gulfes of Death When al thynges shalbe confounded and that ther shal be on euery side fear of death only let vs cal vpon the goodnesse of God and we shal be saued Although therfore ther be a gulf of euels to swalow in y â— pore siner yet a remedi is set before him to escape This sentence is generall for without exceptioÌ„ our good God receaueth all men vnto hym and by this meanes calleth them to saluation And seing that no man is shut oute from calling vpon God the gate of saluation is open vnto all and ther is nothing but our own vnbeleefe that letteth vs to entre But although it be sayde al yet notwithstanding we must vnderstand only those vnto whoÌ„ God sheweth himself by his gospel As in the calling vpoÌ„ him ther is a certainty of saluation euen so we must be resolued that without this calling on the name of God wee are more than wretches and castawayes In the meane tyme the calling is not separated from fayth seeing it is grounded vpon fayth onely but the Praier of an Hypocrite and of a dispiser deserueth not to be called the calling vpon the name of God Now to the ende that thys sentence of the Epistle to the Hebrues maye not seeme to take away that which is here set foorth we must marke the circumstaunces thereof and how the name of God cannot be called vpon by them which after they haue tasted heauenly thynges becoÌ„me obstinate and of what fal y â— Apostle speaketh to the end that seme not strange vnto vs which he sayth it is vnpossible that they which fall backe shoulde be renewed by repentaunce let vs vnderstand then that there be two sortes of falles one is perticular the other is general and vniuersall WheÌ„ a man hath commytted one fault or many he is fallen from the state of a Christen man then how many sinnes there are so many failes ther are and from this fal a man may be raysed vp by repentaunce through the grace goodnesse of God But the Apostle speaketh not of thefte of adulterye or whoredome of periurie of slaughter or dronkennesse but he noteth a general tournyng backe or vniuersall appostasle or fallyng from the Gospell when the obstinate synner offendeth God not only in one sort but wholly forsaketh hys grace for euer But yet we must note y â— graces of God which are there rehearsed For what may a man loke for at hys hand that turneth backe from the word of the Lord that quencheth the lyght therof that spoyleth himself of the heauenly gyfte and forsaketh the partakyng of the holy ghost Nowe seyng that is to refuse God fully it is also to shut vp his hart wholly in suche sorte as repentaunce whiche is one of the heauenly gyftes shoulde not haue power to enter and y t cannot chaunce to a man excepte he sinne against the holy ghost And such a faulte is vnforgeueable as Christ hath pronounced For he that transgresseth the second table and the fyrst by ignorance is not yet gylty of such a tournyng backe or fallyng from God And God taketh awaye hys grace from none but from the reprobate that is to saye in suche sorte as he leaueth them no hope remaynyng Then they that by their pryde and obstinate wyckednesse haue caste of the benefytes of God with what repentaâ—nce can they at any tyme bee touched 22 Of my selfe I iudge no man Ierem. 8. The father hath geuen all Iudgement to hys sonne Ioan. 5. FOR the good vnderstandyng of the fyrst of these two sentences we must also loke on y â— whiche Christ sayd before making answer to his aduersaries He said to theÌ„ you iudge accordyng to y e fleshe he reproued them for y â— they Iudged after y â— froward vnderstanding of their flesh or according to the apparaunce of y â— person Nowe wher y â— eyther affections desyres of the flesh raigne or the respect of y â— person causeth iudgement to be geueÌ„ we must in no sort loke y â— truth and equity may haue place there where the spirite ruleth not the fleshe cannot wel rightly iudge And touching him to shew vnto his enemyes y t they be rash led with a fierce proude spirite he sayth y â— he iudgeth not folyshly as they do His enemies toke vpon them to great licence to iudge folishlye rashly he y â— whylest forbare to do y â— offyce of a iudge although he myghte iudge without doing them wrong and yet they could not abyde hym But to the end that it should not seme that he geueth vp the authoritye that was geueÌ„ hym of hys father he addeth farther and if I iudge my Iudgement is true That is to saye that hys witnesse deserueth well to be allowed So a man may knowe what thys sentence meaneth to weâ—e that the father hath geuen all iudgement to hys sonne that is that the father gouerneth all the worlde in the person of his sonne and exerciseth his iurisdiction vnder the rule of him Not that the father as a priuate man remayneth nowe idle in heauen without medling with any thing for thys manner of speaking is not so much in respect of God as of men The father chaunged not hys state at all when he appoynted Christ to be Kyng ruler souerayne gouernour of heauen and earth For being in hys sonne he worketh in hym and by hym But bycause that when men wil clymbe vp to God all their senses by and by fayle them Therefore Iesus Christ is set before our eyes as the visible Image of inuisible God See now how a man must agree these two places Christ iudgeth not hys aduersaries folyshlye as they did iudge him proudly and stoutly and yet he myght wel iudge them without takyng any thyng in hand that belonged not to hym Yet he iudgeth al the worlde as hys father hath appoynted hym therunto And we muste not seke the secretes of hygh places seyng God prouideth for oure weakenesse when he sheweth himself nere vnto vs in the person of his sonne Whensoeuer there is any thyng to do touchyng our state touchyng the gouernement of al the world and touchyng the heauenly defence of our saluatioÌ„ we must direct our syght vpon Iesus Christ y e sonne of God as in dede al power is geuen hym and the heauenly father appeareth to vs in the face of hys sonne 23 VVho is he that hath knovveÌ„ the mynde of the Lord. Roma 12. But vve haue knovven the mynde of Christ 1. Cor. 2. SAINT Paule speakynge of the predestination of God sheweth vs that if men consider it accordyng to their owne vnderstandyng they ar therein altogether blynde And a man can not dyspute of an vnknoweÌ„ thyng but by greate foolehardinesse and fonde ouerweenyng Wherefore men may not ryse aboue the Oracles and reuelations of God for howe maye a man knowe hys meanyng and councell any farther than those thynges whyche by hym haue beene reueled vnto vs.
myscheuous desyre to slaunder they aske thys question whoe besyde God only can forgeue synnes But although this came out of malicious mouthes yet moste true it is that onely God hath power authoritye to forgeue synnes as he onely can condemne so only he can quyte But whē in thys 20. Chapter of Saint Iohn Christ geueth charge to hys Disciples to forgeue synnes he geueth not ouer vnto them that which is propre to himselfe It is propre vnto him to remytte and forgeue synnes whiche honour he resygneth not to them in asmuch as it belongeth to hym but he wil haue thē beare recorde in hys name of the forgeuenesse of synnes and offences so that it is he y e reconcileth men to God To bee shorte it is he alone to speake fytly that forgeueth synnes by hys Apostles and ministers Howe commeth it then to passe that hee aduaūceth so hyghly their dignitie seing that he appoynteth them only for witnesses and declarers and not for authors of the benefyte Thys is done for the greate establishyng of oure fayth As in dede there is nothyng that more profyteth vs than that we resolue and persuade our self that our synnes cōme not into Iudgement or accompt beefore God Zachary in the first Chapter of Saint Luke calleth thys knowledge of y ◠forgeuenesse and pardon of synnes the knowledge of synnes Nowe seyng the good pleasure of God is such to vse the witnesse of men for to allowe thys forgeuenesse of synnes then wee shall quyet our selues when wee shall knowe that it is God himselfe that speaketh to vs in the person of hys ministers For thys cause Saint Paule saieth we exhorte you to be reconciled to god as if Iesus Christ hymself made obtestation by vs. The faythfull then ought to be so resolued that what they heare touchīg the forgeuenesse if synnes is ratified and ought nolesse to esteme the reconcilyng or attonement whiche is declared vnto them by the voyce and worde of men than if he hymself stretched his hand to them Now marke two things which it behoueth vs to remēber First that a treasure is offred vs but it is in little vessels those are men which are sente vs to offer and open thys treasure vnto vs in the name of another not as theyr owne ryches but as hys that sente them vs. Nexte that we oughte to esteeme thys treasure no whyt the lesse bycause it is in dyspiseable vessells but rather wee haue occasion to geue thankes vnto God in that he hath dealte so fauourably with men that they represente hys person and the person of hys Sonne when they heare wytnesses of the forgeuenesse of synnes so God onely forgeueth synnes yet he confyrmeth that whiche men appoynted by hym declare vnto vs touchyng the forgeuenesse of synnes 99 Call no man on earth your father for ther is but one that is your father vvho is in heauen Mat. 23. Honour thy father thy mother Exod. 20. THe Lord Iesus had shewed before y ◠thys honor belonged to no other to be called Lord but to God only If this seme to hard forasmuche as he himself hath appoynted men to be our Masters teachers y ◠answer is easye True it is y e Christ hymself whē he yet dwelt on the earth chose his Apostles appoynted thē to y ◠offyce of teachyng and if the stryfe be for the title it is very certayn that when Saint Paul named hymself the Master teacher of the Gentils hys mynde was not wickedly to steale from Christ the honour y ◠belonged vnto hym Neyther is Christes meanyng any thyng ells but to bryng euery man vnder hym from the greatest to the smallest to reserue his right wholly to hymselfe He careth not then with what tytle they be adorned which haue the charge of teachyng only hys wil was to kepe al mē w tin these boundes that no mā should vsurpe any rule ouer y e fayth of hys brethren Nowe in the same sense the honour of the name father belongeth to God for men haue not geuen to themselfe that name but it hath bene graunted them of God And it is not ynough to saye that men which haue children are fathers according to the fleshe and that God alone is father of the spirites True it is that sometime a mā shal finde thys distinction in y ◠scriptures as in the. 12. Chapter to the Hebrues But seing Saint Paule calleth hymself very often a spiritual father it behoueth vs to see how this agreeth with y e words of our Lord Iesu loe then what we must say The honour of father is falsely geuen vnto men when by that name the glorye of God is darkened that is when a mortall man seperates hymself from God to be accompted a father seyng that al degrees of kyndred depend of God only by Christ and those degrees are so knytte together y ◠to speake fytly God is alone the father vnto al. The whilest God willeth and commaundeth vs to honour our fathers to reuerence them to obeye them and to loue them and thys commaundement is confyrmed by threates and by promysse The threate is that al stubborne dysobedient children to their fathers should be punyshed by death The promysse is that they that shal honour and obeye their father shal liue long on the earth Yet notwithstandyng we muste haue thys resolution before our eyes that a man neuer ought to turne aside from the will of God Nowe touchyng that the fathers haue rule ouer theyr children it is for thys reason bycause God hath chosen them impartyng to them some parte of hys honour The subiection then that children owe vnto their fathers ought to bee vnto them as a stayre to leade them to the reuerence and obedience of God whoe is the chiefe father But if the fathers wil make their children to withstande God they are nomore theyr fathers but straungers whiche woulde tourne them from thys true obedience which they owe to their true father 100 Abraham beeleued in God and it vvas imputed to him for ryghteousnesse Gene. 5. VVas not Abraham oure Father Iustifyed by hys vvoorkes vvhen he had offered hys sonne Isaac vpon the aulter Rom. 4. SAINT Paule to the Romaynes the. 4. Chapter to shewe that Abraham was not Iustifyed by hys workes maketh thys argument If Abraham were Iustifyed by hys woorkes he maye beaste of hys deserte but so it is that he hath nothyng whereof to boast beefore God It followeth then that he was not Iustifyed by his workes But thys is hys glorye the thing he may boaste of that he embraced the goodnesse of God by fayth Fayth maketh a man to cōme oute of hym and leadeth hym to God So the glorye of Abraham was not in hys woorkes nor in the worthinesse of hys person but in the mere goodnesse and grace of God For when a man will trulye boaste hymselfe he must bryng nothyng of hys owne but the knowledge of hys owne myserye throughe whiche he
a synner Therfore when we finde such sentences in the Scripture that God hymself blyndeth or hardeneth y e hart of man they assigne not the begynning vnto God neyther do they make hym author of euil so as y ◠fault ought to bee imputed vnto him It is sayd that God geues ouer the reprobate to diuerse desyres is thys to saye that he depraueth or corrupteth their heart Not so for the reason why the hart of man is subiect to froward desyres is forasmuch as it was already corrupt and faulty Moreouer it is sayd that God blyndeth and hardeneth May a man say therfore that he is the author or mynyster of synne God forbyd but rather by thys meanes he taketh vengeance and punysheth synnes that he doth Iustly wythout doyng them wrong in asmuch as they haue refused to be ruled by hys spryte It followeth then that the spryng of synne is not in God neyther may the fault bee imputed to hym as thoughe he tooke pleasure in euel doyng Thus it booteth man nothyng to hast with God endeuoryng to lay hys faultes and offences on hym And thys is the reason whatsoeuer euyll ther is it procedeth from the euyll appetite of men 12 Hys mercyes are aboue all hys vvorkes Psalm 145. He shevveth mercy to vvhō he vvil Roman ◠WE haue already sene that God is no waye beholdyng or bound to any creature he is free in al hys wylls and workynges no man hath geuen vnto hym to prouoke hym to recompence If he reccaue to mercy and if he saue it is of hys mere goodnesse as also yf he condemne he hath a iuste cause to do it He hath mercye then on whom he will and not on all he offereth hys grace to all but all are not made partakers of hys grace but yet hys bountye mercy is stretched ouer al his workes that is to say God not onely of hys mercye and fatherly bountuousnesse forgeueth synnes but also vseth liberality indifferently towardes al as he maketh hys sunne to shyne vpon the good and euil The reprobate ar among the works of God in asmuch as he formed their bodyes and their soules Althoughe therefore the remyssion of synnes be a treasure hydden from the wycked proud Yet their iniquitye letteth not God from spreadyng hys mercyes and bountyes largely vpon thē also But in y e meane tyme these vnthankfull ones swallow down y e liberalitye of God not tasting or felyng it at all Only the beleuyng know what it is to enioye the grace fauour of God as it is sayd in the. 34. Psalme Drawe you nere to hym and bee you lyghtened your faces shall not be ashamed See and taste howe swete the Lorde is And moreouer seing it is so y ◠our offences synnes wrap al the worlde in Gods curse his mercy likewyse both stretch euē to brute beastes which he helpeth 13 God tempteth no man Iacob 1. God tempted Abraham Genesis 2◠IT is an easy thyng to agree these two places if we vnderstand what difference ther is betwene plucking that out which is hyd within y e hearts and styrring the hartes inwardly to naughtye desyres When Sainte Iames sayth that God tempteth none it is to the end that no man shoulde laye hys synne vppon an other and muche lesse vpon God and the reason followeth that God is not tempted to doe euyll But euery one is tempted when he is drawen takē by the bayte of his owne concupiscence He treateth then of inward temptations which be nothing but vnruly appetites that styrre vs to synne Thys then is very well sayd that God is not y ◠author of such temptations bycause they ryse from the corruption of oure nature Thys doctryne is set forth bicause it is a very cōmon thing among men to lay els wher the fault of euils which they commyt Yea they sticke not to charge God with it wherein they shew themselues the very sonnes of their father Adam that sayd the woman that thou gauest me disceyued me Thē we ar brought backe to the confessing of our own fault and sinne to the end that we should not put God in oure place as though he hymself dyd moue vs to synne We may not therfore remoue our offences from vs to others seyng that we haue carry the roote in our own concupiscence For althoughe Sathan make vs taste hys poyson and his blastes kyndle euil desyres in vs Yet are we not dryuen to synne by any outward constraynt but our fleshe styrreth vs and we of our own accord obey the intycementes of it Thys notwythstanding shal not let vs to saye that God hath hys manner of tempting as he tempted Abraham y ◠is to saye he broughte him to a true profe to search the fayth of hys seruaunte to the quicke Thys oughte to be moste manyfest ther are also outward remptations which are sent vs of God to proue our pacience and to trye our fayth by offryng vs some occasion to make oure mynde knowen 14 No man euer savve God Iohn 1. I savve the Lord face to face Genesis 32. THys sentence that no man euer saw God must not be vnderstanded onely of the outwarde syghte which is wyth bodily eyes But also generally that as God dwelleth in a light that can not be attayned to so also he can not be knowen but in hys sonne Iesus Christ who is hys liuely Image God whiche was before as it were hyd in hys secret and profounde glory became as it were visible in Iesus Christ And so when the sonne is called the liuely Image of the father that belongeth to the particular benefyte of the newe testament And when it is added the only Sonne whiche is in the bosome of his father the same hath told it thee it is shewed how God is manifested in the Gospell and what difference there is betwene the olde fathers and vs and howe we bee in higher degree than they ▪ as S. Paule sheweth 2. Corin. 3. that there is no more a veyle nowe as there was in olde tyme vnder the lawe But God is openly behelde in the face of Iesus Christ not that the auncient fathers were withoute the knowledge of God among which the Prophetes euen at thys daye beare a torch before vs to lyght vs but in cōparison of vs they had but smal sparkes of the true lyghte and we at thys day be lyghted with a full lyght Now as touching that that is sayd of Iacob that he sawe the Lord face to face it is very true that he had but a little taste of the glorye of God Yet was it not without cause that this holy patriarke dyd set forth thys vision aboue all the other in which God had not so manyfestly appeared vnto hym Yet notwythstandyng in comparison of the bryghtnesse of the Gospell yea or of the lawe it was only a little sparke or a very dymme beame Iacob thē sawe the Lord of an vnwonted fashion so he speaketh in
brethren which we shuld styrre vp against our selues against our own offences but the true tempering of a lawfull coller which causeth vs not to offend is when we seeke the matter of angre rather in our self than in others bendyng our angre agaynst our owne vices As touching others we must be angrye wyth their faultes rather than with their persones and we must not conceiue displeasure of faultes and offences committed agaynst vs but rather the zeale of the glory of the Lorde ought to enflame vs to angre To conclude let our anger be so moued in vs that when nede is it maye be appeased but let it not bee myngled wyth the troublesome affections of the flesh 17 Eye for eye and toth for toth Exod. 21◠▪ If any man stryke thee on the right cheke gyue him the other also Math. 5. IN this place of Exodus God geueth a Lawe for Iudges and Magistrats to the ende they might punishe with a lyke payne the wrongs and dispightes that are doone As it is reason that hys bloude shoulde bee spilte that hath spilt bloud Likewise it is reason that he that hath pulled oute another mannes eye should haue his eye pulled out also and so in like case his toth But bicause then that vnder thys cloke euery one wold auenge himself and reward wyth like the Lorde Iesus dooth geue warning that althoughe it was decreed that Iudges shoulde represse the violence of the Wycked and Proude and punnyshe it yet euerye manne oughte patientlye to endure the priuate wronges that shoulde be doone to them Butte by thys sentence if any Man strike you on the ryght cheke offre hym the other also the Lorde Iesus ment not to ouerthrow the law appoynted by hys father but only so fashion the heartes of hys faythful to a measure softnesse to the ende that when they shoulde be once or twice stricken they should not be discoraged therw tall It is true that Iesus Christe wythholdeth as wel our handes from reuenge as our heartes but when any man with out outrage and reuenge can defende hymselfe and so keepe his goodes that no man wrong hym the woordes of Christe forbydde not such a man peaceably and sobrely to tourne away the violence which he seeth nere vnto him A man may castlye thinke that Christ would not exhorte hys faithful to whet or kyndle foorther the malice of them that already burne to much with a ragyng appetite to hurt Now to offre or gyue the other cheeke after that one blow is receyued at a proud mannes hand what wer it els but to moue him y e more Euery one mai easily know at what mark our lord Iesus shoteth y ◠is to say that ende of one fraye wil be the beginning of another and therefore the faythfull all the tyme of their lyfe must abyde diuerse dispites and many iniuries by continuall degrees when they haue bene once harmed By thys lesson he wil haue them fashioned and brought to suffre that in suffring patiently they may learne to be patient 18 Thou vvhen thou prayest goe into thy chambre Math. 6. My house shal be called the house of prayer Esai 56. OF olde tyme the Lord wold be called vpon onlye by the Iewes and therfore he had appoynted a temple to them only as Saint Paul sayth in the 6. to the Romanes To Israell belongeth the choyse the glory the agreementes the decrees of the Lawe the seruice of God and the promyses The temple then was placed among them by a singular priuiledge Now that which is saied by Esay agreed with the circumstance of the tyme for he foretelleth the callyng of the Gentiles for he promiseth that God shall not onely cause hys temple to recouer the former magnificence but also that all nations shal assemble ther and al the world shal agree in the true religion And til the time of christ the temple was truly the place or house of prayer to wete so long as the lawe had force with her shadowes And it began to be a house of praier vnto al nations when the doctrine of the Gospell was blowne abrode by which al the world hath bene vnited in agreemente of fayth Now then since all the difference that was betwene the Iewes the Gentiles is at the last taken away the entry into the house of God is open to al men of what country soeuer thei be For the Chirch is so enlarged that it stretcheth through all the regions of the earthe for all people are called to pray and to cal vpon the name of God But when Christ sayth that when we would make our prayer we should go into our secret chambre it is to teach vs to 〈◊〉 the example of the Hipocrits and not the commune places where the faithful come together to pray For the Hipocrites are wont to pray in the assemblies and in the endes of the stretes bicause they would be sene of men They grosly and shamfully prophane the name of God in that they praye openly or rather make shew of praying bycause they would be praysed of men Therefore he commaundeth those that be his to entre into their closets if they wyl pray as they ought and make such a praier as may be pleasing vnto God It is true that we are commaunded in sondry places of the Scripture to pray vnto God in the middest of a great assembly and to geue hym thanckes before all the people and that to the end to witnesse our faith or to acknowlege our selues vnto him and also to moue others to doe the lyke neyther dooth Christe tourne vs awaye from suche a zeale and exercise but onlye hee dooth warne vs to haue God before our eies as often as we purpose to pray Thys is not then to say that we should flye from men and that we cannot rightly pray except we w tdraw our self a part for he speaketh by comparison signifieng that we should seeke some solytary place rather than conet the presence of men to see vs pray To be shorte whether any man pray alone or before others he muste be contented with the onely witnesse of God as thoughe he were w tdrawen into some place apart 19 I am the Lord and there is none other forming the light creating the darknesse making peace vvorking euell I am the Lord doing al things Esai 45. VVhen the Deuyl speaketh lies he speaketh that that is hys ovvn for he is a 〈◊〉 and the father of lying Ieremy 8. IN thys place of Esay Godds prouidence is spoken of by which al thynges are gouerned both the good and 〈◊〉 the mery sad Here al men are warned wheras before they did assigne all thinges to fortune to their Idolls to acknowledge the power and stength of God to the ende they shoulde yelde to him the gouernment and glory of al things If thys be required euen at the Pagans handes let vs considre a little what shame it ought to be to thē that
beare the name of Christians to take from him his power and to spoyle him of his strength and glory to the end to giue it ouer vnto diuerse gouernours which thei themselues haue forged after their owne apetit For God is not acknowledged or aduoutched for God when men attribute vnto hym a bare name onely but when all authority is geuen vnto hym Hereby we may see that when it is sayed that God is hee that maketh peace and createth il it is not to be vnderstode that he is the doer or autor of naughty things and the oposition which is heere shelues it more plainly to wete this woord peace for there is a contrariety herein betwene prosperity aduersity for a maÌ„ ought to vnderstaÌ„d by peace prosperity as also by y e al aduersity to wete war famine al other lyke things wher as if ther were a coÌ„trariety betwene iustice euil this error might haue soÌ„e colour but the contrariety that is here shewes veri wel another selfe to were that ther is neither prosperity nor aduersity neither good nor euil but that proceadeth froÌ„ y â— haÌ„d of God of whoÌ„ we cannot say that he is author of the fault but of the payne There are restimentes â—now in the holy Scripture which shew plainly that the Lord shal â—aue the mischeuous and proud to chasten vs by them yet for all that we cannot say that he breatheth into them the 〈◊〉 but he vseth it or serues his courâ—e with it or correct vs therin doth the 〈◊〉 Iudge So we may conclude that God is the only author of al things that is to say prosperitye and adueâ—sity are sente by him although he vse the hand of men to the ende that nothing be attributes to forrane or to any other cause But euen as God tempreth not nor stirreth any persone to euel dooing as he himself is not tempted to euel so also the Diuel burneth with a raging desire of doing il God wil vse hym hys wickednesse to proue try vs yet the wickednesse is roted in y â— sprite of y â— Diuel and God hath not breathe 〈◊〉 into him he is called a liar and a murtherer and that he hath of his owne he is accustomed to lie and can do nothing els but forge lies with craft and guile but that he hath of hymselfe and not of the fyrst creation of God for when y â— Lord Iesus maketh hym the workman and author of lies he doth manifestly separate him from God and makes him al together contrary to God so much we may wel say of al the wicked and reprobate that are obstinate in their wickednesse God hath in no wise wrought y â— euel or mischef that is in them 20 Honour thy father and thy mother and he that shall curse his Father Mother let hym die the deathe Exod. 20. 〈◊〉 If any com to me hate not his Father and Mother he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14. THIS coÌ„mauÌ„dement is set forth in the law of God that we shoulde honor our fathers mothers and this coÌ„maundementt requires that the children be lowly toward their fathers obey them reuerence them and helpe them as they are bound and to be at their commaundement The true loue is there required without which there can be no true obedience and as the promise of loÌ„g life is made vnto those that obei their fathers and mothers in the curse is pronouÌ„ces against such as curse or speake ill or are stubborne towarde their parentes yea they are adiudged to Death by the lawe of God Exod. 21. Leuit. 10. Deut. 〈◊〉 and thoughe they shuld escape the hand of men â–ª yet God wyll reuenge 〈◊〉 in some sorte although he â—arry long as we may see it by coÌ„mon experience For how many of such people die either in the warres either in bralles or are eueri day geueÌ„ into the hands of the hangman or dye shamefully before their age or in some other sort so that a man may perceaue that it is Goddes hande that maketh them dy w t shame And if it com to pas that they escape to the old later age yet do they but pine away bicause thei are destitute of the blessing of God Then seing the loue of Parentes is so muche commended vnto vs yea and that in such sorte that whosoeuer doth agaynst it eyther by rebellion eyther by disobedieÌ„ce or by striking is adiudged to Death by the certaine decree of God How may this agree with it that a man shuld hate his Father and Mother to follow the sonne of God Our Lord Iesus coÌ„mauÌ„deth vs not to take away and put of the affections of men he doth not forbid vs to loue our pareÌ„tes as we ought but he doth decree that all the mutuall loue y â— is betweene men should kepe his owne due ordre to the ende that the feare of God shoulde be farre aboue all Let the house band loue his wife the wife hir houseband the father his sonne the soÌ„ne his father so as for al y t the loue of man beareth not the reuerence that is due vnto our Lord Iesus For if among men themselfe euen where the line of frendshyp is strayghtest there are some aboue others is it not reason y â— the soÌ„ne of God should be placed before all And in very dede this is not a sufficieÌ„t acknowledâ— to considre what it is to be receaued among the Disciples of Iesus Christ if the price of thys honour and dignitye haue not the force in vs to subdue and represse al the affections of our fleshe It now any man thinke that thys maner of speach to hate his Father is to hard yet it is one self sense as if he said if the loue of our fathers and mothers let vs from following Christ we must Manfully resist it 21 Hebr. 6. They that haue bene once illumynated and haue tasted the heauenlye gyft and bene partakers of the holye Ghost haue tasted the good vvord of God and the povver of the vvorld to coÌ„me it is vnpossible they should be renevved by repentaunce if they fall back VVhosoeuer shall call vpon the name of God shal be saued WHEN God pronounceth hys threatnings vnto vs and is wylling to astonne vs wyth them he pryckes vs forward as sluggish slow asses to seke our saluatioÌ„ And in these Iudgements he setteth before vs dredful signs as though the suÌ„ne wer altogether dimmed w t darknesse y â— Mone tourned into blood and al that is here below mingled and confounded And also after that he hath so filled the heauen and earth with darkenesse yet for all that he sheweth vs the meane how we mai openly see our saluation shine before our eyes that is by calling vpoÌ„ hys name If God dyd but simply promise to saue vs yet that were a greate mater but behold here a more excelleÌ„t and farre greater thing when he promiseth this saluatioÌ„ among diuers bottomlesse depthes and
the vvay but a staffe Marc. 6. THE difficultye is in thys that Saint Mathew and Saint Luke say that it was forbidden them to carry a rodde or staffe And Saint Marke sayth they wer suffered to carry a staffe Before thys dyfficultie bee resolued we muste see what the purpose of oure Lorde Iesus is He woulde that his Aposties shoulde in a little tyme visyte all the countrey of Iewrye and that they shoulde spedely returne to hym And that thys mighte bee done he forbyddeth them to carry with them any baggage which might let them from makyng haste And thys commaundemente muste bee restrayned to thys vyage They myght well haue had wallets staues shoes garmentes golde and syluer in their houses but to the end they myght bee the lyghter he commaundeth them to leaue behynde euery burden y ◠myght lode them But as touchyng the staffe Saint Mathew and Sainte Luke meane suche staues as myghte lode or hynder them that should cary them But Saint Marke meaneth a staffe which they carry commonly that take Iourneyes in hande and they carry them onely to staye them vp and to helpe them oute of the myer or an ill way or to leape a dyke as the custome and manner in olde tyme was to cary a staffe to Iourney wythall As appeareth by that whiche is sayd in Genesis I passed Iordan with my staffe Iacob confesseth by these words that he was not loden with ryches when he came into Siria 47 Iesus taryed in Ievvry baptysed Ioan. 3. Iesus dyd not baptyse Ioan. 4. ONE of these places serues to expounde the other For when it is sayd in the. 4. of Iohn that oure Lord Iesus baptised more Dysciples than Iohn the correction is also added to wete thoughe Iesus baptised not but hys Disciples baptised and thys baptyme is called the baptyme of the Sonne of God and that to the end we shoulde vnderstand that the baptyme ought not to be estemed after y ◠person of the minister but the strength therof dependeth wholly on hym that is the author of it in whose name it is geuen and on hys holy ordinaunce And thys serueth to comfort vs that we knowe that baptyme is no lesse able to washe and renue vs than yf it were administred to vs by the very hand of the sonne of God If we aske why he stayed from the administration of the outward sygne the reason is easely geuē to were bycause he would leaue a testimony to all ages and generations that the baptyme is in nothing diminished when it is offred by a mortal man Wherefore Christ not only baptyseth inwardly by hys holy spirit but we ought asmuch to esteme y t sygne which we receaue at the hand of a mortall man as yf Christ himself streatched oute hys hand to vs from heauen Iesus Christ thē baptised and dyd not baptyse He baptysed forasmuch as the baptyme that was mynistred by the handes of hys Dysciples was aduoutched to be hys and estemed suche as if hymselfe had baptised He did not baptise bycause he did not admynister the outwarde sygne but caused hys Dysciples to do it 48 Thou shalt hate thyne enemy Mathe. 5. Loue your enemyes Math. 5. WHen God speaketh of our neighboures it is certayne that he cōprehendeth al the kynde of man for as euery man is geuen to himself as often as any perticular commodityes part one from the other the mutuall pertaking which nature her self enioyneth vs is forsaken to the ende then that we might be kept in bond of brotherly loue God testifyeth that al men be our neyghbours bycause that nature common to vs al maketh vs al frendes among our selues As often as a man beholdeth a man bycause it is hys fleshe and hys bone so often it behoueth hym necessarily to beholde hymself as in a glasse but bycause the most parte departe from thys holy felowshyp yet notwithstandyng the order of nature is not broken by theyr lewdnesse bycause we must loke vpon God who is author of thys vnitye and coniunction And therfore thys commaundement by which we ar appointed to loue our neyghbour is general But it is maruell how the Scribes fel into thys absurdltie to restrayne thys worde neyghboures vnto weldoers and those whyche by their pleasures and seruices that they doe deserue to be loued They measured neyghbourhode accordyng to the affection of euery one Wherefore they sayd those only were to be taken for neyghbours whiche for their good dedes are worthye to haue frendship borne vnto thē or at the least suche as doe pleasure for pleasure Common reason counselleth euery one so and for thys cause the chyldren of the proude worlde were neuer ashamed to confesse and shewe openly their hatred hauyng some reason to make it of value but the loue which God commaundes and recommendeth in hys law doth not loke vpon that that euery one deserueth but it stretcheth forth vnto the vnworthy the ouerthwart vnthankfull Nowe when Iesus Christ sayeth but I saye vnto you loue your enemyes he maketh not a newe lawe or ordinaunce but he bringeth agayne the law of his father into hys true and natural meaning correcting the false and pernerss expositions and gloses of the scribes by which they had corrupted and falsified the purenesse of the lawe of God he leaueth then thys holy ordinaunce in hys perfect state Thou shalt loue thy neyghbour yet he will shewe how it shalbe duely accomplyshed to wete when we shal loue not only those that do vs good but also those that procure our hurt 49 Take hede thou tel it to no bodye Math. 8. Tell all the thynges that God hath done to thee Luke 8. CHRIST forbyds the leper whom he healed to tel vnto other what was happened vnto hym And the reason is thys the conuenient tyme to tell it was not yet cōme True it is that thys myracle oughte not to bee hydde or suppressed but there was a certayne cause whye the Lorde Iesus would not that the brute of this miracle shoulde be so sodaynly spread abrode or at the least would not haue it done by y ◠leper And touchyng that the leper coulde not holde hys peace althoughe it seme that therein he dyd shewe some sygne of acknowledgyng the benefyte yet he was so farre from deseruyng any prayse thereby that he was rather worthy of rebuke bicause he dyd not obey the commaundement of the Sonne of God If we were willyng to reknowledge the healyng of hys leprosye to hym that had healed hym he could not haue done it better than by vsyng symple obedience which before God is better worth than all offrynges and sacrifice and it is the begynnyng of the true seruyce of God And as touchyng that he sayth to the possessed with a spirit whom he had also healed report al that God hath done vnto thee we must lykewyse note the reason why he gaue thys commaundemente All the miracles that Christ did could not be long hyd neyther had it beene reason to
suppresse the power of God by which his will was that al y e worlde shuld be prepared to life but somtimes he would that men should holde theyre peace a while bycause the oportunitye was not yet come Somtime also he coÌ„mauÌ„ded his miracles to be published to y â— end he might be taken for y â— true minister Prophet of God to haue autority to teach calling hys miracle the work of god For it was requisite that y e people which as yet were rude shuld be instructed forasmuchas they as yet knewe not his Diuinitie And thoughe Christ be y e ladder by which we goe vp to the father neuerthelesse bycause he was not yet manifested he begaÌ„ w t hys Father til suche time as he had a more tipe oportunity 50 If any man strike thee on the ryght cheke turne the other to hym also Iesu Christ smitteÌ„ by the seruauÌ„t of the high Priest ansvvered If I haue il said bere vvitnes of the il but if I haue sayd vvell vvhy doest thou strike me THys fyrst sentence was expouÌ„ded here aboue The suÌ„me is that our Lorde Iesus woulde fashion the heartes of the faythful to kepe a measure and vpryghtnesse who althoughe they be prouoked ought for al that rather to appease the iniuries by patieÌ„ce than by yealoing agayne wronge for wrong to styre vp men which alredy were to muche styred The waye to quench fier is not to put to it such matter as is mete to kindle it more To represse one wrong by another wronge and one outrage by another outrage what is it els but to set on fier y â— which already burnt to much He wyll then haue vs so to be measured in our passions that when any outrage is don vnto vs we shuld be redy to suffer a new wrong rather than to wreak vs of that which hath ben don vnto vs. Notwithstanding when Christ answered so vnto the seruant of the bye Priest it seemeth he fulfilled not that which he appointeth and coÌ„maundeth hys faithful to obserue for he turneth not his ryght cheeke to him that strake him on y â— left But it is to be vnderstand that in christian patience it is not alwayes requysite that he that hath ben stricken and wronged should put vp the wrong don vnto hym withoute speaking a worde but first he muste patientlye suffre the wrong that hath bene done hym Furthermore he must forget al reuenging lust and endeuour to ouercoÌ„me the ill by wel doing The wicked are butte to much stirred by the sprite of SathaÌ„ to hurt and endomage and of themselfe they are tomuch prouoked though thei be not otherwise egged forth Therfor this wer an il interpreting of Christs wordes to say that a maÌ„ shuld by new prouocatioÌ„ styr those to il doing which are alredy ouermuch infained by their wicked affectioÌ„ For y â— meaning of hys words teÌ„d to nothiÌ„g els but y â— euery oÌ„e of vs shuld be redy to suffre y â— ii wrong rather thaÌ„ to reueÌ„â—e y â— first This then letteth not but y â— a Christen man that hath ben strickeÌ„ outraged wrongfully may coÌ„plain so y â— his hart be void of al raÌ„cor his haÌ„ds clean froÌ„ al reueÌ„ge 51 I am not coÌ„me to bryng peace but the svvearde Marc. 10. I gyue you my peace I leaue you my peace Ioan. 14. BYcause the greater parte of men not only are enemies to the gospel but also resiste it maliciously it is not possible to professe Christ wythout fighting and without the hatred of many All the faythful therefore are warned to prepare theÌ„self to fight bicause they must nedes fight for the testimony of the truth But the Prophets euery wher promise peace and quiet state vnder the reigne of Christ Hereupon what could a maÌ„ hope for but that out of hand whersoeuer a man wer al thinges should be quiet And seeing y â— soÌ„ne of God is called our peace and that y â— Gospel reconcileth vs to God what caÌ„ a man say therof but that ther is a brotherly agreemente appoynted to be among vs. And therfore it seemeth not that thys agreeth with the oracles of y â— Prophets that strife bralles and warres should be kindled in y â— world wher peace and the Gospell is preached And besides it is much lesse agreing wyth y â— office of Christ and with the nature of the Gospel But the peace of which the Prophets make mentioÌ„ is only amoÌ„g the true seruauntes and the faithful of God and in Godly consciences in as much as it is ioyned with fayth and reacheth not vnto the vnbeleuing and stubborne though it be liberally offred vnto them and they can not abyde to enter in fauor and couenauÌ„t with god And thereof coÌ„mes it that the message of peace rayseth in them troubles and greater stormes than before For Sathan that raigneth in the reproued is mad assone as he heareth of y t name of Iesus Christ and the vngodlinesse of the proud and wicked is sharpned wheÌ„ the doctrine of the sonne of God is set before them So the naughtinesse of men causeth that Christe which is authour of peace is made an occasion of troubles Thus our lord Iesus Christ may wel be sayed to leaue vs peace for in that he weÌ„t to his father he forsoke vs not but left vs the good sauor of his spiritual presence It caÌ„ not be but that peace is with vs that we be alwayes happy by his blessing which is the frut that we reape when we yeald true and perfect obedience to his Gospel which bycause it taketh away the silthinesse of the wicked and that they cannot abide to be clensed to be brought to god is rightly called a sweard sente to the wicked to waken their coÌ„sciences and to stirre vp troubles against them 52 VVhen you haue done all thinges say vve are vnprofitable seruauntes Luc. 17. VVee haue follovved thee vvhat shall becoÌ„me of vs then Math. 19. BOTH we and all that we haue belong to God by right and he possesseth vs as slaues Therfore what seruice soeuer we indeuour to do hym yet is there nothing that bindeth hym as though we deserued For seeing we belong to him it is certain that he can owe nothing vnto vs. We are no lesse bounde and beholdyng vnto him than bondmen and slaues were in olde time to their masters whiche were in suche state that they got nothing for theÌ„self but were held and kept vnder the bondage of their masters with all their laboures their force and diligence yea euen vnto bloud If such power be graÌ„ted to one mortall man ouer another man that he may make hym work day and night and yet thereby he shall not be bound to recompence him with like how much more shall it be lawfull for God to require of vs al that we can laboure and do in al our life as farre as our power and abilitye can stretche so that notwythstanding hee be no wayâ— bound vnto
Iesu Christ in the seconde place speaketh of hys Gospell when he maketh protestation that he spake not of hymselfe but hys father that sente hym he hymselfe gaue commaundement to hys sonne of y ◠whiche he shoulde saye and speake And he addeth that he knoweth well that thys commaundement is eternall lyfe To vnderstande thys opposition it behoueth vs to returne to that which Saint Paule sayeth in the self place 2. Cor. 3. the lawe was written in tables of stone Then it was but a doctryne of y ◠letter Thys lacke in the lawe was to be amended by the Gospel for so long as it was engraued in tables of stone it must needes be frayle The Gospel then is holy vnbreakeable attonement forasmuche as it was ratifyed by the holy ghost In steade then that the lawe is the minister of death and damnation the Gospel by which men are regenerated and reconciled to God by y e free forgeuenesse of synnes is the minister of ryghteousnesse and consequentlye of lyfe It was sayd that the office of the law is to set forth the sicknesse but not to shewe what remedy a mā might haue to heale it But the offyce of the Gospel is to geue to the hopelesse a redy remedy It was shewed that y e lawe leauyng a man to hymself geues pronounceth sentence of death but y ◠Gospell brynging vs to Iesu Christ opens the gare of lyfe So a man may say at a woorde that thys is a continual accident to the lawe to kil bycause all they that abyde vnder it ar vnder the curse But in the Gospel the iustice of God is reueled from fayth to fayth and therefore it is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth 69 The lavve is the minister of death 2. Cor. 3. The lavve of the Lorde refresheth the soule the testimony of the Lorde geueth vvysedome to the ignorante his commaundement lyghteneth the eyes Psal 1◠HERE before a mā myght see how the lawe is the minister of death not that it is such in it self for perfect ryghteousnesse is contayned in it and by consequent life is inclosed in it But suche it is in vs whiche be weake and not able to fulfyll it and as breakers of it not able to drawe any thyng out of it but death whiche it pronounceth to all those that shall not do y e thinges whiche are therin contayned If nowe we wil agree these two sentences we must adde to them that whiche Saint Paule hymselfe addeth in thys thyrd Chapter of y e second to y ◠Corrinthians to wete that oure Lorde is the spirite He had sayd before of the lawe that the letter killeth but y ◠spirite ioyned with the letter quickeneth The doctryne of the law is litteral and not onely dead but also the geuer of death Contrarywyse he calleth Christ y ◠spirite of it sygnifying therby that then it shalbe quicke and quicknyng when it shal be breathed in by Christ Let the soule bee ioyned with the body and of those two shal be made a man quycke garnyshed with sense and vnderstandyng and mete for all workes of lyfe Take awaye and part the soule frō the body and it shal be but a carrayn dead without any felyng at al. Now a man may accord these prayses whiche Dauyd geues to the lawe with these sentences of Saint Paule For when Christ is ioyned to the law as the soule with the bodye the prayses which Dauyd geueth it belong to it it lighteneth the eies it geueth wisedome to little ones it refresheth the soule Take away and seperate Christ from the lawe and it shal remayne dead and the minister of death and damnation Then Christ is the lyfe of the lawe These thinges verely seme to be cōtrary altogether one agaynst another that the lawe recreateth the soules and yet it is a dead letter and geueth death that it lyghteneth the eyes and yet it suppresseth the lyghte which is wythin hauyng a Veyle set agaynst it that it reioyseth the heartes and the spirites and yet brynging a spirite of bondage it astonneth and agasteth But Dauyd speaketh not symply of the bare commaundements but he comprehendeth al the league by which God had adopted the childrē of Abraham for his people And therefore he ioyneth the fres promyses of saluation with the rule of well liuyng yea Christ hymselfe vpon whom the adoption was grounded Saint Paule whoe had to doe with the peruerse interpretours of y e law which dyd separate it from the grace and spirite of Christ doth but touch the symple ministery of Moyses Now it is very certayne that when the lawe is not quickened by the spirite of Christ it is not only vnprofitable but also it bryngeth death to y e scholars of it For without Christ there is in the lawe nothing but an vnintreatable rigoure whiche bringeth all mankynde vnder y ◠wrath and curse of God Moreouer the rebellion of the fleshe taryeth remaynyng in vs whiche inflameth in vs an obstinate hatred agaynst God and his law and thence procedeth thys weary bondage and horrour 70 Novv vvhy tempt you God in laying a yoke on the neckes of hys Dysciples vvhich neyther our fathers nor vve haue bene able to beare Acte 15. And his commaundements are not heauye 1. Ioan 5. OVR own experience and the holy scriptures sufficiently beare witnesse y ◠the yoke of the law is more thā we can beare Moreouer it is clere y t bicause the renouncing of our self is as it were a trial of the true obseruation of y ◠law We dare not say y ◠it is easye for a man to renounce hymself but rather seyng the lawe is spiritual as Saint Paule saith of our part we ar nothyng but fleshe ther must nedes be a great difference beetwene y e lawe of God and vs. And where Saint Peter sayeth it is a yoke whiche not oure fathers were able to beare he speaketh not of y ◠onely which men haue accomplished but also of y ◠which they myght haue done Neyther speaketh he of any cōmon persons but of y ◠holy fathers seth he sayth that such coulde not beare the yoke of the lawe it appeareth that it is impossible for mē to beare it Here he medleth not only with the woorkes and will of men but also with theyr power abilitye With this also Saint Paule agreeth affyrmyng that it was impossible for the lawe to geue vs life bicause it was weake through y ◠fleshe If any man can performe the lawe certaynly he shall fynde in it the lyfe whiche was promysed in it But when Saint Paule sayth that lyfe cannot be attayned by the lawe a man may well conclude that in it is requyred a righteousnesse so hygh and perfect as man can not accomplyshe If a man looke vpon nothyng ells but the strength of mans nature not only he shall not bee strong ynough to beare the yoke of the law but also he shal
defende hys innocency before God agaynst the selauÌ„ders and false reproouinges of hys ennemyes he affyrmeth that in thys case hee had borne hymself purely and vpryghtlye forasmuche as he had enterprysed nothyng farther than God commaunded hym and whatsoeuer conspyracye hys aduersaryes had made agaynste hym yet he kept himself with the bounds of hys calling 107 Math. â— I vvyl not henceforth drink of this frute of the vine vntyll I shall drink it nevv vvyth you in the Kyngdom of my Father Act. 10. VVe ate and drank vvyth hym after that he rose from the dead TRVE it is that Christ after hys resurrection had no neede to eate and drinke he had in dede taken his body agayne but it had such quality that it was no more subiecte eyther to hunger or to thyrst But when it is sayd that after his resurrection hee ate and dranke it is to shewe what care he had to prouide for y e rudenesse of those that were hys abacing hymself so low that albeit he was adorned w t heauenly glory yet hee dyd eate and drynke as if he had bene a mortal man and that was to the ende his resurrection shuld not be darke or doubtful vnto vs. If curious men aske what became of that meate the aunswere is that as it was made of nothing so it was easly brought â—o nothing by the power of the Sonne of God The meate which is taken for the nourishmeÌ„t of the body is digested but we knowe that Christe tooke that meate to nourrish our fayth If a man replye that only he seemed to eate and drynke what had such a semyng prostted It is not theÌ„ nedeful to such scapes or stertyng holes for whan it is sayd y t the sonne of God was not by his owne nede to eate drinke but was willing to helpe the weakenesse of those that were his it is ynough to cutt of all the triflyng gloses of men But when in the other place y e Lorde Iesus speaketh by an Allegorie he warneth his Disciples as well of hys death that was at hand as also of the heauenly life which he calleth newe For how much nerer the death of their Master was so much the more ought they to be confyrmed to the end they should not be altogether dyscouraged Moreouer seing his purpose was to set forth hys death before their eyes in the holy Supper as in a glasse it is not without cause y t he sayth he shall shortlye departe oute of this world Now bicause they wer troublesome newes he addeth strayght after a comfort that they should not be afrayd to dye seing that after death that shall haue a farre better life His death was nigh but from thence he should pas to happy immortality and shuld not liue alone in the Kingdome of God but his faythfull beare hym company in thys heauenly lyfe By thys meane hee leadeth hys faythful as it were by y e hand to the Crosse and from thence he lyfteth theÌ„ vp to y e hope of rysing agayne If a man say that eating and drinking belongeth not to the Kingdom of God it is to no purpose Christ meaneth nothyng but that hys Disciples shalbe very shortly depriued of his presence so that he shal liue no more with them tyll he and they together shal enioy the blessed heauenly lyfe He sayth that then there shalbe a new maner of drink and meate And this is spoken symplye and without a figure in Saint Luke til the Kingdom of God come Lastly thys caÌ„not be vnderstode of the tyme be twyrt hys resurrection and his ascention duryng whiche hee ate and dranke with his Discyples as it hath bene sayed before It was then a state or meane conditioÌ„ betwene the course of the mortal lyfe and the marke of the heauenly life And then the Kingdome of God was not yet opened and therfore he sayd to Mary I am not yet gone vp to my Father And withal the Disciples wer not yet entred into the Kingdome of God to drink of the new wine with y â— SoÌ„ne of God beeing made partakers of one selfe glory Then to take away al shew of contrariety that myght be betwene these two sentences that hee wyll not drink and yet he hath dronken he speaketh not preciselye of eating and drynking but of the conuersation of thys presente Lyfe FINIS ☞ Imprinted at London in Paules Churchyarde at the sygne of the Crane by Lucas Harryson Anno. 1563. Pau. Eph. 4 â–ª Ioan. 16. Math. 28. 〈◊〉 2.