e equitie of God who is not a God willing or allowing iniquitye And yet a man might thinke y t this were signifieng by these words y â— God wil visite y t iniquitie vnto the thyrde fourth generatioÌ„ What hath he deserued y â— is not yet If a maÌ„ consider y â— coÌ„dition of mankind thys doubt shal easely be soyled No maÌ„ can loke for any thing els but y t the wrath of God shold fal on hys head and y t shoulde coÌ„me to passe of very right for we ar al sinners and vnworthy of y t fauour of God If God leaue vs as we are what occasion haue wee to complayne to hym It is not ynough to saye that children shall abyde temporall paynes for the synnes and offences of their fathers For thys is farther extended the reuenge or punishment which he threateneth here can not bee restrayned to the presente life but as it is a signe of his loue wheÌ„ he blesseth hys seruauntes children so when he leaueth the sede of y â— wicked in hys curse it is a witnesse of his vengeance on them In thys maner seing al y t nature of man is worthy of condemnatioÌ„ they to whoÌ„ God sheweth no fauour can loke for nothyng els but the destruction which is prepared for theÌ„ What caÌ„ a father forsaken of the holy ghost do but liue wickedly Lykewyse his sonne forsakeÌ„ of God what can he do but followe y e trace of perditioÌ„ And they y â— shal folow what shal they do but goe after into y e same ruyne By thys meanes a maÌ„ may see y t euery one perysheth by hys own iniquitie not by y t vniuste hate of God Touching y t the chyldren are punnyshed for the offences of their fathers it is bycause they followe theÌ„ and though they be warned yet they amende not But as touching that Ezechiell sayeth in hys 18. Chapter that the sonne shall not beare the wickednesse of hys father that was a coÌ„mon prouerb in y e mouth of the Israelites that their fathers had eaten sower things and their teth weâ— on edge with it They signified therby that their fathers had coÌ„mitted y â— fault and that they endured y e il and puÌ„nyshment w tout deseruing it But the Prophet Ezechiel pronouÌ„ceth y t they suffer for their owne faultes and y t it is in no sort agreing w t the iustice of God that the iuste and innocent childe should be puÌ„nished for y â— faults and offences of another Neither is it ment by this sentence y t he visiteth the iniquity of y e fathers in their childreÌ„ for touching that the curse falleth vpoÌ„ their head it is bicause they follow y â— condicions and the tracte of those that wente before them And therfore are punished as their fathers were And althoughe God leaue them in cursednesse before they come into the world yet he doth theÌ„ no wroÌ„g neither caÌ„ they accuse him of vnrighteousnesse 103 Psalm 5. Thou shalt destroy theÌ„ that speak Lies Genesis 12. Abraham Lied and vvas not destroyed GOD so often forbidding Lieng in the holy Scriptures and witnessing that Liars are not welcome vnto him sheweth sufficiently how he wil punish al Liars for seeing y â— truth is in such sorte natural to him that w tout it he wer not God 〈◊〉 should he leaue Lies vnpunished seeing they he altogether contrarye to his righteousnesse and truth And hereupon we gather that a man ought not to excuse any maner of Lie with what fayre color soeuer a maÌ„ couer 〈◊〉 It is not inough to reiect or condemne Lies that ar domageable or ioined with forswearing but those also that are called pleasaunt Lies or Lies for recreation or those that may serue to saue the lyfe of anye â—an As â—ruth cannot be but of God so a Lie what one soeuer it be caÌ„not be but of the Diuel In this place of the fyft Psalme Dauid speaketh more specially he setteth forth the iudgemente of God vpon those that geue themselfe to deceyte Lieng and vnrighteousnes And therwithal he coÌ„forteth the faithful to the end that as often as they shal haue occasion to beare the oppression of the vnryghteous they should wythdrawe themself toward God whoe abhorreth all vnryghteousnesse For it is a good consequent God hateth al the vnryghteous it followeth he will punishe al the vnryghteous But as touching Abraham who lied saieng Sara his wife was his sister Truly a man can not excuse his fault for God had had other meanes to saue his life than by his endangering his Wifes chastitis by help of a Lie Hee excuseth him selfe after that he hath not lied and that he forged nothing contrary to the truth This was surely a great fault for it was not loÌ„g of him that his Wife was abaÌ„doned ouer to adultry If he were carefull of his life which thing was lawfull for him and right at y e least he should haue cast his care on God True it is that the prouidence of God letteth not the faithfull from prouidyng for them selfe but it ought so to be done that they passe not the limites which God hath set for theÌ„ It is their certayne that Abraham offended but what reason were it to put thys holy patriark in y e ranck of y e wicked whiche haue al their delite in dealyng deceiptfullye wyth theire neighbors lying yea before y e eies of god Abrahams ly Isaacks hys sonnes the lyes of al other faythful are worthy of blame yea and of punyshment but wher faith hath place there is also forgeuenesse of sinnes And God suffereth not a faythful soule so to straye in such impietie y t at the last dystruction shuld followe yet notwithstandyng y e grace that is geueÌ„ to the faythful shal not let the truth of thys sentence that will destroye al Liars 104 Thou hast layd the earth from the beginning O Lord and the heauens are the vvoorkes of thy handes they shal perysh but thou art euerlasting Psalm 21. Hebre. 1. The earth abydeth for euer Ecclesias 1. WHEN it is sayed the earth abydeth for euer it is in respect of meÌ„ y t their vanitie might be rebuked and their pride beaten downe One generation passeth and another coÌ„meth on and the earth serueth for a continual dwelling place for men euen to the ende of ages The seasons haue their ouerturnings and the nightes follow after the dayes there are diuerse chauÌ„ges and wonderful which a man seeth to com ordinarily and al that doth not make the earth to waste or to stir oute of her place The â—louds of the sea rore and swel as it were to swallow al vp and yet the earth ceaseth not yearly to bring forth her frutes and to serue meÌ„ for their abode Such is Gods excelleÌ„t workmanshyp such is his wonderful goodnesse toward mankinde For how commeth it that the earth is aboue the waters but that God would of purpose prepare a lodging for men The Philosophers
and the ministers of his Gospell bycause they carry a lanterne before other to lead to guyde theÌ„ For seing we be al blynd in the myddest of darkenesse God lyghteth vs by the lyght of hys worde which is spoken to vs by his ministers Yet he garnisheth Iohn the Baptiste particularly with thys title of honour bycause that by his ministery God gaue a much more excellent lyght to hys Church 27 There is but one good and that is God Mark 10. A good man bryngeth forth good out of the treasure of hys hart Luke 6. IT is true that men be they neuer so excellent cannot deserue so honorable a title as to be called good no not y â— Angels For they haue not one only droppe of goodnesse of themselfe But they haue from God whatsoeuer they haue y â— is good Besyde be it in men or be it in the Angels goodnesse is but begonne in theÌ„ it is not perfect Yet we must vnderstand what y â— meaning of our Lord Iesus Christ is when he sayth to the yong man whye doest thou call me good There is none good but God he will not affirme there y â— he is God but he bryngeth thys yong man in to beleue hys doctryne He had already a certayne affection to obey but Iesus Christ wil haue hym mount hygher to heare this holy doctryne as froÌ„ the mouth of the liuyng God and not of a mortal man For as men are wont to make of diuels Angels so without discretion men cal them good teachers which haue no true or good felyng of God And so ar the gyftes of God prophaned It is no maruel then y â— Christ sendes thys yong man to God to the end he may geue authority to his doctryne Yet there is no inconuenience in callyng a man good wheÌ„ God hath chaunged hys hart whiche by nature was ill and when he hath prynted in hym some of hys goodnesse So the goodnesse shalbe alwayes Gods and the man also shalbe good Yet it shal not be of hym selfe But in that God hath made him such So it is sayd that a good man bryngeth forth goodnesse from the good treasure of hys harte Thys sentence admonysheth y â— faythful which made profession to be Gods seruauntes to examyne and aduise theÌ„ diligently what they set forth Nothing wil coÌ„me oute of the sacke but what is in it as the prouerbe sayeth The naughtye hart cannot but beare witnesse of it self by prophane words and by wicked wordes So a hart fearyng God sends forth fruites worthy a ChristiaÌ„ man But we must returne to thys poynt that the hart cannot bee good but by the onely goodnesse and grace of God and out of this self roote the good fruytes also shall sprynge 28 Mark. â— Touching the day and houre none knovveth it no not the Angels that are in heauen nor the sonne him self none but the father All povver is geuen me in heauen and in earth Math. â— IF all power bee geuen to our Lord Iesus as wel in heauen as in earth it semeth there is nothyng no not in heauen hyd or vnknowen vnto hym But by the way we must note to what purpose he spake thys Christ willyng to appoynt hys Apostles to Preache the Gospell fyrst spake to them of hys power A meane or common authoritye had not in thys case sufficed But it was mete that he which sent to haue eternal and happy life to be promysed in hys name should haue an Empyre souerayne and in very dede diuine to thend y â— al the world might be brought in awe of hym and that hys doctryne which shoulde be published should bee able to â—ame al loftynes and to bryng downe al mankynde the Apostles had neuer bene persuaded to take on theÌ„ so hard a charge except they had bene very certaine that their warrante was placed in heaueÌ„ being of soueraine power He calles himself Lord and kyng as wel of heauen as of earthe bycause that in that he bringeth men so true obedience by the preaching of his gospel he hath established and appoynted the throne of his Kingdome on earthe And in that he regenerateth his faithful into a new lyfe and calleth them to the hope of saluation he openneth the heauens to the end to lyft vp to happy immortalitye with the Angels those which before not only crepe in y â— world but also were plunged in the dark bottomlesse depth of death True it is that Christ euerlastingly hath had with his father al power and autority and that of his own right but yet it is sayd that it was geuen him to weâ—e in our flesh Then he is apointed gouernor iudge soueraigne Prince ouer al the whole Church but it was not clearly knoweÌ„ tyl after hys resurrection For then at the laste he was adorned with the markes of a soueraigne King and receauing a name aboue al names hee had also the endes of al things in his handâ— to dispose them at his good pleasure But whilest he is yet in our mortal flesh it is sayd that the sonne him selfe knoweth not when the day shal be of hys fearful comming In asmuchas he is God nothing is vnknoweÌ„ vnto him He hath bene euer God neyther hath his Manhode taken any thing froÌ„ hys diuine maiesty The two natures were vnseparably ioyned together in hym but it was in such sorte that neither of both lost their property Chiefly the Diuinitie rested and shewed not it self as often as it was expedient that the nature of man did that which belonged to it to accomplish the charge and office of a Mediatour Wherfore ther is no absurdity or inconuenience in thys that the sonne of God who knew al yet according to the conceyte and vnderstanding of hys manhoode there was some thing which he knew not for otherwise he coulde not haue bene subiecte eyther to griefe or to carefulnes or haue bene like vnto vs. A man may reply y t this caÌ„not be spoken of the soÌ„ne of God that he was ignoraunt bicause ignorance is the punnishment of sinn and he sinned neuer It is also spoken here of the heauenly Angels that this day is hidden from them wil any say that this ignorauÌ„ce procedeth of sinne Though they haue in no wise offeÌ„ded yet are they in somwise ignoraunt As touching the sonne of God he hath so put on mans fleshe that he hath taken on hym the paynes due for sinne And where he knew not of y e later day according to his humain nature that doth no more take away any thing from his â—â—nne nature thaÌ„ his being mortal dyd 29 You haue the poore vvyth you alvvays but me you shall not haue alvvayes Math. 26. I am alvvayes vvyth you vntil the ende of the vvorld Math. 28. THe Lord Iesus speaketh of hiÌ„self in both places touching y e first alowiÌ„g y â— which Mary had don he shewes how this seruice plesed hiÌ„ y t is not y â— he toke pleasure in the 〈◊〉 which had bene
poured out vpon him for the good â—auours sake but in 〈◊〉 respecte of hys burial bycause that by such a 〈◊〉 he woulde geue them to vnderstand that his graue shuld be filled with good sauour as be did spred sauour of life and saluatioÌ„ through al the world But sith that the truth of this figure hath bene perfectly accomplished and the sonne of God when he came out of the graue performed with the good sauoure and quickening smel of hys death not only one house but the whole world It wer a folly to begin again to do that which should be without cause or profite And therfore he sendeth vs back to the pore to the end we shuld not excuse our selfe as though we could no more occupye ourselues in his seruice for once he requyred such seruice as that which Mary did to hym But nowe seeing he is mounted into y e heauenly glory ther is neyther golde nor siluer nor precious oyntments nor sumptuousnesse whatsoeuer they be which we may offre vnto hym to do hym acceptable seruice Now wher he sayth you shal not haue me alwais with you that is to take froÌ„ vs al excuse as though he said that froÌ„ thence forward he would nomore take pleasure in that which once he woulde haue done to him He maketh a distinctioÌ„ betwene y â— ordinary seruice which must be euer vsed among the faythful and that extraordinary seruice whyche had an end when he went vp into heauen Wil we bestow our money wel in true Sacrifice and in holy offering Let vs bestow it to relieue the necessity of the poore and neady For our Lord Iesus sayth that he is no longer wyth vs in this world to be serued with pompes and outward preparations And we know yea and we feele by the experience of faythe that Christ is presente with vs by his strength gostly grace But he dwelleth not visibly among vs 〈◊〉 of vs earthly honor He saith 〈◊〉 you vnto the end of the world He had â—â—yd that he was appoynted Kyng of heauen and of earth Afterwarde vs promiseth to assist his Apostels whom he had enioined a hard office charge warning them not to loke vpon that which they could do of themself but to leane vpon his strengthe and inumerble power The maner of this presence which the Lord promiseth to his faithful must be vnderstode spiritually for it is not nedeful that he should not coÌ„e downe from heauen to succour vs seeing he can help vs by the grace of hys holy spirite stretching forth his hande to vs from the highest of the heauens As touching hys humayne nature it is certaine that there is an infinite distaunce betweene hym and vs. But he not onely spreads the efficacy of his spirite through al the worlde but also he dwelleth truely in vs. Moreouer thys promisse is not made only to the Apostels for it reacheth euen to the end of the world Very true it is that he promyseth hys ayde chyefly to hys ministers whyche for that they are weake and needy in euery condition coulde not execute the lest part of their office Seing then their charge is as troublesome and harde as it is healthful assuredly they haue more neede than all other of the assistance of oure Lorde Iesus to the end they may haue the victorye of al the assaultes and battayles of thys world as in these dayes it is shewed vs by playne experience that christ worketh wonderfully by a secret manner so that y â— gospel hath his course though Sathan lay many lettes in the way But generally al the faythfull ar partakers of thys promisse to the ende no man shuld be discoraged as though he were forsaken Let vs then make thys conclusion that although Christ be departed into heauen yet he is not so departed butte that hee euer is and wil bee to the ende with vs. He hath taken away the presence of hys body from our sight but he leaueth not the whylest to assist hys faythfull which muste yet liue in thys worlde but hee gouerneth the worlde wyth a more presente strength Thys promysse of hys continuall assistaunce was accomplyshed by hys asceÌ„tion in which as y â— body of y â— soÌ„n of god was lifted vp aboue al y â— heaueÌ„s so his power and efficacy is spred beyond al the bouÌ„des of heauen and of earthe So then these two things may wel be said that the sonne of God is no more amoÌ„g vs and yet he is among vs and shal be euer vntil the ende of the worlde He is here no more according to the presence of hys humaine nature but he is here acording to the presence of his Maiesty For a few dayes the Church had hym present in his flesh now not seing him with bodily eyes shee possesseth hym by fayth 30 Thy vvyll be done on earth as it is done in heauen Math. 6. Appeasing by the bloud of hys crosse the thinges vvhiche be as vvell in heauen as in earthe Colloss 1. WE desire by this petition contained in the Lordes prayer that al creatures may truely and perfitly obey God on earth as his â–ª Angels in heauen do and execute his coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„ts al his holy ordinauÌ„ces without any gayn saying and not seeke to dysplease hym in any sorte Lyke as they know that ther is nothing better than that which God wylles so they do readily obey hym And this is the cause why they abide stil and are not subiect to chaunge and corruption and why they haue quietnes and continual happinesse To weete bicause they are in al and altogether agreeing to the wyl of God Seeing then there is nothyng in them that w tstandeth the holye and good wyl of God nothing that turnes them awaye from his holye decrees nothing that can be desired or wyshed biside his good pleasure it can not be but they enioy soueraine rest and true blessefulnesse Syth it is so that the Angelles of heauen synce their creation haue euer in al things and altogether yelded vnto God true obedience by that meanes there hath neuer bene strife or hatred betwene him and them how commeth it to passe that they had neede to be reconciled For in the fyrst Chapiter of the Collossians mentioÌ„ is made not onely of men which are meant by the things which be on earth but also of Angelles which are meant by thynges that are in heauen If hereupon a man woulde say that the Angels haue bene sette at one with men and so the heauenly creatures are at one againe with earthly things This is not that which Saint Paul meaneth here for he sayth expressely that God hath recoÌ„ciled theÌ„ to himself The maner of maÌ„s reconciling to God is this that before while they were estraunged from hym by sinne they should haue felte him to be a Iudge to their ruine and condemnation if the grace of the Mediatoure had not coÌ„me betweene to appease hys angre So the attonemente made betwene God and men is that
rule of prayeng to God they haue al in one maner that whych is requisite for the profession of theyr fayth Nowe the meane by whych al the flocke of God is gathered together is when there is but one shepheard for all and when hys voyce onely is heard when the Churche is made subiect to Christ onely and obeyeth his cōmaundement and heareth his voyce and his doctrin then is it in good state But when the Lord Iesus is dumme when his maiesty is troden vnder fote when hys holy ordinances are set forth to be mocked at and contemned what can a man saye of that goodly vnitye but that it is a diuilish Sinagoge or cōspiracy worse and more execrable with out all comparison than anye waste or spoyle There is no Church but where Christ raygneth there is no knowlege of God but wher the honor of the shephearde is geuen vnto Christ But the other sentence sheweth that al the disorders that are thys day in the world shalbe brought agayn into good ordre There are Hypocrites mired w t the true chyldren of God they haue sō shew to be of the flock and are among the sheepe but when the sonne of God shall come to restore them the goates shall be put apart and cast 〈◊〉 and the shepe shal be gathered together into the eternal Kingdome of God The state of this Kingdome shall be wel gouerned when the iust shall haue obtayned the crowne of glorie and when the wycked shalbe recompenced as they haue deserued Now this diuision which shall be of goates from among the lambes signifieth that nowe ther ar wicked mired among the good yea in suche 〈◊〉 that they liue as in one self folde So the faithful must not thinke their state ouer troublesom bycause as nowe they bee constrained to liue with the goates yea and that at their hand they endure terrible assautes and displeasures 64 God rested the seuenth day from al the vvorkes that he had made Gensi◠2 ▪ My Father vvorketh euen tyll thys houre Ioan. 6. A MAN muste vnderstande what the rest of God is and then he shal easly resolue this doubt when it is sayd that he rested the seuenth day that is not to say that he left his workes so as he hath no more care of them as if a master Mason or Carpenter hauing finished the building of his house shuld leaue it to him that could ocupy it not caring any more for it or as a shippe-wright afterthat he hath finished a vessel should geue it ouer to the waues of the sea not caring what shoulde betide of it So the reste or Sabat of God is not a sluggishnesse or idlenesse but a sound perfection which bringeth with it a quiet state of rest God then rested from al his workes that is to saye hee ceassed from creating of new kindes of any thing There was so sounde a perfection that nothing coulde bee added Wherfore it is said that God hath set to the last hand And that which is recited by Moises is asmuche as if hee had said that which God was determined to do was thē fulfilled To be short this is spoken onely to shewe the perfectnesse of the building of the worlde so that heere of a manne coulde notte gather that God so rested frō his workes that he hath left them of seing they haue no vertue or force nor substance but in hym In the meane tyme it is certayne that God worketh and is occupied continualy in that he vpholdeth the world by hys power that he gouerneth it by hys prouidence that he maintaines al creaturs in their being and also multiplies them Thereby a man may see how true thys sentence of the Sonne is My Father worketh from the beginnyng euen tyll now for if God neuer so litle wythdrawe hys hand all thinges shal perysh in a momente and shall be strayghtways brought to naught as it is sayd in the. 104. Psalme Besydes a man could not well know that God is the creatour and fashioner of heauen and earth except this be attributed vnto hym that he geueth strēgth and quickening to al things that he sustaineth the world by hys hygh vertue that he gouerneth it by his hyghe councel and mayntayneth it by his goodnesse and stayeth al things acording to his good pleasure as well beneath here in earth as there aboue in heauē Lo thē how it behoueth vs to conclude the makyng of the world was perfect in syx dayes but the gouerning it dureth for euer God is continualy busied to maintayn and cōserue the ordre of the same This is that which Saint Paul sayth Act. 17 that we lyue and haue our mouyng and beeing in God And he not onely mayntayneth by a generall prouidence the nature whych he hath created but also he gouerneth and ordreth euery parte of it And chiefly hys faythfull be gouerned and kept by him whome he hath receiued vnder his defence and safegard 65 It is appoynted for men that they should once dye Hebr. 9. VVhosoeuer beleueth in me shall neuer dye Ioan. 2. ALthoughe we had no wytnesse of the Scripture yet our own fraylnesse doothe warne vs enoughe of the truth of thys sentence that it is ordained that al men shal once dye The riches the honor the dignity strēgth of men nor whatsoeuer there is beside can redeme a man from this conditiō And this argument is infallible wher sinne is there is death al men are sinners it foloweth then that al men shal die we nede no other reason to proue that all that went beefore vs were sinners but that by Death they were taken out of this world and that we also and they which shall followe vs be sinners but that it is decreed by the sentence of God that we and they shal die Death is the hyer or rewarde of synne But now that which is said hetherto extendeth vnto the Deathe of the bodie for the body is subiect to Death bicause of sinne Furthermore we must vnderstand how Christ protesteth so often times that he is life and how he saith els where that Who so beleueth in hym are now already raysed from Death to Lyfe that they shall neuer dye He speaketh of the soules of his faithfull whiche are begotten anewe with an vncorruptible sede and whiche haue the spirite of Christ dwelling in them by whiche they receue continuall force The body is subiect to dy bycause of sinne but this spirit is life bicause of righteousnesse Rom. 5. Then Iesu Christ is the life bicause he neuer suffreth the life to decay which he hath once geuen but conserueth it to y ◠end Seing the fleshe is so fraile what wold befal of men if after they haue once obtayned life they were lefte to themselues Therfore we muste conclude that there is a continuall and permanente state of lyfe grounded in the strengthe of Iesus Christ to the end he may perfourm that which he hath once begon This is verye true that the outewarde
Epistle as from vs as if the day of the Lord vvere at hand ◠Thess 2. IT is certayne that among other tokens the cōmyng of Antichrist is an infallible marke of the latter dayes Now the Apostles by y ◠latter dayes or y e latter time note the raigne of Christ which is frō his fyrst cōmyng vnto the day of y ◠resurrection as it is shewed 2. Peter 3 and as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 10 y ◠endes of ages are cōme vnto vs. And els where he foretelleth y ◠from the begynnyng ther shalbe a turnyng backe which shalbe as a general euil After y ◠he setteth forth the aduersarie of Christ to be head of al Apostasie which shal sit in the temple of God attributing Godhead vnto hymself and y ◠honours that be due◠God Duryng thys tyme or duryng the raigne of Christ which is y ◠latter tyme ther shalbe many Antichristes For synce Christ as many heretykes as ther haue bene and authors of sectes so many members wer there of the kingdome which is contrary to the Kyngdome of Christ But yet it is not in vs to make the tyme nere at hande or to limyte it in certayne yeares or ages after oure folyshe fantasyes and dreames And neyther must we folishly receaue at others hands such prognostications least we might be vnaduisedly astōned through such reportes or that wee shoulde promyse oure selfe vaynely some lyghte or sodayne passage to the resurrection as though we shoulde bee exempt from the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ There are many places in the holy Scriptures which beare witnesse y ◠the day of the Lord is at hand yet it behoueth vs to consider in what meanyng it is spoken to wete in respect of God w t whō a thousand yeares ar as a day But in the meane season God wil haue vs wayte for hym from houre to houre and continually so that wee appoynte hym not a certayne space of time And so he geueth vs this warning Watch sayth he for you knowe neither the day nor the hour Moreouer these false pronosticatours whiche are repulsed by Saint Paule in steade of y ◠they should holde the myndes of men in doubt to the end the tarrying should not be tedyous to them they would haue mē assured that the sonne of God would cōme very shortlye 88 VVho confesseth me beefore men I vvill acknovvledge hym also before my father vvhich is in heauen Math. 10. Haue vvee not Prophecyed in thy name But then I vvill saye to them I knevve you neuer Math. 7. THE strength and valiaūtnesse of Christes Dysciples ought to tend to thys end that they should be alwayes ready to cōfesse hys holy name The greater part of mē make smal accompt of thys confession yet the sonne of God doth put it among the chiefe exercises of true religion that of good ryght For if earthly prynces cal their subiectes to beare weapon for the defence of their glory and honour and to augment their ryches what reasō can there be y t the faythful of Christ should not at the least employe their tonges to mayntayne the glory and honour of their heauenly King There is not one Christen man alone whom the sonne of God wil not haue to be a witnesse of hys truth But to inflame our zeale he addeth to it a syngular promyse y t if we make confession of hym beefore men he will lykewise aduoutch vs before his father whiche is in heauen When wee shall haue cōfessed him here beneth in earth deserue we that he should aduoutch vs in heauen Who is the sonne of God And who ar we He wil beare witnesse of vs. And what a vyllanny shall thys be of vs to refuse to beare witnesse of hym If we make comparison of our◠selfe whiche are mortall men and of no value with God and hys Angells and all hys heauenly glorye howe muche more excellent is that whyche Christ promyseth vs than that which he requyreth of vs For thoughe the vnbeleuers are men and peruerse men yet Christ oure Lorde esteemeth the witnesse whiche wee beare of hym beefore them as if God with hys Aungels wer present to heare our witnesse Howe then oughte thys promyse to moue vs to make confession of hym here beneath beefore men seeyng he wyl aduoutche vs in heauen before his father But in the seconde sentence oure Lorde Iesus summoneth the hypocrites beefore hys Iudgement seate For whylest they occupye any place in the Churche they flatter themselues and wythall they abuse other He pronounceth then that the daye shal cōme in whyche the floure shalbee pourged and the strawe and chaffe shalbee parted from the good grayne They shall boaste y t they Prophecyed in the name of the Sonne of God that is to saye done the offyce of teachyng vnder hys authoritye or leadyng but they shal at the length know that what fayre confessiō so euer they haue made outwardly it shal be for all that nothyng in effect howsoeuer men esteme it They shal haue confessed hym with their tong so Christ will confesse also on hys part that al the fayre professiō that they shal haue made hath ben but lyes and vanitye And behold what the confession of Christ contayneth that he neuer accounted them for hys no not when they boasted themselfe to bee the pyllers of the Churche The Lord knoweth well those that be hys sayth Saint Paule let them that call vpon the name of the Lord withdrawe thēself from al iniquitye Let vs thē make a distinction betwene the true confessiand the false and we shal know whoe they are that Christ aduoucheth who they be that he casteth of 89 Blessed are they that feare the Lord. Psalme 128. Feare is not in Loue. 1. Ioan. 4. THERE are two sortes of feare the firste procedeth of Fayth whiche maketh vs apprehend the presence of God and thys apprehension can not bee wythout feare notwithstanding that feare is not without comforte The wicked also may haue feare and horrour of the presence of the lord but that feare maketh them to remayn confounded There is a goodly example of bothe in the resurrection of the Sonne of God The Soldiours that kepte the tombe feared The holye wemen also that came to anoynt hys body were afraid But let vs heare what difference there is betwene the one feare and the other The Soldioures whyche were inured with tumultes and stryfe were for all that so astonnied and swallowed vp with fighte that they fell as half dead yea not hauing strengthe or power to ryse The wemen lykewyse feared but comforte followed by and by after which raysed thē vp from their feare flyghte so that at the last they began to hope for some better thing And truely it is very conuenient that y ◠hygh maiesty of God should indifferently make al to tremble as well the good as the ill to the ende that all flesh may kepe scilence before hys face But after that
Christ according to the respect of men but to apprehend by faith al that whych the Scriptures teach of hym And when it is sayed that ther was neyther beauty nor shape in him thys is not to be vnderstoode onelye of his persone whiche was dispised of the world and at the last iudged to shameful Death but also of his whole raign which in the Iudgemente of men had neither forme nor magnificence nor apparaunce of beauty nor any thyng to tourn the eyes of men on him to beholde any goodly ornament vpon him for although Christ wer risen agayne yet y ◠Iewes euer considred him crucified and in infamy 94 He shal reigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer and his reigne shal haue no end 1. Cor. 15. And then the end vvhen he shal haue gyuen the kingdome to God the Father Luke 2. THE Prophetes in manye places haue foretold promised y e y t kingdome of Dauid shuld be continual yet did it florish only in the time of Dauid Salomō his sōne The third king after Dauid that is to say Robā had but one tribe a halfe of y e twelue and so the strength the riches of his kingdome were greatly diminished After Roboam the kingdom ceased not to be troubled and endaungered by mani ouerthrowes tyl that at the last it fell downe altogether but the Angell declareth here that when thys Kingdom shal bee once stablished in the persone of Christe it shall not bee subiecte to ruine but shal bee endelesse But it behoueth vs also to mark that thoughe God oughte chiefelye to bee keper and gouernour of Christes Kingdome and of the Churche and to see that it shoulde neuer decaye on earth so long as the Sunne and Moone should last yet the true continuaunce beelongeth to the blessednesse and glorye to cōme The faythful then succede so in contynuall ordre one after another that at the laste they muste bee receaued into heauen where they shall reigne withoute ende Nowe thys seemeth to make agaynste thys eternitye to were that the Sonne shal once geue vp the kingdome to the Father and that whiche is added by and by after when the father shal haue made all thing subiect to hys sonne the Sonne also shal make himselfe subiecte to the Father Howe maye a man agree these two thynges that the raigne of Christe shal haue no end that which is spokē here y ◠Christ shal bee broughte into subiection It behoueth vs to note that al power was geuen to Christe in that that he was manifested in y ◠flesh True it is y ◠such a maiesty belōged not to a man which wer only a mā but y ◠father hath exalted and glorified him in y e same nature in which he had bene abated and humbled and hath geuen him a name vnto the which euery knee should bende and bow Bisydes we must note that he hath ben so appoynted soueraine Lord and King that he is as it wer Goddes Deputy and Lieutenant for the gouernement of the worlde not that he worketh and that in the meane tyme the father doth nothing but is idle for how might this be seing the sonne is y ◠wisdom and counsell of the father seeing he is of one selfe substaunce and being with him yea truly one self God But y ◠reason why the Scripture testifieth that Iesu Christ now hath the Empire or rule as Deputy of his father it is to the end we should not think that there is another Lord Gouernour Protectour and Iudge of the quicke Dead but y ◠we shuld haue al our senses stated on the beholding of him We acknowledge God for our conductor and Gouernor but it is in y e face of Iesu christ a man Yet y e sōne shal then restore the Kingdō which he hath receued to y ◠end we may cleaue wholly vnto God And in this doing he wil not depart frō this Kingdō but he wil trāsport it from his manhode vnto his glorious Godhead for thē y ◠accesse shalbe opē to vs frō which now we ar put back by meās of our weaknesse So Christ shal becōme subiect to his father for then y e veile shalbe taken away we shall openly beholde God in his glorious maiesty and y e mā hode of the sō shal be no more betwene both to make vs see the face of God as through a glasse 95 I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Math. 10. I gaue thee to be a lighte vnto the Gētils to the end thou mightest be my sauing helth euē to the ēds of the earth Esai 49. SAynt Paul in the. 15. Chapter to the Romaines sayth that Christe was apointed to be y e minister of Circūcision He himselfe testyfieth here that he was appoynted to be the minister of heauenly grace only for the Iewes Hereon he argueth that he oughte not to succour straungers but this is not to say that the grace and vertue of the Lord Iesus was continually shutte in within so straight bounds but bycause the reason of the tyme so would that he should begin with the Iewes and for that time geue himself only vnto them for the wall was not broken before the resurrection so that the Sonne of God himselfe might proclayme peace vnto the Gentiles which were banished frō the Kingdom of God This is the reasō why he forbode his Apostels to sow their doctrine any where but in Iewry onely yea for that time And therefore he sayth here truly iustly that he was not sēt but for y ◠Iews vntil at y ◠lēgth y ◠gētils shuld succed also in their ordre For a time he gaue hymselfe to the Iewes but after that by his resurrection he had broken the wal he sheweth in dede that he was not onely cōme to preach peace to those that wer at hand but to those also that were farre of he was apoīted to be y ◠light sauing helth of y ◠Gentiles as well as of the Iewes So the trauayle of Christ and of al the Church had not their efficacy towarde the Iewes onely but also towarde the Gentils And moreouer seing that the Iewes dyd take no profite of the preaching of the Gospel but dyd obstinatly reiect our Sauiour Christ therfor the Gentiles were put in their place Loe nowe how Christ was geuen to be the lyght of the Gentiles and how his sauing health was manifested euen vnto the fardest endes of the world 96 VVe vvere by nature the chyldren of vvrath as others Ephe. 2. Othervvise your children shuld be vncleane but novv they are holy 1. Cor. 7. IT is certayne that al men withoute exception are worthy of condēnatiō til they be quit by y e sōne of God w tout whom ther is no righteousnesse or sauing health nor excellēcy for when S. Paul sayeth that we were children of wrath he meaneth that wee were lost and woorthy of eternal Deathe For thys woorde wrath
myscheuous desyre to slaunder they aske thys question whoe besyde God only can forgeue synnes But although this came out of malicious mouthes yet moste true it is that onely God hath power authoritye to forgeue synnes as he onely can condemne so only he can quyte But whē in thys 20. Chapter of Saint Iohn Christ geueth charge to hys Disciples to forgeue synnes he geueth not ouer vnto them that which is propre to himselfe It is propre vnto him to remytte and forgeue synnes whiche honour he resygneth not to them in asmuch as it belongeth to hym but he wil haue thē beare recorde in hys name of the forgeuenesse of synnes and offences so that it is he y e reconcileth men to God To bee shorte it is he alone to speake fytly that forgeueth synnes by hys Apostles and ministers Howe commeth it then to passe that hee aduaūceth so hyghly their dignitie seing that he appoynteth them only for witnesses and declarers and not for authors of the benefyte Thys is done for the greate establishyng of oure fayth As in dede there is nothyng that more profyteth vs than that we resolue and persuade our self that our synnes cōme not into Iudgement or accompt beefore God Zachary in the first Chapter of Saint Luke calleth thys knowledge of y ◠forgeuenesse and pardon of synnes the knowledge of synnes Nowe seyng the good pleasure of God is such to vse the witnesse of men for to allowe thys forgeuenesse of synnes then wee shall quyet our selues when wee shall knowe that it is God himselfe that speaketh to vs in the person of hys ministers For thys cause Saint Paule saieth we exhorte you to be reconciled to god as if Iesus Christ hymself made obtestation by vs. The faythfull then ought to be so resolued that what they heare touchīg the forgeuenesse if synnes is ratified and ought nolesse to esteme the reconcilyng or attonement whiche is declared vnto them by the voyce and worde of men than if he hymself stretched his hand to them Now marke two things which it behoueth vs to remēber First that a treasure is offred vs but it is in little vessels those are men which are sente vs to offer and open thys treasure vnto vs in the name of another not as theyr owne ryches but as hys that sente them vs. Nexte that we oughte to esteeme thys treasure no whyt the lesse bycause it is in dyspiseable vessells but rather wee haue occasion to geue thankes vnto God in that he hath dealte so fauourably with men that they represente hys person and the person of hys Sonne when they heare wytnesses of the forgeuenesse of synnes so God onely forgeueth synnes yet he confyrmeth that whiche men appoynted by hym declare vnto vs touchyng the forgeuenesse of synnes 99 Call no man on earth your father for ther is but one that is your father vvho is in heauen Mat. 23. Honour thy father thy mother Exod. 20. THe Lord Iesus had shewed before y ◠thys honor belonged to no other to be called Lord but to God only If this seme to hard forasmuche as he himself hath appoynted men to be our Masters teachers y ◠answer is easye True it is y e Christ hymself whē he yet dwelt on the earth chose his Apostles appoynted thē to y ◠offyce of teachyng and if the stryfe be for the title it is very certayn that when Saint Paul named hymself the Master teacher of the Gentils hys mynde was not wickedly to steale from Christ the honour y ◠belonged vnto hym Neyther is Christes meanyng any thyng ells but to bryng euery man vnder hym from the greatest to the smallest to reserue his right wholly to hymselfe He careth not then with what tytle they be adorned which haue the charge of teachyng only hys wil was to kepe al mē w tin these boundes that no mā should vsurpe any rule ouer y e fayth of hys brethren Nowe in the same sense the honour of the name father belongeth to God for men haue not geuen to themselfe that name but it hath bene graunted them of God And it is not ynough to saye that men which haue children are fathers according to the fleshe and that God alone is father of the spirites True it is that sometime a mā shal finde thys distinction in y ◠scriptures as in the. 12. Chapter to the Hebrues But seing Saint Paule calleth hymself very often a spiritual father it behoueth vs to see how this agreeth with y e words of our Lord Iesu loe then what we must say The honour of father is falsely geuen vnto men when by that name the glorye of God is darkened that is when a mortall man seperates hymself from God to be accompted a father seyng that al degrees of kyndred depend of God only by Christ and those degrees are so knytte together y ◠to speake fytly God is alone the father vnto al. The whilest God willeth and commaundeth vs to honour our fathers to reuerence them to obeye them and to loue them and thys commaundement is confyrmed by threates and by promysse The threate is that al stubborne dysobedient children to their fathers should be punyshed by death The promysse is that they that shal honour and obeye their father shal liue long on the earth Yet notwithstandyng we muste haue thys resolution before our eyes that a man neuer ought to turne aside from the will of God Nowe touchyng that the fathers haue rule ouer theyr children it is for thys reason bycause God hath chosen them impartyng to them some parte of hys honour The subiection then that children owe vnto their fathers ought to bee vnto them as a stayre to leade them to the reuerence and obedience of God whoe is the chiefe father But if the fathers wil make their children to withstande God they are nomore theyr fathers but straungers whiche woulde tourne them from thys true obedience which they owe to their true father 100 Abraham beeleued in God and it vvas imputed to him for ryghteousnesse Gene. 5. VVas not Abraham oure Father Iustifyed by hys vvoorkes vvhen he had offered hys sonne Isaac vpon the aulter Rom. 4. SAINT Paule to the Romaynes the. 4. Chapter to shewe that Abraham was not Iustifyed by hys workes maketh thys argument If Abraham were Iustifyed by hys woorkes he maye beaste of hys deserte but so it is that he hath nothyng whereof to boast beefore God It followeth then that he was not Iustifyed by his workes But thys is hys glorye the thing he may boaste of that he embraced the goodnesse of God by fayth Fayth maketh a man to cōme oute of hym and leadeth hym to God So the glorye of Abraham was not in hys woorkes nor in the worthinesse of hys person but in the mere goodnesse and grace of God For when a man will trulye boaste hymselfe he must bryng nothyng of hys owne but the knowledge of hys owne myserye throughe whiche he
themselfe confesse that seeing the Element of water is aboue y e earth it is against al ordre of nature that in al the worlde there is left any one coūtrey dry and habitable as also it is said in the. 28. Chapter of Iob ▪ that God represseth the violence and flowinges of the sea to the end the earth should not be couered and so followe an horryble confusion Yet this abideth true that heauen and earth shal perish And it is spoken in respect of God for if a man make comparison of al the world with God it is but a figure that vanisheth away In respect of vs what is the aūciency of heauen and earth Our lyfe passeth or rather flieth very fast away But how many ages of mē are passed while the heauens kepe their nature by continual mouing how many generations haue perished since the earthe abode faste Neuerthelesse there is nother aunciency nor excelent ornament that keepeth Heauen ond Earth from perishīg And this shal not be a sufficient exposition to say that there shal bee onely a chaūge whiche shalbe as a certayn kinde of ruine for though Heauē Earth shal not be altogether brought to nothing yet the chaūge of nature shal consume y ◠which is mortal or corruptible so y ◠the Heauens earth shal becō altogether other than they are If this content not let vs heare what S. Paule sayth Rom. 8. Euery creature is subiecte to vanitie not of it owne accorde ▪ but bycause of hym that made it subiecte in hope For also the creature shal be delyuered from the bondage of corruption to be in the freedome of the glory of the children of God We know y ◠al creatures mourne and trauail as to bryng forth yong euen till nowe Heauen then and earth shal peryshe in asmuche as man throwyng hymselfe downe headlong pluckt all the world with hym into disstruction 105 He vvill not breake the brokē rede Esay 43 Mathe. 12 ▪ Thou shalt broose them as the potters vessel Psalm 2. THE Prophetes describe in many places the softnesse gentilnesse of Christ and by such similitudes as thys is which is here set forth they declare y ◠he shal hold vp y e feble weake He wyll not breake altogether those that are halfe cracked but rather will ease and strengthen them so that he wil conserue and encrease the good that is in them and will helpe their weakenesse For where there is any sparke of true religion he keepeth it and maketh that to shyne which was halfe put out where if he woulde vse rygour we should be brought to nought Wee are lame and do but halt stagger we are broken and taken out of our place yet he casseth vs not sodaynly away as altogether vnprofitable but he long suffereth vs to the end he myght make vs more constant and stronger There was a sygne of thys myuldnesse geuen from heauen when the Sonne of God was consecrated and appoynted to execute hys charge for y e holy ghost was sent on him in shape of a Pigeon which representeth nothing els but mildnesse softnesse Now thys terrible saying y ◠he shal breake as an earthē pot is not cōtrary to y ◠softnesse gentilnesse w t which the Lord Iesus entertaines his faythfull for as he sheweth hymselfe a louyng shephearde to those that are quyet sheepe so it beehoueth hym to handle the wild beastes roughly to the ende he maye correcte or at the leaste represse their wickednesse and cruelty Also in the hundred and ten Psalme after that the true obediēce of the faithful hath bene praysed Christ is armed with force and strength to destroye in the day of hys angre all the Kings and al the armyes that shal contrary hym And in dede both the one and the other is proprely attributed to hym The father sent hym that by the ambassade of reconciliation he should make glad the poore and miserable vntye and let go the captiues heale the sicke drawe the afflicted oute of the darke shaddowes of Death and leade them to the light of life But bicause many prouoke him to vengeaunce by theyre stubbournenesse and vnthankfulnesse therfore he playeth a new part to daūt their stowtenesse He vseth then a Scepter of yron to breake and broose the pryde of rebelles hee hathe hys sheephoke to strengthen and stay hys faythful and in shewing them hys fauourable staffe he turneth their sorow fulnesse into Ioy. 106 He hath set me at large and hath de liuered me bycause he loued me Psalm 1 ▪ The Lord hath revvarded me according to my ryghteousnesse and hath yealded me according to the cleanenesse of my handes Psalm 1 ▪ DAuid hauing protested that he had bene drawen out of the lowe depthes by the onely hand and power of God confesseth at the laste that nothing hath moued him to deliuer hym but his good pleasure to the ende that al the prayse should be geuen him But herewithall also it behooueth to note that hee speaketh of the good pleasure of God loking on hys calling chiefly resting thereupon that al the battailes that had bene set against him wer not styrred vp for anye other cause but bycause he had simply obeyed the calling of God And so the succor of God was euer ready and at hand forasmuche as he did not thrust in himself of his owne motion but had bene anointed before by the hand of Samuel whiche was a figure of the free choise of God But soone after he sayth that God hath yelto hym acording to his righteousnesse and according to the cleanenesse of his handes It semeth at the first sight that he is contrary to hymselfe He had attributed al to the good pleasure of God now he vaunteth that he hath bene recompenced as he deserued But a mā may easyly agree these two sentences He had first protested that he cam not into the hope of the Kingdome but vnder the admission and conduct of God and that men had not geuen their voyces to heaue him vp to this dignity neither had hee thruste himselfe in by his owne motion but forasmuche as the good pleasure of God was such Both were necessary Fyrst it behooued that God should preuent his seruaunt with his free fauour and grace and that he should choose hym to bee King and then after seeing Dauid on his part obeyed hym with a good conscience and receiued the Kingly dignity which god had offred hym whatsoeuer his enemyes deuised to ouerthrow his Fayth he followed constantlye the ryghte course of his calling Then not onely these two sentences do not dysagree but one of them very wel answereth the other Moreouer Dauid doth not here presēt himselfe before God as beeing armed wyth whole and perfit ryghteousnesse he offereth not here hys whole lyfe to be examined whether there were any thyng in it to be found fault wythal or no and that therfore he ought to obtayne grace and to be accoumpted iust But willyng to