SEVEN GODLY AND LEARned Sermons, preached by the Reverend Father in God JOHN IVEL, late Bishop of Salisbury. Never before imprinted. Newly published to the glory of God, and benefit of his Church.  LACTANT. Nostrae voces licèt aurae misceantur atque evanescant, tamen plarunquè permanent literis comprehensae. 
LONDON Jmpensis G. Bishop. 1607.   

To the most Reverend Father in God, my L. of Canturburie his Grace, Primate of England, and of his majesties most Honourable privy Counsel.  
I Offer here unto your Grace a kind of present: which if it be valued by the greatness, is but small; if by the goodness either of itself, or of my dutiful affection towards your Grace, is surely great. Certain Sermons are they of that reverend learned Father of so worthy memory B. jewel; which having received of a friend, and reserved by me some good time in written hand (howbeit faithfully written, as I trust shall after appear) I could no longer, no longer, I say, could I be either so injurious, or so envious to the public good, as not to publish them to the glory of God, and benefit of his Church. And if the renowned Orator Tully could not endure to have the least & meanest of his painful travels perish or be lost, were it but some familiar Epistle or letter, as is apparent by that he wrote to his friend Varro in the like case: Etsi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 erat illa epistola, Albeit the letter which Caninius caused me to write (but as I take it, had forgotten to call for) were stale and out of season, yet have I since delivered it unto him for thee: Quia nolui perire lucubrationem meam, saith he. Norblame him pardy, for why should so sweet a vein of wit and eloquence flow out in vain? Then what reason were it that these so many, so learned, so godly, so eloquent Sermons of this reverend Father & great Divine; especially treating, not as Tully doth, of matters earthly, but heavenly, not of things temporal, but eternal, not of the Commonwealth of the Romans, but the saving health of all christians: I say, what pity were it that these his so sundry & worthy labours, should either be smothered up in, or buried in oblivion, or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wife always impropered, engrossed, & restrained unto any one, & not rather imparted, divulged & made common unto many one, for the general behoof of the present age, & so of future posterity? They are in Philosophy (as your Grace well knoweth) rules both ancient & authentic: Bonum quo communius, quo diuturnius, eo melius, Good things the more they stretch themselves to the benefit of many, & the more durable they are, the better they are. For as Lactantius saith, and saith very well, Nostrae voces etc. Our words once uttered, dissolve & vanish into air: but let them be put in writing, or print, and for the most part they remain unto all succeeding ages. Wherefore not long to hold your Grace (being holden sufficiently with your public travels for the good both of Church and Commonweal; for which to Almighty God, to his excellent Majesty, & to your Grace we are, and I trust, shallbe still more & more beholden) It may please your Gr. to accept this small 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of my thankful duty, & dutiful thankfulness; of whom I am bold to say truly, which I add without flattery, that next after God the mean livelihood I have, whatsoever I have, by your Graces mean I have: & therefore do pray, and aught to pray, and will not cease to pray; that like as the Almighty hath in special favour placed you in so high room of honour & above others graced you; so he will continue forth his loving kindness & gracious favour towards you; so he will multiply his spiritual gifts, & heavenly blissing upon you, to the glory of his name, the good of his Church, and your Graces incessant comfort both here and for ever.  
Your G. most bounden at come. I. K.   

SEVEN GODly and learned Sermons, preached by the reverend Father I. IVEL, Bishop of Salisbury.  I. Corinth. 4. vers. 1. 2. 
1. Let every man esteem us, even for the Ministers and Stewards of the secrets of God.  
2. Now is there no more required of the Stewards, but that they be found faithful.  
dearly beloved in our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, The people of the city of Corinth, to whom S. Paul wrote this Epistle or letter, were at great strife, contention, and variance among themselves, as touching the Preachers of Christ's Gospel, and Ministers dwelling among them. For, whereas God had sent them store of Preachers, as Peter, Paul, Apollo, Cephas, and such other, which were notable in the ministery of God; they of these great gifts and benefits of God, took occasion of strife, took (I say) occasion of great contention and debate among themselves. For whosoever liked Peter best, would say, I hold of Peter; whosoever thought Paul's Doctrine better than Peter's, would say, I stand of Paul's side; whosoever again thought that Apollo excelled the rest, would say, I hold with Apollo. And thus of their own fancies, they took occasion of strife, & found fault with the preaching of Christ's Gospel. As for Peter, as for Paul, as for Apollo, they all preached one thing, they taught one Doctrine, there was no strife, no debate, no dissension among them. Yet notwithstanding, though the Schoolmasters agreed, the Disciples and Scholars could not be at one: though they all preached one and the same Doctrine, yet could not the people fancy their Preachers alike. And therefore Paul concluded before, and said; Let no man rejoice in men, for all is yours, whether it be Paul, or Apollo, whether it be Cephas or the world, all is yours. And hereupon followed these words of his, that you heard read unto you. As for us (saith Saint Paul) esteem us as the Ministers of Christ: whatsoever they be that Preach unto you the Gospel of GOD, regard them as the Stewards of the secrets of God.  
So it happeneth oftentimes that either the people judge too much of the Preachers of God's word, or else they judge too little: Sometime they attribute unto them too much honour, sometime again they give them too little honour: Sometime they credit them too much, sometime they believe them nothing at all. So are the people always inconstant, so are they moved on either side. When Paul and Barnabas at Listra began to 
Act. 14.  preach, by and by the whole multitude of the people thought them to be Gods and no men, forthwith they erected Altars, they brought their Sacrifices, their oxen, their calves, their sheep, minding to have sacrificed unto them, and Paul they called Mercurius; Barnabas, jupiter. This was too great an honour. And therefore when Paul and Barnabas understood the same, they rend their clothes, tore their own garments, run in among the people, cried out and said: Ye men and brethren, why do ye this? So likewise Peter being appointed by God to go to Cornelius the Captain, 
Act. 10.  so soon as he came in unto him, by and by Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshipped him, he thought him a God and no man.. And thus, as ye see, sometimes the people offended too much on that hand, and gave more honour and reverence unto God's Ministers than God himself required, or they looked for: Sometimes again on the other hand, they gave them no reverence, they attributed no honour unto them, they did set too little by the Preachers of God's word; and this was a fault on the other side.  
When Christ in our nature began first to preach, and set abroad his father's will, and the glad tidings of the Gospel, the people forthwith found fault with him; he is, said they, but a Carpenter's son, 
john. 6.  we know his Father, we know his Mother, he was never set to School, how can this man have learning? Afterward, when the Disciples and Apostles of Christ preached and taught the people, and began to speak with strange tongues, 
Act. 2.  in so much that every man marveled to hear his own speech and language, both Medes, Persians, and they of Mesopotamia; yet said the people, these men are full of new wine. And this was too little honour. Therefore if the Preacher be too much honoured, then is God dishonoured: if he be despised and nothing set by, then is Christ himself despised, and not regarded. They that said Christ was a Carpenter's son, a man unlearned, and such a one as never went to school: they that said the Apostles of Christ were full of new wine, spoke not this of any private malice or hatred that they bore either unto Christ, or his Apostles, but only to bring God's word to shame, only to bring Christ's holy Gospel out of credit with the people: this was their intent and purpose, and nothing else. Therefore Saint Paul in this place showeth the Corinthians how they should esteem the teachers of gods holy word, how they should think and judge of them. For the people sometime esteem most a policicke man, such a man as by his great wit is able to conclude Peace and Leagues between Princes, they regard him that is of stout courage and learned in the Laws, they set most by him that is eloquent and able to persuade; yea and they regard him not that is not excellently learned, and seen in all Sciences: but here Saint Paul showeth them, that they should not esteem the Preachers of God's Gospel as men politic, as men of great wit, as men of stout courage, and learned in the Law as men eloquent, and excellently well seen in sciences: but as the Ministers of Christ, and Stewards of the secrets of God. Thus should the Ministers of Christ be esteemed, and thus ought the teachers of God's word show themselves, as Ministers of Christ, and dispensers of God's secrets. And therefore saint Paul in another place saith; We come not to preach ourselves, 
2. Cor. 4.  all our preaching, all our teaching, all our Doctrine, is that you know jesus Christ; as for ourselves, we are but your servants. So Christ himself; Qui de se loquitur, gloriam propriam quaerit, 
joh. 7.  He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory, saith Christ. 
1. Cor. 3.  So Paul likewise, Quid Petrus, quid Paulus, quid Apollo, nisi Ministri? What is Peter, what is Paul, what is Apollo? think you them any other than the servants and ministers of God? Paul hath planted, Apollo watered, but God hath given the increase. The increase came not from Peter, not from Paul, not from Apollo, but from God alone. Apollo, Paul, and Peter, are nothing else but the ministers and servants of God; God is he that giveth the increase, God alone is he that giveth the increase. When the great City of jerusalem understood of john the Baptist, and began to seek unto him, they asked him, What art thou? He answered them, Ego vox clamantis in deserto, Parate viam Domini. 
john 1.  I am. said he, a man not worthy to be esteemed, I am but a messenger sent unto you, I am nothing else but a voice to cry, Prepare you the way of the Lord. So Moses and Aaron that had the conducting of the people of God, when the whole Camp was in a tumult and uproar, and the people ran in rage against them, like to have slain them, they stretched out their hands and said, 
Exod. 16.  Non contra nos, sed contra Dominum, nam nos qui sumus? This stir, this hurly burly, this tumult, that you make is not, said they, against us, but against God; for alas, what are we? we are but God's servants, Gods messengers, appointed to lead and guide you. Thus therefore ought every man esteem the Preachers of God's gospel, as messengers, as servants as Ministers of Christ, thus ought every man think, and judge of them.  
But what kind of servant is this Preacher, what manner of Minister is he? Saint Paul saith, He is the Steward and Dispenser of God's secrets, he setteth forth, and showeth abroad the mysteries of his holy Gospel. And these mysteries that S. Paul here meaneth, (to conclude in one word) are none other than the Articles of our Faith: That Christ is the Son of God, conceived by the holy Ghost, borne of the virgin Marie; that he was crucified, dead, buried, descended into Hell, rose again, and sitteth at the right hand of his Father; that by his blood, our sins were washed away; that our bodies shall at the last day arise, and we possess eternal life. These be the secrets, these be the mysteries, that the Ministers of Christ, the servants and Stewards of God, do utter and declare to God's people: no wisdom of man is able to compass this, no learning of this world able of itself to expound these hidden secrets. For saith Saint Paul, Animalis homo non percipit ea quae sunt ex Deo. 
1. Cor. 2.  The natural man perceiveth nothing of the spirit of God, he understandeth not such things as are of God. It is foolishness unto him, and he can not perceive it, for it must be spiritually discerned. 
joh. 1.  Christ himself also, Non ex hominibus, nequè ex voluntate carnis, sed ex voluntate Dei, they which are Gods children, and able to understand his mysteries, are such which are not borne of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. When Christ had asked of Peter what he thought of him, and Peter had said, 
Math. 16.  Tues Christus, filius Dei vivi, Thou art Christ the Son of the living God: He answered, O happy art thou Simon the Son of jonas, for flesh and blood hath not opened that unto thee, but my Father that is in Heaven. These mysteries therefore are only opened by the spirit of God, by Gods only working, not by any wisdom of man, not by any cunning and great learning of this world. Now therefore, saith Saint Paul, think thus of us, judge us to be the Ministers and servants of God, and mark well whether we reveal unto you Gods mysteries, and his holy Gospel; Consider with yourselves, and see whether we open unto you Gods hidden Secrets: By this shall you know, whether we be the servants and dispensers of God's mysteries.  
But like as in S. Paul's time, there was dissension, strife, & great debate, even amongst the Christians, and such as professed the name of God: So likewise in our days, (good brethren) even in the time that we ourselves have seen, there hath been discord and parts-taking among us. Some have said, I will believe the old learning: some again have said, I will believe the new: some have said I will credit this man: some I will believe that man. And thus the father hath fallen out with the son, the Mother with the daughter, the brother with his brother, and one neighbour with another; each man defending that part, which he himself best liked. But alas, (good brethren) this is no new thing, this hath been from the beginning, and even in Christ's time. For at what time Christ himself walked here on this earth, & began to preach the glory of his father, some said he was a good man, 
joh. 7. Luk. 7.  some other said no, some said he was a Prophet, some other said he was none, but one that deceived the people, some rejoiced that it pleased God to send such a Preacher as Christ was, some again despised his doctrine, and said, 
joh. 7.  he had a devil. These words the people than spoke of Christ, these words, I say, they spoke of Christ himself. He was called a Samaritan, 
Luk. 7.  a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, a seducer of the people. Therefore, it is the less marvel if such words be now at these days spoken, as were spoken in the beginning of the Church; if such words be spoken against us, as were spoken against Christ himself. But S. Paul hath here given us a rule, whereby to know the true servants of Christ, and Stewards of God's secrets. Christ was the true Prophet, and why so? because he preached his father's will. 
joh. 15.  What ever I have heard of my Father, saith Christ, the same have I declared unto you. Saint Paul was the true servant of Christ, and steward of his secrets, and why so? because he laboured in God's vineyard, he preached, he taught, more than all the rest of the Apostles of Christ did, Laboravi plus quam, caeteri omnes. 
1. Cor. 15.  I have laboured more than all the rest of the Apostles have done. Therefore was he the true and faithful minister of God's mysteries, because he thus diligently always taught God's Gospel, and the glory of his name: for this cause I say, and none other, was he the Steward and dispenser of God's secrets. So were the patriarchs, and the Prophets, the true servants of God, because they declared the will of God. And here have we to consider, that Christ which was the true Prophet, the Apostles which were the true Ministers and Stewards of Christ, the patriarchs & Prophets, which were the true and faithful servants of God, were all grievously afflicted, persecuted from place unto place, and lastly put to most cruel death. This I say, happened to Christ himself, and all his Apostles, S. john the Evangelist only excepted. And yet was Christ Gods own son, the Apostles were the true Ministers and Stewards of God's secrets. And therefore if we shall in our time see the Preachers of God's word afflicted, the Teachers of the Gospel of Christ persecuted, the Stewards of God's secrets miserably tormented, yet let not us (good brethren) let not us give over and shrink from God's gospel, let us consider that this is no new thing, no strange hap, but such as happened to the patriarchs, to the Prophets, to the Apostles, yea, and to Christ himself.  
Now then, let us take this rule of S. Paul's, and thereby let us try whether the Preachers in times past, the Popes, the Cardinals, the Bishops, were the true servants of God, Stewards and dispensers of his holy secrets. There are at this day some that be called Bishops, some that be called Cardinals, & they say that they carry up the Church of Christ, and are the props & pillars of the same: and therefore in token thereof they have always pillars borne before them. At this day the Bishop of Rome calleth himself a general Bishop, an universal Bishop, not over this part, or that part, but over all Christendom; yea, & he saith, he is the head of Christ's Church: he saith that he hath power over Kings, over Princes, he hath power over purgatory, over Souls departed, over Devils, over Angels: he can parden not only sins already done, but such also as shall be at any time hereafter committed: and that he can not mistake the Scriptures of God, that he can not err, and be deceived: what ever he doth, all is well done: no man can judge him and sit upon his doings. I speak not this of malice, I speak it not for any grudge or hatred I owe to his person, God is my witness, I neither know him that now is, nor any of them that have heretofore time been Bishops of Rome. But all these their doings are written, all these words which I have here spoken, are written I say, even in their own Laws and Decrees; the places may be alleged and brought forth. Alas, these are glorious titles, to be called universal Bishop, and head of Christ's Church, to have dominion over Kings and Princes, to have power over Purgatory, over Souls departed, over Devils, over Angels, to have authority to pardon sins past, & sins hereafter to be committed, not to err, not to be deceived: all these are glorious and triumphant titles, as you well see. But let us now take Paul's rule, the rule I say that S. Paul hath here given us, and let us by the same try, whether the Bishops, the Cardinals, the Popes, have heretofore time, or at this time, do dispense unto us the mysteries of the Gospel, as Stewards of the secrets of God: whether they do preach & teach the Gospel of Christ, as the servants and Ministers of Christ. Alas, we see they do nothing less, they do, we see, nothing less than set forth the Gospel of God, & the glory of his holy name. Now then can they call themselves pastors, when they feed not God's sheep? how can they call themselves watchmen, when they have no regard to God's flock? how can they call themselves pillars of the Church, yea, and the head of the Church, when they show themselves rather destroyers of the Church of Christ, and not members of the same? Alas, if they be not Gods servants, whose servants are they? if they be not Dispenser's & Steward's of God's secrets, of whose secrets are they Stewards? if they be not so much as members, how are they then the Pillars & head of Christ's Church?  
Saint Paul goeth further and saith, It is not sufficient to be called Servants, to be called Ministers, to be called stewards of God's secrets, but it is further required at the Steward's hand, that he be found faithful. In this world the Master committeth the order of his house to the governance of his Steward; the disposing of his whole living, & order of all other things, he committeth only to his Steward's wisdom: & he looketh that he be found faithful in all his doings. And if this be in worldly things, if the Master here in this world will look for, & require faithful dealings at his Steward's hands, in such things as are but transitory, & of little value: how much more than will God require faithfulness in his Stewards, as touching things Eternal, things Heavenly, and the disposing of his secrets. But from the beginning, even from the first beginning of the world, there have been always untrusty and wicked Stewards. For, at what time God framed man, and placed him in Paradise in great joy and pleasure, the Devil envying this his felicity, became a wicked Steward, and said unto Adam, Tush, ye shall not die, eat of this fruit, 
Gen. 3.  ye shall not die, God doth but mock with you: for he doth know that in what ever hour ye eat of it, your eyes shallbe opened, & ye shall be as God, knowing both good & evil. And thus he became a most wicked Steward. jeremy also the prophet saith, that in his time there were wicked and untrusty Stewards: Currunt saith he, at ego non misi, loquuntur, at ego non sum locutus illis, 
jer. 23.  They run, saith God, but I sent them not, they have spoken, but I spoke not unto them. So Christ himself said, that in the later days there should come false Stewards, false Prophets, false Preachers, and say, 
Math. 24.  Hic est Christus, illic est Christus, Lo, here is Christ, there is Christ; and should do great wonders and tokens, in so much that, if it were possible, the very chosen should be brought into error also. Antichrist in likewise shall come saith Paul, The man of sin, the son of perdition, 
2. Thess. 2.  he shall exalt himself above all that is called God, he shall sit in the holy place, in the Temple of God, in the conscience of Men: and when he cometh he shall not say, I am Antichrist, I am a false Prophet, I am a wicked Steward; but he shall rather say, I am a true Prophet, I am a faithful Steward. I am Christ the Son of God, yea I am God himself. Now therefore how will you know the true servant, from the false Minister, how will you try the faithful Steward from the unfaithful? Mary, saith S. Paul, if he doth his Master's will and commandment, if he doth all those things faithfully that his Master requireth at his hands, if he this doth, then is he a faithful Minister and a trusty Steward. By this shall you know him, by this token, & none other shall you soon discern, whether he be a faithful Steward, this is the point of a trusty servant. And therefore God unto Ezechiel his prophet, and so by him to all such as shall become his Stewards & Preachers of his Gospel, saith, 
Ezech. 3.  I have appointed thee a Watchman over my house of Israel, to cry unto my people, therefore take good heed to the words of my mouth, and give them warning at my commandment: thou shalt hear it at my mouth, saith God, and then shalt thou pronounce it unto my people. So Paul was bold to say, 
1. Cor. 11.  Quodaccepi à Domino, tradidi vobis, That which I delivered unto you, received I of the Lord: what thing soever I received of the Lord, that have I delivered & sthewed unto you, without adding any thing thereto, or diminishing any thing therefrom. Even so, Christ himself said, 
joh. 7.  Sermo quem audistis non est meus, sed patris mei qui misit me: The doctrine which you hear is not mine, but his that hath sent me: These words that you have heard, are not mine, but my fathers that sent me: I do but my Father's message, saith Christ, all that I teach, all that I preach unto you, is nothing else but the will of my Father. 
joh. 7.  By this therefore (my brethren) shall you soon try whether they are true servants of God: for if they shall only disclose unto you the will of God, if they shall preach unto you the secrets of God's Gospel, & the glory of his holy name, then are they true servants, then are they Christ's ministers, & faithful dispensers of God's secrets. But if they teach you not the sincerity of God's Gospel, if they preach not unto you the mysteries of God's word, if they disclose not unto you the will of God, if they do not this; then are they not Gods servants, then are they not Christ's Ministers, nor Stewards of God's secrets. And therefore saith S. john in his Epistle, 
●. joh. 1.  If any man come unto you, & bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither salute him: if any man, saith he, come unto you, & teach you any other Gospel, than this that I have preached, let him not enter into your house, do not somuch as bid him, God speed. So Esay the prophet, 
Esa. 8.  If they speak not according to this word, they shall have no morning light.  
Now as touching the variance & diversity of opinions nowadays, as touching the dissension & controversy that is at this time among us I would to God that all such as defend & maintain the Pope's authority & power, would be content to be judged by this rule, to be tried by this only rule that S. Paul here giveth. These are the most & the greatest controversies, whereupon hath risen all the contention & variance that we have seen; whether we should have a Communion, or a private Mass: whether the Communion should be ministered under both kinds, or not: whether we ought to have our Prayers in our vulgar tongue: whether we should have and set up in our Churches any graven Images: and whether we may lawfully have the Scriptures in our common tongue, that every man may read and understand them. These are, I say, the controversies, whereon hangeth all our debate. But now let us see and consider, whether such as taught you to have a private Mass: such as would have the Communion ministered under one kind alone: such as taught you to worship Images: such as would you to pray in an unknown tongue: such as would not suffer you to have the knowledge of God's word and his gospel: let us I say, according unto S. Paul's rule, see whether they were the true Ministers of Christ, & faithful stewards of the secrets of God; let us weigh whether they disclosed unto you the mysteries of God's word, and whether their doctrine agreed with the gospel of Christ.  
Christ at his last Supper ordained a Communion, 
Luk. 22.  for the comfort of all our Souls; but they turned this into a private Mass, that one man should receive alone. This was contrary to Christ, contrary to that he ordained. And how then should we esteem them, as the Ministers of Christ, & Stewards of the secrets of God? Christ ministered this Communion to his Disciples in both the kinds; yet they notwithstanding ministered it under one kind alone, they rob the people, and took the cup from them. And this was contrary to Christ, & his institution. And how then should we esteem them as the ministers of Christ, & stewards of the secrets of God? God gave us in commandment to make no graven Image: they taught that we should make ourselves graven Images, that we should kneel, that we should bow, that we should creep unto them, and that we should offer & stick up candles before them.  
This they taught to be necessary doctrine, and that our salvation depended thereupon. This have they done, you all right well know, and this contrary to the express commandment of God. And how then should we esteem them as the ministers of Christ, and Stewards of the secrets of God? S. Paul willeth our prayers in the congregation to be such, 
1. Cor. 14.  to be red and song in so plain a tongue, in so distinct and known a language, that the common people may understand them, and so altogether may answer the minister, and say Amen. And this was used in the patriarchs, in the Prophets, in the Apostles, in the old Doctors times, in the Primitive Church: and yet there have been men, and now are, that would have the prayers in Latin, in a tongue to us strange and unknown, and in a tongue that few or none understand. And how then can they say they are the Ministers of Christ, & Stewards of God's secrets? God, in the old Law, gave in charge to his people, 
Num. 15. Deut. 11.  that they should have his Law always before their eyes, that they should have his commandments written in their hands, on their sleeves, on their door thresholds, in the skirts of their garments. This God himself commanded. And Christ in the new Law, Scrutamini Scripturas, saith he, illae enim testimonium perhibent de me, 
joh. 5.  Search ye the Scriptures, for they do bear witness of me. And yet this notwithstanding, notwithstanding Christ commanded us to search the Scriptures, yet you yourselves have known men, and such as were Preachers, forbid you to have God's Gospel in your hands, would not suffer you to have the holy Testament of Christ in your houses, no nor in the Churches for all men to read. This was contrary to God's commandment, and the mind of our saviour jesus Christ. And how then can they say they are the Ministers of Christ, & Stewards of God's secrets? Christ said unto Peter, Amas me? pasce oves meos, 
joh. 21.  pasce agnos meos, pasce gregem meum: Peter (said Christ) lovest thou me? feed my sheep, feed my lambs, feed my flock: But our great clerk, our Popes, our Cardinals, our Bishops, would seldom or never make a Sermon; they fed not God's sheep, they fed not Gods lambs, they had no regard to God's flock: and how then could they say, they were the Ministers of Christ, and Stewards of God's secrets? I leave out much of purpose, good brethren, I wittingly overpass here many things else, that I could say herein; the time would fail me, if I should rehearse unto you all those things wherein they have most shamefully abused themselves. But judge you, my brethren, by these things only which I have here showed unto you, whether they should be esteemed as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the secrets of God? Christ willed them not only to be Stewards but faithful Stewards, faithful ministers, faithful dispensers of his secrets. If to do nothing be the faithfulness that God requireth in them, if this be the charge that Christ demandeth of them, then may we well call them the servants of God and ministers of Christ: otherwise how can we say, that they are the Stewards of God's secrets, and faithful dispensers of his hidden mysteries?  
Saint Paul goeth forth and saith; It is but a small thing that I should be judged of you. Saint Paul notwithstanding he was an elect vessel of God, to bear abroad the glory of his name, notwithstanding he was the greatest of the Apostles, and a faithful dispenser of God's secrets; yet some men said that he was unlearned, some said he was no Minister of Christ's, some said that there were many other Preachers better than he. And this was spoken of him even by the Christians, and such as professed God's name. And thus a great number of the people judged that S. Paul was not the servant of God, was not the Minister of Christ, was not a Steward of God's secrets. But S. Paul appealed from them, he appealed from their judgements, and said; It is but a small matter for me to be judged of you, or of man's day etc. Here may we see what a bold courage, what a stout stomach was in S. Paul, when he durst thus openly, and as it were, to their faces, appeal from the people's judgement, and so bring them before the dreadful majesty of the eternal God. This was a great courage of his, this was a sign that he little or nothing feared the force of the people. But this he did, because he well knew that what ever befell him in this world, what ever punishment he suffered in this life, he could not miscarry before God, he could not do other than well in the life to come. And therefore likewise in another place he boldly said unto the people, I am pure from the blood of all men, I have kept back nothing that was profitable, I have hid nothing from you, but have showed you all the counsel of God. And so, where, at this day some men there are which say that this Doctrine which is now preached unto you, shall again have a change, that this Religion shall be taken away and once again altered, that it can not long stand & continue: to such we boldly answer here as S. Paul to the Corinthians did, that it is but a small matter for us to be judged of you, that we much force not what you judge and deem of us. For we have kept nothing back from you, we have disclosed unto you all the counsel of God. But if such change doth happen, if any alteration of our Religion doth chance, as possible enough it is so to come to pass, yet is it not (good brethren) a thing to be rejoiced at, it is not a thing whereat we should triumph and be glad.  
For oftentimes when God seeth his benefits misused, when he perceiveth his Gospel little regarded, when he espieth his holy word neglected and nothing set by: then he pulleth from us again his benefits erst bestowed, than he taketh away his word from out of the congregation, than he will not suffer the light of his holy Gospel, any longer to shine upon them. And this when he doth, he doth it only for our sinfulness, only for our own sins & wretchedness. For so in times past he said by Ose his Prophet; For the wickedness of my people I will get me away, they shall not see me. So Christ himself also said; 
Mat. 21.  Auferetur à vobis regnum Dei, The kingdom of God shallbe taken from you, & given to the heathen which shall bring forth the fruits of it. But alas, when God's kingdom is taken away, in whose kingdom and dominion do the people then live? when God's gospel & his word is no longer preached, what learning, what doctrine, what discipline is there left to be taught? And this oftentimes cometh to pass by means of our own sin and wickedness: that for the misusing of God and his gospel, we neither have God's Kingdom, nor his Gospel among us. But then alas, in what great misery, in what wretchedness, in what woeful case shall we stand? For if God's Kingdom be shut from us, whither shall we fly? If the light of his gospel be taken from us, what light shall be left us? If God will get him away from us, who shall be our succour? And therefore no man ought to rejoice hereat, no man ought to be glad of such a change. But though God's kingdom be taken away from us, though God's Gospel be no more preached unto us, though God fly from us, and will hide himself away, yet is God and his gospel nothing thereby altered; God is still one, and the same God, his gospel is the same gospel that it was before, his Kingdom continueth in one stay and estate, it is not changed nor altered. For saith Christ, Caelum & terra transibunt, 
Mat. 5.  verbum autem meum non transibit: Heaven and earth shall perish, but may word shall not perish. And again, Portae inferorum non praevalebunt adversum 
Mat. 16.  illud: The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And therefore S. Paul having on his side this word of God, which never changeth, but always continueth one and the same: having, I say, this word of his which shall never perish, and against which the very gates of hell shall not prevail, he was bold to appeal from the slanderous judgement of the people, and say, I pass not what you think of me, It is but a small matter for me to be judged of you, or of man's day, etc.  
Good people, you have here heard declared unto you, and thereby you may well perceive, that S. Paul notwithstanding he was the servant of God, an elect vessel of the holy Ghost, and the chiefest Apostle of Christ; yet was evil spoken of and misliked even of the Chrians, and such as professed the name of God: notwithstanding he was indeed the true servant of God, the minister of Christ, and a faithful dispenser of the secrets of God, yet could not all men speak well of him, all men could not give him a good report. And therefore to cause them to conceive a better opinion of him, and report of him none other than he deserved, he here willeth them, that they should first weigh well and consider his doings, they should examine his doctrine, and the gospel that he had preached amongst them: they should mark well and see whether he had been a faithful dispenser of the mysteries of God's gospel, and then so esteem him, as the minister of Christ, and Steward of the secrets of God. And therefore judge you nothing (saith he) before the time that the Lord come, which shall bring that to light which is hid in darkness, and open the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every one have praise of God. And so in these days, as Paul in his time was misliked of many, so I say, in these our days the ministers of God, and preachers of his gospel, are evil spoken of amongst all men: some say they are unlearned, they know nothing, they are crafts men, they were never set to school, this they have said, and do yet report of them. Some men say, they preach they cannot tell what, they speak against prayer, against fasting, against alms deeds, and all other good works; they allow nothing that good is, they disallow in manner all things. This you know hath been spoken, and yet is reported of such as now are ministers in God's gospel. But hereunto have I none other thing to say, than that which S. Paul in this place writeth to the Corinthians, It is sufficient for us to be found the servants of God, the ministers of Christ, & faithful dispensers of God's secrets. In the mean season do not you (good brethren) think evil of the preachers of God's word, report not amiss of the ministers of Christ, account not them your enemies, that bring unto you the glad tidings of the gospel. 
Acts 17.  When Paul came to Berea from Thessalonica, and began there to preach the Gospel of Christ, the people ran to their books, searched the Scriptures, conferred his doctrine with the word of God: and when they found that in all points it agreed therewith, than they believed Paul, than they embraced his doctrine, then with willing hearts they clave to his discipline. And as they did, even so let us do, good brethren; let us not judge rashly of God's ministers, let us not over hastily give sentence of them, let us not report evil of God's servants: but let us well weigh and consider what thing they teach us, let us examine & try their doctrine with the touchstone of God's word: let us confer their preaching, their teaching, their discipline, with the Scriptures of the holy Ghost. And this when you have done, then be you our judges; then if you see that we teach you nothing but the mysteries of God, if you perceive that we only disclose unto you the will of God, if you see that we preach unto you none other thing than the secrets of God's gospel, esteem us to be the servants of God, the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the secrets of God.  
The end of the first Sermon.   

THE SECOND Sermon.  Psalm 67. 3. 4. 
3. Let the people praise thee O God, let all the people praise thee.  
4. O let the people rejoice and be glad that thou judgest the folk righteously, and governest the Nations upon the earth, etc.  
AT what time the jews had grievously offended God their Lord, forgotten their obedience towards him, and betaken themselves to strange gods, every man wandering after his own lust and fancy; and thereupon God began to plague and punish them with sundry and divers plagues, and with unseasonable weather, so that their grass, their corn, their fruits, & what ever other commodities sprang out of the earth, were all in great danger: then David the Prophet, seeing all these miseries at once fall upon the people, called them home again, showed them how they should return from their wickedness, & come unto God. For God desireth not our destruction, he is loath to work revengement upon us when we anger & displease him. 
Eze. 18.  In what ever hour the sinner shall return from his sin, & come unto me, saith the Lord, I shall be ready to receive him. As for all his sins that he did before, they shall not be thought upon: but in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. In what ever time a man shall hold up his hands, acknowledge gods mercy, & be sorry for his offences from the bottom of his heart, God asketh no more, he craveth no more at his hands, he is pleased only with his humble repentance. And therefore David in the beginning of this Psalm showed the people how they should in this wise come unto God, & desire mercy at his hands, saying: God be merciful unto us, and bless us, & show us the light of his countenance, and be merciful unto us.  
And now therefore, when David perceived that this grace of god, this mercy, this blessing of his was not given in vain, was not frustrate & void, he caused all the people to say, Let the people praise thee O God, let all the people praise thee. This is a short sentence, but such a sentence it is, as shall endure and continue for ever. This is our profession, this is our baptism, this is our religion. It is not sufficient to know the gospel, to know God, to know Christ, but we must confess the gospel, we must confess God, we must confess & acknowledge Christ. The gospel that Christ left us, is not a song to delight our ears, it is not an harmony to content & please our hearing, but it is a squire to direct our lives by, it is a rule to frame all our doings by. S. Paul saith, 
Titus 2.  To this end hath the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, appeared unto us, that we should deny ungodliness & worldly lusts: and that we should live discreetly, righteously, and godly, in this world. Therefore hath God given us h●● gospel, therefore hath he given us his word, that we should according thereunto live a sober, a discreet, and modest life, saith he. And in another place: That we by the same gospel may serve and please him in newness of life. And so Zacharie that holy Father, being filled with the holy ghost, 
Luke 1.  said: that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him all the days of our life, in such holiness and righteousness, as is accepted before him. For like as our profession is, so should our lives be. If we profess the name of Christ, we should live like christians: if we profess God, we should live as becometh the servants of God. 
1. joh. 3.  Saint john saith, For this purpose appeared the Son of God, to lose the works of the devil: to this end, that all sin and wickedness should be left and forsaken. By this are the children of God known from the children of the devil. S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans saith, before God they are not righteous which hear the law, but they that do the law shall be justified. God reckoneth no man just for hearing of the law, he accounteth no man righteous for knowing of his gospel, but for the keeping of his law, for the observing of his gospel; though no man indeed be able thoroughly to fulfil and keep the same. 
jam. 1.  S. james also saith, See that ye be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any hear the word and do it not, he is like unto a man that beholdeth his bodily face in a glass: for as soon as he looketh on himself, he goeth away and forgetteth immediately what his fashion was. But who so looketh in the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, (if he be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work) the same shall be happy in his deed. If ye therefore hear the word of God preached unto you, if you know the gospel of Christ never so well, if ye daily and hourly read and study the same: yet if you live not according to the word of God, if you walk not after the gospel of Christ, you do nothing else but deceive yourselves, you do I say, nought else but deceive your own selves. S. john the Baptist when he preached and prepared the way of the Lord, he began with this lesson, 
Math. 3.  Penitentiam agite: do you (said he) the works of repentance. For hereunto are we all called, not only to know God's way, but also to walk in God's way: not only to know God & his name, but also to confess God and praise his holy name. Therefore do we receive Christ's holy Sacraments, therefore are we baptized, therefore eat we the Sacrament of Christ's body, and drink his most holy blood. But O merciful God, how many are there that say they know God's way, & yet walk not in that way! how many that say they know their faith & promise made in baptism, & yet forsake the same! how many that receive the Sacrament of Christ's body & blood, & yet continued in their old sin & wickedness! But God saith, God I say, that cannot lie, 
1. joh. 2.  saith, Qui manet in peccato non novit me, he that continueth in sin knoweth not me. Ezechiel declaring the folly of the people in his time, 
Ezech. 33.  saith: O these come unto thee after the manner of a great people: yea my people sit down before thee, and hear thy words, but they do not thereafter: For in their mouths they show themselves as though they were fervent, but their heart goeth after their own covetous lucre. They have my word in their mouths, they speak ever of my name, saith God, but their hearts are far from me. And so likewise Jude the Apostle of Christ, 
Jude 1.  Veritatem Dei verterunt in luxum, saith he, They have turned the truth of God's word into riot: they are ungodly, and turn the grace of our God into wantonness, and deny God. Paul complaining of the misliving of of the people in his time, 
Rom. 1.  said, Whereas they know God, they glorify not God: Where they know his name, they glorify not his name. Whosoever he be that taketh upon him to know God's way, and walketh not in God's way, whosoever taketh upon him to know God and his gospel, and directs not his doings according unto God's will & his holy commandments, he doth not confess God, and glorify his holy name. Saint Paul found fault with the jews, 
Rom. 2.  and said, For your sake is the name of God evil spoken of among the Gentiles: for your sake, for your evil and corrupt living, said S. Paul Good brethren, let us consider that as many of us as say, we know gods way, we know gods word & his gospel; if virtue follow not, if honest conversation & upright living follow not this our profession, we shame God, and dishonour his holy name. Dicunt se nosce Deum, saith S. 
Titus 1.  Paul, sed factis negant: they say they know God, saith he, they say they know his holy word & gospel, but in their deeds they deny God, they deny his gospel. An horrible thing it is to deny God. The Turks, the jews, the Heathen, & Infidels, do not deny God: & yet S. Paul said that in his time Christian men, such as professed the name of god, in their deeds denied god & his gospel. If thou say thou knowest God, if thou say thou knowest his gospel: if thou live not as God commandeth thee, if thou live not as it becometh a professor of God's gospel, thou blasphemest God's name, and dishonourest his gospel. o'er suo appropinquant ad me, 
Esay 29.  saith God by his prophet Esay, corda autem illorum long absunt à me: this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, but their hearts are far from me. They honour me with their mouths but with their hearts they deny me. And in another place God by his Prophet David saith: O thou man, 
Psal. 50.  why dost thou preach my laws, and takest my covenant in thy mouth? for with the sinful thou art sinful, with the thief thou art a thief, with the adulterer thou art an adulterer.  
Therefore, if we have the word of God as a song to delight our ears, if we turn the truth of God's gospel into riot and wantonness, if we confess God with our lips, & deny him in our deeds, if we say we know God's law, we know his commandments, and yet live not thereafter; we do not praise God and confess his name, but we shame God, and dishonour his holy name: we cause the people to think evil of God's word, and slander his gospel. And this is the cause why the common sort of people judge, that not to be the gospel, which is this day preached & taught unto them; because such as profess the gospel, live not after the gospel, because such as say they know God's way, walk not in God's way. And thus through our own folly, through our own evil and corrupt living, we offend our brethren, we offend ourselves, and so in them offend jesus Christ: and their blood shall be required at our hands. Let us remember what God by the Prophet Esay saith, 
Esay 39  Haec est vera via, ambulate in ea: This is the true way, walk in the same. Chrysostome saith, if ye hear God's word preached unto you, and ye follow it not, ye learn, saith he, but your own damnation, ye learn nought else but your own destruction: The words that you hear preached unto you, shall accuse and condemn you. God saith, Thou shalt not steal, 
Exod. 20.  thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt bear no false witness, etc. these words, this law of God written unto us, shall accuse, yea, and condemn us, I say; if we to our powers follow not the same, if we walk not and continue in them accordingly. Alas, the very age of the world, the profession that we have taken upon us, is, or should be enough to put us in remembrance of another life, of another world to come. Let us not take the name of God in vain, let us all praise and extol God, let our mouths, our hands, our hearts, and all other our members praise and confess his name for ever. Laetentur & exultent populs, etc. O let the people rejoice and be glad, that thou judgest the folk righteously, & governest the nations upon the earth. Thy way, O Lord, is known, said David, thy way is known upon the earth, therefore let all people, all nations, yea, all the whole world rejoice and be glad thereat.  
divers people set their minds on divers things: some in conquest, some in great power and force of men, some in heaps of money, and treasures of this world, some others, that they are able to make other men fear, and they fear nothing themselves. But all these things are vain, both conquest, power, and heaps of great treasure, are transitory, and fade away: but the man of God, that dreadeth God, and hath a delight in his Law, setteth his joy and delight in those things which have no end, but continue for ever. And therefore David here saith, Let all the people rejoice and be glad, in this thing alone, because thou judgest the folk righteously, and governest the nations upon the earth.  
Let us consider if there were a whole Christian nation brought in captivity under the Turk, in thraldom and subjection unto him, in such sort that they should never hear the Scriptures, never receive the Sacraments, never come to the church to pray, but always be where God should be despised, and his name dishonoured: consider I say with yourselves, in what misery, in what wretchedness, in what great thraldom should they be. With what conscience should they be able to abide this? But if it would then please God to deliver them standing in this state, if it would please God to restore unto them his Scriptrues, if it would please God that they might receive again his holy Sacraments, and might come and pray together: if God would thus much do for them, O what joy, what triumph, what mirth would they make! Let us therefore here consider the estate of God's Church before the time of the Prophet David, & as it was in his time. Before the Reign of David, the Tabernacle of God was broken, 
1. Reg. 5.  the Ark lost, the Scriptures taken from them, the Priests slain: God made them no answer by Prophet, Angel, nor by dream: every man ran whither himself best liked, without any fear of God, or dread of his Law: so had Saul that wicked King, miserably tossed and turmoiled the same. But it pleased God, by the hands of King David his Prophet, to restore again his Church so overthrown, to her former estate and condition: it pleased God by him to make up the Tabernacle again, 
2. Reg. 6.  to find out the Ark that before was lost, to set up all other things in good stay and order: and this was as much, as if he had called them from death unto life, from bondage to freedom, from Hell to Heaven. Therefore when all these things were thus restored again by the might and power of God, this prophet David comforted his heart, 
Psal. 118.  and said; Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus, laetemur & exultemus in ea: This is a joyful day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice & be glad therein. And so likewise in another place; 
Psal. 99  Dominus regnavit, moveatur terra: The Lord beareth the rule, the Lord is king, be the people never so unpatient: Let the whole world conspire (saith he) let it be moved & do what it can against God, for God ruleth and reigneth over al. Zacharie, when he saw the comfortable time that should ensue the birth of Christ, he fell down & cried out, saying: Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel, 
Luk. 1.  quia visit avit & fecit redemptionem plebis suae: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited & redeemed his people. So Simeon that old and holy father, so soon as he beheld Christ, & had received his redeemer into his arms, by and by his heart broke out for joy, & said; Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine, 
Luk. 2.  secundum verbum tuum in pace etc. Now lettest thou thy servant, O Lord, depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have beholden thy salvation, mine eyes have seen thy Saviour, whom thou hast prepared for all people. Even so in this place the prophet David considering the great mercy that God had showed, the wondrous work that he had then wrought, & how that in his time all the whole people knew God's way, he said; Laetentur & exultent populi &c: Let the people rejoice & be glad, yea let all the people rejoice, because thou judgest the folk righteously, & governest the nations upon the earth.  
Now (good brethren) forasmuch as we have here seen & considered the state of God's Church before David's time, & the state whereunto it was restored again in David's time: Even so let us in like consider the state of Christ's Church before our time, & the state & condition of the same in our own time, in those days that we ourselves have seen. Let us consider how horrible darkness, what error & confusion hath of late time been in the Church of god, let us weigh & consider (I say) the deformity & great abuses the were in the same. For alas, we had the sacraments, we had the holy gospel & word of god, but we had them all in vain. Baptism we had, but we knew not the Principles of our faith. The Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ we had, but we understood not why Christ left us this Sacrament, we knew not why he said; Take, eat, this is my body etc. It is the greatest Sacrament, and yet we perceived not what it meant. We had Prayers, we had Psalms, we had supplications unto God, and yet we understood them not, we understood no word of them. We worshipped things made with men's hands, Images of blocks and stones, such as had eyes and saw not, ears and heard not, neither had any breath in their mouths: such things we worshipped, and this contrary to the express commandment of God. The Scriptures were rend, were torn, were trodden under foot, were burnt before our eyes. We groped our way in the midst of the day, as said the Prophet jeremy. And as the same Prophet of his own time spoke, saying; Secundum numerum Civitatum tuarum sunt Dij tui: 
jer. 11.  Accord to the number of the cities, are thy Gods, O juda: so might we of our own time have said. For look how many cities we had, so many Gods had we also. Every Borough, every Town, yea, every village (in a manner) had his proper and peculiar Saint. It was then come to pass that Esaie prophesied, 
Esa. 5.  saying; Hell hath opened her mouth marvelous wide, Hell hath gaped (saith he) because they have no knowledge of God, because they have no understanding. And so likewise Solomon: 
Pro. 29.  When prophesy faileth, the people must needs be scattered. This is the word of God, and this is the misery that we ourselves have seen. The old father Toby, when God had stricken him with blindness, and so taken his sight from him, and therefore his friends and acquaintance, resorted unto him to comfort him, and somewhat, if they might, ease him of his great grief: 
Tob. 5.  Alas (said he) what comfort can I receive that cannot see the light of the Sun. Thus said he only because he could not behold the light of this world. Alas, what comfort then, what joy, what consolation could we have, when God took from us the knowledge of his gospel, the light of his word, yea the knowledge of God himself; when every man ran whither himself best liked, & followed that way which pleased his own fancy. Therefore were we carried away, therefore were we led into error, therefore lost we the knowledge of God, because prophesy failed, because God's word was not taught and preached unto us. But now it hath pleased God to reveal himself unto us, now we know what is what, now can we discern light from darkness, good from bad; now we understand & know this, I say. Now we have the Scriptures in our mother tongue, that every man may read and understand them: the same Scriptures that Christ hath sealed with his own blood. And these Scriptures jeremy that old father calleth, The prop of our Faith. 
joh. 5.  So Christ himself; Illae sunt quae testimonium perhibent de me: They bear witness of me, (saith Christ) and they shall lead you into all truth. Hillary saith; The Scriptures are the squire and Rule of our life. 
joh. 5.  In the Scriptures (saith Christ) you shall find everlasting life. And Paul writing unto the Romans, saith; 
Rom. 1.  The Gospel of Christ is the power of God, to save all that believe thereon. The Scriptures were written (saith he) that we thereby should know our salvation. All these things God hath now restored unto us. Now are we able to know our profession, now are we able to know our Religion, to know God, to know Christ, to know our salvation. Now have we the use of the Primitive Church, the Communion under both kinds: now have we our prayers in our known tongue, as in the Apostles time, as in the old Fathers and Doctors times they were used: Tertullian that old Doctor speaking of his time; We come together (saith he) and hear the Scriptures read unto us. We may now do, as S. Basil writeth the people in his time did: Sonus virorum, mulierum, & paruulorum, in orationibus claugorem edit, tamquam fluctus ferientes littora: The sound (saith he) of men, women, and children praying together, maketh a noise like the waves of the Sea beating on the shore. Thus saith that old father, they did in his time, and thus may you now do. Now may we say, as Athanasius said; If I be deceived, thou hast deceived me, O Lord. For thy word is plain, thy Gospel is true, and therefore if we be now deceived, it is thy word, it is thy Gospel, that deceiveth us: God hath so plainly showed unto us the light of his Gospel, the knowledge of his word. Therefore have we most just cause to say with the prophet David: Laetentur & exultent populi, Let the people rejoice & be glad. And therefore let us not be unkind, let us not be unthankful, let us say; thou O Lord, judgest the folk righteously, & governest the Nations upon the earth. Thou hast now restored unto us our prayers in our known tongue, thy sacraments as they were used in the apostles time, in the Primitive Church; in the old Fathers & Doctor's times. And let us say with Zachary that holy father; Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel, Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. Let us say with David; Haec est dies, laetemur & exultemus in ea, this is the joyful day, let us rejoice & be glad therein. Let us with Simeon the prophet say, Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace, Now lettest thou thy servant, O Lord, depart in peace, according unto thy word. Let us say, as the prophet here saith, Laetentur & exultent populi, Let the people rejoice and be glad, because thou rulest the Nations upon the earth. O let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise thee. And God, even our own God give us his blessing, that the earth may bring forth her increase.  
Thou hast, O Lord, sent unto us thy measure, thou hast given us thy squire, whereby to measure and rule our lives: thou hast sent, I say, unto us thy Gospel, thy holy word, the light of thy dearly beloved Son jesus Christ, whereby we may guide ourselves, & direct our ways upon the earth. And when we shall thus live, when we shall once begin so to direct our doings, as God's Gospel teacheth, & his holy word commandeth us; then shall the earth bring forth her increase, then shall she yield us her fruit in due season. For like as God. when we turn from him, following our own lusts and desires, plagueth and punisheth us: so when we repent and return unto him, he is good, he is loving, he is merciful unto us. Turn unto me, 
jer. 3.  saith God, by his prophet jeremy, and I will turn unto you. 
Eze. 33.  When soever a sinner repenteth him of his sins, I will forget his iniquities, saith the Lord. It is the Lord that giveth us fruit, it is the Lord that maketh the ground fertile; it is not the ground of itself that bringeth forth fruit, it is not the corn that feedeth us, it is the blessing of God, the blessing I say of God alone. And therefore saith the prophet David, 
Psal. 145.  If thou O Lord, wilt open thy hand, than all things shall be filled with thy blessing. It is the Lord that maketh the Sun to shine, 
Psal. 44.  the Moon to give light, the rain to fall on the earth. I am the Lord that doth all this, saith God. David also in his Psalm saith, 
Psal. 85.  Sciant quòd manus tua fecit haec, Let them know, O Lord, saith he, that thy hand alone hath done these wonders. It is God, I say, that causeth the earth to be fruitful, and bring forth increase, it is God that causeth the heavens to hear the earth, the earth to cry unto the Heavens. Your hearts shall be full of my blessing, saith the Lord. If we shall forsake our sins, if we will leave our wickedness, and turn unto God, our hearts shall be full of his blessing, and then shall the earth bring forth her increase: the earth this dead thing, this unsensible thing, this mass of clay, at God's commandment, at his will and pleasure, it shall bring forth corn, it shall bring forth grass, and all other kind of fruits, to serve them, that never think upon him that bestowed them. O that we were kind, that we were not unmindful, that we would remember God: But alas, we are unkind, we are unmindful, we neither think on God, nor his works: and therefore God closeth up his hand, therefore he giveth not unto us his blessing, therefore is the earth barren and unfruitful. And this our own sins causeth, this our own wickedness, and sinful living causeth. Ose the prophet unto the people of Israel, (when they had forsaken God their Lord, and therefore were grievously punished) cried out and said, 
Osc. 13.  Malum tuum ex te o Israel, Thy evil is come of thyself O Israel. All this scarcity, all this dearth, all this plague, cometh of thyself alone: Thou art, saith he, the cause, thou thyself art the cause hereof. And even as they were the cause of their plague, so are we the only cause of all this our punishment: and yet we see not, nor know God's anger. I have stricken thee, saith God by his prophet, and yet thou feelest not: and where shall I strike thee once again? 
Esa. 1.  Filios educavi, saith God by his prophet, I have bred up, I have nourished up children, and they despise me, they set nought by me, they will not acknowledge me their father. Good brethren, let us turn unto God, let us amend our sinful living, let us submit ourselves wholly to his mercy: so shall the earth bring forth her increase, so shall she yield us her fruit in due time & season. Let us consider the dignity that God hath given us: he made us in Paradise, he fashioned us to his own likeness, he breathed life into us; and lastly, where we by the fall of our first parent Adam, were all adjudged to eternal death, he redeemed us again by the blood of his dear Son, and Passion of our Saviour jesus Christ. Behold these things, and be not unthankful. Let us (good brethren) behold ourselves, let us behold our own vocation, our own profession, let us behold Christ our Saviour. We are the children of God, the brethren of Christ, and heirs of the everlasting kingdom; we are Christian men, we profess God's Gospel: let us therefore remember that we must walk as becometh the servants of Christ, we must live like the professors of Gods holy Gospel. Let us remember how many ways God calleth us, how diversly he allureth us unto him, by what sundry means he provoketh us to come unto him. O thou proud soul, saith God by his prophet, thou earth & ashes, when wilt thou forsake thy sinful living and come unto me? when wilt thou repent and turn unto me? Alas, do we look that the stones in the streets, the very stones under our feet should rise up, and call us to repentance? The heavens drop down tears for our sake, they weep and are sorry for us; and wilt not thou O man burst out in tears, and bewail thy sinful life? God looketh when we will come, he waiteth when we will return unto him, he daily and hourly watcheth when we will submit ourselves, & receive his mercy. So loving, so good, so gracious a Lord is he. Why should you perish, saith Christ, give me thy heart, O thou man, and I am contented.  
Let us all therefore my brethren, let us all return unto God, let us altogether come forth & confess Gods holy name; let our hands, our mouths, our hearts, praise and laud him for ever: let all the people rejoice and be glad, that God judgeth the folk righteously, and governeth the Nations upon the earth. So shall the earth bring forth her increase, so shall she yield us her fruit in due season: so shall we be blessed in our houses, blessed in the fields, blessed in our comings in, and our goings out: so shall our corn, our cattle, our sheep, and oxen, be always blessed: and so shall God's blessing be upon us, and our Children, and God, even our own God shall bless us, and remain with us for ever. Amen.   

THE THIRD Sermon.  Rom. 6. vers. 19 19 Like as ye have given over your members to the service of uncleanness, from one wickedness to an other: even so now also give over your members, to the service of righteousness, that ye may be holy etc. 
FOr the better understanding of these words written by the Apostle S. Paul, we must consider that there be two Princes of contrary dispositions and natures, which have the rule and governance of this world, that is to wit, God, and the Devil; and that never was there man, sithence the first foundation of the world, but was in subjection and under obedience either of the the one, or of the other: And as God is the father of light, the God of all good men, so is the Devil the father & Prince of this world, the Lord of darkness, the king of this age, 
Ephes. 6.  as saith S. Paul, and ruler of the wicked: And like as all good men fight under the banner of God their Lord, so all ungodly fight under the standard of the Devil their Prince: And even as the just man hath his reward of God, so hath the wicked man his stipend of the Devil. And thus be Infidels, Turks, jews, and all Heathen people, under the power and dominion of the Devil, under the standard of Satan: and therefore are they not able to think any good, to conceive one good thought, because they fight under his Banner, because they have given over all their members to be ordered of the Devil, without any feeling of good, without any fear of God. And thus, as I said, do the Turks, thus do the Infidels, thus do all Heathen people at this day, and so did the jews in the time of Paul, In umbra mortis ambulaverunt, 
Psal. 107. Ephe. 4.  saith he, They walked in the shadow of death. But after that it pleased God the Father, by the coming of his dear Son jesus Christ, to reveal himself unto them, to open and declare his Gospel among them, than began the people to renounce the Devil, to forsake his Law and service, and to betake themselves wholly to the governance of God. And therefore S. Paul, the further to encourage them thereunto, willeth them in this Epistle of his, That like as before time they gave over their members to the service of uncleanness, from one wickedness to another, so should they now give over the same their members, to the service of righteousness. For, to this end was Christ borne into this world, to this end lived he here among us, to this end preached he, and taught the people God's holy word, that we by his example, and the doctrine of his Gospel, should live an upright and holy life. And therefore Zacharie that holy prophet, being filled with the holy Ghost prophesied, and said, before Christ's birth, that Christ should for this cause appear in this world, That we being by him delivered from the fear of our enemies, 
Luk. 1.  might serve him in pureness and holiness all the days of our life. And S. Paul likewise saith, Ye were darkness, but now ye are light, 
Ephe. 5.  walk therefore as becometh the children of light. Therefore are we delivered from the power of darkness, saith S. Paul, that we should walk in the light, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. And so in like, Vocavit nos Deus, 
1. Thess. 4.  non ad immunditiem, sed ad sanctitatem, God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness and sanctity of life. Thus hath he called us, that we not only in Body, but in Soul, should be pure & unspotted. And therefore S. Paul unto the Romans, Know you not, saith he, that all we which are baptised into jesus Christ, 
Rom. 6.  are baptised into his death? Therefore are we buried with him by Baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so also should we walk in a new life. And for this cause this same Paul likewise saith, Exhibete vos tanquam viva membra, 
Rom. 12.  Show yourselves as quick and lively members. And in an other place, Exhibete corpora vestra sacrificium sanctum & acceptatum Deo. 
Rom. 12.  Give over your bodies for a sacrifice holy and acceptable before God. And also, 
1. Cor. 3.  Nescities corpora vestra esse templa Dei? Know you not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? These and such other many lessons hath S. Paul given us, to call us unto pureness and holiness of life. Let us therefore, (good brethren) live holy; consider that God hath not called you to uncleanness, but to purity of life; consider if ye be baptised with Christ into death, you must also walk with him in a new life: let your bodies be a sacrifice holy & acceptable unto God: show yourselves lively members of Christ, and the Temple of the holy Ghost. Vocavit nos Deus, 
1. Thes. ●.  saith S. Paul, 
1. Thess. 4.  Vt viveremus sobriè, God hath called us, God hath appointed us, to live in soberness, to live in pureness, to live in holiness: and this not in one part of our Bodies, not in one part of our Souls, but in our whole bodies, in our whole souls. For Christ our Saviour suffered not his body to be crucified in one part, 
Math. 27.  Sed à planta pedis, usque ad summum capitis, But even from the sole of the foot, to the crown of his head, was he beaten, rend, and torn, and miserably tormented in his whole Body. His Body was scourged with whips, his head pricked with thorns, his hands and feet nailed to the Cross, his side pierced with a sharp spear. For Christ speaking of himself, saith, 
Psal. 22.  Foderunt manus meas, & pedes meos, They have digged my hands, and my feet, they have made holes through them. And thus sithence Christ suffered all his whole Body to be tormented for us, sithence he suffered all his members to be crucified for our sakes; let us apply ourselves, and all our member to serve and please him in holiness and upright living all the days of our lives. And therefore saith s. Paul here, Ye have now betaken yourselves unto Christ; therefore let your conversation be according, live as becometh the servants of Christ: For even as before this time, ye gave over your members to uncleanness, from one wickedness to an other, so now give over your members to the service of righteousness.  
And such (good brethren) was the life of all Christian men, in the beginning of God's Church: such was, I say, their life & living. They subdued their flesh, they mortified their members, and gave them over wholly unto Christ, and so made them members unto righteousness. When Christ walked here on this earth, & was conversant in our flesh, and this nature of ours; at what time he entered into the house of Zacheus, which was a Ruler of the Publicans, & desired to see jesus, by and by Zacheus was turned into a new man, and by and by he stood forth, and said unto the Lord: Behold Lord, 
Luk. 19  the half of my goods I give unto the poor, and if I have defrauded any man, I restore him four fold. Thus was he only by the presence of Christ, turned into a new man, thus he of an uncircumcised Publican was made the child of Abraham, and of a sinful and wretched creature, he became forthwith a Christian. And so in like, when Christ had but once called unto Matthew, 
Math. 9  and bade him follow him, immediately he left the Toll-gathering, he left the receipt of the custom, he left his own proper game and profit, and ran after Christ. Of such force was the presence of Christ unto Zacheus, of such power was the commandment of Christ, with Matthew the Tollgatherer. Saint Augustine a little before he returned unto Christ, & embraced his truth, he feared, he trembled, and always stood in doubt: but so soon as Christ had once inspired him with his holy spirit, and revealed his truth unto him, forthwith without any further doubt or delay, he renounced his errors, and became a perfect Christian. There was once a Christian man, whose name was Eusebius, and being demanded what he was, answered, a Christian: being asked what country man, said, a Christian: who was his father, a Christian: where he dwelled, a Christian: and so to each other demand, he answered a Christian: as who would say, what so ever I be, I am nothing else but a Christian. In the beginning of God's Church, all good men were called Christian men: and yet was it not one thing to be a Christian, and a good man. The Christian men, for that they considered they were called to salvation, to redemption by the death of Christ, & to the inheritance of Heaven, they had their delight and only felicity in heavenly things: they esteemed not the vain pleasures of this world: and because they thus carried Christ in their Bodies, because they had their members crucified unto Christ, therefore were they called Christians. And so should we do, (good brethren) so should we consider our redemption, so should we mortify our members, and renouncing the vain delights of this world, we should fix our eyes, our minds, and all our doings on Heavenly things alone. Saint Cyprian saith, The people come to learn the Gospel, to hear the word of God; and wherefore? that they might work according unto the Gospel, that they might bring forth fruits worthy the word of God: that they may thus do, therefore they hear God's word, saith S. Cyprian. And thus if we do not, what ever we brag of our Redemption, what ever we brag of our profession, what ever we boast of the knowledge of God's Gospel, it is to no end, it is not to effect or purpose. And therefore if we have heretofore time given over our members unto uncleanness, from one wickedness unto an other, now let us give over the same our members unto the service of righteousness.  
For, saith S. Paul, What profit, what fruit had ye at that time in those things, whereof you are now ashamed? for the end of such things is death. It is the part of a wise man, and the office of a discreet man, in such good order to dispose all his business, and to bring all his doings to so good end, that he take no foil, nor have any shame therefore. Ye have committed sin (saith saint Paul) ye have given over your members from one wickedness to another, and now ye be ashamed, now are ye sorry for those your misdoings: But what profit then had ye of those things, whereof you are now ashamed? This is an horror, and the greatest horror that may be, that no man can commit sin without a great burden of conscience, without great torment & disquietness of mind. judas, when he had betrayed his master Christ, 
Mat. 27.  by and by, his conscience accused himself, and was so great a burden unto him, that to delivered and eased thereof, he went immediately and hanged himself. When Cain had slain his own brother, and committed that execrable 
Gen. 4.  murder, God said unto him, Why dost thou lower? Such a thing is sin, that whosoever committeth it, it will forthwith appear in his face, it will appear and show in his countenance. But happy is that man that soonest cometh to repentance, happy is he that is soon sorry for his sins and misdoings. Adam, 
Gen. 3.  so soon as he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, & so transgressed the commandment of God, God called unto him, and said, Adam, ubies? Where art thou? He answered; I am fled away Lord, I hide myself. And why fled he away, why hid he himself from the sight of God? because he was ashamed. 
Luk. 15.  The prodigal Son spoken of in the Gospel, after he had riotously consumed his whole substance, and so brought to extreme poverty, he returned again, came home to his father, fell down before his feet, and said; O father, I have sinned against Heaven and against thee. And why said he thus? because he was ashamed. The people in the time of Daniel the Prophet, 
Dan. 9  when they saw their own wickedness, and repented them thereof, cried out and said; Shame is come upon us, shame and confusion is this day fallen upon us. David the Prophet, when he had by tyranny caused his faithful and trusty servant Vrie to be slain, 
2. Reg. 11.  thereby to have his pleasure of Bersabee his wife, and after had seen his own folly, cried out unto God, saying; 
Psal. 51.  Miserere mei quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco, Have mercy upon me, O Lord, because I know mine iniquities. And why said he thus? because he was ashamed. jeremy, Postquam ostendisti mihi peccata mea, erubui: After thou hadst, O Lord, showed me mine offences, I was ashamed (said he.) Thus (good brethren) a wicked conscience evermore beareth shame about with it, evermore carrieth a most heavy burden, evermore is pricked and tormented, and never at quiet.  
And though some men there be, so given over unto sin, that they feel no shame in this life, that are not moved in their conscience in this world, yet may they assure themselves they shall feel bitter torments in the world to come, and eternal shame that never shall have end. And if there be any that will now say, as the people in the time of Daniel did; whatsoever we do, God will not look unto us, he regardeth not our doings, whether we do good or evil, God hath no respect unto it; and so be nothing moved in their conscience for their sinful living: when they shall be cast into utter darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, then shall their conscience be moved with repentance, then shall they be ashamed; but then all too late. 
Luk. 16.  Remember the glutton, the rich glutton (that in his life time had nothing but pleasure, never felt adversity, nor never was pricked in conscience for his mislyving) after he fell into Hell fire, was there tormented, and the worm of his conscience began to gnaw him; then he cried out unto Abraham, than he was ashamed, but then was it too late. And thus shall the wicked people do at the last day, the wicked people (I say) that shall then be living and see the great terror of that day, They shall say unto the Hills, fall upon us, unto the mountains, 
Luk. 23.  comecover us: then shall their own wicked conscience accuse them, then shall they be ashamed, but then too late. Now (good brethren) what profit had all these of their own sinfulness, what profit and commodity had they of all their wickedness? What profit had Adam by transgressing the commandment of God? What profit had Cain for murdering of his brother? What profit won the prodigal Son by misspending of his father's goods? What profit had the people in the time of Daniel, for their misliving? What profit had David by killing of Vrie? What profit had the rich glutton that lived in such pleasure? What profit (I say) had all these of their own wickedness? No profit, no commodity, no pleasure a● all, but shame, nothing else but shame and confusion. Even so here S. Paul; What profit (said he) had ye then of all those things, of which ye are now ashamed? It appeareth well ye have gotten nothing but displeasure, nothing but shame and confusion. For the end of such things is death.  
And this that is well spoken of honesty of life, this that is well applied to honest conversation, may well be spoken and applied to Religion. For it behoveth a man so to worship God, that he have no shame, no confusion therefore. But alas, from the beginning, even from the first creation of man, there have been good, there have been bad: some there hath been, that forsaking the living God, have worshipped their own devices: some in steed of God, have worshipped stocks and stones: some have sacrificed to the Sun and Moon, 
jer. 8.  and made them their Gods: and this hath been from the beginning. 
jer. 44.  And therefore jeremy writeth, that the people in his time said, Ibimus & sacrificabimus Lunae Reginae caeli: We will do sacrifice & offer oblations unto the Queen of heaven: for so (said they) our Fathers did, and did prosper in their doings. 
Ier ●.  Some said unto the Stone, Pater noster es, and to a Stock, Deus noster es, exuerge adiwa nos.  
And this hath been even from the beginning. The Babylonians worshipped Bell their God, 
Bel.  which was but a block: they worshipped also a Dragon, which they called their living God, and this did they in good sooth. The jews made a golden Calf, and fell down before the same, and worshipped it, 
Exod. 32.  and said, Isti sunt Dij tui, These are thy Gods, O Israel, these are they that brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and delivered thee. We read also that they worshipped a Brazen Serpent, 
2. Reg. 18.  and burnt Incense and sacrifice unto it. And as they had these vain Idols for their Gods: so likewise had they a number of Superstitious ceremonies of their own devising, which here were too long to be spoken of. And all this did they of blindness, thinking they had done well, meaning nothing but good therein. But afterwards when it pleased God to show them their own blindness, to show them their folly, to show them the wickedness they walked in: then were they ashamed of their doings, then (I say) they were ashamed confounded. And therefore said jeremy the prophet, Verè patres nostri coluerunt mendatia, truly our forefathers followed after lies. The Gentiles, when they perceived that the Sun & Moon their chief Gods, were indeed no gods, & able to do them no pleasure, than they were ashamed. When the people of Babylon saw & understood their own folly in worshipping their God Bell & their Dragon, & that they were not such, as they took them to be, than were they ashamed. And so in like, when the jews saw before their eyes their golden Calf molten, and their brazen Serpent broken & ground into powder, than were they ashamed, then were they sorry and ashamed of their former doings. Thus saith the Prophet Esaie, or rather God by the mouth of his Prophet, Why offer ye so many sacrifices unto me? offer me no more oblations. 
Esai. 1.  I abhor your incense, I may not away with your new moons and Sabbathes. I am troubled with them, I am weary of them, Quis ista requirit? Who looketh for these things, who commandeth you so to do? Esaie in another place also; 
Esai. 55.  Why do you lay out your money for the thing that feedeth not, and spend your labour about the thing that satisfieth not? And so likewise in another place the same prophet saith; They make my people forget my name, 
Esai. 59  for their own traditions. He saith also; Taelas aranearum texunt, They weave the Spider's web, they do nothing else but breed the Cockatrice eggs, and weave the Spider's web, saith he. And so jeremy cried out, 
jer. 2.  and said, Duo mala fecit populus meus, me dereliquerunt Dominum Deum suum, & foderunt sibi cisternas quae aquas non possunt continere: my people, saith God by his Prophet jeremy, have forsaken men their Lord, and digged themselves pits that can hold no water. 
Esay 1.  Esay calleth man's invention Sordes, dross: jeremy calleth it chaff: 
jer. 23. Malach. 1.  Malachi, very man's dung: Zacharie, God's curse. Christ himself calleth it, 
Luke 11.  Fermentum Pharisaeorum, the leaven of the pharisees: He calleth it also, Tenebras, utter darkness. Thus it pleased God to describe unto us man's invention, to call it cobwebs, to call it filth, to call it dross, and chaff, man's dung, God's curse, the leaven of the pharisees, and utter darkness. And this doth he for none other purpose, than only to make his people ashamed of their own devices. 
Acts 22.  Paul notwithstanding he was a great learned man, skilful in the laws and customs amongst the jews, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel: yet when he knew Christ, when he was filled with the holy Ghost, and embraced God's gospel, he was ashamed of all he had learned before, he was ashamed of his own ignorance. 
john 20.  Saint Thomas, who would not believe Christ to be risen from death, when he felt Christ's side, & had put his finger into his wound, than he was ashamed, than he was sorry for his unveléefe. The jews when they perceived their own folly & ignorance, 
Acts 2.  said, Viri fratres quid faciemus? O men & brethren what shall we do. The Ephesians, when S. Paul had preached unto them, 
Act. 19  & they received the doctrine of Christ, by & by such as used curious crafts, came and brought their books of enchantment, their books of witchcraft, & burned them, cast them into the fire and burnt them: so much were they ashamed of their own folly. 
1. Cor. 13.  And so S. Paul, Cum essem paruulus, sentiebam ut paruulus, When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I imagined as a child. But as soon as I was a man, I left all childishness: Now I am become a man, and therefore I am now ashamed of my childishness Thus might the Prophets have said to the Gentiles, what profit had you of your gods, the Sun and the Moon, what profit had you of them, whereof ye are now ashamed? So might Moses have said to the children of Israel, what profit had ye in this golden calf? So Ezechias, what profit had ye in this brazen serpent, of which now ye are ashamed? Even thus Esay might likewise have said, what profit had ye in your calends, & new Moons, in your holy days and sacrifices? And so other the Prophets might well have said, what profit had ye in your dreams, in your spider cobs, in your dross, in your chaff? what commodity had ye of all these things? Alas ye are now ashamed of them, & therefore ye had no profit of them, ye had no pleasure by them, they brought you no commodity, they brought you only shame and confusion.  
Thus (good brethren) let us weigh and consider, what profit we had in times passed of those things, of which we are now ashamed. And let us consider how much we are beholden to god, that now may see and know our own folly and ignorance, and so be ashamed. But herein, good brethren, there needs not many words: for there is no man so blind, but may well see, no man so deaf, but may well hear, no man so dull, but may well perceive and understand, the great error, the great blindness, the great darkness, that we have been in. And therefore let us all now give God thanks, that he hath restored his light unto us, and taken that great error and darkness from us. Loth I am here to speak of those things whereof we may be ashamed: loath and sorry I am to repeat that unto you, whereof we are now ashamed: but this place now requireth the same, this time and place willeth me somewhat to speak thereof. The time hath been, that we have put our trust in pardons, in Bulls of the Popes, in vain scrolls, and writings of his; yea, and in them we have had greater hope and affiance, than in the death of Christ, and merits of his passion. We have fallen down before images, before stocks, and stones, such as had eyes, and saw not, ears, and heard not: before them we prayed, before them we kneeled, and stack up candles. But now we are ashamed of them, we all are, I think, now sorry and ashamed of this our folly: but what profit had we then of all these things. Sometime we prayed in a strange tongue, in a tongue that we understood not: we prayed contrary to the use that was in the Patriarches times, in the Prophet's times, in the Apostles times: but than what profit had we of those prayers, whereof we are now ashamed? We have seen lawful marriage forbidden, and men's lawful wives taken from them: and yet the use of a concubine granted, as though God were displeased with marriage, & pleased with whoredom: but what profit had ye then of that thing, of which ye are now ashamed? We had Baptism, but we understood not the principles of our faith: & even as the Prophet spoke of his time, Qualis populus, 
Ose 4.  talis Sacerdos, the Priest is become like the people: so might we well have said of our own time; blind were they both, and therefore both fell into the dike. This we are now ashamed of, but what profit had we then thereby? 
jer. 5.  The Prophets (said jeremy) teach falsely, and the Priests follow them, & my people hath pleasure therein. And lo, even this same which the Prophet jeremy said, the Priests and Prophets did in his time, we ourselves have seen done in our days, and now we are ashamed thereof: but what profit had we then by it? We had the Sacrament of Christ's body, but we knew not why Christ instituted the same, we knew not why Christ left us that Sacrament; we did all things contrary to Christ's institution. Christ ordained a Communion, but we had a private Mass: Christ ordained, that the whole people should receive in both kinds, but we ministered it under one kind alone: Christ, when he instituted this Sacrament, spoke in the common tongue that all might understand him: but we contrary to Christ, contrary to the Apostles, contrary to the primitive Church, consecrated the same in an unknown tongue, that no man might understand us. And hereof are we now ashamed, but what profit had we then thereby? We have known this to be taught, that the bread in the Sacrament was turned into the very body and blood of Christ our Saviour: this we all know, and do yet remember. But Christ, when he said, the Sacrament should be turned, meant not that the bread should be turned into his body, but that we which receive the same should be turned, that we, I say, should be turned, & made one body with him. This was the meaning, this I say, was the meaning of our Saviour Christ. And therefore S. Paul, 
1. Cor. 10.  Panis quem frangimus, participatio corporis & sanguinis Christi est, the bread which we break is the participation of the body and blood of Christ. For we many are one bread, & one body in as much as we all are partakers of one bread. 
Math. 14.  Christ himself said, I will drink no more of the liquor of the vine: Christ, I say, after the consecration, said he would not drink any more of the liquor of the Vine: The blood of Christ is not Wine, it is not the liquor of the vine. Saint Augustine, in Sermone ad Infants, saith plainly, Quod videtis in mensa panis est: that which you see on the table, is bread. Theodoretus also, Non mutatur substantia panis, the substance & nature of the bread is not changed, saith he. Gelasius likewise, whom peradventure ye will the more credit, because he was sometime bishop of Rome, saith, Non desinit esse substantia panis, there leaveth not to be the substance of bread. Natura panis in Sacramento remanet, the nature of the bread remaineth in the Sacrament. Chrysostome also, Non mutatur substantia panis, the substance of the bread is not altered. I could say more, but this is for this time enough; this only I trust, amongst a number of other, shall be now sufficient to persuade you the truth herein. ye see here that S. Augustine, Theodoretus, Gelasius, and Saint Chrysostome do all affirm, and herein agree; that the substance or nature of the bread, after the consecration is not changed.  
Let us therefore, good brethren, notwithstanding we have been otherwise taught, let us, I say, believe these holy Doctors, let us credit them; they will not mock us, they will not deceive nor beguile us. But this other doctrine, this doctrine of transubstantiation, was of late devised, not past three hundred years ago, in the council of Lateran. And there, upon this new devise of theirs, they made a great solemn, and festival day, and called it, Corpus Christi day. And now we are ashamed of this: but than what commodity, what profit had we thereof? We found out of ourselves a new sacrifice, the sacrifice (I mean) of the mass, as though the death of Christ had not been a sacrifice sufficient, as though Christ's blood had not once for all washed away our iniquities, as though Christ had not said, I have paid the ransom for your sins. It were an infinite labour to repeat unto you particularly, all the abuses of late days used in the Church of Christ; you yourselves can well remember them, I need not here to rehearse them unto you. But than what profit had ye of all such things of which you are now ashamed? But some men there be peradventure, that will not be ashamed of these abuses, but always uphold & maintain the same: & such if there be any, they are like them whom jeremy prophesied of, saying: Thou hast taken an harlot's countenance thou hast gotten thee a whore's forehead, 
jer. 3.  and canst not be ashamed: they are like them also whom Esay the Prophet speaketh of, & saith, Malice hath made you blind, you bark against the truth. This is the sin that never will be forgiven, this is so great an offence, that it will never be pardoned. Therefore let us, to whom God hath given eyes to see, ears to hear, & hearts of understanding: let us I say, consider that it is no shame to confess our errors, to acknowledge our blindness; but shame it is to continue in error, too much shame it is to remain still in blindness. And such as will not be ashamed of their evil, but laugh at and scorn others, that are sorry and ashamed, may well be likened unto them whom saint Paul writing to the Ephesians speaketh of, 
Eph. 4.  They being past repentance, have given themselves over unto wantonness, to work all manner of uncleanness, even with greediness. And such are given over in reprobum sensum, 
Rom. 1.  into a lewd mind. Such David the Prophet speaketh of, saying: 
Psal. 17.  They cast their eyes down to the ground. For such as wilfully offend, and wittingly cast away themselves, there is no salvation Paul saith, Finis illorum mors est, 
Rom. 6.  their end is death, their end is only destruction. This is the same that Saint john speaketh of, 
Math. 12.  which neither shall be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come. Wherefore were they cast into hell, that now lie therein? for what cause continue they in those endless torments? because they would not acknowledge their errors, because they would not be ashamed of their own folly. Wherefore is there in hell, fire unquenchable, torments such as cannot be thought, utter darkness, and eternal death, but only to punish such as wilfully live in wickedness, to plague them that will not be ashamed of their sins & offences. 
Mar. 9  They shall be cast into utter darkness, where shallbe weeping & gnashing of teeth, into fire that never shall be quenched, where the worm of the conscience never dieth. If we delight in covetousness, in adultery, in fornication and filthy living, the end, let us say, is death, the end thereof is none other than eternal death. 
Psal. 15.  Quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo? said David the Prophet, O Lord, who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle, saith he, or who shall rest upon thy holy hill? Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life, that doth the thing which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart: He that hath not sworn and deceived his neighbour. But O merciful God, who walketh now innocently? who leadeth an uncorrupt life? who doth the thing that is right? who speaketh truth from his heart? what man is there, that hath not sworn and deceived his neighbour? jeremy speaking of the people in his time, saith, Confusi sunt, imo non sunt confusi: They are ashamed, nay, they are not ashamed, saith jeremy. And even so may we of our days well say, the people are not ashamed, they are nothing sorry nor ashamed of their evil living. These S. Paul speaketh of, writing unto the Philippians: I speak with tears, 
Philipp. 3.  saith he, they are the enemies of Christ's cross, their end is damnation, their glory shall be turned into shame.  
And shall we then live thus? shall we thus die? shall we thus end our lives? shall we thus appear at the later day, and not be ashamed? shall adulterers, fornicators, whoremongers, covetous persons, come & stand before the judgement seat of God, before the throne of his majesty, and not be ashamed? Is this the marriage garment that we should be clad with? are we those that are called to the feast by the Bridegroom? are we Christ's brethren, and heirs of the kingdom of God? No. Non resurgent impij in indicio, 
Psal. 1.  the wicked shall not arise in judgement, saith the Prophet David, the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgement, neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Woe be unto them that run from God with a desperate mind, woe be unto them that wilfully forsake, and fly from him. S. Gregory saith, One sin linketh in another, as one link of a chain holdeth the other. It is an horrible thing to turn from God, it is a terrible thing to fly from him: for if we turn from God, whither shall we go? if we fly from him, whither shall we run? Conscientia mill testes, our own conscience, though we hide ourselves never so close, shall be as a thousand witnesses against us, our own conscience shall utter and bewray us. Saint Augustine saith, If we do not indeed repent, we feign that we do repent, we only feign, saith he, that we do repent, and so we mock with God. But God will not be mocked of us, he will not be deluded by us. But we shall be ashamed and confounded, when we appear before God, when we appear, I say, before the judgement seat of God. But than what profit shall we have of that we are ashamed? what commodity shall we then have of that whereof we are ashamed. Let us consider, that we are flesh of God's flesh, bones of his bones, and members of his members. And therefore let us give over our whole bodies, let us give over all our members, let us give over our eyes, our ears, our tongues, our hearts, unto the homage and service of God. So shall we have profit of Christ our Saviour, so shall we have profit of his death and passion, and so shall Christ say unto us, Come ye blessed of my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Amen.   

THE FOURTH Sermon.  Psalm 7. vers. 11. 12. 13. 
11. God is a righteous judge, and God is ever threatening.  
12. If men will not trune, he hath whet his sword, he hath bend his bow, and made it ready.  
13. He hath prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy.  
Almighty God our heavenly Father, like as he is both good, & also merciful, like as he is patient, and of long sufferance: So he useth two manner of ways to allure and call us unto him, when we of our own heads follow our own devices, and lewdly run whither our lusts leadeth us: Sometimes of his great mercy he useth promises; sometimes of his justice he useth threatening. He promiseth to us for our well doing, his favour and grace, for keeping his commandments eternal bliss. He threateneth us for evil living, with plagues and punishments, and for breaking of his Law, eternal death. Thus he of his mercy sometimes useth promises, and threateneth again of his rigour and justice. He promiseth to comfort, aid, and succour us, if we come unto him: and he threateneth to strike the terror of death into us, if we turn from him. And so almighty God most mercifully used his promises unto Abraham. Ego sum protector tuus & merces tua, I am (said he) thy defender and thy reward: 
Gen. 12.  Ego benedicam benedicentibus tibi, & maledicam maledicentibus tibi, I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee. So ample, so large. so great a promise made God unto him. And thus almighty God when he would deliver his elect people the children of Israel from their great bondage and captivity, 
Deut. 11.  Inducam te in terram fluentem lact & melle, I will bring you into a land that shall flow with milk and honey; this will I perform, this will I bring to pass for you, and this will I do for my name's sake. And so likewise to these his people he made this merciful promise against their enemies, 
Leuit. 26.  saying: Ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall into the sword before you, five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall chase ten thousand. Thus also God by his Prophets promised his people, 
Zach. 1.  and said: Turn unto me, and I will turn unto you. And even thus likewise Christ in the Gospel, maketh most clear and manifest promises of everlasting life and salvation to all such as for his name shall forsake the pleasures and delights of this word, and repose their felicity only in him: Beati pauperes spiritu, beati qui lugeant, 
Mat. 5.  beati qui esuriunt, beati qui persecutionem ferunt: Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are they that hunger & thirst, blessed are they that suffer persecution. And why so? For what cause are they blessed that are poor in spirit? For what cause are they blessed that mourn? Why are they happy that hunger? What reward shall they have that suffer persecution? because (saith Christ) theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, they shall be comforted, they shall be filled, they shall obtain a crown of glory. When two or three are gathered together in my name 
Math. 18.  (saith Christ) I will be in the midst of them. Whatsoever ye shall ask my father in my name, 
joh. 14.  it shall be given unto you. These manifold and great promises it pleased almighty God to make unto his chosen & elect people: these comfortable promises Christ himself vouchsafed to pronounce to all such as shall cleave unto him: thus mercifully it pleased God by fair promises to allure and win us unto him. But oftentimes, alas, we set little or nothing by these sweet & comfortable promises, we little esteem or regard them: and therefore god then useth his threatening, his rigour and justice among us: when no sweet words can win us, than he striketh his terror into us. For when god in old time perceived that no gentleness, no kindness, no mercy of his could win his people unto him, he caused Esay his prophet to cry out & said; Impius in beneficijs me non aguovit, in angustijs autem clamavit ad me: The wicked and sinful man (saith he) in my great goodness & benefits bestowed upon him, would not acknowledge nor confess me; but in his misery and trouble, in his anguish and woe, than he ran unto me, and called on my name. And so likewise by the Prophet jeremy God himself sayeth; 
jer. 32.  Conuerterunt ad me terga, non faci●s suas: in die autem tribulationis inclamant me: They have turned their backs, and not their faces unto me: but in the day of their trouble, in the time of necessity they call and cry upon me. And so in like the same Prophet jeremy, or rather God by this Prophet 
Deut. 32. jer. 2.  saith: Impinguatus & incrassatus est populus meus, My people are waxen fat and lusty: they have forsaken me the well of life, and digged themselves pits, yea vile and broken pits that can hold no water. Such a thing is the felicity and pleasure of this world, that it maketh us soon to forget God, and the felicity of the world to come. And therefore God so often warned his people of Israel, 
Deut. 8. 11.  that when they were once come into the land of Canaan, into that plentiful country which flowed with milk and honey, wherein should be no dearth nor scarcenesss: that then they should not forget the Lord their god, that then their hearts should not be deceived, that then they should not go aside, and serve other gods; and so his wrath and indignation wax hot upon them. And therefore when fair promises & loving kindness, cannot win us to God, then useth he another way, then doth he appoint another mean, then beginneth he to threaten and fear us, and that of his rigour and justice. And thus did he to our first father Adam: because he would not he should transgress his commandment, he threatened him, 
Gen. 2.  and said; In quocunque die comederis ex hoc fructu, mortem morieris, In whatever day thou shalt taste of this fruit, thou shalt die the death. So likewise God to the whole multitude of his people of Israel said; 
Deut. 28.  Unless ye give ear to the voice of the Lord your God, to do all his commandments and ordinances, cursed shall you be in the town, and cursed in the field, cursed shall thy basket be and thy store, cursed shallbe the fruit of thy body & the fruit of thy land, cursed shalt thou be in thy coming in, & in thy going out. You shall call, and I will not hear, you shall cry unto me, and I will not give ear. 
Leuit. 26.  Dabo vobis caelum aeneum, & terram ferreum, The heaven shall be as brass, and the earth as Iron; the heavens shall give you no rain, the earth shall bring you forth no fruit, your travel and labour shall be lost, your land shall not give her increase. Thus almighty God threatened his elect & chosen people, and all to keep them in awe and fear of him. And so in another place he saith; 
Leuit. 26.  I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies, and they that hate you shall have dominion over you, & ye shall fly when no man chaseth you. Thus you see, that it pleaseth almighty God oftentimes to use these and such like words of threatening, to use such rigour, to beat a terror into his people, when fair promises and sweet words can do nothing; and this doth he of his great justice. And therefore David in this place; God is indeed, (saith he) a rightful judge, and God is ever threatening. If men will not turn, he hath whet his sword, and hath bend his bow and made it ready: He hath prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy. So mighty, so omnipotent is God, that he can punish, and so righteous a judge is he, that he will punish when it best pleaseth him. But some man would here peradventure say, if God be thus able to punish, and will indeed punish when he is offended, why then doth he it not by and by, why is not he revenged out of hand? because (saith the Prophet) he is merciful, patient, 
Psal. 103.  and of long sufferance. Therefore he proceedeth not to revenge his anger, therefore he hasteth not to wreak himself on us, so soon as we offend him, and transgress his will: but tarrieth, and maketh long delays to see whether we will repent and return unto him. But yet (saith David, forasmuch as he is abused, for as much as ye have left and forsaken him, notwithstanding he be merciful, notwithstanding he be patient cient and of long sufferance, He hath now whet his sword, he hath bend his bow, and made it ready, he hath prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy: and this will he do out of hand, he will make no longer delay at all. Here must we not fancy, that God will strike us with a sword of Iron, that he hath a bow bend and arrows to destroy withal: for every creature on the earth, what ever it be, be it never so vile, never so simple, never so weak and abject, but is able at God's commandment to be an instrument to plague and punish withal. And therefore consider what is so weak as water, so simple as flies, so vile as louse and frogs: and yet it pleased almighty God, by these weak, by these simple, by these vile things, to punish and strike the Egyptians, yea, and so much thereby to plague them, that never before they felt the like, never erst they heard of the like punishment. It pleased God to turn their water into blood, 
Exod. 7.  so that in the whole country no water could be found to drink, no liquor of water to refresh their Bodies. This was a great plague, and yet was this wrought by want of water, which was but a weak and simple creature. A fly, you know, is a simple thing, a thing of little strength and no force: yet God so increased the number of them, he sent such a multitude of Flies among the Egyptians, 
Exod. 8.  that even in the king's house they fell upon what ever the king eat or drank, fell upon his meat, fell into his drink, and so putrefied and corrupted the same. The Lice wherewith God in like plagued them, fell not only upon the king, and his people, but upon their Sheep, their Dren, their Asses, their Horses, their Mules, and their whole herds of cattle, what ever they were. The Frogs entered into their houses, into the king's Palace, into his hall, his parlour, his chamber, yea, and into his Bed also. Thus it pleased God to use against the Egyptians these simple, these base, and vile creatures, as his rod, as his scourge, as his sword of punisment. Every creature, every thing, whether it hath life, or no life, when it pleaseth God to use it, is his sword, is his rod to strike withal. The fire that fell from Heaven, and destroyed the two famous Cities, Sodom and Gomorra, & the whole Region there about, was none other than the sword of God. 
Gen. 19  Therefore saith the prophet David, 
Psal. 104.  The spirits of tempests do his will, the thunder and lightnings fulfil his commandment. And so the same prophet, here in this place: now hath God begun to strike, Now hath he whet his sword, & bent his bow, saith he, now hath he prepared his arrows to destroy, & there is no way now to escape his vengeance, no way to avoid his punishment, but only this, to turn unto him, to run & submit yourselves wholly to him.  
These words David the prophet (being persecuted of his enemies, and beset round about of them) spoke unto Saul the proud king, and his adherents and soldiers: putting them in remembrance how they had provoked & justly deserved the vegeance of God, for persecuting of his innocent soul. And even as this prophet David spoke & pronounced these words unto Saul, & his wicked company, to reduce unto their memory the power of God, and the punishment that then hanged over their heads: So may we likewise well use the same in these our days, first to bring us in remembrance that God is a righteous judge; and then to consider how we daily provoke and deserve his just wrath, and so at the least for fear of punishment, to be sorry for our misdeeds, and return unto him: For if we will not be converted, he hath whet his sword, he hath bend his bow, prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy. But before we come unto God, (good brethren) before we return unto him, we must one come unto another, we must one turn to another; before we be reconciled to Christ, we must be reconciled unto our neighbour, before we be at one with God, we must be at one with our Christian Brother. This is the order that God looketh we should observe, this is that rule which Christ commanded us to keep. Remit, & remittetur tibi, 
Luk. 6.  Forgive, and thou shalt be forgiven. Si remiseris aliis peccata sua, tua remittentur tibi, 
Math. 18.  It thou shalt forgive other men their offences towards thee, then shall thy sins also be forgiven; then shall God pardon thee thine offences, when thou shalt pardon thy Brother that he hath offended thee, then, I say, shall God forgive thee, and not before. 
Math. 5.  And again, Nisi remiseritis aliis peccata sua, vestra non remittentur vobis, Unless ye forgive other men their trespasses, your own sins shall not be released, saith Christ. Remember (good brethren) remember and mark well these words, Christ is the author, Christ is the speaker, Christ is the commander hereof. And so Christ our Saviour in an other place of his Gospel, 
Math. 5.  When thou offerest thy gift at the Altar, saith he, and there remember'st that thy Brother hath aught against thee; leave there thine offering before the Altar, & go thy way first and reconcile thyself to thy Brother, and then come and offer thy gift. God is contented his honour be deferred, he is contented to tarry for his Sacrifice, till thou art agreed with thy Brother, till thou art at one with him. And when thou hast thus done, then come & there offer thy Sacrifice. This is the ground of the atonement between God and us, this is the token that Christ is reconciled unto us, if we be at one with our neighbour, if we be reconciled to our Christian Brother. 
1. joh. 4.  For if we shall hate our brethren whom we see, if we shall be at debate with our Neighbours being daily conversant with us; how can we love God whom we see not, how can we agree with Christ, with whom we are not conversant? But to declare further unto you, that God accepteth not our Sacrifices, that he regardeth not our petitions, that he is not pleased with our prayers, unless we be at one & pleased with our brethren; He crieth out by Esaie his prophet, and saith, 
Esa. 1.  Cum clamabitis ad me, ego non exaudiam vos, quia manus vestrae plenae sanguinis sunt, When you shall call upon me, I will not hear you, though ye make many prayers, yet hear I nothing at all, saith God. And wherefore? Because your hands are full of blood. It is written in Genesis, 
Gen. 4.  that God would not look upon Cayn and his Offering, that he would have no regard to his Sacrifice: and wherefore? because his heart was full of malice. Solomon saith, Precatio iniusti abhominabilis est, The prayer of the wicked is abominable, the sinful man's prayer is abominable in the sight of God. 
Psal. 109.  David also, Let their prayers be as a sin, let their prayer be turned into sin, saith he. O miserable man thou art, if thou be not in charity, wretched and too sinful thou art, if thou be not in love and unity, thy Prayer is abominable, yea, thy prayer is no prayer, thy prayer is sin. Thou prayest to be forgiven, but thou thyself wilt not forgive, this is enough to condemn thee. For our Religion is none other but a Brotherhood knit together in the love of God; our profession is none other than charity and brotherly love towards all men in our Saviour and Redeemer jesus Christ. 
1. joh. 4.  God is the God of love, Christ is the Prince of peace, his Gospel is the gospel peace; and we that are Gods servants, aught to live in godly love, we that are Christ's brethren, aught to live in brotherly peace. We are all baptised in one water, whereby we should have in remembrance, that we should in love live as one together. These, and such other are, or may be, sufficient to bring us in remembrance of brotherly love, of faithful amity, and unfeigned concord, if we of ourselves were not too forgetful. O how oft said Christ to his Disciples, 
joh. 14.  Pacem meam do vobis, pacem meam relinquo vobis, I give you my peace, my peace I leave unto you. 
joh. 13.  By this cognisance and none other shall men know you to be my Disciples saith Christ, if ye love together, if ye have love one to an other. He saith also, A new commandment give I you, that you love together, as I have loved you. What a zealous fire, what an earnest love had Christ when he prayed and said, O Father, 
joh. 17.  cause that these be one, as thou and I are one, that like as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Because ye be few, said Christ to his Disciples, and in the midst of your enemies, live you in concord and peace one with an other, one bear with another, and all you hold together. S. Paul saith, 
Rom. 13.  That he which loveth his Brother, hath fulfilled the whole law. Let not the Sun go down on thy wrath, 
Eph. 4.  saith Paul. And again, 
Rom. 12.  Revenge not, but give place unto displeasure; wreak not yourselves, but give room to the wrath of God. David, when he was in most extreme persecution, & his enemies laid daily wait for his life, seeking his destruction, even than fell he to most earnest prayer, he sought not to be revenged, but he made his prayer unto God, and said, 
Psal. 108.  O Lord, they speak evil of me, they revile me, they call me Traitor, they call me all that nought is, but I have none other help, but to pray unto thee, my only succour is to fly unto thee. Thus did that holy prophet David, and so did the Christians in the beginning of Christ's Church. For Tertullian, an old and holy father, saith, Fratres se appellabant & more volverunt pro muicem, They called themselves brethren, saith he, and one would not stick to die for an other. O what a charity, what a love, what a Brotherly affection was this among Christians, in the beginning of God's Church. Saint Steven, when he was stoned, all his bones crushed and burst in pieces, and his Soul ready to leave his body, even than he prayed for his Tormentors, even than he cried out unto God, and said, 
Act. 1.  O Domine, ne statuas illis peccatum hoc, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. So that holy father Nazianzen, when the hangman that most cruelly had tormented him, desired pardon of him, he meekly answered, Qui mihi ignovit, ignoscat tibi He that hath forgiven me, the same forgive thee; God hath pardoned me, and I beseech him that he will in like pardon thee. Even so likewise Christ, when he hanged on the Cross, when his hands and feet were nailed to the tree and he in the midst of all his woe, even than he prayed for his persecutors, than he desired his Father to pardon them, and said, 
Luk. 23.  O Pater, ignosce illis, nesciunt enim quid faciunt, Father, forgive them, for they wot not what they do. This is an example for us to follow, thus ought we to do, as in the beginning of Christ's Church, the Christians did, who called themselves brethren, and one would die for an other: Thus ought we to say, as S. Steven said, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge: thus should we do, as that holy father Nazianzen did, and say, He that hath forgiven me, the same forgive thee. And lastly so ought we to pray for our enemies, as Christ did for his persecutors, and say, Father forgive it them, they wot not what they do. Thus ought we to do, if we mind to live according to our profession, and if we will be Christians, as we are called Christians. We read, written by S. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, that in the beginning & first spring of God's Church, the whole congregation had one thought, 
Act. 4.  one mind, one heart. Such a love, such a charity, such a Christian conformity was among them. And in commendation of Christian charity, & brotherly love one with an other, the prophet David said, 
Psal. 133.  O quam bonum, & quam iocundum, habitare fraires in unum, Behold how good & joyful a thing it is brethren to dwell together in unity: He esteemed love to be so great a jewel, he thought concord and unity a thing of so great price, that he could not speak too much good of it. And therefore he said, It was like the ointment that ran unto Aaron's beard, and like the dew of Hermon which fell upon the hill of Zion, where the Lord promised his blessing, and life for evermore. But O merciful God, unto what times hast thou reserved us? where is now the peace given, the love left by our Saviour jesus Christ? where is that charity that should always remain among Christians? Now is the time, even now, (good brethren) are the days come, which Christ himself prophesied should come, 
Math. 24.  saying, The time shall be that iniquity shall have the upperchand, and the love of many shall abate. Christ said, that such a time should come, and even now, even now, that time and season is come upon us. So likewise Saint Paul the Apostle of Christ said, 
2. Timo. 3.  In the last days there shall come perilous times, Erunt homines seipsos amantes, There shall bem en which shall love themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, and such as shall be despisers of them that are good. O see the prophet saith, Non est veritas in terra, 
Ose. 4.  There is no truth, no faithfulness in the whole world, there is no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land; but swearing, lying, manslaughter, theft, and adultery. jeremy also the prophet of God, Frater venabitur fratrem ad mortem, 
jer. 9  saith he, One Brother shall hunt and persecute an other unto death: no man may safely trust his own Brother, for one Brother undermineth an other, and one neighbour beguileth an other. And all this do we now see, we, I say, in these our days do see and behold all this. We see now that which Nazianzen that old holy father speaketh of, Membra Christi pugnant inter se, The members of Christ are at strife and variance among themselves, saith he, and even those members that Christ died for, those members I say that Christ's blood redeemed, those members we now see at debate and fight together. I speak but in generality, I speak not now in particularity, I do not here repeat to your memories our particular offences, and great crimes, which to consider would cause any honest heart to be sorry, yea, which to remember would enforce the stony heart to bleed. I do not now rehearse unto you by name any such our offences. O rip up your consciences, descend into your own hearts, see whether iniquity doth not abound, see whether there be not in these our days, men, such as are lovers of themselves: see whether there be any truth, any fidelity upon the earth: see whether one brother doth not hunt and persecute an other unto death: and lastly see whether the very members of Christ are not now at debate and fight together. David, when he considered the great oppression, tyranny, and persecution used against the faithful, in his time, cried out and said, 
Psal. 12.  Serua me Deus, quia defecit sanctus, O save me Lord, for there is not one Saint more, very few faithful are there among the children of men: Every man telleth lies to his neighbour, they do but slatter with their lips, and dissemble in their heart. jeremy the prophet, when he saw the whole multitude of the people in his days forsake God, and run after their own affections, every man whether his lust lead him, he cried out and said, 
jer. 9  Quis capiti meo dabit aquam, & occulis meis fontem aquarum, O who will give my head water enough, and a well of tears for mine eyes, that I may bewail the iniquity of this people. And even like as David in his time, so may the just man say now, Serua me Deus, quoniam defecit sanctus, O Lord help, because there is no holy man left. Like as jeremy, so may the virtuous bewail now the wickedness of these our days, and say, O who shall pour water into my head, and give a fountain of tears unto mine eyes, that I may bewail the wickedness of this people. O Christ, where is now thy new commandment? where is now thy cognisance, thy badge whereby thy servants are known? where is that peace which thou leaftest to thy Disciples? where is now that one heart, that one mind, that one thought, that was in the congregation in the beginning of thy Church? But what need I to speak, what need I to say any thing, if they would hear thee, Lord, if they would hear thy word and Gospel? O Lord where is thy strength become? where is that power, that force of thy word, which was able to divide the marrow from the bone? 
Heb. 4.  What is now become of that marvelous might of thy word? Thy word, O Lord, is one, thy Gospel is the self same and one, but the hearts of men, the hearts of thy people are not one. But this cometh to pass for my sins, this I see well is wrought by thee, O Lord, for mine own sins and offences: for other poor men preach thy Gospel, other poor men do teach and instruct thy people with thy holy word, and by and by the people mourn, by and by they are sorry for their sins, they repent them of their wickedness, and turn unto thee. And I speak as they do, I preach the same Gospel, the same word of thine as they do, and yet I do see no amendment, I do not see any one won unto thee through my teaching. And therefore my sin is the cause, mine own sin and nothing else is the cause hereof; thou hast not thought me a man worthy, by whom any one lost sheep should be converted, and brought home unto thee. But O thou my Brother, that here standest like an idol, thou host eyes to see, and ears to hear, seest thou not that God hath his sword whet, his bow bend, his arrows ready to destroy? hearest thou not how he calleth thee to repentance? Thou dost see, and hear this, and yet thou increasest sin upon sin, and so heapest up anger and displeasure against the day of wrath. I call God to witness. I have uttered unto you God's truth, I have preached among you his holy Gospel, I have revealed unto you his divine word, so that none of you all can excuse yourselves by ignorance. But take you heed to yourselves, take good heed, I say, my brethren, & mark well what S. Paul saith, 
Hebr. 10.  Peccantes post acceptam gratiam, destituti sunt omni misericordia, They which wilfully sin after they have once received the knowledge of the truth, are destitute of all mercy: there remaineth unto them no more sacrifice for their sins, but a fearful looking of judgement, and violent fire, which shall consume the adversaries. And this is it that the Apostle saith, to be cast into a reprobate sense. This is the sin that S. john maketh mention of, saying; Est peccatum in spiritum sanctum, there is a sin against the holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come. And for this great sin, for this horrible wickedness, good people, God hath drawn out his sword, for this cause hath he bend his bow, and prepared his arrows to destroy.  
Therefore (good brethren) let us lay aside all contention, all strife, and debate, and let us look up unto heaven, let us cast our eyes thither, where is no rancour, no discord, no strife, no debate: let us fix our eyes, our hearts, and our whole minds on jesus Christ, on him I say, who hanging on the cross, prayed for his persecutors, and said; O father forgive them, they wot not what they do. Let us imagine that we now behold him, and that he now spreadeth out his arms unto us, and saith, O thou sinful man that slumberest in thy sins, and sleepest in thine own wickedness, awake, now is it time for thee to awake out of thy slumber, to arise from thy heavy sleep: remember thou art a Christian man, consider thou are a limb of my limbs, a member of my body, the child of God, and coheir of my father's kingdom. You children of men, how long will ye dwell in your old wickedness? How long will ye live in hatred one with another? How long will ye continue in rancour and strife? Shall I so forgive you as you forgive your neighbours? shall I so pardon you your sins, as you pardon your brethren their offences? O I forgave thee thy great debt, and wilt not thou forgive thy brother that little, wherein he hath offended thee? I have paid his debt, I have paid the ransom for his trespass, if my blood be a sufficient ransom for the same: for that bloods sake of mine forgive him, if nought else will move thee, if thou wilt not for his own sake, yet for my sake pardon him. Good brethren, we have long enough served the devil, the prince of this world, let us now serve God our maker, and Christ our redeemer. We have long enough, yea too long, continued in rancour and malice one with another: let us now therefore, if there be any society between God and us, if there be in us any love of Christ, if there be any fear of God's wreak and vengeance, let us one forgive another; let every man forgive his Christian brother, let us all cast aside all rancour, strife, and debate, and so let us dwell together in unity, in brotherly love, and concord.  
This day we have heard God's Gospel preached unto us, this day we have learned out of the word of God, that if we be Christians, we should live like Christians, if we be the children of God we should live as becometh the children of God, without envy, without hatred, without strife or malice. Let us therefore now leave off our old contention & strife, let us even here in this place one forgive another, and so be reconciled one unto another, and say; Remit nobis debita nostra, sicut & nos dimittimus debit oribus nostris, O Lord forgive us our sins, as we forgive them that trespass against us. This is our profession, this is our Religion, hereunto are we called of God, appointed by Christ, and commanded by his holy word. Let us consider our white & door hairs, let us behold our riveled skin, let us have always before our eyes the grave whereunto we are creeping: Let us consider that death daily hangeth over our heads. And shall we then in this sort live out the rest of our years? Shall we thus die, and come to our graves? Let us show ourselves in our works to be the children of God, and the brethren of Christ: let us not show ourselves Christians in name and not in deed: let us not love in word alone, but in deed and verity: let us not requite evil with evil, one mischief with another; but let us (according unto S. Paul's Rule) 
Rom. 12.  Overcome evil with good, hatred with love, and so fulfil the Law of God. So shall God hold back his sword, though already drawn, so shall he not smite us though he hath bend his bow, prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy. But God shall continue our God, and remain with us for ever. Amen.   

THE fifth SERMON.  Luk. 10. vers. 23. 24. 
23. And he turned him to his Disciples, and said: Blessed are the eyes which see that ye see.  
24. For I say unto you, many Prophets & kings would have seen the things that ye see, and have not seen them, and have heard the things that ye hear, and have not heard them.  
OUR Saviour Christ, before he began to declare and set forth the will of his Father, before he began to preach abroad the high mysteries of our redemption, the glad tidings of man's salvation, sent abroad into the world a many of Disciples to the number of three score and ten, to the end that they should espy out and see the stay of the people, how they would accept his Doctrine, and first to give them this warning, and say; Paenitentiam agite, appropinquat enim regnum caelorum, Repent yourselves, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. These Disciples of Christ, after they had in all points accomplished their master's commission, and fulfilled his commandment, returned again unto Christ, and showed him the marvels that they had wrought in his name, rejoicing much thereat, and especially for that Devils departed from men possessed, and were driven out by them; The very Devils (said they) are subdued unto us in thy name. But when Christ heard them thus say, and perceived that they rejoiced there at, he turned to his Disciples, he pulled them from this vain fancy, and said; I saw Satan fall down from heaven as lightning. Behold I have given you power to tread upon Serpents, to go over Scorpions, over all venomous and noisome beasts; they shall be subject, & obedient unto you, & they shall not hurt you. But rejoice not in this, rejoice not that you shall have power over Serpents, that you shall be able to tread upon Scorpions and all other venomous beasts, & be nothing therewith annoyed, but rejoice you in this, that your names are written in the book of life. Put away (said Christ) this vainglory that your have conceived, this fond fancy wherein ye rejoice, and rejoice ye only in this, that your names are written in heaven: and that you know God, and his son whom he hath sent into the world. For no man knoweth the Son, but the Father, 
Math. 11.  neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, & he to whom the Son will open it. This is your felicity, this is your joy, & no man but you, hath this great joy & felicity. And therefore blessed are the eyes which see, that ye see. This heavenly felicity, this marvelous bliss, that Christ in this place spoke of to his Disciples, was prophesied and long time before spoken of, even at the first beginning of the world: for at what time Adam had transgressed God's commandment, and so fallen from the joys of Paradise; God himself, to put Adam in some comfort again, pronounce these words against the wicked Serpent that had wrought him that woe, 
Gen. 3.  and said, Ipsum conteret caput tuum, The seed of the woman shall tread down thy head: he, he it is that shall break down and destroy the power of the devil, said God unto Adam. This promise (I say) even at the beginning of the world was made by God unto Adam, and so continued to the time of Christ: for afterward this same promise declared God likewise, to many a good and godly man. He said unto Abraham, 
Gen. 22.  In 'samine tuo benedicentur omnes five terrae, In thy seed (said God) in that seed of thine shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed. To David also God declared likewise this promise, and said; 
Psal. 131.  De semine tuo ponam super solium tuum, Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat. And so in the time of Esay his prophet, god continued this promise, and said; 
Esa. 7.  Ecce virgo concipiet, & pariet filium cuius nomen erit Emanuel, behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, whose name shall be Emanuel, that is, God amongst us. And hereunto witnessed all the patriarchs and Prophets, even from the first beginning of the world, unto the time of the coming of our Saviour jesus Christ. And therefore, because the whole Scriptures, the patriarchs, the Prophets, spoke thus plainly of Christ, and declared his coming. Christ said, Scrutamini Scripturas, 
joh. 5.  illae enim testimonium perhibent de me, search you the Scriptures, for they do bear witness of me. Likewise again to the Scribes and pharisees, he said, Si Mosei crederetis crederetis & mihi, 
joh. 5.  If ye believed Moses, ye would believe me, for Moses also hath written to me; he hath told you of me, said Christ, & therefore if you believed him, ye would also believe me. And thus all the whole body of the Scriptures bare record of the coming of Christ: the patriarchs knew long before that Christ should be borne: the Prophets prophesied of his coming into the world. But when Christ should be borne, when his glorious coming should appear, that neither the scriptures declared, neither the holy patriarchs knew, nor the Prophets were able to show. And therefore said Christ, 
john 8.  Abraham voluit videre diem meum, Abraham would fain have seen my day, & he saw it, & therefore he rejoiced. But how did Abraham see it? with bodily eyes? no, but in faith, & because he was in faith able to see it, therefore he rejoiced. What then if he had with his eyes seen Christ, if he had talked with him, if he might have touched and embraced Christ: what joy would he have made? how would he have rejoiced and been glad? No doubt, as the birth of Christ was most acceptable and welcome to all good men in that time, so was his coming much longed for of the holy patriarchs and Prophets before time: for they well knew that his time should be a time most acceptable, that then all things should be in quietness, unity and concord in every place, peace through the whole world. And therefore said Esay the Prophet, 
Esa. 9  Et vocabitur princeps pacis, He shallbe called the Prince of peace. And to declare this more plainly, the same Prophet saith, 
Esay 11.  Then shall the Wolf dwell with the Lamb, the Leopard shall lie down by the Goat, Bullocks, Lions, and cattle shall keep company together, the Cow and the Bear shall lie together: and there shall be no crying, no wailing, no noise heard in the streets. And therefore this Prophet Esay in another place, considering the great joy, the great felicity that Christ should bring into the world, when he should be borne, cried out and said, Disrumpe coelos, & descend, 
Esay 64.  O Lord said he, break the heavens and come down. And so another Prophet in like foreseeing this great felicity that should ensue the birth of Christ, said, Quis vivet, & videbit haec? O who shall live to enjoy this marvelous felicity? When Christ was come into this world, though then not borne, but in his mother's womb, john the Baptist being a babe, and in his mother's belly also, yet at the Majesty of his Lord, 
Luke 1.  and at the presence of Christ, he sprang for joy, and leapt in his mother's womb. So likewise at the birth of Christ, for joy that the Angels in heaven conceived thereat, 
Luk. 2.  they sang Gloria in excelsis Deo, & in terra pax hominibus, Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace unto men. After that time when Simeon that holy prophet had in spirit perceived the true Messias, & Saviour of the world to be born, & had received Christ into his arms, 
Luke 2.  he cried out & said, Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace, Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: Now, even now that this sight is provided before the face of the whole world, that so long hath been looked for, now that light is appeared which shall be the light of the Gentiles: Now, O Lord, said be, let thy servant depart in peace, I have lived long enough to see thy salvation.  
Thus, good brethren, all the Scriptures throughout, the patriarchs, the Prophets, showed long before unto us, the joy and felicity that should come upon the whole world, at such time as Christ should be borne. And therefore to confirm all this that they before had prophesied of him, Christ here said unto his disciples, Blessed are the eyes which see that ye see. Blessed are your eyes, said Christ, for your eyes have seen Gods promises performed: that promise which he made to Adam, saying, The seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent: Your eyes have seen that promise made unto Abraham, The seed wherein all nations shall be blessed: That promise also your eyes have seen performed, which God made unto David, saying: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy seat: You have seen, and do now see that Emanuel, of whom Esay prophesied: You, I say, have seen that thing, whereunto all the patriarchs, all the Prophets, & the whole body of the Scriptures do bear witness: You do see and behold him, whom Abraham would gladly have seen: You see him, whom Esay calleth the Prince of peace: him, in regard of whom the Prophet cried out, and said, O who shall live to see this great joy? You see him, at whose presence Saint john the Baptist being in his mother's womb, sprang, & leapt up for joy: him, at whose birth the very Angels in heaven sang, Gloria in excelsis: him, whom Simeon pronounced to be the Saviour of the world. All this, said Christ, you see, you my disciples, your eyes do see all this, and therefore blessed are your eyes, happy and blessed are the eyes that see which ye see. In the beginning, 
Heb. 1.  saith S. Paul, God spoke diversly, and by sundry means unto his people, sometimes by dreams, sometimes by revelation, sometimes by prophecies, sometimes by Angels, and sometimes by his own voice: but now in these days he hath sent amongst us his own son: by him, saith he, God hath declared his will unto us clearly and plainly, even by the mouth of his own son. When S. john the Baptist baptised Christ in the river of jordan, it pleased God the Father to cry from heaven, and say, Hic est meus filius dilectus, 
Luke 3.  ipsum audit, This is my beloved son, hear him, hearken unto his voice, give ear unto his doctrine: for he it is to whom both the law & the Prophets have their respect. And S. Paul saith, 
Colloss. 1.  Mysterium absconditum a saeculis nunc autem revelatur per jesum Christum, the mystery, that high mystery of man's salvation, that hath been so many hundred years hid, is now revealed by Christ our Saviour: so long it hath been hidden, saith Saint Paul, and now it is opened and showed unto the whole world by Christ. Therefore blessed are your eyes, said Christ, yea, blessed are the eyes which see that ye see, for your bodily eyes see that which the Angels did lack, you see that which the patriarchs and the Prophets never saw: you, said Christ, you my Disciples are blessed that see me, that hear my gospel and believe the same, and therefore blessed are your eyes, and the eyes which see that you see. For otherwise the Scribes saw Christ as the Apostles did, the pharisees saw him as the Aposles did, and yet were they always Scribes and pharisees, that is, such as withstood Christ, and gainsaid his doctrine: Caiphas saw Christ as the Apostles did, and yet he rend his clothes, and said, that Christ was a blasphemer. 
Mar. 14.  Pilat saw Christ as the Apostles did, and yet he gave judgement against Christ. 
Luke 23.  judas saw Christ as the rest of his fellows the Apostles saw him, 
john 13.  and yet he betrayed Christ. 
Math. 27.  The Soldiers, and such as hung Christ on the cross, saw Christ as the Apostles did, yet were they wicked men, & did put Christ unto death. Shall we then say, that these men's eyes were blessed? that the eyes of the Scribes and pharisees were blessed? that Caiphas eyes, Pilat's eyes, judas eyes were blessed? shall we say, that the soldiers eyes, & the eyes of them that put Christ unto death, were blessed, because they saw Christ, & beheld his body? O good brethren, these men saw Christ, and yet saw him not: they saw him with their bodily eyes, and yet they knew him not: they saw him as the Ass, the Wolf, and the Dog saw him: they saw him as the devil saw him, 
Luke 8.  and said, Tu es filius Dei, Thou art the son of God: thus they saw Christ as touching the body, but they saw him not as the Apostles saw him: they saw him as a man, but not as the son of God: they saw him as the son of a Carpenter, 
Luke 4.  for so they said he was, 
Math. 13.  but they saw him not as the Apostles saw him, to be the very son of God: they saw Christ as a miserable man, but the Apostles saw him as the Saviour of the world. And therefore Peter was bold to say, 
Math. 16.  Tu es Christus, filius Dei vivi, Thou art Christ, the son of the living God. And again he was in like able to say, 
joh. 6.  Tu habes verbum salutis, Thou hast the words of life. Thus the Apostles saw Christ, and believed him to be the redeemer of the world, & therefore Christ said unto them, Blessed are your eyes, and the eyes which see that you see. For I say unto you, many Kings and Prophets would fain have seen the things that you see, and could not see them.  
This promise, good brethren, of the birth of Christ, and his coming into the world, to redeem mankind, was made long before, yea, it was promised by God the Father, even in the first beginning of the world, as I have already declared unto you. And therefore in hope of the performance of this promise, many a godly man did put his affiance in Christ, and long before his coming had a fixed trust in the merits of his passion. The patriarchs, the Prophets, and all such as lived under the old law, had the same Law and Testament that we now have, they had the same doctrine, the same faith, the same prayer, the same Sacraments that we now have: we drink of Christ, and so the jews drank of Christ: 
1. Cor. 10.  Bibebant de petra, petra autem erat Christus, They drank of the rock, saith Saint Paul, and the rock they drank of was Christ. They were circumcised, and so are we: for, saith Saint Paul, 
Colloss. 2.  We also are circumcised, but with circumcision without hands: We are circumcised, but we are circumcised in heart by the power of the holy ghost. The patriarchs and the Prophets knew well, and believed, that by Christ they should be redeemed, that by his only blood, shed on the cross all the world should be saved: but this they knew, this they saw, only by faith, & in spirit, for than was not Christ borne: we have the lamb of God offered up for us, & so had they the same lamb offered up for them. For S. john saith, 
Apocal. 13  Agnus oblatus a principio mundi, Christ was the lamb offered up from the beginning of the world. 
1. Pet. 1.  And now therefore, forasmuch as the Patriarches, the Prophets, & the holy men in old time, had the same ●●●●ament, the same doctrine, the same faith, the same prayer, the same Sacraments that we have: forasmuch as they drank of Christ, as we do: forasmuch as they were circumcised, and so are we: forasmuch as they did believe that they should be saved by the death of Christ, as we do, shall we think that they were not blessed? that their eyes were not as happy as ours? that they saw not as much as we do? Shall we think that Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, and divers other such good men, lacked any part of their felicity? Or if they were blessed, why said Christ only to his Apostles, Blessed are the eyes which see that ye see? When our Saviour Christ said thus, blessed are your eyes, and the eyes which see that ye see, he meant not and peculiar blessing given unto them alone, but he signified the blessing of that time: as if he should have said, blessed is this time, blessed are the days that you see. For there is in times and seasons a great difference and diversity. Some one time is blessed, another is accursed. The time of the wicked king Manasses, 
4. Reg. 21.  wherein the Testament and law of God was burnt, Baal's altars re-edified, and Idols set up, was a miserable time: this time, I say, of Manasses reign, was an accursed time. 
4. Reg. 23.  But the time of josias, wherein the law of God was restored again, Baal cast out of the Temple, the Idols pulled down, and all good orders again set up in their former estate, was a blessed time, a time most happy; and blessed was he that lived to see that time. So likewise the time of the birth of Christ was a blessed time, and the time of Antichrist a time accursed. And therefore Christ oftentimes wept over jerusalem, and said, 
Luke 19  O jerusalem, jerusalem, thou that killest my Prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, O that thou knewest the time of thy visitation: O that thine eyes would once see, thine ears hear, and so thou wouldst know when God hath sent his son unto thee. 
Rom. 13.  Saint Paul saith, Nunc tempus est nobis à somnis surgere, Now is the hour for us to arise from sleep. Nox praecessit, dies autem illuxit, The night is past, and the day now beginneth to shine: and therefore in conclusion, he saith, 
1. Cor. 6.  Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile, Behold now is the acceptable time, behold now is the time of salvation. These were blessed times, these were acceptable times, that Christ our Saviour and S. Paul spoke of, 
john 12.  Dum habetis lucem, ambulate in luce, Whiles you have light, walk in the light saith Christ, receive the light, and so shall you be the children of light. And so that time was a blessed time: because Christ was borne in that time, because the force and power of the devil was by Christ then destroyed, because the dominion & kingdom of sathan was then thrown down, therefore was it a blessed time. But as touching the blessing of the men in times long before, men were as blessed as they were then: Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, and such other, were as blessed as the Apostles. They had the same Christ, the same Saviour and redeemer that the Apostles had. For saith S. Paul, 
Hebr. 13.  jesus Christus, heri, hody, & semper, Christ, is for yesterday, this day, and for ever. One Christ served for all the world. Otherwise most miserable were we, & in most wretched condition were all such as either now live, or have lived since the time of Christ. For we never saw Christ in the flesh, we never beheld his body, we were never conversant with him on the earth. But Christ hath told us by S. Thomas, 
〈◊〉  Beati qui non vident & credunt, blessed are they that believe and have not seen, blessed are they that see not, and yet believe. These things be for our great comfort. For although we never saw Christ with our eyes, though he was never conversant with us, as he was with his Apostles, yet have we through him the same salvation that the Apostles had, we have him our redeemer and Saviour as they had him.  
Now let us compare this saying of Christ unto ourselves and our time: let us see whether this that Christ then spoke to his Disciples, may not be spoken of us, and our time. For thus ought we to read God's word, to this end we should read the Scriptures of God. Now therefore, good brethren, let us consider well, and see whether the Church of God hath not been so disordered before our time, yea, and in our time, that we may now well say, blessed are our eyes, and the eyes which see that we see: for many a good and godly man would sayne have seen that we see, and could not see it. I will be short, I will not long trouble you in this thing, I will not use many words unto you herein. The errors that have been taught and preached in the church of Christ, have been (good brethren) so gross, that such as could not see them with their eyes, might have felt them even with their fingers: so horrible, and so gross were the errors in the church: so were all things confounded, and scarcely the form of the Church left unto us. But that this should so come to pass, Christ himself, S. Paul, S. Peter, and Daniel the Prophet, long time before gave warning to the world, and prophesied it should so be. And even as they spoke, so hath it come to pass, look what they said, the same have we seen fulfilled. For Christ himself openly showed, that the time should come, 
Math. 24.  that desolation should stand in the holy place. And again he said, When the son of man shall come to judge the earth, think you that he shall find any faith upon the earth? As if he should have said, when he shall come to judge, there shall be no faith on the earth, no fidelity and trust among men, so shall all things be confounded, and no faith shall be found. Saint Paul likewise saith, 
2. Thes. 2.  The time shall be, that Antichrist shall nestle himself in the Temple of God, in the consciences of men, in the place of Christ, and shallbe exalted above all that is called God, or God's service. And he saith further, 
3. Tim. 4.  Erit tempus cum sanam doctrinam aspernentur, The days shall come, when men shall despise and cast away all wholesome doctrine: the time shall be (saith he) that they shall not suffer this Gospel that I have preached, these Epistes, and letters which I have sent unto you, But they shall turn their ears from the truth, and shall be given unto fables. This S. Paul aforehand told us, and indeed we have found his tale most true. 
2. Pet. 2.  S. Peter also saith; Erunt magistri mendatiorum, There shall come Preachers and teachers of lies; there shall come false teachers, which privily shall bring in damnable sects. Daniel likewise that Prophet of God, 
Dan. 9  long before the coming of Christ, prophesied and said, Antichrist shall come, there shall be an abominable desolation in the Temple, it shall be destroyed all, and the truth shall be cast flat to the ground.  
Now, good brethren, consider well with yourselves, where should this desolation be, which Christ spoke of? Amongst whom shall so small faith be found? Where should Antichrist nestle himself? Where should good Doctrine be despised? where should there be preachers and teachers of lies? Where should the truth be cast flat to the ground? where should all these things come to pass? Amongst the Turks, the Saracens, the Heathen, the Infidels? amongst such as never heard of Christ, nor his Gospel? should these things, that Christ, that S. Paul, that S. Peter, that Daniel prophesied to come to pass, should they (I say) be fulfilled amongst them? Let not us deceive ourselves, good brethren, Christ said that desolation should come into the holy place, that such as professed God and his name, should have little faith. S. Paul said that Antichrist should sit in the holy place, in the Temple of God: that amongst Christians wholesome doctrine should be despised, and cast away: S. Peter also, that even amongst the professors of God's Gospel, some there should be that should preach and teach lies: And Daniel likewise, that in the Temple Antichrist should sit, and there all truth should be cast flat to the ground. And this should not come to pass among the Heathen and Infidels, but in the Church of Christ, even in the very Church of God. S. Hilary, who was an old father in the Church, saith: O you will soon deceive yourselves if ye trust in the walls, know you not that Antichrist in the Church? Let us not therefore deceive ourselves, let not us, good brethren, deceive ourselves. And here I pray you consider with me, how that God, for our better understanding, hath in similitudes opened and set forth unto us the state of his Church. For Christ in the Gospel compareth his Church unto a ship in the Sea, tossed and tumbled with perilous waves: and what I pray you, betides unto a Ship so tossed in the Sea, if there be no Lodes-man to stir it, or if the Lodes-man doth not his duty, Christ hath likened his Church to a vine: 
Esay. 5.  and what becomes to a vine, if it be not shred and underpropped? He doth also liken it to a flock of Sheep: 
joh. 10.  and what becomes to a flock of Sheep, if there be no Shepherd to guide and look unto them? And now therefore consider with me, I pray you, even from the mean Priest, to the Bishop of Rome, consider, I say, whether they have done their duties: which of them all hath done that which is required in them, which of them hath fulfilled that God gave them in charge to do. Christ to his Disciples, and in them to all such as should become Preachers, 
Mat. 16.  gave this Commission, saying, Ite, & predicate, Go you & Preach: and what is he that ever saw the bishop of Rome in a Pulpit? who hath heard a Cardinal many times preach? judge you then (my brethren) when shall the ship come safe to the haven, if the Lodes-man doth not his duty? When shall the Vine bring forth any fruit, if the husbandman apply not his diligence to dung, to shred, to underprop the same? What shall become of the flock, if the Shepherd showeth not his industry and earnest labour amongst them? Now let us consider a little further, what they were what should have been our Lodes-men: what they were that should have played the good husbands in God's vineyard: what they were that should have looked to the flock of Christ. Here will I declare nothing of myself, I will not here utter unto you any thing of mine own invention; I will only show you the minds of the ancient Doctors in the Primitive Church, and the sayings of old holy fathers, that have written of the Church of God. Saint Gregory speaking of the Church of God, saith, Ecclesia Dei, si ab uno pendebit, corruet, If the Church of God shall hang upon one man, if the whole sway thereof shall depend upon one alone, that Church must needs fall, saith S. Gregory. Now let us consider whither in times past it hath been so in the Church of god, whether we have known one man to have called himself the head of the Church: and if it so be, how can it then be otherwise, but that the same Church must needs perish and fall. Saint Barnard, an old holy father writing of the Bishops and Prelates of the Church in his time, saith; Non sunt pastors, sed Impostores, non Doctores, sed Seductores, non Praelati, sed Pilati: They are not (saith S. Barnard) good Pastors and feeders of God's flock, but they are impostors, such as deceive God's sheep, they are not Doctors, but they are seductours, such as lead men out of the right way: They are not Prelates, but they are very pilate's. And again, the same Saint Barnard, in the Council holden at Rheims, where he made a Sermon in the presence of the Bishops there assembled, said; Habemus iam non mercenarios pro Pastoribus, neque Lupos pro mercenarijs, sed in loco Luporum; Daemons habemus, We have not now, said this holy Father, hirelings in steed of Shepherds, nor Wolves in steed of hirelings, but in place of Wolves, we have very Devils. This spoke Saint Barnard of the Preachers and Pastors in his time. But O miserable is that Church, wherein are hirelings in steed of good shepherds, more miserable, where are Wolves in place of hirelings, and most miserable, where Devils in room of Wolves. For then all goeth to ruin and decay, then must needs all goodness in God's Church be overthrown.  
And so was it then, so was it in his time, said this old Father S. Barnard. So Platina also an ancient writer; Defecit tum maiestas Imperatoris, & sanctitas Episcopi, When the Bishop of Rome, said he, took so much upon him, when he would be called, Universal Bishop, and head of God's Church, than decayed the Majesty of the Emperor, and the holiness in the Bishop. Saint Hilary likewise saith; The Church wherein God's word is not preached, must needs run against the rock. Tertullian also, Miremur si fides deficit, cum non sit instructio? Do we marvel (saith he) if faith fail, if faith be not found amongst men, sithence there is no Preaching, no teaching, no instruction? Even so anotherold writer speaking of his own time, saith, Calamitosa est desolatio in Domo Dei, There is an horrible desolation in the Church of God. And therefore also he saith further, Nos sumus, in quos feces terrae devenerunt, We are they, upon whom all the dregs of the earth are fallen. So Chrisostome: If you (saith he) perceive it to wax dark in the vale, you say it is towards night, if you see it begin to be dark on the hills, you say it is nigh night: but if you see it once dark in the sky, you say it is high night: So if you see ignorance in the people, you may say it i● towards night, if you see ignorance in the Priests, it is almost night, but if you see ignorance and little learning in the Bishops and Prelates, then may you well say, it is high night.  
Barnard that holy father in another place speaking of the Priests of his own time, saith, Nothing is now safe amongst the Clergy, all things are confounded, all things out of order; and therefore there is now nothing left, but that Antichrist be revealed. I recount here nothing unto you, my brethren, but only the sayings of the ancient Doctors and holy Fathers which have written of God's Church in times herebefore, and therefore I trust you will believe them the better. The same S. Barnard of whom I spoke before, saith also: It appeareth now that there is no persecution, no Martyrs done unto death: Nay not so, saith he, it is not so, for now even they that sit highest in the Church of God, they that bear the greatest stroke therein, they begin to persecute and destroy God's servants. And again, speaking of the Priests and Prelates, They would seem to be God's friends, yet they are his enemies they would be Christ's kinsmen, yet they are his adversaries, they would be servants to Christ, and yet they serve Antichrist. And thus, (Good brethren) it hath been in our time, and you yourselves have seen it, you yourselves have seen that the whole Church hath hanged on one man alone: that such as should have been Pastors, have been deceivers: such as should have been teachers of the right way, have been seducers and guides into blind ways: such as should have been Prelates, have been pilate's. You yourselves have seen in the Church of God hirelings in steed of good Shepherds, wolves in place of hirelings, and very devils in the room of wolves. All these things have been spoken of afore, That the Majesty in the Emperor, and holiness in the Bishop should decay: that where God's word is not preached, there must the Church needs run against the rock: that it is little marvel if faith faileth, where good instruction wanteth: that pitiful desolation is come into the house of God: that we are they upon whom the dregs of the whole Earth are come: that it is then high night, when ignorance reigneth in the Bishops: and lastly, that there is nothing now left, but that Antichrist be revealed. All these things have been spoken of before, and are now come to pass, and you yourselves have seen them, you yourselves, I say, have seen all these things fulfilled. You have seen such sit highest in God's Church, that have persecuted God & his Church: such as have martyred the servants of Christ, such as would seem God's friends, and yet are his enemies: such as would be Christ's kinsmen, and yet are his adversaries: such as would be servants to Christ, and yet do serve Antichrist: such as Esaie speaketh of, saying, They have broken down my vine, and destroyed my wine press: such as Christ himself speaketh of, and saith, 
Math. 21.  They have made my Church a den of thieves. Therefore (good brethren) let not us deceive ourselves, let us not say all things were well in the Church, there needed no reformation, all things were as they should be, there needed nothing to be amended. For, alas, all things were out of order, all things out of square, all things so confounded, that all things needed to be amended. I speak herein only generally, I speak not here of the particular things amiss in God's Church, for than should time fail me, if I should recount them unto you particularly. In time past, if any one man would have sought comfort for his afflicted conscience, where should he have sought it? whether should he have gone for comfort? where should he have craved consolation? what comfort could we have of our own merits, what help by our own deserts, and good deeds? what consolation of the Pope's Bulls and Pardons? Alas, no comfort, no consolation, no help at all. And yet unto those were we taught to run, in those were we taught to seek comfort, and at them to crave consolation. In the Church, before time, it hath been both said & sung unto the people, Tu per Thomae sauguinem, fac nos ascendere ubi Thomas nunc est, Thou Christ, by the blood of thy Martyr S. Thomas, make us worthy to ascend thither, where Thomas now is. This, I say, as a prayer hath been used and sung in the Church of God. The Mother also, that blessed Mother of our Saviour Christ, hath been openly blasphemed in the Church: she was called, Spes, vita, dulcedo, Our hope, our life, and our sweetness; and further, salva omnes sperantes in te, Save all them that trust in thee. Thus have men openly prayed unto her, to the great blaspheming of her holy name. But O Christ, O thou that suffered'st for the whole world, where was then thy Passion, where was then that precious blood of thine that washed away the sins of Man, where was then the Lamb of God that redeemed all mankind? Loath I am to speak of these things, loath and sorry I am to repeat them here unto you, but I am enforced so to do, somewhat the more plainly to open unto you the great abuses, the wonderful Errors that long time have reigned in the Church of God. We had Prayers, but, alas, as they were used, they were no prayers: we had the Sacraments, but we knew not to what end those Sacraments were left unto us. We had Baptism, but we knew not what Baptism meant. The Testament, and holy Gospel of God, was burnt, cast down, and trod under foot. And in one word, in one word for all, there was in Christ's Church nothing but a heap of wickedness, nothing but a very heap of confusion and wickedness. jeremy the prophet said, That all men, 
jer. 31.  (after Christ once appeared) should have such knowledge, such perfect knowledge of God, that no man should say to his neighbour, know the Lord, for all men should know him, even from the highest unto the lowest. Baruch also the prophet, 
Baruch. 4:  said, O blessed art thou Israel, how happy art thou, seeing God hath showed unto thee all such things as are pleasant unto him; what ever God would have known, that is revealed unto thee. O then, what may we say of ourselves, and the blind time that is now past, wherein we neither knew God, nor had God's word revealed unto us? what may we say of that time? O we may well say, miserable were we, and cursed was that time wherein we then lived.  
And thus (Good brethren) I have in few words laid open before you, both the miserable estate that God's Church hath stood in, and the great ignorance, error, and blindness that you have been led in: to the end, that you may now become the more thankful for Gods great mercy showed unto you. For now hath it pleased Almighty God to reveal unto you his holy Gospel, his truth, and verity. Now we know that what ever we do, when we have done all things that we can do, yet, we are unprofitable servants. 
Luk. 17.  Now we know that all our comfort, all our consolation, all our helps, is to be sought for at God's hands alone: Now we know, that Christ is only our Saviour, our Redeemer, and that his blood alone, as S. john saith, hath washed away our iniquities: 
1. joh. 1.  Now we know what we pray: Now we know wherefore, and to what end the Sacraments were left unto us; what our Baptism meaneth: Now have we God's Testament and his helie word restored unto us: Now we need not to say to our neighbour, know the Lord; for we all are, or may be, sufficiently instructed to know God, to know Christ, to know the holy Ghost. Now may we say, as Baruch to the Children of Israel, O happy are we, for all things that God would have known are revealed unto us. And therefore blessed are our eyes, and the eyes which see that we see; And on the other part accursed are those eyes which will not see that we see, accursed are the ears which will not hear that we hear, & accursed are those hearts that will not believe God, & his Gospel. My brethren, consider the miserable estate that the Church of God long time hath stood in, and consider again, the speedy redress thereof, which God now hath sent unto us. The kingdom of God is come upon us, God's kingdom (my brethren) is even now come upon us. Christ said, O jerusalem, jerusalem, thou that stonest my Prophets, and such as are sent unto thee, O that thou wouldst know the time of thy visitation. We are that jerusalem, Christ hath called, Christ hath cried unto us: O therefore let us now see and consider the time of our visitation. O how many of our brethren which have suffered persecution for Christ and his Gaspell, how many of them, I say, would fain have seen the things that we see, and hear that which we hear, and could not see it. O let us not despise our Brother's blood, let us not despise the calling of christ, let us not despise the blessing of God, the greatest that may be. Alas, if we consider the miserable estate that we have stood in, and the great goodness and mercy of God now showed unto us, doubtless we cannot despise this great mercy of his, unless we will be too unthankful, we cannot neglect this marvelous work, and goodness of his, unless we will be counted too much ingrateful.  
Let us therefore make ourselves new hearts, new souls, new minds, let us joyfully embrace God and his Gospel, let our eyes, our ears, and our hearts say, Blessed are the eyes which see that we see, and ears which hear that we hear: for many Kings and Prophets have desired to see that we see, and could not see it. And thus if we do, then shall we be blessed, then shall our eyes, our ears, our hearts, be blessed; and God the father of light, and giver of all goodness, shall bless us, and remain with us for ever. Amen.   

THE sixth Sermon.  2. Cor. 6. vers. 1. 2. 
1. We therefore as helpers, exhort you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.  
2. For he saith, I have heard thee in an acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I have succoured thee, etc.  
SAint Paul, after he first began to preach the glad tidings of the Gospel, and testify the name of Christ unto the whole world, as he was much troubled with false Prophets, false Teachers, and such as seduced the people from God; even so he found a number of them among the Corinthians, to whom he wrote this Epistle, or Letter. Some of them, to discredit Paul, and bring an evil opinion of him among the people, said he was an enemy unto Moses, one that sought to abolish the Law given by Moses, and such a one as despised and broke the same. Some other said that he was a teacher of false doctrine, a seducer of the people, one that dissented clean from the rest of the Apostles, yea, and such a one as disquieted the whole Church of Christ. All these things were reported by S. Paul, thus was he slandered, thus was he evil spoken of: and this was done even by such as professed the name of Christ. Therefore he feeling himself herewith touched, and perceiving also that this not only touched him, but God himself, thought good by his Letters to avoid this slander so risen, and to clear himself unto the Corinthians, among whom this evil brute first sprang of him. And therefore in the Chapter before, he said, Christ hath committed unto us the preaching of the atonement, & so what ever we do, what ever we teach, or preach unto you, is only to this end, to show ourselves instruments of the reconciliation between Christ and you.  
Now then are we messengers in the room of Christ, and therefore, even as though God did beseech you through us, so pray we you, that ye be at one with God; and further we exhort you, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.  
Almighty God perceiving the frailty and weakness of this nature of ours, even at the first beginning of the world pronounced thus, 
Gen. 6.  and said, Pronum est cor hominis ad malum, à inventute sua The heart of man is prone and ready unto evil, even from the cradle. This God himself saw well in our weak nature, and therefore he spoke thus of it. So dull are we of ourselves, to learn any good, and so quick are we to forget the same, so ready are we to fall unto vice, and so hard are we to incline unto virtue. And this hath been engraffed in us, this hath been grounded in this nature of ours, even from the beginning, and this will so continue in us whiles the world lasteth. The heart of man hath always been ready to fall from God, and decline unto vice, always prone unto evil, and hard to be won unto good. And therefore it behoveth all such as are Preachers, all such as are messengers sent from God, and will show themselves as trusty and faithful servants, it behoveth them not only to show their message, to declare their commission, but they must also encourage them to whom they are sent, they must improve, rebuke, exhort, and control them, and that in time and out of time, in season and out of season, that their message may be fruitful, and they found faithful. So Paul to Timothe saith, Insta oportunè, importunè, 
2. Timo. 4.  Preach the word, be fervent, be it in season, or out of season, Do the work of a Preacher, be earnest, call upon them, both in time, and out of time. And even this thing that he willed his Scholar Timothe to do, the same performed he in himself; 
1. Thess. ●.  I have not ceased, saith he, to Preach unto you, to teach you both day and night. So likewise in another place, he saith, 
Act. 20.  Mundus sum ego à sanguine omnium vestrorum, I am clean from the blood of you all, I am pure from the blood of all men: For I have kept nothing back, but have showed you all the counsel of God. So in like, he saith, Quis infirmatur, 
2. Cor. 11.  & ego non infirmor? Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is hurt in the faith, and my heart burneth not? As who would say, there is none of you all, no not the least of you, that is grieved, but I also am grieved, none of you troubled, but I also troubled, none of you made weak, but I also am made weak with him. 
Gal. 4.  So Paul again saith, Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be fashioned in you. Thus was S. Paul always careful for the salvation of the people: thus was he continually mindful of the safeguard of his brethren, & what ever grief or disquietness fell to any of the flock of Christ, the same was a grief and disquietness unto him. And thus must every good Preacher do, thus must all such do, as are sent messengers from God, and will show themselves faithful servants, and true workmen in God's vineyard. We must do that which longeth unto us, and then will God do that longeth unto him. We must admonish the people outwardly, and God will move their hearts inwardly. Saint Paul speaking of himself, of Apollo, of Cephas, and other such, 
1. Cor. 3.  notable in the ministry of God, saith, Paulus plantavit, Apollo rigavit, at Dominus dedit incrementum, Paul planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase. God it was, yea, God alone that gave the increase.  
These things, I speak now to them which have taken upon them the ministery of God's word, to them that have taken upon them to be guides unto the flock of Christ, to them I speak this, to put them in remembrance, that they never forget their message, that they forget not their duty, that they improve, rebuke, exhort, and control the people, that they be earnest and fervent, calling still upon them, both in time & out of time, in season & out of season, that they fulfil the office whereunto they are called, that their conscience may be found without spot: and in conclusion, that they may plant, that they may water, and God may give the increase, that they may both reform the ungodly, and encourage the godly. And this have we in our commission, this is our duty, this will be required of us; and this if we do not, we shall be found faulty: for, we are debtors unto all men, 
Rom. 1.  aswell unto the Page, as unto the Prince, unto the poor, as unto the rich, unto the foolish, as unto the wise, unto the bad, as unto the good. And therefore, (my brethren) even for this cause alone, all good and godly Preachers, and such as were sent from God, have ever been so zealous, and so much desired the salvation of God's people. Moses, when he saw the people of Israel after their deliverance from Captivity by the mighty hand of God, fall from God, forsake him, and forget the wonders that he had wrought for them, he cried out unto God, 
Exod. 31.  and said, O domine, me potius de leas de libro vitae, Sooner than that these perish, O Lord, wipe me out of the Book of life, let my name be stricken out of it. So Paul, 
Rom. 9  Cupio Anathema esse pro fratribus meis, I wish myself to be accursed from Christ for my brethren, I would that I might be cast away, so they might be saved.  
O my brethren, consider these hearts, consider, I say, the zealous heart that Moses, the zealous affection that Paul had unto the salvation of the people. What think you is it to be stricken out of the book of life? What think you is it to be a man accursed, and have portion among reprobates? Moses was content to be blotted out of the book of life, so that the people of Israel might be saved. S. Paul was content to be accursed and cast from the face of God, so that God's people might not be cast to perdition. Thus they of an earnest heart and zealous love they bore to the congregation of God, wished their own destruction for the safeguard of others. Therefore also it behoveth you, my brethren, you that are temporal men, it behoveth you on the other part not to despise God's messengers, not to set light by them that preach you the Gospel and glad tidings of your salvation. For this is the only means whereby it pleaseth God that we should be saved, this only is it whereby the people is won unto Christ. God might have sent an Angel unto the chamberlain of the Queen Candace, 
Acts 8.  and so have converted him: but he sent Philip, he sent Philip, I say, a poor and mean man, that through his preaching he might be won to the faith and so brought to salvation. God might have sent an Angel to Cornelius, 
Act. 10.  but he sent Peter, who instructed him in the faith, and won him to the Gospel of Christ. God might have sent an Angel unto Paul to have mollified his heart, and so turned him from persecution of God's Saints: but it pleased God to send Ananias, 
Act. 9  that through the putting on of his hands the scales should fall from his eyes, that by him he should receive his sight, and be baptized, and so by means of a man he might be brought home unto God, and made a member of his flock. Therefore whensoever we hear the word of God preached, notwithstanding the preacher bear no pomp of eloquence or show of great learning, notwithstanding he be a simple and poor man: yet if he bring unto us the rule of Christ's Gospel, if he teach us the will of GOD, and the glory of his word, let us not despise him, let us consider that he is God's messenger, and appointed by God to help us to salvation.  
I beseech you, saith Saint Paul, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. This only Boun I ask of you, this is only the request that I make unto you, that ye take not the grace of God in vain. A great matter it were if any one man would misuse the grace of his Prince, a great matter it were for a man to despise the friendship of his friend, or the gentleness of his enemy: but a greater matter it is, yea a far greater matter, to take the grace of God in vain. For what availeth it us, what should it profit us, if GOD once deliver us from our sins, and we turn again to our old wickedness?  
What gained we, if the covenant of God, and Testament of our Saviour Christ be broken unto us, if we receive the same in vain? 
Luk. 11.  Blessed are they (saith Christ) which hear the word of God, and keep it. The Scribes, the pharisees, the jews, Annas, Caiphas, and Pilate heard the word of God, heard Christ himself speak & preach amongst them, and yet they received this word of God in vain, they received this grace of God in vain. Christ likened his word to a sour that went forth and sowed his seed, whereof some fell by the way side, and so wast trodden with men's feet and destroyed, some on the stone, which took root, but yet soon withered away because it lacked moistness, some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up with it and choked it. So the poor husbandman lost in manner his whole cost and labour, for of all that he sowed, little fell into the good ground & brought any increase. And even thus standeth it with God's Gospel now a days: for preach we never so oft, teach we never so much, few, yea very few are found that receive the same, & continue therein, and so bring forth fruits of salvation. When Moses the servant of God, was but a little time departed from the people, 
Exod. 32.  and gone up into the mount there to talk with God, and ask council of him, the people by and by made themselves a golden Calf, and fell to the worshipping of that Image. And this did they because they received the grace of God in vain. When Moses was dead, and josua succeeded into his room, straightways the people worshipped Baal and Astaroth, they forsook the living Lord who had delivered them, and in steed of him they worshipped very Devils. And this did they because they received the grace of God in vain. Saul though he once was the servant of God, and inspired with his spirit, yet at the length he fell from God and persecuted David the chosen of God, and so in the end miserably slew himself. 
1. Reg. 28.  And this did he, because he received the grace of God in vain. judas being one of the Apostles, and the servant of jesus Christ, yet he not only betrayed his master Christ, but also became himself a very devil: 
joh. 6.  for so said Christ, unus vestrum Daemon est, One of you is the Devil. And this did he because he received the grace of God in vain. And therefore S. Paul in this place willed the Corinthians that they should not receive the grace of God in vain, as the people did in Moses time: that they should not receive it as they did which lived in the time of josuah: that they should not in such sort take it as Saul did: and lastly that they should not so receive it in vain as judas did, and work their own destruction. This was his request, this thing he only desired, that they would not receive the grace of God in vain.  
For God saith, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee. These words are written in the prophesy of Esay, and pronounced they were by him of the appearance of Christ our Saviour, and his coming into this world. And these words thus spoken by the Prophet, S. Paul here fitly applied to the preaching of Christ's gospel. For like as our Saviour came into the world at such time as Christ was borne; so when the Gospel is truly preached, and Gods holy word sincerely taught us, then is Christ opened unto us, then is the acceptable time, and our salvation, is wrought thereby. Therefore S. Hierom that holy father and old Doctor of the Church, saith; Quotiescunque audimus evangelium Christi, toties caro & sanguis Christi funduntur in aures nostras. As often as we hear the Gospel of Christ preached unto us, so oft the flesh and blood of Christ is powered into our ears, saith S. Hierom. And these words of his do plainly and most evidently show us, how we should understand the eating of Christ's body, & drinking of his most holy blood in the Sacrament; these words, I say, may sufficiently teach us what is meant by the eating & drinking of Christ's body & blood. This is it that S. Paul here speaketh of, that they receive not the grace of God in vain. And whensoever the gospel of God is truly & sincerely preached, and it received accordingly, than is the acceptable time, then is the time of grace and salvation. O what a comfortable saying is this; whensoever we hear the Gospel taught us, whensoever we hear Gods holy word preached unto us, then is the gate of salvation set open unto us, and then is the time of grace. And on the contrary part, when God's word is taken from us, and the light of his Gospel hidden from our eyes, then is the gate of salvation shut upon us, and then is the time of perdition. But alas, the time of grace, the acceptable time, the time of mercy and salvation hath oftentimes but little continuance among us, oftentimes it hath small time of abiding with us. For before Christ appeared, and was borne into this world, for the space of four hundred years, the whole world, the jews only excepted, was in ignorance and altogether blindness. And when Christ was borne, when he once appeared, then was the acceptable time, then was the time of grace, than was the time of salvation. Here some man will peradventure say; Why did God suffer the whole world so long to be in blindness? why would he in that long time have no respect to any other nation, but only to the nation of the jews? This case is deep, and passeth our capacity to reason, it is above the reach of man's wit, and therefore herein we have only to submit ourselves, to humble our hearts and our minds, and say with Paul the Apostle, O homo quis tu qui Deum arguis? O man, what art thou that findest fault with God? What art thou that reprovest the almighty? As God of his providence and good wisdom hath appointed for us both Summer and Winter, the spring, and likewise the fall of the leaf again: So hath he ordained a time of light, and a time of darkness, a time of salvation, and a time of destruction. And no man may say unto him, Why dost thou thus? These things seem good in his eyes, and therefore what art thou, 
Rom. 9  O man, that wilt call God to account why he doth this, or why he doth that? Thus it pleaseth God, and standeth with his good will, oftentimes to show us his light, and the glory of his gospel: and oftentimes again to take the same from us, and leave us altogether in blindness, altogether in ignorance, altogether in utter darkness. 
〈◊〉 8.  For so he hath said by Amos his Prophet, I will send an hunger upon the earth, not the hunger of bread, nor the thirst of water, but an hunger to hear the word of the Lord: so that they shall go from one Sea to the other, yea, from the 〈◊〉 unto the East, running about to ●●ke the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. Christ himself also in the Gospel, 
Math. 21.  sayeth, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you.  
And yet, when he hath thus done, when he hath sent an h●nger and thirst of his wor● into the ●arth, when he hath taken God's kingdom from amongst us; yet I say, he oftentimes poureth down his truth into the earth, he distilleth his grace from heaheaven, that it may sink into the hearts of men: For so sayeth God by his Prophet Malachi, 
Malach. 1.  Abortu solis, usque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum inter Gentes: My name is great, even from the rising of the Sun to the fall thereof, amongst all Nations. I am a great King (sayeth the Lord) and my name is fearful amongst the Heathen. This is the time that the Prophet Esay calleth The acceptable time. And what needeth more examples? the whole Scriptures, both the old and the new Testament, are full of these and such like other.  
There are times that are times of knowledge, there are times again that are times of ignorance. And who is there now, what man so old, or child so young, but may well remember the blindness that hath been in our time, and our father's times before us? Who is so blind, who so far past knowledge, but may both well see and remember the dark ignorance that hath been in times past, and the great grace that God hath now powered down upon us in these our days? Therefore as Saint Paul gave the Corinthians warning that they should not receive the grace f● God in vain: even so now he warneth us, and biddeth us beware that we take not this grace of God in vain, that we turn not to our old vanity again, that we return not to our former wickedness, that we defile not the Gospel of God by our evil and corrupt living. And therefore in another place he saith, Give your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, 
Rom. 6.  and let not sin have power over you. Herein is set out unto us, and as it were painted before our eyes, our whole office and duty, and how that we as well by our works, as our words, should be an example and pattern for other men to follow, and that we give no cause of offence or slander of the Gospel of God. I speak this not only to the Preachers and Ministers of God's word (though chiefly to them indeed) but I speak it generally to all you my brethren, that profess God's Gospel, and bear the name of Christ. For S. Paul indifferently to all men saith, 
1. Thess. 5.  Ye are not the children of darkness, but the c●●i●ren of light, walk you therefore as becometh the children of light. And again in another place, he saith, Give no man occasion of evil, offend no man, 
2. Cor. 6.  that in your office ye be not found faulty. And such was in old time the life of all good & godly men, such was their living that professed God's Gospel, and the name of jesus Christ.  
But if it so happen (as oftentimes it chanceth) that men will needs be offended with us, live we never so uprightly, walk we never so circumspectly (as Christ, notwithstanding he was the Saviour of the world, notwithstanding he was without spot, and one that never transgressed the law, yet was called the Stone of offence:) 
1. Pet. 2.  If it thus happen, I say, that we be ill reported of without cause, then may we say, as Christ himself to the Scribes and pharisees said, Sinite illos, caeci sunt, duces caecorum: 
Math. 15.  Let them alone, they are blind, the leaders of the blind. This is the comfort that we have, this is all the comfort that is left unto us, if any man wilfully be offended with us, if any man judge of us other than we deserve: for so it behoveth us to line, so ought we to direct our lives, that if any man accuse us, if any man find fault with us, our upright living may be a testimonis against him, and be able to confound him. 
●. Cor. 6.  S. Paul sayeth, it is our part to take away occasion of offence. When Christ by procurement of his enemies, (the Scribes and pharisees) was brought be●ore Pilate to be condemned and adjudged to death, the innocency of his 〈◊〉 was such, that he was cleared and a●●●i●ed even by the mouth of his very enemy: For when Pilate had heard all that was laid against him, and 〈◊〉 whole accusations wherewith they 〈◊〉 him, he pronounced openly, and said, I find 〈◊〉 fault in this man. The Scribes when they had nothing to accuse Christ's Disciples of, nor nothing wher●● they might entrap them, 〈…〉 of their Law, they came unto our Saviour Christ▪ and said, Quare non observant Discipul●●● traditiones 〈…〉? Why do not thy Disciples observe the traditions of our fathers? Why keep they not the customs of our elders? said they. And upon this place of the Gospel, Saint Chrysostome an old Doctor of the Church, saith thus: That the Disciples of Christ in all points so exactly fulfilled the law, that the Scribes could find no fault in them as touching the same: and therefore they controlled them for breaking their own traditions, and the traditions of their forefathers. Traianus that Emperor of Rome, and most cruel persecutor of the Christians in his time, when he had used all kind of extremity towards them, and indeed put a wonderful number unto death, and heard say, that they all suffered marvelous patiently, and willingly went so execution, and that notwithstanding th●●, they daily increased and grew more and more: he sent abroad into all parts of his dominion, to understand what manner of men they were, of what 〈◊〉, and in what sort they lived, that 〈◊〉 the name of Christ: And 〈…〉 ha● from 〈…〉 Gentleman of 〈◊〉 and a Magistrate in that City; 〈◊〉 said, That they were men without 〈◊〉 and lived without offence, as touching the laws, saving that in the morning they used to resort together, and so make their prayers, and call upon the name of jesus. Tertullian also, an old father of the Church, saith, that in his time this report went of one Scianus, a Christian, and was amongst all men so common a saying, that in manner it became a proverb: Marcus Scianus, vir bonus, si non Christianus. This was all the fault they could find in him, That he was a Christian man, and one that professed the name of Christ. So the same Tertullian in another place speaking of the Christians in his time, saith, Vide, appellant se fratres & mori volunt pro inuic●m: Lo, they call themselves brethren, and one will die for another. This was the only fault they found in them, that they loved so together, that one would vouchsafe to die for the other: this was I say, the greatest fault, that they could find no fault in them.  
Thus was it amongst Christians in the beginning of Christ's Church, and thus ought it to be amongst us: so should we live, that we may be found unreproovable and unspotted in the sight of all men. And therefore Saint Paul here saith, that we should walk in such honesty, in such uprightness of life, That we give no man occasion of evil, that in our office there be found no fault: that if any man would accuse us, he might be controlled by our virtuous life: that our enemies have nothing to lay to our charge, nothing to accuse us withal; but that even their own mouths should acquit and discharge us: that in ourselves and our lives, there should none other fault be found, but only this, that we are called Christians: that we should in such love live together, that one of us would willingly die for the other: And lastly, that this only fault should be in us, that we are clean and without fault, that both our words, works, and deeds may testify us to be professors of God, and his holy gospel.  
Good people, let us consider that God of his goodness hath sent unto us this acceptable time, the time of mercy and grace: that he hath delivered us from the horrible thraldom that we sometimes lived in: that God hath put away the blindness, and dispersed that great darkness where under the whole word was sometime whelmed: that we may now worship him in spirit and holiness, without superstition or idolatry: that we may now walk in the light, without any error or wandering. And this great blessing of his, who so seeth not, I pray God open his eyes that he may both see and understand it.  
Let us not, good brethren, let us not take this grace of God in vain, let us not despise this Gospel of Christ, whereby the whole world is saved. God knoweth how long this acceptable time, this time of grace, this time of salvation, shall last and continue amongst us. And what knowest thou▪ O thou man, whether by one only Sermon many may be converted, and won to the faith of jesus Christ? 
Acts▪ 4.  Saint Peter by one only Sermon converted five thousand people, ●s it appears in the Acts of the Apostles.  
Saint Hierome hath a saying worthy to be noted, and it is this: I know not saith Saint Hierome, whether that soul may be saved, that is negligent in hearing the word of God, and the Gospel of his salvation preached: I know not, saith he, whether such a soul may be saved. Alas, good brethren, we are not able to save you, God is your only Saviour and redeemer: we are but God's messengers sent unto you, we are but helpers appointed to exhort you to the Gospel of God, and to open unto you the glory of your salvation. If you then will wilfully refuse to hear Gods holy word, and will not embrace the same, we cannot save you, we are not able to work your salvation. I myself rose up ever betimes to warn my people, 
jer. 7.  saith God by his Prophet jeremy, I myself stand all the day at the gate crying unto them to commune with them, yet would they not hear, I called unto them, yet would they not answer me.  
O my dear brethren, God knocketh, let us open the gates of our hearts unto him: he calleth, let us hear him: he crieth, and willeth us to come unto him; O therefore let us run, let us make haste, 
Esay 65.  let us fly unto him. I have ever stretched out my hands to an unfaithful people, saith God by his Prophet Esay: all the day long have I stretched out mine arms unto a people that will not hear me: all the day long have I stretched out my hands unto them, and yet they will not know me: I have sent you the acceptable time, I have given you the days of grace, the days of mercy, the days of salvation. O then let us not receive this acceptable time in vain, let us not take this grace of God in vain: Let us remember how many thousands of people perish this day for want of the gospel of God, and knowledge of his holy word. We are they whom God hath called to be his children, whom he hath appointed to be saved, whom he hath received to his grace and mercy. If we have any great policy, if we have any great wit, if we have any learning, riches wealth, and felicity in this world: let us consider that we have them from God alone, that God giveth us our policy, that God giveth us our wit, that God giveth us our learning, that he alone giveth us our riches, our wealth, and all other felicity that we have in this life. O then let us not take these great gifts of God in vain, let us not take these graces of his in vain. Let our lives so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our father which is in heaven. Amen.   

THE SEVENTH Sermon.  Rom. 12. vers. 16. 17. 18. 
16. We desire you, that ye think all one thing, that ye have like affection one to another. Be not high minded: be not wise in your own opinion.  
17. Recompense to no man evil for evil.  
18. If it be possible have peace with all men.  
dearly believed in our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, This Epistle, or letter of Saint Paul, written unto the Romans, is divided into two several parts.  
In the first part, Saint Paul instructeth and telleth them of the beginning of their religion, of the foundation of their faith, of the grace whereunto they are called by the merits and death of jesus Christ. And, for because he saw and well perceived, that even such of the Romans, who had received the faith, to be farce from the works of the faith, and the profession of the gospel of Christ, therefore he instructeth them that they know the testament of Christ, that they know the covenant of their salvation: and that they should remember, that where before time they were strangers from God, clean without any promise of grace, enemies unto God, and the children of perdition, were now called unto God, were become the sons of Abraham, God's dear friends, and the children of adoption: and this not of any desert of theirs, not by any merit of their own, but only through the great grace, and mere mercy of jesus Christ. For the whole world was covered under wickedness, the whole world, I say, the jews only excepted, was overwhelmed in sin, and had no promise at all of any salvation by God. But yet when Christ jesus the Saviour of all the world appeared, and the jews would not acknowledge him their redeemer, it pleased God by him to save the whole world, and call unto his grace aswell the Gentile as the jew, the uncircumcised as the circumcised: and this did he only of his infinite and great goodness. And therefore Saint Paul in the conclusion hereof, crieth out, and saith, 
Rom. 11. 33  O the deepness of the abundant wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! Who knoweth the mind of the Lord? who was his Counsellor? Who hath given unto him first, that he might be recompensed again? And therefore he concludeth thus: 
Rom. 11. 36  Quia in illo, ex illo, & per illum omnia, illi omnis honour & gloria: For of him, through him, and for him are all things: to him therefore be glory for ever. Thus doth Saint Paul conclude the first part, to know the covenant of their salvation, to know the greatness of God's mercy, whereunto they are called, and to give the praise and thanks therefore to him alone.  
In the second part, which I now handle, he instructeth them of a virtuous life, of honest conversation, and upright living among all men. For it is not enough to change our Religion, it is not sufficient to alter our faith, but we must also change our old life, we must walk in newness of life, we must walk in holiness, we must walk as becometh the professors of a new Religion, as becometh them that are of a right faith, as becometh all such as confess God and his Gospel. And therefore S. Paul writing unto the Hebrews saith; 
Heb. 10. 19  Seeing that we by the means of the blood of jesus have liberty to enter into the holy place, let us draw nigh with a true heart in a sure faith, let us provoke unto love and to good works. So in another place he saith; You were sometimes darkness, 
Ephe. 5. 8.  but now ye are light in the Lord, walk therefore as becometh the children of light: So God himself when he had chosen the jews to be his people, and them alone amongst all other Nations to worship him, said; 
Deut. 10.  O Israel, what is it that I require or seek for at thy hands, but that thou love me, and keep my commandments: This is the only thing that I would have you to do, that you keep my Law and walk in my Precepts.  
Therefore Saint Paul himself also, after he had declared and set forth at large, the great goodness and mercy of God, he said, I beseech you, that ye make your bodies a quick and lively Sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is, your reasonable serving of God. Renew your spirits, make yourselves new hearts, that it may show and appear in you, that you are reconciled unto GOD, that you are the children of adoption, and professors of Gods holy name.  
Therefore be not high minded, be not wise in your own opinions: recompense no man evil for evil: provide aforehand things honest in the sight of all men: and if it be possible, have peace with all men. Mark well my brethren these words by the way, If it be possible have peace with all men. Christ, though he was the author so peace, and the true peace itself, yet could he not have peace with all men. Non veni pacem mitt●re in terras, sed bellum, 
Luk. 12.  sed discordiam, I am not come (saith Christ) to send peace into the world, but war and dissension: for from hence forth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The Father against the Son, and the Son against the Father. The mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. The peace of the world is no peace with God: the love of this world is no love before God.  
So the patriarchs and the Prophets, though they were men of peace, yet could they have no peace in this world. And therefore Saint Paul here saith, If it be possible, as much as in you shall lie, have peace with all all men, be in unity and love with all manner of men. This thing, my brethren, I have put you in remembrance of by the way.  
But that S. Paul should thus do, that he should exhort the Romans, as he here doth, that they become not high minded, nor wise in their own opinions, nor recompense no man evil for evil, and that they should, if it were possible, have peace with all men, good cause there was, there was, I say, good cause, why he should thus do. For there were at the same time in Rome, a great number both of jews and Gentiles, and amongst them there was great strife and division. The jews on the one side esteemed not the Gentiles: the Gentiles on the other side despised the jews. Thus between them the people were divided, and rend into dissension: thus between them the whole people oftentimes were ready to fall together by the ears: and thus through them, were they at such great contention and strife that they that were brethren would not vouchsafe to commune, & talk together: they that before were linked in such love and united together, that one would die for the other, could not then one abide another: and such as were friends, became open enemies. And this came to pass only through pride. Pride was the cause that such as were brethren fell out one with another: pride was the cause that such as should have died one for another, could not one abide another: pride was the cause that such as beforetime were friends, became then open enemies. The jews on the one part were proud, for that they were the children of Abraham, 
Rom. 9  for that they were under the Law and promise, for that they had knowledge of Gods will by Oracles, for that God had oftentimes both sent his Angels unto them, and spoken by his own mouth unto them; and the Gentiles had none of all these: they were not of the seed of Abraham: they were not under the promise: they never had knowledge of God's will, neither by Oracle, nor vision: God never spoke unto them, nor never sent his Angels unto them. The Gentiles on the other sides, were as proud as the jews: they said that they had wise men amongst them, men of great learning and knowledge: they had Philosophers, they had Astronomers, they had Geometritians, and great Orators; and so had not the jews amongst them: They had no men of great wisdom, they had no men of any high learning, they had no Philosophers, no Astronomers, no Geometricians, nor Orators; they were men ignorant, and without any great knowledge at all. Saint Paul therefore to set an unity between these two which were thus far at discord, exhorteth them that They all think one thing, that they be of like affection one towards another: that they be not high minded, nor wise in their own opinions. For pride it is that breaketh all love, and pride it is that breedeth all dissension. There was never yet division, there was never any discord or dissension, but Pride was the first cause and author thereof.  
Lucifer, that sometime was an Angel of GOD, set himself against GOD, and said; Exaltabo me super Aquilonem, & ero similis Altissimo, I will get me up above the North Pole, I will sit above the clouds, and I will be like unto the most highest. And this did he, for that he swollen with pride. And therefore was he thrown down, only for this great pride of his was he cast into utter darkness, and deep dungeon of hell.  
Corals, 
Num. 16.  Dathan, and Abiram, being puffed us with pride, conspired against Moses and Aaron: but God caused the earth to open, and swallowed up both them, and all such as then were in the Tents with them.  
The jews themselves, which had professed the Gospel of Christ in Saint Paul's time, were divided; and some of them said; I stand with Paul, some other said; 
1. Cor. 1.  I hold with Apollo, and so were drawn on either side.  
And this did they only through pride. But alas, saith Saint Paul, Is Christ divided? both Paul and Apollo preach one and the same Christ unto you, they teach you all one Gospel, is Christ then divided amongst you? So likewise some of them, which professed Christ's Gospel (because all meats & drinks were indifferent unto them, 
Rom. 14.  because they could with safe conscience indifferently eat of all meats and drink of all kinds of drink) were proud, and thought themselves more perfect than other men. On the other side, such as had a conscience therein, such as could not for conscience sake indifferently use all kinds of meats and drinks, were likewise proud, and thought themselves more holy than other men.  
And thus pride, even amongst such as professed Christ and his Gospel, broke the love and unity which should have been amongst them that lived under the Gospel. Pride it was that caused the jews to hate the Gentiles, and the Gentiles to despise the jews. Pride it was that caused Lucifer so much to exalt himself, and make himself equal with God. Pride it was that caused Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, to conspire against Moses and Aaron. Pride it was that caused such as could indifferently eat all meats, to think themselves more perfect than such as could not so do. Pride it was again, that caused the other which could not indifferently use all meats, to think themselves more holy than the rest. Therefore in this place S. Paul willeth the Romans for avoiding of all dissension, first to put away all pride, which is the very root and mother of all discord. Be not high minded, said he, for so shall you abate this rancour and malice among you, but humble yourselves, humble your courage; be not proud of your wit, of your great learning, of your eloquence, but make yourselves equal to them of the lower sort. This is the golden chain of humility. For like as pride is the mother of all wickedness, so is humility the mother of all virtue: like as pride maketh us like unto Lucifer, so humility maketh us like unto Christ. Therefore Christ himself, when he first gave his Disciples charge for to preach, when he first gave them in commandment upon the mount, to publish abroad his Gospel, 
Luk. 6.  Beati pauperes, said he, and why so? quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum, 
Math. 5.  Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God. And again, Beati mites, and why so? quoniam ipsi possid●bunt terram, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. So again, to his Disciples he said, 
Math. 11.  Discite ex me, quia ego mitis sum, Learn ye of me, for I am meek, I am gentle, learn this of me said Christ. 
Philip. 2.  So Paul, Hic sensus sit in vobis, qui fuit in Christo, Let the same mind be in you, that was also in Christ jesus: which when he was equal with God, yet nevertheless made himself of no reputation, & humbled himself unto death, even the death of the Cross. So David, notwithstanding he was a King, a Prophet, and a man chosen, even according to the heart of God, yet he humbled himself, & said, 
Psal. 131.  Non ambulavi in magnis, nequè in mirabilibus super me▪ I am not high minded, I have no proud looks, I do not exercise myself in great matters, which are too high for me. 
1. Cor. 1.  So Paul, God hath chosen the foolish things of this world, that by them he may be able to confound the wise: he hath chosen the weak things, that through them he may subdue the strong. Thus God useth humble & lowly things, 
Psal. 8.  saith S. Paul, Ex ore infantium et lactantium perfecists laudem tuam: Out of the mouth of very babes & sucklins hast thou made perfect thy praise, even by the mouths of infants & sucking babes thou hast ordained strength, and spread abroad the glory of thy name. So Paul, notwithstanding he was a great learned man, and skilful in the Laws among the jews, yet he bragged not, nor boasted of his great knowledge he had, but he humbled himself, 
1. Cor. ●.  and said, Ego me arbitror nihil scere nisi Christum, & eum quidem crucifixum: I think thus of myself, that I know nothing, save jesus Christ, even the same that was crucified, other knowledge have I none to avaunt myself of said S. Paul. And upon this foundation of humility, it pleased almighty God, at the first to erect & build his holy Church, upon his Apostles, I say, who were the very patterns of meekness, it seemed good unto God to build his holy Church. And after them such as were of the congregation of Christ, such as professed the name of Christ, were not proud men, were not men of haut courage, nor high minded. And therefore, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, 
Act. 4.  Erat illis cor unum, & anima una, They were all of one heart, and one mind together. So at the beginning, the Disciples of Christ were poor in spirit, and therefore were they meet to inherit the kingdom of Heaven: they were meek in heart, & humble of mind, and therefore were they meet to possess the earth: they learned at Christ to be meek and lowly, they had the same sense in them that was in Christ, and therefore they humbled themselves unto death: they were counted the foolish things of the earth, therefore were they meet instruments to confounded the wisdom of the world: they were counted the weak things, & therefore were they meet to overcome the mighty. The Babes were meek & lowly, and therefore were they meet to spread abroad the glory of God. Saint Paul of all his learning thought that he knew nothing, so much he humbled himself: and therefore was he meet to be an Apostle of Christ, and Preacher of his Gospel. There is a story, or rather a fable, written of S. Anthony; whether you take it as a story, or a fable, I much reck not, but it serveth well for this purpose, it is thus. Saint Anthony on a time lay in a trance, and as he so lay, he looked down from Heaven, (as he thought) & saw all the whole earth so thick covered with snares, that possible it was not for any man to tread upon the earth, and not be entangled therewithal: and this when he beheld, suddenly he cried out, and said, O Lord, and who can then walk on the earth, and not be entrapped? with that he heard a voice that answered him, and said, Sola humilitas, Only humility it is, said that voice, that may go, and not be entangled; only Humility, and nothing else. Who so is Humble, he may walk without danger, he may go and not be taken. This is written that S. Anthony should see, and hear in his trance. But David, the prophet of God, saith in deed, Sacrificium Deo spiritus contritus, The contrite and humble heart, is a sacrifice unto God, the meek and lowly heart is a sweet and acceptable Sacrifice unto God, saith the prophet David. So again, in another place, 
Psal. 138.  he saith, Deus humilia respicit, & alia à longè prospicit, God hath regard to the humble and lowly, and as for the proud, he beholdeth them a far off. Esaie also, or rather God by his Prophet Esaie saith, 
Esa. ●5.  Super quem r●quiescet spiritus meus, nisi super humilem? Upon whom shall my spirit rest, saith God, But upon the humble and meek? for otherwise, 
Tytus 3.  saith Saint Paul, Qui inflatur, cadit, He that is puffed up with pride, falleth into the hands of the Devil.  
Thus, (good brethren) humility preserveth the Church of God, humility vphouldeth all good Common weals. Pride it is that scattereth the Church of God, pride overthroweth all good Common weals. There was yet never pride in any City without dissension, nor dissension that continued without destruction of the whole Common weal. Ye shall never read in any record, either of City, Kingdom, or Common weal, but that, if pride reigned therein, there consequently followed dissension, and of dissension ensued the overthrow of the same. In the City of Rome, which was called the Lady of the whole world, there were two that took upon them the governance of the Empire, julius Caesar, and Pompey. julius Caesar was a man of so haught courage, that he could abide no peer, Pompey was of such an high mind, that he could suffer no man to be his equal. And thus for dominion, strove these two together: and thus through their dissension, was not only the whole City, but the kingdom itself brought to destruction. The state of the Grecians, which then chiefly above other flourished, because it was divided, came to utter confusion. But what speak I of these? what speak I of Rome, and the state of the Grecians. Who is there that hath not heard of jerusalem, jerusalem I say, that great City, that same Town that God had chosen to himself, even that same Town wherein God would have his Temple erected, and his holy name honoured, after that the Rulers thereof began to be divided, after that the Magistrates fell to discord, and each man would be a Captain, and no man would be ruled: then came the enemies in, than was it besieged, then was the Mother for very famine constrained to eat her own child, than was it utterly destroyed, and no one stone left upon an other; and which was most miserable, there were slain in that City xj. hundred thousand people, and the very channels in the streets ran all with blood. Thus miserably was it overthrown, and in such wretched estate were the whole people thereof: and this only came to pass, through pride and dissension. And this was it that Esaie long time before prophesied of, and said, Then shall the whole Country be scattered, 
Esa. 3. 14.  when the people once conspire against their Princes. And therefore also an old writer, Petrus Lilius saith, Discord is the only cause of the overthrow of Kingdoms; Division is the only cause that great Empires can not stand; Dissension maketh two kingdoms of one; Dissension maketh of two Cities one, and at length it maketh of two kingdoms, no kingdom, of two Cities, no City. This writeth Petrus Lilius, of Dissension, this is the end of Discord saith he, and in deed experience hath taught that this is most true.  
But wherefore speak I of these things? wherefore do I here repeat unto you these old and ancient histories? why recount I unto you the overthrow of Rome? the destruction of the Grecians? the desolation of jerusalem? which all happened through Division. I would to God I saw nothing even now before mine eyes, that causeth me thus to say; I would to God, I say, that I saw now nothing present before mine eyes, that causeth me thus to say. But these examples, (my brethren) God hath placed before our eyes, that we might take heed by them, that we might the better look to ourselves, and beware of our own destruction. Christ hath said, Christ that is the author of Truth, and truth itself, 
Luk. 1●.  hath said, Civitas divisa, desolabitur, The City that is divided, be it never so rich, never so strong, never of so great force, yet, shall it be destroyed, it shall be brought to utter desolation. Rome, that sometime was the wealthiest City in the world, & called therefore the Lady of the whole world, fell to division: and therefore was she overthrown, and utterly destroyed. The Grecians, which were a people of greatest force, fell to dissension: and therefore was their whole estate pulled down, and cast flat to the ground. jerusalem, that holy City, that City that was so strong, fell a sunder, fell at discord within itself: and therefore was she spoiled of her enemies, and brought to desolation.  
Remember, (good brethren) remember with yourselves, how can that Ship which saileth in the Sea, be safe in the midst of the waves, if the people within the same boor holes through it, or rend up the ribs of the same? How can that City be preserved, where no man will hear counsel, where no man careth for the public state, where no man passeth for other, where God is not in the midst? 
1. joh. 4.  Deus charitas est saith S. john, & qui in charitate est, in Deo man●t, God is charity, and he that dwelleth in charity, dwelleth in God. O, saith Solomon, Turris fortissima nomen Domini, The name of the Lord is a strong Tower: The name of God saveth the City. 
Psal. 127.  David also the prophet of God saith, Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, in vanum laborant qui custodiunt eam: Except the Lord keep the City, except the Lord defend it, saith he, they labour in vain, they watch in vain that are set to defend it.  
These things, (good brethren) appertain both to our office that are Ministers, and appointed by God to instruct the people, and they appertain also unto all Magistrates, yea and unto the whole people. As for us that are Gods Ministers, and messengers sent unto you, we do stand upon the Tower to cry, and give you warning that the enemies are coming, to show you before hand that your foes are approaching: our part is to declare unto you, that your fight is not against King, nor Caesar, is not against any Prince or power of this world, but against spiritual enemies, against the Devil and his adherents: our part is to dissuade you from dissension, to dissuade you from discord and division. This must we do aswell to the Magistrate, as to the rest of the people: aswell to him that beareth office, as to him that beareth none. For, we are debtors unto all men, 
Rom. 1.  aswell to the rich, as to the poor, to the wise, as to the foolish, to the good, as to the bad. This is also the Magistrates office, this is likewise his duty. Therefore hath God set him up, therefore hath God exalted him above the rest of the people, that he should guide them in peace, & lead them in love and unity together. Thus did David, that good king; he found the whole kingdom left by Saul his predecessor in dissension and division within itself, he found, I say, the whole country at variance and great debate: but by his great wisdom and good governance together, he reduced the same into good order again, and such as before were enemies, he made faithful friends, and the whole Country he brought to quietness, peace, and mutual unity. And therefore, when he had this brought to pass, for joy that he had thus of mortal foes, made loving friends, he sung, O quam bonum, 
Psal. 133.  & quam iocundum, habitare fratres in unum, O how joyful a thing is it, for brethren to dwell together in unity. So much it comforted him, so glad was he when he saw his people agree together. Therefore in the Scriptures the Magistrates are called Shepherds, 
Psal. 78.  for that they ought so to guide the people committed to their charge, as the Shepherd doth his flock. Therefore they are called also Captains, 
josua 1.  for that they ought to have such respect to God's people, as the good Captain hath regard to his Soldiers. Therefore likewise are they called the Heads, 
1. Pet. 2.  for that, like as the head governeth the whole body, so should they rule and govern the people, as members of their body. Therefore in like are they called Fathers, for that the people are so in subjection unto them, as the child is in obedience under his father. But chiefly it is required in them, it is chiefly, and above all other things required in such as are Magistrates, that they themselves know God, that they themselves, I say, above all other men, have perfect knowledge of God, and his Laws; so that the people by that mean may follow him, and they altogether may follow God. Therefore in the Book of deuteronomy, God himself gave in charge to all such as should become Magistrates, saying, He that is called to bear Office, what ever he be that is appointed to be a Ruler, shall first write out all this Book of my Law with his own hand. And again, he said, Non recedet liber iste ab ore tuo, 
josua 1.  This Book of mine shall not dcpart from thy mouth, this Book of mine shall not be out of thy hand. This is God's charge to all them that bear office, this is his charge and commandment given unto them. Therefore that good king David, when God had appointed him to be king and chief Ruler of his people, 
Psal. 132.  he said, Si dedero oculis meis somnum, aut palpebris meis requiem antequàm inn●uero domum Domino meo, & Tabernaculum Deo jacob. If I shall give myself unto sleep, or mine eye lids any rest, before that I find out a house for my God, and a Tabernacle for the God of jacob etc. as who would say, I will never study mine own matters, I will never go about mine own business, before I have established the matters of my God, and the business of the God of jacob. Therefore in like manner Ezechias, 
2. Chro. 29.  that virtuous king, when he was called by God to bear office, would not go home to his own affairs, before he had purged the Church of God. justinian also, that good and godly Emperor was wont to say, That he as much cared for the preservation of God's Church, as he did for the safeguard of his own Soul. And thus, look what care David the prophet of God had over God's people: look what care that virtuous king Ezechias had: look what care that good and godly Emperor justinian had, the same, and the like aught every good Magistrate to have: as David, Ezechias, and justinian did, so should every good and godly officer do: he must not give himself unto sleep, nor his eye lids unto rest, before he hath provided a Temple for the God of jacob: he must not go home unto his own house, before that he hath purged God's Church: he must have as great respect to the salvation of God's flock, as he hath regard to the safeguard of his own Soul: he must remember that his chair is God's chair, that his sword is God's sword. Now (good brethren) it behoveth you of your part, to put away all hatred, to abolish from him all pride, dissension, all discord, and to honour the Magistrate, to follow you your Shepherd, as the sheep do their shepherd: to joy in him your Captain, as the Soldiers rejoice in their Captain: to be governed by him your head, as the members of the body are ruled by the head: and lastly, so to be in subjection unto him, as the child is in obedience and subjection to his father. And so shall there then be, both a godly Magistrate, so shall there be godly people, and so shall there be a godly Realm.  
Now let us here think that Saint Paul speaketh these words unto us (as indeed he speaketh them unto us, if we are, or will be called Christians) unto us, he saith; Be not high minded, unto us he saith; Be not wise in your own opinions: unto us he saith; Recompense no man evil for evil: unto us he saith, If it be possible have peace with all men. O then, why are we of such proud hearts? Why are we high minded? Why are we wise in our own opinions? Why recompense we evil for evil? Why seek we revengement? why agree not we together? O by whose name shall I call you? I would I might call you brethren: but alas, this heart of yours is not brotherly. I would I might call you Christians: but alas, you are no Christians. I know not by what name I shall call you: for if you were Brethren, you would love as Brethren: if you were Christians, you would agree as Christians. Christ said unto his disciples, and so by them to all such as profess his name; 
joh. 13.  Mandatum nowm do vobis, ut diligatis mutuo, sicut & ego dilexi vos, I give you a new commandment, said Christ, that you love together even as I have loved you. By this token, by this cognusance of mine shall men know you to be my Disciples, if you love together as I have loved you. Let us look well upon ourselves, let us behold ourselves well: alas, this badge, this cognisance is gone, this peace that Christ left unto us, is not to be found amongst us.  
O ye that sometime were brethren, but now mortal enemies, ye that sometime ware this Badge, this cognisance of Christ's peace, which now ye have cast from you, O how long will you follow vanity, how long will ye dwell in dissension? I have done my part, I have called you to peace, I have called you to love, I have called you to unity: do you now your parts, do you ensue after peace, love you each other, continue ye in unity together. I have not the keys of your hearts, I am not able to lose and open those stony hearts of yours: God make you all one, God mollify you hearts, God make you friends, God grant you to love as brethren together.  
Let us lay aside this pride of our heart, let us not be wise in our own opinions, let us not requite evil with evil, let us, as much as may be, have peace with all men. Alas, it is no great thing that I require of you: I require only your love, I require your friendship one towards another, I ask no more but that your hearts be joined in mutual love and unity together. Alas, it is a thing that soon may be granted of such as pray together of such as have one heavenly Father, of such as are partakers of Christ's holy Sacraments, of such as profess Christ, and will be called Christians.  
O how can we pray our Heavenly father to forgive us, if we will not forgive our brother wherein he trespasseth against us. How can we with clear conscience come unto the holy Communion, and be partakers of Christ's most holy body and blood, if we are not in charity with our own neighbour? Let us therefore lay aside all discord without hypocrisy, let us lay apart all malice without dissimulation, let us all join together in brotherly love, let us all be of like affection one towards another, let us not be high minded, but let us make ourselves equal to them of the lower sort. So shall we make our bodies a quick and lively Sacrifice, so shall we make them holy and acceptable unto God, so shall we be reconciled unto God, and God reconciled unto us: and finally, so shall we which are called Christians, be known to be God's servants and such as profess the name of Christ, if we shall be found to have this peace and brotherly love, which is the badge and cognisance of Christ. And so shall God be ours, and remain with us for ever.  
Amen.