wee pray together and vnderstande what we pray This was the order of the Primitiue Churche this was the order of the Apostles of Christe If wee compare this with the former wee shall soone see the difference betweene light and darknesse The kingdome of God nowe suffereth violence The sounde of the Gospell hath gone ouer all the worlde and the whole worlde is awaked therewith and draweth to it The sunne is risen the day is open God hath made his kingdome woonderfull among vs. It is nowe time nowe is it time that wee shoulde arise from sleepe for nowe is our saluation neere Nowe it is in our mouth wee can speake of it GOD graunt it may bee neerer vs euen in our heartes The night is past GOD graunt it be past for euer that we be neuer againe throwen into the darkenesse of death that the worde of life the trueth of Christ be neuer againe taken from vs. And it shall neuer be taken away if wee bee thankefull Unkindenesse can neuer scape vnplagued Let vs wake let vs wake our sleepe is deadly Let vs pray to GOD to awake vs hee is able to rayse the dead Our Sauiour saith The houre shall come when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue Lazarus was dead yet hee hearde the voyce of Christe and rose vp agayne and came abroade Let vs put on Iesus Christ let it appeare vpon vs that we weare him let vs not be ashamed of his Gospell it is the power of God to saluation If we be ashamed of him and of his wordes hee will be also ashamed of vs when he commeth in the glorie of his father with the holy Angels Let vs cast away the workes of darkenesse and all doctrines of superstition and ignorance Let vs beholde the troubles and miseries of other countries Heauen and earth our brethren the care of our saluation the Sonne of God himselfe put vs in minde that it is nowe time Whiles we haue time let vs doe good let vs seeke God whiles hee may bee founde The Lorde wayteth when hee may shewe his mercies Let vs turne vnto him with an vpright heart So shall he turne to vs so shal we walke as the children of light so shall wee shine as the sunne in the kingdome of our Father so shall God bee our God and will abide with vs for euer And thou O most mercifull Father wee beseeche thee for thy mercie sake continue thy grace and fauour towardes vs let the sunne of thy Gospell neuer goe downe out of our heartes let thy trueth abide and be stablished among vs for euer Helpe our vnbeliefe encreace our faith giue vs heartes to consider the time of our visitation Apparrell vs throughly with Christ that hee may liue in vs and so thy Name may bee glorified in vs in the sight of al the world Amen FINIS ¶ Ornatissimo viro Thomae Randolpho armigero serenissimo ad Scotos Legato integerrimo QVis te iunxit amor docto Randolphe Iuello Oxonia exilium musa laborque notant Et quod ad exequias defuncti ducere plectrum Triste Buchananos Patritiosque facis Quis tibi gratus erit pro tali munere certè Auctior hoc studio gratia facta tua est Nec nihil ex illo referes Sacra signa redemptor Essent vt fidei tessera fida dedit Haec tuus exposuit sanctè tibi dedico ne sit Tam rarae fidei tessera nulla piae Tuae dignitatis studiosus Iohan. Garbrandus ⧠A treatise of the Sacraments gathered out of certaine Sermons which the Reuerend Father in God Bishop Iewel preached at Salisburie I Haue opened vnto you y â— contents of the Lordes prayer shewed you vpon whom wee ought to call what to aske and y â— articles of our ChristiaÌ„ faith in God y e father y â— sonn the holy Ghost of y e church of remission of sins of the resurrection of life euerlasting c. And I haue opened vnto you the ten commandements in them what our duetie is towards God towards our Prince and magistrates towards our pareÌ„ts towards our neighbour towards our selues Al this haue I done simply plainly without al shewe of learning that it might the better sinke into our heartes Nowe I thinke good to speake of the Sacraments of the Church that al you may know what they are because you are all partakers of the holy sacraments Christ hath ordeined them that by them hee might set before our eyes the mysteries of our saluation and might more strongly confirme the faith which wee haue in his blood might seale his grace in our hearts As Princes seales confirme and warrant their deedes and charâ—ers so doe the Sacramentes witnesse vnto our conscience that Gods promises are true and shall continue for euer Thus doeth God make knowen his secret purpose to his Church first he declareth his mercie by his worde then he sealeth it and assureth it by his sacraments In the word we haue his promises in the sacraments we see them It woulde require a long time if I should vtter that might be saide in this matter especially in laying open such errours and abuses as haue crept into the Church But I wil haue regard to this place and so frame my speech that the meanest simplest may reape profite thereby That you may the better remember it I wil keepe this order I wil shewe you what a Sacrament is Secondly who hath ordained them thirdly wherfore they were ordained and what they worke in vs fourthly how many there are and then I will briefly speake of euery of them A Sacrament is an outwarde and visible signe whereby GOD sealeth vp his grace in our heartes to the confirmation of our Faith Saint Augustine saith Sacramentum est inuisibilis gratiae visibile signum A SacrameÌ„t is a visible signe of grace inuisible And y t wee may the better vnderstand him hee telleth vs what thing we should call a signe A signe is a thing that besides the sight itself which it offreth to the seÌ„ses causeth of itself some other certaine thing to come to knowledge In Baptisme the water is the signe and the thing signified is the grace of God Wee see the water but the grace of God is inuisible we cannot see it Moreouer he saith Signa cum ad res diuinas adhibentur Sacramenta vocantur Signes wheÌ„ thei be applied to godly things be called sacramentes The signification and substance of the sacrament is to shew vs how we are washed with the passion of Christ and how we are fedde with the body of Christ And againe If Sacraments had not a certain likenes and representatioÌ„ of the things wherof they be sacraments then indeed they were no sacrameÌ„ts And because of this likenesse whiche they haue with the things they represent they be ofttimes termed by the names of the things themselues Therefore after a
owne cause remember thy dayly reproch by the foolish man So strong is the holde of this spirituall Hiericho and so stoutely it fighteth against the Lord. Albeit Hiericho was so strong and the walles thereof seemed inuincible such as no power could pearce yet at the sound of seuen truÌ„pets and the showt of the people they fel downe flat to the ground So mightily did God in such weake meanes shew foorth his wonderfull and fatherly care to woorke the râ—st and peace of his people Pharao had Israel euen in his mouth as a pray the Sea was before them and the hilles on eche side they were vnarmed he had the power and all the pollicie of his countrie it seemed vnpossible they shoulde euer bee able to escape that daunger but marke the turning of Gods mighty hande sodainly the Sea opened Israel passed through the middes of it as vppon dry land Pharao followed after and was swallowed and drowned with all his men Israel looked back and sawe the marueilous workes of God howe it was now perfourmed which God had sayd vnto Pharao Thou shalt perish from the earth and in deede for this cause haue I appointed thee to shew my power in thee and to declare my name throughout all the world Therfore they reioyced in God and feared him and made him sacrifice Nabuchodonosor when he fell vpon Iurie made the whole countrie to shake with the terrour of his name Hee was like to a mightye great tree whose height reached to the heauens and the fight thereof through all the world yet sodainly was this mightie tree hewen downe as the holy one that came downe from heauen had said Hew downe the tree destroye it Nabuchodonosor was driuen froÌ„ men and had his dwelling with the beasts of the field did eate grasse fodder as the oxen seuen yers til his heares were growne as Eagles feathers his nailes like birds clawes The power of Senacherib was terrible y â— people of Israel were not able to withstande it hee did glory in the pride therof he said no god was able to deliuer Ierusalem nor to saue it out of his hands yet sodenly the Angel of the lord in one night smote in the campe of Asshur an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande of his men he fled away with the rest was slayne by his sounes and the people of God left at libertie Though Babylon said she should neuer mourn nor feele any heauenes yet an Angell came downe from heauen and cried out mightily with a loude voyce saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie and is become the habitation of Deuils and the hold of al foule spirits and a cage of euery vnclean hateful bird It were an infinite labour and yet very comfortable to consider how marueilously God in the old times hath ouerthrowne his enemies and deliuered his poore seruants Dauid to saue his life was faine to run froÌ„ king Saul and remained in a mountaine in the wildernes of Ziph Saul sought him euery day but God deliuered hym not into his hand Dauid was not only w tout ayde or hope of ayde but also without sustenaunce looked when he should be taken thought it not possible to escape for Saul his men compassed Dauid his men round about to take theÌ„ But there came a messenger to Saul saying hast thee and come for the Philistims haue inuaded thy Land Wherfore Saul returned from pursuinge Dauid and thus poore Dauid was deliuered God is a helper in due season he commeth with aide when things are desperate hee helpeth when there is no hope of help els where the counsels attempts policies of the wicked are in vaine He that dwelleth in the heauens shal laugh theÌ„ to scorn The prophet Dauid found himselfe disquieted at the worldly prosperity of the wicked saith As for mee my feete were almost gone my steps had welneere slipt for I fretted at the foolish wheÌ„ I saw the prosperitie of the wicked c. theÌ„ thought I to know this but it was to painful for me vntil I went vp into y â— Sanctuary of God theÌ„ vnderstoode I their end Surely thou hast set them in slipperie places castest theÌ„ downe into desolation How sodenly are thei destroied perished coÌ„sumed As for me it is good to draw nere vnto god therfore haue I put my trust in y â— Lord god that I may declare al thy workes A King is strong a woman is stronge and wine is stronge but trueth dooth abyde and is stronge for euer Truth is great and strongest Whither may a man go from the spirit of the lord or whither may a maÌ„ fly from his preseÌ„ce If he ascend vp into heauen the lord is there or if he descende into hell the Lorde is there also The face of the Lord is vpon them y t doo euill When they shal say peace and safetie then shal come vpon them sodaine destruction Let no man be deceiued and think that these thinges are wrought by the power of starres or by the pleasure of princes it is God that ruleth the world and not the starres It was not Ioshuah that ouerturned the walles of Hiericho nor the crie of the people sounde of the trumpets It was neither Constantinus nor Iouinian nor Valentinian nor Theodosius that planted the Gospel and changed the heartes of the people These were vertuous and godly Emperours yet those changes were not made by their power but it was God which sent forth his spirite and renewed the face of the earth Christe Iesus the sonne of righteousnesse had looked vpon them The morninge starre from an high had risen ouer them Good princes and good rulers are the good instrumeÌ„ts by whom God setteth foorth his glory their hearts be in the handes of God hee â—endeth them and enclineth them to his purpose but the trueth of the Gospel is not planted and setled in our hearts neither by the wyll of man nor by the authority of princes No creature can claime part of this glory this glory belongeth vnto God but vnto vs and to our fathers to our kinges and to our prophets the confusioÌ„ of our faces This is the Lords doing and it is maruelous in our eies This is y e day which the lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad in it This is a chaÌ„ge wrought not by the Starres but by the righte hand of the most high The soÌ„nes of God euen they which beleeue in him ar borne not of blood nor of the wil of flesh nor of y e wil of man but of god as by the Prophet Ezechiel God himself declareth A new heart wil I giue you a new sprit wil I put within you I wil put my sprit within you cause you to walk in my statuts And by y e prophet Ieremy I wil put my law in their inward parts write it in their harts
dronkennes chambering wantonnes strife and enuying They be the vnfruitfull workes of darknes the way of them leadeth vnto damnation But put you on the Lord Iesus Christ If we beholde our selues consider our owne nakednes we shall find y t by nature we are nothing els but the childrē of wrath Who can cal that cleane that is conceiued of vncleane seede Dauid saith Behold I am conceiued in sinne my sinnes haue ouer gone my head there is no health in my flesh Nōe that liueth shalbe iustified in thy sight who can vnderstand his faults Clense me from my secret fultes Iob saith Verebar omnia opera mea I stood in feare of al my workes knowing that thou wilt not iudge me innocēt Again The starres are vncleane in his sight How much more man a worme euen the sonne of man which is but a worme In like sort saith Esaie We haue al bene as an vncleane thing and all our righteousnes is as filthie cloutes Our vertue our holines our fasting our prayers are filthy whē they come to his sight Wee can not say our heart is cleane Wee can not say wee haue not sinned God hath shut vp al in vnbeliefe that hee may haue mercie vppon all That is borne of the flesh is flesh The sperit fighteth against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit Open shame belongeth to vs and to our fathers Cursed is hee that abideth not in al thinges that are writen in the booke of the law And whosoeuer offendeth in one is made guiltie of all the commaundementes When the miserable and writched soule boasteth it selfe sayinge I am rich and increased with goods haue need of nothing the spirit of God maketh answere Thou art wretched and miserable poore and blinde and naked Thou hast nothing to put vpon thee to couer thy shame I counsell thee to buy of me golde tried by the fire that thou mayest be made rich white rayment that thou mayest be clothed that thy filthy nakednes do not appeare and anoint thine eies with eie salue that thou mayest see The same spirit in the Apostle giueth this counsell that wee put on vs Iesus Christ Let him couer vs with his body and with his blood as with a garment his blood hath clensed vs from al our sinnes Hee is the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of y e world Hee is become vnto vs wisdome and righteousnes sanctification redemtion S. Hierome saith S◠merita nostra consideremus desperandum est If we weigh our owne deseruings if we appeare in our owne apparel wee must dispaire And Basil saith Qui non fidit recte factis nec sperat ex operibus iustificari solam habet spem salutis miserecordias domini Hee that trusteth not to good deedes nor hopeth to be iustified by his workes hath no other hope of saluation but by the mercies of the Lord. Let vs therefore put on vs Iesus Christ Let vs couer vs vnder his apparell as Iacob couered him selfe vnder the coat of his brother Esau so let vs present our selues before our heauenly father The phrase of puttinge on is vsuall wherby he meaneth we must be wholy clad possessed with Christ In like phrase it is said in the twelfe of the reuelation There appeared a great wonder in heauen a woman clothed with the sun And in the 104. psalm My soule prayse thou the Lorde O my God thou art exceeding great thou art clothed with glory honour And which couereth himself with light as with a garmēt And to the Colos Put on tender mercie kindnesse humblenes of minde meeknes long suffering Chrisostome saith Dominum ipsum quod horribile est vestimenti loco tradit Behold hee giueth vs Christ to be put on as a garment which is a hainous thing to be spokē It passeth al sence of nature it passeth the iudgement of flesh and blood Here remember these wordes may not be taken as if christ were a material earthly coate made of cloth to couer our bodies they are spiritual words haue a spirituall vnderstandinge Chrisostome saith Omnia tibi factus est Christus mensa vestimentum domus caput et radix Christ is become all thinges for thee thy table thy garment thy house thy head thy roote Origen saith verbum dei et caro dicitur et panis et lac et holera The worde of God is called flesh and bread milke and herbes-Nazianzen also saith Quemadmodū dominus Iesus appellatur vita via panis vitis lux vera et mille alia ita etiam appellatur gladius After the same maner as our Lorde Iesus Christ is called the lyfe the way the bread the wine the true light and a thousand things else so is he also called the sword He is spiritually a table a garment a house a roote a head flesh milke herbes the waye the light a sworde bread or drinke we dwel in hym spiritually wee are clothed with hym spiritually We grow out of hym and walke vpon hym and are made one with him euen members of his bodie spiritually We do spiritually eat him and drinke him wee liue by him spiritually wee eate him by hearing and digest him by fayth Origen saith appallatur panis vitae vt habeat gustus animae quod degustet he is called the bread of lyfe that the soule may haue whereon to feede O brethren O that wee had senses to feele this foode that we could sauour of the breade of lyfe and taste and see how sweete the Lorde is hee that thus tasteth of this breade shall liue for euer Chrisostome saith Dentes inserimus in earnes Christi We thrust our teeth into the flesh of Christ And Cipriā Intra ipsa vulnera redēptoris nostri linguam figimus We fastē our tonge within the woundes of our redemer These be vehement and spirituall kinde of speeches to raise vp our senses and to teach vs to feele the vnspeaeable sweetenes of this heauenly feeding Likewise said Bernard Desidero totum Christum videre et tangere et non id solum sed accedere vsque ad sanctum vulnus lateris eius ostium arcae quod factum est in latere vt intrem totus vsque ad cor Iesu I desire to beholde whole Christ to touch him not so onely but also to come to the holy wound of his side which is the doore that was made in the side of the arke that I may enter wholly and go in euen vnto the heart of Iesus Thus are we taught to lifte vp our heartes and to seeke those thinges which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Why shoulde we then followe the fleshly errour of the Capernaites why shoulde wee bee so insensible in heauenly things Let vs haue some feeling hereof in our heart Salomon saieth The wise mans eies are in his head but the foole walketh
of our heart And as S. Basil Est spirituale os interioris hominis quo nutritur recipiēs verbū vitae quod verbū est panis qui descēdit de coelo There is a spiritual mouth of y ◠inner mā by which he is nourished by receiuing Christ y ◠word of life whiche is the bread that came frō heauē In this mystery of y ◠death of Christ his death passion is renewed to our remēbrance We are so moued to sorow for our sins which haue bin cause of his death to be thākful for y e great mercy of God whiche by this meanes wrought our redēption as if we did see him presēt before our faces hanging vpō y e crosse We know y ◠Christ hath left his sacraments to his Church that they might be helpes to lift vs vp into heauē By them we are ioyned with Christ and made partakers of his passion Next let vs consider how and after what sort we eat the body of Christ in the sacrament And here I beseech you that you may take the cōfort of the body blood of Christ to giue good eare For of mistaking this mystery grewe the first error in the Church When y ◠disciples of Christ heard Christ speake of this matter and vnderstood him not they were offended and shrounke backe and departed If we take the wordes of Christ in such meaning as they did wee shalbee deceiued and offended as they were This it is then which wee haue to consider whether the bodie of Christ goe into our mouth and our bodies as other meates or whether it be receiued spiritually as a spirituall meate and so passe into and nourishe our soule Hereof somewhat was sayde before by the way and shortly But for cleerer vnderstanding of the same we haue to weigh and declare that the eating of the body of Christ is not grosse or corporall but ghostly and spirituall as a peculiar worke of the minde The trueth hereof is founded in our Creede and is an article of our Christian faith Wee beleeue that Christ did rise againe from the dead and ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of God in glorie So saith Saint Paule If yee then be risen with Christe seeke those thinges whiche are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hād of god And again Our conuersation is in heauen from whence we also looke for the sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ Christ himselfe saith to his disciples It is expediēt for you that I goe away And The poore alwaies ye haue with you but me yee shall not haue alwayes So S. Peter saith Whom the heauen must conteine vntil the time that al thinges be restored which God had spoken by the mouth of al his holy prophets since the world began Whiche speeches haue occasioned the olde auncient learned Fathers to teache the people after this sort touching the body of Christ Vigilius a godlie Bishop and Martyr saith Caro Christi cū esset in terra nō erat in coelo nunc quia est in coelo non est vtique in terra The flesh of Christ when it was in earth was not in heauen and nowe because it is in Heauen doubtlesse it is not in earth Ambrose saith Seeke the things that be aboue and not the things that be vpō earth Therfore we must seeke thee neither vpō the earth nor in the earth nor according to the flesh if we list to finde thee S. August saith According to the flesh that the word receiued according to that he was borne of the Virgin according to that he was takē of the Iewes according to that he was nayled to the crosse according to that he was taken downe and lapt in a shrowde and layde in the graue and rose againe and shewed himselfe in this respect it is true that hee sayde Yee shall not euermore haue mee with you And againe hee saith Donec saeculum finiatur sursum est Dominus c. Vntill the world be ended the Lorde is aboue yet notwithstāding euen here is the truth of y e Lord. For the body wherin he rose againe must needs be in one place So Cirillus sayd Christus non poterat in carne versari cum Apostolis postquam ascēdisset ad patrē Christ could not be conuersant together with his Disciples in his flesh after he had ascended vnto his father It would bee tedious to alleadge all y t might be saide to like purpose Thus Christe and Paul Peter thus Vigilius Ambrose Augustine Cirill and al the olde Catholique fathers say and wee are taught to beleeue that Christ is not corporally in the churche but is ascended into Heauen and that hee hath giuen to his bodie immortalitie but hath not taken from the same the nature of a bodie Vigilius hauing cause to prooue this same article against Eutiches shutteth vp the matter thus Haec est fides professio catholica quam Apostolitradiderunt martyres roborauerunt fideles huc vsque custodiunt This is the Catholique faith profession which the Apostles haue deliuered the martirs haue confirmed and the faithful hitherto doe continue The body then which we eate is in Heauen aboue all Angels and Archangels and powers and principalities Our meate is in Heauen on high and we are heere belowe on the earth Howe may it be that we may reach it or taste or eate it Heere let vs imagine that there are two men in euery man and that euerie man is fleshe and spirite bodie and soule This man thus doubled must bee furnished with double senses bodily to serue the bodye and spirituall to serue the soule Hee muste haue eyes of the bodie and eyes of the soule eares of the bodye and eares of the soule Spirituall senses ars quicke sharpe and liuely They pearce anye thing bee it neuer so thicke they reache anye thing bee it neuer so farre off Christ saieth of Abraham Abraham reioyced to see my daye hee sawe it and was gladde Hee sawe it not with his bodylie eyes but with the inner eyes of the soule When we speake of the mysterie of Christe and of eating his bodie wee must shut vp and abandon all our bodily senses And as wee cannot say that wee see him with our bodily eyes or heare him with our bodilye eares or touche him with bodily feeling so likewise can we not and therefore may wee not saye wee taste him or eate him with our badylie mouth In this woorke wee must open all the inner and spirituall senses of our soule so shall wee not onely see his bodye but heare him and feele him and taste him and eate him This is the mouth and the feeling of faith By the hande of faith we reache vnto him and by the mouth of Faith we receiue his body Touching the eating of Christes bodye S. August taught the people on this wise Crede manducasti Credere in Christum hoc
vessels of honour and the vessels of shame the assaultes of falshood and the glory and victory of truth Here shall we see how God leadeth euen into Hell and yet bringeth safely backe how he killeth and yet reuiueth howe he refuseth the full and feedeth the hungrye howe he is the ruine of many and the resurrection of many Here may we see the wonderfull wayes and the vnsearcheable iudgments of GOD. It is a place full of terrour and a place full of all comfort In respect hereof the Prophete Dauid saith O Lorde our Lorde how wonderful is thy name in al the world Againe he saith One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I wil require that I may dwel in the house of the Lorde al the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lorde and to visit his Temple Hiericho was a mighty strong Towne wel manned well victualed well walled well fenced and in affiaunce thereof it withstood the whole power of Gods army Iosuah notwithstanding he had great force of armed men during the assaulte suffered no man to vse his weapon hee willed them all to walke quietly and silent without doyng violence his strength was not in the number and courage of men but onely in the Arke that is in the presence and power of God Thus it fareth oftentimes in spirituall warfares falsehood is armed truth goeth naked falsehood maketh outcries and trueth saith title falsehood is bold and truth is outfaced Blindenesse of it selfe naturally is hardy and ventrous and falsehoode is wyly and shifting When the high priestes captaines of the temple the elvers were come to lay handes on Christ he said vnto them This is your very houre and the power of darknesse Their hearts were darkened their eyes were blynded they saw not their wayes they knewe not their daungers they would not vnderstand they woulde not be taught malice and frowardnes had made them blinde therefore the feare of God was not before their eyes Herein stoode their power therfore they were bolde and sayde Let vs breake their bandes and cast their cordes from vs Therefore they sayde Wee will not haue this man to raigne ouer vs. Therefore they sayde The word that thou hast spoken to vs in the name of the Lorde we will not heare it of thee Thus cryed they because of the blindnes which was in them and because of the folly of their hearts Yet is there no souldier so stoute in defence of Hiericho as hee that thinketh his cause is good and that his doing pleaseth God well and therefore is moued thereto in conscience None so desperate and wilfull for the falsehoode and darkenes of Hiericho as such who haue zeale without knowledge as are blinde and followe their blinde guides who when they slaunder or persecute or kill others for righteousnesse sake thinke they make a sacrifice vnto God and that GOD is highly pleased with their doing Such were they that cryed against Christ Crucifie him crucifie him he hath blasphemed Therefore Christe maketh his prayer for thē Father forgiue them for they know not what they do They know not me they knowe not whence I come nor who it is that sent me they take light for darkenesse and darknesse for light Therefore the wise man saith Leane not vnto thine own wisdom do not the thinges that seem right in thine own eies There is a way which seemeth right to a mā but the issues therof are the waies of death It seemeth Catholique it seemeth holy but the ende thereof leadeth to death S. Paule saith of the Jewes If they had known the wisdome of God they would not haue crucified the Lord of glory If their eyes had beene open to see him if their heart and vnderstanding had been open to know him they had not been guilty of innocent blood they woulde not haue betrayed the Lord of glorie But Hiericho is not onely thus fensed with blinde zeale and wilfull ignoraunce but also oftentimes hath helpe of mans strength and the fauour and succour of worldly power The Aegyptians had mighty Chariots straked and barred with yron in the strength whereof they put their trust The people of Babylon built themselues a Tower as high as the Heauens to shew forth their pryde and get themselues a name Hereof Dauid sayth The kinges of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord against his Christ He sayeth not the vulgar people or a sort of Raskals onely but Kinges and Princes and they which beare authoritye in the worlde assemble them selues against the Lord and in this power they thinke they are inuincible When Moses and Aaron did the message of God vnto Pharao saying Thus sayeth the Lorde God of Israel Pharao sayd Who is the Lord that I should heare his voyce let Israel goe I know not the Lord neither wil I let Israel goe What is his power what hurt can he doe I knowe him not I care not for him Israel shall not depart my Countrey So said Nabuchodonosor who is that God that can deliuer you out of mine hands In like sort did Sennacherib king of the Assyriās vaunt himselfe in the pride of his strength and bidde defiance against the God of Israel Thus shal ye speake to Ezechiah king of Iuda and say Let not thy God deceiue thee in whom thou trustest saying Ierusalē shal not be deliuered into the hand of the King of Asshur Haue the gods of the heathen deliuered thē which my fathers haue destroied And euē so doeth Saint Iohn bewray the folly of Babylon She saith in her heart I sit being a Queene and am no widow and shall see no mourning In trust heereof they sayde sometymes and commāded the Apostles that in no wise they should speake or teach in the name of Iesus They sayde We are the children of Abraham wee are the sonnes of the Prophetes They sayde we cannot erre for it is written The Priestes lippes should preserue knowledge and they shoulde seeke the Law at his mouth In trust hereof they saide Doeth any of the rulers or Pharisies beleue in him but this people which know not the law are cursed In trust hereof they haue sayde Let vs cut them out of the land of the liuing let the name of Israel he had no more in remembraunce this doctrine is schismaticall this Religion is new it hath no grounde it shall not preuayle it shall not stande Such courage haue the Citizens of this ignoraunt Hiericho taken in the strength ofmannes arme and in the helpe of worldely policy Then they fell to sworde and persequution and all kinde of tormentes and cruell death the people despayred the very electe beganne to faynte Saint Paule sayeth Wee are made a gasing stocke vnto the worlde and to the Angels and vnto men The Prophet Dauid prayeth vnto GOD against suche Arise O God mainteine thine
his Epistle to Traianus that they were a sect which would not offer vp to Idols which coulde not be compelled to blaspheme Christ but were wont at certayne times appointed to meete together and sing hymnes to one Christ their God that they were of one mynd agreed among themselues and did absteine from theft murther and adultery and did keepe their faith and defraâ—â—ed no man Euen such should we be thus ought we to liue these things are examples for vs to follow we should meet often to sing hymnes and giue thankes to our God we should lament our former wickednes wherwich we haue called Gods anger vpon vs. But alas there appeareth not in vs that chaunge of life that ought to be in such as turne to Christ we are as proude as couetous and wicked in abusing the holy name of God as euer we were in the time of ignorance Thus we abuse the great mercy of God thus we withhold his trueth in vnrighteousnesse We say we know God but giue him not the glorye that is due vnto God And besides this wee are in loue with our owne corruption and as the Prophet sayeth we reioyce when we haue done wickedly wee cannot abide to haue our fault touched our pride is growen vp as hie as heauen our couetousnesse is sunke as deepe as hell our poore weake brethren be offended and think that these be the very fruites of Christes gospel Yet we can in no wise suffer to be reproued we say to the Preacher peace and talke not to vs in the name of the Lord tell not vs of the Scriptures tel not vs of Christ of Peter Paul we did him speake vs faire and blesse those things that be accursed by Gods owne mouth We say he is too busie he medleth with that he knoweth not Yes yes man he knoweth it wel inough he knoweth that pride is pride that vsury is vsury that sinne is sinne and thou thine owne conscience knowest it too if thou wouldest be knowen of it yea thou knowest it indeede in thy heart of force art weary of it And this is extreeme miserie that we are so farre plunged in sinne that wee can neither abide our owne faultes nor yet the amendinge of them Is this the repentaunce of our life Are these the fruits of Gods Gospell are these the fruites of the innocent blood that we see shead before our eyes Are these our teares for the sinnes wee haue commited Is this the thanks that we render vnto God for giuing vnto vs so great blessings But what sayd I blessings Would God we were so blessed that we might consider our blessednesse Many alreadie bewray the weakenesse of their stomakes they brooke not the Gospell yea they seeme already weary of these Preachers they call them Pulpit men men of the spirite and I knowe not what as though they themselues had nothinge to doo with Gods spirite Ha mercifull God what way may GOD take to winne you Alas what are wee what haue wee offended you Are we become your enemies for tellinge you the trueth I feare mee this murinuring is not agaynst vs but against the Lord. You haue had the Masse and that you worthely hated you haue now the Communion and that you regard not God hath sent to call you with fire and fagots those which vsed that seueritie crueltie you called tyrants He hath sent vnto you now simple men that bringe you nothing els but the kingdome of God and seeke for nothinge but onely for your saluation and them you disdaine It is eueÌ„ now come to passe that Christ said We haue piped to you you haue not danced we haue mourned to you you haue not wept but wisedoms is iustified of al her children Many of you are euen ful of the gospel ful weary of these schoolemaisters Therfore shal God send amongest you an other maner of schoolemaister y â— shal intreat you after another sorte that shall pull the pride from your neckes the ruffes from your shaulders I will saye I woulde God I might not speake thus in y e spirit of truth I would to God it might proue vntrue and neuer come to passe But God is iust and the extreame disdaine of Gods trueth and his holy Gospel iustly deserueth the extremitie of Gods vengeance and this Gospell that you are already so weary of shal be taken away from vs. The kingdome of God shalbe taken away from vs and shalbe giuen to a nation that shal do the fruites of it The kingdome of God which is the true vnderstanding of Gods word shalbe taken away And theÌ„ what shall remaine but blindenes and falshood which is the kingdome of the Diuel I will send saith God a famine in the land not a famin of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the word of the Lord. Let vs therefore good brethren remember for what causes God suffred his temple at Hierusalem to be destroyed burnt by y e Chaldees let vs remember wherefore God tooke from vs his holy Gospel that he had planted amongst vs of late time let vs now thankefully receiue it with teares and repentance for our former life let vs not make our selues vnwoorthye of the great grace and blessing of God To you this holy promise is made you are the children of Abraham to you Christ spreadeth out his armes to embrace you receiue not the grace of God in vayne let vs not put out that heauenlye light which God hath kindled let vs pray to God to giue vs new heartes and to put a newe spirite within vs Why should you perish you that are so dearely saued why should you perish O you the house of Israel Let vs once fal to the building vp of Gods holy temple let vs not driue it off any longer The Foxes haue boroughes and the birds of the aire haue nests but the Sonne of man hath not yet a place to rest his head in God calleth to vs by the Prophet Bring wood builde this house I will be fauourable in it Is it time for your selues to dwel in your sieled houses this house lie waste Your houses are fresh faire furnished yet my house lieth desolate flat vpon the ground Behold the miserable desolation of my holy place my flock is scattered in the mountaines behold your brethren y e lie in chaines in a thousande places bound beaten tormented and drawen to most cruel death not for any offence they haue coÌ„mitted but only for the building of my temple and professing of my name They are your owne body flesh and blood My bones are scattered vpon the face of the earth my blood is shed without compassion as it were water vpon y e grounde O what cruel eyes haue you that can see this not be moued that can buyld your owne houses serue your owne pleasures and leaue my house forsaken Thus almighty God speaketh to vs O good brethren let vs not
redemption of the world Amen Rom. 13. The night is passed the day is come let vs therefore cast away the deedes of darknesse and let vs put on the armour of light THis litle portion of the scripture hath bin often expoūded and opened in your hearing yet shal it not be vnprofitable once againe to entreate therof For albeit the proportion and ground of matter be one yet some differēce may be in the manner of vtterance The worde of God is the water of life the more ye laue it forth the fresher it runneth it is the fire of Gods glory the more ye blow it the cleerer it burneth it is the corne of the Lordes fielde the better you grinde it the more it yeeldeth it is the bread of heauen the more it is broken and giuen foorth the more remaineth it is the sword of the spirit the more it is scoured the brighter it shineth The voyce of God cannot be vnpleasant to their eares which are the children of God the oftener they he are it the more comfort they receiue they cā neuer haue ouermuch who neuer haue inough Saint Paule in these woordes stirred vp the Romaines and awaked them out of the slumber of death that they might beholde the cleere light of the Gospel and knowe the time of their visitation and shake off the workes of darknes and apparel themselues with the righteousnesse of Christ our Sauiour But before I proceede farther to declare that which is to be spokē at this present let vs turne our heartes to God euen the father of lightes that it may please him to open the eyes of our vnderstanding and to direct al our doings to his glory c. In worldly businesse it is reckoned a great poynt of wisedome to doe thinges in due time and to choose the fittest season to speake or to holde silence to buy or to sell to buylde or to pull downe Salomon therefore sayde To all things there is an appoynted time a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen Who so doeth not weigh the season and take his conuenient time he is vnwise and defeiteth himselfe and bewrayeth his follie But of all wisedomes this is the greatest that a man lift vp his eyes to the throne of Gods mercie and knowe the time of his blessing and direct his life to the seruice of GOD as hee warneth Make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lorde and put not off from day to day for sodainely shall the wrath of the Lorde breake forth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed If the good man of the house were wise if he knewe at what houre the Theefe woulde come hee woulde surely watche and stande in readinesse and not suffer his house to bee digged through Of this wisedome in taking the vantage of time spake the Prophet Dauid This daye if you heare his voyce harden not your heartes Forslow not the time loose not this good occasion heare his voyce nowe this day Of this wisedome spake Saint Paule We as workers together beseeche you that yee receyue not the grace of GOD in vayne For hee sayth I haue hearde thee in a time accepted and in the daye of saluation haue I succoured thee Beholde nowe the accepted time beholde now the day of saluation Who so knoweth not this time is not wise Of this blindenesse and heauinesse of the people God complayneth in many places of the Prophetes In the eight Chapter of Ieremie Euen the Storke in the ayre knoweth her appoynted times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallowe obserue the time of their comming but my people knoweth not the iudgement of the Lorde Of this their blindnesse and follie our Sauiour reproueth Hierusalem O if thou haddest euen now at the least in this thy day knowen those thinges whiche belong vnto thy peace but nowe are they hidde from thine eyes For the dayes shall come vppon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compasse thee rounde and keepe thee in on euery side and shall make thee euen with the grounde and thy children which are within thee and they shall not leaue in thee a stone vppon a stone because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation Therefore the Apostle calleth vppon the Romaines telleth them that the Sunne is vp and the day open and warneth them not to lose the season for nowe euen nowe saith he it is time to rise That wee may the better discerne the light let vs beholde the darkenesse of that time which was before The whole worlde was diuided into the people of the Iewes and the heathens and besides these there were no other people The Heathens were forsaken of God the Iewes were his chosen people The Heathens woorshipped the workers of their owne handes and gaue the glory of God vnto creatures whiche are not God They went after Idols euen as they were lead they had many goddes according to the number of their Cities they deliuered vp their bodies to all manner filthines God gaue them ouer to followe their lustes The Fathers amongest them slewe their owne children and offered them vp in Sacrifice to Diuels So strongly did the Prince of darkenesse possesse them they had not the Arke of the Testimonie they liued without Prophetes or couenaunt or Christe or God they liued without hope or light or comforte In such a night and such a darkenesse lay the Heathen The Iewes Gods chosen people they were also bereft of knowledge there was no prophet left among them nor any to teache them the wil of the Lord. The lawe did perish from the priest and counsel from the auncient light was turned into darknesse and iudgement into wormewood they were bitter and grieuous to the poore they slew the Prophets which were sent vnto them they did for sake the fountaine of liuing waters and followed Baal and Astaroth Like people like Priestes frō the sole of the foot vnto y ◠head there was nothing whole in them Of them God spake by the Prophet I haue no pleasure in you neither wil I accept an offering at your hand Of them he sayde When you shal stretch out your hands I wil hide mine eies from you and though you make many prayers I will not heare you In such a darkenesse laye the Iewes in suche a darkenesse laye the Gentiles All had sinned they were all corrupt and abhominable in their wayes they were the Children of wrath and the vesselles of distruction So were they wrapt in the cloude of ignoraunce and couered in the shadowe of death Suche was the night Saint Paul spake of so vglie so darke so voyde of comfort But God gaue foorth his light to shyne vppon them he sent the Patriarches and Prophetes and holye Fathers hee sent vnto them Moses and Aaron and Angelles from Heauen to giue out sparkes of this light Hee made it appeare by his Prophete Esaie Beholde the Virgine shall conceyue and beare a Sonne
that followeth mee shall not walke in darkenesse but shall haue the light of life So spake Almightie GOD to his people Take heede that you doe as the Lorde your GOD hath commaunded you turne not aside to the right hande nor to the lefte Thou shalt not doe the thing that seemeth right in thine owne eyes Thou shalte not followe the zeale of thine owne heart Thinke that thou maist be deceiued dispose thy selfe to hearken to the voyce of the Lord whatsoeuer he shall commaund thee that onely shalt thou doe For my thoughts are not your thoughtes neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord For as the heauens are higher thē the earth so are my waies higher thē yourwaies my thoughts aboue your thoughts The will of y e Lord is the only measure whereby all trueth must be tryed Heereunto the Prophet Dauid humbleth himselfe and speaketh vnto GOD in this manner Lighten mine eies O lord O teach me to do thy wil teach me to follow it to practise it Hereof S. Paul speaketh Vnderstand what the will of the Lord is Leaue the pretence of zeale leaue the deuotion of your owne heart rest not vppon the will of your forefathers nor of flesh blood Learne to feele and taste the will of God it is good and gracious and merciful thereby direct your steppes therein shall you finde the possession of life We were drowned in darkenesse sayth the Apostle yet thought we had the light I my selfe saith hee was a blasphemer and did persecute the Church of God I followed the way of my fathers I had a great zeale and thought I did well but the way wherein I walked was slippery the light was darkenesse I delighted in vanitie and had pleasure in leasings I was blinde yet perceiued it not and therefore was my blindenesse and miserie so muche the more But now is our Saluation come neere vnto vs our bodies are made the Temples of God and his spirit dwelleth within vs. We haue the woorde of life put both in our mouth and in our heart the kingdome of God is in the middes amongst vs. The Sonne of God calleth vnto vs Come vnto me al ye that trauel and be heauily laden and I wil refresh you S Iohn saith We haue looked vpon and our hands haue handeled the worde of life And againe The word was made flesh and dwelt among vs and we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the only begotten sonne of the Father full of grace and of trueth So neere is the Lorde to them that seeke him So neere vnto vs is our saluation When Dauid heard the voyce of the Lorde he awaked and rose vp hee gaue thankes vnto God and powred out his heart before him saying O Lorde our Lorde howe wonderfull is thy Name in all the worlde And againe Prayse the Lorde O my soule and all that is within mee praise his holie Name When the Apostles hearde this voyce of the Lorde they were awaked they forsooke all they had they tooke vp their Crosse and went ouer all the worlde preaching the Gospell of saluation When Paul heard the voyce of Christ from heauen aboue he fell flat on the earth and being astonied sayde Lord what wilt thou that I do I am thy seruaunt and the sonne of thy handemayde make me to doe that thou commandest me to doe Then coulde neither life nor death nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor thinges present nor thinges to come nor height nor depthe nor any other Creature separate Paule from the loue of God whiche is in Christ Iesus our Lorde then hee esteemed not to knowe anye thinge sauing Iesus Christ and him crucified He brake his sleepe rose vp and went forwarde In like manner the Prophet Esay stirreth vp Hierusalem Arise be bright for the light is come and the glorie of the Lorde is risen vppon thee Knowe thy time and the day of thy visitation awake thou that sleepest and stande vp from the dead for the Sonne of God hath shined ouer thee The Apostle therfore saith It is nowe time that wee shoulde arise from sleepe We are the children of God we are the children of the trueth we are the sonnes of the Prophets we are they whom GOD hath chosen out of the worlde Whosoeuer putteth his hande to the plough and looketh backe is vnmeete for the kingdome of heauen These thinges are sent for our vnderstanding GOD hath giuen his worde vnto vs. We haue seene the workes of God the doumbe to speake the deafe to heare the blynde to see the lame to goe the dead to rise and come out of their graues the Sunne to be darkened the earth to quake rockes to rent and the Diuell to confesse the Sonne of God for he was forced to say Thou art Christ the Sonne of God Nowe doth the kingdome of heauen suffer violence The night is passed the daye is at hande we haue slumbered enough in ignoraunce it is nowe time we knowe the blessinges which GOD hath bestowed vppon vs it is time wee shoulde be thankefull and awake out of the sleepe of forgetfulnesse that wee humble our selues vnder the mighty hande of God and dreame no more of our owne strength our conscience is charged we cannot pleade ignoraunce it is time that we rise the mercie of God the aboundaunce of his blessing the feare of his iudgement the regarde of our saluation so requireth Let vs cast away the workes of darkenesse they bee vnfruitefull lothesome and horrible They darken the hearte and blinde the conscience hee that doeth them shall bee cast into vtter darkenesse Let vs bee afrayde let vs be ashamed hereof such things are not fit for the children of light Let vs put on the armour of light God hath chosen vs to bee his Souldiers and hath called vs foorth into the fielde Our fight is not against fleshe and blood but against the Diuell the Prince of this worlde and the Father of darkenesse hee rampeth like a Lyon and lyeth in waite and seeketh whom hee may deuour All the vanities of this life our bodies our owne heartes conspire against vs the fight is terrible the daunger great Let vs not be vnprouided let vs not stande open to the stroke of the enimie Let vs take vnto vs the whole armour of God let our loyues be girded with beritie let vs put on the shielde of Faith the brestplate of righteousnesse the sworde of the spirit the helmet of saluation These bee the weapons of righteousnesse these be the armour of light Let vs not feare to declare the truth though thereby wee shoulde daunger our life Let vs bee faithfull vnto the ende let it appeare that the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe holdes and imaginations and euery hie thing that is exalted against God so shal our armour be complete so shall we shewe glorious in the fielde and be terrible to the enimie
in darknes Our sauiour therefore saith The wordes y ◠I spake vnto you are spirite and life To eate the bodie of Christ and to drinke his blood is not the parte of the bodie it is rather a worke of our mind And therefore S. Ambrose saith Non corporali tactu Christum sed fide tangimus We touch not Christ by bodily touching but we touch him by faith And againe Stephanus in terris positus Christum tangit in caelo Stephen being in the earth toucheth Christ being in heauen By faith therefore wee eate Christ and by faith we drinke Christ by faith wee are apparelled and clothed with Christ And this is that the Apostle saith Put ye on the Lorde Iesus Christ Let vs bee incorporate in him Let God see nothinge in vs but the image of his sonne so shall he dwell in vs wee in him Take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lustes thereof The sonnes of God rest vpon the prouidence of God their father He giueth thē water out of the rockes hee raineth downe breade from heauen hee openeth his handes and filleth euery liuing thing w t his blessing The Prophet saith The Lorde is my shepheard I shall not want The thinges of this worlde shall haue an ende they fade away and will not continue If riches abounde wee must not set our heart vpon them but rather bee carefull for the life to come We must seeke the kingdome of God the righteousnes thereof then al these things shalbe ministred vnto vs. He doeth not forbid honest moderate forecast and prouision as if it were not lawfull for Christians to deale in matters appertaininge to the good estate of this life For he hath said vnto Timothie If there be any y ◠prouideth not for his own namely for them of his houshoulde he denieth the faith is worse then an infidel again he saith no mā euer yet hated his owne flesh but nourisheth it and cherisheth it Agayne writing to Timothie drinke no longer water but vse a litle wine for thy stomakes sake and thine often infirmities In whiche speéches hee sheweth we are bonde to nourish and feede and bee carefull for our bodies Though the conuersation of the faithfull bee in heauen and they seeke after the thinges which are on high yet whiles they passe the pilgrimage of this lyfe they must needes haue the felowshippe and company of their naturall bodies the whiche they must not so weaken that thereby they shall become vnprofitable and not hable to doe seruice in the Churche of god and yet so keepe them vnder that they may be made obedient to the spirite Onely wee may not bee ouer carefull To take great care for the body is to cast away all care for the soule For they that will bee riche fall into temptation snares and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction for the desire of mony is the roote of al euil which whiles some lusted after they erred from the fayth and perced themselues with many sorrowes Of this care speaketh our sauiour It is easier for a Camel to go through y ◠eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God No care can satisfie the vncontented minde The righteous eateth is satisfied but the bellie of the wicked euer wanteth Hee hath enlarged his desire as hell and ladeth hym selfe with thicke clay he encreaseth that which is not his and cannot be satisfied The horse leache hath two daughters whiche cry giue giue There be there things y ◠wil not be satisfied Yea foure y ◠say not it is enough They care not by what meanes they make their gaynes they liue in vsurie a most fylthye trade a trade which God detesteth a trade which is the verye ouerthrow of all Christian loue They eate vp the people as they eate breade Such are the wayes of euery one that is greedy of gaine He wolde take away y ◠life of y ◠owners thereof They haue hardened their heart against God they doe not serue God but Mammon But their gayne shall be to their losse their mony to their destruction He that giueth his money vnto Usurie shall not dwell in the tabernacle of the Lorde nor rest vppon his holy mountayne Wee haue here no continuing Citie wee are straungers as were al our fathers before vs. If we gather riches to our selues be not rich in God he shall say vnto vs O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee Then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided Let him therefore that hath this worldes goods be as if hee had them not They are the giftes of God The Lorde giueth them and the Lorde taketh them away Settle not your hearts vpon thē As they come so wil they fade away they bee vncertaine they will deceiue you Set your desier vpon heauenly thinges seeke after the life which is to come in the lande of the liuing When wee shall see those vnspeakable ioyes wee shal perceiue that all the pleasures of this life in comparison of them were nothing Now somewhat more specially to applie the woordes of the Apostle to this present time It is now time also that wee should arise from sleepe God hath deliuered vs also from the night We may say This is the day which the Lorde hath made Let vs reioyce and be glad in it Wee may say he hath shewed his mercies towardes vs and the truth of the Lorde endureth for euer Let vs looke backe to the time late past and beholde the night of errour and ignoraunce What shall I say Where should I beginne or howe may I ende The matter is of great compasse the time I haue to speake is but shorte and I haue no delight to speake of darknes After God had deliuered the people of Israel and giuen them passage through the red sea Marie the Prophetesse sister of Aaron looked backe into Egipt There she remembred Pharao and his crueltie howe he plagued the children of God she remembred how by a mightie hande and out stretched arme hee deliuered them and wrought his wonders vpon Pharao and all the lande of Egipt She looked backe vpon the great darknes and vpon the frogges and flies and botches she behelde the waters turned into blood the killinge of the first borne of man and beast the ouerthrowe of Pharao and all his Charets in the middes of the sea And therefore she answered the men Singe yee vnto the Lorde for he hath triumphed gloriously The horse and his rider hath he ouerthrowen in the sea Euen so let vs cast backe our eies make a view of the Church Loth I am to speake of it Yet it is nedefull to say somewhat thereof that we way reioyce in our deliueraunce All thinges were done in a strang tounge the priest spake and
the people hearde they knewe not what No man coulde say Amen to their prayers The matters were such that he might be reconed happie which heard them not They abused the Church of God with vaine fables If you doubt hereof rede their Legendes and festiuals They know this they acknowlege it It might well be spoken of them which Hillarie said Sanctiores sunt aures populi quam corda sacerdotum The eares of the people are more holy then the hearts of the Priests I beseech you marke the fourme and fashion of their prayes To the blessed virgin they sayd Aue Maria salus et consolatrix viuorum et mortuorum Haile Marie the sauiour cōforter both of quick dead And agayne O gloriosa virgo Maria libera nos ab omni malo et a paenis inferni O glorious virgin Mary deliuer vs from al euil frō the paines of hel Agayne Monstra te esse matrem shewe that thou art a mother They cal her Regina Coeli domina mundi vnica spes miserorum Queene of heauen Lady of y ◠world the only hope of them that be in miserie It were tedious and vnpleasant to recite the like their blasphemies Howe did these men accompt of the crosse and passion of Christ What leaue they to be wrought by the price of his blood To speak nothing of the multitude of their intercessours and patrones of their false miracles of their deceiueable merits and workes of supererogation how fowle a kinde of Idolatry was it to worship the image with the selfsame honour wherwith they worshippe the thing it selfe that is represented by the Image As if the thinge it selfe bee worshipped with godly honour then must the Image thereof bee worshipped with godlye honour The holy Scriptures which are the light to direct our wayes and the power of God to saue our soules wer hid vnder a bushel Whosoeuer built him selfe and his faith vpon them was adiudged an Heretike Marriage was forbidden and fornication suffered They did not onely deuoure widowes houses but drew to them selues the fat of the land by pretence of their long praiers I spare your chaste and godly eares otherwise I were able to rehearse many their foule abuses and workes of darkenesse Yet will I shewe you one of their night-birdes lately hatched in the nest of all superstition It is the Agnus dei heere it is It was latelie consecrate by the holie Father and sent from Rome They teache that by the vertue of their consecration or rather coniuration and blessing these little thinges haue power to defende the faithfull from lightening and tempest O merciful God what hath the Pope to doe with the lightening what can a piece of waxe preuaile to the staying of a tempest The Lorde of heauen and earth it is hee that sendeth forth lightnings and raiseth vp tempestes Fire and haile snowe and vapours stormie winde execute his woorde God will sende foorth his lightening and consume them Beholde saith Ieremie the tempest of the Lorde goeth foorth in his wrath and a violent whirle winde shal fal downe vpon the head of the wicked O what a shepheard is he that nowe in this light of the day thus mocketh and deceiueth the lambes and sheepe of Christ Is this to woorshippe Christ in spirite and trueth Is this the hope we haue in Christ Is this the profession of the Gospell Is this the will of GOD to commit our liues to so vile a cake Howbeeit there is no cause why any man shoulde maruell hereat For ignorance which is the mother of errour by their owne confession is become the mother of deuotion and these bee the fruites and children of blindnesse and ignorance I will speake nothing of that man from whence this geare commeth Woulde God hee were the man he woulde seeme to bee But if the light it selfe be darkenesse how great then is the darknesse Yet they say of him his voyce must be receiued as the voyce of Peter and the worde of God him selfe must take authoritie and credite of him Thus hath hee come betweene like a Cloude and eclipsed the sunne of Gods glorious Gospell If wee beholde eyther their Schooles or their Churches their quier their pulpit their prayers their Sacramentes their Cleargie their people their doctrine or their life wee may truely saie as the Prophete saide Surely our fathers haue inherited lies and vanitie wherein was no profite We may truely say the Law hath perished from the Priest counsell from the wise and the worde from the Prophet the blind did leade the blind they haue turned siluer into drosse and fedde the people with chaffe in steede of wholesome and good meates Blessed be the name of God who hath giuen vs eyes to espie their dealinges and hath reuealed vnto vs his worde to guide our feete into the way of peace I knowe these thinges are defended boldely and obstinately no maruell For the Apostle saith They haue not all obeied the Gospell There haue bin that haue called the light darknesse and the darknesse light If our Gospel be hid saith he it is hid in them that perish in whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes I will not here make answeare to any particular albeit occasion be offered and happely it bee looked for Contention and quarrels haue no ende All doctrine shall bee brought to tryall the day of the Lorde shall reueal◠errours and giue witnesse for the trueth God will turne all to his glorie What so euer stirre is raysed vp against the trueth it is but a smoke it will soone fade and come to nothing There are this day many to all appearance godly men of good life of righteous dealing of great zeale and conscience but yet haue not eyes to see these thinges I protest in their behalfe as did Paul they haue a greate zeale of Gods glorie woulde God it were according to knowledge Wee may say with the Prophet O Lorde thy iudgementes are like a great deepe Who hath knowen the mynde of the Lorde or who is of his counsell God knoweth his time He hath the key of Dauid hee openeth and no man shutteth he is the Father of lightes Wee are in his hande both we and al our counsels God graunt we may put off all fleshly affections and put on Iesus Christ and that all the earth may see his glory Nowe on the other side let vs consider howe mercifully God hath dealt with vs. Hee hath restored vnto vs the light of his Gospell and hath taught vs the secrets of his heauenly will We heare him talke with vs familiarly in the Scriptures as a father talketh with his child Thereby hee kindeleth our faith and strengtheneth our hope thereby our heartes receiue ioye and comfort We haue the holy ministration of the Sacraments we know the couenant of baptisme wee knowe the couenaunt and mysterie of the Lordes Supper Wee fall downe together and confesse our life before God
seuen in due signification and right meaning taken for sacraments For in such sort as these are called sacramentes that is because they signifie some holy thing wee shall finde a great number of thinges which the godly learned Fathers haue called Sacramentes and yet I trow we must not holde them as sacraments ordeined to be kept and continued in the church for then shoulde there bee not seuen but seuenteene sacramentes S. Bernard calleth the washing of the Apostles feete a sacrament Ablutio pedum sacramentū est quotidianorum peccatorum The washing of feet is the Sacrament of daily sinnes So Leo calleth the crosse of Christ a sacramēt Crux Christi quae saluandis est impensa fidelibus sacramentū est exemplū The crosse of Christ which was giuē to saue the faithfull is both a Sacrament also an example Tertullian calleth the whole state of Christian faith Religionis Christianae Sacramentum The sacrament of Christian religion S. Hillary in diuers places saith Sacramentum orationis sacramentum esuritionis sacramentum sitis sacramentū fletus sacramentū scripturarū The sacramēt of praier the sacrament of fasting the sacramēt of thirst the sacrament of weeping the Sacramēt of the scriptures Thus much for the nūber that by the institutiō of Christ there are but two sacramēts as Cardinal Bessarion confesseth Haec duo sola Sacramenta in Euangelijs manifesté tradita legimus We reade that these two onely Sacraments were deliuered vs plainly in the Gospel I wil now speake briefly of the sacramentes in seueral leaue all idle vaine questions and onely lay open so much as is needful profitable for you to know Baptisme therefore is our regeneration or newe birth whereby wee are borne a new in Christ are made the sonnes of God heires of the kingdome of heauen it is a sacrament of the remission of sinnes and of that washing which we haue in the blood of Christ We are al borne the children of wrath and haue our part in the offence of Adam S. Paul saith By one man sinne entred into the world August saith Non dixit veniet super eum sed manet super eum Respexit originem c. Christ saide not it shal come vpon him but it abideth on him He had regard to our ofspring whē he saith the wrath of God abideth on him Vpon which when the Apostle also looked hee said and we our selues also were sometimes the children of wrath That which in Adam was imputed to his offence not to bee of nature is now in vs which are come of Adā become natural Therefore saith the Prophet Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sinn hath my mother conceiued me So y t we all haue cause to crie out mone with Saint Paule I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde leading me captiue vnto the lawe of sinne whiche is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodye of this death Here of speaketh our sauiour That whiche is born of the flesh is flesh that which is borne of the spirite is spirite And for this cause saith he except a man bee borne of the water and the spirite hee cannot enter into the kingdome of God For this cause are infants baptized because they are borne in sinne and cannot become spirituall but by this newe birth of the water and the spirite They are the heires of the promise the couenaunt of Gods fauour is made vnto them God saide to Abraham I will establish my couenant betweene me and thee and thy seede after thee in their generations for an euerlasting couenaunt to be God vnto thee and to thy seede after thee Therefore saith the Apostle If the roote be holy so are the branches And againe The vnbeleeuing Husband is sanctified by the wife and the vnbeleeuing wife is sanctified by the Husbande else were your Children vncleane but now are they holy When the Disciples rebuked those that brought little Children to Christ that he might touch them he saide Suffer the little children to come vnto mee and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of GOD. And againe Their Angelles alwaies beholde the face of my Father which is in Heauen The kingdome of Heauen is of such saieth Christ not onelie then of those but of other like infantes which shall bee in al times As God tooke the seede of Abraham to be partakers of the couenant whiche hee gaue to Abraham so hee appoynted that euerie man childe of eyght dayes olde shoulde bee circumcised And Abraham circumcised his sonne Isaac when he was eyght dayes old as God had commanded him May wee thinke that the promise of God hath an ende so that it reacheth not to our children Or might the children of the Iewes receiue the signe of the couenant and may not the children of the Christiās Whatsoeuer was promised to Abraham the same is also perfourmed vnto vs. Wee enioye the same blessinges and free priuiledge of Gods fauour Saint Paule to the Galathiās saith Know ye that they whiche are of faith are the children of Abraham Againe If yee bee Christs then are ye Abrahams seed heires by promise Nowe is the signe of the Couenaunt also chaunged and Baptisme is in steede of Circumcision as Saint Paule declareth and calleth them circumcised which are baptized In whome meaning Christe also yee are circumcised with circumcision made without handes by putting off the sinful bodie of the fleshe through the circumcision of Christ in that you are buried with him thorow baptisme Our Sauiour giueth charge to his Apostles to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost The Apostles baptized not only such as professed their beliefe but whole housholdes The keeper of y ◠prisō was baptized with all that belonged vnto him So was Crispus the chiefe ruler of y ◠Synagogue his housholde and the housholde of Stephanas Infantes are a parte of the Churche of God they are the sheepe of Christ and belong to his flocke Why shoulde they not beare the marke of Christe they haue the promise of saluation Why should they not receiue the seale whereby it is confirmed vnto them they are of the felowshippe of the faithfull Augustine saith Vbi ponis paruulos non baptizatos profecto in numero credentium Where place you young children which are not yet baptised Verily in the number of them that beleeue Why then shoulde not they be partakers of the sacrament together with the faithfull And as the children of the faithfull by right ought to be baptized So such others also as were borne of vnbeleeuing parents and were aliants from the common wealth of Israel and were strangers from the couenant of promise and had no hope if they acknowledge the errour in which they liued and seeke
est Hoc non dicet nisi pariter caecus He y t is blind in his heart within seeth not Christ that is our bread And is he blessed No man wil say so vnlesse it be one as blinde as he Chrisost saith Where as the carkeis is there are Eagles The carkasse is y â— body of Christ in respect of his death But hee nameth Eagles to shewe that who so will approche to this bodie must mount aloft and haue no dealing with the earth nor bee drawen and creepe downward but must euermore flee vp and behold the Sunne of iustice haue the eye of his minde quicke and sharpe For this is a table of eagles that flie on high not of iaies that creepe beneath So saith Saint Hierome Let vs goe vp with the Lorde in to heauen into that great parlar spread and cleane and let vs receiue of him aboue the cuppe of the new Testament He saith They that rise not vp by faith receiue not the cuppe of Christ So saith Hillary The bread that came downe from heauen is not receiued but of him that hath our Lord and is the member of Christ This is the vndoubted meaning of the olde fathers that the wicked are not partakers of the passion of Christ because they lacke faith whereby onely Christ is receiued of vs. As Augustine saith How shal I holde Christ beeinge absent how shal I thruste my hande vp into heauen that I may holde him sitting there Sende vp thy faith and thou holdest him By this meanes we draw nigh to Christ we hyde our selues in his woundes wee sucke at his breast we feede of his bodie and comfortablye lay vp in our mynde that his flesh was crucified and wounded for our sakes Nowe let vs examine what difference is betweene the body of Christ and the sacrament of the bodie It behoueth vs to take eche part aright as it is least we be deceiued and take one for another Origen saith Simpliciores nescientes distinguere c. Simple meÌ„ not being able to discerne what thinges in the Scriptures ought to be applyed to the outwarde man and what to the inner beinge deceiued by the likenesse of woords haue turned them selues to a sorte of peeuishe fables and vaine fantasies Therefore sayeth Chrysostome Magnum crede mihi bonum est scire quid sit creatura quid sit Creator c. Beleeue me it is a great matter to vnderstande what is the creature and what is God the Creator what are the workes and what is the workman The difference heerein is this A Sacrament is a figure or token the bodye of Christ is figured or tokened The Sacrament bread is bread it is not the bodie of Christ The bodie of Christ is flesh it is no bread The bread is beneath the bodie is aboue The bread is on the table the bodie is in heauen The bread is in the mouth the bodie in the heart The bread feedeth the outward man the bodie feedeth the inwarde man The bread feedeth the bodie the body feedeth the soule The bread shall come to nothing the bodie is immortall and shall not perish The bread is vile the bodie of Christ glorious Such a difference is there betweene the bread whiche is a Sacrament of the bodie and the bodye of Christ it selfe The Sacrament is eaten as well of the wicked as of the faithfull the bodie is onely eaten of the faithfull The Sacrament may bee eaten vnto iudgement the body can not bee eaten but vnto saluation Without the Sacrament we may be saued but without the bodie of Christ wee haue no saluation wee can not bee saued As Saynt Augustine saith Quinon sumit carnem Christi non habet vitam qui eam sumit habet vitam eam vtique aeternam Hee that receiueth not the fleshe of Christ hath not life he that receiueth the same hath life and that for euer Such a difference maketh Epiphanius Hoc est rotundae figurae insensibile quantum ad potentiam c. This thing that is the sacrament is of a rounde forme for it was a great thick round cake and touching any power that is in it vtterly voyde of sense But wee knowe that our Lord is whole sense whole sensible whole God whole mouing Again S. August saith for the difference of them The Sacrament of Christs bodâ— is receiued of some vnto life of some vnto destruction but the thing it selfe that is the flesh of Christ wherof this is a Sacrament is receiued of all men vnto life and of no man to destruction whosoeuer shall be partaker of it Of the difference which is betweene a figure of any thing and the thing it self Chrysost saith Audisti fuisse figuram ne ergo mirare neque omnia require in typo Neque enim typus esset si omnia quae veritati accidunt haberentur Yee haue heard that it was a figure therefore maruell not being a figure require not al thinges to agree for otherwise it were no figure These and such like reasons no doubte mooued the godly Father to say as wee haue learned to say Aliud est Sacramentum aliud res sacrameÌ„ti The Sacrament is one thing the matter of the Sacrament which is Christes verye body is another thing And therfore he saieth Honorem tanquaÌ„ religiosa habere possunt stuporem taÌ„quam mira noÌ„ possuÌ„t These things speaking of the sacrament of Christes body maye haue honour as things appointed to religion but wonder as things maruellous they can not haue Thus are wee taught by the Catholique Learned Fathers to put a difference betweene the Sacrament and the body of Christe and that the one of them is not really lapped vp or shut within the other that the one as Epiphanâ—us saith is vtterly voyde of sense the other whole sense and whole sensible that the one is receiued 〈◊〉 destruction vnto some as Saint Augustine â—aith the other is receiued of all men vnto life That the one is a figure as Chrysostome sayth the other a trueth It remayneth that wee consider howe wee ought to prepare our heartes and with what faith and reuerence wee shoulde resorte to these holy mysteries Wee may not come as we vse to doe to our vsuall meates For here in a mystery and Sacrament of bread is set before vs the bodie of Christe our Sauiour and his blood in the Sacrament of Wine Wee see one thing wee must conceiue another thing Therefore we must in such manner be affected as if we were present to beholde his death vpon the crosse and the sheading of his blood for our sinnes Let vs set before our eyes that dreadfull tragedie and the causes and effectes of his death that so our heartes may bee the rather mooued to yeelde that allegeance obedience and reuerence which is due Wee were the children of wrath the enemies of God shut vp vnder sinne and the heires of euerlasting
damnation In this case God so loued y â— world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne y â— whosoeuer beleeueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue life euerlasting And as Saint Paule sayeth God sent his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and by sinne coâ—â—emned sinne in the fleshe There was no other thing in He auen or earth which woulde be taken for our ransome Therefore was the Sonne of GOD brought before the Iudge and arraigned as a Theefe and condemned and scourged and put to death his side was opened with a speare and the bloode flowed out and he sayde It is finished that is to say the price for man is nowe payed Thus beeing in the fourme of God hee thought it no robberie to bee equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation tooke on him the fourme of a seruaunt and was made like vnto men was founde in shape as a man He humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse Hee gaue his bodye to bee crucified and his blood to bee shedde for our sakes There was no other sacrifice left for sinne woe worth the sinne of man that was the cause of the death of Christ What were the effects of his death What followed God hath highly exalted him and giueÌ„ him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus should euery knee bowe and that euerie tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father God spake out of the heauens and saide This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Hee crowned him with glorie and honour hee hath not onely aduanced Christ but vs also together with him And made vs sitte together in heauenly places in Christ Iesus Hee hath made vs like to the Image of his sonne Thus hath hee made vs an acceptable people and hath renewed the face of the earth so y â— nowe hee saith not as he did to Adam thou art earth and shalt returne to earth but he saith Thou art heauen an immortall and vndefiled inheritance that fadeth not away is reserued in heauen for thee This is the effect and value of the death of Christ All these thinges are layde before vs in the holy Table if wee haue eyes to see and beholde them There may wee see the crucifiyng of his bodie and the shedding of his blood as it were in a glasse Therefore Christe sayeth doe this in remembraunce of mee in remembraunce of my benefite wrought for you in remembrance of your saluation purchased by me Saint Paul saith As often as ye shal eate this bread and drinke this cuppe ye shew the Lordes death til he come In this supper lieth a hiddeÌ„ mystery There is the horror of sinne there is y e death of our Lorde for our sinne represented howe he was wounded for our sinnes and tormented for our iniquities and ledde as a lambe to the slaughter There may we see the shame of the crosse the darkenesse ouer the worlde the earth to quake the stones to cleaue asunder the graues to open and the dead to rise These thinges may we see in the Supper this is the meaning of these holy mysteries Therefore let euery one examine him selfe and search and weigh his owne hearte whether he be the childe of GOD and a member of the bodie of Christe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cuppe The sacrament of the Lordes Supper is a holie foode the seale of our Faith the assuraunce of Gods promises and a couenant betweene God and man He that doeth vn worthely thrust himselfe to this table eateth and drinketh his owne damnation When a sicke man of a weake and feeble stomacke sitteth downe to eate with them that are whole whatsoeuer he eateth or drinketh it doth increase his sicknesse To them that perish the worde of God is a sauour of death vnto death Who so disagreeth from Christ neither eateth his bread nor drinketh his blood as saith S. Augustine If any of vs come to the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ and yet make our selues the members of the Diuell wee treade Christe vnder our feete we regarde not his body crucified nor his blood shed for vs we regard not the price of our saluation wee are guiltie of his death we betraie the innocent blood we are fallen from grace and Christ hath died in vaine for vs. Let vs remember Christ was forsaken scorned buffeted crucified and left vpon the crosse he was a worme and no man a reproch among men Nature it selfe yearned and yelded at the sight hereof The whole lande grewe darke the earth did quake the sunne lost his light the powers of heauen were moued the rockes were clouen the vaile of the temple rent the thiefe repented said Lorde remember me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome the centurion glorified God and said of a suretie this man was iust Where is the power of Christs death now Where is the force and power of his word By these meanes he speaketh to thee and calleth saying Beholde O man thus haue I sought thee these things I suffer for thy sake that thou shouldest eate my flesh and drinke my blood be made one with me that thou mightest come into mee and I into thee I haue made thee a member of my bodie bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh Thou that wallowest in thy sinnes thou Sodoma and Gomorrah thou childe of destruction which hast reioysed in my shame and arte not moued with the paines which I haue suffered what might I do for thy sake to saue thee that I haue not done What might I suffer and haue not endured it O be a partener of my death that thou matest haue part in my resurrection Let vs die with Christ let vs bee crucified vnto the worlde Let vs bee holy Egles and scare aboue Let vs goe vp into the great parlar and receiue of our Lorde the cup of the newe testament There let vs beholde the bodie that was crucified for vs the blood which was shead for vs. There let vs say this is the raunsom of the world this was once offered hath made perfect for euer al them that beleue this entered once into the holy place and obtained euerlasting redemption for vs this standeth alwaies in the presence of God maketh intercession for vs this is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world by this bodie I am now no more earth ashes by this I am now not a bondman but made free This bodie hath broken the gates of hell hath opened heauen In this are all the treasures of Gods mercie by this the prince of darkenes is cast foorth in this bodie shall he come againe to iudge the quicke and the dead Let no vncleane or filthie person no adulterer no vsurer no cruel extortioner or deuourer of Gods people offer him selfe to
crucified and his blood shed for the remission of sinnes that if wee beleeue in Christ wee are through the promise of GOD so certainely nourished in our soules to euerlasting life by the passiō of Christ Iesus our Sauiour as our bodies are truely nourished w t the creaturs of bread wine Thus Paul was brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel and instructed according to the perfect maner of the law of the fathers Thus Timothie was brought vp to knowe the holy Scripturs of a childe How are we become so superstitious Why haue we bene so delited in darkenes why is it so harde a matter to remoue vs from the errours wherein wee haue liued Why had wee rather fal downe before dombe things and worship them continue still in ignorance rather then harken vnto the worde of God Why haue we plaied y t parte of the Iewes cried Crucifige vpon our deare frendes and kinsmen vpon those whome we coulde not iustly accuse of any crime who offended vs no wayes but in that they did poynt vs to Christ and called vs to seek saluation onely in him Hereof there cannot any better cause be yeelded then this that wee were ignorantly bred vp without knowledge of God without vnderstanding of his worde The wise man saith Teach a childe the trade of his way and when he is olde hee shal not depart from it And againe Who so awaketh vnto wisedome betimes shall haue no great trauel for he shal find her sittīg at his dores Therefore wicked rulers as Iulianus Licinius Maximinus and such others haue forbiddē that children should be brought vp in the knowledge of God They taught them to blaspheme Christ and holy men and to speake yll of them before they knewe them But let vs looke vpon our children as vpon the great blessings of god They are the Lords vessels ordained to honour let vs keepe thē cleane they are christs lambes and sheepe of his flocke let vs leade them foorth into wholsome pasture They are the seede plot of heauen let vs water them that god may giue the encrease their angels behold y e face of God let vs not offende them they are the temples tabernacles of the holy ghost let vs not suffer y e foule spirit to possesse thē dwell within them God saith your children are my childrē They are the sonnes of God They are borne a new are wel shapen in beautiful proportiō make thē not mōsters He is a mōster whosoeuer knoweth not God By you they are borne into the world be careful also that by your meanes they may be begotten vnto God you are careful to traine thē in nourture and comely behauiour of the bodye seeke also to fashiō their mindes vnto godlines You haue brought them to the fountaine of baptisme to receiue the marke of Christ bring them vp in knowledge watch ouer them that they be not lost So shal they be confirmed and wyll keepe the promise they haue made wil growe vnto perfite age in Christ Of mariage I shall neede say y e lesse the matter is so knowne cōmon This felowship was first ordeined by God himselfe in paradise God himself said It is not good that man shoulde be himselfe alone I wil make him an helper meete for him God which fashioned man and breathed in him the breath of life knoweth his very heart raines said it is not good it is not fit that man should be hymselfe alone Although man were in Paradise although he were in the perfection of vertue yet saith God he hath neede of a helper Christ disdayned not to be at a mariage he honoured it both by his presence by y e working of a miracle S. Paul saith Mariage is honorable in al men the bed vndefiled In al men sayth hee in the Patriarkes in the Prophets in the Apostles in Martyrs in Byshops That al the Apostles S. Iohn onely excepted were maried appeareth by Ignatius Clemens Eusebius Spiridiō was a maried Bishop yet he was therby nothing hindred nether to discharge his dutie nor to any other godly purpose Tertullian was a Priest and married as appeareth by his owne Booke written to his wyfe Gregorie S. Basils brother was Bishop of Nyssa yet married Another Gregorie was Byshop of Nazianzū yet maried neuertheles a faithful seruāt steward of y e mysteries of God Hilarie was Bishop of Poitiers yet married All these were holy and Godly and chaste in bedy and in spirit and yet were married Gregorie Nazianzene saith Mariage is worthy of praise for y e quietnes and contentation that is in it And Clemens Alexandrinus saith As well mariage as also chastity haue their peculier offices pertaining to God Chrysost saith marriage is voide of fault and is no hindrance to vertue Againe So precious a thing is matrimonie that with the same thou maiest be promoted euen to a Bishops chaire What are they then that call mariage vncleanes filthines a worke of the flesh that say it defileth a man therefore Gods ministers may not be maried How can they thus speake that haue any knowledge of y t which God hath spoken May we not worthily say vnto such despisers of lawfull matrimonie y t which S. Bernard in like case said Fingunt se amore castitatis ista dicere cum ea magis causa turpitudinis fouendae multiplicandae adinuenerint They Beare vs in hande that they speake these things for loue of chastitie where as in deede they haue deuised the same to the ende to nourish to increse their filthines Or as Augustine sometime said to y e Manichees Non cōcubitum sed vt ab Apostolo longe antè dictum est vere nuptias prohibetis Ye forbid not copulatiō but as it was lōg ago forespoken by the Apostle in deede yee forbid verye marriage If you marke these fewe wordes which I deliuered it wyll easely appeare how reuerent an accompte is to bee made of that state of lyfe For if you regarde the necessitie thereof God founde it good to giue man a wyfe if the antiquitie it was ordained in the beginning of the worlde if the place in Paradise if the time in the innocencie of man If you regarde any thing the rather because of him that ordeined it God was the authour of marriage euen God which made heauen and earth and which is the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ If you seeke the allowance Christe approued it by his birth in marriage and by his presence at marriage if the dignitie it is honourable if among whome in all men of all estates of all callinges in Prince in subiect in minister in Priest and in people It is honourable in Prophetes honourable in Apostles in Martirs in Bishops Marriage is honourable in all men but whoremongers and adulterers God wil iudge Their portion shalbe with the infidels they shal bee cast into vtter
and I will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto y e Lord. Call to minde how you haue gotten your goods how you haue vsed thē whether you haue delighted in thē or put any confidence in thē Call to minde how you haue taken care for your Children seruantes if by your good meanes they haue bene nourtered in the feare of y t Lord. In these such other parts of your lyfe lay open your sinnes let them come forth before you acknowledge thē against yourselfe vnto the Lord say boldly because you may saye it truelye I am an vnprofitable seruant I haue not done that which I ought to haue done there is no good thinge dwellinge in mee the Law in my members hath preuailed agaynste the Lawe of my minde It can not bee but God wyl cast his eyes vpon you and wyl heare you and wil pardon the wickednes of your sinnes What wanteth in you to the fulnesse of righteousnesse is already satisfied in the rigeteousnes of Christ God hath saide and sworne As I liue saith the Lord God I desire not y e death of the wicked but y t the wicked turne from his way liue And againe if the wicked will returne from all his sinnes y t he hath cōmitted al his transgressions y t he hath committed thei shal not be mētioned vnto him The Lord is ful of compassion mercy For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercie towared them that feare hym As far as the East is frō the West so farre hath he remoued our sinnes frō vs. Christ himselfe saith God so loued the world y t he hath giuen his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting And S. Paul god setteth out his loue toward vs seeing y t while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs much more thē being iustified by his blod we shalbe saued frō wrath through him Thus in time of sicknes are we put in minde to examine and view our sins to solace our selues in y t bloodshedding of Christ Farther he that is sicke is counsailed to call to minde what any man hath trespassed him to forgiue them because God is y e God of loue and if any man hate his brother hee abideth in death and we are commanded to saye forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs if we doe forgiue men theyr trespasses our heauenly father will also forgiue vs. But if we do not forgiue men theyr trespasses no more wil our heauenly father forgiue vs our trespasses That so all we which are redeemed with one price by the precious blood of the vnspotted lambe may ioyne together as partakers of one inheritance and the children of one father and so goe forewarde to one glorie by one way and become al one in Iesus Christ our Lorde In this case the good father calleth his sonne vnto him and exhorteth him in this manner My sonne harken vnto mee these be the last words which I shal speake vnto thee Thou seest in me the weakenes and decay of flesh thou shalt be as I am now One passeth before another the worlde and the beauty thereof fade away and come to an ende Trust not the worlde it wil deceiue thee walke aduisedly knowe y t thou shalt giue an accompt of thy doings For we must al appeare before y e iudgement seate of christ y t euery man may receaue the things which are done in his body according to that hee hath done whether it be good or euil Deceiue no man by wrongful dealing encrease not thy goodes by extortion nor by vsury he that giueth his money vnto vsurie shall not enter into the tabernacle of the Lorde Hee that taketh vsury of his neighbour killeth him without a sword The Lord wyll auenge it he wil not blesse yl gotten goods they cannot prosper they wyll neuer continue nor remayne vnto the third heire My sonne in all thy doings feare the Lord. If thou feare the Lord thou shalt prosper in the day of thine ende thou shalt bee blessed Medle not much with other mens busines least thou be entangled with controuersies abhorre the flanderer double tongued Let my doings which am thy father be euer before thyne eyes Those few goodes which I haue were truly gotten I haue not gathered them of the teares and heauines and vndoing or hindering of any Be faithfull to thy wife and besides her know none other Helpe thy neighbour accordinge to thy power and turne not thy face from the poore needie Be mercifull after thy power If thou hast much giue plentiously if thou hast licle do thy diligence gladly to giue of that litle Be not slowe to visit the sick whatsoeuer thou takest in hande remember the ende and thou shalt neuer do amisse As for me I haue passed the vanities and miseries of this world The Lorde hath giuen and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord. He is the Lorde my God let hym doe with me as it seemeth good vnto hym I knowe that this shall hasten my saluatien And that Christ shalbe magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death I haue not so liued that I am ashamed to liue neither am I afrayde to die for we haue a gracious Lord. I know that if my earthly house of this tabernacle bee destroyed I haue a building giuē of God that is an house not made with handes but eternal in y ◠heauens They that die in the Lord are blessed they shall rest from their labors Christ is vnto me both in lyfe and in death aduantage In such sort do the Godly prepare themselues to their iourney out of this life Then the Minister prayeth that he e may bee constant in this faith he strengtheneth him confirmeth him in it He exhorteth the sicke to commende him selfe vnto God he prayeth vnto God that he will giue his Angels charge ouer him to keepe him and defende hym that hee fall not into temptation He teacheth him to saye O lord in thee haue I trusted let mee neuer be confounded Come Lord Iesus come and take mee vnto thee Lord let thy seruant depart in peace thy kindome come I am thy sonne thine am I O saue me into thine hands O Lord I commende my spirite thou hast redeemed mee O Lorde God of trueth In this state he dyeth and hath his eyes alwayes fastened vpon God and so seeth how indeede the dead are blessed which dye in the Lord. Thus doth the Churche of God instruct all men to liue and to die and to bee in readinesse Thus ar the sicke amonge vs annointed with the inner in uisible oyle of y ◠mercie of God Thus are they put in minde to haue the oyle of faith and of a good conscience and that their lampes may euer be burning that so they may enter in with the