vs to extoll magnifie his name for wōderful are his works to our great profite and commoditie Finally to obey his lawes and statutes for he serueth them that serue him so dooing God will sende vs sauiours to saue vs and to deliuer vs from our enimies and the wordes of the Prophete shall be verified vpon vs in that he saythe The kingdome shall bée the Lordes For he shall be our kyng for euer and we his people shall be continually garded vnder the shadowe of his wings and alwayes defended from all maner miserie and calamitie Hitherto I haue opened the sence and meaning of the Prophet according to the letter which although for diuers causes it is very necessarie to be vnderstanded yet béeing considered of it selfe without any further application of the same vnto our selues it is vnfruitfull and vnprofitable As the Apostle sayth the letter killeth but the spirite giueth life Therfore I haue added moreouer vnto the letter certayne generall lessons for the instruction of all Christians Which application of the scriptures vnto our selues the Apostle putteth vs in minde of where he sayth what soeuer things are written afore time they are written for our learning that we through patience and comforte of the Scriptures might haue hope And as in diuers other places so especially in the thirtenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrues he hath giuen vs an example of this interpretation where the words of the almightie God spoken only vnto Iosua and perteyning onely vnto him according to the letter are vsed as a generall lesson for all men to teach them to put their trust in god After that Moses was dead God appoynted Iosua to be ruler of the Israelites and to bring them into the lande of promise and bicause he shoulde not feare nor be dismayde God sayde vnto him As I was with my seruant Moses so I will be with thée I will not fayle thée nor forsake thée Vpon these words the Apostle groundeth this generall doctrine Let your conuersation be without couetousnesse and be content with those things that ye haue For he hath saide I will not fayle thee neyther forsake thée Thus the Apostle dissuadeth vs through distrust of Gods goodnesse to vexe our selues with immorderate care of worldly riches and the vnlawful meanes to enriche our selues bicause God hath sayde vnto Iosua I will not fayle thée neyther forsake thee teaching vs therby to apply the holy Scriptures to our comforte confirmation of our fayth Whose example I haue followed by adding the morall as they call it vnto the letter of the Prophet But besides this morall there is also in the prophesie conteyned an allegorie concerning the comming of our sauiour to iudgement our ful redemption by him in destroying Antichrist in bringing vs both body soule vnto the euerlasting blessednesse which he hath prepared for all the faithfull For the wordes and works of God are vnserchable do teach vs a great deale more thā the letter at the first sight offreth vnto vs This I say that in the scriptures especially in the old testamēt in the writings of Moses the Prophets there are for the most part thrée senses in one text according to those diuers sēses thrée diuers interpretations The first is called literal grāmatical or historical the second tropological ethical or moral the third allegorical figuratiue or mysticall The literal interpretatiō is called grāmatical historical bicause in it nothing else is noted but that which the grāmer rules the historie it self in playne meaning giueth vs to vnderstande This alwayes is fyrst chiefly to be noted as the ground foundation of the other interpretations If we make not a good foundation that whiche we buyld thereon will be weake so if we do not truely expound the letter of the scripture commonly we shal make an vnprofitable moral and a false allegorie The bare letter of the newe Testament especially is for the most part very profitable and cōmodious to al Christiās There are fiue generall vses commodities of the scripture taught of the Apostle S. Paule in the Epistle to the Romanes the .15 chapter and in the seconde Epistle to Timothie the third chapt First by it we learne patience in aduersitie by it we haue consolation in persecution and are therby encouraged to continue vnto the ende in the true worship of God through hope of life euerlasting secondly we are taught true doctrine as touching the articles of our fayth and thirdly to improue false doctrine cōtrary to the same fourthly by the scriptures we lerne to correct our wicked liuing which is cōtrary to Gods cōmādements and finally we are therby instructed in godlinesse in al such things as are acceptable vnto god All these commomodities are founde in the literall sence of the scriptures For what is more comfortable than the very letter of these wordes So God loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne to the ende that who soeuer beleeueth in him should not perishe but haue life euerlasting And the letter of these words We are iustified by fayth without the works of the lawe doth teache vs the doctrine of iustification by fayth without any desert of our good works also doth improue the contrarie In like maner the letter of other places doth teach other doctrine And where the Apostle sayth The workes of the fleshe are manifest which are adultry fornicatiō vnclennesse wantonnesse Idolatrie witchcraft hatred debate emulations wrath contentions seditions heresies enuy murthers dronkennesse gluttonie and suche like whereof I tell you before as also I haue tolde you before that they which do such things shall not inherite the kingdome of god But the fruite of the spirite is loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse fayth méekenesse temperancie agaynst suche there is no lawe The very letter of these words serueth to correct and to instruct vs in godlinesse So commodious is the bare letter of the holy Scriptures and the morall therof which is to gather out of the letter some good lesson for our instruction is no lesse profitable For all the miracles of our sauiour Christ as according to the letter and historie they serued to the commoditie of those that were healed by him so they may be morally interpreted to our comforte and to the confirmation of our fayth that are nowe liuing For by his goodnesse thereby shewed vnto other men we haue an euident argument of his readinesse to helpe vs when soeuer we in like sort do séeke helpe at his hands so that we haue no cause to mistrust his goodnesse nor to séeke helpe else where of Saincts and Angels that are no sauiours His miracles also doe teache vs his Diuinitie they teache vs that he is Christ the sauiour of the world and do improue the contrarie doctrine as our Sauiour witnesseth in the Gospell Moreouer all the examples of godly men serue for
our instructiō and the examples of the wicked with their punishmēt serue for our correction After this sort the Apostle Paule expoundeth the manyfolde plages of the Israelites in the wildernesse and according to the moral sense applieth them vnto vs teaching vs by their example to auoyde their wickednesse Finally in the scriptures besides the letter and the moral there is a true and a profitable allegorie type figure or mysterie As for example the offering of Isaac vpon the aulter to be slayne by the hands of his father as God had commaunded whiche as according to the letter it was a triall of Abrahams fayth and also an instructiō for vs whiche is the morall teaching vs to obey Gods commaundementes in all poyntes and to beléeue hys promyses although they séeme neuer so contrarie to mans reason So in that Isahac was layde vpon the aulter readie to be slayne and then by the voyce of God deliuered and as it were raysed from death to life agayne he was a type and figure of our Sauiour Christ teaching vnto Abraham and his posteritie saluatiō by the offering of Christ vpon the crosse and by his resurrection from death Also Ioseph beeing solde by his brethren vnto straungers cast into prison after made ruler of the countrey of Egypt where he prouided foode and also a fruitefull lande for his father and brethren to dwell in as it declareth Gods wonderfull power and goodnesse towards him and also the state of Gods children in this life béeing first by affliction thrust downe as it were into hell and after exalted into heauen So it was a fygure of oure Sauiour fyrst solde and deliuered into the handes of the Gentiles euen by hys owne countrey menne and brethren and afterwards of hys Resurrection and glorification by hys Ascention into heauen where of his mercie contrarie to our deseruing he hathe prouided for vs a perpetuall reste and habitation for euer euen for as manye as come vnto him for succour Moreouer the bondage of the Israelites in the wildernesse and their deliuerance through the destruction of Pharao in the red sea besides that it declareth the power and goodnesse of God towards them and the state of his children before rehearsed it was a type of our bondage through sinne death hell and the diuell and of our deliuerance from the same by our sauiour Christ destroying our enimies and bringing vs vnto euerlasting felicitie Likewise the Pascall lambe receyued euery yere béeing a lambe without blemish the bloud wherof was sprinkled vpon the postes of the doore ouer which the destroying Angell passed hurting none in the house where the bloud was sprinkled This Lambe I say in an allegorie signifieth our sauiour Christ béeing without blemishe and spotte of sinne whose bloud sprinkled vpon the postes of our hearts by fayth deliuereth vs from euerlasting destruction We are taught this allegoricall exposition of the Pascall Lambe by Iohn Baptist where poynting vnto our sauiour Christ he sayth Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world Also the Apostles Paule and Peter do liken our Sauiour vnto the Pascall lambe saying Christ our Passeouer is sacrificed for vs and we are redéemed with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot According to this figuratiue and mysticall interpretation the Apostle expoundeth the historie of Abrahams two wiues and their children where he playnly poynteth at our aduersaries the Papists who séeke iustification by their owne works and do persecute those which according to Gods promise do séeke life by faythe in Christ whose miserable state and condition the Apostle sheweth prouing by an allegorie that all they which séeke iustification by the bondage of the lawe shall be cast out of the lande of promise with the bonde woman and hir sonne and shal not inherite the euerlasting kingdome of God with his children that are frée and do seeke saluation throughe fayth in his promise Héere it is euident that the Apostle teacheth vs to expound the scriptures not literally onely but also allegorically mystically or figuratiuely So he expoundeth those words Thou shalt not mosell the Oxe that treadeth out the corne In like maner the rocke in the wildernesse out of the which water flowed to satisfie the thirst of the Israelites besides that it declareth Gods power and prouidence for his children béeing in distresse it prefigured the graces and giftes of God that flow out of our sauiour Christe vnto all that beléeue in him For so the Apostle expoūdeth it where he sayth Our fathers dyd eate the same spirituall meate and dyd drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spirituall rocke that followed them and the rock was Christ And the serpent that Moses set vp at the commaundement of God besides the miraculous healing of those that were bytten with fyry Serpents teacheth bothe the Israelites and vs to lift vp the eyes of our fayth vnto our Sauiour lifted vp vpon the crosse séeking deliuerance by him frō the deadly sting of the Serpent the diuel For that brasen serpent was a figure of our sauiour Christ as he himselfe expoundeth it in the Gospell Moreouer where Moses telleth the people that God wyll rayse vnto them a Prophete like vnto him selfe euen of their brethren vnto whom they should herken the letter teacheth vs nothing else but that Iosua should gouerne the Israelites and bring them into the lande that God had promised them But the holy Ghost in the person of Iosua whose name signifieth a sauiour teacheth vs that Christ is our sauiour who bringeth vs into the euerlasting rest promised vnto all the faithfull for so the Apostle Peter expoundeth the words of Moses Also euen as the bonbage of the Israelites in Egypte and their peregrinatiō in the wildernesse besides that is playnly expressed by the letter doth represent the state of Christiās in this life béeing ful of afflictiōs euē so the land of Canaan promised vnto Gods people in the which they had a great conquest ouer the wicked after quietly enioyed the coūtrey besides the declaratiō of gods excéeding power and excellent benefites bestowed vpon them doth represent vnto vs the euerlasting rest in heauē which we shall enioy whē almightie God hath destroyed all the wicked vpon the earth So the Apostle expoundeth the wordes of the prophet Dauid who concerning the same matter sayth Fortie yéeres long was I gréeued with this generation sayde It is a people that doth erre in their hearts for they haue not knowne my ways vnto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest Whiche words written bothe in the lawe and in the Prophet according to the letter doe shew the rest of the Israelites in the land of Canaan but according to the allegorie they teache al the faythful the euerlasting rest by Christ in heauen But for the further
of the sonne of man and of his Saincts and drinke their bloud you haue no life in you Here is an addition to the letter which maketh much for the Romanistes that teache men to call vpon Saincts that are dead to pray vnto thē which we can not do without a fayth and a beléefe in them as it is written Howe shal they cal on him in whō they haue not beléeued But faith beléefe is proper only vnto almighty God and is the meane wherby we do eate the fleshe drinke the bloud of our sauiour Christ As he teacheth vs in these words I am the bread of life he that cōmeth to me shal not hunger and he that beleeueth in me shall neuer thirst The reason is this whosoeuer eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day For my fleshe is meate in déede my bloud is drinke in déede Héere our sauiour techeth vs that he is bread he is meat drinke vnto vs we must come vnto him we muste eate him we muste drink him we shal not hūger nor thyrst for euer And this is the meane wherby we do eat his flesh drink his bloud to put away our hūger our thyrst euē to beleue in him For he saith He that beléeueth in me shal neuer thyrst Therfore if the aduersaries of the Gospel might be permitted to add vnto the letter saying thus Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man of his Saincts and so foorth they might easily proue that it is lawfull for vs to put our trust in saincts to beléeue in them as in sauiours consequently that it is good necessary to pray vnto thē But our sauiour without any additiō saith Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man drink his bloud ye haue no life in you This is the true letter which if we kéepe in this place in al other places of the scripture without any alteratiō it serueth so for the confirmation of the truth that the aduersaries can haue no aduantage agaynst it But if we take the letter only without the true feare meaning therof the cōmodity that cōmeth therby auayleth vs nothing for that is to take the vessel without wine whiche dothe vs no good Therefore in this respecte also it may be truely sayde The letter rather killeth than giueth life Moreouer for the better vnderstanding of the Apostles wordes it is to be noted that the true letter is diuersly vnderstanded in the scripture First the playn sense of the scripture without any morall or mysterie is called that letter of the which it hath bin sufficiētly spoken before Secondly that true vnderstāding of the scriptures literally morally allegorically as it cōteineth all necessarie knowledge without the spirite of God whiche causeth vs to bring foorth fruites according to the same may be called a letter that killeth They that are destitute of the spirite of God without the which no man can liue although he haue al knowledge are like the high way side or the stony groūde or the briers and brambles in the which and among the which the good séede can not prosper and bring foorth fruit This knowledge without the spirite of God is a letter that encreaseth the damnation of men rather than profiteth them For our Sauiour sayth that seruant that knew his masters will and prepared not him selfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Of this damnable letter it maye séeme that the Apostle speaketh where he sayth Shal not vncircuncision which is by nature if it kéepe the lawe iudge thée whiche by the letter and circumcision art a transgressour of the law For he is not a Iewe whiche is one outward neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iewe which is one within and the circumcision is of the heart in the spirite not in the letter whose praise is not of mē but of god Thirdly not only al knowledge without good works but also external works that are done in hypocriste as comming to the church to heare the word of God without a desire to be reformed thereby may be called a letter that killeth When men come to beare what the Preacher can do and not to learne what they them selues ought to do when men pray with their lippes and not with their hearts or do any good worke for vayne glory or to get them a name among men so foorth this is a letter that profiteth not Of this letter the Apostle séemeth to speake where he sayth Nowe are we deliuered from the law béeing dead vnto it wherin we were holden that we shuld serue in newnesse of spirite not in the oldnesse of the letter Finally the law cōsidered by it selfe without Christ is called a letter that killeth As where the Apostle sayth God hath made vs able ministers of the new testament not of the letter but of the spirite for the letter killeth but the spirite giueth life Where the Apostle writeth these words he disputeth agaynst false Christians that receyued Christ but not aright for they ioyned the law with Christ as a necessary part of our saluatiō they would not acknowledge Christ of him selfe to be a sufficient sauiour they ioyned the lawe with Christ as felow in office with him in working our saluation making him to be but halfe a sauiour alleaging for their purpose the glorious promulgation of the lawe as that it was giuen with thunder and lightening with the sound of a trumpet with fire and great smoke Also when Moses came from the mounte with the two tables his face did so shine that the people were not able to behold the brightnes therof Vnto this the Apostle answereth that the glory of the Gospel darkneth the glory of the law For the law was giuen but for a tyme but the glory of the Gospell continueth vnto the ende Also as the brightnesse of Moses face was glorious so the vayle wherwith he was couered was a tokē of imperfectiō a type of infidelity in the people But through the grace of God offred by the Gospel we are made perfect are changed into the image of his glory and are able as it were in a glasse to behold the same with open face And the more to deface the law béeing compared with Christ he calleth it the ministery of cōdēnation a letter that killeth For through our default it killeth after a sort in that it layeth our iniquities before vs letteth vs sée in our selues the image of death through sinne wherby as much as lieth in it it casteth vs down into the dānable pit of desperation there leaueth vs sore wounded without al hope of life But the spirit that is to say the gospell by meanes wherof the spirit of God worketh in
vs a true fayth quickneth vs agayn exalteth vs into heaueÌ„ where we shal liue foreuer in despite of all our enimies through the benefit of the good Samaritane our sauiour Christ Thus we may see how it is true that the Apostle sayth the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life NotwithstaÌ„ding in some respecte and in some sense the letter is profitable as I haue sayde and also the Apostle teacheth vs that the same letter or law which killeth is not voyde of profite For he sayth The law was our Scholemaster to bring vs to Christ that we might be made righteous by fayth If then it did bring vs to Christ we had no small profite therby And agayn he sayth The law is holy the coÌ„maundement is holy and iust and good Was that then which is good made death vnto men God forbid but sinne that it might appeare sinne wrought death in me by that which is good that sinne mighte be out of measure sinfull by the coÌ„maundement For we know that the law is spirituall but I am carnall tolde vnder sinne Héere the Apostle expoundeth him selfe sheweth after what sort the letter or the law killeth yet neuerthelesse it remayneth profitable holy spiritual good iust Thus much of the letter of the diuers sense and meaning therof and what letter it is that killeth how it killeth how it profiteth God graunt vs al the true vnderstanding and knowledge of his worde with a readie mind wil to folow the same that bringing foorth the fruites of the spirite we may liue for euer in heauen with almightie god To whom the father the sonne the holy ghost thrée persons and one God be all prayse honor glory for euer So be it FINIS Gen. 25.22 An. mundi 2100. 2. Sa 8 1â— An. mundi 2900. 2. Re 8. â—0 An mundi 3060. An. mundi 33â—â— Psal. 1â—â— An. domini 1553. Luk. 1.69 Hebr. 1.1 Mat. 22.43 1. Pet. 3.18 Dan. 7.1 Reuel 1.12 1. Sam. 9.9 2. Sa. 24.11 Iohn 8.38 1. Ioh. 1.1 1. Re. 1â— 3. An. mundi 3030. An. mundi 3360. Ezec. 25.12 Ier. 49.7 Psal. 90 1â— An. mundi 2490. Ier. 49.14 Luk. 11.49 Iohn 1.3 Psal. 19.7 2. Ti. 3.15 1. Cor. 11.23 Psa 50.15 Rom. 8.31 Ier. 49.16 Mal. 1.4 Gen. 7.21 Ge. 19.24 Gen. 11. â— 2. Re. 25 9. Luk. 19.43 21.6 Exo. 14.27 Ios 6.20 8.19 10.11 12.9 c. Iud. 7.22 2. Reg. 19.35 Psal. 27.1 Psal. 18.2 Gen. 36.15 Ier. 49.22 Ier. 49.11 Eze. 25.13 Ez. 35.1 c. Psal. 118.8 Amos. 3.6 Esa. 13.6 Eze. 30.3 Ioel. 1.15 2.11 Zoph 1.14 Gen. 3.20 Gen. 12.3 .18.18 Gen. 41.57 Ioh. 12.32 Phil. 2.21 Lu. 26.42 Ier. 49.12 Eze. 25.14 Iud 3. vers 9. 15. 2. Cor. 3.6 Rom 15.4 Ios 1.5 Heb. 13.5 Rom. 15 4 2. Ti. 3.16 Ioh. 3.16 Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Gal. 5.19 Mat. 11.4 Iohn 5.36 .14.11 1. Cor. 10.6 Gen. 22.9 Gen. 37 2â— Gen. 39. 41. .42 .47 Ex. 1. .14 Exo. 12.3 Iohn 1.29 1. Cor. 5.7 1. Pet. 1.19 Gal. 4.22 â–ª Deu. 25.4 1. Cor. 9.9 Exo. 17.6 1. Cor. 10.3 Num. 21.8 Ioh. 3.14 Deu. 18.15 Act. 3. â— Psa 95.10 Nu. 14.23 Heb. 4.9 1. Sa. 18.11 .19.11 23.8 .26 2. c. 2. Sam. 5.3 2. Sa. 1.15 2. Sa. 2.4 2. Sa 11. ver 4. .17 1. Sa. 24.7 .26.9 Psal. 11.1 Eze. 34.23 .37.24 Eze. 37.25 Hos 3.5 Iohn 10.11 2. Sa. 7.13 1. Re. 2.46 Heb. 1.4 Psal. 2.7 2. Sa. 7.14 Ionas 1.17 Mat. 12.40 Hos 11.1 Mat. 2.15 Ier. 31.15 Mat. 2.18 Lu. 24.27 Act. 3.24 Luk 1.70 An allegorie gathered of the signification of the worde Edom. Ancient testimonies witnessing that the Bishoppe of Rome is an Edomite coÌ„sequently Antichrist Esa. 34.6 Ier. 49.7 Lam. 4.21 Eze 25.13 Eâ—â— 34.9 The allegorie of the Prophet Abdias Psal. 91.13 Zoph 1.15 2. Th. 1.8 Reue 21.4 Mat. 13. vâ— 41. 49 2. Cor. 3.6 Colos 1.24 Act. 22.7 2. Cor. 1.5 2. Cor. 1.5 Mat. 24.13 Reue. 2 ver 7.11.17 26. ca. 3. ver 5.12 21. ca. 21.7 Mat. 10.32 1. Pet. 2.24 Heb. 7 25. Heb. 9.12 Heb 10.14 Ioh. 14.28 Mat 5. ver 11. 27. Luk. 20.17 Act 4 11. â—oh 10. ver â— 11. 1â— cap. 15.1 Mat. 13.3 Ro. 10 14. Iohn 6.35 Iohn 6.54 Iohn 6.53 The letter diuersly vnderstanded Luk. 12.47 Rom. 2.27 Rom. 7.6 2. Cor Exo. 19.16 Exo. 34.30 2. Cor. 3.11 2. Cor. 3.13 2. Cor. 3.18 2. Cor. 3.9 Luk. 10 53 Gal. 3.14 Rom. 7.12 Faultes escaped in the print The first number signifieth the leafe of the Booke the seconde the page of the leafe and the thirde the line The thirde leafe the second page and the eyght line for succour reade fauour 15. 1. 17. for Thir. reade Tsir 20. 1. 7. for higher thou reade higher than thou 23. 2. 17. for byd reade hyd 25. 2. 24. for godly reade goodly 26. 1. 13. for suffereth reade suffered 27. 2. 6. for decision reade derision 54. 1. 13. for feare reade sence