well or to obtaine by our good deeds Therefore in Saint Matthewes Gospell the Lords prayer seemes to containe in it seuen petitions in three whereof eternall things are desired and in the other foure temporall things but yet such as are necessarie to the obtaining of those heauenly things For when as we say Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdome come let thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen All which petitions some haue verie conueniently vnderstood that we shall keepe them in our body and soule altogether world without end and that here being but as it were begunne in vs how greatly soeuer we shall profit in them they are but increased in vs but that which we all hope for being perfected in another life wee shall enioy them for euer But that we say Giue vs this day our daily bread and forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs and lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill who seeth not but that these doe belong to the necessities of this present life Therefore in that euerlasting life where we hope we shall be for euer both the sanctification of the name of God and his kingdome and his will shall remaine in our soules perfectly and euerlastingly But it is therfore called our Daily bread because that here it is necessarie for vs in as much as it is to be giuen both to our soules and bodies whether it be vnderstood either corporally or spiritually or both waies Here also is that Forgiuenesse which we desire where also is all forgiuenesse of sinnes Here also are those Temptations which either allure or moue vs to sinne Here also is that Euill from which wee desire to be deliuered But there that is in heauen there are none of all these The Euangelist Saint Luke in the Lordes prayer makes mention not of seuen but of fiue petitions neither doth he for all that dissent from Saint Matthew but by his breuitie he teacheth vs how these seuen are to be vnderstood The name of God is sanctified in spirit And the kingdome of God shall come at the resurrection of the flesh therefore Saint Luke shewing that the third petition is but as it were a repetition of the two former by omitting that would teach vs thus much Then he addes the other of our daily bread and remission of sinnes and of eschuing temptation but that which Saint Mathew hath last but deliuer vs from euil that he hath not mentioned that we might vnderstand that it belonged to that other which Saint Mathew spake of concerning temptation And therefore Saint Mathew saith but deliuer vs he doth not say and deliuer vs shewing it to be but one petition He did not say that I say but this that euery one might know that then they are deliuered from euill if they were not ledde into temptation Thus farre Augustine In this short summe of the Lords prayer euerie true Catholique maie learne these lessons First to make al their prayers to God alone if they minde to be blessed and not accursed as saint Austen here plainly teacheth And that this prayer containes in it seuen petitions thrée wherof are for heauenly things and foure for the things of this present life And the first thrée by Saint Austens iudgement we must begin to learne here in this life and that although we learne them neuer so well and praie for them all our life yet we shall neuer perfectlie learne them as long as we liue here they shall be onelie perfectlie learned in heauen How farre then shall those be from learning these lessons which all their liues neuer knew what they meant which said Paternoster in Latine in a toong they vnderstood not We maie learne here also out of Austen that all remission of sinnes is in this life and therefore that there is no remission of sinnes as the Papists teach now in the life to come And therefore the Popes pardons and purgatorie are nothing worth Euerie true Catholique must learne here out of Austen that all remission of his sinnes is to be had in this life and that after his death to giue anie thing whereby to hope to bee relieued is in vaine Againe here we maie learne to reconcile Matthew and Luke and not to thinke that euerie thing that séemes contrarie at the first sight is contrarie These two Euangelists though they séeme to disagrée yet they agrée most excellentlie as Saint Austen teacheth Thus much S. Austen teacheth all Catholiques in this briefe summe of the Lords prayer But to come more particularlie to it and to handle euerie part thereof these good lessons brieflie and dailie euerie true Catholique maie learne out of it being said in English which by the latine Pater noster they could neuer haue learned First when as they saie Our Father by these words they may learne that God is now their father and therefore loues them and cares for them yea and that so déerelie as that in comparison of his great loue and care which he hath of them our sauiour Christ saith Mat. 23.9 Call no man father now vpon earth for there is but one your father which is in heauen All the fathers in the world loue not their children so déerely nor are so carefull for them as God our heauenlie father is for euerie one euen the meanest of vs that be his children euen for poore Lazarus And this also was the first lesson our Sauiour taught his after his resurrection when as he appeared first of all others to Marie Magdalen who continued wéeping at his Sepulchre when as Peter and Iohn were gone home againe Io. 20.15.17 A speciall and a comfortable lesson how all true penitent sinners shall finde Christ euen nowe also after his ascension Go saith he and tell my brethren and saie vnto them I ascend to my father and to your father to my God and to your God Oh happie newes the gladdest tydings that euer was brought to men And this is the fruit of Christs passion To purchase this for vs he endured all those torments This we should most assuredlie beléeue and euer haue this opinion of God and euer carrie this in our mindes This is a comfortable lesson This should make vs forsake our olde Pater noster if we should haue said it all our life long it could neuer haue taught vs thus much This should make vs feare nothing This should make vs trust in God in all our dangers and to come to him boldlie and with great confidence euen as children are woont to doe to a most louing father in all our necessities The forgetfulnesse of this Mat. 6.32 causeth vs often to begin to sinke as Peter did when he sawe a great waue of the sea comming against him Mat. 14.30 Secondlie we maie learne by this that if we accompt God our father then also we should accompt one another as brethren and so deale with them as with brethren He is a
merites and these benefits why should I not therefore henceforth hope for grace glory and the forgiuenes of my sinnes seeing I haue such a treasure and such a bountifull treasurer who is euery day ready to satisfie his father for all my debts For if it shall be a thing iust and conuenient that the innocent should be punished and that the honourable should be despised that he should make satisfaction for sinnes and should cancell the bond and obligation openly in the sight of all men shal it not be a thing also both iust meet that the guilty persons for whom he suffered and made satisfaction should now bee acquited from all their debts and pronounced iustified before God Iustice found out a way and meanes to enter into the holy mans house who ought nothing and was not indebted and he executed his great rigor there and shall not mercie then finde out a waie which leades to the debters house that she may blot out our sinnes and pardon our offences It is a greater miracle that God should be taken scourged and condemned and die vpon a Crosse then to receiue an enemie for a friend and to vse a traitour as a sonne if he would repent him and be conuerted vnto the Lord. If therefore that be done which is the greater why should we doubt then of that which is the lesser Now therefore O Lord thy mercie is extold and lift vp verie high and thy bounteous liberality is proued and tried vpon sinners thy iustice also is magnified it hath exercised and executed her rigour and seueritie vpon the innocent and harmelesse without fault wherefore although grace be not giuen to a sinner to him as he is a sinner yet notwithstanding let it be giuen him for thy deerely beloued sonnes sake who redeemed him with so deere a price and at so great a rate It is thy mercie that a sinner should be saued if we looke into and consider the basenesse and vilenesse of sinners but it is thy iustice if we respect Christ and we hauing the one haue the other also And againe Blessed be therefore that condemned innocencie which hath absolued and set free so many condemned persons Ibidem and blessed be that blamed iustice which hath iustified so many reprobates Therefore if his merites haue neither ende nor number and all of them belong to the health and saluation of our soules without all doubt this his petition shall neuer be denied him being our mediator and making nowe intercession for vs. For it were great wrong that he who had indured so many iniuries should not obtaine that which he askes least peraduenture his pitifull and mercifull father should againe torment and afflict the soule of his sonne by denying him that which he desires whose body before he grieued with diuers torments he receiued woundes in his bodie that they might effect and worke saluation in our soules which he deserued and purchased for vs by his patience and sufferings he was taken apprehended handled as a sinner who notwithstanding was iust that we sinners might be accepted of God as iust He died and indured the punishment due to vs and descended euen as it were into the depth of the sea with griefes which he suffered It were an vniust thing that the father should twise iudge one thing and should punish one fault with double punishment but it is meete that the debter should now be restored to his former libertie if he would but only repent seeing that his surety hath paied his debt so liberally and bountifully for him whom he was suretie for And againe Looke vpon O Lord the face of thine annointed Iesus Christ who was made obedient vnto the death Med vitae Christi 25. euen vnto the death of the Crosse and let not his woundes and scarres euer depart out of thy sight but let them alway stil remaine before thine eies that thou maiest remember what a great recompence and satisfaction thou hast receiued of him for our sinnes and transgressions I would to God thou O Lord wouldest way in a paire of ballance the sinnes wherewith we haue deserued thy wrath and indignation and the griefe and punishment which thy innocent sonne suffered for vs Surely it will appeare a farre greater and worthier cause that thou shouldest powre downe thy mercie vpon vs for that his suffering and punishment then was that transgression that thou shouldest hide thy mercies in anger and displeasure for our sinnes Let all tongues giue thankes vnto thee O Father for the exceeding great abundance of thy goodnes who hast not spared thine onely sonne thy best beloued the ioy of thy heart in whom thou art well pleased but hast giuen him ouer vnto death for vs all that we might haue him as a most faithfull aduocate before thee in heauen And what thankes shall I offer and render worthily vnto thee O Lord Iesu thou most zealous louer of mankinde who am a man dust and vile clay for what couldest thou more haue done for my soule that thou hast not done what hast thou left vndone Granatensis in all these places hath most manifestlie set before our eies the great benefit of Christs Redemption not onelie by the example of a suretie who would paie another mans debts but also of a most déere and faithfull friend who would endure punishment and would die for his friend And doth Poligranes saie that he hath onely taken awaie the fault and not the punishment How doth this doctrine diminish the merites of Christs passion and his excéeding great loue towards vs and that to maintaine the Popes pardons for without this they fall to the ground Againe Granatensis whatsoeuer he teacheth of satisfaction by our owne workes in other places Orat. 5. de vita Christi for himselfe hee praies thus O bloud that giues life and saluation O Lord vouchsafe to wash me with that bloud and to sanctifie and purifie me with that most precious liquor O Lord offer it to thy father for a perfect satisfaction and remedie of all my wickednesses What can be saide more manifestly then this No doubt this was his faith thus he praied to God for himselfe And in another place writing of the worthie receiuing of the Eucharist De sanct euch sacra lib. 3. cap 2. he praies thus O my most sweete Lord God so huge is the greatnesse of my sinnes that I can neither amend them nor make satisfaction to thee for them Therefore I desire to receiue thy welbeloued sonne who vpon the altar of the Crosse offered to thee for me a most perfect sacrifice the same I offer vnto thee now for my sinnes that he may make satisfaction for me For I know that there is nothing els neither in heauen nor in earth that is more gratefull vnto thee or can by anie meanes requite thee the debt I owe thee Granatensis here plainlie distrusts in his owne paiment either in part or in whole of his debts and sinnes and
shall neuer be confounded deliuer me in thy righteousnesse Thuâ— farre Ferus Here is the true Catholiques righteousnesse by Ferus his iudgement that is Christes merites and righteousnesse communicated and imputed to him And after hee writes thus Fiftly he enioyeth heauen by inheritance No man ascended into heauen but he that came downe from heauen For by good right heauen is due to him for hee is the naturall Sonne of God And therefore he saith All thine O Father are mine And Dauâ—d saith The heauen of heauens are the Lords and the earth hath he giuen to the children of men Whome therefore he shall take into part of this inheritance with him he shall enter into heauen We obtaine this by no right but onely of grace and because he hath mercifully promised it vnto vs. For our works what kind soeuer they are doe not deserue such a reward of equality or worthinesse but in as much as God mercifully accepts them And therefore Paul saith The sufferings of this life are not worthy the glory to come And the same saith againe That the weight of that glory to come aboue all measure exceedes all that we suffer in this life And of them he concludes and saith By grace ye are saued not of works least any one should bragge Again of faith and good works he writes thus Fer. in cap. 4. Act. They are builders which with holesome doctrine doe erect and mainetaine the house of God But as all men cannot tell how to build so nor how to preach He that will be a builder must know what is to be placed beneath and what aboue also hee must take care that his building be not only beautifull but also firme and strong They which teach faith without works build their wal with vntempered morter for the righteousnesse of the law cannot stand against the iudgment of God and therefore it must needes fall They which teach faith without works they laie truly a foundation but they build nothing on it therefore they refuse this stone which teach to trust in workâ— which teach righteousnesse to come by works as the Pharisies â—d Thus farre Ferus And do not the papists so now And a little after vpon these words There is no other nâ—â—e God hath appointed no other meanes to the world by which men must be saued then the name power and merite of Christ Our name is sinne lying vanity curse death but the name of Christ is that he is the Sonne of God holy iust the Authour of life Also his name is righteousnesse wisedome sanctification and redemption c. He that calles vpon this name that is hee which trusts by Christ and his onely righteousnesse and merites to be saued he truly obtaines saluation hee that goes about to be saued by any other thing beguiles himselfe No man comes to the father but by me saith Christ And S. Paul saith By him we haue accesse to the Father Therefore he which by his owne righteousnesse onely striues to go to God and to his goods shall neuer come to them So Israel following the law of righteousnesse attained not to the law of righteousnesse because he sought it of works onely and not of faith VVee must doe good works but we must not trust in that righteousnesse Good men may pray for vs but they cannot saue vs. Therefore when all is doon we must put all our trust in Christ and we must cleaue to him with hearty loue And after In this name the fathers of the old Tastament were saued For although the Sacraments by reason of the time do differ yet one and the selfe same faith agreeth Also Austen saith To the old iust men something was hidden when as notwithstanding they should be saued by the same faith which at their times should be reuealed whereof the Apostle saith Hauing the same Spirit of faith and therefore it is written I beleeued and therefore I spake And we beleeue and therefore we also speake He would not haue said the same vnlesse they had had the same Spirit of faith But as they when as that Sacrament was hidden beleeued that Christ should be incarnate and we beleeue that he is incarnate his comming to iudgement is looked for both of them and of vs. Thus far Ferus Where hee teacheth plainely that all true Catholiques must trust in Christ and in his merites they must doe good workes but they must not trust in them they may one pray for another but one cannot saue another they must let that alone for euer as Dauid teacheth in the Psalmes And that the old fathers and we were saued by the same faith Psal 49.7 And after that no man can fulfill the lawe hee writes thus vpâ—n these words There was a murmur of the Grecians Marke here hat the saints want not their imperfections they are Christians and Saints by faith but sinners in themselues Fer. in cap. 5. Act. Although GOD hath giuen them grace yet he hath left in them their nature still both that we should know our selues then also that we should haue an occasion of practising charity Euery Christian hath in himselfe that he would should be borne withall of others and he sees in others which he himselfe must beare withall And hereof Saint Paul saith Beare ye one anothers burthen c. Againe of vaine confidence he writes thus Hypocrisie neglecting the righteousnesse of faith Fer. in cap. 6. Act. and as Christ sayth the greater things of the law trusts in the outward works of the law They account righteousnesse to be placed in the externall obseruation of ceremonies places and times none therefore more bragge of Temples and Sacrifices then that kind of men So Christ 16. of Luke inueies against them saying Woe be to you which iustifie your selues And of the manner of our saluation hee writes thus In cap. 7. Act. vpon these wordes The glory of God appeared to our Fatâ—er Abraham Behold the beginning of our saluation sayeth hee is of God and not of our selues No man comes to me vnlesse my Fâ—â—her draw him sayth Christ Our saluation beginnes from heâ—uen for vnlesse God first doe beginne we doe euer remaine in our sinnes And that he beginnes with his word it is a signe thaâ— our saluation is begunne of faith For the word of God cannot â—therwise be receiued then by faith faith especially is necessary He that comes to God must beleeue For to be able to please God wâ—â—hout faith it is impossible Also that besides this voice of God â—o merites of his are written therefore it is doone that we may kâ—ow that our saluation is of Gods grace and mercy For our saluatâ—â—n comes not to vs of works or merites but of the mercy of God according to that You are called of grace and not of works Tâ—us farre Ferus Where hee plainely attributes not onely thâ— beginning of our saluation to the frée mercy and grace of Goâ— but also the end thereof which other Papistes
ghost teach Peter this lesson Thirdly In ca. Act. 10. Whom God bindes doe thou not loose and whome hee looseth do not thou binde for thou hast not power at thy pleasure to place soules in heauen or hell but according to the worde of God For all soules are mine saith the Lord. Fourthly whome I haue serued let it not grieue thee to serue them also for the disciple is not aboue his maister I haue been a seruant to all do thou so also Fiftly whome I haue not as yet condemned doe not thou iudge rashly or condemne least thou be condemned thy selfe He glaunceth at the Popes authoritie in pardoning and condemning whomsoeuer he pleaseth And he is no changling as in his Commentaries vpon Mathew In ca. Act. 10. so here also he quite writhes the Popes temporall sword out of his hand vpon these words Arise Peter By an excellent metaphor saith he the office of the Apostles is described whose office is to rise not to take their ease and to watch take care for their flocke and then to kill not with the materiall sword for that was forbidden Peter but with the sword of the spirite which is the word of God which sword the Apostles are commanded to buye if they sold their coate for it And they kill when they preach the lawe and shew men their sinnes and doe teach that our strēght and righteousnes is nothing yea that wee are nothing but euen damned and miserable sinners And after also hee makes Peter subiect to the Church In ca. 11. Act. Peter saith he an Apostle the first and chiefe of the Apostles is forced to yeeld an account to the Church neither doth hee take this grieuously as a thing not agreeing to his authoritie For hee knewe wel enough that he exercised the office not of a Lord or maister but of a seruant of the Church The Church is the spouse of Christ and she is the Ladie of the house Peter is but a seruant and minister The Church therefore hath authoritie not onely to aske accompt of her seruants but also if they bee not fitte quite to put them away So heretofore it hath been often done in generall councels But nowe wicked Bishoppes will not be reproued nor rulde by the Church as though they were Lordes and not seruantes Therefore by the iust iudgment of God they are despised of all men Ferus agrées here with Austen and the auncient Fathers that the Church rules she is Christs vicegerent shee calles to accompt and deposeth whome it pleaseth her The fathers called this the Colledge of priests and hereof Cyprian called Cornelius Colleague This holy Colledge of priests ruled through the world not anie one prelate as now the Papists teach Euerie one seuerallie euen Peter the Bishop of Rome are but a seruant the Church is the Lady as Ferus termes her They are wicked Bishops sonnes o◠perdition that wil not be ruled by the Church this is Ferus iudgment And againe he writes thus vpon these words In cap. 9. Act. Hee went thorowe euery Citie confirming and stablishing that which the other had taught or adding to that which they had not done sufficiently he caried that scrole imprinted in his heart which Christ last of all commanded Peter saying Feede my sheepe if thou louest me In Peter thou seest the office of B shops that is to visite all according to that saying Heale that which is weake and binde vppe that which is broken c. They which are Bishoppes and doe sleepe and are idle doe not know in what a dangerous estate they are nor doe not thinke that the bloud of all that perish shall be required at their hands Heere hee makes Peter a patterne for all bishops to followe and not a type of the Pope and his successors And after vpon these words Behold three men c Marke saith hee that these wordes spoken to Peter doe belong to all pastours For so it is sayde to euerie one of them Behold men as though hee should saye These sheepe committed to thy charge doe require care and help the sinner succour the weake strength those which go astraie doctrine the vnrulie correctiō those which are tormented through afflictions comforte the whole church now dispersed peace Secondly Arise thou art not a Lord but a seruant this is not a time of ease but of labour hitherto thou hast done nothing through thy negligence the Wolfe hath entred in that is the Diuell For he is a Wolfe howe greatly soeuer he shewe the face of a friend c. Peters lessons Ferus attributes to all pastours And againe In ca. 10. Act. In Peter thou seest expressed what becomes Bishoppes that is to goe vp aloft to fast to praie Thou seest the contrarie in wicked and euill Bishoppes they onely take care of temporall thinges themselues they committe spirituall things to others They liue like Princes not like shepheards they neuer praie they giue themselues to pleasures And after hee writes thus In this Chapter Luke dooth prosecute the historie of Paul and Barnabas pilgrimage and hee names certaine countries which in their preaching they passed through Fer. in Act. ca. 14. that here al men may see how couragiously these two Apostles preached to al men the word of saluatiō to the great shame of those which brag themselues to be the successors of the Apostles whē as they are nothing else but slothfull vnfaithfull seruāts sharply to be reproued of the Lord nay iustly to be condemned No doubt he condemnes here the Popes proud and idle state And after he writes thus of the first generall councell of the authoritie of Iames Iames confirmes the sayings of the three Apostles pronounceth sentence as Bishop of Ierusalem If Peter had been dead of the vniuersall Church he should now haue pronounced sentence and ratified the councell as the Pope doth now But then this one thing verie euidentlie proues that there was no such authoritie acknowledged of Peter seeing that in the first generall councell in his presence Iames pronounceth sentence and as it were confirmes the councell And after Marke that he saith not that thou shalt haue much people but I haue much people in this citie As though he should saie the people is not thine but mine So he sayd to Peter Fer. in Act. cap. 18. Feede not thy sheepe but my sheepe As though he should say they are mine I haue redeemed them with my bloud I loue them I take care of thē therefore thou shalt not rule ouer them at thy pleasure thou shalt plaie the part of a shepheard and not of a Lord. If Peter had Christs authoritie committed to him and were his vicegerent then he had a kinde of Lordship ouer his sheepe But this Ferus denies And writing of Apollo he saies thus Mention of him is made in this place very fitly for he was such a great man the Corinthiās made him equall with Peter and Paul I
our Lord Iesus doth hee not now euer gouerne the worlde with his Father and whether to this matter doth he call any man making him his imitator or follower that with him he should gouerne heauen and earth and all Christ by S. Austines iudgement calles no man to bee partaker with him in his gouernement of heauen and earth therefore not the Pope Primasius also S. Austines scholler writes thus Let no man glorie in men in false Apostles no nor in any eyther king or priest for all thinges are yours In 1. ep ad Cor. cap. 3. eyther Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death we are yours you are not ours c. Nowe if Peter had béen Christs vicar then the saints had béene his as they were Christs whose place he sustained But Primasius saith plainly that the Corinthians were Christs they were not Peters Therefore Peter was not in any respect their head but their seruant or minister That Christ alone is the head of the Church Theodoret writes thus Theod. in 2 ca. ad Col. Againe saith he he cals Christ the head and the congregation of the faithfull the bodie And he hath put downe all this place metaphorically for euen as in the bodie the braine is the root of the sinewes and by the sinewes the bodie hath feeling so the bodie of the Church by Christ our Lord receiues both fountaines of Doctrine and matter of saluation And that thing which sinewes are in the bodie that are Apostles prophets and teachers in the assemblie of the Church Thus much Theodoret the Apostles are but ligaments or sinewes by his iudgement nowe it is monstrous and against all reason to make a sinew a head In 1 ep Co. 10 And in another place he writes thus This is required of Stewards that they bee founde faithfull not that hee should take vnto him the honour o◠dignitie of his maister but that he should keepe his maisters good will In 1 ep ad Cor. cap. 9. And in another place of S. Paul hee writes thus Am I not free that is as much to say I am vnder no mans iurisdiction I am not in the place of a disciple But to whose credite the whole world was committed because he was called after Christs assumption And the same prerogatiue he yeelds also to S. Paul in another place vpon these words whereof I am made a minister The saluation of the Church was committed to me meaning S. Paul to me was committed the office of preaching that I should fill you all with heauenly doctrine And that word you doth not onely meane them but also the faithfull that are in the world Gregorie also writes thus In 5. psal penit Christ is one person with his whole Church which either now is conuersant here on earth or is in heauen now with him And as there is one soule which quickens the diuers members of the bodie so one onely holie spirit quickens and lightens the whole Church And as Christ which is the head of the church was conceiued by the holy Ghost so the holy Church which is his bodie is filled with the same holy spirit that it may liue and by his power is strengthned that it may stand in the ioining or coupling togither of one faith and charitie By which the whole bodie being ministred vnto built by ioints and couplings growes to the increase of God Gregorie here makes plainly Christ his Church whether in heauen or in earth to be but one bodie And that by the holie spirite he quickens strengthens and gouernes the same euen as our soule quickens and gouernes our bodies And that by ioints couplings not by any ministeriall head as the papists do imagine nay he saith that his triumphant and his militant Church is but one bodie So that then if they will make Peter the head of the militant Church he must also be the head of the triumphant which I thinke they will not graunt Lastlie to conclude to make the matter more plaine and to shew how farre Gregorie was from imagining Peter to bee the head of the whole Church he writes thus in another place In psal penit 3. 5. The Apostles were called feet because that as feet carrie the bodie so the Apostles carried Christ into the knowledge of al nations which were moued when they doubted that he whom they saw did suffer was the sonne of God In the bodie of the Church he compares Apostles to féete not to heades and that verie fitlie alledging that place of the Apostle Ro. 10.15 How beautifull are the feete of thē which bring glad tydings of peace And of the gouernment of his Church by his holie spirit our sauiour most manifestly speaketh himselfe And I will praie the Father and hee shall giue you another comforter that he may abide with you for euer Io. 14.15 euen the spirite of truth As though he should say you are discomforted because I goe from you but I in my stead will send you a comforter which shall neuer forsake you but shall abide with you for euer And after I wil not leaue you like Orphans without a guide or gouernour but I will come vnto you meaning by his holie spirite The holie spirit then is the gouernour and guardian of Christs Church here on earth wee are not orphanes And the same lesson he taught al his Apostles again immediatlie before his ascension It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power Act. 1.7.8 But you shall receiue the power of the holy ghost when he shall come on you Héere is the authoritie heere is the power and the gouernment of the Church And you shall be witnesses vnto me both in Ierusalem and in all Iudea and in Samaria and vnto the vttermost part of the earth Héere also is the estate and condition of all the Apostles put downe no one of them is made better then an other They are all appointed witnesses of him no one of them Lord or Iudge And this authoritie and office of gouernment in the Church to declare that it was of God giuen to the spirit of God the spirit of God expresly oftentimes executed As when Peter doubted what the vision ment Act. 10.19 the spirit sayd vnto him Behold three men seeke thee Arise therfore and get thee downe and goe with them doubt nothing For I haue sent them What can be more plaine then this The holie ghost sent those thrée men from Caesarea to Ioppe and also sent Peter with them Is not this to gouerne If Peter had béen head appointed by Christ vnder him he might haue gone by his owne authoritie but here he is namelie sent of another to declare that the authoritie was not in himselfe And when Peter came again to Ierusalem Act. 11.3 They of the Circumcision contended with him about this matter And he alleadgeth this
things that they doe not lift vp their harts to pray to him whom that Image or picture representeth Here is their opinion plainly set downe that Images are to be adored and worshipped and that we must lift vp our hearts to him whomsoeuer the Image representeth Is not this to giue Latria to creatures Dauid saith to God I lift vp my heart to thee Psal 25.1 This is a part of his honor and shall we giue it to anie other And God himselfe saith Thou shalt make thee no image of any thing Exod. 20.4 in heauen aboue nor in the earth beneath thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them No doubt the first branche of this commandement is as large as the second As by this all Images of earthly things are forbidden so by the other the Images of all heauenlie euen of Angels and of Saints yea of God himselfe And yet Stella here affirmes that we may worship Images and is not this Idolatrie Esay also séemes to expound this commandement thus Esay 40.18 To whom will yee liken God and what likenesse will you make for him The workman hath made an Image and the goldsmith hath couered it with gold and melts chaines of siluer for it The poore man also for an oblation chuseth a tree that will not rot and he wil seeke for a cunning workeman to make him a grauen Image that cannot mooue it selfe Will you not know will ye not heare hath it not been shewed to you from the beginning will ye not vnderstand it by the foundations of the earth He that sits vpon the spheare of the earth and the dwellers thereof are like Locustes stretcheth out the heauens like a webbe and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in God who brings the rulers of the earth to nothing and makes the iudges like a thing of nought yea they haue not been planted they haue not been sowen yea he hath not suffered their stocke to take roote in the earth and he hath but blowen vpon them with his spirit and they haue withered away and the whirlewinde doth take them away like stubble And to whom will ye liken me and I shall be like to him saith the holy one The Prophet here séemes to expound the commandement and therefore he saith hath it not been declared to you from the beginning will ye not yet vnderstand that same olde and first commandement And here he condemns not only poore mens Images made in the honor of God of wood but rich mens also of gold naie by the wonderfull works of God he prooues that they can make no Image like to him And therefore their Images are not onlie against the commandement but also against reason And yet for all these speeches and reasons the Papists will not know thus much at this day They which paint God like a iudge sitting in iudgment or like a king sitting vpon his throne doe dishonor and disgrace the Maiestie of God All the iudges and kings of the world are nothing vnto him as the prophet Esay here teacheth vs and yet thus haue the papists painted him And yet Stella in another place plainly affirmes that Images distract manie times the mindes of men In cap. 2. Luc. and hinder deuotion and that to take anie part of Gods glorie from him is flat sacriledge he would faine defend their Images and yet in truth he condemnes them For thus he writes Marke saith hee that oftentimes it chanceth that men going into houses or Churches are distracted and let by pictures and Images and such like but Christ being borne in a base cottage would haue no pompe that we should marke and behold him alone For externall trimming and decking is wont to distract the mindes that sometimes it lookes here and sometimes there that being neglected which most chiefly was to be looked vnto But Christ in his natiuitie was poore and base because that he would haue nothing but himselfe to be considered Stella here plainly confesseth that images oftentimes distract mens minds and hinder deuotion that in Bethleem where Iesus Christ was borne there were no images or pictures because that Iesus Christ alone ought to be considered and marked I would to God our Catholikes and Iesuits at this daie would also obserue this lesson that in Bethleem in the Church where as now also Iesus Christ is daily borne they would haue no images 1. Cor. 4.15 and that they would consider and marke Iesus Christ alone And againe in the same place vpon these words Glorie to God on high he writes thus By which place we must learne in all things and chances whatsoeuer to giue glorie to God alone neither let that thought euer come into thy minde that thou wouldest violently take that from him because that then thou shalt be most grieuously punished For in euerie good thing thou doest two things are to be considered the praise or honour and the profit whereof God chuseth the honor as due to himselfe but the profit or gaine he reserues for thee Therefore if thou shalt with a wicked violent hand take away the honor due to God God will also take from thee the reward which also was thine Therefore if thou shalt doe this hainous act thou shalt not only be worthy to haue no gift giuē thee of God but he wil most seuerely punish thee So the Angell strooke Herod as we read in the Acts because he gaue not the honour vnto God For it is plaine theft and robberie not to giue God his proper honor no lesse then to steale any vessell of siluer from thy neighbour And a little after That same holy Ioseph when as his vnchast Lady did entise him to sinne said thus My Lord hath giuen me al things besides thee which art his wife how then dare I sinne against my Lord So God hath giuen thee all things besides his glorie which is as it were his wife how then darest thou sin against thy Lord God in taking from him his glorie Thus far Stella It is of all sins a most hainous sin in anie part to impaire Gods glory The saints of God haue learned this lessō here on earth and shall we thinke that they haue forgotten it in heauen Shal we now worship thē or knéele to thē or call vpon them when as now they cast downe all their crownes before the lamb and giue him the glorie In one of the first miracles Reu. 4.10 that euer was done after our Sauiours ascension I would to God all true Catholikes would marke what a lesson Peter giues them when as he had healed that lame man Act. 4.12 Ye men of Israel saith he why maruell you at this or why looke you so stedfastly on vs as though by our owne power and godlinesse we had made this man go The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the God of our fathers hath glorified his sonne Iesus c. It was not the power or holinesse of Peter
with the holy Ghost And this is that which Christ promised once If two of you shall agree vpon earth whatsoeuer thing they shall aske it shall be done vnto them Ferus would haue common praiers made with the common consent of the whole Church or else saith he they are of no force Contrarie to the common practise of the Roman Church amongst vs in times past Againe he writes thus of the euill life of the Church which offends manie Ferus in cap. Act. 23. Although it be a great imperfection and defect where the life is not approued and vertuous yet there is lesse danger if the faith be right and sound then if the life were good and the faith euill For without faith it is impossible to please God and he that comes to God must beleeue Therefore it is of more force if the faith be pure and good then if thy works were good Thus farre Ferus He preferres that Church which hath a right faith although in some respect she faile in good workes before that Church which hath good works and an euill faith And of the Church Ferus in Act 21. and of the sacrifices thereof he writes thus Paul taught that Gods house was the Church and that now the true sacrifice was to bee offered in euerie place So Theodoret expounds it in cap 1. Malach. alleageth this place of S Paul and that of our Sauiour Ioh 4.23 1. Tim. 2.8 the which thing also Malachie prophesied Ferus séemes to expound the sacrifice which Malachie speaks of to be Christian prayer as Saint Paul doth also who saith I will that men pray in all places lifting vp pure hands without wrath or doubtfulnesse S. Paul here without all doubt alludes to Malachie Here is pure hands and that pure sacrifice void of wrath and doubtfulnesse Here is in all places And expounds that place of Malachie of Prayer and not of the Eucharist as some of the Papists do Iacob Vshanskus Guesnensis Archiep. Heb. 13.15 Ose 14 3. And for all Iewish sacrifices for that sacrifice Mincha which was drawn to the altar now Saint Paul puts downe in another place the fruit of our lips which sentence he takes out of Osee who cals prayers and giuing of thanks the calues of our lips And of religion maintained by warres he writes thus He that maintaines his cause by seditions and tumults of the people Ferus in Act. 21. discouers and bewrayes himselfe that he hath not a iust cause A good cause needs not vproares or mans authority who hath God the fauourer and protector of it And doth not the Pope vse these meanes to further his cause In this he declares he is not of God But in this waightie matter to let all mens testimonies passe which are light vpon the ballance as Dauid termes them Psal 62.9 yea lighter then vanitie it selfe and to returne to that vndoubted fountaine of all truth the word of God with which I began That is an euident and infallible marke of Gods Church which the Angell taught Saint Iohn Reu. 19.10 Who when as he would haue worshipped him said See thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren which haue the testimonie Iesus Worship God Here is an euident marke of Gods Church she worships only God and not Angels And secondly here is a reason why we should not worship Angels we debase our selues in worshipping them they are our fellow seruants And who in common sense will worship his equals By worshipping Angels we forget that great dignitie whereunto Iesus Christ hath aduanced vs. We are now Iesus Christs we are his members 1. Cor. 3.23 1. Cor. 6.15 Therfore as he doth not no more should we worship Angels A second mark of Gods Church here also we may learne She hath the testimonie of Iesus And what is that that is the spirit of prophesie as the Angell after expounds it that is the Spirit of God wherby all Gods children are able in some measure to vnderstand and expound the scriptures For as all Gods children haue Gods Spirit so it is no doubt a fire in them and therefore it will burne through Christian charitie it will lighten their knowledge and disperse the mysts of darknesse This fire hath Antichrist quenched by taking the wood and matter of it awaie I meane the Scriptures from the common people And to this that of Saint Paul hath relation no doubt 1. Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit But here they thinke that because they worship Saints and Angels therefore they shall be blamelesse But that shall not excuse them Reu. 14 7. because they are plainly taught and commanded to worship him onely that made heauen and earth And by these words God onely is signified and all other creatures are excluded And this Epithite is commonly attributed to God in the Scriptures Psal 124.8.134.3 Our help standeth in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth Here is as it were a distinction put betwéene the workes and the workman all the works iointly must worship their maker they must not begin one to magnifie or worship another Nay the more to conuince them in this their errour all the Saints and angels haue refused this seruice Act. 10.26 Act. 14.15 Peter to Cornelius Paul to the men of Lystra saying We are men like to your selues why do you honour vs And the angell twise in the Reuelation wheras S. Iohn did not forget himselfe and would haue yéelded to the angell the honour due to God but euen this ciuill outward honor which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the angell twise refused alleaging my former reason Reu. 19.10 22.9 that he was one of our fellow seruants and fellow seruants must not worship one another but only their master Teaching vs to be very warie in worshipping yea euen angels least our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grow into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as amongst the Papists it hath done These two are easily in words distinguished but not so easily in déed To bowe the knée is but a ciuill honor but yet to bow the knee to Baal Rom. 11.4 God accounts part of his honor And S. Paul writes thus most manifestly of the worshipping of angels Let none ouer-rule you Col. 2.18 or spoile you of your prize which by the worshipping of God you obtaine by humblenesse of mind and worshipping of Angels aduancing himselfe into those things hee neuer saw rashly puft vp with his fleshly mind As though hée should saie No man knowes the estate of angels whether they heare our prayers at all times and can helpe vs at their pleasures or not and who will then pray vnto them nay this shall make vs lose our prize We all in this life as Saint Paul teacheth runne as it were in a race 1. Cor. 9.24 now he that runneth in a race must haue his eyes still fixt on the goale
heresie now discourage anie of Gods children So did they reuile and hate the verie names of the true prophets of God Luk. 6.22 as our Sauiour witnesseth So at this day the Papists goe about by all means possible to defame and discredite the persons of the professours of the Gospell But as Saint Paul passed not for the name of Heretike no more let vs. Beleeuing all that is written in the Law and the Prophets Here is another marke of the true Church here is a ground of a true Christians conscience concerning his faith and religion To beleeue all that is written in the lawe and the Prophets This was Saint Paules ground he beléeued no more and according to that he worshippeth God and he cares not let them cal him what they wil. Whosoeuer lacks this ground shall be caried about with euery blast of vaine doctrine Ephe. 4.14 like children To confirme and strengthen vs in our faith God hath put in his Church Apostles and Euangelists Ephes 2.20 and Wee are built vpon the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone The like marks of the true Church Saint Paule setteth downe in the Epistle to the Romans as arrowes out of the same quiuer of our Sauiour to confound the enemies that would craftily créepe into Gods house Rom. 1.9 2. Pet. 2.1 God is my witnesse saith he whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne Here also is the platforme of the true Church and a patterne of a true Christian God is only my witnesse saith Saint Paul not anie Saint or Angell The true Church must here with Saint Paul attribute this knowledge and searching of hearts to God alone and not to anie Saint or Angell else whatsoeuer Act. 1.24 15.8 Secondly she must serue this God onely and none els for to whom this knowledge belongeth to him also diuine seruice and Latria as they call it belongs Thirdly Whom I serue in my spirit saith Saint Paule not with anie outward or externall things or ceremonies like a Iew but with my heart as Iesus Christ now hath taught all men to worship the Father Fourthly in the Gospell of his Sonne here he describes the maner how the true Church of God must worship him Our seruice of God must be according to the Gospell of his Son And hereunto Dauid also agréeth in the Psalme There is no speech nor language Psal 19.3 where their voices are not heard speaking of the preaching of Gods word And he addeth Kauam as it is in the Hebrew that is their line their leuell their square is gone through all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world To teach vs that Gods word is a line leuell square to rule limit and square the faiths of all nations by But to conclude Let vs marke what Saint Paule also writes concerning this matter to the Thessalonians and how he describes the Church and Gods house there From you the word of God was spread 1. Thes 1.10 not only in Macedonia and Achaia but your faith towards God came into euerie place So that we neede say nothing thereof for they shew and declare what an entrance we had vnto you how you turned vnto the Lord from idols to serue the liuing and true God and to looke for his sonne from heauen whom he raised from the dead euen Iesus who deliuereth vs from the anger to come Here are most manifestly set downe the markes of the true Church and the Catholike faith which was in Saint Paules dayes preached through the whole world To turne from Idols and to serue the true and liuing God And here first that blind distinction of Dulia and Latria which the Papists make to cloak the worshipping of creatures is quite ouerthrowne not onely Latria but as by this place appeareth Dulia is due vnto God Secondly we must serue the true and liuing God These two Adiuncts take away all worshipping of false gods and also of Images We must worship no false nor dead thing whatsoeuer we worship it must be liuing and true And therefore we must worship no Images which are dead stockes nay wee must worship nothing but God alone Those Images which the Prophet Dauid describeth Psal 115. what are they els but Papists Images That Psalme followeth the 114. Psal which containeth Israels going out of Egypt it may séeme to describe the spirituall Egypt Thirdly we must now euery day waite and looke for the comming of his Sonne Iesus Christ from heauen We must not thinke that he will not come yet as the Papists teach by their doctrine of Antichrist Fourthly wee must constantly beléeue that Iesus hath not onely deliuered vs by his passion from the guilt of sinne but from the punishment also thereof and anger to come And lastly if the Papists will thereof conclude that the Church of Rome is the mother Church of all the worlde Rom. 1.8 because Saint Paule saith that their faith was published throughout all the world Then the Church of Thessalonica must be her elder sister 1. Thess 1.8 because her faith also was spread through all the worlde and that before hers as should seeme For Saint Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans when hee giues this testimony to the Roman Church Rom. 15.26 1. Thess 1.8 the fruits of Macedonia and Achaia which was planted by the Church of Thessalonica And in a word to make an end of this matter let all men marke that plaine lesson which Dauid teacheth them in the Psalme Kings of the earth and all people Psal 148.11 Princes and all Iudges of the world young men and maides old men and children let them praise the name of the Lord. For his name onely is to bee exalted and his praise is aboue the heauens and the earth All Gods seruants must praise his name and they must praise it alone and they which praise anie thing else do not rightlie vnderstand as yet the maiestie of God his praise is aboue heauen earth that is all heauen and earth is not able to expresse the greatnesse of his praise And here is the reason Because he exalts the horne of his people he aduanceth to honor and makes mightie and strong which is a praise for all his saints euen for the children of Israel Gnam kerovo a people that drawes néere vnto him as it is in the Hebrew Would you haue God exalt your horne would you be his people then you must praise him alone then you must draw neere to him and not fly from him to any other The which God giue all grace to do for Iesus Christs sake to whom be praise for euer Amen Certaine Prayers fit for euerie true Catholique dayly to vse both for himselfe and his family taken out of the scriptures Granatensis and others Matt. 7 7. Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and ye shall find knocke and
from a thousand dangers Psal 121.4 and euen as it were to loade me with many graces for all which as it is méete that I should craue pardon at thy hands Psal 19.12 not only for the forgiuenesse of these sins which I know but also of those which I know not so it is méete that I should in like sort giue thee as great and bounden thankes as possiblie I can not onlie for the benefites I know but also for those I know not And therefore I worship thee I praise thee I giue thanks to thee in them and for them all Giue me grace O my Redéemer that I may so learne to vse all these thy benefits hereafter Mat. 25.24 that they be not occasions of pride and slouthfulnesse in me but of greater humilitie and thankfulnesse and that they may kindle in me a greater desire and zeale of thy seruice To thee therefore who liuest and raignest with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glorie both now and for euer and euer Amen A Forme of Morning Prayer taken out of Granatensis for Christian families O Lord God of Israel which dwellest betweene the Cherubins 2. King 19.15 thou art the verie God alone ouer all the kingdomes of the earth thou hast made heauen and earth thou hast made winter and sommer Psal 74.16 Gen. 1.1 the day is thine and the night also is thine O Lord God our most bountifull most mercifull and most louing Father wee most wretched sinners here gathered together in thy most holie name humblie prostrate our selues before thy throne of mercie crauing pardon and forgiuenes for al our sins And although we be vnworthie through our manifolde iniquities Luke 18.13 to present our selues before thy glorious Maiestie much lesse to offer to thée any oblation of praise thāksgiuing considering our owne basenesse demerits yet we know that thou art a Lord most bountifull a God most merciful a Father most louing and a sauior most swéet comfortable Luk. 15.20 whose propertie is euer to saue and haue mercie on the humble sorowfull penitent persons that come to thee in the name of thy beloued son Iesus Christ We confesse O Lord our wretchednesse Psal 32.5 wee acknowledge O Father our vnworthinesse wee are hartilie sorie for our sinnes we most humbly craue pardon for them euen for Iesus Christs sake Esay 59.2 we know that our sinnes stand before vs as great huge heaps like walles of iron and gates of brasse which hinder our petitions so that they cannot come before thee Esa 1.18 we do account our sinnes as red as scarlet in thy sight wee feele our burthen is so heauie and intolerable that we are not able to beare it Psal 40.12 we sée in our selues to be no frée spot from the crowne of the heade to the sole of the foote but all is spotted and corrupted with sores and vlcers Esa 1.6 whose great vengeance which they worthily deserued would haue fallen vpon vs long agoe Lam. 3.22 but that it was stayed and kept backe by thy mercifull hand Wee giue thee O most gratious God and louing Father humble and heartie thankes for this thy fatherlie loue in the name of thy dearely beloued Sonne Iesus Christ beséeching thee for his sake to continue this thy loue and mercy towards vs all the daies of our liues Psal 84.9 O most louing Father looke not vpon vs but looke vpon the face of this thy annointed Iesus Christ and for his sake haue mercie vpon vs Remoue O Lord our sinnes as farre from vs as the East is from the West Psal 103.12 that they bee neither hinderances to let thy mercie for falling on vs or our prayers Psal 51.7 for comming vp into thy sight Purge vs with Isop dipped not in the bloud of the lambe but in the bloud of thy Son Iesus Christ and we shall be as white as snowe O good Lord sprinckle not only the vppermost poste Exod. 12.7 Rom. 10.9 and the two side postes of the doores of our houses but the whole houses of our hearts and soules with that most precious bloud with the Isop of thy Gospell now preached and wée doe beleeue verily that the destroyer shall passe ouer vs he shall in no wise hurt vs. Ease we beséech thée O swéete Sauiour our burthens as thou hast promised Matt. 11.28 who callest all to thée that are heauie loaden and burthened We confesse O Sauiour euerie one of vs that we carie on our backes the greatest burthens that euer were borne 1. Tim. 1.25 Heb. 13.20 Rom. 8.33 Ephes 5.16 And graunt to vs we beséech thee O mercifull Father that by the bloud of the euerlasting testament sprinkled in our harts by a liuely faith all the inditements and accusations of Satan against vs maie be quite blotted out and all his fir is darts quenched Make this couenant with vs O sweete Sauiour that so long as we serue thée that thou wilt be our God 1. Sam. 2.30 Psal 119 32. our guide and protectour And graunt vs euer therefore thy grace that we may be able to do thée seruice and willing minds to do it with chéerefulnesse 2. Cor. 5.25 And because O Lord Ephes 1.6 the whole course and end of our life should be no other thing but to delight to do thy will and pleasure Psal 5.3 giue vs grace to begin to praise and serue thée the first thing we do in the morning and let vs account and make it the principall ground-worke of all other whereon we should laie all other businesses and affaires whatsoeuer And that we may do it more effectuallie giue vs the holie Ghost the seale of our saluation 2. Cor. 1.22 to seale and shut vp the doores of our hearts and minds from all earthly thoughts and worldly cogitations And close O good Lord Ier. 9.21 the windowes of al our senses frō the vaine appetites of the world the concupiscence of the flesh and the baites of the diuell first of all in the morning when we awake so that all these being excluded and shut out of doores our hearts and minds may be open onlie to thee and to receiue and admit thy Son our Sauiour Iesus Christ into them before all things else 1. Thess 2.13 Reu. 14.4 That so wee may offer vnto thee the firstlings of this day and of all the dayes of our liues And here we giue thee deare Father Psal 137.2 most humble and heartie thankes for the quiet rest and swéete sléepe that thou hast giuen vs this night and for that thou hast deliuered vs from all vaine dreames and foolish fantasies and from all the subtill snares and illusions of our enemy the diuell Psal 91.3 and for all other the benefits of our creation our redemption 1. Cor. 1.30 our election our iustification our sanctification that thou hast called vs vnto the knowledge of
the ancient Christians Christians differ not from other men neither in countrey nor speech Iust epist ad Diog. nor in ciuill gouernement They dwell in no cities by themselues neither vse they anie language that differs from the common speech of other men neither haue they a kinde of life which is famous for any singular or odde thing in it neither doe they go about to learne any thing deuised of curious heads neither are they patrons of any mans opinion as many are but inhabiting partly in the cities of the Grecians and partly of the Barbarians as euerie mans lot hath befallen him following the maners of the people with whom they dwell in their apparell and liuing and other things which concerning this present life they set before our eyes a wonderfull state of their common wealth They dwel in their owne countries but as it were strangers They haue all things common with other men as citizens and they distribute all things away as it were some trauelling into another countrie Euery strange region is their countrie And all their countries are to them as strange regions and dominions They marie wiues as other men do and beget children but they make not their children away as the heathen do They haue a common table but not polluted with excesse They are in the flesh and yet they liue not according to the flesh They liue here vpon earth but they haue their conuersation in heauen They obey lawes which are made nay in their maner of liuing they farre exceede and go beyond the lawes They loue all men and all men persecute them They are not knowne what they are and yet they are condemned to death They are murdered and yet they are multiplied They are poore yet they make many rich They want al things and yet they abound in all things They are dishonoured and in their ignominie their glorie shines They are slandered and yet all men beare record of their innocency They are reuiled and they giue good speeches againe They are iniured and they honour their persecutors And when as they liue like good men they are punished as though they were wicked And when as they are punished they reioyce as though then they were reuiued The Iewes make warre against them as against strangers the Grecians persecute them they which hate them cannot tell wherfore they hate them And that I may in one word say all That which the soule is in the bodie that are Christians in the world The soule dwelleth in the bodie but it is not of the body So Christians dwell in the world but they are none of the world The inuisible soule is placed in the visible bodie as in a garrison so Christians are knowne while they liue in the world but their diuine worship of God is inuisible The flesh hates the soule and makes war against it because it cannot enioy her pleasures And the world also hates Christians they resist their pleasures The soule loues the flesh which hates her and loueth her members So also Christians loue them which hate them The soule is inclosed within the bodie but it preserueth the body so also Christians are kept in the world as in a prison but they preserue the world The immortall soule dwelleth in a mortall tabernacle and Christians inhabite amongst those things which are corruptible as strangers looking for the immortality of heauen The soule the worse it is fed is the better so Christians whiles they are daily punished are increased c. By this it appeareth how zealous in the seruice of God how homely and simple in their apparel what contemners of the world Christians were in the beginning Who condemne by their examples the Atheists and lukewarme Christians in religion the curious and couetous worldlings of our age who are as it were wedded to this world and take their delights and pleasures therein who will haue all things as they saie in print both their houses and apparell and whatsoeuer they haue else Surely this is not to contemne the world as they did These former vsed the world onelie for the present necessitie they tooke no pleasure therein as manie doe and with great costs labour to obtaine at this daie Athenagoras also a verie ancient Christian in his Apologie for the Christians Athenagor Apol. pro Christianis speaketh thus to the Emperours When as all men through your great clemencie and benignitie haue their right and cities according to their dignities enioy their freedomes nay the whole world by the meanes of your prouidence and wisedome enioyes most firme and sure peace onely of vs who are called Christians you haue no care For you suffer vs who haue committed no euill yea who aboue other as it shall bee declared in the progresse of this Defence haue behaued ourselues most religiously and obediently both towards God and your Empire to bee vexed spoiled banished manie bringing false accusations against our verie names Wherefore we were bold at this time manifestly to declare our cause vnto you And you shall perceiue by this our discourse that against all right and reason we are thus punished Wherefore we beseech you that you will haue also some care of vs that wee now at the last may cease to bee murthered of those our accusers We passe not for the losse of goods nor for the glorie and credite of our good names or for any such like or greater things wherein men may hurt or iniurie vs. For although these things be made great account of amongst the common people wee are wont to despise them For we haue learned that if we be stricken or beaten to abstaine from striking againe or if any inuade or take violently away our goods not to goe to law with them but also to those that haue giuen vs one blow to turne the other cheeke and to them that will take away our coate to offer our cloake also And seeing wee make thus small account of our liues and bodies they seeke for our riches and they babble out huge heapes of crimes against vs which neuer once so much as came into our minds to thinke but which might rather be laid to their charge and to such like as they are But if any shall bee able to conuict vs not onely of any great but of anie small offence we doe not onely desire that punishment may bee remitted vs but wee are readie to endure what punishment soeuer But if so be that we be accused onely for our name because we are called Christians for euen vnto this day all those vncertaine rumours and reports which are spred abroad on vs are lies neither is any Christian conuicted of anie hainous offence it is your parts O most wise and curteous Princes by your lawes to deliuer vs from this iniurie that as in all the world both euerie priuate man and all men in euerie towne by your bountifulnesse do enioy common peace quietnesse so we may haue cause also
that is of the sorrowes of a woman trauelling with child eueÌ„ to Tabbaath to the last moneth in the yeare which answereth to our December which for the abundance of waters Psal 137.8 1. Pet. 5.3 which commonly are â—herein is called in Hebrue Tabbah which signifieth to be drowned Surely such flouds of sorowes and calamities remaine for Rome the daughter of Babylon Reue. 17.2 which Saint Peter calleth Babylon as the prophesies of the holie Scriptures do teach Nay Saint Iohn describeth her most manifestly That great citie which is built vpon seuen hilles and raignes ouer the kings of the earth Psal 73.27 Ier. 3 1. made them drinke the wine of her fornication What citie in the world is thus built and hath had this authoritie ouer Kings Reuel 17.17 and hath made them drinke wine of fornication that is Idolatrie which is so called in the Scripture but Rome The day shall come that these her louers those kings which with one consent haue giuen their kingdome to the beast shall hate her and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Wee see now the former of these fulfilled so no doubt wee shall see the latter also When God shall put it into their hearts and when his wordes are fulfilled and that euen in one day If Rome be in this case may shee not fitly be called the afflicted tottering house And therefore as the father and prince of the Madianites Dan may resemble the Pope and the Madianites his souldiers which shall one of them kill another so Beth-hashittah may resemble Rome their castle of refuge And God deales euen now as mercifully with his Church 2. Chro. 20.22 as he did in the dayes of good king Iehoshaphat against whom when manie nations had conspired and came to make warre it is thus written When they began to shout and praise the Lord the Lord himselfe laid ambushmeÌ„ts against the children of Ammon Moab mount Seir which were come against Iudah they slew one another 1. King 18.13 Ioh. 3.1 Luke 25 50. Matth. 27.19 euen so the enemies of the Church of God at this day by Gods speciall grace and mercy one of them kill another And euen as in the law Obadiah Ahabs steward nourished the Prophets of the Lord and Nichodemus and Ioseph of Arimathea princes amongst the Iewes Phil. 4.22 Ierem. 38.7 and euen Pilates wife fauoured Iesus Christ euen so now also in the Gospell the Popes darlings and Friers some of them fauour the truth And as Saint Paul also had some friends in Caesars house and Ieremie in the kings court so now hath the Gospell some friends among the Popes traine and that in no smal matters There is no one thing I am perswaded at this day doth so dazell the eyes of a great nuÌ„ber that they cannot behold the cleare light of the Gospel keeps theÌ„ stil in the obedience of the Church of Rome as the reading of Granatensis Stella Ferus Philippus de diez such like But all shall clearly see in this book how that in the principall points of religion they ioyne hands with vs. And that we may say of them 1 King 22.43 as we reade in the booke of the Kings of Iehoshaphat that he walked in all the wayes of Asa his father and declined not therefrom but did that was right in the eyes of the Lord neuerthelesse the high places were not taken away and the people offered still and burnt incense in the high places Good men haue their imperfections So these follow the way of the Fathers in preaching and setting forth zealously the word of God in maintaining the authoritie thereof as also the knowledge reading and meditation thereof they teach also the true vse of prayer with faith deuotion vnderstanding our perfect redemption by Christ and the assured faith that we ought to haue in him and how that we ought to trust in his merits and not in our owne works his exceeding great loue towards vs and the great corruption of our nature without his grace In these points they worship God aright with good king Iehoshaphat and they followe the wayes of their fathers But yet the high places are not taken away they burne incense there still They maintaine the Popes supremacie their patron Col. 2.18 2. King 9.20 10.28 they make prayers to Saints and Angels through their ouermuch humilitie as Saint Paul teacheth vs. Their great and good zeale is like to that wee reade of Iehu And the marching is like the marching of Iehu the sonne of Nimshie for he marcheth furiously And againe So Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel but from the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne he departed not He was the founder of his kingdome The policie which he deuised to maintaine his estate and kingdome hee also although it were against the word of God embraced So these are zealous Mark 12.34 but they also maintaine their founder the Pope and his authoritie We may say of these truly as our Sauiour Christ in the Gospel sayd of that Scribe Thou art not far from the kingdom of God no more surely are these So that heere good gentle Reader thou maist see Popery pulled vp euen by the roots by the hands of Papists themselues The true Catholike faith out of the Scriptures out of the Fathers out of the mouthes of them who seeme to be the verie enemies therof this small Treatise teacheth Euery one therefore that tendereth his own saluation let him mark wel that faith which herein is taught In the time of ignorance God might and no doubt did shew mercy but now at midday in the most cleare sunshine of the Gospell now I say to shut the eyes is wilful murther Reu. 14.8 For in the Reuelation our daies are most liuely expressed Then I saw saith S. Iohn another Angel fly in the midst of heauen hauing an euerlasting Gospell to preach vnto them that dwel on the earth and to euery nation and kinred tongue and people saying with a loud voice Feare God giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come and worship him that made heauen and earth the sea and the fountaines of waters Are not here our daies most euidently declared The preaching of the euerlasting Gospell the worshipping of God alone that made all things and not of any creature nay the verie time For the houre of his iudgement is come This preaching of these doctrines and this preaching of the Gospell shall be immediately before the iudgement Hee that is not starke blind cannot choose but see this Now followes the Church of Antichrist And there followed another Angell saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie for she made all nations to drinke of the wine of her fornication Here is likewise the Church of Antichrist most euidently described She shall make all nations drinke of the wine
light to our paths in whatsoeuer we shall goe about or take in hand We saie O good Iesu which for our sakes was content to bee bound with coards giue vs also grace that wee maie be bounde with the coards and commandements of thy law and that wee cast them not awaie as the wicked doe who said Let vs breake their bonds in sunder and cast away their coards from vs. Psal 2.3 Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Psal 19.5 The sunne euerie daie as we sée runned his most swift and stéepe race without wearinesse The earth yéelds not onlie her flowers to delight vs but her fruits also to feede vs yea she openeth her verie bowels to doe vs good the seas and the waters also neuer stand still Gen. 4 9. Ier. 5.12 in the beginning they receiued a law that they should kéepe them within their bounds and not couer the face of the earth 1. Kin. 17.4 against their nature and yet euen to this daie they obeie it God commanded the greedie Rauens to feed Elias and they obeied his commandement To conclude all creatures obeie the will and commandements of God only man Esay 1.3 who is of all others most bound to him and for whome hee hath doone most is most disobedient The Angels and those mighty powers which excell in strength as Dauid saith are readie at his becke and doe his commandements onely man a vile worme dare presume to rebell against him Psal 103.20 and to disobey him Iob. 17.14 O let vs not onely praie thus but also labour studie and endeuour with all our might and maine that the wil of this our louing and most mightie father maie be done as wel in earth as in heauen It is a shame for sonnes that seruants should go beyond them in dutifulnesse and obedience towardes their father Mal. 1.6 Eph. 3.20 it is a shame for men endewed with reason naie enriched and strengthned with Gods spirit that vnreasonable creatures should excell them in dutifulnesse and obedience to their maker and creator And let vs for Gods sake learne to bridle our owne wils our owne natures The earth doth so as S. Paul teacheth vs Rom. 8.20 and against the will thereof is subiect to our vanities for him that hath subdued it through hope It would neuer suffer vs els cruell couetous and vaine men not so much as to treade on it and wickedly and vainelie to abuse it It would swallowe vs vp quicke Num. 16.31 as it did Corah Dathan and Abiram The sea doth so also or els we should haue no houses to dwell in nor lands to lette Psal 104.9 Let vs also in our vaine curious and stately buildings of our houses and in letting our lands also bridle our couetous cruell and vncharitable willes These great and mightie and excellent creatures doe bridle and containe their owne natures at Gods commandement as we sée and yet man will not bridle his nature for Gods sake he will haue his will Let all men learne to pray and practise also be it neuer so vnpleasant or vnprofitable vnto them that prayer of our blessed Sauiour Luke 22.42 Not my will but thy will be done O Father Giue vs this daie our dailie bread What maie we learne by these words surely that the best and richest of vs all are but beggers before the maiestie of God It maie be truely said to euerie one of vs 1. Cor. 4.7 what hast thou that thou hast not receiued We must not be ashamed to begge of God euer our daily bread We haue not so much of our owne as a shiue of bread and yet we proude peacocks the sonnes of Adam how proude are we how deale we in the world how doe we accompt of our selues as though we were lordes of all things Psal 12.4 We saie in our dealings with the wicked 1. Sam. 25.10 who is Lorde ouer vs So we liue so we deale in all our earthly affaires we saie with Naball who is Dauid and who is the sonne of Ishai There are many seruants now adaies that breake away euerie man from his Maister shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I haue killed for my shearers and giue it vnto men whom I know not whence they be This Naball is a right patterne of a worldling he will not know his brethren he forgets that we haue all one father he can finde excuses enow when he will not doe good as all the wicked doe to make emptie the hungrie soule Esay 32.6 He accompts all his my bread and my water and my flesh saith he so doe all worldlings they forget that they are to begge of God euen their dailie bread Such poore beggers they are indéede how rich soeuer they séeme in their owne eye yet they accompt all their owne Nay the more to condemne this harde dealing of worldlings towards the faithfull and Gods children be they neuer so base and poore that saying of Dauid also concerning Naball is now verified in these rich worldlings ver 21. Truely I haue kept in vaine all this mans cattell in the wildernesse saith Dauid and not any thing that belonged to him perished and he hath requited me euill for good No doubt euen nowe for the godly and poores sakes God preserues the liues and all the goods and cattels of the rich and wicked men and yet they will deale hardly with them Is hee a good man and the seruant of God that thou dealest withall whosoeuer art rich deale well with him Thinke verily that for his sake God will preserue thy life and all that thou hast Gen. 18.32 Remember how that if there had béene tenne good men found in all Sodome it had not béen destroied And how that God blessed Putiphar no doubt a prophane man for Iosephs sake 39 2. God gaue Saint Paul all their liues that sailed with him Act. 27.24 Deale well with Gods children which are in neede and flie to thee for succour whosoeuer hast this worlds goods Know this assuredlie that as Dauid here preserued Naball and his cattell so shall these preserue thee and all thine 1. Sam. 25.37 And as in the ende his churlishnesse to poore Dauid killed him so be thou affraid of his ende Let vs not forget that lesson which Peter teacheth vs 1. Pet. 4 7. that liue now in the end of the world Now the ende of all things is at hand saith he Be ye therefore sober and watching in praier but aboue all things haue feruent loue amongst your selues for loue shall couer the multitude of sinnes Be harborous one to another without grudging Men in those daies as should séeme would make no conscience to turne their brethren out of dores or to kéepe their gates shutte that none might come in at them They doe not fulfill that same generall lawe of all christendome Mat. 7.12 and of all
faithfull Deborah a Princesse a great ladie in Israell Daniel and Elias great Prophets and yet by this their simplicities their dignities were not impaired We erre greatlie we thinke now adaies that honour estimation worship consists in outward things in apparel in houses such like no no it consists in the vertues of the minde as euen the verie Philosophers could teach Adam was more honourable in his leather coate then Diues in his purple and fine linnen Abraham in his tent then Ahab in his Iuorie house good king Iosiah in his simple pallace and little windowes Ier. 22.14.15 then his proude and couetous sonne Iechonias in his sieled parlours and great windowes Daniel with his pulse then Balthasar with his costlie banquet Dan. 5.1 Let vs euer remember our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ how that he made no accompt of his estate to profit vs Naie let vs remember what he did how he washed his Apostles feete and he commanded vs to do the like that is to do anie thing that we are possibly able for our brethren For this his most humble seruice containes in it all dueties and seruices whatsoeuer euen as the greater measure containes the lesser the quart the pinte But doe wee at this daie wash our brethrens feete Naie wee thrust them ouer the shooes as they saie naie ouer the eares into great sorrowes and cares by our excessiue rents and paiments to maintaine our pride so that as Dauid complaines Psal 69. the waters enter euen now into their soules Let vs remember also that same rich man who neglecting his brother was clothed in Purple and fine linnen and fared delicatelie euerie daie but when hee died hee went to hell for his labour It is an old saying and a true Happie is hee whome other mens harmes doe make to beware let vs beware least that if we follow his steppes in our life wee doe not lodge with him at our deathes That same Meditation of Granatensis is worth the marking Med. lib. 3. Med. 1. O man saieth he made of clay why art thou proude Why art thou arrogant O dust why delightest thou in praise O ashes whose conception is sinne birthe a punishment life a continuall toile and death an extreame necessitie why doest thou so daintily nourish thy bodie Why doest thou clothe it with such costly garments which within a while shall bee deuoured of wormes in the graue Why doest thou not rather adorne and make trimme thy soule with good works which shall be presented before the maiesty of God in heauen by the hands of Angels Why doest thou make so light accompt of thy soule and set so much by thy bodie O great shame and all thinges quite out of order The soule which ought to beare rule is seruant to the flesh and the flesh which ought to be the seruant she is the Mistresse Why doest thou suffer that the mistresse should become the seruant and that the seruaunt should take vpon hir the authority of the mistresse Doest thou not knowe that the flesh is a priuy enemy to the soule who vnder a faire shew of friendship is more cruelly set against thee then the cruellest enimy thou hast in the worlde when thou cherishest and makes much of her thou settest vp an enemy against thy selfe when thou pampers and adornes her thou armest thine enemie to cutte thine owne throate when thou clothest hir with costly garmentes and outlandish furres thou spoilest thy soule of all heauenly ornaments Thus farre Granatensis I would to God these Meditations could sinke into our hearts Thirdlie we maie learne heere to praie dailie Reioice in the Lord alwaies saieth the Apostle pray continually 1. Thes 5.16.17.18 and in all thinges giue God thanks We must euerie daie not forget to saie Giue vs this daie our daily bread naie we must with Dauid and Daniel euen pray thrise a daie if wée will be good schollers in the Lordes schoole Psal 55.17 Dan. 6.10 In the Morning and in the Euening and at mid day I will pray and that instantly saieth Dauid and thou shalt heare my voice and Daniel his window being open towards Ierusalem he kneeled on his knees three times a day and prayed and praised his God as he did afore time Oh holie custome manie are verie precise they will kéepe their olde customes they will doe as they haue beene woont to doe but I would to God they would learne here this good custome of Daniel and that they woulde praie thrise a daie and that they would learne that good custome also to knéele when they praie which custome now verie manie haue forgotten Wee must praie Giue vs this day our daily bread we are taught hereby also not to be ouer couetous of these worldlie goods Wée must not be like that other rich man Luke 12.16 who made him greater barnes and said to his soule now soule be at rest thou hast laid vp for thee in store for manie yeares Manie at this daie draw nigh to this couetous rich man by their ouermuch prouidence and worldy carefulnesse for themselues and their children They néede not saie Giue vs this daie our daily bread they haue laide vp in store for manie yéres as this couetous rich worldling had They are so carefull for their children that they will leaue nothing to doe for them Eral apophth Alexander being a youth when as he heard that Philip his father had conquered many countries and cities wept And being demanded why he did so seeing that all should be his hee answered that his father would leaue nothing for him to doe This mind was in him beeing a child that hee would doe some thing himselfe I would to God it were now the mindes of some fathers that they would leaue some thing also for their sonnes to doe that they would trie them how they would vse the talent God had bestowed vpon them that they would leaue God some thing to doe for them also God will not haue his so couetous so carefull hee will haue them alwaies depend of him hee will haue them be beholden to him And forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. By this wee are taught to bee readie to forgiue the trespasses of our brethren doone to vs. Euerie daie wee offend God hainouslie and if wee will not forgiue our brethren which in small trifles offend against vs but be seuere in punishing and reuenging them how can wée hope for pardon our selues at Gods handes of our so manie and so grieuous sinnes Especially séeing our Sauiour hath not onelie with our owne mouthes made vs say thus that if we should not do so our owne mouthes might as it were condemne vs but also after this prayer hee onelie repeates this againe of all the other petitions as a lesson as should séem that greatly concerned vs and that many would hardlie learne Matth. 6.14 For if you do forgiue men their trespasses saith he your
nature flies euer aloft and makes her nest in high places so if man had continued in that first estate he had euer beene occupied in the contemplation of high and heauenly things and had had his delight and dwelling in these But after that hee became also euen subiect to that curse of the old Serpent which was that he should go vpon his belly and eate earth all the dayes of his life by and by he made an exchange of heauen for earth and became altogether earth hee loues now earth he eates earth he talkes of earth on earth he hath his treasure laid vp and he takes so deepe roote now on earth that with no chaines or mattockes now he can be pulled from thence And how great this necessity is of continuall praying no man can vnderstand but he that knowes the great pouertie which man fell into through sinne which is so great as with no words it can sufficiently be expressed It is written that the eyes of our first parents were opened Gen. 3.7 and that they knew themselues to be naked by which words the miserable spoiling and extreame nakednesse and pouerty into which mankind through sinne was throwne headlong may easily be gathered For man was robbed of all grace of originall righteousnesse and of all those free gifts which he had receiued of God But if he hauing lost those free gifts yet if he had remained safe and sound in the gifts of nature it had beene a great comfort vnto him but in these also he was so corrupted and weakned that from the sole of the foot to the crowne of the head there was no sound part found in him So that of man may truly be verified that saying of the Prophet And he hath put on cursing like a garment and it hath entred as water into his bowelles and as Oyle into his bones It had been enough to haue said that man had put on cursing and that he was cladde with it from top to toe for that had beene a great miserie but least any man should thinke that onely his outward parts were accursed hee beeing hole and sound within the Propet addeth that it entred also like water into his inward parts that he might declare that nothing in him neither within nor without was safe and free from that curse Furthermore because water doth not pierce so greatly into anything least any should think that some thing perchance lay hid in man which was not subiect to that curse the Prophet addeth And as Oyle into his bones Oyle of all liquours pierceth the most The curse therefore as Oile entred into his bones which are the more secret and hid parts of man This curse reacheth euen to the very marrow that is to the inward and most secret parts of the soule or to that chiefe spirituall part thereof which we call the mind which is a kinne as we say to the Angelles and was made according to the image of God which as it is a spirit naturally loues spiritual things and hates those thinges which are of the flesh But it also being defiled and tainted through sinne doeth also now encline to fleshly thinges Therefore when as in man there are three principall parts his bodie his soule and his spirite they are all infected weakned and corrupted through sinne The curse as a garment couereth the flesh with all hir senses and like water it enters into the soule and into all her affections and like Oyle it pierceth into the inward parts of the spirit and into all her powers Wherefore our vnderstanding is blinde our will weake our freedome feeble our memory corrupted and forgetting hir creator seeing man therefore is throughout corrupted destroied and as it were become flesh how can he keepe the law of God which is altogether spirituall We know saith the Apostle that the law is spirituall but I am carnall solde vnder sinne What proportion is there betweene a spirituall law and a carnall man What fitnesse can a beast haue which is altogether flesh that he may liue according to the rule of the law which is altogether spirituall If therefore man through sin be become like vnto a beast altogether now enclined to the flesh what fitnes can hee haue to keepe the law which is altogether spirituall which is the law of Angels and altogether heauenly Yea he is so vnapt and vnfit to keepe the lawe that hee cannot doe any worke or speake any worde that pleaseth God vnles from heauen speciall grace be giuen him By these things it is manifest that on the one side if you consider the bodie of man that neither in the Sea nor in the aire nor on the earth you can find any creature standing in so great neede as man doth and subiect to so many miseries and calamities as he is againe on the other side if you respect his soule you shall find hir so weake and miserable that she is scant able to open hir mouth worthily to call vpon the name of Iesus By these things we may see where and in what state man was in the beginning created of God and into what miseries through sinne he is now fallen that his ingratitude and proude disobedience against his Creator deserued such a medicine God created him in great prosperity honour and blessednes and thereof hee tooke an occasion of waxing proude wherefore by good right he is left so miserable naked and voide of all goodnes that through his pouerty he might become humble and through his neede diligent and that the remedy of this need which is prayer might the more delight him Thus farre Granatensis In which words he saieth somwhat more then Andradius and the councell of Trent that man is not onelie as it were asléepe through sinne but that euen the curse of God is entred into his bones and that it hath like Oile euen pierced quite thorough him If this be true then man néedes a new Oile to be giuen him before he can doe anie good and this curse must be taken out of his bones and out of his marrow and sinewes before he be able to doe anie worke that pleaseth God Nay he is vnapt and vnfit now to that which is good saith Granatensis he must not onely haue his yron fetters taken from him as Andradius affirmeth but that he maie go straight forward he must haue new féete giuen him his olde féete will not serue the turne and the refore the Samaritan set the wounded man vpon his owne beast for his owne legs would not beare him He is become a beast and therefore he néedes not only loosing from the cribbe to doe God seruice as Andradius seemes to affirme but there must also a change and a Metamorphosis bee made hee must now of a beast be made a man for our God will not bee serued with beasts but with men And such a feeble fréedome Granatensis giues to man to make him humble they which teach contrarie doe make him proud
Sixtly she must go out by absolution and come into the citie of Ierusalem that is into the holy Church and be reconciled to her againe by a spirituall life Lastly she must confesse and testifie both in word and worke that Christ is the sonne of God as did also the Centurion Here truely Ferus declares what mans hart is before regeneration It is a rocke there is no softnesse nor aptnesse to goodnesse in it before grace And it is euen now as great a miracle for God to conuert a sinner Exod. 16. ver 6 as it were for him to make the water to runne out of the hard rocke Fer. in 9. cap. Act. Ferus also on this matter writes verie excellently vpon these wordes O Lorde what wilt thou haue me to doe This is the speech of a changed heart See here what Gods correction can doe what grace can doe what the spirit can doe In one word it makes a wolfe a sheepe For by and by he cries what wilt thou haue mee doe O Lord For I am now readie hereafter to obey thy commandements I would to God we were made all so ready by the Lords correctiō Surely then it would fare better with vs. For God strikes vs that he might by by heale vs and if we be not healed that comes of our own wickednes frowardnes Therfore we must praie thus that he will conuert vs also Conuert vs O God of our saluation c. Thou seest that this beginning of true repentance doth proceede of none other cause but from God when as he doth touch our heart with the feeling of sinne and doth also so vnderproppe it that it despaire not as we heare here that he did to Paul For he being so terrified had runne from Gods presence and had vtterly despaired vnlesse by Gods spirit he had been called backe againe that he might crie O Lord what wilt thou haue me doe Thou seest therefore how true repentance differs from that which is false and counterfeit For vnlesse all the hart be kindled with this earnest desire that it say O Lord I couet to forsake mine owne euill waie and to doe that which thou wouldst haue me doe it is but hypocrisie it is no repentance But this earnest desire no man can frame to himselfe vnlesse God touch his heart Therfore the beginning the middle and the end is of God and is Gods worke Here we may learne what we were before grace we were wolues we were no shéepe and therefore not a helping vppe or pricking forward was necessarie for vs but as our Sauiour teacheth a regeneration And this is that which God himselfe promiseth by the Prophet Ezechiell Ezech. 11.19 I will take away their stonie heart and I will giue them a heart of flesh God had néede shewe his most mightie power as well in mans regeneration as in his creation His heart was become a stone and therefore vnapt to mooue and apply it selfe to the grace of God as the Papists teach What fitnesse is there in a stone to receiue into it anie moisture or to mooue it selfe vpward and such like were all mens hearts to grace before regeneration as God himselfe here plainlie teacheth by his Prophet Ezechiell And hereof also is that which Iohn saith in the Gospell to the proud and bragging Iewes of their carnall descent from Abraham Matth. 3.9 That God was able of stones to raise vp children to Abraham no doubt by these stones he meant all Abrahams spirituall sons who by the preaching of the Gospell and by faith in Iesus Christ should be borne vnto him And doe we not sée now this prophesie of Iohn verified The proud bragging Iewes are reiected and the Gentiles who before were as stones are by Gods grace now become Abrahams children This also that vision that God shewed Peter As Ferus also notes hereafter Act 10.11 when as hee would call the Gentiles prooues most euidently He saw heauen opened and a certaine vessell came downe vnto him as it had been a great sheete knit at the foure corners and was let downe to the earth wherein were all manner of foure-footed beasts of the earth and wilde beasts and creeping thinges and foules of the heauen No doubt these beasts as Peter himselfe also after expounds this vision signified the Gentiles Into such monsters we were growen by reason of sinne Psalm 49.12 Man being in honour had no vnderstanding euen Adam that first man and in him all men and so became as the beasts that perish so that man must be killed and quickened againe as God here commands Peter he must haue new life put into him before he can please God So farre off is he of his owne nature to assent fréelie to the grace of God offering it selfe vnto him sinne being onely done away And this is that which Ferus here teacheth men must become of wolues shéepe before they can be acceptable sacrifices vnto God The beginning of the desire which they haue to serue God and the middle and continuance thereof when as they haue once begun and the ende also thereof is of God Not the beginning onely as the Papists doe teach And this is that also which Saint Peter teacheth all true Catholiques 1. Pet. 1.5 in his Catholique Epistle That we are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation He not onely at the beginning workes fréely our iustificaon as the Councell of Trent teacheth but euen also fréelie through the same faith he then wrought in our hearts he continually preserueth vs. So that our whole saluation the beginning and the middle and the end thereof we must only and wholy ascribe vnto God This great worke is his worke alone no man what soeuer maie challenge anie part in it with him hee alone must haue all the glorie of it Ibid. And to this effect the same Ferus writes thus againe Marke here that God is not onely the beginning but also the perfection of all goodnesse in vs. For he that begins the same also finisheth He workes in vs both to will and also to finish he giues the increase To this maie be applied that which Moses saith The land which the Lord will giue you is not like the land of Egypt c. The forces and powers of nature are sufficient to externall workes but to those things which concerne our saluation we must looke for a shower from heauen that is grace Therefore euerie godlie man must say I will not trust in mine owne bowe And after The light of nature seemes to be reason but in diuine matters they are but scales hindering the sight as thou seest here in Paul These scales signifie that couering which is ouer Moses face yea ouer the hearts of all the Iewes before faith Those scales also which claue together in the body of Leuiathan are wicked men amongst whom Saul was All these when the light commeth fall downe to the ground c. The light
light and those vaine shadowes which seeme to mooue hither and thither and to speake and those resemblances of thinges which those men which are thus bound in yron chaines falsely iudge to be things indeed He could not more fitly by any other meanes haue set before our eyes the liues of wicked men For they beeing here groueling on the earth and in loue with their bodies and chained with the innumerable chaines of vices cannot turne their minde that way that they may beholde the light and the true shapes of things For there is no trueth indeed in these bodily and earthly but in diuine and eternall things Therefore all the commodities of this life haue no firme or sound thing in them but onely beare a face or shew of good things And men being now acquainted with these shadowes and being deluded with these Images of things do with tooth and naile pursue after false good things and being effeminated with the false sweetnes of pleasure are so kept in bondage that they are now enemies to all those which woulde ridde them out of those bonds would endeuour to bring them to heauen that they might behold the true sunne indeed and the true light and true men and true good things that is that they might behold heauenly and diuine thinges and that they might haue the vvhole force of their minds fixed in euerlasting things Thus farre Osorius This is mans estate before regeneration to delight in sinne not to be able to be hold the true light naie to be euen an open enemie to those that shall go about to draw him from this bondage or shall endeuour to make him see his owne miserie and vnhappinesse so farre off is he from embracing the true light if it be offered vnto him This is Osorius his iudgement in this place And a little after hee writes thus Is it not most certaine that this is graunted to Christians to behold God as often as they stirre vp their weake faith and doe deuoutly pray for Gods grace that being loosed from these bonds and turned away from these shadowes of things and turned to the true good things indeed that they may mount vp with their minds into heauen and that they may beholde those most excellent and eternall riches and may enioy that sweete and most pleasant familiaritie and talke with God with vnspeakeable ioifulnes Here plainely appeares what effects the grace of God works in mens soules It not onelie looseth them from the stronge and iron chaines of their sinnes but also it withdrawes them from the loue of vanities and turnes them to the loue of vertue and true godlinesse These effectes here Osorius attributes to the grace of God man of his owne nature hath them not Ambrose of mans duetie to God writes thus De Abraham pat lib. 2. ca. 8. That soule which is full of wisedome and righteousnesse is more deuout in the worship of God and paies her tenthes of all the fruits of the earth according to a more heauenly wisedome herein in that she referres the perfection of all her senses and workes to God shee challengeth nothing to hir selfe which is not able to gouerne her selfe vnlesse she were vnderpropped with Gods fauour c. All Abrahams children of their father must learne to paie these tenthes to God But for the maintenance of frée will Rom. 7.18 that place of Saint Paul maie be obiected To will is at hand but to doe good I cannot tell how to do it Saint Austen expounds this place thus De praed gra ca. 13. Although that same will is not of vs it is the gift of God because of him wee haue both to will and to do according to his good pleasure And concerning this place Austen first expounded it of a man vnregenerate but after he changed his mind and expounded it of the regenerate as appeares in his Booke Contra Iu◠cap. 11. Ambrose also is of the same mind with Austen herein and expounds this place of the regenerate speaking of the strife that was betwéene Abraham and Lot which he allegoricallie applies to the soule of man Lib. 2. de Abra. cap. 6. Hereof comes saieth he the discord of our cogitations when as the flesh rebels against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Then there is no small combate when as the Apostle himselfe the Lords chosen vessell saith I see the lawe of my flesh resisting the law of my mind and bringing me in bondage vnder the law of sinne which is in my members He himselfe coulde not pacifie this combate and therefore he fled to Christ saying O vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death that is that I cleaue not to the pleasures of the flesh Who is it that shall loose me from these bonds and shall set me free and shall writh rather the senses to the sobriety of the mind then to the drunkennes of the body but because amongst men he could not find such a guide turning to God he saith The grace of God by our Lord Iesus Christ If he that was so strong trusted not in his owne strength that he might escape the body of death but sought for helpe of Christ what shall we do who are weaker c. Phil. de Dies sum prae dic Tit. amor hominis erga Deum I will conclude this point of free will with a saying of Philippus de Dies When as onely God is the author of the reasonable soule and that the will is a power of such a soule it followeth manifestly that onely God can moue it not onely in bestowing the nature and essence vnto it but also the willing of that which is good and also the end which is the conclusion of all our willings Therefore wee must desire of him with most earnest prayers with that kingly Prophet Incline my heart O God vnto thy Testimonies 2. Of Justification De indulg POligranes a Papist of Christs merites writes thus We must know that Christ the son of God by his works and passions did deserue many things of God his father To himselfe glorie and exaltation as Saint Paul saith for which cause God hath exalted him c. He hath deserued also to men a generall satisfaction for their sinnes For by his bloud hee hath washed away the faults and by his death hath restored the grace of iustification You are iustified freely saith the Apostle by his grace Rom. 3. by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus But by this his merit he hath so freely washed away the faults that according to the faith of the Church and of the holy scripture he hath left some part of the punishment vnredeemed which is either here to be redeemed with the workes of mercie or els to be paied hereafter And therefore thirdly he deserued that he which of himselfe hath deserued it through speciall faith and deuotion might forgiue this punishment himselfe which we
mette in anie man since Adams fall till now Truth now hath flourished out of the earth Verse 11. O happie earth that bore at length such a blossome All men before were liars till Iesus Christ was borne Psal 12.2.62.9 In whose mouth was no deceit So that now it maie be said that trueth hath flourished out of the earth and neuer till now And righteousnes hath looked downe from heauen Euen nowe also to impart her selfe to men who were all before vnrighteous who were altogither naked as their great grandfather Adam confessed to cloath and adorne them Gen. 3.10 O happie assembly of heauenly vertues Oh blessed natiuitie of Iesus Christ Without this earth had still brought forth lies man had béene still vnrighteous anger and displeasure of God had raigned in the world Luk. 2.24 Esay 53.5 punishments and all manner of plagues had taken hold of all men Oh happie Metamorphosis and exchange That for lies truth for sinne righteousnesse for anger peace for punishment mercie and louing kindnesse is bestowed vpon man Naie this our king is such a king as that Righteousnesse shall go before him Vers 13. it shall direct his goings in the way he shall not once treade awrie So that to the verie faces of his enemies he shall saie Iohn 8.46 Which of you can rebuke me of sinne And none of them shall be able to accuse him He shall iustifie sinners that trust in him Esay 53.11 He is able to pay their debts and minister iustice for all those that are oppressed to their oppressors as he did to Naboth and Ahab 1. King 21.21 Luk. 16.25 to Diues and Lazarus This is the meaning of this Psalme Granatensis as he is full of holie meditations so especiallie he excéedes in this matter so that although the places I shall take out of him be verie long yet I hope the excellencie of the matter will make them séeme short Euen as it is written of Iacob Gen. 29.20 That he serued seuen yeeres for Rahel and they seemed to him but a few daies because he loued her So all they which loue Iesus Christ all the paines they shall take in reading things that concerne him it should séeme nothing vnto them Granatensis first therefore in a discourse he makes vpon the Lords prayer writes thus verie excellentlie of mans iustification by Christ in the sight of God But O Father doest thou forgiue vs our sinnes freely and without any recompence Truely thou forgiuest them freely not freely not freely for although mercy be readie to forgiue yet iustice will be satisfied freely because thou hast giuen vs freely that wherwith to repaie iustice that is that great and inestimable treasure which thy onely begotten sonne the whole space of xxxi j yeeres did laie vp as treasure for vs An entrance to the which he hath purchased for vs with his bloud We offer to thee this treasure O Father take thereof as much as thou wilt There may be drawn out thereof abundantly but it can neuer be drawne drie we may spend thereof but it can neuer be diminished All his merits are ours his satisfaction is ours his bloud is our ransome Therefore we beseech thee O Lord that being pacified with the bloud and merits of thy sonne that thou wouldest winke at our sins the which if thou shalt call into a streight account there is no man shall be able to abide the fauour much lesse the rigour of thy iustice Let thy mercie helpe vs who acknowledge our selues worthie to be damned for a thousand sinnes by thy iustice Purge vs with the feruent fire of thy loue take vs againe to thy fauour be friendes with vs Forgiue vs our trespasses Thus farre Granatensis And this which he teacheth must all Gods Saints pleade at the tribunall seate of Gods iustice They must saie with Dauid Pleade thou my cause O Lord Psal 35.1 with them that striue with me fight thou against them that fight against me And againe And now truely what is my hope 39.7.38.15 Truelie my hope is euen in thée And againe For in thee O Lord haue I put my trust thou shalt answere for me O Lord my God This must be their plea if they minde to be saued against all the accusations of their owne consciences and enditements of Sathan And this is that which our Sauiour teacheth Verely verely Ioh. 5.24 I say vnto you he that heareth my worde and beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life Granatensis concludes the Lords prayer thus Behold most louing Father how our childishnesse hath plaied her part as well as she can in vttering the words which thy only begotten sonne hath taught vs but now we powre out altogither and at once without wordes our whole hearts that thou wouldest mercifully grant vnto vs those things which we desire of thee O Father we most humbly beseech thee that thou wouldest mercifully bestow vpon vs all those benefites and graces before recited not respecting our vnworthinesse but the worthinesse of thy onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ For he is our aduocate our priest our sacrifice and our patrone before thee For we doe not prostrate our prayers before thy face trusting in our owne righteousnesse as the Prophet saith but in the multitude of thy mercies and in the merites of thy sonne our Lorde For whatsoeuer he hath done or suffered all that he hath giuen vnto vs he hath suffered and done al that for vs therfore for his sake we desire thee that thou wilt grant vs all these our requests By him thou hast created all things and by him thou hast restored all things that were lost by him thou hast created man to thine owne image and likenesse and by him thou hast reformed man againe to the same image He is the foundation of our being he is the foundation of our righteousnesse and the cause of our merites he is our intercessor with thee he is our aduocate and the strength of our hope Therefore whatsoeuer hitherto O heauenly Father we haue asked we haue asked all that by thy sonne for that which is not due to our righteousnesse is due to his merites If thou shalt finde no goodnesse in vs truely thou canst finde no wickednesse in him If there be no merites in vs behold his merites without estimation or number By him therefore we pray thee by him we beseech thee honour him in vs. For that which thou giuest to vs the verie same thou giuest to him for whatsoeuer is bestowed vpon the members redounds to the head whereof they are members We confesse O Father we confesse our pouertie we haue nothing of our owne that we may offer vnto thee least notwithstanding that we should appeare emptie before thee which thing thou forbiddest in thy law behold we offer vp in sacrifice vnto thee thy onely begotten sonne with all his labors
yet more to humble thy selfe Crie vnto God without ceassing and saie O Lord I haue nothing I can doe nothing without thy helpe I can do nothing else but sinne Cast down thy selfe prostrate with that notorious sinner and be so greatly ashamed euen as a woman is woont to be that hath defiled her husbands bedde and comes to aske pardon of her husband With such like shame O soule stand thou before thy heauenly spouse in despight of whom thou hast committed fornication so often with manie louers beseech him bedewed with many teares touched with great sorrow that he will pardon and forgiue thee whatsoeuer thou hast sinned against him and that he will receiue thee againe into his family for his great mercy beeing indeede that riotous and prodigall Sonne Thus farre Granatensis I woulde all Papists woulde teach this doctrine It woulde make men humble it woulde make them not trust in their workes it woulde make them flie truelie to the mercie of God which is the onlie and true Sanctuary for all Christians to flie vnto Againe of the imperfections of our good workes hee writes thus It is most certaine that thou felst into the foresaid sinnes speaking of the breaking of all Gods commaundementes before thou hadst receiued the true knowledge of God but after thou hast knowne him if thou haue knowne him yet desire of him that he will open the eies of thy mind and thou shalt find many reliques of the old Adam many of the Iebusites yet to remaine in the land of promise onely allured by thy curtesie And againe a little after VVhen as God doth not so much respect the worke it selfe as the meaning and purpose of the vvorke how many good works dost thou thinke that thou hast doon which are pure from the dregges of vaine glory and free from gaping after worldly praises How many are there which thou wouldest neuer haue giuen thy mind to but being drawne and moued vvith outward ceremonies Howe many are there in which thou hast sought thine owne estimation And how few are there which are doone from a sincere heart and for the pure loue of GOD and for which thou hast not paid the world her toll And all such workes what are they else then a smoake shadow and as it were a vizarde of vertue And againe If thou shalt diligently search all the corners of thy soule if thou shalt put thy hand into thy bosome thou shalt pull it out againe full of leprosie as white as Snow and thou shalt finde therein many deadly wounds Oh what deepe root hath swelling pride taken in thee How doth ambition raigne in thee How many waies doeth hypocrisie and the counterfeite shew of vertue trouble thee by which thou wouldest faine cloake thy faults and imperfections and desire to seeme another then thou art indeed Ah how carefully doest thou pursue after those things which are thine own which are acceptable to the flesh pleasant to the bodie how often vnder pretence of necessitie thou makest much of thy selfe and pamperest thy bodie most daintilie so that hereby thou seemes not to nourish nor feed it so much as longing after pleasures and delites to put a spurre vnto it And hereof this is a most euident argument that if any man who before was most gratefull and acceptable vnto thee shall a little reproue thee and find fault with thee and thine inordinate desires thou shalt feele bie and bie the roote of enuie to sproute in thee and thy selfe to bee woonderfullie mooued against him or if anie one shall a little impaire thy honour howe greatlie wilt thou bee displeased with him Thus farre Granatensis In which wordes hee doeth verie truelie describe the corruption of mans nature that no pure worke procéedes thereof But as long as wee liue in this flesh wee cannot so mortifie olde Adam but he will be mingling his Chaffe amongst the Lords Wheate and his dregges amongst his most cleare water streames of the holy spirit And as hee hath in this place most excellently shewed the grieuousnesse of the wounde so in another place hee shewes the salue and remedie The Souldier sayeth hee comes vvith his Speare and shaking it he thrusts it with all his force into the Lordes heart the crosse being moued with the force of the stroke shakes and by and by out of the fresh wound comes water and bloud to wash awaie the sinnes of the whole world O floud issuing out of Paradice and with thy streames watering the vvhole vvorld Oh precious wound of that side not so much wounded with the fiercenes of the Iron as with the force of loue O gate of heauen Window of Paradise place of refuge Tower of fortitude Sanctuary of the iust the graue of strangers the nest of chaste Doues the fragrant bedde of Salomons spouse Blessed be the wound of that precious side wounding the soules of the godly blessed be that pricking which pricks the soules of the iust blessed bee that beautifull and redde Rose that inestimable Carbuncle the way to Christes heart the testimony of Gods loue the free pledge of euerlasting life Thorough thee all beasts cleane and vncleane doe enter in which desire to be saued from the waters of the floud by the meanes of the Arke of the true Noah All they which are tempted flie vnto thee all those which are afflicted find comfort in thee with thy liquour all those which are sicke are healed through thee sinners do enter into the Palace of heauen in thee all pilgrimes and banished persons doe take their ease most pleasantly O firy Ouen of loue house of peace treasure of the Church veine of the water of life springing into life eternall O Lord open vnto me this gate take me home with thee and make me dwel in this most pleasant house Giue me grace by this to enter into the secret places of thy loue Giue me leaue to drinke of this most sweet Fountaine and make mee drunken with this most precious liquour Sleepe O my soule in this Caue most soundly forget here all the cares and businesses of this world here take thy ease here eate and drinke here sing most ioifully with the Prophet This is my rest for euer and euer here will I dwell I haue chosen this Thus farre Granatensis Wherein hee affirmes that Christes merites and not the merites of Saintes or of Monkes and Friers are the treasure of the Church and that the water and bloud of his woundes heales all sicke sinners And in another place writing of the end of our works he sayeth thus The benefites sayeth hee whereby we do receiue any good De orat Med tract 7. cap. 8 are oftentimes perceiued of men but these secret benefites which doe not consist in bestowing any good vpon vs but in turning awaie and repelling euill who can vnderstand Therefore it is necessary that we giue God thanks no lesse for these then for those other Let vs remember also how many things we doe
anie thing and excellent personages and the dignitie of the things themselues The things themselues oftentimes do speake and witnesse And here concerning the certaintie of our saluation first that plaine and short Epistle which saint Iohn writes to all that beléeue in Iesus Christ as a most ancient record doth testifie Ioh. Epist 1. ca. 5.13 Secondlie saint Iohn himselfe who wrote the Epistle who was the beloued Disciple on whome Iesus Christ leaned and lastlie the dignitie of Christians all that beléeue in Iesus Christ must know that they haue eternall life Faith in Iesus Christ is no small iewell it bringes with it this vertue euen the assurance and knowledge of our saluation They diminish and take the dignitie both of faith and of Christians from them that deny this which saint Iohn repeates twise in that his short Epistle as a thing not lightly to be regarded as a thing which the diuell should go about to steale from Christians and to deface for he cannot abide the dignitie of faith These things haue I written to you sayeth saint Iohn which beleeue on the name of the son of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life and that ye may beleeue on the name of the Sonne of God Let vs marke here first that he sayth that all Christians must know that they haue eternall life now that they shall haue it but that they must now know that they are assured of it euen as if they had it already Secondlie that he repeates that they which beléeue on the name of the sonne of God haue this knowledge and this assurance And he vrgeth this knowledge and assurance as a spur and a mightie cause to make them beléeue on the name of the sonne of God Who would not to be assured of his saluation to know certainly that he should be saued doe any thing Nowe saint Iohn teacheth all true Christians that to the obtaining of this so waightie a matter there is one thing necessary and that is To beleeue on the name of the sonne of God who will not now beléeue and euery day pray for increase of faith that heares and beleeues this In ca. 5. Epi. Io. Ferus also as I haue noted before affirmeth that as Christ had witnesse from heauen and on earth that he was the onely true Sauiour of the world so euery Christian hath the same Testimonie that he is the sonne of God And shal any christian doubt then whether he be the sonne of God or no First the Father from heauen witnesseth they shall be my sonnes and my daughters and I wil be their father Secondly the holy Ghost witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God And thirdly the Sacrament of Baptisme wherewith we are washed and the Sacrament of the Eucharist wherewith we are sed doth witnesse the same what can then be more happie then a Christian saith Ferus that hath so manie Testimonies Master Bellarmine that Salomon spake generally of the vncertainty which iust men haue of their proper grace either as men or as the sonnes of God may be gathered of two things first of these words that all things are kept vncertaine or before their faces But here Bellarmine must not mistake Salomon for all things are not kept vncertaine as the words seeme to import for then the Articles of our faith should bee vncertaine which I thinke Bellarmine will not affirme among which Articles also are contained the remission of sinnes and the resurrection of the bodie I maruell why they will not make the one of these as certaine to euerie mans conscience as the other So that then these words of Salomon that all things are vncertain must be restrained within their limits and to bee vnderstood in that respect hee spake them which the words following doe declare that is that by these externall euents a man cannot iudge anie thing but all things are vncertaine Secondlie Master Bellarmine saieth that of the intent or purpose of Salomon this may be gathered which was to shew that this was one of the miseries of this life and that not the least that euen iust men might iustly feare least peraduenture they were not iust but if they knew they were iust howsoeuer they know it then saieth hee all things were not reserued as vncertaine to come But what was Salomons purpose appeareth by the Chapter going before And I see all the worke of God saieth hee that man cannot find it out the worke that is done vnder the Sunne Eccl ca. 8. v. 17 the which man studies to search out and cannot find the same yea though a wise man saie he will search it out yet he cannot find it And then followes I gaue my mind to this whole matter and to declare it all Here is first Salomons purpose that Gods works are woonderfull and that no man can attaine to the depth or to the reason of them not to teach as master Bellarmine teacheth that this is not the least misery of man to feare whether he be iust or no. And then after Salomon hath put downe this his intent and purpose he sets downe this foundation concerning the matter propounded That all men whether wise or iust whether seruants or masters are in the hands of God How soeuer God dealeth with men this is a sure ground That be they wise and iust they are in the hands of God and therefore are sure to be saued whatsoeuer befall them But his loue or hatred saieth hee man knowes not for all things happen to the good and wicked alike so woonderfull are the works of God that by them no man can tell his loue or his hatred This is Salomons drift and purpose as most euidentlie appeares out of this Text whereas that first ground That the iust and wise men are in the hands of God whatsoeuer befalles them seemes to inferre necessarilie this certaintie of our saluation But to conclude this place doth not that saying of the Apostle prooue euidentlie the certaintie of our saluation That the feruent desire of the creature waiteth Rom. 8 20.21.22 when the sonnes of God shall be reuealed For wee know that euery creature groneth with vs also and trauelleth in paine together vnto this present And not onely the creature but we also which haue the first fruits of the spirit euen we doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies If all the godlie doe sigh and grone for the daie of Iudgement with the earth which then shall most assuredlie be restored to the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God doe wee thinke that they doe doubt of their saluation or doe wee thinke God deales more hardlie with them then with the earth It is sure of deliuerance and liberty euen now which causeth it to grone and are not they That saying also of Peter confirmes the same That all Christians should looke for 2. Pet. 4 12. hasten vnto the day of God
be the greatest signe of loue to suffer for him that is beloued what else are all thy sorrowes then speciall testimonies of thy loue If then there are so many testimonies thereof as there are blowes and strokes who will doubt of this loue being confirmed with so many Testimonies Oh then how great is my incredulity which is not ouercome with so many and so great arguments Iohn maruelled at the infidelity of the Iewes saying that When as Iesus had done so manie and so great signes amongst them to confirme his doctrine yet they beleeued not in him O blessed Euangelist cease to woonder at the incredulitie of the Iewes and woonder at mine For it is no lesse an argument to perswade vs to beleeue the exceeding great loue of Christ towards vs that he suffered for vs wherefore if it be greatly to be woondred at that the Iewes beleeued not the preaching of Christ hauing seene his so many miracles how is it not farre more woonderfull that seeing Iesus hath receiued for vs more then fiue thousand wounds in his most tender body that we will yet doubt of his loue towards vs But what a matter will it be if wee shall ioine all the sorrowes and sufferings of his life to those stripes which hee suffered when as hee was bound to the pillar when as he suffered all those euilles for the loue he bare vnto vs what thing else O Lord drew thee from heauen into this valley of teares but loue what made thee come out of the bosome of the father into the wombe of thy mother and there to be cladde with earth and comming out from thence caused thee to endure all kinds of miseries but loue What droue thee into the stable and manger and caried thee after into a strange land as a banisht person but loue what caused thee to take such paines to runne vp and downe hither and thither to watch to endure all the troubles of the long night to compasse about Sea and land to seeke the lost sheepe but loue What bound Sampsons hands and feet what powled his head and bereaued him of al his strength and made him a laughing stocke to his enimies but the only loue of his spouse Dalilah And O Christ what bound thy hands and feet what powled thee and depriued thee of all thy strength and fortitude and gaue thee into the hands of thine enimies of whom thou wast mocked spit vpon and slaine was it not onely the loue wherewith thou louedst so dearly the spouse of thy Church and the soules of euery one of vs To conclude what bound thee to this Pillar where thou stoodest from the sole of thy feet to the crowne of thy head most iniuriously dealt withall with thy hands bound thy ribs torne from their flesh thy members al out of ioint thy body al to be bathed with bloud thy veines cutte in pieces thy lippes thirsting thy toong being bitter as gal and that I may say al in a word al thy body torne and rent and all thy members crusht in pieces O Christ I beseech thee what other thing forced thee into this gulfe of so rowes but onely loue O exceeding great loue O loue full of fauour O such a loue as becomes his comâ—assion and greatnesse who is infinit goodnesse it selfe bountifulnesse it selfe loue it selfe and mercie it selfe Gran. de orat med die Mer. how therefore O Lord hauing so many and so great testimonies as these are can I not beleeue that thou louest mee most dearely when as it is most certaine that in heauen now thou hast not changed thy mind from that since thou wast here vpon earth Thou art not that Pharaohs Butler who when as he saw himself restored againe to his former honor forgat his miserable friend whom he left in prison but thou now abounding with all prosperitie glory and maiesty in heauen loues more dearely thy Sonnes dwelling here on earth then before When as therefore thou hast so greatly loued me how cannot I but loue thee againe How shall I not but trust in thee how shall I not but commit my selfe wholy to thee how shal I not now account my selfe rich and happy enough seeing I haue God mine such a deare friend It is greatly to be wondered at that I should delight in any transitory things in this life or to giue my mind to any outward things when as I haue such a mighty and rich friend by whose meanes all good things both temporal and eternall are bestowed vpon me Thus farre Granatensis wherein he most excellentlie describes the excéeding great loue that Iesus Christ our most blessed Sauiour euer had and euen now hath towards vs so that he that now will doubt thereof is worse then anie Turk Pagan or Infidell for what is this else but to denie that hee suffered all these things for vs And if euerie one is to beleeue assuredlie this excéeding loue of Iesus Christ towards him then surely he is not to doubt of his saluation And after speaking of Christ when as hee was whipped and then againe shewed to the Iewes of Pilate VVee must knowe sayeth hee that Christ euen now shewes to his Father in heauen the same shape and the same countenance Med. die louis which he shewed to this furious people euen as fresh and as blew with stripes and as besprinkled with blood as he was at that day when hee liued here on earth What Image can be more forcible to pacifie the eyes of an angry father then the bloodie countenance of this his sonne This is that golden propitiatory this is that Raine-bow of diuers colours placed in the cloudes by the sight whereof God is appeased this delights the eies of God this satisfies his iustice this restores to God againe the honour that man had stolne from him this yeelds to God that seruice which his greatnes requireth Tell me O thou faint-hearted Christian whosoeuer thou art distrusting of the goodnesse of God if the shape and forme of Christ was such that it was able to pacifie the eyes of such cruell enemies how much more forcible shall it bee to pacifie the eyes of a louing Father especially when as he suffered all things which he suffered for his honor and obedience Make a comparison of eyes with eies and of person with person and thou shalt easily perswade thy selfe that thou art more secure and certaine of the mercy of this father if thou offer vnto him such a shape and figure of his sonne then Pilate was of the compassion of the Iewes then when as he bringing forth Iesus shewed him to the people Therefore in all thy prayers and temptations lay hold on this Lord for a shield and put him between thee and thy God offring him and saying Behold the man Behold O Lord God here thou hast that man whom thou soughtest for so many hundred yeares that he might be a mediator between thee miserable sinners Behold how thou hast such an excellent
of God because the eternall father for the exceeding great loue wherewith he loueth vs he cals that his saluation which is our saluation Wherefore also the Prophet Esay speaking in the person of God saith Esa 42. I haue giuen thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou maiest be my saluation euen to the vttermost parts of the earth O blessed and praised be such a God who loues vs so that he calles our saluation his saluation Saint Paul also shewes vs this loue saying I beseech you 1. Thes 4.1 that you walke as you ought to walke and to please God for you know what commandements I haue giuen you by the Lord Iesus for this is the will of God euen your sanctification Marke I beseech you what commandements these are and what is this will of God The former words did seem to require that he should haue added This is the will of God that you should praise him that you should offer him sacrifice and yet notwithstanding hauing made that preface before he addeth that the will of God is Our sanctification which in truth is accounted one of the greatest good things which man hath Therefore O my brethren giue thanks to God for this his singular loue wherewith he loues you for his will and that thing which most pleaseth him is your profit and commoditie This loue wherewith the highest loueth vs he cals the coards wherewith he drawes vs vnto him when as he faith by the prophet Osee Ose 11. I will draw them with the coardes of Adam that is with what affection I made Adam their first parent holy and created him in grace as the interlmeal Glosse expounds it with the same loue I will sanctifie these which he addes expounding it In the bonds of loue that is with the affection of charity Whereas another translation hath I wil draw them with the coards of men that is with the same loue that I bound vnto me Abraham Isaac and the other patriarches I wil also ioine them vnto me Although Lira expounds it thus With coards that is with benefites bestowed vpon them which drawe the heart of man and are certaine bonds of loue Saint Ierom expounds it otherwise that is I haue had a care of them for the coards and bonds of loue wherewith I haue bound Abraham Isaac and Iacob vnto me Wo be vnto vs if so be that we shall not be thankefull for such singular loue as those fathers were Thus farre Philippus de Dies If this ought to bee the faith of all Christians and that they ought to haue this firme and most assured beliefe of the loue of God towards them and that not onelie the Scriptures but the fathers doe teach them most manifestlie this excéeding great loue of God towards them who then will doubt of his saluation To doubt is plainlie to denie this excéeding great loue And after of the loue of Christ our redéemer hee writes thus Ibidem Tit. amor Christi Cant. 1 Whereas we reade in the Canticles My beloued is to me a grape of Ciprus another Text hath My loue is to me a cluster of Camphire O heauenly and most fit similitude Alcamphor is a certaine Tree whose gumme hath this property that if a graine or a little of it be kindled with fire and be put in a Lampe full of water it will giue a most cleare and bright flame It is a woonderful thing that that flame should not be extinguished with the water but that it should burne and shine more clearely This graine and not onely a graine but a cluster is our Lord Iesus Christ For those waters of the vnthankefulnes of his enemies and those waters of so manie and great torments which entred in euen to his very soule did not only quench his loue but caused it to glister shine more brightly while it shewed more manifestly his vnspeakeable loue patience mildnes and liberality When as euen the selfe same night wherein he was betraid he ordeined that most high mystery of his most blessed body and bloud and hanging on the crosse prayed for his enemies Let vs learne of this our heauenly master to shew loue to our enemies and to haue in greater trauell and paines greater patience Thus farre Philippus de Dies Such a loue must euerie Christian beleeue that Iesus Christ hath towards him that no waters in the world either of sinnes or of vnthankefulnesse is euer able to quench and this flesh and bloud and our spirituall enemie go about to make vs often forget And therefore saint Paul prayeth for the Ephesians Ephes 3.19 Iud. Ep. v. 21. that They maie know the loue of Christ which passeth all knowledge and that they maie be filled with al the fulnesse of God And this also no doubt Saint Iude meaneth in his Epistle when as hee sayeth Keepe you your selues in the loue of God Theodoret also writes thus of this matter In ca. 8. ad Heb He cals heauen the vaile c. God hath promised the kingdome of heauen to all that beleeue in him we hope for saieth hee those good things and we hold fast this hope as a sure Anchor for this Anchor beeing hid in the bottome of our hearts will not suffer that our soules should bee dasht hither and thither And also by another mans hee shewes the certaine hope of our good things and such a hope as cannot be gainesaid Whither our forerunner Iesus is entred for vs for our sakes saith he He became man for our sakes he gaue his body to be slaine and hauing vanquished and ouercome death he hath ascended into heauen being the first fruits of them which sleepe And he hath giuen vs here a greater confidence by calling him our forerunner For if he be our forerunner and hath ascended for vs then we must needes follow him and ascend also And Basill writes thus of euerie Christian In examer Homilia 5. Thou also shalt be like a fruitfull Oliue in the house of God neither shalt thou euer bee depriued of thy hope but shalt euer haue thy saluation flourishing in thee through faith Ambrose of the certaintie of our saluation writes thus Ambros de Iacob beat vâ—t cap. â— But thou fearest the manifold chances of this life and the deceits of the enemy when as thou hast God himselfe to be thy helper and his so great fauour towards thee that he spared not his owne sonne for thy sake The scripture hath vsed a comfortable word that it might declare the good will of God the father towards thee who offered himselfe wholy to die for thee In that he was a father he left nothing to himselfe he offered it all for thy sake onely hee left not the fulnesse of his deity Consider the loue of a father as concerning pity hee hazarded the life of his sonne he drunke for thy sake the sorrowfull cuppe of one that is childlesse least the price of thy redemption should not haue
Pintus As this precious stone of it selfe caries a Maiestie and glorie with it it needes not the helpe or skill of man to polish it So much lesse the scriptures They glorifie themselues their authoritie is their owne maiesty And no doubt as in the handling of them of which Pintus seemes here to speake so also in the discerning of them Who requires a witnesse to prooue that the sunne shineth Here the thing it selfe is a sufficient witnes So the scriptures by their owne Maiestie especiallie beare witnesse to themselues To Infidelles perchance which neuer knewe nor read the Scriptures the authoritie of the Church maie bee an Introduction to beleeue them as that woman was to the Samaritanes to beleeue in Christ c. But after they shall haue once read them and hauing also well meditated vpon them day and night and laid them vp in their harts Ioh. 4.42 Luk 2.51 as Mary did the words of Simeon and Anna they will then saie as the Samaritanes also saide to the woman Now we beleeue not because of thy saying For wee haue heard him our selues and knowe that this is indeede that Christ that Sauiour of the world So they will also saie of the Churches Testimonie Pintus of reading the holie scripture writes thus Pintus in 3. cap. Ezech. All holie Scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach In all mens Books may errours be found be the Author thereof neuer so wise nor neuer so learned for euen as in a fruitfull field sometimes amongst holesome hearbes grow those that bee hurtfull so mens wittes sometimes amongst holesome counselles yeeld also manie errors The heathen Philosophers although setting apart all priuate and publike actions they gaue themselues wholy to search out truth yet they haue committed to writing their own vaine deuises and innumerable vanities For All men are liers as the Psalmist sayeth What shall I speake of the vnprofitable fictions of the Poets The Poets sing of strange but not credible matters If sometimes they affoorde vs any thing that is good they mingle it vvith a thousand lyes But all the holy Scripture is true all to bee read all to be searched all to be deuoured As they which digge mettalles doe not lose the least scrappes but if so bee that they find any mine of gold they diligently search after euery vaine and they take out the earth also with the Gold and they are very circumspect so wee must doe in the holy Scripture we must passe ouer nothing we must not make light account of one word of the holy Scriptures yea we must be much more desirous and diligent in searching out this treasure and wee must endeuour to bring all to light For here is no earth mingled with gold it is all most pure gold tried to the vttermost yea as the Psalmist saith Aboue thousands of gold and siluer In the holy Scriptures because God is the author of it Who can neither be deceiued nor deceiue anie whatsoeuer is written is truth whatsoeuer is taught is vertue whatsoeuer is promised after death is immortality and euerlasting felicity The word of God giueth light and directs vs the way to heauen for the diuine Psalmist saith Thy word is a lanterne to my feet Therefore all that loue God desire to heare it therefore saith Christ our God He that is of God heareth Gods word And in Saint Lukes Gospel Blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it O woonderfull reliques being so precious and in the world so little esteemed If we make great account of the garments of the saints and if we reuerence some parts of their garments and that rightlie because they touched their bodies how much more ought wee to esteeme the words of Christ which issued from his heart by his most blessed mouth and touched both his tongue and his lippes They are all heauenly full of holinesse breathing heauenly mysteries Moyses beganne his booke from the generation of the creatures but Saint Matthew began his from the generation of the creator saying The booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. And after This booke is the Chronicle of Iesus Christ this is his testament what sonne will not reade the Testament of his father who is it that wil not giue good heed to his fathers last wil This new Testament is an infinit treasure which can neuer be spent of heauenly wisdome and celestial treasures And after The word of God ought to be in our hands that we might neuer forget it but it cannot be in our hands vnlesse it be first in our heart and therefore before God saith My words shall bee in thy hand he saith They shall be in thy heart He that will not fall into sinnes let him keepe Gods words in his heart The holy Prophet would teach vs this in these words I haue hid thy words in my heart least I should sinne against thee He loued the word of God so greatly that as a most precious treasure and most excellent Iewelles he kept them laid vp in the closet of his heart And Salomon in the Prouerbes speaking of the law of God Bind it saith he alwaies in thie heart and compasse it about thie necke and when thou walkest let it go with thee As in the arke of the Testament was the law of God manna as the holy scriptures do record in many places So in the soule where the word of God is kept Christ that hidden and heauenly manna is there by his grace of whome Esay saieth Truelie thou art a hidden God And the same Christ in Saint Iohns Gospell saith I am the liuelie bread that came downe from heauen In that soule which is refreshed with this heauenly food is the law of God written not with inke that I may vse Saint Pauls words but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in Tables of stone but in the fleshie Tables of the heart Saint Paul saith That those which haue the law of God imprinted in their mind that they shew the worke of the law written in their hearts And these obey and loue GOD whereof the truth it selfe saith in Saint Iohns Gospell If anie man loue me he will keepe mie saieng And in Saint Lukes Gospell Blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it For as saint Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes saith Not the hearers of the law are iust before God but the doers thereof shall be iustified And saint Iames saith in his Canonical Epistle Be ye doers of the word not hearers onelie deceiuing your owne selues Euen as he which will make an assault vpon his enimies or defend himself from them stands need of a sword the which being taken in his hand he may strike them that he may obtaine the victory So he that will triumph ouer the world the flesh and the diuell the most cruell enemies of the soule he must carie in his hands that is in his works the word of God
another take his Bishopricke he calls his bishopprick his Apostolical office or functioÌ„ not an empire or a Lordship And not without cause for they expound a Bishoppricke to be a watching or an ouerseeing the which is the proper office of the Apostles But the Pope will not onely haue an Empire but be aboue Emperors And after But what constant and true witnesses needs Iesus Christ He that is one of Christs witnesses needs not to the execution of his office an externall sword weapons but rather a readie and exercised toung by which he may do exercise faithfully the charg committed vnto him For it is the dutie of an Apostle to excell in tongue worde And againe The authoritie of the christian faith is great which is declared to vs of witnesses which haue declared vnto vs not onely thinges heard but thinges seene and most assured Peter and Iohn the chiefe amongst the Apostles haue witnessed this vnto vs most assuredly Here wee maie note how he ioines Iohn with Peter as two principall or chiefe amongst the rest of the Apostles If Peter had had this prerogatiue to him committed alone of our sauiour Ferus had done him wronge to haue ioined Iohn with him in this primacie And againe Speaking of the election of Matthias none of these although now verie skilful in the gospell by himselfe cares for procures or goes about this busines but being all called together without preferring themselues or disdaining one of the other they all waite for indifferently the sentence of the holy ghost They waited not for Peters sentence but for the sentence of the holy ghost as Christs vicegerent in his Church And the same as he was Christs vicar generall as they terme him in the beginning so shall he be for euer so the Apostles after in their councell place him in the first place It seemes good say they to the holy ghost and to vs not to Peter and to vs. And againe Ferus saith It is no maruaile though we teach diuers doctrines Fâ—r in ca. 4. Act when as wee all are not gouerned and doe not speake with the same spirite The spirite here by Ferus his iudgment keepes the vnitie of the church and not the Pope Againe Fer. in 2. Act. In Peter we are to marke the example of a good shepheard the people being in an vprere Peter steps forth into the midst not that he should with violence staie the murmurers but that out of the scriptures he might reueale and teach the will of God Peter stoode not onely in bodie but in minde And he tooke to him the other eleuen least he should seeme to exercise tyrannie among theÌ„ He was the first in order of the Apostles he was the first that ought to speake wheÌ„soeuer the matter required an euangelicall teacher or preacher These things of Peter are to be imitated of all pastors There are other things read of Peter as that he disswaded Christ from his passion Let that be farre from thee ô Lord saith hee c. Also that hee slept in the garden wheÌ„ as notwithstanding he had promised Christ that he was ready to goe to prâ—son and to death with him And also that being ouercome through mans frailnes he denyed Christ at his passion also that he vsed the materiall sword when Christ was taken But these things of Peter are not to be imitated of pastors for in these he was alwaies chiddeÌ„ of the Lord Although in these in our daies he hath more followers then in that wherin he chiefly is to be followed Ferus here plainely teacheth that Peter was but first in order amongst the Apostles and hee nâ—ppes priuilie the Pope and his cleargie who rather follow Peter in his sléeping and in his materiall sword then in his diligence and preaching And after he writes thus vpon these words In 3. ca. Act Peter and Iohn went vp to praie Behold saith he the chiefe of the Apostles goe before A good shepheard must goe before and then his sheepe doe followe him He makes here againe Peter and Iohn the chiefe amongst the Apostles as he had done also before And againe Fer. in ca. 6. Act. The Apostles of all thing accompt this the chiefest that belongs to their office to preach but of this now some are ashamed No doubt hee meanes the Poâ—e who neuer preacheth himselfe And a little after The highest office in the Church is the ministerie of the word To this we ought to imploy our chiefest care for vnlesse the worde of God be purely and diligently taught all thinges else whatsoeuer are corrupt therefore Paul after here in the 20 chapter doth notablie expresse what is the chiefe part of the office of an Apostle or Bishoppe You know saith he how I haue kept nothing backe from you but that I might declare vnto you all the counsell of God c. If the ministerie and preaching of the word of God be the highest office in the Church by Ferus iudgment then the Pope is not the highest officer and person in the Church as other Papists would haue him who neuer executes this office And if this be the office of an Apostle hee is not the successor of the Apostles who neuer doth his office And after he writes thus to the same effect The proper dutie of an Apostle is to praie and preach For prayer obtaines of God what is to be taught and that by and by the fruit of the word heard may follow the preaching And hereof Paul sayth I make mention of you in my prayers c. Therefore they are not to be accouÌ„ted in the nuÌ„ber of the Apostles which neglect either both these or either of them much lesse they which giue themselues to ease and pleasure Thus far Ferus And after in another place speaking of religion which is maintained by fighting not by preaching by the sword not by the word Fer. in 10. ca. Act. as now a daies the Pope goes about to maintaine his O miserable religion saith he which cannot be defended otherwise theÌ„ with the weapons of desperate villaines and by the iniuries and spoyles of tyrants And after he nippes in another place the Popes couetousnes Here we see saith he that in the beginning of the Church hyprocrisie and couetousnes crept in In ca. 8. Act. speaking of Simon Magus but Peter verie diligently withstood both of them whom I would to God his successors had followed And after Peter neuer spake more bitterly then against Ananias and Sapphira for no plagues are more hurtfull in the Church then hypocrisie and couetousnes So Christ threwe out of the temple those which sold If he stroke them with such a terrible sentence which would haue bought what would he saie of our sellers which open and shut heauen for money which kill soules and quicken them againe for a handfull of barlie Thus farre Ferus No doubt he toucheth here the Popes pardons And after hee makes the holy
was pierced but this which Zacharie speaks of shall be after Neither was it fulfilled in the destruction of Ierusalem as some other haue expounded it Because the incredulous Iewes hauing now quite forgotten the death of Christ when as Ierusalem was destroyed neuer thought of Christ neither that they suffered all those euils for his sake but rather for the sins of some seditious persons and of some other that then were in the citie as Iosephus himselfe thought I will not refuse to speake that saith hée which sorrow enforceth me to speake I suppose Lib. 6. de bel Iudaic. cap. 16. that if the Romans had not comed against those wicked persons that either the citie should haue beene destroyed by some earthquake or ouerflowed with some Deluge or should haue beene consumed with thunder and lightning from heauen as was Sodom For she then had brought forth a farre more wicked brood then euer Sodome did To conclude togither with their wickednes past all cure the whole people also perished So that this prophecie is to be fulfilled in the true naturall Iewes and as yet it hath not béene fulfilled in them And no doubt our blessed Sauiour himselfe in the Gospel had relation to the prophecie of Zacharie Mat. 24. â—0 who speaking of the day of iudgement saith Then shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man in heauen and then shall all the kinreds of the earth weepe And they shall see the sonne of man comming in the clouds of heauen with power and great glorie What other signe can any man iudge here to be meant then the signe of the crosse the glorie brightnes of Iesus Christ going before him cannot be that signe for of that he ads a little after Then shall they see the son of man come in the clouds of heauen with power and great glorie But before this great glorie shall this signe appeare So that it cannot be properly this great glorie They are two distinct things Let vs marke diligently here also how the Euangelist cals it the signe of the sonne of man and not the signe of the sonne of God And therefore shall be an humble and not a glorious signe All the whole life of our Sauiour was humble but especially in his death on the crosse he declared this his humilitie That he touched leapers that he talked so familiarly with that sinfull woman of Samaria that he was baptised of Iohn Mat. 8.3 Io. 4.7 Mat. 3.15 Ioh. 13.5 Phil. 2.6 nay that he washed his Apostles feete but aboue all other signes of his humilitie this was the greatest that he died vpon the crosse And therefore saint Paul saith who when he was in the shape of God and thought it no robberie to be equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man He humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Wherefore God hath also greatly exalted him and giuen him a name aboue euerie name On the crosse appeared his greatest humilitie So that the crosse in this respect may verie fitly be called the signe of the sonne of man And this also the spéeches of the Iewes spoken to our sauiour may insinnate If he be the king of the Iewes let him come down from the crosse And we will beleeue in him It was the crosse that they stumbled at Mat. 27.42 Gal. 5.11 Es 9.6 that to this day is that that offends the Iewes And that is Christs greatest glorie His principalitie is vpon his shoulder as Esay saith Nay it shall be such a signe as shall make all the tribes of the earth to wéepe which beleeue not in Christ And surely what other signe can this be then the signe of the crosse What other signe in heauen could make the Iewes to wéepe but the signe of the crosse No doubt the sight of this will euen breake their hearts make them burst out into teares and to fulfill this prophecie of Zacharie Dom. 24. Post Pent. Conc. 1. To this effect Granat hath a notable sentence and to the confirmation thereof he cites Eusebius Emissenus and he writes thus Before the comming of this heauenly king the triumphant signe of the crosse more cleere then the sunne shall appeare And then saith the Lord all the tribes of the earth shall lament because in that signe all the wicked shall manifestly see their condemnation The infidels because they haue blasphemed the crosse of Christ the faithfull which haue liued wickedly because they haue made no vse of such a great benefit and remedie For as Eusebius Emissenus saith So farre more greater shall be the sinners of men how much more Gods benefits haue stretched forth themselues vnto them Therefore saith he it is to be beleeued that the Lord will pronounce and speake to the vessels of iniquitie at his iudgement that same voice which he spake at his resurrection declaring the precious prints of the wounds which he receiued on his crosse Put thy finger in hither and behold my hands and bring hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and acknowledge O wickednes of men what for thy sake and of thee I suffered For those same signes of his nailes healthfull to the godly but terrible to the wicked which shal not be done away vntil the day of iudgment no doubt are reserued to cast men in the teeth withall Thus farre he Neither shal that crosse condemne onely our ingratitude and make it void of all excuse but our slothfulnes also and our idlenes for by what meanes possible can a wicked man excuse himselfe when as he seeth the crosse of Christ which is a most forcible remedie against that excuse of our infirmitie and all other our euils Wherefore to all other crimes wicked man may haue somthing to say but to these that is his slothfulnes and ingratitude infirmitie nothing at all for if it shall be laid to his charge Thou hast beene an extortioner an adulterer thou hast cursed forsworne blasphemed He may answere perchance I am a fraile man conceiued in sin I was prone to sin I was compassed about with sinful flesh But when the Iudge shal replie Is there not Rosine in Gilead and is not there a phisition there which is as though he should say were there not medicins in my Church were there not sacraments which flowed out of my side Was there not confession there a remedie of former sins the Eucharist a treacle and preseruatiue for those which were to come was there not in my crosse most vehement procurements of charitie and most cleare examples of most great humilitie patience obedience and of all vertues by which thou mightest haue caried thine infirmity wherfore then is not the wound of the daughter of my people healed That is wherfore hast thou not healed thy wounds with these medicines which the
heauenly phisition hath bought for thee with the price of his bloud hath bestowed freely vpon thee what to these things shall those most miserable men answere what shall they say for themselues what shall they doe surely euen that which our Sauiour euen here saith Then shall all the kinreds of the earth lament c. Thus farre Granatensis But here some will say all the infidels in the world shall wéepe at the beholding of this signe And shall they all be saued I answere The scripture saith not that all those which then wéepe shall be damned And therefore where the scriptures hold their peace let man take héed how he pronounceth sentence Let vs leaue them to the mercy of God God may among those weepers saue some if it please him as among two théeues he saued one on the crosse Luke 25.43 Hab. 3.1 That saying of Abacucke may then be fulfilled When thou art angrie thou wilt thinke vpon mercie And Dauid saith I will sing of mercie and iudgement Psal 101.1 Luke 16.9 Iudgement excludes not mercie euen in that terrible and great day of account Mercie must saue all Christians Io. 2.13 and why may it not at that time saue some Iewes also Especially séeing God promiseth here by his prophet that he will powre vpon them the spirit of grace and mercie and then they shall weepe This wéeping thall procéed of grace and therefore shall be healthfull This powring forth of the spirit of grace and mercie and this hauing respect then to him whom they haue pearced and this weeping belong all to one kind of people and are fruites and effects the one of the other The former the powring out of the spirit of grace and mercy doth belong to the elect and this latter the beholding of him whom haue they pearced and these teares to the reprobate As Ribera would haue it on that place of Zacharie And that the crosse was taken for the signe of the sonne of man in the primitiue Church Eusebius testifieth Rib. in za c. 12. For so when as the Christians admitted vnto their society one Basilides he saith they gaue him the Lords signe And the next day he was martyred And he that translated Eusebius addes in the margine that by the Lords signe he vnderstands the crosse But if we shall not admit his exposition Eus lib. ca 5. let vs heare what Sibylla an ancient Prophetesse prophecieth of Christs comming to iudgement and of this signe Sib. lib. 8. Orac fol. 383. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Verses are thus turned into English Vnto all men a famous signe whereby they may be knowne In those daies shal be giuen euen by the wood a trumpe most dire Of all the faithfull much esteemd but to the worlds state Reposing trust in earthly things a cause of great offence Here Sibylla in her Achrostickes as she doth most truly and plainly paint out vnto vs Christes name and his merits This King saith she whom we haue described in the first letters of our verses is our God and our eternall Redeemer and Sauiour who suffered for vs And of his comming againe to iudgement why should she not also saie the truth in the appearing of this the signe of the crosse It is a great argument to make one be trusted if he shall haue borne true witnes often before in other matters The true faith of Sibylla in the former may also win her credit with vs in this latter And to confirme the authoritie of her prophecie Cic. lib. 2. de Diuin Au. de ciuit dei lib. 18. ca. 23. that it is no new thing forged of late since Christs passion Cicero makes mention of this her Achrosticks who was before Christ and Lactantius in his booke often cites her verses And saint Austen saith That a certaine noble man called Flactianus who was the Emperors Lieutenāt when as they two talked togither of Christ shewed him a Greeke booke saying that they were the verses of Sibylla Erithrea and that he shewed him in a certaine place of that booke in the beginning of euerie verse letters set in such an order that these words might be read therein Iesus Christ Son of God Sauiour This account all these famous men made of Sibylla her verses and shal we discredite them Gualter also a learned man of our daies of famous memorie so expoundes that place of saint Matthewes gospell and by the signe of the sonne of man vnderstandeth the signe of the crosse These be his wordes Most of the auncient fathers expound the crosse to be this signe whose image as Eusebius witnesseth with this inscription In this signe thou shalt ouercome appeared to Constantine when he made warre against Maxentius that he might helpe the Church which seemed then forsaken In cap. 24. Euan. secun Mat For because Christ by the merit of the crosse ouercame all the power of the enemie the signe of the crosse appeareth most fitly before any other to our victorie and by it also we shall ouercome And it is verie profitable for vs often to muse vpon this and it is a shame for vs to feare any misfortune when as the verie name of the crosse promiseth vs most certaine victory Thus farre Gualter Wherein he doth not onely declare his owne opinion but also the opinion of the fathers concerning this matter That same learned father also Thomas Cooper sometimes Byshoppe of Lincolne in his visitation there agreed with Gualter in this his exposition who spake to this effect to his cleargie in Latine in my hearing all the rest of his Sermon being in English Annon potestis ferre fratres mei Anno Dom. 1583. signum illud formari hîc in terra quod ante aduentum iudicis erit conspicuum in coelo Can you not abide my deere brethren that that signe should be made here on earth which shall appeare manifestly before the iudge come in heauen In cap. 4. Ioh. Ferus also of the conuersion of the Iewes writes thus Allegorically as the foresaid woman of Samaria was a figure of the Church of the Gentiles so this noble mans sonne was a figure of the Iewes And it makes much to the purpose that the woman came to Christ at the sixt houre but he was healed first at the seuenth houre For the Church of the Gentiles beleeued the true sonne of Righteousnesse Christ Iesus ascending into heauen but when as he shall begin to come downe againe that is when he sendeth before him the signes and wonders of his comming to iudgement then shall the people of the Iewes beleeue Ferus thinkes that the verie signes and wonders which shall immediately precede Christs comming to iudgement shall cause the Iewes to beléeue and not the preaching of Elias and Enoch And it is verie likely that he means among those signes which shall appeare immediately before the iudgement which shall conuert the Iewes shall be the signe
one state and therfore they who do build their faith vpon the Church build vpon no sure foundation Master Bellarmine also concerning Antichrist agrées with their Catholicon and writes thus Adde this also saith he that as we haue shewed before Antichrist shall be a Iew and shall be Messias and King of the Iewes And therefore without all doubt shall make his seat in Ierusalem and shall go about to restore Salomons temple For the Iewes dreame of nothing else thē of Ierusalē the temple neither do they seeme that they will euer acknowledge any for their Messias which sits not in Ierusalem and after some sort repaires againe the Temple Thus farre Master Bellarmine But Stella contrarie to this assertion of M. Bellarmine writes thus If God promised by Aggee In ca. 2. Luc. that Messias should come to that Temple while it remained and that Temple now is ouerthrowen neither is there now any such Temple nor one stone thereof left vpon another how madde are the Iewes that will looke yet for a Messias To what second Temple shall he come if it be vtterly ouerthrowen if no signe thereof remaine Neither can the Iewes say that they shall haue another temple to which their Christ should come For Aggee their Prophet speakes of that Temple which then was built in Ierusalem and not of any other as his words plainly testifie nay he saith plainly that there shal neuer be any other Thus much Stella out of Aggee And where is then Master Bellarmines temple which he affirmes after a sort Antichrist shall restore Where is his Antichrist which shall lacke a seat by Stellas iudgement Nay vnlikelie is this to common experience Iulian the Apostata Egnat ca. 6. when he came to Ierusalē and saw the temple quite ouerthrown by Titus in despight of Christian religion he commaunded Philip of Antioch that he should make fit the place and should lay such a foundation of the temple that it might be compared with the former in statelinesse The which things pleased Iuliā the Iewes wonderfully But sodainly there were heard terrible rorings in the earth hot burning firebrands rose vp among the foundations which in a moment dispersed all things and consumed both the workemen and their tooles and the signe of crosses appeared in many mens garmēts which could not be put out If God so resisted then Iulian do we think he wil now suffer Antichrist to build the temple againe But the seate of Antichrist the seat of the Babylonish whore Who shall make all men drunke with the wine of her abominations Saint Iohn saith shall be a citie with seuen hils And what other citie in the world can that be else but Rome And what other heretique can this be then Antichrist who shall make the chast spouse a whore Re◠17.4 and that by wine of fornication what religion more pleasant or like wine then the Romish religion As their ordinarie musicke of singing and Organs playing of censing their precious Robes and Ornaments they vsed wherein not the least part of their seruing of God consisted do declare besides their guilds feastings their fraternities of euerie trade and occupation But to let all these passe All things amongst them were pardonable for mony And what more pleasant wine could be then this to flesh and bloud But as this their wine wherewith they made all men drunken is manifest so is also their fornication no lesse manifest It is spirituall fornication to trust in anie to call vpon anie to reueale the secrets of the heart to anie but to God Honest matrons know thus much For so they behaue themselues towards their husbands Hos 2.16 And God is the husband of his Church as he oftentimes protesteth But the Church of Rome hath taught men to trust in others to cal vpon others to reueale the secrets of the heart to others then to God And can this be anie thing else then spirituall fornication But they did this to saints and therefore it was no sinne neither can it be rightly iudged fornication Psal 73.25 Thus they say But let all true Catholikes marke what Dauid saith Whom haue I in heauen but thee and I haue desired none on earth with thee Here is the true spouse declared and the true Catholike religion grounded Now followes the whore 27 for lo they which withdraw themselues from thee or as it is in the Hebrew go farre from thee shall perish thou destroiest all them that go a whoring from thee To haue anie other yea in heauen to trust in to giue our hearts vnto but God is to commit fornication And therefore let all true Catholickes that meane to be saued take héed how they call vpon or repose their trust in anie no though he be in heauen but in God alone Reu. 14.8 as did Dauid lest they commit fornication against him and so be destroyed all The same doctrine plainely the angell crieth out To all nations kinreds and people against the kingdome of Antichrist and shall we be deafe will we not heare him Ibid. 6.7.8 Then saw I another Angell saith Saint Iohn flie in the midst of heauen hauing an euerlasting gospell to preach to them that dwell on earth and to euerie nation and kinred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice Feare God giue glorie to him For the houre of his iudgement is come worship him that made heauen and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters And there followed another Angell saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon that great citie for she made all nations to drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication Here first is the euerlasting gospell preached with a loud voice of an Angel which is feare God and worship him that made heauen and earth and not anie creature or saint whatsoeuer And shall we not imbrace this gospell shall we not beléeue this Angell this no doubt is the true Catholike faith this is the euerlasting gospel whatsoeuer all the Iesuites in the world teach to the contrarie And Babylon the mother of fornications which taught a doctrine contrarie to this is fallen What can be more plain then this To worship anie but him that made heauen earth is fornication This Dauid and the Angell teach And Babylon who hath taught the contrarie is fallen And as the wine of this whore is manifest so is her seat also as I noted before so that as he is deafe that will not heare the crying of the Angell concerning her poisoned wine so he is blind wilfully that will not see her seuen hils whereon she is situated Neither Saint Iohn onely but other prophecies haue taught the destruction of Rome and haue by these seuen hils portraied her out vnto vs Vae tibi septicollis c. Vaticinium Leonis Wo to thee O Citie built on seuen hils saith a prophecie going vnder the name of Leo the Emperour printed lately in Briscia
Anno Dom. 1596 For when as the twentie letter of the Alphabet with great shouts shall be receiued within thy wals then thy ruine and vtter ouerthrowe is at hand Let Rome take héed of this letter Cappa which in numeration standeth for twentie when as it shall be capped vnto and honourably receiued into Rome Rome shall not raigne long after Rome therefore shall be ouerthrowne And some Cardinall may fitly fulfill this prophecie And of the destruction also of the world and of Rome Sibylla prophecieth thus That when as a firie Dragon shall come vpon the waues of the sea of this world hauing her belly full to nourish her children Sibil orac lib. 8 ol 368. in a time of death and ciuill warre that then shall the ende of the world draw neere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But first saith Sibylla shall be the inexorable wrath of God against Rome O wicked Rome then whose sins shall be so grieuous as it should seeme that if all the saints and angels in heauen which now thou makes so great account of should intreat for thée they were not able to appease the heauy and grieuous wrath of God against thée Repent now therefore whilest thou hast time and space being admonished here by Sibylla And let all true Catholikes which are wont to reuerence antiquity herein beleeue Sibilla agréeing with Saint Iohn and in time forsake this wicked and sinfull Rome least they perish with her in her sins Michael ab Isselt of the great affliction that our Sauiour prophecieth of Epist nun cup. ad Torren Episc Antw. which shall come vpon the world before the ende thereof writes thus It is comed alreadie as should séeme by his writing and it is not marked And the poore feele it and the rich looke for it when it shall be His words be these But we vpon whom I may iustly say that the ends of the world are fallen haue hapned into those daies wherein though all histones and all ancient bookes hold their peace yet the world it selfe cries out that it is now set to reuenge the sins of men How often of late yeeres haue we seene the heauens inflamed as it were with terrible firebrands how many blasing starres haue beene seene threatning euils to the earth with their terrible shapes and foreshewers of great calamities Leu. 26. We haue had the heauens ouer our heads like Iron we haue not had raine enough in winter to nourish the corne nor in sommer the accustomed heat to ripen it The earth as the scripture hath foretold is become like brasse vnto vs. Our labour is employed in vain the earth bringeth not forth her buddes blossomes the trees beare not their Apples The earth is as it were parched with drought and her mould brings forth withered hearbs the haile hinders the vines we sow our lands in vaine which the enemies deuoure How many ouerflowings of the sea haue we seene how often her fortresses being broken haue we beheld the shepheard to swim with his sheepe the mother with her children and the house and the heard to swim togither with their masters and the huge sea flowing into the pleasant meadowes to haue destroyed al things Hereof we haue had of late the famine of Saguntum which hath so afflicted not onely cities but whole prouinces that it turned the pitie of mothers into madnes who gaue their deare children poyson to kill them least they should heare their miserable crying Others as in Hungarie this last yeere sold their children to the Turks and Barbarians for bread others I know not whether more pitiful least their children should serue such tyrants threw them into the water drowned them What shal I speak of wars which within these twenty yeers haue so shaken both other kingdomes but especially our Flauders in times past the paradice pleasantest countrey in the world that now townes being burnt cities sacked the stately Churches of the saints pulled downe and being robbed of their riches holy and prophane things being now accounted all one she hath not any signe almost remaining of her former glorie That now her mightie prouinces being giuen for a praie to the Germanes Frenchmen Englishmen Scots Irish men and to other forraine enemies obey now their vnsatiable and wicked pleasures Neither is heere an end of our euils But that all euils might come vpon vs at once most grieuous plagues new and straunge diseases haue taken away those whom the sword and famine had spared and haue made such great ouerthrowes of men that skant the liuing sufficed to burie the dead So that all the elements and al the miseries in the world may seeme to haue conspired against vs altogither Againe when as euerie liuing creature loues his like onely now one man is afraid of another For there are now so many publike periuries of natiōs so many truces broken so many vnderminings thefts deceits slaunders wiles that now not vnfitly one man may be called a diuell to another And if here were an end of our miserie all were well but it goes further For those euils which we haue hitherto recited are outward euils and do neither adde anie thing or take ought away from mans felicitie if his soule within him were sound and free from these daungers and miseries But the euils which are within vs are farre greater then they which are without vs. Our vnderstanding is blind our will is prone to all wickednes our memorie pliable to al earthly things And there is such a disorder and a diuersity and contrarietie among themselues of our desires that there was neuer any more troublesome kingdom seen in the world In so much that if all the creatures should fawne vpon man and should doe him seruice yet he should suffer the greatest persecution of himselfe and himselfe should be to himselfe the greatest tormentor What shall I make many words The times we liue in are such that we may truly say that saying of Silenus The best thing is neuer to be borne and the next to die quickly Thus farre Michael of Isselt And can there be any greater affliction then this What shall I adde the daungers of princes the heart burnings amongst noble men the vncontented minds of gentlemen the decaie of artificers the oppression and pouerty of the husbandman the laborers want of foode worke and wages Euerie member is sicke Es 1.6 euerie member is afflicted so that we may now truly say that of Esay From the sole of the foot to the crowne of the head there is no health What shall I adde that greatest persecution of all other of Antichrist who hath his inquisition in Spaine and in other countries where his authoritie can preuaile to persecute most cruelly all those that professe the gospell Who daily labours for nothing else by his seminaries in all places with all Kings and Princes to make warre to stirre vp rebellions against them which professe the gospell in anie countrie No doubt his hand hath
praie as in another place he teacheth vs we must beléeue verily that we receiue the things we praie for and then they shall be done vnto vs. So he himselfe prayed here and we in all our prayers must also follow his steppes S. Iohn also teacheth vs this is our great trust that we haue in Iesus Christ that when we pray 1. Ioh. 5.14 we know he heareth vs we haue not this assurance in anie other And Dauid saith Thou that hearest the prayer to thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 86.7 And in another place I will call vpon thee in the time of my trouble for I know that thou hearest me And therefore God is called onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the searcher of the heart Reu. 2.23 To make Saints and Angels heare our prayers is to make them Gods no man is sure whether they heare our prayers or no. And therefore séeing our prayers must not wauer but must be a thing certain Iam. 1.6 as S. Iames teacheth vs we maie not praie vnto them Dauid knew that the Angels pitched their tents round about the faithful Psal 34.7 and guarded them euen as well as the Papists doe now but for all that he neuer called vpon anie of them but onely vpon God and shall we now hauing our Sauiour Iesus Christ ascended vp into heauen to this purpose to be our mediator who is the beloued sonne of the father Saint Austen might haue taught also Master Campion this lesson that the Saints do not know what things are done here on eaâ—th neither that which they obiect doe now perfectlie behold the face of God and therefore do not know all things Aug. de Gen. ad lit lib. 12. cap. 35. who writes thus It is not to be doubted that the soule being taken by the force of death from the senses of the body and after death hauing now put off the flesh and hauing passed from all the shadowes of corporall things that it cannot behold that immutable essence of God as the Angels doe either for some other hid and secret cause or els for this cause that there still yet remaines in it a naturall desire of gouerning the body by which desire it is as it were hindred so that it cannot climbe vp with her whole desire to that high heauen as long as she lackes the body by the ruling whereof that desire may surcease Furthermore when as the body was such a thing as it were verie hard and troublesome to gouerne euen as this flesh which corrupts and burthens the soule comming from the ofspring of sinne and transgression much more is the soule quite turned away from the beholding of that most high heauen wherein God dwels therefore it was necessarie that she should be pluckt away from those senses of the flesh that it might be shewed her how she might be able to attaine vnto that Therefore when she shall receiue againe this body not fleshly but by exchange made spirituall being now made equall with Angels then both the master and seruant shall haue the perfection of their nature both the quickner and that also which is quickened with such vnspeakeable facilitie that that now shal be a glorie which before was a burthen Here S. Austen plainelie teacheth that the souls of the faithfull before the daie of iudgment doe not perfectly behold the face of God and that they are hindred by a certaine loue and desire which they haue to their bodies and therfore that he quite ouerthrowes here that same coÌ„mon ground of Popish inuocation That euen now they behold the face of God and therefore know all things No Saint Austen saith plainlie that that shall be fulfilled at the daie of iudgement and not before no not in anie Saint no not in S. Iohn Baptist and therefore we are not sure now that they heare our prayers And that then shall be verified that saying of our Sauiour That then the Saints shall be equall to the Angels at the daie of iudgement and not before because still they naturallie loue the bodie they cannot climbe vp to that hie heauen where God himselfe dwels O that all catholiques would learne this lesson of S. Austen It would make them praie more to God and not so much to the Saints as they doe Who would venture but earthlie treasure but he will know how he bestowes it Our praiers passe al the treasures in the world And therefore Dauid saith Psa 69.30 I will praise the name of God with a song and magnifie him with thanksgiuing This also shall please the Lord better then a young bullocke that hath hornes and hoofs And S. Bernard saieth Ser. 5. de quadrages Let none of you my brethren make a light account of your prayers For I tell you that he to whom we pray makes no small account of it For before it goes forth of our mouth he commaunds it to be written in his booke And shall we praie to them whom we are not sure whether they heare vs or not What is this els but as it were to cast our golde in the stréets Let vs offer our golde to God we are sure he is readie to receiue it As for Saints and Angels we are not sure whether they receiue our prayers and whether they heare vs or not But to make the matter more plaine Aug. de cura pro mortuis agend cap. 13. Saint Austen in another booke writes thus of his mother to the same effect which he wrote before Let euerie one saith he take this that I write as he list Belike he thought he should offend some with this his doctrine there were some then that began to trust in them which were dead If the soules which are dead knew what we did which are aliue surely then they would speake vnto vs when as we see them in our sleepes And that I may let others passe surely my louing mother would neuer a night forsake me which followed me both by sea and by land that she might liue with me God forbid that now hauing obtained a more happy life she should become cruell and should not now comfort her sonne whom she loued so dearely whom she could neuer abide to see sorrowfull But surely that which the holy Psalme sounds in our eares is true because my father and my mother haue forsaken me but the Lord hath taken me vp If therefore our parents haue forsaken vs how know they our cares and affaires And if our parents know not this what other dead men know what we doe or what we suffer Esay the Prophet saith Thou art our father for Abraham is ignorant of vs and Israel knowes vs not If such great Patriarkes knew not what became of the people which sprang of them to whom beleeuing in God God promised that a people should spring of their stocke how shall other dead men be present and intermingle theÌ„selues to help know the actions and affaires of theirs How
Christ and that doctrine which agrées with religion he is puft vp and knowes nothing And both these places of S. Paul teach one doctrine that he which besides the light of gods word of his own natural reason teacheth this worshipping of Angels is puft vp and knoweth nothing and intrudes himselfe into those things he knowes not For who knowes anie thing of the will of God but he which was in the bosome of the father and hath now made vs his friends and hath reueiled the same in his word Nay that which followes quite ouerthrowes the inuocation of Saints or Angels And not holding the head that is Coloss 2.19 Iesus Christ by which all the body furnished and knit togither by ioints and bonds encreaseth to that encreasing and perfection which God requires Do not all the members seeke for all things from the head Euen so should all Christians from their head Iesus Christ and from none other and by that grace they shall drawe from him they shall growe to the increasing of God that which God requires And who will haue anie more Let vs therefore cleaue onlie to our head as S. Paul here teacheth plainlie and looke and hope for all good things from him and not worship anie Angell or saint whatsoeuer We shall receiue from him sufficient graces to grow to the increasing of God And what néed we anie more Granatensis praies thus Orat. 1. de vita Iesu Giue me grace O Lord that in all the stormes of my persecutions and in all my tribulations temptations that I may flie vnto thee I may seeke thee I may only call vpon thee And yet in other places he makes his prayers to Saints And againe of Angels and Saints he writes That is the ioy of Angels and the desire of the Saints In med in ora◠dom and the reioycing of iust men to serue thee perfectly to be conformable to thy will in all things and whatsoeuer they doe to referre it euer to thy honour I know O my God that the Angels and soules of Saints in heauen doe reioyce more for the glorie and magnificence of thy name then for their owne and to be more carefull for the excellencie of thy honour then for their owne And that their will is so intermingled with thy will that their will is this that thy will may be pleased in all things and by all things If this be the will of the saints as Granatensis here affirmeth why doe we not honour God alone with these and surcease to honour them séeing it pleaseth not them they looke not for it at our hands nay it displeaseth them Againe Granatensis verie excellently and finely writes thus O the soule of my soule 2. Orat. pro conc Dei O the life of my life I desire thee wholy and I offer my selfe wholy vnto thee the whole to the whole one to one and one onely to only one O that that had place in me which thou praiedst to thy father O holy father grant that they maie be one as we are one and I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one This vnitie should be betwixt all Christians and Christ They should offer themselues as they are one so only to him alone 15. Of Prayers in a strange language THe Papists at this daie condemne their olde superstition of their priuate Latine prayers and as should séeme are ashamed of it For Master Stapleton our countrey-man in his booke against M. Iewell writes thus That in our countrey whatsoeuer they did fiftie or fortie yeers ago in the late raigne of Queene Marie the people had their common Mattines bookes both with Latine and with English Thus farre M. Stapleton He confesseth that the people were bereaued of the great benefit of their priuate prayers fortie or fiftie yeeres but he might as well haue said fiue hundreth yéeres or moe For they confesse that the peoples priuate deuotion should be in a tongue which they vnderstand So that then to teach English men to praie in Latine is to defraud them of the fruit and benefit of their prayers as they did manie hundreth yéeres till the Gospell began to shine in the world And yet also in their reformation as should séeme they are loth quite to banish all priuate Latine prayers but they adde Latin prayers and English togither as though those former Latine praiers not vnderstood were not hurtfull and might safely be vsed still so loth they are to forsake their former superstition Whereas other Catholikes doe account such prayers but lippe labours and chatterings as hereafter shall be shewed And here if they will grant that priuate deuotion ought to be made with vnderstanding whie ought not our common prayers to be made so also No doubt all common praiers are grounded vpon that promise of our Sauiour Mat. 18.19 Againe verely I say vnto you that if two of you shall agree in earth vpon anie thing whatsoeuer they shall desire it shall be giuen them of my father which is in heauen And so haue the Papists themselues expounded this place Har. Euan. c. 72. Iansenius vpon this place writes thus But it shall be verie truely said that the Lord by this sentence would signifie how great the power of the Church that is of the congregation of the faithfull is to which aboue he would haue the vnrepentant brother to be manifested that is to say that if two of them onely agreeing togither they shall obtaine whatsoeuer they will much more the iudgement of any whole congregation is to be feared And no doubt that thing which she will shall be allowed of God Thus farre Iansenius The force of Excommunication lies in the consent and communion of the praiers of the Church Take this common consent awaie and take awaie also excommunication And after he writes thus Or els therefore he saith that he is in the midst of them that he should signifie vnto them that he would fulfill those things which they doe aske and that he would helpe all their enterprises that that which he attributed vnto his father in the former sentence now he should be vnderstood to attribute to himselfe For Christ is said to be in the midst of any that doe agree not onely by reason of the presence of his diuinitie according to which he is euery where but by reason of his speciall grace and assistance by which he makes their prayers acceptable to God his father as though also they were powred out of him or as though he did accept them perfect them By these sentences therefore he doth two manner of waies commend christian concord both for the great force thereof in obtaining with God the father and then that it is adorned and beautified with his presence Hereof may be learned how much we ought to attribute to synodes and generall councels gathered togither and assembled in the name of Christ for the obseruation of the faith and manners Thus
both priuate and common deuotions ought to be in a toong knowne and vnderstood of the common people But M. Bellarmine in this weightie matter of praier which is as it were the verie key of heauen and the onlie means for the poore sinner to refresh and comfort his soule is quite contrarie to himselfe For in one place he writes thus That he is not worthy of the thing he asketh which doth not acknowledge that he standeth need of the thing he requireth And therefore we must be poore and miserable wretches in our owne eies if so bee that we will obtaine mercie and grace And againe he deuides praier thus There is one kinde of prayer saith he only mentall Another both mentall and vocall Neither ought there be added the third member vocall onely for that is not onely profitable to please God but rather to prouoke Gods anger according to that saying This people honoureth me with their lippes Esay 29. Mat. 15. but their hearts are farre from me Here he plainly affirmes that onely vocall praiers such as are all praiers not vnderstood obtaine nothing at Gods hands but rather prouoke his anger If this be true then their masses which manie of their priests scant well vnderstood and their other Latine praiers which commonlie the people made without vnderstanding pleased not but rather displeased God And againe he writes thus Lib. 1. cap. 9. de oper bonis in particular Esay 29. Mat. 15. Ierem. 48. The fift condition of prayer is deuotion And deuotion here is called a desire of praying attentiuely carefully diligently and feruently for the Lord reprooues the people that praie only with their lips And he is pronounced accursed that doth the worke of the Lord negligently This condition as also the former do spring of faith For he which attentiuely with a strong faith considers how great the maiestie of God is and how great is our vilenesse how great the matter is which we require at Gods hands it is not almost possible but that he should come to pray humbly reuerently and feruently Thus farre M. Bellarmine Where he makes the consideration and knowledge of the thing we begge at Gods hands a meanes to make Christians deuout in their praiers But they which praie in Latine lacke this consideration therefore their praiers cannot bee made but without deuotion So that here M. Bellarmine séems to require knowledge in praier that their praiers maie be deuout and please God But in other places he goes about to prooue that praiers not vnderstood maie please God And he alleadgeth arguments to confirme the same The priest saith he in the olde law prayed for the people in the Tabernacle and the people tarried without and neither vnderstood nor knewe what he prayed First here the priest was a shadow of Christ who alone entred into the tabernacle and the people might not enter in with him and therefore could not vnderstand his praiers but his praiers were such as if they had bin present they might haue vnderstood And therefore this makes nothing for their Latine seruice where priest and people are both present togither Secondly he alleadgeth that the Church praies for infidels and wicked men which would not that she should pray for them and yet no doubt her prayers doe them good But here the Church doth vnderstand her prayers The question is not whether he that reapeth good by a prayer should vnderstand it or not But whether he that makes anie praier either for himselfe or for anie other ought to praie with vnderstanding and to know the praier he makes Surely he that praies for another or for himselfe and knowes not what he praies shall neither do himselfe nor the other anie good As they which in times past said de profundis for them which were dead did no doubt not profit them naie if they had vnderstood what they had saide they would neuer haue said it for the dead which was made of one liuing for himsefe neither are the dead so much as once named therein Thirdly he alleadgeth some sayings of the fathers as of Origen and Chrysostome That as charmers by words not vnderstood doe driue Serpents out of their holes so the word of God being read and yet not thorowly vnderstood is of much more force against the Diuell But these fathers speake not of the Scriptures read in a strange language of the people that they should be of anie force but onely of some darke and obscure places which being read and passed ouer although not thorowlie vnderstood with some other plainer places might yet profit the soule and daunt the enemy as did the Eunuches reading of the Prophet Esay who no doubt vnderstood the words hee read as they doe not of their Latine praiers although he vnderstood not the meaning of the wordes For he coulde saie Of whom speaketh the Prophet of himselfe or of another But these places make nothing for praier which speake of reading the Scripture Lastly he alleadgeth Austen That one praying the prayers which heretikes haue made not knowing them to be heretikes prayers may reape good by them But this is nothing to the purpose So the praier be good and praied with vnderstanding and a liuely faith it makes no matter who made it Basill verie excellently of the common prayers vsed in the Church in his time writes thus Hexam hom 4. If so be that God account the sea good and beautifull and commendable how much more is not that wise decree of the Church more glorious in which a mixt noise of men women and children as it were of the water beating against the shoare of their praiers rebounds vnto God with the depth of peace and tranquilitie and preserues it firme and vnmooueable all those wicked spirits being put to flight which were not able with their hereticall doctrines so much as once to mooue her He calles these common praiers consilium the wisdome or policie of the Church The olde enemy of our saluation Sathan hath banished this pollicie out of the church Of all other this most preuailes against him Let the true Church vse it againe and iudge who she is which vseth it not But it is worthie our consideration how other Papists haue condemned praiers in generall being made without our vnderstanding Viuiennus a Papist concerning this matter Lib. 3. de offic boni patrisfam cap. 25. writes thus Therefore if any man saith he seeke the meanes how he may obtaine the grace of God let him giue himselfe to prayers which are the weapons by which all the power of the Diuell is ouerthrowne Therefore the wicked spirits sometimes when we pray cast stumbling blocks in our waies that either being slothfull we may be wearie of praying or being terrified we may quite giue it ouer or being carried away with vaine thoughts we may pronounce negligently those words which we should pronounce with great discretion being like to drunken men who oftentimes talke many things neither doe
because no man of himselfe can ordaine any thing by which the deuill may be put to flight for he is so mad that he feareth no man This victorie belongs only to God as Ezech. saith in the 28. chap. vnder the name of Tyrus And although there be no power vpon earth which may be compared to the power of the Diuel as we read in Iob the 41. chap. yet in Christs presence all their power is cowardlinesse But that the Diuels sometimes yeelde at the words of Coniurers that plainly they doe to beguile men If Salomon ordained exorcismes surely they were such wherein Gods praises and works and promises were recited which the Diuell being not able to abide was cast out by the power of the word of God So Dauid plaied on his harpe before Saul and he was better in his minde but these did no such things but vsed certaine words and magicall characters and formes And he verie excellently describes them They were Iewes saith he who had a speciall commandement giuen them that they should not abuse the name of God and that they should make no account of their magicall artes Then they were the sonnes of a priest who ought to haue been furthest off from superstitions but the more learned the more wicked they were I coniure thee by Iesus marke heere that the wicked vse good words against those that heereof excuse themselues of their superstitions because they say that they vse none but good and holy words yea so much the more they sinne the more grieuously because they abuse Gods word They vsed the same wordes which the Apostles vsed but they could doe nothing by them because they vsed exorcismes and charmes not of faith vnto the glorie of God but onely of curiositie vnto their owne gaine Iesus I know A notable testimonie of Christ and of his Apostles the Diuell knewe truely the power of Christ and he was affraid of the power of the Apostles granted to them by Christ for of Christ himselfe the prince of the world the Diuell was ouercomed and cast out of doores see the 12. chap. of Iohn But you who are you That is to say you are my bondslaues I would that all priests and cleargie men would marke this one word well And leaping on them Marke here how Christ is good to the Godly but verie terrible to the wicked and desperate Ferus here giues an Item or priuie nippe to all priests and cleargie men These are like those priests sonnes they should be furthest off from this sinne and they are the chiefe practisers of it This is their gaine this is their physicke In our Church we haue found this true by experience And after he addes Learne out of this historie the vertue and power of the name of Christ that thou maiest trust in it Secondly take heede least thou thinke or go about to driue away the Diuell by thy owne strength For thou canst not doe that vnlesse thou beest holpen with a stronger then thy selfe that is through faith in Christ Thirdly be verie carefull least thou take in vaine the most holy name of God abusing it to thine owne gaine or curiositie By this example also he would declare how grieuously he would punish and be reuenged vpon the contemners and prophaners of his name Faith in Christ only vanquisheth the diuell and in déed no other mans deuise els whatsoeuer And this euen the verie witches haue confessed that they haue not been able to hurt manie whome they meant to haue done harme vnto because they had such a strong faith in Christ The Papists in their darke and blinde kingdome haue had manie externall things which as they supposed were of force to driue awaie the Diuell But Ferus tels all true Catholikes that it is onlie faith in Christ that in truth hath that force and nothing else though he séeme to shun and flie from many other things This he doth but to beguile men A golden porch or entrie into the true Catholikes house MIctham an Hebrew word signifies a crowne of gold or a wedge of most fine golde which I haue placed at the entrance of this house as Dauid prefixed the same word at the beginning of the xvi Psalme which containes the resurrection of our Sauiour Christ and our entrance into heauen taken out of the Canticles which likewise containes in it a most excellent and doubtfull question which troubleth manie at this day and euen an heauenly and most certaine answere vnto the same O saith the Spouse shew me whom my soule loueth Cant. 1 6. where thou feedest where thou restest at noone in the heate of the day This is a question which euen now euery true christians soule without all doubt makes vnto God Now is the heat of the daie The sunshine of this world makes manie sunburnt as we saie and their couetous dealing is a slander to the gospell and the burning heate of persecution Mark 10.30 2. Tim. 3.12 which as euer euen so now also followes the Gospell makes manie doubt where to rest and to quiet their soules and consciences in this hot sun-shine and in the heate of persecution And therefore here now the Spouse praieth the bridegroome to shew her in these dangerous times of offences and of persecution where hee resteth that shee maie not be like one in this wildernes who wandring along Psal 18.1 Esay 32.2 should ioine her selfe to some of his companions but that she may rest with him alone And here we maie note the loue of the true Spouse of Christ shée wil not rest her selfe nor repose anie confidence in anie of Christs companions that is no doubt Saints Rom. 8.17 whom S. Paul calleth fellow heires with him but onely in Iesus Christ alone shée acknowledgeth no vicegerent shée will rest with none but with the Spouse himselfe And this is that which S. Iohn one of Christs chiefe companions Ioh. 3.29 teacheth also all Christians He that hath the bride he is the bridgroome but the friend of the bridgroome which standeth by and heareth him reioiceth greatly at the bridgroomes voice Here is the duetie of all the faithfull onely to heare the bridegroomes voice to heare him talke with the bride This is all their ioie they haue nothing to do with the bride Of them all it maie be said as the quéene of Saba said of Salomons seruants Happy are thy men 2. King 10.8 happy are these thy seruants which stand euer before thee and heare thy wisedome So all Iesus Christs Saints are seruants they attend on the bride and the bridegroome And this is their happinesse that they maie heare the bridgroome speake they haue nothing to doe with the bride as I said euen now The bridgroome nowe thus louingly answeres his louing Spouse Verse 7. If thou knowest not for thy selfe as it is in the Hebrew O thou fairest amongst women go out thy selfe after the tract of those sheepe and feed thy younglings whether Goats or
we feare all the warres persecutions or enemies of all the world besides let the diuell and all his do what they can against vs. We rest our selues most securely in the Kinnam in this nest or cabbin purchased with such a great price for vs. And this nest our Sauiour Christ himselfe shewes vs saying Iohn 14.1 let not your hearts be troubled beleeue in God beleeue in me In my fathers house are manie resting places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if it were not so I would haue told you I goe to prepare a place for you Gen. 6.14 And thou shalt pitch it from within the house and from without with pitch This pitch wherewith the hoords of the Arke were pitched both from within without signifies christian charity We must loue our God we must loue our family we must loue our neighbour We must loue all these within in heart and without in worke This pitching must be from within and from without it must procéed to others Charitie is called an other mans good It must not be all for it selfe that is no charitie that is selfe loue that is Sathans tarre which will not fasten or ioyne things togither it is not Gods pitch And here we may note that pitch not pinnes or nailes must ioyne all the boords of Gods Church togither we should all be ioined togither through loue and not by force not by compulsion by word and not by sword The pitch of charitie should binde euerie true Christian more then anie bonde of parchment But now this ioyning togither of pitch and of Christian charitie is cleane gone now men séeke and studie how to ioyne men to them by nailes by force by authoritie by obligations by hard dealing and not with loue not with charitie not with courtesie But such ioyning is not Christian like it will neuer continue Paper ioyned togither with pitch or glew will sooner rent then be seuered such is the ioyning togither of charitie Now euen in that holy league of mariage they trust more to parchment bonds then to this bond of charitie bonds of parchment must assigne women their dowries and portions after their husbands deaths they distrust that bond of charitie but in truth it is surer and stronger For in truth men will rather die then for sake them whom they loue And what doe we doubt then of their goods But the ioyning togither with nailes and other things maie be easily separated and the things neuer the worse And such are all the ioinings and counterfaited loues which are made with force and hard dealing and authoritie rather then by charitie And thus thou shalt make it Verse 15. the length of the Arke shall be a hundreth cubits and the breadth of it fiftie cubits and the height of it thirtie cubits Here is the portraiture of Christs church it is longer then it is either broad or high Here are faith charitie and hope The mysterie of faith is thrée hundreth cubits it is verie deepe it is vnsearchable Eph. 3.18 And therefore Saint Paul praieth for his Ephesians that they may know what is the height depth length and breadth he meant no doubt of the crosse of Christ and of faith in him crucified He had relation to some thing and it maie fitly be applied vnto this Secondly charitie is fiftie cubits hauing relation to the yéere of Iubile which was euerie fiftith yeere Leu. 25.11 wherein was forgiuenesse of all debts letting loose of all that were in bondage as well lands as seruants and a ioyfull and generall freedome and libertie proclaimed euen their fields that yeere had also their Sabaoth Such naie farre greater should be christian charitie euerie yéere that shadow is vanished awaie and the true sun hath shined Iesus Christ Col. 2.14 and hath fréed vs from the great debt of our sins that we did owe vnto God Heb. 2.14 and hath deliuered vs out of the hands of that mightie and cruell tyrant Sathan and hath freely giuen vs the kingdome of heauen Luc. 12.32 So that now in his kingdome euerie yéere euerie thing should reioice No man considering what Iesus Christ hath done for him and remembring that he hath commanded vs to loue one another Ioh. 13.34 as he hath loued vs should now in anie matter deale hardly with his brother Who will now denie him light trifles either in giuing or in forgiuing who hath receiued such great gifts such a great pardon who now will not liberallie deale with this earth that hath so freely receiued heauen Mat. 18.24.28 Who will not forgiue a hundreth pence that hath forgiuen him a hundreth talents Who will not now lend freely Luk. 6.35 1. Cor. 4.7 euen hundreths if he be able that hath lent him all that he hath What hast thou that thou hast not receiued These cōsiderations if we were not stony harted should make our Iubile eternall Luk. 6.38 it should make vs giue that we might haue giuen vs againe It should make vs forgiue when as our debters being our brethren be not able to paie vs. Considering how we our selues one daie Luk. 7.42 being bankerupts and not able to pay any thing must craue forgiuenesse not onelie of iniuries and blasphemies against the maiestie of God but of debts in not vsing well these talents we haue receiued at his hands Luk. 16.1 Mat. 25.25.12.36 Luk. 18.9.14.11 Thirdly the Arke was but thirtie cubits in height to teach vs humilitie Our hope must be humble we must not trust in our selues we must not bee prowd of our workes we must not be prowd at all Our hope must be but thirtie cubits hie it must be limited in three Mat. 28.19 Mat. 5.3 that is in the Trinitie It must not excéed that Blessed are the poore in spirit saith our Sauiour It is the first blessednesse amongst those so manie beatitudes as it were the roote and mother of all the rest To be prowd is like a poyson or venome that marres all the rest As also there is no blessednesse so often repeated Psal 2.12.4.6.5.12 as Blessed is the man that puts his trust in the Lord. Gen. 6.16 A window shalt thou make in the Arke and in a cubit shalt thou finish it from aboue The Arke of Gods Church is a lightsome house Tsaher in Hebrew is a window and Tsaharim is noone and not a darke dungeon It hath a window in it to giue it light And the window is compared to the sunne-shine at noone to declare that all our knowledge in this life although it be but small in comparison of that we shall haue hereafter 1. Cor. 13.12 yet it is most pure and cléere Now we know as it were in a darke speech then we shall see face to face And this window is but one Ioh. 1.9 no doubt to signifie Iesus Christ who is the only window that giues light and all other heauenly graces to his Church And the roofe
of the Arke is finished in a cubit as some thinke or else the eaues were round about the Arke a cubit in breadth to put awaie raine from the window and from the arke it selfe This maie teach vs mortification of the flesh If wee would iudge our selues 1. Cor. 11.31 we should not be iudged of the Lord. Fasting and prayer from a liuely faith are that narrowe roofe that repelles al stormes from Gods Church 1. King 21.27 Vnder this narrow roofe Ahab when God threatned him vengeance for his sinnes and Queene Hester Hest 4.16 when Haman like a mightie clowde and huge tempest did hang ouer her head and the heads of her people did shrowd themselues So did Niniueh at the preaching of Ionas Ionas 3.7 Wouldest thou escape the stormes then of Gods wrath let the Roofe of thy house then be narrowe Whosoeuer thou art iudge thy selfe and God will not iudge thee as S. Paul counselleth all christians And the doore of the Arke shalt thou set in the side thereof Verse 16. Here is also Iesus Christ described verie liuely vnto vs Ioh. 10.9 who is the verie doore into the church who suffered his verie side to be opened with a speare for our sakes Ioh. 19.34 that we might haue an entrance into heauen By this doore we enter boldlie into heauen and appeare before the maiestie of God In this wide wound as in the clift of a most safe rocke Cant. 2.14 we hide our selues from all the persecutions of the enemy And this doore is but one there are not manie doores into his house Ioh. 10.9 Acts 4.12 as our Sauiour himselfe tels vs I am the doore The same also Peter testifieth There is but one way to saluation and that is Iesus Christ there is but one séede Gal. 3.16 in whome all the nations of the world shall be blessed and that is Iesus Christ Ioh. 3.14 there is but one brazen Serpent lift vp in the wildernesse which cured al the Israelites from all the stingings of the Serpent whatsoeuer and that is Iesus Christ Acts 4.12 There is no other name vnder heauen giuen to men by which we must be saued but onely the name of Iesus Christ He is that one doore that was made in the side of the Arke And thou shalt make it with the low second and third Roume Verse 16. Ro. 12.6.13.1 1. Cor. 7.25 1. Pet. 4.1 There are degrées in Gods church of manie estates and conditions of Kings and other inferiour magistrates and subiects of Byshops Pastors and their flockes of virgins married folkes and widowes and therefore God commanded Noah to make hie roumes and middle and lowe roumes in the arke Euerie one of these haue their proper places in Gods Church There are also in the church children which stand need of milke 1. Cor. 3.1.2 there are also strong men which can digest stronger food which are doctors in christianitie Heb. 5.12 and some others to whom the rudiments and principles of christian religion appertaine and all these doe belong to Gods church Verse 17. And behold I will bring a floud of water vpon the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life vnder heauen and all that is in the earth shall perish But with thee will I stablish my couenant and thou shalt go into the Arke thou and thy sonnes and thy wife and thy sonnes wiues with thee Here is the floud a signe and type of Gods wrath and iust iudgement for sinne Here is the onely means of saluation Gods frée mercie For it is said before That when as God saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth and al the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were onely euill continually and it repented the Lord that he had made man in the earth Verse 5. and he was sorie in his heart c. That Noah yet found grace in the eies of the Lord. Noah his saluation was the frée mercie of God and his most gratious couenant They onely which doe obserue his couenant doe escape this his fierce wrath as here appeareth And this couenant Noah preached vnto those wicked men in his daies but they would not beléeue him but euerie one followed his owne wicked waies and so in the end for lacke of faith were drowned Mat. 5.7 Mar. 16.16 Luk. 6.37.38 Ioh. 16.27 The like couenants God hath made with vs let vs reade them and marke them and beléeue them if we minde to escape this deluge of the wrath of God least we perish with those men in the daies of Noah The obedience of Gods couenant is the only way of saluation no deuise of man can saue els whatsoeuer Verse 21. And take thou with thee of all meate that is eaten and thou shalt gather it to thee that it may be meate for thee and them God will not haue his pined he will haue meate in his house and therefore Iesus Christ was borne also in Bethlehem Mat. 2.1 which in the Hebrew signifies a house of bread And Noah is commanded to gather to him all manner of meates There are varietie of meates in Gods house Exod. 12.9 There is the head of the lamb the purtenance and the feete Gen. 30.14 Psal 51.7 Prou. 31 6. Psal 75.8 2. Tim. 2.15 Luk. 12.42 There are sower lettice there are mandrakes which make fruitfull there is purging Isope there is pretious balme There is wine and strong drinke for the afflicted there are dregs for the wicked And here is required the wisedome of all Gods ministers They must be stewards they must not giue all meate at once but euerie kinde of meate in his proper time Neither all kindes of meat to euerie Christian but euerie condition or state hath his proper food euen as in Noah his Arke euerie kind of liuing creatures had also The doctrine of Kings and Magistrates is not to be set before the people 2. Ti. 2.15 nor the doctrine of the people to be taught the Magistrates this were lacke of discretion This were not rightly to deuide the word of God Noah therefore did according to all that God commaunded him euen so did he Here is the conclusion and summe of all Vers 22. Noah did all according as God commaunded him Euen in this materiall worke of making the Arke of wood and timber he missed not an Inch of that length bredth or height or of anie other thing which God commaunded him much more then in the spirituall building of the Church the same is to be obserued The maister builders may not goe a haires bredth beyond the commaundement of God Mat. 28.20 1. Cor. 11.23 Gal. 1.6 2. Pet. 1.16 though that which they doe séeme in their owne eies neuer so conuenient or profitable or necessarie or stately They must learne this lesson of Noah their good predecessor and their Schoolemaster As God commannded so did Noah according to
wiues for parents and children for maisters and seruants Before the men slept she went vp vnto them Heerof we may learne the zeale the true Church hath of hearing the word of God She makes no delay she goes vp to them presently She is desirous to heare the doctrine of her saluation She prefers this ioyfull newes before her sléepe And she saith to the men Vers 9 I know that God hath giuen you the land for the feare of you is fallen vpon vs c. Here is the confession of a true faith and here is also first the first propertie of a true faith not to doubt to know to be assured I know saith she that you shall conquere this land though as yet their wals stand and there many mightie kings being linked togither in leagues liued and flourished All these fleshly arguments could not daunt her faith I know saith she you shall haue the victorie For we haue heard how the Lord dried vp the red sea before you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites which were beyond Iordan Sehon and Og whom ye killed 1. King 10.1 Ro. 10.14 Here is the ground of faith Faith commeth by hearing She hearing the wonderfull works of God beléeued to teach vs the meanes to obtaine faith by hearing also Now followes the confession of her faith Wee haue heard and our heart is quite gone and there is no courage left in any one of vs against you For your God is a God in deed in heauen aboue and in the earth beneath Deut. 64. Mat. 28.18 Psal 136.13.14.15.16 First her faith is grounded on one God and of his omnipotencie that he alone is of all power in heauen and earth he can drie vp the red sea he can destroy mightie kings euen Sheon and Og kings of the Amorites And here also the true Church may learne in her iourney out of Egypt with what enemies she must encounter For euerie true Israelite must now also come out of Egypt euen as those auncient Israelites did Reu. 11.8 Ps 114.1 1. Cor. 10.11 and the red sea must be dried vp before him and those two kings of the Amorites conquered and subdued And here first the red sea in Hebrew is called the sea of Rushes or the sea of consumption or ending And surely this world also for these two respectes may fitly be called the red sea First it is a sea neuer quiet but in it still one waue of afflictions followes another Secondly it is a sea of Rushes There is nothing sound in it Though the honours riches and pleasures thereof seeme great gréene to flourish yet they are but rushes they are not sound within they are but vanitie As that great king Salomon who had experienced all these things teacheth al men in his booke called the Preacher All saith he is but vanitie And if that were all it were well but he addeth further Eccles 1.14 and vexation of spirit This is worse then the former that such vaine things should vex a mans heart should trouble him should make him hurt his neighbour nay euen offend his most gratious God This world also is a consumption Ia. 5.4 2. Ti. 4.10 2. Sa. 20.10 a destruction to all that do loue it The louers of this world are enemies to God and he that embraceth this world with Demas it will in the end slay him as Ioab did Amasa traiterously and Iudasly This Rushie sea God dries vp by the mightie operation of the holy spirit to all his faithfull seruants 1. Cor. 7 31. 1. Pet. 2.11 before they enter into his land of Canaan They despise the world they vse it as though they vsed it not They account themselues here but as pilgrimes And to this agréeth that which is said in the Reuelation when the first Angell blew his trumpet there were haile and fire mingled with bloud cast into the earth Reu. 8.7 and the third part of the trees were burnt and all greene grasse was burnt This is not meant literally but spiritually That is that in all Gods children all worldly pompe and vanitie is now quite consumed The world is to them crucified and they to the world Gal. 6.14 The other two enemies which also must be destroyed are two kings Sehon and Og kings of the Amorites Whose names declare their natures Sehon signifies in Hebrew a rooter vp and Og signifies fine māchet And they may fitly resemble our flesh and our spirit our appetite and our senses Our senses delight in vanitie and therfore Dauid saith Psal 119.37 Col. 3.5 Turne away mine eies least they behold vanity And our appetites or fleshly desires must be mortified which are the rooters vp of all vertue This Sehon is king of Hesbon which signifies Reason so in the carnall man is will and lustes of the flesh And so also Og that is the flesh that delights in fine delicates in manchet is king of Basan that is ouer the spirit of God which is compared to oyle and fatnes the which also Basan signifies in Hebrew These two kings must be conquered of all Christians before they enter into the land of promise and Hesbon that is reason now must rule ouer Sehon that is affections And Basan that is Gods spirit must rule ouer Og that is Num. 21.23 33. the pleasures of the flesh And Sehon fightes with Israel in Lasha that is the field of saluation Og in Edrai that is on the mount of strength Mans carnall wisedom thinkes it selfe able to saue Psal 20.7 Psal 44 3. Reue. 7.10 and the flesh thinks her arme of force But Gods children must acknowledge another arme to be their strength euen the arme of the Lord and their saluation also not to be of themselues but of the Lord. And these are two kings of the Amorites which signifies rebellious These two kings are in man that do daily rebell against that onely and great king God Almightie And these two Rom. 7.33 saint Paul called the law of his members No doubt for their kingly authoritie which without Gods spirit they do challenge in vs. And these two kings must be killed nay as the Hebrew word which Rahab vseth Hekeramtem signifieth must be euen vowed to destructiō Psal 119.106 1. Pet. 3.21 And what doth this note else but our baptisme Wherein euerie one vowes himselfe a souldier against these kings And now sweare vnto me in the Lord because I haue shewed you mercie Ios 2. that you also will shew mercie vnto my fathers house and that you will giue me a signe of this truth And you shall cause to liue my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all things that they haue and ye shall deliuer our soules from death Here is another marke of the true Church all her doctrines must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 1.15 3.1 Mat. 5.18
it shall be opened vnto you Luk. 18.1 And he spake a parable vnto them to the end that they ought alwayes to pray and not to waxe faint and not to giue ouer saying There was a iudge c. Reioyce euermore Pray continually in all things giue thanks For this is the will of God in Iesus Christ towards you 1. Thess 5.16.17 Ioh. 16.24.24 Ephes 5.20 Col. 3.17 Iames 4.2 that is these are the things that God would haue you doe these are the things that hee delightes in so that they bee done in the name of Iesus Christ Ye haue not because ye aske not A Thanksgiuing vnto Iesus Christ for the benefites he hath bestowed on vs taken out of Granatensis which may be called the true Catholikes Graces Gen. 1.26 I Giue thée heartie thankes most swéete Iesu for that thou hast created me according to thine owne image and likenesse Psal 104.30 139.15 for this bodie which thou hast giuen me with all the senses thereof for this my soule with all the powers of it that with them I might both knowe thée Col. 3.5 and loue thee Giue me grace O Lord so to serue thée my creator and heauenly Father that all my sinfull passions vaine affections being mortified killed in me 1. Cor. 3.17 thy image maie be renued in me againe vnto the which I was created and that I may be made like thee in the innocencie of life Psal 22.10 I thanke thée O my swéete Sauiour for the benefite of my preseruation for euen thou the same who hast created me doest euer preserue and kéepe me in this essence and being which thou hast giuen me Moreouer I giue thée most humble thankes because also for this same preseruation of mine thou hast created all things whatsoeuer are in the world Psal 115.16 1. Cor. 3.22 as the heauen the earth the sea the sunne the moone the starres beastes fishes birds trees and in a word all creatures els whereof thou hast made some to sustaine and féede me some to heale me some to refresh and delight me some to teach me and other some to correct me I beséech thée O Lord giue me grace that I may so vse all these in this world as I ought to do and according to that right vse whereunto thou hast made them that is Rom. 1.20 that I may by thē come vnto the knowledge of thée my onlie true God and Lord and that by them there may be stirred vp and kinled in my heart an admiration and wonderfull loue of thy holy name O Lord Iesu 1. Pet. 1.19 I thanke shée for the benefit of my redemption that is for that incomprehensible goodnesse and for that exceeding great mercie which thou hast shewed towards me Also for that most feruent loue Phil. 2.7 wherewith thou hast redéemed me descending downe into the earth that thou mightest lift me vp to heauen being made man Rom. 15.7 that thou mightest make me God and suffering most cruell death that I might haue true life Ioh. 14.6 Luke 2.7.21 Matth. 1.14 4.2 Luke 6.12 9 58. I thanke thée for the humilitie of thy incarnation for the pouertie of thy birth for the bloud of thy circumcision for thy flight into Egypt for thy fasting in the wildernes for thy watching all night in prayer lastly for the pouertie humilitie and miserie of all thy whole most holy life I giue thée thanks for the labours paines reproches mockes Luk. 22 64.23 33.22.44.54.64 Matth. 26.67 Matt. 26.21 Luk. 22.64 Ioh 19.2 Mark 15.32.26 Ioh. 20.25.19.24.30 Mat. 11.35.16 17. Act. 12.28 and taunts which thou enduredst for me in thy most sorrowfull and shamefull death I thanke thée for thy prayer in the garden for thy bloudie sweat for thy attachment for thy buffettings for thy spittings vpon for thy slaunders for thy stripes for thy crowne of thornes for thy purple robe for thy railings vpon for the gall vineger thou drankest for the nailes for the speare for the crosse and for thy death which for me and my saluation thou enduredst I giue thee thanks O swéete Iesu that euen from my cradle thou hast receiued me into the lap and bosome of thy Church that thou hast instructed and taught me in the Catholike faith that thou hast made me a Christian and that thou hast sustained and preserued me both in bodie and soule euen till now I desire thy gratious goodnesse graunt me thy grace that thou onlie maist be the most pleasant and sweete meat of my heart Ioh. 6.27 Ioh. 7.37 and that my soule may alwaies thirst for thée the verie fountaine of the water of life that when the course of this my pilgrimage is ended I may then reioyce in thy most blessed happinesse and felicitie 2. Tim. 4.7 Psal 17.15 Reu. 22.1 and taste of that plentifull and euerflowing floud of delights which comes from the well of life and of all good things els I giue thée thanks most louing Iesu who hast deliuered me from manie and verie great perils and daungers both of soule and bodie Psal 68.20 euen vnto this present day without all my forecast or wisedome when as I in the meane time was worthie to be neglected and reiected of thée I giue thée thankes that when as I lay snorting and as it were buried in the filthinesse of my sinnes that thou hast waited for my repentance so long Rom. 12.11.2.4 and with such great patience notwithstanding that I haue offended thee so often and haue resisted thy holy inspirations Act. 7.51 Graunt vnto me O Lord that hereafter I may follow thée with an humble affection and that with all readinesse and obedience I may obey and embrace thy heauenlie inspirations and good motions Psal 119.122 and that I may driue out of my heart the loue of all visible things 1. Ioh. 2.15 that so being wholie occupied and employed in thy seruice I may neuer be separated from thée hereafter I giue thée hartie thankes O Lord that besides all these benefites thou hast done and 〈◊〉 vpon me thou hast instituted and ordained such most excellent and wonderfull sacraments for my saluation 1. Cor. 11.25 Ephes 4.5 and for a remedy to cure and heale my wounds that thou hast visited me with so manie good holie thoughts and inspirations Also for the blessednesse of eternall glorie Psal 40.5 which thou hast prepared for me if I make not my selfe vnworthie thereof through my manifolde sinnes and wickednesse 2 Pet. 2.22 These O Lord are but thy common benefites which I haue remembred There are manie other which I neither remember nor knowe for the which I giue thée no lesse thanks then for these I haue now reckoned vp yea so much the greater thanks I giue thée for them as the greatnes of thy goodnesse appeares in them more manifestlie For at what time I slept thou didst wake to defend me
would haue perished in the earth is preserued in heauen Therefore that which is preserued we shall receiue Thy desert is preserued thy merit is become a treasure For marke what thou shalt receiue Receiue ye the kingdom that was prepared for you from the beginning of the world On the contrarie they that would not lend what shall they heare Goe yee into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angels Thus farre Augustine Where he plainly sets downe the great blessing that the merifull lender shall obtaine at Gods hands and the terrible punishment which not the vsurer only but he that will not lend shall be sure to haue I would to God all Christians would but marke what censures the verie Heathens haue giuen concerning vsurie WheÌ„ as one asked Cato Censorius Cic. lib. 2. Off. what were the chiefe points of good husbandrie He answered To feed well to cloath wel and to till well And to him that asked What is it to commit vsurie Is not that also a point of good husbandrie Cato answered What is it to kill a man He thought that an vsurer sinned as greatly as a murtherer Did Cato iudge thus of vsurie by the light of nature and shall Christians professe it or thinke better of it in the light of the Gospell Panor lib. 4. Alphonsus king of Aragon compared vsurers to greedie birds which snatched catched all things And surely no doubt verie iustlie For vsurers are the cruellest Kites and vultures in the world They consume mens patrimonies they often kill their bodies and vndoe their heires And this they do to their brethren to whom they were bound to open euen their verie hearts and bowels to do them good 1. Ioh. 3.17 as Saint Iohn teacheth And will not then these cruell hearted men open to them their coffers or purses Another compares Vsurers to the diuell for what els saith he do Vsurers but that which the diuell perswaded Christ to haue done when as hee would haue had him to haue made stones bread for by their lending Pet. Greg. de Rep. lib. 2. cap. 20. they gaine of stones and mettalles that which nature cannot bring forth For naturally a peece of gold or any other money engendreth not money O wicked age that we liue in now vsurie amongst some is accounted the gainfullest and surest trade of liuing And wheras lending was commanded of God to profit our brethren now the vsurer thereby peruerting this order of God profits himselfe To conclude that interpretation of the two edged sword in the Reuelation of Victorinus an ancient Bishop Victor in Apocal is worth the marking By the two-edged sword glistering out of his mouth is meant that it is he that now shewed to the world the glad tydings of the Gospell and by Moses the knowledge of the lawe But because by the same word hee shall iudge hereafter all mankind that were both vnder the law and vnder the Gospell therefore it is said to be a two edged sword A sword armes a souldier kils a mans enemie and punisheth a reuolter or a turnecoate And that he might shew his Apostles that he preached iudgement he saith I came not to send peace into the world but a sword And after that he had ended his parables he saith vnto them Haue you vnderstood all these things And they said yea Therefore euerie Scribe learned in the kingdome of God is like to a housholder bringing out of his treasure new and old things that is the new words of the Gospell and the old of the law and Prophets And that these come out of his mouth He said to Peter Go to the sea and cast in an angle and the fish that thou shalt first take opening his mouth thou shalt find a stavre that is two pence giue it for me and thee And Dauid also by the holy Ghost saith God hath spoken once I haue heard these two things That God hath once determined that in the beginning that shall continue to the end To conclude when as he is appointed of his Father to be Iudge he minding to shew that through the word which is preached to them men should be iudged he saith Do you thinke that I will iudge you in the last day But the word which I haue spoken vnto you that shall iudge you in the last day And Paul against Antichrist saith to the Thessalonians 2. Thes 2.8 Whom the Lord shall kill with the spirit of his mouth This is therefore that two-edged sword proceeding out of his mouth c. I would to God all men would marke this exposition By Gods word all men at the last daie shall be iudged whether they haue directed their liues according to that which they haue heard with their eares or no And therefore our Sauiour saith so often Matt. 11.15 13.9.43 Mark 4.24 Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare And againe Take heede what you heare As though he should saie one daie ye shall giue an account of it And here that is verified that our Sauiour saith You are cleane for the word that dwelleth in you Ioh. 15.3 Gods word maketh our faith and religion pure and cleane and also our liues cleane But we must not be like those that can say Lord Lord Mat. 7.22 and haue done wickedlie which haue professed Christ with their mouthes and haue denied him with their works Wee must not onlie embrace the promises of saluation which the Gospell teacheth vs but also the precepts of life We must eate the whole Paschal Lâ—mbe or else it will do vs no good Exod. 12.9 As well the feete as the head and purtnance Manie at this daie eate gréedily the head and purtnance of Christ that is his diuine promises and his heauenly miracles they are verie desirous to eate these but few eate the féete that is his precepts and commandements Matt. 24.14 To such the Gospell shall be preached as a testimonie of their condemnation at that day of iudgement and not of their saluation Let vs beware that we be not hearers but doers Iam. 1.22 and not onely desirous to eate the head and purtnance but also the féete of Christ and let vs as willinglie learne his precepts and commandements and do them as we are content to beléeue his promises and remaine in them These are the waies which Gods word teacheth all Christians to walke in These are plaine waies here are no tropes or figures yet manie which will séem to professe Gods word make no account of these let such take héed at the day of iudgement they stand not among those to whom God shall saie Why didst thou preach my lawes Psal 50.16 or take my couenant in thy mouth Why didst thou professe my word and wouldst not bee reformed by it All such hypocrites shall then be condemned The manners and conuersation of the ancient Christians drawne out of the Fathers IVstine the Martyr thus describes
these when as he said Shake off this dust arise and sit now O Ierusalem By which words the Prophet meanes that first she must shake off the dust of all earthly things and that all the snares of worldly affections must be takē from her neck the which things being done then wee may without any let arise to the contemplation of heauenly things and sit downe in the rest and comfort of them Saint Paul prophesieth of some 1. Tim. 3.5 that in the latter times shal haue a shew of godlines but haue denied the power thereof Which prophesie I feare me toucheth many at this time who make a shew of Christian religion in words but haue denied the power thereof which is as members to ioyne vs to Christ our head in heauen what member would not long to bee with the head and to haue vs vnited as spouses to Iesus Christ our heauenly husband what wife would not long to be with her husband and to draw men from the loue of this world to account this world but as an Inne in a mans iourney and to account heauen their countrey Our excessiue purchasing of land our couetousnesse about this vile earth our great cost spent thereon argues plainly that we are not so affected towards it Would a man bestow so much cost or be so busie in his Inne where he was to lodge but a night as men do now on the earth Our Sauiour hath said It is as hard for a rich man to goe to heauen Matt. 19.24 as for a camell to go thorough a needles eye But now all men studie to be rich many times they passe not how As though he had said It is as easie for a rich man to go to heauen as for a twine thréed to go thorowe a néedles eye But let all such worldly minded rich men take héede they shall one daie finde his saying true what excuses and pretence soeuer they make now And Saint Paul also saith They that will bee rich 1. Tim. 6. ◠shall fall into temptations and snares of the diuell He doth not say they that deale hardly with their brethren to become rich And how will hard dealing landlords here créepe out Who would fall into the hands but euen of a mortall Prince but to fall into the snares of the diuell what a madnes is it Surely we beleeue not Saint Paules words for if we did we would not do as we do And againe the same Granatensis writes thus Although the affaires of this world saith he do somtimes draw thy mind down to these earthly things cap. 11. yet by and by the spirit which is in it rebounds backe againe and is againe lift vp to heauen no otherwise then wood that is violently kept vnder the water yet by and by according to the naturall lightnesse that is in it it will appeare and swimme aloft againe That which nature doth here good conditions and the grace of God should work there which are of faire greater power then nature And here is a doubt resolued which perchance in reading the Scriptures may trouble some Sphinx Philosophica cap. 39. Often times you will thinke that in the Scriptures the answeres which are there made do not concerne the matter proposed or doe not fully answer the question are nothing to the purpose because indeed they answer not to those things which we enquire for but to those things that we ought to haue enquired for Christ being asked of the restoring againe of the kingdome of Israel Act. 1.7 answered of the heauenly kingdome We are troubled about the cares of this life but wee are instructed of the life to come If at anie time the Prophets do make mention of the calling of the people backe againe from Babylon of restoring the kingdom of Israel or of the repairing of the Temple by and by as it were forgetting themselues they are rapt to speake of the spirituall deliuerance from the yoke of Sathan of the kingdom of Christ and of the description of the true Temple that is of the Church Hereby signifying vnto vs that wee must not cleaue to and rest in these momentarie and transitorie things which are nothing else but a shadow and that we should not haue our kingdome here in this world but that Christ should raigne in vs by the scepter of his word and power of his spirit This lesson these impertinent answers in the Scriptures do teach vs. Orat. adhort ad gentes Clemens Alexandrinus thus also describeth a Christians conuersation Come to me all yee that be wearie and laden and I will refresh you Take my yoke vpon you and learne of me for I am meeke and humble in heart and yee shall find rest for your soules for my yoke is pleasant and my burthen is light Let vs that are religious and like to the word of God make haste and runne O men O his images let vs make haste let vs runne Let vs take his yoke vpon vs let vs take vpon vs incorruption Let vs loue Christ that most excellent carter and driuer as it were of men hee yoked the foale and the old Asse vnder one yoke together and likewise he made two yokes of men and he driues his chariote to immortalitie making haste to God that hee might now euidently fulfill that that mystically before he signified in Ierusalem doing now the same in heauen The eternall Sonne being a Conquerour is the brauest shew that can be to God the Father Therefore let vs with great studie and zeale be caried to those things which are vertuous and let vs become holy and religious men and then wee shall obtaine the chiefest of all those thinges which are free from all affections and perturbations that is God and immortall life The Word is our helper and therefore let vs be of good comfort and let vs put all our confidence in him Let neuer the desire of siluer and gold so possesse vs as of the word of truth For we greatly displease God if so be we make no account of those things which are precious and if we shall highly esteeme follies ignorances idlenesse pleasures idolatrie manifest shame and reproofe and extreame wickednesse The verie Philosophers verie iustly say whatsoeuer fooles doe thinke that they doe wickedly and iudge them wicked for their labours And also defining ignorance to be a kind of madnesse what doe they els but teach that manie are mad Therefore the word will say there is no doubt whether of these be better to bee wise and sober or to be mad Therefore we must cleauing to the truth valiantly followe God with all our strength behauing our selues soberly and to account all his things such as they are indeed And further when as we shall know that it is the greatest and gloriousest thing in the world to possesse God let vs commit our selues vnto God louing the Lord God and accounting this to be our dutie all our whole life And if
all that thou hast And wilt not thou be content at his request 1. Cor. 4.7 to lend that which thou maiest well spare So that the commandement is but euen in mans reason iust good nay if the commandemēt were hard against reason yet the reward which is annexed to this kind of frée lending should euen force vs to it And your reward shall be great in heauen saith our Sauiour and you shall be the sonnes of the most Highest He doth not say onlie we shall be rewarded in heauen but that our reward shal be great in heauen What wise man will not prefer a reward in heauen before all the vsurie and gaine in the world much more a great reward They which are not thus minded in truth are plaine infidels and do not know what heauen meaneth whatsoeuer they saie with their mouthes Naie who would not be Gods sonne Surely they which lend so shall bée Gods sonnes as the Sonne of God himself here telleth them and do we not respect this great dignitie Surely they which will not lend without great vsurie and respect not this great promise no doubt saie in their hearts Psal 14.1 as that foolish man doth whereof Dauid speaketh The foolish bodie hath said in his heart that there is no God What greater rewards could haue béene promised then these To haue a great reward in heauen and to be the sonnes of the most Highest And shall not these make vs lend fréelie And here let no mans vnthankfulnesse or wickednes hinder any man from this charitable act God himselfe saith our Sauiour is kind both to the vnthankfull and wicked And shall not we follow his steps And here our Sauiour séemes to haue relation to that shadow of the law The sunne comforteth but the shadow no lesse delights Matt. 5.20 The charitie and righteousnesse of Christians towards their brethren should exceede the charitie of the Iewes towards their brethren they were but as children vnder a schoole master we are perfect men as S. Paul teacheth Gal. 4.1 It is a shame for a man not to knowe so much nor to goe so farre forward in the waie of godlines as a child doth Deut. 15.1 At the end of seuen yeares thou shalt make a remission or forgiuenes faith God and this is the word of forgiuenesse that euery Lord or owner shall forgiue that his hand or abilitie hath lent He that hath lent to his neighbor shal not ask it of his companion of his brother when as that yeare is called The forgiuenesse of the Lord. Of a stranger thou maist require it but that which shall bee betweene thy brother and thee thy hand shall forgiue Luke 4.21 Col. 2.17 Phil. 3.1 What can bee plainer then this The Iewes euerie seuenth yeare were commanded to forgiue their brethren their debtes And now to vs Christians euerie yeare is a Sabboth and a yeare of Iubilée and euerie man is our brother Therefore if our brethren were not able to paie vs we should euerie yeare forgiue them And so lend as that we looked for nothing againe as our Sauiour here teacheth And then it followeth The Lord shall blesse thee in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee for an inheritance to possesse it So that thou hearken vnto the voice of the Lord thy God to obserue and do all these commandements which I command thee this day Wée must not do Gods commandements at our pleasures as manie thinke that they maie do and speciallie this commandement of lending but wee must doe all Gods commandements and then God shall blesse vs in our land and in all our businesses and affaires A Prophet saith Moses shall God raise vp vnto you like to me him ye shal heare not in some principall matters of faith Deut. 18.15 7.37 Act. 3.22 as the most men doe but in all things in matters of maners also And euerie soule that will not heare that Prophet his soule shall bee rooted out from among his people This Prophesie is first deliuered by Moses and after repeated by Saint Peter and shall we not beléeue it It is terrible let vs marke it well The soule that fulfils not all things that that Prophet shall speake shall bee rooted out from amongst his people And dare vsurers then take vsurie against the expresse commandement of their Sauiour Doe they not heare the danger of their soules To bee rooted out from among Gods people What will all their vsuries profite them Luke 9.25 Nay if they should gaine all the whole world if so be that they should lose their soules But here I know some will saie If the case stand so they will not lend at all vnles they might gaine something by this their lending But to such I answere Let them take héed how they hide their talents though it be neuer so cuningly and finely and lap it vp in a napkin The owner thereof will not like well of that at their hands Gods will is that all his talents should be employed Matt. 25.28.30 Take saith he his talent from him and cast therefore that vnprofitable seruant into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth O terrible sentence And here let euerie one marke that he saith not Cast that wicked but that vnprofitable seruant into vtter darknesse God will haue all his seruants painefull and profitable seruants They must not onely eschew euil but they must also doe good Psal 34.14 The figge tree which brought forth no fruite but troubled the ground was therefore threatned to be taken away The rich man must lend if he be able he must not by anie excuse whatsoeuer hide his talent God is the searcher of hearts much more of chests Act. 1.24 15.8 Hee knowes what is in thy chest whether thou be able to lend or no. If thou shalt pretend inabilitie to thy brother when as thou art able hee that seeth and knowes what is in thy chest bee thou sure he will punish thée for it Beware thou be not an vnprofitable seruant Marke well the punishment Cast him into vtter darknesse saith our Sauiour there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth O vse thy talents whosoeuer thou art beware of this terrible sentence The Fathers to exhort men to this liberall kind of lending are verie plentifull August in Psal 36. If saith Augustine thou hadst giuen one a little money to lone and he to whom thou hadst giuen this money for thy little mony should giue thee a farme which were farre better then it how wouldest thou thanke him how glad wouldest thou bee But see what an excellent possession hee will giue thee to whom thou hast lent Come yee blessed of my father receiue ye What that which you haue giuen God forbid you haue giuen earthly things which if you had not giuen would haue putrified in the earth For what wouldest thou haue done with it if thou hadst not giuen it that which
greedilie sought for so farre off was he to hurt or oppresse anie man to obtaine or maintaine this These Pagans condemne the curiositie and pompe of the world which now raignes amongst vs They shall condemne vs vnlesse wee repent at the daie of iudgement It is a shame for Christians that Pagans should go beyond thē in anie vertue We haue had Christians that haue excelled them euen of late Panorm lib. 4. de reb gestis Alphons I reade of Alphonsus king of Aragon when as one brought him ten thousand French crownes And one that stood by perchance said O that I had so much gold it would make me rich and happy Goe thy way saith the king and take it how much soeuer it is and bee happie Surely this Christian king and that not long since He liued in the raigne of Henry the 6. excéeded all these Pagans And shall hee haue no schollers All Christians should herein be his schollers should learne by his example to despise the world to despise money and gold It is a Christian and kinglie lesson But this Christian philosophie is now quite banished and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 3.2 that loue of our selues and loue of money whereof Saint Paul prophesieth are now in their kingdome and raigne amongst men We will not now giue thousands of Crownes no nor of pence or shillings no not to our brethren We loue our selues and mony and gold so well that no man almost loues his brother The first Christians had learned this lesson and therefore they laid not the rents Act. 4.35 but euen the prices of their lands at the Apostles feete They gaue it not them in their hands to declare no doubt this contempt of the world and their loue to the Apostles The like loue had the Galathians to Saint Paul I beare you record saith he that if it had beene possible Gal. 4.15 you would haue pulled out your very eyes and haue giuen them to me Phile. vers 19. And he writes to Philemon that he owes him his owne self This condemnes those that loue the world so well that now they are so farce from giuing anie thing to the Church that they rather studie and deuise how they maie take that awaie that hath beene well giuen of others which come not to the Church now ad offerendum sed ad auferendum not to offer but to take away The like contempt of the world had those Iewes which when as Christ rode to Ierusalem Matth. 21.8 spread their garments in the way And no doubt they were a figure of vs rather then Christ should go barefoote we should cast euen our verie garments in the waie But now to maintaine their sutes of apparell and their braue garments manie make Christ in his members to go barefoot and ill clothed and with manie a hungrie meale And do these spread their garments in the waie Nay Amos. 2.6 these sel the poore euen for a paire of shooes as the Prophet speaketh They make no account of the poore members of Iesus Christ They despise not the world Neither haue the Heathen onelie taught vs this contempt but euen nature her selfe Oyle if it be put in water will not be mingled with it but will swim aboue Such excellent oyle should Christians be whereof they take their names They should swimme aboue all the waters that is of riches pleasures and delights of this world whatsoeuer All which maie be fitlie compared to water for their vncertaintie they flowe like water they are not stable and permanent and for their dangers they do drowne men if they take not great héede of them Cast a trée into the water it will not sinke at the first but it will swim aloft Such trées should all the Lords trées be though they be here placed in this world and as it were cast into the water yet they should swimme aloft alwayes they should not sinke downe therein But now all men almost sink downe into these waters they are ouer the eares in them they swim not aloft they despise them not Where the bodie is Luke 17.37 there will the Eagles bee saith our Sauiour comparing all his to Eagles Now the Eagle doth mount on high and hee compares himself to a bodie because he was slaine for our sakes And therefore with him in heauen should the hearts the desires the loues the studies of all his Eagles be not here on earth Col. 3.1 and on these earthly things Christians cannot serue God and Mammon together Matth. 6.24 Esa 28.20 The bed of loue is too streight as Esay saith it cannot hold two and the cloake or garment is too short it cannot couer two Christ onely must be in our bed and in our bosome This contempt of the world deuotion of obeying the commandement of God Amb. lib. 1. de Abrah cap. 1. was the first thing that Abrahā pleased God in as Ambrose noteth Abrahā was surely saith Ambrose a great mighty man famous in the highest degree for his many vertues whom all the Philosophers could not wish a man that might match him And to conclude it was farre lesse that they imagined or fained in all their excellent men then that he did indeed And the plaine faith of the truth was greater then the stately lie of eloquence Therefore let vs first consider what kind of deuotion was in him for this vertue is the first in order and the foundation of the rest And by good right God requires this of him saying Go out of thy countrie and of thy kinred and of thy fathers house It had beene enough to haue sayd Go ou◠of thy country For that had beene to haue gone out of his kinred and out of his fathers fathers house But therefore he added euery one of these that hee might proue his loue least peraduenture he should haue seemed to haue taken a matter in hand vnaduisedly or else should fraudulently haue fulfilled the commandements of God But as the precepts were to be heaped one of another least hee should bee ignorant of anie thing so also rewards were set before him least he should despaire He is tried as a valiant souldier He is pricked forward as a faithful seruant He is challenged vnto the combat as a iust man he went out Here in him is that which among those seuen wise men of Greece was so highly commended for a wise saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Follow God Abraham indeede preuented that saying of the wise men and followed God before they were borne Let vs now also consider by his example what we ought to follow least perduenture that it be also said to vs Go out of your country that is go out of this dwelling we haue in this body out of which Saint Paul went also who sayd Our conuersation is in heauen and out of the entisements and pleasures of the body which he called
as the kinred of our soule which she must endure as long as she is coupled in league and fellowship with the bodie Therefore we must goe out of this earthly conuersation by the acts and maners of that heauenly life in so much that wee must not change our places as Abraham did but euen our soules If we desire to cleaue to Christ let vs forsake all corruptible things c. Thus by Ambrose iudgement euerie Christian is herein to follow Abrahams steps and the same commandement which was then giuen to Abraham remaines euen to euerie one of vs as yet still Depart out of thy countrie and from thy kinred and from thy fathers house that is forsake this world renounce the pleasures of the flesh and delight in heauenly works and pleasures And this is also that lesson that Dauid giueth to the whole Church of Christ Psal 45.10 Forsake thine owne people and thy Fathers house so shall the king haue pleasure in thy beautie Forsake this earth the house of thy father Adam And the pleasant apples that thy mother Eue so greatly longed after Gen. 3.6 that is all the pleasures and delights thereof And then shall the king haue pleasure in thy beautie Iam. 5.4 They which loue the world and the pleasures thereof are adulterers and doe not loue their husband Iesus Christ as he commandeth and therefore he hath no pleasure in their beautie And also in that generall muster of all Gods souldiers Psal 108.7 Manasses that is forgetfulnesse is one of them God hath spoken in his holinesse I will reioyce therfore saith Dauid I will take to my lot Shechem that is them that shall serue me earlie as Abraham did when as he rose vp early and went to offer his sonne Isaac Gen. 22.3 And I will measure out the vallie of Succoth that is humble and mercifull men which giue harbor to poore trauellers as Lot did who sate at the gate of Sodome in the euening to intertaine strangers Gen. 19.1 who seeing two men come towards him rose vpto meete them c. Gilead is mine that is he that kéepeth my testimonies in his heart as Marie did Luke 2.19 But Marie kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart And Manasses is mine that is obliuion or forgetfulnesse that is he that forgetteth his fathers house and his kinred and goeth out of his countrie as Abraham did Ephraim is the strength of my head that is he that is fruitfull in all good workes as was Cornelius a deuout man Act. 10.2 and one that feared God with all his houshold which gaue much almes to the people and prayed God continually Iudah that is he that confesseth me and praiseth me with workes and words as king Dauid did shall bee my lawgiuer shal be a Prince with me Here is the Catalogue as it were of all Gods souldiers Let all Christians liue so and deale so and fight so that they maie be accepted amongst the number of them Granatensis by certaine excellent similitudes describeth vnto vs the contrarietie betwixt the loue of God Granat de perf amoris dei lib. 1. ca. and the loue of the world If a table saith he haue any image grauen in it how can it receiue another vnlesse the former be blotted out How can the land which the husbandman hath sown with barley bring forth wheat So how can the soule which is in loue with the world contain in it also the loue of God which is quite contrarie to it Wherfore it is excellently said of Seneca He that loues indeed can loue but one thing And againe Ibid. Imagine my brother loue to be as it were a hand which if it hold any thing cannot receiue another thing And that it may receiue any other thing it is necessarie that it first let that go which it held first So he that loueth the world cannot loue God for the hand of his soule is full now already with that loue Ibid. These two loues therefore are like a paire of ballance whereof if the one skale do descend the other must needs ascend if the one be lifted vp it caÌ„not chuse but the other must descend downe Euen so how much the more the loue of our selues encreaseth so much the more the loue of God decreaseth in vs And how much more the loue of God increaseth in vs so much more the loue of our selues is diminished c. And after Euen as a waxe candle being put into water Cap. 7. is taken out from thence as drie as it was before so the heart of the seruant of God although he liue in the midst of the world yet he tasteth no more of worldly things then fishes do of the sea And after Plotinus a Platonist maketh three as it were Cap. 10. steps or degrees to climbe vp to God by first to abstaine from euill then to abstaine from all earthly and vile things and lastly not to meddle with manie matters c. This meddling with maniâ— matters hinders vs so that we can haue no time to serue God And surely this is a great policie that Sathan vseth â—â—â—â—with he entangleth the men of our age they must haue manie things in their hands then when they haue them they flatter themselues with this conceit that they must néedes looke vnto them And so they haue almost no time to spend in the seruice of God O that the couetous Christians of our age would but marke this which will not be content with sufficient liuings as their forefathers were Ecclesiasticus teacheth them a good lesson Eccle. 11.10 O my sonne saith he meddle not with many matters Plato his scholler had this opinion of the things of the world And shall Christs schollers thus busie themselues with them And after Granatensis writeth that in the Scriptures the iust men are called heauen Lib. de perfect amoris Dei cap. 12. because they are freed from the imperfections and passions of this life And againe For the same cause it is said in the Psalme that God maketh his ministers and seruants a flaming fire For euen as the flame euer burneth vpward so the iust men euer pant or breath are caried also as a burning flame to those good things of that heauenly rest cap. 14. And in another place he saith Let the seruant of God perswade himselfe that hee is as hee is indeed the liuely temple of God and as that place is kept shut from all buying and selling and prophane businesses and affaires because it is consecrated to God alone so let him also thinke of his heart And after The children of Israel had not Manna giuen them from heauen cap. 20. till all their meale and flower that they brought out of Egypt were consumed Neither shall any man haue the sweetnesse of Gods loue but he that hath first renounced quite the delights of the loue of this world And the Prophet meant both