Seven godly and learned sermons preachedSeuen godly and learned sermons preached

But O merciful God, unto what times hast thou reserved us? where is now the peace given, the love left by our Saviour Jesus Christ? where is that charity that should always remain among Christians? Now is the time, even now, (good Brethren) are the days come, which Christ himself prophesied should come,¹ saying, The time shall be that iniquity shall have the upper hand, and the love of many shall abate. Christ said, that such a time should come, and even now, even now, that time and season is come upon us. So likewise Saint Paul the Apostle of Christ said,² In the last days there shall come perilous times, Erunt homines seipsos amantes, There shall bem en which shall love them selves, ⟨image 62⟩covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, and such as shall be despisers of them that are good. O see the prophet saith, Non est veritas in terra, ³There is no trueth, no faithfulness in the whole world, there is no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land; but swearing, lying, manslaughter, theft, and adultery. Jeremiah also the prophet of God, Frater venabitur fratrem ad mortem, ⁴saith he, One Brother shall hunt and persecute an other unto death: no man may safely trust his own Brother, for one Brother undermineth an other, and one neighbour beguileth an other. And all this do we now see, we, I say, in these our days do see and behold all this. We see now that which Nazianzen that old holy father speaketh of, Membra Christi pugnant inter se, The members of Christ are at strife and variance among them selves, saith he, and even those members that Christ died for, those members I say that Christs blood redeemed, those members we now see at debate and fighting together. I speak but in generality, I speak not now in particularity, I do ⟨image 62⟩not here repeat to your memories our particular offences, and great crimes, which to consider would cause any honest hart to be sorry, yea, which to remember would enforce the stony hart to bleed. I do not now rehearse unto you by name any such our offences. O rip up your consciences, descend into your own harts, see whether iniquity doth not abound, see whether there be not in these our days, men, such as are lovers of them selves: see whether there be any trueth, any fidelity upon the earth: see whether one brother doth not hunt and persecute an other unto death: