man withstand God The vniuersall church is full of histories of such like examples which declare that God when we are weake doth vse courage and strength for vs. Omitting therefore longer recytall of examples touching the latter part of the second verse viz. That thou mayst destroy both the enemie and the auenger I wil now speake a few wordes We beare about with vs a doctrine hated of the world and we seeme not any thing able therein to doe good because mightie kinges are against our proceedinges and there are many impedimentes as pouertie famine and feare of most cruel punishmentes Amidst these mischiefes let vs thinke vpon the promise set down in this Psalme That thou mayst destroy both the enemie and the Auenger And let vs trust not onely to finde defence but also felicitie in gathering the church of God So did God vnto Abraham promise defence rewards and good successe saying I am thy Protector and thy reward is great Gen. 14. and 16. For the enemies of the gospel are restrayned eyther by sound conuersion vnto Christ eyther els by vniuersall coufusion as in this age some be when they reade Luthers works not in déede with zeal of godlines but to catch matter wherein busilie stirring they bestow their infamous speeches but being vanquyshed with the euidencie of trueth they haue yealded vp the victory vnto Christ and of very enemies are become most vehement and earnest defenders of the doctrine of the gospel But Iulianus and other Tirantes vnrecouerable are like little cloudes cleane vanished away by Christ sitting at the right hand of his Father These thinges sith they so be let vs euery one of vs more zealously and feruently in his vocation learne and teach the gospell and let vs daylie adioyn our prayers to this end Let vs call and crye vnto God by the Mediator our lord Jesus Christ that he would gouerne defende and preserue vs and eyther call back the enemies of the gospell vnto sincere doctrine or els vtterlie to confound and destroy them Verse 3. Because I shall see the heauens the workes of thine handes the Moone and the Starres which thou hast framed IN reading the Prophets we must diligently consider what sayinges are spoken touching the accomplishment thereof Therefore as the next verse before specifyeth of the originall beginning and preaching of the gospel by which the church is congregate So this verse descrybeth the accomplishment which shal be brought to passe in the whole church when as raised from death she shall possesse eternall life The example whereof in déed the Apostles saw in the chiefe head and in the members therof when they were beholders of the resurrection and ascention of Christ For therein saw they mortalitie quite abolished they saw a new nature shining in the light of heauen yea a new righteousnes and a new life So doth Esay describe the kingdome of Christ in his 65. Chap. For speaking of the originall and frée preaching thereof he sayth Beholde I goe vnto a nation which know me not And of the fulfilling of this kingdome hee sayeth moreouer Behold I make a new heauen and a new earth cap. eod Reuel Ioh. 21. Verse 4. What is man that thou art so mindefull of him Or the Sonne of man whom thou so regardest Verse 5. Thou hast made him not much inferior vnto God and with glorie and honor wilt thou crowne him THe fourth and fifte verses describe the calamitie and delyuerance of Christ A great and vnspeakeable miserie it is which is set downe in the 8. Chap. of Mathew Foxes haue hoales and birdes of the ayre haue nestes but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head And it is sayde in the 53. of Esay He was despised and abhorred of men he was such a man as had good experience of sorrowes and troubles But a farre greater miserie is it to be séene forsaking of God as it is sayd in this verse of Tyrt Non Exul curae ducitur esse Deo The Exile is not thought Of God to be cared for ought Christ féeling this miserie spake that most sorrowfull sentence which is extant in the 22. Psalme My God my God why hast thou forsaken me As if he had sayde I lament not for the rending of my bodie in péeces or for the death that I suffer but for another far greater mischiefe that thou forsakest me because I féele no ioy at my hart which other holy ones doe féele whom thou comfortest Nay I féele that thou art horribly angry with the sinne of mankind by reason wherof I am now condemned is this death before thy presence I say before thee It were no bitter torment vnto me to be cruelly handled by the iudgement of the world But to feele thy displeasure is a heauie case And although it is true and the church hath always so taught that the nature deuine neither departed from the body nor from the soule of Christ no not after death Yet the nature diuine vnited to the bodie and the soule by a wonderfull and vnspeakeable meanes ceased So as nature of man in him might both suffer and die Like as Ireneus saith That is He did not put forth all his strength but obeyed vnto his eternall Father in this humilitie This secrete wisdome shall be learned of vs in the life euerlasting Now as it is delyuered vs in the word we must embrace it by fayth neyther can it be comprehended in mans cogitation or expressed in wordes But as the Sonne of God before the glory of the future Sabboth rested in death and in the graue So the whole Church hath her beginning from the like rest or surceasing that is from death Wherein albeit we séeme to be forsaken yet we shall assuredly bee raysed agayne from death vnto eternal life Wherein we shall see God in his presence and haue the fruition of his wonderfull great wisdome Thou wilt crowne him with glorie and honour Hetherto hath hee expresly declared the wonderfull and inspeakeable humilitie which Christ perfourmed in suffering the wrath of God as if he had beene polluted with mine thine and the sinnes of all men Now followeth a description of the glory of Christ in his resurrection and ascention This Lord remayned not in death and in the graue but being rysen from death to lyfe ascended vp into heauen that he might geue giftes vnto those which call vpon him Namelye the holye Ghost and life euerlasting But who can expresse the greatnes of this glory whereas vnto Christe God and Man all power is geuen in heauen and in earth Wherby in deede he ouercommeth death destroyeth sinne geueth righteousnes rayseth from death to life geueth his holy Spirite and life euerlasting to all beléeuers This glorie Paule in 2. Philip. describing sayth God hath exalted him and geuen him a name which surpasseth all names that in the name of Iesus euerie knee shall bowe in heauen earth and hell And all tongues shall confesse that Jesus Christ our Lord is
12. I will repeate a fewe wordes out of the 13. booke of Plinie concerning the nature of the Palme tree and I will apply the same vnto the Image of the Church The Palme sayth he groweth not but in the warme countrie and it is not fruitfull in any place but in the hotte countrie It increaseth in a lighte and grauelly grounde and for the most part in a saltie ground It also delighteth in a waterish or moyst ground and all the yere long loueth to sucke humiditie Also some thinke that doung is hurtfull vnto it We haue sayde that saltilhe ground is brooked well of this Palme tree Therefore where no suche soyle is they sprinkle salte not at the rootes but a litle from it c. These after the same maner maye be spoken concerning fayth and the Church Fayth springeth in the grauelly and saltish ground that is in a contrite or broken heart through acknowledging of sinne and as the Palme trees haue neede of warmth and moysture so sayth is kindled by the holy Ghost and is watered by the ryuers of the Gospell And it is hurte of doung that is by corruption of doctrine the woundes of the conscience Furthermore as the Palme tree is fruitfull so fayth is not fruitles but effectuall by loue And as the Palme tree beareth waighte of any thing layde vpon her the more she is borne downe so muche more hyer she ryseth agayne so fayth is the vanquisher of sorowes amidst afflictions specially shineth Finally the leaues of the Palme tree neuer fall of so the fruits of the teachers are euerlasting as in the 15. chapter of John it is most comfortably sayd In this is my father glorified if ye be made my disciples and that you beare muche fruite and that your fruite do continue Verse 4 So shall not the vngodly do but as the chaffe shall they be which the winde driues to and fro Verse 5 Therefore shall not the vngodly abide in iudgement neither shall sinners stande in the congregation of the righteous EVen as he compareth the godly ones which are the members of the true Church vnto the flourishing and fruitefull Palme tree So doth he compare the vngodly contemners or enimies of the Gospel vnto a most light and vile thing namely chaffe which is tossed with the winde But as the first figure is full of consolation so this other is fearefull And were not the multitude of the vngodly ones more sturdie then the rockes standing in the sea and not perswaded in any age although they are beaten vpon with continuall waues vndoubtedly beholding this heauy and sorowfull figure they woulde earnestly quake for feare But the prophane securitie of the vngodly is signified in the 48. chapter of Genesis Thy sinne shall lye or rest till it be reuealed For the vngodly feele not fearefulnes and humbling of themselues till beeing suppressed with plagues they fall headlong into eternall destruction and as it were vayne chaffe shall be cast into neuer ending tormentes As Saule Pompeius Crassus Cato Nero Iulianus and others innumerable had tragical endes and death is vnto them a waye vnto eternall miserie What can be imagined more dolefull then this Image And yet notwithstanding vayne chaffe do beare sway and carry stately countenaunces vntill that they be throwne headlong from the toppe of their glory into present and euerduring calamities But although Origen beeing deceiued with the subtiltie of this figuratiue speache Therefore shall not the vngodly stande in iudgement wrested these words of the Psalme vnto a straunge and false opinion touching the particuler resurrection of the dead in the vniuersal iudgement Yet we omitting to confute Origen heare which we purpose in another place to do will recite a simple and naturall interpretation of this fifth litle verse Certaine it is that the name of iudgement is often times taken for a function or office This is therfore the sense that the vngodly ones as Annas Caiphas and others which beare a sway in the world as Pharisees and Saduces euer warring with God and holding battell with the true Churche yea although they seeme notably to be sensed with princely powers agaynst all chaunces of fortune yet they shall be cast out of their stations and shall be seperated from the true Churche as those which are accursed of God And although nowe and then punishments are deferred and God doth not by and by execute this iudgement yet as it is sayd Sera tamen tacitis paena venit pedibus Although late yet punishment stealeth on For God doth at length iudge betweene the conflictes of the true Churche and hypocrites the blasphemous part extinguished as the heretikes of all ages are subuerted the Churche remayning unmoueable not shrinking out of place nor yet out of order For the peculier glory of the Church is the preseruation of the whole body yea though in some part or member she be afflicted or persecuted Verse 6 Because the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the vngodly shall perishe MAny Psalmes are like vnto Epigrams wherein some sentence beeing propounded afterwards followe amplifications and lastly is added the conclusion So in this short Psalme after a determinate proposition which and what maner where the true Church is do folow two amplifications A similitude of the fruites and successe of the true Church and an Antithesis of the difference betweene the true Church and that furious multitude which the diuels stirre vp against the Church Therfore in the ende is added the conclusion conteining the effect of the whole Psalme The Lorde knoweth c. That is he not onely approueth but also helpeth and aydeth the vocations of the godly ones according to that saying of S. Paule God worketh in you to will and to performe That is he draweth your willes and then not only helpeth forwards those desires but also gouerneth the euentes and giueth successe therevnto So did he stirre vp in Samuel good motions and after that helpeth the same and therewith in his harde gouernment gaue vnto him force and strength that he might endure those trauels and gaue him prosperous successe Contrariwise Achas and other hypocrites not crauing nor looking for helpe from God are vnhappy and are ouerwhelmed in their course before they coulde see or attayne the hauen This is the summe of this firste Psalme whiche conteineth a description of the true Church and of all the godly But that our affection may accorde with Dauids harpe I will annexe vnto this Psalme in steade of a conclusion this prayer A prayer consonant with Dauids verse I Giue thee thanks O eternall Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ that thou hast brought me silly sinner out of the kingdome of darknes into the kingdome of the light of the sunne and hast seperated me from the company of Idolaters and manquellers whiche night and day meditate and practise this one thing to subuert the trueth and the godly ministers of the Gospell and destroy
adorned after death Wherefore while as yet in the immortall bodie they carry about with them many sinnes repugnant vnto the Law of God as for example securitie pride distrust impatience and diuers wandering motions it is needefull that the flesh be mortifyed and that the old leauen be purged out which can not otherwise more fitly be done then by death and other great miseries which are the admonishers and rebukers of sinne and of Gods wrath and doe represse lewde and vitious desires The meaning of Dauid this worde chased doth witnesse which signifyeth as not without fault or without sorrow but sanctifyed and iustifyed by grace Verse 7. The Lord heareth my prayer when I crie vnto him HE maketh not mention so oftentimes in vaine of prayer and hearing but with great aduise doth he repeate these For Dauid after his example will haue the Church to teach that prayer or Inuocation is the moderator of dangers in this life and most speciall defence in this miserie of mankinde Like as it is written in the 18. chap. Prouerbes The name of the Lorde is a stronge Tower vnto this shall the righteous flee and be deliuered And it is commanded vs in Psal 49. Call vpon me in the day of thy trouble c. Moreouer this sentence witnesseth that prayer is not a vain sounding or noyse but that it is assuredly heard and that it obteyneth delyueraunce or mitigation agreeable with the will of God touchinge the which thing els where in the Church it is declared verse 8 Be angrie and sinne not commune with your heartes in your chambers and be still VNto the former consolation now addeth he a precepte touching christian patience which is to obey God in tollerating calamities according to our vocation so that we swerue not away from God or be angrie with him or contrarie to his commandementes dee any thing when we are broken with sorrow but that wee should moderate our sorrowe with acknowledgemente of the will of God and with hope of his deuine helpe Concerning this vertue there are set downe many sentences euery where As 1. Peter 5. Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God that hee may exalte you in time conuenient And in the 46. Psalme Prooue and see because I am the Lord That is Séeke not vnlawfull remedies in time of your calamities As Saule before his last battel fled for helpe and remedie vnto the witch But settle your heartes in God whose hand is able and 〈…〉 both to debase and exalte Think with your selues that the Church is not ordeyned for idlenes pleasures but â—â—â— a sharpe and fierce warfare which can not be enduteâ— but with greate vertue Call vnto youre mind the Sonne of God who sith by assured prouitence of God he suffered most bitter calamities it were a thinge contrarie vnto all right and vnequall that we should couet such pleasant idlenes especially when through our offences the wrath of God is prouoked Set before our eyes the examples of mightie personages in the Churche which were in greatest miseries yea behold well the whole creation of thinges which is horribly profaned of the vngodly and suffereth this abuse holding this assured perswasion the day will come that after a while it shall be together with the children of God delyuered from these molestations Considering these and many other in your mindes be still and bridle your affections that they burst not out beyond their bonndes and seing it is a most difficult matter to performe this obedience Craue of God that he would geue you his holy spirit the gouernour of youre mind will and hart according to his promise Howe much more shal your heauenly Father geue you his holy spirit when you aske it of him Thus farre haue I briefly and simply recyted the meaning of the fourth verse agreeing with the whole substance of this psalme It foloweth that I nowe speake of that râ—eaning or sence whereunto S. Paule hath rightly finely applyed this verse in 4. cap. Ephesians For Paule geuinge admonition touching moderation of angre and pardoning iniuries alledgeth this verse Be angry saith he and sinne not And straight waye he addeth Let not the Sonne go downe vpon your wrath Geue no place vnto the deuill But although it seemed vnto many in times past that Paule recyted this verse abusyuely yet let vs kepe stil the rule delyuered vs by Christ The second commaundement touching loue is like vnto the first for the vertues conteyned in both tables are nedeful by necessity of the commaundement and of the dutie and are the worship due to God that is workes whereby God iudgeth him selfe to be honoured when they are donne in acknowledgment of the Mediator Finally the obedienc conteyned in both tables beholdeth the same principall obiect namly God Wherefore there is no absurditie in that whereas S. Paule applyeth this precept touchinge suffering iniuries amoÌ„gst men For although the obictes are externall in great diuersitie about the which that excellent vertue patience is exercysed as there is one obiect in the punishment of Paule another in the exilement of Dauid before Saules death yet notwithstandinge there is one and the same obiect inward or principall whereupon is reposed this moderation of sorowe Let these suffice to be spoken of vs here concerninge the place cited by S. Paule least any man swerue into that opinion that he thinke Paule vnlearnedly vsed testimonies of the scriptures as some men cauell at the worthie commendation of that testimonie out of Gen. viz. Abraham belieued God c. Concerning which we will speaks of els where Now let vs deale with that which is in hand and see if we can gather remidies of immoderate angre out of the worde of God and the wrytinges of Philosophers For what a mischiefe vnbrydled angre is and howe hard a matter for an angry man to restraine him selfe that he therby passe not measure the sainges and examples whereof the nomber weary me to speake sufficiently â—o showe Pindarus saith Anger so troubleth wise men that they sinne And Iuuenal saith But reueÌ„gemeÌ„t is a commoditie more sweete then life it selfe in the Prouerbes it is said Mans wrath worketh mischiefe with these sentences do agree very many examples But we for breuitie sake wil be content with a few Theodosius the Emperour when he was by nature very furious commaunded a multitude of y e base people at Thessalonica their cause not heard to be put to death by reason a fewe souldiers were slaine in an vproare Hierom the ecclesiastical writer by reason of the fond contentions touching Origen so poured out all libertie of anger that he all to bad reproched his frend Ruffinus with whom he had liued very frendly for thirtie yeres spare and set forth bookes of bitter speeches which are yet extant against that man of a right opinion touching the effect of controuersie And although priuate men liuing in idlenes and vanitie can gallantly dispute of courtesie and humilitie yet the
â— saying of Arist who in y e 1. booke of his Pol. condemneth vsuries in these words Vsury is iustly hated because money is vsed for a marchandise out of that which nature maketh not profitable taketh profit But money is made for bying selling it is then especiallie against nature that money is made a marchandise The last vertue wherof mentioÌ„ is here made is coÌ„stan â—ie That is a perseueraÌ„ce in true purpose which is neither vanquished w t hope of coÌ„modity nor broken w t fear This vertue did Thucidides ascribe vnto Perycles in his 2 booke where he saith Pericles was indued with such faith that he seemed impossible to be corrupted with money But how hard a thing it is for such a maÌ„ to be born which w t hands féet mind is by all meanes faithful vncorrupted y e saying of Simonid techeth which Plato in Prot. reciteth Verse 6. He that doth these things shal not faile for euer A Perspicuous senteÌ„ce it is which for good works promiseth not only corporal spiritual rewards in this life but also in y e life to come After the same manner touching rewards in both liues doth y e son of God pronouÌ„ce in y e 10. cap. of Mark He that forsaketh house for my sake for the gospel shal receiue an hundred folde now in this life with persecution in the world to come life euerlasting And in the 1. Epist vnto Tim. cap. 4. it is said Godlines is profitable vnto al things hauing promises of this life present of the life to come But in the saying of Christ it is expreslye added with persecutioÌ„ to the end we may know y t both of these promises are true y t rewardes shal for good workes here be geueÌ„ and that y e church in this life for many causes of which we wil in their due place intreate is subiect vnto persecution How these doe agree in trueth they which are instructed aright in the doctrine of the gospell may rightly iudge The xvj Psalme Conseruame c THE ARGVMENT LIke as gold excelleth all other mettals not onlie in brightnes but also in effecte seing it both giueth courage vnto the hart and enfeebleth the beginninges of leprie that they can not spread further so in the whole booke of Psalmes there are excellent Psalmes which containe prophecies of the passions and resurrection and of the eternall kingdome of Christ For the whole scripture prophetical and apostolical is chieflie directed vnto this bounde or limit That we shoulde beleue that Iesus is Christ the Sonne of God and that we so beliuing might in his name haue life For it is saide Iohn 20. If anie man in the reading of the scripture do not seeke Christ crucified c. risen from death to life and nowe raigning at the right hand of God the father this man must needes be in a greate erroure and in the ignorant of the chiefest matters as the Prophet Esaie speaketh of the blindnes of the Jewes Chap. 29. And the vision of all the Prophetes is become vnto you as the words of a booke that is sealed vp which men deliuer to one that is learned saying Reade thou in it and he saith I can not for it is sealed and the booke is giuen to him that is not learned saying reade thou in it and he saith I am not learned Wherefore seinge this Psalme entreateth of the death resurrection and euerlastinge kingdome of Christ it is not vainelie nor vnaduisedlie called a golden gift And least anie man doubt of this meaning of the Psalme let him heare the discourses of the Apostles which are extant in the 2. and 13. Chap. of the Actes For so Peter full of the holy Ghost cyting the testimonie of this 16. Psalme sayth Men and Brethren may I boldlie speake vnto you of the Patriarke Dauid because he is dead and buried and his Sepulchre is with vs vntill this day Therefore seeing he was a Prophet and knew that God had sworne vnto him by an oth that fruit of his loynes should sitte vpon his seate he with foreknowledge spake of the resurrection of Christ because he was not lefte in the graue neither shal his flesh see any corruption And S. Paule in the 13. of the Actes sayth Dauid in his generation when he had serued his time by the will of God slepte and was laide vnto his Fathers and saw corruption But he whom God raysed from the death saw no corruption After that it is determined vpoÌ„ what person speaketh in this psalme Let vs consider the parts of this psalme which are two The former is a feruent prayer wherin Christ feeling not only the scourgings tormentes of his bodie but also inspeakable feares and astonishmentes of the minde prayeth that the wrath proceeding from his Eternall Father might being pacified by this his obedience satisfie the righteousnes of God and that his Sonne might rise from death to life and raigne in eternal felowshippe with his Father Eternall and there to geue vnto his heritage euerlasting life and saluation The other parte of this psalme is a thankesgeuing of Christ risen from death to life glorified wherin he honoureth the presente helpe of God and his marueylous deliueraunce This summe of the Psalme is first to be considered afterwards let the partes or members thereof be looked vpon Verse 1 SAue me O Lorde because I haue trusted in thee I haue saide vnto the Lord Thou art my God for thy sake it is not well with me SVffer me not to pearishe in this moste great agony of all the like wherof neuer any man hath nor shall suffer but helpe me wrastlinge with death and delyuer me and restore mee into that glory which I had with thee in the beginning before the world was made But some men perhaps aske the question Why doth Christ make this requeste when hee sayeth in another place that he will yealde vp his life and take the same agayne Why doth he aske that which is in his owne power Againe when he knoweth the euente hereof why faynteth he as in a doubtfull matter These questions vnwillingly I doe but touch by the way for they rise but from vayne and prophane mindes But I wil answere briefly First the times must be discerned in the History touching Christ At this time of his passion the deuine nature ceased in him as Ireneus speaketh and he unfaynedly suffered not onely naturall feare of death but also another farre greater and more vnspeakable sorowe For that in deede hee felte the wrath of God agaynst the sinnes of mankind which was poured vpon him euen as if hee had defiled him selfe with the sinnes of all men These although they be vnspeakable griefes yet are they signifyed when it is sayde For thy sake it is not well with me That is by reason of thy marueylous and secrete prouidence of redéeminge mankinde not for any sinnes of mine Vnto the second question we may more easily answere
for our defence for the glory of Gods sake especially But why addeth he Not in deâ—eiptfull lippes because he would discerne hipocrisie from true prayer which is made in spirite and trueth I doe not trifle it saith he with delusions of wordes I doe not with cunninge sieightes and merye toyes cast a mase before thine eyes of that which is impossible to be done But thy selfe being witnes which seest the secretes of mans hart I truely and without dissimulation pray thee that the puritie of doctrine may be preserued and that opinions and worshippinges delyuered without the worde of God may be vtterly taken away Verse 2. Let my iudgement come before thy face let thine eyes beholde the thing that is right THe Church is in this world as a widowe and as an Orphane and hath no Judge but onely God Neyther the controuersies touching religioÌ„ are not by mans authoritie ended or taken vp because the vngodly aduersaries wil not seem to be conuinced by the testimonyes of Gods word Needefull it is then that the conflictes of the Church should be adiudged and decyded by God to the vtter extinction of blasphemies The greater part of the princes and people of the Iewes would neuer allowe of the Apostles doctrine and therefore God refuted or vanquished them by destroying their common wealth And with this execution as I may so say of his iudgement made he an ende of that discention But in the meane season the Apostles were slaine by the Princes of the Iewes So let vs waite for the iudgement of God and in the meane time let vs know that we shall endure the enemies crueltie Verse 3. Thou hast prooued my heart and visited me in the night season Thou hast tried me with fire and hast founde none euill in me I haue determined that my mouth shall not offende HEe amplifieth the litle clause of the first Verse not from deceiptfull lippes Thou seest altogether hast approoued the same that my heart agreeth with thy word For as the heart is enflamed with light loue of God so the tongue manifesteth the deuine motions of y e heart False therefore is the rebuke of my aduersaries which crie out that I not for the glorie of God and soules helth but for a certaine curiositie or some lewd desire or blind wilfull frowardnes doe retaine and propagate a kind of doctrine manifested from God yet the thing it selfe purgeth me For I coulde haue liued in worldly vanitie with promotion if I had beene free from this cause but now for that with great labour and great danger of life I professe the true doctrine and preferre the same before life it appeareth sufficientlye that I seeke no riches or worldly dignitie So are both these matters perceiued in Paules miseries that namely he bare about with him the Gospell for profitte and pleasure sake because he for the doctrine which he taught susteyned greate miseries when he otherwise amongst his contry men in greate reputation might peaceably haue liued Moreouer that Dauid in trueth and earnestly beleueth this doctrine is true he confirmeth it by that because he had rather suffer death then to cast away his profession of the Gospell Verse 4 From the workes of men in the worde of thy lippes haue I marked the wayes of the murderer THis litle verse sheweth clearly for what purpose this Psalme was made For it discribeth the conflictes of the church with heretikes fanaticall teachers which are in very deede théeues and mnrderers like as Christ in the 10. of S. Iohns Gospel saith All they which came before mee are theeues and murderers That is all those which came without my Gospell spred abroade false doctrines and established diuers maners of worshipping idols These workes of men haue I marked and eschewed saith he not with mans wisdome but with the wisdome of God which in his worde is delyuered Let vs therefore loue and reuerence the exercises of his heauenly doctrine that we may rightly acknowledge and call vpon God and be able to eschewe the confusion of fonde opinions and traditions of men For they which refuse and despise these exercises are like reedes tossed hether and thether with euery winde of doctrine as in the 4. of S. Paule Ephes is written Verse 5 Direct thou my goings in thy pathes that my foote steppes faile me not SVffer vs not to be drawne away by the deuill vnto impietie and other mischiefes defend vs against the deceiptes of the deuill gouerne vs with thy light and with thy couÌ„cels suffer vs not to perish deceyued by our owne erroures or moued by the imbecillity of the fleshe Great was the wisdome and vertue in Aharon chiefe prieste ouer the people of God and yet we see this man was moued by the deuill to make and sette vp a golden calfe to be worshipped Seing therefore great is the infirmitie of all men vouchsafe thou O eternall God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to gouerne vs and shewe vs thy wholesome councels in priuate and publique affaires and with thy holy spirit confirme our hartes that they may obey thy will that we be not instrumentes of wrath but instrumentes of mercy and profitable members of thy church Verse 6 I haue cryed vnto thee because thou wilt heare me incline thine eare vnto me and heare my wordes HE repeateth the prayer to shewe that he did not coldly but with an ingent motion of minde craue of God the preseruation of sincere doctrine and subuertion of idolatrie Neither in deede any thing doubtinge of being heard prayeth he but without all distrust beleneth his praiers are receyued and heard So Paule 1. Tim. 2. biddes vs to pray without wrath and without doubting Let vs therefore withstand all doubtfulnes and vanquishe the same by faith that we may come vnto Godand call vpon him For this speciall worship of God horribly hindered when and so oft as our mindes are tossed and shaken with waues of doubtfulnes as experience teacheth whereby it is euident why it is needfull that the decrée made in the councell of Trent should be refuted which confirmeth erroure touching doubtfulnes in praying Verse 7 Deale wonderfully in thy mercies which preseruest those trusting in thee from them that resist thy right hande AL the godly ones haue néede of spirituall wisdome interpreting the promisses of God God perfurmeth his promises but other wise then mans reasonne thinketh Moyses did not thinke that he should wander fourtie yeares in the wildernes howe many in meane time despaired and cursed Moyses as a deceyuer of the people yea as a seditious and tyrannicall person And yet God at the length performed that which Moyses promised them and had begon by his decrée So was the preseruation of the church promised vnto the Apostels they and theire auditories were put to the sworde and yet in meane time the Church was furdered and more more florished These matters are to be learned of vs that we may prefer the worde of God before