thou shalt not steale thou shalt not commit adulterie thou shalt beare no false witnesse c. these words this law of God written vnto vs shall accuse yea and condemne vs I say if wee to our powers follow not the same if wée walke not and continue in them accordingly Alas the verie age of the world the profession that wee haue taken vpon vs is or should bee ynough to put vs in remembrance of another life of another world to come Let vs not take the name of God in vaine let vs all prayse and extoll God let our mouthes our hands our hearts and all other our members praise and confesse his name for euer Laetentur exultent populs c. O let the people reioyce and bee glad that thou iudgest the folke righteously gouernest the nations vpon the earth Thy way O Lord is knowne said Dauid thy way is knowne vpon the earth therefore let all people all nations yea all the whole world reioyce and be glad thereat Diuers people set their minds on diuers things some in conquest some in great power and force of men some in heapes of money and treasures of this world some others that they are able to make other men feare and they feare nothing themselues But all these things are vaine both conquest power and heapes of great treasure are transitorie and fade away but the man of God that dreadeth God and hath a delight in his Law setteth his ioy and delight in those things which haue no end but continue for euer And therefore Dauid here saith Let all the people reioice and be glad in this thing alone because thou iudgest the folke righteously and gouernest the nations vpon the earth Let vs consider if there were a whole Christian nation brought in captiuitie vnder the Turke in thraldom and subiection vnto him in such sort that they should neuer heare the Scriptures neuer receiue the Sacraments neuer come to the church to pray but alwaies be where God should be despised and his name dishonored cōsider I say with your selues in what miserie in what wretchednesse in what great thraldome should they be With what conscience should they be able to abide this But if it would then please God to deliuer them standing in this state if it would please God to restore vnto them his Scriptrues if it would please God that they might receiue againe his holy Sacraments and might come and pray together if God would thus much doe for them O what ioy what tryumph what mirth would they make Let vs therfore here consider the estate of Gods Church before the time of the Prophet Dauid as it was in his time Before the Raigne of Dauid the Tabernacle of God was broken the Arke lost the Scriptures taken from them the Priests slaine God made them no answere by Prophet Angell nor by dreame euery man ran whither himselfe best liked without any feare of God or dread of his Law so had Saul that wicked King miserably tossed and turmoyled the same But it pleased God by the hands of King Dauid his Prophet to restore againe his Church so ouerthrowne to her former estate and condition it pleased God by him to make vp the Tabernacle againe to find out the Arke that before was lost to set vp all other things in good stay and order and this was as much as if he had called them from death vnto life from bondage to fréedome from Hell to Heauen Therefore when all these things were thus restored againe by the might and power of God this prophet Dauid comforted his heart and said Haec est dies quā fecit Dominus laetemur exultemus in ea This is a ioyfull day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad therin And so likewise in another place Dominus regnauit moueatur terra The Lord beareth the rule the Lord is king be the people neuer so vnpacient Let the whole world conspire saith he let it be moued do what it can against God for God ruleth and raigneth ouer al. Zacharie when he saw the comfortable time that should ensue the birth of Christ he fel downe cried out saying Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel quia visit auit fecit redemptionē plebis suae Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited redeemed his people So Simeon that old and holy father so soone as he beheld Christ had receiued his redéemer into his armes by and by his heart brake out for ioy said Nunc dimittis seruū tuū Domine secundū verbū tuū in pace c. Now lettest thou thy seruant O Lord depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue beholden thy saluation mine eyes haue seene thy