An Apologie or Defence of our dayes against the vaine murmurings complaints of manie Wherein is plainly proued that our dayes are more happie blessed than the dayes of our forefathers In the latter dayes I will powre out my spirite on all flesh Ioel. 2. In the Euening it shal be light Zachar. 14.7.8.9 The Gospell shal be preached through all the world for a witnesse vnto all Nations and then shall the ende come Math. 24. LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe 1589. To the right worshipfull Sir Anthonie Thorrold Knight and to the vertuous Ladie Anne Thorrold his wife Francis Trigge wisheth this yeare with manie others prosperous ioyfull in this world in the world to come life euerlasting BEeing prouoked right worshipfull by your manifold curtesies at all times shewed to my mother mee Lest I should seeme ingratefull which of all sinnes both towardes God and amongest men I accompt the greatest I was euen enforced to shewe my selfe thankfull vnto your worships And whereas at this time euerie one doe not onely in wordes but also in deedes with their presents gifts shewe some signe and token of this their thankefulnes Euen so I also out of my simple garden haue chosen a handfull of Flowers as it were a Nosegay the best present I could get to offer vnto you In the which although some of the flowers perchaunce shal seeme rough and to haue some prickes yet I trust as the Gilliflower and the Rose they smell sweete that is taste of trueth being grounded on the vndoubted trueth of Gods worde The which I haue intituled A defence of our daies against the murmurings and complaints of manie Then the which murmuring and complaining we haue no one sinne amongst vs more common nor anie one more odious to the Maiestie of God which stoppes his blessings from vs yearely in my iudgement pulles his heauie wrath and plagues vpon vs For amongst the old Israelites after their departure out of Egypt Exod. 16. this sinne was almost continuall and daily among them they were neuer content they still found fault with somthing They either lacked water or victuals or Quailes or their enimies were too mightie for them or Moses Aaron tooke too much vpon them And by this meanes those 40 yeares they angred the Lord and prouoked the holie one of Israel as saieth the Psalmist And S. Paul by their examples giues vs a lesson 1. Cor. 10. Be not murmurers saith he as some of them were and were destroyed of the destroyer Thus to murmure or complaine we accompt but a small thing almost no sin at all But behold it is a deadlie sinne it bringeth death vnnaturall vntimelie euen of the destroyer And surelie I feare mee this one thing hath caused the vntimelie deathes of manie of our riche men this last yeare When as God had sent them plentie of corne yet they were not content they would hurd vp their old They would saie it wil be deare still nay they would deuise how to make it deare They would complaine of much strawe little corne and so no doubt they angred the Lorde God with these hurdings vp murmurings and euen shortened their owne daies For we are all taught this generall lesson by our doctor master S. Paul 1. Thess 5. Phil. 2. In all things giue thanks And againe do al things without murmurings reasonings And Dauid shewes vs the talke speaches of Gods seruants They saie alwaies the Lord be praised And S. Paul himselfe not onlie by word of mouth but by his own example teacheth vs this lesson who going vp to Ierusalem and as he went by the waie certaine Prophets tolde him that of a trueth he would be hardlie welcomed thither that he should be bound imprisoned who neuer grudged at such hard tydings but ioyfullie aunswered The Lords wil be done Ecclesiasticus 39. ver 13. I am not readie to be bound but to die for the Lord Iesus And Ecclesiasticus giueth vs this counsel Hearken vnto me O ye holie children bring foorth fruite as the Rose that is planted by the brookes of the field and giue you a sweet smel as incense brings forth flowers as the Lylie giue a smell sing a song of praise Blesse the Lord in al his works This is a sweet rose vnto the Lord euen at Christyd This is the sweete frankinsence that the Lord delightes in This is the pure white Lyllye flower And none may saye what is this wherefore is that At all times conuenient they shall al be sought out We shall one day perceiue that all the workes of God euen our great fluddes our yll seede forrowes our great windes our weete haruestes shall tende to the saluation of our soules though they diminish the gaine of our purses Therefore let vs not saie Oh what a weather is this Oh what a haruest is this But rather the Lord be praised who sendeth this The booke of the wisedom of Salomon in the first Chapter teacheth vs the same lesson as a chiefe and principall point of wisedome The eare of Ielousie heareth all thinges and the noise of the grudgings shall not be hidden Therefore beware of murmuring which profiteth or auaileth nothing See what great reasons Salomon alledgeth that wee should beware of this murmuring He compares God to an earnest louer which cannot abide his giftes his tokens to be founde fault withall The Lord markes our words gestures when he sends vs raine windes faire weather how we take these his tokens He tryes vs whether we loue him or not If we frowne when we receiue them it is a signe wee loue him not perfectly in deede A true and a faithfull louer will receiue anie thing and that cheerefully at his louers handes So ought wee to doe at Gods handes Secondly all our murmurings and complainings auaile nothing they make the weather neuer the better therefore they are in vaine Beware therefore of vaine murmuring and complaining The Lorde when as wee our selues deserue to be drowned with the olde worlde for despising not Noah the eight preacher of righteousnes but euē eight score He drownes our Haye our pastures when as we our selues deserued to be destroyed with those same couetous Gergesites For despising his Gospel making light account of it He killes destroyes but our swine He rottes our sheepe When as the Axe being laid long agoe to the roote of the tree by manie Iohn Baptists who preach vnto vs euen his verie commission preaching Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand And we waxing euery yere worse and worse deserue quite to be cut downe he doth by his sharpe windes of warres taxes but pluck of our leaues pinch our purses And shal we complaine or not rather commend extoll this great goodnes of our God and finde fault with our selues and say with Dauid in the like case being plagued for numbring the people Loe it is
not with his owne strength and merites The sea of all people and Nations almost haue fledde backe from our Pharao the Pope and Iordaine that most commodious ryuer of sayling to Rome for pardons and dispensations is driuen backe And these same great mountaines of kinges and noble men haue skipped like Rammes and reuolted from him At the presence of the Lord his holy spirit which is in the middest of our churches the little hilles of the people like yong sheepe This desire of all nations Iesus Christ hath so inflamed the hearts of all men hath so set them on fire kindle in them an vnspeakable zeale For what other cause can be giuē of the sudden forsaking of the Popes yoke obedience almost now of the best in euery countrey in his so great power crueltie in theirs so great perils and dangers which doe forsake him that they should hazarde and venture not only their goods and possessions but also their own liues Surely it must néedes be some great matter that should thus moue themselues to venture their liues to this extremitie and that voluntarily and not by compulsion Besides this mouing of all Nations the worde of God hath giuen to all men peace of conscience which beléeue it and receiue it That nowe they feare not to dye merily and ioyfully without any 〈◊〉 or pardons or Diriges to be song yearely for them after their death That nowe with their captaine Iesus Christ they dare boldly commit their soules into the hands of God their father without any singing or ringing or massing of Popish Fréers This is the peace of the gospel this is the peace in death this of all other peace is the greatest And are not our churches adorned and decked are not they verye glorious are not they very famous Are not these strange things and wonderful which in our church the Lord worketh Doe we account this mouing of all Nations this knowledge of Iesus Christ this presence of his holye spirite this preaching of his worde this greatest peace of all other peace of conscience to be matters of nothing to be matters of no weight Many there be that make many other complaintes but these are the most grieuous and most common Some do find fault at our euil liues They doe not followe saye they the worde of God which they professe and they commend to the skyes the holinesse and good workes of our forefathers Some other doe accuse the basenes of our birthes the obscuritie of our stocke They are vpstartes strangers of base parentage youthes not of the auncient Nobilitie Some other do feare and blase abroad the sturres and stormes of our times the inuasions of our enimies See say they 〈◊〉 what dangers they haue brought vs in howe many and howe mightie enimies they haue plucked on our backs Some mislike with our often marriages and that maketh so many beggets say they Some other do condemne especially the marriages of Ministers and they cannot abyde that they shoulde purchase anye lande for their children Others which woulde seeme more deuout stande onely on this point They condemne all our forefathers saye they and therefore they will neuer be on our opinion So that there is almost no man but he hath something to complaine of some thing grieueth him To which all he that woulde fully satisfie should neuer make an ende Yet lost by our scilence they shoulde seeme to haue gotten the victorie I wil saye some thing to euery one of these And first of all these which talke so much of their forefathers doe little consider with Dauid the dayes of their forefathers in déede Psal 75. ver 3. These did not goe into the Tabernacle of God they doe not receiue the congregation with Dauid for then they woulde iudge rightly they pronounce like blinde men of colours without light of vertue But that I maye aunswere briefelye to this great Chaos and heape of quarrels this is my opinion First concerning oure liues that they so greatly fynde fault withall and our workes Wée haue one worke almost dayly amongest vs in manye places which doeth surmount and surpasse all their workes of the whole yeare naye of their whole liues The which only worke God the Father commaundeth from heauen that is to saye the hearing of the worde of Iesus Christ Mat. 17. ver 5. This is my beloued sonne sayeth God the Father heare him God the Father was neuer heard to speake to any man before in this worlde so properly in his owne person as in Matthew 3.17 and in the 17. Chapter and fifth verse teaching this doctrine Therefore his voyce is worthie to be marked diligently And he commaundeth nothing but this Heare him And our Sauiour Christ hath pronounced of his ministers to the end of the worlde lest our Recusants shoulde saye they refuse not to heare Iesus Christ Hée that heareth you heareth mée Hée that heareth mée heareth him that sent mée And I am with you to the end of the worlde This worke wée haue This onely wée doe This is our glorie But they had one sinne in those dayes which surpesseth all the sinnes of the whole worlde which like that leuen of the Pharisies corrupted all their workes so manye in number so costly so stricte and so seuere and that was Incredulitie They belieued not the Gospell of Iesus Christ They durst not ground their faith and venture their liues vpon it The Holie Ghoste when hee shall come into the worlde sayeth 〈◊〉 Sauiour Christe shall rebuke the worlde of sinne Iohn 16. ver 9. But of what sinne of that greate sinne of all other because they beléeued not in mee sayeth oure Sauiour Because they haue not beléeued in the onely begotten sonne of God Because they haue not beléeued his Ghospell his ioyfull tydings of saluation This sinne was common to them with the Pharisies and therefore all their workes were vnsauourie Naye they were sinnes before the Lorde For without faith it is vnpossible to please God And what so euer is not of faith is sinne And as conseruing the small fruite of hearing the worde of God which they finde faulte withall because it is not fruitefull in all or in the moste parte Let them remember our Sauiour Christe himselfe hath tolde them that not all his seede but the fourth parte onely shoulde bring foorth good fruite Let them remember the Apostle Saint Paule rebuking them which so curiousely prye into other mennes lyues and for the moste parte neglect their owne Rom. 14. ver ◠1. Cor. 4. ver 3. Who art thou that doest iudge another mannes seruauntes Euery man standes or falles to his master The prayses or disprayses of men hée himselfe nothing regardes Hée runneth his race by good reportes and euill reportes as hée teacheth the Corinthians And so surely must all his companions and fellowe seruauntes That seruaunt is happye whome the master commendeth Sathan is readye to pinche the héele of the womans séede of the
but they haue lyingly and falsly taught him vnto the people they haue limited and set boundes to his infinit mercy that they might sell their masses their pardons and their reliques dearer that men might trust in them that they might get and prouide them But marke I beséech you how greatly the world was blinded The good workes of others which was commanded of God in his law can profit none but them selues And doe we thinke that their workes then which were not commanded of God for the most part can profit any When as the Apostle Paule saith plainely we must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ 2. Cor. 5. ver 10. and euery one whether he bee monke or masse Priest or Pope himselfe or people shall receiue according to those thinges which he hath done in his owne bodie and not according to those thinges which other hath done for him or according to those things which he hath left by his will to be done for him after his death While life remaines according to our Sauiours doctrine there is a day allotted to euery man in the which he may labour in the which he may worke and bring forth the signes of faith merits of mercie and fruites pleasant to the Lorde But when death commeth then it is night in the which no man can worke any more Wherefore all their workes done after death done for them bought so dearely prouided for so carefully done so deuoutly in truth were nothing worth were vnprofitable vnto them did them no good and were of no force with the Lorde What profiteth any man that is deade without faith without repentance now being in torments masses himnes songes meat to be deuided yearely in remembrance of him or some dayly for his sake After death there is no place of prayers no place of repentance no place of translation or alteration no place of teares and good workes to any man as the Story of the rich glutton and Lazarus doth plainely teach vs wherefore we must worke our selues in our owne bodies the workes that must doe vs good at the day of iudgement When the trée is once hewed downe where it falles there it lyeth whether it be towards the North or towards the South that is whether it be in the pleasures of heauen or in the colde stormes of hell Eccle. 11. ver 3. as the wise man teacheth vs. After it be cut downe it can flourish no more neither can it beare fruit any more No more no doubt can we this trée is a parable of vs. Then besides this these Huxters these selles of merits and workes and Masses they doe not onely beguile others but they beguile themselues For though perchance you will say they are Virgins and liue straitly and punish themselues more then other men doe Math. 25. Yet they are but foolish Virgins as the Gospell doth plainely teach vs. The wise Virgins durst not deminish or lend any of the oyle of their good workes no not one droppe And what fooles are these then that dare bee so bolde to doe it They durst not giue any of their oyle which was a worke of mercy commended and commaunded of God him selfe in his lawe And these dare sell theirs They feared least they shoulde want themselues but these thinke that they haue ouerplus and to spare for others and doe make the dearest and gainefull occupation of selling their workes No occupation euer got or purchased so much lande as they did by this their trade of selling their Masses and merites All the Saintes of God crye and sigh with Dauid euen from their hartes Enter not into iudgement with thy seruantes O Lorde for in thy sight shall no man liuing bee iustified And in another place If thou Lorde wilt bee extreeme to marke what is done amisse O Lord who may abide it And with Iob wee are not able to answere one for a thousand And hauing learned that good lesson of their maister Iesus Christ in the Gospell all his seruantes whether they bee Virgins or married folkes or Martyres say when they haue done all what they can wee are vnprofitable seruants wee haue done but our dueties Wherefore this hope in trusting to other mens workes is death this staffe of leaning to other mens merits is the staffe of Egypt it woundeth his hande that trusteth vnto it The other staffe of Iacob with the which alone hee passed ouer that Iordaine of this life that is Iesus Christ and to trust to his merits to his workes to his death and passion is a sure staffe Psal 3.5 Psal 3.8 ver 15. Psal 3.9 ver 8. Psal 18. ver 29. is the staffe of all the Saintes of God With this staffe Dauid leaped ouer the wall Pleade thou my cause O Lorde saith hee with them that fight against mee and thou shalt answere for mee O Lorde my God And in another Psalme And now truely what is my hope truely my hope is euen in thée and with the helpe of the Lorde my GOD I shall leape ouer the wall This staffe our Fathers catching euen at the pitte brinke of death Wee doe not doubt but they were saued by this they went ouer Iordaine with Iacob safely by this they leaped ouer the wall of their sinnes and former superstition which did separate them from God with Dauid by this with the théefe of the crosse they passed from death to life All their former sinnes were couered and they were euen that day with Iesus Christ in Paradise Thus wee hope of our Fathers and this was their saluation Wherefore let vs imbrace the Gospell and be thankefull to God for the same Our Fathers nay many Kings and Princes nay the auncient Fathers haue not séene the thinges that wee haue séene this great light shined not in their dayes Let vs expresse in our liues and conuersations Let vs doe all the thinges it commandeth In times past how many thinges woulde they obserue for mens pleasures now let vs bee obedient for the Lordes sake Let vs forsake that Romish Babylon with her Antichrist and all his trumperie They haue not one title nor iot for testimony of thy truth in the word of God But as you see all their doctrine is flatly condemned in the same Let vs venture our liues for Iesus Christ his Gospel not for the pope and his Church as his Iesuites doe We haue no such commandement in the word of God Let not the wickednesse of the worlde or of some carnall gospellers which say and do not any whit dismaie vs or make vs stumble There hath béene such and shal be such alwaies The séede is good but the ground is naught Let vs be of the small flocke of Iesus Christ which heare his word and kéepe it Let vs in all thinges which chaunce vnto vs either in the weather or in our wealth and goods or in our bodies blesse and praise the Lord with blessed Iob. Let vs possesse our soules with patience Let vs arme our soules to temptation for the Lorde will trye all that be his Wilt thou be a Paule thou shalt haue an Angel of Sathan to buffet thée Wilt thou be a Dauid thou shalt haue Saule to persecute thée Wilt thou be Peter thou shalt haue Sathan to sift thée And to be short as many as will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution Let vs now waite for the comming of the bridegroome The Cockes haue crowne a great while the day dawneth great knowledge and light is in the world surely the Sunne is not farre off I meane Iesus Christ Luke 12. ver 35. he is euen now in a rising Let our loines be girded vp not flaunting with our vaine garments and our torches of faith and good workes in our handes and let vs be as seruants euery day and houre waiting when our maister will come from the marriage who hath promised he will come quickly And surely he will kéepe his promise And the spirit Apoc. 22. ver 17. and the Bride saide Come Lord Iesus And let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come And let whosoeuer will take of the water of life fréely Euen so come Lorde Iesus as thou hast promised and make vs all readie against thy coming and make vs thirst and long for the water of life which is thy holy worde that we bée not fruitlesse and deade at thy coming To thée the Father and the holy Ghost be all praise power and saluation for euermore Amen FINIS
seruaunts of God as of 〈◊〉 Iob. The sinnes of all the other Idolatrers in that countrey hée not so much as touched them hée hidde them hée couered them hée accused the electe of God His owne children hée rockes in the cradell of securitie It is to be feared lest bée so concealed heretofore their woorkes of darkenesse And they which nowe finde faulte at strawes and mâ—ates in our eyes at that great daye of account let them take héede lest there be great Beames founde in their owne eyes and in those whome they so highly commende Then besydes this almost all their woorkes which they so greatly bragge of and commende to the ignorant they were of the will of man not of the Lawe of God They were deuised of them selues not commanded of their master They were voluntarily done not inioyned them in Gods word they were supplyes of Christes â—â—rites as though he had not payde our raunsome sufficiently Not testimonies of his grace signes of our duetie and argumentes of our thankefulnes And what worshipping of God is this I praye you what obedience of his seruants what reward of his grace and mercie can be looked for at his hands for such workes All their workes were done for the saluation of their soules This they haue put downe in their Authentical instruments and writings to all posterities not for the loue of Iesus which marke he set downe to vs for all our workes If any loue me saith he his perfect Sauiour and redéemer let him keepe my commandements He doth not saye if any one will be saued let him kéepe my commaundements Besides this their workes were not done for the glory of God the which he maketh the chiefe and of them all as in the seuenth of Matthew Let your light so shine before men that they may sée your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen These two ends we finde principally set downe in the Gospell to all our works and none other not for the saluation of our soules Wherefore Chaâ—oâ— when as in the Hebrue tongue to sinne is nothing else but to misse the marke Surely all their workes though they were verie glorious and costly and praise worthie in the eyes of man Markes yet indeede they were but sinnes because they missed these two markes because they were not done to the glory of God and for the loue of Iesus Christe Our Sauiour in the Gospell sayeth He that heareth my wordes and doeth them is like vnto a wise man that buylt his house vpon a Rocke and the 〈◊〉 râ—se and the windes blewe and they could not moue it because it was buylded vpon a Rocke Surely they builded all their workes all their Nonries all their Abbeyes like foolish men vpon the sandes of the Sea according to the doctrine and deuices of men not vppon the Rocke of Iesus Christ and vpon his worde Therefore they could not stande for euer nor endure the forces and stormes of windes and floodes The Abbeyes had no commaundement in the Gospell no plat forme amonge the Saintes of God Moses neuer sawe them in the Mount They were the buildings of mannes braine They were mannes deuises Wherefore they were not founded vpon that sure foundation Iesus Christ As conserning the basenesse of our Parentages and newnesse of our Nobilitie which they obiect this hath beene an auncient complaint of wicked and desperate men against the elect seruants of God and followers of vertue alwayes both in the church and in the common wealth So Catiline amongest the Romanes bragged that he and his adherents were Senatours and auncient Citizens but Cicers was an vpstart gentleman one that come but yesterdaye a newe founde Citizen So the Sodomites taunted Lot drawing them to vertue Will this stranger be a Iudge amongest vs So Corah Dathan and Abiram the eldest sonnes of Ruben and Leuie the chiefe of the Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall companye rose vp against Aaron and Moses These men in byrth in deede were the chiefe amongest all the Israelites So Ismaell mocked Isaack and Caine the elder brother disdained Abell and slewe him So the Athenians saide to Saint Paul when he preached Iesus Christe What newe doctrine is this To morrowe wee will heare thee againe of this matter But worship honour authoritie nobilitie as Dauid telleth vs commeth neither from the East nor from the West nor yet from the South Neither the Northerne men nor Southerne men can make a king though they bee stoute valiant and expert Souldiours But from the Lorde And he is tyed to no mannes kinred to no mannes stocke Hee exalteth and bringeth downe whome please him and whensoeuer it shall please him The hundred and thirteenth Psalme doeth giue vnto vs two notable argumentes and causes to praise the Lorde in all landes from the Sunne rising till the Sunne setting Praise the Lorde yee seruaunts O praise the name of the Lorde Blessed he the name of the Lorde from this time foorth for euermore And that not onely amongest vs but the Lordes name is praised from the rysing vp of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same And what is the cause of this so great and vniuersall and euerlasting praise because the Lorde humbleth himselfe to beholde the things that are in heauen and in earth He taketh the simple out of the dust and lifteth the poore out of the myre That he may set him with the Princes euen with the Princes of the people He maketh the barren woman to keepe house and to be a ioyfull mother of children These two things are as it were spurres and prouokements to pricke men forwarde to praise the Lorde in all ages amongst all Nations Here is the well head of true Nobilitie euen the Lorde God himselfe Euen those same auncient noble men which bragge so much of the antiquitie of their Petigrees they were once in the dust and perchaunce in the myre Let them remember their firste estate and from whence they came Let them acknowledge their creatour and lifter vp and not despise others their equals whome the same God hath exalted also For there is no power no worshippe nor Nobilitie but of the Lorde And they which doe resist these powers resist the ordinance of God And they which raile vppon and blaspheme and scoffe at those which be in authoritie are Heretikes are children of Sathan as Saint Iude doeth tell vs. The Lorde God of Hoastes and King of Kinges and Lorde of Lordes hath euer dealt thus from the beginning He hath euer exalted from moste base and simple estate Cirus He exalted Syrus the great Monarche of the Persians from a sheepeheardes cottage And Romulus the firste founder of Rome was glad to haue a Woolfe or woman strumpet as some thinke for his Nursse He drews Moses the great Captaine of the Israelites out of the Water Hee chose Saule the firste King of the Israelites a Beniamite and one of the least Trybes from seeking his fathers Asses He made Alexander the great