more greeued with that blasphemous mock of the proude persecuting Iewes He trusted in God let hym take hym if hee wyll haue hym c. then with their buffetinge scourginge and naylynge of hym And as the glory of GOD ought to bee more deare vnto vs then our owne lyues so ought we to be more greeued at the defacing of Gods glory by the scorning and deriding of the vngodly then at any bodilye Tormentes or at the losse of our owne liues For there is no kinde of persecution more detestable then that by whiche the saluation of our scules is assaulted as it is by the proude taunts scornes of gods enimies both Papistes and Atheistes who when their cruell rage is restrained that they cannot persecute vs by fire and sword as their desyre is then they blaspheme the grace of GOD in our election and vocation with most bitter and contumelious scorning and derisyon So that the children of GOD and all they that wyll liue godlye in Christe Iesus shal neuer want persecution For if the bloody sworde bee wrung out of the Tyrauntes handes yet wyll they not cease to persecute vnlesse their tongues also were pulled out of their heades For they that are borne after the flesh that is al Hipocrites and Iustifyers of them selues wyll euer playe Ismaels parte if they can doe nothinge els against the Children of promise And this is the grounde of the hatred of the papistes against vs But to conclude what shall be the ende of these persecuting scorners Aske not the worlde for the world thinketh that such holy Hipocrites are the chiefe pillers of the Church and principall members of the same They them selues saye that they onely are the Churche and that the sonnes of promise shall haue nothinge to doe there but by there licence But what saith the scripture The scripture will not flatter them the scripture wyll not dissemble with them Cast out the bond woman her sonne for the sonne of the bondwoman shall not inherit with the sonne of the free woman These were in deede the wordes of Sara vnto Abraham but they were confyrmed by the Oracle of god which willed Abraham to follow the worde of Sara in al that she had sayde Therefore this is the sentence of GOD though Ismael keepe a sturre in the house a longe time and beare hymselfe bolde on his birthright as though he wolde bee the onely heyre persecuting the right heyre Isaac with tauntes scorninge yet at the length he is thrust out of dores with that prowde dame Agar hys mother that dispised her misteris Sara and vtterly reiected from the inheritaunce There were a great number of sâ—ruauntes which taryed in the house when Ismael the first begotten was thrust out What was the cause that they taryed Because they reuerenced the grace of God in Isaac which Ismael contemned The same eâ—de remaineth the popish Agar and all the Ismaelites her children though they boast themselues to be the onely Churche so that they woulde seeme to thrust Isaac and his seede out of the dores yet the scripture hath determined their ende longe a goe and of all other hypocrites whiche now are mixed they shall be seuered which occupye great rowmes in the Church they shal be cast out of the dores they shall haue none inherytance with the sonnes of God. Let vs therefore thankfullye embrace the Couenaunt of GODS mercy the doctrine of the Gospell and free remission of sinnes by which we are sure to be set at lybertie from sinne made the sonnes of GOD and heyres of eternall felycitye which GOD of his mercye graunt vnto vs all for Christe his sake to whom with the Father and the holy ghost bee all honour and glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS Iohn 4. Apoca. 7. 10. 〈◊〉 3. 17. Esay 1. 1â— Ephes. 2. Rom. 3. Ebru 11. â—â— Ephes. â— â— Româ— â— 27. Tim. 1. 8. Rom. 7. 1â— Galat. 3. 2â— Esay 1. â—â— Iohn 8. 67. Ieremie 31. Hebr. 8. Iohn 1. 12. 13. Philip. 3. 2â— Math. 5. 14. ¶ Imprinted at London for Lucas Harrison 1577.
prayse â–ª Whereas if Ismael shoulde haue inherited the promyse the leaâ—t portion of the prayse should haue been geuen to god For nature shoulde haue had one part because Abraham although he were old when he begate Ismael yet he was not so olde that he was past the strength of generation And as for Agar shee was lusty and in the flowre of her age What singuler prayse shoulde God haue had in this coÌ„ception other then in all naturall woorkes But the chiefe parte of the commendation shoulde haue been challenged by the wysedome of man For if this deuise of Sara had taken place howe muche thinke you woulde shee haue pleased her selfe in that witty inuention And Abrahams diligence and indeuour to put in practise this inuention of theirs might haue been thought woorthy of no small coÌ„mendation And in Ismael the title of First begotten woulde haue thrust in it selfe for some dignitie and portion of glorye Amongest these matters euery one setting foorth it felfe as worthy of the prayse I pray you howe small a pittance shoulde haue been leaft for the promise of GOD And as you see it here in the patternes so is it moste clearely to be seene in them that followe these patternes Whereby the Papistes shewe them selues most playnly to be after Ismael chyldren of the fleshe the naturall sonnes of the bondwoman borne after the fleshe For that they may be heyres of the promyse they ascribe somethyng to nature somethyng to mans wisedome somethyng to theyr owne industrie and by no means they wil bee perswaded to receyne the inheritaÌ„ce altogether by Gods promyse To nature with the heathen Philosophers they attribute the beginning of al vertues in themselues such strength as without the grace of God they maye dispose them selues to an aptnes to receiue the grace of God but wyth the grace of God they may be able to perfourme whatsoeuer God requyreth at theyr handes By mans wisdome they haue founde out woorkes of greater price and worthinesse to winne the fauour of God then God himselfe in hys Lawe hath prescribed and appointed And as for their own labour industry it dooth in a manner all in all for thereby nature is applied to winne grace grace is exercysed to merite rewarde wisdome is practised to increase merite which shal not only be sufficient for those that labour in them but also dooth ouerflowe too the satisfaction of other mens sinnes and too the obteyning of righteousnesse for other men which fayle in the measure of their owne In the meane tyme they saye they doo not exclude the grace of god No more dyd Ismael the promise of God but Ismaell coulde not inherite the promyse of God bycause hee was borne after the fleshe no more can they hee partakers of the grace of GOD bycause they seeke to procure it by camall and fleshly meanes And they only are after Isaac heyres of the promyse which pretende no tycle too the promysed inherytaunce but only the promise of GOD which seeke it only by grace and not by workes which obteyne it by Fayth and not by desertes For neyther nature nor the wisdome of man nor the strength of man nor the worthinesse of man made Isaac heir of the promise but only Faith in the promyse These thynges sayeth sainct Paule whych are written of the two Mothers in Abrahams house of contrary condition and the issue of them both are Allegoricall that is figuratiuely or typically to bee vnderstoode For in as muche as Abrahams house was the Churche of GOD suche notable euentes as happened in that householde were fygures and examples for vs too see the state of the Churche and dyuerse kyndes of men therein for all ages followying Wherefore as there was a bonde woman ingendring into bondage him that is borne after the fleshe euen in that familey so hath there alwayes bene in the outward face of the Church a great seede and multitude of Heretykes and Hypocrytes which haue sought iustificatioÌ„ by their owne merytes Suche wer before the comming of Christe a great number of the frowarde and obstynate Iewes and in the tyme of Christe the Scribes and Phariseys which abusing the doctrine of the law contrary to the scope and ende of the Lawe sought to establishe their owne righteousnes in obseruation and keepyng of the law but in the meane tyme they became voyde of the righteousnes of god And yet thy did not pretend to exclude the grace of God as appeareth righte well in that Phariseye of whome our Sauiour Christ telleth the Parable Luke 18. against them that trusted in themselues that they were ryghteous and despised other This Pharisey trusted in himselfe that hee was righteous and yet not without the grace of god For hee geueth God thankes that he was not as other men were or c. And such for al the world as this Pharisey was are the whole generation of Papistes For they wil seeme too ascribe much to the grace of God in forme of words and almost altogether and so dyd the Pharisey But yet neuerthelesse hee with them and they with hym are Ismaelites sonnes of the bonde woman borne after the fleshe bycause they ioigne any thing with the grace of God which only doth triumphe in the Saluation of all the Children of promyse For by grace you are saued sayeth the Apostle through Fayth and that not of your selues it is the gyfte of God not of works least any man should boaste And howe is boallyng excluded by the lawe of workes No but by the lawe of Fayth But let vs procede in the Texte The two Mothers sayth s. Paule are the two couenaÌ„ts or Testaments that is they represent vnto vs the two Testamentes or couenants that God hath made with mankinde touching their Saluation For God hath made two couenantes one in the Lawe the other in the Gospell the one the couenant of Iustice the other the couenant of mercy In the one he requireth perfect righteousnesse in the other hee offereth remission of sinnes And both these couenauntes haue a necessary vse to bring vs to saluation The Couenauntes of Iustice doe shew vs what perfection of rightuousnesse God requireth and how farre we are from it to humble vs inforce vs to seeke rightuousnesse els where then by our owne desertes And so the law when it is rightly vsed is sayde to be a Schoolemaster vnto christ For God dyd not make that couenaunt of rightuousnes with vs to the intent that we should obteyne righteousnesse by obseruation of the Law but by settinge before our eyes the impossibilytie of the condition which is required to be obserued and the extreeme sentence of Iustice when the condition is broken to driue vs altogether from hope of attayning to the rewarde of righteousnes by workes and to cause vs most ioyfully to receiue the seconde Couenaunt of his mercy offered in Christ. So that the law indeede prescribeth a rule of perfect rightuousnes if men could obserue it but in as
my people 11 And they shall not teache euery man his neyghbour and euery man hys brother saying Knowe the Lord for they shall al know mee from the least to the greatest of them 12 For I wyll bee mercyfull to their vnryghteousnesse and I wyll no more remember their sinnes and their iniquities Beholde this is the newe Testament this is the seconde Couenant of mercy not written in Tables of stone as the first Couenant of iustice was but in the fleshely Tables of our hartes by the spirite of god Of this Couenant Sara was a lyuely fygure when shee brought forth Isaac not by course of nature or Carnall deuyse as Ismael was begotten but by the power of GOD accordyng to hys promyse For by the doctrine of this couenant the children of God are borne vnto libertie through faith For to those that receiue Iesus Christ he giueth this dignitie that they should be the sonnes of God euē to those that beleeue in his name which are not borne of blood nor of the will of the fleshe nor of the will of man but of god And this is that lawe that commeth out of Sion that word that proceedeth out of Hierusalem which proclaimeth libertie freedome from Sion to all them that embrace Christ by faith The same godly matrone Sara being the mother of the faithfull is also a figure of the true Church of god which is no earthly Citie flourishyng in worldly dignity but is altogether heauenly and spirituall Hierusalem that is aboue is the mother of vs all For although a great number of children be dispersed ouer al the worlde yet is shee heauenly because shee hath her beginnyng of the heauenly grace and dwelleth aboue by Fayth and those her Children which are in the worlde are but Pilgrymes and straungers on the earth for their conuersation and dwelling theyr Franchise and libertie is in heauen from whence they looke for a Sauiour The word of promise and couenant of mercie is that incorruptible seede by which she conceiueth children heires vnto God In the same she hath milke for hir infantes and stronger meate for them of ryper age shee cherisheth and bryngeth them vp vntyll they come of yeeres apt to enioye their Fathers inheritance perfourming all offices and duetyes of a most kynd and naturall mother And therefore it is truely said hee shall not haue GOD to his Father that refuseth the Churche to bee his mother And here wee must note that there is but one true Churche namelye Heauenly Hierusalem the mother of vs all that are Gods Children and therefore all Heretikes and Scismatykes that bee not Chyldren of thys one mother are excluded from beyng Chyldren of god Here also wee see that the Churche is Catholike or Uniuersall and howe shee is Catholike or Uniuersall not in respecte of euerie great multitude that challengeth her to bee theyr mother but shee is the mother of all the faythfull of all the free borne Children of God that are borne accordyng to the promyse accordyng to the Couenant of Gods mercie and not of the wyll or workes merites or worchynesse of man but of the spirit of God. The thyrde condition she is heauenly shee is from aboue shee is not bounde to any place vpon the earth No she hath forsaken earthly Hierusalem to dwell in heauen And thinke you she wil forsake heauen to come downe and dwel in Rome No no all the inchanters and Sorcerers of Aegipt and Babilon cannot drawe her down from Heauen too place her seate at Rome If wee wil be Children of the freewoman wee muste looke vp intoo Heauen by Fayth where our Mother dwelleth and not too any place on earth neyther too Hierusalem in Iuda nor to Rome in Italy nor to Constantinople in Thracia nor to Alexandria in Aegypt nor to Antiochia in Syria but to Ierusalem in Heauen for she is the Mother of vs al that are the Children of god We learne here that if we be true children of Hierusalem that is aboue what manner lyfe and conuersation becōmeth vs namely such as our Mother is yea and our Father also heauenly Godly Spirituall Besides thys in that Hierusalem is aboue wee see howe madde the furie and rage of Tyraants is that thinke by persecutyng her Children which are straungers on earthe they can destroye and vanquishe her that is in Heauen whereas when they haue done the vttermost that their rage leadeth thē vnto that is to kyll their bodies they do but send home the Children to theyr Mother who as long as shee is great with Childe by the seede of the Gospell shee still traueleth in birth in bryngeth foorth men Chyldren which vnder their Prince and eldest Brother the Sonne of GOD shall treade downe that Dragons head that persecuteth the mother and the Children vntill hee bee caught by the heeles and throwne into the bottomlesse lake that burneth with fyer and brymston The fourthe condition of the Church is that she is free and therfore bringeth forth Children vntoo freedome Shee is free in that she is redeemed and bought out of bondage by the blood of the Sonne of God that she might be holy and vnspotted before hym not hauyng her owne ryghteousnesse wherewith she is adorned but the garment washed in the blood of Christ which is the righteousnesse of Sainctes Thus is shee a glorious mother and bringeth foorth Children that are made free from sinne and wickednesse to serue the Lorde GOD their father in holynesse and rlghteousnesse all the dayes of their lyfe By this that hath beene sayde it is manifest that the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ for she is earthely glysteryng in Earthly glorye maynceyned by carnall strength and wysdome mainteyning the Doctrine of bondage and persecutyng the Gospell of lybertye Here also is decyded a great controuersye betweene the Papystes and vs whether the Catholyke Churche of Christe bee vysible yea or no. The Papystes stoutely mainteyne that the Catholike Churche is vysible that is apparant and open to bee seene to the eyes of all men and they thynke it the strongest reason they haue eyther too defende their Churche or to impugne ours that their Church hath alwayes beene and yet is vysible and in the open veywe of the world when our Church wythin these hundreth yeares was dryuen intoo Corners and not too bee spyede excepte it were in a fewe persecuted members The grounde they stande vppon is a wrong Interpretation of the saying of our Sauiour Chryste in the. 5. of Saincte Math. A City that is builded vpon an hill cannot be hidde But thys perteyneth nothing to the Cytie of Rome although it be builded not on one but vpon seuen hils For our Sauiour Christ as the whole contexte of his speach doth euydently declare speaketh not there of the Catholike Church but of hys Apostles that were appoynted to be the light of the world therfore must needs be seene were as a Cytie which is buylded on a hyll and therefore