past to try vs and seek the ground of our hearts Psal 139.23 proue and know our thoughts consider if there be any wickednesse in vs rid vs out of it and lead vs in the true way that bringeth to the true life wee beg these things and whatsoeuer thou knowest needfull for vs and thy holy Church in his name and for his sake which is the way the truth and the life saying as he hath taught vs Our father which art in heauen c. Chap. When these or any other that haue offended as who hath not haue made these or the like prayers confessing their sinnes with true sorrow of heart what shall they take to comfort their hearts againe if you haue no softer salt I must seeke further for I feare this salt will nothing but fret them Salt There are diuers sorts of Salt to be had at Bible-Spring some is sharp that â—â—rueth to consume grosse humors some is more milde hath vertue to heale wounds but because some Physitions setting down what is good for the heart say maces is best of all Hospit p. 42. Cant. 2.5 and the Spowse in the Canticles desireth to bee comforted with apples you may call that which I shall now deliuer vnto you apples or maces or wine and milke as the Prophet Esay calleth that which hee deliuereth where he maketh his cry saying Ho euery one that is thirsty come yee to the waters Esay 55.12 and yee that haue no siluer come buy and eate come I say buy wine and milke without siluer and without money Chap. If men must not pay money for this milke and wine with what must they buy it Salt He telleth them in the second and third verses saying Hearken diligently vnto mee and eate that which is good let your soule delight in fatnesse incline your eares and come vnto mee heare and your soule shall liue Chap. It should seeme by his calling for hearing and eating with delight that it is the word of God or some other spirituall gift which is there meant by waters wine milke and fatnesse Salt Some by waters vnderstand the waters of grace in this present life Nicola dâ—lyra and of glory in the heauenly Citty to bee giuen by Christ himselfe according as hee himselfe saith Hee which shall drinke of the waters which I shall giue him shall neuer be more a thirst â—oh 4.14 but the water which I shal giue him shall be in him a fountaine of water springing vp to eternall life By wine and milke the same writer vnderstandeth the good things of grace and glory Benagr glâ—â— and by fatnesse the fatnesse of grace likewise Chap. Well let me haue some of this spirituall nourishing wine and milke or whatsoeuer you list to call it Salt Yee shall and first I will beginne where the aforesaid Prophet made his cry Seeke the Lord while he may bee found Esay 55.6 call yee vpon him while he is neere â— Let the wicked forsake his waies and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations returne vnto the Lord and he wil haue mercy vpon him and to our God for he is very ready to forgiue My soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name 〈◊〉 103.8 â— My soule praise thou the Lord forget not all his benefits 5 Which forgiueth all thine iniquities and healeth all thine infirmities 6 Which redeemeth the life froÌ„ the graue and crowneth thee with mercy and compassion 8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindnesse 9 He will not alwaies chide neither keepe his anger for euer hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities 18 The louing kindnesse of the Lord indureth for euer euer vpon them that feare him c. think vpon his commandements to do them Chap. Yea but these for whom I come haue not feared the Lord nor made any reckoning of his commandements Salt This which I deliuer vnto you now as Apples for comfort is to bee set before them when as I said they are well seasoned with the salt of the law containing a fearefull curse against all the trangressors of the same and so beeing brought vnto a feeling of their sinne are entred into the feare of God which is the beginning of wisedome Pro. 9.10 Chap. Then belike those which feare not God how wise soeuer they seeme to themselues haue not trodden one step in the path of true wisedome Salt No doubt of that Chap. On then Salt Who is a God like vnto thee that taketh away iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Mich. 7 18. hee retaineth not his wrath for euer because mercy pleaseth him He will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs he will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea When the wicked turneth away from his wickednesse that hee hath committed Ezek. 18.28 and doth that which is lawfull and right he shal saue his soule aliue 28 Because hee considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that hee hath committed hee shall surely liue and not die 32 I desire not the death of him that dyeth saith the Lord God cause therefore one another to returne and liue ye Shee shall bring forth a sonne Mat. 1.11 and thou shall call his name Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes And loe a voyce came from heauen saying 3.17 this is my beloued sonne in whom I am â—ell pleased I am not come to call the righteous 9.13 but â—â—nners to repentance Saint Paul saith this is a true saying Tim 1.15 â—y all meanes worthy to bee reciued that â—esus Christ came into the world to saue â—â—nners Come vnto me all ye that are laden meaâ—ing with the burthen of their sinnes and will ease you Mat. 11.28 Likewise Luk. 15.10 I say vnto you there is ioy in â—e presence of the Angels of God for one â—â—nner that repenteth 31 It was meete that we should make merry be glad for this thy brother was dead â—s aliue againe and hee was lost but hee is â—ound As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wilâ—ernesse Ioh. 3 14. so must the Sonne of man bee lift â—p that whosoeuer beleeueth in him â—hould not perish but haue euerlasting life We beleeue saith Saint Peter through â—he grace of our Lord Iesus Christ to bee â—aued euen as they do Acts 14 11. And it was the same Peter that said Acts 10.43 To â—im giue all the Prophets witnesse that â—hrough his name all that beleeue in him â—hall receiue remission of sinnes Chap. Are those then that beleeue in Christ pardoned and saued whether they feare God or feare him not whether they serue sinne or righteousnesse Salt What friend Chapman dost thou thinke
saued for I am God and there is none other Woe vnto them for they haue fled away from me Hosea 7.13 destruction shal be vnto them because they haue transgressed against mee though I haue redeemed theÌ„ yet they haue spoken lies against me God is very greatly to bee feared Palme 89.7 in the â—ounsell of the Saints and to be had in reâ—erence of all them that are about him â— O Lord God of hostes who is like vnto â—hee thy truth most mighty Lord is on eueâ—y side O Lord the hope of Israell all that forâ—ake thee shall be confounded they that deâ—art from thee shall be written in the earth â—ecause they haue forsaken the Lord the founâ—aine of liuing waters Chap. This Salt is fit for such as fal away â—rom God Salt If they bee confounded that fall â—rom God then there is a God and the same 〈◊〉 terrible God to such as forsake him Chap. Go on then Salt Their words haue beene stout aâ—ainst me saith the Lord Mal. 3.13 yet yee say what â—aue wee spoken against thee â—â— Yee haue said it is in vaine to serue God â—nd what profit is it that wee haue kept his â—ommandements and that we walked humâ—ly before the Lord of Hostes This first vnderstand that there shal come â—n the last dayes mockers which will walke â—fter their lusts 2. Peâ— 3.3 And say where is the promise of his â—omming for since the fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning Thou beléeuest that there is one God the dost wel the diuels also beleeue it and tremble whereby wee learne that they which beleeue not so much are worse then diuels Behold the Lord commeth with thousands of Saints Iud. 14.15 to giue iudgement against all men and to rebuke all the vngodly amongst them of all their wicked deedes which they haue vngodly committed and of all their cruell speakings which wicked sinners haue spoken against him God will bring euery worke to iudgement â—ccle 13.14 and euery secret thing whether it be good or euill The Lord will try the righteous Psalme 11.5 but the wicked and him that loueth iniquity doth his soule hate 6 Vpon the wicked hee shall raine snares fire and brimstone and stormy tempest this is their portions of the cups In flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that do not feare God â— Thes 1.8 Chap. If any of this biting salt or the like should moue either the Atheist which saith in his heart there is no God or the Epicure which denieth his prouidence or any of the wicked to come into the Church and there by hearing of Gods iudgements thundred out against them begin to tremble and quake is there any softer salt or any ware to bee had at Bible-Spring that may serue to keepe them from dispairing Salt When by preaching of the word and feruent prayers of the righteous which as Saint Iames saith auaileth much they bee brought to a true feeling of their sinnes and through the grace of God which is giuen to the humble haue that godly sorrow that causeth repentance not â—o be repented of and some measure of a sound faith in our Sauiour Iesus Christ in whose name for that he is the mediator betweene God and man we ought to pray when I say they are thus farre reformed let them either publickely confesse their sinne in such sort as authority shall appoint or else priuately say these or the like words O Lord God which art great and fearefull A prayer and keepest couenant and mercy towards them that loue thee and keep thy commandements Dan. â— wee haue sinned and haue committed iniquity and haue done wickedly yea we haue rebelled and departed from thy precepts and from thy iudgments O Lord righteousnesse belongeth vnto thee and vnto vs open shame O our God wee are confounded and ashamed to lift vp our eyes to thee our God Ezra 9.6 Psalme 51. for our iniquities are increaâ—ed ouer our head and our trespasse is growne vp into the heauen create in vs cleane hearts o God wash vs thereby from our iniquities cast vs not away from thy presence Turne thou vs vnto thee O Lord and we shall bee turned Lame 5.21 Hosea 14 2. Psal 32 5.6 7 take away all our iniquity and saue vs graciously O Lord we doe finde in thy word which is written for our learning that thy seruant Dauid confessed his sinnes vnto thee and thou forgauest him and that euery one that is godly maketh his prayer vnto thee in a time when thou maist bee found and that as a father pittieth his owne children so thou art mercifull vnto them that feare thee Psa 103.13.145.18 and thou art neere to all them that call vpon thee faithfully we pray thee therefore for Iesus Christ his sake to heare vs now with sorrowfull hearts confessing our Epicurisme Atheisme our grosse impiety wicked infidelity wherby we became worse theÌ„ the diuels for they beleeue there is a God and tremble but wee fâ—ared no God at all we were so led by our owne lust and so followed the fashions of the world that wee had no minde to call vpon thee but forsaking thee and thy word to keepe company with the wicked wee were defiled in their pitch corrupted in their wayes and sate downe in the scornefull seate wherein wee so oft and so offensiuely scoft at al Religion and all shew of deuotion that now through thy great mercy hauing some feeling of the burthen of our sins we do wonder that we with our houses haue not long since felt that fearefull fiery vengeance which Sodom and Gomorah felt or that hell did not swallow vs vp quicke as the earth did Corah and his company Num. â—6 â—2 O Lord what haue they done that we haue not done we know not what to say but that thy iustice appeareth in destroying them and thy vnspeakeable mercy is shewed in sparing vs which sparing of vs beeing now through thy grace for which we giue thee praise so sensibly felt doth put vs in hope that as thou hast begunne to worke a new birth in vs so thou wilt sanctifie vs more and more with thy holy spirit and neuer leaue vs till by the fruits of a sound faith thou doe assure vs we are effectually called and so are of the number of those that bee elected in Christ to eternall life Wherefore wee pray thee deere father sithence of thy goodnes thou shast taught vs and we haue learned not only that there is a God but also that thou which art immortall inuisible and onely wise art the onely true God whom wee ought to feare and in whom wee must beleeue and that thou art about our path about our bed spiest out al our waies knowest all our words as being so resident euery where by thy spirit that wee can goe no where from thy presence we pray thee haue mercy vpon vs to forgiue vs all that is
Salomon which saith My sonne Prou. 24.21 feare the Lord and the King â—nd meddle not with them that are seditiâ—us And S Peter also after these words 1. Pet. 2.17 Honour all men loue brotherly felowship â—aith Feare God honor the King whereâ—y hee teacheth vs that though wee owe a â—inde of honour to all men yet the King is to be honoured aboue all the rest this being so I may safely conclude that the King is to be obeyed in the Lord who commandeth vs to honour him The fifth Commandement also biddeth vs honour Father and Mother Now that stretcheth to the King which is a father to the country as a father then thinketh himselfe not to bee honoured if his sonne obey him not which made Salomon say Prou. 6.20 My sonne keepe thy fathers commaundements And Saint Paul Ephes 6.1 Children obey your parents in the Lord So a King doth not thinke himselfe honoured of those that frame not themselues to obey him in the Lord. To command to goe to Church to heare Gods word to pray to him to praise him to shew forth the Lords death c. is to command in the Lord if then in this and the like wee stubbornely disobey him wee giue him not the honour due vnto him to finde fault with translations and to say we are cut off from the head are stumbling-blockes of their owne laying for our tranâ—â—slations which we haue already dare shew their faces in any place in the world wherâ— their old Latine vulgar edition dare and sâ— long as the Apostle Paul teacheth Thaâ— Christ is the head of the Church Eph. 5.23 Contra Crescomum lib. 3. cap. 5. Dixâ—plane dâ—â—o ibid. which lesson S. Augustine hauing learned wrote thus Christus Christianisit caput let Christ be the Christian mans head And S. Peter that the King is the superior vnto whose ordinances if the Christians were to submit themselues in his time in ciuill matters why should not we submit our selues vnto them in Ecclesiasticall matters also now when God in his mercy hath made them not onely receiuers of the saith but also defenders of the same so long I say as we are thus taught and so haue learned why should any say that we are cut off from the head seeke to ioyne the whole Church militant to one ministeriall head I must needs confesse that it were a blessed thing and very comfortable to all that professe the religion of the crucified Christ if when there bee iarres in the Church wee might finde some one man or many in Rome or any where else that were so assured of his or their not erring M. Hard. in Confut. as that whatsoeuer hee or they said by way of iudgement to vse their owne words and sentence definatiue in doubtful points touching religion might safely be taken for truth for my part if I â—ould méete with any such I would giue them as much reuerence as were lawfull to be giuen to any man Chap. What if they should put forth their feet to be kist Salt I finde that our Sauiour to teach humility washt other mens feet but I doe not read that he required any either to kisse or wash his feete though no man were too good to do it and those that did it were to bee commended for their loue as shee that powred oyntment on him is to bee remembred wheresoeuer the Gospell shall be preached to be remembred I say not by painting her with a whip in her hand Luke 7.38 Math. 26.13 as if shée were a Iesuite but her doing is to bee spoken of Chap. Your talking of translations hath made you digresse from the salt of obedience returne to it againe Salt I will Wee are to obey those in God for whom we must pray Tim. 1.2 Pro. 8 15.1â— Pro. 12.1 which reigne and rule by God and for the glory of God who turneth the hearts whithersoeuer it pleaseth him but godly Kings are such therefore so to be obeyed We are to obey that Ruler which loueth him that speaketh right things Prou. 16.13 Prou. 20.26 scattereth the wicked and causeth the whéele to goâ— ouer them but this is done by a wise King therefore we are to obey him We are to feare to offend him whose wrath and feare is like the roaring of a Lyon Prou. 19.12 Prous 20 2. and in the light of whose countenance is life Prou. 16.15 but such are these things in a King therefore we should feare to offend him We are to loue honour and obey him who sitteth in his Throne Prou. 20.8 Prou. 29.4 chaseth away euill with his eyes and by iudgement maintaineth the Country but so doth a King as Salomon saith ergo we are to loue honour and obey him It is a shame for reasonable creatures hauing a King not to do that which Grasse-hopper swanting both reason and a King do Prou. 30.27 The Grasse-hopper saith the same Salomon hath no King yet goe they forth all by bands meaning they kéepe order though they haue no guide The faithfull subiects that séeke the peace of the Church the common good their own good and the fauour of God are to obey such commandements of their King as are in the same predicament if I may so speake in which were the commandements of that good King Hezechias but these commandements Goe to Church heare Gods word communicate pray for vnity peace and concord c. are of the same kinde as his were therefore they are to be obeyed c. Chap. What commandement of Hezechias do you speake of Salt Such as are mentioned Vers â— 2. Chron. 30. where it is said that Hezekias sent to all Israel and Iudah and also wrote Letters to Ephraim and Manasses that they should come to the house of the Lord at Ierusalem to keepe the Passouer vnto the Lord God of Israel So the Priests went with Letters by the CoÌ„mission of the King and his Princes through all Israel and Iudah and with the commandement of the King saying Yee children of Israel and Iudah turne againe vnto the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel and he will returne to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hands of the King of Ashur 7 And be not you like your Fathers like your brethren which trespassed against the Lord God of your Fathers and therefore hee made them desolate as yee see 8 Be not ye stiffe-necked like your Fathers but giue the hand to the Lord and come into his sanctuary which he hath sanctified for euer and serue the Lord your God and the fiercenesse of his wrath shall turnâ— away from you For if you returne vnto the Lord your brethren and your children shall finde mercy before them that led them captiues and they shall returne vnto this land for the Lord your God is gracious and mercifull and will not turne away his face from you if you conuert vnto him Chap. What entertainment had
out of Rome in the end when hee saw death approach hee made his confession to one of his Cardinals that he abused his Pastorall office that hee had troubled mankind with malice and mischiefe by the counsell of the diuell Tract It seemeth strange to me that the Cardinall should reueale that which the Pope confessed to him on his death-bed Guid. It may be he was moued in conscience to do it to the end that such Popes as succeeded might beware by his example Tract Well go on Guid. Pope Honorius was a Monothelite Confer R. 〈◊〉 H 90 Maister Harding himselfe doth not deny this and others of this matter haue written thus Then were two meetings of Byshops in Constantinople which doe beare the name of the fixt Councell the former vnder the Emperour Constantinus the fourth about the yeare of Christ sixe hundred and eighty the latter vnder his sonne Iustinian towards a thirty yeares after The former was assembled against the herisie of the Monothelites the Byshops of the West Church as of the East The Monothelites said that Christ had but only one will so by consequent but one nature were present and they with one consent did all condemn Honorius If you Maister Tractable be not acquainted with these matters you may reade more at your leasure of Boniface the eighth who is said to haue entred like a Fox raigned like a Lyon and to haue dyed like a Dog Conf R. H 229 240 and of Alexander the sixt which Pope is said to haue bought the voyce of many Cardinals c. His couetousnesse is called vnsatiable his ambition vnmeasurable Onuph in Alexâ— his eruelcy more then barbarous and that hee had a most feruent desire of aduauncing by what meanes soe-euer his children of whom hee had many c. Such a Serpent held the seate of Saint Peter for the space of tenne yeares vntill his owne venome killed him Rom. How I pray you Guid. I will tell you how I finde it set downe by others When he and his sonne heire the Duke of Valence had purposed to haue poysoned a Cardinall whom they were to sup with as commonly they vsed not onely their enemies but also their friends yea neerest friends which had riches that themselues might bee enriched with their spoyle the Duke had sent thither Flagons of wine poysoned by a seruant whom hee made not priuy to the matter but willed him to giue them no man The Pope comming into the Cardinals before supper time the weather being hot he thirsty called for wine Now because his owne prouision for supper was not come from the Pallace yet the seruant of the Duke gaue him of that wine which he thought his Maister had willed to bee kept for himselfe as the best wine of which while hee was drinking his sonne the Duke came in and thinking the wine to be his fathers owne he drunke of it too so the Pope was carried sodainely for dead home to the Pallace and the next day hee was carried dead after the manner of the Popes into Saint Peters Church blacke swollen and vgly most manifest signes of poyson Rom. If this be true I must needs say it was Gods iust iudgement vpon them But what were those heresies ye spake of before of Arrius and Nâ—storius Guid. Saint Austin saith Aug. de 〈◊〉 ad quod that the Arrians would not haue the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost to bee of one nature and essence c. Nestorius Vni Lyr. ad verâ—haer as Vincentius salth fayning to distinguish two substances in Christ on a sodaine bringeth in two persons and by a wickednesse vnheard of would haue two Sonnes of God two Christs c. Rom. If my cozen had made these things knowne vnto mee I thinke though diuers laboured to keepe mee from going to Church yet I should haue kept in some froward speeches as namely this that I would be torne in peeces with wilde horses ere I would come to Church Guid. I haue heard that many haue vsed that desperate speech but I would wish all those which minde not to prouoke Gods wrath to their own woe to aske themselues what should moue them so to say Doe they think that God will be offended with them for hearing the Minister say Enter not into iudgement with thâ—â— seruants ô Lord c. or the a sorrowful spirit is a sacrifice to God despise not ô Lord humble contrite hearts or that it is a sinne to make a generall confession of our sinnes to say the Lords prayer to heare the Psalmes and chapters read to pray in the Letany among other things that it would please God to bring into the way of truth all such as haue erred and are deceiued or to be present where all estates degrees are prayed for yea that it would please God to haue mercy vpon all men to forgiue our enemies at the end of the commandements to say Lord haue mercy vpon vs and write all these thy lawes in our hearts wee beseech thee Or when we come to the congregation to say kneeling O almighty God Father of our Lord Iesus Christ iudge of all men we acknowledge bewaile our manifold sinnes and wickednesse which we from time to time most griueuously haue coÌ„mitted against thy Diuine Maiesty by thought word and deed prouoking most iustly thy wrath indignation against vs we do earnestly repent bee heartily sorry for these our mis-doings c. After the Communion to heare the Minister reade any of the prayers containing thanksgiuing as in the booke are appointed or to sing with the rest of the thanksgiuing in Méeter which beginneth The Lord be thanked for his gifts And mercy euermore That he hath shew'd vnto his Saints To him be laude therefore The reading or finging of this thaÌ„ksgiuing doth edifie coÌ„mfort the faithfull humble coÌ„municant far more then the hearing of an 100 Masses in a strange tongue by which indeed the vnlearned hath no edifying at al. Mad. What say you to these things Mi. Romana is there any thing heere that should hinder you from praying with vs Rom. Aske my cozen Guid. Aske your cozen aske your owne conscience What if your cozen should tell you that Peter brought men to the worship of Christ by magicall Arts and bad feates as some fayned before S. Austins time who wrot more then 1200 yeares ago Aug. de ciuit li 18 c 53 54 would you beleeue it to be so if your cozen should say so Tract I would you should well know Maister Guide-well that I am so far from hauing that opinion of Peter that I hold him for a true Teacher and for that Shepeheard whom Christ appointed to feede his Sheepe Guid. If you meane by Sheepheards the onely Sheepeheard I may not yeeld to you vnlesse I should dissent from S. Austin who on the tenth of Iohn saith Et quidem fratres c. And verily brethren in that hee