A Double Summons to Repentance and Worthy Receiving the Lords Supper, Title page – To the reader
A DOVBLE SVMMONS: THE ONE, To vnfained REPENTANCE. THE OTHER, To the worthie receiuing of the LORDS SVPPER.
Deliuered in two notable Sermons: MADE, By that worthy Martyr of Chriſt, IOHN BRADFORD: Who ſuffered in Smith-field Ano. Domini. 1555.
MAT. 4.17.
Amend your liues, for the Kingdome of Heauen is at hand.
LONDON, Printed by George Purſlowe. 1617.
To the Chriſtian Reader, IOHN BRADFORD wiſheth the true knowledge and peace of Ieſus Chriſt, our alone and ſufficient Sauiour.
GREAT and heauy is Gods anger againſt vsus, as the moſt grieuous plague of the death of our late King (a Prince of all that euer was ſince Chriſts aſcenſion into Heauen, in any Region, peerleſſe) doth Prognoſticate. For when Gods iudgement hath begun with his Childe, let other men thinke as they can, I ſurely cannot be perſwaded otherwiſe, but that a grieuous and bitter cuppe of Gods vengeance, is ready to be poured out for vsus Engliſh-men to drinke. The whelpe God hath beaten to fray the bandogge: Iudgement is begun at Gods houſe: In Gods merciemercy to him-wards, hee is taken away, that his eyes ſhould not ſee the miſeries which we ſhall feele.
He was too good to tarry with vsus, ſo wicked,Heb. 11. ſo froward, ſo peruerſe, ſo obſtinate, ſo malicious, ſo hypocriticall, ſo couetous, vncleane, vntrue, proud, and carnall a generation. I wil not goe about to paint vsus out in our colours: God by his plagues and vengeance, I feare me, will paint and point vsus out: Wee hauehave ſo mocked with him and his Goſpell, that we ſhall feele it is no bourding with him.
Of long time we hauehave couered our couetouſneſſe and carnality, vnderunder the cloake of his Goſpell; ſo that all men ſhall ſee vsus to our ſhame, when he ſhall take his Goſpell away, and giuegive it to a people that will bring forth the fruits of it: To let his Goſpell tarry with vsus, he cannot; for we deſpiſe it, contemne it, are glutted with it. Since his Goſpell came amongſt vsus, we ſay now, we had neuer plenty; therefore, againe, let vsus goe and worſhip the Queene of heauen, and to prouoke the Lord to anger. The earth cannot abide now the words and Sermons of Amos. Amos 7. Acts 17.The cauſe of all rebellion, is Amos and his preaching. It is Paul and his fellowes, that make all out of order. Summa, the Goſpell is now, Panto on peripſema, & catharma tou coſmou, The our-eaſt and curſe of the Realme, and ſo are the Preachers: therefore, out of the dores with them. So that, I ſay, God cannot let his Goſpell tarry with vsus, but muſt needes take it away, to doe vsus ſome pleaſure therein: for ſo ſhall we thinke for a time; as the Sodomitanes thought, when Lot departed from them: as the old world thought,Gen. 19. Gen. 7 when Noe crept into his Arke: as the Ieru…olomitanes thought, when the Apoſtles went thence to Peltis. Then were they merry, then was all paſtime. When Moſes was abſent, then went they to eating and drinking, and roſe againe to play: But alas,Exod. 32 ſuddenly came the floud, and drowned them: Gods wrath waxed hot againſt them. Then was lamentation, mourning and woe: then was crying out, wringing of hands, renting of clothes, ſobbing and ſighing for the miſeries fallen; out of the which they could not ſcape. Well, if hee take that away, for a time, perchance, we ſhall be quiet, but at length we ſhall feele the want to our woe, at length hee will hauehave at vsus, as at them.
O bee thou mercifull vntounto vsus, and in thine anger remember thy mercy: We hauehave ſinned, we hauehave ſinned, and therefore art thou angrie; ô be not angry for euer. GiueGive vsus peace, peace, peace in the Lord: ſet vsus to worke againſt ſin, againſt Sathan, againſt our carnall deſires, and giuegive vsus the victory this way. This victory we obtaine by faith. This faith is not without Repentance, as her Gentleman-Vſher before her.
This Vſher then, Repentance, if wee truely poſſeſſed, wee ſhould be certaine of true faith, and ſo aſſured of the victory ouer death, hell, and Sathan. His workes then which hee hath ſtirred vp, would quaile, God would reſtore vsus politique peace, right ſhould be right, and hauehave right: Gods Goſpell ſhould tarrie with vsus, Religion ſhould bee cheriſhed, Superſtition ſuppreſſed: and ſo we yet ſomething happy, notwithſtanding the great loſſe of our moſt gracious Liege, ſouereigne Lord. All theſe would come to paſſe you ſee, if the Gentleman-Vſher I ſpeake of, I meane, Repentance, were at Inne with vsus. As if he be abſent, we may be certaine, that Lady Faith is abſent. Wherefore, we cannot but be vanquiſhed of the world, the fleſh, and the diuell, and ſo wil Sathans workes proſper, though not in all things to bleare our eyes, yet in that thing which he moſt of all deſireth. Therefore, to Repentance, for our ſelues priuately, and for the Realme and Church publickly, eueryevery one ſhall labour to ſtirre vp both our ſelues and others. This, to the end, that for my part I might helpe, I hauehave preſently put forth a Sermon of Repentance, which had lyen by me halfe a yeere at the leaſt, for the moſt part of it. For, the laſt Summer, as I was abroad preaching in the Countrey, my chance was to make a ſermon of Repentance, the which was earneſtly of diuers deſired of me, that I ſhould giuegive it them written, or elſe put it forth in print, which I could not doe, for I had not written it, and ſo I told them.
But when no nay would ſerue, I promiſed to write it as I could, at my leiſure; this leiſure I prolonged ſo long, that (as I think) I offended them: ſo did I pleaſe my ſelfe, as one more glad to reade other mens writings, then in ſuch ſort to publiſh mine owne, for other men to reade: not that I would others not to profit by mee, but that I, knowing how ſlender my ſtore is, would be loth, the enemies ſhould therby take occaſion of ſpeaking.
But when I conſidered this preſent time, to occaſion men now to look vponupon all things, in ſuch ſort as might mooue them to godlineſſe, rather then to any curious queſtioning: I, for the ſatisfying of my promiſe, and profiting of the ſimple, ignorant, and rude, hauehave now cauſed this Sermon to be printed: the which, I beſeech God for his Chriſts ſake, to vſe as a mean, whereby of his merciemercy, it may pleaſe him to worke in me, and many others, true hearty repentance for our ſinnes, to the glory of his name.
Thus fare thou well in the Lord, The xij. of Iuly. 1553.