Sermon in Norwich, Title page – Dedication
A LEARNED AND FRVITFVLL SERMON, Preached in Chriſts Church in Norwich.
BY Mr. NEVVHOVSE, late Preacher of Gods Word there.
1 PETER 3.18.
For Chriſt alſo hath once ſuffered for ſinnes, the iuſt for the vniuſt, that he might bring vsus to God.
LONDON: Printed for Ionas Man, and are to be ſolde at the ſigne of the Talbot in Paternoſter-row. 1612.
TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL, Mr. Thomas Layer, an ancient Senator, and a iuſt Iuſtice of Peace, in the Citie of Norwich: Grace and Peace.
RIGHT Worſhipfull, though the Word of God be the Bread of life, yet the Miniſters of Gods word are his Stewards to deuide it: and though the ſame Word be the Water of Life, yet they are his Conduits to conuey it. If the Bread in a loafe be not cut out vntounto the hungry, an Infant that is hungry may dye with a whole loafe in his hands: and if the Water in a fountaine be not drawne out to the thirſty, a childe may periſh with a bottle in his armes.
How neceſſary it is, that the one ſhould be cut out to the hungry ſoule, and the other drawne out to the thirſtie ſpirit, they know beſt that hauehave the care of their owne family, and how neceſſary it is that both the bread and water of life, ſhould be carued and filled out to all ſuch as hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſſe, they know well who hauehave any care of Gods Family.
We that liue in this Kingdome, hauehave good experience of Gods fauour towards vsus in this reſpect. We hauehave many a faithfull Ahimelech amongst vsus, who rather then Dauid ſhould periſh for hunger, will giuegive vntounto him the Shew-bread of the Sanctuary: We hauehave many a worthy Miniſter amongſt vsus, who rather then Dauid ſhould dye for thirſt, will with the hazard of their liues giuegive vntounto him of the waters of Bethlehem.
When I enter into a ſerious meditation of the Maieſtie of Gods Word, and withall conſider that all is as nothing without application, methinkes I doe ſay, here is ſalue: but where is the hand that must lay it on the ſoare? Here is Balme: where is the finger that muſt poure it into the wound? Here is Phyſicke: where is the Phyſitian? And here is the Poole of Betheſdah: where is the friend that will help vsus in? Doe we looke for an hand? the hand of Gods Miniſter will lay on the ſalue. Doe we deſire a finger? The finger of Gods Miniſter will poure in this oyle. Would we ſend for a Phyſitian? the Art of Gods Miniſter will adminiſter this Phyſicke. And if at the deſcent of the Angell, we would faine be put into the Poole of Betheſdah, who will ſooner doe it then this Man of God?
I cannot deny, but that by reading of Gods word a man may receiue much comfort: nay, I am perſwaded that by the ſame, he may be excellently prepared to get ſauing knowledge: yet preaching is that alone ordinary meanes, which God hath ſanctified for the ſaluation of his Children, and to make them wiſe vntounto that ſaluation.
By preaching, the Minde of the ignorant is enlightned: the Memorie of the forgetfull is ſtrengthened: the Heart of the obſtinate is mollified: the Affections of the vntoward are reduced: the Will of the peruerſe is reſtrained: and the Life of the vngodly ſo changed, that at the voyce of a ſimple and ſinfull man, he cryeth out with the Iewes in the Acts, Men and brethren, what ſhall I doe to be ſaued? This made Dauid to ſay, I am the man: Saul to ſay, I hauehave ſinned: and eueryevery priuate conuert to ſay: God is in theſe men indeed.
Were it not for preaching of the Word, where were the vnderſtanding of it? where were the conſolation by it? where were direction from it? Without it how ſhould hard places be made plaine? plaine be applyed? repugnances in it be reconciled? or oppugners of it be confuted? Take away Preaching, and then downe with our Schooles of learning, our Houſes of prayer, our Obedience to Superiours, our LoueLove to equals, and our right to heauen.
I am now in a Labirinth, I cannot well come out. The Preaching of the Goſpell, is the power of God vntounto ſaluation: the Pillar of God in our iourney to Canaan: the Angell of God to bring vsus out of Sodome: the Meſſenger of God to prepare his way: the Trumpet of God, to cry downe Iericho: and the Hammer of God to driue in the nayle of piety, and to breake out the braines of profaneneſſe.
How much we are beholding to the Preachers of the Goſpell we ſhall then know, when the Lord ſhall ſend ſuch a Famine of this Bread, that though we goe from East to Weſt we ſhall not finde it: or ſuch a Drought of this water of life, that we ſhall runne from Citie to Citie, and ſhall not get it. But bleſſed be God, we are now full: and I wiſh it may neuer be ſaid vntounto vsus, Woe be vntounto you that are full.
Amongst many Cities in this famous Kingdome, beholding vntounto God for the Miniſtery of the Word, you in your Citie are not the leaſt beholding. EueryEvery Sabbath day, in many of your Churches is the Word preached, and almoſt eueryevery day in the weeke, the preaching of the ſame is painfully continued.
And ſurely, when I conſider the paines required of your Citie preachers, the vncertaine allowance prouided for them, the meane eſtate they muſt euer needs liue in, and that ſound Learning which hath beene, and is now in many of them, I beginne to thinke, that it is eyther the ſweeteneſſe of the ayre, or the ciuilitie of your people, or the contentedneſſe of their mindes, or their deſire to doe good, or the ſpecial bleſſing of almighty God, that continues thus amongst you the great meanes of ſaluation.
But howſoeuer the Arke of Gods Couenant be beautifully ſet vp in your ſeuerall Temples, yet to you of S. Andrewes hath God appeared in exceeding beauty. How many hungry ſoules in that Citie are almoſt daily fed at your table? How many thirſtie ſpirits doe drinke ordinarily of your Ciſternes? And I doubt whether any one Pariſh in the Kingdome hath been ſo ſucceſsiuely bleſſed with learned and laborious Miniſters, as you hauehave beene, for almoſt threeſcore yeeres.
If you forget that faithfull Seruant of Chriſt Mr. More, who for twentie yeeres together preached amongst you almoſt eueryevery day in the weeke, beſides his priuate conferences in your ſeuerall families, ſurely then I feare me there is a ſtate riſen vp amongst you, like vntounto that of the Egyptians, whoſe King knew not Ioſeph. But I know you remember both him and his.
And can you then forget this worthy man, who for the ſpace of foureteene yeeres paſt, liued partly a Preacher, and partly a Paſtor in your Congregation? Concerning whom I might ſay much (and if a learned Father doth not deceiue me, it is pietie to commend the dead,) but I muſt not make an Epiſtle larger then the booke. I liued with him in a famous Colledge, I laboured with him in your holy Citie, for the ſpace of fiue yeeres and more: and I euer obſerued him diligent in his ſtudie: wittie in diſcourſe, apprehenſiue of truth, deepe in knowledge, powerfull in preaching, vigilant in practiſing, and a perfect patterne of grauitie and ſobrietie in the whole courſe of his life and conuerſation. And if the ſpirit of that iudicious Mr. Perkins might be found in any Diuine, I thinke it appeared in him.
It is the Art of Arts to preach well, to diuide the word, and to ſaue ſoules: hee excelled in this Art: and that he might grow in this knowledge, he tooke ſuch paines, that like vntounto a ſeruiceable candle, in giuing light to you, he conſumed himſelfe.
Though there be too many Bookes in this ſcribling age, and the paper is worth more then the things that are written in them, (as Socrates once ſaid, when he would write nothing) yet of ſome mens Labours there are too few. For though they ſhould write but that which before hath beene written, yet by reaſon of their credit in the Church, the ſoundneſſe of their iudgement, the vprightneſſe of their life, their experience in caſes of controuerſie and conſcience, and that louelove which their auditors hauehave had to them and their doctrine, they might by writing doe much good.
Wee reade not indeede that our Sauiour Chriſt committed of himſelfe any thing to writing: yet his Apoſtles hee made as his Hand and Secretaries, to commend the New Teſtament to the Church of God.
Our aduerſaries the Papiſts, daily doe aſſault the Church with deadly weapons; the poyſon of Aſpes is vnderunder their pennes: if theſe Fooles were not anſwered to their Folly, they would be too proud.
Our Aduerſary the Diuell caſteth daily new deuiſed darts into the minds and Conſciences of people: if he ſhould not be reſiſted by the Sling of Dauid, hee would ſoone triumph ouer the Iſrael of God.
True it is indeede, that by the mouth of the Preacher wee receiue much good, and the liuely voyce giues much life to diſcourſe: but when, after hearing, wee may with our eyes peruſe that which our eare hath heard, wee ſhall the better ponder, and know, and remember, and affect that which otherwiſe we might vtterly forget: and make our hearts as rich in grace, as our Bookes are full of goodneſſe.
To this end, that which was preached vntounto the eare, in the aſſembly of many learned Diuines, and by name, before that Reuerend Doctor Redman, late Biſhop of your Dioceſſe, I am bold to publiſh to your view: that by the finger of this Herculean labourer, you may know what the whole man was.
And the ſame I am bold to dedicate to your Worſhip, as a teſtimonie of your long louelove to me, and my deſire to be thankfull to you.
When I liued in your Pariſh a painfull Preacher, I found ſeeming fauor at the hands of ſome curious, but ſubſtantiall fauour of diuers courteous and true meaning people.
How in the firſt yeere of my comming, I was entertained by that graue Senator, Mr. Francis Rugge, then the third time Maior of that happy Citie, I cannot forget, whoſe houſe was vntounto me rather an habitation then an Inne: How euer after I was welcome to you, and continually was fed at your table, I muſt not forget, vnleſſe I would be thought an vnthankfull man.
I acknowledge all with much thanks, both to God, for ſuch a friend, and to you for ſuch friendſhip: and deſire that when both you and I ſhall hauehave gone the way of all fleſh, the kindneſſe which you hauehave ſhewed to me, may (of all into whoſe hands this little Booke ſhall come) he had in remembrance.
I am now at an end. I preſent vntounto you this learned Sermon of the Iuſtification of a ſinner before God, with an excellent Prayer which Mr. New-houſe gaue me, written with his owne hand. I doubt not of your kinde acceptance of them both: and I truſt they will be a welcome New-yeeres gift to the whole Citie, who I hope will euer obey them that hauehave the ouer-ſight of them, Hebr. 13.and ſubmit themſelues to them: for they watch for their ſoules, euen as they that muſt giuegive accounts: that they may doe it with ioy and not with griefe: for that is vnprofitable for them.
Now I pray, that as the true feare of God hath ſo encreaſed your happy dayes vponupon earth, that you hauehave attained to the age of foureſcore yeeres, and for aboue fortie yeeres paſt hauehave liued a worthy Senator of a moſt worthy Citie; ſo it would pleaſe God, when your glaſſe is runne, and Death ſhall call for you, you may with old Simeon depart in peace; with faithfull Samuel be lamented for, and after receiue the end of your Faith, which is the ſaluation of your Soule.
Thus crauing pardon, recommending you, your vertuous Wife Mris. Anne Layer, with that bountifull and godly Widdow Mris. Anne Rugge, to the protection of the Almighty, I humbly take my leaue.
From Mr. Andrew Curwaynes houſe in Salisburie-rents, at S. Martins in the Fields. Decemb. 3. 1611.
Your Worſhips euer in the Lord, ROBERT HILL.