Sermon of Repentance, Title page – To the reader
¶A Sermon of repentaunce, made by Iohn Bradforde.
Luke. xiii.
Excepte you repent you ſhall all lykewyſe peryſhe.
Apoc. ii.
Remembre whence thou arte fallen, and repent thee.
¶To the Chriſtian reader, Iohn Bradforde wyſſheth the true knowledge and peace of Ieſus Chriſt, oure alone and omniſufficiente ſauiour.
GReat and heauie is Goddes anger agaynſt vsus, as the moſte greuous plague of the death of our late kynge (a prince of all that euer was ſithen chriſtes aſcention into heauen in anye region pereles) nowe fallen vponupon vsus, doth pronoſticate. For when Goddes iudgemente hath begonne wyth his chylde thus oure deare dearlynge, let othermen thynke as they can, I ſurelye cannot be perſwaded otherwyſe, but that a greuous and bytter cuppe of Goddes vengeaunce is readye to be powred oute for vsus Englyſhmen to drynke of. The whelpe God hath beaton to fraye the bandogge.1. Pe. ii… Iudgement is begonne at Gods houſe. In Goddes mercye to hym wardes he is taken awaye, that his eyes ſhulde not ſee, the miſeries we ſhall fele:Heb. xi. he was to good to tarrye with vsus ſo wycked, ſo frowarde, ſo peruerſe, ſo obſtinate, ſo malicious, ſo hypocriticall, ſo couetous, vncleane, vntrue, prowde, carnall. &c, a generation. I wyll not goe about to paynte vsus oute in oure coulours. All the worlde which neuer ſaw Englande, by heare ſaye ſeeth England. God by his plagues and vengeaunce I feare me wyll paynt vsus oute, and poynte vsus oute▪ we hauehave ſo mocked with hym and his Goſpell, that we ſhall feele it is no bourdyng wt him. Of longe tyme we hauehave couered our couetouſnes & carnalitie, vnderunder the cloke of his Goſpell, ſo that all men ſhall ſee vsus to oure ſhame▪ when he ſhall take his Goſpell awaye, and geue it to a people that wyll brynge forth the frutes of it, then ſhal we appeare as we be. To let his Goſpell tary with vsus, he can not, for we deſpyſe it, contempne it, are glutted with it, we diſdayne his Manna, it is but a vyle meat thynke we: we woulde be agayne in Egypt, and ſyt by the greaſy fleſhe pottes, to eate agayne our garlike, onions, and leekes. Sithen Gods goſpell came amongeſt vsus, we ſaye now we had neuer plentye,Ie. x…iiij therefore agayne let vsus goe and worſhyp the quene of heauen.Hie. vij. Chyldren begynne togather ſtickes, the fathers kyndle the fyer, and ye wemen make the cakes to offer to the quene of heauen, and to prouoke the lorde to anger. The earth can not abyde now the wordes & ſermous of Amos:Am. vij. the cauſe of all rebellion is Amos and his preaching,Act. xvij It is Paul and his felowes, that makes all out of order. Summa, the Goſpell is nowe foreign and foreign, the outcaſte and curſe of the realme: and ſo are the preachers, therfore out of the doores wt them. So that I ſaye, God can not let his Goſpel tary wt vsus, but muſt nedes take it away to do vsus ſome pleaſure therein, for ſo ſhall we thynke for a tyme:Gen. xix. as the Sodomitanes thought when Lot departed from them,Gen. vi. as the old world thought when Noe crept into his arcke: as the Iero ſolomytances thought when the apoſtles wente thence to Peltis. Thē were they mery, thē was all paſtyme:Ex. xxxij. When Moyſes was abſente, then went they to eatynge and drynkynge, and roſe agayne to playe. Then was al peace, al was wel, nothynge amyſſe. But alas, ſodenlye came the floude and drowned them, the fyer and burnte them vp, Titus and beſieged them, Gods wrath waxed hote agaynſt them. Then was weale awaye, mournynge and woe: then was cryenge out, wringing of handes, renting of clothes, ſobbyng and ſighynge for the miſeries fallen, out of the whiche they coulde not ſcape. But oh you morners & cryers out: ye renters of clothes, why mourne you: what is the cauſe of your myſery? The Goſpell is gone, goddes word is lytle preached, you were not diſquieted with it? Noe troubleth you not, Lot is departed, the apoſtles are gone? what now is ye cauſe of theſe your miſeries? Wyll you at y• length confeſſe it is your ſinnes? Naye now it is to late. God called vpō you and you would not heare hym, therfore yell and crye out now, for he wyl not heare you: You bowed your eares from hearyng of Gods law, therfore your prayer is execrable. But to come again to vsus Engliſhmen, I fear me I ſay, for oure vnthankfulnes ſake, for our impietie and wickednes, as God hath taken awaye our kinge, ſo wil he take awaye his goſpel: yea ſo we would hauehave it, then ſhoulde all be well thinke manye. Wel, if he take that awaye, for a tyme perchance we ſhal be quyet, but at length we ſhall fele the want to our woe, at length he wyll hauehave at vsus, as at Sodome, at Ieruſalem▪ and other places. And now he begineth to brew ſuch a brewing, wherin one of vsus is like to deſtroy an other, & ſo make an opē gappe for forren enemies to deuoure vsus, and deſtroy vsus. The father is againſt the ſonne, ye brother agaynſte the brother. And lorde wt what cō ſcience? Oh be thou merciful voto vsus, & in thyne anger remember thy mercy, ſuffre thy ſelfe to be intreated, be reconciled vntounto vsus, naye reconcyle vsus vntounto the. Oh thou god of iuſtice, iudge iuſtly oh thou ſonne of God which cameſt to deſtroy ye workes of Sathan,… Ioh. iij deſtroye his furoures nowe ſmokinge, and almooſte ſette on fyre in this real me. We hauehave ſynned, we hauehave ſinned, & therfore art thou angrye. Oh be not angrye for euer. Geue vsus peace, peace, peace, in the lorde, Set vsus to warre againſt ſynne, againſt Sathan, againſt our carnall deſyres, and geue vsus the vyctory this waye. This victorye we obtayn by fayth. This fayth is not without repentaunce, as hir gentleman vſſher before hyr. Before hir. I ſay in diſcernynge true fayth from falſe fayth, lyppe fayth, Engliſhmens fayth: for els it ſprynges oute of true fayth. This vſſher then of repentaunce, if we trulye poſſeſſed, we ſhoulde be certayne of true fayth, and ſo aſſured of the victorye ouer death, hell, and Sathan: his workes then which he hath ſtyrred vp, woulde quayle: God woulde reſtore vsus politike peace, ryght ſhould be right & hauehave ryght, Gods Goſpel ſhould tarry with vsus, religion ſhuld be cheriſhed, ſuperſtition ſuppreſſed, and ſo we yet ſomethynge happye, notwithſtandynge the great loſſe of our moſte graciouſe liege ſoueraygne Lorde. All theſe woulde come to paſſe you ſee, yf the gentleman vſſher I ſpake of, I meane repentaunce, were at ynne with vsus. As if he be abſēt, we may be certayn ye lady faith is abſent, wherfore we cā not but be vanquiſhed of the world, the fleſh, and the deuyll, and ſo will Sathans workes proſper though not in al thinges, to bleare our eyes, yet in that thinge which the moſt of all deſyreth. Therfore to repentaunce for our ſelues priuatelye, and for the realme and churche publikely eueryone ſhoulde laboure to ſtyrre vp both oure ſelues & others. This, to the ende, that for my parte I myghte helpe, I hauehave preſently put forth a ſermon of repētaunce, whiche hath lyen by me halfe a yeare at the leaſte, for the moſt parte of it. For the laſte ſommer as I was abroade preachynge in the countreye, my chaunce was to make a ſermon of repentaunce the whiche was earneſtlye of diuerſe deſyred of me, that I ſhoulde geue it them written or els put it forth in prynt. The whiche thynge to graunte, as I coulde not (for I had not wrytten it) ſo I told them that had ſo earneſtlye deſired it. But when no naye woulde ſerue, but I muſte promyſe them to wryte it as I coulde: I conſented to their requeſte that they ſhuld hauehave it at my leaſure. This leaſure I prolonged ſo longe, that as I wene I offended them, ſo didde I pleaſe my ſelfe, as one more gladde to reade other mennes wrytynges, then in ſuche ſorte to publyſhe my wrytynges for other men to reade, not that I wolde others not to profyt by me: but that I knowing how ſhort my ſuppellex & ſtore as, woulde be loth for the enemies to hauehave iuſte occaſion of euyll ſpeakynge and wreſtinge that whiche ſymplye is ſpoken. But when I conſydered this preſent tyme, to occaſion men now to loke vponupon all thinges in ſuche ſorte as myghte moue them to Godlynes, rather then to anye curiouſe queſtioninge, I for the ſatiſfienge of my promyſe, and profytinge of the ſimple ignoraunt and rude, hauehave nowe cauſed this Sermon to be prynted, the which I beſeche God for his Chriſtes ſake, to vſe as a meane whereby of his mercy it maye pleaſe hym to worke in me and manye others true hartye repentaunce for oure ſynnes, to the glorye of hys name. Thus fare thou well in the Lorde. The. xij. of Iulie. Anno. M. D. LIII,