Two Notable Sermons, To the reader 2
¶TO THE CHRIſtian Reader Iohn Bradforde wyſheth the true knowlsdge and peace of Ieſus Chriſt, our alone and omni ſufficient Sauiour.
GReat and heauy, is Gods anger againſt vsus, as the moſt greeuous plague of the death of our late King (a Prince of all that euer was ſithē Chriſts aſcenſion into heauē, in any Region peereles) now fallen vpō vsus, doth prognoſticate For when Gods iudgement hath begun with his Childe this our deare dearlyng, let other men thinke as they can, I ſurely cannot be perſwaded otherwiſe, but that a greeuous and bitter cup of Gods vengeaneis ready to be poured out for ve Engliſh men to drinke of. The whelpe God hath beaten to fray the bandeg. Iudgement is begun at Gode houſe, In Gods mercy to himwardes he is taken away that his eyes ſhould not ſée the miſeries which we ſhall feele. He was to good to tary with vsus ſo wicked, ſo froward, ſo Hebr. 11.peruers, ſo obſtinate, ſo malicious, ſo hipocriticall, fo couetous, vncleane, vntrue, proude, and carnall a generation. I wyll not go about to paynt vsus out in our colours. All the world which neuer ſaw England, by heareſay ſeeeth England. God by his plagues and vengeaunce, I feare me, wyll paynt vsus out, and point vsus out. We hauehave ſo mocked with him and his Goſpel, that we ſhall féele it is no bourding with him.
¶ Of long tyme we hauehave couered our couetouſnes and carnalitie vnderunder the cloke of his Goſpell, ſo that all men ſhal ſee vsus to our ſhame when he ſhall take his Goſpel away & geue it to a people y• wil bring forth y• fruites of it: then ſhal we appeare as we be. To let his Goſpel tary with vsus, he cannot, for we deſpiſe it, contemne it, are giu…ted with it. We diſdaine his Manna: it is but a vile meate, thinke we. We would be againe in Egypt, and ſ…t by the greaſy ſteſhpots, to eute againe our Garlike Onions, and Léekes. …ithens Gods Goſpell came amongeſt vsus, we ſay now he had neuer plenty, therefore againe let vsus go and woyrſhip the Queene of heauen. Chyldren begynne to gather Iere. 44. Iere. 7.ſtickes, the Fathers kindle the fire, and the women make the cakes to offer to the Quéene of heauen, & to prouoke the Lord to anger. The earth cannot abide now the wordes & Sermons of Anios: the cauſe of all rebelliou is Amos & his Amos. 7.preaching. It is Paule and his felowes that makes all out of order. Sumnia, the Goſpel is now foreign and Acte. 17.foreign the out caſt & eurſſe of the Realme, & ſo are the Preachers: therefore out of the doores with them. So that I ſay, God cannot let his Goſpell tary with vsus, but muſt néedes take it away to do vsus ſome pleaſure therein: for ſo ſhall we thinke for a tyme. as the Sodomitanes thought when Lot departed frō them: as the ol… world thought Gene. 19. Gene. 6.when Noe crept into his Arke: as the Ieroſolomitanes thought whē the Apoſtels went thence to P…tis. Then w…r they mery, then was at paſtime. When Moiſes was abſent, then went they to eating and drinking, and roſe againe … Exod 2play. Then was all peace, all was wel, nothing amyſſe. But alas, ſodainlye came the floud and drowned them. Gods wrath wared hote againſt them. Then was weale away, mourning and woe, then was crying out, wringing of hands, renting of clothes, ſobbing and fighyng for the miſeries fallen, out of the which they could not ſcape. But oh ye mourners and cryers out, ye renters of clothes, why mourne ye? What is the cauſe of your miſery? The Goſpell is gone, Gods word is little preached, you were not diſquieted with it: Noe troubleth you not, Lot is departed, the Apoſtels are gone. What uow is the cauſe of theſe your miſeries? Wyl you at the length confeſſe it is your ſyunes? Nay now it is to late, God called vponupon you, and you would not heare him, therfore yell and cry out nowe, for he wyll not heare you. You bowed your eares from hearing of Gods law, therefore your praier is execrable.
But to come againe to vsus Engliſhmen, I feare me I ſay, for our vnthaukfulues ſake, for our impietie and wyeednes, as God hath taken away our King, ſo wyll he take away his Goſpel: yea ſo we would hauehave it, then ſhould all be well, thinke many. Well, if he take that away, for a tyme perchaunce we ſhall be qutel, but at length we ſhall féele the want to our wee, at length he wyll hauehave at vsus, as at Sodeme, at Ieruſalem, and other places. And now he beginneth to brue ſuch a bruing, wherin one of vsus is lyke to deſtroy an other, and ſo make an open gappe for forren enemies to deuour vsus, and deſtroy vsus. The father is agaynſt the ſonne, the brother againſt the brother, and Lord with what conſcience? Oh be thou mercyfull vntounto vsus, and in thine anger remember thy mercy, ſuffer thy ſelfe to be intreated, be reconciled vntounto vsus, nay reconcile vsus vntounto thée. Oh thou God of iuſtice, iudge iuſtly, oh thou Sonne of God which cameſt to deſtroy the works of Satan, deſtroy hys furours nowe ſmoking, and almoſt ſet on fyre in this Realme. We hauehave ſyuned, we hauehave ſynned, and therefore art thou angry, O be not angry for euer. Geue vsus peace, peace peace in the Lord: ſet vsus to w… againſt ſynne, againſt Satan, againſt our carnall deſires, and geue vsus the victory this way. Thys victorye we obtayne by faith. This faith is not without repentaunce, as her Gentlemau Uſſher before her. Before her, I ſay, in diſceruing true fayth from falſe faith, …yp faith, Engliſhmens faith: for els if ſprings out of true faith.
Thys Uſſher then Repentaunce if we truly poſſeſſed, we ſhould be certain of true faith, and ſo aſſured of the victorie our death, hell, and Sathan. Hys workes then which he hath ſtyred vp would quaile, God would reſtore vsus politike peace, right ſhould be right and hauehave right, Gods Goſpell ſhould tary with vsus, religion ſhould be cheriſhed, ſuperſtition ſuppreſſed, and ſo we yet ſomething happy, notwithſtanding the great loſſe of our moſt gracious Liege ſoueraine Lord. All theſe would come to paſſe you ſae, if the Gentleman vſſher 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. Wherfore we cannot but be van quiſhed of the world, the fleſh, and the Deuill, and ſo wyll Sathans woorkes proſper, though not in althings to blear our eles, yet in that thing which he moſt of al deſyreth. Therfore to repentaunce for our ſelues priuately, and for the Realme & Church publikely, eueryevery one ſhuld labour to ſtyrre vp both our ſelues and others. This, to the end that for my part I might help, I hauehave preſently put forth a ſermon of Repentance, which hath lien by me halfe a yeare at the leaſt for the moſt part of it. For the laſt ſommer as I was abroade preaching in the countrey, my chaunce was to make a Sermon of repentance, the which was earneſtly of diuers deſired of me, that I ſhould geue it them written, or els put it forth in print. The which thing to graunt, as I could not (for I had not written it) ſo I told them that had ſo earneſtly deſired it. But when no nay would ſerue, but I muſt promiſe them to write it as I could: I conſented to ther requeſt, that they ſhould hauehave it at my leaſure. This leaſure I prolonged ſo long, that as (I weene) & offended them: ſo did I pleaſe my ſelfe, as one more glad to reade other mens wrytinges, then in ſuch ſort to publiſh mine own for other men to reade: not that I woulde others not to profyt by me, but that I knowing how ſclender my ſcore is, would be loth for the enemies to hauehave iuſt occaſion of euyll ſpeakyng and wreſting that which ſimply is ſpoken. But when I conſidered this preſent time, to occaſion men now to looke vponupon althinges in ſuch ſorte as might moue them to godlines, rather then to any curious queſtioning, I for the ſatiſfying of my promiſe, and profyting of the ſimple ignoraunt and rude, hauehave now cauſed this Sermon to be printed: the which I beſech God for his Chriſtes ſake, to vſe as a meane whereby of his mercy it may pleaſe him to worke in me and many others true hartye repentaunce for our ſinnes, to the glory of his name.
Thus fare thou well in the Lord The .x…. of July 1553.