IF (right honourable, wor­shipful, and welbeloued in Three things commēd this scripture. our sauiour Iesus Christ) either the principall cause & author of this scripture, or the instrumentes and seconde causes vttering the same, or the matters therein comprehended, if all, or any of these be duely considered of vs, we shall [Page] finde this present texte to bee of verie great authoritie, and fully replenished with heauenly profite and comfort. Our custome and manner is carefully to respect the authour both of wordes spoken, and déedes done: and as he is learned or ignoraunt, wise or foolishe, well affected or euill disposed, so wée commonly receiue or reiect what soeuer procéedeth from him: for the most part still measuring, in temporall thin­ges, the matter by the man. I say in tē ­poral things, bicause in matters spiritu­all, not so much the men that speake, as the matters spoken, are to be regarded: according to that of our Sauiour. The Matth. 23. 2. 3 Scribes and Pharises sit in Moses ch [...]. Al therefore whatsoeuer they bid you ob­serue, that obserue and doe: but after their workes doe not: for they say and do not. But the authour of this scripture is of such learning, wisedome, holines, as we may safely, and are commaunded streightly, not alone to credite and beleeue his wordes, but also to conforme and fa­shion our selues after his workes. For as of all the sacred Canonicall Scrip­tures, [Page] so, of this nowe in hand, the holy Ghost, that spirite of truth, that comfor­ter Iohn. 15. 26. Rom. 8 14. The holy ghost author of the Cano­nicall Scrip­tures. Act. 28. 25. 2. Tim. 3. 16. of the elect, that director of the faith­full i [...] the cause and authour. To this [...]nd Paul in the laste of the Actes, saith Well spake the holy ghost by Esaias the Prophet, vnto our Fathers &c. Againe, the whole scripture is giuen by inspira­tiō of God. &c. Peter also in his second epistle & first cha. vttereth these wordes. Prophesie came not in olde time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake 2. Pet. 1. 21. as they were moued by the holy Ghost. In like maner the words spoken at the giuing out of the lawe, may truely be vnderstanded of the whole body of all the holy scripture: to wit, God spake all Exod. 20. 1. these wordes. Thus it is apparent and manifest of what reuerend and holy ac­count both this, and all the sacred scrip­ture ought to be, and with what hear­tie obedience we are to yelde ourselues and stoup downe vnto it, sith the holy ghost is authour of the same.

If we likwise respect the instruments, whereby this scripture, as by certein se­cond causes and meanes, hath bene deli­uered [Page] to vs, the excellencie thereof will The present scripture vtte­red by Moses, Stephan, and Peter. also comfortably and plainely apeare. For it is vttered by three excellente ministers and seruauntes of the Lord, by Moses the gouernour of Israel, by Stephan the martyr, & by the Apostle S. Peter.

Moses as we reade in the booke cal­led Moses. Deut. 18. 18. Deuteronomie, and, as these two, Stephan and Peter doe witnesse, was the first speaker of this diuine sentice, & that by the inspiration and direction of the holy Ghost: the occasion whereof is also put down in that place of Deuteronomie, and consisteth in these two bran­ches. First, Moses forbiddeth the Israe­lites Against our Popish wit­ches. to follow the impious maners of y ^e heathen people, in vsing witcheraft, sor­ceries, charming, soothsaying, in ob­seruing times and the fléeing of birdes: in making recourse vnto, and asking counsell of spirites and the deade: pro­nouncing all these abhominable vnto the Lord, & the cause why the Lord hath rooted out those nations, which were infected and defiled with these supersti­tious and damnable vanities. In the o­ther [Page] branch Moses chargeth the Isra­elites to demeane themselues with all duetifull and true harted obedience to­wards y ^e Lord their God, saying, Thou Deut. 18. 13. shalt be vpright therefore with the lord thy God: thereby signifying, that, if we wil haue the lord to be our God, his mercies continued, his vengeaunce de­teyned, we must then not play the lame [...]réeples, and hypocriticall halters by Hipocrisie & halting con­demned. making a mingle mangle & hodgepoge of true religion, & vile superstition: but we must go vprightly, & become vnfeigned detestoures of al impietie & super­stition, and hartie zealous worshippers of the Lord, according to that religion & worship, which the Lord him selfe hath prescribed and cōmaunded in his word. So that the drift of Moses by this scrip­ture, is to induce and persuade the chil­dren of Israell, and all true Christians, not to depende vpon the vile and vaine illusions either of sathan, or of his wic­ked Wee must de­pend vpon, & yelde our sel­ues wholy vnto the worde of God. instruments, but to yelde thēselues to the word of God, & that with true, ha [...]ie, & through obodience. If y ^e Israe­lits had obiected to Moses, y ^t the word of [Page] God was intricat and harde, Prophets to interprete the same were fewe, and An obiection. that Moses and all the prophetes should be taken from them by death, and so the worde of God coulde bee no suche sure staffe for them to trust and leane vnto, Moses, in this my text, doeth skilfully, and to their and our great comfort, an­sweare this obiection, saying: The lord An answere of the same. your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet, &c, meaning that the Lorde will neuer suffer his Church to bée vtterly destitute of true Prophetes and faithful interpreters of his worde.

The seconde instrument, whereby the holy Ghost hath vttered this scrip­ture, the seconde by mine order, is Ste­phan Stephan. the Martyr. For Stephan in hys notable Sermon sealed with his bloud & death, labouring to winne the Iewes vnto Christ, and to pul them from their Act. 7. 2. &c. superstitious obseruation of Moses lawe, he maketh rehearsall of Moses whole historie, as, of his byrth, of his casting out, of his taking vp, and nou­rishing by Pharao his daughter, of his care ouer afflicted Israel, his killing of [Page] the Egyptian, his fléeing into the land of Madian, of the Angels appearing vn­to him in a flame of fire, of the Lordes sending him into Egipt, of the wonders done by his hand in the lande of Egipt. Lest the Iewes should be too superstiti­ously wedded to Moses, and therby hin­dered from imbracing Christ, Stephan procéedeth, and substancially proueth, that, euen this their Moses, whom they so loue, obey, maintaine and cleaue to, e­uen Moses and the law, teach and point vn­to Christe. that he in the lawe, and by his of­fice endeuoured to conduct and guyde them vnto Christ. This, saith Stephā, is that Moses, which said, vnto the chil­dren Actes. 7. 3 of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise vp vnto you, &c. By which words it is euident that Moses would not haue the Iews obstinatly ti­ed to him for euer, but did prophesie and foretell of Iesus Christ the Prince and head of all the prophets, the very mark wherevnto Moses, the lawe, and all the Prophetes were directed: by whom a newe ministerie, to wit, the Prea­ching of the Gospell, shoulde bee publi­shed for the frée remission of sinnes.

Last of al this scripture is vsed by the Apostle S. Peter in this thirde of the Peter. Actes. 3. 22. 23 Acts: Peter & Iohn hauing in the name of Christ, that is say, by the vertue and Christs name. power of Christe, restoared him that was borne lame, vnto his lims: the peo­ple in woondering wise, ran vnto Pe­ter and Iohn, accoūting them the wor­kers of this miraculous eure. Herevp­pon, Peter toke direct occasion to make an excellent sermon, wherein he openly Peters sincere humilitie. and with all humilitie acknowledgeth that this lame créeple was healed, not by their cunning, power, and holinesse, but by the vertue of Iesus Christ: he also vpbraideth them with the villanies done to Christ, setting before their eyes their betraying him, their denying of him the holy one and the Iust, and de­sire of a murtherer to bee giuen vnto Peters sharpe reprouing & sweet comforting the Iews. them: their killinge of the Lorde of life. After hee had thus pearced their heartes with recitall of this barbarons crueltie, the rather to reclame & bringe them to some déepe & swéet féeling both of their owne sinnes, and of God his mercies in Christ, he sheweth that hee [Page] is not persuaded they did these thinges wittingly, willingly, and of a set mali­cious purpose: but telleth them, that, after this manner, the Lord God per­fourmed that, whiche was long before spoken by the Prophetes. And therefore Peter exhorteth them vnto repentance, True repen­tance fleeth vnto Christ. and to turne vnto the Lord, which can­not be done vnlesse they apprehend and catch holde vpon Iesus Christe the pro­mised and perfourmed sauiour, & that with the stronge hand of a liuely faith. This doctrine was straunge and odi­ous to the Iewes, who thought Moses and Christ so repugnant, and the lawe and the Gospell so contrarie, as, if they had embraced Christ and his Gospell, An obiection. they would by and by haue reputed and taken themselues for horrible schisma­tiques and backsliders from Moses and the lawe. Peter wisely preuenteth this An answere of the same. obiection, by citinge this my present texte out of Deuteronomie, from the verie mouth and lawe of Moses. By whiche testimonie so produced, Pe­ter doeth not onely declare his reue­rende opinion conceiued of Moses, but [Page] also firmlie proueth that his doctrine The imbra­cing of Christ is no trans­gressiō of the lawe. doth not dissent from Moses & the lawe, sith both Moses and the law do, in these wordes prophesie of Christ which was then to come, and command obedience to be yelded vnto him at his comming, and that vppon paine of eternall ru­ine and destruction. As hitherto yee haue briefly hearde of this scriptures excellencie, in respect, first of the holy Ghost being author, and then of Moses, Peter, & Stephan vtterers of the same: so now (Christ willing) I will, in more ample maner discouer the dignitie and worthinesse thereof, by reason of the matters therein comprehended.

The whole matter doeth generally concerne the raysing vp of a Prophete: The matter of this text. out of which generall head there plain­ly growe these foure particular and es­peciall braunches.

1 First, By whome, and for whom, this Prophet shall bee raised vp.

2 Secondly, what manner of Pro­phet this shall bee.

3 Thirdly, The attentiue eare and [Page] heartie obedience which must be yelded to this prophet.

4 Fourthly, The Punishment allot­ted to such as will not so heare and o­bey this Prophet.

The Lorde your God shall raise vp vnto you a prophet.

It is not vnknowen (right Chri­stian The raiser vp of this Pro­phete. audience and dearely beloued in our Sauiour Christe) but vniuer­sally knowen, receaued and beléeued of all true Christians, that, as the Lorde Ephe. 1. 4. GOD, before the foundations of the worlde were laide, did, in his ex­céeding ritch mercie, electe and chuse The mēbers of the church fore apointed. vnto saluation a certaine number of mankinde, whereof his Church should consist and stand, so the same our hea­uenly father determined in his good time, and at his good pleasure, to call those his electe and chosen people vnto the true knowledge and comfortable féeling of his sonne Iesus Christ, that so they might be iustified by fayth in him, and afterwarde glorified with him. [Page] Thus much Saint Paul teacheth vs in this short sentence, Whome he predes­tinate, Rom. 8. 30. them also he called, and whom he The preching of the worde the meane to call the elect. called, them also he iustified, and whom he iustified, them also he glorified. For a meane, whereby these so elected might be called into the bodie and bosome of the Church: the Lorde hath mercifully giuen, and mightily preserued his holy worde, wherein his will is reuealed, Gods will is the perfect rule of righte­ousnesse. which his will, is the verie perfect rule of righteousnesse, whereby the children of God are to frame and square out the whole course of all their life, aswell for true religion & the righte worshipping of him: as also for their conuersation & dealing in the worlde. To the ende this wil of God thus conteined in his word, might be manifested and made knowen both to the elect, for their calling vnto Christe: and also to the reprobate for their iuster condemnation, to this end the Lord hath in his Church ordeined a ministerie of his worde and will, and that by the meanes of men, to whome seuere commandment is giuen to shew the people their transgressions, to ad­monish The office of Christs mini­sters. [Page] the wicked of his way, to teach and baptise all nations, to preache the worde instantlie, in season and out of Esa. 58. 1. Ezech. 33. 8. Math. 28 19. 2. Tim. 4. 2. Tit. 1. 9. season: to exhorte with wholesome doc­trine, to improue them that say against it. And Moses, in this place cited by Peter, assureth vs, that, as God, hath of his mercie, once set an instructing ministerie in his Church: so with the same hee will euer blesse his Churche, so long as it shall bee militaunt and warfaring vpon the earth, and there­fore stand in néede of ministers. For A comforta­ble assurance of true mini­sters of the worde. whereas Moses sayth, The Lorde your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophet, He doeth vs to vnderstande that God will continually stirre vp such as shall diligently instruct his people in y ^e true knowledge of his holy worde. So that this first entraunce into our present text, teacheth that the Ministerie is no mans ordinance, but the Lordes insti­tution. To confirm this, many strong & The ministi­stery ordeined by God. substanciall testimonies may be pro­duced out of the sacred scriptures. For that Commission Marc. 16. Goe ye into Mark 26. 15. all the worlde, and preach the gospel to [Page] euery creature. Those wordes of Christ to the disciples, As my father sent me, so Iohn. 20. 21. sende I you, that speache of Paule, how shall they preache, except they be sent? that rehersall of ecclesiasticall functions Rom. 10. 15. whiche Paule maketh, that charge Eph. 4. 11. giuen by our sauiour, Wherefore pray the Lorde of the haruest, that he woulde Math. 9. 83. thrust out laborers into his haruest: those seuē starres in the right hand of Christ: Apo. 1. 16. 20 doe not al and euery one of these places strongly proue that the ministerie of the worde and sacramentes is no fan­cie of man, no inuention of fleshe and bloude, no alone politique order for the gouernement of the common wealth, but the very holy ordinance of the Lord our God? Hence therefore spring these considerations touching the ministery, to witte.

If the Lord God be the authour of the ministery, then what men, of whatsoe­uer What care is to be vsed in the election of ministers. countenāce in the vniuersal world, shall once dare with vnwashen hands, that is to say, of corrupt affection, to e­lect or admit any to the ministerie, whi­che the word of God alloweth not to be ministers, and many times not to be so much as Christians? If I hastened not to other matter, I mighte in this place discouer the Romish Clergie, and shew both howe the holy ordinaunce and in­stitution of the ministerie is by them profaned, and how miserablie they haue seduced the Lord his people: when as al The popish Clergie no true mini­sters of Christ their Priests are horrible Idolatours, and in most of them is found neither a­bilitie, nor will either to instruct and féede their flockes, or to explane and o­pen their owne Idolatrous seruice, or to make anie reckening of a right faith, and therefore I may iustly wipe that greazed generation out of the number of god his true ministers. For in y ^e mi­nisters of god it is necessarily required, that, as Paule writeth to Titus, they hold fast that faithful word according to Tit. 1. 9. [Page] doctrine, and be also able to exhorte with wholesome doctrine, and to con­uince them that say against it. Sith the Romishe Cleargie are so farre of from imbracing, beléeuing, following, and teaching this faithfull worde, that they oppose and set them selues against it, with all their might and mayne, pro­phane it, corrupt it, burne it, take on, and rage with fire and sworde against it, howe then can they be accounted in the number of true ministers? It may be that some will thinke to méete with me by and by, and to beate me An obiection against some of our mini­sters. with mine owne rodde: obiecting, that, if none bée true and good ministers, but such as are able and willing sound­ly, without halting: sincerely, with­out corruption: valiauntly, without feare to deliuer the whole will of God conteined in his worde, vnto his peo­ple, then we shall finde in these dayes of ours, and in this our owne Chur­che many, that are no good minis­ters.

It were a straunge and lamentable Answere to the same. case, if in this age of our Church, such [Page] grosse imperfections should be founde: and if suche bee founde, verely, rather teares are to bée shedde, and prayers powred out for spéedy reformation: then any long aunswere made in this place to that former obiection. But this I must néeds say, that, as in the begin­ning when y ^e abolishing of poperie was attempted, flesh and bloud might haue Some causes of a maimed ministerie in the beginning pretended some reasons for the placing of vnméete ministers, namely, that the number of Popish sacrificers to be dis­placed, was great: the number of lear­ned ministers to succéede them, was small: the Vniuersities were infected: as man might haue coulorablie preten­ted these causes of a rawe ministerie in that beginning: So I knowe no ex­presse worde of God, no sounde autho­ritie of any writer, no good reasō which can be now yelded for the continuance No cause of the continu­ance thereof. and encrease of the same: especially in this longing of the people to be taught, in this staruing of soules with wante of teaching, in this comfortable a­boundaunce Causes to the contrarie. of able ministers whiche both the Vniuersities maye, and are [Page] willing yearely to sende out into the Lordes great haruest. Let vs all there­fore, as many as wishe for the perfect beautie of Sion, heartily pray the Lord so thoroughly to deuour the heartes of all placed in authoritie with his grati­ous spirite, that both in making mini­sters, and in bestowing liuings appoin­ted for ministers, the glorie of God, the profite of the church, the institution and description of ministers conteined in his worde, may alwaies be carefully & obediently resoected.

Mée thinkes I sée by his outwarde countenaunce, that some Romanistes heart is inwardly cheared with this my speach of our ministers. But soft a No cause why any papist should re­ioyce at the former speach of some of our ministers. while, looke before ye leape, and be not merrie without cause. For, blessed bee God, Englande hath at this time good and great cause spiritually to re­ioyce, and hartily to blesse and praise the Lord for the goodly store of godly, lear­ned, wise, & painfull ministers, where­with Our ioyfull plentie of good mini­sters. he, in his rich mercie, thath so bles­sed vs, as our forefathers, albeit, no doubt, they often wished, yet they sel­dom, [Page] or neuer enioyed the like. And this I may boldly say, and proue it substan­tially, that the meanest of all our mini­sters, though vnable to preach, are not­withstanding such, as for their true re­ligion, Our simplest ministers bet­ter then the best (if any be good) of the popish clergie right worshipping of God, zea­lous affection to the Gospell, prayinge for and with their congregations in a knowen language, onely to the Lord, and their wishing well, and séeking, as they can, to doe good in their charges, &c. may iustly bee preferred to the lear­nedst, to the wisest, and deuoutest of all that Romish rabble of sacrificing prie­stes.

As yee haue hearde that the Lorde God beeing authour of the ministerie, therefore great care must be had in ope­ning The consci­ence and abi­litie of such as desire the mi­nisterie. the dores of the ministerie, that none, vpon any carnal respect, be there­vnto admitted: so this consideration, that the Lorde is the raiser vp of Pro­phetes, the ordeiner of ministers, the sender foorth of preachers, ought so to preuaile in the hearte of euery priuate true Christian man, that hee shoulde make choyse rather to begge his bread, [Page] and abide any hard estate in the world, then, beeing vnfite for that function, to intrude himself into the same, either for a last refuge, or for ease, or for pro­fite, or anye other vnchristian conside­rations.

It is saide in the Epistle to the He­brues, Heb. 5. 4. No man taketh honour to him­selfe, but hee that is called of GOD, &c. It is then Gods calling that ma­keth the office & entring into the same, lawefull. Whosoeuer therefore taketh No man can assure himself that he is a true minister, vnlesse he bee called of God on him the office of a minister, without this inward calling of god, cannot haue y ^e sure testimony of a good cōscience y ^• he is a true minister. And how shal any mā assure himselfe that the Lorde hath cal­led him, to take the charge of his people to guide his flocke, to breake vnto their soules the bread of life, vnlesse hee finde that the same Lorde hath mercifully adorned and beautified him with such How a mini­ster shall know if he be called of God. graces, as are requisite and necessarie for a minister of the worde: to witte, sounde knowledge of the worde, abili­tie sincerelie to teache it, strongly to maintaine the trueth, valiauntly to [Page] conuince errour, and to applie thys worde with profite and discretion?

This consideration of these notes and markes, whereby the Lordes calling of any man to the ministerie maye bee discerned, will, I trust, teach men to holde themselues thankefully conten­ted with their owne vocations, and not to leape of from their stalles, and out of their shoppes and trades into the mi­nisterie, to the offence of the godlie, the What gree­uous offences ignorant mi­nisters giue. hardening of the wicked, the contempt of the worde, and displeasure of the LORDE our GOD, which is the author of the ministerie.

Héere, according to promisse I woulde speake of the dignitie and excel­lencie of Christ his true ministers, but that the same is so often and so plaine­ly mentioned in the holy worde of God, as no diligent reader or hearer of the The dignitie of true mini­sters is mani­fest, by. worde, can bee ignorant of the same. The names whereby they are called, the office to them inioyned, the person they represent: all these euery one of these, & diuers other respects to the same end, do plainly certifie vs of their high, [Page] holy and excellent function.

They are called the salt of the earth, Their names. Mat. 5. 13. 14. 1. Cor 5 1. the light of the worlde, the ministers of Christe, disposers of the secretes of God, preachers of the worde, starres, 2. Tim. 4. 2. Apo. 1. 16. 20. Angels.

Their office is to season and poulder the heartes of the elect with the swéete sauour of Iesus Christ their sauiour, to Their office. be meanes to illuminate and lighten our darke vnderstanding by a sincere interpretation of the worde, to mini­ster the Gospell and sacramentes of Christ, to receiue light frō Iesus Christ the Sunne of righteousnes, and to con­ueigh the same to vs for the guiding of our steppes: to carie, like trustie Am­bassadours, and faithfull messengers, the Lorde his will and pleasure to his seruaunts. They represent y ^e verie per­son of the Lorde Iesus, as is euident by The person thei represent Mat. 10. 40. Luc. 10. 16. his owne wordes, He that receiueth you receiueth me: & again, He y ^t heareth you, heareth me: & he that dispiseth you, dis­spiseth mee, &c. These fewe, but yet greate thinges spoken of the worthy­nesse of Christe his ministers, are, I [Page] trust, sufficient to bringe them out of that contempt wherevnto they are gro­wen The contēpt of godly mi­nisters. by the malice of Sathan, by the wicked practises of his instrumentes, and by the horrible vnthankefulnesse of the worlde.

THE SECOND PART.

AS ye haue heard in the first parte What maner of Prophete this is. that the Lord shal raise vp this pro­phete, whereby hath béen declared, that, not carnall man, but the immortall and euerliuing God is authour of the mi­nisterie, so in the second place we are to consider what manner of Prophete the Lorde shall raise vp: our text saith.

A Prophet of your brethren, like to mee.

Wée reade in the holy scriptures of Three kindes of prophetes. Marlor. loc. com. three sortes and kindes of Prophetes. The first are such, as were extraordina­rilie stirred vp by the LORDE, and vsed to aske counsell of the Lorde for the comfort of the Churche in her great [Page] extremities. These Prophets were cal­led Séers, of whom it is spoken in the Seers. firste booke of the Cronicles, as of God, Dauids Séer: and of Samuell the Se­er. 1. Cor. 21. 9. 26. 28. The seconde sorte were also extra­ordinarily sente by the Lorde too inter­prete Interpreters of the lawe. the lawe of God, when the prie­stes ceased, such were Isay? Ieremie, &c. The thirde kinde of Prophetes are such as the Lorde hath blessed with a­bilitie To prophesie. and giftes to enterprete and ap­plie the holie scriptures: so that to pro­phecie, Preachers of the worde. or to bee a Prophete in this last sence, is to open the worde of GOD by a sounde, diligent, playne, and faith­full interpretation, and to applie the same both for the ingendring, encrease, and confirmation of faith: and also for the reformation and amendement of life, such, as some thinke were the Pro­phetes Actes. 13. 1. at Antiochia, spoken of in the thirtéenth of the Actes. In this sence all true preachers are prophets. Thus lik­wise Pro. 29. 18. I take Salomons saying, Where The necessitie of Preaching. Prophesie fayleth, the people perishe, that is, where there is not a faithfull ministery, a true & diligent interpreta­tion, [Page] a through application of the word, there the people by heapes, runne head­long into vtter destruction.

To this ende, and in this meaninge doeth Moses vtter these wordes, The Lord your God shall rayse vp vnto you a Prophete, signifying a continuall mi­nisterie of the worde for inlarginge the kingdome, & building vp the church of Christ.

Howbeit both Stephan in the sea­uenth, and Peter in the thirde of the Actes, doe so vse the testimonie of Mo­ses, Stephan and Peter aplie this text chef­ly to Christ. that they doe more particularly re­streigne the same vnto our Sauiour Christe. For their purpose is to per­suade the Iewes, that to hearken vnto, and beleeue in Christ, is not repug­nante and contrarie to the Lawe of Moses, because Moses him selfe spea­king of Christ, sayth, A Prophete shall the Lorde &c. There is no contrarie­tie betwéene my first interpretation of this prophet for all the ministerie, and This prophet importeth Christ and all his ministers. my thus vnderstandinge of Christe by this Prophete. For as this Pro­phete doeth generally importe the [Page] whole number of true ministers, pro­phetes, and preachers: so it hath also Christ the marke of all true ministers an especiall relation vnto Iesus Christ, the head and prince, the butte & marke, the scope & end of all the true ministery, which euer was, is presently, or shall be hereafter vpon the whole face of the earth. Beholde here then the comfor­table signification, and importaunte The comfor­table signe of this prophet. nature of this prophete, euen that Ie­sus Christ, by his might and mercie, shall euer bee with his Church: and that, from time to time the Lorde will rayse vp and sende out true ministers for his Church. This alone considera­tion and knowledge is fully fraught with singular comforte. If we call to our remembrāce that an houshold with The wofull estate of the Church wan­ting true mi­nisters. out a stewarde, waxeth disordered: that schollers wanting an instructour, can­not be learned: that a shippe destitute of a guide is vnlikely to be preserued: we shall then easily perceiue, and clearely sée the moste lamentable estate of the Church when it is depriued of true mi­nisters, which are y ^e Lords stewards, to 1. Cor. 4. 1. Mat. 28. 19. dispose his secretes: the Lords scholma­sters [Page] to teach his people: the Lords vn­derguides to direct his flock of Shéep in Iohn 10. 16. to the sheepefold of Iesus Christe. The faithfull among all other griefes, rec­kon this for one of the greatest, we see not our sagnes, there is not one Prophet Psal. 74. 9. more. But, although for our sinnes, in­gratitude, contempt, and disobedience, the Lorde, in his displeasure, doth often take away his worde, and ministers, in such sort, as the worlde many times iudgeth the worde vtterly abandoned, and the ministers thereof altogether destroyed: yet, euen in those times of hott afflictions, the Lord hath continu­ally raised vp true prophetes and prea­chers, God leaueth not his church destitute of ministers in persecution. to his true hearted Israelites, whereof this Citie hath often had most comfortable triall & experience. There­fore, let vs faithfully holde in our harts as a sure ground, and infallible princi­ple for euer, that, if wee wil be diligent hearers, faithfull beleeuers, and obedi­ent practizers of his worde, The Lorde our God shall raise vp a Prophet vnto vs, that is, will still mercifully blesse vs with the presence of Iesus Christe, and [Page] with sincere, learned, painfull, discréete, and godly interpreters & ministers of his worde.

Moses procéedeth in the description of this Prophet, and sayth.

of your brethren, like to me.

Ye haue alreadie heard that Moses speaketh these words in generall man­ner respecting both Christe and his mi­nisters, but that Peter doth more par­ticularly applie them vnto Christe, and therfore it behoueth me to speake of the same wordes.

To preserue and keepe y ^e Israelites, & in them, all Christians, from béeing How these wordes con­cerne the whole mini­sterie. defiled with the impious maners of the gentiles, & to make them for euer who­ly cleaue to y ^e word of God, Moses hath promised a cōtinual opening of y ^e word, & wil of god therin comprised. The peo­ple might haue said to Moses, peraduen­ture An obiection thy meaning is, y ^t the Lord himself will teach vs in his owne person. But this wee canne in no wise brooke. For, [Page] we founde his maiestie so glorious, his The maiestie of God. voice so terrible, his words so pearcing, at the giuing out of the lawe vppon Deut. 19. 18. moūt Sinai, that we looked for present Deu 20. 18. 1 [...] death; and therefore prayed that wee might no more heare the Lorde speake vnto vs in his owne person. Moses, to take away this feare, telleth them that An aunswere to that obiec­tion. this prophet shall be of their owne bre­thren; that is, of their owne stocke, bloude, and kinred: and like to him, that is, a man as he is, in companie with thē as he is, teaching them as familiarly, as plainely, as mildely, as louingly, as he doth. Hence we are taught y ^t as it is The good­nesse of God in teaching vs by our brethren. a great benifit to be rightly instructed in the will and way of the Lorde: so the Lorde hath dealt gratiously with vs, in that he teachech vs not in his glorious maiestie, to confounde vs: but in his great mercie, to saue vs: not fearefully, by thundring, lightening, & tempests to afraie vs, but by men of our own coun­trie, of our own nature, of our own ac­quaintaunce, to encourage aad allure vs. Howe this speach touch­eth Christ.

Now, to vnderstād this speach of Christ [Page] (as Stephan and Peter doe) it must be thus construed, that Christ, touching Gen. 22. 18. his humane nature, shoulde descende from the stocke of Abraham, and bee borne among the Iewes. And therefore ther was no cause at al why the Iewes shoulde either feare or dispise Christe, sith by byrth he shoulde bee their owne countrieman, and in familiar, and lo­uing instruction, like to Moses. But this Christes likenesse to Moses must Christ not so like Moses, but that hee farre passeth Moses. not be so taken, as if in Christe there coulde bee founde nothing more ex­cellent then was in Moses. For, Moses was but a man, Christ, God and man: Moses was a man subiect to sinne, Christ is a man frée from sinne: Moses was but a seruant, Christ is the Lorde and Maister. But Christe and Moses Wherein Christes like­nesse to Moses doth stand. are herein like, bicause they were both Prophets and interpreters of God his will to his people, & because Moses was a liuely figure of Christ, as may appear by a briefe comparison made betwéene Christ and Moses. Moses, being in cre­dite in king Pharaho his house, chose rather to suffer afflictions with his bre­thren [Page] the Israelites, then to liue in Exod. 2. 11. ease and estimation in the Courte of Pharaho: Our sauiour Christ, being in the glorious heauens, the second person Luke. 2. 11. 12 in Trinitie, had suche compassion on our most miserable estate, that he de­scended and came downe into this vale of myserie for the accomplishment of our redemption. Moses was vnkindly Nu. 12. 1 14 2 entreated of his brethren the Iewes, Christ comming among his owne, was Iohn. 1. 11. not receiued. Moses deliuered Israell Exod. 14. 27. from Egypt, and drowned Pharaho & his hoste in the red sea: Christe raunso­med vs from spiritual Egypt, which is Col. 1. 13. 2. 15. hel: and from spiritual Pharaho, which is the diuell. Moses fedde the Isra­elites Exod. 16. 15. with Manna from heauen: Christ nourisheth vs with his body and bloud. Math. 26 26. Moses tolde the people so muche of the The scripture conteineth all things neces­sarie to our saluation. Luc. 16. 29. Ephe 2 20. 2. Tim 3. 15. Lords will as was néedeful for them to know: Christ hath left writtē in the sa­cred volume of the holy canonical scrip­tures, whatsoeuer is necessary to oure saluatiō. I might cōtinue this compari­sō, but thus much is sufficient to shewe the reason of Moses speach: and thus we [Page] percieue how these words [...] Prophet of your brethren like to me, may well be vnderstanded both of all the ministerie in generall, and of our sauiour Christe especially, and of each and of both, to our verie greate comforte, and encourage­ment to become carefull and effectuall hearers of Christ and his ministers.

The third part.

Ye shall heare him in all thinges what soeuer he shall say vnto you.

THe former scripture before handled, hath certified vs that God shall stir vp this prophet, and that he is therfore authour of the ministerie: and also that by this Prophet, Iesus Christe, and, in him, all his true ministers are vnder­standed. Nowe these words conteining What eare & obedience must be gi­uen to this Prophet. the third parte, doe vs to vnderstand of the eare which must be giuen, and the obedience which must be yelded to this Prophet, Ye shall heare him in al things &c. y ^t is to say, ye shal with al obedience conforme your selues to his doctrine. [Page] Here Peter proueth that Moses attem­ted not to tie the Iewes vnto the lawe for euer, but that the office of Moses and the Lawe was to bring them vnto Christe. So Paule writing vnto the Galathians, saith: The lawe was our Scholemaister, to bring vs vnto Christe, Gala. 3. 24. 25 that wee mighte bee made righteous by faith: but after this faith is come, we ar no longer vnder a Scholemaister. Where­by The office of the Law is to bring vs vnto Christ. it is plaine that the lawe canne claime no longer righte in vs, or rule ouer vs, after it hath once brought vs vnto our sauiour Iesus Christe. The scholler is in subiection to his schole­maister, till he become learned, and then he is set at libertie. In like man­ner the law hath perfourmed the office therunto appointed, whē by it we haue learned to sée and knowe, and acknow­ledge our infirmities, corruptiō, sinful­nes, vnrighteousnes, & to fly vnto Christ to be iustified by faith in him Sith this Christ, which is the marke whereat the law shooteth, and the iustifier of the vn­righteous, sith he is come, Peter, out of the law, exhorteth the Iewes, & vs al, to [Page] heare him with heartie obedience. Yea, the glorious voyce of almightie God Christ our a­lone Schole­master. sounding from heauen, appointeth this the only Messias to be our onely schole­master, and vs to be his onely schollers, saying, This is that my beloued sonne, in whome I am well pleased: heare him. Math. 17. 5.

Here we must make a distinction Two sortes of hearing. of hearing Christ and his worde. There is one kinde of hearing which is onely externall and outward, when as the a­lone sounde and voice of the gospell oc­cupieth the eares of man, but entreth Hearing that is only exter­nal to damna­tion. Esa. 6. 9. Math. 13. 14. not into the heart, there to take good & comfortable effect. Of this hearing E­sai speaketh in the 6. chapter, which our sauiour citeth in the 13. of Matthew, By hearing ye shall heare, and not vnder­stand: Wher the Prophet, in the person and name of the Lord God manaceth y ^e wicked, that, through their own malice their hearts shal be so hardened, as they shall onely heare the outward sounde of the worde to their condemnation: but it shall not swéetely touche their heartes for their conuersion & saluation. Such hearers were traiterous Iudas, the ob­stinate [Page] Pharises, the malitious wicked 2. Cor. 2. 16. ones, to whom the preaching of the gos­pell is the sauour of death vnto death.

But, an other kind of hearing there is, which hath alwayes accompanying Faithfull hea­ring to salua­tion. it, and inseparably ioyned to it, faith in beléeuing that which is heard, and obe­diēce in following that which is heard and beléeued. This hearing Moses vn­derstandeth by saying, Yee shall heare him in all things, &c. This hearing the voyce from heauen signifieth, giuing to heare him. This hearing our Sa­uiour Mat. 17. 5. meaneth, He that is of God, heareth Iohn. 8. 47. Gods words: and in an other place, My sheepe heare my voyce, and I know them, and they followe mee. Thus A­braham Iohn. 10. 27. with faith and obedience heard the Lordes calling, when as hee depar­ted Gene. 12. 4. out of his countrie. Gene. the xii. circumcised himselfe Genesis the xvii. Gene. 17. 24. and offered vp his onely sonne Isaac, as is recorded in the xxii. of Genesis. Gene. 22. 10.

Thus the Prophets, Apostles, Mar­tyres, and all the faithfull heard Christ and his word when as neither pennury and lacke of necessaries, neither hatred [Page] and malice of men, neither pollicies and fetches of Sathan, neither tormentes and cruelties of Tyrantes, neither losse of life, and death it selfe coulde make them fal away from Iesus Christ their Generall and captaine. It is written that Zeusis so artificially painted a cluster of grapes, that the birds flew to it, and picked at it, supposing it had ben a true naturall cluster. These silie poore byrdes were much deceiued: for they founde but painted grapes. Verilie, whosoeuer shall heare the worde of God in this last sense of hearing, and after the example of these hearers thus liue­ly discribed by the holy Ghost, they shall finde that those were, and themselues are no peinted and counterfeit hearers, but verie true and effectuall hearers of this prophete Christe and his holy gos­pell. They shal neuer deceiue their own selues, as did the birdes, and the vaine hearers do, but shall be blessed in their deed. These hearers heare not Christe Ia. 1. 22. 25. and his word after their owne fancie & liking, but in whatsoeuer he saith vnto thē, as Peter here teacheth out of Mo­ses. [Page] From the premisses & matters be­fore A conclusion inferred vpon the discripti­on o [...] true hearers. spoken concerning true hearers of the worde, there groweth this conclu­sion: If none be true, fruitfull, and pro­fitable hearers of the worde, either to their owne comforte and commoditie, or to God his honour & glory, but such, as heare with faith to beléeue in Christ, and his worde, and with obedience to followe Christe and his worde, then both idolatrous Papistes, and carnall protestantes (I will not once name A­theistes) are quit & clean excluded out of the number of true, right, & Christian hearers. That Papists hear not Christ, & his ministers in this sense of hearing, Papistes are not true hea­rers of Christs Gospell. that is, that they do not conforme their religion according to the doctrine con­teined in, and deliuered vnto them out of the worde of God, this is a matter so manifest, as all the faithfull do lamen­tablie and with griefe of hearte beholde the same. And, to giue themselues (if a­ny be present) some taste thereof, I will here ioyne battell and incounter with them, vsing that onely sentence vtter­red by our sauiour in the sourth of Iohn [Page] for the weapon, whereby I am sure, & I truste the greatest number present, This alone sentence con­futeth and cō foundeth all poperie. will confesse, that their whole religion or rather superstition, is wounded at the hearte, and stricken quite dead. For Christ in that place, talking with the woman of Samaria, telleth her y ^e God is a spirit, and they that worshippe him, Iohn. 4. 25. must worshippe him in spirit and truth. If we either looke on the whole body of their religion in grosse, or dismember and rippe the same into péeces, and be­holde Romish Reli­gion. euerie member, euerie ioynt, e­uerie sinewe, euerie veine, euerie ar­terie, euerie muscle thereof, we shall be enforced to confesse, that, among them, there is no worshipping of God in spi­rite and trueth, but that all their wor­shippe A vew of po­perie in gene­rall. and religion is corporall, exter­nall, and ceremoniall. Whosoeuer shall with iudgement indifferētly view their Meere cere­moniall. Religion, shall, in déede, perceiue it to be nothing else but an apishe and coun­terfeite imitation of the ceremoniall law. Hence they fetch their alters, can­dlestickes, Sensours, Perfumes, gar­mentes, Oblations, festiuall dayes, so­lemne [Page] feasts, difference of times, obser­uation of meates, purifications, sacrifi­ces, An Apish imitation of the ceremoniall lawe. and a number of the like nature. But as in all these and the residue, they haue no sauour of spirite and trueth a­gréeable either to gods nature discri­bed, or to the doctrin of the Gospell deli­uered by Christ: so, in their following of the lawe, they doe shamfully halte. To giue yee an instance, they celebrate their masse at the Altar, but Christ mi­nistred his laste supper at a table. I Mar. 14 18. cannot denye but the lawe Ceremoni­all doeth commaunde Altars: howbeit such Altars as shall be neither of hew­ed Exo. 20. 25. 26 stone, nor haue any steppes ther vnto belonging. But the Romish Altars are of hewen stowne, and haue steppes, as is apparant in their Sinagogues: and A transgressi-of the law ce­remoniall. as appereth by steppes yet remayning in many of our Temples, whereby ei­ther longing for that heathenish super­stition, or at the least, colde affection to Altar steppes in our Tem­ples. aduance true religion, is vndoubtedly signified. But, admitte their whole re­ligion were fully, in euery pointe, cor­respondent and answerable to the law [Page] ceremoniall, what else shoulde that bée, but a full and flatte deniall of Christes The through obseruation of the Cere­monial law, is a through de­niall of Christ death and passion, and of all the merits of the same? This is most substancially proued by our sauiour Christ, and by his seruaunt Paule. Christ in that for­mer scripture before cited, saith that God is a spirit, and therefore they y ^t wor­shippe Iohn. 4. 25. him, must worship him in spirit and trueth. In that place Spirit & truth are opposed and set against the ceremo­nies of the law, and the words of Christ so vttered to the woman of Samaria, The effectual signification of those wor­des Spirite & trueth. importe thus much: Before the incar­nation of me the then promised, and nowe perfourmed sauiour, ye worship­ped God in shadowes, in figures, in ceremonies, in sacrifices: but I béeing nowe come, who am the body of those shaddowes, the trueth of those figures, the substāce of those sacrifices, the mat­ter of those ceremonies, nowe that ex­ternall worship ceaseth, and ye muste now worship God onely in spirite and trueth Here Paule saith in his Epistle to the Ephesians the second chapter, He, that is Christ, is our peace, which hath Ephe. 2. 14. [Page] made of both one, and hath broken the stop of the partition wall: in abrogating through his flesh, the hatred, that is, the law of cōmandementes, which standeth in ordinaunces &c. Again, writing vnto the Collossians, he hath the same in ef­fect Colloss. 2. 14. and meaning. By both these places we are taught that Christ, by his death Christs death ended and a­brogated the Ceremoniall lawe. and passion, hath abrogated & taken a­way the whole law of ceremonies: that place also in the last to the Hebrues is verie notable to this end and purpose, We haue an Altar, wherof they haue no Heb. 13. 10. authoritie to eat, which serue in the Ta­bernacle. Whereby it is concluded, that such as yet dwell in ceremonies of the law (much more of mens deuising) are strangers frō Iesus Christ, who, by his one sacrifice of his own body, once of­fered for al, hath cancelled the obligati­on Obseruers of the Ceremo­niall lawe. cut themselu [...] from Christ. and handwriting of the ceremoniall lawe which was against vs. By these & y ^e like testimonies of holy scripture, we sée that such as worship God either af­ter the ceremoniall law of God, or after the ceremoniall deuises of men, do ther­by deny the force of Christs death, yea [Page] they deny y ^t Iesus Christ is come in the flesh. Of such mē S. Ioh. speaketh in his first epistle, Euery spirit y ^t cōfesseth not Iesus Christ to be come in y ^e flesh, is not of god: but this is the spirit of Antichrist, &c. I referre the néerer application of this sentence to their own consciences, praying the lord to giue them grace ef­fectually to sée, cōfortably to fele, & faith fully to acknowledge y ^e Lord Iesus, to­gither with y ^e mightie force of his most effectuall death & passion. Plinie in the Plin. li. 8. nat. histor. cap. 27. eight booke of his naturall historie re­porteth, y ^e Swallowes vse to make the blind & soare eyes of their yong ones to sée, by rubbing the same w ^c an herbe cal­led Celandine, so named, some say, of Celandine. the swallowes first finders, and such v­sers therof: some say, quia confert caelestia dona, bicause it hath heauenly vertues. The papists eyes are very sore & blind, The papistes eyes sore and blind. they cannot abide to looke vppon Iesus Christ the glorious sonne of God thus brightly shining amōgest vs. The Lord in his mercie giue thē his heauenly Ce­landine, I mean his holy spirit, y ^t there­with their blind eyes may bee opened, [Page] their darke vnderstanding lightened, A view of the principal mē ­bers of their and our religion together. Only God to be worship­ped. Deu. 10. 20. 6 19. Mat. 4. 10 Only God to be praied vnto Psal. 50. 15. Mat. 6. 9. We must pray with the hart. Esa. 29. 13. Mat. 15. 8. 1. Cor. 14. 15. Faith onely iustifieth. Gen. 15. 6. Hab. 2. 4. Rom. 5. 1. Gal. 2. 16. Two Sacra­ments. Mat. 28. 19. Mat. 26. 26. The sacra­ments must be admini­stred accor­ping to christs institution. 1. Cor. 11. 23 their hard harts mollified & softened. If as in grosse we haue viewed the whole bodie of their religiō, so nowe we looke vppon the same by piece meale, shal we therein finde any spirite and truth? shal we not finde it altogether deuoid of spi­rite and trueth, and wholy corporall, carnall, and earthly? Spirite and truth will haue the Lord God alone worship­ped and serued: they worship and serue Saintes, creatures, Reliques, bootes, buskins, nailes, &c. Spirit & trueth will haue God alone to be prayed vnto: they pray to Saintes, to creatures, to Ima­ges, to stockes and stones. Spirite and trueth will haue our praiers procéede from an vnderstanding hart: they teach & charge the people to pray in a strange and vnknowen language. Spirite and trueth will haue vs fréely iustified by faith in Christ, they ioyne mans merits purchasers with the pretious bloude of Christ. Spirite and truth wil haue but two Sacramentes, to wit Baptisme, and the Lords supper: they adde to these two, fiue moe of their owne coyning, & [Page] so will haue seuen sacraments. Spirite and truth willeth vs simplie to admini­ster the Sacramentes according to the Lords holy institutiō: they haue added, altred, deminished, augmented, as them selues lusted. To baptism they haue ad­ded oyle, creame, spittle, crossings, bap­tizing by women, baptizing before the birth of the childe, a tying of saluation vnto baptisme. To the Lord his supper they haue added, Altars, candlestickes, Tapers, pixe, Transubstantiatiō, Ado­ration, reseruatiō, circumgestation and carrying about of the Sacrament. &c. Spirite and trueth willeth vs to heare christ In al things whatsoeuer he shal say Christ must be h [...]rd in all thinges. Deut 18 22. Mat. 17 5. T [...]e holy scripture con­teineth al thinges necessarie to saluation. Deu. 4. 6. Lu. 1 [...] 29. &c. vnto vs, Wherby we are throughly assured that all things necessarily required vnto our saluation are conteined in the sacred scriptures: but they ground vpon reuelatiōs, apparitions, vnwritten ve­rities, lying myracles, and most absurd fables. Thus I might (right welbelo­ued in the Lord) examine the huge mō ­strous masse of all their religion, and nether in it al generally, nor in any par­ticular part thereof finde any spirit and [Page] trueth, but only that, which is earthly, corporal, carnal and fleshlie. If it be re­plied that the papists are learned men, antient men, wise men, & of long expe­rience, An obiection that the Pa­pists are lear­ned. &c. and y ^t therfore it is maruel they shold so grosly be deceiued, that wheras god being a spirit, & therfore wil be worshipped in spirit and truth, they haue yet in al their seruice & worship no spirit & truth. The scribes & Pharises were as Answere to the same. ancient, wise, learned, and expert as the papists, & yet they persecuted & crucified Christe, and with all violence opposed & set themselues against his gospell. In the eleuenth of Matth. Christ breaketh out into these words, I giue thee thanks, O father, Lord of heauē & earth, bicause thou hast hid these things from the wise Mat. 11. 25. and men of vnderstanding, and hast o­pened them to babes. It is so, O father, bi­cause thy good pleasure was such. This our heauenly Scholemaster here tea­cheth y ^t true religion, right knowledge of the worde, and a thorough féeling of Christ, are not tied to the Vniuersities, to great Doctours, to gray heads, but that the Lord God bestoweth these good [Page] giftes fréely, in what place soeuer, at what time soeuer, and vpon whome so­euer Ioan. [...] 8. he pleaseth.

And, verily, as the Scribes and Pha­rises framed to themselues certeine de­uices to kéep them from Christ, as that he was but the sonne of a carpenter, kept companie with sinners, abounded not with worldly iolitie in princely ma­ner, Mat. 13. 55. Mar. 2. 16 so, for all the world, do our Papists deuise means to hinder them from com­ming vnto the same Christ. We can­not, say they, away with his newe doc­trine, The fond ar­guments of ignorant de­ceiued soules. (for so they sclanderously call the auntient trueth of God his worde) all is new plaine Dunstable, the seruice is in the vulgare toung, euerie bodie may vnderstand it, the edifying of the soul is now altogether cared for, there is now A liuely and true picture of the Popish masking reli­gion. in our Church no pleasing and deligh­ting of our outward sēces. In our masse time (the verie name whereof comfor­teth our hart) our seruice was in a lear­ned language, it was not vnderstanded of the common sorte, wee prayed to the blessed Saintes in heauen, we knéeled to trim painted images, our churches [Page] were gailie decked, there was ringing, Can ye here finde any spi­rite and truth? singing, sēcing, piping, glittering copes, siluer Censours, golden Crosses, mitred fathers, encloistred brethren, religious Sisters, Christening of belles, hollow­ing of fontes, créeping to the crosse, of­fering of egges, sprinkling of holy wa­ter, dealing of holy bred, auriculer con­fession, good sporte on Alhallon night, lighting of tapers, making merrie, going on pilgrimage, pardoning of sin for a litle monie, we liued as we lusted, Priestes were good fellowes, adulterie The belly rea­sons of carnall and senslesse people. was borne withall, bread was bigger, ale was stronger, béefe more plentifull, troutes fatter and better, all thinges cheaper, xxiiij. egges for a penie. Nowe all these ar gone, euerie childe can now vnderstand the seruice, Images are for­bidden, Fowle faultes I promise you God is now worshipped in spi­rite & truth, euery bodie is now skilfull But Christe­ned ye were in the name of the Father &c. and therefore tied not to the masse, but to the worshipping of God. in the scriptures, the knowledge of the Catechisme, and abilitie to yelde an ac­count of our faith is looked for and com­maunded. We were borne and christe­ned in the Masse time, our forefathers were of that stamp, we wil none of this [Page] new doctrine. Euen so the Iews, when they were deliuered from Idolatrie, & restored vnto the true knowledge and worship of God, many of them misli­king that estate (as Ieremie witnes­seth) cried out against him in this man­ner. We will not heare the worde that Ier. 44. 16. thou speakest vnto vs in the name of the Lorde, but we will doe euery thing that shal proceed from our own mouth, as to burne incense to the queene of hea­uen, to offer vp drink offerings vnto her as both we haue done, & our fathers, & our kings and princes in the Citie of Iu­da, and in the streates of Ierusalem: For then had wee plentie of victualles, and were well, and felt none euill. &c.

These, deare brethren, these are the reasons which stoppe manie Papistes eares from hearkening to this Prophet Iesus Christ. Ye heare and sée the vani­tie of these reasons, and howe farre they are from any reason. They néede no cōfutation, very children haue them in derision, and laugh them to scorne.

Chrisostom most notably compareth the gentiles or heathen people to chil­dren, [Page] which comparison will serue now verie fitlie, if, in stéede of his heathen men, we vnderstand our heathenish pa­pists. Saieth Chrisostom, Ʋt pueri nulli­us vtilitatis curam suscipiunt. &c. As chil­dren haue no regarde of any profite, so the gentiles are desirous to play conti­nually, Chrisost. in. 1 Cor. Hom. 4. and they lye flatte vppon the ground, and are in loue with base things. When we often talke of necessarie mat­ters, children vnderstand not our talke, but fall a laughing: Euen so the gentiles, when wee speake of the kingdome of Chrysostom proueth the Gentiles to be children. heauen, they doe nothing but laugh. And as out of a childes mouth there is­sueth much spitle, which nowe and then marreth both meate and drinke: so the wordes, which come out of the gentiles mouthes, are vaine and vile: and, if thou set needfull food before thē, they vexe thee with cursed speches, & wish it to be taken frō thē. Childrē, moreouer, when they see a theefe goe into y ^e house, and steale away the furniture thereof, they doe not onely not reuenge, but they smile & look pleasātly on him: but if you take awai their suckling box, or rattle, or [Page] any such like childishe bable, then they take that heauily, they are grieued, they teare them selues, they stampe vpon the pauement. So do the gentils, when they see the diuell steale away all they haue, both their inheritance, or liuelihod, & what soeuer thinges are necessarie for their soules health, they laugh, and, as if he were their friend, they go out to meet him. But if any man lay hand vpon their possessions, riches, and such like thinges, then they mourne, and pull themselues a peeces. This, as I tolde ye, is golden mouthed Chrisostoms excellent compa­rison, wherin he notably proueth y ^e hea­then men to be children & babes, when as they made such great reckoning of vaine transitorie thinges, and yet re­sisted and contemned Christ Iesus. If ye The more then childish folly of our Popish babes. vnderstād our vngentle Papists for his gentiles, ye shall, as it were in a glasse, clearely behold the mad and more then childish follie of our Romanistes, who so estéeme their Crosses, Altars, ban­ners, holy water, Copes, Images, and suche like superstitious toyes, as, in the mean time, they make none account [Page] of worshipping God in spirit and truth, or to heare Christ and his gospell fruit­fully: and therefore the conclusion is di­rect and true, That Papistes are not true hearers of the worde of God.

Nowe, touching carnall protestan­tes That carnall protestantes are no true hearers of the worde. to proue them no true heares of god his worde, is a matter of no great diffi­cultie and hardnesse, but may easily be accomplished and brought to passe by the former discription of true and effec­tuall hearers. For in true hearers two thinges are necessarily required, the The worde cānot be effectually heard without faith & obedience Obedience the fruit of faith. one, faith in beléeuing: the other, obedi­ence in following. Faith is the trée, o­bedience is the fruit whereby faith may be discerned and knowen. Let vs there­fore by obedience (as it were by an es­peciall good bloud hound) trace out the faith of these carnall professours: and so shall we find in them no sound faith, but a pretended faith: no liuely iustifi­ing faith, but a dead condemned faith, whereof S. Iames speaketh in the se­cond Iam. 2. 20. chapter of his epistle.

Obedience is an heartie submission, What obedi­ence is. and through conformation of our selues [Page] to that which the Lorde our God hath prescribed in y ^e holy scripturs, either for the worship & seruice of him, or for our behauiour towardes men. If we looke for this obedience, when, or how shall we finde it in these maner of men? For one sort of these men wil go no further One sorte of counterfeit Christians de­scribed. in religion, then they may liue in all worldes, please euerie prince, serue eue­rie turne, and susteyne neither losse nor lacke, nor any kinde of trouble or displeasure. If these good fellowes méet with Papistes, they resist not: if with Atheistes, they striue not: if with tem­porizers and seruers of time, their hu­mours are fedde: if with zelous & true Christians, they become key colde, and yet hollowe pretenders of loue and good will to the Gospell. These honest men can w ^c the Cameliō trāsforme thēselues into euery colour: w ^t their breath they These applye themselues to liue in all worldes, saue in the world to come. can (as is in y ^e fable) make warme their handes, and make colde their pottage. And, although by reason of the state and time present, they will bee accounted protestantes: yet, if yee marke it, they cherish none, trust none, kéepe compa­nie [Page] and delight heartely in none, but such as are notorious and knowne Pa­pistes. Aesope felleth a pretie tale of an husband man, who séeing his cornefeld spoiled with Géese and Cranes, did therefore set a snare for them, and at length tooke them both, and a storke with them. The storke fearing death vehementely, and like an Orator The storke taken in ill company, sus­steineth like punishment with them. pleaded her owne cause, declaringe her innocencie, her excellencie aboue other birdes, her singular care ouer her aged parentes, and vpon these conside­rations, praied to be set at libertie. The husbandman more regarding his losse of corne, then the Storkes glorious wordes, saide vnto her, As I haue ta­ken the in euill companie, so thou shalt also die with them. In like manner, when the Lorde Iesus, that heauenly husbandman, shall call these carnall The state of such as are companions with profes­sed enemies of Christ. wretches to an accoūt for their treading vnder féete and spoyling the holy séede of his eternal word cōtinually cast out & sowen among thē, for their drawing the yoke with infidels, & ioyning with [Page] the sworne enemies of the Gospell, let them bee assured, that no wordly polli­licie, no humane reason, no fine deuice, no forged excuse shall be accepted: but as they haue kept companie with those wicked ones most offensiuely: so, with­out spéedie repentance, they shall perish with them euerlastingly. The good pro­phete and noble Kinge Dauid, know­ing what a great let and hinderaunce the companie of the wicked is, and how it entiseth men from the zealous and heartie seruing of the Lorde, doth with great zeale, and in most vehement ma­ner breake out into these words, Away from mee, ye wicked, for I will keep the Dauids detestatiō of wicked companie Psa. 119. 115. commaundementes of my God. And being taught by the holy Ghost what a good prouocation it is to godlinesse, to be alwayes conuersant & familier with the faithfull and godlie, the same Da­uid in moste ioyfull manner, vttereth these wordes in the sixtéenth Psalme, All my delight is vpon the Saintes that Dauids hearty delight in go [...]d compa­nie. Psal. 16. 3. are in the earth, and such as excel in ver­tue. But the worlde doeth now take a cōtrarie course. For the Saints of God [Page] are not esteemed, their companie not regarded, the name of saintes is derided The worlde is drowned with the carnall loue of vaine companions. and laughed to scorne. All delight is re­posed in Italianate heades, discoursing tonges, & merie conceited companions. Epicures, tossepottes, riotous per­sons, leude talkers, these growe nowe a dayes, vnto greate credit. But true Christians carefully endeuouring to shewe themselues conformable to their profession of Christ, are nothing, or ve­rie little, and a verie few, estéemed & set by. But this is not to be woondered at: No meruell if gods children be contemned whē his word is so dispised. for the verie word of God and the true preaching thereof is now so contemned and dispised, so crossed, and maliciously and of set purpose ouer wharted, that e­uery vaine fidler, and vagabound Pi­per Dancing in many places more estemed then prea­ching. in the country doth carrie away the vnthankefull people, euen vppon the Lorde his holy Saboth dayes, and other times dedicated to his seruice, and that from y ^e hearing of Gods holy worde and worshipping of him, vnto The effectes of the com­monly vsed dancinges. carnall, vnchristian, and filthy daun­cinges, the verie nource of carnal talke, of horrible blasphemie, of damnable fornication, [Page] of pride, of theft, of disobediēce to God, to prince, to parentes, to all su­perious. The filthines of this vsuall dancing moued the auncient fathers of­ten The auncient fathers sharpe inuectiues a­gainst dan­cing. and sharpely to inueigh againste it in their dayes, but what woulde they haue done, if they had liued in this pre­sent age? Chrisostome saith, vbi saltus lasciuus, ibi diabolus certe adest, where Chrisost. in Mat. 14. ho­mil. [...]9. wanton dauncing is vsed, there the di­uel is certenly present. And in the same homilie, they that daunce nowe a days, desire not that Iohn should bee headed, but y ^e soules of such as are in their com­pany should be destroied. Likewise Au­gustin vpon the third psalme saith, Ob­serua diem Sabbati, nō carnaliter, &c. that Augustine in Psal. 3. is, kéepe the Saboth day, not carnally, not with Iewishe vanities, whiche a­buse and prophane their rest, & make it a cause of lendenesse. Againe, saith Au­gustine, speaking of the rest vppon the Saboth day, Non dico vt delitteris, quem­admodum Iudaei solent. Melius est enim to­to die fodere, quàm saltare die Sabbati, my meaning is not (saith Augustine) that thou shouldest spende the Saboth daye [Page] vainely, as the Iewes vse to doe. For it is better to digge and delue all the day, then to daunce vpon the Saboth daye. If we had grace, that one exāple of the murdering of innocent Iohn Baptist, Mat. 14. 6. 10 by occasion of wanton dauncing, might set before our eyes how daungerous a matter it is to frequent the cōmon dan­cing places. And how streightly the ho­ly Mortification and newnesse of life com­manded. Rom. 6. a. 4. 2. Cor 4. 10. Gal. 5. 16. Mat. 5. 28. Mat. 12. 36. Ephe. 5. 11. ghost doth commaund mortification, subduing of our wanton affections, ho­linesse in thought, wordes, workes, eyes, tongues, generally and particu­larly, this ye haue learned by the often hearinge and readinge of the scrip­tures: and therefore ye cannot be igno­rant, but must néedes knowe and con­fesse howe vnséemely, how vnchristian­like, how displeasant to God, and offen­siue to good men the accustomed daun­cing of men & women vppon the dayes before named is, yea, and that their ma­ner of dancing may verie well & truely Aug. ad frat. in Eremo. Ier. 33. be called (as Augustin calleth it) a flat­tering Diuell, a sweete poyson, a sinfull pleasure, or a pleasaunt sinne. And so far are thoy from hope to reformo this de­formed [Page] dancing, as we lamentably see Vanitie better countenanced then veritie. many placed in authoritie to like well thereof, and rather maintaine irreligi­ous dancers, then estéeme and hearken vnto the iust complaint of godlie prea­chers, which openly in sermons, priuat­ly by supplications, & euery waye haue laboured for the suppressing of this no­table cause of many mischeuous incon­ueniences. It is déepely layed to our charge, that we speake against al man­ner of recreations. And yet it is well We are vniustly accused to dislike all re­creations. knowen that we like and vse recreati­ons. In déed we say this, that both wée, and all that feare the Lorde, muste not alone in earnest and weightie affaires, but also in our verie sportes and mirth, and pastimes, séeke the glorie of god, by endeuouring to put of the olde man of 1. Cor. 10. 31. sinne, and to shewe foorth liuely fruites of true regeneration: that whatsoeuer we say or doe, it may thereby appeare Mat. 3. 11. we haue béene baptised as with water, so likwise with the holy ghost and fire, What it is to bee baptised with fire & the holy Ghost. that is inwardly and effectually: wher­of they can neuer truely and comfor­tably assure themselues, which let loose [Page] the bridle of their affections, and, as it were, sell their bodies and soules to riotous, vnchaste, and vngodly daun­cing, and such other carnall delightes, so horribly frequented by the common sort of people in many places of this Realme, to the frustrating of oure la­bours, the hinderance of the gospell, the increase of wickednesse, & therfore to the greate ioy of Sathan and all his adhe­rents. The Lord, in mercie, giue suche A most need­full prayer. strength and courage to all magistrats, that setting a side frendship, respect of gaine, care to be popular, and all earth­ly considerations, they may throughly & friendly ioyne their temporall sworde with the woorde of God, whiche is the sworde of the spirite, for the cutting Ephe. 6. 17. downe of what soeuer thinges shall be founde any manner of impediment and let to the inlarging of Christes king­dome. And the same Lord turne the fro­ward The damna­ble dispositi­on and occu­pation of many Godlesse people. harts of many people, that wher­as now they bende themselues to no­thing so much, as to erect and set vp va­nities, and to vexe, molest, and grieue the heartes, and discredite, slaunder, [Page] and stain the names euen of their lear­ned & godly teachers: they may spéedily shew harty repentāce, & become obediēt hearers & followers of God & his word. And as in the countrie minstrels thus seduce & bewitch the people, so it hath bene sayd (I trust it be reformed) that Plaiers about London. vaine plaiers haue had about this citie of London farre greater audience, then true preachers. This vniuersal lothing of Christes holy gospell doth prognos­ticate a famine, not of bread and water that is, not of corporall foode: but (as the Prophet sayth) a famine of hearing the worde of the Lorde. It woulde pearce Amos. 8. 11. through our heartes with intollerable griefe to féele our selues, and sée our children perish with wāt of bodily suste­nance. This was the miserable conditi­on What the lo­thing of Gods word doth foretell. and estate of the wicked Iewes at the finall destruction of that moste fa­mous Ierusalem. Then the Parentes sawe the pitifull famine and staruing of their children, the children of their Parentes, one, of an other. Almost all The famin at the destructi­on of Ierusa­lem. things they layd hands vppon (though most vnnatural) thei vsed as meat. The [Page] tender hearted mother spared not with her own hands to slea her own innocent Ioseph. de bello Iudaico lib. 7. Cap. 8. and natural child, and with his vnplea­sāt flesh, to nourish her famishing body, & to stay her vnreasonable hungrie ap­petite. Verilie, this is a sorrowful nar­ratiō. But another maner of griefe shal the famine of God his word bring with The effect of the spirituall famin of god his word. it: when as, by means therof manie fa­thers and mothers with their children, manie maisters with their seruaunts, many gouernours with their people, shall pine away, and perish euerlasting­ly with the eternal death of body & soul.

This will be a dolefull daunce, and to this ende (without heartie and present A dolefull daunce. amendement) the vsuall contemptu­ous dauncing, the despising of the Gos­pell, the sinnefull delightes, the disor­dred life of the vngodly, the profanatiō of holy dayes, the loue of playing, the lothing and hatred of preaching, will bring our happie and golden dayes, if God bee not verie mercifull to vs. Thus haue ye heard that, in these first sort of carnall Protestantes, there can be found no obedience, and therfore no [Page] liuely faith, and so consequently, they are no fruitfull hearers of the worde.

Another sort of lippe prefessours are zealous in religion, feruentlie bente a­gainst Another kind of carnall Christians. poperie, great talkers of y ^e scrip­ture, pretenders of much honestie: but yet among them ye shall finde vnmer­cifull vsurers, couetous oppressours, ex­treame dealers in worldly thinges, in­satiable cormorantes, filthie Epicures: Figge treers with leaues onely. these men wil vse faire words, but haue foule hearts, they will sweare, and yet lie: they make a shew of simplicitie, and for all that, are full of deceipt: they can These means are gluttony, tipling, vile companie, vain talk. &c. talke of mortification, & yet vse meanes (as it were with bellowes) to blowe vp and kindle the fire of carnall conuersa­tion. The case of these men are most mi­serable. Better they had neuer knowen The misera­ble estate of these men. the worde of God. Better they had ne­uer bene borne. Better a milstone had ben hāged about thier neckes then so to haue offended Christs litle ones. Their owne knowledge of the word, and yet disobedience to the worde pronounceth sentence of iust condemnation against [Page] them. These are such as Christ speaketh Math. 7. 21. of, Not euerie one that saieth vnto mee, Lord, Lorde, shall enter into the king­dome. &c. These are foolish lookers into Iam. 1. 22. the glasse of God his worde: hearers on­ly, deceiuing their owne selues. These are cloudes without water, carried a­bout Iude. 12. of windes, corrupt trées and with­out fruite; These are chaffe whiche the Psal, 1 4. winde driueth away. Yea, that chaffe, which Christ will burne with vnquen­chable Mat. 3. 12. fire. These are figge trées which Mat. 21. 19. beare leaues only, & no fruite, and ther­fore vnable to endure y ^e presēce of christ, In the seconde booke of Samuell it is written that King Dauid sent some of 2. Sam. 10. 2 3. 4, &c. his seruants to comfort Hanun king of the Ammonites lamenting for his fa­thers deth. But Hanun, perswaded by Euill counsel. his noble men, that Dauids seruantes came rather as espialles, then as com­forters, he vsed them most villanously: he shaued off the halfe of their beardes, Ingratitude. cut of their garments in the middle, e­uen to their buttockes, and sent them away. These carnall hearers, both these sortes, and all other the like, they [Page] offer more villanie to themselues, then Hanun did to Dauids seruauntes. For that done to Dauids men, was but temporall, this they do to them selues, is eternal: the halfe of their berds were shauen of, these doe what they canne to What vilani­es all carnall hearers do to themselues. raze their whole names out of the booke of life: they had but part of their bodily garmentes defaced, these séeke to make themselues vtterly naked and destitute of Christes righteousnesse, that spirituall garment, whiche coue­reth the sinns of the faithful: they were sent out of the presence but of an vn­iust and earthly prince: these shall wo­fullie depart from the sight of Christe that righteous and heauenly King.

For, as it is sayde in the last parte concerning the punishment whiche shall be executed vppon all disobedient hearers.

33. Euery person which shall not heare that Prophet, shall bee destroyed The fourth [...]nd last part. out of the people.

O miserable men which thus vnkindly and vnthankfully refuse to heare, and The punish­ment of diso­bedient and carnal hearers come vnto this Iesus Christe, whiche calleth them, bountifully, by benefites: louingly, by promises: sharpely, by threatninges: generally, together: par­ticularly, Eph. 2. 5. 6. 7. a sunder: by signes, from Math. 11. 28. Heauen: by monsters, vppon earth: by Matth. 21. 43. Christ his maner of calling vs. punishing, iustly: by pardoning, mer­cifully: by his worde, continually. And yet these wicked men make greater reckoning of buying farmes, of trying Oxen, of marying, wiues, of their very hogges, and vilest thinges, yea, of their Lu. 14. 18. &c. carnall affections, and vainest delecta­tions, Math. 8. 34. then of saluation offered vnto them by Iesus Christe. Wherefore, be­holde the price of their disobedience, they shall be destroyed, or rooted out of the people: euerlasting destruction re­maineth as a moste bitter cuppe for them to drinke off.

Marke this, ye obstinate Papistes, An exhorta­tion to papists which, like the deafe adder, stoppe your eares against the charmer, charme he neuer so wisely. Marke this, ye car­nall Psal [...]8. 4. To vaine protestants. hearers and talkers of the worde, [Page] which make the gospell a cloake for your iniquities, and outwardly pro­fesse it without any inwarde féeling of it, or outward cōforming of your selues vnto it. Oh, repent, repent, and betimes To both pa­pistes and counterfeit Christians. repēt, least Iesus Christ, which now of­fereth himselfe to be your louing Saui­our, least he, I say, cōe as a terrible, but yet a most righteous iudge, & allot vt­ter darknesse for your inheritance, and commaund ye to depart into euerlas­ting fire prepared for the diuell and his Math 25. 41. angelles: whiche is here signified by these wordes, shall be destroyed out of the people.

The ordinarie allowaunce of time, I perceiue, is spent: and therefore I must, contrarie to my purpose, omitte many thinges, whereof I determined to speak in this laste parte. Onely I will, in briefe manner, call vnto your good re­membrance, the summe & effect of that which hath bene now spoken, and so cō ­clude this my plaine discourse.

Ye haue heard (good Christians) in the first part, that the Lorde God shall Rehersall of the premisses. raise vp this Prophet, and therefore, [Page] that the Lorde is authour of the mini­sters of his holy word and sacraments. In this place ye had deliuered to your good considerations these thrée thinges concerninge ecclesiasticall ministers, The care to be vsed in the election and appointing ministers: The conscience and abilitie of ministers: The dignitie and worthinesse of such ministers.

In the seconde parte it was declared what manner of Prophete was vnder­danded by this Prophete. To this end thrée sortes of Prophetes were menti­oned, and it was concluded that this prophete representeth all such, as haue béene, are, and shall be blessed with abi­litie and giftes faithfully and diligent­ly to interprete, and fruitefully and effectually to apply his holy worde. Here yee were certified, as also in the first part, that this prophet doth signifie both Christ, and all the true ministers of his worde: and also, that God, of his mercie and goodnesse, will neuer leaue his Church millitant here vpon y ^e earth, altogither destitute of sincere preachers of his word: by which word the Church [Page] must be directed and gouerned.

Thirdly, I shewed what obedient eare must be giuen to this prophete, Ye shall heare him in all thinges. &c. Vpon occasion directly offered by these words I spake of two kindes of hearing the word of God, the one outward and vn­profitable, the other inwarde and ef­fectuall. To this latter kind of hearing ye were doen to vnderstande that faith and obedience are requisit and necessa­rie, and that for want of this faith and obedience, neither Papistes, nor car-carnall Protestantes can be iustly rec­kened in the number of true hearers.

And therefore (as was noted in the last member) all these vaine hearers, of what sort soeuer they be, shal be seuerely punished, and that with an euerlas­ting punishment, they shall be destroy­ed out of the people.

Now (dearly beloued in the Lord) sith all hearers of the holy word of God are What is to be done when we haue heard the word preached. eyther vaine and fruitlesse hearers to their condemnation: or true and fruite­full hearers to their saluation: it there­fore behoueth vs when we haue heard [Page] the worde, to enter into our owne con­sciences, How we shall knowe whe­ther we heare it profitably, or otherwise. and streightly examine our selues how we haue heard the same. If we heare it onely outwardly, for feare, for fauour, for fashion, if wee in this glasse doe beholde the deformities of our bodies and soules, and be carelesse to reforme them: if we heare vsurie, op­pression, The effect of vain hearing. insatiable gréedinesse of world­ly thinges, Pride, Epicurisme, wicked company, blasphemie, contempt of gods worde, disobedience to his lawes, adul­terie, fornication, Idolatrie, superstiti­on, papestry, witcheraft, charming, idle­nesse in our seuerall vocations, malice towardes our brethren, deceitfull dea­ling, if we heare these & other vices con­demned to hel fire by the word of God, and yet vse them, delight in them, and let them be still familiarly acquainted with vs, verily, verily, then this wo­full & lamentable case must of necessity followe, we deceiue our own selues, we are disobedient hearers, our faith [...] deade faith, our house builded vppon the sands, the fal thereof shall be great, y ^e left hand is alloted, eternall torments [Page] appointed. The effect of fruitefull hea­ring. Ia. 2. 18. &c. Matth. 7 24. Matth. 25. 33. Marc. 3. 35.

But, if we heare with faith to beléeue, and obedience to followe, then, beholde, our most ioyful estate, our faith is liue­lie, and iustifieth: our house is stedfast, and standeth: the right hand shall be our place, ioy shal be out portion: we shalbe blessed, we shal be the spiritual kinsfolk of our sauiour, the kingdom of heauen, the fulnesse of glorie shall be giuen vn­to vs through our Lorde Iesus Christe the king of glory, to whome with his father, and the holy ghost, thrée persons & one immortall, inuisible, and almigh­tie God let vs yelde all honour, power, glorie, and dominion both nowe and for euer. Amen.