Adding that the knowledge thereof came not from the starres but only frō the God of Abraham who onely was and is the true God ▪ which thing vnderstanded the king burst forth in his confession saying of a truth your God is the moste excellent of al Gods And he is Lord of kinges and onely he that reuealeth the secretes seeing that thou couldest open this secret And when the king after puffed vp in pride by the counsell of his wicked nobilitie would make an Image before the which he would that al tongues and nations subiect to him should make adoration that Sydrack Misacke and Abednago woulde not obey his vniust commaundement so were cast in the flaming furnace of fyre and yet by Godes Angels were so preserued that no smell of fier remayned in their persons nor garments this same king giueth a more notable confession saying the Lord God of Sydrack Misack Abednago is to be praysed who hath sent his Angels and deliuered his worshippers that put their trust in him who haue done against the kings cōmaundement who haue rather giuen their owne bodyes to torment than that they woulde worship another God except their owne God By me therfore is there made a decree that whosoeuer shal blaspheme the God of Sydrack Misack Abednago that he shall be cut in pieces and his house shal be made detestable Thus we se how God began euen almoste in the beginning of their captiuitye to notifie his name to multiply his knowledge set forth aswel his power as his wisedome true worshipping by those that were taken prisoners yea that were dispised and of all men contempned so that the name feare of the God of Abrahā was neuer before notified to so many realmes nations This wōderous worke of God proceeded from one Empire to another For Daniel being promoted to great honor by Darius king of Perses and Medes falleth into a desperat daūger For he was cōmitted to prisō among Lyons bicause that he was deprehended breaking the kings iniunctiō not that the king desired the destruction of Gods seruants but bicause the corrupt Idolaters that in hatred of Daniell had procured that lawe to be made vrged the king against his nature But God by his Angell did stop the Lyons mouthes and so preserued his seruant Which considered with the soddaine destruction of Daniels enimies by the same Lyons king Daryus besides his owne confession wrote to all people tongues and nations after this forme It is decreed by me that in all the dominions of my kingdom men shal feare and reuerence the God of Danyell bicause he is the liuing God abiding for euer whose kingdome shall not be destroyed and his dominion remayneth who saueth and deliuereth and sheweth signes and wonders in heauen and in earth who hath deliuered Daniell from the Lyons This knowledge was yet further increased in the dayes of Cyrus who giuing freedome to the captiues to returne to their owne natyue cuntry giueth this confessiō Thus sayth Cyrus the king of Persians all the kingdomes of the earth hath the Lorde God of heauen giuen vnto me and hath commaunded me that a house be built to him in Ierusalem which is in Iuda Whosoeuer therefore of you that are of his people let the Lord his God be with him and let him passe vp to Ierusalem and let him builde the house of the Lord God of Israell for he only is God that is in Ierusalem Time will not suffer to intreate the poyntes of this confession neyther yet did I for that purpose adduce the historie But onely to let vs see howe constantlye God kept his promise in increasing of his people and in augmēting of his true knowledge when that both they that were the seede of Abraham and that religion which they professed appeared vtterly to haue bene extinguished aboue mens expectation I say he brought fredome out of bondage light out of darkenesse and lyfe out of death I am not ignoraunt that the building of the temple reparation of the walles of Ierusalem were long stayed so that the worke had many enimies But so did the hande of God preuayle in the ende that a decree was giuen by Daryus by him I suppose that succeded to Cambises not onely that all things necessarie for the building of the temple and for the sacrifices that were to be there brent shoulde be ministred vpon the kings charges but also that whosoeuer shuld hinder that work or change that decree that a balke should be taken out of his house and that he should be hanged thervpon Yea that his house should be made a donghil and therto he addeth a prayer saying the God of heauen who hath placed his name there roote out euerye king and people O that kings and nations should vnderstande that shall put his hande eyther to change or to hurte this house of God that is in Ierusalem and so in dispite of Sathan was the temple builded the walles repayred and the city inhabited and in the moste desperat daungers it was preserued til that the Messias promised the glory of the seconde temple came manyfested himselfe to the worlde suffred and rose againe according to the scriptures And so by sending forth his gospell from Ierusalem did replenish the whole earth with the true knowledge of God and so did God in perfectiō increase the nation aud the spirituall seede of Abraham Wherefore deare brethren we haue no small consolation if the estate of all thinges be this daye rightly considered we see in what furie and rage the worlde for the moste parte is nowe raised against the pore Church of Iesus Christ vnto the which he hath proclaymed liberty after this feareful bōdage of that spirituall Babylon in the which we haue beene holden captiues of longer space than Israell was prisoner in Babylon it selfe For if we shall consider vpon the one parte the multitude of those that liue without God and vpon the other parte the blinde rage of the pestilent papistes what shal we think of the small number of them that do professe Christ Iesus but that they are as a poore sheepe already seazed in the clawes of the Lyon yea that they the true religion which they professe shall in a moment vtterly be consumed But against this fearefull temptation let vs be armed with the promise of our god to wit that he wil be the protector of his church yea that he will multiply it euen when to mans iudgement it appeareth vtterly to be exterminate This promise hath our God performed in the multiplication of Abrahams seede in preseruation of it when Sathan labored vtterly to haue destroied it in deliuerance of the same as we haue heard from Babilon He hath sent his sonne Christ Iesus clad in our flesh who hath tasted of all our infirmities sinne except who hath promised to be with vs to the ende of the worlde He hath further kept promise in publication yea in
in the tyme of quietnesse prosperitie can generally confesse that God is true in his promises but bring them to the extremitie and there ceasseth the hipocrite further to trust in God than he seeth naturall meanes whereby God vseth to worke But the true faithfull when all hope of naturall meanes fayleth then flye they to God himselfe and to the truth of his promise who is aboue nature yea whose workes are not so subiect to the ordinarie course of nature that when nature fayloth his power and promise fayle also therwith Let vs further observe that the Prophete here speaketh not of all deade in generall but sayth thy dead O Lorde shall liue In which wordes he maketh difference betwixt those that dye in the Lorde and those that dye in their naturall corruption and in olde Adam Die in the Lord can none except those that liue in him I meane of those that attaine to the yeares of discretion and none liue in him except those that with the Apostle can say I liue not I but Christ Iesus liueth in me The lyfe that now I liue I haue by the faith of the sonne of God Not that I meane that the faithfull haue at all houres suche sense of the lyfe euerlasting that they feare not the deathe and the troubles of this lyfe no not so for the faith of all Goddes children is weake yea and in manye thinges imperfect But I meane that such as in death and after death shall liue muste communicate in this lyfe with Iesus Christ and must be regenerate by the sede of lyfe That is by the worde of the liuing and euerlasting God which whosoeuer dispiseth refuseth lyfe and ioye euerlasting The Prophet transferreth all the promises of God to him selfe saying Euen my dead body shal arise and imediately after giueth commaundemeÌ„t charge to the dwellers in the dust that is to the dead carcasses of those that were departed for the spirit and soule of man dwelleth not in the dust that they should awake they should sing and reioyce For they should arise and spring vp from the earth euen as the herbes doe after they haue receyued the dew from aboue Tyme will not suffer that these particulars be so largely intreated as they merit as I gladly would And therefore let vs first consider that the Prophet in traÌ„sferring the power and promise of God to him self doth not vendicate to himself any perticular prerogatiue aboue the people of God as that he alone should liue and arise and not they also But he doth it to let them vnderstande that he taught a doctrine whereof he was certayne yea and whereof they shoulde haue experience after his death As he should say my words appeare to you now to be incredible but the daye shall come that I shal be taken froÌ„ you my carcas shall be inclosed in the bosome of the earth and therfore shall ye be ledde away captiues to Babylon where ye shall remayne many dayes and yeares as it were buryed in your sepulchres But then cal to minde that I sayd vnto you before hand that my body shall arise Euen so shall ye rise from your graues out of Babylon and be restored to your owne cuntry and citie of Ierusalem This I doubt not is the true meaning of the Prophet The charge that he giueth to the dwellers in the dust is to expresse the power of Goddes worde Whereby he not onely giueth life where death appaâ—antly had preuayled but also by it he calleth things that are not euen as if they were Ture it is that the Prophete Isaiah sawe not the destruction of Ierusalem much lesse could he se the restitutioÌ„ of it with his corporall eyes but he leaueth this as it were in testament with them that when they were in the extremitie of all bondage they should call to minde what the Prophet of God had before spoken And lest that his doctrine and this promise of God made vnto them by his mouth shoulde haue bene forgotteÌ„ as we are euer prone and ready to forget Gods promises when we are pressed with anye sorrow God raysed vp vnto theÌ„ in the midst of calamitie his Prophet Ezechiell vnto whome among manye other visions he gaue this The hande of the Lorde first ledde him in a place which was ful of dry and dispersed bones The question was demaunded of the Prophet if these bones being wonderous dry shuld lyue The Prophet answeredâ— the knowledge thereof appertained vnto God Charge was giuen vnto him that he shoulde speake vnto the dry bones and saye thus sayth the Lorde God to these bones beholde I shall giue you breath and ye shall liue I shall giue vnto you sinewes fleshe and skinne and ye shall liue And while the Prophete spake as he was commaunded he heard a voyce and he sawe euery bone ioyne in his marowe He saw them couered with flesh and skin albeit there was no spirit of lyfe in them he was commaunded againe to speake and to say thus sayth the Lorde God come O spirite from the foure quarters blow in these that are slayne that they may lyue And as he prophecied the spirit of lyfe came They liued and stoode vpon their feete Nowe doth the Lorde interprete what this vision ment saying Sonne of man these bones are the whole house of Israell Behold they say our bones are dryed our hope is perished we are playnely cut of but beholde sayth the Lord I will open your graues I will bring you forth of them ye shall liue and come vnto the lande of Israell and ye shall knowe that I am the Lorde This vision I say giuen to the Prophete and by the Prophete preached to the people when they thought that God had vtterly forgoten them compelled them more diligently to aduert what the former Prophetes had spoken It is no doubt but they caryed with them both the prophecie of Isaiah and Ieremie so that the Prophete Ezechiel is a commentarie to these wordes of Isaiah where he sayth thy dead O Lorde shall liue with my body they shall arise The Prophet bringeth in this similitude of the deawe to aunswere vnto that part of their fidelitie who can beleue no further of Gods promises than they are able to apprehende by naturall iudgemeÌ„t As he wold say think ye this impossible that God shall giue lyfe vnto you and bring you to an estate of a commoÌ„ wealth agayne after that ye be dead and as it were rased from the face of the earth But why doe ye not consider what God worketh from yeare to yeare in the order of nature sometimes ye see the face of the earth decked and beautified with herbes floures grasse and fruites Againe ye see the same vtterlye taken awaye by stormes and vehemencie of the winter What doth God to replenishe the earth againe and to restore the beauty thereof He sendeth downe his small and soft dewe the droppes whereof in their descending are neyther great nor visible
take trial of this poynt it is not hard for Moses in the election of Iudges and of a King describeth not onelye what persones shall be chosen to that honour but doth also giue to him that is elected and chosē the rule by the which he shal trie himselfe whether God raygne in him or not saying when he shal sit vpō the throne of his kingdō he shal write to himself an examplar of this lawe in a boke by the priests the Leuits it shal be with him and he shall reade therin all the dayes of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his god and to kepe all the words of this law these statuts ▪ that he may do them that his hart be not lifted vp aboue his brethrē that he turne not from the cōmaundement to the right hand or to the left Thesame is repeated to Iosua in his inanguration to the regiment of the people by God himselfe saying let not the boke of this lawe depart fro thy mouth but meditate in it day night that thou mayst kepe and do according to al that which is written in it For then shall thy way be prosperous and thou shalt do prudently The first thing thē that god craueth of him that is called to the honor of a king is the knowlege of his wil reuealed in his word The second is an vpright and willing minde to put in execution suche things as God commaundeth in his lawe without declyning eyther to the right or left hande Kings then haue not an absolute power to do in their regimēt what pleaseth them but their power is limitted by gods word So that if they strike where god commaundeth not they are but murderers if they spare wher GOD commaundeth to strike they and their throne are criminal and giltie of the wickednesse that aboundeth vpon the face of the earth for lacke of punishment O if Kings and Princes shuld consider what accompt shall be craued of them as well of their ignoraunce and misknoweledge of Gods will as for the neglecting of their office But nowe to returne to the words of the Prophet In the person of the whole people he doth complayne vnto God that the Babilonians whō he calleth other Lordes besydes God both bycause of their ignoraunce of God and by reason of their crueltie and inhumanitie hadde long ruled ouer them in all rigor without pitie or cōcompassion had vpon the aunciente men and famous matrones For they being mortall enimies of the people of God sought by all meanes to aggrauate their yoke yea vtterlye to haue exterminate the memorie of thē and of their religion from the face of the earth After the first part of this dolorous complaynt the Prophete declareth the protestation of the people saying neuerthelesse onely in thee shall we remember thy name others reade it Put wee wyll remember thee onelye and thy name But in the Hebrew there is no Coniunction copulatiue in that sentence The minde of the Prophete is playne to wit that not withstanding the long sustayned affliction the people of God declyned not to a false and vayne religion but remembred God that sometime appeared to them in his mercifull presence which albeit then they saw not yet would they still remēber his name that is they would cal to minde the doctrine and promise which sōetimes they hard albeit in their prosperity they did not sufficiently glorifie God who so mercifully ruled in the midst of them The temptation no doubt of the whole Isralites was gret in those dayes They were caryed captiues from the land of Canaan which was to thē the gage pledge of Gods fauour towardes thē For it was the inheritaunce that God promised to Abrahā to his seede for euer The league couenant of Gods protection appeared to haue beene broken They lamentably cōplayne that they sawe not their accustomed signes of Gods merciful presēce The true prophets were fewe the abhominatiōs vsed in Babylon were exceding many And so it might haue apered to thē that in vayne it was that they were called the posteritie of Abrahā or that euer they had receyued law or form of right religion frō god That we may the better fele it in our selues the temptatiō I say was euē such as if God shuld vtterly destroy al order policy that this day is withī his church that the true preaching of the worde should be suppressed The right vse of sacramēts abolished Idolatry papistical abhomination erected vp again And therwith that our bodies should be takē prisoners by Turks or other manifest enimies of God of al Godlynesse ▪ Such I say was their temptatiō How notable then is this their cōfessiō that in bōdage they make to wit that they wil remember God onely albeit he hath appeared to turne his face from them they will remember hys name and will cal to minde the deliuerance promised Hereof haue we to consider what is our duetie if God bring vs as for oure offences and vnthankfulnesse iustely he may to the like extremitie This confession is not the fayre flattering wordes of hypocrites lying and bathing in their pleasures but it is the mightye operation of the spirite of God who leaueth not his owne destitute of some comfort in their most desperate calamities This is then oure duety not onely to confesse our god in the time of peace and quietnes but he chiefely craueth that we auowe him in the middeste of his and our enimies And this is to doe but it behoueth that the spirite of God worke in vs aboue all power of nature And thus we ought earnestlye to meditate before the battayle rise more vehement which appeareth not to be farre of but now must we enter in somewhat more deepely to consider these iudgements of God This people entreated as we haue heard was the onely people vpon the face of the earth to whō God was rightly knowen among them onely were his lawes statuts ordinaunces and sacrifices vsed and put in practise They onely inuocated his name and to them alone had he promised his protection and assistance What then shoulde be the cause that he shoulde giue them ouer into this great reproche and bring them into suche extremitie as his owne name in them shoulde be blasphemed The Prophet Ezekiell that saw this horrible destruction forespoke by Isaiah put in iust execution giueth an aunswere in these wordes I gaue vnto them lawes that were good in the which whosoeuer shoulde walke should liue in them But they woulde not walke in my wayes but rebelled against me and therefore I haue giuen vnto them lawes that are not good and iudgements in the which they shal not liue The writer of the bookes of kings and cronicles declare this in more playne words saying the Lorde sent vnto them his prophets rising early desiring of them to retourne vnto the Lorde and to amende their wicked wayes for he would haue
spared his people and his tabernacle but they mocked his seruants and woulde not retourne vnto the Lorde their God to walke in his wayes Yea Iuda it selfe kept not the precepts of the Lord God but walked in the maners ordinances of Israell that is of suche as then had declyned to Idolatry frō the dayes of Ieroboam And therfore the Lorde God abhorred the whole seede of Israell that is the whole body of the people he promised them and gaue them into the hands of those that spoyled them and so he cast them out frō his presence Hereof it is euident that their stubborne disobedience vnto God and vnto the voyces of hys Prophetes was the cause of their destruction Nowe haue we to take heede how we should vse the good lawes of God that is his mercifull will reuealed vnto vs in his worde and that order of iustice that by him for the comforte of man is established among men It is no doubt but that obedience is the moste acceptable sacrifice vnto God and that which aboue all things he requireth that when he manifesteth himselfe by hys worde that men follow according to their vocation and commaundement Now so it is that God by that great pastor out Lorde Lesus nowe manifestly in his worde calleth vs from all impietie aswell of body as of minde to holynesse of life and to his spirituall seruice And for this purpose he hath erected the throne of his mercy among vs the true preaching of his word together with the right administration of his sacramet but what is our obedience Let euery man examine his owne conscience and consider what statuts and lawes we woulde haue to be giuen vnto vs. Wouldst thou O Scotland haue a King to raigne ouer thee in iustice equitie and mercy Subiect thou thy selfe to the Lorde thy God obey his commaundements and magnifie thou that word that calleth vnto thee This is the way walke into it and if thou wilt not flatter not thy self the same iustice remaineth this day in God to punishe thee Scotlande and thee Edenborough in especiall that before punished the lande of Iuda and the citie of Ierusalem Euerie realme or nation sayth the Prophet Ieremy that likewise offendeth shall be likewise punished But if thou shalt see impietie placed in the seate of iustice aboue thee so that in the throne of God as Salomon doth cōplayne raigneth nothing but fraude and violēce accuse thy owne ingratitude and rebellion against God For that is the onely cause why God taketh away as the same Prophet in another place doth speake the strong man and the man of warre the Iudge and the Prophete the prudent the aged the captaine and the honorable the counceller and the cunning artificer And I wil appoint sayth the Lorde children to be their princes and babes shal rule ouer them Children are extorcyoners of my people and women haue rule ouer them If these calamities I saye apprehend vs so that we see nothing but the oppression of good men and of all godlynesse and wicked men without God to raigne aboue vs Let vs accuse and condempne our selues as the onely cause of oure owne miseries For if we had heard the voyce of the Lord our God giuen vpright obedience vnto the same God should haue blessed vs he shoulde haue multiplyed oure peace and shoulde haue rewarded our obedience before the eyes of the worlde But nowe let vs heare what the Prophet sayth further The dead shall not liue sayth be neyther shall the tiraunts or the dead arise bicause thou hast visited and scattered them and destroyed all their memorie Frō this .14 verse vnto the end of the .19 it apeareh that the Prophet obserueth no order yea that he speaketh thinges directly repugning one to another For first he sayth the dead shal not liue After he affirmeth thy dead men shall lyue Secondly he sayth thou hast visited and scattered them destroyed all their memorie Imediately thereafter he sayth thou hast increased the natiō O Lord thou haste increased the nation They haue visited thee and haue poured forth a prayer before thee Who I say woulde not thinke that these are thinges not onely spoken forth of good order and purpose but also manifestly repugning one to another For to liue and not to liue to be so destroyed that no memoriall remaineth And to be so increased that the coastes of the earth shal be replenished seme to importe playne contradiction For remouing of this doubt and for better vnderstanding of the Prophetes minde we must vnderstand that the Prophet had to doe with diuers forts of mē He had to do with the coniured manifest enimies of Gods people the Caldes or Babilonians euen suche as professe Christ Iesus haue to doe with the Turke and Sarazens He had to doe with the sede of Abraham wherof there were three sorts The tenne tribes all degenerate from the true worshipping and corrupted with Idolatry as this daye are our pestilent papistes in al realmes and nations There rested onely the tribe of Iuda and Ierusalē where the forme of true religion was obserued the lawe taught and ordinaunces of god outwardly kept but yet there were in that body I meane in the bosome of the visible Church a great number that were hipocrits as this day yet are among vs that doe professe the Lorde Iesus and haue refused papistrie not a fewe that were lycentious lyuers some that had tourned their backe to God that is had forsaken al true religion and some that liued a most abhominable life as Ezechiell sayeth in his vision And yet there were some godlye as a fewe wheat cornes oppressed and hid amōg the multitude of such chaffe Nowe according to this diuersitie the Prophete kepeth diuers purposes and yet in moste perfecte order And first after the first part of the complaint of the afflicted as we haue heard in vehemencie of spirite he bursteth forth against all the proude enimies of Gods people all such as trouble them and against all such as mocke and forsake God and sayth the dead shal not liue The proud Giants shall not arise Thou hast scattered thē and destroyed their memoriall In which wordes he fighteth against the present temptation and dolorous estate of Gods people and against the insolent pride of suche as oppressed them as the Prophet should say O ye troublers of Gods people howsoeuer it appeareth to you in this your bloudy rage that God regardeth not your crueltie not considereth not what violence ye doe to his pore afflicted yet shal ye be visited yea your carcases shal fal and lye as stinking carions vpon the face of the earth ye shal fal without hope of life or of a blessed resurrection Yea howsoeuer ye gather your substance augment families ye shal be so scattered that ye shal leaue no memoriall of you to the posterities to come but that which shal be execrable and odious Hereof haue the
and yet thereby are the pores and secrete vaynes of the earth which before by vehemencie of frost and colde were shut vp opened againe And so doth the earth produce againe the like herbes floures and fruits Shal ye then thinke that the dew of Gods heauenly grace shall not be as effectuall in you to whome he hath made his promise as that it is in the herbes and fruites that from yeare to yeare buddeth forth and decayeth if ye doe so the Prophet would say your incredibility is inexcusable bicause ye doe neyther rightlye waighe the power nor the promise of your God The like similitude vseth the Apostle Paule against such as called the resurrection in doubt bicause that by naturall iudgement they coulde not apprehende that fleshe once putryfied and resolued as it were in other substance shoulde arise againe and retourne againe to the same substance nature O fole saith he that which thou sowest is not quickened except it dy that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bare corne as it falleth of wheate or some other but God giueth it a body as it pleaseth him euen to euerye seede his owne bodye In which wordes and sentence the Apostle sharpelye rebuketh the grosse ignorance of the Corinthians who began to call in doubt the chiefe article of our faith the resurrection of the fleshe after that it was once resolued bicause that naturall iudgement as saide is reclaymed thereto He reproueth I say their grosse ignoraunce bicause that they might haue seene and considered some proufe and document thereof in the very order of nature For albeit the wheat or other corne cast in the earth apeareth to die to putrifie and so to be lost yet we see that it is not perished but that it fructifieth according to Goddes will and ordinaunce Now if the power of God be so manifest in raysing vp of the fruits of the earth vnto the which no particuler promise is made by god what shal be his power and vertue in raysing vp of our bodyes seeing that thereto he is bound by the solempne promise of Iesus Christ his eternall wisdome and the veritie it selfe that can not lye yea seeing that the members must once commâ—nicate with the glorye of the head howe shall our bodyes which are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones he stil for euer in corruptioÌ„ seeing that our head Iesus Christ is now exalted in his glory Noyther yet is this power land good will of God to be restrayned vnto the last and generall resurrection onely but we ought to consider it in the maruellous preseruation of his church and in the raysing vp of the same from the very bottome of death when by titauntes it hath bene oppressed from age to age Nowe of the former wordes of the Prophet we haue to gather this comforte that if at anye tyme we shal see the face of the church with in this realmeso defaced as I think it shall be soner than we looke for when we shall see I say vertue to be dispised vice to be mayntayned the veritie of God to be impugned lyes and mens inuentions holden in aucthoritie and finally when we shall see the true religion of our God and zelous obseruers of the same to be troden vnder the feete of suche as in their heart saye there is no God Let vs then call to minde what haue bene the wonderous workes of our God from the beginning that it is his proper office to bring forth lighte out of darkenesse order out of confusion lyfe out of death finally that it is he that calleth thigs that are not euen as if they were as before we haue hard And if in the day of our teÌ„ptation which in my iudgemeÌ„t approcheth fast we be thus armed If our incredibilitie can not vtterly be remoued yet shal it so be corrected that dampnable desperation oppresse vs not But nowe let vs heare howe the Prophete proceedeth Come sayth he thou my people enter within thy chambers shut thy dore after thee hide thy selfe a very little while vntil the indingnation passe ouer Here the Prophet bringeth in God amiably calling vpon his people to come to himselfe and to rest with him vnto suche time as the furie sharpe plagues should be executed vpon the wicked and inobedient It maye appeare at the first sight that all these words of the Prophet in the person of God calling the people vnto rest are spoken in vaine For we neyther finde chambers nor rest more prepared for the dearest children of God so farre as mans iudgemeÌ„t can discerne than there was for the rebellious and inobedient For such as fel not in the edge of the sworde or dyed not of pestilence or by hunger were eyther caryed captiues into BabyloÌ„ or else departed after into Egipt so that none of Abrahams feede had eyther chamber or quiet place to remayne within the lande of Canaan For the resolution hereof we must vnderstand that albert the chambers whereunto God called his chosen be not visible Yet notwithstanding they are certaine offer vnto Gods children quiet habitation in spirite howsoeuer the flesh be trauayled and tormented The chambers are then Goddes sure promises vnto the which gods people is commaunded to resorte yea within the which they are coÌ„inaunded to close them selues in the time of greatest aduersitie The maner of speaking is borowed froÌ„ that iudgement foresight which God hath printed in this our nature For whe that men espie great tempestes appearing to come willingly they will not remayne vncouered vpoÌ„ the fields but straight way they will drawe them to their houses or holdes that they maye escape the vehemency of the same And if they feare any enimy to pursue them they wil shut their dores to the ende that sodainely the enimie shall not haue entry After this same maner God speaketh to his people as he shoulde saye the tempest that shall come vpon this whole nation shall be so terrible that nothing shall appeare but exterminatioÌ„ to come vpoÌ„ the whole bodye But thou my people thou I saye that hearest my worde beleuest the same and tremblest at the threatenings of my Prophetes now when the world doth insoleÌ„tly resist let such I say enter within the secrete chamber of my promises Let them conteyne themselues quietly there yea let them shut the dore vpon them and suffer not infidelitie the mortall enimie of my truth and of my people that depend therupon to haue free entrie to trouble yea rather to murther my promise And so shall they perceyue that my indignation shall passe and that such as depend vpoÌ„ me shall be saued Thus we may perceyue the meaning of the Prophete Whereof we haue first to obserue that God acknowledgeth them for his people that are in greatest affliction yea such as are reputed vnworthy of mens presence are yet admitted with the secrete chamber of God Let no man thinke that fleshe and bloude
is to purge the land from bloud and as it were to sanctifie it The earth I say shal purge her selfe of it and shew it before the face of god yea the beasts foules and other creatures whatsoeuer shall be compelled to render that which iniustly they haue receyued be it flesh bloude or bones that appartained to thy children O Lorde which altogether thou shalt glorifie according to thy promise made to vs in Iesus Christ thy sonne to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be honor praise and glory for euer and euer Amen Let vs now humble our selues in the presence of our God and from the bottome of oure heartes let vs desire him to assist vs with the power of his holy spirite that albeit for our former negligences God giue vs ouer in the handes of other than suche as rule in his feare that yet he let vs not forget his mercy and that glorious name that hath bene proclaymed amongst vs but that we may loke throughout the dolorous storme of his present displeasure and see aswell what punishment he hath appointed for the cruell tirants as what rewarde he hath layde in store for such as continue in his feare to the ende that it would further please him to assist that albeit we see his Church so diminished that it shal appeare to be brought as it were to vtter extermination that yet we maye be assured that in our God there is power and will to increase the number of his chosen euen while they be inlarged to the vttermost coastes of the earth Giue vs O Lorde hearts to visite thee in time of our affliction And that albeit we see none ende of our dolors that yet our faith and hope maye conduct vs to the assured hope of that ioyfull resurrection In the which we shal possesse the fruite of that for the which nowe we trauaile And in the meane season graunt vnto vs O Lorde to repose our selues in the sanctuary of thy promise that in thee we may finde comforte till that this thy great indignation begonne amongst vs may passe ouer and thou thy selfe appeare to the comfort of thy afflicted and to the terrour of thine enimies Let vs pray with heart mouth Almighty God and merciful father c. Lord in thy hands I commend my spirit For the terrible roring of Gunnes and the noyce of armour doe so pierce my heart that my soule thirstith to depart The last of August 1565. at .4 at after noone written indigestly but yet truely so far as memory would serue of those things that in publike preaching I spake vpon Sondaye the .19 of August For the whych I was discharged to preach Be mercifull to thy flocke O Lorde and at thy good pleasure put ende to my miserie Iohn Knoxe The Superintendents Ministers and commissioners of the Churches reformed within this realme of Scotlande assembled in Edenbrough the .xxv. daye of December .1565 to all faithfull within the same realme desire grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lorde Iesus Christ with the perpetual cōfort of the holye Ghost THE SOROWfull complayntes of all Ministers in generall and of some nowe more to be lamented in others in particuler being considered in this oure last assembly beloued in the Lord Iesus diuers men were of diuers iudgementes howe the griefe and pouertie of such as faithfully trauayle in their vocation within the Church of God might somewhat be relieued After long reasoning it was concluded that a supplication shuld be direct to the Quenes Maiestie requiring that respecte might be had to the extreme necessity of our Ministers But bicause that the necessity of our brethren is great and their pouertie present and that the remedie can not be sodaine nor yet certaine it was thought expedient that a generall admonition should be made to all the faithful to haue respect to the necessitie of the Ministers vniuersally But especially that the faithfull in euery parish haue consideration to the necessitie of suche as trauaile amongst them in true doctrine holsome exhortatiō which admonition whosoeuer dispiseth dispiseth no doubt the chiefe dutie of a christian For alas with what conscience can we eate oure owne bread and know the bowels of such as offers to vs the breade of lyfe and minister to vs spirituall things to craue of God and vs but a reasonable sustentation and yet can not finde suche fauour at oure handes as Turkes finde amongest Turkes and Iewes amongest that blinded nation Alas where are the bowels of mercy that sometyme were founde amongst the faithfull How farre is this our filthye auariounesse distant from that liberalitie which appeared in the primitiue Church when that the faithfull cast their substance at the feete of the Apostles Where is that charitie which moued the Churches of Macedonia and Achaia and other cuntries to make most liberall collectours and to send the same to relieue the indigence of the pore at Ierusalem and in Iudea Where is the zeale that was in the Galathians Philippians of whome the one would haue giuē their eyes to the Apostle Paule if that might haue supported him the other spared not to sende to their preacher being prisoner in Rome their supporte and comfort most liberally If we thinke to be partakers with suche men in glorye why studye we not to followe their vertues If this be the same Euangel of saluation as no doubt it is that the Apostles preached that now of Gods great mercy is preached to vs alas why brings it not forth some part of the former fruites if we thinke they are but men and not Apostles that nowe preach vnto vs let vs consider that the Apostles were men and receyued of men support and comforte and also that others than the Apostles were grounded for by the liberalitie of the faithfull as in the Actes of the Apostles maye be seene We haue not Paule to write vnto vs newe Epistles neyther yet Mathewe Marke Lucas or Iohn to dite vnto vs a newe Euangell bicause things written are sufficient if we vnderstande and followe the same but of Gods great mercy we haue men that open and explane vnto vs not onely writings of the new but also of the old testament We haue the seruaunts of God indued with rare and notable graces whom if we contempne it is to be feared that God shall so punish our ingratitude that he shal take from vs the light of his worde and the true messengers of the same and suffer darkenesse agayne to apprehende vs and the slaues of Sathan tirannously to impire aboue vs then woe to vs and our posteritie For better it had beene that the word of lyfe had neuer bene shewē vnto vs thā that we in our default shoulde suffer our selues to be defrauded of so great a benefite Let vs therfore begin to reuerence the blessed Euangell of our saluation Reuerence nor magnifie it wee can not when that
we suffer the true preachers therof to be oppressed with pouertie before our eyes and yet we shut vp the bowels of mercy from them Let vs consider deare brethren how carefully God commaundeth in his law that the Leuites such as serued that material tabernacle should be prouided of sufficient liuings yea let vs cōsider with what plagues God punished Israell and Iuda when his statutes and his seruaunts were dispised Shal we think that the eternall God wil spare vs if we be found contemners of such as truely preache the Lorde Iesus or lawfully beare any charge within his Church we maye be assured that he will not For as the bodye is more excellent than is the shadow and as the veritie is to be preferred to the signe so are the Ministers of the new testament their spirituall seruice to be preferred tu the leuites and their carnall ceremonies the contempt whereof can not but craue at Gods handes moste seuere punishment bicause as sayde is the office of the one doth farre excell the office of the other They did but reade the law kill the sacrifice sley the beastes take of the skinnes wash the flesh and offer the same as was cōmaunded in the law and for such seruice were the tenthes first fruites and other dueties appointed for their sustentation but the Ministers of Iesu Christ haue an office without al comparison more excellent for they bring to vs the glad tidinges of saluation by the two edged sworde of Goddes worde which is mighty in operatiō they sley that old man that neuer fightes against God they make his thought patent to his owne confusion that the newe man of God maye take lyfe They wash the soules with the bloude of Iesus Christe which aboundantly drops from their lips when truely they preache the vertue and effect of the death of Iesus Christ and rightly minister his sacramentes lefte to be vsed in his Church to holde vs in recent memorie of that so great a benefite Finallye by them are we taught and conducted to offer not onely prayers and thanks giuing but also our bodies and soules in a reasonable and liuely sacrifice vnto God by Iesus Christ. And yet O cruell ingratitude shal we care no more for their sustentation than that we were nothing addicted vnto them neyther yet that God had raised them vppe after ouer long blindnesse to reduce vs againe to the right way of saluation and to conduct vs in the same to the end If we thinke that al these things may be due without ministers or without preaching we vtterly deceyue our selues For the same order that God hath obserued since that he hath collected his visible church he will shall be obserued so long as it continueth vpon the face of the earth that is that euē as vnder the lawe the people were commaunded to require wisdome from the mouthes of the priestes and Leuits had a charge to teach so tourne many from their iniquitie so in this most acceptable time did Iesus Christ ascending to the heauens distribute his glory in diuers sortes for some he made Apostles some Prophetes some Euaungelistes that is preachers of glad tidings some pastours some teachers to the end that we might all come to the vnitie of the faith and to the knowledge of the sonne of God Now if we think that none within Scotlande lackes true faith yea if we thinke that our children can attayne to the right knowledge of God without true doctrine then maye we dreame with our selues that ministers are not necessarie and so are we nothing addicted vnto them But if that faith commeth by hearing and that by the hearing of Gods worde and that Gods word is not sent vnto vs absolutely from heauen by Aungels but is planted by the holy spirite in the heartes and mouthes of men whome God of his mercye sendes forth into the world to sowe therin the seede of his Euangell we can not but cōfesse our selues detters to our ministers The dispisers of whome yea all suche as to their power supporte them not in their necessities are before his throne iudged contempners of his owne maiestie And therfore yet once againe let euery faithfull consider what is his duetie and let vs abhor that ingratitude that we shuld suffer the seruants of the Lorde Iesus to begge or trauaile in pouerty before our eyes for if we doe we banishe from vs Iesus Christ and the light of his euangell The Apostle commaundeth a bishop and euery true preacher of Iesus Christ is a christian bishop among the rest of his vertues to be one that keepeth hospitalitie and is able to receyue straungers This can he not doe without reasonable prouision and by whome the bishop shoulde be prouided S. Paule aunswereth in these wordes Let him that is taught cōmunicate in al his goods with him that teacheth him and againe is it anye great thing that while we sowe vnto you spirituall things that we shuld reape of you carnall things of which and many moe places it is euident that the flock is boundē to prouide for their pastor I wil not excuse vs deare brethrē to cry and complaine we are compelled to answere our bishops persons and vicars Our teachers are taken vp most rigorously how shal we then be able to susteyne oure ministers These complaintes and appearing reasons deare brethren will vanish with winde when we shal come to the straight examination of cōsciences before God For are we not commaunded to honor God with our substance thinke we that we doe honor him when with our substāce we fil the bellies of dumb dogges yea of Gods coniured enimies and suffer his seruauntes to fall into pouertie before our eyes if ye thinke we shall be excused bicause that the order of lawe constrayneth vs therevnto the Godly feare in case this reason shall be admitted before God lest tirannie vnder collour of lawe wil take from vs our tithes and so can we not sustayne our ministers This reason brethren will be weake yea so weake that we feare it shal be repelled before the incorrupt iudge For howe manye of vs haue complayned vpon that tiraunt Who hath made intercessiō to the Maiestrats for redresse of that enormity Yea alas howe many of vs are not maintayners of those theues and partakers of their murders called Bishops Abbottes and Pryors Let no man wōder that we terme such men with so odious termes no let them rather wonder that God poureth not forth the vttermost of his vengeaunce vpon the realme and vs that maintaine such tirants in their tirannie in this great light of his Euangell Theues they are for they take large fee and serues not murtherers they are bicause that by withholding the bread of lyfe they cause the soules of men to dye for hunger of Gods worde And yet how conspire we with thē what doe we to maintayne that abuse of those