A sermon preached at the christening of a certain Jew at LondonA sermon preached at the christening of a certaine Iew at London

If I say, this most godly and mild Patriarch Abraham were alive, to hear, and behold the same, with the same eyes wherewith long sithence he beheld the day of Christ Jesus, and rejoiced, would he ever have accounted you for his sons? or ever have acknowledged such imps to have proceeded out of his loins? Nay rather, who can doubt of this, that he would have agreed with John Baptist rather, and cried out with open mouth against you, O ye generation of vipers, and children of the devil: I do utterly detest you, and your poisoned deeds, and imaginations.

If I say, this most godly and mild Patriarche Abraham were aliue, to heare, and beholde the same, with the same eyes wherewith long sithence hee behelde the day of Christ Iesu, and reioysed, woulde he euer haue accompted you for his sonnes? or euer haue acknowledged such impes to haue proceeded out of his loynes? Nay rather, who can dout of this, that he would haue agreed with Iohn Baptist rather, and cryed out with open mouth against you, O ye generation of vipers, and children of the deuil: I do vtterly det•st you, and your poysoned deedes, and imaginations.

But ye do believe in God, whom only you do worship and honour: so do the Turks, Saracens, Moors, and Scythians as well as ye. And where is there any one nation under the cope of heaven, so savage and beastly, that doeth not profess, confess, and worship one God only? And what is this to the purpose? Albeit ye esteem never so much of that your worshipping the great God, if yet in mean whiles ye persecute his messengers and Ambassadors whom he sendeth, if you kill his Prophets, ⟨image 44⟩if ye murder his Apostles, Martyrs, and Preachers: Finally if you put to the most slanderous death of the Cross the dear entirely beloved and only begotten son of God him self, being tormented with all kind of horrible tortures, to the unspeakable reproach of the same your own God, with what shameless visage can you brag that God to be your father, whose son you have so shamefully crucified? Yea, what were this to the purpose, or what might it avail you, to seem to your selves that the same God is your father, if he do not reknowledge you for his children? Take this for an undoubted trueth, that no kind of people can be adjudged to be the people of the living God, but in respect of his dear son Christ Jesus. Which if your blundered senses can not comprehend as yet: what mean those words of Hosea I beseech you? and of whom were they spoken? For ye be not my people, therefore will I not be yours.