Acts 15. That when the Apostles and Elders with the whole Congregation were gathered together to pacifie the hearts of the faithful dwelling at Antioch which were disquieted through the false Doctrine of several Jewish Preachers they sent word to the Brethren That it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to them to charge them with no more than with necessary things Among others they willed them to abstain from Idolatry and Fornication from which said they if you keep your selves ye shall do well Note here how these holy and blessed Fathers of Christ's Church would charge the Congregation with no more things than were necessary Mark also how among those things from the which they commanded the Brethren of Antioch to abstain Fornication and Whoredom are numbred It is therefore necessary by the determination and consent of the Holy Ghost and the Apostles and Elders with the whole Congregation that as from Idolatry and Superstition so likewise we must abstain from Fornication and Whoredom It is necessary unto Salvation to abstain from Idolatry So it is to abstain from Whoredom Is there any nigher way to lead unto damnation than to be an Idolater No even so neither is there any nearer way to damnation than to be a Fornicator and a Whoremonger Now where are those People which so lightly esteem breaking of Wedlock Whoredom Fornication and Adultery It is necessary saith the Holy Ghost the blessed Apostles the Elders with the whole Congregation of Christ it is necessary to Salvation say they to abstain from Whoredom If it be necessary unto Salvation then woe be to them which neglecting their Salvation give their Minds to so filthy and stinking a Sin to so wicked Vice and to such detestable abomination The Second Part of the Sermon against Adultery YOU have been taught in the First Part of this Sermon against Adultery how that Vice at this day reigneth most above all other Vices and what is meant by this word Adultery and how Holy Scripture dissuadeth or discounselleth from doing that filthy Sin and finally what corruption cometh to Man's Soul through the Sin of Adultery Now to proceed further let us hear what the blessed Apostle St. Paul saith to this matter writing to the Romans he hath these words Rom. 13. Let us cast away the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light Let us walk honestly as it were in the day time not in eating and drinking neither in chambering and wantonness neither in strife and envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts of it Here the Holy Apostle exhorteth us to cast away the Works of Darkness which among other he calleth gluttonous eating drinking chambering and wantonness which are all Ministers unto that Vice and preparations to induce and bring in the filthy Sin of the Flesh He calleth them the Deeds and Works of Darkness not only because they are customably in Darkness John 3 Matth. 25. or in the night time for every one that doth evil hateth the Light neither cometh he to the Light lest his Works should be reproved but that they lead the right way unto that utter Darkness where weeping and gnashing of Teeth shall be Rom. 8. And he saith in another place of the same Epistle They that are in the Flesh cannot please God We are Debtors not to the Flesh that we should live after the Flesh for if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die 1. Cor. 6. Again he saith Flee from Whoredom for every Sin that a Man committeth is without his Body But whosoever committeth Whoredom sinneth against his own Body Do ye not know That your Members are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is in you whom also ye have of God and ye are not your own For ye are dearly bought Glorifie God in your Bodies c. And a little before he saith Do ye not know That your Bodies are the Members of Christ Shall I then take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of a Whore God forbid Do ye not know That he which cleaveth to a Whore is made one Body with her There shall be two in one Flesh saith he but he that cleaveth to the Lord is one Spirit What godly Words doth the blessed Apostle St. Paul bring forth here to dissuade and discounsel us from Whoredom and Uncleanness Your Members saith he are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which whosoever doth defile Gâ—d will destroy him as saith St. Paul If we be the Temple of the Holy Ghost how unfitting then is it to drive that Holy Spirit from us through Whoredom and in his place to set the wicked Spirits of Uncleanness and Fornication and to be joined and do Service to them Ye are dearly bought saith he 1. Pet. 1. therefore glorifie God in your Bodies Christ that innocent Lamb of God hath bought us from the Servitude of the Devil not with corruptible Gold and Silver Esaiah 38. but with his most precious and dear heart blood To what intent That we should fall again into our old Uncleanness and abominable Living Luke 1. Nay verily But that we should serve him all the days of our Life in Holiness and Righteousness that we should glorifie him in our Bodies by purity and cleanness of Life He declareth also That our Bodies are the Members of Christ How unseemly a thing is it then to cease to be incorporate or imbodied and made one with Christ and through Whoredom to be enjoined and made all one with a Whore What greater dishonor or injury can we do to Christ than to take away from him the Members of his Body and to join them to Whores Devils and wicked Spirits And what more dishonor can we do to ourselves than through Uncleanness to lose so excellent a Dignity and Freedom and to become Bond-slaves and miserable Captives to the Spirits of Darkness Let us therefore consider First the Glory of Christ then our Estate our Dignity and Freedom wherein God hath set us by giving us his Holy Spirit and let us valiantly defend the same against Satan and all his crafty Assaults that Christ may be honored and that we lose not our Liberty or Freedom but still remain in one Spirit with him Eph. 5. Moreover in his Epistle to the Ephesians the blessed Apostle willeth us to be so pure and free from Adultery Fornication and all Uncleanness that we not once name them among us as it becometh Saints nor Filthiness nor foolish Talking nor Jesting which are not comely but rather giving of Thanks For this ye know saith he that no Whoremonger 1 Cor. 6. neither unclean Person or covetous Person which is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God And that we should remember to be holy pure and free from all Uncleanness the holy Apostle calleth us Saints because we are sanctified and made holy by the
cannot enter into the Kingdom of God he was greatly amazed in his mind and began to reason with Christ demanding how a Man might be born which was old John 3. Can he enter saith he into his Mothers Womb again and so be born anew Behold a lively pattern of a fleshly and carnal Man He had little or no intelligence of the Holy Ghost and therefore he goeth bluntly to work and asketh how this thing were possible to be true whereas otherwise if he had known the great power of the Holy Ghost in this behalf that it is he which inwardly worketh the Regeneration and New Birth of Mankind he would never have marvelled at Christs words but would rather take occasion thereby to praise and glorifie God For as there are three several and sundry Persons in the Deity so have they three several and sundry Offices proper unto each of them The Father to Create the Son to Redeem the Holy Ghost to Sanctifie and Regenerate Whereof the last the more it is hid from our understanding the more it ought to move all Men to wonder at the secret and mighty working of Gods Holy Spirit which is within us For it is the Holy Ghost and no other thing that doth quicken the Minds of Men stirring up good and godly Motions in their Hearts which are agreeable to the Will and Commandment of God such as otherwise of their own crooked and perverse Nature they should never have John 5. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit As who should say Man of his own Nature is fleshly and carnal corrupt and naught sinful and disobedient to God without any spark of goodness in him without any vertuous or godly Motion only given to evil Thoughts and wicked Deeds As for the Works of the Spirit the Fruits of Faith charitable and godly Motions if he have any at all in him they proceed only of the Holy Ghost who is the only worker of our Sanctification and maketh us new Men in Christ Jesus Did not Gods holy Spirit miraculously work in the Child David when of a poor Shepherd he became a Princely Prophet 1 Sam. 17. Mat. 9. Did not Gods Holy Spirit miraculously work in Matthew sitting at the receit of Custom when of a proud Publican he became an humble and lowly Evangelist And who can choose but marvel to consider that Peter should become of a simple Fisher a chief and mighty Apostle Paul of a cruel and bloody Persecutor a faithful Disciple of Christ to teach the Gentiles Such is the power of the Holy Ghost to Regenerate Men and as it were to bring them forth anew so that they shall be nothing like the Men that they were before Neither doth he think it sufficient inwardly to work the Spiritual and New Birth of Man unless he do also dwell and abide in him 1 Cor. 3. Know ye not saith St. Paul that ye are the Temple of God and that his Spirit dwelleth in you Know ye not that your Bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost which is within you Again he saith You are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit For why Rom. 8. 1 John 2 the Spirit of God dwelleth in you To this agreeth the Doctrin of St. John writing on this wise The Anointing which ye have received he meaneth the Holy Ghost dwelleth in you And the Doctrin of Peter saith the same 1 Pet. 4. who hath these words The Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you O what comfort is this to the heart of a true Christian to think that the Holy Ghost dwelleth within him Rom. 5. If God be with us as the Apostle saith who can be against us O but how shall I know that the Holy Ghost is within me Some Man perchance will say forsooth As the Tree is known by his Fruit so is also the Holy Ghost The Fruits of the Holy Ghost according to the mind of St. Paul are these Love Joy Peace long Suffering Gentleness Goodness Gal. 5. Faithfulness Meekness Temperance c. Contrariwise the Deeds of the Flesh are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Wantonness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Debate Emulation Wrath Contention Sedition Heresie Envy Murder Drunkenness Gluttony and such like Here is now that Glass wherein thou must behold thy self and discern whether thou have the Holy Ghost within thee or the Spirit of the Flesh If thou see that thy Works be vertuous and good consonant to the prescript Rule of Gods Word favouring and tasting not of the Flesh but of the Spirit then assure thy self that thou art endued with the Holy Ghost otherwise in thinking well of thy self thou dost nothing else but deceive thy self The Holy Ghost doth always declare himself by his fruitful and gracious gifts namely by the word of Wisdom by the word of Knowledge which is the understanding of the Scriptures by Faith 1 Cor. 12. in doing of Miracles by healing them that are Diseased by Prophesie which is the Declaration of Gods Mysteries by discerning of Spirits diversities of Tongues interpretation of Tongues and so forth All which gifts as they proceed from one Spirit and are severally given to Man according to the measurable distribution of the Holy Ghost even so do they bring Men and not without good cause into a wonderful admiration of Gods divine Power Who will not marvel at that which is written in the Acts of the Apostles Acts 5. to hear their bold confession before the Council at Jerusalem And to consider that they went away with joy and gladness rejoycing that they were worthy to suffer Rebukes and Checks for the Name and Faith of Christ Jesus This was the mighty work of the Holy Ghost who because he giveth patience and joyfulness of heart in Temptation and Affliction hath therefore worthily obtained this name in Holy Scripture to be called a Comforter Who will not also marvel to read the learned and heavenly Sermons of Peter and the Disciples considering that they were never brought up in School of Learning but called even from their Nets to supply the Rooms of Apostles This was likewise the mighty work of the Holy Ghost John 14. who because he doth instruct the hearts of the simple in the true knowledge of God and his Word is most justly termed by this name and title to be the Spirit of Truth Lib. 11. cap. 3. Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History cap. 3. telleth a strange Story of a certain learned and subtil Philosopher who being an extream adversary to Christ and his Doctrin could by no kind of Learning be converted to the Faith but was able to withstand all the Arguments that could be brought against him with little or no labor At length there started up a poor
Cursing the Godly with Bell Book and Candle as also in Absolving the Reprobate which are known to be unworthy of any Christian Society Whereof they that Lust to see Examples let them search their Lives To be short look what our Saviour Christ pronounced of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel the same may be boldly and with safe Conscience pronounced of the Bishops of Rome namely that they have forsaken and daily do forsake the Commandments of God to erect and set up their own Constitutions Which thing being true as all they which have any light of Gods Word must needs confess we may well conclude according to the Rule of Augustin That the Bishops of Rome and their adherents are not the true Church of Christ much less then to be taken as chief Heads and Rulers of the same Whosoever saith he do dissent from the Scriptures concerning the Head August contra Petilian Donatist Ep. cap. 4. although they be found in all places where the Church is appointed yet are they not in the Church a plain place concluding directly against the Church of Rome Where is now the Holy Ghost which they so stoutly claim to themselves Where is now the Spirit of Truth that will not suffer them in any wise to err If it be possible to be there where the true Church is not then is it at Rome otherwise it is but a vain brag and nothing else St. Paul as you have heard before saith If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is not his And by turning the words it may be truly said If any man be not of Christ the same hath not the Spirit Now to discern who are truly his and who not we have this Rule given us that his Sheep do always hear his Voice And St. John saith John 10. John 8. He that is of God heareth Gods Word Whereof it followeth that the Popes in not hearing Christs voice as they ought to do but preferring their own decrees before the express Word of God do plainly argue to the World that they are not of Christ nor yet possessed with his Spirit But here they all alledge for themselves that there are divers necessary Points not expressed in holy Scripture John 16. which were left to the Revelation of the Holy Ghost Who being given to the Church according to Christs promise hath taught many things from time to time which the Apostles could not then bear To this we may easily Answer by the plain words of Christ teaching us that the proper Office of the Holy Ghost is not to institute and bring in new Ordinances contrary to his Doctrin before taught but shall come and declare those things which he had before taught John 16. so that it might be well and truly understood When the Holy Ghost saith he shall come he shall lead you into all truth What truth doth he mean Any other than he himself had before expressed in his Word John 16. No. For he saith He shall take of mine and shew unto you Again he shall bring you in remembrance of all things that I have told you It is not then the Duty and part of any Christian under pretence of the Holy Ghost to bring in his own Dreams and Phantasies into the Church but he must diligently provide that his Doctrin and Decrees be agreeable to Christs holy Testament otherwise in making the Holy Ghost the Author thereof he doth Blaspheme and Belie the Holy Ghost to his own Condemnation Now to leave their Doctrin and to come to other Points What shall we think or judge of the Popes intolerable Pride The Scripture saith that God resisteth the Proud and sheweth grace to the Humble Also it pronouceth them blessed which are Poor in Spirit Matt. 5. Matt. 14. promising that they which humble themselves shall be exalted And Christ our Saviour willeth all his to learn of him because he is humble and meek As for Pride St. Gregory saith it is the Root of all Mischief And St. Augustin's judgment is this that it maketh Men Devils Can any Man then which either hath or shall read the Popes Lives justly say that they had the Holy Ghost within them First as touching that they will be termed Universal Bishops and Heads of all Christian Churches through the World we have the judgment of Gregory expresly against them Lib. 3. Epist 76.78 who writing to Mauritius the Emperor condemneth John Bishop of Constantinople in that behalf calling him the Prince of Pride Lucifers Successor and the fore runner of Antichrist Serm. 3. de resur Dom. St. Bernard also agreeing thereunto saith What greater Pride can there be than that one Man should prefer his own judgment before the whole Congregation as though he only had the Spirit of God Dialogorum lib. 3. And Chrysostom pronounceth a terrible sentence against them affirming plainly that whosoever seeketh to be chief in Earth shall find confusion in Heaven and that he which striveth for the Supremacy shall not be reputed among the Servants of Christ Again he saith To desire a good work it is good Chrysost sup Mat. but to covet the chief degree of Honor it is meer Vanity Do not these places sufficiently convince their outragious Pride in Usurping to themselves a Superiority above all other as well Ministers and Bishops as Kings also and Emperors But as the Lion is known by his Claws so let us learn to know these Men by their Deeds What shall we say of him that made the Noble King Dandalus to be tied by the Neck with a Chain Sabell Ennead 9. lib. 7. and to lie flat down before his Table there to gnaw Bones like a Dog Shall we think that he hath Gods holy Spirit within him and not rather the Spirit of the Devil Such a Tyrant was Pope Clement the VI. What shall we say of him that proudly and contemptuously trod Frederick the Emperor under his Feet applying the verse of the Psalm unto himself Thou shalt go upon the Lion and the Adder Psal 60. the young Lion and the Dragon thou shalt tread under thy foot Shall we say that he hath Gods holy Spirit within him and not rather the Spirit of the Devil Such a Tyrant was Pope Alexander the III. What shall we say of him that Armed and animated the Sun against the Father causing him to be taken and to be cruelly famished to death contrary to the Law both of God and also of Nature Shall we say that he had Gods holy Spirit within him and not rather the Spirit of the Devil Such a Tyrant was Pope Pascal the II. What shall we say of him that came into his Popedom like a Fox that reigned like a Lion and died like a Dog Shall we say that he had Gods holy Spirit within him and not rather the Spirit of the Devil Such a Tyrant was Pope Boniface the VIII What shall we say of him that made
ye see how all is of God by his Son Christ our Lord and Saviour Remember I say once again your Duty of Thanks let them be never to want still injoyn your self to continue in Thanksgiving ye can offer to God no better Sacrifice For he saith himself Psal 50. It is the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks that shall honor me Which thing was well perceived of that holy Prophet David when he so earnestly spake to himself thus Psal 103. O my Soul bless thou the Lord and all that is within me bless his holy Name I say once again O my Soul bless thou the Lord and never forget his manifold rewards God give us Grace good People to know these things and to feel them in our Hearts This knowledge and feeling is not in our selves by our selves it is not possible to come by it a great pity it were that we should lose so profitable knowledge Let us therefore meekly call upon that bountiful Spirit the Holy Ghost which proceedeth from our Father of Mercy and from our Mediator Christ that he would assist us and inspire us with his presence that in him we may be able to hear the goodness of God declared unto us to our Salvation For without his lively and secret inspiration can we not once so much as speak the Name of our Mediator as St. Paul plainly testifieth 1 Cor. 12 No Man can once Name our Lord Jesus Christ but in the Holy Ghost Much less should we be able to believe and know these great Mysteries that be opened to us by Christ St. Paul saith That no Man can know what is of God 1 Cor. 2. but the Spirit of God As for us saith he we have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God for this purpose That in that holy Spirit we might know the things that be given us by Christ The Wise man saith that in the Power and Vertue of the Holy Ghost resteth all Wisdom and all Ability to know God and to please him For he waiteth thus We know that it is not in Mans power to guide his goings Wisd 9. No Man can know thy Pleasure except thou givest Wisdom and sendest thy holy Spirit from above Send him down therefore prayeth he to God from the holy Heavens and from the Throne of thy Majesty that he may be with me and labor with me that so I may know what is acceptable before thee Let us with so good Heart Pray as he did and we shall not fail but to have his assistance For he is soon seen of them that love him he will be found of them that seek him for very liberal and gentle is the Spirit of Wisdom In his power shall we have sufficient Abilty to know our Duty to God in him shall we be comforted and encouraged to walk in our Duty in him shall we be meet vessels to receive the Grace of Almighty God for it is he that purgeth and purifieth the mind by his secret working And he only is present every where by his invisible Power and containeth all things in his Dominion He lightneth the Heart to conceive worthy thoughts to Almighty God he sitteth in the Tongue of Man to stir him to speak his Honor no Language is hid from him for he hath the knowledge of all Speech he only Ministreth Spiritual strength to the powers of our Soul and Body To hold the way which God had prepared for us to walk rightly in our Journey we must acknowledge that it is in the power of his Spirit which helpeth our infirmity That we may boldly come in Prayer and call upon Almighty God as our Father it is by this holy Spirit which maketh intercession for us with continual Sighs Galat. 4. Rom. 8. If any Gift we have wherewith we may work to the Glory of God and profit of our Neighbor all is wrought by this own and self same Spirit which maketh his distributions peculiarly to every Man as he will 1 Cor. 12. If any Wisdom we have it is not of our selves we cannot glory therein as begun of our selves but we ought to glory in God from whom it came to us as the Prophet Jeremy writeth Jerem. 9. Let him that rejoyceth rejoyce in this that he understandeth and knoweth me for I am the Lord which sheweth Mercy Judgment and Righteousness in the Earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. This Wisdom cannot be attained but by the direction of the Spirit of God and therefore it is called Spiritual Wisdom And no where can we more certainly search for the knowledge of this Will of God by the which we must direct all our Works and Deeds but in the holy Scriptures for they be they that testifie of him John 5. saith our Saviour Christ It may be called Knowledg and Learning that is other where gotten without the Word but the Wise Man plainly testifieth Wisd 13. that they all be but Vain which have not in them the Wisdom of God We see to what Vanity the Old Philosophers came who were destitute of this Science gotten and searched for in his Word We see what Vanity the School Doctrin is mixed with for that in this Word they sought not the Will of God but rather the Will of Reason the Trade of Custom the Path of the Fathers the Practice of the Church Let us therefore Read and Revolve the holy Scripture both Day and Night Psal 1. Psal 119. For blessed is he that hath his whole meditation therein It is that which giveth light to our Feet to walk by It is that which giveth Wisdom to the simple and ignorant In it may we find Eternal Life In the holy Scriptures find we Christ in Christ find we God for he it is that is the express Image of the Father He that seeth Christ seeth the Father And contrariwise as St. Jerome saith the ignorance of the Scripture is the ignorance of Christ Not to know Christ Psal 19. Heb. 1. John 14. is to be in darkness in the midst of our Worldly and Carnal light of Reason and Philosophy To be without Christ is to be in foolishness For he is the only Wisdom of the Father in whom it pleased him that all fulness and perfection should dwell Coloss 2. With whom whosoever is endued in Heart by Faith and rooted fast in Charity hath laid a sure Foundation to build on whereby he may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and to know the love of Christ This universal and absolute knowledge is that Wisdom which St. Paul wisheth these Ephesians to have as under Heaven the greatest treasure that can be obtained Ephes 3. For of this Wisdom the Wise Man writeth thus of his experience All good things came to me together with her and innumerable Riches through her hands And addeth more in that same place Sap. 7.
dalliance and but a touch of youth Not rebuked but winked at Not punished but laughed at Wherefore it is necessary at this present Exod. 20. to treat of the sin of Whoredom and Fornication declaring unto you the greatness of this Sin and how odious hateful and abominable it is and hath alway been reputed before God and all good Men and how grievously it hath been punished both by the Law of God and the Laws of divers Princes Again to shew you certain remedies whereby ye may through the Grace of God eschew this most detestable sin of Whoredom and Fornication and lead your lives in all Honesty and Cleanness and that ye may perceive that Fornication and Whoredome are in the sight of God most abominable Sins ye shall call to remembrance this Commandment of God Thou shalt not commit Adultery By the which word Adultery although it be properly understood of the unlawful commixtion or joining together of a married Man with any Woman beside his Wife or of a Wife with any Man beside her Husband Yet thereby is signified also all unlawful use of those Parts which be ordained for Generation And this one Commandment forbidding Adultery doth sufficiently paint and set out before our Eyes the greatness of this Sin of Whoredom and manifestly declareth how greatly it ought to be abhorred of all honest and faithful Persons And that none of us all shall think himself excepted from this Commandment whether he be old or young married or unmarried Man or Woman hear what God the Father saith by his most Excellent Prophet Moses Deut. 23. There shall be no Whore among the Daughters of Israel nor no Whoremonger among the Sons of Israel Here is Whoredom Fornication and all other uncleanness forbidden to all kinds of People all Degrees and all Ages without exception And that we shall not doubt but that this Precept or Commandment pertaineth to us indeed hear what Christ the perfect Teacher of all Truth saith in the Now Testament Ye have heard saith Christ that it was said to them of old time Matth. 5. Thou shalt not commit Adultery But I say unto you Whosoever seeth a Woman to have his Lust of her hath committed Adultery with her already in his Heart Here our Saviour Christ doth not only confirm and establish the Law against Adultery given in the Old Testament of God the Father by his Servant Mâ—ses and make it of full strength continually to remain among the Professors of his Name in the new Law But he also condemning the gross interpretation of the Scribes and Pharisees which taught that the foresaid Commandment only required to abstain from the outward Adultery and not from the filthy desires and impure Lusts teacheth us an exact and full perfection of Purity and Cleanness of Life both to keep our Bodies undefiled and our Hearts pure and free from all evil thoughts carnal desires and fleshly consents How can we then be free from this Commandment where so great charge is laid upon us May a Servant do what he will in any thing having Commandment of his Master to the contrary Is not Christ our Master Are not we his Servants How then may we neglect our Master's Will and Pleasure and follow our own Will and Phantasie John 15. Ye are my Friends saith Christ if you keep those things that I command you Now hath Christ our Master commanded us that we should forsake all uncleanness and filthiness both in Body and Spirit This therefore must we do if we look to please God Matth. 15. In the Gospel of S Matthew we read that the Scribes and Phaâ—isâ—es were grievously offended with Christ because his Disciples did not keep the traditions of the Forefathers for they washed not their Hands when they went to Dinner or Supper And among other things Christ answered and said Hear and understand Not that thing which entreth into the Mouth d fileth the Man but that which cometh out of the Mouth defileth the Man Matth. 15. For those things which proceed out of the Mouth come forth from the Heart and they defile the Man For out of the Heart proceed evil Thoughts Murders breaking of Wedlock Whoredoms Thefts false Witness B asphemies These are the things which d file a Man Here may we see that not only Murder Theft false Witness and Blasphemy defile Men but also evil Thoughts breaking of Wedlock Fornication and Whoredom Who is now of so little Wit that he will esteem Whoredom and Fornication to be things of small importance and of no weight before God Christ who is the Truth and cannot lye saith Mark 7. That evil Thoughts Titus 1 breaking of Wedlock Whoredom and Fornication defile a Man that is to say corrupt both the Body and Soul of Man and make them of the Temples of the Holy Ghost the filthy Dunghil or Dungeon of all unclean Spirits of the House of God the dwelling place of Satan John 8. Again the Gospel of St. John when the Woman taken in Adultery was brought unto Christ said not he unto her Rom. 6. Go thy way and sin no more Doth not he here call Whoredom Sin And what is the Reward of Sin 1 John 3. but everlasting Death If Whoredom be Sin then it is not lawful for us to commit it For St. John saith John 8. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil And our Saviour saith Every one that committeth Sin is the Servant of Sin If Whoredom had not been Sin surely St. John Baptist would never have rebuked King Herod for taking his Brother's Wife Mark 6. but he told him plainly That it was not lawful for him to take his Brother's Wife He winked not at the Whoredom of Herod although he were a King of Power but boldly reproved him for his wicked and abominable living although for the same he lost his Head But he would rather suffer death than see God so dishonored by the breaking of his Holy Precept and Commandment than to suffer Whoredom to be unrebuked even in a King If Whoredom had been but a Pastime a Dalliance and not to be passed of as many count it now a days truly John had been more than twice mad if he would have had the displeasure of a King if he would have been cast in Prison and lost his Head for a trifle But John new right well how filthy and stinking and abominable the Sin of Whoredom is in the sight of God therefore would he not leave it unrebuked no not in a King If Whoredom be not lawful in a King neither is it lawful in a Subject If Whoredom be not lawful in a publick or common Officer neither is it lawful in a private Person If it be not lawful neither in King nor Subject neither in common Officer nor private Person truly then it is lawful in no Man nor Woman of whatsoever Degree or Age they be Furthermore in the Acts of the Apostles we read
and continue in are the Bodies and Minds of true Christians and the chosen People of God according to the Doctrine of the Holy Scripture declared in the First Epistle to the Corinthians Know ye not saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 3. that ye be the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you If any Man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy For the Temple of God is Holy which ye are And again in the same Epistle Know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost dwelling in you whom ye have given you of God 1 Cor. 6. and that ye be not your own For ye are dearly bought Glorifie ye now therefore God in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods And therefore as our Saviour Christ teacheth in the Gospel of Saint John John 4. they that worship God the Father in Spirit and Truth in what place soever they do it worship him aright For such Worshippers doth God the Father look for For God is a Spirit and those that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and Truth saith our Saviour Christ Yet all this notwithstanding the material Church or Temple is a place appointed as well by the usage and continual Examples expressed in the Old Testament as in the New for the People of God to resort together unto there to hear Gods Holy Word to call upon his Holy Name to give him thanks for his innumerable and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us and duly and truly to celebrate his Holy Sacraments in the unfeigned doing and accomplishing of the which standeth that True and Right Worshipping of God aforementioned and the same Church or Temple is by the Holy Scriptures both of the Old Testament and New called the House and Temple of the Lord for the peculiar service there done to his Majesty by his People and for the effectuous presence of his Heavenly Grace wherewith he by his said Holy Word endueth his People so there assembled And to the said House or Temple of God at all times by common order appointed are all People that be godly indeed bound with all diligence to resort unless by sickness or other most urgent causes they be letted therefore And all the same so resorting thither ought with all quietness and reverence there to behave themselves in doing their bounden duty and service to Almighty God in the Congregation of his Saints All which things are evident to be proved by God's Holy Word as hereafter shall plainly appear And first of all I will declare by the Scriptures that it is called as it is indeed the House of God and Temple of the Lord. He that Sweareth by the Temple saith our Saviour Christ John 2. Matth. 23. John 2. Sweareth by it and him that dwelleth therein meaning God the Father which he also expresseth plainly in the Gospel of Saint John saying Do not make the House of my Father the House of Merchandize And in the Book of the Psalms Psal 5. the Prophet David saith I will enter into thine House I will Worship in thy Holy Temple in thy Fear And it is almost in infinite places of the Scripture especially in the Prophets and Book of Psalms called the House of God or House of the Lord. Somtimes it is named the Tabernacle of the Lord Exod. 25. and somtimes the Sanctuary that is to say the Holy Place or House of the Lord. And it is likewise called the House of Prayer Levit. 19. 3 Reg. 8 2 Par. 6. as Solomon who builded the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem doth oft call it the House of the Lord in the which the Lords Name should be called upon Isaiah 56. Matth. 12. Matth. 21. Mark 11. Luke 19. Luke 18. Luke 2. And Isaiah in the Fifty sixth Chapter My House shall be called the House of Prayer amongst all Nations Which Text our Saviour Christ alledgeth in the New Testament as doth appear in Three of the Evangelists and in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican which went to pray in which Parable our Saviour Christ saith They went up into the Temple to pray And Anna the Holy Widow and Prophetess served the Lord in Fasting and Prayer in the Temple Night and Day And in the Story of the Acts it is mentioned Acts 3. how that Peter and John went up into the Temple at the Hour of Prayer And Saint Paul praying in the Temple at Jerusalem was wrapt in the Spirit and did see Jesus speaking unto him And as in all convenient places Prayer may be used of the Godly privately So it is most certain that the Church or Temple is the due and appointed place for common and publick Prayer Now that it is likewise the place of Thanksgiving unto the Lord for his innumerable and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us appeareth notably at the latter end of the Gospel of Saint Luke Luke 24. Acts 22. and the beginning of the Story of the Acts where it is written that the Apostles and Disciples after the Ascension of the Lord continued with one accord daily in the Temple always praising and blessing God And it is likewise declared in the First Epistle to the Corinthians Cor. 11. that the Church is the due place appointed for the use of the Sacraments It remaineth now to be declared that the Church or Temple is the place where the lively Word of God and not Man's Inventions ought to be Read and Taught and that the People are bound thither with all diligence to resort And this proof likewise to be made by the Scriptures as hereafter shall appear In the Story of the Acts of the Apostles Acts 13. we read that Paul and Barnabas Preached the Word of God in the Temples of the Jews at Salamine And when they came to Antiochia they entred on the Sabbath-day into the Synagogue or Church and sate down and after the Lesson or Reading of the Law and the Prophets the Ruler of the Temple sent unto them saying Ye Men and Brethren if any of you have any Exhortation to make unto the People say it And so Paul standing up and making silence with his Hand said Ye Men that be Israelites and ye that fear God give Ear c. Preaching to them a Sermon out of the Scriptures as there at large appeareth And in the same Story of the Acts the Seventeenth Chapter is testified how Paul preached Christ out of the Scriptures at Thessalonica And in the Fifteenth Chapter James the Apostle in that Holy Council and Assembly of his Fellow Apostles saith Acts 15. Moses of old time hath in every City certain that preach him in the Synagogues or Temples where he is read every Sabbath-day By these places ye may see the usage of Reading the Scriptures of the the Old Testament among the Jews in their Synagogues every Sabbath-day and Sermons usually made upon the same How much more then is it
Lies Deceits Uncleanness Filthiness Dung Mischief and Abomination before the Lord. Wherefore Gods horrible wrath and our most dreadful danger cannot be avoided without the destruction and utter abolishing of all Images and Idols our of the Church and Temple of God which to accomplish God put in the minds of all Christian Princes And in the mean time let us take heed and be wise O ye beloved of the Lord and let us have no strange gods but one only God who made us when we were nothing the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ John 17. who redeemed us when we were lost and with his Holy Spirit doth sanctifie us For this is life everlasting to know him to be the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Let us honour and worship for Religions sake none but him and him let us worship and honour as he will himself and hath declared by his Word that he will be honoured and worshipped not in nor by Images or Idols which he hath most strictly forbidden neither in kneeling lighting of Candles burning of Incense offering up of Gifts unto Images and Idols to believe that we shall please him for all these be abomination before God But let us honour and worship God in Spirit and in Truth John 4. fearing and loving him above all things trusting in him only calling upon him and praying to him only praising and lauding of him only and all other in him and for him For such worshippers doth our Heavenly Father love who is a most pure Spirit and therefore will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth And such worshippers were Abraham Moses David Elias Peter Paul John and all other the Holy Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs and all true Saints of God who all as the true Friends of God were enemies and destroyers of Images and Idols as the Enemies of God and his true Religion Wherefore take heed and be wise O ye beloved of the Lord and that which others contrary to Gods Word bestow wickedly and to their damnation upon dead stocks and stones no Images but Enemies of God and his Saints that bestow ye as the faithful Servants of God according to Gods Word mercifully upon poor Men and Women Fatherless Children Widows sick Persons Strangers Prisoners and such others that be in any necessity that ye may at that great day of the Lord hear that most blessed and comfortable saying of our Saviour Christ Come ye blessed into the Kingdom of my Father prepared for you before the beginning of the World For I was hungry and ye gave me meat thirsty and ye gave me drink naked and ye clothed me harbourless and ye lodged me in Prison and ye visited me sick and ye comforted me For whatsoever ye have done for the poor and needy in my name and for my sake that have ye done for me To the which his Heavenly Kingdom God the Father of Mercies bring us for Jesus Christs sake our only Saviour Mediator and Advocate to whom with the Holy Ghost one immortal invisible and most glorious God be all Honour and Thanksgiving and Glory World without end Amen AN HOMILY FOR Repairing and keeping clean and comely adorning of Churches IT is a common custom used of all men when they intend to have their Friends or Neighbours to come to their Houses to eat or drink with them or to have any Solemn Assembly to treat and talk of any matter they will have their Houses which they keep in continual reparations to be clean and fine lest they should be counted sluttish or little to regard their Friends and Neighbours How much more then ought the House of God which we commonly call the Church to be sufficiently repaired in all places and to be honourably adorned and garnished and to be kept clean and sweet to the comfort of the People that shall resort thereunto It appeareth in the Holy Scripture how Gods House which was called his Holy Temple and was the Mother Church of all Jewry fell sometimes into decay and was oftentimes profaned and defiled through the negligence and ungodliness of such as had the charge thereof But when godly Kings and Governors were in place then Commandment was given forthwith that the Church and Temple of God should be repaired and the Devotion of the People to be gathered for the reparation of the same We read in the fourth Book of the Kings 4 Kings 12. how that King Joas being a godly Prince gave commandment to the Priests to convert certain Offerings of the People towards the reparation and amendment of Gods Temple Like commandment gave that most godly King Josias 4 Kings 22. concerning the reparation and re-edification of Gods Temple which in his time he found in sore decay It hath pleased Almighty God that these Histories touching the re-edifying and repairing of his Holy Temple should be written at large to the end we should be taught thereby First that God is well pleased that his People should have a convenient place to resort unto and to come together to praise and magnifie Gods Holy Name And secoâ—dâ—â— he is highly pleased with all those which diligenâ—ly and zealously go about to amend and restore such places as are appointed for the Congregation of Gods People to resort unto and wherein they humbly and joyntly render thanks to God for his benefits and with one heart and voice praise his Holy Name Thirdly God was sore displeased with his People because they builded decked and trimmed up their own Houses and suffered Gods House to be in ruine and decay to lye uncomely and fulsomly Wherefore God was sore grieved with them and plagued them as appeareth in the Prophet Aggeus Thus saith the Lord Agge 1. Is it time for you to dwell in your cieled Houses and the Lords House not regarded Ye have sowed much and gathered in but little your meat and your clothes have neither filled you nor made you warm and he that had his wages put it in a bottomless purse By these Plagues which God laid upon his People for neglecting of his Temple it may evidently appear that God will have his Temple his Church the place where his Congregation shall resort to magnifie him well edified well repaired and well maintained Some neither regarding godliness nor the place of godly exercise will say The Temple in the Old Law was commanded to be built and repaired by God himself because it had great Promises annexed unto it and because it was a figure a Sacrament or a signification of Christ and also of his Church To this may be easily answered First that our Churches are not destitute of Promises forasmuch as our Saviour Christ saith Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst among them A great number therefore coming to Church together in the name of Christ have there that is to say in the Church their God and Saviour Jesus Christ present among the
his heart before he prayed and said And now O Lord do I bow the knees of my heart asking of thee part of thy merciful kindness When the Heart is thus prepared the voice uttered from the Heart is harmonious in the ears of God otherwise he regardeth it not to accept it But forasmuch as the Person that so bableth his words without sense in the presence of God sheweth himself not to regard the Majesty of him that he speaketh to He taketh him as a contemner of his Almighty Majesty and giveth â—im â—is Reward among Hypocrites which make an outward shew of Holiness but their hearts are full of abominable thoughts even in the time of their Prayers For it is the Heart that the Lord looketh upon 1 Reg. 16. as it is written in the History of Kings If we therefore will that our Prayers be not abominable before God let us so prepare our hearts before we pray and so understand the things that we ask when we pray that both our hearts and voices may together sound in the ears of Gods Majesty and then we shall not fail to receive at his hand the things that we ask as good men which have been before us did and so have from time to time received that which for their Souls health they did at any time desire De Catechiâ—â—ndis rudibus St. Augustine seemeth to bear in this matter For he saith thus of them which being brought up in Grammar and Rhetorick are converted to Christ and so must be instructed in Christian Religion Let them know also saith he that it is not the voice but the affection of the mind that cometh to the ears of God And so shall it come to pass that if haply they shall mark that some Bishops or Ministers in the Church do call upon God either with barbarous words or with words disordered or that they understand not or do disorderly divide the words that they pronounce they shall not laugh them to scorn Hitherto he seemeth to bear with Praying in an unknown Tongue But in the next sentence he openeth his mind thus Not for that these things ought not to be amended that the People may say Amen to that which they do plainly understand But yet these godly things must be born withal of these Catechists or Instructors of the Faith that they may learn that as in the Common Place where matters are pleaded the goodness of an Oration consisteth in sound so in the Church it consisteth in Devotion So that he alloweth not the praying in a Tongue not understood of him that prayeth But he instructeth the skilful Orator to bear with the rude Tongue of the devout simple Minister To conclude If the lack of understanding the words that are spoken in the Congregation do make them unfruitful to the Hearers how should not the same make the words read unfruitful to the Reader The merciful goodness of God grant us his grace to call upon him as we ought to do to his glory and our endless felicity which we shall do if we humble our selves in his sight and in all our Prayers both common and private have our minds fully fixed upon him Ecclus. 35. For the prayer of them that humble themselves shall pierce through the Clouds and till it draw nigh unto God it will not be answered and till the Most High do regard it it will not depart And the Lord will not be slack but he will deliver the Just and execute Judgment To him therefore be all Honour and Glory for ever and ever Amen AN INFORMATION For them which take Offence at certain places of the Holy Scripture The First Part. THE great utility and profit that Christian Men and Women may take if they will by hearing and reading the Holy Scriptures Dearly beloved no heart can sufficiently conceive much less is my tongue able with words to express Wherefore Satan our Enemy seeing the Scriptures to be the very mean and right way to bring the People to the true knowledge of God and that Christian Religion is greatly furthered by diligent hearing and reading of them he also perceiving what an hindrance and let they be to him and his Kingdom doth what he can to drive the reading of them out of Gods Church And for that end he hath always stirred up in one place or other cruel Tyrants sharp Persecutors and extream Enemies unto God and his Infallible Truth to pull with violence the Holy Bibles out of the Peoples hands and have most spitefully destroyed and consumed the same to Ashes in the Fire pretending most untruly that the much hearing and reading of Gods Word is an occasion of Heresie and carnal Liberty and the overthrow of all good Order in all well ordered Common-weals If to know God aright be an occasion of evil then we must needs grant that the hearing and reading of the Holy Scriptures is the cause of Heresie carnal Liberty and the subversion of all good Orders But the knowledge of God and of our selves is so far from being an occasion of evil that it is the readiest yea the only means to bridle carnal Liberty and to kill all our fleshly Affections And the ordinary way to attain this knowledge is with diligence to hear and read the Holy Scriptures For the whole Scriptures saith St. Paul were given by the inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3. And shall we Christian men think to learn the knowledge of God and of our selves in any earthly mans work or Writing sooner or better than in the Holy Scriptures written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost The Scriptures were not brought unto us by the will of man but holy men of God as witnesseth St. Peter spake as they were moved by the holy spirit of God â— Pet. 1. The Holy Ghost is the School-master of Truth which leadeth his Scholars as our Saviour saith of him into all Truth John 16. And whoso is not led and taught by this School-master cannot but fall into deep Error how godly soever his pretence is what Knowledge and Learning soever he hath of all other Works and Writings or how fair soever a shew or face of truth he hath in the estimation and judgment of the World If some man will say I would have a true pattern and a perfect description of an upright life approved in the sight of God can we find think ye any better or any such again as Christ Jesus is and his Doctrine is whose vertuous conversation and godly life the Scripture so lively painteth and setteth forth before our Eyes that we beholding that Pattern might shape and frame our lives as nigh as may be agreeable to the perfection of the same 1 Cor. 11. 1 John 2. Follow you me saith St. Paul as I follow Christ And St. John in his Epistle saith Whoso abideth in Christ must walk even so as he hath walked before him And where shall we learn the order of Christs life but
16. The place appointed for the observation thereof was Jerusalem where was great recourse of People from all parts of the World as may well appear in the second Chapter of the Acts wherein mention is made of Parthians Medes Elamites Inhabiters of Mesopotamia Inhabiters of Jury Cappadocia Pontus Asia Phrygia Pamphilia and divers other such places whereby we may also partly gather what great and Royal Solemnity was commonly used in that Feast Now as this was given in commandment to the Jews in the Old Law so did our Saviour Christ as it were confirm the same in the time of the Gospel 1 Cor. 10. ordaining after a sort a new Pentecost for his Disciples namely When he sent down the Holy Ghost visibly in form of cloven Tongues like Fire and gave them power to speak in such sort that every one might hear them and also understand them in his own Language Which Miracle that it might be had in perpetual remembrance the Church hath thought good to solemnize and keep holy this day commonly called Whitsunday And here is to be noted that as the Law was given to the Jews in the Mount Sinai the fiftieth day after Easter so was the Preaching of the Gospel through the mighty power of the Holy Ghost given to the Apostles in the Mount Sion the fiftieth day after Easter And hereof this Feast hath his name to be called Pentecost even of the number of the days For as St. Luke writeth in the Acts of the Apostles when fifty days were come to an end the Disciples being all together with one accord in one place the Holy Ghost came suddenly among them and sat upon each of them like as it had been cloven Tongues of Fire Which thing was undoubtedly done to teach the Apostles and all other Men that it is he which giveth eloquence and utterance in Preaching the Gospel that it is he which openeth the mouth to declare the mighty Works of God that it is he which engendreth a burning zeal towards Gods Word and giveth all Men a Tongue yea a fiery Tongue so that they may boldly and chearfully profess the truth in the Face of the whole World as Isaiah was endued with this Spirit Esay 50. The Lord saith Isaiah give me a learned and a skilful Tongue so that I might know to raise up them that are fallen with the Word The Prophet David crieth to have this gift Psal 50. saying Open thou my lips O Lord and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise For our Saviour Christ also in the Gospel saith to his Disciples Mat. 10. It is not you that speak but the Spirit of your Father which is within you All which testimonies of Holy Scripture do sufficiently declare that the Mystery in the Tongues betokeneth the Preaching of the Gospel and the open confession of the Christian Faith in all them that are possessed with the Holy Ghost So that if any Man be a dumb Christian not professing his Faith openly but cloaking and colouring himself for fear of danger in time to come he giveth Men occasion justly and with good Conscience to doubt lest he have not the Grace of the Holy Ghost within him because he is Tongue-tied and doth not speak Thus then have ye heard the first institution of this Feast of Pentecost or Whitsuntide as well in the Old Law among the Jews as also in the time of the Gospel among the Christians Now let us consider what the Holy Ghost is and how consequently he worketh his miraculous Works towards Mankind The Holy Ghost is a spiritual and divine Substance the third Person in the Deity distinct from the Father and the Son and yet proceeding from them both which thing to be true both the Creed of Athanasius beareth witness and may be also easily proved by most plain Testimonies of Gods Holy Word Mat. 3. When Christ was Baptized of John in the River Jordan we read that the Holy Ghost came down in form of a Dove and that the Father thundred from Heaven saying This is my dear and well beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Where note three divers and distinct Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost which all notwithstanding are not three Gods but one God Likewise when Christ did first institute and ordain the Sacrament of Baptism he sent his Disciples into the whole World willing them to Baptize all Nations Mat. 28. In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost And in another place he saith I will pray unto my Father and he shall give you another Comforter Again John 4. John 2. When the Comforter shall come whom I will send from my Father c. These and such other places of the New Testament do so plainly and evidently confirm the distinction of the Holy Ghost from the other Persons in the Trinity that no Man possibly can doubt thereof unless he will blaspheme the everlasting truth of Gods Word As for his proper Nature and Substance it is altogether one with God the Father and God the Son that is to say Spiritual Eternal Uncreated Incomprehensible Almighty to be short he is even God and Lord everlasting Therefore he is called the Spirit of the Father therefore he is said to proceed from the Father and the Son and therefore he was equally joyned with them in the Commission that the Apostles had to Baptize all Nations But that this may appear more sensibly to the Eyes of all Men it shall be requisite to come to the other part namely to the wonderful and heavenly Works of the Holy Ghost which plainly declare unto the World his mighty and divine Power First It is evident that he did wonderfully govern and direct the Hearts of the Patriarchs and Prophets in old time illuminating their Minds with the knowledge of the true Messias and giving them utterance to Prophesie of things that should come to pass long time after 2 Pet. 1. For as St. Peter witnesseth the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of Man but the holy Men of God spake as they were moved inwardly by the Holy Ghost And of Zachary the high Priest it is said in the Gospel Luke 1. That he being full of the Holy Ghost Prophesied and praised God So did also Simeon Anna Mary and divers other to the great wonder and admiration of all Men. Moreover was not the Holy Ghost a mighty worker in the Conception and the Nativity of Christ our Saviour St. Matthew saith Mat. 1. that the blessed Virgin was found with Child of the Holy Ghost before Joseph and she came together And the Angel Gabriel did expresly tell her Luke 1. that it should come to pass saying The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the Power of the most High shall over-shadow thee A marvellous matter that a Woman should conceive and bear a Child without the knowledge of Man But where the Holy Ghost worketh there nothing is impossible as may further also appear by the inward Regeneration and Sanctification of Mankind When Christ said to Nicodemus Unless a Man be born a-new of Water and the Spirit he
Henry the Emperor with his Wife and young Child to stand at the Gates of the City in the rough Winter bare Footed and bare legged only cloathed in Linsey Wolsey eating nothing from Morning to Night and that for the space of three days Shall we say that he had Gods holy Spirit within him and not rather the Spirit of the Devil Such a Tyrant was Pope Hildebrand most worthy to be called a Firebrand if we shall term him as he hath best deserved Many other examples might here be alledged As of Pope Joan the Harlot that was delivered of a Child in the High-street going solemnly in Procession Of Pope Julius the II. that wilfully cast St. Peters Keys into the River Tiberis Of Pope Urban the VI. that caused five Cardinals to be put in Sacks and cruely drowned Of Pope Sergius the III. that persecuted the dead Body of Formosus his Predecessor when it had been buried eight years Of Pope John the XIV of that name who having his Enemy delivered into his hands caused him first to be stripped stark naked his Beard to be shaven and to be hanged up a whole day by the Hair then to be set upon an Ass with his face backward toward the Tail to be carried round about the City in despite to be miserably beaten with Rods last of all to be thrust out of his Country and to be banished for ever But to conclude and make an end ye shall briefly take this short Lesson wheresoever ye find the Spirit of Arrogance and Pride the Spirit of Envy Hatred Contention Cruelty Murder Extortion Witchcraft Necromancy c. Assure your selves that there is the Spirit of the Devil and not of God albeit they pretend outwardly to the World never so much Holiness For as the Gospel teacheth us The Spirit of Jesus is a good Spirit an holy Spirit a sweet Spirit a lowly Spirit a merciful Spirit full of Charity and Love full of Forgiveness and Pity not rendring evil for evil extremity for extremity but overcoming evil with good and remitting all offence oven from the heart According to which Rule if any Man live uprightly of him it may be safely pronounced that he hath the Holy Ghost within him If not then it is a plain token that he doth usurp the the name of the Holy Ghost in vain Therefore dearly beloved according to the good Counsel of St. John Believe not every Spirit 1 John 4. but first try them whether they be of God or no. Many shall come in my namâ— saith Christ Mat. 24. and shall transform themselves into Angels of Light deceiving if it be possible the very Elect. They shall come unto you in Sheeps Cloathing being inwardly cruel and ravening Wolves they shall have an outward shew of great Holiness and innocency of Life so that ye shall hardly or not at all discern them But the Rule that ye must follow is this To judge them by their Fruits Mat. 7. which if they be wicked and naught then it is unpossible that the Tree of whom they proceed should be good Such were all the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part as doth well appear in the Story of their Lives and therefore they are worthily accounted among the number of false Prophets and false Christs Luke 6. which deceived the World a long while The Lord of Heaven and Earth defend us from their Tyranny and Pride that they never enter into his Vineyard again to the disturbance of his silly poor Flock but that they may be utterly confounded and put to flight in all parts of the World and he of his great mercy so work in all Mens hearts by the mighty power of the Holy Ghost that the comfortable Gospel of his Son Christ may be truly preached truly received and truly followed in all places to the beating down of Sin Death the Pope the Devil and all the Kingdom of Antichrist that like scattered and dispersed Sheep being at length gathered into one fold we may in the end rest all together in the Bosom of Abraham Isaac and Jacob there to be partakers of Eternal and Everlasting Life through the merits and death of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen AN HOMILY FOR THE Days of Rogation-Week That all good things come from God I Am purposed this day good devout Christian People to declare unto you the most deserved praise and commendation of Almighty God not only in the consideration of the marvellous Creation of this World or for conservation and governance thereof wherein his great Power and Wisdom might excellently appear to move us to honor and dread him but most especially in consideration of his liberal and large goodness which he daily bestoweth on us his reasonable Creatures for whose sake he made the whole Universal World with all the Commodities and Goods therein which his singular goodness well and diligently remembred on our part should move us as Duty is again with hearty affection to love him and with word and deed to praise him and serve him all the days of our Life And to this matter being so worthy to entreat of and so profitable for you to hear I trust I shall not need with much circumstance of Words to stir you to give your Attendance to hear what shall be said Only I would wish your affection inflamed in secret wise within your self to raise up some motion of Thanksgiving to the goodness of Almighty God in every such Point as shall be opened by my Declaration particularly unto you For else what shall it avail us to hear and know the great goodness of God towards us to know that whatsoever is good proceedeth from him as from the principal Fountain and the only Author or to know that whatsoever is sent from him must needs be good and wholsome If the hearing of such matter moveth us no further but to know it only what availeth it the wise Men of the World tâ— have knowledge of the Power and Divinity of God by the secret inspiration of him where they did not honor and glorifie him in their knowledge as God What praise was it to them by the consideration of the Creation of the World to behold his goodness and not to be thankful to him again for his Creatures What other thing deserved this blindness and forgetfulness of them at Gods hands but utter forsaking of him and so forsaking of God they could not but fall into extream Ignorance and Error And although they much esteemed themselves in their Wits and Knowledge and gloried in their Wisdom yet vanished they away blindly in their thoughts became Fools and perished in their folly There can be none other end of such as draw nigh to God by knowledge and yet depart from him in unthankfulness but utter destruction This Experience saw David in his Days for in his Psalm he saith Behold they which withdraw themselves from thee shall perish Psal 73. for thou hast destroyed them all
otherwhiles obey God but by and by do think that laying him aside it is lawful for them to serve the World and the Flesh And because that we are letted by the natural corruption of our own Flesh and the wicked affections of the same he doth bid us also to return with Fasting not thereby understanding a superstitious Abstinence and choosing of Meats but a true Discipline or taming of the Flesh whereby the nourishments of filthy Lusts and of stubborn Contumacy and Pride may be withdrawn and pluckt away from it Whereunto he doth add weeping and mourning which do contain an outward profession of Repentance which is very needful and necessary that so we may partly set forth the righteousness of God when by such means we do testifie that we deserved punishments at his hands and partly stop the offence that was openly given unto the weak Psal 25. Thus did David see who being not content to have bewept and bewailed his sins privately would publickly in his Psalms declare and set forth the rigteousness of God in punishing sin and also stay them that might have abused his Example to sin the more boldly Therefore they are farthest from true Repentance that will not confess and acknowledge their sins nor yet bewail them but rather do most ungodlily glory and rejoyce in them Now lest any Man should think that Repentance doth consist in outward weeping and mourning only he doth rehearse that wherein the chief of the whole matter doth lie when he saith Rent your Hearts and not your Garments and turn unto the Lord your God For the People of the East part of the World were wont to rent their Garments Psal 52. if any thing hapned unto them that seemed intolerable Hypocrites do counterfeit all manner of things This thing did Hypocrites sometimes counterfeit and follow as though the whole Repentance did stand in such outward gesture He teacheth then that another manner of thing is required that is That they must be contrite in their Hearts that they must utterly detest and abhor Sins and being at defiance with them return unto the Lord their God from whom they went away before For God hath no pleasure in the outward Ceremony but requireth a contrite and humble Heart Psal 52. which he will never despise as David doth testifie There is therefore none other use of these outward Ceremonies but as far forth as we are stirred up by them and do serve to the glory of God and to the edifying of others Now doth he add unto this Doctrin or Exhortation How Repentance is not unprofitable certain godly Reasons which he doth ground upon the nature and property of God and whereby he doth teach that true Repentance can never be unprofitable or unfruitful For as in all other things Mens hearts do quail and faint if they once perceive that they travel in vain Even so most especially in this matter must we take heed and beware that we suffer not our selves to be persuaded that all that we do is but labor lost for thereof either sudden desperation doth arise or a licentious boldness to sin which at length bringeth unto desperation Lest any such thing then should happen unto them he doth certifie them of the grace and goodness of God who is always most ready to receive them into favor again that turn speedily unto him Which thing he doth prove with the same Titles wherewith God doth describe and set forth himself unto Moses speaking on this manner Exod. 34. For he is gracious and merciful slow to anger of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil that is such a one as is sorry for your Afflictions First He calleth him gentle and gracious as he who of his own nature is more prompt and ready to do good than to punish Whereunto this saying of Esaias the Prophet seemeth to pertain where he saith Esay 55. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous his own imaginations and return unto the Lord and he will have pity on him and to our God for he is very ready to forgive Secondly Doth attribute unto him mercy or rather according to the Hebrew word the Bowels of mercies whereby he signified the natural affections of Parents towards their Children Which thing David doth set forth goodly Psal 103. saying As a Father hath compassion on his Children so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him for he knoweth whereof we be made he remembreth that we are but dust Thirdly He saith that he is slow to anger that is to say long-suffering and which is not lightly provoked to wrath Fourthly That he is of much kindness for he is that bottomless Well of all goodness who rejoyceth to do good unto us therefore did he create and make Men that he might have whom he should do good unto and make partakers of his Heavenly Riches Fifthly He repenteth of the evil that is to say he doth call back again and revoke the punishment which he had threatned when he seeth Men repent turn and amend Against the Novatians Whereupon we do not without a just cause detest and abhor the damnable Opinion of them which do most wickedly go about to persuade the simple and ignorant People That if we chance after we be once come to God and grafted in his Son Jesus Christ to fall into some horrible sin shall be unprofitable unto us there is no more hope of reconciliation or to be received again into the favor and mercy of God And that they may give the better colour unto their pestilent and pernicious Error they do commonly bring in the sixth and tenth Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews and the second Chapter of the second Epistle of Peter not considering that in those places the holy Apostles do not speak of the daily falls that we as long as we carry about this body of sin are subject unto Mat. 12. Mark 3. but of the final falling away from Christ and his Gospel The sin against the Holy Ghost which is a sin against the Holy Ghost that shall never be forgiven because that they do utterly forsake the known Truth do hate Christ and his Word they do crucifie and mock him but to their utter destruction and therefore fall into desparation and cannot repent And that this is the true meaning of the holy Spirit of God it appeareth by many other places of the Scriptures which promise unto all true repentant sinners and to them that with their whole heart do turn unto the Lord their God free pardon and remission of their sins For the probation hereof we read this O Israel saith the holy Prophet Jeremy if thou return Jer. 4. return unto me saith the Lord and if thou put away thine abominations out of my sight then shalt thou not be removed Again these are Esaias words Esay 55. Let the wicked forsake his own ways and the unrighteous his own
and we be in the time when he is come Therefore saith St. Augustine In Johan Tract 45. The Time is altered and changed but not the Faith For we have both one Faith in one Christ 1 Cor. 4 The same Holy Ghost also that we have had they saith St. Paul For as the Holy Ghost doth teach us to trust in God and to call upon him as our Father Eâ—ai 4â— So did he teach them to say as it is written Thou Lord art our Father and Redeemer and thy Name is without beginning and everlasting God gave them then Grace to be his Children as he doth us now But now by the coming of our Saviour Christ we have received more abundantly the Spirit of God in our Hearts whereby we may conceive a greater Faith and a surer Trust than many of them had But in effect they and we be all one We have the same Faith that they had in God and they the same that we have And St. Paul so much extolleth their Faith because we should not less but rather more give our selves wholly unto Christ both in Profession and Living now when Christ is come than the old Fathers did before his coming And by all the Declaration of St. Paul it is evident that the true lively and Christian Faith is no dead vain or unfruitful thing but a thing of perfect Virtue of wonderful Operation or Working and Strength bringing forth all good Motions and good Works All Holy Scripture agreeably beareth witness that a true lively Faith in Christ doth bring forth good VVorks And therefore every Man must examine and try himself diligently to know whether he have the same true lively Faith in his Heart unfeignedly or not which he shall know by the fruits thereof Many that professed the Faith of Christ were in this error that they thought they knew God and believed in him when in their Life they declared the contrary VVhich error St. John in his First Epistle confuting writeth in this wise 1 John 2. Hereby we are certified that we knew God if we observe his Commandments He that saith he knoweth God and observeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him And again he saith 1 John 3. Whosoever sinneth doth not see God nor know him let no man deceive you welbeloved children And moreover he saith Hereby we know that we be of the truth and so we shall persuade our hearts before him 1 John 3. For if our own hearts reprove us God is above our hearts and knoweth all things Welbeloved if our hearts reprove us not then have we confidence in God and shall have of him whatsoever we ask because we keep his Commandments and do those things that please him And yet further he saith Every man that believeth that Jesus is Christ is born of God and we know that whosoever is born of God doth not sin But he that is begotten of God purgeth himself and the Devil doth not touch him And finally he concludeth and sheweth the cause why he wrote this Epistle 1 John 5. saying For this cause have I thus written unto you that you may know that you have everlasting life which do believe in the Son of God And in his third Epistle he confirmeth the whole matter of Faith and VVorks in few words 3 John 1. saying He that doth well is of God and he that doth evil knoweth not God And as St. John saith That as the lively Knowledge and Faith of God bringeth forth good VVorks So saith he likewise of Hope and Charity That they cannot stand with evil living Of Hope he writeth thus 1 John 3. We know that when God shall appear we shall be like unto him for we shall see him even as he is And whosoever hath this hope in him doth purifie himself like as God is pure And of Charity he saith these words 1 John 2. 1 John 5. He that doth keep God's word and Commandment in him is truly the perfect love of God And again he saith This is the love of God that we should keep his Commandments And St. John wrote not this as a subtil saying devised of his own phantasie but as a most certain and necessary Truth taught unto him by Christ himself the Eternal and infallible Verity who in many places doth most clearly affirm That Faith Hope and Charity cannot consist or stand without Good and Godly VVorks 1 John 5. Of Faith he saith He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting Life But he that believeth not in the Son John 3. shall not see that life but the wrath of God remaineth upon him John 6. And the same he confirmeth with a double Oath saying Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth in me hath everlasting life Now forasmuch as he that believeth in Christ hath everlasting life it must needs consequently follow that he that hath this Faith must have also good Works and be studious to observe God's Commandments obediently For to them that have evil Works and lead their Life in Disobedience and Transgression or breaking of God's Commandments without Repentance pertaineth not everlasting Life Matth. 25. but everlasting Death as Christ himself saith They that do well shall go into life eternal but they that do evil shall go into everlasting Fire And again he saith Apoc. 21. I am the first Letter and the last the beginning and the ending To him that is athirst I will give of the well of the water of life freely He that hath the victory shall have all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son But they that be fearful mistrusting God and lacking Faith they that be cursed People and murtherers and fornicators and sorcerers and all lyars shall have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death And as Christ undoubtedly affirmeth that true faith bringeth forth good works So doth he say likewise of Charity Charity bringeth forth good Works John 14. Eccles. 1. Eccles. 15. Whosoever hath my Commandments and keepeth them that is he that loveth me And after he saith He that loveth me will keep my word and he that loveth me not keepeth not my words And as the Love of God is tryed by good Works so is the Fear of God also as the Wise man saith The dread of God putteth away sin And also he saith He that feareth God will do good Works The Third Part of the Sermon of Faith YOu have heard in the Second Part of this Sermon that no Man should think that he hath that lively Faith which Scripture commandeth when he liveth not obediently to God's Laws for all good Works spring out of that Faith And also it hath been declared unto you by examples that Faith maketh Men stedfast quiet and patient in all affliction Now as concerning the same matter you shall hear what followeth A Man
Lord's sight Holy Simeon after that he had his Hearts desire in seeing our Saviour that he ever longed for in his life he embraced and took him in his Arms and said Now Lord Luke 2. let me depart in peace for mine eies have beholden that Saviour which thou hast prepared for all Nations It is truth therefore that the death of the Righteous is called Peace and the benefit of the Lord as the Church saith in the name of the Righteous departed out of this World My soul Psal 116. turn thee to thy Rest for the Lord both been good to thee and rewarded thee And we see by Holy Scripture and other ancient Histories of Martyrs that the Holy Faithful and Righteous ever since Christ's Ascension or going up in their death did not doubt but that they went to Christ in Spirit which is our Life Health Wealth and Salvation Apoc. 14. John in his Holy Revelation saw an hundred forty and four thousand Virgins and Innocents of whom he said These follow the Lamb Jesu Christ wheresoever he goeth And shortly after in the same place he saith I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Write happy and blessed are the dead which die in the Lord From henceforth surely saith the Spirit they shall rest from their pains and labours for their works do follow them So that then they shall reap with joy and comfort that which they sowed with labours and pains They that sow in the Spirit of the Spirit shall reap everlasting Life Let us therefore never be weary of well-doing for when the time of Reaping or Reward cometh we shall reap without any Weariness everlasting Joy Therefore while we have time as St. Paul exhorteth us Gal 6. Matth. 6. let us do good to all Men and not lay up our Treasure in Earth where Rust and Moths corrupt it which Rust as St. James saith shall bear Witness against us at the great day condemn us and shall like most burning Fire torment our Flesh Let us beware therefore as we tender our own Wealth that we be not in the number of those miserable covetous and wretched Men James 5. which St. James biddeth mâ—arn and lament for their greedy gathering and ungâ—dly keeping of Goods Let us be wise in time and learn to follow the wise Example of the wicked Steward Let us so wisely order our Goods and Possessions committed unto us here by God for a season that we may truly hear and obey this Commandment of our Saviour Christ Luke 16. I say unto you saith he make you Friends of the wicked Mammon that they may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles or Dwellings Riches be called wicked because the World abuseth them unto all Wickedness which are otherwise the good gifts of God and the Instruments whereby God's Servants do truly serve him in using of the same He commanded them not to make them rich Friends to get high Dignities and worldly Promotions to give great gifts to rich Men that have no need thereof but to make them Friends of poor and miserable Men unto whom whatsoever they give Christ taketh it as given to himself And to these Friends Christ in the Gospel giveth so great Honor and Preeminence that he saith They shall receive them that do good unto them into everlasting Houses Not that Men shall be our Rewarders for our well-doing but that Christ will reward us and and take it to be done unto himself whatsoever is done to such Friends Thus making poor Wretches our Friends we make our Saviour Christ our Friend whose Members they are Whose misery as he taketh for his own misery so their Relief Succor and Help he taketh for his Succor Relief and Help and will as much thank us and reward us for our goodness shewed to them as if he himself had received like Benefit at our hands as he witnesseth in the Gospel saying Matth 25. Whatsoever ye have done to any of these simple Persons which do believe in me that have you done to myself Therefore let us diligently foresee that our Faith and Hope which we have conceived in Almighty God and in our Saviour Christ wax not faint and that the love which we bear in hand to bear to him wax not cold But let us study daily and diligently to shew ourselves to be the true Honorers and Lovers of God by keeping of his Commandments by doing of good Deeds unto our needy Neighbours relieving by all means that we can their Poverty with our Abundance and Plenty their Ignorance with our Wisdom and Learning and comfort their Weakness with our Strength and Authority calling all Men back from evil-doing by godly Counsel and good Example persevering still in well-doing so long as we live So shall we not need to fear Death for any of those three Causes afore-mentioned nor yet for any other Cause that can be imagined But contrarily considering the manifold Sicknesses Troubles and Sorrows of this present Life the dangers of this perillous Pilgrimage and the great encumbrance which our Spirit hath by this sinful Flesh and frail Body subject to Death Considering also the manifold Sorrows and dangerous Deceits of this World on every side the intolerable Pride Covetousness and Lechery in time of Prosperity the impatient murmuring of them that be worldly in time of Adversity which cease not to withdraw and pluck us from God our Saviour Christ from our Life Wealth or everlasting Joy and Salvation Considering also the innumerable Assaults of our Ghostly Enemy the Devil with all his fiery Darts of Ambition Pride Lechery Vain-glory Envy Malice Detraction or Backbiting with other his innumerable Deceits 1 Pet. 5. Engines and Snares whereby he goeth busily about to catch all Men under his dominion ever like a roaring Lion by all means searching whom he may devour The faithful Christian-Man which considereth all these Miseries Perils and Incommodities whereunto he is subject so long as he here liveth upon Earth and on the other part considereth that blessed and comfortable state of the Heavenly life to come and the sweet condition of them that depart in the Lord how they are delivered from the continual encumbrances of their mortal and sinful Body from all the Malice Crafts and Deceits of this World from all the assaults of their Ghostly Enemy the Devil to live in peace rest and endless quietness to live in the fellowship of innumerable Angels and with the congregation of perfect and just Men as Patriarchs Prophets Martyrs and Confessors and finally unto the Presence of Almighty God and our Saviour Jesus Christ He that doth consider all these things and believeth them assuredly as they are to be believed even from the bottom of his Heart being established in God in this true Faith having a quiet Conscience in Christ a firm Hope and assured Trust in God's Mercy through the Merits of Jesu Christ to obtain this Quietness Rest and everlasting Joy shall not only be without
of them the Pox Saint Roche the Falling-evil Saint Cornelis the Tooth-Ach Saint Apollin c. Neither do Beasts nor Cattel lack their Gods with us for Saint Loy is the Horsleach and Saint Anthony the Swineheard c. Where is Gods Providence and due Honour in the mean season Who saith The Heavens be mine and the Earth is mine the whole World and all that in it is I do give Victory and I put to Flight Of me be all Counsels and Help c. Except I keep the City in vain doth he watch that keepeth it thou Lord shalt save both Men and Beasts But we have left him neither Heaven nor Earth nor Water nor Country nor City Peace nor War to Rule and Govern neither Men nor Beasts nor their Diseases to Cure that a godly Man mâ—ght justly for Zealous Indignation cry out O Heaven O Earth and Seas what Madness and Wickedness against God are Men fallen into What dishonour do the Creatures to their Creator and Maker And if we remember God somtimes yet because we doubt of his ability or will to help we joyn to him another Helper as if he were a Noun Adjective using these sayings such as learn God and Saint Nicholas be my speed Such as neese God help and Saint John To the Horse God and Saint Loy save thee Thus are we become like Horses and Mules which have no Understanding For is there not one God only who by his Power and Wisdom made all things and by his Providence governeth the same And by his Goodness maintaineth and saveth them Be not all things of him by him and through him Why dost thou turn from the Creator to the Creatures This is the manner of the Gentiles Idolaters But thou art a Christian and therefore by Christ alone hast access to God the Father and help of him only These things are not written to any reproach of the Saints themselves who were the true Servants of God and did give all honour to him taking none unto themselves and are blessed Souls with God but against our Foolishness and Wickedness making of the true Servants of God false Gods by attributing to them the Power and Honour which is Gods and due to him only And for that we have such Opinions of the power and ready help of Saints all our Legends Hymns Sequences and Masses did contain Stories Lauds and Praises of them and Prayers to them yea and Sermons also altogether of them and to their Praises Gods Word being clean laid aside And this we do altogether agreeable to the Saints as did the Gentiles Idolaters to their false Gods For these Opinions which Men have had of mortal Persons were they never so holy the old most godly and learned Christians have written against the feigned Gods of the Gentiles and Christian Princes have destroyed their Images who if they were now living would doubtless likewise both write against our false Opinions of Saints and also destroy their Images For it is evident that our Image-maintainers have the same Opinion of Saints which the Gentiles had of their false Gods and thereby are moved to make them Images as the Gentiles did If answer be made that they make Saints but Intercessors to God and means for such things as they would obtain of God That is even after the Gentiles Idolatrous usage to make them of Saints Gods Medioximi Dii called Dii Medioximi to be mean Intercessors and Helpers to God as though he did not hear or should be weary if he did all alone So did the Gentiles teach that there was one chief Power working by other as means and so they made all Gods subject to Fate or Destiny as Lucian in his Dialogues feigneth that Neptune made suit to Mercury that he might speak with Jupiter And therefore in this also it is most evident that our Image-maintainers be all one in Opinion with the Gentiles Idolaters Now remaineth the third part that their Rites and Ceremonies in honouring and worshipping of the Images or Saints be all one with the Rites which the Gentiles Idolaters used in honouring their Idols First what meaneth it that Christians after the example of the Gentiles Idolaters go on pilgrimage to visit Images where they have the like at home but that they have a greater Opinion of Holiness and Virtue in some Images than other some like as the Gentiles Idolaters had which is the readiest way to bring them to Idolatry by worshipping of them and directly against Gods Word who saith Seek me Amos 5. and ye shall live and do not seek Bethel enter not into Gilgal neither go to Beersheba And against such as had any Superstition in the Holiness of the place as though they should be heard for the places sake saying Our Fathers worshipped in this Mountain and ye say that at Jerusalem is the place where Men should worship our Saviour Christ pronounceth John 4. Beâ—ieve me the hour cometh when you shall worship the Father neither in this Mountain nor at Jerusalem but true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth But it is too well known that by such pilgrimage-going Lady Venus and her Son Cupid were rather worshipped wantonly in the Flesh than God the Father and our Saviour Christ his Son truly worshipped in the Spirit And it was very agreeable Rom. 1. as Saint Paul teacheth that they which fell to Idolatry which is Spiritual Fornication should also fall into Carnal Fornication and all Uncleanness by the just Judgments of God delivering them over to abominable Concupiscences What meaneth it that Christian Men after the use of the Gentiles Idolaters cap and kneel before Images which if they had any Sense and Gratitude would kneel before Men Carpenters Masons Plaisterers Founders and Goldsmiths their Makers and Framers by whose means they have attained this Honour which else should have been evil-favoured and rude Lumps of Clay or Plaister pieces of Timber Stone or Metal without Shape or Fashion and so without all Estimation and Honour as that Idol in the Pagan Poet confesseth saying Horatius I was once a vile Block but now I am become a God c. What a fond thing is it for Man Adorare who hath Life and Reason to bowe himself to a dead and insensible Image the Work of his own Hand Gen. 23. and 33. Is not this stooping and kneeling before them Adoration of them which is forbidden so earnestly by Gods Word Let such as so fall down before Images of Saints know and confess that they exhibit that Honour to dead Stocks and Stones 3 Reg. 1. Acts 10. and 14. Apoc. 19. which the Saints themselves Peter Paul and Barnabas would not to be given them being alive which the Angel of God forbiddeth to be given to him And if they say they exhibit such Honour not to the Image but to the Saint whom it representeth they are convicted of folly to believe that they please Saints with that
love thy Neighbour as thy self to honour thy Father and Mother to honour the higher Powers to give to every man that which is his due and such like Other works there be which considered in themselves without further respect are of their own nature meerly indifferent that is neither good nor evil but take their denomination of the use or end whereunto they serve Which works having a good end are called good works and are so indeed but yet that cometh not of themselves but of the good end whereunto they are referred On the other side if the end that they serve unto be evil it cannot then otherwise be but that they must needs be evil also Of this sort of works is Fasting which of it self is a thing meerly indifferent but it is made better or worse by the end that it serveth unto For when it repecteth a good end it is a good work but the end being evil the work it self is also evil To Fast then with this perswasion of mind that our Fasting and our Good Works can make us perfect and just men and finally bring us to Heaven is a devilish perswasion and that Fast is so far off from pleasing of God that it refuseth his mercy and is altogether derogatory to the merits of Christs death and his precious blood-shedding This doth the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican teach Luke 18. Two men saith Christ went up together into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee the other a Publican the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself I thank thee O God that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers and as this Publican is I fast twice in the week I give tithes of all that I possess The Publican stood afar off and would not lift up his eyes to Heaven but smote his breast and said God be merciful to me a sinner In the Person of this Pharisee our Saviour Christ setteth out to the eye and to the judgment of the World a perfect just and righteous man such a one as iâ— not spotted with those vices that men commonly are infected with Extortion Bribery polling and pilling their Neighbour robbers and spoilers of Common-weals crafty and subtil in chopping and changing using false Weights and detestable Perjury in their buying and selling Fornicators Adulterers and vicious Livers The Pharisee was no such man neither faulty in any such like notorious Crime But where other transgressed by leaving things undone which yet the Law required this man did more than was requisite by the Law For he fasted twice in the week and gave Tithes of all that he had What could the World then justly blame in this man yea what outward thing more could be desired to be in him to make him a more perfect and a more just man Truly nothing by mans judgment And yet our Saviour Christ preferreth the poor Publican without Fasting before him with his Fast The cause why he doth so is manifest For the Publican having no good works at all to trust unto yielded up himself unto God confessing his sins and hoped certainly to be saved by Gods free mercy only The Pharisee gloried and trusted so much to his works that he thought himself sure enough without mercy and that he should come to Heaven by his Fasting and other deeds To this end serveth that Parable For it is spoken to them that trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others Now because the Pharisee directeth his works to an evil end seeking by them justification which indeed is the proper work of God without our merits his Fasting twice in the week and all his other works though they were never so many and seemed to the World never so good and Holy yet in very deed before God they are altogether evil and abominable The mark also that the Hypocrites shoot at with their Fast is to appear Holy in the eye of the World and so to win commendation and praise of men But our Saviour Christ saith of them Mat. 6. they have their reward that is they have praise and commendation of Men but of God they have none at all For whatsoever tendeth to an evil end is it self by that evil end made evil also Again so long as we keep ungodliness in our hearts and suffer wicked thoughts to tarry there though we Fast as oft as did either St. Paul or John Baptist and keep it as strictly as did the Ninevites yet shall it be not only unprofitable to us but also a thing that greatly displeaseth Almighty God For he saith that his soul abhorreth and hateth such Fastings Isai 1. yea they are a burthen unto him and he is weary of bearing them And therefore he inveigheth most sharply against them saying by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah Behold when you fast Isai 58. your lust remaineth still for ye do no less violence to your debtors Lo ye fast to strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness Now ye shall not fast thus that you may make your voice to be heard above Think ye this fast pleaseth me that a man should chasten himself for a day Should that be called a fasting or a day that pleaseth the Lord Now dearly beloved seeing that Almighty God alloweth not our Fast for the works sake but chiefly respecteth our heart how it is affected and then esteemeth our Fast either good or evil by the end that it serveth for it is our part to rent our Hearts and not our Garments Joel 2. as we are advertised by the Prophet Joel that is our sorrow and mourning must be inward in heart and not in outward shew only yea it is requisite that first before all things we cleanse our hearts from sin and then direct our Fast to such an end as God will allow to be good There be three ends whereunto if our Fast be directed it is then a work profitable to us and accepted of God The first is to chastise the Flesh that it be not too wanton 1 Cor. 9. but tamed and brought in subjection to the Spirit This respect had St. Paul in his Fast when he said I chastise my body and bring it into subjection lest by any means it cometh to pass that when I have preached to others I my self be found a castaway Acts 13. The second that the Spirit may be more earnest and fervent to Prayer To this end fasted the Prophets and Teachers that were at Antioch before they sent forth Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel The same two Apostles fasted for the like purpose when they commended to God by their earnest Prayers the Congregations that were at Antioch Acts 14. Pisidia Iconium and Lystra as we read in the Acts of the Apostles The third that our Fast be a Testimony and Witness with us before God of our humble submission to his high Majesty when we confess and acknowledge our sins
beloved of God and wrapt in spirit with an ardent zeal to Gods glory He spake not of a private hatred and in a stomach against their Persons but wished spiritually the destruction of such corrupt Errors and Vices which reigned in all devilish Persons set against God He was of like mind as St. Paul was when he did deliver Hymeneus and Alexander with the notorious Fornicator to Satan to their Temporal confusion that their Spirit might be saved against the day of the Lord. And when David did profess in some places that he hated the wicked yet in other places of his Psalms he professeth that he hated them with a perfect hate not with a malicious hate to the hurt of the Soul Which perfection of spirit because it cannot be performed in us so corrupted in affections as we be we ought not to use in our private causes the like words in form for that we cannot fulfil the like words in sense Let us not therefore be offended but search out the reason of such words before we be offended that we may the more reverently judge of such sayings though strange to our carnal Understandings yet to them that be spiritually minded judged to be zealously and godly pronounced God therefore for his mercies sake vouchsafe to purifie our minds through Faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to instill the Heavenly drops of his grace into our hard stony hearts to supple the same that we be not contemners and deriders of his Infallible Word but that with all humbleness of mind and Christian reverence we may endeavour our selves to hear and to read his sacred Scriptures and inwardly so to digest them as shall be to the comfort of our Souls sanctification of his Holy Name To whom with the Son and the Holy Ghost three Persons and one living God be all Land Honour and Praise for ever and ever Amen AN HOMILY OF Alms-Deeds and Mercifulness towards the Poor and Needy AMongst the manifold Duties that Almighty God requireth of his Faithful Servants the true Christians by the which he would that both his Name should be glorified and the certainty of their Vocation declared there is none that is either more acceptable unto him or more profitable for them than are the Works of Mercy and Pity shewed upon the Poor which be afflicted with any kind of misery And yet this notwithstanding such is the slothful sluggishness of our dull Nature to that which is good and godly that we are almost in nothing more negligent and less careful than we are therein It is therefore a very ncessary thing that Gods People should awake their sleepy minds and consider their Duty on this behalf And meet it is that all true Christians should desirously seek and learn what God by his Holy Word doth herein require of them that first knowing their Duty whereof many by their slackness seem to be very ignorant they may afterwards diligently endeavour to perform the same By the which both the godly charitable Persons may be encouraged to go forwards and continue in their merciful Deeds of Alms-giving to the Poor and also such as hitherto have either neglected or contemned it may yet now at length when they shall hear how much it appertaineth to them advisedly consider it and vertuously apply themselves thereunto And to the intent that every one of you may the better understand that which is taught and also easilier bear away and so take more fruit of that shall be said when several matters are severally handled I mind particularly and in this order to speak and intreat of these points First I will shew how earnestly Almighty God in his Holy Word doth exact the doing of Alms-Deeds of us and how acceptable they be unto him Secondly how profitable it is for us to use them and what commodity and fruit they will bring unto us Thirdly and lastly I will shew out of Gods Word that whoso is liberal to the Poor and relieveth them plenteously shall notwithstanding have sufficient for himself and evermore be without danger of penury and scarcity Concerning the first which is the acceptation and dignity or price of Alms-Deeds before God Know this that to help and succour the Poor in their need and misery pleaseth God so much that as the Holy Scripture in sundry places recordeth nothing can be more thankfully taken or accepted of God For first we read that Almighty God doth account that to be given and to be bestowed upon himself that that is bestowed upon the Poor For so doth the Holy Ghost testifie unto us by the Wise Man saying He that hath pity upon the Poor Prov. 19. lendeth unto the Lord himself And Christ in the Gospel avoucheth and as a most certain truth bindeth it with an Oath that the Alms bestowed upon the Poor was bestowed upon him and so shall be reckoned at the last day For thus he saith to the charitable Alms-givers when he sitteth as Judge in the doom to give sentence of every man according to his deserts Mat. 25. Verily I say unto you whatsoever good and merciful deed you did upon any of the least of these my brethren ye did the same unto me In relieving their hunger ye relieved mine in quenching their thirst ye quenched mine in clothing them ye clothed me and when ye harboured them ye lodged me also when ye visited them being sick in Prison ye visited me For as he that hath received a Princes Embassadors and entertaineth them well doth honour the Prince from whom those Embassadors do come So he that receiveth the Poor and Needy and helpeth them in their affliction and distress doth thereby receive and honour Christ their Master who as he was poor and needy himself whilest he lived here amongst us to work the Mystery of our Salvation at his departure hence he promised in his stead to send unto us those that were Poor by whose means his absence should be supplied and therefore that we would do unto him we must do unto them And for this cause doth the Almighty God say unto Moses The Land wherein you dwell Deut. 15. shall never be without poor men because he would have continual trial of his People whether they loved him or no that in shewing themselves obedient unto his will they might certainly assure themselves of his love and favour towards them and nothing doubt but that as his Law and Ordinance wherein he commanded them that they should open their hand unto their brethren that were poor and needy in the Land were accepted of them and willingly performed So he would on his part lovingly accept them and truly perform his promises that he had made unto them The Holy Apostles and Disciples of Christ who by reason of his daily conversation saw by his Deeds and heard in his Doctrine how much he tendred the Poor the godly Fathers also that were both before and since Christ indued without doubt with the Holy Ghost and most
mercy and charity which cannot come but of the Spirit of God and his especial grace that they are the undoubted Children of God appointed to everlasting life And so as by their wickedness and ungodly living they shewed themselves according to the judgment of men which follow the outward appearance to be Reprobates and Cast-aways So now by their Obedience unto Gods Holy Will and by their mercifulness and tender pity wherein they shew themselves to be like unto God who is the Fountain and Spring of all mercy they declare openly and manifestly unto the sight of men that they are the Sons of God and elect of him unto salvation For as the good fruit is not the cause that the Tree is good but the Tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit so the good deeds of Man are not the cause that maketh Man good but he is first made good by the spirit and grace of God that effectually worketh in him and afterward he bringeth forth good fruits And then as the good fruit doth argue the goodness of the Tree so doth the good and merciful deed of the man argue and certainly prove the goodness of him that doth it according to Christs sayings Ye shall know them by their fruits And if any man will object that evil and naughty men do sometimes by their deeds appear to be very godly and vertuous I will answer so doth the Crab and Choak-Pear seem outwardly to have sometime as fair a red and as mellow a colour as the Fruit that is good indeed But he that will bite and take a taste shall easily judge betwixt the sour bitterness of the one and the sweet savouriness of the other And as the true Christian man in thankfulness of his heart for the redemption of his Soul purchased by Christs death sheweth kindly by the fruit of his Faith his obedience to God so the other as a Merchant with God doth all for his own gain thinking to win Heaven by the merit of his Works and so defaceth and obscureth the price of Christs Blodd who only wrought our purgation The meaning then of these sayings in the Scriptures and other Holy Writings Alms-deeds do wash away our sins and mercy to the Poor doth blot out our offences is that we doing these things according to Gods Will and our Duty have our sins indeed washed away and our offences blotted out not for the worthiness of them but by the grace of God which worketh all in all and that for the promise that God hath made to them that are obedient unto his Commandment that he which is the truth might be justified in performing the truth due to his promise Alms-deeds do wash away our sins because God doth vouchsafe then to repute us as clean and pure when we do them for his sake and not because they deserve or merit our purging or for that they have any such strength and vertue in themselves I know that some men too much addict to the advancing of their works will not be contented with this answer and no marvel for such men can no answer content or suffice Wherefore leaving them to their own wilful sense we will rather have regard to the reasonable and godly who as they most certainly know and perswade themselves that all goodness all bounty all mercy all benefits all forgiveness of sins and whatsoever can be named good and profitable either for the Body or for the Soul do come only of Gods mercy and meer favour and not of themselves So though they do never so many and so excellent good deeds yet are they never puft up with the vain confidence of them And though they hear and read in Gods Word and other-where in godly mens Works that Alms-deeds Mercy and Charitableness doth wash away sin and blot out iniquity yet do they not arrogantly and proudly stick and trust unto them or brag themselves of them as the proud Pharisee did lest with the Pharisee they should be condemned but rather with the humble and poor Publican confess themselves sinful wretches unworthy to look up to Heaven calling and craving for mercy that with the Publican they may be pronounced of Christ to be justified The godly do learn that when the Scriptures say that by good and merciful works we are reconciled to Gods favour we are taught then to know what Christ by his intercession and mediation obtaineth for us of his Father when we be obedient to his Will yea they learn in such manner of speaking a comfortable argument of Gods singular favour and love that attributeth that unto us and to our doings that he by his Spirit worketh in us and through his grace procureth for us And yet this notwithstanding they cry out with St. Paul O wretches that we are and acknowledge as Christ teacheth that when they have all done they are but unprofitable servants and with the blessed King David in respect of the just judgments of God they do tremble and say Who shall be able to abide it Lord if thou wilt give sentence according to our deserts Thus they humble themselves and are exalted of God they count themselves vile and of God are counted pure and clean they condemn themselves and are justified of God they think themselves unworthy of the Earth and of God are thought worthy of Heaven Thus by Gods Word are they truly taught how to think rightly of merciful dealing of Alms and of Gods especial mercy and goodness are made partakers of those fruits that his Word hath promised Let us then follow their examples and both shew obediently in our lives those works of mercy that we are commanded and have that right opinion and judgment of them that we are taught and we shall in like manner as they be made partakers and feel the fruits and rewards that follow such godly living so shall we know by proof what profit and commodity doth come of giving of Alms and succouring of the Poor The Third Part of the Sermon of Alms-Deeds YE have already heard two Parts of this Treatise of Alms-Deeds The first how pleasant and acceptable before God the doing of them is the second how much it behoveth us and how profitable it is to apply our selves unto them Now in the third Part will I take away that let that hindreth many from doing them There be many that when they hear how acceptable a thing in the sight of God the giving of Alms is and how much God extendeth his favour towards them that are merciful and what fruits and commodities doth come to them by it they wish very gladly with themselves that they also might obtain these benefits and be counted such of God as whom he would love or do for But yet these men are with greedy Covetousness so pulled back that they will not bestow one Half-penny or one piece of Bread that they might be thought worthy of Gods benefits and so to come into his favour For
sent down from Heaven unto us the Holy Ghost nor that he sitteth on the right hand of his Heavenly Father having the Rule of Heaven and Earth Psal 17. reigning as the Prophet saith from Sea to Sea nor that he should after this World be the Judge as well of the living as of the dead to give reward to the good and judgment to the evil That these Links therefore of our Faith should all hang together in stedfast establishment and confirmation it pleased our Saviour not straitway to withdraw himself from the bodily presence and sight of his Disciples but he chose out forty days wherein he would declare unto them by manifold and most strong arguments and tokens that he had conquered Death and that he was also truly risen again to life He began saith Luke at Moses and all the Prophets Luke 24. and expounded unto them the Prophesies that were written in all the Scriptures of him to the intent to confirm the truth of his Resurrection long before spoken of which he verified indeed as it is declared very apparently and manifestly by his oft appearance to sundry Persons at sundry times First Mat 28. he sent his Angels to the Sepulcher who did shew unto certain Women the empty Grave saying that the burial-linen remained therein And by these signs were these Women fully instructed that he was risen again and so did they testifie it openly After this Jesus himself appeared to Mary Magdalen John 20. and after that to certain other Women and strait afterward he appeared to Peter then to the two Disciples which were going to Emmaus 1 Cor. 15. He appeared to the Disciples also as they were gathered together for fear of the Jews the door shut Luke 24. John 21. At another time he was seen at the Sea of Tiberias of Peter and Thomas and of other Disciples when they were fishing He was seen of more than five hundred brethren in the Mount of Galilee where Jesus appointed them to be by his Angel when he said Behold he shall go before you into Galilee there shall ye see him as he hath said unto you After this he appeared unto James and last of all he was visibly seen of all the Apostles Acts 1. at such time as he was taken up into Heaven Thus at sundry times he shewed himself after he was risen again to confirm and stablish this Article And in these revelations sometime he shewed them his Hands his Feet and his Side and bad them touch him that they should not take him for a Ghost or a Spirit Sometime he also did eat with them but ever he was talking with them of the everlasting Kingdom of God to assure the truth of his Resurrection Luke 24. For then be opened their understanding that they might perceive the Scriptures and said unto them Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to risâ— from death the third day and that there should be preached openly in his name pardon and remission of sins to all the Nations of the World Ye see good Christian People how necessary this Article of our Faith is seeing it was proved of Christ himself by such evident reasons and tokens by so long time and space Now therefore as our Saviour was diligent for our comfort and instruction to declare it so let us be as ready in our belief to receive it to our comfort and instruction As he died not for himself no more did he rise again for himself â— Cor. 15. He was dead saith St. Paul for our sins and rose again for our justification O most comfortable word evermore to be born in remembrance He died saith he to put away sin he rose again to endow us with righteousness His death took away sin and malediction his death was the Ransom of them both his death destroyed death and overcame the Devil which had the power of death in his subjection his death destroyed Hell with all the damnation thereof Thus is Death swallowed up by Christs Victory thus is Hell spoiled for ever If any man doubt of this Victory let Christs glorious Resurrection declare him the thing If Death could not keep Christ under his dominion and power but that he rose again it is manifest that his power was overcome If Death be conquered then must it follow that sin wherefore death was appointed as the wages must be also destroyed If Death and Sin be vanished away then is the Devil's Tyranny vanished which had the power of Death and was the author and brewer of sin and the ruler of Hell If Christ had the victory of them all by the power of his death and openly proved it by his most victorious and valiant Resurrection as it was not possible for his great might to be subdued of them and it is true that Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification Why may not we that be his Members by true Faith rejoyce and boldly say with the Prophet Hosea and the Apostle Paul Where is thy Dart O Death Where is thy Victory O Hell Thanks be unto God say they which hath given us the Victory by our Lord Jesus Christ This mighty Conquest of his Resurrection was not only signified before by divers figures of the Old Testament as by Samson when he slew the Lion out of whose mouth came sweetness and honey and as David bare his figure when he delivered the Lamb out of the Lions mouth 1 Reg. 17. and when he overcame and slew the great Giant Goliath and as when Jonas was swallowed up in the Whales mouth Jonas 1. and cast up again on land alive but was also most clearly prophesied by the Prophets of the Old Testament and in the New also confirmed by the Apostles He hath spoiled saith St. Paul Rule and Power Col. 2. and all the Dominion of our spiritual enemies He hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed over them in his own person This is the mighty power of the Lord whom we believe on By his Death hath he wrought for us this Victory and by his Resurrection hath he purchased Everlasting Life and Righteousness for us It had not been enough to be delivered by his Death from sin except by his Resurrection we had been endowed with righteousness And it should not avail us to be delivered from death except he had risen again to open for us the Gates of Heaven to enter into life everlasting And therefore St. Peter thanketh God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for his abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1. because he hath begotten us saith he unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from death to enjoy an inheritance immortal that never shall perish which is laid up in Heaven for them that be kept by the power of God through Faith Thus hath his Resurrection wrought for us life and righteousness He passed through Death and
She is the Mother of all these things for she is an infinite treasure unto Men which whoso use become partakers of the love of God I might with many words move some of this audience to search for this Wisdom to sequester their Reason to follow Gods Commandment to cast from them the Wits of their Brains to favor this Wisdom to renounce the Wisdom and Policy of this fond World to taste and Savor of that whereunto the Favor and Will of God hath called them and willeth us finally to enjoy by his Favor if we would give ear But I will haste to the Third Part of my Text wherein is expressed further in Sapience how God giveth his Elect understanding of the motions of the Heavens of the alteration and circumstances of Time Which as it followeth in words more plentiful in the Text which I have last cited unto you so it must needs follow in them that be endued with this Spiritual Wisdom For as they can search where to find this Wisdom and know of whom to ask it So know they again that in time it is found and can therefore temper themselves to the occasion of the time to suffer no time to pass away wherein they may labor for this Wisdom And to encrease therein they know how God of his infinite Mercy and lenity giveth all Men here time and place of Repentance And they see how the Wicked as Job writeth abuse the same to their Pride Job 14. and therefore do the Godly take the better hold of the time to redeem it out of such use as it is spoiled in by the Wicked They which have this Wisdom of God can gather by the diligent and earnest study of the Worldlings of this present life how they wait their times and apply themselves to every occasion of time and to get Riches to encrease their Lands and Patrimony They see the time pass away and therefore take hold on it in such wise that otherwhiles they will with loss of their sleep and ease with suffering many pains catch the offer of their time knowing that that which is past cannot be returned again Repentance may follow but remedy is none Why should not they then that be Spiritually Wise in their Generation wait their time to encrease as fast in their state to win and gain Everlastingly They reason what a brute forgetfulness it were in Man endued with Reason to be ignorant of their Times and Tides when they see the Turtle Dove the Stork and the Swallow to wait their times Jer. 8. as Jeremy saith The Stork in the Air knoweth her appointed times the Turtle the Grane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my People knoweth not the judgment of the Lord. Ephes 2. St. Paul willeth us to redeem the time because the days are evil It is not the Counsel of St. Paul only but of all other that ever gave precepts of Wisdom There is no Precept more seriously given and commanded than to know the time Yea Christian Men for that they hear how grievously God complaineth and threatneth in the Scriptures them which will not know the time of his Visitations are learned thereby the rather earnestly to apply themselves thereunto After our Saviour Christ had Prophesied with weeping Tears of the destruction of Jerusalem at the last he putteth the cause Luke 19. For that thou hast not known the time of thy Visitation O England ponder the time of Gods merciful Visitation which is shewed thee from day to day and yet will not regard it neither wilt thou with his Punishment be driven to thy Duty nor with his benefits be provoked to Thanks If thou knewest what may fall upon thee for thy unthankfulness thou wouldst provide for thy Peace Brethren howsoever the World in generality is forgetful of God let us Particularly attend to our time and win the time with diligence and apply our selves to the Light and Grace that is afforded us let us if Gods Favor and Judgments which he worketh in our time cannot stir us to call home to our selves to do that belonging to our Salvation at the least way let the malice of the Devil the naughtiness of the World which we see exercised in these perilous and last times wherein we see our days so dangerously set provoke us to watch diligently to our vocation to walk and go forward therein Let the misery and short transitory joys spied in the casualty of our days move us while we have them in our hands and seriously stir us to be wise and to expend the gracious good Will of God to us ward which all the day long stretched out his Hands as the Prophet saith unto us Isaiah 65. for the most part his merciful Hands sometime his heavy Hands that we being learned thereby may escape the danger that must needs fall on the unjust who lead their days in felicity and pleasure without the knowing of Gods Will toward them but suddenly they go down into Hell Let us be found Watchers found in the Peace of the Lord that at the last Day we may be found without spot and blameless yea let us endeavor our selves good Christian People diligently to keep the presence of his holy Spirit Job 2. Let us renounce all uncleanness for he is the Spirit of Purity Sap. 1. Let us avoid all hypocrisie for this holy Spirit will flee from that which is feigned Heb. 11. Cast we off all malice and all evil will for this Spirit will never enter into an evil willing Soul Let us cast away all the whole lump of sin that standeth about us for he will never dwell in that Body that is subdued to sin We cannot be seen Thankful to Almighty God and work such despight to the Spirit of Grace by whom we be Sanctified Heb. 10. If we do our endeavor we shall not need to fear We shall be able to overcome all our Enemies that fight against us Only let us apply our selves to accept the Grace that is offered us Of Almighty God we have comfort by his Goodness of our Saviour Christs Mediation we may be sure And this holy Spirit will suggest unto us that shall be wholsome and comfort us in all things Therefore it cannot be but true that St. Paul affirmeth Of him by him and in him be all things and in him after this transitory life well passed shall we have all things For St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. When the Son of God shall subdue all things unto him then shall God be all in all If ye will know how God shall be all in all verily after this sense may we understand it In this World ye see that we be fain to borrow many things to our necessity of many Creatures there is no one thing that sufficeth all our necessities If we be an Hungred we lust for Bread If we be Athirst we seek to be refreshed with Ale or Wine If we be
shall please him he turneth it Thus say the Scriptures Wherefore let us turn from our sins unto the Lord with all our Hearts and he will turn the Heart of the Prince unto our quiet and wealth Else for Subjects to deserve through their sins to have an evil Prince and then to Rebel against him were double and treble evil by provoking God more to plague them Nay let us either deserve to have a good Prince or let us patiently suffer and obey such as we deserve And whether the Prince be good or evil let us according to the Counsel of the holy Scriptures Pray for the Prince for his continuance and increase in goodness if he be good and for his amendment if he be evil Will you hear the Scriptures concerning this most necessary Point 1 Tim. 2. I exhort therefore saith St. Paul that above all things Prayers Supplications Intercessions and giving of Thanks be had for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life with all godliness for that is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour c. This is St. Pauls Counsel and who I pray you was Prince over the most part of the Christians when Gods holy Spirit by St. Pauls Pen gave them this Lesson Forsooth Caligula Claudius or Nero who were not only no Christians but Pagans and also either foolish Rulers or most cruel Tyrants Will you yet hear the Word of God to the Jews when they were Prisoners under Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon after he had slain their Kings Nobles Parents Children and Kinsfolks burned their Country Cities yea Jerusalem it self and the holy Temple and had carried the residue remaining a live Captives with him into Babylon Will you hear yet what the Prophet Baruch saith unto Gods People being in this Captivity Baruc. 1.11 Pray you saith the Prophet for the life of Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon and for the life of Balthasar his Son that their days may be as the days of Heaven upon the Earth that God also may give us strength and lighten our Eyes that we may live under the defence of Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon and under the Protection of Balthasar his Son that we may long do them service and find favor in their sight Pray for us also unto the Lord our God for we have sinned against the Lord our God Thus far the Prophet Baruch his words which are spoken by him unto the People of God of that King who was an Heathen a Tyrant and cruel Oppressor of them and had been a Murtherer of many Thousands of their Nations and a Destroyer of their Country with a Confession that their sins had deserved such a Prince to Reign over them And shall the old Christians by St. Pauls exhortation Pray for Caligula Claudius or Nero Shall the Jews Pray for Nabuchodonosor These Emperors and Kings being strangers unto them being Pagans and Infidels being Murtherers Tyrants and cruel Oppressors of them and Destroyers of their Country Countrymen and Kinsmen the Burners of their Villages Towns Cities and Temples And shall not we Pray for the long prosperous and godly Reign of our natural Prince No stranger which is observed as a great blessing in the Scriptures of our Christian our most gracious Sovereign no Heathen nor Pagan Prince Shall we not Pray for the health of our most merciful most loving Sovereign the Preserver of us and our Country in so long peace quietness and security no cruel Person no Tyrant no Spoyler of our Goods no Shedder of Blood no Burner and Destroyer of our Towns Cities and Countries as were those for whom yet as ye have heard Christians being their Subjects ought to Pray Let us not commit so great Ingratitude against God and our Sovereign as not continually to thank God for his Government and for his great and continual benefits and blessings poured upon us by such Government Let us not commit so great a sin aginst God against our selves and our Country as not to pray continually unto God for the long continuance of so gracious a Ruler unto us and our Countrey Else shall we be unworthy any longer to enjoy those benefits and blessings of God which hitherto we have had by her shall be most worthy to fall into all those mischiefs and miseries which we and our Country have by Gods grace through her Government hitherto escaped What shall we say of those Subjects May we call them by the name of Subjects Who neither be thankful nor make any Prayer to God for so gracious a Sovereign but also themselves take Armor wickedly assemble Companies and Bands of Rebels to break the publick Peace so long continued and to make not War but Rebellion to endanger the Person of such a gracious Sovereign to hazard the Estate of their Countrey for whose defence they should be ready to spend their Lives and being English Men to rob spoil destroy and burn in England English Men to kill and murder their own Neighbors and Kinsfolk their own Countrey-men to do all evil and mischief yea and more too than Foreign Enemies would or could do What shall we say of these Men who use themselves thus rebelliously against their gracious Sovereign Who if God for their wickedness had given them an Heathen Tyrant to Reign over them were by Gods Word bound to obey him and to pray for him What may be spoken of them So far doth their unkindness unnaturalness wickedness mischievousness in their doings pass and excel any thing and all things that can be expressed and uttered by words Only let us wish unto all such most speedy Repentance and with so grievous sorrow of heart as such so horrible sins against the Majesty of God do require who in most extream unthankfulness do rise not only against their gracious Prince against their natural Countrey but against all their Countrey-men Women and Children against themselves their Wives Children and Kinsfolks and by so wicked an example against all Christendom and against whole Mankind of all manner of People throughout the wide World such Repentance I say such sorrow of Heart God grant unto all such whosoever rise of private and malicious purpose as is meet for such mischiefs attempted and wrought by them And unto us and all other Subjects God of his mercy grant that we may be most unlike to all such and most like to good natural loving and obedient Subjects Nay that we may be such indeed not only shewing all obedience our selves but as many of us as be able to the uttermost of our power ability understanding to stay and repress all Rebels and Rebellions against God our gracious Prince and natural Country at every occasion that is offered unto us And that which we are all able to do unless we do it we shall be most wicked and most worthy to feel in the end such extreme Plagues as God hath ever poured upon Rebels Let us make