accompanie her husband But with that this Gentleman la Place who neuer shewed any token of an heart cast downe began to take vp his wyfe reproue her shewing her that it is not the arme of man which we must haue recourse vnto but to GOD alone Afterward turning him selfe a side he espied a crosse of paper in his eldest sonnes cappe which he had of weakenes set there thinking to saue him selfe by that meanes whereupon he rebuked him sharpely commaunding him to take that marke of sedition out of his cappe and laying foorth before him that the true crosse whiche we must beare are tribulations and afflictions which GOD sendeth vs as moste certaine pledges and earnest pennyes of that ioye and euerlasting life which he hathe prepared for his children Then seeing him selfe earnestly pressed by the sayde Senescay to go to the King resoluing him felfe to dye the death whiche he sawe prepared for him tooke his cloke embraced his wyfe and desired her aboue all things to haue the honour feare of God before her eyes and so departed with a most cheerefull countenance Nowe when he was almost come to the streete called la Verrerie ouer agaynst the Cocke streete certaine murderers that waited for him with their daggers ready drawē aboue three houres slewe him lyke a silly lambe in the middest of ten or twelue of Senescays archers which guyded him and his house was sacked the space of fiue or sixe dayes togyther The bodie of this Gentleman la Place whose soule was receyued into heauen was carryed into a stable at the towne house where his face was couered with dong and the next day after in the morning was cast into the riuer Thus this great and excellent martyr of the Lord whylest he obeyed the Kings commandement in stede of Iustice whiche he sought found death by the way whiche was to him a beginning of the true lyfe and on the contrarie side both to them from whom so vniust agaynst all Gods lawe and mans lawe and so cruel and barbarous and more then brutishe commandementes proceeded and also to the executers of such iniquities cruelties barbarities and brutishnes a most certaine beginning and entrance to an horrible iudgement that hangeth ouer their heades ouer their posteritie though it seeme long before it come Of the excellencie of a Christian man and the way to knowe him MY intent and purpose being to intreat of the woorthines of a Christian man I meane not in any wyse to stande to discourse vpon the excellencie of mankind wherein we do all communicate and whereby the state of man surmounteth the condition of all other creatures a reason which moued the Philosophers to recommend vnto vs so diligently the knowledge of our selues according to the old prouerbe giuen by Oracle and framed by them to this purpose to cause vs not onely to keepe our selues within the boundes of modestie and humblenes and to teache vs the weakenes of our nature but also to leade vs to the consideration of our noblenes and dignitie beginning by the vewe of the building and workemanship of this world as of Heauen the Sunne the Moone and the Starres and so from them to other creatures and liuing things of diuers sortes setting out Man as the most excellent piece of worke of all and the chiefest wrought thing emongest all the creatures on whome it pleased God to bestow most plentifully and to enriche with that which Heauen and earth and all other his creatures had but small portions of who was therefore called a Little worlde and a miracle amongest all creatures considering the workemanship of his bodie the iointes the proportion the beautie and vse of it with his members his head aboue all his other partes his eyes looking vp to heauen to beholde from whence he came and againe the quickenes of his wit his discourses vpon the heauens and the earth and the secretes of nature his memorie whereby he comprehendeth so many things digesteth them compareth things passed with things to come Moreouer his reason which as they imagine is placed as Queene Mistresse in the wit in the highest seate of vnderstāding to gouerne the wil of man and to frame all his deliberations by the compasse of wisedome I meane not I saye in any wyse to intreate of this kinde of worthines but minding to passe further I purpose with my selfe to speake of an other kinde of excellencie which is propre and peculiar to a Christian man which farre surmounteth without all comparison in all kinde of prerogatiue and preeminence the former be it neuer so highly commended and set out by them which professed themselues wise men and were therefore reputed and taken for the wysest amongest other Which men notwithstanding or wyse Philosophers being carried away with an ouerweening and blynde loue of them selues ouershot them selues so farre as to saye that Man is able by reason of such powers as he hath in him and by his owne strength to discerne betweene good and euill and commaunde his lustes and that he hathe it in him to gouerne him selfe not onely for the framing of this earthly lyfe but also to leade him to Godwarde and to the attaynement of euerlasting blisse and ioye Moreouer that as touching Life he hath it by the gyfte of God but as for Liuing well he hath it of him selfe and the goodnes that is in man man getteth it of him selfe in so much as no wise and discrete man sayeth Cicero euer gaue God any thankes for it because saieth he we are commended for our vertue and we brag boast our selues of it which we could not do if it were the gift of God came not of our selues adding moreouer that the opinion of al the world is this that as for worldly commodities we haue to craue them a◠Gods hāds but as for wisedome euery man hath to seeke it within him selfe Mainteyning and publishing this false opinion that what soeuer we do by the cōduct and guyde of nature it can not be but well done and if man could followe that rightly which he hath in him of nature he could neuer doo amisse And many other suche foolish and vayne sayings which notwithstanding a thing more to be sorowed at they the make profession to be our instructors in holy writte do marueilously embrace who by suffering them selues to be caried away more then reason would they should by this kinde of heathenishe wisedome are fallen into the self same errour and haue ascribed to man I knowe not what kinde of integritie and vprightnes both in his reason and will in so much that euen they amongst them which thought to speake more soberly and modestly then the rest as Chrisostome and certeine other haue made such a parting of stakes betweene God man that while they confesse on the one side that we can do nothing without Gods helpe they mainteine on the other side that vnlesse we bring some thing of
and surmounteth al that is in maÌ„ as in dede it can not be found nor be confessed to procede from any but froÌ„ God yea from the Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ by whom his good pleasure was to restore al mankind towards whom though the soueraignecreatâ—râ— maker of al things sheweth sufficieÌ„tly his fatherly fauour diuers sundry ways yet notwithstanding vntil he shew himself to man a restorer in the person of his only begotteÌ„ sonne their coÌ„science reproueth theÌ„ within theÌ„ selues maketh theÌ„ perceiue that by reason of their filthines they are wel worthy to be cast away as wretched men caitifs cannot be taken accoÌ„pted for his worke established in them In which worke is only truely that excelleÌ„cie wherof I meane to speake which is a worke that farre passeth the worke of the first creatioÌ„ of man as it wil appeare more plainly hereafter of which man when S. Paul speaketh he saieth that the efficacie of the might power that is to say of the mightie power of God is plentifully shewed in him because he setteth forth in him after a wonderful sort his infinite vertue according to the vnspeakeable goodnes grace and fauour which he beareth to a Christian man. And that it is so to shew it more particularly our heauenly father not content that he brought a Christian into the world of nothing and that he made him not an oxe or an asse which he might haue done or a dogge or a catte or any other more bite and abiect creature but a man that is to saye a singular and perfect piece of workemanship and that he made the world beautified the heauens and the earth with a perfect abundance varietie and beautie of all things to lodge him in it as it were in a great sumptuous palace well and richely furnished with all thinges necessarie not content I say with al this moroeouer that he had forgotten his vnthankeful and detestable infidelitie and felonie where he deserued to be cast of and depriued for euer of all his blessinges yet notwithstaÌ„ding it pleased him of a certein more then fatherly loue and speciall fauour which he bore him not onely euen from his birth day and from the first howre that he brought him out into this world but euen from his mothers wombe yea and before he was conceiued yea and that more is before the world was made as he predestined him to him self from euerlasting to elect and chuse him froÌ„ amongst an infinite million of men to marke him set him apart to exempt him from the common state and condition of al other men that is to say from euerlasting condemnatioÌ„ and destruction which was prepared for him as wel as for euery other man to reserue him for him selfe to adopt and regenerate him in the hope of life to an incorruptible inheritaÌ„ce kept in store in heauen to be reueiled to his elect at that day when all thinges shal be restored and to shewe in him the richesse of his glorie as in a vessell of mercie prepared to saluation All the cause of this excellent prerogatiue and dignitie is not as we see to be sought any where els but in the singular grace and mercie of God whom it pleased without any further regarde or consideration of any thing without him selfe foreseing the faulte and condition of mankinde of his good pleasure to haue mercie vpon some to set them in honour as vessels of his mercie and leaue the rest in their iudgemeÌ„t giuing grace to some which was not due to them and rendring to the rest that punishment that was due to theÌ„ being in his power to giue to one part that which they deserued not so setting forth his grace and not to giue it to all thereby shewing what al had deserued without further bestowing like mercie on all for he made all things as Salomon saith for his owne sake yea the wicked man to the day of his destruction according to the decree of the good pleasure of his wil which onely is the souereine and high rule of iustice that iudgeth al the world his wayes which are mercie and trueth being incomprehensible as whereby he so worketh that they which obteine mercie at his handes haue nothing but his mercie to boast of and they that are left in their condemnation haue nothing to gainesay the iudgemeÌ„t of trueth as meÌ„ guiltie nor ought wherewith to pleade against him in so much as on the one side to shewe forth his wrath and make his mightie power knowen he through great patience and meekenes beareth with the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction on the other side setteth out the richesse of his glory towards theÌ„ that he chose by his grace whom he prepared to glorie For so it is as S. Augustine sheweth it at large where he speaketh of the predestination of God that when God had resolued with him self to buyld the Monarchie of this world al that is coÌ„teined in it forsawe that the first man should fal wittingly and willingly into death being pliable to good euill hauing not that giuen him to continue stande stedily in that state wherin he was placed yea and that al mortal creatures should be within the compasse of his fall subiect vnto it hauing so appointed it by his incomprehensible counsel and wisdom which hath a foreknowledge of all thinges ioyned with it as also his mightie power which gouerneth all thinges by his hande and yet notwithstanding minded to haue a litle reÌ„nant euen as you would say an handful of men taken out of such a great multitude to serue for the praise of the glorie of his grace he chose set apart froÌ„ the multitude one man amoÌ„gst many which should be in his time ordeined to be conceiued of the seede of Dauid and should be borne of a virgin to wit Iesus Christ finding nothing in all the seede of Adam worthy his election and such a prerogatiue and excelleÌ„cie in whom also as in the head he chose to be members as it were of his bodie such as it pleased him freely of his grace to appoint before hand receiue to life and by the selfe same man to ioyne them vnto him selfe and allie them so togither that they should neuer be seuered hauing foreseene a great while before that in Adam there should come good of euill and knew most vndoubtedly the it belonged to his almighty goodnes to turne good into euill rather then to suffer that there should be no euill and so accordingly disposed the life of men and Angels as that he would thereby shewe first what free wil was able to do and theÌ„ what the gift of his grace could do hauing shut all vnder sinne that al might haue nede of grace And therfore as the excellencie which I ascribe to a Christian and proceedeth from this grace appeareth fully and abundantly in Iesus Christ so is it
A TREATISE of the Excellencie of a Christian man and how he may be knowen Written in French by Master Peter de La Place one of the Kings Counsel and chiefe President of his Court of Aides in Paris WHEREVNTO IS ADIOYNED A BRIEFE description of the life and death of the said Authour to the end that euerie one may knowe what he was Translated into English by L. TOMSON MATTH V. Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Imprinted at London by Christopher Barkar dwelling in 〈◊〉 Churchyard at the 〈…〉 the Tyg 〈…〉 To the right worshipfull Mistres Vrsula Walsingham grace mercie and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Iesus CHRIST ACcording as your Worships pleasure was I haue perused this booke and as wynde and weather would serue for passage haue brought it out of France into England The cause of your liking can not be misliked of any and the iudgement of the right honourable my Master may stande as most grounded in trueth and iustice whereby he sentenced him not onely to bee of the Religion of Christ but also truely a religious Christian For surely if I be not deceiued in iudgement who so shal reade this booke shal finde there was a Christ in the man such a Christ as made him in deede a Christian not for a daye or two not for fayre and calme weather onely but from the first beginning of his entrance into the knowledge of God to his very last breth in most sharpe and stormie tempestes as witnesseth his happy and blessed martyrdome in that most horrible slaughter of the Sainctes of God on Barthelmewes daye in Paris that wicked murderesse of Gods people against whome their innocent blood crieth to God for vengeance against the daye of wrath As he felt so he wrote and his feeling was with such spirituall vnderstanding as that we may well see hee was one of them of whome hee wrote and by so well knowing himselfe to his euerlasting comfort gaue vs a waye to knowe our selues for the ioyous assurance of our saluation The greatest comfort we haue is to knowe that we are of the citie of God and who so would honour vs the most could not better perfourme it to our liking then to assure vs we are the childrē of that heauēly Father brought into that honour and dignitie by Christ that died for vs and gaue himselfe for vs and in whome we dwell and he in vs if we deceiue not our selues As for the cōfort we might reape by being made mē and not beastes though it be great God is therfore greatly to be magnified yet considering what God did for vs what we haue done against him where he set vs by grace and where we finde our selues through sinne and rebellion we haue cause rather to sorowe then to ioye of heauines then of comfort and in that respect the veriest varlet caitif that goeth vpon the earth hath as muche to triumphe in as hath the best man of God the dearest child of our heauenly Father For they are mē as well as we made to the image of God as well as we haue as great light in them of natural reason vnderstāding as we witnes the Heathē that neuer knewe God no worse sinners in Adam thē we but we as bad as they both of vs for our sinne and rebellion against him in that man Adam iustly blinded iustly condemned This the blind wyse Philosopher did not see and this the obstinate Pelagian Papist at this day will not acknowledge and therfore they bothe lift vp their heeles against God haue wicked thoughtes and speake blasphemous wordes against heauen and against their owne saluation And because this prerogatiue ouer other creatures but equalitie of and in mankinde had not that in it that might in deede comfort the heart of man but rather cast him down his minde and purpose was to lay forth the other to vs which is proper to vs I say proper to vs that are of the houshold of faith of the common wealth of Israel citizens of heauen felow heires with Christ the children of God and I say proper because the Heathen and Barbarians be they neuer so wyse the Pelagians and Papistes be they neuer so superstitiously deuoute haue neither part nor portion in it And this is the preeminence not to be called but to be a Christian which whosoeuer feeleth in himselfe with a right feeling of true vnderstanding which neither of the two before named hath for the one fighteth against the name of Christ the other can not abide to heare of any certaine persuasion assurance of the cōscience that it is beloued of God and that God is without doubt our Father hath the greatest preeminēce that man can haue vpon earth and the greatest ioye and comfort that can be felt by man All of vs at this day in this part of the world do ioye in this name Christian and it is taken for the greatest dishonour that can be done to man to saye he is no Christian And yet sure it is that euery man is not a Christian that is called a Christiā euery man is not a Christian that is Christened not euery one that sayth Lord Lord shal enter into the Kingdom of heauen no more then euery one that was circumcised was a true Iewe or all that descended of the race of Abraham were true children to Abraham There was amongest them Ismael who persecuted his brother and yet was he circumcised there was Esau whom the Lord hated and yet was he circumcised So are there heretikes amongst vs Christened and yet not Christians for neither the cutting of of a piece of skinne in them did make thē true Israelites neither dipping in a litell water maketh these true Christians ▪ both of these standeth in the spirit not in the letter in the inward worke by grace and that of God not in the outwarde worke of man So that he that hath this honorable name to be called a Christiā hath more cause to tremble then to reioyce vnlesse he haue a sure testimonie both within and without that he is in deede a Christiā for the abuse of Gods name can auaile man nothing at all nay it furthereth and increaseth his condemnation as great credite committed to a seruant and abused by that seruāt procureth greater displeasure Howe we shal come to the knowledge of this preeminence and excellencie which is in vs this booke sheweth and because it is so plainely and shortely set forth I will not stande here to make any discourse of it vnto your worship onely I most humbly beseche you to reade the booke it selfe and there shall you finde it so well layd forth as shal be to your contentment and comfort I could very willingly haue bene cōtent to haue entred somewhat into the matter but I feare I should haue ouerslipped my self for I must needes confesse of my selfe and to the
he thought it not enough I say to giue them all these so great and honorable titles but goeth on further and sayeth they are made partakers of the diuine nature which is so excellent a condition that the head of man is not able to imagine or wishe an higher For in dede what can a man desire more then to become like to God surely the spirit of man is not sufficient able to comprehend the greatnes of this grace how it might be that God should vouchsafe to honour man so highly as to make him a God as it were if we may so say by making him partaker of his diuine immortalitie and blessed glorie And therfore S. Paul writing to the Coloss and speaking to them as to Christians saith that they were cōpleat in Christ when he had said a litle before that al that fulnes of the godhead dwelleth bodily in him shewing therby that this perfect essence of the Godhead which is in Iesus Christ did auaile thē in that that they receiued thereby their perfectiō also And in that that God is wholy in him is to the ende that when they once possesse him they might obteine such a perfection in him as none of vs is able to atteine vnto by all the wit vnderstanding we haue Yea so farre forth that this knot bond is such an one that Iesus Christ who worketh all in al vouchsafeth the Christian thus much honour that he coūteth him self after asort imperfect if he be not ioyned with him as S. Paul witnesseth saying that the Church is the filling vp of the bodie of Christ And therefore there is no marueile if the Prophet Dauid rauished with great admiration of this so wonderfull goodnes loue of God towards mankinde and being as it were rauished besides him selfe cried and saide Lorde what is man that thou so regardedst him that is to say that of thy gracious goodnes thou hast made hym so excellent a creature For if he should consider seeke his first beginning from whēce he came where shal he finde it but in the durt dust of the earth if he marke the place of his abode he shall finde him selfe scrauling here vpon the earth below if he looke to his end he shall see that his bodie shal be meate for wormes And yet notwithstanding saith he thou hast so highly honoured this poore creature Man that the Angels serue him as if he were a god for thou hast made him a litle inferior to God hast crowned him with glorie and honour and placed hym ruler ouer the workes of thine handes and hast put all things in subiection vnder his feete As if he would saye what occasion did durt giue thee that of it thou shouldest make a creature to thine image and likenes whom thou wouldest make Lord and Master of all the worlde and put in subiection vnder his feete what so euer is vnder the compasse of heauen speaking of the man that is restored in Iesus Christ For in deede it is he onely and none but he amongest all liuing things that is the only Lord of the world by recouering that interest in Christ which was before lost in Adam who was at the beginning made heire and Lord of all Gods blessings but was afterwardes dispossessed of them through his rebestion and disobedience so that all his posteritie hath no other interest nor title in the blessings of this world then theeues robbers haue whiche take awaye other mens goods the Christian onely except to whome of right belongeth the vse of all things as S. Paul saith whether it be the world or life or death or things present or things to come al things in a word are his because they were made for his profit And there is nothing but God maketh it serue turneth it to his profit in so much that by a speciall dispensation of his prouidence he causeth that the very sinnes them selues which man committeth turne rather to his saluation then to his hurt in that that by them he humbleth them and maketh them better taught and more aduised To be short this mā is a creature that from euerlasting was in Gods heart through Iesus Christ therfore a thing so riche precious that it may well be called Gods treasure But seeing I haue begun to dilate this excellencie of a Christian man by the euerlasting counsell of GOD whiche he determined and appoynted within him selfe before the worlde was according to his gracious goodnes fully set forth in IESUS Christ to al them whom he hath coupled togyther with him It shall be good nowe to come lower and to treat of the matter as it were by descent from heauen to earth and to shew this excellencie more particularly in a Christian beginning at his regeneration and so going on from point to point to shewe howe miraculously he is formed nourished brought vp to rype age what maners he is of what his life is and what his cōuersation to set him out after this sort in his coulours markes as he is For in dede he is a newe creature whom the world knoweth not and an hidden treasure in a vile and contemptible vessell hard to knowe if he be not well marked out set forth with liuely colours And lest in discoursing of it we fal headlong into the same errour which the wise fooles of the world fal into in their discourses vpō his excellencie it shal not be amisse if at the entrie of the matter I warne euery man to beware he presume not so much of him self as to imagine that he hath ought of his owne as though he had in him selfe any piece of a cause meane or ayde to set forwarde this worke Therefore as I sayde before that we haue not to seeke the cause or ground worke or matter of this excellencie any where els but in the mere grace of God according to his euerlasting prouidence so say I againe to shut out all worthines of man that al the goodnes vertue that may possibly be foūd in man proceedeth from the fruict of Gods election and therefore to be a Christian that is to say the best of all creatures procedeth wholy from the gift of our heauēly father in that that whatsoeuer he hath giuen to Christ cōmeth to Christ and in that that no one whit of the worlde belongeth to the Creature were it not that the grace of god plucketh a fewe out of destruction which otherwise should haue perished the world being left in that destruction whereunto it is moste iustly appoynted And for this cause Iesus Christ protesteth that he prayeth the Father for them onely whome the Father hath giuen him For in deede the grace of God findeth no cause in any man why hee should be good vnto him but man receiueth all of his mercy because it is Gods worke onely to saue his and for that ende and
and other effects that follow flowe from the euerlasting Election as brookes and streames doo from their fountaines and springs Therefore seeing this man is not begotten eyther of flesh or blood as other are but of God it is not for naught that I sayde before that he is such a creature as the worlde knoweth not For in deede his beginning is not from hence beneath from the earth but from aboue from heauen as also his chiefest conuersation abyding place is there where he hath God for his Father and here the church for his mother but yet in deede heauenly Mother because she hath her beginning from that grace that is aboue moreoner because she is gardien and keper of the seede of that life that perisheth not by which seede she conceyueth and bringeth forth this man and when she hath brought him forth she nourceth him with the seasoned milke of vnderstanding that being nourished by it he may growe vp to saluation And afterwarde shee fostereth him with stronge and substantiall meate vntyll he come to a perfect age that is to the attainement of the latter ende of fayth Euen as the natural mā conceyued of naturall seede is nourished with blood in his mothers wombe and fed afterwarde with milke whē he is once borne as all creatures are nourished with that wherof they are ingēdred euen so the regenerate man conceyued begotten of the incorruptible seede of the worde of God is nourished and fostered by it receyuing the same simply and purely without any mixture and hotch poch of any other mans inuention with it For as there is no food more holsome thē the foode of the worde of God if it be receyued syncerely as it is so there is none more noysome and hurtful when it is marred with mixture of other things mingled with it thē is the false doctrine of men And therefore God speaking to his Church by the mouth of his Prophet Esai sayth after this forte My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put into thee shal neuer depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy children And to the ende they may growe vp and profit the better he sealeth and marketh them with the seale and marke of Baptisme adding moreouer an inwarde working of his holy Ghoste and afterwarde gyueth them for meate and nourishment the Sacrament of the body and blood of Iesus Christe though he be able and sufficient ynough to bring them to perfection in one houre But it pleaseth him to haue them growe vp after that forte by litle and litle vnder the nourishement of this mother so that who so is not conceyued in her wombe and brought foorth by her and fostered and nourished by her doeth boast in vayne that GOD is his Father For he begetteth no children neyther fostereth and bringeth vp any but by his ministerie so that we may not seperate these two thinges whiche God hath coupled togyther to wit that the church is Mother to all them whose Father he is and whosoeuer is not begotten of her is begotten of an harlot and hathe an harlot for his mother who begetteth children for the Deuill to euerlasting death seeing there is no entrance into the life that remayneth for euer but onely for them whom this mother kepeth and guydeth and gouerneth so that who so is out of her bosome it is impossible for him to be saued And as in the fleshly generation there is one lawful and an other bastard so fareth it also in the spirituall generation there is one lawfull and an other bastarde The first is after the spirit and the second after the fleshe and are hereby knowen the one from the other that the one is conceyued and made by the spirit of trueth of a chast mother that is chast and faithful to her husband IESUS Christ and the other by the spirit of errour and lyes of a mother that playeth the harlot with Satan by breaking her promesse made to Christ and yet notwithstanding kissing him with a trecherous kisse of Iudas and lyke an hypocrite and dissembling harlot as she is contenteth her selfe to haue but one halfe of him the one being touched with a pure and naturall loue will not haue him vnlesse she may enioye him wholly and therfore begetteth lawefull children which are children of light begotten of the immortall seede and beautified with righteousnes and holynes to the ende sayeth Saint Iames that they may be the first fruites of his creatures that is to say chosen and set a part frō all other men and sequestred to be an holy offering the other on the contrarie side begetteth children of darkenes to Satan of a mortall seede which are workers of iniquitie whose vnderstanding is corrupt going on from naught to worse as they are led by the spirit of lies by whom the pure brightnes of true doctrine is stopped vp and the seruice of God disfigured with many kindes of superstitions idolatrie and wickednes yet vnder a coloure of godlynes wisedome holines wherby thei draw other into errour Amongest all the children thus begottē the man of sinne childe of Satan is most notorious in whome the spirit of Satan dwelleth in all fulnes as he doeth also in thē which haue receiued his marke in their foreheads and handes and this man lifteth vp him selfe aboue all that is called God and aboue that thing whatsoeuer it be wherin the worship of the Lord stādeth which he transferreth to him selfe in so much as he sitteth in the temple of God and maketh warre against Christ with power of illusion and deceiueablenes the like whereof was neuer seene bearing a booke in his hand which is sweete in the hand but bitter in the heart so much the more deadly to the consciences of men by howe muche it is pleasant to mans sense and reasone and giueth him occasion to boast of him selfe To be short this generation is a crooked vnfaithfull wicked and froward generation and yet notwithstāding the number of them is great they are farre mightier and of greater renowme thē the other which are but a small flocke vyle abiect and contemptible as touching the flesh Now then if the meanes of this generation of a Christian man wherby he is renued into a newe life and made a newe creature be founde to be suche that it surmounteth the capacitie of our senses we may not marueile at it seeing that euen in this bodily life we perceiue suche a vertue as the reason wherof our senses are not able to atteine vnto As for example there is none of vs but draweth the vital spirit of the ayre and we al feele the motion of the ayre wherby we both drawe in our breath and breathe out and yet there is not one of vs that can tel frō whence this mouing commeth or whither it goeth And though euery one of vs feele in him self the
not resist the lest tentation that may befal him For he is but a shadow of vanitie yea vanitie it self yet notwithstāding being regenerate in Iesus Christ he is so strong mightie that though he cast of all worldly helpe fauour as Dauid put of his armour when he went to fight against Goliath he doeth not only resist al assaults of the world flesh the deuil valiantly but also surmounteth all the enemies of God by the vertue of faith which causeth vs to see by her light that all creatures are but fansies and vaine fearebabes which haue no power but as pleaseth God to giue them whom we acknowledge to be our Father and one that hath such a singular fatherly care of vs that he maketh al things serue to our saluation euen so much that this mā being transformed into God by loue which suffreth al things can no more be ouercome thē God him self being sure in dāger at quiet in torment in pouertie riche in sicknés whole quiet in persecution glorious in ignominie blessed in miserie aliue in death therefore victorious and triumphant ouer all his enimies for he that is borne of God saieth S. Iohn ouercommeth the world Hereby we may gather how falsly thei brag boast of them selues that they are Christians which wil nedes be exempt frō this cōdition of the Christians as thogh it were possible to lay such hold vpō Iesus Christ as we ought that we might embrace him let his crosse go and as though we might be members of his bodie and not be partakers of his sufferāces which is but a mere vaine imaginatiō sprōg frō hence that we do not so rightly iudge of the benefit of adoption as we ought to do but cast away the grace which sanctifieth vs to euerlasting life For the trueth is so that who so professeth him self to be a christian is ashamed to folow Christ who goeth before him doeth nothing els but cut of him self as you would say disauoweth him self to be any of Gods childrē For the Gospel is neuer without persecutiō neither is there any way to come to the kingdome of heauen but by the crosse though a man would neuer so much flatter excuse himself vnder a colour of weakenes which is nothing els to speake as the trueth is in dede but infidelitie a small accompt that man maketh of the holy sacred name of the Sonne of god For certaine it is that faith shal alwayes ouercome the world but that can not be done without fight And he that for feare to confesse Gods name openly alleageth for him self that yet notwithstanding God seeth his heart sayeth trew because he can see nothing in him but infidelitie hypocrisie hauing nothing to say the trueth to turne him away from Christ but only because he appeareth with his crosse disfigured contemptible and subiect to the reproches of this world calleth vs to be partakers of his afflictiōs So that this kinde of men preferreth the glorie of this world before the glorie maiestie of Christ which is spiritual and the ease and quietnes of this life before euerlasting blisse playing therein the part of Esops cocke which found a riche precious pearle forsoke it for a graine of corne so vile and abiect base their heart is voyd of al noblenes courage of a Christian heart which surmoneth al visible things as one of the housholde of God yea his chyld heire being assured that there is a better possession in heauen then that which men seeke here vpon earth But seeing the world is so brutishe ful of malice and ignorāce we nede not merueile if we see the most part of men draw back cowardly cast away their weapons as soone as they see the standart of the crosse set vp as we haue sene more examples then were to be wished and that of such as at the beginning seemed to be valiant soldiers which had neuer learned to warfare and fight against their enemies but with a certaine hautines of courage which passeth away by and by not to possesse their soules in patience These and such like are the apparant markes signes of the holy Ghost in a Christian man and his true ornaments beautie that hath put on Iesus Christ wherby he may be knowen from other Now that we haue in this sorte spoken of the Excellencie of this man by marking and setting him forth in his colours no man may thinke that I wil take no man for a Christian but him that hath these markes so perfectly as though he were ful of the holy Ghost and renewed with suche vprightnes of lyfe as though he wanted nothing For if the case stoode so it were very hard to finde any such amongst men for there hath neuer bin man yet so perfect For whē we speake of a Christian man as of a man that is truly renewed made spiritual iust without blame we may not thinke that the worke of this making a new creature is a work done in a moment or in a day yea or perfected all this lyfe long as we may not also thinke that it is a worke which is wrought equally in al for it is a work which God furdereth in proces of time by litle and litle as it were by degrees according to the measure that it pleaseth him to giue to eche of vs vntil he haue brought it to perfection So that the spirit of God which is giuen to a Christian doeth so abolishe the corruption of the flesh that there remaine notwithstanding euen to death certaine reliques of the old man but yet so that the holy Ghost in the end getteth the vpper hand For it can not be but he is the strongest whersoeuer he is by the efficacie of his mouing he holdeth men necessarily in stedy and continual obedience of Iustice as the seede wherby he is regenerate is incorruptible By meanes whereof though this man that is so regenerate abideth notwithstanding in the flesh and sinne dwelleth in him yet according to his better part and in respect of the spirit that in the end ruleth in him he is called spiritual so that though there be at this present no such perfection in the world but there may be some fault found with it notwithstāding he is already coūted as it were inreprehensible without blame who is regenerate of a right heart tendeth to this marke And I thought good to adde this point to the end that no man should discourage him selfe though he feele not a perfect regeneration and crucifying of the flesh in him self and a ful and whole quickening of the spirit but lay that before him which I spake of before as it were a patern wherby he hath to forme frame his life shooting alwayes at the perfectiō as at a marke which he must alwaies leuel at cōsidering how smal a thing it is and