Lib. iii.

78.

Now to leave their doctrine, and to come to other points. What fhall we think or judge of the Pope's intolerable pride? The Scripture faith, that God refifleth the proud, and fheweth grace to the humble. Alfo it pronounceth Matth. v. them bleffed which are poor in fpirit, promifing that they which humble themselves fhall be exalted. And Chrift Matth. xi. our Saviour willeth all his to learn of him, because be is bumble and meek. As for pride, St. Gregory faith, it is the root of all mifchief. And St. Auguftine's judgment is this, that it maketh men devils. Can any man then, which either hath or fhall read the Popes' lives, justly fay that they had the Holy Ghoft within them? Firft, as touching that they will be termed univerfal Bishops and Heads of all Chriftian churches through the world; we have the judgment of Gregory exprefsly Ep. 76. against them; who, writing to Mauritius the emperor, condemneth John, bishop of Conftantinople, in that behalf, calling him the Prince of pride, Lucifer's Succeffor, and the Forerunner of Antichrift. St. Bernard also agreeing thereunto, faith, What greater pride can there be, than that one man fhould prefer his own judgment before the whole congregation, as though he only had the Spirit of God? And Chryfoftom pronounceth a terrirum lib. iii. ble fentence against them, affirming plainly, that whofoever feeketh to be chief in earth thall find confufion in heaven; and that he which striveth for the fupremacy fhall not be reputed among the fervants of Chrift. Again he faith, To defire a good work, it is good; but to covet the chief degree of honour, it is mere vanity. Do not thefe places fufficiently convince their outrageous pride, in ufurping to themfelves a fuperiority above all other, as well minifters and bishops, as kings also and emperors? But as the lion is known by his claws, fo let us learn to know thefe men by their deeds. What Sabell. En- fhall we fay of him that made the noble King Danda

Serm. 3.
Refur.
Dom.

Dialogo

Chryfoft. fup. Mat.

nead. 9.

lib. vii.

de

lus to be tied by the neck with a chain, and to lie flat down before his table, there to gnaw bones like a dog? Shall we think that he had God's holy Spirit within him, and not rather the fpirit of the devil? Such a tyrant was Pope Clement the fixth. What fhall we fay of him that proudly and contemptuoufly trod Frederic the emperor under his feet, applying the verfe of the Pfalm unto himPfalm 1x. felf, Thou shalt go upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon thou shalt tread under thy foot? Shall we fay that he had God's holy Spirit within him, and not rather the fpirit of the devil? Such a tyrant was Pope Alexander

the

the third. What fhall we fay of him that armed and animated the fon against the father, caufing him to be taken, and to be cruelly famifhed to death, contrary to the law both of God, and alfo of nature? Shall we fay that he had God's holy Spirit within him, and not rather the spirit of the devil? Such a tyrant was Pope Pascal the fecond. What fhall we fay of him that came into his popedom like a fox, that reigned like a lion, and died like a dog? Shall we fay that he had God's holy Spirit within him, and not rather the spirit of the devil? Such a tyrant was Pope Boniface the eighth. What fhall we fay of him that made Henry the emperor, with his wife and his young child, to ftand at the gates of the city in the rough winter, bare footed and bare legged, only clothed in linfey woolfey, eating nothing from morning to night, and that for the space of three days? Shall we fay that he had God's holy Spirit within him, and not rather the fpirit of the devil? Such a tyrant was Pope Dildebrand, moft worthy to be called a firebrand, if we fhall term him as he hath beft deferved. Many other examples might here be alleged; as of Pope Joan the harlot, that was delivered of a child in the high ftreet, going folemnly in proceffion; of Pope Julius the IId. that wilfully caft St. Peter's keys into the river Tiberis; of Pope Urban the VIth. that caufed five cardinals to be put in facks, and cruelly drowned; of Pope Sergius the IIId. that perfecuted the dead body of Formofus his predeceffor, when it had been buried eight years; of Pope John the XIVth. of that name, who having his enemy delivered into his hands, caufed him firft to be ftripped ftark naked, his beard to be fhaven, and to be hanged up a whole day by the hair, then to be set upon an ass with his face backward toward the tail, to be carried round about the city in defpite, to be miferably beaten with rods, laft of all, to be thruft out of his country, and to be banished for ever. But to conclude, and make an end, ye fhall briefly take this fhort leflon; wherefoever ye find the fpirit of arrogance and pride, the fpirit of envy, hatred, contention, cruelty, murder, extortion, witchcraft, necromancy, &c. affure yourselves that there is the spirit of the devil, and not of God, albeit they pretend outwardly to the world never fo much holiness. For as the Gospel teacheth us, the Spirit of Jefus is a good Spirit, an holy Spirit, a fweet Spirit, a lowly Spirit, a merciful Spirit, full of charity and love, full of forgiveness and pity, not rendering evil for evil, extremity for extremity, but overcoming evil with good, and remitting all offence even

from

from the heart. According to which rule, if any man live uprightly, of him it may be fafely pronounced, that he hath the Holy Ghoft within him: if not, then it is a plain token that he doth ufurp the name of the Holy Ghoft in vain. Therefore, dearly beloved, according to 1 John iv. the good counfel of St. John, Believe not every spirit, but first try them whether they be of God or no. Many ball Mat. xxiv. come in my name, faith Chrift, and fhall transform themselves into angels of light, deceiving (if it be poffible) the very elec. They fhall come unto you in fheep's clothing, being inwardly cruel and ravening wolves. They fhall have an outward fhew of great holinefs and innocency of life, fo that ye fhall hardly or not at all difcern them. But the Matth. vii. rule that ye muft follow is this, To judge them by their fruits. Which if they be wicked and naught, then it is unpoffible that the tree of whom they proceed fhould be good. Such were all the Popes and Prelates of Rome for the most part, as doth well appear in the ftory of their lives, and therefore they are worthily accounted among the number of falfe Prophets, and falfe Chrifts, which deceived the world a long while. The Lord of heaven and earth defend us from their tyranny and pride, that they never enter into his vineyard again, to the disturbance of his filly poor flock; but that they may be utterly confounded and put to flight in all parts of the world: and he of his great mercy fo work in all men's hearts, by the mighty power of the Holy Ghoft, that the comfortable Gofpel of his Son Chrift may be truly preached, truly received, and truly followed in all places, to the beating down of fin, death, the Pope, the Devil, and all the kingdom of Antichrift, that like fcattered and difperfed fheep, being at length gathered into one fold, we may in the end reft all together in the bofom of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, there to be partakers of eternal and everlafting life, through the merits and death of Jefus Chrift our Saviour. Amen.

Luke vi.

AN

と

AN

HOMILY

FOR THE

Days of Rogation Week.

That all good things come from God.

AM purposed this day, good devout Chriftian people, to declare unto you the most deferved praife and commendation of Almighty God, not only in the confideration of the marvellous creation of this world, or for conservation and governance thereof, wherein his great power and wifdom might excellently appear to move us to honour and dread him; but most especially in confideration of his liberal and large goodnefs, which he daily bestoweth on us his reasonable creatures, for whofe fake he made the whole univerfal world, with all the commodities and goods therein; which his fingular goodness well and diligently remembered on our part fhould move us, as duty is, again with hearty affection to love him, and with word and deed to praife him and ferve him all the days of our life. And to this matter, being fo worthy to entreat of, and fo profitable for you to hear, I trust I fhall not need with much circumftance of words to ftir you to give your attendance to hear what fhall be faid. Only I would wish your affection inflamed in fecret wife within yourself, to raise up fome motion of thanksgiving to the goodnefs of Almighty God, in every fuch point as fhall be opened by my declaration particularly unto you. For elfe what fhall it avail us to hear and know the great goodness of God towards us, to know that whatsoever is

good

good proceedeth from him, as from the principal fountain and the only author; or to know that whatsoever is fent from him muft needs be good and wholesome; if the hearing of fuch matter moveth us no further but to know it only? What availeth it the wife men of the world to have knowledge of the power and divinity of God, by the fecret infpiration of him, where they did not honour and glorify him in their knowledge as God? What praife was it to them, by the confideration of the creation of the world, to behold his goodnefs, and not to be thankful to him again for his creatures? What other thing deferved this blindness and forgetfulness of them at God's hands, but utter forfaking of him? And fo forfaken of God, they could not but fall into extreme ignorance and error. And although they much esteemed themselves in their wits and knowledge, and gloried in their wisdom; yet vanifhed they away blindly, in their thoughts became fools, and perifhed in their folly. There can be none other end of fuch as draw nigh to God by knowledge, and yet depart from him in unthankfulness, but utter deftruction. This experience faw David Pfal. lxxiii. in his days. For in his Pfalm he faith, Behold, they cubich withdraw themfelves from thee fhall perish, for thou baft deftroyed them all that are frayed from thee.

Jer. xv.

This experience was perceived to be true of that holy Prophet Jeremiah: O Lord, faith he, whatfoever they be that forfake thee shall be confounded; they that depart from thee fhall be written in the earth, and foon forgotten. It profiteth not, good people, to hear the goodness of God declared unto us, if our hearts be not enflamed thereby to honour and thank him. It profited not the Jews, which were God's elect people, to hear much of God, seeing that he was not received in their hearts by faith, nor thanked for his benefits beftowed upon them: their unthankfulness was the cause of their deftruction. Let us efchew the manner of thefe before rehearfed, and follow rather the example of that holy Apoftle St. Paul, who when in a deep meditation he did behold the marvellous proceedings of Almighty God, and confidered his infinite goodness in the ordering of his creatures, he burft out Rom. xi. into this conclufion: Surely, faith he, of bim, by him, and in bim, be all things. And this once pronounced, he fuck not ftill at this point, but forthwith thereupon joined to thefe words: To him be glory and praife for ever. Amen. Upon the ground of which words of St. Paul, good audience, I purpose to build my exhortation of this day

unto