â—â—ermon preached aâ— Paules Crosse the 19. of Iuli 1579 setting forth the excellencye of Gods heauenlye worde The exceeding mercye of Christ our Sauiour The state of this world A profe of the true Church A detection of the false Church or rather malignant rable A confutation of sundry haeresies and other thinges necessary to the vnskilfull to be knowen By Iohn Dyos Seene and allowed AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate Anno. 1579. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the right honourable and reuerend Father John by Gods gratious prouidence Byshop of London I. D. wisheth euerlasting felicitye ALBEIT right learned vertuous Prelate the wonderful workmaÌ„ship of the whole world the greatnes and beawtye of the celestiall bodyes the inuiolable order which they keepe in their coÌ„tinuall most swift mouing the inestimable benefites which they yeeld to the inferior partes by their seasonable interchaunges the straunge and sometyme terrible effectes that proceede of their secret influences and operations the continuall intercourses of the dayes and nightes the orderly succeeding of the tymes as winter Springtyme Sommer and Haruest the generation of Cloudes Frosts dewes windes thunder lightning and such other impressions and alterations of the ayre the situation of the huge earth in the middes of the world without any proppe or stay to hold it vp the highnes of the mouÌ„taynes the fertilitye of the valleyes the largenes of the chaÌ„pioÌ„ grouÌ„des the beawtye and vertue of plantes trees herbes and flowers wherewith the earth is so excellently adorned the vnmeasurable widenes of the maine seas some inuironing the compasse of the whole earth and some shooting forth into the maine land to the incomparable commoditye of all countryes the maruelous comming going of the tides the dreadfulnes of the waues rayzed by tempestuous windes the great plentye of all kinde of fishes and moÌ„sters in them the amiablenes of the freshe waters some flowing with restlesse streame into the great Ocean sea some sincking into the earth from whence they spring some staÌ„ding in vnmoueable Lakes and all of them fraught with fishes and other liuing creatures necessarye to the vse of man the propagation multiplication and preseruation of all liuing thinges in their seuerall kindes and finally the most wise and skilfull making of man the Lord of all earthly thinges who is rightly called μικÏόκοσμος that is to say a litle world whose head is euen as it were a litle globe of the world and conceiueth all worldly thinges doe plainly declare shew that there is a God a wise deuiser a mighty worker and fatherly preseruer maintayner of all thinges to whome we ought of right to be subiect in such sort as all our doinges may be agreable to his will yet notwithstanding sinne the mother of all calamityes hath by the fall of our first pareÌ„ts so venemously infected vs all their miserable posteritye and progenye and so blinded vs that what God is and what his will is concerning true religion righteousnes and eternall lyfe wee of our selues are vtterly ignorant Therefore hath he mercifully geuen vs his heauenly worde a rule whereby wee may learne to acknowledge celebrate inuocate and worship him according to the saying of the kingly Prophet Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete Of the vertue of this heaueÌ„ly word according to the abilitye which God hath gratiously geuen me I hauing not long sitheÌ„ce publiquely spoken being earnestly requested of certayne vertuously disposed to coÌ„municate my labours to them others haue thought it meete to satisfie their reasonable request which labour I consecrate to your good Lordship and offer the same to your learned iudgement as a scholler to his Maister as a souldiar to his captayne Wherein my endeuour is to seeke the glory of God to encourage the faythfull and to bring into the kinges high way of their saluation such as goe astray and daungerously wander in the marishes of idolatrye and superstition Yet I protest to your Lordship that considering the infelicitye and malignity of this present tyme and the vanitye of opinions I was almost discouraged to speake or to write And if I could doe it without offence to God I would enioyne mee selfe not with Pythagoras schollars to fiue yeares silence but to seuen yeares silence These be the vnhappy dayes that the Apostle sawe so long before wherein men can not abide souÌ„d doctrine The Prophet Esai sayth there were schollars in his time that would say to their teachers Loquimini nobis placentia Speake to vs such thinges as may lyke vs And truely there are now a dayes I feare me too many such scholars too many itching eares too many newfangled persons and to many wranglers But I am coÌ„forted whan I consider that the veritye ouercommeth falshod and that the thinges which are of God doe daunt whatsoeuer is obiected of men and of Sathan himselfe â–ª what hurteth the enemye yf God protect what preuaileth enuy yf the highest preserue They may mutter and murmure brawle and cauill but they cannot hurt Truth will get the vpper haÌ„d Christ will haue the field I would to God euery man would seeke the truth in the worde of god S. August sayth Vbi inueni veritatem ibi inueni Deum meum ipsam veritatem Where I fouÌ„d the truth there I found my God who is the truth it selfe I would to God men would embrace the truth and now at length stick no longer in their mire but cease to defend the denne of Antichrist the house of their spirituall whoredome shops of falshode fraughted with shadowes dreames pride vaineglory and all other abhominable abuses It is great pitie that learning should be so ill bestowed For how much might they be able to doe to the aduauncemeÌ„t of the truth which shew so great cunning and skill in defence of falshod Erasmus a man of excellent and exquisite learning writte much of the prayse of follie what could he haue written in the prayse of wit Cornelius Agrippa writte much of the vanitye of scieÌ„ces what could he haue written in the commendation of sciences how could he haue praysed helth that praysed the feuer quartane how could he haue praysed bewtifull heare that praysed deformed baldnes how many aduenture witte in desperate causes It is a desperate cause that can not be smoothed with words of eloqueÌ„ce No follie so vaine but by some shift it may be maintayned By meanes wherof the blinde drincketh many a flye and the simple eye is sone beguiled Yet notwithstaÌ„ding their Transubstantiation their Purgatorye their Merites their Inuocation of Saintes their Supremacy and such other Romish platyre can not be iustly defended by scripture or Doctours Therfore it were good for those kinde of teachers to cease to abuse the simplicitye of the people and to professe the trueth S. Ambrose sayth Nullus pudor est ad melior a transire It is no shame to remoue to the better Augustine was an infant in Christes
Scriptura enim speculū est foeda ostēdens corrige dicens Vse to read the holy Scripture vse the glasse sée the glasse That deformitie may be amēded fayrenesse preserued and fayre thynges performed For the Scripture is a glasse shewyng deformitie saying amend Gregory sayth Sacra Scriptura tanquam speculum quoddam mentis The holy Scripture is as a certaine glasse of the mynde S. August sayth Scriptura sancta sit tibi tāquam speculū Speculum hoc habet splēdorem non mēdacem non adulantē nullius personam amantem Formosus es Formosum te ibi vides Sed cum foedus accesseris foedum te ibi videris noli accusare speculum ad te redi nō te fallit speculum tu te noli fallere Let the holy Scripture be to thée as a glasse This glasse hath no deceitfull or flatteryng brightnesse it is not in loue with any mans person Art thou bewtifull Thou séest thy selfe there bewtifull But when thou commest deformed séest thy selfe there deformed accuse not the glasse aduise thée selfe The glasse deceiueth thée not deceiue not thou thy selfe It is lyke to a cleare fountaine or well The womā of Samaria found Christ at the well Would you finde Christ At the well of his word shall you finde him S. Basill sayth the Scripture of God is like to Apothecaries shop full of medecines sundry sortes that euery man may there chose a conuenient remedy for his dissease This is that pillar exhibited to the children of Israell Factae sunt tene brae horribiles in vniuersa terra Aegypti vbicunque habitabant filij Israel lux erat There was a thicke darknes vpon all the lād of Egypt but all the children of Israell had light where they dwelled Where the word of God is there is light Where the same is not there is darkenes Without this fierie piller we can not walke in the light He that walketh in darknesse knoweth not whether he goeth This is that piller which mightely conducteth our vnderstandyng out of the the Egypt of infidelitie This is that Lucifer the bright mornyng starre whiche commeth before the sunne of righteousnesse by whom the light of grace doth rise whom foloweth the day of glory This is that starre of the sea descrying port and coūtrey to the saylers on the sea of this world This is that starre which led the wise and faythfull men frō a far countrey to Christ This is that most heauenly iewell treasure the precious stone whiche the Christian Marchantman sought with great diligēce and care ▪ when he had found it sold all that he had to buy the same He whiche preferreth the word of God before all transitorie thynges Which for saketh him selfe taketh vp his Crosse and foloweth Christ is truly sayd to sell all that he hath and to buy the same This is a most pleasaunt garden In this garden you may gather many swéete flowers the plantain of sayth the roses of patience the lillies of innocēcie the oliues of mercy and many other of most excellent vertue In this garden are planted many goodly and fayre trées bringyng forth most swéet and delitesome frute The Ceders of contemplation the Cyprusses of noble fame the Okes of constācie the Laurels or Bay trées of vertue and many other such like It is called a candle or light The kingly Prophet sayth thy word is a candle vnto my féete and a light vnto my pathes The lighters of this cādle sayth Chrisost are the father the sonne and the holy ghost The candle sticke is the Church or euery godly man hauyng the word By this cādle the théefe or false teacher is espyed so sayth Theophilact It is called the bread of the soule for that it feedeth the soule Man shall not liue by bread onely but by euery word that procéedeth out of the mouth of god A fishe can not liue without water a shéepe can not liue without pasture this mortall body cā not long endure without foode the soule cā not long liue without the word of god This is the meat of fayth This word is light The people that walked in darknesse haue sene a great light This is condēnation that light is come into the world and men haue loued darknes rather then light because their déedes were euill To giue light to them that sit in darknes c It is named water Christ said to the woman of Samaria if thou knewest the gift of God who it is that sayth to thée giue me drinke thou wouldest haue asked of him he would haue geuen thée the water of life It is a royall and kyngly feast It is the sword of the spirit This sword is very necessary to all that be in this warfare For who goeth to battaile without a sworde Hee that hath no sword let him sell his coate and buy a sword The spiritual Māna Gather your Manna while you haue tyme The horne of saluation The incorruptible séede whiche liueth and lasteth for euer A hāmer that breaketh the hard stone A key that giueth entry into the house which is the kyngdome of of heauen The scepter of the kyngdome An arrow that pearceth the enemy A heauēly trumpet A net enclosing and bringyng vs together The word of grace The word of saluatiō The word of recōciliation The word of truth The word of vertue The word of lyfe euerlastyng The word and way of righteousnesse yea righteousnesse it selfe Grace and veritie The wisedome of God in a misterie That good word whereof Esay speaketh which is called good for that it bringeth all goodnesse And to conclude it is called the kyngdome of God The kyngdome of God shal be taken from you and giuē to a nation bringyng forth the frutes therof The premisses considered I may say with the Prophet Hieremie Terra terra terra audi verbum Domini O thou earth earth earth heare the word of the lord The foolishe carle Nabal still carieth earth in his eyes earth in his eares and earth in his toung Aboue all thynges he desireth to sée earth to heare of earth and to speake of earth Many Nabals many carles many fooles But one thyng is necessary one thyng is necessary one thyng is necessary that is the word of god Mary hath chosen the good part whiche shall not be taken away from her The first precept that Isocrates gaue to prince Demonicus was τίμα τὸν θεό◠feare God. The first law that should be geuen to any man sayth Plato should be to the encrease of godlynes The chiefest oth which the Atheniens toke was this Pugnabo pro facris cum alijs solus In defence of Religion I will fight both in company and alone Among the Atheniens no king was created before he had taken orders and was a priest They iudged the wisest best and most renowned to be
heart word and worke against God and Moyses saying Anima nostra nauseat super cibo isto leuissimo Our soule lotheth this light bread we may assuredly loke to be plagued with the Israelites God is a righteous iudge strong and patient and God is prouoked euery day If a man will not turne he wil whet his sword he hath bent his howe and hath made it ready He hath prepared for him the instruments of death he hath ordained his arrowes against the persequtours Behold the day is come sayth the Lord that I will sēd a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but a hunger thirst of hearing the word of god And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North vnto the East shall they runne to and fro to séeke the word of the lord In that day shall the fayre virgins and the young men perish for thirst He will also send famine of bread pestilence fire and sword he will send Tamerlane Nabuchadnazer the host of Sēnacherib Titus and Vespatian The Syrians shall deuoure before and the Philistines behinde He will destroy murtherers burne vp their citie as Esay sayth the leage which they haue made with death and hell shall be disanulled He suffereth long he is a patient god It is sayd that he hath leaden feete but he hath iron handes He commeth slowlye but when he commeth he payeth home Violatours and contemnours of Gods word alwayes haue bin punished For this fault Adam and Eue were banished out of Eden a most fruitfull and delightsome garden into a valley of teares miserie and calamitye there to eate their bread with the sweate of their face The enemies of Noah were miserablye drowned in the floud The enemies of Lot were destroyed with brimstone and fire The Israelites were greuously punished and plagued as Moyses and the Prophets in many places make mention Dauid lost seuenty thowsand men plagued with pestilence Absolon was hanged slayne and cast into a pit Saule was sore plagued deposed from his kingdome afflicted and vexed with a deuill and finally slayne with his thrée sonnes his harnes bearer and all his men in one day Sedechias was sent into Babilon and made blinde Roboam the sonne of Salomon of twelue tribes lost tenne Sennacherib was slayne of his sonnes Pharao with all his chiualrie was drowned in the red sea Herod horriblely ended his lyfe Iesabel was cast out of a window and doggs did eate her Ionas was cast into the sea A certayne Prophet was killed by a Lyon. The children that mocked Eliseus were torne of beares Corazin Bethsaida and Caphernaum were cursed with woe woe and cast downe to hell That famous citie Hierusalē named sometyme the holye citye was piteouslye plagued made euen to the ground with the children within it destroyed stick and stone and turned to a heape of stones for contemning the gracious and mercifull visitation reiecting Christes heauenly word miracles and all his benefites So Christ prophecied and so it came to passe For the same fault truely a horrible fault the kingdome of the Romaines was destroyed the kingdome of the Chaldeans the kingdome of the Macedonians the kingdome of the Persians the kingdome of the Carthaginiās and many other moe Paule preached to the Collossians Hierapolians and Laodiceans but they contēned his wordes and therefore as Orosius witnesseth the earth opened and swallowed them vp O Hierusalem Hierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which haue bene sent vnto thée how oftē would I haue gathered thy children together euen as a henne gathereth her chickens vnder her winges and ye would not behold your house is left vnto you desolate O England england which contēnest the word of god and dealest vnthankfully with them that are sent vnto thée hating them that rebuke thee in the gate and abhorring them that speake vprightly how oft sayth Christ woulde I haue gathered thy children together as a henne gathereth her chickens vnder her winges ye would not Behold your house shall be left vnto you desolate and the vineyard shall be let out vnto other husbandmen which shall yelde fruite in due season except ye spedely repent For now is the Axe layd to the roote of the trée and euery trée that bringeth not forth good fruite shall be cut downe and cast into the sire Therefore know the tyme redeme the tyme while you haue time The swallow knoweth her time The Crane knoweth her tyme The whery man taketh his tyde The sea-man his gale The Smith stryketh whilest the Iron is whot The husbandman felleth his corne when it is ripe the haruest mā maketh haye whē the sunne shineth The sower casteth his séede when the ground is melow As yet the sunne shineth as yet is the acceptable tyme as yet to day lasteth as yet the gate is open as yet grace is offered yet the tyde serueth and yet Christ cryeth by his preachers Earth earth earth heare the word of the lord Therfore especially considering the season after the exāple of this people let vs with all indeuour and feruencye preasse vpon Christ to heare his swéete and comfortable worde Thus much for the first part And he stood by the lake of Genezareth and sawe two shyps stand by the lakes side but the fishermen c. The place is noted where these thinges were done Mathew Marke call it the sea of Galilee It is called also the sea of Tiberias The place was pleasaūt and delectable not without goodly pastures Nighe to the same were many goodly and populous Cities as Capharnaū Bethsaida Corazin the regiō of the ten Cities and the region of the Gadarenes In these Cities he often taught both in their Synagoges and houses as occasion serued You haue an elegant description of this place in Egesippus Iosephus and Plini Here he saw two shyppes but the fishermē were gone out of them and were washyng their nets They had now no hope at all to catche any fish but God of his infinite mercy doth often tymes shew his power in workyng when thynges are past all hope of good recouery And whē he was entred into one of the shyppes which belonged to Simon he prayed him that he would thrust out a litle from the land c. Behold the wonderfull humilitie of Christ he might haue commaunded but hee prayeth For the earth is the Lordes and all that therein is the cōpasse of the world and they that dwel therein c. Learne humilitie of this Doctour of humilitie the best doctour that euer was who sayth Learne of me for I am méeke and low in hart Whiche wholesome counsaile that excellent learned diuine S. August notyng sayth Ille ille cui omnia tradidit Pater c That euen the king of kinges and Lord of Lordes and onely son of the euerliuyng God to whō the father had
geuen all thynges c. sayth not learne of me to make the world or to rayse the dead but to be hūble méeke O wholsome comfortable coūsaile O faithful doctour humble Doctour Lord and Maister of mankind He would not teach that he was not he would not commaund that he him selfe did not Consider this you which with ill shepheards by force and cruelty gouerne And he sate down and taught the people out of the shippe Christ euery where and alwayes sheweth him selfe a Sauiour and is set forth vnto vs in the Gospell preachyng diuers and sundry wayes Walkyng on the land sittyng in the shyp paynefully trauailyng by the way sittyng vpon the well in the Synagogues in the stréetes in houses in wildernes vpō hils He healed the sicke he comforted the afflicted Doth not wisedome crie doth not vnderstandyng put forth her voyce She stādeth in the top of high places by the way in the place of the pathes She crieth at the gates of Cities and at the entries of mens doores These thynges accordyng to the letter are best spokē of Christ which preached the Gospell publiquely not onely in Synagogues and temples but also in other places where the people assembled together Vpon the moūtaine he made that excellent and passing Sermon written in Mathew In his iorneys he oftentymes disputed with his aduersaries taught the multitude and his Disciples sundry excellēt matters confirmed his doctrine with wonderfull miracles At the gate of the Citie Naim hee shewed him selfe by raysing the widowes sonne In priuate houses when he sate at the table he gaue heauēly instructiō and would not suffer somuch as that tyme to passe without doyng good When hee was but xij yeares old he sate in the tēple among Doctours hearyng thē and posing them so that all men which heard him had him in maruailous admiration for his singular wisedome and passyng vnderstandyng He made many Sermons publikly and openly in the temple at Hierusalem When he was brought bounde to Caiphas and of him demaunded concernyng his Disciples and doctrine He aunswered I spake openly to the world I euer taught in the Sinagogue and in the temple whether all the Iewes resort and in secret haue I sayd nothyng c. Briefly in all places he graciously sought meanes to instruct the people He calleth all mē he excludeth no man They that were not entred in Musike and Geometrie were not admitted into Platoes schole but the mercyfull goodnesse of Christ Iesus admitteth all mē into his schoole not excludyng euen children He teacheth all men out of the shyp of what soeuer age sexe state or condition they be Hee instructed Nicodemus familiarly Most gently he entreated the Cēturion albeit a Heathen man. Hee behaued him selfe mildly towardes the woman of Samaria sittyng on the well Notable sinners he despised not What kinde of dissease did he euer cry fie vpon or turne his face from He turned his mercifull face to Leapers to men possessed with deuils afflicted with bloudy flixes disseased with palsie and many other daungerous maladies and cured thē all He commaunded infantes to be brought vnto him agaynst the will and minde of his Apostles He taught that yoūg man whiche demaunded what good thyng he should doe that hee might haue eternall lyfe He reiecteth not the weake in fayth but he inuiteth allureth desireth all to come to him You haue heard how wisedome in this place and in all places cryeth to all men And at this day she slacketh not to cry and to put forth her voyce in England and many other places by Preachers by holy Scripture by signes and wonders What maters Christ taught in this place I finde not expressed A learned man sayth Nefas est quaerere quae in sacris Scripturis non traduntur It is wickednesse to search those thynges which are not taught in scripture Thus much touchyng the letter Foure things come to be obserued in this mistery The sea Christ in the shyp the people on the shore the shyp it selfe The sea is an Image of the world Christ is an image of true and sincere teachers The people on the shore an image of hearers the shyp an image of the true Church Touchyng the first The sea hath his name of bitternes Isidorus sayth Propterea Mare appellatum quod eius aquae sunt amarae The sea hath his name Mare in Latin of the Latin worde Amarum which signifieth bitter because the waters therof are bitter The sea is very bitter notwithstandyng to fishes nourished in the same it sauoureth swéetelye Right so the world is very bitter yet to worldly men chiefly delighting in the same it sauoureth swéetely But woe be to them which make sowre swéete and swéete sowre which call euill good and good euill whiche make darkenes light and light darknes The sea is bitter the dealynges of the world are bitter Pride is bitter couetousnesse is bitter vsurie is bitter adulterie fornication cosenyng swearyng forswearyng deceitfull vilanie traiterous treacherie murther are bitter These horrible and hatefull vices with many moe ouerflow the world The world is bitter The sea is inconstāt it ebbeth and floweth The world is inconstant it chaūgeth euery day Some be borne and some dye Some be sicke some be whole Some grow toward mans estate Some drawe in age Sometymes commeth good tydynges some tymes heauy To day in fauour to morow quite out of credite To day a man to morow none The sea is full of daungers daungers of windes pirates Mermaidēs rockes quickesandes other daungers There are thynges creepyng innumerable both small great beasts There is that Leuiathan whom God hath made to play therein They that sayle ouer the sea tell of the perilles therof and whē we heare it with our eares we maruaile thereat They that go downe to the sea in shyps and occupy by the great waters they sée the wordes of the Lord and his wonders in the depe They sée as it were a thousand deathes In the sea no rest can be had The world is full of daūgers in the world a thousād deathes in the world no rest Daungers in the world more then in the sea The world hath tempestuous windes Pirates rockes waues Mermaidens quicke sandes and many moe daungers thē can be numbred Moe perishe in the world then in the sea The sea is tēpestuous the world is tempestuous If the sea seme neuer so calme yet looke for a tēpest If the world séeme neuer so prosperous it may looke for a tempest of aduersitye The world hath neuer long stode without stormes and tempestes The case is cleare and S. Ambrose calleth them Procellae mundi Tēpestes or stormes of the world The same wordes hath S. Cyprian and many other Here is tēpest of euil tongues tempest of lying tempest of slaunder tempest of aduersitye tempest of sicknes tempest of losse of frendes and good