Moriemini. A verie profitable sermon preached before her Maiestie at the court, about xiij. yeares since: by H.B.

I haue sayd, yee are Gods.

And for that ye are Gods, that is, set on Gods seate, by Gods appointment, in stead of God: therefore there is a dutie also required of you towards that God, that hath made you gods.

For you are gods, not the gods of the heathen, siluer & gold, the workes of mens handes, which haue eyes and* 1.1 see not, eares and heare not, mouthes and speake not, hands and handle not, feet and walke not, neither is there any breath in their nosthrils: but ye are gods, liuely gods, and haue eyes to see, and eares to heare, mouths to speake, and hands to worke the things, that are good and plea∣sing to the euerliuing God.

Therefore the Prophet Dauid saith vnto you: Bring* 1.2 vnto the Lord, ô ye mightie, bring yong rammes vnto the Lord, ascribe vnto the Lord your worship, and your strength: giue the Lord the honor due vnto his name, & worshippe the Lord with an holy worshippe. By which words the prophet teacheth plainly, that there is a dutie required of you that are mightie, towards that God, that hath made you gods.

But it becomes not me, perhaps, to tell you gods your dutie, yet thus much without offence, I hope, I may say, saying it truly: that the God of heauen is angrie with the gods on earth for want of dutie.

Reuelatur enim ira Dei, &c.

* 1.3 For the wrath of God in heauen is reuealed, & made manifest against the gods on earth by sundrie signes and tokens of Gods wrath, both in the heauens aboue, and in the earth beneath. For euen of late dayes amongst vs the often eclypses of the Sunne and the Moone, the diuerse Cometes and blazing starres, the sundrie sights and lights in the aire, the rise resemblances of fire and bloud in the clouds, the maine monstruous & strange birthes (though some seeme to render some naturall reasons for them) yet are they vnnaturall, and the wrath of God is reuealed by them. As for the late earthquake amongst vs, that was soone forgotten of vs, because it passed away so soone, and did so litle hurt amongst vs. Yet the prophet Dauid saith,* 1.4 The earth trembled and quaked, the verie foundations of the hilles shooke, and were moued, because God is wroth. The prophet telleth plainly, that the trembling and quaking of the earth, is a sure signe and token of the wrath of God in heauen. And that the late earthquake a∣mongst vs, did passe so soone away from vs, and with so litle hurt among vs, is an argument, that the wrath of God against vs, is yet mixed with much mercie towards vs, threatning vs so terribly, and yet sparing vs so merci∣fully.

Thus then by sundrie signes & tokens it is euident and plaine, that the God of heauen is angry with the gods on earth for want of dutie.

For some being aduanced by God to be gods, do liue without God, that is, without the knowledge and feare of God, and become Dauids fooles, and saye in their* 1.5 hearts, There is no God. But set vp their hornes on high,* 1.6 and say with a stiffe necke, That promotion commeth

from the East and from the West, that is, They say, their honour and authoritie, their lands and great liuings, their credit and their countenaunce comes to them by heritage, by birth and parentage, or by the worthinesse of their wit and policie, or by the deserts of their labours and industrie.

Therefore they offer sacrifice to their nets (sayth the* 1.7 Lord by the Prophet) and burne incense to their yarne, because by thē their portion is made fat, that is, they boast of their birth, they vaunt of their value, their wisedome, and their worth, because by them they thinke they haue whatsoeuer they haue. And so set their whole delight* 1.8 with the rich glutton to be finely fed and trimly clad, and hauing wealth inough in store for many yeares, they say* 1.9 to their soules, Soule take thine ease, eat, drinke and bee merrie; and grow to be like to that wicked iudge, Nec* 1.10 Deum timere, nec hominem reuereri, that is, neither to feare God nor care for man.

For these godlesse Gods haue commonly, if not conti∣nually about them, bewitching Elimasses, that is, besotting* 1.11 epicures, Machiuilists, and Atheists, which feed thē with the follies of their owne fansies, and peruert them from all care and feare of God, from reading, hearing, or belee∣uing the word of God.

But when God had giuen his people rest in the daies of Asa king of Iuda, the king and all the people made a* 1.12 couenaunt with the Lord to seeke and serue the Lord their God with all their harts, and with all their soules: And they made a law, that whosoeuer would not serue the Lord God, should die for it, were he small or great.

Oh if we would well consider the peace and rest, the prosperitie and plentie, where with the Lord hath blessed

vs in the daies of our Asa, that is, our gratious queene Elizabeth, we haue great cause to make a couenant with the Lord, to seeke and serue the Lord our God with all our hearts, and with all our soules. But if Asa his law were in England, That whosoeuer would not serue the Lord God should die for it, were he small or great, then surely God should be a great deale better serued both of small and great. For our peace and rest, our prosperitie and plentie, hath bred a godlesse securitie both in small and great: and the God of heauen is angrie with the gods on earth for want of dutie.

For some being aduanced by God to be gods, do yet with Achab mislike good Elias, and maintaine Baals* 1.13 priests, that is, they cannot like of the preaching & prea∣chers of the word of God, but maintaine bald priests to nusle them in Idolatrie and superstition still: such must be their chaplens, their schoolemaisters, stewards of their houses, clearks of their kitchins, and beare all the sway. By sufferance whereof it is come to passe, that not onely themselues are hardned in their superstition, past hope to be wonne, but also their children, a great number that haue bene borne since your Maiesties raigne, are so taught in their trade, that they are become more obsti∣nate enemies to the state and religion, then their fathers are. And this is one great cause, why after so long prea∣ching of Gods truth, the enemies of truth are so smallie decreased, nay so mightily increased amongst vs.

O what a happie thing had it bene for this land, if the children of such as are knowne to be superstitious, had bene taken from their parents at the yeares of discretion, and committed to the education of such, as are knowne to loue the state and religion. But better late then neuer,

they say, Nunquam sera est ad bonos mores via.

Christ and his Gospell hath a long time, two & twen∣tie yeares bene on foot in England, and faine would ride, as he did somtime in Hierusalem, with some glorie. And* 1.14 for this purpose he hath sent foorth his two Disciples to bring both the old Asse and the yoong Colt vnto him. The two disciples are Doctrine and Discipline, the word and the sword, ministers and magistrats: both which are sent out, that is, appointed and commaunded by Christ, to bring both the old stubborne asses, and the yoong wild colts to Christ, that is, to the preaching & teaching of the gospell of Christ. These two disciples haue a long time bene in bringing, and haue not yet brought neither the old asles nor the yoong colts to Christ, because they do not go togither to bring them; disciple Doctrine faine would bring them, but disciple Discipline is verie slacke to go with him: the one seekes means by counsell to bring them to Christ, the other makes means manie times by countenaunce to staie them from Christ. And the one without the other cannot bring them to Christ.

Surely, Dominus his opus habet, that is, The Lord hath* 1.15 need of them.

Now therfore I most humblie beseech your Maiestie euen for Christ his sake, and on Christs behalfe, to giue a new and a straight charge to these two disciples, to go togither speedilie, and to ioine togither effectuallie, to bring both the old stubborne asses, and the yoong wild colts to Christ, that is, to the preaching and teaching of the gospell of Christ, to the saluation of their soules through faith in Christ. Let Christ now no longer staie on foot amongst vs, least at last he be troden vnder foot of vs: for whilest we be still carelesse of their conuersion,

they seeke and worke our vtter subuersion. And the God of heauen is alreadie angrie with the gods on earth, for want of this dutie.

For some being aduaunced of God to be gods, do countenaunce such as seeke to discountenaunce the prea∣ching and preachers of the word of God: both the car∣pers at their liues, and the catchers at their liuings. Euerie accuser hath too too manie hearers, and too many bea∣rers against Gods ministers, to abate their credit & their countenaunce: and euerie shifter now becomes a suter, to pill and pull away their liuings and their maintainance. But when these dallying Dalilaes, haue curtold Sampsons* 1.16 locks, and robbed him of his strength, that is, when they haue curtold the clergies countenance, and robbed them of their maintenance, Sampson shall become a blind Sampson, that is, the Clergie shall become a blind Clergie, and pull downe the house of Gods wrath and vengeance both vpon themselues, and vpon those pilling Philistines that sought their decay.

To be short and plaine, Gods word and religion is contemned by Atheists, condemned by Papists, slaunde∣red by schismatikes, hindered by too many, not faithfully furthered by anie. And because the loue of Gods word and religion thus in England is decreased, therefore the wrath of God against England is increased.

For as the Oracle told the men of Athens, that the strongest state and best defense of their citie, was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 i. Their rotten wood; meaning their good laws that were graued in wood, and by antiquitie were waxen rotten. Euen so the heauenly oracles of the liuing God tel vs, that the strongest staie, and best defense of a christian common wealth, is the preaching and teaching of the

word of God, the true religion and seruice of God.

So sayth the Prophet Dauid; There is no king that* 1.17 can be saued by the multitude of an hoast, neither is anie mightie man deliuered by his much strength: a horse is* 1.18 accounted but a vaine thing to saue a man, but the hand of the Lord hath the preheminence: the hand of the Lord is mightie in operation, the hand of the Lord bringeth mightie things to passe.

1 Nymrod and his confederates thought themselues* 1.19 safe, when they builded their Babell vp to the heauens: but all their high Babell was but a bable, that is, a verie vaine deuise, and came soone to confusion.

2 Arphaxad trusted in his strong and well fenced ci∣tie* 1.20 Ecbatanis, but Ecbatanis could not hold him when the hand of the Lord was against him.

Pharao trusted in the multitude of his chariots and* 1.21 horsemen, and how soone were they all ouerwhelmed in the red sea.

So, not Nymrods high Babels, that is, not high castels and towers: not Arphaxads Ecbatanis, that is, not strong townes and well fenced cities: not Pharaos chariots and horsemen, that is, not the multitude of men and muniti∣on, but the holie hand of the Lord, for his word, and by his word is the strength and stay of the people of God.

Not the wals of Bethulia, but the hand of the Lord* 1.22 held out Holophernes, and strengthened weake Iudith to hacke off his head.

Therefore that we in England haue bene so long, so mightily, and so miraculously saued and deliuered from the hands of them that hate vs, (which are so many, so mightie, and so maliciously bent against vs) that their tre∣cheries and conspiracies, their counsels & confederacies,

haue bene so many times reuealed, and so many waies preuented, that they haue not taken from vs our most gratious Queene Elizabeth by their gunshot, their witchcraft, their coniuring, their sorcerie, and their dealings with the Diuell himselfe, to the vtter ouer∣throwe of the present state and Religion. All this, and all else hath not bene so much by the wisedome of man, by the counsell or carefull circumspection of man, but by the mercifull goodnesse of the Lord our God towardes vs, and by the holie hand of the Lord our God ouer vs, onely for his word and religi∣on amongst vs.

For so the prophet Elyzeus, when he saw Elias taken* 1.23 vp from him, he cried after him: O my father, ô my fa∣ther, the chariots and the horsemen, the chariots and the horsemen of Israell. Plainely testifying, that Elias the Prophet of the Lord, who had plentifully preached the word of the Lord in Israell, he was the chariots and the horsemen, that is, the strength and staie of Israell. And euen so doubtlesse Elias, that is, the preaching and teaching of the word of God, the true religion and ser∣uice of God in England, is the chariots and horsemen, that is, the strength and the stay of England.

Make much then of Elias, O make much of Elias.* 1.24 Let not Achab his accusations make you beleeue, that Elias troubleth all England: not Elias, but Achab, that is, not the religion, but the enemies of the religion, their trecheries and conspiracies, their counsels and confede∣racies, their crackings, and their priuie packings, trouble all England.

Make much of Elias, O make much of Elias. Let not* 1.25 the godlesse Iezabels driue Elias out of house and home,

and make him to liue in the wildernesse and be fed of the rauens, or else to liue vpon the poore pittance of the wid∣dow at Sareptha, that is, Let not the godlesse greedie sort take away the preachers lands and liuings, and put them to liue vpon small pensions, or little deuotions.

Make much of Elias, O make much of Elias, yet make not a cloake of Elias to cast about you in foule weather, and cast from you in faire weather. Thinke it not inough* 1.26 to seeke for Elias in the time of drought and dearth, and care not for him in the time of plentie and rest, that is, Thinke it not enough when any trouble or aduersitie comes, then to crie Religion, Religion, the Gospell, the Gospell, and when all is quiet and well, then to haue no care of Religion and the Gospell. O make much of religi∣on both in weale and woe, Religion is your strength and stay both in weale and woe. And the more the loue of Gods word and religion in you decreaseth, the more the wrath of God against you increaseth. For the Lord is* 1.27 with you whilest you are with the Lord, and when you seeke him, he will be found of you, and when you forsake him, he will also forsake you.

The God of all mercies graunt, that you gods on earth may carefully performe your dutie to the God of heauen, that al want of dutie being speedily amēded, Gods wrath for the same may in time be preuēted, that God may con∣tinue a good God towards England still,

Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 115. 3.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 29. 1.
• * 1.3

  Rom. 1. 28.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 18. 7.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 14. 1.
• * 1.6

  Psalm. 75. 6.
• * 1.7

  Habac. 1. 16.
• * 1.8

  Luc. 16. 19.
• * 1.9

  Luc. 12. 19.
• * 1.10

  Luc. 18. 4.
• * 1.11

  Act. 13. 8.
• * 1.12

  2. Pat. 15. 12.
• * 1.13

  3. Reg. 16. 32.
• * 1.14

  ••. 1. 2.
• * 1.15

  Matt. 21. 3.
• * 1.16

  Iudic. 16. 21.
• * 1.17

  Psal. 33. 16.
• * 1.18

  Psal. 118. 16.
• * 1.19

  Gen. 11. 1.
• * 1.20

  Iudith 1. 1.
• * 1.21

  Exod. 14. 28.
• * 1.22

  Iudith 13. 4.
• * 1.23

  4. Reg. 2. 12.
• * 1.24

  3. Reg. 17. 3.
• * 1.25

  3. Reg. 18. 10
• * 1.26

  3. Reg. 18. 10.
• * 1.27

  2. Par. 15. 2.