Sermon 2 November 1606, Title page – To the reader
A SERMON PREACHED AT Paules Croſſe, the ſecond of Nouember. 1606.
By Richard Stocke, Preacher of Al-hallowes, Bread-ſtreete, London.
LONDON, Printed by T. C. for Edmond Weauer, and William Welby. 1609.
TO THE RIGHT REVErend Father in God, Iames, by Gods prouidence, Lord Biſhop of Bathe, and Welles, R. S. wiſheth all Grace, true Honor, and Comforts in this life, and the Crowne of glory, in the life to come.
RIghte Reuerende in CHRIST,Saluia: Maſſil. de gubernat. Dei. the anger of God, & his fearefull puniſhments (for Iradiuinitatis est poena peccantis) hath bene heauie vponupon vsus for the ſpace of theſe almoſt ſixe yeares. The cauſe doubtleſſe is the ſinnes of the time, which hauehave defiled the Land, and prouoked God to ſend ſuch plagues as may purge the land of vsus, when we will not purge it, and our ſelues from our ſinnes. Which ſinnes, what they are, as I hauehave touched diuers in the Sermon following, ſo none ſeemeth to mee to be more offenſiue to the eyes of God, then that popiſh Idolatrie which is committed in the land, wherewith euerie place, countrie and Citie is horriblie defiled; though as the prophet ſpeaketh,Ezek. 8.12. it is but in the darke, and in the chamber of their imagery. Which was an occaſion to me, beeing called to the ſtage of the land, to act this part I hauehave done in this Sermon: namely, to perſwade euerie man to iudge himſelfe; and them, to whom the ſword of iuſtice is committed, to iudge other malefactors, ſpecially Romiſh Idolaters, and to execute the iuſt lawes vponupon them; becauſe God will not iudge when man doth iudge before: as the Iudges of aſſile will not cenſure againe thoſe malefactors, whom the Iuſtices of the ſeſſions hauehave formerly puniſhed. But when this is neglected, God will, and can not, for his iuſtice, but he muſt bring this & the like fearefull iudgementes vponupon the land. Which as they were the occaſion of my preaching of this doctrine, ſo they are ſome cauſes of my publiſhing of it in writing: to trie if I might by any meanes prouoke eueryevery man in his ſeuerall place and condition to this preuenting courſe of Gods iudgementes; At the leaſt, I ſhall hauehave my owne diſcharge by it. Now I hauehave preſumed to bring it forth into publike vnderunder your name and countenaunce for diuerſe both publike, and priuate reaſons and reſpectes: Publike, firſt you are now aduanced to a ſpeciall place of gouernment in the Church, and hauehave that authoritie in your hands, that you may cauſe & effect great reformation of manners and redreſſe of many things, which are highly diſpleaſing to God. To which if I might be any occaſion to excite your Lordſhip, I ſhould thinke I had effected ſome great good: becauſe your example, as it might prouoke others in authoritie, both in Church and common wealth to do the like; ſo it might animate them to goe forward, with hope it would be well accepted of his highnes, when they ſhall ſee you, (who hauehave beene ſo continually in his preſence, and ſo daily conuerſant with him, and can not but knowe his heart & affection) take ſome round and conſtant courſes in reforming of abuſes both in manners and doctrine.
Secondly, your place you yet enioy ſo nigh vntounto his Maieſties perſon; whereby you hauehave done hitherto good offices to the Church,The Engliſh deſence of the Popes Breeues, & Bellar. Letter. (her enemies being witnes) in iuſtly and wiſely exaſperating his Maieſties heart againſt theſe foxes, who would deſtroy her vines. Now if I might bee anie meanes to further your willing minde to be conſtāt in this dutie, I ſhould iudge it in me a good ſeruice to the Church, as in your ſelfe it will be a glorious ſeruice to the King of Kings; honourable to his highnes, profitable to the Church, comfortable to all her friendes, and bring you great honour from God and good men. Which pointe I will not here much preſſe in the particular, ſeeing I hauehave in the treatiſe following don it in the generall; though to vſe Bernards words in another caſe,De diligē do Deo. Non prout dignum rei, ſed prout datum mihi. Yet let me intreat your Lordſhip, or rather adiure you by that honour and ſauour which God hath giuen you with your Soueraigne, and by that account you muſt giuegive for the imployment of it, before the great King in that great day, that you would goe on in this ſo religious and profitable a worke, namely, to excite his Maieſtie to wakē his ſleeping lawes, that as he hath long ſung merciemercy, he would at length tune iuſtice; and command indeed that his lawes may hauehave their courſe,Pſal. 101.8. that betimes he would deſtroy the wicked of the lād, & that ſuch workers of iniquitie may be cut off from the citie of the Lord. It is not vnfitting your Lo. (beeīng called to be a reuerēd Biſhop, a gouernor of the Church) to incite him to this, ſince it was the conſecrating of the Leuites hands to the Lord, for eueryevery man to ſlay his brother, Exod. 32.29.27.his companion, and his neighbour, who had defiled the land with Idolatrie. And it is no leſſe then neceſsitie requireth of his Maieſtie, both for the good of himſelfe,Thomas Worthingtonus preſbyter. his poſteritie (thoſe hopefull plants) his whole people, and the church of God. Sith they boaſt not at home onelyonly, but a broad, of the great increaſe of this Idolatrous broode amongſt vsus. There is one who hath lately publiſhed two Tomes of Bristowes the Ieſuite, written in Latine, called Motiua Anti-haretica, who in his Epiſtle Dedicatorie, ſpeaks thus; Poſt diuturnas in Anglia ingraueſcentes, pro fide Catholica, perſecutiones, ita plus ſolito creſcat Catholicorum ibi mumerus, ac zelus, vt ſpes effulgeat (Diuina praestante miſericordia) totum illud ampliſsimū Regnū, ad ſanctaematris Eccleſiae gremiū breuirediturum. Is it not then more then need & high time, that his Maieſties former lenitie ſhuld be turned into iuſt ſeueritie? leſt he may ſeeme to ſucceeding ages to forget both his God & himſelfe, his poſteritie, & people. Which may eaſily be preuented, if his lawes may be at length with ſome roūdnes executed, ſpecially againſt the ſeedes men of treaſon & idolatrie, by whom this popiſh ſuperſtitiō is nouriſhed & increaſed in this land. For ſo ſaith the former authour in the ſame place, commending the founders and vpholders of their Seminaries, as the fountains of thoſe waters which hauehave watered theſe weeds till they be fit for the fire, adding, that His enim in collegijs Sacerdotes initiati, & inde in Angliā miſsi, tū paruas ibi religionis reliquias cōſeruerunt, tum eaſdē (vt nūc videamus) in immenſum propagarunt. Theſe then by confeſſion beeing the preſeruers and the increaſers of this Idolatrie among vsus, there is no way to preuent the cōtinuance and increaſe of this, …by …ing off ſuch at leaſt who husband this Idolatrous worke: leaſt … ſhould growe to that, they would hauehave it, the …ar…s to … more then the wheat; when without great danger and diſturbance to the whoſe, and hazard of the Church, they cannot be dealt withall. Now that your Lordſhip hath ſuch an opportunitie to further this buſines of the Lord, who knoweth whether you are come to ſuch a place for ſuch a purpoſe? &c whether, whē ſome would hauehave caſt you out, you hauehave yet but God bene kept in, to ſuch an end? The ſanour God brought you firſt into, with your Soueraigne, and his vpholding of you in it to greater aduancement, ſeemeth to re…iui…e no leſſe of you. Without which, I ſhould doubt, you can neither performe thankfulneſſe to God, nor faithfulneſſe to his Maieſtie.
Pardon, I beſeeche your Lordſhip, my plainneſſe and boldneſſe; which I excuſe with that of Bernard to Eugenius: Attendo celſitudinem honoris, & è vicino periculum reformido: and with that of Hieroure to Salvina, Abſit vt ſiniſtrum quicquam mihi de te ſuſpicari liceat: ſed ex abundantia lubricam aetatē (dicerem ego,Epiſt. 9. lubricum ſtatum & gradum) monuiſſe, pietatis eſt: imò amoris non vulgaris.
Now the priuate reaſons which hauehave moued me to make choiſe of your Lordſhip, vnderunder whoſe name this ſlender labour of mine might appeare in the ſight of men, is your auncient fauour which you bore to wardes mee in the Vniuerſitie; and that good reſpect, though vndeſerued, which you had of mee, for my good and preferment there: as alſo ſince, the renewing of the ſame many wayes towards mee, euen now when you are aduanced to honour and place of dignitie. So that I could doe noe leſſe then returne a bare & naked ſigne of my good will and heartie affection, for ſo great fauours. Now, the Lord of glorie make you faithfull to himſelfe, and your Soueraigne, to the Church in generall, & your owne wherof you are made ouerſeer; and that for the furtherance of Gods glorie, the aduauncement of Chriſts holie Goſpell, the comfort of his glorious ſpouſe the Church, the confuſion of the Popes gliſtering Concubine, Nos iuſtitiā noſtrā & Eccleſiae Sponſae noſtrae noletes negligere. Bonifac. 8. de immunit. Eccleſ. c. quomā in ſexto.the ſeate of Antichriſt, and to the diſcharge of your conſcience in this life, and your account in the great day.
Your Lordſhips, in the Lord to be commanded, Rich. Stocke.
¶ To the Reader.
CHristian Reader, thou hast heere from mee a Sermon, as the Sea in a ſtorme hath the Marchants goods, willingly against my will. When I preached it, manie were verie inſtant with mee to print it: but I was then as peremptorie in the denyall, & thought neuer to hauehave brought it againe into viewe and ſight of men. But the iniquities of the times are ſuch, that ſome men for their gaine care not what preiudice and iniurie they doe vntounto others. Wherevpon ſome hauing copies of this ſlender labour of myne, though verie imperfect, and of ſome other things of farre greater quantitie in themſelues, and of labour to mee, & thoſe things, whoſe impreſſion would hauehave coſt them a great ſumme; yet hauehave gone about to ſeek the allowance of them without my priuitie & knowledge: and had I not had a friend in place, they had at the least obtained an allowance of them, though happely I might hauehave got knowledge of it, before they had printed much of them.
Now this thing, being ſhort and ſmall, might happely ſome hauehave paſſed and beene ſpeedily printed, before I ſhould hauehave had notice of it, & that with ſuch imperfections as would hauehave bene ſmall to my credit, and as little to thy contentment. Wherefore I reſolued, being importuned by ſome, to ſeeke forth my owne Copie; which in probabilitie is like to hauehave leſſe imperfections then anie which they had. Which as in ſpeaking, ſo in printing. I purpoſe not to make any pleaſant illurement or inticement, but a remedie & medicine rather, which ſhould not ſo much pleaſe the cares of the idle and curious, as profite the mindes of the ſickely and weake: which if I can compaſſe, I ſhall account it a great fruit of my labours. But if it happen not, I ſhall not thinke I hauehave laboured in vaine; ſeeing I aſſayed and endeuored to hauehave profited. For happely with men, but certainely with God,De duplici Martyrio. it is as Cyprian ſpeaketh, (if Cyprian) Deus non aeſtimat quenquā ex eventu rerum, ſed ex affectu. Not the fruit of their labours, but the affection of mens hearts gets them reſpect with God. To whoſe bleſſing I commend thee: and this poore mite, I offer to the treaſurie of the Lordes temple.
Thine, in Chriſt Ieſus, Rich. Stocke.