this cup onely full of redde wine that is of the wrath and indignation of God but mixt with diuerse comforts otherwise Then besides we meddle not with the dregs VpoÌ„ the vngodly he shall raine snares sire brimstone storme and tempest this shall be their portion to drinke We drinke only a little of the vppermost And therefore he saith God powreth out of the same That after we haue suffered a modicum as S. Peter speaketh we may then enter into glorie According to king Dauid his prayer Comfort vs O Lord now for the time wherein thou hast afflicted vs and for the dayes wherin we haue seene euill Hierome noteth that hauing first said wherein thou hast afflicted vs he expounds it after by these words wherein we haue seene euill Therefore that which Acteon wished that he might see only his hounds hunting and not feele it that happeneth indeede to vs. Our affliction is not a feeling of euill neare at hand but onely a feeling of it a farre off As the Persian Kings children in their minoritie if they had committed a fault were not corrected themselues but onely saw some of meaner birth chastised before them so God teacheth vs to take heed rather by other mens then by our owne harmes And looke how Abraham laid nothing but wood vpon his sonne Isaac carrying the knife and the fire himselfe after the sâ—…me sort dealeth our heauenly father with vs. He laieth vpon vs wood without â—… knife The Phisitian 〈◊〉 that is the best exercise which is ad ruborem non ad sudorem refreshing the spirits and stirring vp the blood a little but not putting a man into any great sweat But the diuine may say that is the best affliction which is ad sudorem non ad sanguinem Therfore God laieth vpon vs wood ad sudorem to make vs sweat In the sweat of thy browes shalt thou eat thy bread not a knife ad sanguinem to make vs bleed Ye haue not yet resisted vnto blood God laieth vpon vs wood without fire Now wood without fire is not greatly dangerous Or say he lay vpon vs both wood and fire yet the voice of the Lord deuideth the flame of fire For in the flame of fire naturally there is heat and light But notwithstanding the omnipotent voice of the Lord diuideth these one from the other As the cursed in hell shew and the elect vpon earth I am tormented in this flame saith Dives There 's heat but no light Contrariwise the three children in the furnace shined as Angels for light but were so farre from heat that no one haire of their head or of their apparell perished When Moyses saw a bush burning and not consumed he saide I will goe and see this great vision A great vision indeede There was a flame of fire Els how was the bush burning There was light Els how did Moses see it There was no hear Els how was not the bush consumed Yet in euery faithfull one afflicted you may see this great vision The voice of the Lord in his affliction as in the flame of fire diuideth the heat from the light So that he is not consumed by the heat nay rather his infirmities and carnall concupiscences are consumed thereby but onely illuminated by the light According to that Onely vexation giueth vnderstanding And in an other place Light is sprung vp to the righteous and ioy to them that are true of heart Thus ye see how tenderly our deare faâ—…her dealeth with vs. He laieth either no fire at all vpon vs or els no burning fire for heat but onely a blasing fire for light To make short Many hands as we say make light worke Now wee haue many comparteners and fellowes which make the labour of our affliction light First all creatures sigh and grone with vs Then all the faithfull beare one an others burdens and so fulfill the lawe of God Thirdly the good angels haue a châ—…ge giuen them of vs that we hurt not our foot at any time against a stone Next God the father biddeth vs cast our burthen vpon him and promiseth to nourish vs. Fiftly the holy Ghost helpeth our infirmities and helpeth them euen when we are readie to be oppressed by them Lastly God the sonne setteth to his hand likewise and saith Come vnto me all yee that labour and are heauie loaden and I will resresh you take my yoke vpon you for my yoke is easie and my burthen is light As is he should haue said To drawe in the yoake without me would be a hard matter and to beare the burthen without me would be aboue your strength but if you come to me if you drawe and beare with me I will refresh you For my yoake is easie and my burthen is light Thus light is our affliction For God measureth to vs the water with his fist which is the shorter measure he causeth vs to drink of the cup no otherwise but as it is mixt with many comforts he maketh vs not swallow vp the lees of it but onely a little modicum of the vppermost he laieth affliction vpon vs which is rather a seeing then a feeling of euill he laieth wood vpon vs to exercise vs but neither a knife to cut vs nor yet fire to burne vs. Lastly we haue many fellowes in our affliction which make it light All creatures all the faithfull all the good angels God the father God the holy Ghost God the Sonne who saith My yoake is easie and my burden is light Wherefore seeing our affliction is so many waies light we must be patient in all affliction For the momentarie lightnes of our affliction worketh vs a surpassing exceeding eternall waight of glorie Thirdly our glorie is eternall yea surpassing eternall The glorie we looke for is called a kingdome Of which the princely Prophet saith thus Thy kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages Whereupon Origen noteth that as there is a holy and a holy of holies as a saboth and a saboth of saboths as a heauen and a heauen of heauens as a song and a song of songs so there is an age and an age of ages And againe as that which is not onely a holy but also a holy of holies is the holiest place of all as that which is not onely a saboth but also a saboth of saboths is the perfectest rest of all as that which is not onely a heauen but also a heauen of heauens is the highest heauen of all as that which is not onely a song but also a song of songs is the excellentest song of all so that which is not onely an age but also an age of ages and especially as the Psalmist speaketh an age of all ages is the most infinite eternitie of all Which seeing it is attributed to the kingdome of Christ being likewise the kingdome of all true Christians it followeth that our glorie is surpassing eternall
Whereupon Prosper noteth that that which Virgil writeth of Augustus Cesar He hath giuen vs an Empire without ende may much more fitly be applied to Christ. For though Augustus raigned very long aboue fiftie yeares yet at length his gouernment as all other earthly kingdomes was determined But of our heauenly king onely the angel Gabriel saide most truly Of his kingdome there shall be no ende Now this glorie is as well called a crowne as a kingdome And this crowne as S. Peter saith is vndefield which neuer fadeth away The Greeke words which S. Peter vseth are Latine words also and they are not onely appellatiues beeing the epithites of this crowne but also propers the one the proper name of a stone the other of a flower For Isidore writeth there is a pretious stone called Aniantus which though it be neuer so much soyled yet it can neuer at all be blemished And beeing cast into the fire it is taken out still more bright and cleane Also Clemens writeth that there is a flower called Aâ—…rantus which beeing a long time hung vp in the house yet still is fresh and greene To both which the stone and the flower the Apostle as I am verily perswaded alludeth in this place As if he should haue saide The crowne which ye shall receiue shall be studded with the stone Amiantus which cannot be defiled and it shall be garnished with the flower Amarantus which alwaies is fresh and neuer fades away ye shall receiue a crowne vndefiled and that neuer fades away Which as Beda noteth was insinuated in the crowne round about the Arke of the Testament For in a circle there is neither beginning nor ending Or rather euery where there is a beginning euery where an ending and so no where any beginning or ending To shew that the patient also shal haue a crown set vpon their head per circuituÌ„ running round in a circle neuer comming to any end of eternitie Well our glorie is called also a treasure Three kind of treasures there are A treasure in hell a treasure in earth a treasure in heauen That in hell is a treasure of torments that in earth is a treasure of snowe that in heauen is a treasure of eternitie For the first S. Iames sayes Go to nowe you rich men weepe and howle for the miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth-eaten your gold and siluer is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire Ye haue heaped vp treasure for the last dayes Here 's a treasure in hell Which to be a treasure of torments the Apostle prooueth saying Thou after thy hardnesse and heart that cannot repent treasurest vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath A treasure of wrath and of torments â—…roÌ„ which God for the deare blood of his sonne sake deliuer vs euery one The second is a treasure in earth Oâ—… which our Sauiour saith Lay not vp treasures for your selues vpon earth where the moath and canker corrupt and where the eues dig thorough and steale And this is a treasure of snowe For S. Gregorie vpon those words of Iob Who entreth into the treasures of snowe sheweth that earthly treasures are treasures of snowe You see little children what paines they take tâ—…â—…ake and scrape snowe together to make a snowe-ball right so they that scrape together the treasure of this world haue but a snowe-ball of it as soone as the sunne shineth and God breatheth vpon it and so entreth into it by and by it comes to nothing The third is a treasure in heauen Concerning which our Sauiour saith Lay vp for your selues treasures in heauen where are bagges that neuer waxe old Now this is a treasure of eternitie And therefore the Christians of the primitiue Church suffered with ioy the spoiling of their goods knowing that they had in heauen a better and a more enduring substance They contemned all treasures of snow in respect of this substance For they haue no substance neither are simply good though they be called goods but melt away as snow this is a better and a more enduring substance yea a most enduring a surpassing eternall waight of glorie Thus ye see how eternall our gloâ—…ie is It is a kingdome a crowne a treasure And this kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome this crowne is an incorruptible crowne this treasure is an eternal treasure And therefore seeing our glorie is so surpassing eternall we must be patient in all affliction For the momentarie lightnes of our affliction worketh vs surpassing exceeding â—…ernall waight of glorie Fourthly our glorie is weightie yea exceeding waightie â—…he glorie to come by some resemblances is shewed to be eternall by other to be weightie First to this purpose it is compared to wine Touching which our Sauiour saith Hereaâ—…r will I not drinke with you of the frâ—…ite of the vine till I drinke it nevve vvith you in my fathers kingdome Now how waightie this wine shal be appeareth in that the spies bringing clusters of grapes out of Caâ—… 〈◊〉 them vpon a poalâ—… on their 〈◊〉 To shewe in the celestiall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glorie there shalâ—… be So when 〈◊〉 Lord turned water 〈◊〉 wine hâ—…â—…ommanded to â—…ll the vessels to the 〈◊〉 These vessels topâ—…ll of wine doe signifie at the mariage oâ—… the Lamb that â—…e 〈◊〉 shall hâ—… a â—…ll reward pressed downe shâ—…ken together râ—…g ouer So that euery one of them mâ—…y say Mâ—… cuppe doth ouerflowe Againe 〈◊〉 glorie is comâ—…d to a peny Now in a peny we consider fowre things The image the superscription the sound the waight So our Sauiour when they shewed him a peny aâ—…ked whose image and superscription it was First then for the image Christ shall change our vile bodies that they may be like the glorious bodie of his sonne that as we haue borne the image of the earthly so we may beare the image of the heauenly For the superscriptioÌ„ our Sauiour saith To him that ouercommeth will I giue a white stone and in it a name written which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it As a Prince seeing his name vpon a peice of coine knoweth it is of his owne mint so euery patient Christian seeing his owne name in this white stone which is a token of honour knoweth it properly belongeth to himselfe For the sound the Psalmist saith Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they shall alwaies praise thee This shall be the sound of the peny continually the praise of God As the foure and twentie elders neuer ceased day nor night to sing Holy holy holy to him that is and was and is to come Fourthly for the waight the shekel of the Sanctuarie was twise as weightie as the common shekel in like mâ—…ner our glorie shall be as the shekel of the Sanctuarie
doe against vs If God haue called vs what can the vvorld doe against vs If God haue iustified vs vvhat can the flesh doe against vs If God haue glorified vs vvhat can the deuill doe against vs If God be vvith vs vvho can be against vs The first enemie against vs is man Homo homini lupus And an other 〈◊〉 saith Either a god or a deuill â—…or to say nothing that no time is sreeed no place priuiledged no degree secured no torment vnpractised onely thiâ—… I vvill touch that no age is exempâ—…ed But the crueltiâ—… of man rageth not â—…y vpon â—…e old after they aâ—…e buried but also vpon the young before they are bâ—…e Thus saith the Lord â—…or â—…ree transgressions and for foâ—… I vvill â—…ot turne vnto Moab because they digged vp the bones of the king of â—…dom and burnt them to liâ—… The king of Edom vvas a vvicked man yet God deâ—…sted so thiâ—… vnnaturall and 〈◊〉 câ—…uelty oâ—… the Moabits â—…ard the dead that for this especially he would not be reconciled to them Thâ—… like 〈◊〉 haâ—…e not wanted in oâ—…r laâ—…d aâ—…d almost in our time Trâ—…cie two yeares Wickliffe two and fortie yeares after he was buried was digged vp So euen of late they vsed Martin Bucer and Paulus Phagius in Cambridge and Peter Martyrs wife in Oxford Such cruell men if they had as great power ouer these holy Martyrs soules as they had ouer their bodies doubtles they would haue puld them out of heauen For as long as they had a finger or a foote or a bone or a piece of a bone in the graâ—…e they neuer left mining and digging till they had rooted it out So that at the least wise we may say of them with the Psalmist The dead bodies of thy seruants O Lord haue they giuen to be meate to the foules of the ayre and the flesh of thy Saints to the beasts of the field Now the crueltie of man against man as it endeth not when life endeth so it beginneth before life beginneth For not onely Esaâ—… that cruell and cursed reprobate strugled and wrastled with his brother Iacob in their mothers wombe but also the Ammonites ript vp the women of Gilead beeing greâ—… with child and the Babylonians causeâ—… the women of Ierusalem to â—…ate their owne fruit and their children of a spaâ—… long And not long agoe in the Isle oâ—… Garnsey wheÌ„ a faithful women whosâ—… â—…ame neede not heare to be rehearsed while shee was burning at the stake waâ—… deliuered of a goodly man-child somâ—… were so hard-hearted to fling him bacâ—… againe into the fire there to be murtheâ—… red as they meanâ—… it but indeede maâ—…tyred with his mother O blessed babe Because there is no roome for him 〈◊〉 â—…he inne as soone as he is borne he is laide in a manger Nay because there is no roome for him in anâ—… one corner of all the world by and bâ—… he is baptized with the holy Ghost anâ—… with fire O blessed I say againe blesseâ—… babe Before thou art lapped in swadliâ—…g clothes thou art crowned wiâ—…â—…tyrdome before thou fully brâ—…thest in the breath of life thou happeâ—…â—…est out thine innocent soule to God But fie vpon such beastly and cruell murthers Out vpon such deuilliâ—… â—…nd fiendish tormentors These Saints â—…ese Catholiks who are Scythians if â—…ese be Saints who are Canibals if â—…ese be Catholiks which holding it as â—…n article of their faith that all children â—…ying without baptisme are damned â—…et wittingly did put this innocent â—…hild to death before he was baptized â—…nd theresore as they made the moâ—…er suffer the most vntollerable â—…aines â—…f childbirth and martyrdome both toâ—…ether so as they verily thought and â—…eleeued they slung the infant also â—…odie and soule into an earthly fire and â—…to hell fire all at once This is the â—…rueltie of man He would if he could â—…ull some out of heauen after they are â—…uried and thrust some into hell before â—…hey are borne But God hath predestinated vs. And â—…ot onely before we were borne but alâ—…o bâ—…fore the world was created hath â—…hosen vs in Christ. Euen as Christ shal â—…ay at the last day Come ye blessed of â—…y father inherit the kingdome of heaâ—…en prepared for you before the founâ—…ations of the world For looke how carefull parents prouide for their children and put them in their will before they are borne so God giues vs the grace to liue with him before he giue vs time to liue â—…ere Euen as the Sonne saith Feâ—…re not little flock for it is youâ—… fathers will to giue you a kingdome And the father â—…imselfe I eueâ—… I am hâ—… that comsort you who art thou theâ—… that searest a mortall man who fadeth away as grasse Therefore euery couragioâ—…s Christian may comfort his heaâ—… in God and say with the princely Prophet The Lord is my light and my saluation whome then shall I feare thâ—… Lord is the streÌ„gth oâ—… my life of whoâ—… then shall I be afraid when the wicked euâ—… mine enemies and my foes comâ—… vpon me to eat vp my flesh they stuÌ„bleâ—… and sâ—…ll Tâ—…ough an hoast of men weâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me yet shall not my heaâ—… be afraid and though there rose 〈◊〉 warre 〈◊〉 me yet will I put my truâ—… iâ—…â—…im I will â—…ot be afraid of ten thousâ—… of thâ—… people that haue set themselâ—… 〈◊〉 me round about Yeâ—… 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 through the valley of â—…he shadow of death yet will I fearâ—… no â—…uill for thou O Lord art with me thy â—…od and thy staffe they comfort me So â—…hat I may boldly say The Lord is my â—…elper neither will I seare what man can doe vnto me The Lord of hosts is with vs the God of Iacob is our refuge And if the Lord of hosts haue predestiâ—…ated vs vnto life wâ—…at can man doe agâ—…st vs what before we liue what while we liue what after we liue If God be with vs who can be against vs The second eâ—…emie against vs is â—…he world Which assâ—…ileth vs as well â—…y aduersitie 〈◊〉 by prosperitie What is the world saith S. Ambrose but a race or a course full of trialls and troubles It is a fiâ—…ld wherein is little corne but much cockle It iâ—… a garden wherein are fewe roses but many thornes Yet these thornes of aduersitie doe not so much oftentimes 〈◊〉 vs as the baites of prosperitie The world is more dangerous saith S. Austin when it slattereth then when it threatneth and is more to be feared when it allureth vâ—… tâ—… loue it then when it enforceth vs to contemne it For euen as Iudas by a kisse betraied his master so the world is a very Iudas It meaneth most falsly when it imbraceth most friendly Wherefore the Apostle saith thus of Demas Demas hath forsaken vs and imbraced this present world So that the immoderate embracing of this world is a flat forsaking oâ—… Christ and his gospell
his wounds perswades the people to grant Emilius triumph Aaron burning incense in his golden censer perfumeth the whole sanctuarie Noah pointing to his rainebowe putteth God in minde of his promise Iaacob laying forth his roddes make most of the lambs his owne Abel holding vp his blood cals and cries for mercie Christ shewing his hands and his side appeaseth his father As if our Sauiour should say thus vnto his father O my louing father looke vpon the face of thine annointed looke vpon the hands looke vpon the side of thine annointed The hands of thine annointed how cruelly they are mangled the side of thine annointed how wofully it is wounded Behold and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow These hands can signifie what exceeding sorrow I haue suffered this side can shew that I haue humbled my selfe and haue beene obedient vnto death euen vnto the death of the crosse Therefore O my deare father Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it â—…nto my side and as thou art not faithlesse but faithfull so be not mercilesse but mercifull for my sake and pitifull to thy people So much for the second cause which is to appease his father The third cause why Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his bodie is to confound his enemies When Saint Paul the Apostle before his conuersion persecuted the Church of God Christ called to him from heauen and said Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Who art thou Lord saies Saul I am saies Christ Iesus of Nazareth whome thou persecurest Alluding to the title of his crosse which was Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes At which words Saul both trembling and astonished said Lord what wilâ—… thou haue me doe Now if Saul who repenâ—…d him afterward of his persâ—…cuting Câ—…st stood so astonished when he 〈◊〉 but a peice of the title vpon his crossâ—… 〈◊〉 then shall all they be astonished how shall they be confounded which without any repentance or remorse of consâ—…ience persecute Christ continually wheâ—… at the latter day not onely the title written ouer his head but euen the very print of the wounds in his hands and side shall rise vp in iudgement to condemne them When like as Ioseph saide to his brethren I am Ioseph your brother whome you sold into Egypt so Christ shall say vnto them I am Iesus of Nazareth whome you persecuted and put to death Wonderfull indeede is the feare and confusion of a wicked conscience Aâ—…ter that Herod had beheaded Iohn Baptist he imagined still he saw and heard that holy head showting crying out against him Whereupon hearing the same of Iesus he said not as others said It is Elias or It is one of the Prophets but It is Iohn saies he whome I beheaded he is risen from the dead Saying whome I beheaded he confesseth not his fault in true repentance but onely vvith his owne mouth beareth witnesse oâ—… his owne wickednesse In so much as that may be said to him which Dauid said to the Amalakite who brought him newes of Sauls death Thine owne mouth testisieth against thee saying I haue slaine the Lords annointed Now if the remembrance of this cruell act so vexed and disquieted Herod day and night that he could take no rest for it but still thought waking and dream'd sleeping Iohn Baptist was risen againe to be reuenged of him how then shall they be affrighted how shall they be confounded which haue not beheaded Iohn but crucified Christ yea and crucisie him continually with their sinnes wheÌ„ at the resurrection of all slesh they shall see him vvhome they haue pierced and wring their hands and vveepe waile before him Scipio appointed his sepulâ—…hre to be so placed as his image standing vpon it might looke directly toward Africa that beeing dead he might still be a terror to the Carthaginians after the same sort the Prophet Esai prophesying of Christ saith In that day the roote of Iesse shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people and euen his sepulâ—…hre shall be glorious So that as the bodie of Cadwallo an auntient king of the Brittayns being embalmed and dressed vvith svvete confections vvas put into a brasen image and set vpon a brasen horse ouer Ludgate for a terrour to the Saxons in semblable sort he that is called Faithfull and true shall sit vpon a white horse and out of his mouth shall proceede a sharpe sword wherewith he shall smite and slay the heathen The sword wherewith Dauid hackt off Golias head after he had wrested it out of his hand was kept in the Tabernacle wrapt in a cloath behind the Ephod Which when Abimilech the Priest brought forth Dauid said There is none to that giue it me Christ also did conquer death euen with those weapons and armour wherewith death assaulted him And he keepeth still a memorial of this conquest in the tabernacle of his body That as the Philistims were afraid when they sawe Dauid fighting in the â—…ield with that sword so all Christs enemies may be confounded when they shall see the signe of the sonne of man appearing in the clouds with power and great glorie It was a strange miracle that of Aarons rodde which budded Therefore the Lord said vnto Moyses Bring Aarons rod againe before the testimonie to be kept for a token to the rebellious children The bodie of Christ was a greene tree before it was crucified After beeing dead it was clung and dry like Aarons rodde But it budded when as the third day it rose againe Therefore it is kept still for a token to the rebellious children That as Aaron conuinced the murmuring Israelites and confirmed the authoritie of his priesthood by the budding of his rod which otherwise was but a dead and a drie thing so Châ—…ist may conâ—…ound his enemies when he shall shewe such flourishing glorie such excellent maiestie in his bodie which hath yet in it the tokens and the markes of death It is reported that Zisca the valiant captaine of the Bohemians commanded that after his discease his skinne should be fleed from his body to make a drume which they should vse in their battels affirming that as soone as the Hungarians or any other their enemies should heare the sound of that drume they would not abide but take their flight And surely euery battell of the warriour is with noise and with tumbling of garments in blood but this battell wherein Christ shall tread Satan and all his enemies vnder his feete shall be with burning and consuming of fire So that no drum can be more terrible then the last trumpet shal be when the Lord Iesus shall shewe himselfe from heauen with his mightie angels and shall so come downe with the very same marks and scars in his skin as the men of Galile sawe him ascending vp They which dispatched noble Iulius Caesar in the senate house did set a good face of the matter