gloryously arose from death and ascended aboue al heauens as that he shall appeare most gloryouslye to haue gouerned all things when he shal call before him to iudgement all the Nations of the worlde and giue to them their portion in his right iustice due vnto them This Lorde Christ and Sauiour is also the high Byshop of our soules the one and onely priest that hath fully taken awaye oure sinnes in the sacrifice of himselfe vpon the aulter of the crosse once for all and all ages there and then offered Of whose priesthood Dauid long before prophecied in these wordes Psal 110. The Lorde hath sworne and wyll not repent thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech By which words the Apostle Paule purposing to proue Christ the sayde priest thus speaketh Thys Melchisedech was king of Salem Heb. 7.17 king of the most high God c. Hee is the king of righteousnesse after that he is called the king of Salem 1. king of peace without father without mother wythout kyndred and hath neyther beginning of his dayes nor ende of his lyfe but is lyke vnto the sonne of God and contynueth a priest for euer And that rightly for Christ the sonne of God is our righteousnesse and peace and the king of Salem euen of the peaceable church and tryumphante kingdome euerlasting He is without father in his humanitie onely being conceyued by the holye ghost of the womans séede wythout mother in his deuyne nature begotten of the fathers owne nature without beginning of dayes or ende of lyfe For he is God for euer And though in his humanitie he suffred for vs yet his Godhead coulde not dye but remayneth immortall for euer This Iesus is both king and priest not after Aaron but according to Melchisedeches order for all tymes to come And as the holye scriptures hath mention of no mo such So is he the onely priest of God for the saluation of his church and there can besides hym be none other who gaue hymselfe to dye for vs and by whose onely death we be all saued that beléeue in hym The meane whereby this eternall Priest saueth hys people is by tryple operation Howe our Christ saueth vs. all which haue their force from the action of his death First in gyuing hymselfe a raunsome for theyr sinnes to God his father and by hys bloudy sacryfice once for all offered he fully acquyteth all his people of all their damnable debt Secondly by the preaching of hys Ghospell vnto the sonnes of men as whereby he is depaynted thus crucifyed for them therby they brought by his spirite to beléeue the forgiuenesse of synnes in his bloud Thirdly by that he remayneth the onlye Mediator for his people to his father so reconciling the worlde to God and guydeth his people by his spirite in the pathes of righteousnesse for his holy names sake 1. Pet. 2.5 Mat. 20.28 Thus is thy soueraigne Lorde and Christ thy highe Priest and Byshop of thy soule thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye the price of thy redemption by whose sacrifice alone vpon the crosse God the father is iustly payde the pryce due to hym for all our iniquities For the which cause also that he is the pryce of thy Redemption in hys death he is of God constitute for thy only Mediator as Paule sayth to the Hebrewes and saint Iohn If any man sinne Heb. 9.15 1. Ioh. 2.2 we haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but for the synnes of the whole worlde Where note that the Apostle sayth and for this cause is he the Mediator of the new Testament Hebr. 9.15 Namely for thys cause that through his death men might receyue the promise of inheritance He that dyeth for mans transgressions is onely the Mediator for their sinnes But Christ only dyeth for mans transgressions therfore Christ is the onely Mediator for mans iniquitie This is the Apostles reason And further this priesthood so dwelleth still in Christ that no inferiour creature maye be enstalled into that function For he lyueth for euer and therfore contynueth a priest for euer after the order of Melchesedech Whersoeuer then any man or Angell would take vppon hym this office to be a priest to offer sacrifice in the Church of God For thy synnes know thou that he is not thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy redemption and therefore cannot be thy sacrificer Besydes thys that sacrifice of Christ is thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the absolute price of thy raunsome and therefore no neede of further payment to God by sacrifice Christ hath fully payde the ransome for our syns therefore can there be no more offring to God for synne Thirdly neyther néede nor can that sacrifice of Christes death and bodye to be iterate or offred of freshe for that were to kyll Christ agayne and to make lesse the valour of thy redemption by which thou art redéemed fully and for which cause Christ is called in the holye scripture thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye an absolute price of thy redemption by whome and whose price thou hast by fayth in hym the whole forgiuenesse of thy sinnes Heb. 10.18 And where thys Remission is sayth the scripture there remayneth no more offerings for synne but we maye with boldnesse enter into heauen not by an other sacrifice but by a new and lyuing way namely sayth he by fayth in Christs fleshe bloud once thus offred who remayneth our high priest with God Lastly were there a sacrifice remayning to be offred for sinne we had no priestes or anye one man or Angell in heauen or earth that could be a fitte Sacrificer for the same For besyds that a true Sacrificer for synne by whose Sacrifice iniquitie shall be awaye taken There can be found as a meete man no Priest in earth to offer sacrifice must be the sacrifice hymselfe There are also certayne Noble qualities must inhabite that man which can be a sacrifycing priest for sinne and the house of GOD which are by the Apostle to the Hebrewes set downe on thys maner Such an high priest it became vs to haue sayth he which is holy harmlesse vndefiled seperate from sinners and made higher then the Heauens which needed not daylie to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the synnes of his people for that did he once when he offred vp himselfe for the lawe maketh men highe priests which haue infyrmitie but the worde of the othe which was synce the lawe maketh the sonne who is consecrated namely the onely priest of God for euermore Now deare Reader if it be of necessitie that we should haue such a Priest to offer sacrifice for our sinnes and that no other can take that office to pacifie the father whose iustice changeth not or is by affection altred how can it be that eyther the
with equitie saue the children of the needy and subdue the oppressor redeeme the pore from deceyte and vyolence and accounte their bloode deare and precious in his eyes But if O Noble princes happily you cannot in your office and authority doe alwayes as you woulde yet be sure that ye neuer giue consent to the wicked counsels of other in their euill or to wincke at the wresting of the Lawe for the fauour of the vniuste party or feare of the mighty or in hope to haue lyke friendship of others in your disposed quarrels Thirdly ye must with Ioseph be Iesus Disciple Christianitie ought to be ioyned with Nobilitie and openly by your acts confesse his glory ye must be religious and godly haue your fayth fyrmely set in Christ the Lord by the warrante of his worde Ye must not keepe amitie with such as would drawe your honors soules to strange Gods as to Idolatrous Popery c. Deut. 13. Thus shall the holye Ghost worke in you the true feare of God dryue away tymerousnesse and animate you with heroicall boldnesse in christian offices that you shal not respect the faces of men but the will of God and your alegiance to his Magistrate set ouer you and your alotted office to Gods Church that in all respects you shall reach thyther your helping hands if not as you would yet as you may with peticion peace neuer consenting to her hurte though wicked tymes will not permit you power to her helpe So shall you raigne with your Mayster Iesus Christ noble and glorious The hindering matter as receyued from Ioseph and Nicodemus is after this sort vsed These were vertuous noble men wise and godlye say the Nicodemitans Nicodemitans they were moderately minded no hot spurre gentlemen they came in lesser shewe then the Apostles after Christe but they were as well beloued as the rest wherefore let these forward men go on themselues we wyl come softly after Yea syr rather come an elle behinde the Lawe then step one ynche before it So did Steuen Gardiner and is commended of bloudye Bonner in his preface to Winchesters Booke de vera obedientia And when he came to the Law it was not bicause he was wylling to lyue therein vnfaynedly as his reuolt in Quéene Maries dayes approoued but that he was not yet come to that height which he hys holy father looked after and saw no better meane to keepe out of so honorable a place a faythfull pastor then to counterfeyt Religion for a season And by this meane in déede Satan by him so preuayled that Popery neuer could be cut downe albeit it was effectuallye cropped But thys excuse by Ioseph and Nicodemus is absurde for howe can the children of men by the synnes of the godly walke the way from synne This can be no other then the pathway to Hell Nor are we to follow the actions of the holyest mâ—n without iudgement A sure imitation but measuring his lyfe by the lyne of Gods worde take the matter agréeing there to for thy example as saint Paule giueth vs in charge Followe me Ephe. 5.1 1. Cor. 11.1 as I follow Christ No Paule no further though thou be the Doctor of the Gentyls and chosen vessel of GOD. But those steps of the saintes which are neyther allowed nor approoued by the worde of GOD those cast behinde thée as the euill by nature dwelling in such holye men It was synne in Ioseph to conceale his profession in Christe for feare of displeasure eyther of prince or people For this is requyred by the worde of the Lorde of euerye one that we beleue in our harts to iustification and confesse with our mouthes the Lorde Iesus to our saluation Rom. 10.9.10 2. Tim. 1.8 2. Tim. 4.16 And Paule exhorteth Bishop Tymothy not to be ashamed to confesse Christ And in the same Epistle he chargeth his companions to haue forsaken him in that they did not assist him at his fyrst answere and bicause it was an horrible sinne he prayeth GOD it be not layde to their charge Nowe as it is proper to the Scripture Psalm 1. to compare a Christian by and to a virident trée in sundry places We may safely set this difference betwene Ioseph and Nicodemus and all the Nicodemitans in these tymes Ioseph and Nicodemus were gréene branches faste grafted by the mercifull hand of the Fathers election Iohn 15.1 into the virident Vine Christ Iesus whose branches hauing lesse sap of his spirituall operation at the fyrst and for a tyme hauing more knurres of carnal corruption The mayster of the Orchard the heauenly father proyned them daylye more and more by his louing spirite so that as they contynued in his profession from the fyrst hower to the ende Euen so in verye shorte tyme they became so fruitfull that they were found more profyitng then they which did beare the prayse before them As you haue heard when Christe his daylie Disciples shranke from him and some contrarye their honest promise denyed him in his owne hearing then these branches gaue forth the fruite of their increase in God They stoode fast in Christ and that openly that the princes and people might knowe them to belong to the ignominious but yet glorious and crucified Christ This was the ende of their former studie and argued a continuall going forwarde in godlynesse And if you measure your tyme of schooling with theirs you cannot but blushe to challenge them for your Patrons For in thrée yeres they so profited that they confessed Christ before kings and men not regarding losse of lyfe lands goods or whatsoeuer might befall yea and that in the sharpest hower of Christe hys persecution Nicodemitans defined The Nicodemitans that is to say such persons as skant crept from some part of Popery can be drawne no further to truth were séeming branches I graunte of the Vine Christ if outward shewe might warrant them but such whose virident lyfe is nowe gone and they are bicause not grafted in him decaying and departing from euill to worse and as they were earnest and are nowe neyther hote nor colde which is a daungerous state So not long fed with the lyuely sap of Gods spirite Apo. 3.16 they become more and more wythered and cannot with their supposed fellowe branches bring forth eyther fruite in increase or yet so muche as in tymes past they haue done for that they haue by fleshlye perswasion of credite to themselues Quenched the spirite of God in them 1. Tess 5.19 Mat. 13.6 so as in tyme of persecution they flatly fall awaye as thorowly wythered when the encreasing Ioseph standeth the brunte in boldenesse by the spirite that groweth in him But the ende of these men is sayth Christ the Lorde of truth to be cut off and cast into the fyre O Englande Englande Iohn 15.6 be not deceyued thou hast bene a scholler with Ioseph Englande enioying the Gospell full xx yeares remayneth yet
the preaching of his worde then at any tyme he hath bene since the Apostles tyme. This only remayneth that with hart and will by the motion of his holy spirite we ioyntly enter our Churches where Iesus Christ is graciously offred not into our armes but into our harts and soules not in a body subiect to myseries and death but in the Maiestie of his worde which is his eternall power Rom. 1.16 1. Cor. 1.18 to bring vs by his light to that saluation assured in him and to engraffe quyetnesse in Conscience perswaded in his truth by the testimony of his sayde spirite of the full forgyuenesse of our sinnes That we shall with newe raysed hartes as men risen from a most déepe Dungeon of death most ioyfully with Symeon syng and saye in heart and truth Lorde nowe whensoeuer thou callest vs from this naturall lyfe 1. Cor. 1.30 Ephe. 1.7 Mat. 20.28 at thy good pleasure thou lettest vs departe to quiet rest in christian peace For the eyes of our fayth haue and doe sée Christ Iesus and receyue hym as he is to vs in mercy giuen our onely raunsome and full matter of our spirituall health and celestiall ioy to whom with thée our best father and the holy spirite be praise and glory for euer and euer Amen Thus much receyued by the Gospels wordes touching Symeon nowe let vs lende eare attentiuely vnto the words deliuered vs in this his ioyful song Thus he sayth Lorde now lettest thou thy seruaunt departe in peace according to thy worde For mine eyes haue seene thy Saluation This olde holye fathers song conteyneth shorte wordes and long matter wherein he giueth the Lorde his due praise by publique spéeche in ioyed hart and after the example of the former church for the present benefite receyued according the faythfull promise of God that he hath not departed to his Fathers before he sawe the Lordes Christ he singeth the Lords truth and blaseth the honorable armes of our Captaine Christe manifesting his power efficacie and glory in this his pithy encomia That done he setteth downe the perfite platforme of a quyet cōscience and the ancor of her health in the middle of many miseries in his owne person saying Now Lorde all if by the Romaine Tyranny thy people of Israell haue béene sore oppressed our fayth sore assaulted so that twixt hope and sorrow we haue wayted for Consolation in thy promise Now that thou hast giuen vs thy Christ our glory I ioy so much in him my Sauiour that death shall be to me welcome and my departure shall be in peace bicause by this Christ my Consolation Gods wrath to me is pacified my syns in him pardoned my selfe for him of my heauenly father dearely beloued and my soule shall rest in ioy for I am thy seruant wherfore Now let me I praye thee departe in peace I am satisfyed that I haue séene thée and the dayes of my age are in thy hande But whereas Symeon sayth Lorde Nowe doth thy mercy let me departe in peace he plainely sheweth that vntill he perfitely had the fruition of his hope he was in auxietie and griefe and walked with a heauie harte for the affliction of Israell This argueth not an absolute weakenesse of fayth in Father Symeon but rather expresly an ardent expectation of the promise of God nothing pleasured with the forreine matters of this lyfe albeit they should abounde to hym But by trauaile in fyght against temptations in worldly pleasures he hungreth and spiritually thirsteth in approoued hope the Lords promise enduring the griefe of present oppression assuredly by fayth to reape the rewarde of his pacient hope bicause he had the worde of God a most faythfull Norice therto for his warrante 1. Pet. 2.2 For thus sayde the Lorde by Reuelation to Symeon Thou shalt not dye before thou hast seene the Messias Christ the Lorde Luc. 2.26 Note here good Reader the nature of Gods promises giuen to his chosen children They are not performed at the first houre but they are deferred longer then our selues would desyre and they are not performed till the fayth of the parties be perfitly prooued and by the opposite occurrents sore exercised God the Father promised the comming of his beloued sonne Christ here imbraced of Symeon at the fall of Adam and Heuah Gene. 3. Gen. 22.18 Gal. 3.8 Esa 64.1 Mat. 13.16 Luk. 10.24 and renewed it to Abraham and by hys Prophets continued the same but the time prolonged forced many of the best fathers to cry Oh that thou wouldest pierce the heauens and come downe and to say Oh Lorde sende thy glory vnto Syon and thy sauing health vnto Ierusalem And as our Christ doth testifie many kings and Prophets haue desyred to sée Christ and haue not séene him or could the times enioy the performance of this promise till the fulnesse of time by him set were come Heb. 1.1 and that by contrary presumptions the fayth of his chyldren were thorowly exercised But when the tyme by his deuine wisedome appointed was come then did he faythfully giue the same Messias into the worlde that Symeon and the godlye then might beare wytnesse to vs his children nowe of his euerlasting faythfulnesse In this worde Nowe lyeth an Emphasis as if he had sayd The worde of my promise hath fed my fayth stablished my hope to wayte for thys our consolation Christ and sythe in thy mercy thou hast performed the word of truth Now let me depart in peace Here is to be well marked the force of true and lyuely fayth it doth persist in one it resteth vpon the promise of the worde The force of true fayth albeit that heauen and earth should séeme to runne on heaps together This is that most excellent gift of God that excelleth al vertues in whatsoeuer man Ephe. 3.17 Pray the Lorde therefore to giue thée fayth in Christ christian Reader and Christ thereby to dwell in thée then shalt thou abyde stedfast in hope after the worde of Gods promise whatsoeuer obstact shal arise against thée The Lord by his seruant Moyses promised the Israelits delyuerance out of the bondage of Egypt Exod. 4.29.30.31 But straight wayes wyth this promise arose such presumptions to the contrary as the hardnesse of Pharaos hart and cruelty their oppression and more labor thereby their sharpe correction for wants in worke and in the hower of their deliuerance his huge army persecuting them on the one syde the high Mountaynes and swallowing Seas to hold them in on the other syde that it might haue séemed to Israel Moyses warrant from God to haue bene rather a dreame of their desolation then the day of their delyuerance But they by this spirite confirmed in fayth did suppresse the present calamities by the Ancor of hope which from the shyp of their beléeuing consciences in these terrible Seas tossed they cast fyrmely pitched vpon the worde of promise which thus they had vz I will in a
miseries of sinne but so as with griefe and anguishe of heart they carry that lumpe of death Yet they in pacient mortification by his holy spirite wayte his tyme set for their delyuerie and earnestly desyre the same Note also the right ende of this peticion which by the wicked and desperate is abused A due respect in the desyre of naturall death The godlesse cumbred with piercing sting of conscience ashamed of their state and looking for his heauye iudgement doe also desyre and cry for death So doe the poore ignorante persons which in pryson in Gallyes or Iayles and pyning in payne The poore oppressed the néedie which cannot haue to satisfie the hungry crye of their children and selues the sick pacient which long hath lyen of an incurable disease These and such lyke desyre death but it is not to the right ende for which it should be desyred They only haue respect to the present paine or shame and to fynish that they do not onely desyre but the wicked desperate persons in despite of God his holy lawe and instinct of Nature doe with the pernicious knyfe of perpetuall paine bereaue for a tyme the sorrowes of thys synfull corps But such desperate death is the purchase of Hel with Iudas Achitophel king Saule and such others Now the true and lyuely ende of this peticion in the elect of God is That least they should by to much acquaintance wyth finne and death become resty in the bed of hir delight and so be slayne Sap. 4.11.12 sléeping with Holophernes in dronken pleasures of the fleshe the same daylie more and more assaulting them they doe pray for death as for the last remedye and perfite victory against sinne and Sathan Yet so as I saye still they doe by fayth in hope suppresse the dolorous griefe of sinne in lyfe with the continual meditation of the inwarde ioyes receyued by grace in Christ and therein solace themselues as with the earnest penny of their Fathers possession which they are assured of when the Lord in mercy shall call them to himselfe by death Till when they punishe this bodie of sinne least it shoulde proue to lustie 1. Tim. 5.23 but they nurrish nature weakned that she may the sooner and the better yéelde the office which their seuerall callings doe require And this is the heauenly ende of our desyre to die that so we may receiue to our selues that life which now is treasured vp for vs with GOD in Christ which is our onely lyfe Col. 3.1.2 And thirdly the loue and longing desyre which in the saintes is apparant for the whole and perfite ioye of the Church the Apostle S. Iohn manifesteth in these wordes O Lorde come quickly Apo. 22.17 which there is approoued by the Lorde who to the comforte of his Church sealeth vp thys prayer with Amen Saying So be it Beholde I come quickly Amen Lorde perfite vs in thée and shortly ende these dayes of sinne for thy holye names sake Lorde Iesu and giue vs that truely call vpon thée thy eternall glorye Amen Last of all when Symeon sayth Lord now let thy seruaunt departe in peace he doth teach vs to abhorre all troublesome and murtherous kinde of death And doth cōuince all those guyltie of this precept Thou shalt not kill which in any maner haue slaine themselues for any cause Symeon abhorreth al troublesome and murdering deaths And doth forewarne the Church of God to flye such damnable enterprises which are no other but the perswasions of Satan and the acte herein is the obsequie of his deadly will Though Symeon desyre to dye and that death is to him comfortable in that he hath séene in bodye and soule the Sauyour of the worlde come now in fleshe to saue his Church by the ransome of his bloud which fayth only maketh death desyred in hart yet will he not shorten his life by sodaine crueltie to be a Felondese But he will dye as hath ordayned the wyll of God And therefore he addeth according to thy worde What shall we then say to them which else haue their great commendation in that to auoyde some the dayes of tyranny some other the sight of Gods church persecuted or to auoyde the purpose of synful persons or the infamy of synne or therby thinking to glorifye God haue from the consistory of the harte giuen commission and commaundement to the violent hande to cut in sunder soule and bodye by murthering stroake of merciles arme Truely I say that neyther Cato Razias Lucretia Curtius or his lyke are sure warrants to thée or yet the Donatists which to bring the Christian Byshops into contempt would offer to kill themselues rather then to prouoke the Emperours sworde against them which they spake to winne more ease when the godly Bishops craued his ayde against their pernitious pollution and yet would they be accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cato in kylling himself thought to be ridde of Caesars tyranny by which meanes he offred himselfe to Sathans bondage yea he conuinceth himselfe of folly when he exhorteth hys sonne to obey and séeke the peace of Caesar from whome he ran by murthering death If it were good and a wise parte for his sonne to obteyne the Princes fauour why not for the father also His impacience which could not suffer himself to liue a bearing subiect was a thousande partes worse then the Tyrants crueltie But thou which fearest God hast another rule if the Prince be neuer so cruel thou art commaunded to pray for him that thou mayest liue a quyet godly honest lyfe 1. Tim. 2.12 which thing sayth Paule in that place is good and acceptable What to kyll himselfe from Nero his tyranny being a persecuted christian No but that God will vnder his Regiment giue thée at length a quyet lyfe For the same cause Ieremy sendeth by Baruck Baruk 1.11.12 exhortations to the afflicted Iewes in captiuitie vnder Nabuchadnezar that they should pray for his lyfe Persecuting Princes muste bee prayed for How much more ought wee to call vpon God for such as professe hys Gospell that they might also lyue quyetly vnder him And the Apostles doe arme vs to pacience and vnto forbearing of tyranny with long suffering as well by their owne example as doctrine But in no waies haue they eyther slayne themselues to be ridde of prisons Irons cruell murther or tyranny but haue sought by all meanes rather to maintayne their lyfe to doe more good therein to the Church of God then to hasten their ende by violent stroke For thys cause did Paule exhorte Timothie to pacience willing him to suffer aduersity to do the worke of an Euangelist 2. Tim. 4.5 and to make his ministery knowne He telleth him that he is now ready to be offred to dye for Christ but he feareth it not or will preuente Nero his cruelty by his owne hande but will lyue till the daye of his dissolution which the Lorde hath set
fulnesse of our lyfe perfited in him 2. Cor. 5.16 Heb. 1.2 We doe not in déede beholde Christ nowe anye more after the fleshe or that waye to imbrace him in our armes But he shyneth the beames of his fathers glorye into our ignorante harts and in the bosome of our faythfull brests he maketh his habitation By his holy gospell he sheweth himselfe face to face and not by the infyrmitie of his flesh but by the deuine power of his holy spirite he teacheth vs purgeth vs and pardoneth our sinnes and changeth vs to a lyfe most méete for his holy presence And to be short he is so absent from vs in body that we maye with boldnesse spiritually approch to his grace Heb. 12. Rom. 5.1 set on the right hand of his father in glory Loe this is that christian sight and heauenlye presence that we haue of our Christ And if this cannot worke in vs a wyllingnesse to dye with ioye bicause oure synnes by Christes death purged we shal raigne with him eternally then are we a thousand tymes more harde then the Adamant blinder then the Moules and more vnkinde then the vnnaturall Iewes it is verye significante that Symeon sayth No man saued but by hys owne fayth Because mine eyes hath seene c. In which wordes are layde vp this Emphasis that not other mens fayth could worke this comfort in this good father excepte together his owne eyes in fayth had séene this Babe to be hys sauiour Abac. 2.4 Gal. 3.11 Hebr. 10.37 according to the Prophet Abacuck his saying The iust man shall lyue by his fayth Note he sayth not by the fayth of the Church or by the fayth of another for him but he sayth he shal lyue by his owne fayth For the fayth of an other man cannot saue thée or yet the fayth of the whole church Or that which more is Christ will not saue thée or can his death be thy lyfe vnlesse thou in thine owne hart fyrmely beléeue in him Wherefore let not the Papist longer deceyue thee which teach it sufficient thoughe thou know not what to beléeue if thou yet beléeue as their Churche beléeueth which is the greatest daunger to thy soule that possibly can bée eyther to rest in the later Romishe fayth since the daies of Popery or not to beléeue vpon assured knowledge of Gods promise in the warrant of his word thy selfe For the holy scriptures do condemne al those which themselues effectually beléeue not in christ and promiseth saluation to him that beléeueth 1. Pet. 2.7 To you which beleeue sayth Peter he is precious but to them which beléeue not he is the stone which the buylders refused which stone shal crushe his enemies that beléeue not al to powder 1. Ioh. 3.36 Iohn sayth Hee that beleeueth in the sonne of God hath eternall lyfe But he that beleeueth not the wrath of God abydeth vpon him And Christ our Sauiour Hee that beleeueth in me hath eternall lyfe Againe Ioh. 3.18 He that beleeueth not is condemned already that is to saye it is impossible but he that dyeth not beléeuing shall be damned And to the Gallathians Paule sayth Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the sonnes of God bicause ye haue beleeued in Christ Iesu but as manye as rest in the workes of the lawe are subiect and vnder Gods cursse By this speciall gift in euerye mans owne soule from God is he made the sonne of God and by no other meane is God his father vpon whome he maye call with boldnesse in and by his spirite as the chylde vpon his Parentes and shall be heard For thus the Euangelist sayth As many as beleued in him he gaue them prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God The worde that was preached to Israell in the wildernesse profited them not sayth the author to the Hebrewes bicause it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it yet in the wildernesse God had hys Church Moses Aaron and the rest which beléeued notwithstanding the fayth of this Church could not saue the other Israelits which beléeued not No more can the fayth of the church of God nowe saue them which are not conglutinate by the same spirite in the fayth of Christ loue in him by which the whole body growing together by synewes and ioynts doth encrease to an holye temple in the Lorde But without this coniunction no fayth Ephe. 2.21 no saluation or can the workes of such please God in whose heartes Christ dwelleth not by fayth as sayth the scriptures without fayth it is impossible to please God I denie not Rom. 14.23 Gen. 18. but the fayth and godlynesse of some may temporally bring some benefite to the Infydels as the Cities of Sodome had bene saued if there had bene founde in them but ten iuste persons And for Helias sake the wicked king Achab Iesabel The faythfull may obtayne temporall blessings and bodily helth but saluation is the gift of God to him that beleeueth onely and that persecuting kingdome Samaria had raine to fertyl the soyle which thrée yeares had lyen barren Also the Euangelists report the fayth of them which bare the man taken with Palsye much to profyte his health to whose fayth the Lorde Christ gaue respect and not chiefely their worke and healed the man But to the man he sayde My sonne thy synnes are forgiuen thee This worde sonne approoueth the Palsye man to beléeue in Christ by which fayth his sinnes are forgiuen him as by his bearers fayth his body was healed Luc. 9.8 Mar. 2.3 Mat. 9.1 I also comfortably confesse that the fayth of our father Abraham doth so much profite his posteritie bicause of the couenant of God with him and hys seede after him so as they are imputed to be gods children and that so long as they continue in that couenant But when they degenerate from their fathers fayth Gen. 17. God cutteth of this imputation and that the chylde borne of contrarie parents as the father an Infidell the mother a christian 1. Cor. 7.14 Abac. 2. Ezec. 18.20 I say with Paule that the chylde is holye through the fayth of the beléeuing parent But to iustification it is established that euerye man should be saued by his owne fayth To this sayth Ezechiel The righteousnesse of the righteous shal be vpon him and the wickednesse of the wicked shall be vpon himselfe To this end serueth that whole excellent Chapter to the reading whereof I referre thée The prayers of the faythfull doe much preuayle to those that yet are not fully brought to Christ Yea the ardent zeale of others fayth doth enflame the soules of their brethren to follow their steps in Christ and the prayer of one faythful man doth promise auayle to another for encrease in fayth Ephe. 6.18 19. Phil. 1.19 Wherefore Paule prayeth for all saints and desyreth them to pray for him For by the prayers of the Phillipians he perswadeth the trouble of
them with the other as before howe they are degenerate and Paule himselfe in his Epistle to the Romaynes Paule feared the Apostasie of Rome doth warne that church of the same which after came to passe vz. that she shoulde take héede for as God had not spared the naturall branches hys Church in Iewry Cap. 11.21.22 So they in that church of Rome should not be high minded but stande in awe He exhorteth them to consyder Gods sharpnesse towards them that are fallen away and hys goodnesse to the church of Rome and other Gentyls that they maye by grace remayne in their receyued goodnesse Otherwise sayth Paule Thou also though thou be the church of Rome shalt be cut off Then syr there is feare in Paule of the errors and departing from the fayth which after came to passe I saye in the Church of Rome and remayneth at thys day so as one of the Popes Legats called Cheregatus Io. Sleda lib. 4. Io. Sarisb sent by Adryan then Byshop of Rome to the great assembly of the Empyre at Norembirge in Germany 1523. by his maysters warrante sayd thus in the assembly A sacerdotibus iniquitatem populi duianare multis nunc annis c. That is the iniquitie of the people grew from the priests that now for the space of manye yeres there haue bene great offences coÌ„mitted in Rome and all thys plague and mischiefe haue followed vnto all the inferiour Rulers of the church euen from the high throne of the Popes sauing thy reuerence good Reader owne holynesse Fasciculus reruÌ„ sciendarum And in the late Counsell or conspiracie rather at Tridente Cornelius Byshop of Bitanto hath affyrmed the lyke Al filthynes from the Pope They haue brought to passe sayth he that godlynesse is turned into hypocrysie and that the sauour of lyfe is tourned into the sauour of death Would God they were not gone wholy with general consent froÌ„ Religion to superstition from fayth to infydelity from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicurisme saying with wicked harte and fylthye mouth There is no God Neyther hath there bene this great whyle any pasture or Pope that regarded these things for they all both Pope and Prelates sought their owne and not so much as one of them neyther Pope or Cardinall sought for the things that pertayne to Iesus Christ By thys sufficient wytnesse of their owne good Reader thou now séest as the church of Rome may erre So in déede truth she hath for many yeres erred and that most fylthyly Examine the chiefe points of her Religion wherein she most gloryeth and thou shalt finde them eyther to haue their beginning and warrant of mans mortall brayne or if borrowed from Christes worde and institution the same greatly corrupted shadowed and abused Chose what poynte thereof that lyketh thée best and it wyll so appeare in euydent proofe The opinion of syngle liâ—e in priests examined in apparent truth As for example The syngle lyfe of popishe priests is a principall poynte of their profession Against which we will fetche no other wytnesse then themselues and their alowed Doctors to proue that thys opinion most stricte yoke which not many of them are or can he able to beare is farre shorte the warrante of God and deuised of their selfe inuention rather Ex diametro Priests syngle lyfe is an humane constitution againste God and holye scripture right agaynst God and his sacred worde First Hierome sayth that Paule doth not commaund christian men to put away their wyues The words of this Father their Church Doctor as they chalenge him are vpon the words of Paule Let euerye man abyde in the vocation wherein he was called Ex hoc habentibus vxores c. Hereby S. Paule byddeth not maryed men to put away their wyues sayeth Hierome Hier. coÌ„tra IouinianuÌ„ lib. 1. Dist 31. Quoniam Ergo say I Christianitie or the Gospell compelleth not syngle lyfe Further in the sixte counsell at Constantinople it is thus set downe Folowing the olde Fathers and diligence of the Apostles and the constitutions and lawes of the holye fathers from henceforth we wyll that the lawfull mariage of priests and Byshops shall stande in force not in any wayes dissoluing the lawfull mariage bedde with their maryed wyues Note he sayth that the mariage of Byshops and priests is the order diligence and lawes of the Apostles and holy fathers and sayth their maryage bedde is lawfull and therefore wyll not they compell syngle lyfe to the Clergy But yet more a most deare friend to the Pope and gatherer of his fragmentine lawe called Gratian sayth hereof Copula sacerdotis c. 16. Ques 2. sors The mariage of priestes sayth he is not forbidden by any authoritie eyther of the law or of the Gospell or of the Apostles Saint Ambros expounding these wordes of the Apostle Ambro. in 1. Cor. 7. Touching Virgins I haue no commaundement sayth Si Doctor gentium non habuit quis habere potuit If the Doctor of the Gentyls had no commaundemente of the Lorde touching Virgins what man else then coulde euer haue Clemens Alexandrinus sayth all the Epistles of the Apostles all which teache sobrietie and continente lyfe Clem. strom li. 3. whereas they contayne innumerable preceptes touching Matrimonye bringing vp of children and gouernment of house yet they neuer forbad honest and sober mariage The Apostles neuer forbad honest maryage And to suffise this matter I will stay with the testimony of the Popes owne Legate Slatere Cardinall Caielanus whose wordes are touching this matter thus It cannot be prooued eyther by reason Card. Ca. in quodli contra Luthe nor by authoritie speaking absolutely that a priest synneth in marying a wyfe For neyther the order of priesthood in that it is order nor the same order in that it is holye is any hindrance to matrimony For priesthood breaketh not mariage whether it be contracted before priesthood or afterward Setting all Ecclesiasticall lawes aparte standing onely vnto those things Pano de claric coÌ„iuga cum olim which we haue of Christ and his Apostles Abote Panormitane sayth Single lyfe is not of the substance of the order of priesthood nor of the law of God The long practise in the church of Rome approoueth mariage in Ministers or priestes holy and lawfull syngle lyfe in Popishe priesthoode compelled to be a corrupte lawe after long tyme by tyranny thrust vpon the Clargy Pope Damasus wryteth that many Popes of Rome themselues were maryed priestes sonnes Sundry the Byshops of Rome maryâ—â— priests chyldren As Syluerius Pope was the sonne of Syluerius also a Byshop of Rome Pope Dens dedit was the sonne of Steuen a Subdeacon Pope Adrianus Ex Damaso ad Hieron ex Platina Nan clero the sonne of Thalar a Byshop Pope Iohn 15. the sonne of Leo a Priest Pope Hosius Steuens sonne Subdeacon Agapetus Pope had one Gordeanus a priest to his