dispute with words not comely or with talke that is not profitable Yet behold even they that are wisest amongst vs living cōpared with the Prophets seem no otherwise to talke of God then as if the children which are caried in armes should speake of the greatest matters of state They whose words doe most shew forth their wise and standing and whose lips doe vtter the purest knowledge so long as they vnderstand and speake as men are they not faine sundry waies to excuse themselues Sometimes acknowledging with the wise mā hardly can we discerne the things that are on earth and with great labour finde wee out the things that are before vs who can then seeke out the things that are in heauen Sometimes confessing with Iob the righteous intreating of things too wonderfull for vs we haue spokē we wist not what Sometimes ending their talke as doth the history of the Macchabees if we haue done wel aa the cause required it is that we desire if we haue spok̄ stenderly and havely we haue done that we could But God 〈…〉 saith Esay And we haue receiued saith the Apostle not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things which are given to vs of God which things also we speake not in words which mans wisdome teacheth but which the holy Ghost doth teach This is that which the Prophets mean by those books writtē ful within without which books were so often delivered thē to eat not because God fed thē with inke paper but to teach vs that so oft as he employed them in this heavenly worke they neither spake nor wrote any word of their owne but vttered sillable by sillable as the spirit put it into their months no otherwise then the Harp or the Lute doth giue a sound according to the discretion of his hands that holdeth striketh it with skill The difference is only this An instrument whether it be a pipe or harpe maketh a distinction in the times and sounds which distinction is well perceived of the hearer the instrument it selfe vnderstanding not what is piped or harped The Prophets and holy men of God not so I opened my mouth saith Ezechiels and God reached me a scroule saying son of man cause thy belly to eat fill thy bowels with this I giue thee I eate it and it was sweet in my mouth as hony saith the Prophet Yea sweeter I am perswaded then either hony or the hony combe For herein they were not like Harps or Lutes but they felt they felt the power and strength of their owne words Whē they spake of our peace every corner of their hearts was filled with ioy Whē they prophecied of mournings lamentations and woes to fall vpan vs they wept in the bitternes and indignation of spirit the arme of the Lord being mighty and strong vpon them 5 On this manner were all the prophecies of holy scripture Which prophecies although they containe nothing which is not profitable for our instruction yet as one starre differeth from another in glory so every word of prophecy hath a treasure of matter in it but all matters are not of like importance as al treasures are not of equal price The chiefe principal matter of prophecie is the promise of righteousnesse peace holinesse glory victory immortality vnto every soule which beleeveth that Iesus is Christ of the Iew first and of the Gentile Nowe because the doctrine of salvation to bee looked for by faith in him who was in outward appearance as it had beene a man forsaken of God in him who was numbred Iudged and condemned with the wicked in him whom men did see buffited on the face scoft at by Souldiers scourged by tormentours hanged on the crosse pearced to the heart in him whom the eies of many witnesses did behold when the anguish of his soule enforced him to roare as if his hart had rent in sunder O my God my God why haste thou forsaken me I say because the doctrine of salvatiō by him is a thing improbable to a natural man that whether we preach it to the Gentile or to the Iew the one condemneth our faith as madnes the other as blasphemy therefore to establish and confirme the certainety of this saving trueth in the harts of men the Lord togither with their preachings whom hee sent immediately from himselfe to reveale these things vnto the world mingled prophecies of things both civill and Ecclesiasticall which were to come in everie age from time to time till the very last of the latter daies that by those things wherein we see daily their words fulfilled and done we might haue strong consolation in the hope of things which are not seene because they haue revealed as well the one as the other For when many things are spoken of before in scripture whereof we see first one thing accomplished and then another and so a third pereeiue wee not plainely that God doeth nothing else but lead vs along by the hand til he haue setled vs vpon the rocke of an assured hope that no one iote or title of his word shall passe till all be fulfilled It is not therefore saide in vaine that these godlesse wicked ones were spoken of before 6 But by whom By them whose words if men or Angels from heauen gainesaie they are accursed by them whom whosoever despiseth despiseth not them but me saith Christ. If any man therefore doth loue the Lord Iesus and woe worth him that loueth not the Lord Iesus hereby wee may know that hee loveth him indeed if hee despise not the things that are spoken of by his Apostles whom many haue despised even for the basenesse and simplenesse of their persons For it is the propertie of fleshly and carnall men to honour and dishonour credit and discredit the words and deeds of every man according to that he wanteth or hath without If a man with gorgeous apparell come amongst vs although he bee a theese or a murtherer for there are theeues and murtherers in gorgeous apparell be his heart whatsoever If his coat be of purple or velvet or tissue every one riseth vp and all the reverent solemnities wee can vse are too little But the man that serveth God is contemned and despised amongst vs for his povertie Herod speaketh in iudgement and the people cry out The voice of God and not of man Paul preacheth Christ they tearme him a trifler Harken beloued hath not God chosen the poore of this world that they should be rich in faith hath hee not chosen the refuse of the world to be heires of his kingdome which hee hath promised to them that loue him hath he not chosen the ofscowrings of men to be the lights of the world and the Apostles of Iesus Christ Men vnlearned yet how fully replenished with vnderstanding fewe in number yet how great in power contemptible in shew yet in spirit how strong
out in the Canticles at the beholding of this attire How faire art thou and how pleasant art thou O my loue in these pleasures 9 And perhaps S. Iude exhorteth vs here not to build our houses but our selues forseeing by the spirit of the Almighty which was with him that there should be men in the last daies like to those in the first which should encourage and stirre vp each other to make bricke to burne it in the fire to build houses huge as cities and towers as high as heaven thereby to get them a name vpon earth men that shoulde turne out the poore and the fatherlesse and the widdow to build places of rest for dogs swine in their roomes men that should lay houses of praier even with ground and make thē stables where Gods people haue worshipped before the Lord. Surely this is a vanity of all vanities and it is much amongst men a speciall sicknesse of this age What it should meane I know not except God haue set thē on worke to provide fewel against that day when the Lord Iesus shal shew himselfe from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire What good commeth vnto the owners of these things saith Solomon but only the beholding thereof with their eies Martha Martha thou busiest thy selfe about many things One thing is necessarie Yee are too busie my brethren with timber and bricke They haue chosen the better part they haue taken a better course that build themselues Yee are the Temples of the living God as God hath said I wil dwel in them and will walke in them they shal be my people and I wil be their God 10 Which of you wil gladly remaine or abide in a mishapen a ruinous or a broken house And shal we suffer sinne and vanity to drop in at our eies and at our eares at every corner of our bodies of our soules knowing that we are the Temples of the holy Ghost Which of you receiveth a guest whom he honoureth or whom he loveth and doth not sweepe his chamber against his comming And shal we suffer the chamber of our hearts and consciences to lie full of vomiting full of filth ful of garbidge knowing that Christ hath said I and my Father will come and dwell with you Is it meete for your Oxen to lay in parlours and your selues to lodge in cribs Or is it seemely for your selues to dwell in your setled houses and the house of the Almighty to lie wast whose house yee are your selues Do not our eies behold how God every day overtaketh the wicked in their iourneies how suddenly they pop downe into the pit how Gods iudgements for their times come so swiftly vpon them that they haue not the leasure to crie Alas how their life is cut off like a threed in a moment how they passe like a shadow how they open their mouthes to speake and God taketh them even in the midst of a vaine or an idle word And dare we for all this lay downe take our rest eate our meat securely and carelesly in the midst of so great and so many ruines Blessed and praised for ever and ever be his name who perceiuing of how senselesse heavy mettall we are made hath instituted in his Church a spirituall supper and an holy communion to be celebrated often that we might thereby bee occasioned often to examine these buildings of ours in what case they stand For sith God doth not dwell in Temples which are vncleane sith a shrine cannot be a sanctuary vnto him and this supper is receaued as a seale vnto vs that we are his house and his sanctuarie that his Christ is as truly vnited to me and I to him as my arme is vnited and knit vnto my shoulder that hee dwelleth in me as verily as the elements of bread and wine abide within me which perswasion by receiving these dreadfull mysteries we professe our selues to haue a due comfort if truly and if in hypocrisie then woe worth vs. Therefore ere wee put forth our hands to take this blessed Sacrament we are charged to examine and to trie our hearts whether God bee in vs of a truth or no and if by faith and loue vnfained we be found the temples of the holy Ghost then to iudge whether we haue had such regard every one to our building that the spirit which dwelleth in vs hath no way beene vexed molested and grieued Or if it haue as no doubt sometimes it hath by incredulitie sometimes by breach of charitie sometimes by want of zeale sometimes by spots of life even in the best and most perfect amongst vs for who can say his heart is cleane O then to fly vnto God by vnfained repentance to fall downe before him in the humilitie of our soules begging of him whatsoever is needfull to repaire out decaies before wee fall into that desolation whereof the Prophet speaketh saying Thy breach is great like the sea who can heale thee 11 Receiving the sacrament of the Supper of the Lord after this sort you that are spiritual iudge what I speake is not all other wine like the water of Marah being compared to the cup which we blesse Is not Manna like to gall and our bread like to Manna Is there not a tast a tast of Christ Iesus in the hart of him that eateth Doth not hee which drinketh behold plainely in this cup that his soul is bathed in the blood of the lambe O beloued in our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ if yee will tast how sweet the Lord is if yee will receaue the king of glory Build your selues 12 Young men I speake this to you for yee are his house because by faith yee are conquerers over Satan and haue overcome that evill Fathers I speake it also to you yee are his house because yee haue knowne him which is from the beginning Sweete Babes I speake it even to you also yee are his house because your sinnes are forgiven you for his name-sake Matrons and Sisters I may not hold it from you yee are also the Lords building and as S. Peter speaketh heires of the grace of life as well as we Though it be forbidden you to open your mouthes in publike assemblies yet yee must bee inquisitiue in things concerning this building which is of God with your husbands and friends at home not as Dalila with Sampson but as Sara with Abraham whose daughters yee are whilst yee doe well and build your selues 13 Having spoken thus farre of the exhortation as whereby we are called vpon to edifie and build our selues It remaineth now that wee consider the thing prescribed namely wherein we must bee built This prescription standeth also vpon two points the thing prescribed and the adiuncts of the thing And that is our most pure and holy faith 14 The thing prescribed is Faith For as in a chaine which is made of many linkes if you pull the first you drawe the rest and as
Gods owne mouth Therefore I conclude that faith is that which maketh vas most holy in consideration whereof it is called in this place Our most holy faith 28 To make a wicked and a sinful man most holy through his beleeuing is more then to create a world of nothing Our faith most holy Surely Solomon could not shew the Queene of Saba so much treasure in all his kingdoÌ„e as is lapt vp in these words O that our hearts were stretched out like tents that the eies of our vnderstanding were as bright as the sunne that we might throughly knowe the richâ—s of the glorious inheritance of Saints and what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power towards vs whome he accepteth for pure and most holy through our beleeuing O that the spirit of the Lord would giue this doctrine entrance into the stonie and brasen hart of the Iew which followeth the law of righteousnes but cannot attaine vnto the righteousnesse of the law Wherefore saith the Apostle They seeke righteousnesse and not by faith Wherefore they stumble at Christ they are bruised shivered to peeces as a ship that hath runne her selfe vpon a rocke O that God would cast downe the eies of the prowd and humble the soules of the high minded that they might at the length abhorre the garments of their owne flesh which cannot hide their nakednesse and put on the faith of Christ Iesus as hee did put it on which hath said Doubtlesse I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I haue counted all things losse and doe iudge them to be dung that I might winne Christ and might be found in him not hauing mine owner righteousnes which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith O that God would open the Arke of mercy wherein this doctrine lyeth and set it wide before the eies of poore afflicted consciences which fly vp and downe vpon the water of their afflictions can see nothing but only the gulfe and deluge of their sinnes wherein there is no place for them to rest their feet The God of pittie and compassion giue you al strength courage every day and every houre every moment to build and edifie your selues in this most pure holy faith And thus much both of the thing prescribed in this exhortatioÌ„ also of the properties of the thing Build your selues in your most holy faith I would coÌ„e to the next branch which is of Prayer but I caÌ„not lay this matter out of my haÌ„ds til I haue added somwhat for the applying of it both to other to our selues 29 For your better vnderstanding of matters contained in this exhortation Build your selues you must note that every Church and congregatioÌ„ doth consist of a multitude of beleeuers as every house is built of many stones And although the nature of the mystical body of the Church be such that it suffereth no distinction in the invisible members but whether it be Paul or Apollos Prince or Prophet hee that is taught or he that teacheth all are equally Christs Christ is equally theirs yet in the externall administration of the Church of God because God is not the author of confusion but of peace it is necessary that in every Congregation there be a distinction if not of inward dignitie yet of outward degree so that all are Saints or seeme to be Saints and should bee as they seeme But are all Apostles If the whole bodie were an eie where were then the hearing God therfore hath giuen some to be Apostles and some to be Pastours c. for the edificatioÌ„ of the body of Christ. In which worke we are Gods labourers saith the Apostle yee are Gods husbandry Gods building 30 The Church respected with reference vnto administration ecclesiastical doth generally consist but of 2 sorts of men the Labourers the Building they which are ministred vnto and they to whom the worke of the ministery is committed Pastours the flocke over whom the holy Ghost hath made them overseers If the Guid of a Congregation be his name or his degree whatsoever be diligent in his vocation feed the flocke of God which dependeth vpon him caring for it not by constraint but willingly not for filthie lucre but of a ready mind not as though hee would tyrannize over Gods heritage but as a patterne vnto the flocke wisely guiding them if the people in their degree doe yeeld themselues frameable to the truth not like rough stone or flint refusing to bee smoothed and squared for the building if the Magistrate doe carefully and diligently survey the whole order of the worke providing by statutes and lawes bodily punishments if need require that all things may be done according to the rule which cannot deceaue even as Moses provided that all things might be done according to the patterne which hee saw in the Mount there the words of this exhortation are truely and effectually heard Of such a Congregation every man will say Behold a people that are wise a people that walke in the statutes and ordinances of their God a people full of knowledge and vnderstanding a people that haue skill in building themselues Where it is otherwise there as by slothfulnesse the roofe doth decay as by idlenesse of hinds the house droppeth thorough as it is in the 10. of Ecclesiastes v. 18 so first one peece and then another of their building shal fall away till there be not a stone left vpon a stone 31 We see how fruitlesse this exhortation hath bene to such as bend all their trauaile onely to build manage a Papacie vpon earth without any care in the world of building theÌ„selues in their most holy faith Gods people haue enquired at their mouthes What shall wt doe to haue eternall life where-in shall we build edifie our selues And they haue departed hoÌ„e froÌ„ their Prophets from their preists laden with doctaines which are precepts of men they haue bene taught to tire out themselues with bodily excercise those thinges are inioyned them which God did never require at their hands and the things he doth require are kept froÌ„ theÌ„ their eies are fed with pictures and their eares filled with melodie but their soules doe wither and starue and pine away they crie for bread and behold stones are offered them they aske for fishe and see they haue scorpions in their hands Thou seest O Lord that they builde themselues but not in faith they feede their children but not with food Their rulers say with shame Bring not build But god is righteous their druÌ„kennesse stinketh their abominations ate knowne their madnesse is manifest the winde hath bound them vp in hir wings and they shall be ashamed of their doings Ephraim saith the Prophet is ioyned to Idoles let him alone I will turne me therfore from the Preists which do
vp that the bowels of the childe may be made the mothers graue that he hath caused no small number of our brethren to forsake their natiue country with all disloialty to cast off the yoke of their allegeance to our dread Soveraigne whom God in mercy hath set over them for whose sauegard if they caried not the hearts of Tygers in the bosomes of men they woulde thinke the dearest blood in their bodies wel spent But now saith Abiah to Ieroboam yee thinke yee be able to resist the kingdome of the Lorde which is in the hands of the sonnes of David Yee be a great multitude the golden calues are with you which Ieroboam made you for Gods haue yee not driven away the priests of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron and the Levites haue made you priests like the people of natioÌ„s whosoever commeth with a young bullocke and seaven rammes the same may bee a priest of them that are no Gods If I should follow the comparison here vncover the cup of those deadly and ougly abominations where with this Ieroboam of whom we speake hath made the earth so drunke that it hath reeled vnder vs I know your godly hearts would loath to see them For my own part I delight not to take in such filth I had rather take a garment vpon my shoulders and go with my face from them to cover them The Lord open their eies and cause them if it be possible at the length to see how they are wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Put it O Lord in their hearts to seeke white raiment and to cover themselues that their filthy nakednes may no longer appeare For beloved in Christ we bow our knees lift vp our hands to heaven in our chambers secretly openly in our churches we pray hartily howrely even for them also though the Pope haue given out as a Iudge in a solemne declaratory sentence of excommunication against this land that our gracious Lady hath quite abolished praiers within her realme and his schollers whom he hath taken from the midst of vs haue in their published writings charged vs not only not to haue any holy assemblies vnto the Lorde for praier but to hold a common schoole of sinne flattery to hold sacrilege to be Gods service vnfaithfulnesse and breach of promise to God to giue it to a strumpet to be a vertue to abandon fasting to abhor confession to mislike with penance to like well of vsury to charge none with restitution to finde no good before God in single life nor in no well working that all men as they fal to vs are much woorsed and more then afore corrupted I do not adde one word or sillable vnto that which Mr Bristow a man both borne and sworne amongst vs hath taught his hand to deliver to the view of all I appeale to the coÌ„science of every soule that hath beene truely converted by vs whether his heart were never raised vp to God by our preaching whether the words of our exhortation never wrong any teare of a penitent heart from his eies whether his soule never reaped any ioy any comfort any consolation in Christ Iesus by our sacraments and praiers and Psalmes thansgivings whether he were never bettered but alwaies worsed by vs. Omerciful Godlif heaven and earth in this case do not witnesse with vs and against them let vs bee razed out from the land of the living let the earth on which we stand swallow vs quicke as it hath done Corah Dathan and Abiram But if we belong vnto the Lord our God and haue not forsaken him if our priests the sonnes of Aaron minister vnto the Lord and the Levites in their office if wee offer vnto the Lord every morning and every evening the burnt offrings sweet incense of praiers land thanks givings if the bread be set in order vpon the pure table the candlesticke of gold with the lamps thereof to burne every morning that is to say if amoÌ„gst vs Gods blessed sacraments be duly administred his holy word sincerely and daily preached if we keep the watch of the Lord our God and if yee haue forsaken him then doubt yee not this God is with vs as a captaine his priests with founding trumpets must cry alarme against you O yee children of Israel fight not against the Lord God of your fathers for yee shall not prosper The second Sermon EPIST. IVDE 17 But yee beloved remember the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ. 18 How that they tolde you that there should be mockers in the last time which should walk after their own vngodly lusts 19 These are makers of Sects fleshly having not the spirit 20 But yee beloved edifie your selues in your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost 21 And keepe your selues in the loue of God looking for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christ vnto eternall life HAving otherwhere spoken of the words of Saint Iude going next before concerning Mockers which should come in the last time backsliders which even then fell away from the faith of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ I am now by the aide of almighty God and through the assistance of his good spirit to lay before you the words of exhortation which I haue read 2 Wherein first of all whosoever hath an eie to see let him open it and he shall wel perceiue how carefull the Lord is for his children how desirous to see them profit and growe vp to a manly stature in Christ how loath to haue them any way mislead either by examples of the wicked or by enticements of the world and by provocation of the flesh or by any other meanes forcible to deceaue them and likely to estrange their heartt from God For God is not at that point with vs that hee careth not whether wee sinke or swimme No he hath written our names in the palme of his hand in the signet vpon his finger are we graven in sentences not onely of mercy but of iudgement also we are remembred He never denouÌ„ceth iudgements againâ—t the wicked but hee maketh some Proviso for his children as it were for some certaine priviledged persons Touch not mine annointed doe my Prophets no harme hurt not the earth nor the sea nor the trees till wee haue sealed the servants of God in their foreheads Hee never speaketh of godlesse men but he adioineth words of comfort or admonition or exhortation whereby wee are moued to rest and settle our hearts on him In the second to Tim. the 3. Chap. Evil men saith the Apostle and deceiuers shall waxe worse and worse deceiuing and being deceiued But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned And in the first to Tim. the. 6. Chap. Some men lusting after money have erred from the faith pierced themselues through with many sorrowes But thou ô man of God fly these things and follow