handes with Pylate and not onely to saie as hee said I am free from this innocent bloud but both in woord and deede to keepe our prophane handes from the violating of holie thinges That holie father Saint Augustine hee affirmeth that God is a cleere eye and seeth euerie where much more hee beholdeth all the corners of his owne house and the footsteppes of those which spoyle his temple before his face Which who so rudelie rashly and irreligiously presumeth at any time to attempt let him consider that he doth it against the Lord openlie before his own face and therwith let him know that he is a ielous God visiting the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children to the third and fourth generation of all which hate him sith he is God yesterday to day and for euer as also all thinges are which are once consecrated to his holie worship I vnderstand that by the course of lawe inheritaunce descendeth to the next of the bloud and for want of heirs in the second third or fourth generation of the eldest it commeth backe to the younger brothers issue and posterity of which if all fayle and at length by intailement or otherwise by lawe if it commeth into the possession of the King it neuer goeth backe If this bee the prerogatiue of goods giuen to earthly Princes which are here to daye and to morrowe lye rotting in the graue let vs not denie the same to the Lord of Lordes the King of Kinges the creatour of heauen and earth into whose house whatsoeuer is incorporated though conscience and religion dare not speake therein yet let the heathen Poet open his mouth and make the period 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is once doone cannot bee vndoone againe If this constancie was alwaies kept betwixt man and man how much more betwixt God man betwixt his Church his Prests his spirituall Pastours and the men of this world whose parentes and instructurs they are according to that saying of Micha vnto the Leuit remaine with me and be my father and my Priest and the tribe of Dan also to the same Leuit houlde thy peace and come with vs for thou shalt be our father and our Priest Sithe then by the secreet instinct of nature and also by the expresse commaundement of God wee are commaunded to honour our father and mother to obey and cherishe them in all wee canne by the same lawe wee are vtterlie forbidden to to detract or take any thing away from them And if any hard harted christian vnder the colour of dissembled zeale seeme to open away herein to his sacrilegious couetous minde saying that these commaundements of our Lord are meant concerning our naturall father and mother let him and all men knowe that the holie fathers expounding this commaundement affirme first that it concerneth our honour to our spirituall father and the Church our spirituall mother secondly it commaundeth vs to nourish and obey al superiours magistrates and ministers amongest whom are contained our naturall parentes But suppose that were obscure and doubtfull which is as plaine and cleare as the noone daie yet canst thou doubt what the will of God and the rule of right is in this case wherein the Lord hath spoken plainely as it is shewed before in these wordes whatsoeuer is once dedicated to God shall neuer be sould or redeemed As is the fountaine so are all the little brookes running from the same This is the lawe of the Lord concerning thinges dedicated to his holy worshippe and the liues of the holy Patriaches the Prophets the Apostles the Maâ—tirs the fathers doo cleerely expresse the same Ioseph the true figure of our Lord and sauiour Iesu Christ in that great famine of Aegipt when hee had bought almost the whole land and brought it into the Kings hand he would not once offer any money for the priestes landes but in that their great want gaue them nourishment of the Kings store according to that rule of the Lord the suburbes of the Priests shall not be sould for the possession of them is eternall without redemption God is our heauenly father he hath sowed the eternall seede of his exceeding looue in our hearts to the ende he might receiue from vs the same euen looue for looue because such as hee soweth such will he reape Can we say that we loue our spirituall father and therewith spoile his louing spouse our spirituall mother the holie Church castinge downe her walles banishing her eldest children possessing her landes goods and treasure which is an odious crime in the sight of God and man according to that saying of Saint Ambrose si quis in sua if any man presume to take the treasures of the Church to his priuate vse it is a great crime Wherin least he should seeme to abridge the spirituall pastours of the Church for whose sustenaunce they were first giuen hee expoundeth himselfe in these wordes Templum domini laicis tradi non debet the temple of the Lord ought not to be giuen into lay mens handes signâ—fying that wee must giue vnto Caesar those thinges which bee Caesars and vnto God those thinges that bee Gods Amongest the heathen Philosophers it was couÌ„ted the first point of iustice to giue to euerie man his owne and least amongst christians anie in time should prooue so barbarous and vtterly voide of grace that hee should laie violent handes on the goods of poore innocents which cannot speake euen the temples of the Lord dedicated to the worshippe of his holie name besides the expresse commaundement of the Lord in holy scriptures the holy fathers and councels haue pronounced it a cursed thing as the cleare bage of him which hath renounced heauen and taken himselfe wholy to serue this wicked world and the vanities thereof The councell of Gangrene celebrated the yeere of our Lord 324. or there about according to the Cannons of the Apostles decreed in this manner If any man shall presume to take any thing once offered to God vnleast it bee the Bishop or his deputie appointed for the distributing of the Church goods to the poore let him be accursed In like manner also the third councell of Rome If any man couet or take away any reuenews belonging to the Church or if any of the Priestes consent there to let them be accursed The reason followeth in the fift councel alleadged in this manner for it is a great iniurie and an vntollerable sacriledge that what so euer any man bestoweth on the church of Christ should be altered or translated to any other vse especially by those men who of all other ought to maintaine the Church as be christian Kings Princes and Prelates Furthermore that it might be manifest to all those which dutifully embrace and reuerence the spouse of Iesu Christ howe wicked an enterprise it is and what manifest daunger to the soules of all them which shall presume heerein the same
to make any christian hart to melt when it is harde he suffered that cruell souldier to pierce his tender side with a speare wher with came out both bloud and water euen his most pretious heart bloud the eternall foode of our soules O what mercie is this and who is able to comprehend it shall I passe it with silence or shal my pen presume to touch the same shall my heart stande amazed at this wonder and my mouth keep silēce When I behold the heauens the angels the height of these creatures aboue mā And cōsider the depth of his mercie towards man shal I not beginne with the Prophet O what is man that thou art so mindfull of him or the son of man that thou visitest him And proceed with the voice of good Saint Barnard O hone Iesu. Quid tibi merito nos debuimus tu soluis nos peccauimus tu luis opus sine exemplo gratia sine merito Charitas sine modo O sweet Iesu howe belongeth this to thee or thy desert we are indebted and thou paiest it we haue sinned and thou art punished a worke aboue all cōparison mercie without all merite charitie aboue all measure O my soule open thine inward spirites and let my toong sound foorth his praise O praise the Lord in his holines praise him in the bountie of his great mercie and all that is within me praise his his holie name O ye princes open your gates and let the king of glorie enter in O bowe downe your princely eyes and beholde this great humilitie of the first and the last the king of kings the Lord of Lords the high souereigne king of heauen earth Take heede yee rulers of the earth that ye goe not farre from this fountaine of life least yee thirst and so perish by the way O come neere and taste howe sweete the Lorde our maker is and lette not the comfortable voice of his louing spowse whom hee hath made ouerseer of his will once depart out of your eares Take heede now your father is gone that you disquiet not your louing mother Doe not your selues that mortall disgrace or the Lorde of light that vnkindnes that you should forget his bloodie stripes wherewith yee were healed or his wounds which gaue you life or his exceeding loue which passeth all vnderstanding but render loue for loue to the vttermost of your power Sith hee hath loued vs first let vs loue him first of all Sith hee refused all creatures in heauen and in earth that hee might shew mercie vpon vs let vs refuse all other thinges and loue him alone not in word onely nor in shewe but in heart in worde in our outward life and conuersation Can wee taste of the cleare fountaine and not kneele downe or drinke of the liquor and not touch the cuppe with our lippes can we taste of the sweete drops of his most pretious bloud and not kisse the sonne of our saluation the spring of eternall life the glory of heauen and earth Then leauing heathnish glory the rule of flesh bloud christiā princes must come to the fountain of true christianity which is clear bright sheweth plainly that they must fall downe before the throne of the lamb that their regiment and commonwelth ought not to be disposed and for the establishing of their owne kingdome or for the aduauncement of their owne honour or for the safetie of their owne life but especiallie and aboue all thinges they must bend themselues to set forth the honour and glorie of God their high honours and offices must be appointed for the seruice kingdome of Christ their power their men their armour their goods their landes their dominions their nobles their court and courtiers are to be imploied in the seruice and obedience of the church of Iesu Christ. Thus proceeding in the waie of life let them not barely imagine that God is aboue all the rulers in the world but that he is carefullie and dutifullie to bee serued euerie daie and that the howre of his diuine seruice is not to bee appointed at our will but at his wil and when it shall bee thought most meet by them which are truelie religious Herein wee ought to be so resolutelie bent to serue the Lord our God with all our heart our mind and our soule so truelie and so hartilie that no embassadour no triumph no pleasure or worldlie affaires whatsoeuer should alter the hower of common praier which wee haue once giuen to the Lords seruice vnto the which if wee cannot resort sometime at the appointed howre which we haue once granted vnto the Lord yet let the rest of our life be so holie and reuerent before the Lord and his people that our Christian absence may shew most plainlie there is vrgent occasion why wee cannot come If they count it a more holie a more necessarie a more honourable thing to serue the Lord and to humble themselues on their knees before him in his holie temple then to feede their eies with worldly pleasures which in time and season are good and commendable if the count more of diuine seruice than of humane of the eternall ioy of heauen than of this perfect miserie of the euerlasting kingdome than of this earthlie tabernacle they will not onelie leaue all these and come to the temple of the Lord there falling downe before their good Lord and maker their maker and redeemer their redeemer and present helper their helper and comforter in al woe and distresse but in fact in truth in good earnest after the yeelding themselues their soules and bodies a holie and acceptable sacrifice before God which is their reasonable seruice don to him they wil open the bowels of their compassion vnto their holie mother the church and their poore bretheren they wil wiselie bestowe their best landes goods honors priuiledges counsels courtes auctorities euen the most perfect meditatiō of their vnderstanding harts vpon the spouse of Iesu Christ. O yee mightie men whose throne is exalted in the middest of flesh and bloud do you doubt of this Haue you not heard of olde how the gentils ruled which knew not God or what our Sauiour Christ said concerning them and what was it you shall not do so and how then The Apostle writeth that which the prophet said Credidi propterea loquutus sum I haue beleeued this truth and therefore I haue written neither is it bare beliefe sith plaine truth holdeth the sterne whilest my litle pen passeth ouer the high surges of this worldlie sea and that those worldlie mindes thus tossed and tumbled with the vncertaine flawes of worldie tempests might finde the true calme discried by the rule and compasse of Christian doctrine let them but looke vp a litle directing their eies vnto the climat where the sonne shineth cleare and bright and they shal see the land and hauen of quietnesse where they would faines◠bee And
can wishe in this worlde yet after all this shall succeede the infamous death of Cyrus who with his exceeding great armie was ouercome in the feelde And good cause whie sith as Plato writeth hee sinned much in bringing vppe his children wantonlie commaunding his owne brother to be slaine very treacherouslie Let no man presume so much as to doubte that there is a God the rewarder of the iust and punisher of the wicked that so mercifull on the one part and so perfectlye iust on the other that of his exceeding mercie hee rewardeth the least good deede of vs sinfull wretches and punisheth euerie sinne whatsoeuer vnleast we doe hartelie repent and turne our selues truelie vnto his mercy which we commit against his diuine maiesty Howe commeth it to passe that we are become like horse and mule which haue no vnderstanding If the carter doe but wagge his whippe the horses hie on apace if the shepheardes dogge doe but barke the sheepe doe whirrie all on heapes if the lion roare the beastes of the forrest tremble And yet the Lord calleth dailie and hourelie by signes from heauen by fiers in the ayre by strang courses in the waters by vnnaturall monsters in the earth by losse in the fielde and by scarefire in the house by sicknesse in the bodie by the denouncing of death to our soules and no man trembleth no man runneth no man looketh vp no man once regardeth it O â—sencelesse sensualitie Doe you marueile why your greefe lasteth daie and night and your disseases bee vncurable sith you haue such great store of honour and wealth to ease your minde which poore men wante they want them both in deede and fith they seldome taste the meate the Lorde of his mercie seldome offereth them the sower sawce belonging to such daintie dishes Therfore let al men leaue theyr wandering thoughtes of fancie of chaunce ill lucke wicked men euill mindes deceitfull hartes Non est malum in ciuitate quod non fecit dominus there is no chaunce or fortune in regard of God neither hath the wicked any power to hurte but where the Lord shall permit and hee permitteth not without deserte There is no deserte without sinne no sinne without punishment no punishment without deserued paine vnleast wee repent no repentaunce without sufficient restitution as much as lyeth in vs. Therefore thou which art stronge meruaile not that thou art wounded of the weake whose heart perhappes is greater then thine Thou which art riche and farest daintelie meruaile not that thou lyest sicke pininge consuming groning with the palsey in thy heade the burning in thine heart the Ciatica in thy hippes the stone in the reiâ—es the goute in the thy toe thine arme or thy legge the burning ague through thy whole bodie Thou which art mightie wise and honourable merueile not if thou beest brought vnder if thy foolish doinges breede the repentaunce with discredite Thou which hast honour and riches dominions and power health and Phisitions credite and successe at thy will meruaile not though thou want children or hauing one onely child which is all thy ioye when he is taken away by vntimely death Say not to thy selfe O what ill fortune is this that hauing one onely childe in whome I ioyed hee should bee thus taken from mee neither weepe so bitterlie for thy naturall childe O yee sonnes of the earth weepe not for your children but weepe for your selues and your owne sinnes against God Knowe yee right well that who so euer maketh his ioye of anie thing prouideth for anie thing honoureth anie thinge more or in comparison of the Lord eyther hee shall not enioye it or it shall not enioye him This is the Maior and the Minor is like vnto it which is this There is no aduersitie what so euer commeth to vs but it is for our sinnes though not the thousande parte which wee deserue but as it were a philip in respecte of the cutting off of the heade If wee will but turne our eyes from the vaine cloude of worldlie follie and confusion we shall see most plainelie that there is no sickenesse no vntimelie death no losse of Parentes or children no imprisonmentes no aduersitye what so euer but it is sent of the Lord for our sinne and on the contrarie that the Lorde is so full of goodnesse and loouing mercie that hee continuallie blesseth euerie good deede of ours what so euer and that by his continuall mercies shewed vnto them which loue him and his holy temple where his name is to bee praised to the worldes ende Wee may see it plainelie amongest the heathen that the Lorde is iust in remembring his promised mercies to all them which feare him and say also with that holie Prophet Verely there is a rewarde for the iuste not for the Iewe onelie or the Christian onelie or for this nation this degree this sorte or kinde of men onelie but as saint Peter affirmeth there is no acception of persons with God but in euerie nation who so euer feareth the Lorde a right and worketh righteousnesse he is accepted in the sight of God Let all men therefore learne to feare the Lorde aright let them open the fountaine of theyr charitable compassion towardes theyr brethren especiallie towardes his holie temple At the least let not vs be more vnkind vnto the spouse of Christ then were the heathen Looke backe againe to that highe mountaine from whence wee are newlie discended Cyrus began to builde the temple of the Lorde and hee prospered wonderfullie hee forgatte the Lord and hee came to an euill ende Darius also succeeded him who finished the building of the temple begunne by Cirus willing his lordes and captaines beyonde the floude that in anie wise they should not hinder the Iewes in theyr building But that if they wanted stone or timber or siluer or golde calues goates kiddes salte oyle or wine they should let them haue all thinges at theyr will shewing therein his good minde and the cheefest vse of these worldlie goods in these wordes Vt offerant deo coeli oblationes orentque pro vita regis filiorum eius That they maie offer vp oblations to the God of heauen and praie for the life of the King and his children It is verie straunge and worthy to be let vp as a mirour before the eyes of all Christian princes that these heathen Emperours should attribute so much to the glory of God hearing but a far off seing his mighty maiesty but in a cloude What may be compared to that which followeth in the stile and wordes of Artaxerxes written after this manner Artaxerxes rex regum c. Artaxerxes King of Kinges c. Vnto Eâ—dras the most learned scribe of the law of the God of heauen I haue decreede that of Israell in my kingdomes and dominions who so will goe with thee vnto Ierusalem that hee haue free libertie to goe and what golde or money thou
base minded as to looke about him how hee might raise great summes from the poore people or how hee might vnder some good pretence exact some paiment from the church though his enemies were manie mighty his warre great his troubles innumerable his charges infinite yet hee did not molest any one person belonging to the church nether would he suffer the mightiest of his princes once to meddle with them He could not possiblie be perswaded to increase his treasure with any penny which came from the Church or his honour with their prerogatiue or his securitie with their trouble or his credit with their disgrace But this foster father of the poore dispersed lambs of Iesu Christ he bestowed he founded he erected on high he reedified those temples which the heretickes had pulled downe hee restored the landes which they had taken awaie when hee tooke it into his handes he did not giue one halfe to God kept the other halfe to himselfe saying I haue two eies the one to looke to my kingdome and the other to the church But beeing a good true christian philosopher hee knew that though wee haue two eies yet we must looke but one way nor see but one marke at once We cannot at once loue both God and Mammon sinne and righteousnesse the kingdome of this world and heauen But hee knew it truelie and wayed it wisely in his hart that the high God of heauen did create him that hee blessed him preserued him exalted him gaue him all that he had And therefore hee rendred vnto him and his beloued spouse all honor freedome peace and abundance Hee was taught by the holie fathers out of the booke of life that the Lord is a ielous God he will not part stakes with any nor giue his honor to any other but of him it is said and of him onelie Thine is thy kingdome thy power and thy glorie for euer and euer Amen When the good Emperour beheld this perfect stile of Iesu Christ did see the ensigne on which it was described together with the church of Christ cast downe to the bare earth hee drawing neere as S. Paul did to the altar wherein was written ignoto deo beholding but foure bare letters I. N. R. I. which signified that this was the ensigne of the vnknowen God not acknowledged amongest men forthwith hee humbled himselfe in the flesh and reioiced in the spirit that the vnknowen God the God of heauen of earth had vouchsafed him that speciall grace to reueale himselfe vnto him He cast downe his banner and tooke vp the crosse of Iesu Christ crucified hee cast all dignities courts commissions and kingdomes aside and laid his honor in the dust in regard of the true honor of Iesus Christ as wee haue mentioned hee imploied all the giftes which hee had giuen him euen of mind bodie and goods especially in founding erecting beautifying perfecting adorning priuiledging and freeing the church of Christ as Eusebius testifyeth most plainlie in these words Ecclesias vero Dei incredibile est supra omnem opinionem c. It is incredible and far beyond all mens opinions to recount what giftes and ornamentes hee bestowed on the church of God what freedome what plentie of maintenance what honors he gaue to them which had wholy bent theÌ„selues to serue the Lord in his holy temple daily to pray for the safety of the lande for the honour of the King and the sinnes of the people This was the expressed pietie of that first and most Christian Emperour and the Lord of his great mercie redoubled his kindnesse euen into his bosome for hee not onely shewed him the scale which Iacob saw and the gate of heauen opened at the top therereof but hee gaue him that great and rare gift of perseuerance in his deuout deedes euen vnto the end Therfore the Lord blessed him in his pallace in the field froÌ„ the arow which flieth in the wars abroad and from false friends at home and in such plentiful manner that all things which he tooke in hande did prosper wonderfully His victories are compared with the conquests of Cyrus but his end was much more happie for when he had most honourablye passed the full course of the life of man enioyed all the blessings of the earth aboue the space of sixtie yeares not once troubled with any sicknesse of bodie or vexation of minde but in wisedome and true christian loue florished continuallye like the greene bay tree whose fruite doth comfort the hart of man like the spreading vine like the fat Oliue braunch which maketh him to haue a ioyfull countenance sith hee distilled these sweete drops of his sincere loue into the bosomes of the poore distressed christians of his daies the Lord he kindled the sparke of true christian loue in his heart and made him glad with the ioy of his countenance Hee had alwaies victorie against his enemies conquering from Scythia in the east to this Ile of Britaine in the west Neither was the loue of the Lord extended vnto this good Emperour in his life onely but to the end all men may knowe that the loue of the Lorde is not fained that his iustice neuer changeth that his mercie endureth for euer hee departed out of this life being full of yeares in his ripe olde age euen about the feast of the ascension of our sauiour Christ and the descension of the holy Ghost at high noone At which instant his soule leauing the mortall body heere on earth hee was no doubt receiued vp into heauen by the hands of immortall angels there enioying the crowne of eternall blisse Which the Lord hath prouided for all those assuredly which looue his comming and maintaine his holy militant Church heere on earth Neither was the reward of the Lord onely proportioned by the merit of man neither did his munificent mercie onely exceede the merite of this true christian Emperour so much as the compasse of the heauens whose least starres are much bigger then the lande and sea exceedeth the earth in giuing him his hartes desire which is eternall blisse and felicitie but that which the Lord recounteth to Abraham Isaac and Iacob for a sure blessing here on earth he gaue this Godly Emperour three good and godly sonnes to â—it vppon his seate after him neither for one or two liues onely but as it is written of his posterity Vt imperii sedes c. That as the Empire discended from his father vnto him so by the course and lawe of nature it was continued vnto his childrens children and their posteritie Neither is it all onelie to bee marked what fruite the braunch beareth in the top but if we be good simplicians we will haue recourse vnto the roote from whence the first life and naturall vertue proceedeth Heerein if we consider well and looke more narrowlie into it wee shall plainely perceiue that these former examples more
often and so plainly to haue opened the glasse before your face or to the ende that you should acknowledge your deformity wherewith your fleshly hands haue fowlie bespotted the beautiful countenance of your soules I should not haue needed to haue trauailed into strange countries amongst the Iewes and heathen people to shewe you by the true consent of sundrie glasses that as it appeareth without so it is that you haue fowlie stained your christian consciences inwardly with this fowle sin of taking from the Church Neither should I neede nowe after the proposing of those two faire wel steeled glasses of the heathen and the Iewes to adde the thirde which is the true mirror of christianity shewing most plainly that the Lorde Iesu hath an especiall eie vnto his beloued spowse the holie Church and most seuerelie punisheth the detracters of the same Herein as we haue begunne if wee goe forwarde and pierce the fountaine wee shall soone perceiue great riuers flowing from the same For first of all in the daies of our Sauiour Christ let vs marke what was concerning the Church what ought to haue beene and what followed The Lord of light was made a man he walked amongst vs in the habit of man he was vsed verie hardly he liued in very meane estate he was reuiled persecuted whipped despited with mockings mowings with spittings with a reede in his hand and a crowne of thornes on his head And lastlie with a most bitter and cursed death for our sakes and for our saluation Likewise also the Disciples though they preached the glad tidinges of the Gospell with the great power vertue and Maiestie of the holie Ghost yet concerning the worlde they were poore simple contemptible persecuted men In so lowe a valley it pleased the Lord to sow the first seed of his Gospel and to the end that the Roofe of the Church might afterwardes rise farre and high aboue first of all he laid the foundation in great humilitie farre belowe Thus it was then and worldlie minded men regarding more the prosperitie of their bodies then the health of their soules and the safetie of the holie church misconstruing that voice of truth Vos autem non sic say that as the simplicitie of the Church was then euen so it ought to bee now in the flourishing state of the Gospel Wherein I wish them to beware that they looke not on this Christall mirrour too much or that they hold it not too neere for fear lest their fleshlie breath doe dimme the same Remooue the sight of the glasse a little and let vs see what was then and what ought to haue beene they contemned the Gospell of grace they crucified the Lord of light and cruelly persecuted his disciples what were these according to the prophecy the Kings and Rulers of the earth euen Pontius Pilat high deputie of Iurie Herode the Tetrarch of Galilee with the high priests the Iudges the scribes and the pharises and the whole multitude of the Iewes so that in these daies the Church was trodden downe the poore Ministers contemned afflicted persecuted by that faithlesse generation But nowe you which so much allude to those darke daies of persecution in the Church Doe but alter the case a little and suppose that the Emperour and Pontius Pilate his deputie Annas and Caiphas with the rest of the Rulers in those daies had beleeued in Christ and confessed plainely that he was the Sauiour of the world that he created them that he came to redeeme them that he nourished them in their mothers wombe that hee perserued the breath in their nostrels and that it was he by whom they shoulde bee either exalted or put downe either accepted or reiected either saued or condemned in the daie of iudgement If this had bin so let vs thinke what a strange metamorphosis had followed in their doings how would they haue falleÌ„ downe before the Lorde with what humilitie would they haue cast down their crownes scepters at his feete with what ioy woulde they haue exalted the Lord of light what honour magnificence would they haue yeelded to that heauenly bridegrome and the children of the marriage what great freedomes and foundations would they haue bestowed on his Church litle flocke for euer No say some though Iupiters priests with the whole City when they did see the mighty woorking of the holy Ghost by the hands of Paul Barnabas would haue sacrificed to them giuen them the honour title of gods Yet they refused it knowing that the true worshippers would worship him in truth an spirit outwardly yelding him but meane reuerence belonging to simpler state Neither would he or his disciples haue accepted of any worldly honour sith he said plainely my kingdome is not of this worlde As was the roote of humilitie so were the braunches springing from the same As the Lord though he would not openly bee proclaimed a king yet he had ordained in his secrete counsell that the Church shoulde haue hir time of infancie of childhoode of strong age of florishing and decaying Euen so it pleased him that this seede shoulde not bee both sowne and reaped in one daie that it should not first spring and bring foorth seede in one houre and that the Church shoulde not bee founded and perfected both in one minute Though by diuine prouidence the Church was in the infancie that time of our Sauiours beeing heere on earth and his Apostles and though the space of three hundreth yeares after it was trodden downe verie low by persecution vnder the heathen vnder Ebion Cherinthus and Arrius heretiques of the first head whereby the account and calling of the Ministerie waxed verie poore and meane contemned of some misliked of many little reuerenced of the most yet if these Kinges and Rulers had had the grace to haue acknowledged Christ to bee the GOD of of heauen and earth out of doubt they woulde haue applied themselues in all loiall manner to â—he enlarging and amplifying of the true profession of his name they would haue left their princely pallaces and founded solemne temples for the seruice of the Lorde they woulde haue founded largelie for the maintenance of his holy worship and giuen perfect freedome to his Ministers Which if anie now blinded with this beggerly conceited errour concerning the poore simple estate of the primatiue Church whereunto in hope of our liuinges they desire to reduce vs doubt what these Kings and Rulers if they had beleeued woulde or ought to haue done Let them but marke a litle what the first Christian Emperour did who being guided by the spirite of God his doinges shewed plainely what the Lord woulde haue done Beholde a while the gratious feature of this most Christian Emperours minde reade the histories of his life and marke diligentlie what great account he made of the holie fathers of his time aboue all other men Magistrates Rulers and Princes of his dominions How
reward of those which defaced the Temple of the Lorde and decaied his holy Ministerie but it is most plaine and euident by sundrie auncient histories that in all ages when wisdome learning and religion once gaue place to worldly pollicie when the vertues of the mind were subdued to the force of flesh when vertuous life waxed out of vse and sensualitie increased when the bodie robbed the soule and the naturall man imprisoned the freedome of the spirite when the pride of the worlde mainteined it selfe with the goods of the Church then shortly after followed the vtter subuersion of the whole common wealth Therefore let sinfull man looke downe vpon himselfe with great humilitie let the pride of corruptible flesh strike saile in time leâ—t with the sodaine puffes and pirreies of vnnaturall windes which commonlie rise from such mens hearts it be violently driuen into the swift currents of perdition whose end is the gulfe of eternall sorrowe Let not worldly men goe on daie by daie minding nothing else but earth and earthly ioies like brutish beastes which haue no vnderstanding but let them looke vp vnto heauen from whence commeth our ioy and true felicitie let them consider that which the Philosopher gathered by plaine reason that man consisteth not of bodie onelie neither that his beginning is meere naturall as is the stone the flower the tree the oxe the asse but that he is indued with a soule of heauenly and angelicall substance made vnto eternitie that his stature was framed vpright and his countenance erected to the heauens to the ende that aboue all thinges hee shoulde haue a diligent eie vnto God his Creatour who dwelleth in the heauen aboue and a speciall regard vnto his diuine worshippe which hee hath appointed heere belowe That this duetie is inioined him from the day of his birth to the day of his death that in obseruing the same is life and in neglecting it is death not the death onely of the bodie but the eternall death both of bodie and soule If this be so how diligently ought we to looke about vs how readie to walke the steppes of our Sauiour Christ whose meate and drinke was to doe the will of God here an earth howe willing should we bee and desirous to imitate those godly Christians of the primatiue Church who sold their goods and their lands laying them downe at the Apostles feete or their successours which imploied themselues their goods and their lands on the diuine seruice and reuerent Temple of Iesu Christ Let no man presume so farre in his blind zeale altogether deuoid of knowledge and sauering rather the doctrine of men then of God to say that God dwelleth not in temples made with hands neither is he worshipped with outwarde worship but in truth and spirite thereby most prophanely concluding that we ought to put no religion in outward things or to ascribe any holines to the same Wee haue heard that the Temple sanctifieth the gold thereof and if any man doubt of the same let him adde prophane hands vnto the arke though vnder colour to holde it vp and trie with Oza whether he shall presently be stroken from the Lord with sodaine death Or let him but holde out his hande against the Prophet and trie with Roboam whether it will be presently dried vp or no. Though the Lorde strike thee not presently with Oza or at thy returne chaunge thee into a Leaper as white as â—nowe with Gehesey though he doth not accurse thee as hee did the figtree yet assure thy selfe that with the burning sinnes of thy body the winges of thy soule wherewith thou shouldest flie vp into heauen shall bee scorched thy heart shall melt thy conscience shall burne and thou shalt be consumed in the great daie of the Lord. Let all men knowe this for a truth that those which diminish the worshippe of God heere vppon earth the Lord will cut of the line of their posteritie in this life and blot out their portion in the lande of the liuing If this be fearefull O ye sonnes of men then let the daily remembraunce thereof enter into your brestes let it sinke downe into your harts and ransacke your inward spirits that ye may therby learne to kisse the louing son of your saluation to imbrace his manifolde mercies and to tremble at his iudgements Say not God is mercifull and therein abuse him he is farre off and therefore deny him a thousand yeares with him is but a daie and therewith forget him but remember with your selues and consider wiselie that all his wordes are truth and hee hath saide long since I come and I will not staye behold I come quickly He hath girt vp his loynes he hath taken his two edged sword into his hande his trumpet is now ready to sound that great alarum of the day of iudgement His thousand thousandes of angels are ready to deuide the heauens to inflame the aire to dry vp the waters and to shake the earth with all the kingdoms therein and now he is comming euen at the doore Though some may thinke that my penne declyneth to this fading conclusion rather by course of stile than for the euidence of truth therein contayned for the glorie of Iesu Christ or for our dutifull readines against the day of our saluation yet in so great daunger remaine not doubtfull through the flattering shew of sinfull delusions But rather sith it greatly concerneth our soules health let vs harken to that plaine voice of truth when you see these things then thinke that your redemption is at hand and bee yee perswaded fully of the same by euident reason by that which you see with your eyes which you heare with your eares which you haue felt with your sensuall bodies not many yeares since And now after the meditation thereof more truly vnderstand with your harts Whereby you are forewarned hereof euen by secret thoughts when you lie in your beds considering that the bridegroome of our eternal saluation is at hand Cast off the loue of this present world scarce go backe into thine owne house to thy wife and thy little children if thou bee at home within thy doores goe not out into the field to see thy cattell or into the streets to bid thy friends farewell or looke once aside from this present comfort the redemption of all the godly Resolue thy selfe to giue account to come to iudgement for nowe the course of this worlde by all computation is run out all flesh is come to an ende And would you haue it set more plainely before your face Lift vp your eies and you shall see that long since the figge tree is budded the fields are all white vnto haruest the heauens are shrunke in their seat and waxen olde like a garment If you yet doubt that the world is not at the point to bee dissolued or that there is no such present appearance why wee should looke for a newe heauen
the magistrate would counsell mee to giue vp the goods of the Church into his handes I would not willinglie do it Concluding that vnlesse it be in cases set down before by the holie Father saint Ambrose It is not lawful any waie to alienate the goods of the church To this generall consent of scriptures counsels Fathers as the conclusion of the rest succeedeth the great and dangerous punishments which the Lorde sendeth on all them that take any thing from his holie temple of which who so mindeth but to sippe and take a bare tast let him marke these examples plainely propounded in these fewe lines following but if hee will haue more store and is minded to wade further let him enter the dissuasiue it selfe consisting more of example then rule and Celsus of Verona his dissuasiue thereunto adioyned There he shall finde it true by record of sundry histories which is written in holie scriptures concerning those which either take or deteine anie thing once vowed and giuen to the holy Church And what is that wee reade in the Actes of the Apostles that Ananias Saphira his wife consented to keepe backe some of the money which they had once giuen to the Lord. Which how haynous a crime it was let all men note Sith for the same Saint Peter opened his mouth and strooke them both with present death reasoning with them and saying on this maner was it not your owne to haue doone with what you list why then doe you tempt the holy Ghost sith the offence is not against man but against God signifiyng that after it is once giuen or appointed to holie vse no man ought to retract any parte thereof backe againe The like punishment succeeded to all those which spoyled the Church at any time Euagrius in the fourth booke of his historie sheweth that the Duke Gabaones hearing tell that the Vandalls came against him with a puissant army called some of his Captaines to him willing them to put on poore simple apparell and so to passe ouer to the host of the Vandalls marking diligently whether the Vandalls honoured the temples of the christians or spoiled and violated them If they spoyle or violat them saith he then see that in what you can you reedifie and adorne them for the God which the Christians worship I know not but if he be so mightie as they say he is he wil spoile thē which spoile his house The Vandals went forward as they had begun they spoiled the christian temples as they passed with their army they did eat they dranke they sported triumphed enriched with the spoils goods of the church they marched forward And at length ioined battell with Gabaones but moste of them were slain many greeuously wounded in the battell some taken put to diuers torments Quanto rectius ille how much more wisely did that heathen Emperour Alaricus the captaine of the Gotes which besieging that famous Citie of Rome at last conquered it gaue the spoile therof to his soldiers only excepting the faire solemn temple built ouer the tombe of S. Peter for the reuerence which they bare to him commaunding charging most straightly that no man should once touch it or violate any person any goodes or any thing whatsoeuer belonging to the same which was the cause why the whole Citie of Rome was not then clean defaced destroied Let no man in this place obiect on the contrary saying Moses tooke the calfe burnt it to ashes casting thē into the running brooke the Israelits destroied the temples of the heathen Iosias pulled down the temples of the groues Elias the temple of Baall Dauid eate the shew-bread being lawfull onely for the Priestes Phinehas slew the adulterers being a priuate man of which some were mooued by speciall zeale proceeding from the holy Ghost wherby they were warranted and some were commanded as the Israelits to slay man woman and children which thinges at this day wee must not onely not doe but if we doe thē as Bullinger manie learned writers affirme it is sin in the sight of God Sith the son of man as saith our sauiour came not to destroye but to saue He hath broken downe the wall of separation hath made one shepheard one sheepefold both of Iewes Gentles euen the holy Catholike Church the walles whereof who so diminisheth or casteth downe the Lord shall inflict the tormentes of this world on him and his posteritie vnlesse with hartie repentance he restore that which he hath taken away and in the world to come he shall cast him out into vtter darkenes where the worme of wicked conscience stingeth day and night where the fire is neuer quenched the crie neuer ceased the paine neuer mittigated the miserie neuer ended But to those which loue the Lord and beautifie his holy temple with the finest of their gold the first of their fruites the most hartie goodwill that they can the Lord of his mercie shall redouble their gratious charitie many thousand time into their bosome granting them their heartes desire heere in this worlde and in the world to come the eternall saluation of their soules euen the life euerlasting which God graunt vs all thorough Iesu Christ our only Lord and sauiour Amen Euerard Digbie his Dissuasiue The second part HAuing perused the excellent disswasiue of that worthie man Celsus of Verona though the pages bee fewe in number and the paines of translating the same not worthie the account yet considering the deadlye sleepe into the which we are fallen in these moste daungerous times and that as Hermes Trismegist in his Pymander writeth the vsuall and carefull feeding of our fleshlie bodies is the consumption of our soules In regard of my humble dutie towards the most honorable espouse of Iesu Christ our louing mother the holie church and to my deare country a member of the same I seeing nowe the same doubt daunger of the enemie which was in his daies the same suppliāce collected frō the church the same wound the same swelling the same griefe conceiued doubting least if this vnnaturall wound be long vnhealed it will drawe to an issue which is commonly vncurable without the daunger of the whole bodie I thought good to pen this simple short treatise with Celsus of Verona his dissuasiue thereunto annexed that thereby not the common people onely but also those of higher place and degree might cleerlie vnderstand that hee which eateth the bread of the innocent shall neuer be satisfied he which taketh awaie the clothes of the poore shall neuer bewarme he which spoileth his nurse shall neuer be well lyking he which powleth the church shall neuer be rich and hee which weakeneth his mothers backe shall neuer stand vpright against his enemies in the daie of battaile Therefore my deare bretheren bought with the same price you which loue the Lord more than earthlie kingdomes and which count all worldy honour
theÌ„ know that they must die like men that theyr bodies are made of a lothsome matter that they are but wormes meate dun ashes earth earth earth most vile and corruptible earth as all other men be though their descent bee princely ofte times from the house of many mighty Kings and Emperours though the knee of flesh and bloud doe bowe and kneele at their presence though their honour bee great in the eyes of the people their scepter mightie their crown gorgious yet one clod of earth must couer their heades in the graue and all their glorie shall be shut vp in a fewe lines according to the saying of saint Augustine in his booke De vera innocentia Qui splendes in mundo c. Thou which shinest in the world aboue the rest thou accountest of thy nobilitie of thine auncestors thou reioycest in thy large dominions in thy parentage in the great honour and homage which all men doe vnto thee knowe thy selfe that thou art earth and thou shalt bee consumed into earth againe looke vppe but a little and beholde those which were placed in the same throne of maiestie before thy time What is become of those excellent Oratours those mightie princes those puissant conquerous those renowmed Emperours Looke vnto the graue whether thou art passing beholde and see are they not all nowe rotten dust are they not like a sparke of fire which is vanished is not all there glorie and fame contained in a fewe lines written of them by some poore contemned scholler shall not the greatest Prince in this world rise vp naked at the daie of iudgement all amazed trembling and quaking Naie not his bodie onelie but his heart and his minde his soule and his conscience shalbe laied open before the Lord his Angels his saints and all his elect If hee haue plaied the tyraunte beating his fellowe feruantes ruling for his owne gaine and not for the benefitte of his Church shall not the remembraunce of his honour bee a stinging serpent to him in his conscience and his Princely dominion a most deadly corasiue to his heart Therefore be wise ye kings and princes of the worlde and yee which iudge the earth hearken to the wordes of vnderstanding Knowe yee that the wisedome of this world is not as is the wisedome of God Many men in their wisedome forecast by all meanes possible to come into possession of riches honour authoritie power and maiestie which when they haue attained let them but looke back a little and consider with what wicked sinnefull greeuous paines they were gotten with what feare and daunger they are possessed with what greefe they are loste let them enter into theyr owne heartes and beholde what a hell of corruptions and what an armie of tempting serpentes accompanie the minde that is set vppon riches let them marke howe manie wise men of this world haue come vp of nothing to great aboundaunce of wealthie authoritie and yet after they haue well practised and wiselie waied manie yeeres which waie they might come to enioye the height of their desire which is to rule whilest they liue heere on earth and to leaue the like to their posteritie it hath pleased the Lorde in one hower to cutte of the sequell and issue of all theyr hope Either theâ—â—elues togeather with their posteritie are cutte off or else the Lorde dooth take awaye that theyr ioye before theyr face or after all sendeth a worse mischeefe to theyr soule then anie penne can write anie tongue can tell or anie heart can vnderstand Which though we cannot sound to the bottome yet let vs learne by the shadowe to gesse the pourtraiture of the body by the effect to search the cause by the conclusion to knowe the trueth of that axiome Who so euer maketh his God of any thing here on earth it shall neuer prosper with him And who so maketh his quiet heauen here He shall neuer possesse the eternall heauen in the world to come Who so presumeth of his owne wisedome before the iustice of God or on his might that he may treade downe the poore hee shall not bee able to stand vpright in the daie of his daunger and to his vtter confusion he shall heare that voice at length Non est sapientia non est prudentia non est consilium aduersus dominum there is no wisedome there is no pollicy there is no counsell against the Lord. If wee will not hearken to the poore contemned ministers of Iesu Christ which forewarne vs dailie of that great daunger of our soule which wee rashlie aduenture by more esteeming of man then of God of the seruice of man then of the seruice of God of the commaundement of man then of the commaundement of God of the house of man then of the Church of God of the seruaunt of man then of the minister of God the stones in the wall shall crie out aloud and our owne conscience shall tell vs plainly that in loouing the honour the maintenaunce the issue of our bodie wee haue vtterly lost the saluation of our owne soules O that our eyes were so cleane washed with the water of life that wee might but once stedfastly behold the bright beautie of the radiant sonne of God no doubt we would leaue this great politike wisedome of this world wherin euery one striueth to frame his children and learn the true wisedome which is follie in the eyes of flesh wee would humble our selues before the Lorde and kisse the sonne least he be angry We would not count of that sweetnes which is tasted with toong nor of the fading beautie which shineth in the face of sinneful flesh we would cast our worldly honour in the dust and put our scepter vnder the foote-stoole of Iesu Christ We would not so much seeke the honour of earthly kingdoms nor triumph so often in the flesh but we would first aboue all other thinges reade the will of our God and meditare in the same both daye night wee would seeke to differ from the heathen in extolling our scepters after the manner of flesh bloud we would leaue the delight careful seeking of the worlde which is the first entraunce vnto Christ. We would knock at the doore of his mercie by a true faith and enter further by perfect obedience We would drawe neere to the father and kisse the sonne most louingly because he loued vs first so entirely that when wee were his enemies and beeing a most vile and sinnefull creature he left thousands of bright shining holie angels his daily ministers the spheares of heauen the stars of the firmament with all the rest of his beautiful creatures comming down in great humilitie was made man He beeing the high God of heauen earth for our sake was made man he suffered hunger and thirst reprochies and reuilings agonies and paines he sighed in his heart hee groned in the spirite and that which is able
where is that or what sure direction haue wee to the same whilest wee saile in these tempestuous and troublesome seas of vncertaintie considering that the bottom is so britle that wee can haue no ancre holde the seas so wide that wee are farre from kenning of anie coast the winde so vncertaine that wee knowe not whither wee are driuen let vs surelie beleeue that which our parents told vs at our entring into this fleeting vessell that there bee manie gone before vs euen the same way through the same seas to the same hauen that we desire And if you will looke vp with mee a litle I assure you I haue descried one which though it bee farre off and scarcelie within kenning yet by the view the pilot thereof seemeth cunning the course direct the shippe faire and good taking the verie waie of our direction and now lying at ancre before the mouth of the hauen which wee so long haue wished And where is that The examples which I minde to propound vnto you is these three wise men The first fruites of the Gentils which by the appearing of a starre were directed vnto Christ sith in these daies the stile of learning and the learned is lowe yea so low that it lyeth written in the dust troden downe with the feet of ignorant men the kingdome of this world is the golden mirror on which most mens eies are continually fixed with desire and admiration Let no man doubt but these learned men were also kinges according as it is written in sundrie learned fathers Dicts sunt etiam reges quia illo tempore philosophi sapientes regnabant they were also called kinges because in those daies wise philosophers reigned Then these beeing the first fruites of the gentils and the first Christian kinges that euer were All those which minde to come to Iesu Christ to bee washed with his bloud to bee saued by his perfect merit and great mercie let them fixe their eies on these first christian kings let them learne trulie marke diligeÌ„tly what they did They left their owne naturall countrie with all thinges therein following the starre which led them to Iesu Christ. They came to the Inne where the childe was porelie layed in a Maâ—nger there heart was stil fixed with the light which did shine to them from Heauen though they were mightie Kinges yet they regarded not the basenesse of the house nor the vnseemlinesse of the stable where this holie Childe was but acknowledging great maiestie to lye here couered in low humilitie they cast downe the glorie of their kingdomes at his feete they opened their golden vessels and offered to him gould mirre and frankensence the first fruits of true christianitie Wherein wee haue a plaine example propounded to all christian princes and people in that they followed the light of the starre shewing that the wisest though they bee exceedingly learned as they were yet sith this is the Lorde of wisedome euen the wisedome of the God of heauen and earth leauing our owne natural wisedome and denying our selues wee ought to followe this cleare light which shineth thorow Christ from heaueÌ„ Though they be noble Princes as these were yet they ought to acknowledge him to bee king of kings and Lord of Lords of whom it was forshewed that he should walke vpon the lyon and the dragon that all nations should doe him seruice that his kingdome shall haue none ende And who shall declare his generation though the mightie of this world bee of high honour and dignitie as they were yet their humble kneeling and obedience sheweth that christian Princes are not to rule ouer their subiects like the heathen for their owne pompe their owne honour their owne magnificent glorie for the safetie of their owne life regiment kingdome but that with the princely maiestie of the annointed of the Lord they should leaue the care of their earthly kingdome and follow the cleare star of Iesu Christ which lightneth the grossest darkenes They should bowe their bodies and bende their whole strength before Iesu Christ and his holie Church Though worldly men Potentates and Princes liue in greate plentie of honour freedome and all abundance yet knowing that without God is without all let them leaue the loue of their owne houses the delight and glorie of their pompous pallaces let them forsake their owne fathers house their goodes and landes and cimery with the faithfull Abraham and bestowe their whole substance honour and riches on the Lord Iesu and his louing spowse the holy Church Remembring that he created them poore wretches when they were nothing and that of nothing as it is saide he hath loued them without their desert and that with a most entire surpassing loue Hee feedeth them in their mothers wombe and openeth their mouthes that they should breath Hee preserueth them from all the daungers of their infancie euerie minute maintaineth them in their kingdoms holding vp the scepter in their handes as it is written Per me reges regnant by my permission kinges doe rule vppon earth They rule by him and him alone for if hee doe but alienate the mindes of the subiectes the princes seate dooth shrinke vnder him If hee doe but a while restraine the dewe of heauen as hee did at the praier of Elias the prophet of the Lorde both prince and people famish together Though hee giue store of foode though it bee well prepared and by the counsell of good phisitions drest finely for the kinges owne mouth yet if the Lord do not blesse it in his mouth as he cheweth it in the throate as it descendeth in the stomacke as it concocteth in the passage from thence as it digesteth his meate is his bane or at the least hee falleth sicke after the tast thereof and lyeth miserably groaning vppon his pillowe If the Lorde dooth with-hold but the least of his benefits a little the fire from roasting the sunne from shining the corne from riping the tong from tasting the lungs from breathing but one minute of an houre though he be the mightiest king in the world forthwith hee perisheth from the face of the earth Therefore let all kings and princes all people and nations acknowledge the great power of the Lord euen in the least of his benefits Let them leaue off the delight of worldly vanities wherewith they are puffed vp their honours landes and goodes Let them affect the true honour and maiestie the glorious triumph and perfect pleasure which well beseemeth a christian prince euen the annointed of the Lord. Neither are wee carried with the fruitlesse winde of scisme that we should condemne those pleasures which bee lawfull knowing that as the Lorde hath giuen man a bodie together with his soule so it is as necessarie that he looke for the sustenaunce the defence the delight or recreation of his body as of his soule and that in most honourable pleasant triumphant manner if time and
forth in Israel not for weekes or yeares or hundred yeares onlie though it was suppressed in that watrish Aegipt but it shined so cleare out of the darke Cloude in the wildernesse that the arke was there built by the hande of his great messengers Moses and Aaron Neither could the desartes of Synaie or sinne or the exceeding high hilles of all the mountaine countrey restraine the course thereof but it passed ouer the toppes of the highest mountaines it diuided the deepest waters of that Countrey passing on drye lande throw the bottom thereof into that promised land the land of Canaan When the Arke the true figure of the Temple was by the prouidence of almightie GOD thus brought and placed neere the propper home And Dauid also the seruaunt of the Lord taken from the sheepefowlde preserued from the tyrannie of Saul and placed in his kingdome Now for our example let vs marke howe this holie place and godlie King accord together and what effect there is betwixt them The Arke hauing bene long before neglected by Saul which appeared by his ende Dauid hee had a speciall eie and regarde vnto it before all other thinges with great strength power glorie bringing it from the house of Abinadab neerer him ' First placing it in the house Obededom and afterwardes seeing the great blessinges which the Lorde shewed to that place where his Arke stoode he brought it home into the Citie of Dauid placing it in the tabernacle which hee had built for it Afterwardes when hee had conquered all his enemies round about and he sate quietly in his pallace hee followed not the swelling humour of flesh bloud which ruleth most in those that are the lowest born and the basest minded according to that auncient saying Asperius nihil est humili cum surgit in altum but that which is the dutie of a godly prince hee called the prophet Nathan vnto him and saide Do you not marke howe I dwell in my sumptuous house of Cedar and the Arke of the Lord is simply couered with skins shewing that it was not meete that the house of the king or of anie man should bee more faire more sumptuous more honourable and maiesticall than the house of God And therefore hee purposed fully with himselfe to builde a temple vnto the Lorde which hee hath perfourmed with dutifull endeuour in good time but that the Lord by the mouth of his holy prophet signified that his good intent was accepted and therefore the Lorde would blesse him on all sides promising that hee would giue him peace and rest from his enemies that he would place him quietlie in his owne pallace and when his yeares were come to an ende and that hee should after the manner of the godly sleepe with his fathers the Lord promised that hee would raise vp a sonne vnto him in whome he would establish the kingdome of Dauid for euer and which should builde an holie temple vnto the Lord God of Israell Heere vppon the kinglie Prophet did magnifie the Lord in his soule and his spirite did so hartelie reioyce in the wonderfull mercies of his creatour that hee lifte vp his voyce before the Lorde and penned manie Godlie himnes to bee musicallie and melodiouslie sunge by the chaunter and the quire before the Lord. He yeelded his whole heart vnto the Lord and gaue vnto him the first fruites of his lippes Therefore the Lord blessed him with a vertuous sonne euen the wise Salomon whose workes were lyke vnto the wisedome of his heart shewinge plainelie vnto vs the worke and fruite of true and perfecte wisedome and what is that As hee was the wisest man that euer was created so he brought foorth the best and happiest fruite that euer was building an holie temple vnto the honour and seruice of the Lord and that such a one as farre surpassed all the superstitious temples of the heathen Hee set manie thousandes of men a worke at once hee prouided the goodliest timber that could bee seene or heard off the fairest squared stones that might bee and of greatest price His ships went to Tharsis for golde and hee spared not to spende the iewels of Arabie on the same He erected therin great piâ—llers of beaten gold siluer gilding it on euerie side and garnishing it most â—oyallie Hee endowed it with landes and possessions most liberallie He finished it most perfectlie he frequented the same with his deuout praiers dailie to the glorie of God the profitre of his nation the publique practise of the â—olie lawe and sacrifice of the Lord. All the daies of his life hee enioyed it most happilie though by infirmitie hee fell yet y e Lord remembring his mercie let him depart in peace so that hee slept with his fathers and was buried in the cittie of Dauid and Roboam his son raigned in his steede Likewise also the highe and mightie Monarch Cirus King of the Persians though he were an heathen man yet hee yeelded so much vnto the true God that hee released his chosen people out of captiuitie saying the Lord of heauen who hath made mee Lord ouer the whole earth hee hath commaunded mee to builde him an house in Ierusalem Though hee was an heathen and cheefe ruler ouer all the worlde yet hee disobayed not the heauenlie voyce sending Zorobabell the cheefe of the Iewes proclaming that it might bee lawfull for anie of those which were in captiuitie to goe home and to helpe vp the buildinge of the house of the Lord bringing out the golden vesselles which Nabuchodonozer brought from the temple of Ierusalem and yeelding them all into the handes of Zorobabell and the rest whome hee sent vnto Ierusalem to builde vp the wasted temple giuing them great freedome authoritie and store of golde of filuer of worke men and all kinde of suppliance what so euer After this his religious bountie towardes the temple of the Lorde hee had great battailes against the Kinge of Babilon and manie other mightie Princes against whome the Lorde gaue him so great and so good successe that after he had ouercome the rich and strong king Craesus king of Babilon and that most mightie magnificent famous Cittie which manie other most puissant Princes hee alone was cheefe ruler of the Assirians the Medes the Persians beeing the first erector of the second Monarch of the worlde Wherein wee see most plainelie the great care and dilligent eye which the Lorde hath vnto his temple in that hee commaunded Cyrus to reedifie it and the good successe which followeth those which helpe to builde the same Especiallie if they perseuer in theyr good deuotion vnto the ende But if after they haue begunne to worke in the spirite they incline themselues to fulfill the desire of their fleshlie eye Let them knowe though they obtaine most excellent victories and high renowne in the battaile though they be placed ouer many kingdomes and haue obtained the height of theyr desire in what they
the name of that Disciple whom the Lord so loued that he let him leane vpon his breast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For whose sake we loue another him we loue much more And surelie this most vertuons princes loued our Lord Iesu with a perfect loue which so honoured the name of that disciple whom the Lord loued so much neither did her worthie deuotion conteine it selfe within these walles but proceded like the pleasant flowing riuer which giueth moisture to the pastures round about it In that shee founded a diuinitie lecture to be read publiquely in Cambridge and an other in Oxford with many other gratious deeds elsewhere To these good fruits which this worthie tree of the Lords vineyard did send forth plentifully vnder whose shadow many of vs pore soules are shrowded from the nipping cold in Winter and the scorching heat of Summer at this daie the Lord distilled the heauenlie deaw of his blessing vnto her heart giuiâ—g her a most deuout and heauenlie minde here vppon earth to which all the treasure in the world is nothing comparable with pefect honor true heartie loue of al good Christians To which hee added a faithfull and louing promise made vnto the iust setting her most princely sonne vppon the seat of the kingdome whilest she liued And after her death his childrens children which wee see with our eies at this day to our great ioy peace and comfort most heartily praying God to graunt her a long and prosperous reigne in this world and in the world to come euerlasting felicity Amen Amen is already said my prayer to God shal be amen But thend period is not yet sith in the field of the Lord there is good seede and tares holesome hearbes and weedes sweet roses and stingingnettles We haue now shewed plainly the fruitful seede of this garden and the sweete fragrant flowers growing in the same which daily send vp a most sweete smell into the nostrils of the Lord much like the odoriferous smell of Iacobs garmentes which greatlie delighted the senses of his olde father Isaac or lyke the pretious oyntment powred on the head of Aaron running downe his beard euen to the hemme of his garment Amongst the which good trees now named as there are many passing pleasaunt flowers springing out of many and sundry soiles so the peareles pearle the flower of flowers the rose of England being ioyned with the rest doth make the nosegay full faire and sweet whose pleasant smel because it is so holesome to the head and comfortable to the heart because the oyle thereof doeth comforte the brused sinewes lowseth the dried iointes and mittigateth swelling paines through the whole bodie The Lord hold his holie hand ouer this flower and preserue it to his glory according to the tenor of that old verse Haecrosa virtutis de coelo missa sereno Eternum florens regia sceptra tenet This rose of true vertue euen sent from heauen holding the kingly scepter of this lande shall flourish for euer And good cause why Sith the roote thereof is firmely fixed on the south-east side of this orchyard Ouer which the sunne of heauen hath spred his blessed beames so plentifully that the ground thereof is fresh and greene the flowers faire the smell sweete the fruit most plentiful and verie wholesom Which because it yeeldeth the first and sweetest taste vnto the spowse of Iesu Christ hee hath blessed it as yee haue heard and it shall be blessed And though I bee the vnworthiest of many thousandes to walke thorow this orchard of the Lorde Yet if it shall please you of your curtesie to accompany mee vnto the of ther side ye shall see by the way that wee must decline from euill and doe good that on this side of the orchyard bee many faire and large trees whose bowes be faire the leaues be greene the fruit is well seeming but yet it hangeth so high that it will not come downe the bowes are so stiffe and the trees so vntractable that they will not once bend themselues vnto the hande of the most louing spowse of Iesus Christ. And therefore as the Lord of his mercie hath blessed those abundantly which loue his spouse nourish his children so on the contrary hee maketh those trees barren which yeeld him no fruite He taketh the iuice from them so that their bowes wither their leaues fall from them the bodie dieth the tree is cut downe with his sharpe axe or else with great force pulled vp by the roote and cast into consuming fire But if the ranke root of the euill tree be so full of naturall corruption and venimous posion that it sucke out the iuice from the good trees neere adioining thereto which yeelde wholesome fruites vnto all his saints then the Lorde he sendeth forth his spirite of mighty force and tempest which breaketh the bowes and rendeth the tree in sunder Hee prepareth most exquisite tormentes and vntollerable dolours for all those which impouerish his Church which disgrace the shepheardes of his flocke which treade downe the sides of his simple folde and deuoure his poore lambs thorow the gredie and heathenish desire which they haue to the the goods of this world From this corrupt fountain springeth the vncertaine and the wretched cares of mans life in that euery one is set on fire with the sparks of infinite desires Beeing once tottered in the chariot of this vncertaintie man walketh in a vayne shadow disquieteth himselfe in vaine His hart is set on vanitie and all his purchase is the sorrowfull fruits of the flesh Though honor and riches haue no stabilitie though the strength of man is like a brused reede which we bteake in sunder with our fingers though the whole world be a sea of troubles all the prosperities therof waues of perpetuall disquietnes yet man sinful man presumptuous disobedient vnsatiable man though his eies be weake and dim yet will he aduenture to looke against the radiant sunne though he be blind yet will he walke though he bee weake yet wil he striue against the strongest stream though he be naked yet will he offer himselfe to the stroke of death though the drinke be deadly poison yet because the colour is good the cup pleasant the first tast therof sweet he wil drinke a large draught till the tast of his toong empoyson his owne hart till his pleasure breake out with roaring paine till his bodie be dried vp and til his soule all consumed with sinne cry out with Iob Tedet animam meam vit ae meae it irketh me of this wicked life Though this bee thus and daily example of those which descend before our eyes into the graue dooth tell vs all this plainely yet wee daily carke and care for this carkasse of ours knowing well it is but dust wee desire sweete meates which empoison the soule wee reuerence we feare most seruilely wee admire worldly honour which
cause why for if the Lord promise long life and happie daies to them which dutifullie honor their father and their mother shall hee not pull out his flaming sworde of indignation and cutte of the line of their posteritie which dishonor their spirituall mother the holie church pilling and powling her of her iewels ornamentes auncient liberties large possessions making her loathsome euen in in the sight of the heathen If thy louing mother tooke thee vp out of the wildernesse from the mouthes of manie wilde beastes if shee brought thee in her louing armes into her house and lapped thee warme in her owne clothes if she suckled thee with her tender brestes if she sustained many great losses harde aduentures in bringing thee vp if she suffered many troubles daungers in defending thee nay if shee haue beene most greeuously persecuted once twise thrise nay more than tenne times for thy sake is it not barbarous crueltie for thee when thy mother is olde to take her iewels from her necke her clothes from hir backe her house ouer her head her meate out of hir hande Wilt thou scratch the teate that gaue thee sucke or diminish the liuing of the Church which giueth the spirituall foode for the soule though the holy scripture had not once mentioned it yet the law of nature dooth threaten a dreadfull doome to all those which destroy their owne parents God the Creator of nature it selfe dooth neuer leaue it vnpunished Let vs propound vnto our selues the life the honour the dignitie the blessed memorie and immortall glorie of those worthie princes already mentioned And on the contrary the sinister beginnings the euill successe the miserable endes of all those which neglected the glorie of God and the prosperous estate of his Church which of all Christians especially of all true nobilitie ought most to bee abhorred Doe but lift vp your eie and looke at tbose which haue shaked their head at Sion by shaking of Sion her selfe haue meant to strengthen themselues on all sides Fixe your eies stedfastly yea but a little on those gracelesse ympes after many great plagues and destructions sent on them ye shall see the clowde cleane vanished and in the house of the wicked no man lefte His habitation shalbe voide and there shall no man remaine to saie with the olde Prophet alas my brother alas my vnckle alas my loouing father Nowe hauing bent our eyes vnto the viewe of sundrie examples let vs looke into the ages past and see if euer the Godly were vtterlie destitute or that the enemies of the Church of God euer continued long in honour or if those which anie waie impared the Church prospered afterwardes in their generations Come and see nay I pray you reede and vnderstand that the Lord hath alwaies beene most ielous ouer his beloued spouse Tell mee if you bee so olde or your memorie so good can you name anie what so euer which at anie time in anie nation diminished the state the liuing the honour the safetie of the church of Christ and scaped the handes of the almightie Dauids eating of the shewe breade in the dayes of Abiather the high Preest is aunswered by the Lord of truth extreame necessitie droue him therevnto and yet as the learned write hee might more safely doe it because he was both a Prophet and a king herein prefiguring the person of a sauiour Christ who was a king a preest and a Prophet But let vs proceede plainly saying the sooth of our conclusion The Lord in executing his iudgementes hath no respecte of persons neither pardoneth he this greeuous voluntarie sinne of detracting from the Church so easilie as hee dooth other sinnes of infirmitie But rather hee sheweth his most seuere iudgement against those which take the liuing of the leuit from the Church and impropriate the same vnto themselues their wiues and their children Ely was a goodlie old Priest aud verie learned He was so beloued of the Lord that by the mouth of God hee and his seede were appointed to minister in the house of God hee had the freedome and prerogatiue of the Priests and he onelie had the disposing of the Arke the house the sacrifice of God in his daies Till at the length together with the vse of holie rites thorough the hope of small gaine hee suffered great abuse to enter into the house of God in that the sonnes of Ely forgetting God the due reuerence which they ought vnto his holy sacrifice applied the vse thereof more to the feeding of their owne selues then to the solemne and reuerend pacifying of the Lord for the sinnes of the people They seldome offered themselues whē any of the people came to offer vp vnto the Lord whilest the meat was boiling the Priests boy came hauing a fleshhook in his hād he thrust it deep into the caudron what piece soeuer came vp that the Priest tooke to himself This did they vnto all the people of Israel which came to sacrifice in the house of God at Silo. Yea before they burnt the fat the priestes boy came to him which offered saying giue me a portiō that I may rost for the priest I will not stay to take boiled flesh at thine hands but I must haue it rawe To whom when he which offred vnto the Lorde answered not so but according to the custome let the fat be burnt first take then at your pleasure To whome the boy replied nay but if thou wilt not giue it me presentlie I will take it whether thou wilt or no. Herevpon the sins of the sonnes of Elie was grieuous in the sight of God because they being sinfull flesh tooke to their owne vse that which was bestowed on the sacrifice of the God of heauen Elie heard all those things of his sonnes and more then that and he said vnto them verie mildlie howe is it my sonnes that I heare of such wickednes committed by you against the Lord doe so no more my sonnes doe so no more Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati They sinned still by dailie custome without regard they offended the Lord without remorse the old father spake to his sonnes sometimes but so louing lie that hee hated his children that hee fed their humour and nourished them in their wanton wickednes forgetting that truth which he spake with his lips If one man sinne against another God may be pacified for them both but if man sin against God who shal intreat for him or make sufficient satisfactiō This mild old man waxed towards his end As is the vse of natural fathers he loued his sons too much too vehementlie too childishlie in that he was loather to loose their fauning looks then the fauor of the Lord. Alas say some you must beare with nature he was verie old and his greatest ioy was his sons Was his ioy here vpō earth And did he reioice more in his fleshly childrē then
in the true seruice of the Lord because he loued the issu of his flesh more theÌ„ the glory of God maintained his childreÌ„ with y â— which was bestowed on the worship of god therfore the Lord seÌ„t a doble embassage vnto him First y e man of God told him plainly after this maner Thus saith the lord did not I plainly appear vnto y â— house of thy father when he was in Egypt in Pharaos house and chose him out of all the tribesâ— of Israell to bee my Preest to offer vpon mine alter and to burne incense and to weare an Ephod before mee and I gaue vnto the house of thy father all the burnt offeringes made to mee by fire of the children of Israell Wherefore haue you kicked against my sacrifice and mine offeringe which I commaunded in my tabernacle and honourest thy children aboue mee to make your selues fatte of the first fruites of all the offeringes of my people Israell Wherefore the Lord God of Israell saith I saide that thine house and the house of thy father should walke before mee for euer But nowe the Lord saieth it shal not bee so for them which honour me them I will honour And they which despise mee shall be dispised Beholde the day shall come that I will cut of thine arme and the arme of thy fathers house and there shall not bee an olde man in thine house and thou shalt see thine enimie in the habitation of the Lord c. And this shall bee a signe vnto thee thy two sonnes Ophney and Phinees shall both die in one daie This was the first Embassage and the second was like vnto it denounced by the childe Samuell in this manner Behold I will doe a thing in Israell that the eares of all which heare it shall tingle In that day I wil bring all the plagues against Elie and against his house which I haue already determined and I will iudge his house for euâ—r and the iniquitie of his house shal not be done away with offeringes and oblations for euer Which when Elie heard he being stricken with greese of hart hee saide it is the Lord let him doe as it seemeth best in his eies Immediatly after these offeÌ„ces of the soÌ„s of Ely against the Lord his holy worship the prophaning of the tabernale which was a figure of the church the Philistnes moued battail against Israel they won the field they tooke the arke of the Lord in the same day Oppney and Phines the sons of Elye were slaine in the battaile At which time Ely sitting vppon a cell trembling for feare of the arke then gone forth into the battaile he beeing blind in the euening he hard a sorowfull noise through out the whole cittie weeping mourning great lamentation euen in such sorte that he sent presently to know the cause thereof In the same instant a messenger came running from the feelde in hast telling him that all Israel was that day discomfited in the battaile great effusion of bloud in the middest of Israell with the death of his two sons Ophney and Phinees also the arke of God was taken by the Philistines But when Elie hearde the arke of God named he fell downe backward froÌ„ his feate brake his necke O the dreadfull iudgement of the Lord against those which take awaie the liuing giueÌ„ to maintaine his holy worship Here we see the truth of Elies speach if man sinne agaist man there may be an attonement made betwixt theÌ„ But if man sin against God if he diminish the glory of the Lords temple to increase his own honour or feed himselfe his wife his children with the goods giuen to the worship of the Iord his holy temple who shall intreate for him those which by weakenes of the flesh sin of infirmity to theÌ„ the Lord wil more easily grant pardoÌ„ But if thou lift thine hand against the mighty God of heauen earth willingly diminish the worship of his holy name theÌ„ tremble fear repeÌ„t indeed for not the malefactor only but his father his bretheren his citie his countrie where his wickednes is suffred shal be grieuouslie punished by the hand of God in peace vanquished by the enemie in the daie of battail Herein both Clergie Temporaltie are to take example of the punishmeÌ„ts which light on those that diminish or alter the oblations godlie deuotions which true christian Princes other wel disposed people hath freely bestowed on the Church Though their hearts be so hardened that they doe not feare and their conscience so brauned that they cry to those which shew forth the dreadfull iudgements of the Lord in this case Talke on giue me the goods therein take the fat of the Church liuings and leaue the leane for those which minister at the Altar of the Lord Yet let them assure themselues that the Lord wil come wil not defer and till he come he hath laid vp a heauie iudgement for them against the daie of distresse In the battaile they shall be discomforted their sonnes shall perish with the sword themselues shall die the same night they shal know that it is the Lord. He wil be serued first none but he He wil haue the best of our lands goods children none but he He will haue the Kingdome the power the glorie none but he There shall no iniquity remain in his house Neither is he like to sinful man that he wil grant childish dispensations contrarie to his own laws He hath granted no priuiledge of euil life to anie person whatsoeuer If the King offend hee spareth not his goods his lands his childreÌ„ his life his honor If the people sin he raiseth a strong strange people against them in war or sendeth a secret pestilence to destroy them at home in peace If the priest conuert the offerings of the Lords worship vnto the maintenance of his wife children though it be that good old man Elie yet the people for whom he praieth shal flie before their enemies his sons shall die on the edge of the sword he shal break his neck down backward the ark of the Lord shal be taken by the vncircuÌ„cised Philistines that which is the core of this most grieuous plague sore the glory of the Lord shal depart from the land Tunc tuares agitur paries cùm proximus ardet if iudgmeÌ„t begin at the house of God what shall be amongst the estranged sinners if the fier be already so kindled in the greene tree what shall become of the drie If the Lorde thus seuerelie punished his priest whom hee chose vnto himselfe for diminishing the sacrifice the solemnity therof with what sword wil he reuenge the disgraces of his holie Temple amongst the heathen or the greedie Atheists which spoile hir of hir dailie maintenance of hir pretious clothing of hir solemn foundations of hir wel bestowed lands You know that
SalomoÌ„ was the wisest man that euer was being onlie man yee haue heard of the fruit of his heauenly wisdome euen the building of a holy temple vnto the Lord. If heauenly wisedome built it vp then sinful folly pulled it down down it came But wil you see with what countenaÌ„ce the Lord beheld that fact That mightie Monarch Nabuchodonozer amongst his generall warres and famous victories he conquered Ierusalem and rased the walls he spoiled the Temple and tooke away some of the golden vessels of the house of God placing them in his emple before his Idols wherein the learned obserue that he had some conscience in taking some of the vessels not all in vsing them only in the temple of his gods not in his owne house He was a mightie Emperor as his dominions were greater then those of other princes so was his hart lift vp in prid aboue all other men therefore the Lord he put the mighty man from his seate hee disarmed him of all his power he made him naked of al his glory he remooued the crowne of golde from his head that which argueth what manner of men they be which laie violent handes on the temple of God he tooke from out his brest the vnderstanding hart of man placed therein a brutishe beastly heart together with the shape of an Oxe which hath hornes and hoofs and eateth haie After this hee tooke him from the princely pallace and turned him lose into the wilde soile euen amongst the beasts of the wood His body was wet with the dewe of heauen his drinke was the water of the puddle his solace was the company of brute bests He led this dul deadly life for seuen yeres y t hee might learne to know the God of heauen to regard his truth to giue him al honor and glory which after the Lord of his mercy wisdom had restored him to his kingdome he did most willingly plainely acknowledg euen in these words I Nabuchodonozer do lawd magnify extoll aboue al things y â— king of heauÌ„e earth c. Though after this strange chastisement he was woÌ„derfully humbled in the sight of God man yet the corruptioÌ„ of the fathers bloud did sinke so depe into the bones of his son king Balthasar that when he was at a solemne feast amoÌ„gst his princes the nobilite of his court being dronken he commanded y â— the golden vessels which his father Nabuchodonozer â—ad brought froÌ„ the temple of IerusaleÌ„ should be brought into him that he his princes his nobles wiues concubines in a brauery might drinke in them It was so don They did eate and drinke in the vessels belonging to the temple of the Lorde they praised their idoll Gods but by the way the wine which tasted sweete to his lips came cold to his hart For in the same moment as hee was drinking right ouer against the candle standing on the table there appeared the fingers of a mans hand writing on the wal which once discried by the king himselfe hee beheld it with a gastly looke and fearefully esprised with the letters which appeared in his sight his colour chaunged his heart panted his spirit was troubled his raines were loosed and his legs shrunke vnder him Straightway in great hast hee sent for Daniel who read the writing which was this Mane Techel Phares expounding these three words in this manner Mane that is God hath numbred thy kingdom broght it to an end Techel thou art weighed in the ballaunce thou art found too light Phares thy kingdome is diuided giuen to the Medes Persians This was the sentence of the Lord against that mightie king for translating his vessels appointed for his holy sacrifice vnto prophane vse the execution was not long deferred for the selfe same night in which he presumed to drinke in those holy vessels hee was slaine in his owne house Though the Lord do not alwaies sende such manifest speedy reuenge on all those which take the goods of the holy church vnto their priuate vses yet let them which are guiltie thereof beware that they abuse not too much the merciful louing patience of the Lord for his sword is sharpe passeth swiftly betwixt the soule and the spirit like the lightning breaking out of the clowd Think not that he is forgetfull because the fact is nowe past or vniust because vengeance yet lieth hid or partial that without repentance he should suffer any sin to scape vnpunished in any person whatsoeuer from the beginning of the world vnto this day Dauid was a holy and a kingly prophet a man euen according to Gods owne hart his eies beheld the vaine beautie of a woman wherewith his hart was straight inflamed and set on fire within his brest hee tooke his poore subiects wife and sent her husband to wars where hee was slaine he loued he killed and after that he possessed the woman had by hir a goodly boy What followeth in the text of holy scripture the prophet Nathan brought him a heauie message froÌ„ the Lord saying it is euen thou thou hast sinned against the Lord and thy poore subiect thou hast slaine Vrias the Hethite and married his wife wherefore the sworde shall not departe from thine house for euer This was the defiance of the Lorde sounded against king Dauid by the mouth of Nathan the prophet to which the great alarum was not vnlike For the Lord did visite the little childe which he had by Vrias wife with sicknesse For whom Dauid prayed vnto the Lorde most instauntly that hee would spare the childe Hee prayed long hee fasted religiously hee mourned hee remained in the darke hee put on sackecloth and ashes hee lay vppon the colde ground his noble counsellors could not intreate him to take any meate for seuen dayes in the ende whereof the Lord tooke away the fruit of his sinfull delight euen the childe vnlawfully begotten which he so entirely loued Afterwards though the Lorde blessed him with Salomon yet to shewe that the fight of the rereward should bee no lesse mortall than the sodaine alarum giuen before to the maine battaile the Lorde stirred vp his owne sonne in armes against him and armed the people so stoutly with rebellious heartes in desire of his destruction that it was saide plainely before the king that all Israell were vp in armes against him and sought to destroy him This tumult of the people was so sodaine so violent and so outragious for the time that the king for feare fledde out of his owne pallace and durst not staye therein though hee had shewed great signes of hartie repentaunce and the Lorde had sayde that hee would remember his mercies promised vnto him the retreate was not fully sounded but the Lorde punished the sinnes of the king together with the death of seuentie thousand of his subiects destroyed with the plague which hee sent amongst
them Whereby all men maye learne to feare the Lorde knowing that hee is iust and holie immutable and not as man is to bee pleased with a faire worde but euen amongst his chosen children hee sendeth his deuouring sworde to cut of the roote of their sinnes and not to them onely but to their children and childrens children Concerning this wee haue a cleare example in Achab king of Israell who when hee could not entreat poore Naboth to depart vnto him his vineyard and the inheritance of his forefathers hee lay down on his bed all sick with griefe turning his face from the companie towards the wall he sighed sorrowfully but the phisition was at his elbow For there was a commission presently sent forth a court called witnesses examined Naboth condemned brought forth executed When Achab heard of this he rose from his bed he descended and tooke possession But the Lord he sounded forth his trompet of defiance against him by the mouth of Helias saying hast thou killed and taken possession behold in the same place where the dogges licked the bloud of Naboth they shall also licke thy bloud and I will cut of the line of thy posteritie so that I will destroy from Achab euery one that maketh water against the wall Achab hearing this was wonderfullie sorie and vexed in his hart so that he rent his garment fasting and praying in sackcloth and ashes Therefore the Lord had an eie to his penitent sorrow and recomforted him by the mouth of Helias saying Because thou hast humbled thy selfe at my voice this euill shall not come in thy daies but in thy sonnes daies and yet not one iot of the word of the Lord failed concerning his death For after three years there arose great wars betwixt Israel and the Assâ—â—ians in which king Achab being sore wouÌ„ded vnder the side with an arrow the bloud ran down into the chariot and he died and they washed the Chariot in the poole of Samaria and the dogs licked his bloud in the selfe same place where hee spilt the bloud of the innocent Naboth His eldest sonne Ioram was partaker of this punishment sent from God for hee was shot betwixt the shoulders by the handes of Iehu being cast out of his chariot into the fielde of Naboth Also his wife Iesabel the deuiser of this sinne shee was cast out of her window downe vpon the pauement where her brains dasht out against the stones her bloud sprent vpoÌ„ the walles her body bruised against the ground When she should haue bin taken vp there was nothing found remaining saue onely her handes her feet and her scawpe as it was spoken by the mouth of Helias Dogges shall eate the flesh of Iesabel in the fieldes of Iesraell Lastly that wee may behold the seuere iudgement of the Lord against those which take away other mens possessions though Achab left great store of Children behind him euen 70. sonnes in Samaria so that it seemed verie likely in the eie of man that hee should neuer want issue to sitte vppon his seat yet the Lord in one day by the hand of Iehu destroyed them all their heads were cut of at his commaundement and laid on heapes by the citie gate to the end that all posteritie might learne hereby not to trust in the multitude of their landes authoritie and riches or to hope too much in the succession of their carnal bodie but to way the seuere iudgementes of the Lord against all those which neglect his honour and which through a greedie desire of earthly possession with the hasard of their owne soules willingly vndoo their poore neighbours and bretheren for whom the Lord Iesu the God of heauen and earth hath shed his most pretious bloud O that carnall men would consider wisely and way this conclusion truly in their hart that if the Lord did so seuerely punish Achab and yet not the thousand part which hee deserued for the taking away of one of his subiectes vineyardes which lay verie commodiouslie for him that hee died vnfortunately in the battaile his Queene was eaten with dogges his children euen 70. be headed all in one day what grieuous punishment hath hee prepared for those which take the house vineyards of his beloued spouse which impouerish his children of whom he hath said hee which hurteth you hee toucheth the apple of mine eye which eate her bread from her and make her barren of her best beloued children Which place all their studie and delight in hording vp corruptible riches not remembring how litle it auaileth a man if he win the whole world and loose his owne soule Nay not considering the exceeding great blessings which the Lord continuallie powreth on them that mainteine his holie temple and the extraordinarie curses wherewith hee cutteth of the desire and posteritie of all those which either decay his holy church or diminish the deuine worship of his holy name Me thinks our eies should not be so dim in this cleare light that wee should not see nor our hearts so fleshlie that wee should not vnderstand and the will of the Lord and his great iudgements against those which maintaine themselues by the goods of the church being none of those which do seruice or haue any special functioÌ„ in the same Though we wil not vnderstaÌ„d the feareful examples which the Lord hath shewed heretofore Yet let vs so incline our owne hartes and waies that of our selues we may be ready rather to giue with the blessed than to take away with the cursed Let vs consider with reason that man is created for the glory of God not for his owne glory for the seruice of God not for his owne seruice for the saluation of the whole man euen body soule not for a litle vaine delight whilest he liueth herein y â— flesh Herein let him know by the rules of nature of reason of ciuil lawes holy institutioÌ„ that the goods of the church came to vs by the right of successioÌ„ by the same right they are entailed to our posteritie succession of our place calling for euer If this bee so theÌ„ the sequel is most plaine true the goods of the church they are none of ours to giue but whilest we possesse theÌ„ nor theirs to take we offend in giuing they offend in taking away that which is neither theirs nor ours But as Naboths vineyard the inheritance giuen by our forefathers to vs our succession We gaue you them say some we may take them away Not so though the antecedent halt yet suppose it were true the coÌ„sequent is altogether maimed Though you had giueÌ„ that which you would faine take away though those good deuout soules your auncestors which so charitably prouided both for you vs liued at this day whose life would be to them a double death if their eies did see that which we see yet that which thou hast once giuen into mine hand willingly wittingly
Tullie saith Fluctibus saepe obruitur antequam portum conspicere valet After hee haue bin long tired and scratched in the bushie woods peraduenture he shal come to the death of the Hare And yet in our moral the course is not so hard nor halfe so vncertaine For when the wished preferment which you meane is once to be atchieued who so hard harted that will not bestow it on the best Is it detur meliori or detur pulchriori I know not but I am sure hee that seekes shall find Gladly would I learne that kinde of seeking If his wished preferment lye in the court he must prouide a friend in the court who is alwaies better than the pennie in purse What if it be in the countrie these things haue all one certaine rule But as the giuer is so is the way of obtaining Then the learned are in worse case than they were before because the way is more vncertaine for hee must sometimes sue to the good honest Farmer in the Countrey who knoweth a golden angell better than a Latine word sometimes to the gentleman in the Citie sometimes to his wife his sonne his daughter his cosin his steward his factor sometimes to the Noble man and all his circumstances before he can come to the matter And when he hath done if hee bee not so well seene in secret Philosophie that hee can talke learnedlie with the secretarie his studying at the Vniuersitie so many yeares his riding into the countrie the citie the court his expenses his paines his hope is all lost Is this the seeking which you meane and must the poore learned man after hee hath read so many volumes and studied so many yeares in so manie sciences and tongues runne and ride post hast from place to place from countrie man to gentleman from him to his wife from both to the court to the noble man to his sonne his clerke his secretarie alas poore scholler Whilest wee haue bene seeking after your manner we haue almost lost the game which wee begunne to hunt and yet I hope wee are not runne so farre counter but that wee may easilie vndertake it againe Sith it followeth conuenientlie if they be good minded men which pittie the poore distressed case of the learned then they be euilly minded which are the cause thereof diminishing the liuinges of the Church wherewith the learned ought to bee mainteined Without such contingent seekinges the last dispaire of most learned mens desire From this riuer conduit pipe floweth a channell of fowle troubled water wherewith whilest these worldly minded men do vse to wash their faces they appeare much more deformed than before sith the tasting often of the sweetnesse of this troubled earthlie channel in hart and minde are so bewitched with the loue of this present life that the honor of God the reuerence of his name the due hearing of his word the daylie celebrating of his diuine Seruice together with the immunitie and perfect freedome of his ministerie is much decayed I passe ouer al the examples and plaine speaches of contempt vsed against the ministers of Christ at this day Those which be thus euilly minded towards the Church of Christ nay towardes Christ himselfe are the Christians are they comparable to the heathen in their kinde or worthie to bee numbred amongst men though their titles be many their honour great their landes inestimable yet thinke yee that these men shall prosper here on earth as for heauen turne backe good sir this is not the way The gate by which yee must enter in thither is verie lowe the way narrow the iourney long your bodie is idle your doinges dissolute your chariti cold your hart to high yee cannot come in Our Lord and Sauiour Christ when hee liued here on earth hee willed that the litle Children should come to him saying that of such consisteth the kingdome of God And yet if the children treading in the steppes of their fathers contemne the minister of God or in their childishnesse dishonour him If the children of Bethell scorne the good prophet Elizeus like graceles boyes crying out on him goe vp you bald pate go vp though they be smal yong yet their crie pearceth to the heauens The Lord shall listen verie attentiuely when ought doth sound against the honour of his prophets he shall open the window of his wrath in his displeasure two shee Bears shall come out of the wood shall deuour two and fortie of them that thereby both olde and young may learne to reuerence the prophets of the Lord sent vnto them Euen as the countenance of the mother beholdeth the sucking child in her armes most louinglie as the eie of the Hawke minting at her pray doth most fixedlie and fiercelie behold the same euen so the Lord dooth continually behold his embassadours his prophets his pastors his ministers and not their life onely and their safetie but their good mainteine and regard so that the sonne shall not burne them by daye nor the moone by night The pride of sinfull flesh shall not represse them long nor the greatest tyrant in the worlde shall disgrace them in any word or sprinckle any spot in their face but it shal be washed off againe euen with his owne precious bloud Well and wisely did the Poeâ—s faine that the contemners of the goddes alwaies came to euill end Amongest a number of examples this appeareth plain in Aiax who counted more of bodilye valour than of Mineruaes wisedome and with hawtie speach disdained that it shuld haue the due reward therfore he was berest of commoÌ„ wit vnderstanding being stricken with a most furious fit in which he slewe himself vpon his own sword What should I rehearse the manifold plagues punishmeÌ„ts which the Lord sent vpon the conteÌ„ners of his holie worship euen from Noe vnto the birth of our S. Christ whose life because that tirant Herod sought by his bloudy sword to cut off froÌ„ the earth that with the shedding of much innocent bloud therefore the Lord on a soleÌ„ne feast day wheÌ„ he shewed himself vnto the people in his highest glory the multitude to flatter him cried most blasphemosly it is the voice of a God not of a man then euen then the Lorde from heauen stroke him by the hande of his angell so that presently his flesh rotted crawling full of quicke worms and lice which deuoured him most miserably before the face of all the people If carnall sensualitie did not too much dimme our eyes I should not neede to holde out this my obscure light vnto you now at the noon daye when the light of the Gospell shineth most cleare and bright round about vs. If we had cunned the rules of true christianitie by hart or vnderstood the truth of them or had receiued the vertue of wel woorking into our consciences therewith renewed in the spirite I should not neede at this day so
haue looked to the woorship of the Lord and how careful they haue bene of their owne estimation how litle they haue bestowed on the house of God and how manie thousandes on their owne painted pallaces how little they haue bestowed on the poore of Iesu Christ and haue exceeding much on their carnal friends in whom they delighted When those thinges shal come clerely to their remembrance then shalbe fulfilled that saying of the Apostle Go too yee rich men howle weep for the miserie which shal come on you Many and mightie shal be their wailings it shall greeue them that they haue bin rich when they shall see the blessings of the poore their honour shal breed thought of dispaire and confusion in their harts their faire lands which they made their paradise here on earth shalbe a burning consumption in their coÌ„sciences When the wicked shall see heauen open aboue hell gaping belowe and the earth melting away betwixt them both when they shall heare that voice of ioy Come ye blessed and that voice of sorrowe Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire when they shall see the mightie put downe from their seate and the humble lowly harted exalted it shall greeue them so that they shall vtterly loath all those pleasures which they haue so loued they shall gnash thereat with their teeth But to the godly to the penitent sinners to those which loue his holy worship and study to maintaine his poore members heere vpon earth the Lorde of his great mercie will bestow his louing kindnes peace with the fruition of euerlasting life Which he graunt vs that hath bought it so dearely for vs euen Iesus Christ the righteous to whome with the Father and the holy Ghost one most holy blessed and glorious Trinitie be all glorie and honour for euer and euer Amen FINIS Deo gratias Celsus of Verona his Dissuasiue to the renoumed Senate of Venece shewing that since they enriched themselues with the goods of the Church they are become vnable to resist their enimies IT hath beene the maner of many men most entire Prince and worthie Senate oft times when they were to intreat of anie matter truly to speak to reueale to comprehend that in their speach which might please the eares of the hearers or obtaine grace and generall good liking of all And on the contrarie that which is right which is profitable which seemeth good and honest vnto them that they openly refuse and vtterly reiect as a thing lesse pleasant and lesse delightfull to the hearers But I am farre of an other opinion sith as me thinketh those men are greatly deceiued and faile oft times of their purposed conclusion For whilest they seeke the glorie and commendation of men by a seruile kinde of merchandise they fall into the pit of ignomie and discredite For what is more vnhonest then with the colour of vertue and goodnes deceitfullie to blinde the eies of our friendes What more vnseemely thing then in the steed of truth to place fained and forged errors what is more filthie or further from all honest dealing then by pestilent fauning and flattering to induce mortall men into manie great and dangerous errours these kinde of men are not to be accounted friends or welwillers or yet good men but rather to be esteemed as cruell enemies vtterly to be detested of all men For who is able to recount what mischiefes what losses what pestileÌ„t destructioÌ„s they bring with theÌ„ I saie who is able to number all the great detriments the charges the discommodities the dangers which thorough the wicked counsell of these parasiticall flatterers and their deceitfull glosinges not onelie priuate men but all Common-wealths and the Dominions of all Princes haue sustained And it is no hard matter for them to attaine hereunto sith they masking vnder the smooth visure of good will and amitie with glosing wordes and fained flatteringes they blinde the eies of those which beholde them they intangle them and they intrappe euery one not yet acquainted with their sleights and in such manner that they cannot possiblie discerne what is good and holsome for them nor on the contrarie what is ill and hurtfull They thinke themselues to bee such kinde of men that of right and reason they shoulde bee commended from which opinion innumerable offences doe proceede sith heereby they remaine in most grosse errours Therefore at this present I am not minded to treade in their steppes but rather I mind to prosecute and to declare those things boldly which though they seeme lesse plausible or lesse pleasant yet they are not forged or fained but are such indeede as become a true friende and faithfull instructer and therefore peraduenture they will prooue not altogether vnprofitable nor vnfruitfull for the potions of Phisitions oft times are bitter but yet the same minister helpe and health vnto the diseased the which thing also it behooueth me to do euen to execute the same duelie and to resemble the same person whereby I may more easilie and directlie recouer the good health of those which nowe lie still and languish In this respect if I shall seeme to haue vttered anie thing more licentiouslie then I might doe not thinke that it proceedeth of stomach or malice but rather that your minde most excellent Prince and theirs also which are destitute of such admonitions may bee stirred vp effectuallie and in good earnest to take wiser and more holesome counsell In fine I request you to accept this small treatise of mine written rudelie and in a meane stile which for that great loue and hartie good will which I beare vnto your Honour and that most famous Senate I haue determined with my selfe to dedicate vnto you If peradâ—enture not onelie by my daily and deuoute praiers but also by exhortations I may profite you and your afflicted state either with counsell or otherwise with my profitable indeuour And now lest my speach should rome range too far most mighty Prince I will begin to declare that which I mind to intreat of at this time If by the way I may but note and name this one thing that therefore of mine owne accorde I tooke this labour vpon me that in no respect so farre as my facultie wil extend I would restraine my selfe but I woulde supplie those things I would perswade those things I would admonish you of those things which I am sure nerely concerne the safetie and preseruation of that your most honourable and famous Senate and in these so great calamities and daungers your perpetuall name and glorie NOt many daies since most Noble Prince trauailing through many Countries and Cities I spake with many rare excellent men many famous mighty Princes In the midst of our talke oft times wee fell into the selfe same speaches which are now common in euerie mans mouth that is concerning the prosperous successe of the warres of the great Turke a most wicked and professed enemie euen to the name
EVERARD DIGBIE his Dissuasiue From taking away the lyuings and goods of the Church Wherein all men may plainely behold the great blessings which the Lord hath powred on all those who liberally haue bestowed on his holy Temple And the strange punishments that haue befallen them vvhich haue done the contrarie Hereunto is annexed Celsus of Verona his Dissuasiue translated into English Beatius est dare quaÌ„ accipere Act. 20. Printed by Robert Robinson and Thomas Nevvman TANDEM SI HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE To the right Honorable Sir Christopher Hatton Lord high Chauncellor of England Knight of the most Noble order of the Garter and one of her Maiesties most Honorable Priuie Counsell Euerard Digbie wisheth true felicitie SVndry times weying with my selfe Right honorable what small account is made of poore Schollers at this day and howe fruitlesse their greatest labours bee I resolued with my selfe neuer to publish any thing in print hereafter Yet notwithstanding after manie stormes all mixed with vnnaturall showres descending from the idle braine of sundrie fruitlesse wittes I seeing manie stinging Nettles amongst the sweete Roses erecting their heades higher then all the holesome hearbes in the Garden And that a ridiculous generation newly come ashore into the world are not ashamed to affirme that these stinking weeds are those sweete lillies named by our Sauiour Christ that they will digge vp the garden a new that they will reforme the supperstitious braunches of the sweete auncient welblowne Rose of England That they will pull downe the winepresse and leuell the ground a new by a new line that they will build a new wine presse of a new fashion yelding new wine neuer seene or tasted by anie Christian heretofore After these great puffes of this fruitles wind had eâ—tonce resounded in mine eares beating it selfe with such out ragious blastes against the walles of the Church that it maketh the strongest pillers thereof to quake and tremble Though I be the meanest of manie thousands 〈◊〉 this cause concerneth yet knowing that it directly belongeth to the maintaining of true religion and the holie worship of Almightie God I could not with bold my pen anie longer from refuting so dangerous and damnable an opinion It is a greeuous thing by sinnes of infirmitie to offend Almightie God but openly and obstinately to affirme that palpable darkenes is cleare light that euill is good and good is euill that sacrilegious deadly sinne is godly zeale that openly before the face of his aeternall Maiestie Is the true inheritance of that treble woe oft denounced in the Scriptures This mooued me Right honourable in regard of mine humble dutie to your Honour and the publike commoditie of manie Christian soules which once tasting this sweete baite might easilie be entised to eat vp sinne as it were bread to forewarne all those which shall read this plaine simple treatise that they wash their secrete thoughts from this most heinous sinne which who so practiseth with bloudie heart he offereth violent hands euen vnto the bosome of the sacred spouse of Iesu Christ. Amongest all the creatures of this world God hath giuen man onely an vnder standing soule adorned with sundrie heauenly vertues of which there is none greater none more excellent and diuine more acceptable to God more honorable in the sight of men than is his holy worshippe religiously celebrated in his holy Temple Ouer the which place his care hath beene alwaies such his eie so vigilant his prouidence so continuall that neither the sweet intising cups of worldly pleasure could at anie time bewitch it nor the deuouring sword of firie persecution consume it But as the little ship whilom welneere perished with the outragious tempest at the voice of our Sauior was presently safe in quiet calme euen so when subtle worldlings seeke either by force or pollicie to ouerthrow the little Church of Christ TheÌ„ the Lord stirreth vp some valiant Gedeon some mightie Constantine some true Christian knight whose Name and Nature do yeeld a sweet consent to support his sauiour therewith to withstand the furie of his enimies Who daily seeke by new deuises thrise fined in the fire of subtle pollicie so to darken the cleare son of true Christianity that the house of God may nomore bee seene and that all the fountaines belonging to the same in one day may be cleane dryed vp Sith then the glistering cloud of sacrilegious zeale hath spred it selfe so larglie ouer our horizon and so eclipsed the true radiant sunne that in steade of the daie spring which from an high hath visited vs with true light vnto saluation the wiser sort doe plainlie perceiue that the houre of darkenes now hangeth ouer our heades and that the daie of iniquitie hath alreadie dawned in which Sathan by the secrete misterie of iniquitie beginneth to worke those ruthfull stratagemes against the Church of Christ which he hath bin manie yeares in deuising I cannot but write truely that which the Clergie with the whole realme confesse plainely That we render immortall thankes vnto Almightie God for preseruing her most Roiall Maiestie so miraculouslie vnto this daie giuing her a most religious heart the mirror of all Christian princes once and euer wholy consecrated to the maintaining of his diuine worship in his holy Temple From this cleare Christall fountaine of heauenlie vertue manie siluer streames deriue there sunárie passages so happelie into the vineyarde of the Lordâ— that neither the flaming fury of outward enimies nor the scorching sacrilegious zeale of domesticall dissimulation can drie vp anie one roote planted in the same since the peaceable reigne of her most Roial Maiestie Of these cleare Christall currents I haue vewed the most and doubt not but that I haue tasted of one of the best sith in the greatest heat in sommer it is neuer drie in the hardest winter not once congeled in the greatest tempest alwaies calme in the greatest distresse it yeeldeth iuice of sweetest comfort Herewith oftentimes being well refreshed when I looke backe and in my selfe beholde the great comfort which both our vniuersities dailie receiue from your honour I account it one of the most speciall blessings of the Lord that in his great wisedome he hath reserued your Honor vnto these daies wherein Sathan streacheth al the strings of his wit reuiueth all his pollicies practiseth all his treacheries against the poore distressed Church of Iesus Christ. He vseth force by forraine enimies abrode and secrete vndermining by smoth dissemblers at home Herewith hee hath displaied his banner before the gates giuen a special suÌ„mons to the temple it self 〈◊〉 malis Sed contrà audentior ito Let the Lords knights now arme themselues with true Christian courage Let them gird there sword vpon their thigh let theÌ„ awake with the worthie Samson and aduenture the battaile with Iulius Caesar who where the greatest danger was there in person he would giue the first charge Non est nisi in summis victoria In greatest
right and equitie is the will of God by which what is right or wrong is to bee examined Who then is of the councell of the Lorde or to whome is his will knowne Aristotle that excellent philosopher saith that the cogitations of the hart be plainlie knowne by the woordes of the mouth sith the voice is the interpretour of the minde and as our sauiour Christ saith out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh by which inferiour rule of reasonable philosophie wee may climbe vp to that true conclusion in diuinitie that the Lordes will is reuealed in his worde And is there anie mention thereof in holie scriptures Come and see turne the booke and read the twentie seuenth chapter of Leuiticus where it is thus written plainelie shortlie and truelie Omne quod domino consecratur c. what thing soeuer is consecrated vnto the Lord bee it man beast or field it cannot bee solde or reuoked againe because whatsoeuer is once dedicato God is holie of holiest vnto the Lorde Man is not like vnto the meere vegitable creatures the flowers of the garden or the lillies of the fielde that hee shoulde growe and goe forward vntill hee come to such a degree of ripenesse and then to wither and decaie neither is the Lordes temple or his holie worshippe as the earthlie fielde whose seede dooth growe and straight decaieth againe but to man it is appointed that from the beginning of his daies vnto the ende thereof he shoulde first and last seeke the kingdome of heauen and the righteoufnesse thereof In which course who so hath begunne let him knowe that not to goe forward is to goe backewarde and what is that Hee which is the waie the truth and the life hee hath shewed it vs saying Estote sancti quoniam ego sanctus sum bee ye holy because I am holie In what manner not in hearing but in dooing the will of God not in talking but in walking as it is written not the speakers but the dooers of the lawe shall bee iustified as also another scripture Regnum Dei non est in sermone sed in virtute the kingdome of God is not in woordes but in vertuous and holie life not in criyng Lord Lord but in doing the wil of God which is in heauen not in looking for a mansion place or building pompous pallaces heere on earth whose greatest ioyes be a shining miserie but in hastening forwards towards the kingdom of heauen in giuing our goods our lands our bodies and soules vnto the Lorde Our goodes to feede the poore to cloth the naked to coÌ„fort the sick c. Our lands to the maintaining of his temple wherin his word is daily preached his name praised the poore commonly harbored Our bodies to the prison the lyon the sworde the fire for his names sake all which is the true christian and acceptable yeelding our soules into the handes of our almightie creatour our merciful redeemer our heauenlie comforter This is the olde christian way to the kingdome of heauen through the armies of pleasures of temptations of dangers of punishments of the spiritual powers of this world which who so refuseth hoping to saue his life he shall loose it and who so looseth it shall finde that place vbi vere viâ—itur the true life of eternall blisse for euer Who so grudgeth to giue a peece of vile pelting earthlie land to the Church of God or taketh ought therefro or esteemeth more of goods lands friends rumors fame credit kindred bretheren sisters father or mother or his owne life than of the glorie of God of the welfare of his beloued spowse the holie Church hee is not worthie of the kingdome of heauen neither hath his foot troden the first step of the way of life If this be thus then what manner of men ought we to be in holines of life in studying daylie by all meanes possible how to gratify the Lord of life If he reward the charitable bestowing of a cuppe of could water on his disciples when they thirst how highlie is he displeased with those who ether diminish or take away the maintenance of his holie Temples where his name dwelleth In this respect gentle Reader consider that as Dauid said concerning his sonne now dead I shall goe to him but he shall not come againe to mee so wee must thinke of goods once giuen to the holie worshippe of the Lord for so it is wee must goe to them and that often euen to the holie Temple but they must not bee brought backe againe to vs. This is one true plaine christian way leading to one perfect ende according to that saying of Bachilides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. there is but one waie for mortall men to attaine happinesse and one ende thereof to this agreeth our due and dutifull consideration of the Lords worshippe and his holie will which is that his glorie should be onely and wholy to himselfe as it is written gloriam meam alteri non dabo I will not giue my glorie to an other The truth of this conclusion telleth vs that we must serue him onely not onely first but him onelie Which if we did ponder wisely with our selues and thereunto frame our liues and daily dooinges wee would not take the squared stones of the temple to builde our pompous pallaces withall but we would rather remember that olde saying accursed is that house which hath any stone in it belonging to the church We would not chang the names of church landes and call them by our owne names our lordships our lands our mannours We would not eate the bread of the poore nor drinke the teares which trickle downe the cheekes of the widdow nor contemne the simple estate of the ministers by whose landes and liuinges we are now fatted like the buls of Basan If we would but once enter into our owne conscience plainly and truelie remembring whose goods they are that we possesse and lift vp our eye to the heauens to the which both we and they are dedicated wee would soone loath that which wee haue looued our hart would quake thorow the bitter sting of conscience and sinne would cleane couer our faces with the mantle of darke and deadlie despaire sith wee haue spoiled robbed contemned him whose loouing countenaunce is our eternall Saluation Herewith remembring the bitter sequele and deadlie sting of sinnes committed against God himselfe losse of goods landes contrarie to all expectation sodaine fiers in one hower destroying house goods and all the treasure which thou hast wickedlie heaped together many yeeres barrennesse of wombe sith thou hast trauelled all thy life long for goodly lands and hast no children to enioy them or if thou haue theyr sodaine death before thine eyes and lastlie the restlesse paine and eternall miserie of hell fire purchased with so manie cares and troubles with so much wealth of this world wee ought to wash our
Councell hath foreseene the daunger and set downe the sentence of eternall trueth in these wordes Hee which shall not wiselie foresee this euident daunger of eternall damnarion to his owne soule and contrarie to this sentence take awaie the goods and possessions once giuen to the Church or vniustlye deteyne the same vnlesse hee make present restitution to the church so soone as he can let him be strucken with the curse which the wrathfull iudge of all the world shall inflict on all the soules of the wicked at the day of doome and let these goods bee a curse to him which gaue them from the Church which receaued them and which possessed them Neither let him finde anye protection for his crime before the tribunall seate of Iesu Christ because without all feare of God and regard of his holie worshippe against lawe and right hee hath taken awaie the goods of the Church giuen to maintaine the holie worship of the Lord and to feede the hungrie bodies and soules of the poore innocent people Generallie saith the same Councell whosoeuer shall presume to confiscate to spoyle or to take anie thing consecrated to holie vse or belonging to the Church vnlesse hee truelie repenting correct and amend his wicked facte so soone as hee can and that by restitution to the same Church let him bee subiect to the greeuous curse and censure of the Church Likewise those which enter on the goods of the Church and detaine them through the gifte the authoritie the commission of Kinges and Princes obtaining them by tirannicall force from the Church leauing them to theyr heyres and posteritie as though they were theyr owne inheritaunce vnlesse with speedie repentaunce they restore the Lords possession vnto his Church being first admonished by the holy Bishop let him be accursed for euer and accounted as an infidell according to that commandement of our sauiour Christ if he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as an heathen or as an infidell therefore saith the councell it is not lawfull for the Emperour or anie true christian to attempt anie thing contrarie to the commaundementes of God neither to doe anie thing repugnant to the rules of the holy Prophets the Apostles and Euangelists Those which bee my sheepe saith our Sauiour Christ they heare my voice and those which be naturall children of the Church their hart will melte when they heare the voice of their mother crying in the streetes Our heauenly father he hath begotten vs in the spirite and our spirituall mother shee nourisheth vs with the sweete milke of the word of life Shee vttereth her voyce often and cryeth alowde in many places of the world but neuer so manifestly as when shee sheweth her countenaunce openlie to all the world in open generall councell gathered together in the holie Ghost You haue heard her voyce whileare and the sound thereof hath gone into all landes saying touch not mine annointed neither anie thing once dedicated to my holie worship Sponsus sponsam amat the bridegroome doth loue his spouse intirely Hee sheweth her his brest and reuealeth to her the secrets of his hart his wil is apparant vnto her she hath reuealed it at sundry times vnto her children Which times though they were diuers yet veritatis simplex est oratio her voice was is alwaies the same as appeareth by the councell of Aurialens whose wordes though they differre from the former yet the sence and sentence is the same first forewarning her eldest children of this grieuous sinne and then the other in their order after this manner Let no Clarke or spirituall pastour alienate any goodes belonging to the Church and least it should seeme true which some obiect that those which giue to the Church may also take away the same councel doth meete with that obiection in the 19. chapter in these wordes It is not lawfull for him which giueth anie thing to the Church or for his heires once for to require it backe again In like maner the second councell ☜ of Spale Those Churches which by tumultes and warres haue beene disturbed shal altogether retaine the selfe same liberties which they had before with all the possessions whether they bee possessed by any other Church or any others whatsoeuer The first councell of Paris hath giuen this resolute iudgement concerning Bishops goodes and therein the goods of the Church because the goods and possessions of Bishops are knowne to be the goods and possessions of the Church If any man shall violently intrude himselfe into them or by violence peruert them let him bee stroken with the curse of the holie Canon that he which would not followe the motion of his owne conscience at the least maye bee reclaimed by the holie constitutions of the Church Which offence least it shold seeme a smal sinne in the eyes of worldlye men or that the gaine gotten thereby might seeme to counteruaile the losse no man is so simple which seeth not plainely that this is a pleasaunt sinnefull thought leading to a bitter end as appeareth by the sentence of the same councell following Let no man be so farre from the seeking of his owne soules health or so willing to seeke eternall death that he should once desire enter or possesse any goods landes or commodities belonging to the church Though the councell of Magnutium seeme in the beginning by gentle words to mittigate the haynousnesse of the fact yet indeede the meaning is the same and in conclusion of the same weight as appeareth by their style in this manner If anie man doe presume to retaine diminish or take anie goodes landes or profites belonging to anie Church Colledge or any holie place let him bee excommunicated as a spoyler of the Church not once allowed to come neere the Church doore These milde wordes least they should animate the wicked they drawe a more fearefull iudgement after them as appeareth afterward in the same councell concluding thus If anie man diminish any thing belonging to the Church as a cruell murtherer of the poore let him bee accursed for euer This was the voice of the mother and her children haue learned to pronounce the same Saint Ambrose as it is written before affirmeth it vnlawfull for temporall men to possesse ecclesiasticall goods Saint Augustine writing on the Psalmes saith that when the last dedication of the house of God shall come then shall that safetie also bee giuen vnto it which was spoken in the seuenteenth chapter of the second booke of the Kinges after this manner I will appoint my place of worship with my people Israell and they shall dwell alone seperated from others and the sonne of iniquitie shall not presume to destroy it The scripture calleth the spoilers of the church the sonnes of iniquitie bicause the sonne of heauen hath not beheld a more vngodlie fact then the iniurie of the sonne done to the mother of the infantes to the nurse of
riches pleasure and dignitie vile earth springing out of the earth and destinate with your bodies to the earth againe be yee not so enchaunted with the humming swarme of worldly pleasures and delightes that yee loose the ioy eternall And now a litle seclude those painted showes of worldlie vanities besmeared with glistering vernish which dimmeth your eies and looke vppon your selues your soules and bodies Neither is it sufficient to consider with that holie Father vnde vbi quo from whence wee came where wee are now and whither wee shall returne the true answere whereof is that treble anxesis of the prophet earth earth earth But in this iourney according to the counsell of saint Paule we must shake of all which hangeth heauie on and presseth vs downe we must learne to weane our selues from our infirmities and to know our disease with fixed eies we must behold our wounds how many how dangerous how deep they bee how they are to bee cured and how the stroke of the enemie here after is to be auoided Though al our battaile and strife is not directed against flesh and bloud onelie but also against spirituall powers and enemies of our soules yet the enemie of flesh and bloud oft times so daunteth our harts with his proud defiance and in such sort that through the too much caring and carking for our selues hee maketh a plaine and readie entrance to the wounding of our bodies and so much the rather because the shield and brestplate with which wee chuse to defend our selues though at the first sight it sit fit vpon our breast and outwardly seeme well steeled to the eie yet inwardlie it is most dangerouslie impoisoned infesting the bodie with strange contagion sinking into the vaines and synewes so deepe that it weakneth our iointes it dulleth the spirites and daunteth the courage of the heart This is the contagion wherewith as Celsus wriâ—eth the Venetians seeking to ouercome their enemies were made a praie vnto them This is that two edged sword with which whilest wee rashlie fight against our enemie and striue to reach him a sore blow with lifting our hand vp too hastilie too rashlie too high with the other side wee cut our owne faces This is the rule which teacheth vs that when we are prouoked to battaile by outward foes we must not make flesh our strength or put any confidence in riches but if wee hope to ouercome our bodilie enemies wee must first conquere the spirituall aduersaries of our soules now ruling in our mortall members and that is by flyflying to our most louing captaine and victorious conquerour Iesu Christ who hauing conquered our great enemies death hel and damnation is ascended vp on high leading captiuitie captiue and giuing great spoiles and giftes vnto men His louing voice doth sound from heauen and biddeth all men come Come vnto him all yee that are loaden and he will refresh you The spirite and the spouse say come and hee which heareth let him saie come hee which thirsteth let him come and those which hope to see their desire vpon their enemies let them come and all which loue Iesu Christ and his louing spouse come and see touch and tast how sweet the Lord Iesu is But how shall wee come and which is the way hee which biddeth come hee calleth them which thirst opening to them the fountaine of eternall life And though I am vnworthie to aduise anie yet my purpose is to admonish those which erre that they come into the true way And how shall wee come by true repentance of our former wickednes and sinnes committed against God And how shall we repent not in only saying Lord Lord or onely God forgiue me and so going on in our sinful life but if thou hast offended thy Lord and louing father thou must bee heartelie sorie for thy misdoings with fasting with praying with shewing thy penitent mind and sorrow for thy sins in thought in word in deed If thou haue taken thy neighbours goods restore double and with that good Zacheus in signe of true repentance giue halfe thy goods to the poore In this habit of a true Israeliâ—e forsaking all that â—hou hast follow our Lord and sauiour who hath walked the same waie before vs. If thou haue sinned in fleshlie lustes and desires fast and praie instantlie strew ashes on thy head put on sackcloth in stead of silkes returne from the view of courtlie troupes entring into thy secret Chamber cast downe thy selfe before the Lord euen vppon the could ground Mourne and lament before the Lord crie out alowd Adsum qui â—eci in me conuertito ferrum It is I O Lord it is I wretched maÌ„ which haue sinned against heauen and against thee haue mercie vppon me O Lord according to thy great goodnes and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences This is the beginning of repentance for these sins of infirmitie and the end is like vnto the same These were the wordes and deedes of Dauid and was there nothing else yes verilie after due consideration of his sinnes and sorrow for the same he sought to please the Lord he fullie purposed to take the arch out of the simple tent and to build a faire temple vnto the Lord God of Israell this was his holie life wherewith he sought to win the Lordes fauour and his sinnes were the sinnes of his bodie euen the sins of infirmitiâ— but if thou once lift vp thine hand against the Lord and his holy temple if thou take away the goods of his church and the maintenaÌ„ce of his holy ministers preachers of his word who first tooke thee vp in their hands and brought thee into the Church who haue washed thee with the baptisme of repentaunce vnto eternall life who haue taught thee the true Christian faith and cloathed thee with the stole of righteousnesse and leade thee by the right hande vnto eternall life who pray dayly for thy sinnes and the sinnes of the whole people then knowe thou assuredly that though thy armye of souldiers bee huge and monstrous Though they bee verie manye and their courage great Though thy chariots be nine hundred all of iron as were the chariots of Sisera though thy barred horses bee raunged foorth by thousandes and thy Iennets by tenne thousandes Though thy riches be incomparable thy strength aboue al estimation yet if thou haue taken anie iote of maintenaunce from the seruice of the high God if thou weaken the walles of his Church and by vnlawfull exactions impouerish his ministers I speake a truth and I call heauen and earth to witnes the same that which you accouÌ„t your strength shall breede your destruction The Eagles feather once thrust in shall eate to dust all the feathers in the bedde the lyons haire shall consume the mixture of other peltes adioined thereto and Achanes forbidden spoile shall cause the Israelites with losse of life to flie the
field Though thy number bee three to one and thou assure thy selfe to haue the daie yet if the forbidden Babilonish garment bee hidden in the tent rather then thou shouldest prosper therewith the starres in heauen euen the starres shall fight in order from heauen against thee as they did against Sisera the Riuers shall swell against thy comming which if thou enter they shall strike of the wheâ—es and carrie thine iron charrets cleane away The stones in the walles shall fight against thee at home and the foules of the ayre abroad thine enemie shall stand vpon the shore with his banner displaied whilest thou liest drowning in the deepe He shall march vnto the toppes of the highest hilles without losse of men or shedding of his bloud hee shall display his banner with triumphe hee shal descend in peace and refound his trumpet in his tente most courragiouslie Therefore let all true christians muse and meditate more wisely on the will of the Lord let them knowe that it is better to trust in the Lord alone then in any power of man that it is better to depend vpon the seruice of the Lord and the loue of his holie name then to put any confidence in Princes in power in authoritie in riches Let the trueth of the Lord be theyr light and let his looue be the way his holy Prophets their guiders in the same Let theÌ„ fight cheefely for the glory of the Lord and not theyr owne glory for his church and not their own possessions for their soueraigne and not their owne primacie for the realme and not for reuenge of priuate quarels or hope of higher rule Let their departurebe in peace vnfayned loue vnto the spouse of Iesu Christ at theyr going foorth let them not say that theyr garmentes theyr furniture theyr money their coine came from the church but let them looke backe into the lande and beholde the church from whence they sprang Let them pitty theyr mother in their hart and let them say with the sons of God peace bee with thee and sweete prosperitie O thou house and Citty of the Lord let their watch word be Domus dei and theyr great allarum Vincat veritas But let them not be christians onelie in word let not all their religion dwell in their mouth and nothing in their hartes and deedes let them not goe foorth laughing and leaue manie weeping eyes behinde them let them not bragge that they fight for the Church abroad whilest they are full of deadlie sinne within and weaken the foundation of the Church at home Can wee looue our father and yet spoile our elder brethren Can wee tender our mother and yet presse her teates so sore that in steede of sweete milke they droppe bloude Can wee cherishe the sucking childe and yet empoision the teate of the Nurâ—e which giueth it sucke Dooth hee looue his freende who while hee is gone into a farre countrie taketh his little childrens bread out of their handes their cloathes from their backes their houses ouer their heades If this question knocke at the doore by which wee would faine enter into the Church of Iesu Christ and the answere to the same bee the key which openeth the waie and sheweth vs the light of trueth whose beames shine cleerely from the sonne of God why shutte wee vp the fleshlie windowes of our heart with custome of this great sinne aboue the rest So that that the cleere beames of the sonne of God the bountie of his mercie the brightnesse of his glorie cannot once open our earthlie intralles or mooue our sinfull bowels to haue compassion on our tender nurse and most loouing mother if this be farre from your perswasion and you doubt of the same then open your eares and incline your hartes to the voyce of health and saluation lifte vp your eye liddes O yee worthies of the earth and comprehend the light which shineth in darknesse O yee Princes open your gates and yee the elect of the Lorde open your eternall doores and the true light of the God of glorie shall enter in Which when thou hast once beheld with thy mortall eye hauing therewith reade this small treatise rudelie written in hast with a posting pen aske no more the question is this true or shall I aunswer for goods thus taken or is it a blessed thing to giue vnto the Church and a cursed thing to take there fro In this conceite bee not highe minded but feare and tremble before the Lord looke how high the lord sitteth aboue all heauens and howe lowe thou art here on the earth Way that thou art in the earth a worme and no man that thy daies are but a spanne long and that one spanne is a continuall warefare hereunto applie this processe that when thou camest first into this world and werte verie young thy spirituall enemies were olde and subtill that they haue rather wonne then lost euer sithence and holde the same vantage of thee at this daie that they haue wounded thee sore and so sore that thou art not able to stand vpright in the way of life Therefore though thou be mightie and puissant yet in that thou art sore wounded refuse not the holesome oyle of the simple Samaritane which he powreth in thy woundes denye not his suppliant paines in binding them vp in setting thee on his horse which will bring thee to thy Inne and place of rest where thou wouldest be If he doe the best he can and laie out the finest coyne in his purse for thee though it be but two pence yet sith all this is doone for the bringing thee into the way from the which thou wert wandered the deliuering thee from euill and the sauing of thy life confesse the trueth which thou canst not denie the oyle is holesome the binding coÌ„fortable the man deuoute his dooing good his sayings true blessed bee the God of trueth Which because thy dooings shewe thou yet doubtest lesten but a little whilest I open before thine eyes the highe fountaine from whence the trueth of sure perswasion most gentlie floweth together with the plaine examples of auncient times which shewe most clerely in a glasse the true countenaunce of the well disposed minde the good life and happy death of all those which heretofore haue looued founded inriched nourished freede priuiledged adorned the church and contrarie the vglie shape the tirannous life and miserable death of those which persecuted the Christians pulling downe theyr temples pilling and powling the liuinges and freedomes of the Church of Iesu Christ here on earth Concerning this kinde of catterpillers Celsus of Verona had written plainely vnto the Duke and Senate of Venece In which short treatise sith we may euidently beholde the great deformitie of our age Sith his leaues be fewe his examples many his appliaunce plaine his conclusion true sithe it is nowe translated and set open before our eyes shewing vs this foule spot in
our face most apparantly I will not long discourse on that part pardon me the glasse is cleare what should I write That prouerbe was vsed of auncient time and we prooue it true Suis quisque malis blanditur euery man flattereth himselfe in his owne humor and though the glasse do shew thee plainely that thy face is foulie spotted in diuers places with vncleannesse of thine owne hands and full of puffed pimples by reason thou drinkest lyquor not ordained for thy stomacke yet to the ende that those small scabbes without may breede great sores within and that thine ende may bee the lue of thy desert flattering thy selfe with thine owne deformrtie and loath to bee corrected by an other thou castest away the glasse which once abandoned qui semel verecundiae limities transilient without all blushing thou affirmest boldly a mould a wart a wrinckle a â—reckle a spotte a wheale is but a toye in a mans face I count but little of the foolishe glasse And shew me reason why not why not if it be not seene it is no blot but if it be no more hid then the nose on your face or the sight in your eye if all men loath the sight thereof and count you carelesse of your health for neglecting the same then knowe that the time is nowe come of which it was foreshewed that men should bee loouers of themselues more then of the Lorde and you are a childe of the same nowe therefore sith the glasse is gone and reason is the rule by the which you leauell knowe yee that your deformities are great and sith you loue to feede on meate forbidden two men of your complection know this for a trueth that all meates are not for al meÌ„ It were a straunge vnnatural kindnes if the little child sucking on his mothers brest shold pull the meate out of her mouth as she is feeding yet much more vnholsome to be eaten of the child then straunge to the beholders If this vnnatural vnkindnes doe seeme so vntollerable in the flesh how much more in the children of the spirite wee must knowe that man as Hermes writeth consisteth of two natures of heauen and earth of bodie and of soule of the fleshe and of the spirite The fleshe is of earth earthlie the spirite is from heauen heauenlie first is that which is spirituall and then that which is bodilie The bodie is quickned last and dieth first but the spirite is that which is first and laste As the spirituall is first so wee ought first of all to walke after the spirit and not after the flesh to become like our spirituall father and to nourish our spirituall mother and brethren redeemed with the same spirituall sacrifice renewed with the same spirituall grace confirmed by the same spiritual pastours vnto sanctimony holines of life reading first aboue al other knowledge science contemplacions and reuelations the true heauenlie doctrine of the spirit Seking with our bodies liues and goods to preserue keepe the volumes the pastours the temples of the spirituall worship of the Lord where the breade of life is broken to those which hunger and thirst after righteousnes and the spirituall foode of the soule After the body followeth the shadowe and next to this spirituall foode of the soule the food of the corruptible bodie is to be prouided Both are necessarie but the former first Therefore let vs not seeke after the foode which perisheth but seeke the foode which preserueth both bodie and soule vnto eternall life knowing that as our sauiout Christ saith man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie worde which proceedeth out of the mouth of God This word is the conduit of the spirit whose substaunce is perfect trueth this word was in the beginning by it all thinges were made It created all thinges of nothing in weakenes strength in vilenes honour in the dust it placed a liuing a heauenly and an vnderstaÌ„ding soule erecting the bodily chariot where in he placed it right vp to heauen that he might aboue al things continually haue his face his eie his hart and cogitacion fixed on heauen and heauenlie conuersation But man would not abide in honour the spiriual grace of the heauenly fountaine infused into him was corrupted with the vncleanes of the vessel FroÌ„ the beginning his enemies prouoked him to offend his maker to leaue y e heauenly spirit to incline to her handmaid this sinful filthy coruptible flesh Therewith he lusted after his sensuall appetite he rowled his eie to fro according to y e wauering of fleshly sensuallity leauing the mistris in most degenerate sort he bound himself to serue the pleasurs of the body with the los of life he brought in death in affecting the losenes of the flesh he lost the freedome of the spitit in seeking lands honor on the earth he left the spiritual Canaan the heaueÌ„ly IerusaleÌ„ perfect lawe of the libertie Sith therfore the essence of man is his spirit according as it is written Mens vniuscuiusque is est quisque as the minde is so is the man eyther good or bad and that our first and chiefest constitution is spirituall Let vs vnderstand thus much of our selues that it is most consonant to our creation to our constitution to our saluation that aboue all other things we frame all our thoughts and meditations our calling and conuersation our goods and landes our liues and liuinges our bodies and our soules to the nourishing of the doctrine of trueth and the maintaining of the nurses the true teachers and preachers of the same This is the key of knowledge whereby wee must open the doore of heauen the tree of life which feedeth the soule the cleare light which lighteneth euery man which commeth into the world Now the windowe beginneth to open the day spring from an highe now visiteth vs teaching vs truely that as we consist of two natures so we are of two beginnings spirituall and earthly of a spirituall father the creator of heauen and earth a spirituall mother the holy catholique Church on whome hee hath sent his holy spirite visibly descending So we must first and principally apply our selues to the maintaining of the health peace and safety the reuerence renowne and glory of this spirituall father and mother leauing our earthly father and our earthly mother in regard of them because hee created redeemed and sanctified vs vnto himselfe our holy mother She nourisheth vs with the spirituall milke of the holy ghost that wee should be an holie religious generation vnto the Lord. Therefore after wee haue truelie confessed that wee beleeue in the most holie blessed and glorious trinitie three persons and one God next vnto our heauenlie Father wee acknowledge our spirituall mother the holie catholique Church in whose custodie at his departing out of this world he left his will and testament plainlie written and subscribed with his owne hand and the handes of
manie faithfull witnesses surelie sealed with his most precious bloud He fixed it so surelie and with such vertue that therwith the speres did shrinke in the heauens the Moone against nature retired from the East into the Meridian the Sunne lost his light the aire was darke the earth did shake the graues opened the spirits arose the hel below all trēbled so that the powers therof were loosed After this athentical signifying of his most pretious death bitter passion in heauen in earth in hel he gaue it as his owne deed his last wil testamēt vnto his beloued spouse the holy church a sure seale and pledge of eternall saluation to her all her faithfull children for euer As is the loue of her husband so is hirs for she hath it giuen her of him euen breathed from his owne mouth hee is one and his loue is one for euer the heauens shall waxe old like a garment the Sun shal shrinke from his Excentrich the earth shall passe awaie like a tempest but the loue of our spiritual mother is as the loue of our heauenlie father once euer whom she once loueth she loueth them to the end that most entirely according to the saying of the prophet when father and mother forsaketh me then the Lord taketh me vp Therefore if we be his true children we must frame our selues that we bee like our spirituall parents not in countenance onlie outward looke but in sinceritie holy deuotiō We must forsake both father mother concerning the flesh honouring our spirituall father our spiritual mother aboue all other things both in heauen and in earth He hath begotten vs sonnes of the spirit euen by the spirite of life and she through his great grace doth nurse vs vp with the same food she taketh vs vp out of the mirie waies of this sinful flesh she vnfoldeth the sinfull clothes of the bodie wherewith wee are almost smothered she openeth our mouth applying thereto her tender teats from whence she distilleth the drops of spiritual life into our hearts wherby our soules be fed our bodies preserued our vnderstāding increased our eies cleared our faith perfected so that we see most plainly how we should loath the world learne to loue our holy mother the church knowing that it is not meete to leaue the cleare Sunne to waite on shadowes or possible to serue God Mammon this world heauen the flesh the spirit according as Hermes writeth Nisio fili corpus tuum oderis teipsum amare non poteris impossible est vtrisque simul intendere O Sonne vnlesse thou hate thy body thou canst not loue thy soule for it is impossible to applie thy selfe at once to them both Therfore be ye not so blinded with the stinking mist of Sathans deadly smoke or the painted vale of this wicked world or the sinful web of fleshlie corruptions ouerspredding the sight of your eie that you should not look into the cleer glas now set before your face wherein you may plainlie behold the reflexion of your deformities this vnnaturall spot wherewith you greatlie disgrace your selues before the face of God and man at this day If your eies be so dim through the cares of this present world that ye cannot looke into the times of old if you cannot see so far before you by reason of the cloudy tēptations which the world the flesh the deuil beat in your faces yet in regard of your safety look downe vnto your own feet least you depart frō the way of life If you be so intangled with the briers of this wicked world that you cannot goe forward nay that you cannot once turn your selfe to look towards the Church Yet fixe thy feete that thou goe not backward from euill to worse and let thy countenance affect the sight of the heauenly Ierusalem Though thine eies bee dim yet open thine eares harken to the sweet admonitiōs of thy mother foreshewing thee the sweete and the sower of this thy dangerous iourneie wherein sith thou art to walke through the wildernes of this wicked world before thou assaie the isie ground therof know that which elsewhere is wisely written Terra imbrobitatis est prouincia the earth is a prouince full of naughtines through which who so mindeth to walke safelie hee must bee verie circumspect taking heede to his beginninges knowing that hee which beginneth well hath halfe finished the work The first entrance of this waie vnto eternall life is to loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart thy mind thy soul the next step is like vnto it loue thy neighbour as thy selfe according to the rule of nature Quod tibi fieri non vis alterine feceris Do vnto others as yee would that they should doe vnto you againe This rule is generall the meaning large the obseruance thereof hard and tedious therfore before I post forward too fast vnto the ende I will make some litle small spence of time in opening the first beginning thereof and which is that as it is said in the rule of christian faith next to the blessed trinitie is ioyned the holie catholique church as also in the table of the ten commaundements next to those which wholie concerne the worship of God in the first place and before all the rest is placed Honor thy father and thy mother and that with a blessing which who so mindeth to be partaker of hee must not onelie honor his naturall father and mother but he must vnderstand truelie that as the spiritual part soule of man is before the flesh so first and principallie wee must honor our heauenlie father which hath begotten vs of the true spiritual immortal seed wherby as saith S. Paul the faithful daily crieabba father next to this our spiritual father aboue all fleshlie parentes we must honour our spirituall mother the holy catholique church whose children we are before we haue our perfect beeing in the flesh according to the saying of Euaristus in his decrees Scimus Christum esse caput cuius nos membra sumus ipse est sponsus ecclesia est sponsa cuius filii nos sumus wee trulie know that Christ is the head of his Church whose members we are for he is the husband and the church is his spowse we the children of thē both Therefore before wee looke at our naturall parents we must most christianly apply our selues vnto the honour and reuerence of our spirituall father and our spirituall mother Nay we must forsake both goods and landes honour and dignitie frendes kindred brethren yea our naturall father and mother and cleaue vnto our spirituall mother the holie Church according to that most christian aunswere of that learned Tritemius to his naturall mother To whō after she had signified by diuers louing letters that she most earnestly desired to see him face to face hee returned this aunswere Non licet mihi
place permit But yet first and principally wee must seeke to feede our soule with the foode that neuer perisheth and then the body Those which doe blesse the Lorde of heauen and loue him aboue all the fading ioyes of the earth they shall receyue from aboue blessing for blessing grace for grace loue for loue to their endlesse comfort in the great day of his visitation they shall florish like the fruitfull vine their children shall stande like oliue braunches round about their table and they shall neuer want one to sit vppon their seate after them for euer They shall see their childrens children together with the temples and good woorkes of their owne handes They shall reioyce therein because their memorie shall neuer perish from the face of the earth but especially because this oyle which they haue in their lampes shall giue a light to their eyes a direction to their feete a comfort to their heart and conscience in the day of iudgement This is the sentence of holy scripture and the example is like vnto the same Looke ouer the booke of God peruse it diligently and tell mee if euer you did see the righteous forsaken or his seede begging their bread But alwaies those which first aboue all worldly affaires did seeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof whiche built temples to his holie name maintaining his praise and glorie in the same they had all good blessings powred on them Abraham left his owne country willing to haue sacrificed his onely sonne at the voice of the Lord and therefore hee had this assuraunce by the voyce of an Aungell from heauen By my selfe haue I sworne saith the Lorde that in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Which blessing continued in Isaac the fruits therof began to budde in Iacob whose willing minde well knowen vnto the Lord concerning his house in his sleepe there appeared vnto him a ladder the foote whereof stood on the earth but the top did reach vnto the heauens by which the angels did ascend and descend and the Lord leaning on the top of this ladder said vnto him I am the Lord the God of thy father Abraham and thy father Isaac the land in which thou art now will I giue thee and to thy seed and thy seed shall bee as the dust of the earth Thou shalt increase from the East to the West froÌ„ the North to the South and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed When Iacob awaked out of his sleepe he said of a truth the Lord is in this place I knew not and trembling he said further O how terrible is this place this is none other place but euen the house of God and the gate of heauen Forthwith rising in the morning hee tooke the stone which lay vnder his head all night and rearing it an ende he powred oile vppon it making a vow and saying if the Lord will bee with mee c. the Lord shall be my God and this stone which I haue here set an ende shalbe called the house of God and I will giue him the tenth of all the encrease which hee shall giue me After the sparks of heauenlie fire new kindled in the breast of the holie patriarch the flame brake forth at his mouth and so fructified together with his true pietie that afterwards hee was wonderfull rich in seruants goods and cattel in beeing a ioyfull father of manie goodlie-children liuing to a good olde age seeing his childrens children laying his hand on them that which passeth all though his graundfather Abraham did make an alter in the same place proceeding to offer the bloud of his onelie sonne vnto the Lord which was a perfect figure of Christ yet the latter light did shine the clearer and the Lord did so multiplie the blessings promised to Abraham in his sonnes Isaac and Iacob that long before the time of the reuelation of that holie one to him and in him he vncouered the vale so much that he shewed his louing regard to his elect here vppon earth in looking downe on Iacob and leaning on the ladder in sending his Angels vp and downe to his patriarch full of grace Who when his eies were open and he did see as it is said Gratia gratiam peperit Grace brought foorth grace For to the end that hee and his posteritie might more easilie clime this ladder and for our example hee trembled when hee perceyued that the Lord was there hee gaue the title and ioyned the reuerence thereunto saying out of all doubt this is the house of God and the gate of heauen concluding it shall be called the house of God Which his zealous speech and dooings condemne the fruitelesse zeale of our age for when hee perceiued that hee was once in the house of God with a reuerent feare hee trembled Not dispairing but beleeuing in heart hee looked vp confessing with the mouth hee promised and perfourming in deede hee reared vp the corner stone on which euen in the same place the holie temple of the Lord euen in the Temple of Ierusalem was afterwards built which though it was refused of the cunning builders in latter times yet beeing once annointed with holy oile it became the head stone of the corner If the Lord did so woonderfullie blesse the patriarch Iacob in his true faith and perfect zeale that of one smaâ—â— sâ—one hee raised the most holie the most honourable the most sumptuous the most rich and costlie Temple in the whole world Let no good Christian doubt to lay though it bee but one stone in the Colledge the Church the Temple of the Lord acknowledging with Saint Paul that Non est volentis non est currentis sed miserentis Dei It is not hee which willeth or hee which runneth but God which sheweth mercie It is not wee which do it but the grace of God which is in vs. Which if it once beginne to spring and shew it selfe in the woorke laie waight enough on it for it will rise mauger the might of all the world Hee which hath laied the greatest foundation in the lowest element the highest glorie in the lowest places which confoundeth the strength of this world with his weaknes which putteth downe the mightie from their seat and exalteth the humble meeke of his abundant mercie hee will magnify the charitie of the poore Widowe though it bee but a mite he will make the building strong though it bee founded on a cuppe of could water Those which loue his spouse hee will blesse their seede here vpon earth with plentie of peace and glorifie them in his heauenlie lerusalem This blessing is seldome obscure or vnseene amongest the sonnes of GOD neither doth it cease from generation to generation For if wee looke backe vnto this litle sparke wee shall see and saie with the prophet Dauid that the fire was kindled in Iacob and the flame broke
desirest in the whole prouince of Babylon take it to buye Sacrifice to bee offered in the house of your God in Ierusalem take also the vesselles which are giuen thee to serue in the house of your God in fine what so euer is thought meete or necessarie for the furnishing of the house of God let it be allowed you out of the Kinges treasure I Artaxerxes the King haue commaunded all mine officers beyond the floude that they giue Esdras what hee will demaunde c. Furthermore I charge you straightly that you exacte no tribute or paiment or exaction or any other taxe or incumbraunce what so euer of the Preestes Leuits Singers Officers or seruauntes of this temple Neither that you vpbraide them or obiect anie kinde of disgrace against them O that the Christian Princes of our time would but looke a little vnto the vnfayned looue which those heathen Monarches shewed to the God of heauen and his holy temple I would they did not onely possesse the name of Christ and loue of his church but that in euery particular law in euery action in euery deede of liberalitye it might plainely appeare before y e face of God man their first and chiefest loue is the prosperitie of the church of Iesu Christ and not onely the generall name of profession but that after the example of those heathen kinges they would loue it indeed and the ministers thereof that they would giue wood stone yron and lead gold and siluer to the building of the Lordes house to the celebrating of his diuine seruice to the good and honourable maintaining of his ministers And not only in making general laws which may seeme to acknowledge this calling to be good nor in taking but in giuing to the Lorde and the maintenance of his holie worship the first fruits of their harts and mindes which is more than I can briefly comprehend Neither should this charitie bee shut vp onely in the heart but the fountaines thereof if it be right are oftentimes so pierced with the finger of God that the riuers of this charitable and heauenly oyle runneth downe not onely into the church it self but into the bosomes and bones of the officers the singers the porters and the lowest minister of the church in such sorte that no vniust lawe commission payment punishment or incumbrance whatsoeuer shall hinder them from their good lawfull and daily administration in the Church of God And if they should yet if the crie of the poore disciple of Iesu Christ once come to the princes eare no doubt he sitting in the place of God will also breake out saye in the person of God touch not mine annointed but let them be free for the Lord which placed mee in my throne hee hath put the worde in my mouth Haue not I said it it is written in the volume of his booke that I should doe his will and shall I not come he hath commaunded and shall I not obey hee hath alwaies blessed those which loued his temple and shall not I be partaker of the same This blessing aboue all others of the Lorde is so manifest that euerie nation euerie kindred yea euen the heathen if they haue but a little sparke of the reuerence of his holie name they haue greatly prospered therwith It was the manner of the auncient Graecians to builde temples and amongst all other they solemnized the temple of Apollo endowing it with great honours freedome landes and possessions after which customable beneuolence shewed vnto their God they prospered so greatlye more than they were woont that they woonne manie great battailes against the Persians with such exceeding glorie that they did rise to the thirde Monarcke of the whole worlde most highly esteeming of the â—temple of their God and that in such reuerence that in no wise they would take the least iotte from the same though it were for sauing of a kingdome This appeareth plainely by Alexander the great who was wisely instructed of Aristotle after the manner of the Philosophers that he should first feare God and aboue all thinges keepe his hands from the spoile of temples dedicated to the Gods Therefore when hee wanted frankensence to sacrifice hee would not take it out of the temple at home or exact it of Apolloes Priestes who had great store but after greate warres and manie honourable exploites hee brought it out of farre countries and then bestowed it in sacrificing most plentifully saying that to the Gods hee would not bee a niggard With this good minde he prospered both by sea and by land his power was mightie his conquests manie his name great euen Alexander the great mightie Monarcke of the Grecians Shall I goe forwardes as I haue begun discussing the course of times the succession of kingdomes and the good successe of those which indeede haue loued the Church or is there anie which doubteth of the great blessinges which followe them and their seede who builde and bestowe liberally on the house of God and the grieuous curses which fall on them which do the contrariâ— The 〈◊〉 alwaies obserued this rule that aboue all other thinges they begunne with the reuerence of their Gods their temples their sacrifices and both in peace and warre their chiefest end was the maintaining of the same Ianus was the first that made temples to the Gods in Italie appointing sacrifices and other rites therevnto belonging And therefore as Tullie saith in sacrifices hee is alwaies remembred in the beginning of their praiers Such as hee sowed such did hee reape for the posterity much celebrated his memorie for this fact built a most solemn temple in his name By which religious mind they thought that they flourished more in peace and had greater victories in the warres than anie other people In which their exceeding great victories according to the rites and religion of their nation they imitated that well disposed Alexander the great who hauing woon the citie of Thebes sackt it to the ground destroying captyuating and banishing of the inhabitantes thereof aboue 4000. Hee spared none saue onelie the priestes of that citie those which were strangers there of Macedonia and all the kindred of that learned poet Pyndarus Much like to this was that of the Romanes who when they had conquered that faire auncient Citie Alba they destroyed all the buildinges thereof saue onely the temples and churches beeing afraid least if they should take anie thing from the temples of the gods they should thereby make them their enemies and so not onlie they should come to some 〈…〉 but also their whole common wealth should bee brought to vtter ruine and destruction That this was their resolute religious opinion it appeareth in sundry places of their histories For when Tullus Hostillius had conquered the Sabynes destroied all the faire buildings of that citie and caried the people thereof vnto Rome as it is plainly shewed in that historie onely the
of the people to sit in the throne of maiesty This did not the noble Godfrie of Bullē he did not so but possessing the true treasure of right valure and perfect vertue in his hart he coūted not his saftie to stand in the death of his enemies nor his cheefe possession in worldly riches nor his honor in glistering show nor his triumphe in magnificent troupes of noble men nor his maiestie in a crowne of molten mettal This he might haue had but he would not si quidem posse nolle nobile the noble minde ofte may but wil not The vertue of the minde was his possession and wisedome was his guide in this famous victorie He was studied in bookes of arte and wisedome hee red the Poet and liked his heroicall verse full well Sicelides musae paulo maior a canemus non omnes arbusta iuuant humilesque myricae His minde was great indeede he could not glorie in fleshly pleasures He sawe this famous Cittie was but a heape of lime and sand built with the handes of manie poore slauishe workemen the riches like glistering poison infused with the wine into y e cup of gold the whole kingdome of Iudea he saw was earthlie and easie to be won at al times with a sworde of iron and steele Therefore hee counted the glorie of the crowne and scepter but a toye And what was that then which hee counted off euen that for which hee came by which hee conquered in which hee meant to dwell Ierusalem Not that Ierusalem whose desolata est did raise a most sweete pleasaunt note from the musitions penne not the figured but the perfigured euen the Church of Christ and also that which is figured by it the heauenlie Ierusalem the true holy cittie the place of eternall rest of the true glory of perfect triumphe where hee might safelie and euer saie vnto his owne soule O my soule thou hast marched valiantlie Hee counted not of glorie which riseth out of the earth and therefore most wisely he fixed his hart and minde on true eternitie which dwelleth onely in the heauens Hauing conquered he did not ascend the chaire of maiestye that hee might showe himselfe vnto the people with great glorie but as that holie and victorious conquerour Henrie the fifte king of England when with a fewe thousands of men hee had vanquished Charles the Dolphin of Fraunce strengthened with a royall army wherein was most of his nobility he with all his armie kneled downe in the feeld holding vp his hands to heauen singing saying Non nobis Dominenon nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but giue the glory to thy holy name Euen so this worthy conqueror of Ierusalem though not with the same words yet with the like deuotion hee humbled himselfe before the Lord for the space of seuen daies walking on foote in Ierusalē beholding the places where our sauiour Christ was cōuersant whē he liued here on earth where he was takē wher he was examined where he was whipped scourged despitefully spit on derided with a reed in his hand a crown of thorns on his head The mighty conquerour did behold all these with his eies and his heart melted within him Hee often kneeled down and kissed the places where our sauiour Christ had beene With weeping eyes hee looked vp into the heauens and his soule desired to see the Lord of light That the Lord of his mercie would regard him he daily prayed with great humilitie liberallye bestowing on the poore In the place where the temple was founding a most solemne colledge for religious men giuing them great and large liuinges calling them Prebends building them many faire houses neere vnto the Church for them to dwell in These and innumerable such like where the fruites of this noble minde which beeing cleare in the sight of God of Angels and of men the Lord blessed prospered him wonderfully in so much that in regard of his high prowesse and victorious conquests to his eternall fame with all posteritie he is reputed one of the nine worthies of the world The fountaine of this perfect glory did first breake foorth in Fraunce flying ouer the highest Alpes euen to Ierusalem where by the way if wee will but diuert a little into Spaine amongst some good some bad we shall see one most excellent famous noble woman a great freend true louer of the church The best truest chronicles giue her this stile Serenissima ac catholica domina Elizabetha Hispaniarū ac vtriusque Siciliae ac Ierusalem Regina c. The most vertuous catholicke lady Elizabeth Queene of Sapine Sicily Ierusalem c. This vertuous woman much like the godly Helina mother of Constantinus was so greatly esprised with the loue of Iesu Christ his church so y t shee bent all her muse cogitation seeking daily diligentlie how she might beate downe the heathenish power of the Turkes and infidels therewith to enlarge the kingdome of Christ and the dominions of the Christians to the ende that her vertuous intent might the better prosper she began this worke with fasting and often praying with almes-deedes and founding of many godly temples not leauing anie worke vndone which shee thought was acceptable in the sight of God nor any meanes vntried which might procure the fauour of Iesu Christ her louing sauiour She turned her euery way and looked diligently on all sides howe and where she might best bestow the fruitfull seed of her charitable deuotion her heart was so enflamed with this heauenly desire that she could not containe her selfe anie longer in her pallace In great desire she founde no rest And what followed with the consent of her princely Ferdinando shee mustered her men of warre and gathered together the power of a mightie prince like the auncient Debora shee marched forwardes into the kingdome of Granata the greatest part whereof had beene inhabited by the Ismaelites aboue seuen hundred yeares defended by them a warlike people continually against the Christians which kingdom paid tribute to the crowne of Spaine 800000 crowns by yeare she counted not of the force of so huge strong a people neyther once regarded the greate reuenewe which came into her treasurie that waye The winters diuers times were so extreme cold that her captains soldiers requested her most instantly to breake vp her campe till a more seasonable time of the yeare yet she answering that this was the subtiltie of Sathan to hinder the woorke of the Lord warred continually for the space of three yeares till the enemies of Christ cleane ouercome shee made that whole realme christian bestowing very liberally on the poore the maimed the captiues the strangers that were in anie distresse In the same realme founding and erecting many goodly churches colledges and hospitals for the poore maymed comfortles people Wee may see by the large spreading and plentifull
yeeld that this fruitfull braunch did spring from Helynaes roote For she not onely adueÌ„tured her owne person in mightie warres against the Infidels farther than that sexe dooth commonly affoord but she sent into the wide west Ocean sea to the 7 fortunate Ilands to the Atlantich IlaÌ„ds bearing far north by west gaining them all their people to the christian religioÌ„ which neuer heard of Christ before In which Ilandes to the end that after they had tasted the sweete milke of the Gospell of Christ they might be fed with stronger meat hauing built and erected many parish churches besides diuers goodly colledges she founded and erected in Granata foure Cathedrall churches in the fortunate Ilandes two in the Indian Ilandes three in Affrike she wonne Mellam a most strong defenced towne she wonne from the Turke the Iland Cephalena sometimes Vlisses inheritance amongst the Grecians and most louingly she restored it to the Venetians whose sometimes it was Shee wonne the Citie and tower of Ostia violently deteined from the Romanes by a tyrant restoring it vnto the Bishop of Rome she enacted that there should bee but one religion in her dominions one faith one forme of diuine worship and thervpon notwithstanding the great tribute which came yearely into her treasurie from the Iewes she expelled from her dominions all the Iewes which dwelt there euen to the number of six hundred thousands also shee offered to all Sarasins and Mahometists either freely to depart out of her dominions or to become Christians Wherby after some time and diligent preaching within one yeare of the Sarasins there were conuerted and baptised aboue twentie hundred thousand Lastly shee gaue to the adorning of the temple built ouer the sepulcher of our sauiour Christ foure costly syndones which whilest she was with child she did spin weaued afterward with hir own hands in token of her dutifull obedience towards him O most fruitful and vertuous Lady which shunned neither colde nor heat nor wars nor weapons nor wearying of hir selfe nor spending her treasure her time her life so that she might increase the church of Christ and make his name known amongst the Gentils Therefore the Lord looked down from heauen vpon her with his louing countenance giuing her all that her heart desired heere vppon earth with most happie successe till at the length after her long prosperous and victorious raigne shee which had leade her life most vertuously yeelded her soule into the hands of Iesu Christ most willingly After whose most happy death her childrens children were raised by the Lord vnto the seate and title of Earles Dukes Kings and Emperours This right renowned Lady was born in the yere of our Lord 1448 departed this life 1504 at which time also florished in England that most vertuous Princesse the Ladie Margaret Countesse of Richmond and Darbie mother to king Henrie the seauenth This deuout Princesse beeing replenished with heauenlie graces well knowing that the high honor of flesh and bloud is but a glistering cloude of vanitie leauing the transitorie delights of the world shee betooke her selfe wholly to the seruice and worship of God Shee fell downe often on her knees secretlie in her closet bowed her selfe most humbly before him in his holie Temple powring out her complaints together with the penetentiall Psalmes of Dauid humblie requesting the Lord in her prayers that hee would looke downe with his louing compassion on his holie Church mercifully forgiuing the sinnes of his people This shee did daily ordinarily faithfully sincerely To her diuine meditations she adioyned often fastings with many thousands of mercifull deedes to the poore hearing their crie willing that they might haue accesse vnto her helping them to their right against the mightiest of their Countrie of what calling place honor or office soeuer they were Her house most princely and solemnly ordered her vertuous statutes set downe by her godly Counsel and signed with her owne hand as it is to be seene at this day the Chappell was most reuerently regarded of all other places and not of her alone but of all her honorable retinue her hower appointed for praier no pleasure no businesse no embassage no King nor Keisar could once interrupt No oth within her dores nor any word or deed which might offend the King of heauen And yet those vsuall recreations which might verie well beseeme the better sort of Christians Her house thus wel reformed according to the disposion of her heauenlie mind though she waxed in years yet shee walked forth of her doores into the haruest of the Lord wherby the way looking vp she viewed the height fairnes of the temples wel thinking in her wise and Godlie meditation that there were many goodly places deuoid of worthy persons and many faire walles but not so many well learned as they should be Her thought was good her intent godlie her successe was happy And what was that shee seeing the haruest great and the laborers few forthwith shee thought to send more laborers into the field of the Lord. And how Shee pulled not downe manie litle Celles to build vp one great Colledge as did the Cardinall who liued not to see the end of his worke once begon but wisely waying the great inconuenience of walles without men men without religioÌ„ religioÌ„ without knowledge knowledge without spirituall pastors she founded an excellent colledge in our vniuersit of CaÌ„bridge after the name number of Christ and his xii Apostles endowing it with goodly landes possessions with statutes and rules of vertuous life to the end that by her meanes many good and skilfâ—ll workmen might goe forth into the haruest of the Lord. This branch of true christian charitie increased so much was so acceptable in the sight of God that by the view therof she framed a more solemne portraiture in her breast for not long after she stil meditating how she might best gratify the Lord of light who had put downe her foes and replenished her hart with ioy and gladnes according to the true rule of profiting in the schole of Christ she went from vertue to vertue from strength to strength euen a litle before her death raising vp a most solmne sumptuous colledge by her will founding therein seauenty fellowes according to the number of the seauentie Disciples sent out by our Sauiour Christ into the world to preach the Gospel for the good weale and prosperous maintenance whereof shee gaue very rich ancient faire and good lands Shee left them holsome and worthie statutes whereby a vertuous life might bee practised and all knowledge aswel of tongues as of sciences might by her godly deuotion bee more happily attained Lastly hauing bestowed great landes possessions for the maintenance of lectures in Hebrewe in Greeke in Latine in Arethmetike Rhetorike Logicke Philosophie Geometrie Mathematick Phisick Astronomy Diuinity and such disputations with other profitable exercises belonging to the same She cleaped this latter colledge by
is lighter than vanitie it selfe The wise high mightie honorable politike rulers of this world trouble themselues all the dayes of their life in fetching in casting in compassing goods lands honour dominion and power They rise vp earely and goe to bed late as sayth the prophet they eate the bread of carefulnes they search and seeke many newe waies They inuente many strange pollicies they aduenture many great daungers they loose many frendes they vndoo many poore schollers widowes and fatherles children euen to the losse of their owne soules and yet they say they loue the Lord and his holy temple O sinfull harts besotted with sensualitie Can that shippe be safe which is tost with euerie surge of the sea and ouerwhelmed with euery blast of wind can that minde bee quiet which boyleth with sundry flames of fire Is there any suretie in lightnes it selfe any certainetie in outwarde fortune any safetie in perpetuall warre any securitie in present daunger any frendshippe in open defiaunce any felicite in outwarde riches anye religion in spoyling the Church Be there two heauens that wee should make our paradise heere on earth or is the Lords arme shortened that hee can not execute his will or his iustice decayed that the sinners shoulde escape vengeaunce Is hee asleepe that hee is not stirred vp with the outrage which the heathen and hard harted worldlings commit against his church or is hee deafe that hee heareth not the crie of the poore or blinde that he seeth not the pride of the world openlie disclaiming the brightnes of the heauens No the Lord is not slack as some count slacknes He which made the heauens so high most carefully he beholdeth the lowest the poorest the simplest creatures here below He which made the eare hee will heare the crie of the poore and hee which made the eie hee will beholde the scarres which be inflicted on the face of his beloued spowse In his compassion hee shall pittie her and in his iudgement he shall draw forth the two edged sword of his wrathfull indignation He shall rise vp like the Gyant to the battaile and shall passe forth as the Lyon to deuour his praie Hee shall redouble the wickednesse of his enemies into their bosoms Hee shall cast downe the house on their heads He shall bring the curse of their desert vpon them and who is able to withstand the surie of his wrathfull indignation to endure his anger or to suffer his heauie displeasure though some men prosper for a while with that which is not their owne being reserued to a greater destiny yet let those which hope for the saluation of Israel learne to feare the Lord aright Let vs not abuse the long patience louing kindnes which the Lord hath shewed in sparing vs so long I grant the Lord is merciful long suffering full of patience and mercie sore grieued with the death of a sinner But yet he is iust in reuenging the iniuries of his spowse If anie offer iniurie to the king or to a noble mā or to a meane man before his face he will reuenge it presently but if wee offer violence to the spowse of Christ or the dead or the fatherlesse or the innocent which cannot speake for themselues nor pleade their owne cause then know that the Lord hath taken the defence of these to himselfe Hee which dwelleth in the heauens hee seeth it Though his blow be long in comming it pearceth deepe euen into the Marrow and the bottom of the soule and that to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him Hee beareth long with them but when he commeth he payeth home Hee suffereth the wicked to deuise many vnlawfull means whereby they waxe rich in this world He letteth them passe on their course oft times with great prosperity euen many yeares diuers liues till at the length when the fruit of sinne is ripe and the first sower thereof is readie to reape a plentifull haruest of his vngodlinesse then besides the danger of the soule the sowthwinde ariseth the heauens ouercast the outragious tempest breaketh out of the cloudes aboue it passeth it pearceth it ouerthroweth so that the haruest which hath bene so many yeares in growing of a sodaine is cleane distroyed and vanisheth out of sight Though thou haue thonsandes of landes and tenne thousandes more than the auncient inheritance of the fathers Though thy money bee heaped in bagges and thou wallow in thy wealth hauing all thinges at thine owne will yet if thou haue robbed thine owne mother to enrich thy treasure thou shalt bee a fatherlesse childe and childlesse father thy selfe so that thou shallt haue no parents in whose presence thou maiest ioy nor leaue any childe behinde thee to weepe for thee at thy graues side Nay that which is a visible curs thy goods for which thou hast drudged so sore when thou art dead shall bee translated into the handes of thine enemies to the end they may strongly bee auenged of thy dearest friendes O let not your eies bee blinded with carnall delight and too much carefulnesse of this earthlie bodie let not the delights of the flesh blot out the well meaning motions of the spirite Be wise betimes and vnderstand this true rule of the spirite least the terriblenesse of the example cause you to tremble at the first sight and after further view breede great amasement in your hart and conscience If thou haue children and childrens children and great store of earthie offices honors and dignities for them all yet if thou spend more time and care in prouiding for them and herein count more of thine owne honour now begunne and budding in thy posteritie then of the prosperitie of the Church of Christ of his diuine worship of of his holie ministers Thy wife shall prooue a stinging serpent in thy bosome thy children shall bee wastfull distroyers of that which thou so carefullie hast built vp thy bodie agonished with sundrie malladies altogether vncurable thy groning daie and night will marre thy melodie conceiued of thine abundance of riches thy hart shall quake with doubtfull feare of thine enemies death will double the discord of thy disquietnesse and if thou were the mightiest and most puissant prince in the world yet if thou count of any earthlie thing before or in comparison of God and his holie Church vnlesse thou repent thy desire shall neuer prosper Concerning this conclusion I minde onely to giue you a tast of which if it please you to pervse Celsus of Verona hereunto annexed yee shall find the whole seruice represented in sundry deynty dishes which manie wicked worldlings take from the ministers of the Chuch setting them on their owne tables Hee hath described the whole course and named sundrie costlie meates whereon the Venetians vsed to feede adioyning thereto their sower sawces which once receiued in at the mouth but hardlie afterwardes digested did breede great hart burninges in their breastes And good
he opened his hart vnto thē and made them of his secrete counsell what speciall care he had of their good estate and prosperitie not that they shoulde goe vp and downe in his dominions on foote in threed bare coates But he gaue them freedome title and honour and to the ende that it might endure when he was dead and rotten an example for all christian Princes which shoulde succeede him he founded many goodlie temples endowing them with large and ample possessions with a christian care he reedified the temples which were wasted by the heretiques and Infidels building and raising them an exceeding great height He established all thinges concerning Christian religion and the professours of the same in most honourable and religious manner Therefore the Lorde blessed him most aboundantlie with perfect health with exceeding wealth with true Christian liberty of obtaining al which he did desire in this world and in the world to come with euerlasting felicitie If the life of this right vertuous Emperor cannot dissuade you from the contrarie but still you will proceede in this erronious opinion that the Church of Christ amongst Christians ought to be poore simple and naked as it was in the time of persecution vnder hereticks and Infidels If you be so constant in this errour that you will not regard that Constantine then goe forwarde in the way which you like so well and passing on marke by the way howe it fareth with those which though they professe the name of Christ yet in life and conuersation they denie him in that no lesse cruel then the Iews they take from him his clothes they afflict his spirituall bodie they disgrace him keepe him downe to the ende they may haue no riches in price but the mucke of the world no profession in account but worldly authoritie no glorie but the childish decking of the bodie no honour but outward pompe and vanitie no King but Cesar. As the hardharted Iewes cried out his bloud be vpon vs and our children Euen so the fleshlie worldlings answere at this daie What tell you vs of had I wist of times to come of doomes day If wee shall not answere till then then care away graunt vs so long a day to answere in and we will haue the rest O that men would learne by earthlie similitudes to vnderstand heauenlie wisedome If a clowde doe but rise South or Southwest we say it is like to raine and can wee not see the Sunne of our saluation euen nowe setting in a darke deadlie clowde before our faces Consider that the destruction of Ierusalem was a plaine resemblāce of the end of the world As it was in those daies euen so it shall be immediatelie before the ending of the world they cried awaie with him they tooke away his coate and parted his raiment they crucified him and all those which professed his name they stoned Saint Steeuen the Archdeacon and Iames the Cosin of our Lorde who after he had beene placed Bishop of Ierusalem manie yeares most rebelliouslie they pulled him out of his chaire casting him downe from a pinacle of the Citie wall and when hee laie gasping on the earth most barbarouslie they dasht out his braines with a Fullers clubbe These were the first which sought the decaie of the Church of Christ. And what destenie followed this euill aduenture The Lorde brought a huge Armie into their Citie with a destroying plague and consuming famine with ciuill sedition slayings and wastings domesticall murders inward anguish bred by ciuill discord so that through feare without and deadlie anguish within there died manie thousands nay hundreth thousandes within the walles of that Citie Many thousands laie gasping in the streete for breath of life many laie groning ruthfully in their houses many as they were putting vp their hands to their mouth to feed themselues were slaine with the deuouring sword of the seditious which destroied so on al sides of the City that the bloud of those which were slaine within by themselues came running out at the gutters of the gates and out at the sinkes vnderneath the walles The noble men were fain to eat their owne flesh from off their armes and that good auncient gentlewoman which when the wars began fled to that Citie for succor with hir litle infant sucking on hir brest after hir house had been often ransacked spoiled by the seditious hir men maides slaine in hir house hir victuals cleane consumed hir colour wan hir milke and bloude dried vp hir bodie fainting with hunger shee was compelled to thinke an vnnaturall thought in hir heart and to execute a deadly deuise with hir hands shee tooke hir litle boy now sucking on hir breast she held it a part from hir with both hir handes beholding the sweete countenance of hir prety childe the boy smiled but alas the mothers teares did shewe hir heauy cheare it were too much griefe to rehearse the mothers sorrowfull voice in this wofull distresse vttered to hir sonne Shee laid the litle infant on the table before hir face hir trickling teares redoubled their course enterchangeably after many distillations sent down from hir weeping eies shee saith vnto hir litle infant my little boy the childe of mee a most vnfortunate mother I nourished thee within my wombe and haue fedde thee a long time with the milke of my breasts and nowe thou must bee meate for mee thy wretched and most distressed mother With these words hir knife infixed into the breast and bowels of hir little infant the bloud springing vp into hir face shee dismembred shee rosted shee eate of him the smell whereof beeing once entered the nostrels of those seditious souldiers they brake open the dore they came rushing in running into hir they pulled the meate violently out of hir hande eating it most greedily Of which because shee had no more store ready they cruelly murthered that poore old gentlewoman To this and a hundred thowsand like miseries seldome heard of succeeded the destruction of the whole nation with the vtter destruction of the City the walles the Temple and all the auncient Monumentes of the most famous Kinges of Israell Though no Christian hart can take pleasure in walking this way yet sith wee are entered into it let vs passe on a litle further and wee shall easilie see that this sinne of defacing of the profession of Iesu Christ and his holy Temples here on earth is so hainous so contumelious so heathenish in the sight of God that he neuer suffreth it to lie long vnpunished Neither be the plagues and punishments sent vpon the earth for this sinne of spoiling the Temples of the Lorde due to ordinary or common infirmities incident by the course of nature vnto man but as it is a much more hainous and grieuous offence for the child vnnaturally to despoile his owne father which begot him into this light and cruelly with bloudy handes to take his life from him euen so
sith the taking from the Church is the despoiling of God our Creatour The punishment sent on such offendours must needs be much more grieuous then that which vsually is sent to man for his vsuall and naturall infirmity Wee haue behelde the good blessinges of the Lord bestowed on those his louing seruants who in their liues and doings expressed their tender loue vnto his temple and let vs not now loath to behold the euill desteny of those who from time to time haue striuen against the Lord his holy church After the open enemies which sought with force of arms and authoritie to suppresse the Gospel of Iesu Christ had shewed their force against the church stoning some and imprisoning others whipping scourging banishing cruelly persecuting the rest Then Sathan striking saile drawing in his ensigne of open warre and defiance sought by pollicie to keepe down the church of Christ now springing in the east He raised sundry damnable heresies which increased so long intangled so many poore Christians that the church of Christ which whilom did shine most cleare and bright by the mistie cloudes of heresie begun to be eclipsed Sed exitus act a probat the haruest doth shew the goodnes of the seede the life dooth proue the vertue of the minde the death ofttimes doth shew the course of naughtie life Let vs leaue the force of Herod in the fielde and a while consider what became of them which colourably weakened the church in the towne Arrius that notable heretike he most blasphemously sought the disgrace of the holie blessed glorious Trinitie affirming inequality of the three persons and detracting from the eternitie of Iesus Christ. This opinion entred the Christian flocke infecting farre and neere in most nations So that the heretike had many seeming Christians on his part and that with great glorie till at the length when hee should come to be restored to the church as he went in the streete with great pride and countenance of many friends of a sodaine he went aside to the priuie where his belly violently burst in sunder his guts came out and he fell downe dead most miserably as it was presently seene of all the people What should I here rehearâ—e the wicked liues of those arch-heretikes who though they florished in the worlde for a while yet in that they did striue against the sonne of God and sought to diminish his maiestie their raigne was not so glorious as their ende was miserable Nestorius florished greatly and his heresie spred it selfe mightily amongst the people but when this shining cloud was once well shaken with the tempest sent from God hee was sent into banishment in the which hee beeing often taken captiue by the barbarous people the citie burnt ouer his head and his life euery houâ—e in the heathens hand he fel into a most deadly contagion insomuch that his tong was eaten out of his head with wormes with which he ended his miserable life Let not worldly minded men flatter themselues and feed their humour with the contag on of this disease saying these were heretâ—call men schollers of no great account but rulers and those that bee of authoritie they are wiser Surely those men were worldly wise men and in their profession very learned in great authoritie and account amongst many nations and though they had bene higher in degree yet let al men know that the Lorde counteth not of earthly honour neither spareth any man for his great authoritie This appeareth plainely in Maximinius that cruell persecuter of the Christians Who after he had cruelly persecuted the Church therewith pulling down the temples of the Christians the Lorde laide his heauy hand vpon him so that of a sodain there brake out of his body a mortall vlcer with a corrupte humour rotting his bowels besides an incredible number of crawling wormes gnawing him within and corrupting him in such sort that his body breath sent from them a mortall stinch his bodie was so lothsome to bee seene that fewe physitions could abide to look on him Those which ventured to come neere they dyed with the contagious smell of his filthie corrupt body This misery at length caused him to remeÌ„ber his wicked crueltie committed against Iesu Christ and his holy church Therefore feeling some remoâ—se in his conscience first hee confessed his sinnes vnto almighty God Secondly hee commaunded that the persecution of the Christians should cease and that of their obedience to the imperiall authoritie they should reedifie the Churches of the Christians in which hee requested them to pray to the Lorde for him Though the Lorde inflicted this horrible sicknesse on him with his ignominious flight in the battaile he casting away the imperiall habite and deniyng it to bee his yet in that hee had some remorse of his sinne though distreyned on all sides with greeuous horrours his ende was not so fearefull as was the euent of that wicked Emperour Iulian the Apostara who after manie wicked cruelties and deadlie pollicies practised against the church of Christ proceeding with his puissant armie of valiant souldiers towardes Persia hauing passed the Riuer before hee wist hee was in a wildernesse where hee wanting guides for his armie after a few daies his whole companie was so distressed for want of victualles that many of them died with hunger and thirst diuers fell downe languished as they went by the way The most fled and he was found in a solitarie place sore wounded crying out with griefe and rauing furiously blaspheming God his Creator railing on the god Mars and saying that Apollo was a lying god At length feeling the extreame pains of death come vpon him his guttes issuing out of his wound which most men thinke was inflicted on him by the angell of God hee tooke his handful of his owne bloud and did cast it vp into the aire crying out Vicisti Galilee vicisti Though I haue conquered thy Christians and pulled downe many of thy Temples yet nowe at length O Galilean at length thou hast ouercomed mee This may wel be true say some yet the sequel not so sure sith this irreligious Emperour most Atheisticallie opposed himselfe against Christ and in defiance of him spoiled his pore flocke and the holie church which they tooke for a sanctuarie But to destroy the temples of the heathen to fier the churches of heretickes and those which are not of a good Religion that is no such offence before God But rather I thinke wee ought to pull them downe You thinke yea and I do constantly affirme the contrary In this difference of opinions let the art of Logicke bee the framer of our arguments and the rules of eternall truth our direction to the same Let selfe wil bath her selfe in her owne bloud Let arrogancie drownd her selfe in the deep let ignorant zeale flye far from hence into the wildernesse let sophistrie betake her to a dead sleepe and let
the truth appeare plainly speake brieflie therwith repeating your chiefest arguments most truely And what be they In great mislike of many good things now vsed in our church you commonly begin after this manner In mine opinion Byshops Deanes cathedrall churches c. are not to be allowed sith they sauour of the constitutions of men and are not commaunded by the word If you will ioyne reason with true iudgement and let iudgement guide the vncertaintie of opinion you shal easily perceaue that in mine opinion is no great good argument Looke into true art and you shall soone see that as vnderstanstanding is the internall beginning of the demonstratiue syllogisme whose conclusion is aeternae veritatis vnpossible to be refuted and as fansie is the internal beginning of Sophistical arguments which flie at the presence of the former euen as the shadow of the earth shrinketh successiuely from the rising of the sunne Euen so opinion is the internall beginning of probable reasoning whose conclusion is indifferently either true or false as the Philosopher in his Morralles concludeth most plainely as it cleerely appeareth by this example In your opinion they are not to bee retained in myne opinion they are Now let the Reader iudge which of these two argumentes is the stronger The absurditie of this conclusion flowing from the fountaine of ignorant arrogancie teacheth vs that these mens opinions is more than the truth There zeale farre beyond all knowledge their arguments without all compasse of art Herein wee must vnderstand that opinion is their proper prerogatiue Art is not worthie to knocke at the dore of their blind arrogant zeale What then remaineth to raise this scaled Dragon out of his dungeon Exurgat Dominus dissipentur inimici etus Let the Lord arise and let his enemies bee scattered abroad Let the truth breake forth like the morning beams descending from the cristall skies Let the holie scriptures confute this reason founded on the ysie ground of false opinion and that by the example of Ietro who though he were an Ethnicke and a straunger to the Common wealth of Israell yet his aduise proceeding from mans inuention was both accepted of by Moyses and directlie followed in all good Common wealthes vnto this day Therefore the constitutions of Byshoppes Doctors Deanes Cathedrall Churches c. and all other Discipline orders constitutions and lawes whatsoeuer in the Church of Englande or else where though they proceede from mannes inuention as they tearme it yet if it bee Secundum non contrae scripturas according to the word of God not contrarie to it They are all lawfull good and godlie This is a plaine vndoubted truth and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it And though the piercing floud striue to issue through the chinkes of those infernall dores Though the pitchie smoke ascending from that deadlie pitte contende to couer the eies of the simple Though this hellish Cloude of darknesse could put on the cleerenesse of the radiant Sunne and those foule deuilles appeare in the habite of the brightest angels Though they open their mouthes wide and to the end they may deceaue manie crie alowde dispersing the doctrine of sedition vnder the colour of the word of God opposed to mannes inuentions yet shall the Lord of light quell this hideous dragon with one small sentence of truth proceeding frō his mouth And though the truth is best knowen and most euidentlie seene when she is most naked yet is she not so tender that she can be pierced with the sharpest arming sword of her enemies nor so feeble that shee will yeeld to blastes of wind nor so ill appointed that she hath but one pore dart nor so vnlearned that shee should yeelde to the vanishing smoke of false opinion nor so simple but that she can soone discerne deceauing spirites from the spirit of truth Wisedome crieth in the streates saith Salomon and the truth of this conclusion though it was first pronounced in Ierusalem yet at this day the sound therof hath passed through al our streets entred al our eares◠knocked at the dore of al our hartes And what is the sound thereof euen the voice of the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world He hath said it plainely Whosoeuer is not against vs is with vs. By which shorte sentence he which hath but halfe an eye may plainly see that whatsoeuer is not contrary to the worde of God is according to his worde Sententia scripturae est scriptura saith Saint Augustine Not the words but the meaning of the scripture is the scripture The letter is a dead element but the spirituall vnderstanding thereof founded in truth and veritie giueth life to all which apprehend it Therfore these subtill deceiuers which cry out for a new reformatiō in the church framed in their own fancy according to the word and vnder that colour disclaime the regiment set downe by our most gratious Princesse they do therein most presumptuously abuse her maiestie and all her subiectes This facing error is not content with bare saying but it also proceedeth to defending and prouing after this manner Things once abused by superstition and idolatrie ought not to bee vsed in the woorship of Christ therefore Churches c. ought to be pulled downe and vtterly abolished When I heare this principle so often repeated by them I think on that prouerbe Facile quae cupimus credimus and when I confer therewith the manner of their reasoning I remember Tindarus his short salutation to his master Salue atque vale So when I behold their false propositions which they take as granted and their vntagged arguments therevnto annexed I cannot imagine that they euer entered further into the Logicke schooles than the threshould or beeing there that euer they did once behold that mistresse of Arts and Sciences or if they did once see her grace and countenance yet they neuer saluted her or if they did salute her it was but Salue atque vale Ex vnguibus leonem the first view of this daungerous error doth discouer the vglines of the monster Suppose these seeming saints were so indeede their opinion true yet doe but view a while the venim taile which she draweth after her and you shall soone espie a thousand Hidraes heades arising out of her footings If you be so hard harted that you will not beleeue vnlesse you see then cast away the blinking eyes of fonde opinion and with the cleare sight of true vnderstanding behold that mirrour of heauenly truth which by the beautifull shew of sundry portraitures teacheth vs plainely that things abused by superstition may be well wisely and religiously vsed in the church of God The Gentiles they had their gods to whome they built solemne temples offered daily sacrifices many praiers petitions Therfore should not Salomon builde a most solemne temple vnto the God of heauen and earth The example confirmeth that rule Quarum rerum est vsus
earum etiam est abusus contra Things well vsed may bee abused and things abused may be well vsed The truth of this generall is euident by sundrie rules and histories of the holy scriptures We read in the booke of Numbers that Eleasar the sonne of Aaron tooke the sensors wherewith the rebellious Corath Dathan and Abiram had sinned so greeuously that the ground opened and swallowed them vp quicke into hell and put them into the arke of God Iosua reserued the golde siluer and brasse of Ierico he put it into the treasurie and consecrated it vnto the Lord. Nay that which is most plaine Gedeon did offer a bullocke vnto the Lord which his father had fatted for an offering to Baall Our sauiour Christ preached in the Iewish synagogues which by shedding the bloud of the prophets and by diuers other enormities was grosly abused Saint Iohn preached in the temple of Diana which had beene many yeares superstitiously abused The rest of the Apostles in most partes of the worlde preached in the temples of the Gentils which were built for their Idoll gods and manie ages most sinfully abused Saint Paule alledgeth the sentences of sundry Poets whose Gods were the starres of heauen worshipped of them for many yeares and by them most idolatrously abused Therefore the right vse of things is not to be taken away because they haue bene superstitiously abused What then is the rule of right Christian reformation and wherein dooth it consist Euen in taking away the abuse and not the vse Herevnto agreeth Saint Augustine who willeth vs to deale with the goodes and temples as we doe with the men whome wee conuert from sacrilegious wicked men to good Christians Saint Gregory as Beda noteth concerning the reforming of the idoll temples in this land then built and dedicated to the Pagan gods writeth thus Fama idolorum in gente Anglica c. Let not the idol churches in England be destroied but vtterly subuert destroy the idols in the same If this litle taste of these pleasant running brooks wil not quench the outragious heat of thine vntemperate stomacke then returne with me againe vnto the fountain it self which sith it is able to wash thee cleane both body soule come boldly therevnto if thou doubt of the true way leaue off thine owne erroneous humour and harken to the voice of that good olde man S. Augustine teaching thee the waye most truly in these words Omnis Christi actio est nostra instructio that which our sauiour Christ did in this case that ought to bee our example And what did he when the fulnes of time was come that the vaile should be remoued that the sacrifice of the Iewes should cease because the light the body the thing it selfe by that prefigured was now come and that it was impietie now any longer to bee circumcised the Lord of light did not destroy the temple pulling off the lead breaking downe the wals the glasse the timber thrusting out the Scribes Pharises taking their lands liuings into his own hands but he reformed the abuses thereof hee whipped the money changers cast out them which sold doues therin he taught the gospel in the temple on the sabaoth day expounded the scripture in their synagogues Afterwards that holy Apostle and martyr of Iesu Christ S. Iames called Iames the iust hee taught the Gospell therein and in those countries beeing Bishop there thirtie yeares Likewise also the rest of the holy Apostles they frequented the temple and the synagogues very oftē that for 10. or 12. yeres after the ascention of our Sauiour Christ. Peter and Iohn went vp into the temple to pray Paul was conuersant in the sinagogue at Athens allowing the inscription on the alter ignot◠Deo The Apostles were dispersed into all quarters of the earth And yet wee neuer heare that they willed any Temple to be destroyed but with all pietie and humblenes of spirit they ingrafted the gentils into the true christian faith together cutting vp the branches of heresie and heathenish superstition Peter and Paul planted the faith of Christ in Rome they taught lōg in their temples But yet we read not where they willed to pul down the old temples or to take anie whit of maintenance away from the same The holy Apostle and Euangelist saint Iohn liuing sixtie odde yeares after the passion of our Sauiour Christ and being in his latter dayes in Ephesus we do not read that euer he once persuaded them to pul downe the great huge temple of Diana And yet that the Gospell was therein preached it is manifest by sundry histories as also in that it is recorded that this Apostle euen when he was so old that he could scarce goe being taken vpon mens shoulders least the throng of people should oppresse him and to the ende his voice might be heard the better as he passed from Ile to Ile hee held out his hand and said Fratres diligite inuicem diligite inuicem Hoc est preceptum Domini diligite inuicem Bretheren loue yee one an other Loue yee one an other this is the last commaundement of the Lord that yee should loue one another This brotherlie exhortation of the holy Apostle saint Iohn was pronounced by him in the selfe same temple in which the Idoll of Diana was worshipped Nether is this thing strange or any whit to be doubted sith it hath bene the manner of all Christians euen from the Apostles time to this daie to saue and not to destroy to conuert and not to subuert to reduce those temples to the seruice of the true God and not to subduce them into our owne purses If the matter were doubtfull I might easily alledge diuers testimonies out of the auncient fathers and latter writers for the same But in that I studie rather to edifie the well disposed than to satisfie the cauill of the froward I had rather vse that plaine way of example wherewith already I haue now begunne Requesting those which loue the true reuerent worship due to our Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ to vnderstand that as is said the glad tidings of the Gospell was preached by Christ in the Temples and sinagogues of by the Iewes his Apostles also their Disciples And not onely the Iewish synagogues but in the temples of the heathen at Corinth at Ephesus at Rome and also at Ierusalem which after it was woonne and inhabited by the Sarasins aboue sixtie yeares and the church thereof polluted with their Mahometicall idolatrie al that time Afterward it was conuerted to the vse of true Christian religion and so deteined for the space of foure score yeares and odde So that wee see most plainlie the truth of this conclusion which teacheth vs not to take away the vse of holie tēples for the abuse which hath bin committed in them Who seeth the poore waifaring man whose earnest desire
and full purpose is to passe the right waie vnto eternall life wandring out of the way because hee is out of the waie despoileth him of his money and raiment and also his life but rather with charitable pitie doth not take him by the hande and bring him into the right path againe and laying out that coyne which hee meant to bestow vpon seducers on the true guides and leaders of the way This seemeth much better and is much more to bee wished though not to bee hoped In meane time now in the ende of this world let vs count that true which the Lord hath alwaies shewed that the spoilers of his Temple as they were alwaies towardes and not braue minded men so not amongest the Christians onely but also amongest the heathen most commonlie they haue come to euill and wretched endes Paris following the pursuite of his venerious dreame spoiled the temple of Venus and Diana in the Greeke Iland Citherea whereupon followed the lamentable distruction of that heroicall kingdome of Troy Cyrus and Alexander the great declining from the vertue of their yonger age and that loue which they then shewed towards the holy temples according to their latter inclination they which had liued honourablie died ignominiously the one with all his armie being ouercome by a woman Queene of Persia the other through pride insolencie contemning his people by whose helpe he obtained the high dignitie of 3. Monarchs neglecting the tēples and the sacrifice of the Gods which before hee so much honoured hee became odious vnto his subiects so that he was poisoned in that faire citie Babilon being at supper amongest his minions euen in his greatest glorie and delight In these two mightie monarches is not the conclusion which I intende concerning the louers the neglecters of holy temples most plainly nay in both of them or else in which you will Cirus in the beginning of his age was desirous to build vp the temple of Ierusalem he prospered wonderfully conquering in al his wars he forgot the Lord his holie Temple and forthwith he was vanquished of his enemies So likewise Alexander whilest he loued his gods their temples he prospered wonderfully but when he fel from that his first loue he left his chiefest safetie in that cup wherin he tooke much pleasure hee lost his life So that those which loue the Lord and so long as they striue to lead a holy vertuous godly life he mercifully rewardeth them according to their faithfull christian deeds but if the righteous turne from his good life and leaue the christian rule of sanctimony wherby he hath once bin guided then the Lord turneth his face frō such an one setteth open the gate of euil end destruction before him Let no mā flatter himselfe with the deceitfull appearance of this vncertaine world of this pelting honour and authoritie for which wee so much contend with these tempting vnsatiable vnquiet vnlucky cancred riches after which the hart of sinfull man by nature thirsteth and languisheth with earnest desire thereof or with the vaine pleasures of the flesh and all the foolish pompe and pride belonging to the same of which if wee haue but once our sacietie it is most sinfull most deceitfull most lothsome and detestable euer vnto those which earst lusted longly after the same Neyther account lesse of those most auncient kings and princes named before because some of them were long sithence and others heathen But let vs knowe for a truth that they on whome the tower of Siloe fell were no greater sinners than we and vnlesse we repent wee shall likewise perish Let vs beholde the rising and decay of the Monarch of the Babilonians of the Persians of the Graecians of the Romanes the increase decrease of the good estate of the christians Looke the liues of their princes so long as they honoured the God of heauen earth accounting more of his holy worship than of their owne so long they prospered and flourished in all kind of wished blessings and glorious prosperitie But after they regarded their own honour more than the temple and seruice of the Lord then within few yeares they came to miserable ends The example is plaine in Nabuchodonoser in Cyrus in Alexander the great in Iulius Caesar. Though these were mightie Monarches of the world yet the same iudgement is due vnto all men euen from the highest to the lowest which any way decay the woorship of God and the true reuerence of his holy temple Romulus and Numa Pompilius the first rulers of the Romanes erected temples to their Gods with great obseruance and reuerence therevnto and they prospered wonderfully by this good meanes Contrary obseruation may bee had of that mighty Ruler amongst the Romaines Antonius who requesting all the young men of Alexandria that on a solemne feast day they would present the best comliest of the citie before him in the field to the end he might choose of them the best prefer them to honor after they were all gathered togeiher friendly with good cheare before him his Armie he most cruelly caused his horsemen to run on them killing slaying destroying cruelly treading in pieces many comely young gentlemen and others with their wiues childrē which were nere to the place This cruel impious mind not contented with this wicked dasterdly murder in the field he came into the town despoiling the temples of al their rich ornamēts But as the shadow followeth the body euē so his desteny succeeded his steps for not long after as he was marching brauely forward with his army hauing occasion to step aside for his easemēt conueying himself a litle from his army into a secret corner onely with his secret seruant when his points were vntrust and his hose let downe he turned him aside to ease himself with which Martialis priuy to his wicked facts lothing his impious mind towardes God man pulling out his dagger quickly stept to him presently wounded him deadly left him there lying miserably If this had bin in our time we would say it was an euil chaūce he a wicked fellow I graunt but why do we not remēber that there is no haire falleth frō our head without the permission of God why do we not wisely way with our selues that there is no hindrance or disgrace or danger whatsoeuer which we suffer but it is sent of the Lord for our sin When he calleth thus why doe wee not rise out of our earthly bed with little Samuel why doe wee not run to the priest aske the question what shall I do or why do wee not enter into our owne hearts and aske within our selues euen in our conscience what haue I done this commeth for my sin which I haue committed for my notorious pride wherewith I woulde seeme to be loftier then others of my calling for my secrete murthers secrete adulteries
secrete polling and vndermining the Church of Iesu Christ. And if it be a great punishment sent from God vpon thee thy wife thy children thy house or family thy countrie or people though thou haue not sinned lately notoriouslie yet remember what thou hast done long since thinke that long since thou inclosedst such a fielde from thy poore neighbours that that thou tookest the goodes lands and priuiledges from such a Church there giuen to maintaine the worshippe of the Lorde therewith remember that though it were long since yet with the Lord a thousand yeares is but as one day and therefore now hee punisheth thee euen with as perfect iustice as if the deede were nowe in dooing before his face Would to God that men woulde hereby learne to feare the Lord and to tremble at his secrete iudgement that they woulde cast off the loue of this wicked worlde which corrupteth their consciences and poisoneth their owne soules that they woulde leaue this fained kinde of repenting in worde onelie and repent in deede which is restoring with Zacheus foure folde and vndooing that which they haue done to the vttermost of their power If the loue of the Lords blessinges will not incite them to good life yet let the fcare of his heauie iudgementes deterre them from sinne Let vs not looke on those great and grieuous examples which I haue nowe rehearsed thinking those were long since in times past and that in forraine nations beyond the seas for if we looke well we shall see that as many plagues pestilences and other contagious diseases of the bodie haue beene brought ouer sea into this fortunate Iland so also this most contagious and deadly maladie of bodie and soule came ouer and rooted it selfe in this lande long since Wee haue store of examples at home and one shall serue for the perfecting of this period William Rufus the third sonne of the Conquerour after hee had ouercome his enemies and their resistance diuers times beeing returned out of Fraunce and quietly enioying the Scepter of this land afterward hee liued in ioy and triumph and for the more suppliance of his pleasure and pastime he to inlarge his Forrest pulled downe foure Abbeies seauenteene parish Churches and all the Townes belonging to the same Quo quisque peccat eodem saepe plectitur modo Oft times a man is punished the same way by which hee offendeth and so was hee for in the same Forrest where these Churches stood which hee pulled downe and in the same disport or pastime for which he dissolued them he was slaine by the glauncing of an arrow shot at a Deare by a Knight so that hee fell downe therewith on the grounde giuing onelie one grone Some write that in the same place where he fell downe and died in olde time there had beene a faire Church which with others in his Fathers time were dissolued for the enlarging of the said Forrest in which Forrest also a litle before the Kings Nephew was slaine by the like chaunce This Kings Father and he both minded to haue made this a fâ—ire goodly Forrest fit for the disport and hunting of a king but the Churche of Christe and the houses of his poore Subiects stood in his waie His officers and sycophants considering what would come rouling into their purses that way said it was very meete it should be so so it was But alas it proued a small pleasure of the father which ended with the deadlie groning of his sonne a simple pastime for the king to haue his bodie wounded with the piercing arrow to the death Pleasure bought with griefe is seldome kindly and gaine procured with the displeasure of the Almighty doth neuer profite The hearts of the wicked lust after their owne bane and wanton pleasure poisoneth hir owne Nurse The flower of flesh florisheth not an houre and the fall thereof is griefe to the eie The wisedome of this world compoundeth cares and the height of their deuises want successe Most mens fancie wearieth the spirite and their welthiest wish is perfect disquietnes He which magnifieth himself seeketh his owne decaie because the chaire of pride is placed on slipperie ice Hee which gathereth vnrighteous goodes for his children pierceth the heart of his owne flesh and who so taketh away his neigbours possession he diggeth vp the roote of his owne posteritie Hee which neglecteth his maker choketh his soule and hee which taketh from the Church shall not prosper vppon earth his bodie shall decaâ—e without his bloud shall drie vp within his marowe shall consume within his bones his musicke shall bee groning daie and night his feeding shall be loathsomnes of meate his wish shal be O that I were as yonder poore man his comfort that his good daies bee past his recreation one pang vpon an other his glad tidings the death of his children his consolation the loathing of his friends his hope the feare of death and vnlesse hee repent his ende shall bee despairre of eternall life Who so mindeth to liue with Iesus Christ eternally in heauen aboue and in this life mindeth to see good daies let him walke the way of the righteous and marke the fruitlesse paths of the wicked Frst of all let him keepe his hands from violating holie things and behold the miserable ende of those which doe the contrarie Let him reade the holie Gospell of Saint Mathewe and in reading let him marke diligentlie in marking diligentlie let him vnderstand truelie what our Sauiour Christ meaneth when hee saith yee fooles whether is the golde holie or the Temple which sanctifieth the golde and whether is the gift holie or the Altar which sanctifieth the gift If the Temple make the ornaments holie then the walles the woode the stone of the which the Temple doth consist is holie if the Altar doe sanctifie the gift then that which belongeth to the maintaining of the Altar is sanctified they which minister ther at are to be reputed holy If by our sauior Christ his speach those things be true then they be holie men which build vp the Lords house and they be wicked which pull downe the same according to that old verse Ecclesias Christi quas fundauêrâ— parentes Heu malè diripiunt gnati pietate carentes The godlie Fathers builded vp the Churches of Christ and the vngodlie children haue pulled them downe But marke the end of all those which walked this way and learne to keepe thy conscience cleare from this gracelesse fact The Lord inflicted manie plagues on them whilest they liued here and when they were once deade their honour vanished like smoake and was buried with them in the graue As their bodies consumed in the earth euen so their infamie did spring vp out of the ground their goods wasted like waxe in the fire and like snow before the Sunne their posteritie became like the grasse growing on the house top which withereth before it â—ee ripe Nether was this only the
and a newe earth doe but looke backe a little into the olde worlde and you shall see plainely that the time is nowe expiring There bee but twelue houres in the day and if ye will calculate exactly there bee eleuen of them and fiftie nine minutes past Hee which standeth on the hil toppe he seeth the enemy a far off the vigilant watchman he saith that euerie minute hee perswadeth himself that he heareth the trumpet sounding Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium arise ye deade and come to iudgement The world was created in six daies and perfected in the seuenth whereby the ancient writers learned by coniecture out of the prophesie of Elias also by proportion that the world should remaine six thousand yeares and after that should succeede the eternall sabaoth of our soules Fiue ages by all mens computation are past now we liue in the sixt whose 1589 yeares nowe already past argue that the sequell of the sixt is also at an ende Of those six thousand which long since the learned aimed at already bee expired 5562 and hee which with his word did create the world and at his wil shal destroy it clean euen in the twinckling of an eie he hath promised that the daies shalbe shortned for his elect chosen childrens sake which seemeth likely that the day is euen now appearing in the heauens If wee looke a little into the deepe visions and reuelations of Daniel in which the course of times seasons to come in the latter end of all was plainly reuealed vnto him wee may easily gesse by that which is past the course which is yet to come Hee which hath seene the rising of the sunne and marked the course therof fiue daies togither from the rising to the setting and the sixt day he marking howe it did rise in the morning howe it was eleuated at noone howe it beginneth to decline when it draweth into the west hee will haue a shrowd gesse when it is towardes night So likewise let vs but a little tourne ouer the two and twentie bookes of hidden conference which according to the sixe daies of creation deuided the world into three tooes The infancie which is two thousand before the law the strong age which is two thousand vnder the law the old age which is two thousand vnder grace Let vs rise by proportion from two to foure which bee the foure astrologicall trigones in the heauens executing the influence of the seauen planets and that by the ministerie of the foure elements in order proportionating the foure great Monarches of the world Hereunto if wee shall adioyne the regiment of the seauen mouers or spirits which the Lord hath placed vnder him by the course of nature according to his secret decree to dispose the elementall creatures here below we may gesse to our great comfort by that which is past that the end is at hand The trigonicall course of constellations haue alwaies begun proceeded declined and ended after the same manner in the heauens beginning the first daâ—e of creation at the first degree of Aries the head of the fierie trigone so passing through the earthie the airie the watrie till it ended in the last minute of Pisces the full and perfect period of the watrie trigone These trigones as they alwaies passed after the same fort in the heauens so commonlie the same or verie like successe fell out in the earth and the same spirit of planet entring the rule of the world the same or like euents followed here on earth The world as Plato diuinelie writeth was created in fier euen in the signe Aries the head of the fierie trygone At which time Orifiel the first planeticall angel or spirit of Saturne began according to the disposition of the Almightie to rule the world After whom according to the processe of the foure trigones followed Araell the spirit of Venus Zachariell the spiâ—it of Iupiter Raphael the spirit of Mercurie Samael the spirite of Mars Gabriell the spirit of the Moone Michaell the spirit of the Sunne Each of them ruling the world three hundred â—iftie and foure yeares till the ende of that great watrie trigone in the taile of Pisces At which time according to the computation of the seauenty interpreters and that learned Beda the watrie trigone ending vnder the reigne of Gabriel the spirit of the Moone within few years after issued that great vniuersall flood Vnto this day the trigones with the regiment of the seauen angels or planeticall spirites according to the appointment of God successiuely tooke the disposition and regiment of the world beginning in the fierie trigon vnder the spirit Orifiell passing on to the other trigons whose particular proceedings if I should declare with the whole course of the successe effect of that which followed here vppon earth shewing that as the constellations changed in the heauens so commonlie there followed alterations of kingdomes of states of prosperity and aduersity of famin plenty of alteration of lawes rules people and nations the rising continuing and ending of Monarches mighty Empyres it were a more demonstratiue and forcible way But because it is tedious to shew this course perticularly from the beginning of the world vnto this day As for example When Orifiell began his dominion ouer the world first then men were naked rude liuing abroad To whom when Arael the spirit of Venus succeeded then began they to bee more handsome and to loue one another After him Zachariell the spirit of Iupiter succeeded vnder whom men began to build and to rule one ouer another To this Raphael succeeded the spirit of Mercurie vnder whom caracters and writing and musicall instrumenâ—s were first inuented To this succeeded Samal the spirit of Mars vnder whom though the Hebrewes accouÌ„t that the flood was yet according to the account of the septuaginta Isiodore Beda and Tritemius who prooueth this assertion by the same rule of multiplicatioÌ„ the flood was afterward vnder the dominion of Gabriel the spirit of the Moone Because it were both obscure and tedious to shew from the beginning of the world vnto this day euery course of these trigones in the zodiach and euerie dominion of these planetical spirits with the effectes which followed here on earth to the end that wee may vnderstand a secret truth sufficient to warne euery one which loueth the Lord to be ready sith his day and comming seemeth neere at hand I will onely shew some effects of the watry trigone especially what followed when it ended as it did lately in the tayle of Pisces with the appliance of the effects of Gabriell the spirit of the Moone who last of all begun his dominion ouer the world the yeare of our Sauiour his incarnation 1525. and shal rule vnlesse the Lord shal cut off those euill effects til the year one thousand eight hundred seaueÌ„ty nine eleuen months For
the more inciting of vs vnto the consideration of our state and this present age in which wee liue let vs call to minde the words of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ who when he forewarned his Disciples of the last day of doome which now hangeth ouer our heads then saith hee looke vp for your redemption is at hand He which biddeth vs looke vp hee first created man vpright to behould the heauens not minding to make vs gase at nothing but hee hath set some cleere obiect for vs to behold aboue And because heauen is aboue and earth below looke vp vnto the heauens and behold the starres which as the Scripture faith are fixed therein for signes times for years and dayes sith the Lord himselfe in the creation of the starres appointed them for signes and seasons and sith the Son of God hath bid vs looke vp to them Let vs not regard the coloured speeches of the ignorant who beeing a ridiculous generation would faine seeme that which they are not But let vs looke vp we shall see straunge signes in the heauens such signes as hath not bene since the beginning of the world vnto this day and were not nor could not well haue bene found out of vs if wee had not had cunning and expert Astrologers amongest vs. The apparance of these prodigious sights in the heauens do bid vs consider that the sixe thousand years are almost ended that the sixt age of the world is inclining it selfe into the graue that the fourth Monarch though Liberatie verie learnedly addeth a short defensiue for the same is now languishing The starres were appointed for signes seasons this is a great signe of the decaying of the fourth monarch in that the watrie Trigone is now expired vnder the which the fourth monarch had the beginning The same two great planets Saturne and Iupiter being conioined in Scorpio Iulius Caesar being then in the height of his imperiall pride which was fortie seuen yeres before Christ. That learned Liberatie argueth strongly on the contrary to an other conclusion than I will name affirming that no constellation decaieth his owne proper effect Ciprianus Leouitius coniectureth a shorter conclusion from heauen It is lawful for all men to beleeue what seemeth most likely and when all is doone the conclusion is meere coniecturall but yet by many probabilities This for our instruction let vs mark after the passing of these six thousand yeares six ages foure momarches and now the fourth Trigone newly ended that the world also is drawing towards and end With this lette vs consider howe often this constellation hath had issue from the beginning of the world together with the dominion of Gabriell the spirit of the Moone who ruleth now And therewith let vs consider the effectes which followed them Anno mundi 2242 the watrie Trigone drawing to an end Gabriel the angell of the moone began his dominion ouer the world and what followed men being then giuen to pride and lecherie to feeding their bodies and not their soules to regard the kingdoms of the earth not the kingdome of heauen not regarding that learned Noe the seruaunt of the Lorde the cloudes were dissolued aboue the fountaines of the earth were opened below the seas were let loose abroade the waters flowed outragiously ouer the whole earth and drowned all worms and beasts all fowles all men women and children all liuing creatures of the earth except Noe and those which hee tooke with him into the Arke After this general destruction of the whole world in the ende of Pisces the spirites of the planets together with the Trigones proceeded successiuely till at the length in the ende of the dominion of Samaell the spirit of Mars vnder whome the destruction of Troy was complete Gabriel the angell of the moone beganne the second time to rule in the ende of the watrie Trigone And what followed that mightie Monarchie of the Assirians was destroyed and came to vtter ruine vnder that â—leshly Sardanapalus Also the kingdome of the Macedonians the kingdome of the Syluians ended and the Romanes began together with the captiuitie of Babylon amongst the Iewes Thirdly the Trigones and planeticall spirits proceeded successiuely till the same watry trigone ended againe the fiery entring six yeares before the birth of Christ and what followed There was great change throughout the whole world The sacrifice of Moses did cease the oracles and idolatrie of the heathen came to an end the Gentils were called to be partakers of the true faith the empire of Rome was subdued and brought vnder the lawe of the Gospell which began vnder the fiery triplicitie After which the succession of the trigones proceeded to the end of the watry trigone which was about the yeare of our Lord 600. And what followed Mahomet the Arabian brought in the sect of the Saracens by which the Romane Empire and the profession of christianitie decayed together in Asia besides many wastings destructioÌ„s in the church recouered againe by Charles the great From that time to this the trigones haue passed their course successiuely in such sort that nowe the watrie trigone is once againe expired in Pisces and the fiery newly entred in Aries together vnder the dominion of Gabriell which ruled in the time of the floud and in the destruction of the first Monarch And what shall followe God knoweth and no man no not the angels in heauen And yet let vs not be so blinded with the cloudie fancies of the flesh that we should looâ—e our spirituall vnderstanding But let vs looke vp to heauen and behold the great signes which the Lord sheweth in the heauens especially let vs fixe our cogitation on that strange star which he shewed vnto vs fifteene yeares since Which though it appeared amongst the starres of heauen and that in the place of a starre so that none but Astrologers could perceiue the same yet it was a straunge sight to all the learned which beheld it And so much the rather because it was found to bee placed verie high in the aethereall region aboue the sphere of the moone a faire cleare bright calme starre round and euen but brighter than the starres of heauen it was exceeding strange to the wise and learned because there was neuer any such like seen since the first creation of the world vnto this day but at the comming of Christ. Though some olde Chaldeans note that the like appeared to Noe fifteene yeres before the floud therfore seemeth to be a signe vnto the world of such an effect as neuer was in the world before vnlesse it were the comming of that holy one the Lord and sauiour of the world It appeared in the heauens not in the elemeÌ„ts whereby we gather that it signifieth an euent from heauen In a signe which neuer setteth and that a whole yere together which forsheweth an eternity The signe
wherein it appeared is Cassiopeia which by the Aegyptians and olde Astronomers is figured a virgin sitting in a chaire with a braunch in her hand which likely resembleth the state of iudgment Sith therefore after so many generall courses of the Trigones of the monarches of the dominion of the planeticall spirits the Lord hath shewed wonderful signes of his comming in the ayre in the water in the earth and lastly aboue all hath held out his hand in the heauens shewing vs that he is nowe opening the doores of heauen and comming to iudgement and that the doome of all creatures is now dawning Let vs wisely weigh consider the exceeding great power and maiestie wherewith the Lorde of hostes shall come to iudge the earth Though he was made man for our sakes and for our saluation yet bee yee not so carnall in your cogitation or so bewitched with the delaying fancie of sensuality that you shuld imagine his power to be compact after the manner of men that when hee is mustering his thousandes of angels as Enoch prophesied long since that wee should heare of it before and that after we heare of it he should be long in comming No the Lord will bow the heauens at his pleasure and come downe euen in the twinckling of an eye according as it is written euen as the lightning breaketh out of the East passing forthwith into the West euen so shal the comming of the Sonne of maÌ„ bee Hee is not like to the earthly princes that hee should sende his harbinger before But I am is he most monderful most holie most mightie in whose presence the angels are not pure and the heauens corruptible Hee spake the word and they were all made and at the sownd thereof they shall all be consumed He shall kindle the fire of his heauy displeasure against the sinners of the earth Hee shal cleaue the heauens asunder and the flame shal breake forth like a furnesse As were the dayes of Noe a generall destruction with the voice of mourning and weeping and deadly lamentation as was Sodom that sinke of sinne and Gomorrha that euil nurse of iniquitie as the fier and brimstone rained downe from heauen most ruthfully firing wasting burning destroying and sincking those wicked cities so shal bee the comming of the sonne of man Hee shall shake the heauens aboue and make the hell below to tremble the trompet shall sownd euen the trompet of the God of heauen and earth the sownd thereof shal rend the clowdes of the aire it shall make the fowles to shrinke with feare and to fall downe dead on the earth Therewith the sea shal flee from the woonted course and the flouds shall roare the earth shall swell the creatures thereof shall be amased the ayre shall thunder and lighten the elements shall melt with heat the starres shall fall from their spheres and the light shall vanish from before the face of all men then liuing on the earth as it was foreshewed by the prophet long since This is like to be a black day a glowming day a day of fire and smoke from the heauens a day of anger and wrath of bitternes and teares of lamenting and vtter destruction on the earth Then shall feare come on all men liuing and the inhabitants of the world shal be agasht when they shall see that with their eies which maketh our hartes quake when we remember it The prophet long since hath giuen vs warning thererof and many hundreâ—h yeares agoe hee cried alowd blow vp the trumpet in Syon and showt in my holy mount Let all the inhabitantes of the land tremble for the daie of the Lord is come for it is now at hand a fier deuoureth before him and behinde him the flame burneth vp the earth shall vanish at his presence like a tempest the heauens shall melt the clowdes shall droppe the Sunne and the Moone shall be darke and the starres shall withdraw their shining There shall appeare fearfull wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fier and pillers of smoke the Sunne shall be turned into darknesse the Moone into bloud Then shall wee see the powers of heauen to mooue aboue in the firmament and the inhabitantes of the earth shall stand gasing all amazed and who is able to behold it then shal the dead arise out of their graues according to the sownd of the trompet then shall all arise and come to iudgement The poore together with the rich the old the young the mightie the simple the King the begger TheÌ„ shal the poore of this world reioice when they shal behold the heauenly countenance of the bridegrome their louing sauiour and mercifull redeemer Then and in that day the Lord shall looke vpon his poore militant church with a cheerfull eie and louing countinance Hee shall send downe his angels who shal imbrace his louing children take them vp into euerlasting ioy But as for the wicked and many of those which haue inioyed the great honor auctoritie pleasure plentie and ioy in this world he shall behold them a farre off Euen as the clowdy piller which was placed betwixt Israell and the Egyptians was light to Israell and darknesse to the Egyptians euen so the chosen of the Lord in that day shal stand in the light shine in the kingdome of heauen as the starres in the firmament but the children of this world and those which made their heauen of this worldly treasure shall stand still all amazed in hart the Clowde of confusion shall compasse them about and their faces shall be couered with the mantle of shame griping shal pinch their hearts within and their voice shall sownde out nothing else but woe and alasse When they shal behould all their gould melted their houses burnt aâ—d their hope cleane vanished their landes suncke and their friendes gone they shall runne starke madde vnto the waters all amazed vnto the mountaines kneeling downe before them and crying couer vs and our iniquities O couer vs from the face of him that sitteth on the throne their consciences accusing them they shall hate the goods which they haue gotten euilly and shall flie from those landes which they haue violently takeÌ„ from the poore or from the holy church fearing least it should open and swallow them vp into hell They shall flie from their houses built with ill gotten money least they bee consumed together with the flame thereof great feare and vexation of spirit shal bee to the mightie men of this world according as it is written potentes potenter patâ—entur the mightie shall bee punished mightily when the puissant princes of these earthly regions shall stand all naked before all the world both good and bad before the angels of heauen and Iesu Christ now sitting on his throne and all their deedes yea all their secret doings therewith laid open when they shal remember how negligently they
God at the length hee remembred himselfe and at the last when hee could not abide his owne stinke it is meete saith hee to bee obedient vnto the Lord and for a mortall man not to seeme a God vnto himselfe Furthermore hee promised that hee would adorne the Temple whose ornamentes and pretious plate hee had taken away a little before most wickedlie with many and wonderfull giftes and that hee would abundantlie supply all the charges belonging to the sacrifice with his owne reuenewes and to conclude that hee would be circumcised But when after so manie barbarous mischiefes and outragious spoilings of the Church hee seemed vnworthie of mercie he ended his wicked life as he was worthie The like also happened to Heliâ—dorus Legate to the King as wee reade in the same Booke in the like matter for beeing sent of the King to take the treasure of the Church whilest hee executed his commission committed to him verie stoutlie as manie as obeyed his sacrilegious commission presentle euen by the power of God rushing downe they were amazed and cleane confounded Heliodorus a sodaine sight appearing vnto him from heauen forthwith was stricken to the ground verie sore wounded in sundrie places of his bodie then without all hope of life a great number of souldiers thronging about him with a few he was draweÌ„ out of the place halfe dead which imediatly before hee entred with great pride and hawtinesse by and by through the prayers of the priestes he recouering hauing vowed manie thinges his commission not executed hee returned with his armie vnto the king where when hee had priuatlie and publiquely signified the apparition which hee had from heauen and which hee had felt in himselfe through the handy worke of God the king asked him what messenger hee thought meetest to goe againe to Ierusalem on this businesse Saith hee if you haue any enemie or traitor to your person send him thither for though he escape aliue yet he shall returne well whipped sith in that place there is some diuine power and Godheade for the most mightie Creator of heauen and earth which ruleth and disposeth all thinges by his great prouidence wisedome is the sure keeper safe defendor of that place Whosoeuer therefore without respect of religion shall offer force vnto him or violent hands let them not think to sâ—ape vnpunished for hee pursueth them in such sort afflicteth them with so great calamities intollerable torments vntil they suffer iust punishment for their deserts Of this matter you neede none other witnesse than my selfe which made triall not not long since in mine owne person I am afraid O most noble Prince least that which as I said did lately chance vnto Heliodorus may also be the sorowful lot of those which exact tribute froÌ„ religious meÌ„ houses both because they attempt that froÌ„ which if they were wise they should kede themselues free but especially because some men rush vpon it outragiously without al respect of religion or their poore estate I am perswaded it is farre inough from the intent and purpose of your noble most wise Senate that through these exactions the priests and ministers of God which are continually busied in diuine functions for the soules health of all men should suffer any iniurie But yet in priuate conferences I haue rather obserued it that by this meanes and vnhonest endeuor they seek to gratifie your noble Senate Wherfore their actions seeme too austere too cruell and vnreasonable For vnles their money be ready euen at the appointed daye presently there commeth in the vnmercifull receiuers of such exactors they offer force and violence to the poore priests they raile on them they miscall them they wound them with contumelious and opprobrious speeches they violently take away their goodes and houshold stuffe they prise it they sell it their gaine is almost more than the value of the paiment O wonderfull impietie before this age neuer once heard of O great crueltie woorthie to bee reuenged with great punishment Those which doe these things are they to be called Christians can we perswade our selues that God will forget such haynous offences other sinnes although they be greeuous yet the Lords wrath being once pacified by true repentaunce they are put away But if thou haue once lifted vp thine handes to spoile holie thinges then then it is high time for thee to tremble before the face of the wrathful God the reuenger of all impietie will come sodainely he will take full punishment on theÌ„ euen in his straight and fearefull iudgement and now for the better and more certaine knowledge of this thing we may well remember that most vnhappie death and destruction of Cn Pompeius on whom fortune at the first blush did laugh so fauourablie that as Tullie saith there is no man to be thought so fond which within himself would wish such and so many high honours as God himselfe bestowed most plentifullie on Pompey and yet because as Liuie writeth and Iosephus the most cleare excellent historiographer of the Hebrews he went about to take away the riches costly iewels out of the temple he purchased a miserable death vnto himself For how sore a battail and how vnhappie successe had hee euer after against Iulius Caesar in Thesalia and other places also how miserably his head was strucke off by Ptolomie being but a boy in whom hee reposed great hope it is verie plaine and manifest The like euils or as I may saie sisters vnto these were those which happened to M. Crassus going to warre against the Parthians who were professed enimies to the Romaines He going to war when by the waie he had spoiled the foresaid temple of the Iewes and as Iosephus writeth amongst other things had taken the golden piller out of the temple which waied an hundred and fiftie pound waight in massie gold and had broke it in pieces and most wickedlie paid his souldiers therewith afterward he fought against the Parthians with so hard and euill successe that amongst al the great losses and ill aduentures of the Romaines his is also numbred and recorded For first of all his deare sonne whom he loued tenderly was slaine in the battaile before his face and manie legions of the Romaine Soldiers euen the flower of their chiualrie were then also most pittifullie slaine manie of theiâ— ensignes were taken by the enemie the rest of that armie which scaped the slaughter of the battaile by flight were scattered into Armenia Silicea Syria At the length Crassus himselfe by the iust iudgement of almightie God being taken of his enemies chose rather to kill himselfe then to be captiue to the barbarous people For he thrusting the riding wand wherewith he did beat his horse deep in at his eie with that strange kinde of death ended his wicked life Afterward his wretched head and his right hande once cut off by the barbarous people and brought to the king Aristonicus his
of the Frenchmen And Brennus himselfe beeing sore wounded in many places and not able to indure the paines and exceeding anguish of his wounds he killed himself with his owne dagger and so for his bold attempts he had his deserts by deserued death WheÌ„ â—yrrâ—us had coÌ„pelled the Citizens of Locris to giue him a great portion of the treasure of the goddesse Prosorpina wheÌ„ he was sailing away loden with his wicked praie he and his whole nauie by force of a sodaine tempest was beaten against the shores of the goddesse on which the money being found againe it was restored to the olde custodie of the treasurie But what should I speake anie more of these things for I feare me that if I should comprehend all the examples of auncient times appliable to this purpose in this treatie that I shoulde keepe no meane in writing of the same for they bee so manie that they can scarce bee numbered I omitte the example of Qu Cipio who beeing Consull when hee had sacked the Towne Tholosam and that there was found much golde and siluer in the Temples of the same Towne whosoeuer presumed to touch anie of that golde in that spoile in lue of his deserts hee died therefore in most horrible griefe and anguish I omit Xerxes the king of the Persians which sent foure thousand soldiers to Delphos to destroy Apollos Temple which companie was cleane destroied with lightning and tempest that Xerxes might vnderstande thereby the greater iniurie hee offered to God so much the lesse his force shoulde bee to resist Which reuenge truelie may bee applied to these our daies for wee haue seene it oftentimes chaunce in like sort vnto you euen in these daies since you beganne to take the goods of the Church into your owne handes and to paie Souldiers wages therewith For as you your selues can witnesse verie well not onelie your Shippes full fraughted with munition for warre were destroied with diuerse tempestes with thundering and lightning from heauen but also manie thousandes of souldiers afflicted with diuers calamities died most miserablie so that none or verie fewe which you sent vnto the warre came safe home againe Tell me O most renoumed Venetians how should these strange ouerthrowes these strange slaughters and destructions of men these manie calamities and miseries come but that this your warre is not onelie against man but also against God and his true worship a worde in this matter is inough Now I mind to applie my speach vnto these our times and to couclude with domesticall examexamples for we must not content our selues with the examples of auncient times if our owne bee appliable also hereunto Especiallie sith manie will saie vnto me why doe you propound vnto vs the examples of the Pagans temples and their wicked gods why doe you rehearse their reuengementes against their enimies sith by the hand of God at length they were all taken away To whome I may well answere in good time that I make mentioÌ„ of those heatheÌ„ gods to the end we might thereby vnderstand how seuere a reueÌ„ger our God eueÌ„ the God of all Gods of his iustice ought to bee vnto those which presume wickedly to take away the goods of the church and transport them vnto other vses sith that those which were falselie called gods and which indeede were no gods or rather God himselfe by them sent such cruell plagues and punishmentes for the contempt of their religion The cause why the most righteous God permitted that they which were rather deuils then gods should so grieuouslie punish men was because forasmuch as they knew they contemned the true religion and the true God Sith those idols were most wickedly contemned of them which though falselie yet the whole people tooke them to be true gods and they seemed to these men which spoiled them so wickedlie to bee true gods indeede Wherefore God himselfe brought iust punishment vpon them for this contempt of that which they faithfullie beleeued to bee God And nowe in these daies that cloud of ignorance beeing cleane remoued sith he is more barbarously contemned of vs surely he will punish vs more seuerely greeuously But nowe from whence wee digressed let vs returne vnto these of our time to tell what great death slaughter chanced to that wicked Fredericke the second for violating the libertie of the church I shall not need many words for that is plaine inough to those which read the histories For when he was made Emperor by Innocentius the third and had taken the crosse in his hande against the enemies of the Christians then euen vnto his owne vndooing deuising most vnhappily with himself how he might take away the goodes of the church now dedicated to holy vse he was not afraid to take them wickedly and to imploy them prophanely herevpon hee became so blinde in his owne opinion that hee made a sacrilegious pact with the mightie king of Aegypt the Soldan concerning the suppressing of religion religious houses and concluded that from which a christian man ought especially to abhorre But hee did not long escape the iust vengeance of God For after that he had spoiled many cities after many dissentions had with the church of Rome after that hee had deuoured many temples after many most cruel barbarous sacrileges hauing his own sonne in a ielousie that he affected his Empire he shut him vp in most filthie dungeons til he died And he feeling the great grieuous censure of the church as the righteous God had appointed he was strangled of his own sonne Manfredus most cursedly Here I will not omit the like calamities of the princes of Carraria in the like impietie for when they began once wickedly to challenge to themselues the ordering of those things which belong only to holie function by reason of the pestilent councell which they had taken very soone after they lost that famous citie Patauium most strong both by situation force which was thought almost to be inuincible Neyther fained he which wrote that saying Vnlesse the Lord keepe the citie the watchmen watch but in vaine And vnlesse the Lord of hostes doe helpe truly he laboureth but in vaine which leadeth the armie forth trusting onely to his owne wit and pollicie So also did that holy woman Iudith sing before the Lorde when she cut off the head of the insolent Holifernes with his owne sworde she did sing most excellently in this manner O Lorde thy power consisteth not in the multitude of an host neither in the strength of an horse but the praier of the humble and meeke was alwaies acceptable before thee Wherfore if you put your confidence in your strong and mightie nauie of goodly ships and do not seeke to please God with good works and more diligent deuotion in your religion ye haue good cause to feare least whilest yee haue offended him hoping for victorie yee striue in vaine when according to the heuenly saying of Dauid wee must
rather put our whole trust and confidence in the Lord these be his wordes Some trust in chariots and some in horses but in the name of the Lord our God wee shall obtaine the victorie With this force your ancestors did ouercome their enemies both by sea and land most victoriously with this kind of fight they obtained many victories and glorious conquests But yet they neuer tooke councel once to touch holy thinges the goods of religious men that they might imploy theÌ„ on warlike affaires Read your histories of auncient time reuise your old monumeÌ„ts you shal neuer find that they sought any waies to strengthen themselues with the goods of the church Lastly propound vnto your selues the late example of Philip. Maria who wheÌ„ he had good successe in al his affairs al things fel out with him aswell as he would wish at length he gaue ouer himselfe vnto such madnes that al feare laid apart he challenged church goods vnto himselfe But marke howe duely he suffered worthy punishment for being wearied with continuall warres he not only lost a great part of his dominions his enemies besieging him eueÌ„ hard vnto his walles but also he suffered dangerous grieuous diseases in his bodie so that hee being blinde lead a most sorrowfull life a long time after but what became of his Empire and by what meanes his noble family is now cleane extinguished no succession left at all it may easily appeare to euery man the thing being yet so fresh in memorie To what ende say some haue you set downe so many examples of Gentils of Pagans of ChristiaÌ„s I haue briefly gathered al these together O most noble prince you most renowned Venetians for that goodwil and dutie which I owe vnto you to your commonwelth to the end that they which are addicted to this opinion of spoiling holie things might both by auncient examples and also by their ill successe he moued to take better couÌ„cel also that euery man may know right well that there was neuer anie not onely in our time but in the times of olde found which stretched out wicked handes vnto holie things who prospered any long time after and suffered not the present punishment therof the which I pray God to turn froÌ„ you your dominioÌ„ by which exaÌ„ples least I should be too long be ye afraid O most worthy Venetians if ye persist any longer in this your purpose feare and tremble least so many daungers hanging ouer your heades yee bee compelled to suffer greater greeuouser Thinke not that God wil leaue it vnpunished in you rather than in others The wrath of God proceedeth gently vnto reuenge but hee recompenseth the slownes of his wrath with the greeuousnes of his punishment Neuer was there any excellent ruler in the coÌ„mon wealth commended for dwelling too long in the selfe same opinion but as in sailing if you cannot attaine the hauen it is the point of art to yeeld to the course of the tempest But when you can attaine the hauen hauing turned saile it is a follie and meere madnes to followe that daungerous course in which ye were before so ought wee to doe in the gouernment of the commonwelth neither ought wee alwaies to followe the same councell and aduise but that which wee are sure bringeth honest and profitable good and happie successe to the commonwelth that is to be followed to be imbraced to bee retained most constantly But if it be discerned to bee hurtfull to the commonwealth all men knowe that it is follie and rashnes to followe that with daunger which we may easily leaue with safety glorie Nowe O worthie Venetians harken vnto mee a man most desirous of your prosperous estate take better councell for the safetie of your selues and your affaires retaine ye the name of Venece most famous thoroughout the whole world in more religious manner than ye do Remoue these diuers and tempestuous calamities which are ready to fall vpon you with more wholesome means that with such councel wisdomâ— ye may foresee what most belongeth to your own 〈◊〉 faires the commonwelth whose safety cannot stand without yours FINIS Iohn 19 Hesiod Daniel 2. Pindarus Dorne Psal. 115. Esai 62. Solon ExceptioÌ„ S. Ambros lib. 2. offic cap. 28. Sozomine S. Gregorie Hessiod Psalm 8. Act. 1. Math. 19. Reg. 4. Psalm 22. Psalm 2. S. Iohn 1. Luke 9. Simonides Apocalyps Aristotle Math. 12. Leuiticus Math. 6. Peter 1. 1. Corinth 1. Math. 25. Reg. 2. Bachilides Esaie 42. Ecclesi 35. S. Bernard Math 27. Heb 15. Common Lawe Iudges 17 Patres Leuilic 〈◊〉 Ioseph Math 6. Galaâ— 4. Ambrose Math 22. Consil. Grangren Consil. Rom. Math 18 Iohn 10. Consit Aurial Consil. Spalens Consil. Paris Consil. Magunt S. Ambros. S. August Reg. 2. S. Chrisost Paulus Diac. Iustinian Theodoricus Turoneus S. Beda Prosper S. Ierom. Caluin S. Barnard Bullinger P. Martir Celsus Act. 5. Euagrius Gabaones Alaricus Bullinger Acts 10. Math. 25. Hermes Gen. 3. S. Ierom. Hebr. 12. Ephes. 6. Ephes. 6. Ephes. 4. Math. 11. Apoc. 22. Math. 7. Luke 19. Virgill Sisera Iosua 7. Iudges 5. Psal 118. Psal 121. â—sdras 3. Iohn 1. Psal 23. Psal 21. Luke 10. Esdras 3. Celsus Tim 2. 1. Corin 2. Math 3. Psalm 48 Tullie Iohn 1. Act 2. Dionys. Areop Pet. 2. Math. 19 Hemes Aristotle Lex Nat. Rom. 8. Euaristus Tritemius Eusebius Rom. 8. Zachar 13 Cor. 2. Iacob 1. Gal. 5. Rom. 7. Aristot. Plato Rome 13. Corint 1. Psal 31. Esay 40. Hermes Daniel 5. Luke 22. Dan. 6. Augusti Paule Rome Psalm 2. Psalm 26. Matheteci Prouer. 21. Cor. 1. Psal. 1. Pet. Heb. 2. Iohn 19. S. Barnard Psal. 23. Apoc. 7. Deutro 6. Rom. 12. Psalm 115. Corinth 2. Psalm 106 Math 2. Vira Luke 2. Corinthâ— 1. Esay 9. Gen. 20. Prou. 8. Reg 3. Psal. 67. Cor. 1. Psal. 36. Gen. 26. Gen. 28. Gen. 28. Act. 4. Rom. 9. Luk. 1. Exod. 36. 2 Kings 6. 2. Kings 7. 3. Kings 5. Diemon Paralip 2. Cirus Seldan Plutarch Plato Esai 1. Amos 3. Amos 3. August Luke 23. Reg. 4. Psal 57. Darius Esdras 3. Artaxerxes Paralip 2. Paralip 1. Grecians AlexaÌ„der Ianus Tully T. Liuius T. Hostilius N. Pom. Albani Proserp Temp. Pleminius Maro Caesar. Luke 7. Constantine Eusebius Helina Euseb vit Constant. Math. 6. Math. 6. Act. 17. Iohn 19. Eusebius Deut. 16. Psalm 90. Psal. 103. Gen. 17. Gen 1. 7. Eusebius Gua L. red paral 2. Exod 3. Iohn 19. Godfrie Bullin Mic Ritius Adricom Virgilius Iudge 4. psal 114. Ludouic Brunus M. Ritius L. Brunus Marh 9. Aristot. Elizab. Regina Gen. 27. Túe rose of EnglaÌ„d Psal. 36. Toby 13. Math. 3. Psal. 25. Psal. 126. S. Bernard Iob. 10. Gen. 2. Per. 2. Psalm 112 Psalm 18. Sapien. 15. Exod. 20. Reg. 4 10. Celsus of Vetona Exod. 20. Honorius Solitarius Reg. 4. Athanasius Ely Exod. 4. Reg. 1. Exod 20. S. Pet 2. Reg 1. Nabuchodonoser Ierem. 39. Daniel 4. Daniel 4. Daniel 5. Regum 3. Reg. 4. Iesabel Reg. 4. Math. 46. Actes 20. Reg. 3. Reg. 1. Gen. 3. Psal. 48. Heb. 13. Math. 10. Gen. 40. Terence Tullie Psalm 40. Math. 7. Mark 10. Regum 4. Psal. 120. Aiax Acts 12. Phil. 2 Luke 22. Acts. 2. Iohn 1. Iohn 18. Ebion Cherinthus Euseb. 3. Math. 27. Const. M. Sozom. â— Rom. 6. Acts 7. Euseb. 2 Iosep. Bel. Iu. Daniel 9. Cels. SeioÌ„ Acts 5. Arrius Nestorius Euagrius hist. 1. Maximinius Euseb. 9. Iulian. Sozom. 6. Ruffing 1. Platina Aristot. Psal. 67. Prouer. 20 S. Angust Plautus Num. 6. Iosua 6. S. August â—pist 154. S. Greg. S. August Math. 21. S. Iames Platina S. Peter Euseb. 2. S. Paul S. Iohn Euseb. 3. Hier. lin Galat. Acts 13. Luke 4. A drico Dares Phâ—y Q. Curtius Eccles. 16. Ezec 33. Luke 13. Romulus Numa Pompil â— Antonius Herodian Kings 4. S. Pet. S. Iohn Wil. Râ—f Rom. â— Ouid. Prouerb 8. Math. 23. Pal. 129. Corinth 1. Psal. 120. Deut. 33. S. Iohn 4. Act. 4. Oza Reg. 2. Reg. 4. Apoc. 22. Iud. 6. Math. 24. S. Ierome Elias Daniel Liberati Leouitius Plato Tritemius Septuaginta Beda Hebraei Isodorus Gen. 1. Iul. Câ—sar Gen. 6. Troy Tit. Liuâ— Iosephus Rom. 1. Lonicerus P. Iouius An. Dom. 1573. I. Dee T. Digges Cassiopeia Aratus Gâ—ariau Mercator Enoch Esai 64. Math. 24. Gen. 7. Gen. 19. Pet. 2. Ioel. 2. Esai 13. Exod. 14. Sapien. 3. Sapien 6. Iames 5. Math. 25. Iulius Caesar. Religio Aegyptiorum Indians Aethiopians Cambises Hercules Dionysius Ioseph the patrâ—arch The Romane Priests Augustiue Q. Fuluius Flaccus XenophoÌ„ Agesilaus Mithridates Antiochus Heliodorus Cn. Pompeius M. Crassus Themistocles Philippus Maria.