Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

These words David the prophet (being persecuted of his enemies, and beset round about of them) spake unto Saul the proud king, and his adherents and soldiers: putting them in remembrance how they had provoked & justly deserved the vengeance of God, for persecuting of his innocent soul. And even as this prophet David spake & pronounced these words unto Saul, & his wicked ⟨image 57⟩company, to reduce unto their memory the power of God, and the punishment that then hanged over their heads: So may we likewise well use the same in these our days, first to bring us in remembrance that God is a righteous Judge; and then to consider how we daily provoke and deserve his just wrath, and so at the least for fear of punishment, to be sorry for our misdeeds, and return unto him: For if we will not be converted, he hath whet his sword, he hath bent his bow, prepared him the weapons of death, and ordained his arrows to destroy. But before we come unto God, (good Brethren) before we return unto him, we must one come unto another, we must one turn to another; before we be reconciled to Christ, we must be reconciled unto our neighbour, before we be at one with God, we must be at one with our Christian Brother. This is the order that God looketh we should observe, this is that rule which Christ commanded us to keep. Remitte, & remittetur tibi, ¹Forgive, and thou shalt be ⟨image 58⟩forgiven. Si remiseris alijs peccata sua, tua remittentur tibi, ²It thou shalt forgive other men their offences towards thee, then shall thy sins also be forgiven; then shall God pardon thee thine offences, when thou shalt pardon thy Brother that he hath offended thee, then, I say, shall God forgive thee, and not before.³ And againe, Nisi remiseritis alijs peccata sua, vestra non remittentur vobis, Unlesse ye forgive other men their trespasses, your own sins shall not be released, saith Christ. Remember (good Brethren) remember and mark well these words, Christ is the author, Christ is the speaker, Christ is the commander hereof. And so Christ our Saviour in an other place of his Gospel,⁴