hym to preaching Paule And also of a most zealous Pharisey in blyndnesse made him most feruent in the Gospell of God to all our comfortes which be Gentyls For thys our Lord Christ Aelion most highe hath consecrated Paule aboue Peter to be our especiall Apostle both at Rome and else where in the rounde world Our Sauyour Christ our God Iere. 20. Esa 42. is also called of the Hebrewes El. to say of his great strength For whatsoeuer he wyll doe that can he doe For which cause he is called by the Prophets The God of strength and the mightye Lorde or Gygante Sometyme also Eloah and of the Trinitie in coniunction we may say Elohim which signifyeth God our Christ in his deuyne nature to be alwayes and euery where present in heauen and in earth and in peace and warre in persecution and preaching peace in workes and playes in actes and thoughtes in lyfe and death in all places at one and selfe instante Of whose presence the Psalmist sayth thus Whether shall I go from thy Spirite Psal 139. or where shall I flee from thy face If I ascend into heauen thou art there if I go down to hell thou art there also But if I shall take the wings of the morning and dwell in the farthest part of the Sea euen there shall thy hande gouerne me and thy right hande shall beholde me And Paule aptly pronounceth our Lordes presence to the Athenians Act. 17.28 testifying him not to be farre from them but they in him rather saying For in him we lyue moue haue our being And it séemeth probable for this cause the Grecians to haue called God Theos and the Latines to haue formed thence thys worde Deus As one learned affyrmeth Theos to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of redynesse and running to and fro so is God called by such a name as best can expresse his presence who is neuer absent from mortall men in earth but to euery man in all places gyueth all things that they possesse Of which his liberalitie some suppose him to be called Deus a dando for that he gyueth to all men that they haue God our Lorde and Christ is also called Schaddai .i. sufficient in himselfe and the sufficientcy to all creatures that whosoeuer hath him to their Lorde hath all sufficientcy to body and soule to this and the lyfe eternall And in oure tongue we call Christ in his deuyne nature God that is the most principall and best good Lastly he is called the God of Abraham the God of Isaack the God of Iacob insinuating vnto vs from whence the holynesse of these Fathers with their fayth came And also that as we are the posteritie of the Noble Abraham by fayth in Christ So is he to vs our best good and most excellent God so that with Paule we may conclude our selues in him most vertuous Rom. 8.31.32 sufficient and blessed saying If God be on our syde who can be against vs. It is God that iustifyeth who shall condemne Againe if he hath giuen vs Christ how shal he not giue vs all things with him And by him we shall bée more then Conquerors Loe this god is thy Iesus whose power is prest and ready to thy best good if thou faythfully put thy trust in him He is also called the Lordes Christ which word Christ Luc. 4.18 Esa 61.1 importeth his honorable Function by the excellent Oyntment aboue his fellowes euen the holy ghost by which he is annoynted of his father to be the king and Priest of his Church for euer according to this saying Heb. 7.17 Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchesidech So then he is called Iesus of the worde Iesehak and so called as the Angell testifyeth bicause he saueth his people from theyr synne Mat. 1.21 The worde Christ is a greeke word which aunswereth the Hebrewe vocable Messhiah annoynted In olde tyme with the people these persons Prophets Priests and Princes were annoynted with Oyle Wherefore our Iesus is called Anoynted signifying the plentifull graces of Gods spirite giuen to those called of god to these Functions and also into what perillous daungers and harde battles they were to enter which truely exercised that seuerall calling By which Oyling they were as with a Symbole put in mynd what couragious Champions they ought to be in their offices This was the cause why the noble Champions before the pryse playde were annoynted But in as much as the Lord Christ had a greater enimy then all other Champions and therewyth a most deadly fyght towards whose body and soule was to stande in the battle of death vppon the crosse against his fathers iustice for the synnes of the whole worlde Satans malice and mans corruption Hell and Death it was most necessary that he shoulde before thys cruel combate haue a more precious Oyntment then had his shadowing fellowes preaching Prophets sacrifycing priests and ruling Princes Wherefore he was annoynted with the holy ghost The spirit of God is vpon me sayth Christ because he hath annoynted me that I should preache the Gospell to the poore c. Esa 61. Luc. 4.18 This sentence expresseth Christs priesthood kingdome and preaching office He is sente sayth he to preache His kingdome he is annoynted to delyuer the oppressed His priesthood he is giuen to heale the broken and wounded hartes wyth synne and iniquitie by the sacrifice of his death vpon the crosse During hys lyfe he preached the gospel Rom. 1.16 which is Gods power in Christ to saluation to euery one that beleeueth In his sacrifice of hymselfe vpon the crosse he performed both the other By his death he healed our infirmities Esa 53. Col. 1.20 for the chastisment of our peace was layde vpon him In hys death he obtayned the victory hauing fully aunswered the Fathers iustice against synne death and hell and spoyled principalities and powers and hath made a shew of them openly Col. 2.15 and hath tryumphed ouer them in the same crosse He hath forgyuen vs our synnes put out the hande wryting that was agaynst vs he hath taken it out of the waye and fastened it to his crosse hath translated vs from the power of darknes into the kingdome whereof he is king of kings and Lorde of Lordes vz the body of hys Church of which he is the onely heade Whose kingdome is thréefold of power of grace and of glory Of power for all Nations shall bow the knee to this Lorde of Lordes and king of kings Christ the annoynted king and priest And who so wyl not kysse the sonne Christ Iesus shal perish whether Prince Psal 2. 1. Rom. 14 17. Potentate Preacher Magistrate people or pestilente Pope Of grace which he sayth by Luke is within vs and consisteth as Paule sayth in righteousnesse Christ the high Byshop of our soules in peace and ioy in the holy Ghost His kingdome of glory as well in that he
gloryously arose from death and ascended aboue al heauens as that he shall appeare most gloryouslye to haue gouerned all things when he shal call before him to iudgement all the Nations of the worlde and giue to them their portion in his right iustice due vnto them This Lorde Christ and Sauiour is also the high Byshop of our soules the one and onely priest that hath fully taken awaye oure sinnes in the sacrifice of himselfe vpon the aulter of the crosse once for all and all ages there and then offered Of whose priesthood Dauid long before prophecied in these wordes Psal 110. The Lorde hath sworne and wyll not repent thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech By which words the Apostle Paule purposing to proue Christ the sayde priest thus speaketh Thys Melchisedech was king of Salem Heb. 7.17 king of the most high God c. Hee is the king of righteousnesse after that he is called the king of Salem 1. king of peace without father without mother wythout kyndred and hath neyther beginning of his dayes nor ende of his lyfe but is lyke vnto the sonne of God and contynueth a priest for euer And that rightly for Christ the sonne of God is our righteousnesse and peace and the king of Salem euen of the peaceable church and tryumphante kingdome euerlasting He is without father in his humanitie onely being conceyued by the holye ghost of the womans séede wythout mother in his deuyne nature begotten of the fathers owne nature without beginning of dayes or ende of lyfe For he is God for euer And though in his humanitie he suffred for vs yet his Godhead coulde not dye but remayneth immortall for euer This Iesus is both king and priest not after Aaron but according to Melchisedeches order for all tymes to come And as the holye scriptures hath mention of no mo such So is he the onely priest of God for the saluation of his church and there can besides hym be none other who gaue hymselfe to dye for vs and by whose onely death we be all saued that beléeue in hym The meane whereby this eternall Priest saueth hys people is by tryple operation Howe our Christ saueth vs. all which haue their force from the action of his death First in gyuing hymselfe a raunsome for theyr sinnes to God his father and by hys bloudy sacryfice once for all offered he fully acquyteth all his people of all their damnable debt Secondly by the preaching of hys Ghospell vnto the sonnes of men as whereby he is depaynted thus crucifyed for them therby they brought by his spirite to beléeue the forgiuenesse of synnes in his bloud Thirdly by that he remayneth the onlye Mediator for his people to his father so reconciling the worlde to God and guydeth his people by his spirite in the pathes of righteousnesse for his holy names sake 1. Pet. 2.5 Mat. 20.28 Thus is thy soueraigne Lorde and Christ thy highe Priest and Byshop of thy soule thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye the price of thy redemption by whose sacrifice alone vpon the crosse God the father is iustly payde the pryce due to hym for all our iniquities For the which cause also that he is the pryce of thy Redemption in hys death he is of God constitute for thy only Mediator as Paule sayth to the Hebrewes and saint Iohn If any man sinne Heb. 9.15 1. Ioh. 2.2 we haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but for the synnes of the whole worlde Where note that the Apostle sayth and for this cause is he the Mediator of the new Testament Hebr. 9.15 Namely for thys cause that through his death men might receyue the promise of inheritance He that dyeth for mans transgressions is onely the Mediator for their sinnes But Christ only dyeth for mans transgressions therfore Christ is the onely Mediator for mans iniquitie This is the Apostles reason And further this priesthood so dwelleth still in Christ that no inferiour creature maye be enstalled into that function For he lyueth for euer and therfore contynueth a priest for euer after the order of Melchesedech Whersoeuer then any man or Angell would take vppon hym this office to be a priest to offer sacrifice in the Church of God For thy synnes know thou that he is not thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy redemption and therefore cannot be thy sacrificer Besydes thys that sacrifice of Christ is thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the absolute price of thy raunsome and therefore no neede of further payment to God by sacrifice Christ hath fully payde the ransome for our syns therefore can there be no more offring to God for synne Thirdly neyther néede nor can that sacrifice of Christes death and bodye to be iterate or offred of freshe for that were to kyll Christ agayne and to make lesse the valour of thy redemption by which thou art redéemed fully and for which cause Christ is called in the holye scripture thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to saye an absolute price of thy redemption by whome and whose price thou hast by fayth in hym the whole forgiuenesse of thy sinnes Heb. 10.18 And where thys Remission is sayth the scripture there remayneth no more offerings for synne but we maye with boldnesse enter into heauen not by an other sacrifice but by a new and lyuing way namely sayth he by fayth in Christs fleshe bloud once thus offred who remayneth our high priest with God Lastly were there a sacrifice remayning to be offred for sinne we had no priestes or anye one man or Angell in heauen or earth that could be a fitte Sacrificer for the same For besyds that a true Sacrificer for synne by whose Sacrifice iniquitie shall be awaye taken There can be found as a meete man no Priest in earth to offer sacrifice must be the sacrifice hymselfe There are also certayne Noble qualities must inhabite that man which can be a sacrifycing priest for sinne and the house of GOD which are by the Apostle to the Hebrewes set downe on thys maner Such an high priest it became vs to haue sayth he which is holy harmlesse vndefiled seperate from sinners and made higher then the Heauens which needed not daylie to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the synnes of his people for that did he once when he offred vp himselfe for the lawe maketh men highe priests which haue infyrmitie but the worde of the othe which was synce the lawe maketh the sonne who is consecrated namely the onely priest of God for euermore Now deare Reader if it be of necessitie that we should haue such a Priest to offer sacrifice for our sinnes and that no other can take that office to pacifie the father whose iustice changeth not or is by affection altred how can it be that eyther the
the Sacrifice for syn some of Reconcyliation of peace and all these Rites Ceremonies and Sacryfices were executed in the Hebrewe tongue by the ordinance of God which was the naturall language of the Iewes And if there were some sygnifycations there that concerned not the vulgar sort to know what is that to kéepe vs from the knowledge of the prayses of God in deuyne seruice which ought to be knowne of euery of vs We requyre not our people to vnderstand all secrets but we reprooue the Church of Rome bicause she doth so estraunge Gods people from the knowledge of his true seruice that she wil not spare them in that church so little as the vnderstanding of the bare wordes in their natiue spéeche Let them shewe vs the lyke warrante for this synne as the Iewish priests had for their holye Ceremonies all which were prescribed to them by the word of the Lorde and they haue saide something But this they cannot and therefore are most wicked and their seruice abhominable and to all that vnderstande not their Laten tongue improfytable Enchyrid Hosij cap. 34. Againe others with Hosius say where Paule sayeth He speaketh in vayne that speaketh to a congregation in an vnknowne tongue he in that place saye they speaketh of preaching and not synging or saying Gods deuyne Seruice but the wordes of the Chapter 1. Cor. 14. most manifestly doth conuince them For their is eftsoones mention made of praying in a straunge tongue Verse 14.15 and sayth he How shall the vnlearned to thy blessing that is to thy prayer of thankesgyuing say Amen if he vnderstand not what thou sayest Wherefore this defence is most slender and a falling proppe of Popery Neyther are they to be heard which saye the Church hath power to order thys matter 2. Cor. 14.37 For Paule in the Chapter sayth If any man think himselfe to be a prophet or spiritual whether prince Pope or priest let him acknowledge that the things which I write here against praying and preaching in a strange tongue are the commaundements of the Lorde And can the Pope then or maye he or generall Counsels change the Lordes Decrée in the Church and that against the Lorde and hys commaundements Hath the Church the wyfe such authoritie ouer Christ her husbande This is the duety of the beloued wyfe to heare The Churches office and duety and to obey her husband Heare O Israel hearken and giue eare Oh daughter sayth the Father to his church in the shadow of Salomons mariage to Pharaoh his Daughter consyder enclyne thine eare to Christ thyne husbande forget also thy fathers house Psa 45.10 and thy people the Romishe Church so shall the king haue pleasure in thy bewty For he is thy Lorde and reuerence thou him To heare to obey to forsake thine owne institution constitution Father Pope Popish people that giue thée the lawes of Romishe Egypt is the duetie of Gods Church But to change the lawes of God to comptroll the husband Christes commandement to keepe him vnder and set himselfe aloft in the Temple of GOD as doth the Romishe Church is the signe of a strumpet Iudge therefore good Reader now of thys Church of Rome and what she is which contrary to Christs commaundement in the church of God setteth vp hypocritical seruice in a strange tongue Againe some of them saye for children Mylke is the best bicause they are not able to digest strong men therfore the Laten tongue expedient in the church But I pray you Syr is it your purpose if we be Infantes so to kéepe vs styll For when shall your Laten seruice which you call Mylke be taken by your ordinance from vs And how proue you that your Laten seruice is mylke for Christian Babes Mylke nourisheth and feedeth but howe edyfyeth the Laten tongue mans christian soule when his inward hart cannot perceyue the meaning of hys outward words Againe your seruice is exhibited you say to GOD and wyll you feede the Lorde of truth with Popish Mylke Is not his Maiesty able to receiue stronger meate But from what breast I pray you procéedeth this Mylke Neyther from the espoused Syon or was it drawne from the Dugs of the fyrst mother the Primatiue church eyther in Rome Corinth Ephesus Antioche or else where Syon had her seruice in her owne tongue in Hebrewe the East Churches in the Gréeke tongue which was their natural spéech yea and Rome it selfe in the Laten tongue Gods seruice ought to be to eche Nation in their commō language which is the auncient Romane language And there is no other greater reason in déede for the Laten seruice then that hereby they would séeme to challenge al Nations to be of their church and subiect to their Kingdome But God hauing all Nations vnder his gouernment doth speake to eche Nation in that tongue which they vnderstande Esay 6. Esay sawe the two Seraphins and heard them praysing God in a tongue that he vnderstoode Holy holy holy When Christ was borne in Bethlehem the Angelles were heard of the Shepheards Luc. 2.14 and vnderstood to syng Glory to God on highe in earth peace to men a good will Which song to Gods prayse had it bene sung in a straunge tongue the symple Shepheards had not vnderstood the same Sith therefore the ordinance of God the practise of his church the vse of the tryumphant Church to which we ought to be lyke doth syng and pray in a knowne tongue to them with whome and for whom they doe pray What church is that but Antichrists which degenerating from all these doth hyde the prayses of God in a straunge language Some Papistes are so hatefull that for warrante of their Laten seruice Romishe Churche Antichrists Church they abuse thys sentence of Christ It is not good to take the Childrens breade and to cast it vnto Dogs by which assertion vnwyllingly they confesse Mathew that to haue the seruice in a knowne tongue is to haue the bread of Gods children Wel then God hauing wrung this truth from your lyps we wyll accept the bread of our Lorde to say our seruice to vs Englishe men in the English tongue and doe leaue to your infancie A Popishe blasphemy most horrible your chyldishe Mylke of popishe Laten seruice But are those men for whome Christ hath shedde his precious bloud no better in your account syr but Dogs The spirite of God vseth not to dwell in the bodyes of Dogs but the children of God are the Temples of the holy Ghost O horrible blasphemy 1. Cor. 3.10 to call these holy Vassels caryon Dogs But ye are those dyrtie Dogs which be Canes muti ye can not speake the praises of God in a knowne tongue ye byte and deuour them which doe ye are the Deuils Mastyues which are reserued to eternall chaynes Iudae Epist if God graunt you not repentance For it is not the propertie of a Pastor to hyde the worde of god