is the loue of Parents to their children to be compared to the loue of God towards vs Doth not God expreslie say by the Prophet Esay cap. 49. ver 15. Can a woman forget her children and not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe though shee should forget yet will not forget thee Yea no father no mother no brother nor sister yea no friend whatsoeuer could so long beare with and indure thy wickednesse as God hath borne with it so that God may iustly complaine as in Esay 43. ver 24. Thou hast made me to serue with thy sinnes and wearied me with thy iniquities Yea whosoeuer will rightly indeede learne and knowe the mercy of God It is feareful to make God serue with our sinnes and thereby obserue how God bethinketh him before he punisheth sinners let him onely reade the 42.43 and 44. chapters of the Prophet Esay where he shall finde how God behaued himselfe towards the wicked stifnecked Iewes First he rebuketh them with wordes shewes them their disobedience calles them blinde and deafe By and by therevpon as in the 43. chapter he comforts them againe bids them not to feare and tels them he would giue people for them and nations for their ransome yet notwithstanding presently therevpon reprooueth them againe charging them to be hardned and abide in their sinnes And all that comes now from the alone mercy of God Then only man layeth holde on Gods mercie when he wholy anteÌ„deth his wicked life yet so indeede that the sinner confesse his sinne and laye holde on God his mercie Which he doth when he forsaketh his sinnes and wicked life for then will God not onely blot out and forgiue him all his sinnes but also therevnto bestowe vpon him all good things As it also is saide by the fore aledged Prophet Esa 44. ver 2.3 Feare not O Iacob my seruant and thou righteous whom I haue chosen For I will powre water vpon the thirsty and flouds vpon the drye ground I will powre my spirit vpon thy seede and my blessing vpon thy buds Behould this is now that vnspeakeable goodnesse of God wherevpon we stand All our prosperitie commeth from God alone are and liue Who would not 〈◊〉 then with ioye say and sing with the Prophet Dauid Psal 89. 〈…〉 I will lawde praise and sing the mercies of the Lord for euer And in another Psalme as namely the 59. ver 17. he saith God is my defence and my mercifull God Which is as if he had said All that euer I haue and whatsoeuer I am commeth wholye from Gods mercie Well then beloued in Christ I suppose I haue not herein done amisse in setting forth and praising the goodnesse of God Seeing that our God and mercifull God though I were a persecutor of his holy worde and of all true Christians a blasphemer of God and a superstitious Fryer hath of his free loue and mercy sought me found me and graciouslie deliuered me from those errors I had beene long time nusled in So that I may well and iustly say with Dauid Loqueus contritus est ego liberatus sum The snare is broken and I am deliuered Psal 124. v. 7. Let this suffice for the first part Now we will proceede 2. Part. The maner how God brings vs to his knowledge so to saluatioÌ„ and heere the second part how that God doth shew his mercie and bring vs first to his knowledge and then vnto saluation And this is not done vnto me alone but for the comfort of all sinners whereby they may learne to acknowledge Gods goodnesse and amend themselues Although Gods wayes are not as our wayes and his thoughts farre otherwise then our thoughts and besides God in the Scriptures hath reuealed so much of his will vnto vs as is needfull for vs to know his counsell is without searching out and also we cannot certainely know how God deales with man yet our louing God hath so farre forth reuealed his will vnto vs in the Scriptures his holy and diuine word that we may easily know how and wherewith God calleth and leadeth vs to his sheepefolde The worde of God is that sweete and notable voice through the which God hath from the beginning in the old Testament Gods word is his voice wherby he calleth vs to repentance brought many wilde straied sheepe to the true sheepefold which God did by Moses and all his true Prophets Lastly he sent his beloued sonne himselfe vnto vs as the right and true shepheard This is the true shepheard who saith by the Prophet Ieremie Ier. 23. ver 3. I will gather the remnant of my sheepe out of all countries whither I had driuen them and will bring them againe to their fouldes and they shall grow and increase In Ezech. 34 ver 11. saith this shepheard Beholde J will searche my sheepe and seeke them out which the sonne of God hath done by the preaching of his holy diuine worde After him did his Apostles and their successors the same and euen at this day all true shepheards and carers of soules doe which by the word of God call all straid sheepe It is Gods word and not force that must content men And there were euer at the beginning thereof many tyrannous Emperours and Kings Princes and Lordes yea and the whole world brought vnto the true sheepefold not with sword and armes nor with might and fier but by the word This is that word wherof the Lord speaketh by the Prophet Ieremie 23.2.29 that his word is euer like a fier and like a hammer that breaketh the stone Gods word is of nature like the Sunne euer hauing forcible effect either to mollifie the elect as the Sunne doth wax or to harden the wicked as the Sunne doth clay And in the Prophet Esai cap. 55. v. 10.11 God compareth his word vnto the Raine and Snow which come downe from heauen and water the earth and make it fruitefull So shall his word be that goeth out of his mouth it shall not retuâ—ne vnto him voyde This is that word mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrues Heb. 4. v. 12. That it is sharper then any two edged sword it intreth through euen vnto the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirite Paule reioyceth 1. Cor. 4. v. 15. that through this word he had begotten his Corinthians But some man may say or thinke in his hart that he hath indeed often and much heard Gods word yet hath not fouÌ„d any such change in himselfe nor perceiued any such powre To whom I answere I beleeue it very willingly for alas we see in this our time but little of that fruite which should come and arise out of the word of God The cause why men of all sorts profit no more by the word of God is for that they esteeme of it but basely therfore prepare not themselues aright vnto the hearing reading and meditating thereâ—f But the reason or fault must not
therefore resolued vvith himselfe to leaue the same and to giue himselfe vnto the fellovvship of the doctrine of the Gospell And came from Prage this yeare about Sexagesimae vnto our most gracious Prince and Lord to Dresden and vpon his graces further appointment likevvise came hither to Wittenberge and presently tolde vs of his purpose to ioyne himselfe vnto our Churches according as he should be best directed vvherevnto vve vvished him Gods blessing and furtherance and also receiued him vvillingly And for that he had heretofore a good vvhile vsed publiquely to Preach himselfe thought it very expedient by preaching to condemne such euident errors vvhich he did vvith a vvell meditated Sermon and great descretion from his heart This recātation was solemnly made before a great auditory of all sorts vpon the day Misericordias Domini this yeare in the Parish Church before a great congregation consisting of the vniuersitie and Schollers out of all Countries together vvith the vvhole company of Cittizens and Commons And after the Sermon ended he confirmed this his confession vvith prayer and the Lords Supper VVherefore vve humbly thanke the Eternall for that he daily graciously calleth his poore strayed sheepe vnto his heauenly kingdome and doe further beseech Almighty God our heauenly Father to vouchsafe by the vvorking of his holy Spirit fatherly to strengthen and confirme this Godefrid in the knovvne trueth mercifully to reduce other strayed sheepe vnto his sheepefould also to direct and gouerne his people and to confound the Romane Antichrists raging kingdome euen for his beloued Sonne Jesus Christ our Lord his sake Amen At Wittenberg the fift of May. 1601. By the Senior and other Doctors of Diuinitie there A Recantation done on the second Sonday after Easter called there Misericordias Domini vpon the Gospell for the day IOHN 10. ver 11. to 17. Iesus spake vnto the Iewes I am that good shepheard the good shepheard giueth his life for the sheepe But an hireling and he that is not the shepheard neither the sheepe are his owne seeth the Woolfe comming and he leaueth the sheepe and fleeth and the Woolfe catcheth them and scattereth the sheepe So the hireling fleeth because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheepe I am that good shepheard and know mine and am knowne of mine As the Father knoweth me so knowe I the Father and I lay downe my life for my sheepe Other sheepe I haue also which are not of this fould them also must J bring and they shall heare my voice and there shall be one sheepefould BEloued and elect in the Lorde Christ we reade in the Booke of the Chronicles of the Kings how that Almightie God did fight for his people and slue a great multitude of the enemies 2. Chro. 20. and obtained the victorie and got thereby such a huge spoile and bootie that in three whole dayes they could not carrie all the same away but in the fourth day they went into the Valley of Blessing Christ by his bitter sufferings hath subdued all our enemies and made vs to reioyce by giuing vs inwarde peace and there praised the Lord. Now hethervnto beloued your well affected mindes haue sufficiently heard how great a combate Iesus Christ hath sustained for vs the like whereof was neuer heard nor the like bootie was euer brought vnto the people of God This was done on Passion Friday past on which day the Sonne of God through his bitter sufferings ouercame and vtterly threwe to the ground all the enemies of mankinde whereby there is giuen vnto vs such a bootie of the which we may reioyce for euer As also the Prophet Esay saith in his 9. chap. ver 3. They haue reioyced before thee according to the ioye in Haruest and as men reioyce when they deuide the spoile Such glorious ioye haue we heard and found vpon the holy Easter day when Christ victoriously rose againe from the dead Now what this booke is that we haue herehence receiued was declared and taught vnto vs the last Sonday namely that peace which Christ thrise wished his Disciples Peace be with you to shew that through his sufferings death and resurrection now from henceforth all is become peaceable Let this therefore now stand still before vs that we like vnto the antient people of God hasten vs vnto the valley of blessing lawde honor and praise the worlds Sauiour Man soone forgetteth Gods benefits and therefore must often be put in minde thereof and neuer forget so great and vnspeakeable a benefit But because man forgetteth nothing more nor sooner then benefits the whole Christian Church hath set before vs this day such a Gospell in which is brought againe vnto our mindes the great loue and mercy of our most dearest shepheard Christ as namely how that he gaue his life vnto death for vs straied sheepe Seeing therefore I haue hethervnto beene a Fryer and stuck in the manifolde errors of Poperie but am now by the giuen grace of God come vnto the light of the trueth I will ground this my Recantation vpon this dayes Gospell 3. partes and deuide the same into three parts 1. First for that this present Sonday is in Christendome called Misericordias Domini the mercies of the Lord I will speake of the great mercy of God contained in these wordes I am that good sheepheard and giue my life for my sheepe 2. Secondly how God ordinarily bringeth the straied sheepe and sinners vnto his sheepefould seeing Christ saith He hath yet other sheepe which he must bring hithervnto 3. Thirdly how we ought to heare the true shepheard Christ his voyce and therein shew the errors of Poperie which are to be auoided as the very voyce of Antichrist Now the good and mercifull God assist vs herein with his diuine grace Amen 1. Part. Wherein Gods great mercies are set forth It is not without cause that the holy Apostle S. Paule 2. Cor. 1. vers 3. calleth Almightie God The Father of mercies and God of all comfort And Ephes 2.4 A God which is riche in mercie Without all controuersie Paul had some cause giuen him why he gaue God such a notable and glorious title yea surely there was good cause giuen him for he was a blasphemer and a persecutor but yet acknowledgeth he was receiued of God to mercy 1. Timoth. 1.13 Not onely that God had of his mercie forgiuen his sinnes but also had aduanced him to a notable Apostle and Preacher of his holy Gospell Dauid likewise exceedinglye commendeth Gods mercie but not without cause for he was an adulterer and a murtherer and yet God did not onely remit him his sinne but did also establish his kingdome in peace And therefore he iustly saith Psal 33.5 Benignitate or as the common translation Misericordia Domini pleci est terra The earth is full of the goodnesse or mercie of the Lord. And in the 145. Psalm ver 9. His mercies are ouer all his workes But such mercie goeth not
out of the aboue alleaged places of Christ and Paul that either the Lord Christ or Paul in the same euer ordained or cōfirmed the Masse An exhortation vnto all to auoid Poperie but the Lords Supper as we faithful Christians dayly vse Let this also suffice to be said of the third part Wherefore I exhorte all people but especially louing parents that they wil faythfully admonish and warne their children to flie from poperie as from Sathan For I am well perswaded these fewe yet fearefull errours will giue them iust occasion to take heede of Poperie and thus hath our louing mercifull God of his great mercie sought me found me and pulled me his vnworthy seruant although I were then no seruant but a persecutor no sheepe but a wolfe no shepheard but a destroyer of the sheepe out of popery that I may now ioyfully sing and say with the prophet Dauid The snare is broken and I am deliuered the Lord was my helper Here hence thē vpō the knowledge of such errors The Authors thāks giuing and prayer seeing that thou O God father of mercies hast opened my eyes and lightened my vnderstanding that I might know them to be such errours also hast giuen me a hart not to contend with thee I praise thanke thee through thy sonne Iesus Christ And I also beseech thee father of mercies through thy sonne Iesus Christ thou wouldest graciously forgiue me all my sins abhominations and Idolatries which I haue done and accustomed my selfe vnto in popery agaynst the cleare light of thy holy worde these twentie yeeres euen for thy beloued sonne Iesus Christ his merites for I did it ignorantly I intreate thee likewise Father of mercie thou wouldest of thy like grace and goodnes mercifully keepe and preserue me in this knowne truth strengthen me as thou didest strengthen thy seruant Paul when he put the Iewes to rebuke And I pray no lesse the whole Christian Church His request to the congregation to remember me in their prayers that our mercifull good God moued by the prayers of honest and faythfull Christians may keepe me the more graciously and make me strong and sure in this my knowledge And hereupon I Godfride Rabin He proueth this his recantation to be sincere protest and witnesse before the eyes of thy bottomlesse mercie before thee Iesus Christ my alone sauiour and redeemer before thee God the holy spirit who in Baptisme sanctified me to be a Christian and before you as a Christian congregation that by Gods gracious assistance I will not depart from this pure doctrine and knowne trueth neyther through ioy nor sorrow neyther through hunger nor miserie neyther through good nor ill successe But as before I haue sayd will abide constant to my end whereunto God assist me with his holy Gospell Moreouer I doe Anathematice and cursse that blasphemous poperie with all other sectes and heresies which fight and striue euer more and more agaynst Gods worde Amen The Declaration of Symon Palory of Richeleieu heretofore Prior and prouinciall in the pretended order of the Holy Crosse according to the protestation by him made in the reformed church of Caen the 11. of March 1601. 1. Cor. 4.6 Presume not to knovve aboue that vvhich is vvritten I Make no question but many will be offended at this my change I do foresee that many likewise will speake opprobriouslie and iniuriouslie of me and therefore I thought it not amisse to make known vnto you all what my profession hath bin vntill this present and the motiues that haue stirred me to take this resolution in hand It is about 18. or 20. yeares that I haue liued in the order of the Holy-Crosse which profession I haue not left for any lightnesse or humorous conceit God is my witnesse for before I tooke this holy resolution vpon me I haue indured manie combates in my selfe I haue wel pondered and foreseene the dangers and inconueniences whereinto I might fall I haue seene that according to the world I am sufficiently furnisht wherwith to liue at pleasure and therein to spend the residue of my daies and forsaking the same I haue likwise foreseene necessitie and much vnquietnes Neither am I entred into this happie resolution through any discontentment receiued by any of these of my order I haue Letters testimoniall from our Generall which sufficientlie testifie how I was honoured and beloued of those of my order but I must now come to vnfolde vnto you that which hath awaked me in the prime of my pleasures I haue throughly considered in my selfe the great contentions that haue beene and yet are in Christendom touching religion I haue cast the eyes of my minde vpon that mortal hatred which the greatest part of the world and those too that are the greatest personages do beare to true religion and the professors thereof I haue laid before me the sharpe and greeuous persecutions exercised against them and on the other side I cannot forget their constancie firme resolutiō to maintaine that which makes them so odious among so many assaults and dangerous trials cōtrarie to mans nature which seeks after naught els but rest and that which may bring him solace and pleasure This consideration makes me suspect that it is more then a humane spirit that awakes in them these heauenly motions so smally acceptable to the flesh I here the voyce of the Lorde speaking by his holie Apostle Try all things but retaine that which is good 1 Thes 5. Iohn 5. Act. 17. I here our Sauiour Christ commanding vs to found the Scripture the example of the faithfull of Berea who examined the Scriptures to see if that which S. Paule preached was answerable thereunto comes into my memory I behold how it was a question of eternall saluation and deserued in good earnest to be thought vpon I confesse freely that in comming and going from place to place for the execution of my charge of prouinciall I haue communicated with some of the religion aswell Ministers as others I haue seene and haue bin constrained to confesse that al maner seruices are not acceptable in Gods sight Ierem. 7. Es 29.13 Math. 15.8.29 Colos 1. He condemneth by his Prophet Esay and by our Sauiour Iesus Christ in S. Mathew the commandements and traditions of men he reiecteth by Saint Paule to the Colloss voluntary seruices what apparaunce or shew so euer they haue of deuotion He forbiddeth vs in Deuteronomie Deut. 4. to do that which shall seeme good in our owne sight and enioyneth vs to do onely that which he commaundeth vs neither to adde nor diminish his word he cryeth vnto vs by his Prophet Who hath required that at your hands Such and an infinite number of other like places of Scripture haue induced me to learne whether my profession were of Gods institution or if God were the author of those seruices which now beare greatest sway in the middest of the Roman Church I haue busied my selfe in
become fountaines our harts to yeld forth vnspeakable sighes considering in the theater of the world the great multitude which through the whirlewinde of sedition is rauished drawne and caried headlong into the gulfe of perdition But O father of light seeing it is thy maner rather to vse mercy then iustice that thy will and pleasure is to vse fauour not fury and that thou doest not desire the death of a sinner but that rather he turne to thee and liue stretch forth thy hand ouer them drawe them to thee teach them sith thy good pleasure is that all shoulde come to the knowledge of saluation Imprint in their soules a desire to founde thy holy Scriptures and let the discretion of thy holy spirite leade them togather in these gardens fit and necessarye hearbs for the physick of their spirituall infirmities the foode of their soules the sacrament of eternity the certayne pledge of felicity But as for me O father and most good God what shall I render vnto thee for those thy exceeding blessings bestowed vppon mee for like a good sheepeheard thou hast sought after my soule beeing a poore wandering sheepe and hauing layde her vpon thy shoulders hast brought her backe to thy euangelicall sheepefould to ioyne her to the flocke of thy true faithfull thou hast vnmasked her eyes layd open to her the abuses of Papistry made knowne to her where she should finde her rest and tranquillity the trueth of her saluation thou hast forgiuen me all my sinnes and healed me of all my infirmities thou hast saued my life from the pit thou hast crowned me with mercy and pitty and satisfied me with all good things Psal 130. so that through this my conuersion and this change by the power of my Creator I am made young and lusty as an Eagle what shall I then giue vnto the Lord for al the good which he hath done me Surely my deare brethren euen as I esteeme and holde this to be the chiefest most excellent benefit among all those wherwith it hath pleased God of his vncomparable bounty and heauenly mercy to make me pertaker so willingly I do acknowledge confesse my selfe vnable to render any thing comparable to so great a good yet notwithstanding among all those that are bound to yeilde harty thankes to God I do acknowledge my selfe at this time most of all indebted For alas without this benefit what profit should I haue receiued of all the fauours which came from him but condemnation ruine confusion What would it haue auailed me that the welbeloued son of God Christ Iesus who became obedient to his father endured the ignominious death of the Crosse for my reconcilation to God his father if I had beene depriued of so great a benefit if I had continued stil in that spirituall fornication wherin I was altogether ignorant of the pure trueth of the Gospel What vtility I pray you to see my selfe created after Gods Image and yet to haue borne the portrature character of beast What profit to haue had the eyes of my bodie open to the outward light and those of my soule debarred of the inward brightnesse and besieged with the darkenesse of infidelitie Arise then my soule and praise the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name praise the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits let his praise be alwayes in thy mouth to the end the meeke and gentle may here it and reioyce Psal 103. O praise the Lorde with me and let vs magnifie his name together I sought the Lord and he hard me ye he deliuered me out of all my feare Psal 34. Iob did curse the day of his temporall birth in this miserable world but I ought to blesse the day of my spirituall regeneration to eternall life for that the God of all mercy and consolation hath caused to appeare in me the effects of his eternall election acknowledging me for his child of adoption and for a lawfull heire of that great and eternall kingdome purchased for the elect through the perfect obedience of Christ Iesus their brother And as at this time I haue abiured that strumpet and her fornication so now I promise and protest before God and his Church hence forth with all my power to liue and dye in the faith of the Churches reformed where I see the Gospell purely preached and the Sacraments faithfully administred the confessiō of whose faith I wil seale not only with pen and Inke vpon paper but also through the effusion of my owne bloud if need be and this I fully purpose to do through the grace of almighty God who hath called me to this resolution and whome with all the powers of my soule I do entirely beseech to ratifie his vocation in me finally to make me feele the full effects of his election that he would likewise fortifie and assist me against all assaults and attempts that may be presented against me seruing me insteede of a strong and inuincible buckler in all dangers both spirituall and corporall I earnestly beseech the present congregatiō of the faithfull to receiue me into their number to the ende that after I haue fought a good fight with them in this church militant I may after my departure hence raigne with them in the triumphant So be it Amen Iohn Colleij The Conuersion of Signeur Melchior Roman a Spaniard sometimes Proctor of the order of Iacobins at Rome for the prouince of Thoulouse which he hath publickly protested in the reformed Church of Bragerak the 27. of August 1600. being Sunday THE holy Scripture telleth vs that the good Jacob seeing himselfe deceiued by Laban who the more he serued him the lesse was recompensed receiuing nought else but ingratitude and iniuries went into the lande of promise carrying away with him all his riches which so soone as Laban vnderstood he came to seeke him in the Mount Galaad and searched or visited all that which Iacob had caryed away where he found nothing that was his And afterwardes they made an agreement betweene them that from thence foorth the one should not come towardes the other to doe him hurt and for a token heere of they named this Mountaine Galaad which is to say the hill of Testimonie Saint Ierome saith and also Pagnine that Laban signifieth whitenesse and Philo the Hebrew that this word Laban signifieth colour so that whether it be in the one or other signification it representeth an accidentall and inconstant thing Who is this Laban A deceiuer a traitor and an vngratefull person who hath so oftentimes deceiued Iacob What is this cursed wretch who hath onely the apparance of good but no solide nor constant good indeed It is euen this papistrie and Sophistrie which we see in these tromperies and deceipts of riches and vnder the title of holinesse of obedience of pouerty of fastings and fained disciplines leadeth many to despaire Surely it is a worke of great pietie to flye
alone ouer one people and such mercy is not promised alone vnto one Nation Gods mercie cōmeth vnto all nations and sortes of people Cittie or Towne but it goeth ouer all mankinde The which Moses with great and feruent earnestnesse prooueth saying Exod. 34.6.7 The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slowe to anger and aboundant in goodnesse and trueth reseruing mercie for thousands that is without end As also God himselfe saith againe Deut. 5.9.10 I am the Lord thy God and shew mercie vnto many thousands In the second Booke of Samuel chap. 14. ver 14. the mercie of God is mightily declared by a notable speech Though God spare none that sinneth yet he appointeth means for the elects conuersion so receiueth to mercy the truely penitent A comfort to all afflicted consciences where the widow of Tekoah dealing with Dauid concerning Absolon whom Dauid for the murther he committed had banished amongst other things said thus God doth not spare any person yet doth he appoint meanes not to cast out from him him that is expelled But what are there any examples ready at hand whereby it may appeare to be so For otherwise surely the holy Scripture should be but of small accoumpt with afflicted and wounded consciences if it did but onely comfort vs with bare words without setting before vs any one example on whom God had also shewed his mercy But the holy Ghost hath besides the Scripture also set men before vs on whome we may cleerely see the exceeding great mercie of God Adam is iustly the first to be accompted of seeing also he was the first that was ouercome by Sathan and driuen from obedience to disobedience from the trueth to lyes for yet God would not that Adam should altogether perish but bethought him how Adam might be brought againe which was thus done After that Adam had perfected his sinne When soeuer man feeleth any motion or heareth any thing condemning his sinne it is of God that hee should repēt which he refusing casteth God off whatsoeuer he be he hid himselfe and then God asked Adam where art thou which God asked not as if he had not knowne where Adam was or sawe him not seeing there is no man that can hide himselfe from the sight of God but God therefore asketh that Adam should haue discended into himselfe and acknowledged his sinne and as after Dauid did should haue said Peccaui I haue sinned and should haue called vpon the mercy of God for grace and forgiuenesse Which because he did not but much more went about to hide excuse and extenuate his sinne God thrust him out of Paradise into the valley of miserie amongst all kinde of crosses sorrowe and trouble and yet that Adam might not altogether perish and dispaire vnder his crosse sufferings and sorrowes God doth forthwith vouchsafe him a most comfortable promise as namely that he would raise out of the woman a meanes and mediator which should helpe him and all his posteritie againe out of that miserie and breake the Serpents head The like occasion of bethinking himselfe gaue God to Caine Gens 4. whom also Satan had perswaded to murder for God notwithstanding dealt fauourablye with him to the end he might acknowledge his sinne and intreate for grace and pardon but in the end because he would not thus doe but onely say coldely his sinne was greater then might be forgiuen him he was through his owne fault temporally and eternally cast away and condemned God deliberateth much before he punisheth What a notable communication had God with Abraham before he ouerthrew the sinfull citties Sodom and Gomorrha Gen. 18. God accorded and yeelded so farre vnto Abraham that if they might haue found in those citties but ten righteous persons he would haue spared them What should I speake how God stood in contention deliberating with the holy man Moses concerning the stiffe-necked Iewes that he once said to Moses Exod. 32.10 Dimitte me Now let me alone that my wrath may waxe hote against them and consume them And what can with-holde God why he should not forthwith seuerely punish sinne but euen his mercy Examples whereof if the time would permit there might be manie alleadged But vnto any one euen of meane vnderstanding these alleadged may suffice where-hence he may aboundantlye learne how our good and mercifull God euen from the beginning vnto this present and will also hould and continue the same rule as long as the world indures according to his naturall mercie hath euer at all times so louingly and earnestly bethought him before he hath wholy ouerthrowne and destroyed any poore sinner As also the Lord Christ giues the same to vnderstand by the example of the vnfruitfull Figtree Luke the 13. Well and iustly therefore is it said by the Wiseman in the 11. chapter of his booke of Wisdome vers 20.21 Lord thou hast mercie vpon all for thou hast power of all things and makest as though thou sawest not the sinnes of men because they should amend For thou louest all the things that are and hatest none of them whome thou hast made And presently after in the last verse But thou sparest all for they are thine O Lord which art the louer of soules And againe Christ saith Math. 18.14 Man not repenting prouoketh God and procureth his assured wrath It is not the will of our Father which is in heauen that any of his little ones should perish And the holy Apostle S. Paul saith thus Rom. 2. ver 3.4.5 O thou man knowest thou not that the bountifulnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But thou after thine hardnesse and heart that cannot repent heapest vp as a treasure vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath Consider it with thy selfe thou Christian hart and thinke vpon it well how oft hast thou giuen thy selfe lewdly and wilfully to any notorious sinne as to adultery All sinne seperateth vs from God or otherwise to any kinde of whoredome to theft murther blaspheming of God and to such other heauie sinnes which as the Scripture witnesse seperate vs from God so that God hath had iust cause euen in the dooing of that thy sinne to haue cast thee aliue into hell But now notwithstanding thou abidest yet and liuest yet Gods mercies for our preseruation are dayly renued and God hath not as yet reuenged himselfe vpon thee And wherefore not I pray thee where marke and obserue vpon what occasion the Prophet Ieremie saith in his Lamentations Lamen 3. ver 22.23 It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not but are renued euery morning It is much saide and nature also teacheth that parents loue their children exceedingly and therefore sometimes are very slowe and lothe to take the rodde although the children haue well deserued it Gods mercie in part set forth by the loue of parents to their children although indeed there be no comparison therein for their loue preuaileth herein But what
comfort iustice and life euerlasting in my hope Now must feare and amazement giue place vnto all these now must pensiuenes and hell it selfe depart from mee Christ Iesus abiding and liuing in mee dooth consume and banish all euils that afflicted mee Hence it comes that this vnion and coniunction is the cause that I am deliuered from the terrours seperated from the flesh transformed into Iesus Christ and into his kingdom which is the kingdom of grace iustice peace ioy life health and euerlasting glory so that liuing in him there is no hurt can chaunce vnto mee God promised that there should no more come an vniuersall deluge and in signe of a peaceable loue he gaue the rainbowe a pledge of his mercye which the Gentiles called Ianus as saith Berosus the Chaldean This is that bowe whereof S. Iohn speaketh in the Apocalips to be ouer the head of Iesus Christ signifying Christ crucified with his armes spread abroad The redde coulour of which celestiall bow representeth the bloud of Iesus Christ and his greene colour betokeneth hope for that in his wounds and bloud remaine all the hope of our good being and the seuerall colours declare vnto vs the multitude of his mercies This is that token which God the Father promised in redemption of the world whereof Saint Paule to Titus Chap. 3. saith That the bountifulnesse and loue of God appeared not in regarde of any workes of iustice by vs performed but he saueth vs according to his great mercy When there shall be presented before mine eyes the darke clouds of sinne when sorrowes and terrours shall with huge violence threaten me when dangers persecutions iniuries and other torments shall come vppon me then will I beholde the celestiall couenant I will cast my eyes vppon Iesus Christ crucified in whom I shall finde plenty of hope For he is our only refuge and such a one as Saint Paule 2. Corinths calleth the Father of mercie and God of all consolation comforting vs in all our calamities Wherefore I will alwayes be running to him arming my selfe with inuincible patience For the good Chirurgeon sheweth his experience in dangerous wounds the physition his skil in great maladies in perilous battels the prudent couragious valiant captaine declareth his strength policy in great tempests and stormes the expert pilot exerciseth his diligence Affliction is no new thing neither am I alone he that endures it S. Gregorie saith that if we would consider that which the Saints haue endured wee should see all our tribulations to be of very small importance particularly if we looke vpon and contemplate Iesus Christ the true God tormented vpon the crosse wee should perceiue our miseries in comparison of his to be but a drop of water in respect of the whole Sea And S. Barnard saith that Christ Iesus is not onely the mirrour of patience but the recompence and rewarde thereof To this ende therefore will I contemplate his crosse whereby I shall reape great comfort and rewarde But what recompence say the worldlings wilte thou haue seeing thou hast forsaken thy countrie thy parents thy meanes whereby thou mightest haue liued pleasantly thou hast left thy vocation and all these hast thou abandoned in the pride of thy dayes Then will I answer them according to the saying of Saint Bernard in his meditations that if it be a difficult thing for one of the most iust vnder the law to be saued at the point of death it will be more hard and as it were impossible for him to be saued that at his death presents vnto God nothing else but his bones which dogges refuse hauing giuen their flesh to Sathan as dayly they doe employing the time in vaine-glory in proud ambition onely delighting in the flesh as they are guided by the diuel But then they wil tell me that at the houre of death through vertue of the Popes Bull saying S. Peter S. John S. Paul S. Caphas Popes pardons and S. Macharus helpe me they shall be saued But if they waite til that time in that beleefe they shall manifestly see how God will heare thē sith they attribute to a mortall creature Gods eternall glory and place their hope in the Bul of a Croisade which is highly esteemed in Spain where euery yere it is bought at ten shillings price by vertue wherof they are tolerated in Lēt time to eate Egs Milke Butter Cheese and besides to be absolued as they fondly imagine from their sinnes and aswell à culpa as à poena that is to say aswell from their faulte as from the punishment once in this life and another time through Purgatorie at the houre of death Besides this there is another Bull named de los finados that is to say of the dead through which first hauing yearly well paide for the same the party liuing may for euery Bul fetch a soule of his friend or parent out of paine To be short great store of siluer and reuenews is gotten in respect of pardons or the Popes indulgences who vaunteth that he detaineth and keepeth treasure of the bloud of Christ and of Martirs An intollerable and auaritious abuse doubtlesse contrary to holy writ which certifieth that the mercy of the father of compassions presenteth to the faithfull forgiuenesse of their sinnes to saluation through the vertue of his Holyghost applyed and receiued by a liuely and iustifying faith of euery one beleeuing in Christ who was giuen for our iustice sanctification and redemtion dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification This is all my hope the foundation of my faith whereby I may ouercome the terrours of sinne and death and enioy eternall life And againe of the like corrupted stuffe as the Bulles before mentioned is the Canonizing of Saints and deifying them with whome the seelie ignorant people commit idolatrie and spirituall fornication very impiously and incredulously against GOD who is onely able to saue and restore to life those that are dead Pilgrimages Hence proceede so many pilgrimages into strange countries vnder pretence wherof many adulteries fornications Sodomies incests much drunkennesse and other execrable wicked actes are daily committed and their bodies are adored and superstitiously worshipped vpon earth whose soules oftentimes are tormented in hell The manner of the Popes proceeding in canonizing many Saints for the most pretended is very notorious For many times since the raigne of Poperie Canonasing saints those are placed in this ranke of whome there remaines no memorie or testimonie of their life and conuersation to the end that through processe of time and running on of the worlde there might be conceiued and brought forth a forgetfulnesse of their vices and enormious crimes which they might haue perpetrated And if any dare speake against such persons endeuouring to bee any hinderance that vnder such a false title holinesse and sanctitie be not attributed vnto them the Inquisition knoweth very well how to stop his mouth and remedie it by cruell torments and
body framed in the wombe of the holye virgin and another which the creator createth by the Priest so consequently two bodies for to create is to giue the first being to a thing and to make it of nothing Moreouer Sacrificing for quicke and dead by their dayly sacrificing for the quicke and the deade they seeme directly to inferre that the sacrifice once made vppon the crosse by Christ Iesus the Soueraigne and eternall high Priest is insufficient and consequentlye that through one onely oblation of his body he hath not consecrated for euer them that are sanctified contrary to the doctrine of the Apostle Hebr. 7.27 and 10.10.14 Let vs go further Is it not a taking from Christ so excellent titles of honour viz. of intercessor and Mediator when and so often as they haue recourse Prayer to Saints and addresse their vowes and petitions now to Saint Antony then to Saint Apolline Saint Barbara Saint Catherine and others When we pray our chiefest request is that God would giue vs life euerlasting the butte and scope whereunto we all ought to aspire togeather with those things that are necessary for the leading of vs thereunto as are the graces of our God and the sanctity of life accorcording to that which Saint Augustine teacheth vs. August ad Probam de orand Deum It is God alone who maketh happy it is he alone that giueth grace it is he onely that sanctifieth vs in this mortall life by meanes whereof in vaine do they implore the aide of Saintes seeing that it is not in their dispensation and disposition Againe Luke 11. Math. 7. Iohn 16. Christ commaundeth vs to aske and we shall receiue to seeke and we shall finde to knocke and it shall be opened vnto vs the like promise is in Saint Iohn if we aske in his name Alas is it to be thought that God will refuse vs since he hath so loued the world that he hath giuen vs his owne onely sonne and all things with him Rom. 8.18 Moreouer if the Saints haue beene recompensed sufficiently and to vse the Papistical tearme merit more then they haue merited as it is written To you shall be giuen into your bosomes good measure pressed downe Luke 6. Math. 7. Math. 19. heaped vp and such as shall runne ouer Likewise to those that shall haue forsaken father and mother brethren and sisters or any temporall goods for Christ sake he promiseth to giue them a hundred folde asmuch Sant August Serm. 6. ad fratres in heremo Almighty God doth alwayes with iustice shew mercy to the iust and vniust to the happy and to the damned for that he yeildeth glory to those that are happy yet they deserue it not for all the good workes they haue done be they neuer so many and punished the wicked and yet they deserue more punishments in regard of their offences committed how can they then yet merit for that they are in termino at the end non in via 1. Cor. 9. not in the way and runne no more the race for they haue carried away the prize and inioy the crowne of iustice Ergo c. I will not here speake of their Idolatry 1. Cor. 9. namely when they thinke that a crosse of stone or wood after they haue salued it may pardō their offences as they chante in their himnes O Crux aue spes vnica Worshiping the Crosse hoc passionis tempore auge piis iustitiam reisque dona veniam Haile Crosse the onely hope in this time of passion increase iustice to the godly and giue mercy to the guilty attributing so exceedyingly are they tied in their superstitions to a thing without life that which belongeth to one only Iesus Christ as also they forge in their vnderstanding that by their workes they may meritoryously gaine Paradice Mens merrits euen in such manner as though GOD were highly bound vnto them Alas what is he so blinde of vnderstanding that seeth not how absurdly they deceiue thēselues doing great iniury to Christ and endeauouring to lessen his merits We knowe by the testimony of holy writ that GOD in the beginning of the world creating man after his owne image endowed him with free-will forbidding him to eate of the fruite of knowledge of good and euill Genes 3. but he being too credulous to the Serpentes perswasions and transgressing that commaundement was depriued of so great a benefite Psal 43. in such sort that homo cum honore esset non intellixit when man was in honour he vnderstoode it not he was compared to horse and Mule and became like vnto them 1 Cor. 15. Now for that wee all came from the race of Adam this curse is deriued to all his posteritye for all men are vnprofitable 1. Cor. 15. there is not one that doth good no not one Seeing then man by nature is wicked Psal 14. and that of himselfe hee cannot comprehende what the spirit and will of God is and if he should know it Eccles 7. yet he would not and if he would yet he coulde not doe it for it is God alone that worketh in vs a will 1. Cor. 2. a performance according to his good pleasure so that of our selues we are not able to think any good thing all our capacity depending of our Creator wee must thereby acknowledge that our godly workes are not meritorious seeing it is the actuall motion of the holy Ghost that hath induced vs to do well Againe 2. Cor. 3. if the graces of God might be purchased by mans merits as it must needes be if they were iustified by them Iesus Christ had then dyed in vaine and it had not bin needefull that he should haue opened vnto vs the gate of life if by our owne free will we could haue purchased it What shall then become of their meritum decondigno If it bee a question to compare and equall good works done by grace with eternall felicity they are not onely I will not say worthy but not approaching to the least parcell of the same Let the Christiā endure all the afflictions that euer may be inuented Rom. 8. yet neuertheles as saith S. Paule the angushes and tribulations of this world cannot counterpoise that future glory which shall be reuealed in vs. Likewise though a man were the richest in all the world and did distribute all his goods to the poore or did any other godly worke yet as saith Esai all our righteousnesse are as filthy clouts Esay 64. Luke 17. And if we should haue accomplished all that which is commanded vs yet are we neuerthelesse but vnprofitable seruants I will with silence passe ouer how they saide Scriptures insufficiēt the holy Scripture is not sufficient to saluation beeing so audatious as to bee lie the word of God which telleth vs that euery Scripture 2. Tim. 3.16.17 diuinely inspired is sufficient to make perfect the man of
where the sonne of perdition that damnable Antichrist will forsooth haue a part with the Lorde whose Lieutenant he calleth himselfe in his house in his kingdome and Empire which is his Church O blasphemie O abhomination whose defence I haue too long but in vaine obstinately taken in hand for the maintenance whereof I haue often employed my tongue in the good townes of this kingdome and namely in this wherein I now am But if it shall please God to sanctifie my wish and blesse my labours whereas heretofore I haue vsed my vocall instrument as a pipe for the furthering of lyes and fallacies of Satan I will now vse it as a neuer-wearied trumpet for the publishing the truth of the Gospell to proclaime the Lordes will in all places where his voyce shall call me And by meanes of his good grace neither feare nor hope promises nor threates shall make me to departe from this holy resolution and protestation which I now make vz. to liue and dye in the faith and religious beliefe of the reformed Churches of this kingdome I know very well that I must walke vpon thornes and sight with great difficulties which will take holde on me to stoppe this my happie course I know that the enemies of my saluation being growne desperate at this my conuersion will frame a world of slaunders thereby to make me odious to Gods true Church and to make my profession suspected Yea it may so come to passe that the diuell will euen make vse of some that saye they are my friends thereby to shake cracke my constancie through vaine promises but whatsoeuer they do they shal preuaile nothing For there are two points that fortifie me against their furious assaults The one is that slaunder doth sufficiently shew it selfe to be a lie so that being opposed to innocencie it melteth away like snowe before the sun The other is that seeing I am in gods owne house which is an vnconquerable citty a fortresse that is out of danger for shaking vndermining or scaling I neede not feare their force or surprise being assured that the Lord will breake their vnrighteous designements and make their attempts as vaine as the rebellious waues that beate themselues against the foote of a great rock which do make a huge noyse and rage in vaine yea the end of their furious menaces shall be naught else but froth God through his infinite bounty and mercy strengthen me and finish the worke which he hath begun in me giuing mee grace to liue and dye in his house and in his Church Amen Amen Amen Whereunto all the people there assembled with one voyce and the greatest part weeping for ioy answered alowde Amen The ninth of January 1600. The Conuersion of Maister Anthonie Ginestet borne at Lautreck in Albigeois sometimes a confessor religious Priest of the pretended order of Saint Francis according to his protestation made the 22. of October 1600. in the Church of Bragerak together with that of Signeur Lewis of Caransie borne in the towne of Angoulesme heretofore a Priest as may appeare by their Letters LET the Papistes glory in the magnificence of their Churches artificially built with curious stones brought frō strange places Let them bragge of the building of their Altars proudly adorned Let thē triumphe in their vaults guilded Adorning of Alters Churches no lesse azured Let them exalt their ecchoing musick the picturing sculpture of their images let them wonder at the greatnes of the sundry orders of their sacrifices glittering in cloth of golde silke scarlet hung about with precious stones in stately pomp As for vs illuminated with the sacred life of the diuine trueth we esteeme all this and the like brauery as a thing of naught a perishable vanity vnworthy of true religion vncapable of leading to saluation in such sort that those who are busied or rather abused by such worldly inticements do leaue behind the principle of piety and spirituall worshippe And to iudge truly those who are dazeld with such an appearance doe onely feede their outward sense not at all vnderstanding the ritch ornaments or rather celestiall enrichments of the city of the liuing God For the wisedome of the children of this world is abhominable folly before the Soueraigne onely wise God That which man seely creature doth vndiscretly admire is ougly and execrable before the eyes of the eternall and that which the foole swolne in ignorance contemneth is certainely great and admirable The faithfull hereof haue dayly experience to their vnspeakeable comfort And with them wee thrice happy at this present doe enioy full matter of solace and gratious delectations hauing our eyes cleared with the beams of the eternal sonne of iustice so that we may contemplate in the house of God through this influence of supreame grace or at least the illumination of the celestiall light the most sweet felicities of his face the word of life the excellēce of the Sacramēts the efficacie of the exercises of piety the perfections of a liuely faith the vertues of the holy ghost and other infinite blessings inspired from heauen into the elect in the misticall society of the body of Christ which are as christalline mirrours conteyning a quickning brightnesse of the bounty fauour beatitude eternity power mercy wisdome and heauenly life in steede of the horrour of darkenesse of hellish torments of the terrors of the second death wherinto the error of humane inuentions do throw vs headlong with a perpetuall despayre Now as the Apostle 2. Corin. 3. prophecieth of the issue of the children of Israel saying Vntil this day the vaile did couer their harts when Moses was read vnto them but when they shal be conuerted to the Lord the vaile shal be taken away euen so all we who do behold as it were in a glasse which is the Gospel of grace the glory of the Lord plainly be transformed into the selfe fame Image frō glory into glory through the effectual aide of the holy Ghost And our earnest desire is that those who are floting and as it were bandied to and fro with sundry opinions of the vaine and not true Phylosopie would meditate hereupon that they would ascend into the moūt Sion that they would taste of her sauorous fruite of life and would drinke of the delicious waters of her fountaines of immortality forsaking the venomous Cisterns of the desert of the world a desert not of sinne but a desert of iustice a desert not of transitory goods but a desert of wholesome graces To this effect we from the bottome of our heartes make our humble petitions to the most high the inward compassions of our soules making our eyes melt into fountaines our better partes yeelding forth vnspeakable dolors considering in this Theatre of the worlde that the greatest multitude by the violēt stormes of seduction be enticed and rauished to be trayned finally to be throwne headlong into perdition But O father of light seeing it is
thy good pleasure alwaies rather to vse mercy then iustice to be gratious in shewing fauour not furye stretch forth thy hand draw them vnto thee teach them sith it is thy will that all may come to the knowledge of saluation Imprint in their mindes a desire to sound the depth of thy holy Scriptures Let the discretion of thy alsearching spirit guide them to gather in these gardens the flowers of that Soueraigne good the foode of their soules the fit and effectual hearbs for the phisicke of their spirituall infirmities the plants that are a Soueraigne Antidote against death the Sacrament of eternitie the certaine pledge of felicity Let them touch no more the tree of knowing good and euill although his outwarde beautie doth cloake his inwarde poyson And as thy sacred word diuinely inspired shall be an assured guide to all people desirous to reiect an vntruth beeing the Organe of perdition for to receiue the Euangelicall truth the power of God for the saluation of all beleeuers manifesting in her brightnesse the splendour of thy incorruptible heritage by the selfe same reason let it make known vnto theÌ„ that there is essentiall conformitie between the doctrine of the Church reformed and thy true church a substantiall discord betweene thine and that which is announced by the Roman Bishoppe or his adherents and consequently that this leadeth to damnation and the other to permanent happynesse And certainely as the glory of our Sauiour is vnseparably conioyned with the saluation of his elected and chosen creatures honouring and crowning with inesteemable benefits those that honour him So likewise that is the true and sincere Religion opening the waye to saluation which addresseth all her documents and exercises purely and simply to the glory of the almighty and contrarywise that religion is false and ruinous which seeketh the glory of creatures honoring them with that which onely belongeth to the liuing God who giues not his glory to any other By this rule the knowledge of the wise on earth is condemned and accused of vanity Rom. 1.21.25 for that hauing knowne God they haue not glorified him as God and haue not yeelded him due thankes but are become vaine in their discourses and their hart voyde of vnderstanding hath beene filled with darkenesse and tearming themselues wise are become fooles and haue changed the glory of God immortall into the likenesse and image of man By reason whereof they haue beene giuen vp to their owne harts lustes to filthinesse and the defyling of their owne bodies as hauing changed the truth of God into falshoode worshipped and serued the creature and haue forsaken the Creator who is blessed and praysed both now and for euer Amen By this rule and generall Maxime our Sauiour in Saint Iohn Chap. 5. vers 39. and after confirmes the will of his act wherof see vers 16.17.30 against the deceipts fallacies of the Iewes Search the Scriptures diligently for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me But yee will not come to me that yee may haue life I seeke not glory of men I am come in my fathers name and yee receiue me not if another shall come in his owne name him wil yee receiue How can yee beleeue which receiue honour one of another and seeke not the honour that commeth from God alone And againe in the 12. Chap. vers 43. They haue loued the glory of men more then the praise of God By this rule the Apostle Gal. 1. vers 10. proueth that his preaching came down froÌ„ heaueÌ„ to the confusioÌ„ of vaine discourses and false Apostles Doe I preach mans doctrine or Gods For if I should yet please men I were not the seruant of Christ To bee short this principle is so cleere so true so authorised that it needeth not any more witnesses out of the scriptures it being more cleare and transparent then the Noone-day that the true and perfect religion is marked and knowne by this that shee seeketh absolutelie the glory of the creator of heauen and earth and that religion is false and abhominable that doth the contrarie And that the religion reformed is of the first degree and that of the Roman Church of the second the conference ensuing doth briefely set down And to tell the truth who is so blind that seeth not that the true Christians doe professe that first one onely God must bee called vpon Secondly that from him alone all maner of saluation and deliuerance must be expected Thirdly that his mercy defaceth all our sinnes Fourthly that the sacrifice of the vndefiled Lambe offered vpon the crosse taketh away condemnation Fiftly that his iustice redeemeth vs from the second death and his resurrection leadeth his Saintes into the right waye of eternall life Sixtly that his most blessed worde contayneth all manner of secrets necessarye for our welfare and happinesse Seauenthlye that workes cannot merrite euerlasting felicitye Eightlie that the most righteous and perfectest men cannot produce workes of supererogation as if it were in their power not onely to accomplish all iustice commaunded but also more than is required Ninthly that God must be worshipped in spirite and trueth Tenthly that the glorious body of Christ sits at the right hand of his father Brieflie all those that stedfastly beleeue this doctrine do they not rightly attribute all glorie to his Soueraigne maiestie Prayer to â—aiâ—â— And contrariwise the Papists dishonour him who first call vpon Angels Saints and Ladies Secondly they hope from them succours and helpe in their perils and necessities Thirdlie they promise to themselues remission of sinnes through the indulgences from the Bishop of Rome Fourthly they mingle the bloud of Martires with the bloud of Christ thinking his not sufficient Fiftlie they trust more in the merits of Saints or mortall creatures then in the obedience of the sonne of the eternall Sixtly they are not contented with the sacred letters of reconcilation but to supplie their want as they fondly imagine they adde the vaine sufficiencie of their vnwritten traditions Vnwritten Traditions IustificatioÌ„ by workes Seauenthly they presume of their workes for their iustification before the throane of Gods supreame iustice and doe further commit manie things repugnant to Gods heauenly will which notwithstanding is the onely rule of righteousnesse Eightly Workes of supererogation they thinke to be more wise than the Master of Masters when they doe more and aboue his commandements in their actions of supererogation Ninthly Worshiping of Images they encline and bowe themselues to the images of Creatures contrary to the lawe and they serue God after a sensuall and carnall manner prohibited by his worde without whose warrant euery worke is done without faith by consequence a most abhominable sinne Tenthly Transubstantiation they fasten the pretious body of Christ to bread and wine subiect after their consecration to a thousand corruptions and abuses and altogether farre from his excellencie We omit