Millenaries vnlesse we iudge here vprightly I beleue therfore that the same restoring wherof the Prophetes speake muste be diuided into three times that the first be so be called historicall which extendeth frō king Cyrus vnto great Pompey the which Ezras Nehemias and the Authour of the boke of the Machabeis describe and teache to be fulfilled The second to beginne at the comming of our Sauiour and procede vnto Antichrist and to his distroying which in dede the Apostles and Euangelistes haue moste diligently described and wherin they testifie many thinges to be accomplisshed And that the thirde time should beginne from the gospel restored and the last iudgment and continewe foreuermore whiche restitution verely semeth to be of al other most perfit complete wherin God wil geue vnto man most fully what things so euer he hath promised by the mouthes of the prophetes and Apostles Hereof hath S. Peter most manifestly made mention in the actes the .3 chapt saying it behoueth Christ to take heauen vntil the time of restoring of al things which god hath spoken by the mouth of al his sainctes frō the time of the prophetes And the Lord him selfe in the gospel speaking of the last iudgement sayed lifte vp your heades because your redemption draweth nere Or happely we may on this wise diuide this matter perauenture more plainely the restoring of Israel or of al faithful is verely either corporall or spiritual The corporal maye be called historicall and was perfourmed by Cyrus Zorobabel Iehosua Ezras Nehemias and the Machabeis And the spirituall is fulfilled or shal be yet accomplisshed by the cōming of our holesome Messias our lord Iesus Christ And the cōming of the lorde is of two sortes the firste in dede is in the flesh in the which we beleue many things the Apostles bearing witnes to haue ben fulfilled of Christe in the latter he shal come agayne from Heauen into iudgement In that comyng he shal most fully accomplisshe such thinges as we see as yet not perfourmed And doubtles al our hope is herunto referred and comforted by this comyng Those thinges that are spoken of the Apostle in the .11 to the Romains of the conuersion of the Iewes are fulfilled partly and partely are fulfilled dayly and as yet shal be fulfilled Now we retourne to the plenty of them that shal be saued and are already saued from the middes of the kingdome of Antichrist to be declared Many thousands of Iewes be saued S. Iohn diuideth the vniuersalitie of man kinde into Iewes and gentiles Of the Iewes are raccompted an hondreth and fourtie and foure thousande And after our iudgement of a thousand Iewes there semeth scarsely one or two to be saued but where by the testimony of our sauiour him selfe so great a numbre is saued there is lefte verely of this numbre certayne an infinite multitude of this stifnecked people to be gathered which shal be saued And they are not saued by the Lawe or by circumcision or by their damnable obstinacie but vp the grace of God in Christ their Messias the only redemer reuealed to them of God mercifully and of them receyued faithfully For if the thefe on the crosse mighte be saued nowe leauinge his lyfe what shal lette innumerable Iewes to be saued by the same meane neuerthelesse I will here determine no measure Neyther will I also by this meane make frustrate the ministerie of the worde and Sacramentes Howbeit I know the thinges to be trewe that here are spoken the measure or maner is knowen to God neither is there any thing with him vnpossible And hereunto serueth the Apostles doctrine in the .11 to the Romains You wil saye If the ende be good al is good this doctrine wil make men to neglect their owne Saluacion where already nowe there are that saye if the ende be well then is all well As though they shoulde haue sayed how soeuer thou liuest in this world drowned in pleasures and bloud and geuen to gloutonny beleue only at the last ende of thy life and thou shalt be saued Doubtles I am not ignoraunt that there be many vncleane hogges and filthie swine abusing the worde of the veritie and consolation of the Gospell but shal the abuse of prophane men take awaye the veritie from vs The childrē of God which know that there is none other propiciation or satisfactiō for sinnes but the oblation of Christ cease not therfore to renewe their life dayly by repentaunce The godly abuse not gods mercy to the libertie of sinnynge Thus although the godly doubte nothing but that innumerable at the last ende of their life are conuerted and saued of the Lorde yet do they not abuse this mercy of God to the libertie of the flesh but are affraied For ther be other places diuerse which reteyne them in order and duety For the lord sayeth thou arte made hole go and sinne no more leest some worse thing happen to thee Item let vs do good whilest we haue time the time will come when we can not worke The parable of ten virgins declareth vnto vs the same Also if the iuste shall vnneth be saued where shal the sinner and wicked appere moreouer tempte not the Lord thy God And innumerable others of like sorte And when the Sainctes shall haue all their life time demeaned themselues blamelesse in the rightuousenes of God yet in the laste time of theyr life thei trust not to the same but to God his mere mercy through Christ They remember alwayes howe greuousely he was rebuked in the Gospel first in dede he that inuied the good lucke of him that laboured with him in the vineyarde for that he had receyued so muche wages coming into the vineyarde about the laste houre of the daye as he had receyued that had laboured al daie long and agayne the thriftie sonne for that he was sory that his wastefull and prodigall brother was receyued agayne of his father a feeste also made him and for him that was alwaies obedient and toke paynes cōtinually no such thing was prepared Innumerable people of al parts of the world are saued But the gentiles he contriueth not into any certen numbre but saieth how he sawe a great multitude which no man could tel no more thā they coulde the starres sande herbes or grasse how many they were in nūbre He signifieth therfore that in al the worlde at al times innumerable are saued by Christe neuerthelesse leeste any man should thinke that it should preuaile or hinder him to saluation to be borne of this or that nation tribe or tonge S. Iohn addeth incontinently of al tribes people and tonges to be ordeyned to saluation indifferently Therfore this difference hindereth saluation nothing but are founde in Inde Aethiopia Barbaria and in the furthest parte of Libia in Scythia Tartaria and in the vttermost endes of the worlde whiche are saued by the grace of Christ And because it hath much doubtfulnes to reason of things
restreining and punishing the wycked And the holy ghost where he is but one Seuen spirites for the seuenfolde that is all maner of grace and giftes manifold is here called as I may say Septenarie or of the seuenth numbre And from the seuen spirites sayth Iohn that is from that spirite whiche is indewed with the seuenfolde grace Those diuerse giftes are after a sorte declared of Esay in the .xi. Chapt. and els where in the scriptures He is sayd to be in the sight of the throne that is before the throne of God ioyned verely in gouernement with the father and the sonne For the throne is many tymes vsurped for the kingdom The holy ghost therfore is of the same glory power and maiestie with God Now is he commen to Christ The description of Christ whom by his properties he describeth moste aboundantly You know that Iesus is the proper name of Christ which Matthew expoundeth a Sauiour Christ is the surname of his office and dignitie as you would say annoynted that is byshop and kyng 1 First he calleth Christ our Lord a faithfull wytnes Christ a faithfull witnes and that out of the .xlix. and .l. chapter of Esay For he was sent of the father to the world out of heauen an Apostle whiche should testifie the wil of God what he wold haue done with men To witte that he would saue the worlde by his sonne Math. 18. 2 Petr. 3 Iohn 3 Math. 7.1 by faith in him which is obedient to the law of God For he must do the will of his father This Christ is a faithfull witnes that is sure constaunt and trewe Of whose doctrine no man ought to doubt No man hath seene God at any tyme The only begotten whiche is in the bosome of the father Math. 17. 2 Pet. 1 he hath reuealed This therfore is the byshop and catholick dâ—tour of the church Who so euer dissent from him are to 〈◊〉 eschewed Heare him saith the father Christ is the first fruits of theÌ„ that ryse 2 He is the first begotten of the dead For he died for oâ—â— sinnes verely and rose again from the dead was made tâ— first begotten of the dead Lorde conquerour of death Iâ— whom we se that we shall also ryse again in what sorte 〈◊〉 whom the first of the Corinth xv And like as in the first prâ—pertie he shaddoweth the humanitie of Christe wherin hâ— taught also his deitie in that he was the faithfull true â—â—tholique byshop and is yet at this day So in the second thâ— articles of our belefe concerning the death of Christ and hâ— resurrection are confirmed To these also may be added tâ— article of the resurrection of the dead Christ is Prince of kynges 3 Christ is prince ouer the kinges of the earth a monarâ— verely and Lord of all rulers Whiche hath taken a name â—boue all names the Lord of aungels and of all creatures 〈◊〉 whom al things be subiect As thapostle expouÌ„deth Colosâ— Philip. 2. And he doeth not abolishe lawes Magistratâ— which wil be king of kinges and Lord of lordes For if thaâ— wer no kings how shuld Christ be king of kings The moâ— sacred Emperours Constance Constantine Theodose anâ— Iustinian knew them selues to be clientes of Christ Thaâ— kingdom was Christes they to be subiectes These Chriâ—â— acknowledgeth for his by whoÌ„ he gouerneth those he haâ—â— redemed with his bloud They that proudly rule ouer the people boast theÌ„ selues to be lordes of althings acknowledâ—â— not Christ to be monarch ouer all be starke mad And herâ— are comprehended such thinges as we confesse in tharticles of our faith that Christ ascended into heauen sitteth on thâ— right hand of the father that is that he hath receiued high pâ—wer of al things in heauen and earth Ephe. 1. Act. 2. Christ loued vs. 4 Christ hath loued vs with incoÌ„parable loue For he hiâ— self saith greater loue hath no man than that a man shoulâ— leaue his life for his freÌ„des This loue the Apostle amplefietâ— in the fift to the Romains And it was exceading great loue 〈◊〉 moued Christ to come downe from heauen and be incarnaâ—â— and to redeme vs by his death With a free loue he loueâ— vs prouoked by no desert of ours For as this same Iohn in his Epistle canonicall speaketh the same of the father In this is charitie not that we haue loued God but that he hath loued vs sent his son a propiciation for our sinnes So is it to be vnderstaÌ„d of the son the he hath doth bear vs great good will not moued thereto through our loue wherewith we haue imbraced him And of the fre loue to mankinde he gaue him self vnto death washed vs froÌ„ our sinnes For streight waies is added by his bloud Christ washeth Where thre thinges seme of vs to be obserued First that Christ washeth purgeth purifieth or cleÌ„seth the faithful that most fully not partly He alluded to the washings of the law which he expouÌ„ded also For Dauid saith Pourge me with Hysope I shal be made cleane washe me I shal be whiter than snow The same phrase of speache repeteth Esay in the first chap. Micheas also sayth Miche 7. The Lord wil returne wil haue mercy on vs he wil treade vnder fete our iniquities And thou shalt throw into the depth of the Sea al their sinnes And the Lord saith Ezech. 36 I wil cast vpon you cleane waters and you shall be mundified from al your filthines The Lord Christ these thinges accomplishing washeth vs purgeth and clenseth throughly aswell from the falte as the paine He clenseth vs from our sinnes Christ washeth all synnes not from one but from al. The which thing is proued both by former testimonies again in the first second Epistle of S. Iohn Last the maner also of purifiyng is set forth by bloud For without the sheding of bloud no remission was made Therfore through the mediation of death and bloudsheding there was full remissioÌ„ of all sinnes obteined for the faithfull He washeth by bloud Hebr. 9 They that bring forth any other maner of forgeuenes of synnes ar iniurious to the death and bloud of the sonne of God And here we may se plainly set forth an article of the Apostolicall crede I beleue the forgeuenes of synnes In the fift place is shewed theffect of our redeÌ„ption purifiyng For Christ hath brought to passe Theffect of Christs redemptioÌ„ in the faithfull that as many of vs as beleue in the father by the son of God shuld be kinges prists to God to his father Aretas the copie of complute reade not kinges but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is kyngdome the which is not red amisse For we be the kingdoÌ„ of God for bicause God by his spirit not the flesh nor the worlde ought to reigne in vs And when we permitte the gouernment to
vs to our errour darknes leaue vs to disceauable men c. This sense Aretas acknowledgeth who to remoue the church saith he is when it is lest bare and destitute of Gods grace by reasoÌ„ of the which nakednes it wauereth in doubtfull perplexitie and in stormes that are cast to her by wicked men And verely we se how at this day the churche of the Ephesians is remoued out of her place and no longer inioyetâ— the holsome doctrine of Christ nor that it standeth vpon thâ— holsome rocke Iesus Christâ— But is oppressed with the pesâ—â—ferous doctrine or rather madnes of Mahomet and lieth iâ— sorrowe vnder the fete of the Turkes We see at this day iâ— Germany more is the pititie many candelstickes remoued out of their place not without the great triumphe of SathaÌ„ and losse of soules Moreouer that same is also to be obserued in this threatening that without terrour he sayth I wil come to thee shortly For it is a Phrase of speache Foâ— we say also The Lord cometh to vs shortly I will come to thee by and by That is I wyl come to reuenge and punish and that perauenture soner thâ— thou lokest for Moste certenly when so euer I chaunce 〈◊〉 come I will take punishment of thee Let no man therfoâ—â— thinke to escape vnpunished in a life that can not repent RepeÌ„tauÌ„ce is thonly true amendement Again where the Lord repeteth except thou repent he plaiâ—ly testifieth that the bosome of Gods mercy clemency iâ— ready open if we do penaunce how soeuer we haue offended him before in the meane time we learne here openly mosâ— certainly that we can by no counselles or consultations 〈◊〉 no armies nor policies preuaile one whit on our perils â—â—les we repeÌ„t Therfore vnles we wil haue our churches to 〈◊〉 subuerted geuen ouer to be seduced distroied of the deuill 〈◊〉 his seducers let vs repeÌ„t in time receiue again the first loue Thou hast hated the dedes of the Nicolait Again he coÌ„mendeth the singuler vertu in this coÌ„gregatâ—â—â— especially for that thei haue hated the doings of the Nicolaitâ— which God him selfe also hateth Let vs here marke euerâ— word He saith not thou didst slie or eschewe and continâ—â— but thou hast hated The force of hatred is great mouing 〈◊〉 to persecute that thou hatest God hateth the dedes of the Niâ—olaitans Moreouer he saith not thou hast hated the Nicolaitaâ—â— but the workes of the Nicolaitans For we ought to hate tâ—â— persone of no man for it self but the vice in the man so the wâ—â— we shal forsake it we shuld loue the maÌ„ with al our hart Aâ—â— that must nedes be a great euil which God him self coÌ„fesseâ— that he hateth Here al congregations shal vnderstand that thâ— ought also to hate by al meanes the heresie abominatioÌ„ of the Nicolaitans Albeit that at this day the name be extingwished yet the heresie abomination of the Nicolaitans remaineth This Nicolas was of Antioche one of the seuen deacoÌ„s of whom mention is made in the .6 chap. of the Actes He is said to haue reuolted from the puritie of faith as Iudas did And where he was before a Gentile for it is said howe he was a Proselyte he retourned in certen thinges to gentilitie as a dog to his vomite The NicolaitaÌ„s be also Gnostici and consortes of Carpocrates filthie most wicked people ClemeÌ„s excuseth this Nicolas somwhat in Eusebius in the .3 boke 29 chap. of the Ecclesiastical history But that excuse semeth not sufficient or iust since all the auncientes with one mouth accuse the same and namely the very iudgemeÌ„t of God in this present and in the Epistles following Ireneus condemneth him of this same place in the first booke against the Valentinians chap. 27. c. Tertulian in th end of Heret prescrip toucheth here wittely the factes of the Nicolaitans and detesteth the same Neuertheles he expoundeth them not but passeth them ouer And I know not how wittely Epiphanius hath vttered and declared in order the wicked and abhominable actes neither to be thought nor told and most beastly filthines such as hath not bene heard of the heresie 25.26.27 31. c. Philastrius also and S. Austen haue touched the Nicolaitans either of them in their register of heresies Shamefastâ—es wil not suffer me to recite It is enough if we know that same which in the epistle to Pergamum the Lorde him selfe hath expounded calling the doctrine of Nicolaitans the doctrine of BalaaÌ„ the southsaier But who knoweth not what counsel he gaue to Balaac king of Moab of Madian and how he prostituted faire wenches to the yong men of Israel by whose acquaintaunce intised they both defiled theÌ„ selues with fornicatioÌ„ did eat also of meates offered vp to Idols being made partakers of Baalpeor Let him that wil reade Ioseâ—hus in the .iiii. boke of Antiquities cap. 6. And doubtles the â—acrifices of the Nicolaitans seme to differ nothing from the â—ecrettes of Priapus or Gerecinthia or the mother of Godâ—es and the nightly seruice of Bacchus Ireneus signifieth â—penly that the Carpocratites who ar called also Gnostici did not abhorre images but paincted and facioned to theÌ„ selueâ— the Images of Iesus and Paule with the Images of certiâ— Phylosophers And that the Image of Iesu as they talke was made expressely of Pilate who coÌ„maunded the face 〈◊〉 Iesus to be painted liuely c. But howsoeuer that was thâ— is certain that thactes of the Nicolaitans were euill reportâ— of for their fornications and adulteries And that the Nicolâ—â—tans absteined not from images nor from meates offred 〈◊〉 idolles 1 Cor. 8.9.10 FornicatioÌ„ Against the which errour S. Paul wrote also maâ—â— thynges Hereof let vs learne to abhorre and flie fornication aâ—â— neuer to thinke of restoring the Stewes or other places 〈◊〉 whoredom Fie for shame Let vs learne hereby to kepe hâ—â— virginitie syngle lyfe and lawfull mariages flie those dâ—â— the Nicolaitans Let vs learne hereby to kepe wel our selâ—â— from Idols idolatry and from all straunge kyndes of wâ—shippinges All those God hateth He that hath eares to heare let him heare And with an acclamation he pearseth the eares of al meâ— mouing al to attentiuenes and holy obedience And appliâ— also this doctrine to all tymes and to all congregationâ— the world He vsed his wonted speache repeted so ofte in tâ—â— Gospell He that hath eares to heare let him heare Not thâ—â— it is in our strength to heare and obey God For God prâ—pareth our eares and with his grace frameth and drawâ— our hartes And let them to whom the grace of God is gâ—â—ted beware least through their negligence vanitie and ligâ—â—nes they lose it not Let them shewe such dilligence as Gâ—â— in his worde requireth and prescribeth They that do thâ—â— haue eares to heare He sayth therfore take ye hede to whâ— God now speaketh and whose hartes nowe he styreth aâ—â— moueth
is restreined and the preaching of the Gospell obscured yet that the mindes of many shal so be furnisshed with gods worde and with godly inspiration which may so liue and be of such efficacitie in them that seducing can either haue no place in thē or if it haue any at al can not abide or perseuer to the ende There be also two other places of the scripture Howe the auncients in tymes past were Sealed testifiyng that signets were geuen to men wherwith they were sealed were exempte or deliuered from the present euil neyther be they repugnaūt to this our seale of the liuing god In Exod. 12. the postes or dore chekes of the Israelites were springled with the bloud of the lābe The signe of it selfe should haue preuailed nothing vnlesse the vertu of God instituting a cōsecrating the signe with his word had tourned away thaungel distroyer neither hath the signe waunted faith beyng vsed of the holy mē of god For the godly receiueth not the ordenaūces of god wtout faith Therfore the same power of Christ preserued the Israelites frō distructiō which now kepeth the faithful frō the infectiō of Antichrist Ezechiel .9 one sealeth the foreheades of that faithful hauing the tipe of a scribe priest Verely Christ hath at al times defended his And he sealeth by imprintyng or writing this marke or letter Tau That marke signifieth that is to say the Law or direction or Rule For in whom so euer is ingrauen the law of God the word of God euen the rule of faith in the very hart he is safe sure from al euil The auncients in olde time called the rule of faith direction the very articles of the christen faith I beleue in God c. Ye see therfore how al those signes come in dede all to one poincte For thei be safe and sure from euil whom the spirite of God hath inspired and illumined with faithe by the worde This much of the seale Who be sealed Now let vs also consider who they are that be sealed We reade in Ezechiel passe through the citie of Ierusalē marke Tau in the foreheades of mē mourning and lamenting for al thabominatiōs done in the middes therof And here it is saied til we seale the seruaūts of our God Therfore are the seruaūts of god and they that are sory for abominable wickednes are sealed The contemners of God hogs dogs are neglected It is shewed moreouer in what part of thē they be sealed In what part of them they be sealed In time paste the bloud of the lambe was annoincted on the dore postes In Ezechiel Tau is marked in their foreheades Here also is imprinted the seale of the liuing God in the forheades of the faithful And the forehead representeth a tipe of the minde the chiefest and most excellent parte in man The spirite and faith is put into the mindes of the faithful Neuerthelesse the marke is aptly fixed to the forehead not to the hinder part of the head backe or shoulders For they that be lighted with the worde spirite and haue faith do cōfesse the same dissemble nothing and much lesse are ashamed but desire that their glory that is their faith might be knowen of al men We cal most notable things written in our forhead that is most manifest things wherof we be not ashamed Examples of such as are sealed with the seal of the lyuing god Yf we now applie these things to such as were done in old time and now also at this daie they wil bring a great light to them There were founde good men faythfull and fearynge God mourning or sorrowing and seruauntes of God And there be foūde at this day also in the middes of Mahometrie and Papistrie which expressely condemne and haue cōdemned this kinde of life openly confessing that the same is not the trewe waye of life that there is no more wicked kinde of men liuyng than be their priestes that they would not committe themselues and their saluation to them but rather to cōsecrate themselues wholy to God his mercy And others whiche haue spent a great parte of their life of a good zeale doubtles but not accordyng to knowledge in those trifles and superstitions when they are comen to the ende of their life they dispise al together yea and freely professing the veritie they condemne al those trifles and committe thēselues wholy to the christian faith estemyng nothing more excellent or surer than the rule of fayth which also they couet to heare recited to them as a trewe confession die in the same Al these hath the mercy of God sealed with the seale of the liuing God and deliuereth from al spotte of Antichrist and sathan from corruption and distruction through Iesus Christ our Lord. But leest we should gather in euery age only here one and there one A great nūbre are saued euen in the kyngdome of Antichrist the lorde him selfe nowe maketh here a great accompte and firste of the Iewes by euery tribe he gathereth twelue thousande and after by multiplication an hondreth fourtie and foure thousande and of the gentiles a multitude innumerable Wherfore in euery time and age innumerable obteyne saluation how muche so euer errour seducyng and distruction reigne and rule in the world These thinges doe highly cōmende God his mercy and comfort vs excedingly And where certen gather herof that there shal be yet in this world before the iudgemēt a Saturnical or golden age wherin these thinges should be fulfilled and that all menne should come to the kingdome of God it alludeth ouer much to the grosse errour of the Millenaries which is already expulsed out of the churche of God These thinges were fulfilled in olde time and are at this daye and shal be fulfilled likewise so longe as the worlde shal indure The kingdome of Sathan and of Antichrist shall continewe alwayes to the last iudgemēt and shal stil impugne the kingdom of Christ and seme euen to oppresse the same much lesse ought they to promise vs so great securitie When the sonne of man shall come saieth the sonne of man him self in the Gospel thinke you shal he finde any fayth vpon earth And agayne it shal be as in the dayes of Noe and Loth the wordes of the gospel are knowē as be also those of the blessed Apostels Peter and Paule 2. Pet. 3. 1. Thess 4. By the waie is reasoned of the restoring of Israel But suche as like not this our exposition or minde vrge briefly that the promesses of the prophetes for the restoring of Israel are not yet fulfilled but that according to the veritie of the eternall God they muste be fulfilled They suppose therfore yea and contende also that thee must a certayne or prefixed time remaine wherin al these thinges may be accōplished Hereunto I aunswer plainely that we shal shamefully erre with Papias Iustine Ireney Tertull. and Lactance and with those that are called
them was commaunded that they should not kill them but that they should be vexed fiue monethes and their payne was as the payne that commeth of a Scorpion when he hath stonge a manne And in those dayes shal men seke death and shal not finde it and shall desire to die and death shall flie from them The fourth trompet declareth an hurtful and a long strife The .iiii. trompe whiche arrose in the churche of the doctrine of Pelagius This Pelagius taught that the sinne of Adam hurte him alone and not mankinde and therefore that in the same all men die not That man hath free will so that he maye doe good Nother that he shoulde be free if he nede the helpe of God Which if he hath it he maye the more easely do good The doctrine of pelagius yf he haue it not that he maye yet neuerthelesse worke it by his owne vertue and maye deserue euerlasting life Therefore that our victory is not of the helpe of God but of free will and that remission is not geuen to the penitentes after the grace and mercy of God but after the deserte and workynge of them whiche through repentaunce are worthye of Godes mercy and the residewe whiche Saincte Austen reherseth in the hondreth and sixte Epistle to Boniface that Pelagius had renounced whiche neuerthelesse in an other place he sheweth that the same had taught and retourned to his vomite As in the register of heresie the .88 heresie The same against two epistles of the Pelagiās in the .2 boke 2 chapter to Boniface The Manicheis sayeth he denie that a good man had the beginnyng of euill of free will Whileste fooles eschewe one vice they runne into an other The Pelagians saye also that an euill man hath free will sufficiently to fulfil a good precept The catholicke doctrine reproueth both these and to them sayeth God made man right c. And to these sayeth yf the sonne hath made you free you ate verely free And in the .9 chapt the same Authour Where we saye that the wil of man vnto euil is free to do good that it muste be made free by the grace of God it maketh against the Pelagians And where we saye that the euill whiche was not before is comen of him it is agaynst the Manicheis Moreouer in the .8 chapt Pelagius sayeth that the thing which good is maye soner be accomplisshed if grace helpe therto By the whiche addition that is in adding more easely he signifieth verely that he thinketh thus that although the help of grace waūt he can yet albeit more hardely perfourme that which is good by free will Agayne the same in the .47 Epistle to Valent. Who falle into the errour of the Pelagiās That man saieth he falleth into the errour of the Pelagians whiche supposeth the grace of God to be geuen for any deserte of man whiche grace alone maketh manne free through Iesus Christe our Lorde But agayne he that thinketh when the Lord shal come vnto iudgement that man is not iudged after his workes which might now by reason of his age vse the free choyse of will is neuerthelesse in errour He sayeth in a maner the same thing in the .2 booke the .18 chapt of the merites and remission of sinnes The third part of the sunne of the Moone the starres smitten With this doctrine of Pelagius was stricken that is to saye darkened for so S. Iohn him selfe a little after expoundeth him selfe saying in so much that the third parte of them was obscured c. the thirde parte of the sunne to witte of Christ which is the trewe sunne of rightuousenes For the Pelagians doctrine denied the grace of Christ with mans merite trode vnderfote the merite of Christ Whereby also the thirde parte that is to witte a great parte of the Moone namely the church is red to be smitten and darkened moreouer the thirde parte of starres I meane preachers and ministers wounded hath not taught with such light as became them For stories witnesse that this heresie hath sore infected diuerse partes of the worlde that euen Bisshoppes and learned menne haue followed this noysome errour At Palestine in the Easte was assembled a Sinode of Bisshoppes which droue Pelagius to recant They disputed also at Rome sharpely against the Pelagian doctrine and Counsels were assembled which condemned the same Ther were Sinodes assembled in Affrica and after much reasoning sentence was pronounced against Pelagius For many were dayly taken with this infection For the doctrine is pleasaunt whiche waunteth not euen at this daie his mainteyners and defenders For it semeth godly and for the study of vertue nedeful to affirme free wil and mans merite agayne it appereth to be licentiouse to attribute al thing to Gods grace He addeth Nother daye nor night shone with the third parte therof that nother the daie shone with the thirde parte thereof nother yet the night with his thirde parte For like as grace coulde not be fully perceiued by the doctrine of Pelagius no more coulde sinne And S. Austen in the .2 boke of originall sinne .23.24 chapt sayeth that the Christiane fayth consisteth properly in the cause of two men For by the one we were solde vnder sinne by the other redemed from sinne by the one throwē headlong into death but by the other deliuered vnto life c. And whilest al these thinges are spoken they are spoken to this ende that we might beware of those Heresies And hitherto haue we spoken of the foure trompes and greatest conflictes in the churche there remayne three trompettes which haue now a little preface set before them wherby the mindes of the hearers might be excited And S. Iohn sayeth howe he sawe an Aungell flying thorowe the middes of heauen and hearde him criyng wo wo Wo to the inhabiters of the earth wo to the inhabiters of the Earth and that for those thinges which should chaunce vnto men than when the other three trompettes should be blowen Therfore vnto euery trompet is Ioyned an wo. Whiche we expresse very well in dutche by owe owe owe. For the Grekes saye and S. Iohn wrote in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it signifieth verely that the times of the fourmer conflictes were sharpe but yet that suche as follow shal be a great deale sharper and crueller For I tolde you in an other place that this vocable wo compriseth the euilles bothe of this life present and also of the life to come aswell of body as of soule Therfore shall the times of Papistrie Mahometrie and of the last iudgement be most daingerouse Som read an Egle for an Angell The complutensian copie hath an Egle where we reade an Aungell fliyng thorow the middes of heauē perauenture because he founde it so in Aretas Yea and the cōmon translation commonly called S. Hieromes hath an Egle for an Aūgell And therfore Primasius readeth it so likewise which semeth to haue followed
nowe who is it that knoweth not howe many orders ther be of Monkes Freres you maye therfore accompte other orders after the rate of the order of S. Fraūces and though you attribute to euery one but the one half of that numbre to what a some wil it amounte To these if you adde the colledges more and lesse through out so many diocesse persons vicars chaplaynes and parish priestes thou wilt graunte that not without cause the popishe clergie is compared to locustes Locustes distroye al grene thinges But howe they light vpon and deuoure all thing I nede not with many wordes to declare It is comōly sayed whe◠so euer thou seeste any place fertile and holesome where euer thou ridest or goest thou shalt finde it full of the clergie and possessed with religiouse men He reasoneth also expressely of the power of these Locustes Of the power of the locustes He setteth them forth by a parable and power was geue them sayeth he as the Scorpions of the earth haue A Scorpion is a flattering and in maner a domestical worme which sodenly striketh with his tayle or rather with the stinge of his tayle and so poisoneth Therfore with flattering wordes the clergie of Antichrist disceyueth and powreth in the poyson of venemouse doctrine So speaketh the Apostle also of false teachers in the .16 chapt to the Romains Through fayre speache sayeth he and flatteryng they disceiue the hartes of the simple Theyr power therfore is none other but euil doctrine wherewith as it were with the venome of Scorpions they infecte the simple Christians but especially those tha◠contemne the doctrine of the Gospell Whome the Locustes can hurte For there followeth a declaration whome these Locustes maye hurte There be two kindes of men The one in dede willyng and witting will perishe and are the open and professed enemies of the holy Gospel whome by the iust iudgement of God these Scorpiolocustes distroie with their poyson The other beyng more simple doe erre rather of ignoraunce than of obstinate mallice these sins they haue a seale in theyr foreheades wherof is spoken in the .7 chapt are not stongen of the Scorpiolocustes For the power of this euill is limited and not out of measure Therfore was it geuen to the locustes that they should not kil not those wicked which had rather dye than liue those simple They hurt verely but not as the vnfaithfull to death And they vexe them fiue monethes And that tourment is the trouble of the conscience which they tourment with threatnings hipocrisie and wonderfull terrours There is added for a cōforte fiue monethes Fiue monethes The locustes verely come out in the moneth of Aprill and liue vntill September and when they haue liued wholy fiue monethes incontinently they die It signifieth therefore that suche as are cōsecrate to godlines shal fele these tourments a little while nother that the disceyuers shall alwayes preuaile but that there shal be spaces to reste and breath in wherein the godly through the trueth maye be recouered For the locustes distroye not are sene al the yere long There semeth therfore a comparison to be here in this determinate nūbre that the sense should be like as the locustes liue not lōger than from Aprill to Septembre so doubtles there is a time prefixed to those seducers and false Popishe clergie Euen thus hath also the Apostle S. Paul him self comforted the church which after he had prophecied that the church should be wōderfully vexed of hipocrites false teachers incontinently he addeth and like as Iamnes and Iambres resisted Moses 2. Tim. 3. righte so doe these resist the trueth men of a minde corrupte and lewde as concernyng the faith but they shall preuaile no longer For their madnes shal be manifeste to al men like as that was of the other And Primasius they are ment here saieth he which although they were intangled with false doctrines yet hauing remorse about the ende of their life they receiue Gods veritie Againe we see as I warned you in the .7 chapt that al did not perish whiche were ones intāgled with the snares of Antichrist For at the length through the mercy of God they escaped required the grace of God to be geuen them through Christ forsaking al superstitions we see moreouer by reading of histories how god hath at certē times opened the veritie by his faithful ministers through whose preachyng the lewdenes of the Locustes is interrupted that menne began to smell them out and to eschewe the same not withstanding the regenerated many times haue retourned c. And likewise other ministers haue retourned home c. How great is the force of the poyson And furthermore he declareth howe great was or is the force of this euil Their tourmēting sayeth he is as the tourment of a Scorpion when he hath striken a man At the first there is no greate payne felte by little and little it gathereth strength and at the laste aketh exceadyngly Yf remedy be had in time the poison is not deadly if it be not takē he dieth that is stongen therwith To the declaratiō of this tourmēt whiche men fele in their consciences apperteyneth this that followeth and in those dayes men shal seke death c. And it is a like phrase of speache in a maner as is that same mountaines fal vpon vs and couer vs c. Wherof I spake in the. 6. chapt And it is the voyce of one that is sore afflicted and brought in a maner to dispaire Doubtles the popishe doctrine of merites of the monastical perfection of other such like doctrines haue driuen many headlong into desperatiō Hereunto is added that the times of the locustes were most full of sorrowes wherof al histories cōplayne The lyfe was not pleasaunt the Locustes did so set menne together by the eares emongs themselues c. And to be briefe they brought men in such case that they wisshed to die The Lord Iesus deliuer vs from the poyson of these Locustes ¶ The Locustes are described by a maruelouse Hypotiposis the Popish clergie and is shewed of what sorte the Antichristian warre shal be The .xl. Sermon ANd the similitude of Locustes was like vnto Horses prepared to battel and on theyr heades were as it were crownes like vnto golde and theyr faces were as it had ben the faces of mē And they had heere as the heere of wemen And their teth were as the teth of Liōs And they had habergions as it were habergiōs of yrō And the sounde of their winges was as the sounde of chariotes when many horses rūne together in battell And they had tailes like vnto Scorpions and there were stinges in theyr tailes And theyr power was to hurte mē fiue monethes And they had a king ouer them which is the Aungel of the botomlesse pitte whose name in the Hebrewe tongue is Abadon but in the Greke Apollion We haue spokē already of thoriginal power of the
sayeth he beyng inflamed with a exceding great heate they were euen ragyng madde For we reade in stories that mē beyng afflicted with ouer much heate haue felte greuouse displeasures and tormentes bothe of body and minde Than he addeth that followeth of the fourmer membre the impatiēcie of the heate prouoked them to blaspheme God and euen him that had power ouer these plagues to witte for that hauyng full power so to do he will not deliuer them so vexed with burning heate Cōtrarywise the children of Israel in their tentes beyng stongen with serpentes inflamyng the whole body with the stinge Nume 22. did repente nother did they blaspheme God But comyng vnto Moses they sayed we haue sinned for we haue spokē against the Lord and agaynst thee Praye the lord that he will take awaie from vs these serpentes They blaspheme therfore the name of the lord so many as through vnpatientnes do murmure against the iudgementes of God nother wil acknowledge themselues to be rightly and iustely pūnished crauing perdon finally is added nother did they repente that they might geue glory to God c. For the lord plageth vs to the ende that beyng afflicted we should repente and geue God the glory confessing as I sayed before that we be punnished iustely Howe the godly vngodly behaue them selues in afflictiōs and ought with wepyng and waylyng to tourne to the lord strikyng vs. But these like Pharao nother acknoweledge theyr sinne nother praye vnto God nor yet are amended but many times ouercome thēselues in malliciousenes Hereof we learne the diuersitie betwixte the godly and vngodly and howe both vse themselues in afflictiōs For they geue glory vnto God and amende their life these geue not God the glory but become worse than themselues To geue God the glory is to geue place vnto God not to resiste but to acknoweledge their sinne and Gods rightuousenes and not this only but also the mercy of God and clemencie towardes the penitent and the same to require humbly The darknes of the romish see the .v. plague The fifte Aungell powreth his cuppe vpon the seate of the beaste That a seate or trone is vsed for a kingdome is more manifeste than that it nede to be proued by testimonies sins that S. Iohn himself doeth by by for a seate place a kingdome And also in times paste the maisters or rather ministers of churches taught sitting had their stoles chaires in holy assemblees That saiyng in the gospel is knowen In the chayre of Moses sitte the scribes and Phariseis c. It is knowē that in aūcient time ther were seates of Patriarches Hierusalem Antioche Rome Alexandria Constantinople and others and that the same are called Apostolicall seates forasmuch as the Apostles haue taught there And so is the Apostolicall seate vsed for the Apostolicall doctrine it selfe That seate erected and established at Rome by the Apostles and Apostolicke men the beast that is the Pope hath subuerted and in the place therof erected the seate of pestilēce which he dare neuerthelesse cal the seate of Christe Thapostolicall seate of Christ S. Peter and the seate of S. Peter Christe hath no more any seate in Earth saue that he dwelleth in the hartes of the faithfull church Otherwyse the trewe seate of Christ is the right hād of the father The trewe seate of Peter is heauen it selfe Rome is no longer his seate for the Apostolicall doctrine and Patriarchall chayre is destroyed and troden vnder fote in steade therof is an earthly Empire or kingedome set vp by the Pope Yea more he pourseweth the Apostolical seates by force of armes Nowe therefore God hauyng cōpassion vpon his poureth out his wrath and plague on the see of Rome illuminyng men with the light of the Gospel to the ende they might know and see the wickednes and abomination of the Romisshe See The which is a wonderfull benefite to them that be lighted and a greate griefe and tormente to the Romish sorte For theffecte of the plage followeth and his kyngdome was made darke This plague aunswereth to the .9 of Aegipte For like as thicke darkenes plaged the Aegyptians bright light reioyced the Israelites so were the Papistes tourmēted with shameful errours than shall it grieue them also to haue their errours detected and their glory obscured the faithful shall reioyce in the light of Christ For now beginneth and already hath begonne the maiestie of the seate and of him that sitteth therein to be obscured That which was ones called an holy seate is now of the godly learned called wicked Rome the whore of Babylon the mother of al fornications the denne of theues Sodome Aegipte the red harlot by reason of the pourple senate of Cardinalles which weare red and purple It is comonly sayed and truely the nerer Rome the further from Christe They call and that moste rightly the Cardinalles bishoppes and spiritual fathers the familie limmes of Antichrist men disceaued and disceauers with Symony and filthie lust moste corrupte Therfore the kingdome of the beast so he expoundeth the seate was made darke There is added furthermore howe the worshippers of the seate of the beaste haue and do behaue themselues Firste for payne and sorrowe indignation wrath and enuie they gnawe or bite their tunges which is the gesture of angry mē and that impotently angry I meane that burne infuriouse rage The furie of the papistes againste the gospellers It is a phrase of speach signifiyng howe they will rage with greate furie agaynst the trewth opened which they would haue vtterly hidde and oppressed Agayne they blaspheme the Lorde of heauen maker of al both for that he afflicteth them with botches and sondry plagues also for that he casteth a darknes vpon their kingdome For euen therfore the Romish cal the preachers of the gospel disceauers heretikes and the very doctrine of the gospel heresie But this reproche redoundeth to him which is authour of the same doctrine Finally thei do not repent them of their doynges of theyr Simony of their craftie iuggelyng sacrileges idolatrie and al vngodlines And the apostle sayeth howe euill men and disceauers will waxe worse and worse disceauing and beyng disceaued Therfore is it no maruel though you see the papistes at this daye with a stiffenecke to procede obstinately in their errours But the greatest plague is to be forsaken of God and stubbernely to mayneteyne their errours vngodlines and therin to perseuer The Lord deliuer vs from euill Amen ¶ The sixte Angell shedeth his vialle The .lxxj. Sermon ANd the sixte Angell powreth out his vialle vpon the great riuer of Euphrates and the water dried vp that the waye of these kynges of the Easte shoulde be prepared And I sawe three vncleane spretes like frogges come out of the mouthe of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beaste and out of the mouthe of the false prophet For they are the spretes of the
the Trone speaketh and testifieth saying beholde I make al thinges newe God is true and in him is no leasyng And seyng he testifieth so playnely that life euerlasting shal be and we see him declare it also of what sorte it shal be no place for doubtefulnes hereafter is relinquisshed And the thinges that he hath shewed and declared of the happie life he coÌ„maundeth immediately to wryte Thinges are written for a perpetuall memorial of the thing which we knowe to be true and substantial For wrytinges or testimonialles whiche are written or made and sealed by the lawe of nations and common custome of men haue the force of an vndoubted testimony But such letters or testimonialles are made and sealed at the commaundement of God For God commaundeth S. Iohn to write those same which ar taught of the blessed life and therefore they be true vndoubted and infallible As he himself immediately annexeth and saieth for these wordes are faythful true stable I saye immutable what can be spoken more euident than these here is also the authoritie of holy Scripture establisshed But he addeth an other thing almost more vehement and he sayde vnto me it is done By the which maner of speaking is signified eyther that the ende is commen and all thinges accomplisshed like as it is vsed in the .16 chap. or els that the thing which is spoken and beleued to come to be so certaine as though it were done already We Germanes so ofte as we will signifie that the thing whiche we haue pourposed or promised and sayde to be sure we are wonte to saye Es ist gemacht it is done Let vs therefore beleue assuredly these and all Gods wordes Moreouer let vs geue our lorde God moste hartie thankes which with so great faith and dilligence susteyneth confirmeth our hope and hath commaunded these misteries of our saluation to be put in writyng and publisshed to the whole world in all ages To him be glory for euermore Amen ¶ It is furthermore declared that the hope of the euerlastyng and blessed felicitie and glory to be certayne and vndoubted The .xcij. Sermon I Am Alpha and Omega the beginnyng and the ende I wil geue to him that is a thirste of the wel of the water of life freely He that ouercommeth shall inherite all thinges I will be his God and he shal be my sunne But the feareful and vnbeleuing and the abominable and murtherers whoremongers and sorcerers idolaters and liars shall haue their parte in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone whiche is the seconde death Vnto all the former commeth nowe the sixte testimony of the certentie of the true felicitie of the faythfull God is beginnyng ende taken of the very nature of God For he pronouÌ„ceth of himself and sayeth I am α and ω And immediately by exposition the beginnyng and ende This he toke out of Esaye with whoÌ„ the lord sayeth oftener than ones I am firste and laste And here let no man imagine that God is firste in order referryng the beginnyng to the consequences as though he had a beginnyng or that he is called the laste or ende as though he shuld ones haue an ende but the contrary rather in this fourme of speakyng is to be vnderstand to witte that God hath no beginnyng no ende but to be euerlastyng of whom al thinges haue their beyng by whose decree al things haue an ende where he himself indureth for euer and his yeres neuer fade like as in an other place the prophet sayeth and the Apostle also And for asmuche as he is eternall without beginnyng and without ende which liueth alwayes and al thinges that liue he quickeneth and preserueth in life howe I praye you should not he quicken the faithfull So certayne therefore is the life saluation and felicitie of the faythfull as it is certaine that God is life and that in dede life euerlastyng For he is euerlastyng the life of the faithful Of the phrase of speach I am α and ω I haue spoken in the first chapt and third Concion or Sermon God hath promised euerlastiÌ„g saluation The seuenth testimony of our vndoubted saluation is taken of the veritie of God and his promesses hath a certen cosygnage with the former For that which God hath promised the same also caÌ„ he perfourme with no paine He hath promised a blessed life moste assuredly therefore will he perfourme the same to the faithful And he alledgeth the promise of God in dede at this present bringeth in God speakyng to Iohn and to vs also in these wordes to him that thirsteth I will geue of the wel of liuely water that is to saye I that am life and eternal and euen eternal life will geue the faithful to drynke the water of life that is to saye I will quicken him preserue him in life and deliuer him from death and al euils and wil rewarde him with al heauenly giftes Who can here doubte of the veritie of him that promiseth especially sins this place or this promise is red in mo places than one Dauid in the .36 Psalme singeth plaine thy mercy O lord reacheth vnto the very Heauens and thy faythfulnesse vnto the clowdes thy rightuousenes is like the strong mountaynes thy iudgementes are like the great deepe Thou lorde sauest both manne and beast How excellent is thy mercy O God And the children of menne shal put their truste vnder the shadowe of thy winges Thei shal be satisfied with the pleÌ„tuousnes of thy house and thou shalt geue them drynke out of the riuer of thy pleasures For with thee is the wel of life and in thy light shal we see light Full many of these thinges are in the Prophetes and are expounded of our sauiour him selfe in the .4.6 and .7 chapter of S. Iohn Where he sheweth that he geueth water and holesome drynke to the faythfull whiche at the length shoulde sprynge vp into life euerlastynge Moste certayne it is therefore that the faythfull are quickened by Christe and therefore the blessed lyfe of the faithful is and shal be moste assured and certayne as promised by so many expresse promesses of God Of this water of life we had some things in the .7 chapt of this boke towarde the ende and shall haue certen playne matters in the beginnyng of the .22 chapt But in the meane while and by the waye How eâ—eâ—nall lâ—fe is coÌ„municated to vs. he sheweth and declareth vnto vs after the Apostolicke maner who willingly and ofte declare vnto vs the maner of our saluation howe eternall life is communicated to vs to witte free 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely whiche notwithstandyng for the doubtefulnes of speach or vnderstandyng of wordes we expresse not properly the force of the greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are iustified sayeth the Apostle in the .3 to the Romanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely through his grace that is to saye by the mere mercy
of God by no merite of manne For the same Apostle in the same Epistle to the Rom. the .6 chapter The rewarde sayeth he of sinne is death and where on the contrary side he shoulde haue sette and the merite of rightuousenes eternal life for this membre he placeth rather and the gifte of God is life euerlastyng And addeth incontinently through Christ Iesus our Lorde Therefore S. Iohn sayeth rightly that eternall life happeneth to the faithfull frely that is by the very grace of God SaluatioÌ„ coÌ„meth to vs freely And of this vocable freely through the merite of Christ and by no deserte of man For if we coulde by our workes rightuousenes deserue eternall life than Christ had died in vaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for naught There was no cause why he shuld die seyng we might of our selues haue beÌ„ saued There is no effecte nor merite of Christes passion such effecte verely as it is in very dede that by the bloud of Christ alone we be purified For if there were or had ben an other meane of saluatioÌ„ Christ neded not to haue ben incarnated haue suffered And that this vocable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought after this waye and maner to be expouÌ„ded many other places of Scripture proue In the .10 of Matth. the lord saieth frely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue you receiued freely geue The lord wil not haue his Apostles to receiue any recoÌ„pence for the gifte of healing But speaking of the ministerie he sayeth the workeman is worthie his hire In the .15 of Iohn the lord sayeth they haue hated me without cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubtles without my desert or vndeserued of my parte In the .2 Corint 11. thapostle saieth that he preached the gospel to the CorinthiaÌ„s frely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for he toke no rewarde or recoÌ„peÌ„ce therfore And in the .2 to the Thessal the .3 chapt nother haue I taken sayeth he bread of any man for naught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be shorte where S. Iohn sayeth that life is geuen to the faithfull free 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he claymeth al things of our saluation to the grace of God and merite of Christes passion and plucketh it from mans merittes And the same affirmeth Esaye also in the .55 chapt rebukyng folish menne spending their monie aboute thinges of naught Here ought therefore to cease the faires of indulgences and pardons and holy thinges in the church Let the Pelagians kepe silence Whâ—t is required of them that be iustified frely Howbeit leest any by the free preachyng of the grace and merite of Christ agaynste the deserte of man should gather that the blessed life chauÌ„ceth to Idle folkes slepers and ceasing froÌ„ all good workes and that God alone worketh and we worke nothing but only to suffer the operation of God in vs and for the same cause nothing to be required of vs he preuenteth and first the lord sayeth that he will geue to them that are a thirste to drinke of the water of life There is required of vs therfore fayth and a ferueÌ„t desire of godly thinges not that faith is oures but is geuen of God For by thirste to signifie the faythful desire of a godly maÌ„ the Lord himselfe is authour in the .5 of Matthewe pronouncyng them blessed which honger and thirste for rightuousenes And also in the 6. of Iohn the Lorde him selfe vnderstandeth by drinkyng to beleue Faith therfore is required of vs that is that we shuld thirste for the water of life The which self thing also the lord graunteth by his spirite and word as els where we haue declared And he sayeth howe he that is freely iustified must fight also nor fight only but must ouercome Therfore the dueties of charitie be required wherof is spokeÌ„ in the .2 and .3 chapt of this boke Wherein is most frequent mentioÌ„ made of this fight and victorie And God will than acknoweledge such as labour thus valeauntly for his childreÌ„ to them will he shewe him selfe a father and take them for the heyres of all their fathers possessions They are bastardely childreÌ„ which beyng idle bragge of faith prayse God with their mouth wordes and deme him with their dedes Ye see therefore that bothe muste be preached in the church that we be iustified and beautified frely so beyng iustified must worke good workes wherunto notwithstandyng as to their merites they ascribe not saluation but to the mere grace of God through Christ WhereupoÌ„ consequently and on the contrary parte he reciteth who be excluded from the felowshippe of the blessed life and of the blessed compilyng a register of sinnes and of wicked men such as he hath compiled also about the ende of the .9.21 and .22 chapt And such as the Apostle hath in a maner recited to the Corinthians And we suppose that in S. Iohn his time these sinnes were moste common nor sufficiently knowen Who are excluded froÌ„ the true felicitie as apperteyned Many also at this daye iudge more lightly therof than trewe godlines permitteth And we doubte not but that in this register whiche in eight kindes or membres is comprised are conteined al other like sinnes and wickednesses But we vnderstande that helle fire is assuredly dewe vnto them for their sinnes committed whiche nother haue any faith at all nother can by any meanes be perswaded to repente and tourne vnto God For in the firste Epistle to the Corinth the 6. chapt Ye were sayeth he suche but ye are purged by the bloud of Christe and with the sprete of our God Therefore yf we haue ben suche at any tyme lette vs repente or in case we be fallen into these sinnes agayne lette vs rise vp and tourne to the Lord which calleth vnto him sinners and promiseth pardone and grace But wo be to the vncurable walkyng alwayes and without repentaunce in the waye of iniquitie And we shal touche seuerally eight partes of this register Fearefull Firste are placed the fearefull But the Lorde him selfe was affrayde and euen quaked for feare of death the Sainctes of God haue feared also and often fled for feare yet are they not for this cause condemned in the Scriptures Therefore an other feare is ment to witte that same immoderate feare by the which compelled we do for feare of menne that thing whiche God hath prohibited and we our selues conuicte in our owne consciences vnderstaÌ„de that we sinne in so doyng or what time through carnall feare we leaue vndone that thing whiche God hath commaunded vs briefely when we more feare men as princes or leagefellowes or enemies or any other men what so euer they be than our lord God him self And therfore the Lord himselfe in the gospel sayde feare ye not them which kille the body and can not kill the soule c. Matth. 10. The same in an other place sayeth he that denieth me before that aduouterouse generation I will denie him also before my father in heauen