governed by; neither do they admit any other rule, but that only and alone, without any intermixture of men's tradition. For there is but one God, one Christ, one faith, one word ; therefore there is but one rule. Therefore all the sects of monasteries, fraternities, brotherhoods, colleges, and all other such like whatsoever, are superfluous and damnable, forasmuch as they have divided Christ, and taken on them another profession, which has no ground in the word of God, which alone is the rule of the faithful.

Man's invention is the execrable rule of the children of Satan's kingdom, that is, of the church malignant, which is parted and divided into innumerable sects, of which every one of them have feigned out of their own madness, for themselves, a special and peculiar way of salvation, which, notwithstanding, is the way to everlasting damnation.

XXXV. God's word makes them blessed who gladly hear, read, or search it; as David saith, Blessed is that man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor yet hath sat in the chair of pestilence. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law will he exercise himself day and night., Again, Blessed are they that search his testimonies.

Man's invention is embraced by carnal men, because they are not of God. And therefore are they cursed. Cursed be he that continueth not in all things that are written in this book, saith Moses. And the psalmist, in like manner, saith, Cursed be they that go away from his commandments.

XXXVI. God's word necessarily ought to be loved and kept of all men. Notwithstanding, it is only loved heartily and kept diligently by the sons of the Most High. And they for the glory thereof, if need be, will put themselves in danger of all perils, yea, if it were very death. For they know, and are fully persuaded, that God and his truth excel all things, yea, their own life. And they are certain by the word of God, which they believe, that they should receive better things in the world to come; as it is written, Rejoice and be merry, for great is your reward in heaven

Man's invention, even of necessity, ought to be cast away of all men, and to be kept of none. Yet is it both loved and kept, by the children of the devil, that is, the unfaithful, but yet not so that they will put themselves in any great peril or danger, either of goods or of death, as we may perceive by the papists, who will not lightly die for the pope's decrees, which they, notwithstanding, pretend greatly

to love and favour; nor yet gladly lose any of their substance.

XXXVII, God's word is a sufficient doctrine to the uttermost, for the instruction and salvation of the faithful christians, and therefore ought nothing either to be added unto it, or to be plucked from it; as Moses saith, Ye shall not add to the word that I speak unto you, nor take anything away from it. Again, That which I command thee, do that only to the Lord ; neither put thou anything to it, neither pluck thou any thing therefrom. And solomon saith, Put nothing to the Lord's words, lest thou be rebuked, and found a liar.

Man's invention is altogether insufficient. Therefore the foolish men put unto it, take away, correct, alter, change and change again, command and command again, that at the last they may bring that to pass, which shall never come unto any perfection or good effect. This appears evidently in the monks, who are always making of statutes, and yet straightway revoke them, and out of hand they establish them again, so that there is no end in their doings This also

appears well in the pope, and in all the synagogues of his satanical kingdom, which (so that some new lucre may grow unto them) will enact, make void, and establish again. one thing more than a hundred times.

XXXVIII. God's word is of so great glory and majesty, that no man is able to express it.

Man's invention is so vile, and of such great wickedness, that no man is able to declare the abominations of it, and the unspeakable incommodities that issue and flow out from it, unto the danger of all them that delight in such fantasies.

XXXIX. God's word is most highly worthy to be wished and desired; as the psalmist saith, The commandments of the Lord are more worthy to be desired than gold and precious stones.

Man's invention is most worthy to be despised and cas! away, forasmuch as it is nothing else than the wicked ima. gination of filthy flesh, and by that means hated of God, and of a good men.

XL. God's word is the doctrine of righteousness, unity peace, faith, love, patience, mercy, and of all goodness and godliness.

Man's invention is the word of unrighteousness, discord, disquietness, unbelief, enmity, vengeance, unmercifulness, and of all evil and mischief.

XLI. God's word is the word of the eternal Father, and of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; which word only the congregation of God admits and receives to be sound and true doctrine, and will be ruled by it alone; admitting and approving no kind of doctrine but what consents and agrees with this word of God in all points.

Man's invention is the word of the devil, the prince of darkness, and of the venomous snake of human wisdom, which the church malignant, despising God's word, and being blinded and deceived with carnal reasons, receives and believes, and is content to be ruled and governed by that alone, unto the endless damnation of bodies and souls.

CONCLUSION. Thus have we heard what a precious treasure and heavenly jewel the most sacred scripture and holy WORD OP God is, and what incomparable commodities the know. ledge thereof brings, both to the souls and bodies of all such as unfeignedly receive it.

We have heard also, on the contrary part, what a wicked devil, what a grievous plague, what a poisonous pestilence, MAN'S INVENTION is, and how great incommodity and evils it brings to such as embrace it, whether we respect body or soul. It therefore now remains that every faithful man be jealous for the word of God. Let us all with one consent desire that it may reign in the hearts of all men, and do all our endeavour that it may so come to pass and soon. Let us not fear the torments and menacing words of the cruel and fierce tyrants, who can do nothing but slay the body. Let us rather for the zeal of God's glory, for the advancement of his holy word, and for the profit of the brethren, be ready to suffer whatsoever shall be laid upon us by the bloody tyrants, and boldly say with David, My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. And while we yet live, for the good performance hereof, let us cry, preach, teach, exhort, write, and admonish one another, and stir up all others to do the same, that the execrable and damnable inventions and traditions of the flesh may be plucked up by the roots, abolished, and for ever perish. Again, that the pure word of God, which is our only joy and comfort, our only joy and solace, may be faithfully believed, and earnestly obeyed and practised by all nations in every place, that the kingdom of this world may be made the kingdom of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom alone be all honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SELECT SERMONS

FROM

A NEW POSTILL;

CONTAINING MOST GODLY AND LEARNED SERMONS UPON ALL THE SUNDAY GOSPELS THAT BE READ IN

THE CHURCH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,

LATELY SET FORTH UNTO THE GREAT PROFIT, NOT ONLY OF ALL CURATES AND SPIRITUAL MINISTERS, BUT ALSO OF ALL

OTHER GODLY AND FAITHFUL READERS.

PRINTED 1566.*

Like as the rain and snow cometh down from heaven, and returneth not thither again, but watereth the earth, and maketh it fruitful and green, that it may give corn to the sower and bread to the eater; 90 the word also that cometh out of my mouth shall not return again void unto me, but shall accomplish my will, and prosper in them unto whom I send it.—Isaiah lv.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.-Rom.

* When speaking of the early part of the reign of queen Elizabeth, Strype, in his life of Parker, says:-Thomas Becon, a famed preacher and writer, living at Canterbury, where he had a prebend, was employed in a very useful work at this season, namely, in providing the church with a postill, containing honest plain sermons for all the Sundays in the year, upon the Gospels, beginning with the first Sunday in advent; to be read by the curate to his congregation. To wbich Becon added, a large preface, addressed to his fellowlabourers in the Lord's harvest, the ministers and preachers of God's most holy word, wherein he earnestly exhorted them to the faithful discharge of their weighty duty. To which postill are prayers added, one of them to be said before sermon, either the longer or the shorter one, according to the minister's discretion, and another prayer or thanksgiving to be said after sermon. These prayers and these sermons were framed for ministers who had not ability to invent and compose prayers and sermons themselves, that the people might be instructed in sound and wholesome doctrine, whatsoever the abilities of the ministers were under whom they happened to live.

Becon only speaks of these postills as being set forth by him," and Strype considers that they were translated from the Latin or German; they however contain passages which evidently appear to be original. They may, in fact, be considered as village" or

cottage” sermons.

66

66

THE

SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST.

The Gospel for the Sunday next before Easter, commonly

called Palm Sunday.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings,

he said unto his disciples, &c.—Matthew xxvi.

This day is read in the church, as you have heard, the story of the painful passion and dreadful death of our most loving Lord and sweet Saviour Jesus Christ. And although the passion of Christ ought at all times, and every day, diligently to be remembered by us and every christian, seeing it is that only and alone precious treasure, whereby we are delivered and set at liberty from all the power of hell, from Satan, sin, death, damnation, &c.; yet the ancient fathers of Christ's church, in times past, have well provided that we should have every year a certain peculiar time appointed for this purpose, in the which we might do and exercise this, either privately or publicly. For by this means the passion of Christ shall be more diligently inculcated and beaten into the youth, and also be the more surely engrafted in the memory of the elder sort of people. Now forasmuch as the passion of Christ hath in times past been marvellously abused by vain meditations and cogitations of superstitious and ignorant hypocrites, we will at this present leave all such vanity, and declare how the passion and death of Christ ought truly and profitably to be considered, weighed, and pondered, unto our singular consolation and comfort, and also unto the amendment of our life and conversation. This will be brought to pass if we diligently weigh, ponder, and consider, these principal points following.

I. What the passion of Christ is.
II. What excited and moved him to suffer this passion.
III. How Christ both outwardly and inwardly suffered.

IV. What fruit and profit he has procured and gotten for us by his passion.

I. The passion of Christ is none other than an immeasurable dolour, sorrow, torment, and pain, which he,