that had not the Lorde reserued a remnant amongst vs had not oftentimes Aaron Moses Phinehes and Hester stoode in the gap England should haue beene not like a cottage in a vinyard not like a lodge in a gardē of coucumbers but should haue beene as Sodom and like vnto Gomorrha The Lorde may nowe iustly say to England as hee somtimes spake vnto Babylon Come downe and sit in the dust O daughter Englande thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate take the milstones grind meale loose thy lockes make bare thy feete vncouer thy legs and thighs passe through the floodes thy filthinesse shalbe discouered thy shame shalbe seene I will take vengeaunce and will not meete thee as a man for God hath not dealt so with any nation neither hath Asia Africa America and the most parte of Europa such knowledge and preaching of his lawes England hath not drunken at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath the dregs of trembling as France Flanders and other her sisters haue done Yet beholde Engelande doeth still heape vp vengeaunce against the day of vengeaunce and doth not consider that the long suffering of the Lord doth lead herevnto repentance If England would repent the Lord wold continue to blesse her to giue her victories ouer her enemies that neither opē enemies abrode nor priuy cōspirators at hōe shalbe able to doe her violence Sisera by Deborah a woman shall haue a nayle knockt into his skull Holofernes by Iudith a woman shal haue his head cut off Abimelech by a woman shall haue a peece of a milstone breake his brainepan By Elizabeth a woman the Goates of Italy The wolues of Spaine the cormorantes of Rome The Irish coltes and the Foxes of England that are now in Ireland and all other her enemies shall so bee brought to shame that as Abimilech cryed O kill mee my page that it bee not sayde a woman hath slaine Abimelech so shall they cry O kill vs earth deuoure vs hilles couer vs Sea swallowe vs vp that it be not sayd a woman hath thus triumphed ouer vs. Let praise giuinges thankes as a sweet odorifferous sauour assend into the nostrelles of the Lord of hostes for the victorie that lately hee hath giuen to vs in Ireland Goe tell them if they haue any friende heere that those Goates Wolues cormorantes Coltes Foxes shalbe so hunted and bayted by an English Gray that not one of them shall be left to pisse against a wall And wee saye that Christ spake of Herod goe tell that Foxe that lyeth hidden wee preach to day yesterday to morow and will preache vntill the house of the Lorde bee made perfect God graunt we may so doe This is our hope that though the Kinges of the earth stand vp together against the Lorde and his annoynted seruaunt Elizabeth though they rore like Lions and stampe like fatte bulles of Bashan yet the Lorde shall bruse them with a rodde of yron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessel They shall bee like water that runneth a pace like a snaile like the vntimely fruite of a woman lyke a tottering wal like a broken hedge the lord shal awake out of sleep as a giant refreshed with wine shal put them to a perpetual shame Ieroboā shal not be able to pul in his hād Iezabel shalbe hurled out at a windowe Ahab shalbe a portion for dogs The Lord shal so fight for England if we repent that his sword shal surfeite with flesh his arrowes shalbe drunken with blood Wherefore O England I woulde to God all England hearde my voyce I would my voyce might sinke into your hearts as it doth found in your eares It is time to leaue of labouring for worldly pelfe and to take the bread and water of afflictiō with Michaiah to mingle thy breade with ashes and thy drinke with weeping with Dauid to eate the bread of Barley and beanes with Ezechiel As our Sauiour spake to the Iewes of the Scribes and Pharisies so say I to you of the Papistes Vnlesse your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies I meane Papistes and Romanistes You shall neuer enter into the kingdome of GOD. But alas for pitie alas for shame are not many that beare the name of Protestantes and Gospellers inferiour too them We vse our libertie as a cloake of loosenesse wee turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and the glorious gospell of Iesus Christ into lewdnesse Are not wee come from the excesse to the defect from blinde zeale to wilfull vngodlinesse from ignoraunce in darknesse to wickednesse in knoweledge from many Gods to noe God from papisme to Athisme from superstition to irreligion they did fast often we seldome they came to the Church in the night we scarse in the day they gaue almes we liue to our selues I condemne not al I speake of many Did the Papstes these things for merit for desert for satisfaction should not we doe them of dutie of pittie of pietie and charitie They did bona but not bene good things but to an ill ende We now know what is bene let vs doe bona Did they these things in darknes should not wee doe them in light they in the night not we in the day they in blindnes not we in knoweledge they in superstition not we in religion they to an ill end not we to a good end they at the commaundement of man of the Pope not wee at the commaundement of God of Christe Nay this is the saying of the worlde Doeth he frequent the Church he is an hypocrite doeth he fast he wilbe saued by his workes Doth he giue almes he is a Papist O miserable worlde wherein prayer is counted hypocrisie zeale is counted folly fasting and almes deedes are counted poperie But what is the cause of this because we all labour for that meate which perisheth Do not the Papists call vs loose libertines carnall Gospellers wanton Epicures doe not they in their motions make this an argument to proue that they haue the true Church because they fast praye giue almes more then wee because by Papists colledges haue beene founded churches erected scholes builded and almes houses set vp and maintained O happy were we for great should our rewarde be in heauen if for the name of Christ onely we were euil spoken of but if we contemne prayer despise fasting abhorre almes deedes pull from churches defraud the ministers throw down almes houses gape after colledge lands pluck at their formes as it is too true in many Englishmē at this day then I must say O miserable wretches Propter nos male audit nomen Dei inter Gentes inter Papistas By reasō of vs the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles among the Papistes Let our Sauiour Iesus counsaile vs make you bags which waxe not olde a treasure that can neuer fayle in heauen let Paule giue you reasons First godlynes is great gaine
harts where he cryeth Abba Father as the Apostle saith because we are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirite of his sonne into our heartes which cryeth Abba father It is a true saying Bona magis carendo quam fruendo sentimus We better perceiue and feele the commoditie of a thing when we lacke it then when we haue it For who doth better consider the benefit of the warm fire then he that is frosen with colde who doeth better thinke on the commoditie of libertie then the prysoner who doeth better remember the vse of apparell then he which is naked who doeth more esteeme of meate then hee that is almost famished for after a long colde winter a little sun shining is fayre weather after great sorowe one dayes pleasure is a paradise after a long bloody warre a little peace is a merye world and after long hunger browne bread is good cheare Now if wee could eyther thinke on their extreame miserie who like the woman of Canaan like hungry dogs would gladly picke vp the crummes that fall from our table and can haue no more of them then the prodigall sonne had of the swines huskes or at least woulde call to minde our owne miserable famine when like poore Lazarus wee lay begging at the rich mans gate dogges hauing more mercy then men and wee no more satisfied then Tantalus with his apples We would no doubt labour to obtaine by Christ not houses or liuings as that Scribe not to bee Lordes and Dukes as Iames and Iohn not to haue belly cheare as in this place the Iewes did but for the meate of the soule which endureth vnto euerlasting lyfe But what was our famine how were we vsed or rather abused Sower leauen was put to our sweete bread Coloquintida was cast into our potage chaf thrown among our wheate sand mingled with our dough amongst our gold there was drosse wee had water for wine brasse for siluer the cuppe of the whore for the cup of the Lord wormewoode for hony gall for Manna the legende for the Gospell wolues for shepheards the inuentions of man for the commaundementes of God man for God Antichrist for Christ the son of perdition for the sonne of GOD. Agayne the worde was deliuered vnto vs in a straunge tongue that neither we could tel how to daunce when they blewe the pipe nor how to behaue our selues in battaile when they did sound the trumpet neither the vnderstanding was bettered nor the congregation edified nor the vnlearned at the giuing of thanks coulde say Amen but they were Barbarians to vs and we Barbarians to them Furthermore the common people might not reade the worde they might not once taste of that heauenly foode vnlesse the Priestes had first chewed it in their own mouths whose mouths were full of bitternesse whose throates were open sepulchres whose teeth were venomous whose tongues were ful of deceite vnder whose lippes was the poyson of aspes who did eate vp the Lords people as bread whose feete were swift to shedde the blood of Saints but right deare in the sight of the Lorde is the death of his Saintes But why might not the people reade the word taste this meate they forsooth gathered damnable errours and sucked out thence deadly poyson Because our Sauiour sayde it is giuen to you to know the secreetes of the kingdome of heauen but to them it is not giuen Because hee sayd again giue not that which is holy to dogges neither cast ye your pearls before swine First I aunswere that Vzza for putting forth his hande to holde the arke when the oxen did shake it died before the Lorde that Vzziah burned incense and was therefore stroken with a leprosie because they vsurped the offices of the Priestes and Leuites contrary to the expresse commaundement of God But if this was spoken to all and be the dutie of all Christians searche the scriptures I do not only say wo vnto thē because they shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men they themselues will not goe in nor suffer them to goe that would enter but I exhorte them to remember the blinde zeale of Christes Disciples in forbiddinge children to come vnto him rebuked suffer little children to come to mee and forbidde them not the blinde zeale of Ioshua requesting Moses to forbid Elead and Medad to prophecie reprehended I would to God that all the Lords people were Prophets The blinde zeale of Iohn willing Christ to forbidde one to cast out deuils in his name misliked suffer him hee that is not against me is with me The blind zeale of Nadab and Abihu because they offered straunge fire condemned who because they offered not that fire which came from heauen but straunge fire were deuoured of fire An euerlasting fire is reserued for those which haue troaden vnder foote the doctrin that came from heauen haue brought in straung doctrine which neuer was in heauen As that fire so this meate came from heauen in this they differ that fire endured onely to the captiuitie of Babylon but this meat endureth vnto euerlasting life Wherfore though Peter or Paule though Gabriel or Michael Cherubim or Seraphim teach any other thing thē that we haue receiued of the Lord who came downe from heauen and brought this meate from heauen let him be accursed as I said before so I say again if any of these bring any thing besides that which we haue receiued of the Lord let them and euery one of them be accursed Secondly I answer that though the spider doe gather poyson where the Bee doth suck hony yet there is no poison in the sweet flower but the corrupt humour that is in the spyder doth turne the sweet iuyce into poison so there are no errours nor heresies in the word of god but the corrupt venomous nature of man doth turn the comfortable sap of Gods word into deadly poyson Now if the spyder gather poyson let not therfore the Bee be driuen from the flowers though the sons of Satan doe gather errours and suck that which vnto them is poison yet let not therfore the children of GOD be forbidden to sucke mylke which shall saue their soules Christ is put both for the fall and also for the rysing agayne of many in Israell he is a rock to buylde on and hee is a stone that will grind to powder if the Gospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost it is vnto some the sauour of death vnto death to other some the sauour of life vnto lyfe It is not giuen to them to knowe the misteries who are they to whom it is not giuen it followeth that people whose heart is waxed fat whose eares are dull of hearing who winke with their eies least with their eies they shoulde see and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their heartes and should returne that I might heale them The Gospell
our owne heades our owne pollycies our owne inuentions Let vs then receiue this meate which came from heauen and put nothing into it least while we with the young Prophets thinke to gather good hearbes we gather and cast Coloquintida into the pot No water euer so good as that which came out of the rocke no meate so delicate as Manna which came from heauen no wine so wholsome as that which Christ made of water no oyle so precious as that which the Samaritan had no robe so coastly as that whiche the father gaue to the prodigall sonne no bread no foode no meate so profitable as this meate of the soule which doeth endure and bring vs vnto euerlasting life O contemne not this meate he that despiseth Moses law dieth without mercie vnder two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be worthy which treadeth vnder foote the sonne of God counteth the blood of the newe testament an vnholy thing wherwith he was sanctified and doth despite the spirite of grace These men crucifie to themselues again the sonne of GOD and make a mock of him This meat is water to refreshe vs and wine to cheare vs it is bread to strengthen vs Manna to nourish vs it is a treasure to enrich vs and a pearle to adorne vs it is a leauen to heate vs and salt to powder vs it is a sword to defend vs and fire to purge vs it is a salue to heale vs and a lantorne to guide vs it is a trumpet to call vs and wisdome to enstruct vs a way to directe vs and lyfe to reuiue vs. If wee haue this meat this leuen this bread this Manna wee shall haue no neede of Elizeus to encrease our oyle to augment our loaues we shall haue no neede of his meale to sweeten our pottage wee neede not to waite at the gluttons gate or sende to churlish Nabal for foode If wee haue this treasure we neede not rob the Aegyptians if we haue this pearle we shal not neede the gold of Ophir if we haue this water we neede not to drawe water at Iacobs well Naaman need not wash himselfe seuen tymes in Iorden the sick neede not to goe to the poole Bethsida for helpe we need not Elizeus salte or Moses tree to heale the venomous water if we haue this sword Peter may put vp his sword into his sheth if we haue this fire we need not the fire of purgatorie if we haue this lantern we neede not the Lanterns of Gedeon to ouercome the Midianites to conclude if we haue this trumpet we shall haue no neede of the Priests trumpets made of Rams hornes to pull downe the walles of Ierico For by this meate we shall doe all thinges for it doth endure and will bring vs vnto euerlasting lyfe O then labour for this meate and I speake vnto you as sometyme Naamans seruant spake vnto him when he refused to wash himselfe seuen times in Iorden as Elizeus willed him Naaman thus sayde are not Abanah and Pharapar ryuers of Damascus better then all the waters of Israell May not I wash me in them and be healed but this man sayde if the Prophet had commaunded thee a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it how much rather then when he saith to thee wash and be cleane you are bidden to come for the water of life for the bread of heauen Doe not many say there are other meates at Rome other waters at Rome better then all the meate and water that is now in England O but I say vnto you if the Lord should commaund you to doe a great thing ought ye not to doe it How much more then when he sayth labour for the meate which endureth vnto euerlasting lyfe which I the sonne of man will giue vnto you this is but aske and haue seek and finde knock and it shall be opened Let vs aske let vs seek let vs knock let vs labour for this meate Labour for this meate O you people and pray vnto the Lord that his Ministers put their candell on a candelsticke with cherefulnes and not vnder a bushell labour for this money and pray vnto the Lorde that his merchantes may occupy with aduauntage with faythfulnesse and not to hyde it in the grounde labour for this seede and pray vnto the Lord that his husbandmen may sowe it with painfulnesse not hoard it in their barnes Labour for this meate and pray vnto the Lord that his Stewards may distribute it with bountifulnes and not keepe it in their closets Labour for this that is be earnest hot zealous firy God the Father did appeare in fire God the Sonne doth baptise with fire God the holy Ghost came downe in forme of clouen and fiery tongues but alas are not yet the people as they were in the time of Ieremy they sayde to him the word thou hast spokē to vs in the name of the Lord we wil not heare it of thee but we wil doe whatsoeuer thing goeth out of our mouth as to burne incense to the Queene of heauen and to purge out drink offrings vnto her as we haue don both we and our fathers our kings and our princes for then had we plenty of victuall and were well and felt no euil Are not these the sayings of the romanists and Papists first to graunt that we haue the word of GOD secondly to say we will not so much as heare it thirdly to follow their own inuentions Againe are not these their arguments first of custome wee haue done so and our fathers secondly of a generalitie not we onely but our fathers our Princes and al haue done so thirdly of their belly then we had plentie of victuall and felt no euill and to whome would they offer their sacrifice not to God but as the Papistes doe to the Queene of heauen Aske the Papistes how they prooue their religion to be the trueth and they will drawe their argumentes from antiquitie from custome from vniuersalitie and from the belly as did the Iewes in the dayes of Ieremy Nay hath not the deuill raysed vp Iehoiakim from the dead to burne the wordes that Baruch had out of the mouth of Ieremy and Antiochus to burne the bookes of the law and delectation to know the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles But beholde I shewe you a better way and whome you should folow When Moses made the arke euery man was cōmaunded to bring somthing the people brought to much and were bidden to bring no more And that no man should think he were exempted from Gods work he that hath no gold to bring might bring Goates hayre or badgers skinnes if a woman were not able to buy a Lambe it was accepted of the Lord if she brought a payre of turtle doues or two young pigeons Euery man cannot be a head in this mysticall body of Christ to be a King Euery man cannot be an
TWO SERMONS preached the one at Paules Crosse the eight of Ianuarie 1580. The other at Christes Churche in London the same day in the after noone By Iames Bisse maister of Art and fellowe of Magdalen â—â—lledge in Oxenford ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas Woodcocke 1581. To the right worshipfull Syr Iohn Horner and Syr George Rogers knightes Iames Bisse wisheth grace mercy and peace from GOD our father and from our Lorde Iesus Christe WHen I had preached these two sermons right worshipfull diuers of my friendes requested a Copie of them the which they craued earnestly at the last I graunted hardly I had small leasure to pen my Sermons for them and thought it lesse honestie and as little curtesie to denie them But when through importunitie they had gotten the vpper hande and receiued my Sermons at my handes they went presently after a viewe taken of them vnto the Printer to haue them published They vsed many reasons to persuade me to yeeld therevnto but but when they coulde by no reason moue me to agree to their attempt they protested that my Sermons shoulde bee printed though I were neuer so vnwilling they hauing the copies in their handes in the ende wheÌ„ I could nothing preuaile with them but perforce was constrained to yeelde to the publishing of these my Sermons I Purposed as duetie moued mee to commend and commit them vnto your worships to whom I doe acknowledge my selfe diuers wayes much bounden and the rather was I mooued to hide them vnder the winges of your worships protection because your fauour in mainteining the Gospell your zeale to Gods worde the regard that you haue of Gods Ministers is knowne not to mee only who haue often times perceiued it but to all theÌ„ which although they know not you yet both know do acknowledge your good deedes The Lorde powre downe his spirite plentifully vpon you kindle more more in you the true zeale that alredy burneth increase the loue and good affection which you haue toward the gospel that you being pillers in the Church of Christ militant may also bee pillers in his Church triumphant And thus desiring your worships to accept this my simple and rude worke with my humble commeÌ„dations to you and to the vertuous Ladies your wiues I bid you hartily fare well from London this xix of Ianuarie 1580. Your worships to commaâ—ndâ— in the Lord Iames Bisse Iohn 6. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for the meat that endureth vnto euerlasting life Which the Sonâ—â— of man shall giue vnto you for him hath God the Father sealed DAuid a King and a Prophet a man after Gods owne heart the first liuely branche of the roote of Iesse of whose seed Christ was made according to the flesh vpon whose throne he doeth and shal sit for euer although he were a worme and no man the outcast of the people a Pellicane in the wildernesse an owle in the desert a sparowe without her mate alone vpoÌ„ the house top yet as the heart desireth the water brookes so longed his soule after the meate whiche endureth vnto euerlasting life being more precious vnto him than thousandes of gold and siluer sweeter than hony vnto his mouth and the honycombe vnto his throte For though the plowers had so plowed vpon his backe and made long furrows though the Lord so had troden downe his soule vpon the earth and layd his honour in the dust though his God had so exalted the horne of his enimies making them to ryde ouer his back that he as it were entring into the kingdome of desperation did cry then haue I clensed my hearte in vaine in vaine haue I washed my handes in innocencie and againe will the Lord absent himselfe for euer wil he be no more intreted is his mercie cleane gone for euer and is his promise come vtterly to an ende for euermore What will he now forget to bee gratious and shutte vp his louing kindenesse in displeasure Yet notwithstanding when hee had beene in the sanctuary of the Lord and so knewe the ende of his enemies and the causes of those thinges he was filled with marow and fatnes his head was annointed with fresh oile his cup was ful because he had dronken plentifully of the water of life and eaten abundantly of the bread of heauen For as Iohn did eate not a leafe only but the whole booke as Ezechiel did eate not a peece but the whole role the which booke and role were sweet as honie in their mouthes But the booke made Iohns bellie bitter and the role brought heauinesse to Ezechiels spirite that is the word brought vnto theÌ„ both peace to the conscience from the Lorde but warre to the bodie from the world So Dauids whole delight was in the law of the Lord his God to muse and meditate thereon too exercise and practise himselfe therein both day and night all dayes nightes of his life Whose good and godly example wee must followe in labouring for meate if wee will haue the crowne of life if wee will eate of the tree of life if we will eate of manna that is hid if we will haue that whitestone in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it if wee will stande in the middest of the paradise of GOD if wee will bee cloathed in white aray if wee will haue our names in the booke of life if we will be a piller in the temple of God and neuer goe out if we wil haue written vpon vs the name of God and the name of Ierusalem if wee will come to mount Syon to the citie of the liuing God to the coelestiall Ierusalem to the companie of innumerable angelles to the assembly and congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen to God the iudge of al to the spirits of iust and perfect men to Iesus the mediatour of the new tastament to the blood of sprinckling that speaketh better thinges then the blood of Abel For all other meates perish they with vs and we with them O then labour not for them only this meate the foode of the soule doth endure vnto euerlasting life it with vs and wee with it O then let vs all labour for it The children of Israel did eate Manna in the wildernesse but they are al dead Manna was not to bee founde on the sabboth dayes Manna was full of wormes and stanke Manna ceased when they had eaten of the corne in Canaan Manna was kept in a pot for the posteritie But is was no where to bee founde in the dayes of Solomon But they that are fedde with this bread shall neuer dye it is to be founde at al times it neuer putrifieth it neuer ceaseth for it doeth endure not to death but to life and that to euerlasting life Hee that drinketh of the water of Iacobs well shall thirst againe
for your soules to possesse the kingdome of heauen And if he had onely vsed the affirmatiue exhorting thē to labour for meate they might haue been as grosse in vnderstanding him as his Disciples were who when he spake of the leauen of the Pharesies thought hee had spoken of the leauen of breade as carnal as Nicodemus who when Christe tolde him a man muste bee borne agayne thought a manne should goe into his mothers wombe againe as rude as the woman of Samaria who when Christ spake of the water of life thought he had spoken of the water of Iacobs well Therfore as hee vseth a metaphore beeing plaine so to make it more plaine so to shew whereunto their nature was bent so to declare what they should labour for hee vseth both the affirmatiue the negatiue but hee beginneth with the negatiue labor not c. As if he should haue sayd Wilt thou come vpp into my holy hill put of thy shoes Wilt thou come into my congregation cut of the foreskin of thy flesh or rather of thy heart Wilt thou haue my durable coate made of skinnes O sonne of Adam cast of thy breeches made of figge leaues Wilt thou bee clad with my garment cast of thy ragged cloake with blind Bartimeus Wilt thou haue a salue for thy wound cut of thy rotten fleshe Wilte thou haue a medicine for thy diseases purge thy body Wilt thou build plucke downe thy ruinous walles Wilte thou sow pluck out the weedes of thine heart Wilt thou put on a cleane shirte put of the foule I will not put my newe Wine into olde bottelles I will not put a peece of my new cloth vpon the moth eaten garmentes my coate is without seame from the top to the skirtes I geue all or none Wilt thou entertaine me Zacheus come downe from the wild figge tree Wilt thou doe good decline from euill Wilt thou put on the armour of light cast of the workes of darkenesse You cannot serue God and Mammon Christ and riches you cannot labour for the meate which perisheth and for the meate that endureth vnto euerlasting life Were not a garment of linnen and wollen eate not with sweete bread and sower leauen sow not two sorts of grain in one fielde goe not too plowe with an oxe and an asse in one yoke for they that doe so looke backe from the plough are not fit for the kingdome of God For what felowship hath righteousnesse and vnrighteousnes what communion hath light with darknesse what concord hath Christe with Belial what parte hath the beleeuer with the infidel what agreemēt hath the temple of God with Diuelles GOd and Mammon meate which perisheth and meate which endureth vnto euerlasting life cannot stande together But let vs labour a little I pray you for this meate a little is to be borne with What know you not that leauen and a little leauen doth leauē the whole lump that a breache and a little breache doeth marre the sale of a whole cloth that a scarre and a little scarre doeth disfigure the whole face that poyson and a little poyson doth poyson the whole bodie that Coloquintida and a little Coloquintida doth infect the whole pot of pottage that a hole and a little hole in a vessell will let out al the licour that fire and a litle fire is able to burne a whole Citie Kisse the Sonne saith the Prophet least he be angry and so perish from the right way if his wrath be kinndled yea but a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him Make no pax of the worlde and haue no pax with the worlde but kisse the sonne make a pax of him and haue peace with him Feare his wrath if it be kindled yea but a litle O blessed are all they that put their trust in him But alas we are so far from labouring for this meate that whereas like good husbandmen we should labour dig in the field and sell al that we haue to buy that field Whereas like wise Merchant men wee shoulde labour and seeke for good pearles and sell all that we haue to buy that pearle of great price We like dogs refuse holy things offered we turn about and teare them that doe offer them we like swine tread pearles vnder our feete and doe accounte this pearle this holie thing the word of life to bee vnto vs as a ring of golde in a swines snoute For doeth the people delight to heare Gods word Behold yet they are like the deafe adder which stoppeth her eares at the voyce of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely Or if they with delight doe heare it doe they vnderstand it behold yet they are like horse and mule which haue no vnderstāding or if they heare it vnderstand it do they obey it behold yet they are vntamed colts vnweaned heyfers Or if they doe all these three heare vnderstand obey can they abyde to be rebuked to their faces of their sins Beholde yet they are like Herode who performed the 3 first but could not abide the fourth Doe they loue the bringers of this woorde beholde yet there is in England an Adders broode a generation of Vipers Doe they abide and stand fast to their profession Beholde yet they are starting aside like a brokē bowe they are yet like the children of Ephraim who be yng harnessed and carrying bowes did turne themselues back in the day of battel Nay doe the bishops and ministers so goe in and so goe out before the people of God that the people seeyng them goe before doe follow after them whereby our father in heauen is glorified Behold yet many of them are like the eye which seeth all thinges and cannot see it selfe like the whetstone which maketh the yron sharpe but dull it selfe like the yron and flint which make fire in the tynder but are colde themselues I pray GOD they bee not like those foolishe Carpenters in the dayes of Noah who buylded the Arke for Noah but they themselues were drowned Or if the Ministers and people doe seeme to liue as they teach and are taught doe they liue so sincerely purely and truely I pray God we be not found to bee stage players to be painted sepulchers Wels without water and cloudes without rayne For so rype is the hypocrisie of men in these dayes that they which beare the fayrest shew of godlinesse doe most deny the power thereof For euen they these holy men or rather holow trees I would they were holie trees which are alwayes greene are like the faire redd morning which bringeth rayne at noone Like the calme water which is most deepe like the greene grasse where the venemous snake lieth and the filthy curre maketh his vrine For they serue their bellies their flesh the world and in heart doe labor for that meat only which perisheth We care not for our liues our soules our selues we are inferiour to bruite beastes Heare
fast in the faith Athistes and Papistes and other heretikes are tripping at your heeles stande fast in the faith it is worth the noting that our Sauiour in the seconde and thirde of the Reuelation doeth seuen times at the least vtter these wordes hee that ouercommeth c. There is life and all blessinges promised onely vnto him that ouercommeth Nowe the heauenly Manna is plentifull in Englande let vs prouide for warre though it bee a time of peace let vs take our cloake though the sunne doeth shine let vs prouide for a deare yeere though the victuall bee plentie I say stande fast and labour for this meate it bringeth therewith well fed thereby fatte and in good liking you may stande fast in the euill day For wee haue deserued that plague wherof the Prophete speaketh I will turne your feastes into mourning and your songes into lamentations I will bring sackcloth on your loynes and baldnes on your heades I will bring a famine in to your land not a famine of bread or thirste for water but a famine of the worde of God For if Paule and Barnabas were heere they might haue iust cause to speake against vs as they spake against the Iewes seeing you put the woorde of GOD from you and iudge your selues vnworthie of euerlasting life Loe we turne to the Gentiles Christ may truly denounce these words against vs if he shoulde deale according to our desertes the kingdome of God shall bee taken from you and shall bee giuen to a nation whiche shall bring foorth the fruites thereof Let vs amende least Christe curse vs as he cursed the figtree when hee came vnto it being hungry and found nothing thereon but leaues onely hee doeth hunger and thirst after our good workes but beholde howe we deceiue him for fruite wee offer him leaues a man came to the dresser of his vineyarde and bid him cut downe his figge tree because he had come three yeeres and founde no fruites thereon cut it downe saith hee why keepeth it also the grounde barren The dresser answered let it a lone this yeere also till I digge rounde about it and doung it The Lorde hath come to his fig tree of England not three but almost xxiii yeeres and beholde yet he findeth litle fruite and hee woulde no doubt cut it downe had not the dresser of this figge tree Iesus Christe entreated him to let it alone that hee by his worde his labourers might digge round about it doung it Behold that hath been doone and yet this figge tree bringeth foorth small fruite wee are like trees that haue their heades in the grounde and sucke all their iuice from the earth wee are like bruite beastes who turne their faces to the grounde wee are not like men who shoulde turne our countenances towardes heauen thence to fet our meate and all good thinges which by promise we may haue for the asking Wee are like the corne growing on the house top which withereth before it bee plucked vp whereof the mower filleth not his hand nor he that bindeth vp the sheues his bosome Our Sauiour Iesus if hee were heere shoulde bee moued to weepe ouer England as hee wept ouer Ierusalem and say O England England if thou hadst euen knowne at the least in this thy day those thinges which belong vnto thy peace but nowe are they hid from thine eyes I speake of many I meane not all O England thou sayest the naturall branches are broken of that I might be graft in through vnbeliefe they were broken of and thou standest by faith bee not high minded but feare For if God did not spare the natural branches take heed least hee will not spare thee O remēber thou man thou doest not beare the roote but the roote doth bare thee By Satā thou didst fall by Christ thou art raised vp ingraffed into the right Oliuetree Qui incitatorem habuit ad malum reparatorem habuit ad bonum sicut hominis peccatum per alium habuit inuitium ita per alium habuit remedium Hee that had a tempter vnto euill had a restorer vnto good as the sinne of man had a beginning by an other so it had also a remedie by an other For very wel saieth Ambrose Non sunt Iudei reprobati a Deo vt gentes entrarent sed seipsos reprobos fecerunt spernētes donum dei vnde occasionem dederunt gentibus ad salutem quam extollentiam reperiri vult vt magis saluti congaudeatur non aegretudini insultetur The Iewes were not reiected of GOD that the Gentiles myght come in but they made themselues reprobates contemning the gift of God wherby they gaue occasion to the Gentiles to saluation the which hautines the apostle wil haue to be beaten down that they mighe the more reioyce at their own saluation and not insulte ouer the Iewes destruction Take heede why were they cast off spernentes donum Dei because they despised the gifte to God For if the word spoken by Angelles was stedfast and euery transgression and disobedience receiued a iust recompence of rewarde how shall we escape if we neglect so great saluation Propterea tantam adiecit quod mortis destructio demonū interitus caelorū imperium cuncta haec exprolatis a deo sermonibus nobis sunt parta Therfore saith Theophilact did the Apostle adde so great saluatiō because the destructiō of death the death of deuilles the kingdome of heauen all these thinges are gotten for vs by the worde which came from GOD Brag not boast not therefore Pride made Herod to haue a fall from his pulpet and to be eaten of wormes Nay beholde a greater fall pride made Nabuchadnezzar to bee a beast nay yet a greater fall pryde did thrust Adam and Eue out of paradise And yet behold I will shew one greater fal pryde did throwe Lucifer and manye Angelles moe out of heauen What shall I say then If GOD did not spare his owne people the Iewes if hee did not spare Adam and Eue in paradise if he did not spare his bright Angelles in heauen will he spare vs if iudgement beginne at the house of GOD what shall the ende of them be that obay not the Gospell If the righteous scarcse be saued where shall the vngodly and sinner appeare did the naturall braunches wither and were cast into fire what shall bee done to the vnnatural Did the green tree suffer what shall be done of the dry Loe I beginne to plague the Citie saieth the Lorde where my name is called vppon and should you escape let vs then be humble and feare Let vs not despise this great gift of GOD. That fire onely was to be vsed in sacrifice which came from heauen Moses must make all things according to the patterne he sawe in the mounte GOD write the lawes with his owne finger that wee should make nothing of our selues our owne braines