beare the name of Christians to take from him his power and to spoyle him of his strength and glory to the end to giue it ouer vnto diuerse gouernours which thei themselues haue forged after their owne apetit For God is not acknowledged or aduoutched for God when men attribute vnto hym a bare name onely but when all authority is geuen vnto hym Hereby we may see that when it is sayed that God is hee that maketh peace and createth il it is not to be vnderstode that he is the doer or autor of naughty things and the oposition which is heere shelues it more plainly to wete this woord peace for there is a contrariety herein betwene prosperity aduersity for a maÌ„ ought to vnderstaÌ„d by peace prosperity as also by y e al aduersity to wete war famine al other lyke things wher as if ther were a coÌ„trariety betwene iustice euil this error might haue soÌ„e colour but the contrariety that is here shewes veri wel another selfe to were that ther is neither prosperity nor aduersity neither good nor euil but that proceadeth froÌ„ y â— haÌ„d of God of whoÌ„ we cannot say that he is author of the fault but of the payne There are restimentes â—now in the holy Scripture which shew plainly that the Lord shal â—aue the mischeuous and proud to chasten vs by them yet for all that we cannot say that he breatheth into them the 〈◊〉 but he vseth it or serues his courâ—e with it or correct vs therin doth the 〈◊〉 Iudge So we may conclude that God is the only author of al things that is to say prosperitye and adueâ—sity are sente by him although he vse the hand of men to the ende that nothing be attributes to forrane or to any other cause But euen as God tempreth not nor stirreth any persone to euel dooing as he himself is not tempted to euel so also the Diuel burneth with a raging desire of doing il God wil vse hym hys wickednesse to proue try vs yet the wickednesse is roted in y â— sprite of y â— Diuel and God hath not breathe 〈◊〉 into him he is called a liar and a murtherer and that he hath of his owne he is accustomed to lie and can do nothing els but forge lies with craft and guile but that he hath of hymselfe and not of the fyrst creation of God for when y â— Lord Iesus maketh hym the workman and author of lies he doth manifestly separate him from God and makes him al together contrary to God so much we may wel say of al the wicked and reprobate that are obstinate in their wickednesse God hath in no wise wrought y â— euel or mischef that is in them 20 Honour thy father and thy mother and he that shall curse his Father Mother let hym die the deathe Exod. 20. 〈◊〉 If any com to me hate not his Father and Mother he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14. THIS coÌ„mauÌ„dement is set forth in the law of God that we shoulde honor our fathers mothers and this coÌ„maundementt requires that the children be lowly toward their fathers obey them reuerence them and helpe them as they are bound and to be at their commaundement The true loue is there required without which there can be no true obedience and as the promise of loÌ„g life is made vnto those that obei their fathers and mothers in the curse is pronouÌ„ces against such as curse or speake ill or are stubborne towarde their parentes yea they are adiudged to Death by the lawe of God Exod. 21. Leuit. 10. Deut. 〈◊〉 and thoughe they shuld escape the hand of men â–ª yet God wyll reuenge 〈◊〉 in some sorte although he â—arry long as we may see it by coÌ„mon experience For how many of such people die either in the warres either in bralles or are eueri day geueÌ„ into the hands of the hangman or dye shamefully before their age or in some other sort so that a man may perceaue that it is Goddes hande that maketh them dy w t shame And if it com to pas that they escape to the old later age yet do they but pine away bicause thei are destitute of the blessing of God Then seing the loue of Parentes is so muche commended vnto vs yea and that in such sorte that whosoeuer doth agaynst it eyther by rebellion eyther by disobedieÌ„ce or by striking is adiudged to Death by the certaine decree of God How may this agree with it that a man shuld hate his Father and Mother to follow the sonne of God Our Lord Iesus coÌ„mauÌ„deth vs not to take away and put of the affections of men he doth not forbid vs to loue our pareÌ„tes as we ought but he doth decree that all the mutuall loue y â— is betweene men should kepe his owne due ordre to the ende that the feare of God shoulde be farre aboue all Let the house band loue his wife the wife hir houseband the father his sonne the soÌ„ne his father so as for al y t the loue of man beareth not the reuerence that is due vnto our Lord Iesus For if among men themselfe euen where the line of frendshyp is strayghtest there are some aboue others is it not reason y â— the soÌ„ne of God should be placed before all And in very dede this is not a sufficieÌ„t acknowledâ— to considre what it is to be receaued among the Disciples of Iesus Christ if the price of thys honour and dignitye haue not the force in vs to subdue and represse al the affections of our fleshe It now any man thinke that thys maner of speach to hate his Father is to hard yet it is one self sense as if he said if the loue of our fathers and mothers let vs from following Christ we must Manfully resist it 21 Hebr. 6. They that haue bene once illumynated and haue tasted the heauenlye gyft and bene partakers of the holye Ghost haue tasted the good vvord of God and the povver of the vvorld to coÌ„me it is vnpossible they should be renevved by repentaunce if they fall back VVhosoeuer shall call vpon the name of God shal be saued WHEN God pronounceth hys threatnings vnto vs and is wylling to astonne vs wyth them he pryckes vs forward as sluggish slow asses to seke our saluatioÌ„ And in these Iudgements he setteth before vs dredful signs as though the suÌ„ne wer altogether dimmed w t darknesse y â— Mone tourned into blood and al that is here below mingled and confounded And also after that he hath so filled the heauen and earth with darkenesse yet for all that he sheweth vs the meane how we mai openly see our saluation shine before our eyes that is by calling vpoÌ„ hys name If God dyd but simply promise to saue vs yet that were a greate mater but behold here a more excelleÌ„t and farre greater thing when he promiseth this saluatioÌ„ among diuers bottomlesse depthes and
and the ministers of his Gospell bycause they carry a lanterne before other to lead to guyde theÌ„ For seing we be al blynd in the myddest of darkenesse God lyghteth vs by the lyght of hys worde which is spoken to vs by his ministers Yet he garnisheth Iohn the Baptiste particularly with thys title of honour bycause that by his ministery God gaue a much more excellent lyght to hys Church 27 There is but one good and that is God Mark 10. A good man bryngeth forth good out of the treasure of hys hart Luke 6. IT is true that men be they neuer so excellent cannot deserue so honorable a title as to be called good no not y â— Angels For they haue not one only droppe of goodnesse of themselfe But they haue from God whatsoeuer they haue y â— is good Besyde be it in men or be it in the Angels goodnesse is but begonne in theÌ„ it is not perfect Yet we must vnderstand what y â— meaning of our Lord Iesus Christ is when he sayth to the yong man whye doest thou call me good There is none good but God he will not affirme there y â— he is God but he bryngeth thys yong man in to beleue hys doctryne He had already a certayne affection to obey but Iesus Christ wil haue hym mount hygher to heare this holy doctryne as froÌ„ the mouth of the liuyng God and not of a mortal man For as men are wont to make of diuels Angels so without discretion men cal them good teachers which haue no true or good felyng of God And so ar the gyftes of God prophaned It is no maruel then y â— Christ sendes thys yong man to God to the end he may geue authority to his doctryne Yet there is no inconuenience in callyng a man good wheÌ„ God hath chaunged hys hart whiche by nature was ill and when he hath prynted in hym some of hys goodnesse So the goodnesse shalbe alwayes Gods and the man also shalbe good Yet it shal not be of hym selfe But in that God hath made him such So it is sayd that a good man bryngeth forth goodnesse from the good treasure of hys harte Thys sentence admonysheth y â— faythful which made profession to be Gods seruauntes to examyne and aduise theÌ„ diligently what they set forth Nothing wil coÌ„me oute of the sacke but what is in it as the prouerbe sayeth The naughtye hart cannot but beare witnesse of it self by prophane words and by wicked wordes So a hart fearyng God sends forth fruites worthy a ChristiaÌ„ man But we must returne to thys poynt that the hart cannot bee good but by the onely goodnesse and grace of God and out of this self roote the good fruytes also shall sprynge 28 Mark. â— Touching the day and houre none knovveth it no not the Angels that are in heauen nor the sonne him self none but the father All povver is geuen me in heauen and in earth Math. â— IF all power bee geuen to our Lord Iesus as wel in heauen as in earth it semeth there is nothyng no not in heauen hyd or vnknowen vnto hym But by the way we must note to what purpose he spake thys Christ willyng to appoynt hys Apostles to Preache the Gospell fyrst spake to them of hys power A meane or common authoritye had not in thys case sufficed But it was mete that he which sent to haue eternal and happy life to be promysed in hys name should haue an Empyre souerayne and in very dede diuine to thend y â— al the world might be brought in awe of hym and that hys doctryne which shoulde be published should bee able to â—ame al loftynes and to bryng downe al mankynde the Apostles had neuer bene persuaded to take on theÌ„ so hard a charge except they had bene very certaine that their warrante was placed in heaueÌ„ being of soueraine power He calles himself Lord and kyng as wel of heauen as of earthe bycause that in that he bringeth men so true obedience by the preaching of his gospel he hath established and appoynted the throne of his Kingdome on earthe And in that he regenerateth his faithful into a new lyfe and calleth them to the hope of saluation he openneth the heauens to the end to lyft vp to happy immortalitye with the Angels those which before not only crepe in y â— world but also were plunged in the dark bottomlesse depth of death True it is that Christ euerlastingly hath had with his father al power and autority and that of his own right but yet it is sayd that it was geuen him to weâ—e in our flesh Then he is apointed gouernor iudge soueraigne Prince ouer al the whole Church but it was not clearly knoweÌ„ tyl after hys resurrection For then at the laste he was adorned with the markes of a soueraigne King and receauing a name aboue al names hee had also the endes of al things in his handâ— to dispose them at his good pleasure But whilest he is yet in our mortal flesh it is sayd that the sonne him selfe knoweth not when the day shal be of hys fearful comming In asmuchas he is God nothing is vnknoweÌ„ vnto him He hath bene euer God neyther hath his Manhode taken any thing froÌ„ hys diuine maiesty The two natures were vnseparably ioyned together in hym but it was in such sorte that neither of both lost their property Chiefly the Diuinitie rested and shewed not it self as often as it was expedient that the nature of man did that which belonged to it to accomplish the charge and office of a Mediatour Wherfore ther is no absurdity or inconuenience in thys that the sonne of God who knew al yet according to the conceyte and vnderstanding of hys manhoode there was some thing which he knew not for otherwise he coulde not haue bene subiecte eyther to griefe or to carefulnes or haue bene like vnto vs. A man may reply y t this caÌ„not be spoken of the soÌ„ne of God that he was ignoraunt bicause ignorance is the punnishment of sinn and he sinned neuer It is also spoken here of the heauenly Angels that this day is hidden from them wil any say that this ignorauÌ„ce procedeth of sinne Though they haue in no wise offeÌ„ded yet are they in somwise ignoraunt As touching the sonne of God he hath so put on mans fleshe that he hath taken on hym the paynes due for sinne And where he knew not of y e later day according to his humain nature that doth no more take away any thing from his â—â—nne nature thaÌ„ his being mortal dyd 29 You haue the poore vvyth you alvvays but me you shall not haue alvvayes Math. 26. I am alvvayes vvyth you vntil the ende of the vvorld Math. 28. THe Lord Iesus speaketh of hiÌ„self in both places touching y e first alowiÌ„g y â— which Mary had don he shewes how this seruice plesed hiÌ„ y t is not y â— he toke pleasure in the 〈◊〉 which had bene
poured out vpon him for the good â—auours sake but in 〈◊〉 respecte of hys burial bycause that by such a 〈◊〉 he woulde geue them to vnderstand that his graue shuld be filled with good sauour as be did spred sauour of life and saluatioÌ„ through al the world But sith that the truth of this figure hath bene perfectly accomplished and the sonne of God when he came out of the graue performed with the good sauoure and quickening smel of hys death not only one house but the whole world It wer a folly to begin again to do that which should be without cause or profite And therfore he sendeth vs back to the pore to the end we shuld not excuse our selfe as though we could no more occupye ourselues in his seruice for once he requyred such seruice as that which Mary did to hym But nowe seeing he is mounted into y e heauenly glory ther is neyther golde nor siluer nor precious oyntments nor sumptuousnesse whatsoeuer they be which we may offre vnto hym to do hym acceptable seruice Now wher he sayth you shal not haue me alwais with you that is to take froÌ„ vs al excuse as though he said that froÌ„ thence forward he would nomore take pleasure in that which once he woulde haue done to him He maketh a distinctioÌ„ betwene y â— ordinary seruice which must be euer vsed among the faythful and that extraordinary seruice whyche had an end when he went vp into heauen Wil we bestow our money wel in true Sacrifice and in holy offering Let vs bestow it to relieue the necessity of the poore and neady For our Lord Iesus sayth that he is no longer wyth vs in this world to be serued with pompes and outward preparations And we know yea and we feele by the experience of faythe that Christ is presente with vs by his strength gostly grace But he dwelleth not visibly among vs 〈◊〉 of vs earthly honor He saith 〈◊〉 you vnto the end of the world He had â—â—yd that he was appoynted Kyng of heauen and of earth Afterwarde vs promiseth to assist his Apostels whom he had enioined a hard office charge warning them not to loke vpon that which they could do of themself but to leane vpon his strengthe and inumerble power The maner of this presence which the Lord promiseth to his faithful must be vnderstode spiritually for it is not nedeful that he should not coÌ„e downe from heauen to succour vs seeing he can help vs by the grace of hys holy spirite stretching forth his hande to vs from the highest of the heauens As touching hys humayne nature it is certaine that there is an infinite distaunce betweene hym and vs. But he not onely spreads the efficacy of his spirite through al the worlde but also he dwelleth truely in vs. Moreouer thys promisse is not made only to the Apostels for it reacheth euen to the end of the world Very true it is that he promyseth hys ayde chyefly to hys ministers whyche for that they are weake and needy in euery condition coulde not execute the lest part of their office Seing then their charge is as troublesome and harde as it is healthful assuredly they haue more neede than all other of the assistance of oure Lorde Iesus to the end they may haue the victorye of al the assaultes and battayles of thys world as in these dayes it is shewed vs by playne experience that christ worketh wonderfully by a secret manner so that y â— gospel hath his course though Sathan lay many lettes in the way But generally al the faythfull ar partakers of thys promisse to the ende no man shuld be discoraged as though he were forsaken Let vs then make thys conclusion that although Christ be departed into heauen yet he is not so departed butte that hee euer is and wil bee to the ende with vs. He hath taken away the presence of hys body from our sight but he leaueth not the whylest to assist hys faythfull which muste yet liue in thys worlde but hee gouerneth the worlde wyth a more presente strength Thys promysse of hys continuall assistaunce was accomplyshed by hys asceÌ„tion in which as y â— body of y â— soÌ„n of god was lifted vp aboue al y â— heaueÌ„s so his power and efficacy is spred beyond al the bouÌ„des of heauen and of earthe So then these two things may wel be said that the sonne of God is no more amoÌ„g vs and yet he is among vs and shal be euer vntil the ende of the worlde He is here no more according to the presence of hys humaine nature but he is here acording to the presence of his Maiesty For a few dayes the Church had hym present in his flesh now not seing him with bodily eyes shee possesseth hym by fayth 30 Thy vvyll be done on earth as it is done in heauen Math. 6. Appeasing by the bloud of hys crosse the thinges vvhiche be as vvell in heauen as in earthe Colloss 1. WE desire by this petition contained in the Lordes prayer that al creatures may truely and perfitly obey God on earth as his â–ª Angels in heauen do and execute his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„ts al his holy ordinauÌ„ces without any gayn saying and not seeke to dysplease hym in any sorte Lyke as they know that ther is nothing better than that which God wylles so they do readily obey hym And this is the cause why they abide stil and are not subiect to chaunge and corruption and why they haue quietnes and continual happinesse To weete bicause they are in al and altogether agreeing to the wyl of God Seeing then there is nothyng in them that w tstandeth the holye and good wyl of God nothing that turnes them awaye from his holye decrees nothing that can be desired or wyshed biside his good pleasure it can not be but they enioy soueraine rest and true blessefulnesse Syth it is so that the Angelles of heauen synce their creation haue euer in al things and altogether yelded vnto God true obedience by that meanes there hath neuer bene strife or hatred betwene him and them how commeth it to passe that they had neede to be reconciled For in the fyrst Chapiter of the Collossians mentioÌ„ is made not onely of men which are meant by the things which be on earth but also of Angelles which are meant by thynges that are in heauen If hereupon a man woulde say that the Angels haue bene sette at one with men and so the heauenly creatures are at one againe with earthly things This is not that which Saint Paul meaneth here for he sayth expressely that God hath recoÌ„ciled theÌ„ to himself The maner of maÌ„s reconciling to God is this that before while they were estraunged from hym by sinne they should haue felte him to be a Iudge to their ruine and condemnation if the grace of the Mediatoure had not coÌ„me betweene to appease hys angre So the attonemente made betwene God and men is that
Image of hys Christ yet they were at quiet and neuer fel from the faith The Apostle thē maketh hys argument thus A farre greater occasion of perseueraunce is nowe a dayes geuen vnto vs therefore if we shrinke wee are doubly inexcusable They from far of beheld the spirituall kingdō of Iesus Christ whose face in these dayes is so nere vnto vs. More ouer they saluted y e promises frō a far in stead of that they dwel so famyliarly thys day amōg vs And yet they contynued til the death What a negligence wer it if we shuld not beleue yea how great wer our sicknes if we shuld fayle in our fayth But yet a man mighte saye that they could not beleue except they had receaued the promisses Vpon the whiche it behoued necessarilye that their faythe should be grounded Thys as we haue sayd already is spoken by comparison for they were farre of from this degree vnto whiche God hath lyfted vs vppe Wherefore though on selfe saluation were promised to them and vs yet they had not the same clearenesse of the promises that we this day enioy vnder the kingdome of Iesu Christ but they wer content to beholde it from a farre 73 None is gone vp to heauen but he vvhych came dovvne from heauen the Sōne of man vvhych is in heauē Ioan. 3. O Father I vvyll that they vvhych thou haste gyuen me shall bee there vvhere I am that they may see my glory Ioan. 17. AL men that thinke to mount vp to heauen by the quicknesse of theyre wittes that is to say who by theyr owne sense think purely to knowe the mysteries of God and to be illuminated with spirituall vnderstanding are greatly deceiued The carnal mā saith Saint Paul comprehendes not y e thinges which are of God So then all the finenesse of mans wit is farre recoyled backe from those thinges that belong to God bycause man is farre vnderneath God The Lord Iesus sayeth that he alone went vp into heauenand that the passage is shut agaynst all the rest Fyrste hee humbleth vs when hee shutteth the entry to heauen frō al mē And hyther also Saint Paul ledeth vs when he sayth that we muste be fooles in our selues if we wil be wise in God But there is nothing that we do more vnwillingly And when we com to God all our wytts fayle vs and fall quite away But forasmuche as Christ hath openned heauen vnto vs he offreth vs with al the ready remedy when he saieth that that which is denied to al the rest is graūted vnto the sōne of man For it is not for his owne commodytie that he went vp to heauen but that he myghte be our leader and sure guyde Therfore he called himself the sonne of man that we should not doubt but the entry into heauen is common to vs as wel as to hym He hath put on our humaine fleshe that wee might be partakers of al his benefits yea he only knoweth the secretes of hys father But he admitteth vs to his secretes whyche otherwise should be hidden from vs. Nowe to come to the vnderstanding of the other sentence The sonne of God desyreth that wher he is now ther also we shuld be And hys desyre importeth an effect that is that we shal be indeede where he is True it is that he is with vs vntyl the ende of the worlde and accordyng to hys promysse we enioye hys blessed presence and for euer shal enioy it But bysyde that he wil also haue vs at the laste brought to hys heauenly Kingdome and that we then shoulde enioye the same glorye to the whych he is nowe raysed vppe For he speaketh of the perfect blessefulnesse of hys faythful Hys desire that his faithfull shoulde be receaued into heauen shal not be frustrate Vnto this part is referred that whyche is added after namelye that they may see my glorye From that tyme forward the Apostels sawe the glory of the sonne of God but it was as a litle glimpes of light in respect of that glori which shal be thorowlye manifested in the heauenly Kyngdome as if one being shut in darknes through a litle cleft enioied a litle light The whylest let vs remembre that euen as no man can now go vppe vnto the hidden counsels of God how sharp soeuer or subtile hys wyt be except the sonne of man whiche is Iesus Christe cause him to go vp so no man shal com vnto the heauenly glori vnles the same sonne of man heaue hym vp 74 I come not to cal the ryghteous but synners Math. 9 ▪ Saluation is farre from sinners Psal 119. THE righteous are welcom to god namely they that with a good consciēce do al that they may to obey God acording to his holy righteousnes which not withstanding make not accompt of their own righteousnesse but as of dong But here mention is made of those righteous whiche contentyng themselues with their owne righteousnesse would not be better by the grace and meere goodnesse of God And that also which Christ sayth here is not only to beate back the pride and hypocrysy of the Scribes but there is byside a general doctrine in thys sentence that the grace of the sonne of God shall not profit vs except we earnestly feele our synnes and grone vnder their burden And that therby we be moued to come to hym in all humblenesse On the other part the weak consciences are lyfted vp into a sure truste for we muste not feare that Christ wil cast away sinners syth he is descended from hys heauenly glory to call them The contrariety then shall be taken away when we shall vnderstande that there are two sortes of sinners The scripture many tymes vseth thys word in that sort and chiefly in the Psalmes meaning those that of stubbournesse harden themself in al il and of pride refuse al the graces of God And to speak at a word which in their dissolute and desperate lyfe carry a certayne marke of reprobation It is truely said of such that saluation is farre from them seeing they reiect Iesus Christ whiche is author of saluation Christ then is not a Sauiour vnto al sinners as also it is added that he is come to cal sinners to repentaunce Pardon is gyuen vs but it is not to nourish and maintayn sine but to bring vs to lyue wel and Godly For the sonne reconcileth vs to his father vnder this condition that beeing bought agayne by hys bloud we shuld offre our self as liuely sacrifices as S. Paul saith Tit 3. The goodnes and mercy of God is opened to the end that renouncing all carnal desires we should lyue holily Where there is no repentaunce there also is no saluation 75 I vvrite you not a nevv cōmaundement but the olde commaundement vvhiche you had frō the beginnyng 1. Ioan. 2. Agayne I vvrite you a nevve commaundement ◠Ioan. 2. THE commaundement that is spoken of here is of charity loue It is called an olde commaundemēt bycause the
Epistle as from vs as if the day of the Lord vvere at hand ◠Thess 2. IT is certayne that among other tokens the cōmyng of Antichrist is an infallible marke of the latter dayes Now the Apostles by y ◠latter dayes or y e latter time note the raigne of Christ which is frō his fyrst cōmyng vnto the day of y ◠resurrection as it is shewed 2. Peter 3 and as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 10 y ◠endes of ages are cōme vnto vs. And els where he foretelleth y ◠from the begynnyng ther shalbe a turnyng backe which shalbe as a general euil After y ◠he setteth forth the aduersarie of Christ to be head of al Apostasie which shal sit in the temple of God attributing Godhead vnto hymself and y ◠honours that be due◠God Duryng thys tyme or duryng the raigne of Christ which is y ◠latter tyme ther shalbe many Antichristes For synce Christ as many heretykes as ther haue bene and authors of sectes so many members wer there of the kingdome which is contrary to the Kyngdome of Christ But yet it is not in vs to make the tyme nere at hande or to limyte it in certayne yeares or ages after oure folyshe fantasyes and dreames And neyther must we folishly receaue at others hands such prognostications least we might be vnaduisedly astōned through such reportes or that wee shoulde promyse oure selfe vaynely some lyghte or sodayne passage to the resurrection as though we shoulde bee exempt from the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ There are many places in the holy Scriptures which beare witnesse y ◠the day of the Lord is at hand yet it behoueth vs to consider in what meanyng it is spoken to wete in respect of God w t whō a thousand yeares ar as a day But in the meane season God wil haue vs wayte for hym from houre to houre and continually so that wee appoynte hym not a certayne space of time And so he geueth vs this warning Watch sayth he for you knowe neither the day nor the hour Moreouer these false pronosticatours whiche are repulsed by Saint Paule in steade of y ◠they should holde the myndes of men in doubt to the end the tarrying should not be tedyous to them they would haue mē assured that the sonne of God would cōme very shortlye 88 VVho confesseth me beefore men I vvill acknovvledge hym also before my father vvhich is in heauen Math. 10. Haue vvee not Prophecyed in thy name But then I vvill saye to them I knevve you neuer Math. 7. THE strength and valiaūtnesse of Christes Dysciples ought to tend to thys end that they should be alwayes ready to cōfesse hys holy name The greater part of mē make smal accompt of thys confession yet the sonne of God doth put it among the chiefe exercises of true religion that of good ryght For if earthly prynces cal their subiectes to beare weapon for the defence of their glory and honour and to augment their ryches what reasō can there be y t the faythful of Christ should not at the least employe their tonges to mayntayne the glory and honour of their heauenly King There is not one Christen man alone whom the sonne of God wil not haue to be a witnesse of hys truth But to inflame our zeale he addeth to it a syngular promyse y t if we make confession of hym beefore men he will lykewise aduoutch vs before his father whiche is in heauen When wee shall haue cōfessed him here beneth in earth deserue we that he should aduoutch vs in heauen Who is the sonne of God And who ar we He wil beare witnesse of vs. And what a vyllanny shall thys be of vs to refuse to beare witnesse of hym If we make comparison of our◠selfe whiche are mortall men and of no value with God and hys Angells and all hys heauenly glorye howe muche more excellent is that whyche Christ promyseth vs than that which he requyreth of vs For thoughe the vnbeleuers are men and peruerse men yet Christ oure Lorde esteemeth the witnesse whiche wee beare of hym beefore them as if God with hys Aungels wer present to heare our witnesse Howe then oughte thys promyse to moue vs to make confession of hym here beneath beefore men seeyng he wyl aduoutche vs in heauen before his father But in the seconde sentence oure Lorde Iesus summoneth the hypocrites beefore hys Iudgement seate For whylest they occupye any place in the Churche they flatter themselues and wythall they abuse other He pronounceth then that the daye shal cōme in whyche the floure shalbee pourged and the strawe and chaffe shalbee parted from the good grayne They shall boaste y t they Prophecyed in the name of the Sonne of God that is to saye done the offyce of teachyng vnder hys authoritye or leadyng but they shal at the length know that what fayre confessiō so euer they haue made outwardly it shal be for all that nothyng in effect howsoeuer men esteme it They shal haue confessed hym with their tong so Christ will confesse also on hys part that al the fayre professiō that they shal haue made hath ben but lyes and vanitye And behold what the confession of Christ contayneth that he neuer accounted them for hys no not when they boasted themselfe to bee the pyllers of the Churche The Lord knoweth well those that be hys sayth Saint Paule let them that call vpon the name of the Lord withdrawe thēself from al iniquitye Let vs thē make a distinction betwene the true confessiand the false and we shal know whoe they are that Christ aduoucheth who they be that he casteth of 89 Blessed are they that feare the Lord. Psalme 128. Feare is not in Loue. 1. Ioan. 4. THERE are two sortes of feare the firste procedeth of Fayth whiche maketh vs apprehend the presence of God and thys apprehension can not bee wythout feare notwithstanding that feare is not without comforte The wicked also may haue feare and horrour of the presence of the lord but that feare maketh them to remayn confounded There is a goodly example of bothe in the resurrection of the Sonne of God The Soldiours that kepte the tombe feared The holye wemen also that came to anoynt hys body were afraid But let vs heare what difference there is betwene the one feare and the other The Soldioures whyche were inured with tumultes and stryfe were for all that so astonnied and swallowed vp with fighte that they fell as half dead yea not hauing strengthe or power to ryse The wemen lykewyse feared but comforte followed by and by after which raysed thē vp from their feare flyghte so that at the last they began to hope for some better thing And truely it is very conuenient that y ◠hygh maiesty of God should indifferently make al to tremble as well the good as the ill to the ende that all flesh may kepe scilence before hys face But after that