and the like murtherers But the Godly when they see any disorder they doe nothing like the other they mourne in their heartes to see that the trueth is not rereyued and to see the mindes of their brethren so obstinately hardened they make prayer to God for them they are deepely touched with the feeling of suche calamittes whiche GOD layeth vppon other The zeale of Moses coulde not like the Idolatrie of the people yet hee went vnto the Lorde againe and sayde Nowe if thou pardon their sinne thy mercie shall appeare but if thou wilte not I praye thee rase mee out of thy Booke which thou hast written Christ lamented ouer Hierusalem O Hierusalem Hierusalem which killest the Prophetes stonest them which are sent to thee how often woulde I haue gathered thy children together as the hen gathereth her chickins vnder her wings ye would not Beholde your habitation shall be left vnto you desolate Paul suffered much at the haudes of the wicked Iewes They troubled y e church of god they hindred y e course of the gospell they were enemyes of the Crosse of Christ they were Dogges they were conâ—â—sion Yet he sayeth I haue great heauenes continual sorrow in mine heart for I would wish my selfe to be separated froÌ„ Christ for my brethren are my kinsmen accordinge to the flesh which are the Isralites Dauid saith Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they keepe not thy Lawe And agayne My zeale hath euen consumed me because mine enimies haue forgotteÌ„ thy words Againe I saw the transgressours and was greued because thei kept not thy word And when hee saw the whole nation of Israel wasted by the enimies how mournfull a complaint made he to god O god the heathen ax come into thine inheritance thine holye temple haue they defiled made HierusaleÌ„ heaps of stones The dead bodies of thy seruants haue they giuen to be meat vnto the foules of the heauen the flesh of thy saints vnto the beasts of the earth At this time whâ— the tabernacle was lost wheÌ„ Saul was vnquiet and the Priestes were sâ—ayne and the Prophets despised and the people lef without al comfort hee powreth out his heare in these wordes Zelus domus tuae comedit me O Lorde the zeale I beare vnto thine house hath eaten me vp It inflameth my heart drieth my blood consumeth my marowe Such a care had bee for the house of God it was death vnto him to see it so destroyed and layde wast So Christ when he sawe the temple of God fowly and vnseemely abused that they made the holy place a place for their vnlawfull and vnhanest game by vsurie that they turned Religion into robberie solde oxen sheepe and doues and keept their bankes for exchaunge in the temple when the Priestes and Leuites whiche shoulde serue God were become marchantes and serued them selues when the temple or house of God which Dauid purposed and Salomon finished and Ezechias and Esras and other Godly Princes preserued in whiche was kept the booke of the Law whether al the people assembled together to serue God was not vsed lyke gods house but like a common faire or market and was made a denne of theiues When these grosse abuses were suffered and things were let runne to such extremities and al this vnder pretence of holines as if it were not onely lawfull but needes it must be so moued with zeale hee coulde not abide it He made a scourge of smal cordes droue them all out of the temple and poured out the changers mony and ouerthrew the tables saide make not my fathers house a house of marchaÌ„dise And his disciples remembred that it was writteÌ„ the zeale of thine house hath eaten me vp This was no frantique or melancholy passion neither in Moses nor in Dauid nor in Christ Moses was a very meeke maÌ„ aboue al that were on the earth Dauid was a man that heareth not and in whose mouthe are no reproofes And Christ sayde learne of me for I am humble and meeke When his disciples Iames Iohn grewe wrothfull against the Samaritanes that would not receiue hym and sayde Lord wylte thou that wee commaunde that fire come downe from heauen consume them euen as Elias did He turned about and rebuked them saide yee know not of what spyrite you are Yet through zeale for Gods house Christ whypped out the buiers and sellers Dauid shed foorth teares abundantly and Moses dashte in peeces the tables of Gods commandements Al men ought to bee pacient gentle in matters appertayninge to them selues but in Gods cause no man must yeelde or bee patient In our dayes vppon whom the ende of the worlde is come when wee did lately see those times wher of our sauiour foretolde so longe sâ—theuce that desolatioÌ„ should be in the holy place and such confusion ignorance and blindenes that men shoulde stomble at noone dayes that truth should be a stranger vpon earth that men should forsake wholsome doctrine and giue eare vnto fables that the mysterie of iniquitie should work and the very elect if it were possible bee deceiued what trial was made of true godlye zeale How notably did it shew it selfe agaynst the rage and furie of the wicked What should I speake hereof The exaÌ„ples are fresh you can not forget them you hearde of them so late it is so late since you did beholde them What moued so many so learned so vertuous to yeelde their backes to the scourge their neckes to the tormentours their bodies to the fire to forsake their goodes their friends their parentes their wiues and childreÌ„ but the zeale of Gods house Neither death nor life nor Angels nor thinges present nor things to come was able to separate them from the loue of God They continued stedfast vnto the ende the zeale of Gods house dyd eate them vp But now God hath restored vs he hath taken away the desolation from vs hee hath giuen vs his trueth he hath reuealed the man of sinne he hath raysed vp a banner of hope We se and enioye such thinges as many kings and Prophets would haue eniayed and could not What remayneth but that we take the zeale of the Lords house into our heartes and seeke by all meanes the glory of the same As our good fathers and brethren shewed the vehemencie of their loue in disly king the disorders which troubled y e church of God so in this blessed peace which God giueth to his Church let vs witnesse our earneste zeale in seeking that it may be made beautifull and established for euer Let our next care be to continue possession Kingdomes are preserued by the same meanes by which they were first gotten That which is conquered by zeale by carefull zeale must bee kept It was saide of Annibal that he knew how to get the victorie but howe to vse it bee knew not Many haue lost that by negligence which they had by diligence
his word is heauy in vs through our heauines Orig. sheweth how dangerous y e state of theÌ„ is where the Gospel is not preached Such a Church can not stand before the abominatioÌ„ of desolation stedfast or without danger of seducing And therfore Christ compareth his church to the weakest things that be Sometimes hee calleth it a vine which vnies it euermore be propte and borne vp looked vnto pruned of it selfe is not able to stande but falleth to the ground groweth wilde Sometimes he likeneth it to a flocke of sheepe which without attendance is ready to take infinite maladies Sometime to a shippe which if it be not wel prouided on euery side if it be destitute of light of sunne starres is in daunger of the rocke and windes surges of the sea Sometimes to the moone which hath no light but from the sunne What needeth more proofe in a matter being of it selfe so cleere Christ himselfe Daniel Peter and Paul gaue vs warning that this confusion should come to passe in y e church of God We see with our eyes how farre we are straâ—ed from the original We see what darknesse and blindnesse hath beene euen in them that shoulde haue ruled the sterne Good men haue had their eyes opened and haue poynted to vs that the pâ—lâ—te of the shippe a long time hath beene Antichrist The auncient and olde Doctours in their time foresawe that this great captiuitye and confusion was comming euen vpon them Our fathers of later yeeres though our Aduersaries and Patrones of the contrary cause yea the Bishopyes of Rome and their chiefe pillars doe coufesse that the patterne and original hath not beene kept Discipline whiche is the greatest bond of the church hath beene broken I pray God it may now bee restored The Sacraments that Christ left for our most comfort haue byn miserably mangled and defaced Our prayers haue been without spirite and veritye and so abused that indeede they were no prayers What greater proofes or authorities doe we looke for Now then can there bee anye man so wilfull that will say there hath been no disorder in the churche or that Christ himselfe and his Apostles if they were aliue coulde rule the church in no better sort then it hath beene and is by the Pope and his Cardinals But me thinke I heare some say The church cannot bee so forsaken it is the house and temple of God it is the spouse of Christe Christ made her a sure promise that he woulde neuer forsake her Ero vobiscum vsque ad consummationem soeculi I will bee with you to the end of the worlde All this is true yet is it not true that euery particular churche of the worlde shal be established for euer For was not this temple that Salomon built the temple of God yet was it ouer throwen and burnt down to the grounde by y â— Chaldees Iupiters image was set vp in it by Antiochus It was afterward ouerthrowen by the Emperour Titus yet was it the temple of God Gods house is a house of prayer yet Christ saith Vos fecistis speluncam latronum You haue made it a denne of theeues The Lord made choise of his Uine he loued it it was a chosen heritage yet Ieremie saith Many pastours haue destroyed my Vineyard troden my portion vnder foote of my chosen place they haue made a desolate wildernes Hierusalem was called the holy city yet is shee charged that shee hath played the harlot and done shamefully The Iewes called themselues the people of God but Christe calleth them the Synagogue of Satan The Church of God is called the holy place yet Christ saith the abhomination of desolation and S. Paule saieth the man of sinne shal stand in the holy place If we beleeue Christ and his Apostles that forewarned vs hereof if we beleeue the old doctours if we beleeue the writers of later yeeres if we beleeue such as God hath stirred vp in our time to reuiue his Gospel if we beleeue our aduersaries if we beleeue our owne senses anâ— experience let vs confesse that the Church hath byn defaced with abuses let vs giue God thaÌ„ks that of his great mercies hath restored it and lee vs euery man endeuour to reediffe it God had mollified the Kings hearte to bee gracious towards them he had deliuered them he had restored them home to their countrie hee gaue them Prophetes to call vppon them and a godly Prince to rule ouer them but the people cried out The time is not yet come that the Lordes house shoulde be buylded Here must I touche the causes that withholde men from the buylding vp of Gods Temple not al that may be reckoned For that wold require more time but onely the chiefest that shall come to hand The first seemed to be dispaire of the cause For they sawe it was a long trauayle from Babylon to Hierusalem They had beene spoiled of all they had and were poore and the greatest part euen of their owne people forsooke them and would not returne home with them Theyr enemies were strong and laughed them to scorne and hindered their buildinges Others charged them with sedition and sayde if these men may once recouer their city they will paye no more tribute they will be no longer in subiection and this matter at length shall redound to the kings dammage Looke in your Chronicles and you shal find that the Iewes haue euer byn traytours Euen so when the man of God Luther was raysed vp by God to reforme the church a friend of his said vnto him O father Luther you shal neuer be able to preuayle the Pope princes and al the world are against you The matter is past recouery goe into your study say Deus miscreatur nostri EueÌ„ so wheÌ„soeuer it pleaseth God to build vp the walles of his teÌ„ple he chooseth out such y â— for their owne infirmities for the force strength of their enimies they might be discouraged and despaire Euen now that it hath pleased God to restore his gospel they that are of the contrary part crie out These men be rebels they woulde haue no magistrate they would haue al things in common Behold what they haue done in Heluetia beholde what they haue done in Germanie Looke out your Chronicles you shal finde that al the vproares and seditions which haue been these forty yeeres haue byn stirred vp by some of them But all this discouraged not the good Prince Zorobabel hee armed himselfe with Gods promise against all impossibilities and so called the people to the huylding of the temple And therefore GOD prospered him and moued the king Darius hearte to make proclamation that whosoeuer would withstand Zoroâ—abel in his doinges tymber shoulde bee taken out of his owne house and a gallowes made and he thereon hanged without redemption Euen so that man of GOD despayred not though hee same all the worlde against him but gaue the glory
wonne Therefore we ought as our heartes were careful and desirous to see these dayes so by our thankefulnes to God for so great blessinge and by Christian and Godlye prouidence foresee such meanes whereby wee may longe hereafter enioye the same WheÌ„ Phydias had made the pourtraiture of Iupiter Pisanus he ouerlayed it with oyle y t it might continue fresh and greene and neuer putrifie When God gaue order to Noah for making the Arke he saide Thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitche that it might be sound and sure abide the waues He which chalengeth to himselfe that proude and wanton name to be called the head of y e vniuersal church after by litle litle he was gotten into possessioÌ„ was not behind hand by al meanes to maintaine keepe the same In this policie he tooke away the reading of the scriptures froÌ„ the people he made noble men princes his Cardinals He threw downe set vp changed whom what he would The kings states of the world y e bishops professors schollers in vniuersities preachers were brought to swere allegeaÌ„ce obedience vnto him I deuise not this the stories hereof are abrode y e oth which they tooke is known His authorite grew greater theÌ„ the authoritie of general councilles Nothing might be decreed in councels but what pleased him none might be admitted to speak in couÌ„cils but such as were sworne to him He had al law in his breast There was sometimes a proclamation made in Rome y t for considerations no man should erect or builde vp any theater that if any were set vp it shold be rased pulled down Pompeius a gentleman of great wealth noble courage did build a theater such a one as before had not bene seene which would receaue 2500. men contrary to y e proclamation order taken But dubtinge least the next maiestrates should destroy it he caused a place of religion to bee set vpon it called it the teÌ„ple of Venus Whereby he prouided y t if any wold ouerthrow it because it was a Theater they might yet spare it for the temples sake for to pul down a teÌ„ple was sacrilege Euen so there haue bene proclamations cannons y t no man shoulde be called y e chiefe or y e head of al Churches or vsurpe such authoritie ouer others but when y e Pope built vp his supremacie against the meaning of suche canons hee preteÌ„ded religioÌ„ for his doing he sayde it was de iure diuino y t no man should presume or atteÌ„pt agaiÌ„st it y t so his power might coÌ„tinue for euer If they haue bene thus carefull to mainteine falshod how much more careful should we be to maintaine y e truth If they to aduaÌ„ce their owne kingdome how much more wee to set forth the kingdom of God to builde vp the Church of Christ And if they sought to do y t by lies by false meanes why should we bee slack to vse the right true good meanes wherby that good thing which God hath wrought for vs may bee established And albeit there be many wayes by which the kingdome of God may be mainteined as the fauour countenance of y e prince whiche so coÌ„forteth cherisheth y e Church as the sunne beames coÌ„fort cherish the earth knowledge learning discipline which are as the life the sinues without which the Church must needes fall asunder at this time I wil leaue to speak of the rest only stay vpon learninge which may truly be called y e life or y e soule of y e Church of christian religien How necessarie a thinge they haue counted learninge to the settinge foorth of Religion the stories of our old fathers of heathens and Christians in al ages doe witnesse They thought that neither Religion might stande without knowledge nor knowledge were to bee esteemed without Religion Charles the great that hee might the better plant Religion in Saxonie and Heluetia did erect many places for encrease of learning He knewe well that there was no other way better to establish Religion The Cathedral Churches before such times as ignoraunce and blindenesse grewe ouer all the worlde and brought in an vniuersal corruption maintayned schooles of learning that the doctrine which was taught in those places might bee defended agaynst the gaynesayers by suche learned men as were there bred vp The Princes of Germanie and the free Cities after they had receyued the Gospell they dissolued theyr monasteries which had bene harbourers for such as liued in idlenes and set vp Schooles and colledges which should be nourceries to breede vp learned men that might bee able to teache the people and to maintaine religion Whereby it came to passe that in shorte time they had great store of worthy and learned men This did they wel see that haue bene the enemies of religion therefore vsed all meanes to hinder the encrease of learninge that they might haue the better way to ouerthrow Religion For if learning decay it is likely that Religion can not abide Beare with me if I speake that whiche may seeme more fitt for some other place then for this audience the best here vnderstandeth me wel In other countries the receiuing of the Gospell hath alwayes bene cause that learning was more set by and learninge hath euer bene the furtherance of the Gospell In England I knowe not how it commethe otherwise to passe For since the Gospell hath bene receiued the maintenaunce for learninge hath bene decayed And the lacke of learninge will be the decay of the Gospel Would God it were not so or that yet before the faulte be incurable there may be some redresse Loth I am to speake yet the case so requireth that it is needefull to be spoken I truste I shall speak in the hearing of them that wyll confider it Maintenance of learninge whereby an able and sufficient ministerie may growe and be established in al the Churches of this realme is to be wished for The good estate of this noble kingdome y â— comfort of posterytie y â— staye of Religion the continuing of the Gospell the remouing of darknes hangeth vpon it One asked sometimes howe it was that in Athens so goodly and great a citie there were no Phisitians To whom this answere was made because there are rewardes appointed for them that practise Phisicke The same answere may be made for our times the cause why y â— Church of God is so forsaken is the want of zeale in theÌ„ that should either for their curtesie or for their ability be fosterers of learning encrease the liuings where occasion is and giue hope confort to learned men What said I increaseâ—nay the liuings and prouision which hertofore were giuen to this vse are taken away Haue patience if any such be here as I well know there are whom these things touch Suffer me to speake the truth
the Sacraments Mary burie their dead in a strange tongue that the People may vnderstand nothing which make a famine of hearing the word of God which stop vp the springes of the water of lyfe which take awaye the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and neither enter in them selues nor suffer them that woulde enter which say ignoraunce is the mother of deuotion the Church is then in best order the people most deuoute when they are hood winckt blinded see nothing These are not fit instrumēts wherwith we may ouercome the aduersaries This is not y e sworde of the spirit these are not the spiritual weapons which cast downe holdes and euery high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God What man that would keepe out his enemy will pul downe his holdes what captaine that meaneth to giue a forcible assault vpon the enemy will discourage his fighting souldiers but our souldiers are out of courage our Castles are falling therefore that which we feare wyll fall vpon vs The oxe that treadeth out the corne is musseled He that goeth a warrefare receiueth not his wages the crye hereof goeth vp into the eares of the Lord of Hostes He wil not abide so great contempt of his worde and preachers his owne name is therby dishonoured Our sauiour saith He that dispiseth you dispiseth mee And S. Paul He y t despiseth these thinges despiseth not man but god And think we that hee wyll suffer his holy name to be despised Nay hys wrath is alreadie kindled He hath already begū his iudgements therfore many places are left desolate There is none that can warne them of their sinne none that can moue them to repentance none that can preach vnto them forgeuenes through Christ none that can instruct them in the comfort of euerlasting life Because they worke such thinges against the Lord the hearts of many are astonied Though they heare they vnderstande not They scorne and ieste at the worde of saluation it is vnto them a sauour of death vnto death they are earthlye minded whose God is their bellie and whose glorie is to their shame For this cause you liue still in your sinnes in adulterie in couetousues and in pride without any feeling of conscience without any feare of God Your daughters your heires to whom you shall leaue your landes are stollen awaye from you Robberies and theft are so common as if it were not onely lawful but also commendable as if sinne were no sinne and he I fire but a fable Thus wee prouoke God to anger Manye walke of whom wee cannot thinke but with weeping they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ the name of God is blasphemed through them Many are so ignoraunt they knowe not what the Scriptures are they knowe not that there are any Scriptures They call them hereticall and newe doctrine Many will beleeue neyther side whatsoeuer they alleadge Bring they trueth bring they falshoode teache they Christ teach they Antichrist they will beleeue neither they haue so hardened their heartes Be the Preacher rough or gentle learned or vnlearned let him vse authority of the scriptures of the doctours of the councels of Decrees or Decretalles of Gods Lawe of mans law nothing wil moue them nothing wil please them because the ministery of God and there by God himselfe is despised These woordes happily seeme sharpe and ouer vehement but the hardnesse of our hearts against GOD and the lacke of zeale of his house inforce me to them We are almost fallen into the lowest pitte we are left without zeale as senselesse men and as if we had cleane forgotten our selues as the Heathen which know not God Therefore vnlesse we repent the kingdome of God shall be taken away from vs. He will send vppon this land a famine of the woorde Hierusalem shall be ouerthrown and made an heape of stones the man of sinne and they which haue not the loue of the trueth shall preuayle with many and withdraw them from obedience to the Prince this noble realme shall be subiect to foreine nations all this will the zeale of the Lorde of hostes bring to passe I could haue spent this time in opening some other matter but nothing in my iudgement is more worthy your good consideration and speedy redresse I would be loth rashly or rudely to abuse the reuerence of this place but vnles these things be cared for vnlesse we shew foorth greater zeale then hitherto if the yeeres to come eate vp and take awaye from the Ministery as the late yeeres haue done there wil not be left within a while any to speake the word of God out of this place The Pulpits shall haue none to vse them the people shal grow wyld and voyd of vnderstanding When Xerxes behelde the greate company of his Souldiers suddenly he brake into teares and wept bitterly One sayde to him O Syr you haue cause to reioyce you haue a goodlye companie they are able to fight for you agaynst any nation But what shall become of them saith Xerxes after a hundred yeeres not one of all these shall be left aliue If the view of the smal number of Preachers might be taken how fewe they are and howe thinne they come vp we haue greater cause then Xerxes to lament if we haue any zeale to the house of GOD. For of the Preachers which nowe are within fewe yeeres none will remayne aliue And Xerxes souldiers lefte issue behinde them which might afterwardes serue their Countrey But there is like to bee small increase for the supplie of Learned men The Lorde shall lacke men to bring in his haruest the little ones shall call for bread and there shall be none to giue it them They that shall come after vs shall see this to bee true There is no house so spoyled as the House of the LORD There is no Seruaunt so little rewarded as the Seruaunt of Christ and the disposer of the mysteries of God Oh that your Grace did beholde the miserable disorder of Gods Church or that you might foresee the calamities which will follow It is a part of your kingdome such a parte as is the principall proppe and stay of the rest I wil say to your Maiesty as Cyrillus sometimes saide to to the godly Emperor Theodosius Valētiniā Abea quae erga Deum est pietate reipublicae vestrae status pendet The good estate welfare of your common wealth hangeth vpon true godlinesse You are our Gouernour you are the Nource of Gods Church We must open this griefe before you God knoweth if it may be redressed it hath growen so long and is runne so farre But if it may be redressed there is no other besides your Highnesse that can redresse it I hope I speake truly that which I speake without flatterie that God hath endued your Grace with such measure of learning knowledge as no other Christian Prince He hath giuen you peace happinesse the loue and
torments no fire no fagot haue euer weakened the cause of the Gospel Tertullian saith Plures effiâ—imur quoties metimur the more we be cut downe the more we encrease These be their arguments this is their logique they haue no liking to trie the matter by Scripture by doctours by Councel or by the practise of the most ancient Churches and if they make any pretense of likinge such tryall they doe it for some other hidden purpose to moue mutinies and disquiet that they may woorke their practises whiles mens heades are occupied and busied with talke of such matters Pirrhus a lustie gentleman and Kinge of Epyrus when he first tooke Counsell with hys Nobles to wage warre against the Romanes heard saye hee might soone conquere them for that they were nothinge else but a sorte of wilde and harbarours people but afterward when he came to the view of the Romanes army indeed and sawe their Captaines and Souldiers wel appoynted and their flagges and standardes in good order mary quoth he whether these men be barbarous or no I cannot tel but wel I wot their behauiour and the order of their campe is not barbarous So what accompt soeuer men make of this doctrine that god be thanked is taught this day yet whosoeuer shall come neere view it well and try it to the vttermost and shall finde that al thinges are done seemely and orderly according to the olde doctours to the Apostles and to the primatiue Church of Christ shall fall downe to the grounde and confesse that the order and maner therof or any thing that is taught therein is not hereticall Saint Iohn Baptist sent his disciples to Christ to knowe whether hee were the true Messias or no or els whether they should looke for another Christ made them answer Go and shewe Iohn what thinges ye haue hard and seene the blinde receiue sight the halte goe the lepers are clensed the deafe heare y e dead are raised vp y e poore receiue the Gospel For these tokens were sufficient to make Iohn vnderstande that Christ was the true Messias Euen so if a man stande in doubte of this Religion whether it bee of God or no let hym but consider think with himselfe thus a great number of errours are now reuealed superstition is remoued idolatrie is taken away the Sacramentes are rightlye and duly vsed the dombe speake the blinde see the poore afflicted mindes receiue the Gospell the prayers are in such sort as the people may take profit and comfort by them God giue vs grace to know how great neede we haue to pray that in all places we may lift vp cleane handes and heartes vnto God and cal vpon him in spirit and truth If this be heresie then alas what is true religion Can these bee done by the power of Beelzebub Can the deuil reforme errours remoue superstion take away idolatrie cause the Sacramentes to be directly vsed the dombe to speake the blinde to see the poore to receiue the Gospel the people to take fruite and comfort by their prayers O good brethen this is the worke of Gods right hande the kingdome of God doubtlesse is come vppon vs the prince of errour is put to silence the readinesse of the people vniuersally in al places is marueilous kinges and princes suffer themselues to be led captiues to the obedience of Christ They that before were enemies and persecutours of this doctrine are nowe contented to yeeld their bodies liues for y t defence of the same and to be short al the world this day cryeth and groneth after the Gospel And al these things are come to passe at such time as to any mans reason it might seeme impossible when al the world the people priests princes were ouerwhelmed with ignoraÌ„ce wheÌ„ the word of God was put out of sight when he that tooke vpon him the generall rule of altogether was crept into y e holy place had possessed the coÌ„science of man as if he had bene God and had set himselfe aboue the scriptures of God gaue out decrees that whatsoeuer he should do no man shoulde finde fault with him when all schooles priests bishops kings of the worlde were sworne to hym that whatsoeuer he tooke in hand they should vphold it when he had chosen kings sonnes brothers to be his Cardinales when his Legats espies were in euery kings councel when nothing could be attempted any where but he by by must haue knowledge of it wheÌ„ whosoeuer had but muttered against his doinges must straight waies haue bene excoÌ„municate put to most cruel death as Gods enemie when no man could haue thought there had bene any hope that euer these dayes should haue bene seene that God of his mercy hath giuen vs to see when al things were voide of al hope and full of desperation Euen then I say euen then contrarye to all mans reason God brought all these thinges to passe Euen then God defeited their policies not with shielde or Speare but only with the spirit of his mouthe that is with preachinge of the Gospel There is no counsel agaynst the Lorde the deuils were cast out by the powre of God This is the day which y e Lord hath wrought to thee o Lord y e prayse hereof is due thou hast turned our mourning into ioy thou hast put to sileÌ„ce y e spirit of error thou hast inflamed y t hearts of thy people thou hast brought princes kings to the obedience of thy sonne Iesus Christ thou hast opened the eyes of y e world to espy out to cry for y e coÌ„fort of y e gospel WheÌ„ al things were in dispaire yet thou didst reserue vnto thy selfe one litle sparkle y t should inkindle agayne light in thy church y t shoulde remoue rubbish fylth out of thy teÌ„ple whose hart should euer be in thy haÌ„d who should do that that good is in thy sight should walke in y â— wayes of her father Dauid This is the hand power of God this is the Lordes doing and it is marueilous in our eyes God giue vs grace to haue these things euer before our eyes that we neuer be vnthankfull Now for al these graces y t God hath so plentifully powred vpoÌ„ vs let vs coÌ„sider what kindnes ought to be rendred on our part O Israel O my people saith almighty God what thing is it y t I require of thee but onely that thou loue me walk in my wayes this is our homage this is our dutie this shalbe loked for at our hands The grace of god saith Paul y t bringeth saluation vnto al meÌ„ hath appered techeth vs y t we shold liue soberly righteusly in this preseÌ„t worlde looking for the blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty god and of our sauiour Iesus Christ Such in olde times was the life of all them that professed the name of Christ Tertullian of his