IT is written in the 5. of Luke: and read in the Churche this day: It came to passe, that when the people pres­sed vpon him to heare the worde of God, he was standyng by the lake of Genezareth. &c.

In the ende of the former chapter (Christian audience) Christ our Sa­uiour being ill intreated in Nazareth (no Prophet is accepted in his owne countrey) came downe to Caphernaū a Citie of Galilee, & there taught the people on the Sabboth dayes, cast out deuils, and cured Simōs wiues mo­ther sicke of a great feuer, and when the sunne was downe, healed what soeuer sicke were brought to hym, laying his handes on euery of them. Deuils also came out of many, cry­ing and saying: Thou art that Christ y^e sonne of God. &c. There they preas­sed, and here they preasse.

The summe of all: Séeke ye first Mat. 6. 33. the kyngdome of God and his righte­ousnes, and all these thynges shalbe [Page] ministred vnto you.

1 The text principally compriseth these thrée places: an Example, tea­ching to heare the Gospell feruently, and the causes therof.

2 The ship wherein Christ was, is an image of the Church of Christ mi­litant, the request of Christ and faith­full obedience of Peter.

3 The successe of all.

It came to passe when the people preassed vpō him to heare the word of God. Sinfull men of euery condi­tion preassed vppon him to heare his heauenly doctrine. We neuer read of any such preassing of Scribes & Pha­riseis to Christ: I thanke thee O Fa­ther, Mat. 11. 25. Lord of heauen & earth, because thou hast hid these thynges from the wise and prudent, and hast shewed them vnto babes.

The people preassed vpon him to heare the word of God. Luc. sayth not, people came to him, &c. But the people preassed vppon him. These wordes are very emphaticall, and sig­nificāt, notifieng the feruent study of [Page 3] those people to heare y^e word of God. For this cause: they followed him from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Hierusalē, from Iudea, from beyond Iordan. They followed him ascen­dyng Mat. 5. to the mountaine, they folowed him descending from the mountaine: Mat. 13. they folowed him to the sea side, they Marc. 3. folowed on foote to the wildernesse. Mat. 14. Whether dyd they not follow him? The paynefull clyming of the moun­taines Mat. 15, did nothyng discourage them, the high craggye rockes did nothyng terrifie them, the tēpestuous waues of the sea did nothyng dismay them. Great multitudes came vnto hym: lame, blynd, dombe, &c.

Of multitudes folowyng, read Mar. 3. &. 8. Luk. 6. Ioh. 6. Mat. 15. Certaine women folowed him with Luc. 8. multitude of other folkes, and they that caryed the mā sick of the Palsey, Luc. 5. because of the preasse, went vp on the top of the house, and let him downe through the roofe, You also heare how to day they preassed vpon him. They departed not from him sodeinly, but [Page] continued sometyme iij. whole dayes with him: and not a few: sometyme iiij. thousand, some tyme v. thousand at a tyme, beside women & children. Mat. 15. You sée how y^e people in those dayes, feruently pressed vpon Christ, payn­fully folowed him, louingly cōtinued with him. They folowed him to the wildernes, to heare the sweetenes of his word: wee Citizens hauyng the same within y^e walles of Cities, loue it not, but oftē ragingly contemne it. They taryed with him whole dayes: we thincke long to tary with him few houres: and thinke not long to wayte vpon vanitie many houres: Euery thyng encreaseth sauyng godlynesse. Houses now are more large, & smoke lesse, more eatyng, more drinkyng, more sléepyng, more spendyng, more cost for apparel: more vanitie in talk; & mē more vitious: but at Sermons in any case we cannot tary longer thē an houre: It is tedious to many, to tary so long. They preassed vpō him: we leisurely, and slowly scarce come to him. To the worlde, as quicke as [Page 4] bées: to the word, as flow as snayles. They heard him attētiuely: we heare him negligently, without courage, as we were halfe asléepe, and our mynd a pilgrimage, coldly, coldly. Such is the behauiour of y^e multitude of this tyme: such is the contēpt of the word: such is the folly of men: such is the loue of earthly thynges, & hate of hea­uenly things. And therfore looke sure­ly for plague and punishment.

They preassed vpon him: Not vpō Hickscorner: not vpon Iack Iuglar: not vpō Tomtumbler: not vpon cor­ruptours & destroyers, as vayne men of our tyme: but vpon him, euē vpon Iesus Christ, the Phisicion of the sin­ful, Mat. 9. the light of the world, the expresse Ioh. 8. Image of the inuisible God, the first borne of all creatures, the wisedome Collos. 1. & power of God: the way, the truth, 1. Cor. 1. and lyfe: the Prince of Pastours, the great shepheard of our soules, the Ioh. 14. founder and finisher of our fayth, the 1. Pet. 1. Euangelicall henne, the true Vyne, Ebru. 12. the bread of lyfe, the rocke and foun­taine of the liuyng waters, the Ema­nuel, Ioh. 15. [Page] the blessed séede, the reconciler Ioh. 6. 1. Cor. 10. Ioh. 4. Marc. 12. Luc. 20. 1. Pet. 1. Psal. 24. Esai. 9. Esai. 62. Luc. 4. Ioh. 1. Psal. 130. Gen. 28. Malach. 4. Ioh. 1. Num. 24. Luc. 10. Ebru. 7. 8. 9. Ose. 13. Mich. 7. 1. Cor. 15. Zach. 13. Ebru. 1. of God and man, the cornerstone of the buildyng, the foundation of the same, the kyng of glory, the prince of peace, the high Priest, the annoynted of God, the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of y^e world, the hope and redēption of Israell, Iacobs lad­der, whereby we clyme to the omni­potent father, the sonne of righteous­nes, the true light, the starre of Ia­cob, the mercyfull Samaritane, the price of our redemption, our sacrifice for sinne, our satisfaction, our righte­ousnes, our guide, our way to God, y^e conquerour of Death, Hell, Sinne, & Sathan, the giuer of lyfe, the foun­taine of grace & veritie. They preas­sed vpon him whose nobilitie, riches, wisedome, bewtie, strength, puritie, honour and goodnes can neuer be suf­ficiently commended: without him, our light is full of darkenesse: Our strength full of weakenes, our truth full of falsehode, our perfection full of imperfection. He is good, we are euil: yea our nature is euill. Saint Austen Ephes. 2. 3. [Page 5] saith, Nemo erit bonus qui non erat ma­lus: August. de Ciuit. Dei Lib. 15. cap. 1. None shalbe good, which hath not bene euill. He onely is happy, we are miserable wretches. He is omnipotēt & eternall, we are weake, yea weake­nes it selfe, dust and corruption.

By his righteousnes, we be made righteous: by his holynesse, we be made holy: by his glory we are glori­fied. It is honest and comely, that the wayfaryng man shoulde folow his guide: The creature, his creator: the saued, his Sauiour: The subiectes their king: the sheepe their shepheard: the seruaūts, their maister: the schol­lers, their teacher: the members their head: the children their parentes: the souldiours their captaine: the patiēts their Phisicion.

He is our guide, we are the way­faring men: he is our creator, we his creatures: he our Sauiour, we the sa­ued: he is our kyng, we his subiectes: he our shepheard, we his shéepe: he our master, we his vnprofitable ser­uauntes: he our heauenly scholemai­ster, we his negligent scholers: he our [Page] head, we his members: he our father, we his children: he our captaine, we his souldiours: hee the omnipotent Phisicion, we the faint and féeble pa­tientes. Therfore it is good to folow him, to preasse vpon him, & with the disseased woman to touch him. Mat. 9.

Consider the cause why they preas­sed vpon him. The finall cause why they preassed vpon him, was to heare the word of God: note their feruent desire to heare the word of God. The worde of God: not the traditions of men, not vanities, as vayne men of our dayes preasse to heare vanities, yea euē on the Sabboth day, which is intolerable. The Sabboth day ought to be cō secrate to the seruice of God. The true sanctifieng and halowyng of this day, consisteth in the true wor­shippyng of God. Many other folow­ed, & preassed on him for other causes.

The hypocriticall Phariseis fo­lowed Luc. 16. 4. and preassed, to deride him.

Some folowed & preassed, for no­ueltie. Such were the mē of Athens, Act. 17. 21. which gaue them selues to nothyng [Page 6] els, but either to tell, or to heare some newes. We haue multitudes of men of Athens now a dayes.

Some preassed to sée his miracles: Vidimus mirabilia hodie: we haue sene straunge thynges to day. Luc. 5. 26.

Some to get bodily health. Luc. 6.

Some folow Christum Fortunatū: wealthy & rich Christ, for their cōmo­moditie: Mat. 8. Luc. 9. y^t they maybe enriched, as y^e mā that offered his seruice to Christ, saying, maister I wil folow thee whe­ther soeuer y^u goest: And Iesus aūswered & said to him: Fores haue holes & y^e byrdes of the ayre haue nests: but y^e sōne of mā hath not where to rest his head. The Foxe hath his hole in hipocrites: the byrdes of y^e ayre, y^e deuils, haue their nestes in hypocrites: no place for y^e sonne of mā in hipocrites.

Some folow and preasse for their Ioh. 6. belly sake: as those which sayd, Rab­bi when camest thou hither? &c.

Some to entāgle him in his talke. Mat. 22. Luc. 20. Marc. 12. Origen: in Mat. cap. 22 The auncient father Origen calleth all them brethren of the Phariseis, which séeke to entrap men. And Are­tius a learned man sayth: Diabolicum [Page] est quaerere quod carpas, quod damnes: Aretius in Psal. 1. It is deuilishe to séeke to taunt, to carpe, to condemne.

Some folowed him to sée: as vaine curious persōs do now a dayes, which come to Sermons to see, and not to learne: Domine volumus a te signū vi­dere: Mat. 12. 38. Maister we would sée a signe of thee: but he aunswered and sayd vnto them: this euill and adulterous gene­ration séeketh a signe: but there shall no signe be geuen to it, saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas.

Some preasse to heare inuectiues.

Some to be more ready to contēd: and a few (alas to few) for the loue of Gods holy worde, as this company. And yet not vnlike but that some of them afterward cried: Tolle eū, cruci­fige Ioh. 19. 15. eū: away with him, crucifie him. Such is the inconstācie, of the vncon­stant multitude. To this tendeth the parable of the séede: some fell by the Mat. 13. Marc. 4. Luc. 8. hygh wayes side, some vpō stony pla­ces, some among thornes, & some fell into good groūd, & brought forth frute, some an hūdred fold, some sixtie, and [Page 7] some thyrtie folde. Thus much for that point.

By the word of God, I vnderstād here the word of the Gospell, that is, that Iesus is the true Messias, the sonne of the woman of whom it is sayd, Conteret caput Serpentis: he shall Gen. 3. breake the Serpentes head, and va­liantly vanquish the power and puis­sance Gen. 22▪ of Sathan. That sonne of Abra­ham, in whom all the nations of the earth shalbe blessed. The sonne of Luc. 1. Dauid, which in the house of Iacob shall raigne for euer. That sonne to Psal. 2. whom it is sayd: aske of me & I will giue thée the Heathen for thine inhe­ritaunce: Psal. 110. & sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemyes thy foote stole. To be short, that ladder of Ia­cob, Gen. 28. which reacheth to heauen.

Christ taught sometyme the law, sometyme the Gospell. Albeit y^e Ser­mon of Christ in the v. vj. & vij. Math. is a true interpretation of the law: yet notwithstāding the law is not the thyng, for preachyng whereof Christ was sent in to this world. For (as we [Page] read in Esay. 61. 1. vers.) The spirit of the Lord is vpon me, for the Lord hath annoynted me, and sent me to preach good tidynges vnto the poore. Christ came not as a law maker, or a law teacher, as Moyses came before. Hereunto is added, that the word of the law doth slea or kill, as S. Paule 2. Cor. 3. 6. teacheth: but the word of Christ gi­ueth life, as he testifieth him selfe: ve­ryly veryly I say vnto you, if a man Ioh. 8. 51. kéepe my saying, hee shall neuer sée death.

The law is a knowledge knowen Rom. 1. by nature, as the Apostle witnesseth: The Gospel is not knowē by nature, but published frō the secret determi­nation of the Godhead, by our Lord & Sauiour Iesus Christ: Lex per Mosen Ioh. 1. 17. data est: gratia, & veritas per Ie­sum Christū facta est: The law was geuen by Moyses, but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ. And our Sauiour saith to his disciples: To you it is geuen to know the secretes of y^e kingdome Mat. 13. of God. &c. And also to Peter he sayth, flesh & bloud hath not opened [Page 8] that vnto thée, but my father which is in heauē. Read. 1. Cor. 2. & 1. Cor. 4. 2 Cor. 5. Collos. 4. 1. Tim. 3. Rom. 16.

The law sheweth sinne: The Go­spell sheweth Christ the Sauiour of the world, teachyng that sinnes are forgeuē to all y^t beleue in him, & that they are reconciled to God. These Mat. 23. thynges do the wisemen, Prophetes, & Scribes specially teach, which are sent from the sonne of God.

The law requireth onely obedi­ence, and condēneth the guilty: The Gospell giueth remission of sinnes, freely in the name of Christ to the pe­nitent: relieueth and comforteth the troubled consciences, with his sweete promises.

The promises of the law are con­ditionall: Leuit. 18. Galat. 3. Deut. 30. Rom. 10. ye shal kéepe my ordinaun­ces and my iudgementes: which if a man do, he shall liue in them: the pro­mises of the Gospell are certaine and free: Come to the waters all ye that Esai. 55. be thirsty, and ye that haue no money come buy wyne and milke, without any money or moneys worthe. All Rom. 3. 23. [Page] haue sinned and haue néede of the glo­ry of God, but are iustified fréely by Rom. 4. 16. his grace, through the redēption that is in Christ Iesus. Therfore by fayth is the inheritaūce geuē, that it might be by grace.

The law proposeth preceptes: the Gospell hath promises. Gen. 3.

The law is a rule of good workes: the Gospell is a doctrine of the person Exod. 20. and benefites of the Messias.

The law denounceth the wrath of God, eternall malediction; death and damnation to all men for sinne: Ma­ledictus Deut. 27. vlt. vers. omnis qui nō permāserit in om­nibus his. &c: Cursed be he that conti­nueth not in all the woordes of this law, to do them, & all the people shall say Amen: The Gospell offereth re­mission of sinnes to all men: To giue Luc. 1. knowledge of saluation to his people for the remission of their sinnes.

The law iustifieth none, saueth none, deliuereth none from sinne, but accuseth, bewrayeth sinne, & condem­neth all: the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saluation, to all that [Page 9] beleue, offeryng to all remission of sinnes, rightuousnes, & eternall life.

To be short the law is to be terri­bly thundered to the wicked, negli­gent, and impenitent: the Gospell is sweetely to be sounded, to those that acknowledge their sinnes and hartily repent for the same. The swéete pro­clamatiō of Christ teacheth the same: Come vnto me all ye that labour sore Mat. 11. 28. and are laden and I will ease you. &c. Of this we haue example in the Prophet Nathan: who by a similitude, thundered the law agaynst kyng Da­uid: 2. Reg. 12. 13. Dauid repenteth saying: I haue sinned against the Lord: Nathan pro­nounceth the Gospell: The Lorde hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not dye.

The worde of God, or doctrine of Christ, is called the worde of God: that is, the doctrine which Christ him selfe reuealed to men. Whereof the principall point, is frée remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes, by fayth in Christ Iesus.

The efficient cause of this Gospell [Page] is the whole Godhead: the eternall Father, eternall Sonne, and eternall holy Ghost.

The mouyng cause, is the excée­dyng mercy of God, and his passyng loue toward mākynd. So God loued Ioh. 3. 16. the world, that he gaue his onely be­gottē sonne: that whosoeuer beleueth in him, should not perish, but haue e­uerlastyng lyfe.

The first instrumētall cause, is the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ. An other instrumentall cause, are the Prophetes, Apostles, Euangelistes & other teachers of the doctrine of the Gospell. Therfore the Apostle sayth, Let men estéeme vs as the Ministers 1. Cor. 4. of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of God. We together are Gods la­bourers 1. Cor. 3. 9. 2. Cor. 5. 20 &c. we are messengers for Christ, euen as though God did be­séech you through vs.

The materiall cause, is Christ with all his benefites.

The formall cause, is y^e gladsome message of free remission of sinnes, purchased by Christ Iesus.

The finall cause, is that mankynd beyng deliuered out of the handes of his enemies Death, Sinne, Hell, & Sathan, should serue God in holy­nesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his lyfe.

He that is of God, heareth Gods word, he loueth it, beleueth it, & doth it. These thyngs are included in the word Heare.

The word of God hath sūdry hea­rers: Mat. 10. some receiue it, some receiue it not. Note y^e parable of the seede. The Mat. 13. séede of the word of God when it was Marc. 4. sowed, fell some by the wayes side, Luc. 8. some vpon stones, some vpō thornes, and some in good ground &c. but more strictly and briefly, the word of God hath two sortes of heares: Elect and Reprobate. The elect say with Pe­ter: Domine ad quem ibimus? verba vi­tae aeternae habes: Maister to whom shal Ioh. 6. we goe? thou hast the wordes of eter­nall lyfe. The reprobate say: Durus est hic sermo: This is a hard saying, who can heare it? Can this mortali­tie put on immortalitie? Cā this cor­ruption [Page] put on incorruption? Can Christ be God and mā? Can God be­get a sonne, as of late y^e deuill of Nor­wiche deuilishlye sayde? yea worse then a deuill was he. For the deuils in y^e former Chapter acknowledged Christ, crying and saying: Thou art Christ the sonne of God: but this de­uill denyed Christ.

The word of God is preached in vayne to many, the hony is lost, that is put into vessels of gall: the fishe is cast away, that is cast into dry pooles: and the séede perisheth, that is sowed vpon the sand. S. Cypriā sayth: Cer­te Cyp. contra Demetria­num Tract. 1. pag. labor irritus est & nullius effectus, of­ferre lumen coeco, sermonem surdo, sa­pientiam bruto: Cum nec sentire bru­tus possit, nec coecus lumē admittere, nec surdus audire: Truly it is lost labor and to no purpose: to offer light to a blind mā, speach to a deafe mā, wise­dome to a grosse head, seyng that a grosse head cannot perceiue, a blinde man can not see, a deafe man can not heare. The auncient father Origen Origen. in Nume. 6. Hom. 3. sayth: Quāto melius esset nonnullis om­nino [Page 11] non audire verbum Dei, quam au­dire cum malitia, vel audire cum hypo­crisi: melius autem dicimus ad compa­rationem malorum: How much better were it to some, not to heare the word of God at all, thā to heare it with ma­lice, or to heare it with hypocrisie: we say better, in respect of euils.

Excellent is this word: therefore ought we to heare it.

It differreth from ours manifold­ly: in truth, for God is true, yea truth it selfe: man is false, yea falshode it Ioh. 14. selfe: Omnis homo mandax: Euery mā Psal. 115. is a lyer.

It differeth from ours in profit: Lord to whom shall we go (sayth Pe­ter) Ioh. 6. thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe: our wordes haue no profit, they are wordes of eternall death.

It differeth in certaintie, for ve­ry truth and certainty it selfe sayth: that the most firme Elements of hea­uen Mat. 24. & earth shall passe, but his word shall in no wise passe. The Prophet Esay sayth: Ʋerbum Domini manet in Esa. 40. 8. aeternum: The word of the Lord en­dureth [Page] for euer: Mary hath chosē the good part, which shall not be taken a­way Luc. 10. 42. from her: our wordes are vncer­taine, as vnconstāt as the Weather­cocke. We say and vnsay, and vnsay and say againe. That which liketh vs to day, misliketh vs to morow.

It differeth in power: as soone as hee had sayd to the band of men, and officers of the hyghe Priestes, I am Ioh. 18. he: they went backewarde and fell to the grounde. Note here the power of the word of God: They came ar­med, they came to take Iesus: and after they heard his mightfull word, they fell to the groūd. Mathew sayth: Docebat eos tāquam authoritatem ha­bens: Mat. 7. vl.. vers. He taught them as one hauyng power, and not as the Scribes: Our wordes are sinnefull, corrupt, and vnperfect.

It differeth in spirit: The wordes that I speake vnto you, are spirit and Ioh. 6. 63. lyfe: But our wordes are prophane and transitorie. Christ sayth, Qui de terra est, terrenus est & de terra loqui­tur: He that is of the earth is earthly, [Page 12] and speaketh of the earth.

It differeth from our woordes in swéetnes: The seruaunts of y^e Phari­seis & high Priestes, which were sent to take Christ, returned and said thus of the excellencie of his word, Nun­quam sic loquutus est homo: Neuer mā Ioh. 7. 46. spake as this mā doth. Not Demost­henes, out of whose mouth flowed fluddes of eloquence: not Cicero the Father of eloquence: not eloquent Pericles, of whom it is written, that he did thunder out his wordes. But Christes Argumentes were so migh­ty and his woordes so swéete, that a certaine woman hauyng great admi­ration therof: lifted vp her voyce and sayd vnto him: happy is the wombe that bare thée, and the pappes which Luc. 11. 27. thou hast sucked.

To be brief, this word differeth in perfection: In his word all things en­dure. Eccl. 43. 26. Take away this perfect word, what is man? a brute beast.

Take the Sunne out of y^e world, what remaineth? Horrible darknes. Lactantius sayth: Lumen mētis huma­nae Lactan. de ira Dei cap. 1. [Page] Deus est: remoto Deo coelesti (que) do­ctrina omnia erroribus plena sunt: God is the light of mans soule: If you set a side, or put away from you God & his heauenly word: All thynges are ful of errours. Take away this word, what is a man? a captiue of Sathan, a pray of death, a slaue of sinne, a fire­brand of hell: Ignorantia Scripturarū, Hierom. in Prologo E­saiae. Christi ignorantia est: Ignoraūce of y^e Scriptures is ignoraunce of Christ. As far as heauen is distant frō earth: so farre ought heauenly thynges al­wayes to be preferred before humane things: yea incomparably ought they alwayes to be preferred.

It is cōpared to the Sunne, whose office is, by spreadyng of his radiant and bright beames to expell darknes, and to dispose euery thyng to beare frute: Right so y^e office of Gods word is, with his bright & shinyng beames of grace to expell the darknes of here­sies & errours, to take away the cold frost of iniquitie, and to dispose and frame euery man and womā to bring forth the frutes of pietie & godlynes.

It is compared to fier, for that it enflameth vs by loue. The two Dis­ciples whiche went to Emans, sayd (after that Christ had interpreted vn­to them in all the Scriptures) did not our hartes burne within vs while he Luc. 24. 23. talked with vs by the way, and ope­ned to vs the Scriptures? and Christ sayth, I am come to send fier on the Luc. 12. 49. earth, and what is my desire, but that it be already kindled?

It is likened to a glasse: in this glasse euery man may sée whence he came, what he is, whether he goeth: his sin, his banishmēt, his miserie. S. Hierō geueth swéet coūsaile to a cer­tain virgin: Ʋtere lectione diuina, vte­re Hierom: in Episto. ad Demetria­dem virgi­nem. speculo, vide speculū, foeda corrigen­da, pulchra cōseruāda, & pulchra faciē ­da. Scriptura enim speculū est foeda ostē ­dens, & corrige dicens: Vse to read the holy Scripture, vse the glasse, sée the glasse: That deformitie may be amē ­ded, fayrenesse preserued, and fayre thynges performed. For the Scrip­ture is a glasse shewyng deformitie, & saying amend. Gregory sayth: Sacra [Page] Scriptura tanquam speculum quoddam Gregor. in moral. mentis: The holy Scripture is as a certaine glasse of the mynde. S. Au­gust. sayth: Scriptura sancta sit tibi tā ­quam August. in Psal. 48. speculū: Speculum hoc habet splē ­dorem non mēdacem, non adulantē, nul­lius personam amantem. Formosus es? Formosum te ibi vides. Sed cum foedus accesseris, & foedum te ibi videris, noli accusare speculum: ad te redi, nō te fal­lit speculum, tu te noli fallere: Let the holy Scripture be to thée as a glasse. This glasse hath no deceitfull or flat­teryng brightnesse, it is not in loue with any mans person. Art thou bew­tifull? Thou séest thy selfe there bew­tifull. But when thou commest defor­med, & séest thy selfe there deformed: accuse not the glasse, aduise thée selfe. The glasse deceiueth thée not, deceiue not thou thy selfe.

It is lyke to a cleare fountaine or well. The womā of Samaria found Ioh. 4. Christ at the well. Would you finde Christ? At the well of his word shall you finde him.

S. Basill sayth, the Scripture of Basil. in Psal. 1. [Page 14] God is like to Apothecaries shop full of medecines sundry sortes, that eue­ry man may there chose a conuenient remedy for his dissease.

This is that pillar exhibited to the children of Israell: Factae sunt tene brae Exod. 10. 22 horribiles in vniuersa terra Aegypti, vbicunque habitabant filij Israel lux e­rat: There was a thicke darknes vp­on all the lād of Egypt: but all y^e chil­dren of Israell had light where they dwelled. Where the word of God is, there is light: Where the same is not, there is darkenes. Without this fie­rie piller, we can not walke in the light. He that walketh in darknesse, Ioh. 12. 35. knoweth not whether he goeth. This is that piller which mightely condu­cteth Exod. 13. 21 our vnderstandyng, out of the the Egypt of infidelitie. This is that Lucifer the bright mornyng starre, whiche commeth before the sunne of righteousnesse, by whom the light of grace doth rise, whom foloweth the day of glory.

This is that starre of the sea, des­crying port and coūtrey to the saylers [Page] on the sea of this world. This is that starre, which led the wise and fayth­full men frō a far countrey to Christ.

This is that most heauenly iewell Mat. 13. 45. & treasure, the precious stone whiche the Christian Marchantman sought with great diligēce, and care▪ & when he had found it, sold all that he had to buy the same. He whiche preferreth the word of God before all transitorie thynges: Which for saketh him selfe, taketh vp his Crosse, and foloweth Mat. 16. 24. Christ, is truly sayd to sell all that he hath, and to buy the same.

This is a most pleasaunt garden. In this garden you may gather many swéete flowers: the plantain of sayth, the roses of patience, the lillies of in­nocēcie, the oliues of mercy, and ma­ny other of most excellent vertue. In this garden are planted many goodly and fayre trées, bringyng forth most swéet and delitesome frute: The Ce­ders of contemplation, the Cyprusses of noble fame, the Okes of constācie, the Laurels or Bay trées of vertue, and many other such like.

It is called a candle or light. The kingly Prophet sayth: thy word is a Psal. 118. candle vnto my féete, and a light vnto my pathes. The lighters of this cādle (sayth Chrisost.) are the father the Chrisost. in cap. 5. Mat. sonne and the holy ghost. The candle sticke is the Church: or euery godly man hauyng the word. By this cādle the théefe or false teacher is espyed: so sayth Theophilact. Theophi­lactus in Luc. 16. cap.

It is called the bread of the soule: for that it feedeth the soule. Man shall not liue by bread onely, but by euery Deut. 8. word that procéedeth out of y^e mouth of God. A fishe can not liue without Mat. 4. water, a shéepe can not liue without pasture, this mortall body cā not long endure without foode, the soule cā not long liue without the word of God. This is the meat of fayth.

This word is light. The people that walked in darknesse haue sene a Esa. 9. 1. great light. This is condēnation, that Ioh. 3. 19. light is come into the world, and men haue loued darknes rather then light, because their déedes were euill. To giue light to them y^t sit in darknes. &c Luc. 2.

It is named water: Christ said to y^e Ioh. 4. 10. Esai. 12. Esai. 55. Psal. 46. Hier. 2. Esai. 25. woman of Samaria: if thou knewest the gift of God, & who it is that sayth to thée giue me drinke, thou wouldest haue asked of him, & he would haue geuen thée the water of life.

It is a royall and kyngly feast. Mat. 22. Luc. 14.

It is the sword of the spirit. This sword is very necessary to all that be Ephes. 6. in this warfare. For who goeth to Luc. 22. battaile without a sworde. Hee that hath no sword let him sell his coate and buy a sword.

The spiritual Māna. Gather your Manna while you haue tyme. The horne of saluation: The incorrupti­ble Luc. 1. séede whiche liueth and lasteth for 1. Pet. 1. Hier. 23. euer: A hāmer that breaketh the hard stone: A key that giueth entry into the house, which is the kyngdome of Psal. 45. Origen. in num. Hom. 18. pag. vlt. August. in Psal. 86. Luc. 5. Luc. 4. Act. 13. of heauen: The scepter of the kyng­dome: An arrow that pearceth y^e ene­my: A heauēly trumpet: A net enclo­sing and bringyng vs together: The word of grace: The word of saluatiō: The word of recōciliation: The word of truth: The word of vertue: The [Page 16] word of lyfe euerlastyng: The word 2. Cor. 5. Ebtu. 2. Iac. 1. 2. Cor. 6. Rom. 1. Ioh. 6. 1. Ioh. 1. Psal. 40. 1. Cor. 7. Esai. 39. 8. Mat. 21. and way of righteousnesse: yea righ­teousnesse it selfe: Grace and veritie: The wisedome of God in a misterie: That good word whereof Esay spea­keth: which is called good, for that it bringeth all goodnesse: And (to con­clude) it is called the kyngdome of God: The kyngdome of God shalbe taken from you, and giuē to a nation bringyng forth the frutes therof.

The premisses considered, I may say with the Prophet Hieremie, Ter­ra, Hier. 22. 29 terra, terra, audi verbum Domini: O thou earth, earth, earth, heare the word of the Lord. The foolishe carle Nabal still carieth earth in his eyes, earth in his eares, and earth in his toung. Aboue all thynges he desireth to sée earth, to heare of earth, and to speake of earth. Many Nabals, many carles, many fooles. But one thyng is necessary, one thyng is necessary, one thyng is necessary, & that is the word of God. Mary hath chosen the good part, whiche shall not be taken away Luc. 10. vlt. vers. from her.

The first precept that Isocrates gaue to prince Demonicus was τίμα τὸν θεό [...]: feare God.

The first law that should be geuen to any man sayth Plato, should be to the encrease of godlynes.

The chiefest oth which the Athe­niens toke, was this: Pugnabo pro fa­cris & cum alijs & solus. In defence of Religion I will fight, both in compa­ny and alone. Among the Atheniens no king was created, before he had taken orders and was a priest. They iudged the wisest, best, and most re­nowned, to be fittest to offer sacrifice to their Gods, to the great shame of Christiās now adayes, which thinck the most abiect & outcast good inough, to take vpon him so high and holy a function. The auntient Romaines, through y^e instinct of nature, thought so reuerently of religion, that they sent their children, yea euen the no­blest men of Rome, sent their sonnes into Hetruria, to learne the seruice of God. Nowadayes a meane gentle­man thinketh his childe to good, to [Page 17] learne and professe true religiō. Here­by it is cleare and euident, what care heathē men ignorant of the true wor­shipping of God, haue had of Religiō. Poets by their feyninges haue com­mended it, Oratours haue exhorted vnto it, Philosophers haue thought it necessary in a common wealth, cō ­mon people haue sworne to defend it, Noble men haue preferred it, Kinges haue professed it. There is no religi­on without the word of God. We haue the vnderstanding of the will of God by his onely word. For without y^e same, our sight is blindnes, our vn­derstāding ignorance, our wisedome foolishnes, our deuotiō deuilishnes.

The profite & fruite of this heauēly word, is wonderfull. All scripture 2. Tim. 3. 16 geuen by inspiration of God, is profi­table Rom. 15. 4 to teach, to reproue, to correct, to instruct in righteousnes, that we may be patient and finde comfort. S. August: sayth, In scripturis didicimus Christum, in scripturis didicimus Eccle­siam: August. tom. 2. Epist. 166. In the scriptures we haue lear­ned Christ, in the scriptures we haue [Page] learned the church. S. Basill: sayth, Basil. in cō ­cione: quod Deus non causa ma­lorum. Ʋerbum Dei ex quo solo noscitur deus, regiam viā monstrat, & est lucerna pe­dum nostrorum: The word of God by the which onely God is knowne, sheweth the kinges highway, and is the light of our feete.

We learne fayth in the scriptures. S. Hilary sayth to the Emperour Hilarius ad Imperat. Constant. Constantinus: Fidem Imperator quae­ris? audi eam, nō de nouis chartulis, sed de dei libris: Doth your Maiestie séeke the fayth? Heare it then, not out of a­ny new schrolles, but out of the booke of God.

S. Ambrose sayth, Christus oritur Ambros. in Hexam: lib. 4. cap. 1. in lectione scripturarum sol iusticiae: In reading the scriptures, Christ the sun of righteousnes riseth. To be short, S. August: sayth, verbo Dei docemur in omnibus: By the word of God wée are instructed in all thinges. All thinges necessary to saluation are cō ­tayned in y^e scripture: for profe wher­of, (because other matters call me awaye) I leaue briefly these places: Ioh: 14. 25. vers. 2. Timo: 3. 15. Luc: [Page 18] 14. 17. Math: 22. 4. verse. Esai: 5. 4. verse. This matter is proued out of the most auntient fathers: Irenae­us and Tertullian, read Irenaeus. lib. 3. cap. 1. and 4. Tertul. de praescript. haeres. As many as drincke of this heauenly fountayne, shall receiue be­nefite of it: the blind shall see, the deaf shall heare, the dumme shall speake, the lame shall walke, fooles shall be wise, the sicke shal be whole, the dead shall reuiue. The drincking of this fountayne, hath made many proud men, humble: many couetous misers mercifull: many faythles, faythfull: many filthy fornicators, chast: many furious and wrathfull, méeke, and milde: many slouthfull and drousie, vigilant and watchfull: many feare­full, bold: yea and euen contemners of Phalaris Bul: many Saules, ma­ny Paules: manye manye children of darcknes, the children of light. God by his worde, offereth to vs his mer­cifull hand: by fayth we geue to God our hand: and the sacraments are as a third hand, which confirme and sta­blish [Page] the ioyning of the other two to­gether. If you feare the iudgement of sinne: This most pretious worde offereth you righteousnes in Christ: if you feare death, it offereth lyfe: If you feare the fire of hel, it offereth the ioyes of heauen: and breefely, you haue in this word, whence you may take both in lyfe recreation, and in death preseruation. Moyses hauing the word of God, could diuide the sea. The Apostles (although poore fisher­men) with the worde of God ouer­came the world. The blinde which heard the voyce of Christ, receiued sight: The dombe speach, wherewith they glorified God: the lame strēgth, which they applied to the seruice of God: the deaf hearing, whereby they became attentiue hearers of this gra­tious worde. Christ sayd to the ru­lers daughter: Mayde arise, and she Mat. 9. Luc. 8. arose straight waye. He sayd to the widowes sonne: young man I say to thée arise, and he that was dead sat vp Luc. 7. and began to speake. And to Lazarus he cryed with a lowd voyce: Lazarus Io. 11. [Page 19] come forth, & he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foote. The tē ­pestnous windes heard his voyce, and forthwith they were alayed: the sea & waues heard it, & they became calme: men possessed with deuils heard it, and they obeied: yea the very deuils hearing his voyce, humbled them­selues. O deaf and obstinat mindes of wicked men: O you that lye groue­ling on the ground, and haue no fee­ling of thinges aboue▪ Christ crieth dayly. Damsell arise: young man I say to thee arise: Lazarus come forth: dead sinner, embrace lyfe: But all are in a deepe sléepe; a sléepe of sinne; and neglect to awake. Yet these misera­ble men ought to remēber, that y^e day will come, y^e day wil come when (wil they, nil they) they shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God comming in the cloudes; with great power and maiestie: Then shall they stand be­fore his iudgement seate. Then shall they heare to their endlesse smart the thūder of the law: depart from me ye cursed, into euerlastyng fier which is Mat. 25. 41. [Page] prepared for the deuils & his angels.

Heare therefore the word of God, while you haue tyme: Consider the Rom. 13. season: it is now tyme to arise from sléepe. It is now high tyme to heare: You haue no colour of excuse. What more could haue bene done for the vy­neyard? Esai. 5. All thinges inuite, moue, and desire you to heare. The clearenes of the holy Scriptures calleth you. For the Scriptures generally are easie & cleare. So saith S. Paul: If our Gos­pell 2. Cor. 4. 3. be hid, it is hid to them y^t are lost. So sayth the Prophet Oseas: The Oseas vlt. cap. vlt. ver. wayes of the Lord be straight: but the wicked shall fall in them. So sayeth the Prophet Dauid: The Scriptures Psal. 118. are a candle & a guide to our féete. So saith the old father Origene: Clausum Origen. in Exod. Hom. 9. est negligent ibus, iuuenitur quarētibus: If is shut from the negligent: but it is opened to them that séeke, & knock for it. So sayth Clemens Alexandri­nus: Clem. A­lex. in O­rat. Adhor. Ad Gentes. pagina. 63. Audite qui estis longe, Audite qui prope: nullis celatum est verbum, lux est communis, omnibus illucescit homi­nibus. Nullus est in verbo Cimmerius, [Page 20] festinemus ad salutem, ad regeneratio­nem: Hearken ye that be far of, hear­ken ye that be neare. The worde of God is hid from no man: It is a light common vnto all men: There is no darknes in Gods word. Let vs make hast to saluation, to regeneration. So Fulgentius: In Scripturis diuinis abun­dat Fulgentius in Serm. de Cōfessori­bus. & quod robustus comedat, & quod paruulus sugat: In the Scriptures of God there is plenty sufficient, both for the strong to eate, and for the litle one to sucke. So Irenaeus: Scripturae in Iraeneus. lib. 1. cap. 31 aperto sunt, & sine ambiguitate, & simi­liter ab omnibus audiri possunt: The Scriptures are playne, and without doubtfulnes, and may be heard indif­ferētly of all men. So sayth Chrisost. Chrisost. in 2. Thess. Hom. 3. Omnia clara & plana sunt in Scripturis diuinis: quaecūque necessaria sunt, mani­festa sunt: All thynges are cleare and plane in the holy Scriptures: what­soeuer thyng is necessary for vs, is al­so manifest. So sayth Epiphanius Lib. 2. So sayth Saint Hierom. in Psal. 86. So (to conclude) Gregory: sayth Greg. in E­pist. ad Le­andrum. it is a streame wherin the litle lambe [Page] may wade, and the great Elephantes may swymme.

But touchyng the discourse of na­turall reason, S. Ambrose sayth that, No creature in earth or in heauen, is able to reache to the depth of these thyngs. These are his wordes: Mens Ambros. ad Gratianum de fide. lib. 1. cap. 5. deficit, vox silet, non mea tantum sed an­gelorum: supra potestates, supra ange­los, supra Cherubim, supra Seraphim, supra omnē sensum est: The mynde is astonyed, the voyce fayleth, not onely of me, but also of y^e angels: it is aboue the powers, aboue y^e angels, aboue the Cherubins, aboue y^e Seraphins, & aboue all maner of vnderstandyng.

Notwithstandyng all these excel­lēt properties of Gods word, and mo then a thousand thousand tounges cā declare: We become Citizens of Co­razin, Bethsaida, and Capharnaum. Tyrus, Sidō, Sodom, the Quéene of the South, the men of Niniue, and that barbarous Eunuche, shall rise a­gaynst Act. 8. vs in the day of iudgement. If such preachyng had bene in Tyrus & Sidon, as hath bene in England (es­pecially [Page 21] these xx. yeares): they would haue repēted in sackcloth and ashes. Therfore it shalbe easier for Tyrus & Sidon at the day of iudgemēt, thē for England. If y^e mighty workes which haue bene done in England, had bene done among them of Sodom: They had remained without plague of fire and brimstone. The Quéene of the South shall rise against vs at the day of iudgement. A woman & a Quéene, a frayle sexe, the weaker vessell, yet of Princely power: men the stronger vessell, and yet most of them not of Princely power. She was a straun­ger: we are now Domestici: of the houshold. She wanted the promises of Messias: we haue the promises of Messias. She came to Salomō a wise man certainly, yet a mortall and sin­full man, whiche could not helpe her but in externall thynges, and therein peraduenture barely and slenderly: we refuse to come to Christ God and man, who can helpe vs in all thyngs, who is all in all, and all to all. She came to heare the wisedome of Salo­mon? [Page] Wōderfull was his wisedome: his wisedome exceeded y^e wisedome of all thē of the East, & all the wisedome of the Egyptiās: he excéeded all mē in wisedome: he wrote iij. thousād Pro­uerbes. His songes were a thousād & fiue. He disputed of trees, euen from y^e Ceder trée that groweth in Libanō, vnto the Isop that springeth out of the wall. And he disputed of beastes, foules, wormes and fishes. There came of all nations to heare the wise­dome of Salomon, & from all kynges of the earth whiche had heard of his wisedome. But behold he that prea­cheth this day out of y^e ship, is greater then Salamon, and preacheth farre greater and better matters. Notwithstāding fooles refuse to heare his prea­chyng. This famous Quéene came to Salomon from far, & out of a swéete, and frutefull countrey, the frutefull Arabia, called also Saba: so frutefull that it bringeth corne and fruite twise in the yeare, where groweth all kind of spices, and swéet gummes: and the Townes are vnwalled, because the [Page 22] people do liue alwayes in peace. But we neglect to walke a litle way with­in the walles of our Cities, & to leaue ill ayre, ill soyle, ill company, ill exer­cises, ill maners, to come to Christ. She came with great perill: we may come without perill, yet we come not. She left her happy kyngdome, & with long and painful trauaile, came to Salomon: we haue Christ in the kyngdome of England, without lea­uing of kyngdome, and with litle tra­uaile may wee heare him: yet wee heare him not. She came with giftes: She came to Hierusalem with a very Reg. 10. 2. Paralip. 2. 9 Mat. 12. 3. great trayne, with Camels that bare swéet odours: & gold excéedyng much, and precious stones. But wee may haue accesse to Iesus Christ, cōmyng Esai. 55. 1. without trayne, without gifts: Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty, & ye that haue no money come buy. &c. We refuse grace offered fréely. This noble Queene knew Salomō by one­ly fame: we know Christ by his ma­nifold miracles, & yet we come not, yet we beleue not, yet we bring forth [Page] no good fruites. Therfore iustly shall we be condemned. It is shamefull to be vanquished of a woman, more shamefull of an heathē woman, most shamefull in such a cause.

The men of Niniue shall rise a­gaynst vs and condemne vs, and re­proue vs of vnbeliefe: not by authori­tye, but by comparison of the better act. They heard Ionas a very man: we reiect Christ God & man. They heard Ionas a straunger: we neglect to heare Christ a Sauiour, a father, a maister, a freind, cōnuersant with vs many yeares. They repented at the preaching of Ionas: we repent not at the preaching of Christ. Ionas preached but only thrée dayes: Christ hath preached most gratiously, and mercifully these Twenty yeares in England: and for all his so gratious and mercifull preaching, we repent not. Ionas wrought no miracle: Christ hath wrought many marue­lous miracles. He hath mightely de­liuered vs from Pharao of Egipt, from Nabuchadnazer of Babilon, [Page 23] from Holofernes of Syria, and hath miraculously preserued Iudith of England, & her people. For all these graces and giftes, wée are nothing thankfull: we are become carnall gos­pellers: wée waxe colde in religion: the Papistes waxe whot, & we waxe colde: I knowe it. We amend Man­drabuli more, as sower ale in som­mer: we become euery day worse & worse.

That barbarous Eunuche of the Act. 8. Queene of the Ethiopians, shall at the day of iudgement rise agaynst vs and condemne vs. He was an Eu­nuche, florishing in authoritye, esti­mation, & riches: and yet for all that, in his iorney sitting in his chariot, he read Esaias the prophet. Moreo­uer he vnderstode not what was con­tayned in the prophet. He aunswe­red Philip not onely gentlely and courteously, (albeit he asked him say­ing, vnderstandest thou what thou readest:) but also desired him, (not­withstanding he was clothed in poore attire,) that he would come vp and [Page] sit with him in the chariot. You sée the promptnes of his minde: you see the godly feruēcie of a barbarous Eu­nuche. Chrisost. largely and swéetely discoursing of this matter, in fine con­cludeth thus: Idoneus est barbarus iste Chrisost. in Gen. Hom. 35. qui nobis omnibus doctor fiat: This barbarous Eunuch, is méete to be a doctour and teacher to vs all.

Sithence the case thus standeth that we are wearye of spiritual Man­na, the best meate: and demeane our selues with the vnthankfull Israe­lites vngratiously in heart, word, and worke against God and Moyses, say­ing: Anima nostra nauseat super cibo Num. 21. 5. isto leuissimo: Our soule lotheth this light bread: we may assuredly loke to be plagued with the Israelites. God Psal. 7. 12. is a righteous iudge, strong and pati­ent, and God is prouoked euery day. If a man will not turne, he wil whet his sword, he hath bent his howe, and hath made it ready. He hath prepa­red for him the instruments of death: he hath ordained his arrowes against the persequtours. Behold the day is Amos. 8. 11. [Page 24] come (sayth the Lord) that I will sēd a famine in the land: not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but a hunger, & thirst of hearing the word of God. And they shall wander from sea to sea: and from the North vnto the East shall they runne to and fro, to séeke the word of the Lord. In that day shall the fayre virgins, and the young men perish for thirst. He will also send famine of bread, pestilence, fire, and sword, he will send Tamer­lane, Nabuchadnazer, the host of Sē ­nacherib, Titus and Vespatian. The Syrians shall deuoure before, and the Philistines behinde. He will de­stroy Mat. 22. murtherers, & burne vp their ci­tie, & (as Esay sayth) the leage which Esay. 28. d. 15. 18. they haue made with death and hell, shall be disanulled. He suffereth long, he is a patient God. It is sayd that he hath leaden feete: but he hath iron handes. He commeth slowlye, but when he commeth he payeth home. Violatours, and contemnours, of Gods word alwayes haue bin puni­shed. For this fault Adam and Eue [Page] were banished out of Eden, a most fruitfull and delightsome garden, in­to Gen. 3. a valley of teares, miserie, and ca­lamitye, there to eate their bread with the sweate of their face. The e­nemies of Noah were miserablye Gen. 7. drowned in the floud. The enemies of Lot were destroyed with brim­stone Gen. 19. and fire. The Israelites were greuously punished and plagued, as Moyses and the Prophets in many places make mention. Dauid lost 1. Paral. ca. 21. seuenty thowsand men plagued with pestilence. Absolon was hanged, 2. Sam. 18. slayne, and cast into a pit. Saule was sore plagued, deposed from his king­dome, 1. Reg. 15. 18. and. last. cap. 1. Paral. 10. afflicted and vexed with a de­uill, and finally slayne with his thrée sonnes, his harnes bearer, and all his men, in one day. Sedechias was sent 4. Reg. 25. 3. Ren. 12. 2. Paral. 32. Exod. 14. Act. 12. 4. Reg. 9. into Babilon and made blinde. Robo­am the sonne of Salomon, of twelue tribes lost tenne. Sennacherib was slayne of his sonnes. Pharao with all his chiualrie was drowned in the red sea. Herod horriblely ended his lyfe. Iesabel was cast out of a window, [Page 25] and doggs did eate her. Ionas was Ionae. 1. cast into the sea. A certayne Prophet was killed by a Lyon. The children 3. Reg. 20. 4. Reg. 2. 24 that mocked Eliseus were torne of beares. Corazin, Bethsaida, and Caphernaum were cursed with woe Mat. 11. woe, and cast downe to hell. That famous citie Hierusalē, named some­tyme the holye citye, was piteouslye plagued, made euen to the ground Miche. 3. Luc. 19. with the children within it, destroyed stick and stone, and turned to a heape of stones, for contemning the graci­ous and mercifull visitation: re­iecting Christes heauenly word, mi­racles, and all his benefites. So Christ prophecied, and so it came to passe. For the same fault, (truely a horrible fault) the kingdome of the Romaines was destroyed, the king­dome of y^e Chaldeans, the kingdome of the Macedonians, the kingdome of the Persians, the kingdome of the Carthaginiās, and many other moe. Paule preached to the Collossians, Hierapolians, and Laodiceans, but they contēned his wordes, and there­fore [Page] (as Orosius witnesseth) the earth Orosius. lib. 7. cap. 5. opened and swallowed them vp. O Hierusalem Hierusalem, thou that Mat. 23. Luc. 13. killest the Prophets and stonest them which haue bene sent vnto thée, how oftē would I haue gathered thy chil­dren together, euen as a henne gathe­reth her chickens vnder her winges, and ye would not: behold, your house is left vnto you desolate.

O England england which contē ­nest the word of god, and dealest vn­thankfully with them that are sent vnto thée, hating them that rebuke Amos. 5. 10 thee in the gate, and abhorring them that speake vprightly, how oft (sayth Christ) woulde I haue gathered thy children together, as a henne gathe­reth her chickens vnder her winges, & ye would not. Behold, your house shall be left vnto you desolate, and the vineyard shall be let out vnto o­ther Mat. 21. husbandmen, which shall yelde fruite in due season: except ye spede­ly Mat. 3 repent. For now is the Axe layd to the roote of the trée: and euery trée that bringeth not forth good fruite, [Page 26] shall be cut downe and cast into the sire. Therefore know the tyme, re­deme the tyme while you haue time. The swallow knoweth her time: The Crane knoweth her tyme. The whery man taketh his tyde: The sea­man his gale: The Smith stryketh whilest the Iron is whot. The hus­bandman felleth his corne when it is ripe: y^e haruest mā maketh haye whē the sunne shineth: The sower casteth his séede, when the ground is melow. As yet the sunne shineth, as yet is the acceptable tyme, as yet to day lasteth, as yet the gate is open, as yet grace is offered, yet the tyde ser­ueth, and yet Christ cryeth by his preachers, Earth, earth, earth heare the word of the Lord. Therfore, es­pecially considering the season, after the exāple of this people, let vs with all indeuour and feruencye preasse v­pon Christ, to heare his swéete and comfortable worde. Thus much for the first part.

And he stood by the lake of Ge­nezareth and sawe two shyps stand [Page] by the lakes side: but the fishermen. &c. The place is noted where these thinges were done. Mathew & Marke call it the sea of Galilee. It is called also y^e sea of Tiberias. The place was pleasaūt and delectable, not without goodly pastures. Nighe to the same were many goodly and populous Ci­ties: as Capharnaū, Bethsaida, Co­razin, the regiō of the ten Cities, and Egesip. lib. 3. cap. 26. de excidio Hieroso. Iosephus. lib. 3. cap. 18. Belli Iudaici. Plin. lib. 5. cap. 15. the region of the Gadarenes. In these Cities he often taught, both in their Synagoges and houses, as occasion serued. You haue an elegant descrip­tion of this place in Egesippus, Iose­phus, and Plini.

Here he saw two shyppes: but the fishermē were gone out of them, and were washyng their nets. They had now no hope at all to catche any fish: but God of his infinite mercy, doth often tymes, shew his power in wor­kyng, when thynges are past all hope of good recouery.

And whē he was entred into one of the shyppes, which belonged to Simon: he prayed him, that he would [Page 27] thrust out a litle from the land. &c. Behold the wonderfull humilitie of Christ, he might haue commaunded, but hee prayeth. For the earth is the Lordes and all that therein is, the cō ­passe of the world, and they that dwel therein &c. Learne humilitie of this Psal. 24. Doctour of humilitie, the best doctour that euer was, who sayth: Learne of Mat. 11. 29. me: for I am méeke and low in hart. Whiche wholesome counsaile that excellent & learned diuine S. August. August. Tom. 10. de verbis Do­mini secun­dum Mat. sermo. 10. notyng sayth: Ille ille cui omnia tra­didit Pater. &c: That: euen y^e king of kinges and Lord of Lordes, and one­ly son of the euerliuyng God to whō the father had geuen all thynges. &c. sayth not, learne of me to make the world: or to rayse the dead: but to be hūble & méeke. O wholsome & com­fortable coūsaile. O faithful doctour: humble Doctour, Lord, and Maister of mankind. He would not teach that he was not: he would not commaund that he him selfe did not. Consider Act. 1. Ezech. 34. this you which with ill shepheards by force and cruelty gouerne.

And he sate down and taught the people out of the shippe. Christ eue­ry where and alwayes sheweth him selfe a Sauiour, and is set forth vnto vs in the Gospell, preachyng diuers and sundry wayes: Walkyng on the land, sittyng in the shyp, paynefully trauailyng by the way, sittyng vpon the well, in the Synagogues, in the stréetes, in houses, in wildernes, vpō hils. He healed the sicke, he comfor­ted the afflicted.

Doth not wisedome crie: doth not Prou. 8. 1. vnderstandyng put forth her voyce? She stādeth in the top of high places, by the way in the place of the pathes. She crieth at the gates of Cities, and at the entries of mens doores. These thynges accordyng to the letter, are best spokē of Christ, which preached the Gospell publiquely, not onely in Synagogues, and temples, but also in other places where the people as­sembled together.

Vpon the moūtaine he made that Mat. 5. 6. & 7. excellent and passing Sermon, writ­ten in Mathew.

In his iorneys he oftentymes dis­puted with his aduersaries, taught the multitude and his Disciples sun­dry excellēt matters, & confirmed his Mat. 20. Luc. 17. doctrine with wonderfull miracles.

At the gate of the Citie Naim hee Luc. 7. shewed him selfe, by raysing the wi­dowes sonne.

In priuate houses when he sate at Luc. 7. Luc. 14. the table, he gaue heauēly instructiō, and would not suffer somuch as that tyme to passe without doyng good.

When hee was but xij. yeares old, Luc. 2. 42. he sate in the tēple among Doctours, hearyng thē and posing them, so that all men which heard him, had him in maruailous admiration, for his sin­gular wisedome, and passyng vnder­standyng.

He made many Sermons publik­ly, Ioh. 7. Ioh. 12. and openly in the temple at Hie­rusalem.

When he was brought bounde to Ioh. 18. 19. Caiphas, and of him demaunded con­cernyng his Disciples and doctrine: He aunswered, I spake openly to the world, I euer taught in the Sinago­gue [Page] and in the temple, whether all the Iewes resort, and in secret haue I sayd nothyng. &c. Briefly, in all pla­ces he graciously sought meanes to instruct the people.

He calleth all mē, he excludeth no man. They that were not entred in Musike and Geometrie, were not admitted into Platoes schole: but the mercyfull goodnesse of Christ Ie­sus, admitteth all mē into his schoole, not excludyng euen children: He tea­cheth all men out of the shyp, of what soeuer age, sexe, state or condition they be.

Hee instructed Nicodemus fami­liarly. Io. 3.

Most gently he entreated the Cē ­turion, Mat. 8. albeit a Heathen man.

Hee behaued him selfe mildly to­wardes Ioh. 4. the woman of Samaria, sit­tyng on the well. Notable sinners he despised not.

What kinde of dissease did he euer cry fie vpon, or turne his face from? He turned his mercifull face to Lea­pers, to men possessed with deuils, af­flicted [Page 29] with bloudy flixes, disseased with palsie, and many other daunge­rous maladies, and cured thē all. He Mat. 19. Marc. 10. Luc. 18. commaunded infantes to be brought vnto him, agaynst the will and minde of his Apostles. He taught that yoūg Mat. 19. Marc. 10. Luc. 18. man, whiche demaunded what good thyng he should doe, that hee might haue eternall lyfe. He reiecteth not the weake in fayth: but he inuiteth, allureth, & desireth all to come to him.

You haue heard how wisedome in this place, and in all places cryeth to all men. And at this day she slacketh not to cry, and to put forth her voyce in England and many other places, by Preachers, by holy Scripture, by signes and wonders. What maters Christ taught in this place, I finde not expressed. A learned man sayth: Nefas est quaerere quae in sacris Scrip­turis Gualterus in 8. Rom. non traduntur: It is wickednesse to search those thynges which are not taught in scripture. Thus much tou­chyng the letter.

Foure things come to be obserued in this mistery: The sea, Christ in the [Page] shyp, y^e people on the shore, & the shyp it selfe. The sea is an Image of the world: Christ is an image of true and sincere teachers: The people on the shore, an image of hearers: & the shyp, an image of the true Church.

Touchyng the first: The sea hath his name of bitternes: Isidorus sayth: Isidorus lib. 13. cap. 14. Etimolog. Propterea Mare appellatum, quod eius aquae sunt amarae: The sea hath his name Mare in Latin, of the Latin worde Amarum which signifieth bit­ter, because the waters therof are bit­ter. The sea is very bitter: notwith­standyng, to fishes nourished in the same it sauoureth swéetelye: Right so the world is very bitter, yet to world­ly men chiefly delighting in the same, it sauoureth swéetely. But woe be to Esai. 5. 20. them which make sowre swéete, and swéete sowre: which call euill good, and good euill: whiche make darke­nes light, and light darknes. The sea is bitter: the dealynges of the world are bitter. Pride is bitter, couetous­nesse is bitter, vsurie is bitter, adulte­rie, fornication, cosenyng, swearyng, [Page 30] forswearyng, deceitfull vilanie, trai­terous treacherie, & murther are bit­ter. These horrible and hatefull vices with many moe, ouerflow the world. The world is bitter.

The sea is inconstāt, it ebbeth and floweth: The world is inconstant, it chaūgeth euery day. Some be borne, and some dye. Some be sicke, & some be whole. Some grow toward mans estate. Some drawe in age. Some­tymes commeth good tydynges, some tymes heauy. To day in fauour, to morow quite out of credite. To day a man, to morow none.

The sea is full of daungers: daun­gers of windes, pirates, Mermaidēs, rockes, quickesandes, & other daun­gers. There are thynges creepyng in­numerable Psal. 104. 25. both small & great beasts. There is that Leuiathan whom God hath made to play therein. They that Eccl. 42. 24. sayle ouer the sea tell of the perilles therof, and whē we heare it with our eares, we maruaile thereat. They that go downe to the sea in shyps, and occupy by the great waters: they sée [Page] the wordes of the Lord, and his won­ders in the depe. They sée as it were a thousand deathes. In the sea no rest can be had. The world is full of daū ­gers: in the world a thousād deathes, in the world no rest Daungers in the world more then in y^e sea. The world hath tempestuous windes, Pirates, rockes, waues, Mermaidens, quicke sandes, and many moe daungers thē can be numbred. Moe perishe in the world, then in the sea.

The sea is tēpestuous: the world is tempestuous. If the sea seme ne­uer so calme, yet looke for a tēpest: If the world séeme neuer so prosperous, it may looke for a tempest of aduersi­tye. The world hath neuer long stode without stormes and tempestes. The case is cleare, and S. Ambrose cal­leth Ambros. in 7. Luc. Cyp. de bono pati­entiae. them. Procellae mundi. Tēpestes or stormes of the world. The same wordes hath S. Cyprian and many other. Here is tēpest of euil tongues, tempest of lying, tempest of slaunder, tempest of aduersitye, tempest of sick­nes, tempest of losse of frendes and [Page 31] good men: shaking and extreme tem­pest of death, eternall tempest for the wicked in hell.

The sea is full of monsters: the world is full of monsters: the world is full of monstrous men, not wor­thy the name of men. Some haue their faces in their féete, and their féet in their faces, as all foolish Nabals and couetous carles. But God gaue man a face to look vp to heauē, which thing euen the heathen Poet knew. Some haue many heads: for y^t they serue many maisters, pride, couetous­nes, dronkēnes, drowsines, murther, &c: such and so great vices raigne in them. Therefore haue they as many heads & maysters, as they haue lustes and affections raigning in them. Qui Ioh. 8. 34. facit peccatū seruus est peccati: Who­soeuer committeth sinne, is the slaue of sinne. Some haue two tongues, as all flatterers and slaunderers. Some Prou. 18. haue swordes in their lips: raylers, ill tonged persons, blasphemous wret­ches. There is a generacion whose Prou. 30. 14 téeth are as swords, and their chawes [Page] as knyues. Of such the Prophet Da­uid speaketh saying: whose téeth are Psal. 57. as speares and arrowes, and their tongue as a sharpe sword. Behold, Psal. 59. they speake with their mouth, and swords are in their lips. Proud mē, couetous men, vsurers, drunkards, hereticks, blasphemers, slaunderers, are monsters. The world therfore is full of monsters.

The sea casteth out her dead to the shore: the world casteth out, and banisheth those that are dead to the world, and doe not the workes there­of. S. Paule sayth, we are made a 1. Cor. 4. 9. gasing stocke to the worlde: Truth sayth: if ye were of the world, the Ioh. 15. 19. world would loue his owne: howbe­it, because ye are not of the world, but I haue chosen you out of the world: Therfore the world hateth you: truth Ioh. 15. 20. farther sayth, yf they haue persequ­ted me, they will also persecute you. The seruaunt is not greater then the Sap. 2. 10. Lord. The world sayth: let vs op­presse the poore righteous, let vs not spare the widow, nor old man. let vs [Page 32] not regard the heads that are graye for age: let the law of vnrighteousnes be our strength, for the thing that is féeble is nothing worth: Therefore let vs defraud y^e righteous, & why? he is not for our profite: nay he is cleane contrary to our doinges, he checketh vs for offending agaynst the law.

Lactantius Firmianus speaking of Lactan. A. cephali cap. 11. thend of this world sayth: Si qui erunt boni, praedae, ac ludibrio habebuntur: If there remaine any good men at that tyme, they shall be counted a pray, a bootye, and a iesting stock. Canst thou not flatter? canst thou not lye? canst thou not play the hipocrite? cāst thou not follow the facion and serue the stage? no. Then thou art no méete man to lyue in this world. Choose a few companions.

The sea is no place to make our continuall abode. For no man say­leth on the sea, to tarye stil on the sea, but spedely to passe ouer. This world is no place of continuall abode: for 1. Pet. 2. 11 we are straungers and pilgrimes: Here haue we no continuing Citye, Ebru. 13. 14 [Page] but we séeke one to come. Yet wee build stately, as though it were the tower of Babel. We ruffile mon­strously in apparell, as though our fraile bodyes should neuer turne to dust. We lyue sensuallye, as though there were no other heauē: we gather gold and siluer gredely as though we should alwayes néede to vse the same. By this dealing it should séeme wee are not straūgers and pilgrims. The kinglye prophet Dauid saith. I am a Psal. 39. staunger with thée, and a soiourner as all my fathers were. S. August. writing vpon that place, hath these August. in Psal. 39. wordes: Non ait sicut omnes homines, sed sicut omnes patres mei: Non omni­um est fides, infideles non possunt dicere se in terra peregrinos: He sayth not as all men, but as all my fathers: for all men haue not fayth. The faythles cannot say that they are straungers and pilgrims vpon earth. Here then is their abode, they are Citizens of Babylon, not of the heauenlye Hie­rusalem. Notwithstanding, in ano­ther sense, the faythlesse worldlings [Page 33] at the length shall finde, that they were straungers and pilgrims, when with the glotonous cormorant in the torments of hell they shall crye in vayne for mercye. That riche man desired a drop, which denyed a crome. And there are rich men to whome now I speake: they be all one with the other in name, let them beware that they drinke not all of one cup with him.

In the sea are deuouring fishes, and the great fishes deuoure the litle fishes: In the world great men, migh­ty men deuoure and vndoe poore mē. Here might often tymes ouercom­meth right. Here many take their brethrē by y^e throte. Here Anacharsis may sée Solons lawes lyke to cob­webs, which held fast the litle flees, and let the great flées breake thorow them. Here, Socrates may laugh to sée litle théeues trust vp at tiburne, and great theeues without any pu­nishment liuing still. Here Heracli­tus may wéepe to sée vertuous men despised, and vitious men extolled▪ [Page] Notwithstanding, vertuous men be despised and deuoured of tyrānes: yet they lyue as Ionas liued in y^e whales bellye. As dying, and behold wée liue 2. Cor. 6. 9. sayth S. Paule.

You sée now how the sea is an I­mage of the world, you sée the sea, you sée the world. To speake all in sūme: The world is the kingdome & courte of Sathan, a denne of théeues, a shop of lyes, a Babylon of sectes, a wilder­nes full of wild beastes, an Inne full of cuttbrotes, a cage of doltes, a So­dom, an Egypt: A mother to the euil, a Stepdame to the good. Here is no place for godly men, here deuouring fishes destroy all, here all wicked crimes raigne, no religion, no fayth, no charitye: or very litle. Therefore let vs not loue the world, nor world­ly thinges: for he that loueth y^e world hath not the loue of God in him: but let vs goe with Lot out of Sodome, with Abraham out of Chaldée, with the Israelites out of Egypt, with Christ from the Iewes, and with Paule from the Pharisies.

Christ taught out of the ship: He performeth his office, to the which he was sēt of his father into this world: and because he had not a pulpet on the land, and the people pressed vp­pon him: he entred into a shippe, and taught vpon the sea: for the office of Christ was to teach: He sent me to Esai. 61. 1. preach good tidinges vnto the poore. By his example he teacheth vs to doe the dutyes of our vocations faythful­ly. The type or figure declareth, that the functiō of them which preach the worde of God, is paynefull and full of perill. The world hateth the light of veritye. Woe be vnto me sayth 1. Cor. 9. 16 S. Paul if I preach not the Gospell. It is daungerous to be silent, & daun­gerous to speake, if we speake wic­kedly, or if we be silent foolishly, wée offend God. If we speake truely, and reproue disobedience boldelye, we be­come hatefull and odious to the most part of men.

Truely if euer the office of prea­ching hath bin subiect to oboloquie and euill report: it is now. The worlde [Page] hateth the light of veritye. In so great malice of the world, partely contem­ning, and partelye persecuting the word of the gospell, who can satisfie or content all men? In old tyme there were but seuen wise men among the Greekes: and now there are not so many fooles among vs: for all of vs glorye of our wisedome: euery head is full of wit, euery man will haue his owne way: Hearers are rather rashe iudges, than fit and obedient schollars: and most of them, before they haue learned any thing, doo rashly condēne all thinges. S. August. sayth: Tutior est discentis, quàm docē ­tis conditio: Salfer is the condition of him that learneth, thē of him that tea­cheth. I pray you good audiēce let me heare your iudgements. How should a man make an excellēt Sermon, ei­ther in matter or forme? Som would haue the matter Catholique: Some Gospel like: Some would haue alto­gether common places of Scripture decided: Some would haue vs pro­céede stil in the treatises of fayth & iu­stification, [Page 35] with inuectiues agaynst the Masse, Purgatory, and satisfacti­ons. Other would haue vs to launch into the déepes of predestination, ori­ginall sinne, free will, election, and re­probation. Other would haue vices rebuked: but they can not agree how it should be done. Some would haue it generally and coldly: Some direct­ly and hotely: Some the vices of the Clergy and Magistrates: & some one­ly the vices of the commō people and inferiours: all men, other mēs vices: but no man his owne vices. These disagrée in matter very ill, & in forme much worse. Some would haue long texts: some short textes. Some would haue Doctours, Fathers and Coun­cels: some call y^t mās doctrine. Some would haue it ordered by Logicke: some terme that mans wisedome. some would haue it polished by Rhe­otrique: some call y^t persuasiblenesse of wordes. And agayne in Rhetoricke some would haue it holy eloquence, liable to the Ebrue & Gréeke phrase: Some would haue it proper and fit­tyng to the English capacitie. Some [Page] loue study and learnyng in Sermōs: Some allow onely a sudaine motion of the spirite. Some would haue all said by heart: some would haue oft re­course made to the booke. Some loue gestures: some no gestures. Some loue long Sermons: some short Ser­mons. Some are coy and can broke no Sermons at all. But we be not to féede mens humours, but to folow Christ: we must folow Christ into y^e shyp, and the crosse must be borne af­ter the example of Christ. No man Mat. 9. sought more the glory of God then Christ: & yet for all that, he was cal­led a blasphemer. He liued without Mat. 11. spot of vice, and yet he was called a wine bibber. Hee expresly taught to Mat. 22. Luc. 20. Luc. 23. 2. render to Cesar the thynges whiche belong to Cesar: and yet he was accu­sed to haue taught the contrary. No Mat. 5. man taught patience more: and yet Mat. 23. was he condemned as a seditious person. There was neuer such a one in Israell as Christ was in workes and wordes: Neuer any liued so purely: neuer any taught so heauēly: and yet many wicked & graces persons sayd [Page 36] of him: he hath a deuill and is mad, Ioh. 8. &. 10 why heare ye him? The schollar is Mat. 10. not aboue the maister. You sée the chaire of the maister: know the chaire of the schollar.

More safe and sure is the standyng of the hearers, whiche standyng on the land heare the word of saluation. The greatest part of hearers kéepe them selues out of perill: for when a­ny sudaine storme of persecution ari­seth for the Gospell on the sea of this world: either they hide them selues: or els vtterly forsakē the ship, chaire, teacher and all. Such is the condition of the most part of hearers. These thyngs are clearely knowne. I neede not to make long demonstration. Ex­amples remaine fresh in memory.

Touchyng the shyp, the state of the Church militant is here excellēt­ly depainted. The Church of Christ is that shyp where agaynst Sathan bloweth out so many blastes: the wo­man clothed with the sunne, whom y^e Apoc. 12. old Dragon ceaseth not continually to persecute. This shyp is like to the [Page] Arke of Noah. Euen as a shyp on the sea whē any stormy tempestes arise, is terribly shaken: right so nothing in the wast and wide world is more sha­kē with stormes and tempestes of all maner euils, then the Church. If you aske me who they are that shake the shyp of Christ, and how the same is shakē: I will giue you to vnderstād: Turkes, Iewes, Anabaptistes, Li­bertines, Sectaries, Atheistes, Schis­matikes, the Familie of loue, the Ro­mishe rable, and to be short the deuill and all his members shake this shyp: but they shal neuer be hable to drown it: For the gates of hell shall not pre­uaile Mat. 16. 18. agaynst it. Because Christ sit­teth at the sterne and hath the helme in his owne hand.

For that the Romish Catholickes do most shake the true Church of En­gland which is the Church of Christ: I purpose at this present to proue a­gainst them. They say they shake not the ship, but are in the ship as in the Arke of Noah: and that we Prote­stantes shake the ship, and are out of [Page 37] the ship, and out of the Arke. Farther they boldly say, that without the vni­tie of their body, and their head the Churche of Rome, and their holy fa­ther the Pope, no man can be saued. I will clearely proue the contrary: namely, that they shake the ship, that they are out of the shipp: and they are not the true Church. Their body is a Sinagogue of Sathan: their holy fa­ther is not head of the true Church: (happy were he if he were a member of the same) he hath not the keyes of heauē, but rather of y^e bottomles pit.

I proue thus: the Romish Church heareth not the voyce of y^e shepheard: Therfore the Romish Church is not the true Church. I wil prosecute this Argumēt in treatyng of breakyng the net. Now to proue that they shake the ship, & how. The Romish Church is a persecutyng Church, therfore it shaketh the shyp, & cōsequently is not y^e true church. For persecutiō is an e­uident token of Antichristes Church. Cayn persecuted Abell: the Giantes Noah: the Sodomites: Loth: Isma­ell, [Page] Isaac: Esau, Iacob: y^e Egyptiās, the Israelites: Pharao, Moses: Saul, Dauid: & yet Dauid would not hurt him. Of whom we learne that Gods Church doth suffer, rather than hurt: and pardon rather then persecute. The false Prophetes persecuted the true Prophetes. The Priestes, Scri­bes, Byshops, Annas, Herod, Pilate, and Caiphas, persecuted Christ. The Iewes and Turkes, persecute the Christians: And most of all the tyran of Rome, persecuteth Christes litle flocke and congregatiō. The Church of Christ did neuer persecute, but was alwayes persecuted. So Hilari­us & Nicephorus in many places dis­course. Lactantius sayth excellently Lactan. Di­uin. Institu. Lib. 5. cap. 19. to this matter: Defendenda religio est, non occidendo, sed monendo: non saeui­tia, sed patientia: non scelere, sed fide. Nā si sanguine & tormētis, si malo reli­gionē defendere velis: iā non defendetur illa, sed polluetur at (que) violabitur: Reli­giō is to be defēded, not with murthering, but with monishing, not w^t cru­elty, but with patiēce: not with fury, [Page 38] but w^t faythfulnesse. For if ye defend Religion with bloudshed and tormē ­tyng, or with workyng of mischief: It is not defended, but defiled, and disteined. Chrisost. sayth: Quem vide­ris Chrisost. in opere Im­perfect. Hom. 19. Tertul. in Apologe­tico. sanguine gaudentē, lupus est. Whō ­soeuer thou séest delight in bloud, he is a wolfe. Tertul. sayth: it is not rea­son that a spirituall matter should be tormented with temporall fire. Doth not the Pope persecute all Christiās? Is not his armes a rauenyng wolfe? his sentence Burne, Burne, Burne? his badge, let vs lay waite for bloud? his head, blasphemie? his shield tyrā ­ny? his brest, iniurie? his eyes, fire? his girdle, fornication? his breath, poy­son? his toung, the styng of death? his féete ready to shed innocēt bloud? his sword, violence? his crosse, persecuti­on? his pardons iniquitie? his triple crowne presumption? his keyes, am­bition? and all his doyngs abhomina­tion. Him do folow great swarmes of Cainites, Gyantes, Sodomites, E­gyptians, Bailites, Sēnacheribbes, Scribes, Phariseis, Herodians, [Page] Monkes, Friers, Cardinals, Adulte­rers, Idolaters, Parasites, Poyso­ners, Pardoners Bawdes, with all y^e Romishe rable. These are the right Canibals, like to the barbarous peo­ple of America y^t eat one an other. Yet they say all this is for loue. A gentle kind of loue, like the loue of one Phi­lippides, who tooke a cudgell and dyd Aristopha­nes in ves­pis. beate his father, and all for loue. But we may say with Tertullian: Crudeli­tas vestra nostra gloria est: Your cruel­tie, is our glory. For Gods Religion, the more it is preassed, the more it encreaseth.

The congregation of Christ are Ioh. 10. called shéepe. A shéepe hath neither hoofes, nor sharpe téeth, as wolues, Lyons, and Beares haue. Christ said to his disciples: Behold, I send you Mat. 10. Luc. 10. forth as shéepe in y^e mids of wolues: he sayth not as wolues in y^e mids of shéepe. They are the true Churche Psal. 44. 22 of whome it is sayd: for thy sake are we slayne continually, and counted as shéepe for y^e slaughter. The marks of the true Church are these: the vn­corrupt [Page 39] voyce of heauenly doctrine: the right vse of the sacraments: the crosse: and obedience to the ministe­rie of the word. S. August. saith: Crux August. de tempore. Serm. 130. regni insigne est: The crosse is the cog­nisance or bagde of y^e Church. Athana­sius sayth: Caedi, Christianorum propri­um est: Caedere autem Christianos, Pila­ti Athan ad solit vitam agentes. & Caiphae officia sunt. To be perse­cuted, belongeth to Christians: but to persecute the Christians, belon­geth to the office of Pilate, and Cai­phas.

The true Church is still persecu­ted and neuer persecuteth. Did the Patriarches persecute? did the Pro­phets persecute? did Christ perse­cute? did y^e Apostles persecute? when the Samaritanes would not receyue Christ, Iames and Iohn being as yet Luc. 9. 54. nouices in Christes schole, called for fire from heauen, and would haue burned and consumed the Samari­tanes: but Christ rebuked them say­ing: you wot not of what maner of spirite you are: for the sonne of man is not come to destroy mens liues, [Page] but to saue them. Our weapōs (sayth Ephe. 6. 14. 2. Cor. 10. 4 S. Paule) are not carnall, but spiri­tuall. Whereas it is obiected: com­pell them to come in: I aske: what is Luc. 14. the power of the Church to compell? is it y^e power of the outward sword, or of the spirituall worde? Is it with the power of fire and fagot? Ought men to be violently cōpelled to fayth? It is euident and cleare, that Christ did not institute in his kingdome, a­ny forcible or worldly kind of gouernment: for he sayd: Regnum meum non Ioh. 18. 36. est de hoc mundo: My kingdome is not of this world. Hath Christ euer bro­kē Esai. 42. 3. a brused réede? hath he euer quen­ched the smoking flaxe? hath he not taught vs to pray for our enemies, Mat. 5. 44. and for those that persecute vs? The Apostles vsurped not the sword, to compell men to the religiō of Christ. Can the Pope or any of his Prelates put faith into a mans hart by violēce? was any man compelled agaynst his will, to the building of the outward Exod. 35. tabernacle: & shall any man be com­pelled to the building of the inward [Page 40] tabernacle? Is not the mariage spi­rituall, the supper spirituall? Then must men be compelled with a spiri­tuall weapon, which is with the liue­ly word. Not by hostes of men, nor by force of worldly strength, but by my spirite, sayth the Lord of hostes. Zach. 4. 6. So Peter compelled many to the fayth. It is the word of God, that maketh a man a new creature. Ergo neither sword, nor fier. If the soule of man be a spirite, then must it be fed with spirituall foode, moued to faith by spiritual instrumēts, drawne by the worde, led by the spirite, and perswaded by the scriptures, whiche are the onely meanes which God ap­pointeth. If an hereticke hold an opi­niō, he holdeth it either of ignoraūce, or wilfulnes. If of ignoraūce: he is to be conuerted by doctrine, to be con­uinced by scripture, reformed by ex­hortation, reduced by reason, per­swaded by the truth: If of wilfulnes, he is to be menaced by the law, and corrected by excommunication. It is written in a certaine learned treatise [Page] agaynst the late of coūsel Tridēt: ve­rissimum est omnes haereses tantùm spi­rituali gladio verbi Dei iugulatas esse: Most true it is, that all heresies are conuinced, onely with the spirituall sword of the word of God. The Gos­pell (sayth Damascenus) was prea­ched Damasc. 3. Sent. cap. 32 throughout all the world, with­out weapō, armour, or battaile: by a few naked, poore, vnlearned, and af­flicted men, which cōfounded the wise of the world.

Christ compelled Paule: If thou be Christ that so obiectest this: I pray thée compell the Turke, & the Pope, which blaspheme Christ. If thou art not Christ suffer. We ought to spare mē, & to pray for their saluatiō. Tou­ching this matter you may reade more in August. Tom. 2. Epist. 107. 158. 160. 204. Tom. 7. contra Cres­co. Grammat. lib. 3. cap. 50. contra li­teras Petiliani lib. 2. & cap 83. & cap. vlt. and also in Chrisost. de anathe­mate. Tom. 5.

Compell thē to come in: Compell them. Quoad media: as in respect of [Page 41] the meanes, to wit, the meanes a­forenamed. Compell Remish Catho­liques to come to the Church. So S. August. Tom. 2. E­pist. 204. August. would haue the Donatistes compelled. Fayth commeth by hea­ring, and many haue bin conuerted from infidelitye to fayth, from Paga­nisme to Christianisme, from the Ro­mish rable to the Christian congre­gation, by that meanes. Seing ther­fore that persecution is a note of the Church of Antichriste, and that the Church of Roome persecuteth: it is e­uident that that Church shaketh the ship and is malignant.

Out of the arke of Noah, that is, out of the Church, which is the body of Christ: no man is saued. That is most certayne: but that is not in re­spect of the vnitie of the bodye in it selfe: but in respect of the vnitye of the whole bodye with the head, which is Christ. Read Chrisost. vpon the Epistle to the Collos. Homi. 7. It may please those men to thinke vpon these thinges, which transfere this necessitye of vnitye, to the Church of [Page] Roome, and to their Byshop the head thereof, the aduersary of Christ, and vtter enemy to his crosse: boldly bray­ing, and bragging, that out of the vni­tye of this bodye and head of theirs, no man can be saued. For these mi­serable men ought to vnderstād, that this necessary vnitye, without which no man can haue saluation, is not that vnitye whereby members are ioyned to members, bunches to bun­ches, monsters to monsters, and the deceiued to Antichrist y^e deceiuer: but that it is that vnitye wherby the true members of the true bodye, are con­ioyned to the true and onely one head Iesus Christe, our mediator and Sauiour.

The tyranne of Roome is not the head of y^e true church: I proue thus. He hath not the worde of God for his warrant. Ergo, he is not the head of the true church.

Christ sayth that he himselfe is the Ioh. 10. onely vniuersall Shepheard. The prophets haue prophesied so of Christ Esai. 40. Ezech. 37. 34. Hierem. 30. [Page 42] Psal. 33. &c. The Apostle so nameth Ebru. 13. 20 him. Christ himselfe not long before Ioh. 14. 16. he left this world [...], sayd to his disci­ples: I will pray the father, and he shall geue you another cōforter, that he may abide with you for euer, euen the spirite of truth. Here we learne what vicar Christ hath substituted: Not the Pope, but the holy ghost. So writeth Tertul. Barnard, and others.

This place of Iohn, I am the good shepheard: S. August. expoundeth of August. in Ioh. Tract. 47. Chrisost. in Ioh. Hom. 59. Christ. So doth Chrisost. So doth Nicholas Lyra as simple an interpretour as he was: Fiet vnus pastor, id est Christus: There shalbe one shepe­heard: that is to say, not the Pope, but Christ. The Apostles had no know­ledge of this monstrous head. The Nicene Councell knew it not. The Councell of Carthage excommuni­cated & cursed him to the deuill, that called him selfe vniuersall Byshop or chief Priest. The whole Councell of Aphrica condēned the attempt of this vsurped iurisdiction, and called it the smokie pride of the world. The Ro­mish [Page] Prelate doth subuert, corrupt, & prophane the doctrine of Christ and his Sacraments, & manifestly main­taineth Idolatrie: Therfore he cā not be the vniuersall Shepheard. He is not worthy to be called a Shepheard. A Shepheard? nay, a fleashéepe: A Byshop? a Butcher: a Pastour? a Py­rate: a Prelate? a Pylate: a Vicar of Christ? a Vicar of Venus: a Cephas? Caiphas. Phocas that execrable murtherer, was he that first proclaimed the Byshop of Rome to be head of the Platin. in vita Boni­facii. 3. vniuersall Church, about vj. hundred & xiij. yeares after Christ was borne. This Phocas beyng but a common souldiour, did by treason and conspi­racie lay hands vpon his liedge Lord and Maister the Emperour Mauriti­us, and in cruell sort did him to death: and so by trayterous vilanie, he aspi­red to the Empire. The maner of his crueltie was this: First he commaū ­ded foorth the Emperours yongest sonne, and caused him to be slayne e­uen in the fight of his father: and so the second: and then the third: and af­terwarde the Empresse. Mauritius [Page 43] heauely lookyng on lamentyng & say­ing vnto God: Righteous art thou O Lord, and rightfull is thy iudgement. Last of all, he vsed the like tyranny also vpon the Emperour, and layd him, his wife and his iij. children on a heape together. After that he had thus liued and cōmitted sundry murthers and other great mis [...]: the people tooke him, slue him▪ [...] [...]ew him in to the fire. Here you ma [...] sée y^e first pro­motour, a holy promotour of y^e Popes holynes: A murtherer, [...]e finder out of supremacie: And Sup [...]cie foū ­ded and builded vpon murther.

S. Cyprian calleth Stephen and Cornelius, Bishops of Rome, brethrē and companions. And whereas cer­taine Schismatickes yelded them sel­ues subiect to the Byshop of Rome, perswading them selues that the Bi­shops of Aphrica had lesse power thē the Byshops of Rome: Cyprian cal­led them desperate & wicked persons for so doyng. I frame this Argument out of Chrisost: Quicunque desydera­uerit Chrisost. opene im­perfect. Ho, 35. primatū in terra: in Coelo inueniet [Page] confusionem: Whosoeuer ambiti­ouslye desireth supremacy vpon earth shall finde in heauen confusion. The Byshop of Roome ambitiouslye desi­reth supremacye on earth: Therefore he shall finde confusion in heauē. The Pope is Antichrist: Ergo he is not the head of the Church. He which a­uaūceth 2. Thess. 2. himself aboue all that is cal­led God, is Antichrist: The pope doth so: Ergo, the Pope is Antichrist. Ire­naeus Irenae. lib. 5 cap. penult. a most auncient doctour of the Church, who liued almost fiften hun­dred yeares since, disputyng of Anti­christ sayth thus: Antichristus cum sit seruus, tamen adorari vult vt Deus: Antichrist notwithstāding he be but a slaue, yet he will be worshipped as if he were God. Ioachimus Abbas saith Antichristus iam pridem natus est Ro­mae, & altiùs extolletur in sede Aposto­lica: Antichrist is long since borne in Rome, yet shall he be higher aduaun­ced in the Apostolick sea. Antichrist (sayth Gregory) is he y^t shall clayme Gregor. lib. 4. Epist. 38. to himselfe to be called the vniuersall Byshop, and shall haue a garde of [Page 44] priestes to attend vpon him. S. Au­gust. August. Tom. 5. de Ciuit. Dei. lib. 18. cap. 2. & Lib. 20. cap. 19. Apoc. 17. sayth, Babylō is the first Roome, and Rome the second Babylon. And to come nearer the matter, S. Iohn sayth, Antichrist shall sit in the Citye that is built vpon seuen hilles, and so is the Citie of Roome. And Sybilla sayth that the greatest terror, and fu­rye of his Empire, and the greatest woe that he shall worke, shall be by the bankes of Tyber: and there is Roome. He that hath eyes to sée, let him see: & he that hath eares to heare, let him heare.

Agayne Christ was humble, the Pope proude: Christ was poore, the Pope rich: Christ patient, the Pope impatient: Christ merciful, the Pope vnmercifull: Christ vsed admonitiō, the Pope imprisonment: Christ com­munication, the Pope extirpation: Christ all manner of clemencie, the Pope all manner of tyranny: briefe­ly you shall finde the Pope in all ver­tue seuered from Christ: you shall finde him to Christ, Beliall: to light, darcknes: to truth, falshode. Are not [Page] these, and such lyke, the very fruites of Antichrist? the trée is knowne by his fruite.

Whereas these shakers of the ship of Christ vrge Antiquitie, Vniuersa­litye, and Succession, to make much for them: I aunswere these thinges make nothing for them, but rather a­gaynst them. Notwithstanding their Vincentius Lirinensis whome they haue in so high price. This is Vin­centius pretious assertion In ipsa ca­tholica Vincen. li­rinen. pro Catholicae fidei anti­quitate in cap. lib [...]. Ecclesia magnopore curandum est, vt id teneamus quod vbi (que), quod sē ­per, quod ab omnibus creditum est: In the Catholick Church we must haue especiall care, to hold that which eue­ry where, alwayes, and of all men is beléeued. Yet to helpe his credite the Church of Roome was not so defor­med w^t heresies at y^e time when he did write, which was a thousand yeares & more since, as it is mentioned. An­tiquitye doth not preiudice or hinder trueth. Their antiquity is no marke of y^e Church. Their Antiquitie, is in­iquitye. Tertull. sayth, nothing can Tertull. de virginibus velan. [Page 45] prescribe agaynst truth, neither time, nor authoritye of persons, nor priui­leges of kingdomes. And a litle after he sayth: Christ is called trueth, and not custome: If Christ be from euer­lasting, and more auntient than all: then is also trueth more auntiēt than all customes. Heresies haue alwayes bin vanquished by truth, and not by noueltye, and whatsoeuer is contra­ry to this trueth, is heresie, though it be neeuer so olde a custome. S. Au­gust. sayth, after that the truth is once found out, let custome geue place to the trueth: let no man set custome be­fore truth & reason: for reason & truth euermore put custome to silēce. That swéete martyr S. Cypri. sayth: Si so­lus Cyp. lib. 2. Epist. 3. Pag. 39. Christus andiendus est: non debe­mus attendere quid aliquis ante nos fa­ciendum putauerit, sed quid qui ante omnes est Christus prior fecerit. Neque enim hominis consuetudinem sequi opor­tet, sed Dei veritatem: If Christ be onely to be heard: we must not regard what any other hath done before vs, but we must looke what Christ hath [Page] done, which is before al. For we must not follow the custome of men, but the truth of God.

To be short, Ignatius a disciple to Ignatius ad philadelph. Canon. cō ­suetud. dist. 1 [...]. S. Iohn the Euangelist and a most constant martyr of Christ, hath these wordes: all my Antiquitie is Iesus Christ, whome not to heare is mani­fest destruction. You see the most aun­cient send vs to learne the truth of him which is most aunciēt of all. Sym­machus disputyng with S. Ambrose agaynst the certaintie of the Christiā Religion, groundeth his chief Argu­ment vpon antiquitie: Affirmyng the Religion (in truth the superstition) of the Heathen to be the truer. Because it had bene of more antiquitie. In re­solution of the Argumēt Ambrose sée­meth almost graueled. But the very 1. Pet. 1. 20. Rom. 1. 2. Ioh. 5. 46. 1. Ioh. 2. 7. Luc. 24. 27. aūswere to be made hereunto is that the Religion of the Heathen is not more auncient than ours, much lesse the Religiō of the Papistes. Our true Christian Religion was not first pu­blished xv. hundred fifty & odd yeares sithence, when Christ and his Disci­ples [Page 46] taught that most playnly in Iu­ry. But from the first infancie of the world immediatly after the creation of the first mā the same hath bene ma­nifestly reuealed, and from that time forward alwayes hath bene confir­med by the testimonies of the Pro­phetes, Patriarkes, Apostles, & faith­fully obserued and maintained by all the godly of all ages euen from Adā to this houre.

For all this I will not sticke to graunt these men antiquitie euen frō Nemrod, yea to pleasure them from Cain. Their Babylon begā by Cain. August. in Psal. 64. Tom. 8. They alwayes turne the bewtie of Sion into the confusion of Babylon.

Vniuersalitie is no true note of y^e Church: Christ clearely teacheth, that many more shalbe damned than sa­ued: because that fewe doe heare the Mat. 13. Mar. 4. Luc. 8. Mat. 20. Mat. 7. 13. word of God, and bryng forth fruites through patience. Many are called, and fewe are chosen. Enter ye in at the straite gate. For wyde is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which [Page] goe in thereat: but straite is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth vnto lyfe, and few there be that finde it. Christ sayth feare not, my litle Luc. 12. 23 flocke. &c. In the time of the flud, one­ly viij. persons: Noah and his familie Gen. 7. were preserued in the Arke. At the burnyng of Sodome and y^e other Ci­ties Gen. 19. adioynyng, Loth, his wife and ij. daughters were saued: and yet after Lothes wife (because she looked be­hynd her,) was turned into a piller of salt. Of the innumerable multitude Exod. 12. of the children of Israell, and others which went out of Egypt toward the land of promise: onely Caleb and Ie­hosua entred into that fruitfull land, and all the other perished miserably in the wildernes. In the dayes of E­lias, 3. Reg. 18. Baal hath moe pro­phets then God. iiij. hundred and fifty Prophetes of Baal, and iiij. hundred Prophetes of the groues which did eate at Ieza­bels table, stode agaynst Elias. Foure hūdred false Prophetes stode agaynst 3. Reg: 22. one true Prophet Michaea. The bles­sed doctrine of Christ him selfe hath not bene receiued euermore, euery [Page 47] where, & of all men. For the Turkes receiue it not, the Iewes abhorre it, the Church of Rome abuseth it. The vniuersall consent of the world, stode against the Disciples of Christ a few poore Fishermen: and they all (except Iohn the Euangelist) were cruelly done to death. Consider the tyme of Iohn Husse a man of exquisite, & ex­cellent learnyng, matched with holy­nes of lyfe. He preached the doctrine of Iesus Christ sincerely: concernyng iustification and the true Church. &c. Therefore the malignant rable pro­nounced him an hereticke in the Coū cell of Constance, excommunicated him, painted deuils on his cap, con­demned and burned him, and beyng consumed to ashes threw the same in to a riuer. All this was done by gene­rall consent. After this vilanie, they triumphed for that they had dispat­ched him. The saying of Christ is Io. 16. 10. true: the world shal reioyce. But such spectacles are mournefull to the chil­dren of God, and cause them to shed Io. 16. 20. bitter teares: ye shall wéepe and la­ment. [Page] The bones of Bucer, and Pau­lus Phagius, those learned, godly, and faythfull souldiours of Christ, were burned at Cambridge with Salue fe­sta dies: in a solemne Processiō. Was not this, Iugulare mortuos? To kill (as they say) God haue mercy on his soule? Athanasius that learned and godly Byshop of Alexandria stode al­most against all the world, beyng for­tified with the truth. Paphnutius a­lone stode agaynst y^e Coūcell of Nice and was heard. Christ mercyfully Luc. 17. cured x. leapers: and of them, onely one returned and gaue glory to God. Hath not our Sauiour prophecied that many false Christes & false Pro­phetes Mat. 24. shall arise, and deceiue many in the last cast of y^e world? How goeth the world now? The holy father in the Councell of Trent pronounceth thus: Qui docet fide in Christum nos tantum iustificari absque operibus no­stris: item certō credendum esse remis­sionem peccatorum, sit anathema: He that teacheth that we are iustified onely by fayth in Christ, without our [Page 48] owne workes: and also that we ought to beleue assuredly that our sinnes are forgiuen vs: let him be accursed. O cursed and pestilent Councell.

Touching the Catholique church, S. August. writeth thus: It is ther­fore August. Tom. 3. de Gen. ad lit. cap. 1. calleth Catholica: Quia vniuersa­liter perfecta est & in nullo claudicat: & per totum orbem diffusa est: Because she is vniuersally perfect, and halteth in nothyng (nor is shut vp in any one countrey as was the Church of the Iewes,) but is dispersed throughout the whole world. Epiphanius writeth Epiphan. contra hae­reses Lib. 2. Tom. 2. 321▪ that in the reigne of Diocletian and Maximinian (a tyme of great perse­cution) Meletius Byshop of Thebais in Egypt and Peter Byshop of Alex­andria, and diuers other godly men were put in prison in Alexandria the chief Citie of Egypt. Of whom, some suffered Martyrdome: and some refu­sed Martyrdome: They that remay­ned aliue in prison: disputed whether they that had reuolted through the violent persecution should be recei­ued agayne into the Church, or no. [Page] The chief of these in the disputation, were Peter and Meletius: Petrus mi­sericordia motus: sayth Epiphanius: Peter beyng moued with pitie more than with zeale and trueth: sayd he would refuse none immediatly vpon their repentaunce. Meletius moued with trueth & zeale, affirmed that he would receiue none, except they shewed the fruites of true repentaunce, by long triall and proofe of amēdement. Epiphanius sayth farther: Cōtigit Pe­trum martyrium subire, & decessit bea­tus ille: It fell out that Peter suffered Martyrdome and died a blessed man: and they that held with Peter were called the Catholicke Church: they that dyd sticke to Meletius were cal­led the Churche of Martyrs: very few stode with Peter: the most of the prisoners stode with Meletius, who called his Church the Church of Martyrs: which were such as would take vp Christes Crosse and folow him. The Church of Rome beyng moued neither with pitie, zeale, truth, reasō, nor honesty, but onely with ambition [Page 49] and couetousnesse refuseth none, so they will shew thē selues to be of that Catholicke Church. Traytours, murtherers, théeues, coseners, cutters, a­dulters, baudes, strumpets and all o­ther gracelesse persons may vpon the sayd cōditiō haue safe accesse to Rome and be of that Church.

Whereas these men alledge Suc­cession of place, and persons, not be­yng hable to proue Succession of true doctrine: we may say their Succes­sion is nothyng worth. For that is not a iust Succession, which lacketh the puritie of y^e Apostolicke doctrine, & right vse of the Sacramentes. Suc­cession of doctrine is the true and in­fallible marke of the true Church. I­renaeus Iren. lib. 4. cap: 44. sayth: they are not alwayes true Ministers, which séeme so to be: but they which kéepe the doctrine of the Apostles. S. Paule sayth: fayth Rom. 10. commeth, (not by Succession, but) by hearyng, and hearyng commeth (not of legacie, or inheritaunce from Byshop to Byshop, but) of the word of God. He sayth also: be ye folowers 1. Cor. 11. [Page] of me, as I am a folower of Christ. S. Ambrose sayth: Non habent haere­ditatem Ambros. de Poenitent. Petri, qui fidem Petri non ha­bent: They haue not Peters inheri­taunce that haue not the fayth of Pe­ter. Chrisost. sayth: The pulpit ma­keth not a Minister, but a Minister the pulpit. Christ sayd to the Iewes boastyng that they were the séede of Abraham: you are of your father the Ioh. 8. deuill. They are not alwayes godly, that succéede the godly. For S. Paul sayth in the Actes: I know this, that Act. 20. 29. after my departyng greeuous wolues shall enter in among you, not sparing the flocke. Also of your owne selues shall men arise, speakyng peruerse thyngs, to draw away disciples after them. He spake this at Miletum to y^e bishops of Asia. Christ sayth y^t by Succession, desolation shall sit in the holy Mat. 24. place, and Antichrist shall preasse in to y^e roome of Christ. Manasses succée­ded Ezechias: Hieroboam succéeded Dauid: & at this day, by Succession the Turke possesseth, and holdeth the foure Patriarchall seates or seas of [Page 50] the Church: Alexandria, Hierusalem, Constantinople, and Antioche. Iohā ­nes Saris buriensis sayth: In Romana Ecclesia sedent Scribae & Pharisaei: By Succession, the Scribes and Phari­seis sit in the Church of Rome. Thus you sée how Antiquitie, Vniuersali­tie, and Succession helpe the cause of the shakers of the shyp. It foloweth in the text.

Now when he had left speaking he sayd vnto Simon: launch out into the deepe, and let downe your nettes to make a draught. Christ hauing ended his heauenly Sermon, certifi­eth vs of the truth of the same, and de­clareth himselfe to be God, the Lord of heauen, earth, the sea, and all that is in them. Hee sayd vnto Simon, launch out into the déepe: Christ was able to geue fishe to Simon without launching out of his net, and without his labour▪ but his will was to haue him launch out his nette &c.

That which is sayd to Peter is sayd to al: Launch out into the deepe &c. Euery man (of what estate, and [Page] condition soeuer he be) is commaun­ded paynefully to follow his vocation with fayth. Man forthwith after his creation was set to labour: The Lord Gen. 2. 15. tooke man and set him in the pleasant garden of Eden, to dresse it, and to kéepe it. It was sayd to Adam after that he had tasted the forbiddē fruite: In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane: thou shalt eate thy bread with the sweate Gen. 3. of thy face. The same is sayd to euery man. Man is borne vnto trauaile (sayth Iob) as the sparkes flye vp­ward. Iob. 5. 7. Psal. 127. 2. Whē thou eatest the labours of thy handes, thou shalt be blessed & it shall be well with thée. Our Saui­our Christ sayth, y^e kindome of heauē is like to a man that is an housholder, which went out earely in the mor­ning to hier labourers into his vine­yard. This housesholder is God the father: The kingdome of heauen in in this place, is the preaching of the gospell of Christ: The labourers are all men: The vineyard is y^e Church. Why stād you heare all the day idle? goe ye also into the vineyard, apply [Page 51] your vocation with fayth in Christ Iesu. Laboure while you haue time, when the night commeth, no man can labour. Idlenes is the mother and nourisher of all vices: which thinge hath bin obserued in the Primitiue Church, where it was ordayned that euerye one should liue of his owne labour. The which also the auntient Romanes kept straightly, as writeth, Cicero in his booke of lawes, where­in he affirmeth that in tyme past, no Roman durst goe by the streates, if he bare not a shew whereon he did lyue: to thend that it might be knowen, y^e he liued of his owne labour: and not by the sweate of others. In considera­tion thereof the Consull did beare a battell axe before him: The priest a hat in manner of a Coyfe: The Tri­bune a mace: The Cutler a sword: The Smith a hammer: The Tayler a payre of sheares: The Oratour a booke. All godly men heretofore haue laboured, and also haue continued in spirituall exercise. Noha planted a Gen. 9. Psal. 70. & 88. vineyard. The kinglye prophet Da­uid [Page] laboured euen from his youth. The Apostle Paule sustayned great 1. Cor. 11. labours. Reade of that vertuous and painefull woman in the last chapter of prouerbes: she eateth not her bread with Idlenes. A good lesson for good huswiues to remember: A good lesson for ill huswifes to follow. But what shall I say of the holye of all holyes? is it not written: Iesus fatigatus ex­itinere? Ioh. 4. 6. Iesus being weary of his ior­ney &c? Such was his labour: he tra­uailed sometyme among the Iewes: sometyme among the Samaritanes: he trauailed to the sea side: to y^e moū ­taynes: Read. 11. Ebru. of the fayth, la­bours, and reward of the godly. to the wildernes: so much trauailed he, that his handes, féete, and whole bodye did sweate droppes lyke bloud trickeling downe to the ground: and all for the redemption of miserable man: to destroy y^e works of the deuill. It is writtē to the praise of Cyrus king of Persia, that in tyme vacant frō the affaires of his realme, he with his owne handes, had plan­ted innumerable trées, which long be­fore he dyed brought forth aboundāce [Page 52] of fruite. And for the cunnyng and delectable order in setting of them, it was exceeding maruelous to all mē that beheld the princes industrye. Al­phonsus that famous king of Arago­nia, being mislyked of one Matthaeus Siculus, a man of great holines, for y^t he laboured with his owne handes: aunswered smilingly: Nunquid Deus & natura nequidquam Regibus ma­nus dederunt? Hath God and nature geuen handes to kinges for naught?

All creatures laboure: the Angels labour: they are sayd to be the messē ­gers Ebru. 1. of God, and ministering spirites. The sunne laboureth continually: The starres are doing: The moone neuer staieth: The fier can not be without making some worke: The ayre is neuer idle, but is doing after his manner: The earth is neuer at rest: she bringeth fourth naturally her plantes & other fruites: The wa­ters, floudes, fountaynes frauaile cō ­tinually. These litle creatures: Spi­ders, Bees, Emets, Conies, doe pain­fully labour. And shall man be idle?

Tyme in this matter must be ob­serued. make hast in youth. Aestas non semper fuerit componite [...]dos: While the sunne shineth make haye: The tyde must be taken when it commeth. Make hast in youth, that in olde age you may reioyce, In death haue good report, and after burial liue for euer. But many geue themselues to sensu­alitye, and neuer leaue it, till they be come to themselues a most miserable miserye: to their frendes a shame and sorrow: to their enimies a ioy: to the common weale a burthen: and to the common people a iesting stocke. The tyme of youth (especiallye here) is to be obserued. In youth Alexan­der banquished India: Scipio Afri­canus the West and South: Pompee surnamed the great, Spayne: Dru­sus Germany: Achilles Troy.

Idlenes is a mother of trifles, a stepdame of vertu, an image of death, a nurse of al euill, a pillow of Sathā, the ground of all mischiefe, a contagi­ous pestilence, a sinke of sinne, and a foule puddle of all vices. Clemens A­lexandrinus Clem. A­lex. Pedago lib. 2. [Page 53] sayth: vita oliosa, non vi­ta appellanda: An idle lyfe is not to be called a lyfe. Seneca complayneth that we lose a great part of our tyme in doing nothing: a greater part in doing euill: and the greatest part of all doing thinges which nothing con­cerne vs. Idlenes bringeth forget­fulnes: idlenes corrupteth the minde, and causeth infamie. Quaeritur Aegi­sthus quare sit factus adulter?

In promptu causa est, desidiosus e­rat: If it be demaunded why Egisthus became an adulterer: the matter is sone aunswered, forsoth he was idle. Idlenes bringeth beggary, Prouerb: 10. 20. 23. 28. From idlenes are ma­ny diseases. Euē as moderate labour preserueth health (as phisitians re­port:) so Idlenes weakeneth y^e body, diminisheth strength, and bringeth many infirmities by ill digestiō. Hēce commeth losse of tyme: the day lost, the night commeth: the night when no man can worke. The day is but short, our lyfe is soone gone. There­fore while we haue tyme let vs doe Galat. 6. 10. [Page] good to all men: espetially to them which are of the houshold of fayth.

Hence commeth all mischiefe: While men slept the enemie came & Mat. 13. sowed tares among the wheate, and went his way: When men runne not forward in the race of their salua­tion: when men seeke not to knowe Christ Iesus crucified: when men haue vertue in detestatiō: behold, Sa­than our auncient enemie bestyrreth himselfe, and soweth the tares, and darnell, of heresies, seditions, vice, and vilanye in the hart of man. The Ambros. Hexame­ron. Lib. 5. Cap. 8. Crabbe sayth S. Ambrose delighteth very much to eate Oysters: But for that the Oysters are so strongly fen­ced with two hard shelles which he can not breake by strength: he wai­teth diligently to bring the Oysters out of the water into the sunne, and by helpe of the ayre and winde the Crabbe presenly putteth a litle stone into the Oyster as he gapeth: where­by he can not close or bring together agayne his shelles. Than afterward the Crabbe without daunger putteth [Page 54] in his clawes and eateth the meate of the Oyster at his pleasuure.

Euen so sayth he: when men are geuen to idlenes, & open their mindes vnto sensuall pleasures: the deuill commeth & casteth into their mindes and hartes euill cogitations in such sort that their shell which before did defend them: can not be drawen close together agayne: and than easely doth he vtterly deuour them. Idlenes ma­keth of men womē, of womē beastes, and of beastes monsters. We shall finde the causes of all mischiefe in e­uery commō wealth, to spring of idle persons: they are the firebrandes of sedition: and the causes of all ciuill dissention. King Dauid whē he gaue 2. Sam. 11. himselfe to idlenes, and slacked to launch his net into y^e déepe: commit­ted two horrible sinnes: adultery, and murther. As long as Sampsō fought Iudic. 16. with the Philistines, he could not be taken of his enemies, but after that he slept in the bosome of a woman, and idlely continued with her: by and by he was taken and made blinde by [Page] his enemies. Kyng Salomon, after 1. Reg. 19. he gaue him selfe to ease, was seduced and beguiled of women: but when he was exercised in building the temple, he was in the state of grace. Watch ye therefore good Christians. For I know you are not holyer thē Dauid, stronger then Samson, nor wiser thē Salomon.

Idle persons haue bene plagued & shalbe plagued. Terrible is that say­ing: Take from him that péece and Luc. 19. 14. Ezech. 16. 4 [...]. giue it to him that hath x. péeces. So­dom was destroyed with brimstone & fire, for pride, fulnes of meat, aboun­dance of idlenes and vnmercyfulnes. S. Paule writyng to Thess. sayth we 2. Thes. cap. 3. 11. haue heard that there are some which walke among you inordinatly, and worke not at all. &c. If there be any that wil not worke: let him not eate.

Amâsis a noble kyng of Egypt made a law, that yearely euery man should make a recknyng to the rulers of his Prouinces, or countreis, how and by what occupation he liued: and he that either would not do this: or [Page 55] shew by what lawfull meanes he got his liuyng, should dye. The same law Aulus Gel. lib. 12. cap. 7 had the Areopagites. The same law Solon borowed from the Egyptians, & made for the Athenians. I would the same law were made in Englād. It was prouided by the law of Ora­co, that he that was found an idle person should lose his head. The Gym­nosophistes wise men of India, had idlenes in so great detestation, that when meat was set on their tables, they vsed to demaund of their young men and maydēs what they had lear­ned or done, since sunne rising: and if any were foūd to haue bene idle, they lost their dyner. These wise men ha­ted extremely all slouthfull persons: And all such (for that they had done no good in this lyfe) as though they had neuer liued, they buried among beastes. Notable was the custome a­mong the old Indians: for their ma­ner was euery night before supper, to examine euery man how hee had be­stowed that day: and if any could not proue that hee had bene about some [Page] good exercises, their vse was to expell him out of their company. Whiche they did by the exāple of Bées, which can abide no dranes, but as soone as any begynneth to be idle, they fall vp­on him and kill him. But we suffer dranes in euery vocatiō, most of all in the holy ministery. Then euery man must labour: Euery man must laūch. Whether? into the déepe: what to do? to make a draught: not to deceiue mē, not to séeke temporall profite, but to edifie, to séeke the profit of the church, and glory of God.

It foloweth in the text: and Simō aunswered and sayd vnto him, Mai­ster we haue laboured all night, and haue taken nothyng: neuerthelesse at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net. We haue laboured all night, and haue not taken so much as one fishe. Note here the complaint of Peter, which is the complaint of ma­ny men and there with all note these wordes: at thy commaundement I will cast forth the net: and last of all the successe: that when they had this [Page 56] done, they enclosed a great multi­tude of fishes. &c. we haue fished all night and haue taken nothyng. Ma­ny fish in the night: such fish without the commaūdement of God, without the presence of God, without prayer, & estéeme more their fishyng then the word of God: therfore their fishyng is vnlucky: many by inspiratiōs of Sa­than are moued and stirred to euill artes: to theft, murther, vsurie and o­ther horrible vices, these labour in the night. Many preach, no man amen­deth: no man cōmeth out of the denne of sinne, into the light of faith. What is the cause? men labour in the night. Peter and his partners laboured all night, and tooke nothyng: Many with their partners labour all night, and take nothyng. What is y^e cause? they labour in the night: They haue not yet receiued Christ into their shyp: they haue not the word of Christ to cast forth the net. Doctour Luther no tabely sayth: Quod passim premantur tanta miseria homines, sola increduli­tas in causa est: Onely infidelitie or [Page] vnbelief is the cause that men are af­flicted with so great miserie.

At thy cōmaundement I will cast forth the net. We learne here an ex­ample of faithfull obediēce in Peter, who was prompt, & ready to obey the commaūdement of Christ, whom he knew not yet to be the sonne of God. We know him to be y^e sonne of God, yet we shew no such faythfull obedi­ence: how then shal we excuse our sel­ues? Simon declareth him selfe accordyng to his name. For Simon by in­terpretation is hearing or obeyng. O­bedience is an excellent vertue. Obe­dience is better then sacrifice. Noah 1. Reg. 15. obeyed the word of the Lord, and he Gene. 7. was preserued from the floud. Abra­ham obeyed the word of the Lord, and Gen. 22. it was sayd vnto him: in thy séede shal all the nations of the earth be blessed. Nahaman obeyed Elisaeus, and was healed of his leprosie. Incomparable 4. Reg. 5. was the obedience of Christ. Christi­ans Philip. 2. Rom. 5. obey God: subiectes obey your Prince: Children obey your parents: seruaūtes obey your maisters: wiues [Page 57] obey your husbandes. Simon did cast forth the net, but how? at the cōmaū ­demēt of Christ. This is a profitable doctrine. Whatsoeuer ye doe in word Collo. 3. 17 or déede, doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus, giuyng thankes, to the Father by him. Euery man ought to launch out his net in the name of Ie­sus Christ: The Prince, y^e Preacher, y^e Magistrat, y^e Housholder, the Artifi­cer, y^e Plowmā, &c. For Christ saith w^t out me ye can doe nothyng. Ex­cept Io. 15. Psal. 127. y^e Lord build the house, their la­bour is but lost y^t build it. Except the Lord kéepe the Citie, the watchman waketh but in vaine. Read the whole Psalme. By the onely frée goodnesse & gift of God, is the house and houshold mainteined: the Citie defended: meat ministred: children obtained. With­out the word of Christ, in runnyng it helpeth not to be swift, in battaile it helpeth not to be strōg, in féedyng the Ecclesi. 9. flocke it helpeth not to be wise, to Ri­ches it helpeth not to be a mā of much vnderstandyng, to be had in fauour it helpeth not to be cunnyng. Without the word of Christ, my fishyng, my [Page] plantyng, my wateryng, and all my labour is nothyng worth. Gregory sayth well: Nisi intus sit qui doceat, in­cassum lingua docentis laborat: Except he be within that teacheth, the toung of the teacher laboureth in vaine. Xer­xes that great kyng of Persia, which inuaded Grece with seuen hundreth thousand of his owne people, and iij. hūdred thousand straūge souldiours: was vanquished by a fewe Greekes. Why? he launched not, he inuaded not in the name of Christ. The Isra­lites Exod. 14. in the name of God passed safely through the red sea. At the commaun­dement Iehos. 6. of God they compassed Ieri­cho seuen tymes, and all thynges fell out vnto thē most prosperously. Samson Iudic. 15. in the name of God, made heapes of his deadly enemies, with the iawe of an Asse: with y^e iawe of an Asse he slew a thousand men. Dauid sayd to 1. Reg. 17. proude Goliath, who defied y^e host of Israell: Thou commest to me with a sword, a speare, and a shield: but I come to thée in the name of the Lord of hostes, the God of the host of Isra­ell, [Page 58] whō thou hast railed on. By this name and omnipotēt word (as Chri­sostome noteth) the stone was direc­ted 1. Reg. 17. to the forehead of Goliath, into y^e which it did sinke, and he fell groue­lyng to the earth. And so the armed was slayne by y^e vnarmed: the Giant, by a Dwarf: and the skilfull in mar­tial affaires, by one that could no skil but of kéepyng shéepe. The cause was, for that he had his helpe from a­boue, through the trust whereof he strake the blasphemer▪ into the fore­head. In the same name, oftentymes a poore mā groweth to great wealth, and in fauour with God and man.

Whosoeuer therefore purposeth to haue good successe in his affaires, must of necessitie launche out with Simon into the déepe, and that in the name of Christ: he must become Si­mon, a hearer, and a Disciple: Of ne­cessitie he must heare, read, learne, & meditate the word of God, according to the commaundemēt: first séeke the Mat. 6, kyngdome of God and his righteous­nes, &c. He must receiue Christ into [Page] his shyp: that is, most faythfully and humblely pray him to blesse his la­bours. That is the way to thriue in this world and in the world to come. There are many launchers, especial­ly now a dayes, which launch out in­to the déepe, not in y^e name of Christ, but in the name of Sathā: they make draughtes, deuilish draughtes, by v­surie, by periuries, by cosenyng, by lying, theft, murther, flattering, coue­tousnes, and such like vilanie. Is this the way to thriue?

Many obiect why the indeuours of godly men often tymes haue ill suc­cesse, and the indeuours of the wicked haue good successe. God hath appoin­ted this ordinaunce, that all thynges to the godly should prosper and come to good effect, and to the euill should decay & come to euill effect. But Sa­than troubleth this ordinaunce, as it is sayd: The Serpent shall byte his héele: y^t is Sathan shall afflict Christ, Gen. 3. & his mēbers with all maner of mise­ries incident to man: notwithstādyng God vseth a pollicie against Sathā, & [Page 59] maketh that which séemeth a curse, a blessing: & that which séemeth a bles­sing, to be a curse. Ioseph obeyed his fathers commaundement, and went vnto his brethren, and his brethrē by the instinct & motion of Sathan, sold him: but God turned this into bles­sing. So we read of Dauid, so of the Apostles, & of many other, whose cur­ses haue bene turned into blessinges.

This is the condition and state of men in this world. Generally good men lyue in aduersitie, and wicked men in prosperitie. I say generally. For it commeth sometymes to passe, that good men lyue in prosperitie and wicked men in aduersitie. But this seldome falleth out, and among a hū ­dred good men, scarse one or two lyue prosperously in this world. The ge­nerall sentence therfore stādeth firme and infallible: good men are plagued with aduersitie: euill men florishe in prosperitie: accordyng to y^e Prouerbe: Quo peior, eo fortunatior: the worser man the better lucke. Christ playnly Luc. 16. sheweth this condition and estate of [Page] mens affaires, in the exāple of Diues and Lazarus. You sée often tymes the most wicked me most fortunate, and the most godly most miserable: But Respice finem: marke the end: and fret Psal. 37. not thy selfe because of the vngodly, neither be thou enuious agaynst the euill doers. For they shalbe cut down like the grasse, and be withered euen as y^e gréene herbe. Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doyng good: dwell in the land; and verely thou shalt be fed. Delight thou in the Lord, and he will giue thée thy harts desire. Laūch thou into the déepe, and let downe thy not in the name of the Lord, to make a draught, alwayes remembryng the heauēly saying of y^e Prophet Dauid: Some put their trust in chariots, and Psal. 20. 7. & some in horses: but we will remem­ber the name of the Lord our God. So much for this part.

And whē they had this done they inclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net brake. Here we learne the cause of prosperous suceesse, and blessing of the Lord which is: if at his [Page 60] commaundement we cast downe our nettes. Here Christ by a wonderfull miracle proueth his Godhead. The circumstaunces declare the miracle to be wonderfull: the labour of all the night lost: the breaking of the net: the sinkyng of the shyp: the callyng of partners out of the other shyp: the a­stomeng and great admiration of Pe­ter and others, the sudaine forsakyng of all their goodes, & obedience shewed to the word of Christ. The like mira­cle we haue in Iohn. 21. The vse of this wōderfull miracle is: that Christ is y^t Messias, that lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world: That Christ not onely is Lord of the land: but also of the sea, and all that therein is. In an other place touching Mat. 17. 27. tribute: Christ sent Peter to the sea, saying: go thou to the sea and cast an hooke and take vp the fish that first cō ­meth vp, and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt finde a péece of xx. pence: that take and giue it vnto them for me and thée. If Christ be Lord of the sea, and all thynges ther­in: [Page] thou whiche by fayth art made a member of Christ, hast no cause to feare the surges, waues, and daun­gers of the sea, feare not: that which is subiect to Christ thy head, must of necessitie be subiect to his members.

What signifieth the breaking of the net: who breake the nette: how the nette is broken: why the nette is broken: these thinges are to be obser­ued. Touching the first: The kingdome of heauē is lyke to a net, which Math. 13. 47. was cast into the sea and gathered of all kinde of fishes, which when it was full, the fishers drew to land, and sate downe and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shal it be at the end of the world. The an­gels shall come forth and seuer the bad frō among the iust, and shall cast them into a furnace of fyre: there shall be wailing & gnashing of téeth. The net is broken when the concord of fayth in the Church is broken, and men falle into wicked heresies and errours.

They breake the nette which fishe [Page 61] in the night, wanting the light of ho­lye scripture, and blinded with the darcknes of errours, and ignoraunce. Euil men which breake the vnitie of of the Church, and fall into sectes & schismes, doe also breake the nette, which obey not, but cōtemne the cal­ling of God. These are euill fishes which are not taken: or els breake the nette: that is: they fall frō grace, frō fayth, and lose the spirite of God. All that were conuerted stode not in the nette of fayth and vertue: for ma­ny went forth and mightely brake the nette, peruerting fayth, vertues, and Sacramēts. Such fishes belong to the kitchen of Sathā. Arrius went forth: brake the nette, & began a most pesti­lent schisme, because he could not ob­tayne the Bishoprick of Alexandria. Whose steps many doe follow. Sa­bellius cōtinued not in the nette, but went forth and brake the nette. So did Fotinus, Manicheus and other innumerable. Of such S. Io. spea­keth, Io. 1. cap. 2. 19. saying: they went out from vs, but they were not of vs. For if they [Page] had bin of vs, they would no doubt haue continued with vs, but that it might appeare that they are not all of vs. Of such also speaketh S. Paule. 1. Tim. 4. 1. Now the spirite speaketh euidently, that in the latter tymes some shall de­part from the fayth, geuing heede vn­to spirites of errours and doctrines of deuils &c. False Apostles brake the net in y^e Primitiue Church as Luke writeth: Then rose vp certayne of Act. 15. 5. the sect of the Pharisies, which did be­leue saying, it was needeful to Circū ­cise them, and to commaund to kéepe the law of Moyses. To these breakers of the net, S. Paule sayth: Christ is become but vayne to you: as many of Galat. 5. 4. you as are iustified by the law are fal­len from grace. Of this companye were Himenaeus, Samosatenus, A­lexander, and many other heretickes. Since the Primitiue Church, conti­nually swarmes of heretickes haue broken this nette. Wheresoeuer God doth build his Temple: there by and by Sathan adioyneth his chappell. At this day because the light of the [Page 62] Gospell shyneth clearely: legions of heretickes: (as Anabaptistes, Schis­matickes, Libertines, Arrians, A­theistes, Romish Catholickes, the Familie of Loue, and others) breake the nette of the Gospell. Wo be vnto the Apoc. 12. 12. inhabiters of the earth, and of the sea. For the Deuill is come downe vnto you, which hath great wrath: because he knoweth he hath but a short tyme. Touchyng the Familie of Loue: I say this, the deuill transformeth him selfe into an Angell of light. There­fore it is no great maruaile that this familie, beyng in déede a familie of Sathan should transforme them sel­ues into a familie of light: a familie of loue. God is light: God is loue. Chrisost sayth: Haeretici omnia habent in similitudine: Heretiques haue all thynges in resemblance or likenesse. This familie is not a familie of true loue. It is a familie of blasphemy: a familie of falshode: a familie of pride: a familie of idolatrie: a familie of ig­noraunce and follie: a familie of mal­lice: & to be short a familie of all vice [Page] and vilanie. That this is true their fruites declare. The trée is knowne by the fruite. For proofe I refer you to the bookes, or rather bables of H. N. whom they name the true Pro­phet of GOD, where as he is a false and lying Prophet. I promised to prosecute y^e Argumēt that the Romish Catholickes are not y^e true Church: as I haue already proued y^t they shake y^e shyp of Christ: so I infer they break the net of y^e gospell. I argue thus: they commit Idolatrye: Therefore they breake y^e net. After y^t the popish priest hath spoken these v. wordes: Hoc est enim corpus meū: Which is one word more thē euer Christ left, and is of so great vertue (as they say) that with­out that word there can be no perfect consecration: where as notwithstan­dyng, Christ, his Apostles, the Primi­tiue Church, and the Gréekes, neuer vsed this word Enim. It is a super­stitious additiō of the Papistes, most wickedly leauyng out these most ne­cessary wordes that Christ hymselfe spake: namely, Which is betrayed [Page 63] for you: Do this in remembraūce of me.) After y^e the priest I say hath spo­ken y^e former wordes: & hath blasted, breathed, and blowed, vpō the bread: he knéeleth downe to it and worshyp­peth it, saying in Latin: Agnus Dei qui tollis. &c. O Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs. Thrise doth he call the bread which he holdeth in his handes the lambe of God, which ta­keth away the sinnes of the world. This is abhominable Idolatry. The authour of this Idolatrous leuation or liftyng vp of the bread aboue the priests head, was Pope Honorius the third, about the yeare of our Lord 1210. He commaunded that the host should be lifted vp aboue the priestes head at Masse, and that all the people should fall downe and worship it. An­tichrist sheweth him selfe. Here all men may sée how auncient a thyng their holy sackeryng is, which is coū ­ted the best and chiefest part of their Masse: whereas in déede it is the most wicked and abhominable part of the [Page] patched paltrye, of their maskyng Masse. The lying Papistes therfore may be ashamed to bragge that their deuilishe Masse came from the Apo­stles: seing that it is proued to be a new and late inuention of Antichrist. The worde Masse is not in the By­ble. And (as hath bin sufficiently pro­ued) there was no tidinges of any Masse priuate in any doctour or Coū ­cell by the space of six hundred yeares after Christ. Their oblation, they call Sacrificium nouum: A new sacri­fice. Their Masse booke hath these wordes: Acceptum sit omnipotenti Deo hoc sacrificium nouū: O that this new sacrifice might be thankfully taken of almightye God. They may truely call it a new sacrifice: for it was ne­uer heard of before, that a wafer cake and a sponeful of wine mingled with water, should be an oblation and sa­crifice for the saluation of the liuing, and for the rest and quietnes of all the faythfull that are dead.

I know they will say they com­mit not idolatre: for that which they [Page 64] hold vp is the verye naturall bodye of Christ, God and man. Therfore may they iustlye worship it. I aske them how they proue it to be the verie body of Christ. They answere by the ver­tue of these wordes: Hoc est enim cor­pus meum: a goodly profe. I reply, Christ spake these wordes of y^e bread as the holy scriptures, and all aunci­ent writers doe witnes. It is agaynst the veritye of a naturall bodye to be in moe places then one at once, as he must be in a hundred thousand pla­ces at once, if their doctrine be true. The article of our faith is that Christ is ascēded vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty, and from thence shall come &c. Our sauiour Christ tolde his dis­ciples Ioh. 14. & 16. oft a litle before his passiō, that he should leaue the world and goe to his father. S. Marke sayth: Christ Mar. 16. Luc. 24. was taken vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God. Wée reade in the Actes: This Iesus which is ta­ken Act. 1. vp from you into heauen: shall so come as you haue séene him going [Page] vp into heauen. Of these wordes of the angells, we learne that as Christ went vp visiblye, and was séene with the corporall eyes of his disciples: so lykewise when he commeth agayne from thence, he shall come visiblye, and be séene with the corporall eyes of all men. But neuer man sawe him yet comming downe with his corpo­rall eyes: Therefore neuer came he downe corporall since his ascention. S. Stephan sawe him. Where? not in the popishe pixe, nor in their sin­ging Act. 7. bread, but in heauen. S. Paule Act. 9. heard him: frō whence? from heauen. S. Peter sayth that heauen must Act. 3. holde Iesus Christ, till the tyme that all thinges be restored, which god hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. This tyme is, till the daye of iudge­ment. If therefore they will haue Christ bodily at their Masses: they must tary till the day of iudgement.

This doctrine that the sacrament of the alter (as they terme it) is the true, naturall, reall, carnall, corpo­rall, [Page 65] and substantiall bodye of Christ, is a dreame of Antichrist the Byshop of Rome, and cannot be proued, nei­ther by holy scripture, nor by aunci­ent fathers. You haue heard the holye scripture clearely denyeth it. The fa­thers also deny it. Clemens Alexandri­nus sayth: Duplex est autem sanguis Cum Alex. lib. 2. peda­go. cap. 2. domini alter enim est carnalis, quo re­dempti sumus ab interitu: alter vero spiritalis quo scilicet vncti sumus: & hoc est bibere Iesu sanguinem, esse participē incorruptionis domini. verbi autem vir­tus est spiritus, quemadmodum sanguis carnis: The bloud of Christ truely is of two sortes: the one carnall, wher­by wée are redéemed from death, the other spirituall, wherewith we are annoynted. For to drinke the bloud of Iesus is to be parttaker of y^e Lords immortality. The spirite is the ver­tue of the worde, as bloud is of fleshe. Theodoret an auncient father sayth Theodoret: dialog. 1. thus: Christus naturam panis non mu­tat: Christ chaungeth not the nature of the bread. Gelasius sayth: Non de­sinit esse substantia vel natura panis: & [Page] vini. It ceaseth not to be the substan­ce or nature of bread and wine. Ori­gen that old learned father sayth: Si Origen. Hom. 7. in Leuit. secundum literam sequaris id quod di­ctum est: Nisimanducaueritis carnem filij hominis non habebitis vitam in vo­bis: litera illa occidit: If accordyng to the letter you vnderstād that saying: Except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud, ye haue no lyfe in you: That letter killeth. It Ioh. 6. 53. is the Spirit that giueth life: the flesh profiteth nothyng. For shortnesse of tyme, I must referre you to the pla­ces of other auncient Fathers which make the case cleare. Tertul. contra Marcionem Lib. 4. August. Tom. 6. con­tra adimantum Manichaei Discipulum cap. 12. & Tom. 8. in Psal. 3. Tom. 2. E­pist. 221. Cyp. de Coena Domini. Hesichi­us in Leuit. Lib. 3. cap. 2. Ambros. de Sa­cramentis Lib. 1. cap. 5. Chrisost. ad Cae­sarium August. in Ioh. Tract. 25. & Tract. 26. To cōclude, Erasmus a mā Eras. in. 1. Cor. 7. of great learnyng & iudgement sayth thus: In synaxi Transubstantiationem sero definiuit ecclesia: In the holy mi­nistration, [Page 66] it was long and very late, before the church determined the Ar­ticle of Transubstantiation. Their owne breath bloweth agaynst them: Doctour Tonstall, sayth: It was no Tonstallus de Euchari­stia Lib. 1. pag. 65. heresie to deny their Transubstantia­tion before their late Councell of La­teran. Doctour Fisher sometyme Fisherus cō tra captiui­ta. Babylo­nicam. Byshop of Rochester sayth: The ve­ry presence of Christes body & bloud in the Masse, can not be proued by a­ny Scripture.

This deuelish doctrine was neuer receiued in the Church, til Pope Leo: Pope Nicholas: Pope Innocent: Pope Honorius: and Pope Vrban Antichristian prelates thorow their tyranny brought it in, and compelled the Christiās with fire and faggot (as the maner of the tyrānicall Papistes is) to receiue their abhominable doc­trine. It is not much more then fiue hundred yeares, since their grosse opi­nion of the Sacramēt begā first to be attēpted, & was throughly receiued, and agréed vpon, about the yeare of our Lord 1215. in the Councell of [Page] Laterā, which was holden in Rome, where were gathered together a mō ­strous swarme of Pharisaicall Pa­pistes, about the number of thirtene hūdred pildpates, of y^e which number eight hūdred were mōkes, channōs, & fryers, a broode of chickēs of y^e Popes owne hatching. Last of all came pope Vrban the monke, in the yeare of our Lord a thousand two hundred thrée­score and foure, and he made vp all the market: For he ordained a feast called Corpus Christi, in honour of the Sacrament: so that euer after that tyme the Sacramēt was no more ta­ken for a signe, figure, and token of Christes bodye: but for Christ him­selfe God and man. And therefore was it reuerenced, worshiped, hono­red, sensed, and knéeled vnto, as they taught the people at their vnsacred sakeringes.

S. August. sayth touching the fa­thers of the olde law: Abraham, Mo­ses, Aaron, and other receiued the bo­dye of Christ truely and effectually long tyme before that Christ either [Page 67] had receiued fleshe of the blessed vir­gin or had ordained the Sacrament: and that euen the selfe same bodye that is receiued now of the faythfull. Of this matter S. Paule speaketh: They did all eate of the same spiritu­all 1. Cor. 10. 3. meate: And did all drinke of the same spirituall drinke: For they dranke of that spirituall rock that fo­lowed them: and that rocke was Christ. S. August. also of Christi­an August. de Symbolo fi­dei ad Ca­thecume­nos. Tom. [...] children and other faythfull that neuer receiued the Sacrament wri­teth thus: nulli est aliquatenus ambi­gendum, tunc vnumquem (que) fideliū cor­poris sauguinis (que) domini participem fi­eri quando in Baptismate efficitur mem­brum Christi. &c. No man may in a­ny wise doubt but that euery fayth­full man is than made partaker of the body and bloud of Christ, whan in Baptisme he is made a member of Christ: and that he is not without the felowship of that bread, and of that cup, although before he eate of that bread, & drinke of that cup he hepart this world, being in y^e vnitye of Chri­stes [Page] bodye for he is not made frustrate of the Communion and benefite of that Sacrament while he findeth that thing which is signified in the Sa­crament.

The enemies of the crosse of Christ mightfully obiect: Onlesse ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall haue no lyfe in you. I aunswere if there be no other ea­ting of Christes bodye whereby wée shall liue, but onely fleshly eating with mouth, and teath: than what lyfe hath Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, Moses, Aaron and other holy Patri­arches, & Prophets that were before the comming of Christ: what lyfe haue a great nūber of holy martyrs? what lyfe haue Christian Children that being baptised in the bloud of Christ depart this lyfe before they can receiue the Sacrament? Shall we say they haue no lyfe? Or shall we condemne them of euerlasting death? Or shall we thinke they shall neuer rise agayne? And shall we de­nye Gods election? S. August. spea­kyng [Page 68] of our fathers sayth: Ʋisibilē ci­bum August. in Ioh. Tract. 26. Tom. 9. (Manna) spiritualiter intellexe­runt, spiritualiter esurierunt, spiritua­liter gustauerunt: They vnderstode Manna the visible meate spiritually: they hungred it spiritually: they ta­sted it spiritually.

I aske the defenders of transubstā ­tiation, what body Christ gaue: whe­ther mortall or immortall. I reason thus: if he gaue his body: he gaue his mortall body, or his immortall body: But he gaue not his mortal body, neither his immortal body: Therfore he gaue not his body. I proue thus he gaue not his mortall body: accumbe­bat mensae: for it sate at the table. He gaue not his immortall body: nō dum resurrexerat: for it was not yet risen. Therfore he gaue not his body. Therfore it is a figuratiue spéech.

I vrge their owne wordes agaynst them. By and by after they haue con­fessed that the bread is the body of Christ essentially, substantially and in déede: and the wyne his naturall bloud: they adde Sed inuisibiliter & in­effabiliter Aquinas [Page] & non vt in loco non quali­tatiue part. 3. quest. 76. Lombar­dus senten. 4. distinc. 10. aut quantitatiue: But inuisible­ly, and vnspeakeablely, and not as in a place, not in quātitie or in qualitie. Note I pray you, how fitly these thynges agrée: how the one is subuer­ted by the other. For if the true, and naturall body of our Lord, which he tooke of the virgin Mary, dead, buried, risen, & ascended into heauen (so they say) be present in the Sacrament: as­suredly that same body must haue quantitie and qualitie, & must be con­tained in a place: except that body was not naturall: or els now beyng in glory, hath put away all truth of a body. The Angels testifie of the glori­fied body of Christ: Surrexit nō est hic, Marc. 16. 6. ecce locus vbi posuerunt eum: He is ri­sen, he is not here behold the place where they had put him. Christ him selfe sayth: behold my handes and my Luc. 24. 39. féete, that it is euē I my selfe: handle me and sée, for a spirite hath not flesh and bones as ye sée me haue. If this body haue not place, qualitie, & quan­titie: it is not the substantiall, natu­rall [Page 69] and true body of our Lord. Read S. August. Epist. 57. ad Dardanum Tom. 2. Thus much concernyng the Lordes Supper.

Also these men teach that we are not iustified by fayth onely. This do­ctrine is false: Therefore they breake the net.

They call vs Solifidiās: We may call them Nullifidians.

I argue thus: the righteous man Habac. 2. Rom. 1. liueth, by his fayth: Therefore fayth iustifieth.

Abraham was iustified by fayth: Therfore other are iustified by fayth. Abrahā is the father of all beleuers. The antecedent is proued: Abraham Gen. 15. Rom. 4. beleued God and it was accompted to him for righteousnesse.

Abraham was iustified by fayth. 430. yeares before Moyses gaue the law: Therefore fayth iustifieth & not the law.

That thyng onely iustifieth, by which the holy Ghost is geuen: The holy Ghost is geuen by fayth, and not by the law: Therfore fayth iustifieth [Page] and not the law. The first reason is proued by experience. The Galatiās receiued the holy Ghost by preaching of the Gospell: and so consequently by fayth. The examples in the Actes of the Apostles, of Cornelius and ma­ny others, and also the example of the Centurion proue the same. Fayth onely iustifieth Read. Rom. 1. 3. 4. and 9. chap.

Sola fides: Onely fayth was very well knowen and vsed of auncient Fathers long a goe, and the vse of the same hath bene in the Church since the tyme of the Apostles: By onely fayth, fréely, without workes: with­out the law. The tyme fléeth away & therefore I will onely cote the au­thours and the places. Origen in his exposition vpon the Romanes chap. 3. hath Sola fides, fayth onely. S. Ba­sill a mā of incomparable vertue and learnyng hath Sola fides, in his booke de Humilitate. Athanasius vpō the iij. chap. to the Romanes hath Sola fides. The eloquēt famous Doctour Chri­sost. vpon the Ephesians the second [Page 70] chapter Serm. 5. Sola fides. And in his Sermon of fayth and the law Sola fi­des. S. Ambrose vpon the iij. iiij. x. xi. chap. to the Romanes Sola fides. S. Hierome vpon the foure and v. to the Romanes Sola fides. Eusebius Lib. 3. cap. 27. Sola fides.

To conclude S. August. albeit not in expresse termes as the other, yet in effect hath it asmuch: After discourse of the merites of Christ: of fayth in Christ: and of the miserable naked­nesse of man: excellently he thus con­cludeth: His igitur consyderatis pertra­ctatis (que), pro viribus quas Dominus do­nare August. Tom. 3. de spiritu & li­tera ad Marcellinum. 13. cap. in fine. dignatur: colligimus non iustifica­ri hominem praeceptis bonae vitae, sed fide in Iesu Christo: hoc est non lege operum, sed lege fidei: non litera sed spiritu: non factorum meritis, sed gratuita gratia: These thinges considered & debated, accordyng to the abilitie whiche God hath graciously geuen me: I conclude that man is not iustified by the pre­ceptes & rules of good life, but by faith in Christ Iesus: That is not by the law of workes: but by y^e law of fayth: [Page] not by the letter, but by the spirite: not by merites and déedes, but by free and meere grace.

The aduersarie obiecteth thus: It is impietie or wickednesse to add any thyng to the holy Scripture: for that it is written Non addes aliquid neque minues: Thou shalt not add any thing Apoc. 22. nor diminish: S. Paul sayth, if an an­gell Gala. 1. frō heauen preach any otherwise, let him be accursed. And Irenaeus ge­neth good counsaile: De Deo est vten­dum verbis Dei: When we speake of God, we ought to vse the wordes of God. Sola fide: By fayth onely is not to be read in holy scripture any where not in Paul him self, out of whose 3. chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes it is alledged: Therfore to vse exclu­siuely: Iustificamur sola fide: We are iustified by fayth onely, is impietie, and Luther hath depraued, and cor­rupted S. Paule.

I aunswere it is a false kind of ar­gumēt, settyng downe that thyng, for the cause whiche is not the cause in déede. Albeit the word Sola, written [Page 71] with iiij. letters be not extant in S. Paule: yet notwithstandyng wordes equiualent are there extāt, declaryng the same thyng, much more effectual­ly & plainly. As for example: Iustifica­mur gratis: we are iustified fréely: Ipsi­us gratia: by his grace: Abs (que) operibus: without workes: Dei donū est: It is the gift of God: per fidem: By fayth. When S. Paule excludeth all ma­ner workes: what els leaueth he but fayth alone?

They teach & maintaine Purgato­ry: Therfore they breake y^e net. This word Purgatory is not in y^e Bible: but the purgation and remissiō of our sinnes, is made by the aboūdant mer­cy of God. Luc. 1. Mar. 2. Onely by Christ: So sayth S. Iohn: The bloud 1. Io. 1. of Iesus Christ y^e sonne of God, pur­geth vs and maketh vs cleane frō all our sinnes. So sayth S. Mat. 1. &. 26. Marc. 14. Luc. 22. Act. 13. Ephes. 1. Hebr. 1. 9. 10. Apoc. 1. &c. Swéete is that saying of S. Cyp. Sanguis tuus Cyp. de pas­sione Chri­sti. Domine non quaerit vltionem: sanguis tuus lauat crimina: peccata condonat: [Page] Thy bloud O Lorde séeketh no re­uēge: thy bloud washeth our sinnes, & pardonneth our trespasses.

The East Church of God whiche sometyme was as great & famous as y^e Church of the Weast, notwithstā ­ding they beleued in God & his Christ & knew there was both Hell & Hea­uē: yet of Purgatory they had no skil. In the late Councell begun at Fer­rar by Pope Eugenius and cōtinued and ended at Florence An. 1439. Purgatorye was concluded and not before in any auncient Coūcell: Not­withstāding the enemies of y^e crosse of Christ pretēd that the same is of very great antiquity. Not much vnlyke are they to the olde Arcades, whoe sayd in cōmendation of their Antiqui­tye that they were a day or two elder then the Moone. It came from Vir­gill and Plato and other Heathen writers. If a man aske them where it is: Some of them say in Ireland: The Purgatory of Patrick: into the which (they say) they had once a key, and a valiant champion named noble [Page 72] Nicholas, boldly and valiantly aduē ­tured in, and there did sée wonders: Some of them say it is in Scicilie in the burning hill Aetna: And some of thē say: it is in the Ilād Thile, which is also called Iseland. Syr Thomas Moore sayd & held for certaintie that in all Purgatory there is no water: no, not one drop: and that he would proue out of Zachar. 9. Doctour Fi­sher sometyme Byshop of Rochester sayd: There is in Purgatory great store of water, & that he would proue by the Prophet Dauid. Psal. 65. Al­bertus sayd: The Executioners and Ministers of Purgatory be holy An­gels: Syr Thomas Moore said: out of doubt they be no Angels but very de­uils. So hādsomely these dreames a­gree together. It serueth wel for their purse & purpose, and is the most pro­fitable monster that euer was whel­ped of the Babylonicall strumpet.

They maintaine frée will: Ther­fore they breake the net. This word frée will is not in all the holy Scrip­ture, but is inuented by proude men: [Page] which would set vp their owne righ­teousnesse, and put downe the righte­ousnesse of Christ. The frée will of man is in fallyng, and not in rising. Christ onely is free: we are Liberati gratia, but not Liberi natura: fréed by grace, but not frée by nature: and so likewise Iustificati gratia, iustified by grace, & not iust by nature. S Paule Galla. 5. 17. sayth the flesh lusteth contrary to the spirite and the spirite contrary to the flesh: these are contrary one to the o­ther: so that ye can not doe what ye would. Where is then frée will. We haue here still a clogge. Consider wel the seuenth chapter of the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes, from the fouretenth Verse, to the ende of the chapter: and you shalbe able to stop the mouthes of all frée will men. His wordes are these: For we know that the law is spirituall: but I am car­nall, sold vnder sin. For y^t whiche I doe, I allow not: for what I would, that doe I not: but what I hate, that doe I. If I doe now that whiche I would not, I consent vnto the law [Page 73] that it is good. Now then, it is not I that doe it: but sinne that dwelleth in me. For I know, that in me (that is to say in my fleshe) dwelleth no good thyng. For to will, is present with me: but I finde no meanes to per­forme that which is good. For the good that I would, doe I not: but the euill which I would not, that do I. And if I doe that I would not, then is it not I any longer that doth it, but sinne that dwelleth in me. I finde then by the law, that when I would do good, euill is present with me. For I de­lite in the lawe of God, after the in­ward man. But I sée another law in my members, rebellyng agaynst the law of my mynde, and subduyng me vnto the law of sinne, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am: who shall deliuer me from the body of this death? I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the minde I my selfe serue the law of God: but with the fleshe, the law of sinne. We shall then be frée, whē this mortalitie hath put on [Page] immortalitie: and this corruption hath put on incorruption.

If any man will describe the will of man not regenerate: he may note it thus: In naturall actions he may doe somewhat, but not without the generall grace of God: In morall & ciuill actions lykewise he may doe somewhat, but not without the speci­all grace of God: In spirituall mat­ters, before he be borne agayne, and hath receiued light of the holy spirite, he can doe nothing at all. The tyme is spēt, euen in the entrye of my third part. I will be short. They inuocate creatures, Ergo: they breake the net. We must direct our prayers to God alone our heauēly father in the name of Iesus Christ. For it is writtē Do­minum Deum tuum adorato, eum (que) so­lum Deut. 6. & 10. Math. 4. colito: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him onely shalt thou serue. Albeit Christ is not here expresly mentioned: notwithstanding he is included: For the faythful pray­ing to God, alwayes thinke vpon Christ. The publican prayed: God [Page 74] be mercifull to me a sinner. He Luc. 18. thought vpon Christ. &c. It is hor­rible (sayth D. Luther) to thinke v­pon God without Christ: for that without Christ we haue no saluatiō. He is our onely mediatour vnto y^e fa­ther: therefore no Saint is our me­diatour. Christ sayth: Ego sum via, Io. 14. veritas, & vita, nemo venit ad Patrem, nisi per me: I am the way, the truth, & the lyfe, no man cōmeth to the father but by me. Which wordes S. Augu. noting sayth: Ambulare vis? Ego August. in Io. tract. 22▪ Tom. 9. in cap. 5. sum via. Falli non vis? Ego sum veri­tas. Mori non vis? Ego sum vita. Hoc dicit tibi Saluator tuus: Non est quò eas, nisi ad me: Non est quà eas, nisi per me: Wilt thou walke? I am the way. Wilt thou not be deceiued? I am the truth. Wilt thou not dye? I am the lyfe. This sayth thy Sauiour vnto thée: there is no place whether thou mayest goe but to me: There is no way for thée to passe, but by me. No man knoweth the father but the son, and he to whome the son will reueale him. S. Paule sayth: There is one [Page] God, and one mediatour betwene 1. Tim. 2. 5. God and man, the man Iesus Christ. The kingly Prophet Dauid sayth in Psal. 50. 15. the person of God: Call vpon me in the day of trouble: so will I deliuer thée, and thou shalt glorifie me. The Prophet Esay sayth also in the persō Esa. 43. 25. of God: I, euen I am he onely that for mine owne sake doe away thyne offences, and forget thy sinnes, so that I will neuer thinke vpon them. The scripture plentifully, and strongly proueth this matter. What is more cleare, then the prayer which our Sauiour Christ hath taught vs? Our father which art in heauen. &c.

It is horrible idolatrye to inuocate any creature, whether dead or aliue. They are not gods: for there is one onely God who is to be inuocated: Therefore creatures ought not to be inuocated.

Creatures are not omnipotent, neither knowe they the hartes of mē: here is none excepted neither Mary, nor Peter, nor any creature esle: Therfore they ought not to be inuo­cated, or prayed vnto.

Prayer must be made with fayth:

But fayth onely must be reposed in God:

Therfore onely God is to be pray­ed vnto.

We haue no expresse commaun­demēt, or example in holy scriptures concerning inuocation of creatures: Therefore it cannot be done with fayth and good conscience. God him­selfe doth expreslye prohibite it, and the prophets condemne it. It is a ma­nifest marke and playne note of Anti­christ. To beleue in other creatures beside Christ, is not to beleue in Christ:

But the Papistes beleue in other creatures beside Christ: Ergo they be­liue not in Christ. The argument is sure, and the conclusion must néedes folow. I speake of a true and a right beliefe. These thinges Paule neuer planted: Apollo neuer watered: Christ neuer encreased. If holy Au­gustine. were now aliue, & heard such wicked and blaspemous opinions: he would surely say vnto these men as [Page] he once sayd to Iulianus: a Pelagian heretique with his sect: Mira dicitis: August. cō ­tra Iulian. Pelag. lib. 3. cap. 3. Tom. 7. noua dicitis: falsa dicitis. Mira stupe­mus: noua cauemus: falsa conuincimus: Marueilous thinges you speake, new thinges you speake, false thinges you speake. Your marueilous thinges wée are astonied at, your new sayings wée will beware of, your false sayings wée will conuince. The more you stirre, the faster you stick: the longer ye striue the weaker ye are: you can­not blind the Sunne beames: will ye nil ye the truth will conquere. There is no wisedome, there is no policie, there is no coūsaile against the Lord.

The truth of God will stand: va­nitye will fall of it selfe. Remember Act. 5. the counsaile of Gamaliel: fight not agaynst the spirite of God.

Thus you sée how the nette is bro­kē by corrupt doctrine: The same is also brokē by ill maners. Of the first you haue somewhat heard: Now a word touching the second. The same breakers of the nette: the shakers of the ship still breake the nette with [Page 76] their ill manners. They shew intol­lerable disobediēce in refusing to come to the Church: Some of them main­tayne trayterous persons beyond the sea: and on this side the sea: and of these, some they make their Bailifes, some their stewardes: some their Ca­ters: some their Scholemaisters: and some their seruaūts of chiefe trust to waite vpō my Lady. This I know. Some they suborne to vtter their dregges, by writinges and other lewd practises. They are not content to be euill themselues, but they inde­uour also as much as in them lyeth to make other partakers of their euill. If you make diligēt search: you shall finde fat bulles of Basan of this com­pany in Cathedrall Churches: dūme dogges, and hinderers, as farre as they dare of the Gospell of Christ Ie­su. They are called Pastores a pascen­do: Pastors of féeding: and féede not at all: and Doctores a docendo: Doc­tors of teaching, and teach not at all: as also Mons a mouendo: a hill hath his name of moouing, and moueth not [Page] at all. These truely are Caterpillers deuouring the swéete fruite of y^e land. They should be serued aright if they were rewarded with Caterpillers. All these men thinke that they can walke vnespied, as though they had Gyges ring vpon their finger to goe inuisible by. Non sic (impij,) non sic: not so (honest men,) not so.

Now they are very bold: They are in their ruffe, and looke for a day: God I trust will mercyfully kéepe vs from that day: And yet I can not sée if they had their purpose, but they shoulde féele the smart of that day. They are weary of their welfare. The clemencie of our most clement Quéene Elizabeth, hath long tyme bin abused: Now it stādeth her Ma­iestie vpō, with weapō of Iustice to bridle insolencie. The dissease of cō ­tempt of lawes which now attacheth so many, can by no meanes be cured but by the medicine of correction. For all this we are not to iudge and con­demne these men to the pit of Hell. Leaue iudgemēt, and condemnation [Page 77] to God. The right hand of God is mightful: he is able of stones: of hard & Idolatrous hearts to rayse vp chil­dren to Abraham: He is able to turne the great Turke, & the Cane of Ca­thai. Lord if it be thy will enlighten their dimme eyes with the influence of thy heauenly grace, that they may sée the truth: open their vncircumci­sed eares, that they may heare the truth: mollifie their hard hearts, that they may loue and embrace the truth: that thou mayest be glorified: thy peo­ple edified: and Sathan confounded. 1. Cor. 11. 19.

A question is proposed: Why is the net broken? I aunswere: Oportet haereses esse: There must be also here­sies amōg you y^t they whiche are ap­proued amōg you might be knowen. Many are called, fewe are chosen. Math. 20. This place aunswereth an Argu­ment of aduersaries agaynst the true Church.

In the true Church are no sectes:

But in your Church are sectes:

Ergo, your Church is not the true Church.

I aunswere: Oportet haereses esse: There must be heresies &c. Also they went from vs but they be not of vs. Furthermore tares are amōg wheat. Secondly I say this Argument is nought. Heretiques are among the elect: Sathan among the children of God. Goates among shéepe. Tares among wheat: ill fishes among good: thornes among lilies: false brethren, false Christiās amōg true Christiās: vessels of dishonour, amōg vessels of honour. Ergo, heretiques are no here­tiques: Sathā is not Sathā: Goates are no goates: tares are no tares: and so of y^e rest. What wise kynde of reasonyng is this? Are not hypocrites in the Church you know y^e mā which was amōg the ghestes at the mariage of the kynges sonne: without a wed­dyng garmēt: The mariage was fur­nished with ghestes good and bad.

Take a Foxe, tye him vp with a chayne and cherish him with bread & milke and howsoeuer you can whole vij. yeares, & if the chayne breake the Foxe will get away & runne into the [Page 78] wood. A Foxe wilbe a Foxe. Many false Christians, two legged Foxes now tyed with the chayne of gouern­ment, and fed with the swéetenesse of the land, outwardly shewe them sel­ues conformable to lawes, loyall and obediēt subiectes. Such Prince such subiectes commōly for the tyme: But if the chayne of gouernemēt, and life of Quéene Elizabeth (whose life God long continue) should breake: vn­doubtedly these Foxes: these hipocri­tes would runne to Rome.

He that doth euill, let him do euill Apoc. 22. 11 still: He which is filthy let him be fil­thy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Albeit Goates féede with Shéepe: they shall not stand on the right hand with Shéepe. Albeit chaffe is thres­shed with wheat, it shall not be caried into the barne with wheat. Albeit ill fishes swimme with good fishes with in the net of our Lord: they shall not be put into vesselles with good fishes but cast away. Let no man forsake [Page] the wheat of Christ for darnell sake: neither the flooer of Christ for chaffe sake: neither y^e great house of Christ for vesselles of dishonour: neither the net of Christ for ill fishes: neither the lillyes for thornes: neither true Chri­stians for hipocrites: neither the chil­dren of God for Sathans sake.

Preasse vpō Christ with this god­ly people to heare the swéet, and com­fortable word of God. Beleue it, loue it, doe it. Know the true Church: be of the true Church: continue in the true Churche: depart not with the Rauen out of the Arke. With Si­mon in the name of Christ, launche out into the déepe, to make a draught: Euery man folow his vocation with inuocation: with prayer. So shall yée haue prosperous successe with Si­mon: so shall yée receiue the fruites of faythfull obedience: in this world peace, and quietnes of conscience: in the world to come such passing aboū ­dant ioy: such passing excellent blisse: as no eye can sée, no eare can heare, no tongue can tell, nor hart can [Page 79] thinke, purchased by Iesus Christ for all those which folow Simon in fayth full obedience: to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all prayse glory and domini­on for euer and euer.