33 By the word of the Lord were the heauens made all the hoastes of them by the breath of his mouth c. 633. 34 This poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles c. 741 37 A good man is mercifull and lendeth guideth his woords with discretion c. 288 37 Yet a little and the vngodly shal be no where and when thou lookest in his place c. 300 38 Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither chasten me in thy c. 919 38 Thine arrowes stick fast in me and thine hand doth presse mée sore c. 565 45 All the beasts of the woods are mine and the cattel c. 127 45 The Lord shall reigne for euer and his kingdom is a kingdome of all ages c. 638 45 Thy God hath annoynted thée with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes c. 705 50 Offer to the Lord the sacrifice of praise and pay thy vowes c. 113. 657. 922. 50 Why doest thou take my couâ—naunt in thy mouth c. When thou sawest a theefe thou consentedst vnto him c. 237 50 Whosoeuer offereth me thanks and praise he honoureth me c. 953 51 Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thine holy spirite from me c. 722 51 Behold I was borne in wickednes in sinne hath my mother conceuied me 496 51 Make mee a cleane heart O Lord and renue a right spirit within me 819 51 Haue mercie vpon me O God according to the greatnesse of thy mercie For I â–ª c. 572 54 O come lee vs sing vnto the Lord let vs hartily reioyce in God eure saluation c. 651 61 Thou O Lord shalt not leaue my soule in hell neither shalt thou suffer thine holy one to sée corruption c. 764 62 Put your trust in God alwayes powre out your heartes before him c. 282 67 God be mercifull vnto vs and blesse vs snewe vs the light of his c. 944 72 Touching the infelicitie of the vngodly thou verily hast sett them in slipperie places c. 300 73 Touching the prosperitie of the wicked my feete were almost gone my treadings c. 292 75 Make vowes and paye them c. 381 78 The things that we haue heard and knowen suche as our fathers haue â—ould vs c. 622 79 Help vs O Lord of our saluasion for the glorie of thy name c. 921 81 In thine extremities and troubles O Israel thou calledst vppon mée and I deliuered thée c. 657 82 Man is the liuely image of god c 650 89 Thou Lord rulest the raging of the sea thou stillest the waues therof when they arise c. 639 91 Call vppon mee in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thée and thou shalt glorifie mée c. 657 91 There shall no euill come vnto thée neither shall any plagne comâ— néere thy dwelling c. 741 91 Thou art my hope O Lord thou hast set thine house very highâ— c. 305 94 Vnderstand ye vnwise among the people ye fooles at length be wise c. 614 97 Thou Lord art higher than all that are in the earth Thou art exalted farre aboue all Gods c. 610 102 Heare my prayer O God and let my crie come vnto thée c. 914 103 The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slow to anger and of great kindnesse c. 644. 942 103 Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mée blesse c. 952 103 Euen as the father pityeth his children so doeth the Lord pirie them c. 57 103 Praise the Lord O my soule and forgeâ—t not the thinges that hee hath done for thee c. 567 103 O praise the lord all ye angels of his ye that excell in strengthe yée that fulfil his commaundement c. 738 104 Of the fruite of thy works O God shal the earth be filled c. 639. 104 All thinges waite vppon thée that thou mayest giue them meate in due season c. 947 104 Whiche maketh his Angels spirites his ministers a flaming fire c. 714 110 The Lord sware and will not repent hun Thou art a priest for euer after tâ—e order of Melchisedech c. 704 110 The Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand c. 59. 633. 692. 699. 110 In the mightie power of holinesse the dewe of thy byrthe is to thée of the wombe of the morning c. 62 113 The idols of the heathen are siluer and gold the workes of mens hands c. 118 113 The Lord is higher than all nations and his glorie is aboue the heauens c. 610 116 Onely God is true and euery man a liar c. 834 118 The pathe of life shalt thou make knowen to mée the fulnesse c. 71 118 The stone which the builders refused is the head of the corner c. 861 119 Seuen times in a daye doe I praise thée c. 936 119 It is good for me Lord that thou hast troubled mée c. 294 119 I haue longed after thy commaundements c. 324 119 The praise of Gods word c. 253 120 Lord deliuer mee from lying lippes and a deceiptfull tongue c. 324 123 Our GOD is in heauen hée hath done what soeuer pleased him c. 945 128 The labours of thine handes shalt thou eate O well is thée and happie c. 269 135 I know that the Lord is great that he is aboue al Gods c. 639 136 Oh praise the Lord for hée is good because his mercie endureth for euer c. 164. 570 138 Whether shall I goe from the breath of thy mouth and whether shall I flée from thy countenaunce c. 610 139 Thou O Lord knowest my downe-sitting and mine vp-rising thou spyest out all my wayes c. 638 141 Let my prayer bee directed in thy sight as incense and the lifting vpp of my hands as an euening sacrifice c. 658 141 The righteous shall sinite mée friendly but the precious baulmes of the wicked c. 324 142 Enter not into iudgment with thy seruaunt for in thy sight shal no man liuing c. 467. 555 145 When thou giuest it them they gather it when thou openest thy hand they are filled c. 714 145 The Lord is nigh vnto al that call vpon him vnto all such as c. 922 145 The Lord is iust in all his wayes and holy in all his workes c. 494 145 The eyes of all things do loke vpp vnto thée O Lord and thou giuest c. 947 145 The Lord vpholdeth such as fall and lifteth vpp all those that be downe c. 639 147 Great is oure Lord and great is his power and of his wisedome there is none end c. 639 ¶ Out of the Prouerbes of Solomon 1 MY sonne if sinners entice thée consent not vnto them c. 168 3 My sonne refuse not the chastening of
mediatour the Lord Christ Iesus wee doe by faith laye hold on him by whome wee being acquited from all oure sinnes are reputed of God for righteous and holy This benefite whosoeuer doe sincerely acknowledge they cannot choose but hate sinne and mortifie the old man I would therfore now add other members belōging to this treatise of repētaunce to witt the mortification of the old man and the renuing of the spirite were it not that the very matter it selfe doth require to haue somewhat said touching the confession of sinnes and satisfaction for the same For some there are that when they speake of Repentaunce doe speake somethings contrarie to the trueth To the ende therefore dearely beloued that ye bée not ignoraunt what to thinke of these pointes according to the trueth I will not sticke to stay somewhile in the exposition of the same And I hope ye shall out of my woordes gather such fruite as ye shall not hereafter repent your selues of To confesse or a Confession is in the holy Scriptures diuersely vsed For it signifieth to praise the Lord and to giue him thanckes for the benefites that wée receiue at his hands And therefore Confession is put for praise and thanckesgiuing For the Prophete sayeth O praise the Lord for hee is good and his mercie endureth for euer Paule in his Epistle to Titus speaking of hypocrites sayeth In woordes they confesse that they knowe God but in their deedes they denie him Heere to confesse doeth signifie to say to professe or to boast In an other place it is taken for to trust to staye vppon Gods goodnesse and to testifie that confidence as well by woords as déedes And in that sense did Sainct Iohn vse it in the fourth Chapiter of his first Epistle and Paule in the 10. to the Romanes Moreouer to confesse is to giue glorie to God and fréely to acknowledge thy sinne and the iudgement whiche is obiected to thée for thy sinne Solomon in the twentie eighth Chapiter of his Prouerbes sayeth Whosoeuer hideth his iniquities or doth as it were defend them nothing shall goe well with him but whoso confesseth forsaketh them to him shal be shewed mercie The Hebrue tongue vseth the woord Iadah for that which wée call to confesse Nowe Iadah signifieth to let slacke or loose as when a bowe once bended is vnbended againe And Modeh which commeth of Iadah is as if one should say confessing yéelding or graunting to be vāquished For God accuseth vs and pleadeth vs guiltie of sinne indaungered to punishment whiche our flesh doth presently acknowledge but yet standeth stiffe like a bended bowe vntill at length when that stiffenesse is vnbended it doeth acknowledge euery thing that God obiecteth against vs This acknowledging is called Modeh that is a confession And we Germanes say Es hat gelassen Er hat geschnellt when we meane that any thing hath yéelded or that a man hath at last confessed that whiche hee did afore either flattly denie or else dissemble But nowe confession of sinnes is of more sortes than one For the one is diuine the other humane I wil first speake of the diuine confession then of the humane Wee call that diuine whereof there be euident testimonies or examples in the holy Scriptures whiche is instituted by God himselfe That is a frée acknowledging flatt confession of the sinne which God obiecteth against vs whereby we doe attribute all glorie to God and to oure selues shame and confusion therewithall doe craue pardon of God and of our neighbour against whome wée haue sinned Now sinne is obiected to vs by God himselfe who outwardly by the word or the ministerie of men and sometime by signes wonders and inwardly by the secrete operation of his holy spirit doth plead vs guiltie of sinne and indaungered to punishment requiring of vs a frée and voluntarie confession of our sinnes For he liketh of a frée and voluntarie not a feigned or extorted confession Truly the citizens of Hierusalem and people of the Iewishe religion did of their owne accord come to the baptisme of Iohn confessing their sinnes whiche Iohn in his preaching had obiected against them And after the Ascension of Christ into heauen Sainct Peter accused the sinnes of the Iewes and immediately vppon the accusation it followeth in the historie When they heard this they were pricked in their heartes and said to Peter and the other Apostles Men brethren what shal we doe and so forth as followeth in the second of the Actes Likewise also the kéeper of the prison at Philippos féeling the earthquake sprang out and being instructed with the Apostles wordes confessed his sinnes and was baptised And the men of Ephesus whiche were giuen to Magicall arts when they heard the calamitie which the diuel brought vppon the sonnes of Sceua their fellowes and practisers in Magicke and sorcerie did feare exceedingly and came and did confesse their sinnes Vpon these causes for the most part doeth the confession of sinnes especially arise Againe of the confession instituted by God there are two sortes whereof the one is made to God the other to our neighbour That which is made to god is either priuate or publique We do then make oure confession to God priuately when we disburden our harts before God open the secretes of oure heartes to him alone and in acknowledging the sinnes that are in vs doe earnestly beséech him to haue mercie vppon vs This confession is necessarie to the obteyning of pardon for our sinnes For vnlesse wée doe acknowledge oure owne corruption and vnrighteousnesse we shall neuer by true fayth lay hold on Christ by whome alone we are to be iustified But heere wee thincke not that penitentes must hasten to any other confessour to confesse their sinnes vnto but vnto God alone For he alone doth forgiue and blot out the offences of penitents Hée is the Physician to whome alone wée must discouer and open our wounds Hée it is that is offended with vs and therefore of him wee must desire forgiuenesse and reconciliation Hée alone doeth looke into our heartes and search oure reines to him alone therefore we must disclose our heartes Hée alone calleth sinners vnto him let vs therefore make haste vnto him prostrate our selues before him confesse our faultes vnto him and craue pardon for them of him This confession if it be made of a zealous minde to Godward although it cannot be made by word of mouth by reason of sonie impedimēt or want of the tongue is notwithstanding acceptable to God who doth not so much respecte the mouth as the minde of man On the other side if wee make confession with the mouth and in hart are not thoroughly bent to the same although wee make that confession to God or the high priest yet doth not the Lord regard so vaine a confession Concerning that true confession to God I haue alreadie spoken whereas in the definition of Repentaunce I said that penitentes doe acknowledge their sinnes
the Lord neither faint c. 295 3 Whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth whom he chasteneth c. 919 3 Honour the Lord with thy substance and the firstlings of all thine increase c. 289 3 Let mercie or well doing and faithfulnesse neuer depart from thée c. 289 5 Be glad with the wife of thy youth let her be as the beloued hinde and pleasaunt Roe c. 238 6 God hateth a false witnesse c 320 6 Goe to the Emmet thou sluggard consider her wayes and learne to be wise c. 269 6 He that goeth in to his neighbours wife and toucheth her cannot be vnguiltie c. 232 6 May a man take fire in his bosome c. Euen so he that goeth in to his neighbours wife c. 232 16 Prophecie is in the lippes of the king therefore his heart c. 219 16 God created al thinges for his owne sake yea the vngodly against c. 494 17 The Lord doth as greatly hate the magistrate that acquiteth a wicked person as him that coÌ„demneth an innocent man c. 168 17 Whosoeuer rewardeth euill for good euill shall not depart from his house c. 153 18 The name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth c. 659. 951. 19 The thought of a foole is sinne and a slanderer is hared of men c. 323 19 A false witnesse shal not escape vnpunished c. 320 20 Two manner of weightes and two manner of measures c. 271 20 Godlines and trueth preserue the king and in godlines c. 178 20 He that despitefully taâ—nteth his father and despiseth the old age of his mother c. 153 21 The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord like as the riuers of water he may turne it c. 638 21 Whosoeuer stoppeth his care at the crie of the poore he shall crie c. 289. 918. 23 Who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath strife c. 239 24 My sonne feare thou the Lord and the king and kéep no companie c. 219 24 The iust man falleth and riseth seuen times in a day c. 700 25 As it is not good to eate much honie so c. 605 25 A man that refraineth not his appetite is like a citie which is broken downe c. 715 28 The woords of a talebearer be as though they were simple c. 323 28 He that turneth his care from hearing the Lawe his prayer shal be c. 923 28 Whosoeuer hideth his iniquities or doth as it were defend theÌ„ nothing shal go well c. 571 29 The rodd and correction giueth wisedom but the child that tunneth at randon c. 161. 30 Two thinges haue I required of thée denie â—â—e them not before I die c. 947 31 The praise of a good housewife c. 268 ¶ Out of Solomons Ecclesiaste or Preacher 7 IT is better to heare the rebuke of a wife man than the song of a foole c. 323 12 The words of the wiâ—e are like prickes and nailes that go through c. 978 ¶ Out of the Canticles or Ballads of Solomon 4 ONe is my done and my beloued c. 841 ¶ Out of the Prophete Isaie 1 IF ye will bâ—e willing and obediâ—nt ye shall eate the good of the laâ—â— c. 641 1 Thus saith the Lord Thoughe your sinnes bee as redd as scarlet they shal be made whâ—ter c. 567 1 Though â—â— make many prayersm yet will I heare nothing aâ— all c. 918. 923. 2 Their land is full of vainâ— gods oâ— idols before the workes of â—heir hande haue they bowed â–ª c. 650 2 They shall turne their swordes into spades and their 〈◊〉 â—nto sythâ—s c. 207 3 I will giue them children to bee their kinges and infantes shal rule them c. 173 3 〈◊〉 to the iust that it shall goâ— weâ—l with him â—or hee shal eate c. 4â—3 3 The Lord shall enâ—er into iudgement wiâ—h the elders and pâ—incâ—s of the people â–ª c 280 4 Let thy name be called vpon vs c. 655 5 The vineâ—ard of the Lord of hostes is the house of Israel c. 863 6 Holie holie holie is the Lord God of Sabbaoth Heauen earth are full of his glorie c. 740 7 Behold a virgin shal conceiue bring forth a sonne c. 63 688. 692 9 A childe is borne vnto vs and a sonne is giuen vs c. 692 11 The spirite of the Lord shal rest vppon him the spirite of wisedome and vnderâ—â—anding c. 727. 729 16 And in mercie shall the seate be prâ—pared and he shal sit vppon it in truth c. 669 5. 28. Gods threateninges against drunkards c. 241 23 Their occupying also and their wares shal be holy vnto the Lord c. 288 26 Goe my people enter into thy chambers and shutt the doores after thée c. 310 29 This people honoureth mee with thâ—ir lippes but their heart is farre from mée c 652 33 The Lord is oure Iudge the Lord is our Lawe giuer c. 905 38 Thou shall die and not liue c. 917 40 Who hath measured the waters with his 〈◊〉 Who hath measured hâ—auen with his spanne c. 622 40 Behold al people to witt compared to GOD are in comparison of him as a drop of a bucket ful c. 119 40 Lift vp your eyes on high and consider who hath made these thinges c. 621 41 They cannot foretell or knowe thinges to come hereafter neither yet can do good or euill c. 676 42 I the Lord HV or I my selfe is my name and my glorie I will not giue to an other c. 609. 623. 658. 686 42 The Lord shall come forth lâ—ke a Giant hee shal take stomache vnto him like a man of warre c. 610 42 I I am hee that blott out thy transcressions and that for mine owne sake c. 568 42 Behold my sonne whome I haue chosen my beloued in whome my soule is pleased c. 634 41 I will powre water vppon the thâ—rstie and flouds vpppon the drie ground c. 707. 725 44 None considereth with hâ—mselfe of this matter and sayth One peâ—ce of the wood I haue burnt in the fire c. 650 44 I will powre my spirite vppon thy seede and my blessing vppon thy stcke c. 725 45 I haue sworne by mine owne selfe the word of righteousnes shal goe out of my mouth c 686 45 I am I am the Lord and there is no Sauiour without me A last God and a sauiour c. 685. 45 Haue not I the Lord and there is none other God beside mee c. 494. 624. 658. 49 Kinges are called noursing fathers and Quéenes noursing mothers c. 432 49 I will lift vp mine hands vnto the Gentiles and set my staÌ„dard to the people c. 180. 699 49 Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassion on the sonne c. 644. 919 52
thine iniquities in shewing pitie to the poore c. 584 4 Nabuchodonosor sawe in a vision a watchman comming downe from heauen c. 742 7 Thousand thousands and hundred thousandes did minister vnto him c. 609. 737 7 Daniel describeth the rising and falling of all kingdomes and of antichrist c. 703 7 Hee shall thinke that hee may chaunge times and lawes c. 887 9 We haue sinned we haue committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly c. 308 9 Thou verily O Lorde art righteous thou arâ—e true and thy iudgements iust c. 564 9 I turned my face vnto the Lord God and sought him by prayer c. 924 9 We do not present our prayers before thée in oure owne righteousnesse c. 921 9 As I was yet a speaking making supplication and confessing myne owne sinne c. 736 9 A people vpon whom the name of God is called c. 656 10 His body was like the Turkish or Iasper stone his face to look vpon was like lightening c. 737 10 Angels are brought in as princes and presidentes or gouernours of kingdomes c. 742 12 And many of them that sléepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life c. 747 Out of Osee 2 I Will not haue compassion vpon her children bicause they are c. 869 3 Thou shalt be without Ephod and Terâ—phâ—m c. 333 6 I desire mercy more than sacrifice and the knowledge of god more than c. 475 14 Take these wordes with you turne ye to the Lorde and say c. 953 Out of Ioel. 1 PRoclayme an holy fast gather the people together c. 238 2 Blowe the Trumpet in Sion sanctifie a fast call a solemne c. 927 2 Turne ye to me sayth the Lord with all your heartes with fasting with wéeping c. 595 2 Euery one that calleth vpon the name of the Lorde shall bee saued c. 645. 657 Out of Abdias 1 HE sayth that Sauiours shall ascend into the monne Sion c. 871 Out of Ionas 3 THE men of Niniuie beleued God and proclaymed a fast and put on sackcloth from c. 595 3 Let neyther man nor beast taste any thing neyther féede nor yet drinke water but let c. 595 3 And God sawe their works that they turned from their euill wayes and he repented of c 596 4 The Lorde sayth that he hath a consideration and respect to such as are not yet come to yeares of discretion namely to infantes c. 1045 Out of Amos. 2 VNder Ietoboam the second of that name Amos the prophet a neatchearde of Tecoa taught and preached c. 855 2 I taysed vp of your sonnes for Prophetes and of your young men for Nazarites 1114 3 There is no euill in a citie but the Lord doth it c. 493 3 They store vp treasures in their palaces by violence and robberie Therefore c. 280 6 I am no Prophete neyther the sonne of a Prophete c. 1114 7 Get thee quickly hence and goe into the land of Iudea and propheete c. 855 8 Heare this Oye that swallowe vp the poore and make the néedie of the land c. 276 9 The temnaune of the men shall séeke after the Lord and at the heathen c. 425 Out of Micheas 4 ALI people walke in the name of their God as for vs we wil walke in the name of our God c. 685. 686 4 And the Lorde shall reigne ouer them in mount Sion c. 699 4 A man shall sit vnder his vine c. 72 5 And thou Beth lehem Ephrata art little to be among the thousands of Iuda c. 678. 692 6 For what cause GOD sendeth waree as a plague vppon people c. 209 6 Threatenings of grieuous punishmentes against them that vse deceites in weightes and c. 271 6 I wil them thée O man what is good and what the Lorde requireth of thée namely c. 475. 668 Out of Malachie 1 WHen ye bring the blinde for sacrifice do ye not sinne wheÌ„ ye bring the lame sick c. 368 1 I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lorde of hoastes neyther will I c. 953 1 The sonne honoureth the father and the seruaunt the maister Therefore if I be a father c. 565 2 My couenaunt was with Leuie of life and peace and I gaue him feare c. 904 3 It is but vaine to serue GOD and what profite is it that we haue kept his commandements c. 292 4 The day of the Lord shall come in which the proude and those that worke wickednesse c. 300 Out of Sophonie 1 I Will out off those that worship sweare by the Lord sweare by Malchom c. 133 Out of Haggee 1 COnsider your owne wayes in your heartes ye so we muche but ye bring little in c. 285 2 I will take thée to my seruaunt Zorobabel thou sonne of Salathiel c. 1011 Out of Abacuche 1 O Lorde howe long shall I cry and thou not heare howe long shall I cry out to thée c. 292 2 What profiteth the Image for the maker of it hath made it c. 122 123 Out of Zacharie 1 AN Angel of the Lorde is brought in sorrowfull for the miserie of the captures in Babylon c. 739 3 Behold I bring foorth the braunche my seruaunt For loe the stone c. 375 7 Thus saith the Lord of hoastes execute true iudgment shewe mercie and louing kindnesse c. 475 7. 8 Hypocriticall fastings found fault withall I haue not chosen c. 241 12 Beholde I make Hicrusalem a cup of poyson vnto all the people c. 316 12 Of warres to be made againste all nations by the Apostles c. 831 11 Take to thée yet the instrumeÌ„ts of a foolish shepheard For lo I wil raise vp a shepheard c. 829 13 Arise O thou sword vpon my shepheard and vpon the man that is my fellowe c. 680 Out of Ecclesiasticus or Iesus of Syrache 1 SEeke not out the thinges that are too harde for thee neyther search after c. 642 7 God created man good but they sought out many inuentioÌ„s of their owne c. 482 11 When the cloudes are full they poure out raine vpon the c. 771 15 Say not thou It is the Lords fault that I haue sinned for thou shalt not doe the thing c 491 15 God made man in the beginning and left him in the hand of his counsel c. 483 12 The dust shal be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came c. 715 Out of the booke of Wisedome 1 GOD hath not made death neither hath he delight in the destruction of the liuing c. 481 482 3 The soules of the righteous are in the hande of God and there shall no torment touch them c. 766 Out of the booke of Tobie 4 BE mercifull after thy power if thou haue much giue
in God and God in him And that is the way whereby we cleaue to God as to the onely chiefe and eternal goodnesse in whom also wee are delighted and that not a litle On him wee rest thinking assuredlie that withoute him there is no good at all and againe that in him there is to be found all manner of goodnesse Wherefore our hartie loue is set on no good thinge but God And in comparison of him whom we loue wée do lightly loath and treade vnder foote all things else that seeme to be good in the whole world yea verilie the loue of God in vs doth ouercome all the euils whiche otherwise séeme inuincible Let vs heare Paule with a a vehement motion proclaming this and saying Who shal separate vs froÌ„ the loue of God shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or hunger or nakednesse or perill or sword As it is written For thy sake are wee killed all daye long and are counted as sheepe for the slaughter Neuerthelesse in all these thinges we ouercome through him that loued vs For I am sure that neyther death nor life nor Angels nor rule nor power nor thinges present nor thinges to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to seperate vs from the loue of God whiche is in Christ Iesu our Lorde Hitherto haue I recited the wordes of Paule The loue of God worketh in vs a will to frame our selues wholy to the will and ordinaunces of him whome we doe hartily loue Yea it is pleasaunt and swéete to him that loueth God to doe the thing that he perceiueth is acceptable to God if it be done He that loueth doth in mynde reuerence him whome he loueth His eye is neuer of him whome he loueth He doth alwayes and in all things wishe for his dearling whom he loueth His onely ioy is as oft as may be to talke with God and againe to heare the wordes of God speaking in the Scripture For the Lorde in the Gospell saith If any man loue me he will kepe my word he that loueth me not doth not keepe my wordes Againe Abide ye in my loue If ye keepe my commaundementes ye shall abide in my loue euen as I also haue kept my Fathers commaundements and do abide in his loue And againe If any man loue me he will keepe my word and my father wil loue him and we will come to him and make our dwelling in him But nowe let vs heare Moses the seruaunt of God declaring and teaching vs the way and manner how to loue God to wit howe great loue ought to be in the elect Thou shalt saith he loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy strength The very same wordes in a manner did our Lord in the Gospell repeate and sayd Thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy strength and with all thy mynde By this we vnderstande that the greatest loue that may be is required at oure handes to God warde as that which challengeth man wholy howe bigge so euer he be and all the parts of man as peculiar vnto it selfe In the mynd is mannes vnderstanding In the heart is the seate of his affections and will. The strength of man conteineth all mans abilitie as his very wordes déedes counsell riches and his whole substance Finally the soule is the life of man And we verily are commaunded to employ all these vpon the loue of God when we are bidden to loue God with all our soule with all oure strength with our whole mynde and our whole heart Nothing is ouerslipt but all is conteyned in this We are Gods wholy and altogether let vs altogether therefore and wholy loue god Let nothing in all the world be dearer to vs then God let vs not spare for Gods sake any thing of all that which we possesse howe deare to vs or good soeuer it be but let vs forsake spende and giue it for Gods sake and as the Lord by his worde appointeth For in doing so we loue God before and aboue all things We are also coÌ„maunded to stick to God only to imbrace him alone For to whom we doe wholy owe all that we haue to him is al the whole sincerely simply and fully to be giuen Here are they condemned whosoeuer wil not once loue God and the world together The Lord requireth the whole heart the whole mynde the whole soule and all the strength finally he requireth al what soeuer we are or haue in possession he leaueth nothing therefore for thée to bestowe on other By what right then wilt thou giue to the fleshe the deuill to other Gods or to the worlde the thinges that properly are Gods owne And God verily alone is the chiefest eternall greatest mightiest creator deliuerer preseruer most gentle most iust and best of all He alone doth giue hath giuen and is able to giue to man all that is expedient for the safegarde of his body and soule God alone doth minister to man abilitie to liue well and blessedly and therefore God deserueth to be loued alone and that too before and aboue al other things This loue of God doth blesse all the haps and chances of men and turneth them to their profite according to that saying To them that loue God all thinges worke for the best This loue of God also conteineth this that it suffreth vs not to honour worship reuerence feare or call vpon any neyther to trust in obey or sticke to any other but to the one and onely God to whome all glory is due But nowe before we speake of the loue of our neighbour it is requisite that we firste shewe who it is that is our neighbour touching whiche I sée some men to doubt and sticke vncertainely For some there are that tâ—ke their kinsfolkes to be their neighbors Other some there are that think that their benefactours are their neighbours iudge theÌ„ strangers that do them any harm But our Lord Iesus Christ telleth vs that euery one yea thogh he be our enimie is neuerthelesse our neighbour if he stande in néede of our ayde or counsell For he imagineth that a Iewe lighting among théeues and lying on the highe way halfe deade and couered with woundes and swelling drye blowes was not regarded of his owne countrey men a Leuite and a Priest that passed by him but at laste was taken vp and healed by a Samaritane Nowe there was a deadly enimitie betwéene the Iewes and the Samaritanes yet notwithstanding this Samaritane doth good to the Iew bycause he sawe that the case and necessitie of the afflicted man did so require Nowe therefore the Lord applying this to his owne purpose demaunded of him that desired to learne who was his neighbour and saythe which of these thrée séemeth to thée to haue bene this mans neighbour He aunswered He that shewed mercy Then sayde the Lorde Goe
tranquilitie doe preserue fellowly societie among men doe defend the good bring inordinate persons into better order and lastly doe not make a little onely to the setting for warde of religion but doe also abrogate euill customes and vtterly bannish vnlawfull mischiefes Hereof we haue examples in the déedes of Nabuchodonosor Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes and other Princes more But touching the Magistrates power his lawes and office I will speake of them in an other place Ecclesiasticall lawes are those which being taken out of the worde of God and applyed to the state of men times and places are receiued haue authoritie in the church among the people of god I call these ecclesiasticall lawes and not traditions of men bycause being takeÌ„ out of the holy scriptures and not inuented or brought to light by the wit of man they are vsed of that Churche which heareth the voyce of the shéepehearde alone and knoweth not a straungers tong The congregation commeth together to heare the word of God and vnto common prayers at Morning at Euening and at such appointed houres as are moste conuenient for euery place and euerie people and that the church holdeth as a lawe The Church hath solemne prayer times holy dayes and fasting dayes which it doth kéepe by certaine lawes The Church at certaine times in a certaine place and appointed order dothe celebrate the Sacraments according to the lawes and receiued custome of the Church The Churche baptiseth infantes it forbiddeth not women to come to the Lordes Supper and that it holdeth as a lawe The Churche by Iudges conueniently appointed doth iudge in causes of matrimonie and hath certaine lawes to direct them in such cases But it deriueth these and al other like to these out of the Scriptures and doth for edification apply them to the estate of men times and places so that in diuers Churches ye may sée some diuersitie in déede but no discord or repugnancie at all Furthermore Ecclesiasticall lawes haue their measure certain marks beyond which they may not passe to wit that nothing be done or receiued contrarie or differing in any iote from the worde of God sounding againste charitie and comelinesse either in little or muche that lastly this rule of the Apostle may be effectually obserued Let all thinges be done decently according vnto order and to the edification of the Church If therefore any man shall goe about vnder a coloured pretence of ecclesiastical lawes tobring in and pop into the mouthes of the godly any superstitious busie and vnseemely traditions of men whiche withal do differ from the Scriptures their part shall be first to trie that deceipt of theirs by the rule of Gods worde and then to reiect it There remaine nowe the traditions of men whiche haue their beginning are made and inuented of men at their owne choyce of some foolishe intent or some fonde affection of mankinde contrarie or without the holy Scriptures of which sorte you shall finde an infinite number of examples I meane the sectes the dominion and single life of spirituall men the rites and sundry fashioned customes vsed in their Church Touching all which the Lorde in the Gospell citing the Prophet Esaie sayth Why transgresse ye the Lords commaundement for your own traditioÌ„ ye hypocrites rightly did Esaias prophesie of you where he saith This people commeth nigh vnto me with their mouth and with their lippes they honour me but their heart is farre from me but they worship me in vaine teaching doctrines the precepts of men The blessed Martyr Cyprian alluding to these wordes of Christ Epistolarum lib. 1. epi. 8. saith It is corrupt wicked and robberie to the glory of God what soeuer is ordeyned by the giddie madnesse of mens heads to the violating of Gods disposition Depart as farre as may be from the infectiue contagiousnes of such fellowes and seeke by flight to shunne their talke as warely as an eating cancker or infecting pestilence for the Lorde forewarneth and telleth you that they are blinde leaders of the blinde Paule also in his Epistle to Titus sayth Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth not taking heede to Iewishe fables and commaundements of men turning from the trueth I doe of purpose here let passe the words of Paul in his second chapter to the Colossians bycause the place is knowne of all men I will not trouble you dearely beued with too large and busie an exposition hereof For I suppose that this little that I haue sayde touching the lawes of nature and of men I meane lawes politique Ecclesiasticall and méere traditions of men are sufficient to the attentiue and faythful hearers who at their comming home do more diligently thinke of euery point by theÌ„ selues and also reade the places of Scripture often cited by me and deuoutly expounded The Lord for his mercy graunt that we doe neuer despise the admonitions of natures lawe graffed in our heartes nor yet be intangled in mens traditions but that we in walking lawfully in vpright politique lawes and holy Ecclesiasticall ordinaunces maye serue the Lord To whom be all glory honour and dominion for euer and euer Amen Of Gods lawe and of the two first commaundements of the first Table ¶ The second Sermon THE lawe of God openly published proclaimed by the Lord our God him self setteth downe ordinarie rules for vs to knowe what we haue to doe and what to leaue vndone requiring obedience and threatning vtter destruction to disobedient rebels This lawe is diuided into the Morall Ceremoniall and Iudiciall lawes All whiche partes and euery point whereof Moses hath very exquisitely written and diligently expounded The Morall lawe is that which teacheth men manners and layeth downe before vs the shape of vertue declaring therewithall howe great righteousnesse godlinesse obedience and perfectnesse God looketh for at the handes of vs mortall men The Ceremoniall lawes are they whiche are giuen concerning the order of holy and Ecclesiasticall rites and ceremonies and also touching the ministers and things assigned to the ministerie and other holy vses Last of all the Iudiciall lawes giue rules concerning matters to be iudged of betwéen man and man for the preseruation of publique peace equitie and ciuil honestie Touching the two latter of these I will speake of them in place conuenient At this time I meane to discourse vpon the Morall lawe First of all therefore let no man thinke that before Moses time there was no lawe and that the lawe was by Moses firste of all published For the selfe same especiall pointes of the Morall lawe whiche Moses setteth down in the ten Commaundements were very well knowne to the Patriarches euen from the beginning of the world For they worshipped the one â—rue God alone for their God whome they reuerenced and called vpon him Iacob tooke away with him the Syrian Idolles of Laban out of his house and hid them in Bethel vnder an oke or Terebinth trée which was nigh to
vs which iudge very fondly of them and bestow on them the honour due to God in worshipping and calling vpō them as we should worship and call vpon our tutours and defenders The very deuils and deuilish men shal be straunge Gods if we for feare shall stande in awe of them more then of God to whō in déede our feare is due The starres the Planets and signes in the firmament shall be strange Gods if we being deceiued with the Mathematicals shall wholy hang on them and in all our doings euermore haue regarde to the impressions of the skie directing euery minute of oure liues to the course of the starres Likewise if we shall honour and loue money or men with honour or loue due vnto God then shal this money and men of ours be imputed to vs for straunge Gods. King Asa is blamed 2. Paral. 7. for putting too muche confidence in Physicke and Physicians Physicke and Physicians therefore may be abused and made strange Gods. The Iewes are rebuked by the Lord in Esay cap. 30. for trusting too much in the Egyptians their confederates Confederates therefore may be abused and made straunge Gods. But most of all are condemned here the leagues and couenaunts made with the deuill by witchraft to haue him at commaundement Those blessings also whiche of right ought rather to be called cursings I meane superstitious exorcismes or coniurations are vtterly to be reiected wherin also this is blame-worthy that the name of the moste high God is horribly abused and takē in vaine But what is he that can exactly reckō vp euery particular thing wherein this firste commaundement is transgressed considering that in it is taught the perfect rule of godlynesse whiche is the inward worship done to God to wit to acknowledge God to beléeue him to thinke rightly of him to call vpon him to cleaue vnto him and in all things to obey him The second precept of the ten Commaundementes is Thou shalt not make to thee selfe a grauen Image nor any likenesse of those thinges which are in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them I am the Lorde thy God strong and iealous visiting the fathers sinnes in the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy vnto thousandes to them that loue me and keepe my Commaundements In the first commaundement the Lorde did teache and drawe out before our eyes the patterne of his inwarde worship and religion nowe here in the seconde he amendeth that which might be amisse in the outward rites and ceremonies If we coulde haue rightly iudged of God and haue kept as deuouth as we shoulde the firste Commaundement then should there haue bene no néede of the seconde but bicause God knew our disposition nature he doth therfore expresly forbid the thing that otherwise we would haue done For many there are whiche thinke that God ought to be portraied in some similitude or likenesse and to be worshipped with some bodily or visible reuerence in offering golde siluer pearles yuorie and precious thinges of price Wherefore the generall ende of this commaundement is to drawe them from those grosse imaginations and carnal worshippings of God who as he is an incomprehensible power and an eternall spirit so can he not be resembled to any corruptible similitude he will be worshipped in spirite and holinesse Vnder the name of the Ivole or imagined likenesse is conteined all the outwarde reuerence done therevnto when therefore the Idols are forbidden together with them is also forbidden all outward honour irreligiously exhibited to the true and very god For whersoeuer an Idole is there muste the Idolaters set him vp a pillour place him in a seate erect him an altar and builde him a temple And all these againe require kéepers and ouerséers Ministers or Priestes sacrifices and offerings ceremonies furnitures holy dayes cost and labour that will neuer be ended In this sense did the Prophetes say that Idolatrous images were endlesse labours and infinit miseries For after images are once receiued there is no ende or measure of expences and toyle This doth experience teache to be true Nowe to procéede this commaundement standeth of thrée seuerall partes For first of all God flatly forbiddeth to make a grauen image or other kinde of Idole that is God doth vtterly forbid to set vp or hallow to him any image of what shape or substance soeuer it be For as God will not so in déede he can not be expresly represented in any manner of likenesse Nowe in this commaundement are reckoned vp in a manner al the similitudes of those things whervnto we are wont in portraying to liken our pictures Thou shalt not sayth he fashion like vnto God any shape or figure of those things which are in heauen which are I say aboue vs Aboue vs are the celestial bodies the Sunne the Moone the Planets the Starres and diuers birdes of sundry fashions In all whiche figures and shapes almost no smal number of the Gentiles did solemnly honour and reuerently worship the name of god Thou shalt not liken vnto God saith he any shape or fashion of those thinges that are in the earth In the earth are men beasts hearbes shrubbes trées and such like Nowe it is manifest that the Gentils worshipped God vnder the likenesse of men and beastes Cornelius Tacitus writing of the Germanes sayth But by the greatnesse of the visible celestiall bodyes they doe coniecture and verily thinke that the Gods are neyther inclosed in walles nor yet in fauour resembling mens visages and therefore doe they hallow woods and groues calling that hidden mysterie by the name of the Gods which with outwarde eyes they see not but with inward reuerence alone Lo here our auncestours worshipped God in the likenesse of trées and woods whiche neuerthelesse men are forbidden here to doe euen as also we are prohibited to worship our God in the likenesse of any thing that is in or vnder the water The Philistines worshipped God in the image of a fishe For Dagon their God bare the shape of a fishe Egypt honoured God in the similitude of Serpents All which and many other Paule knitteth vp together in the first to the Romanes where he argueth againste the Gentiles and saith Their foolishe heart was blinded when they counted them selues wise they became fooles and turned the glory of the incorruptible God vnto the likenesse not only of a mortall man but also of birdes and of fourefooted beastes and of creeping beastes Against this madnesse is the first part of the lawe directly giuen But nowe the cause why God wil not be represented in any visible or sensible image is this God is a spirit God is vnmeasurable incomprehensible vnspeakable all ouer and euery where filling heauen and earth eternall lyuing giuing life vnto and preseruing all things and lastly of a glorious maiestie exalted
Gods. Against this faithlesse and double dealing al the Prophets cry out most vehemently with words that represent a tyrrannous and cruell reuengemēt For of all other sinnes that is moste detestable I woulde to God at this day so many were not persuaded that this kinde of honour is the worship that God maketh most account of Or els otherwise the sense of those words may be thus I will not haue thée to séeke any other Gods but me I will not haue thée worship me according to thine owne inuentions The cause is I am a icalous God that is I am easie to be prouoked and will not suffer mee selfe and myne honour to be reiected without due punishment for the contempt And to this sense he séemeth to drawe where he goeth forward and doth at large expound how he is iealous for I visite sayth he the fathers iniquitie in the children vnto the third and fourth generation of thē that hate me God therfore is a sharp reuenger and a iust iudge against thē that followe after straunge Gods or serue God vnlawfully or irreligiously also against all them that swarue from the lawe of god For he thundereth out this bitter punishment especially against Idolaters but therewithall inclusiuely he threateneth it to them which breake the rest of his commandements For that which the Lorde vttereth here is generally spoken and is of force and effect against all impietie and vnrighteousnesse of all mankinde But for bycause Gods case is far more excellent then mans they therefore doe more hainously offend which breake the first table then they that sinne against the second and thereby do deserue a farre more grieuous paine and heauie punishment Now wheras we sée that the Lord sayth that he will visite and by inquisition punish the sinnes of the fathers in the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation we muste not by and by thinke that God is vniust and punisheth another mans fault in afflicting the innocent that is in whipping him that did not offende as the Iewes in Ezechiel did wickedly taūt and cauill with God saying The Fathers haue eaten sower grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge But it is not so For euery man shall beare his owne offences neyther shall the sonne beare or abye the fathers sinne nor the father the sonnes iniquitie This doth the most true God very often and earnestly beate into our heades throughout Ezechiel and the whole scripture beside If therfore the children or childers children shall abide in the crooked steppes of their fathers and shall as their fathers did doe seruice to Idoles and shall thinke that they shall be safe and remaine vnpunished bycause they learned it of their fathers euen as their fathers also were Idolaters and yet flourished in wealth and prosperitie then I say I will punish the sinne of the fathers in the children that is I will sharply reuenge the sinne that the children haue learned of the fathers and wherein they stifly stande and abide being encouraged therevnto by their fathers example and good fortune although for the very same sin I did not once touch their fathers before them And for that cause is this expresly added Of them that hate me Hereof haue we very many and very euident examples in the bookes of Kings The house of Ieroboam is vtterly destroyed bycause Ieroboam did erect in Israel Idolatrie and superstition Immediately after the whole stocke of King Baasa is cleane cut off and Achabs house is pulled vp by the rootes At lengthe the Israelites are made slaues to serue the Assyrians Solomon the moste mightie welthy wise happy king of Iuda bycause of his Idolatrie and straunge superstition is of a soudeine made a wretch of all other There is none vnlesse he neuer read the holy Scriptures but doth know what hapned to his son Roboam to Ioram the son of Iosaphat to Achas Manasses Iehoiachim Zedechias bicause of idolatry forreine worshipping of god Let vs therfore firmly holde and beléeue that the threatenings of God are true in effect God that is both a seuere and iust reuenger and punisher of Idolaters and wicked superstitious men and finally of all and euery wicked acte done by euery man Althoughe God do sundry times séeme to wicked men to slumber and not to sée them yet notwithstanding he doth awake when he thinks good and payeth home the wicked for all their offences done and past Although he be long suffering yet the righteous Lord doth not alwayes neglect the godly and oppressed neyther doth he alwayes winke at vngodlinesse and let the wicked be vnpunished for euer But he giueth them time to repent in whiche who soeuer doe neglect they doe at length féele the greater paines and sharper punishment according to the saying of the Apostle What dost thou despise the riches of Gods goodnesse suffering and gentlenesse not knowing that Gods goodnesse calleth thee to repentance But according to thy hardnesse and heart that can not repent thou heapest vp to thee selfe wrath against the day of wrath wherin shall bee made manifest the iust iudgement of God who shal repay to euery one according to his deeds c. Againe the bountifull Lorde promiseth great and large rewardes to them that worship him and stedfastly perseuere in true godlinesse and perfect religion I am God sayth he shewing mercy or giuing bountifully vn to thousandes Here note that his mercy is greater then his vengeance For where he is angrie there he punisheth vnto the thirde and fourth generation but where he is mercifully liberall there he is bountifull vnto many thousands For of his goodnesse and benefites there is no measure or end the mercy of God is farre aboue all his works Here yet againe he addeth two things more To thē saith he that loue me kéep my commaundements Here I say he requireth two things at their handes that are his The first is That they loue God and make accompt of and take him to be their God which if they do then shall there no roome be left in the godly for straunge or forreine Gods. The seconde is that they obey God and walke in his commandements which if they doe then are all Idoles and straunge worshippings vtterly at an end then doth the Lorde by his word reigne in the hart of euery godly mā whome the bountifull Lord doth liberally blesse with all kinde of blessings and good gifts And this clause verily doth especially belong to this commaundement but inclusiuely also it is referred to al the rest as by the very wordes of God we may easily gather Let vs holde and verily thinke therfore that the infinite and vnspeable benefites of God are prepared for them that walke in the lawe of the Lorde Thus much had I to speak of these two commaundements of the first table which I can not now againe recapitulate bicause an houre and an half is already spent and for that I hope that I haue so
let no man be compelled to any religiō For he commandeth to binde the stranger within the gates of Gods people that is the stranger that dwelleth in their iurisdiction to the holy obseruing of the sabboth day Now this ease or rest is not commanded in respect of it self for Idlenesse always hath ben found fault withal but it is ordeined for the aforesayd especiall causes Gods pleasure is that there shoulde be a place and time reserued for religion which time place are not opē to them that are busie about bodily and out warde workes He is not conuersant in the congregation he heareth not the word of God he prayeth not with the churche neyther is he partaker of the Sacraments which at his maisters commaundement taketh a iourney or in the market selleth his wares or in the barne doth threshe or winnowe his corne or in the field doth hedge or ditch or doth stand at home beating the anuile or else sitteth still sowinge shooes or hosen Faith therefore and religion bid thee to giue rest to thy seruauntes and familie yea they commaund thée to egge and compell them if they be slow to the holy and profitable worke of the Lorde Moreouer the Lordes mynd is that they which labour shuld also refresh and recreate them selues For things that lacke a resting time can neuer long indure Wherfore the bountiful Lord whose mynde is to preserue his creatures doth teache a way to kéepe them and doth diligently prouide that his creatures be not too much afflicted by the hard handling or couetousnes of their owners Moses in Deuterenomie addeth the pitifull affection of mercye sayinge Remember that once thou thee selfe wast a seruaunt in the land of Egypt Charitie therfore and ciuil humanitie do craue a measure to be kept so that we doe not with endlesse labours ouerlade wearie our houshold seruants Moreouer it is manifest that the goodman of the house by planting godlinesse in his familie doth not a little aduaunce and set forward his priuate profit and owne commoditie For wicked seruants are for the most part pickers deceitful wheras on the other side the godly are faithfull whome in his absence he may trust to gouerne his house In the reckoning vp of the houshold also is mention made of beastes and cattell which is done not so muche bicause their owner is a man ought therefore to vse them remissely moderately as for bicause beasies can not be laboured without the working hand of men to guide them So then men are drawn from the solemnising of the sabboth day by helping their cattel wherfore to the intent that they shoulde not be drawne aside we are here precisely commaunded to allow our cattell that resting time Last of all that Lord doth adde his own exāple wherby he teacheth vs to kepe holy the sabboth day Bicause saith he in sixe dayes the Lorde made heauen and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seuenth day Therefore the Lord blessed the seuenth day and hallowed it The Lorde our God wrought sixe dayes in creating heauē and earth the sea al that in them is the seuenth day he rested ordeined that to be an appointed time for vs to rest in On the seuenth day we must thinke of the workes that God did in the sixe days the children of God must cal to remēbrance what howe great benefites they haue receiued that whole wéeke for whiche they must thanke God for which they must praise God by which they must learn god We must then dedicate to him our whole body soul we must cōsecrate to him all our words our déeds As that day the Lorde did rest from creating but he ceasied not stil to preserue so we vpō that day must rest frō handie bodily works but we must not ceasse from that works of well doing worshipping of god Furthermore that heauēly rest was no preiudice at al to the things created neither shal that holy day or sabboth spēt in gods seruice be any let or hinderāce to our affaires or busines For the Lord blessed the sabboth day therfore shal he blesse thée thy house al thy affairs businesse if he shall sée thée to haue a care to sanctifie his sabboth that is to do those works which he hath cōmaūded to be don on the sabboth day They therfore do erre frō the truth as far as heauen is wide whosoeuer do despise the religion holy rest of the sabboth day calling it an idle case doe labour on the sabboth day as they doe on working dayes vnder the pretence of care for their familie and necessities sake For all these thinges muste we apply to our selues and our churches It is most sure that to Christians the spirituall sabboth is giuen in charge especially and aboue all things Neyther is it to be doubted but that the good Lordes will is that euen in our Churches at this day as well as of the Iewes of olde there shoulde be kept and appointed order in al things but especially in the exercising of outward religion We knowe that the sabboth is ceremoniall so farre foorth as it is ioyned to sacrifices and other Iewish ceremonies and so farre forth as it is tyed to a certaine time but in respect that on the sabboth day religion and true godlinesse are exercised and published that a iust and séemely order is kept in the Church and that the loue of our neighbour is thereby preserued therein I say it is perpetuall and not ceremoniall Euen at this daye verily we must ease and beare with our familie and euen at this day we must instruct our familie in the true religion and feare of god Christ our Lord did no where scatter abroad the holy congregations but did as much as he could gather them together Nowe as there ought to be an appointed place so likewise muste there be a prescribed time for the outward exercise of religion and so consequently an holye rest They of the primitiue Churche therefore did chaunge the Sabboth day least peraduenture they should haue séemed to haue imitated the Iewes and still to haue reteined their order and ceremonies and made their assemblies and holy restings to be on the first day of Sabbothes whiche Iohn calleth Sunday or the Lords day bycause of the Lords glorious resurrection vpon that day And although we doe not in any parte of the Apostles writings find any mention made that this sunday was commaunded vs to be kept holy yet for bycause in this fourth precept of the first table we are commaunded to haue a care of religion and the exercising of outward godlynesse it would be against al godlinesse and Christian charitie if we shoulde denie to sanctifie the Sunday especially since the outward worship of god can not consist without an appointed time and space of holy rest I suppose also that we ought to thinke the same of those fewe
Iudgemente Let therefore the feare of the Lord bee vppon you and take heede and bee dilligent For there is no vnrighteousnes with the Lord our God that hee should haue any respecte of persons or take any rewarde To these I will yet adde a fewe places of the holie Scripture more which shall partlie make manifeste those that wente before and partlie expounde and more plainlie expresse the office of the Iudge In Deuteronomie wée reade The Iudges shall iudge the people with equitie and iustice Thou shalte not peruerte Iudgemente nor haue respecte of personnes nor take a rewarde For a rewarde doeth blinde the eyes of the wise and peruerteth the woordes of the righteous Thou shalte doe Iudgemente with iustice that thou mayste liue and possesse the Land. Againe in Exodus wée finde Thou shalte not follow a multitude to doe euill neither shalte thou speake in a matter of Iustice accordinge to the greater number for to peruert Iudgemente Neither shalte thou esteeme a poore man in his cause keepe thee farre from false matters and the innocent and righteous see thou slaye not for I will not iustifie the wicked Thou shalt take no rewardes for rewardes blinde the seeinge and peruerte the woordes of the righteous In Leuiticus also wee haue this Yee shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgemente thou shalte not fauoure the personne of the poore nor honour the mightie but in righteousnes shalt thou iudge thy neighbour Againe Yee shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgemente in metyarde in weighte or in measure True balaunces true weightes a true Epha and a true Hin shall yee haue I am the Lord your God c. I suppose verilie and am thus persuaded that in these fewe woordes of the Lord our God are comprehended al that which profounde Philosophers and Laweyers of great learning doe scarcelie absolue in infinite bookes and volumes of many leaues Beside all this the most holie Prophete Ieremie crieth to the kinge and saith Keepe equitie and righteousnesse deliuer the oppressed from the power of the violent doe not greeue nor oppresse the straunger the fatherlesse or the widowe and shed no innoceÌ„t bloud Thus much touching the office of Iudges But in the eyes of some men this oure discourse may séeme vaine and fruitelesse vnlesse wée do also refute their obiections whereby they indeuour to proue that pleadinges and lawe matters are at an ende because the Lord in the Gospell saith To him that will sue thee at the lawe and take away thy coate let him haue thy cloake also And againe While thou arte yet with thine aduersarie vpon the way agree with him quicklie least hee deliuer thee to the tormentour They adde moreouer the strifes in the lawe which S. Paule the Apostle in the sâ—â—te Chapiter of his Epistle to the Corinthians doth flatlie condemne To al which obiections mine aunsweare is this As the doctrine of the Euangelistes and Apostles doth not abrogate the priuate ordering of particular houses so doeth it not condemne or disanull the publique gouernemente of common weales The Lord in the Gospell after S. Luke chideth with and repelleth the young man who desired him to speake to his brother for an equall diuision of the inheritaunce betwixte them Hée blamed him not for because hee thinketh ill of him that claymeth an equall diuision or that parte of the inheritaunce that is his by righte but because hée thought that it was not his duetie but the Iudges office to deale in such cases The words of our Sauiour in that place are these Whoe hath appointed mee a Iudge betwene you and a diuider of land and inheritaunce And againe as wée reade in the Gospell If any man will sue thee at the lawe and take awaye thy coate giue him thy cloake also So on the other syde againste this doinge of iniurie there is nothinge more busilie handled and required in all the Euangelicall doctrine than charitie and welldoinge But a good deede is done in nothing more than in iudgmente and iustice Since therefore that Iudgemente was inuented for the practisinge and preseruinge of Iustice and vprighte dealinge it is manifeste that to iudge in matters of controuersie is not forbidden in the Gospell The notable Prophets of the Lord Esai and Zacharie crie oute and saye Ceasse to doe euill learne to doe good seeke after Iudgemente helpe the oppressed and pleade the cause of the fatherlesse and widdowe Execute true Iudgemente shewe mercie and louinge kindenesse euerie manne to his brother Doe the widdowe the fatherlesse the straunger and poore no wronge They sinne therefore that goe on to hinder Iudgemente and to thruste Iudges beside their Seates For as they pull awaye from the true God no small parte of his woorshippe so doe they open a wide gate to wronge robberie and oppression of the poore The Lorde I graunte commaunded that which oure aduersaries haue alledged meaninge there by to settle quietnesse amonge his people but because the malice of menne is inuincible and the longe sufferinge of sillie Soules makes wicked knaues more mischiefous therefore the Lord hath not forbidden nor condemned the moderate vse of Iudgements in lawe Moreouer wée reade in the Actes of the Apostles that Paule did oftener than once vse the benefite of Iudgemente not for monie or goodes but for his life which hée endeuoured to saue and defende from them that laye in waite to kill him Neither consented hée to the vniuste iudgemente of Festus the President but appealed to Caesar and yet wée know that Paule did not offend therein against the doctrine of the Gospell of Christe The same Paule in his Epistle to the Corinthians did not absolutely coÌ„demne the Corinthians for going to lawe aboute thinges belonginge to their liuing but because they sued and troubled one an other before Heathen Iudges It is good and séemely without doubte to suffer wronge with a patient minde but because it pleaseth the Lord to ordeine iudgement to bée a meane of helpe and succour to them that are oppressed with iniurie hée sinneth not at all that seekes to kéepe himselfe from wronge not by priuate reuengement but by the vprighte sentence of Iudges in lawe And therfore did the Apostle commaunde the Corinthians to choose out to themseluâ—s amonge the faithfull such Iudges as might take vp temporall matters in coÌ„trouersie betwixt them that fell at variaunce Thus haue I declared vnto you the seconde parte of the magistrates office which consisteth in Iudgement I will now therefore descende to the exposition of the third and laste parte which comprehendeth reuengemente and punishment For the magistrate by his office beareth the sworde and therefore is hée commaunded by God to take reuengement for the wronge done to the good and to punish the euill For the Sword is Gods vengeaunce or instrumente wherewith hée strikes the stroake to reuenge himselfe vppon his enimies for the iniurie done vnto him and is in the scripture generallie taken for vengeaunce and punishment The
iudgement of God doth plague the men whom his fatherly warning could neuer moue but amonge them many times too the guiltlesse féele the whip In warre for the most part souldiers misuse themselues and thereby incurre Gods heauie displeasure there is no euil in all the world that warre vpholdeth not By warre both scarcitie of euerie thinge and dearth doe arise For highe wayes are stopped corne vppon the grounde is troden downe and marrde whoale villages burnte prouision goeth to wracke handicrafts are vnoccupied merchandice doe ceasse and all doe perish both rich and poore The valiaunt stronge men are flame in the batteile the cowardly sorte runne away for their lyues to hide their heads reseruinge themselues to be tormeÌ„ted with more exquisite and terrible kindes of cruell punishmentes For wicked knaues are promoted to dignitie and beare the sway which abuse mankinde like sauage beastes Hands are wrouÌ„ge on euery side widowes and children crie out and lament the wealth that hath beene carefullie gathered to helpe in want to come is spoyled and stolne away cities are raced virgins and vnmariageable maydeÌ„s are shamefully deflowred all honestie is vtterlie violated old men are handled vnreuereÌ„tly lawes are not exercised religion and learning are nothing set by godlesse knaues and cut threats haue the dominion and therefore in the scriptures warre is called the scourge of god For with warre he plagueth incurable idolatrers and those which stubbornely contemne his word for that was the cause why the citie of Ieâ—usalem with the whole nation of the Iewes was vtterly destroyed Because they knew not the day of their visitation as the Lord in the Gospel saith but wente on to kill the Lords Apostles bringing on vppon their owne neckes the shedding of all the bloud from the righteous Abell vnto Zacharias For murder idolatrie incest and detestable riot wée read that the Chananites were raced out and cutte off The Moabites as Esai witnesseth were quite ouerthrowen for crueltie inhumanitie and coÌ„tempt of the poore The men of Niniuie did by warre vniustly vexe other nations making hauocke of all to fil their gréedie desire and therefore saith the Prophete Nahum other men measured to them with the same measure that they had measured to other before Micheas in his sixt chapiter affirmeth flatly that God sendeth warre vpon vniuste men for their couetousnes false deceipt In Ieremie arrogancie and pride in Esaie riot and dronkeÌ„nesse are said to be the causes of warre but the euill and miserie that warre bringeth with it sticketh so faste to common weales and kingdoms wher it once hath hold that it cannot be remoued taken away or shaken off at our wil and pleasure by any worldly wisedome by any league makinges with any wealth by any fortifications by any power or manhoode as it is to be seene in the Prophet Abdias Our sincere tourning to God alone is the onely waye to remedie it as Ieremie testifieth in his fifte Chapiter Nowe this turning to the Lord consisteth in frée acknowledginge and francke confession of our sinnes in true fayth for remission of sinnes through the grace of God and merite of Christ Iesus SecoÌ„darilie it consisteth in hatred and renouÌ„cing of al vnrighteousnesse in loue of iustice innoceÌ„cie charitie al other vertues and laste of all in earneste prayers and continuall supplications Againe thou mayste see perhappes that some by warre haue no smal commoditie profite and vnestimable riches with verie little losse or no dammage at all Such was the warre which the Israelites had with the Chanaanites vnder their Capitaine Iosue But I would not that gaping after gayne should drawe any man from right and equitie And many times the magistrates suppose that their quarell is good and that of right they oughte to make warre on others and punish offenders when as notwithstandinge the righteous God by that occasion draweth them on into perill that their sinnes may bée punished by the men in whom they did purpose to haue punished some gréeuous crime Wée haue euidente examples hereof in the Scriptures The eleuen tribes of Israel in a good quarel made warre on the Beniamites purposing to reuenge the detestable crime that a few wicked knaues had horriblie committed wherein the whoale tribe bare them oute and vphelde them beinge parteners thereby of their heynous offence But twice the Israelites were put to the woorse and the wicked Beniamites had the vpper hand in the battaile In the time of Heli the Israelites minded to driue the tyrannous rule of the idolatrous Philistines out of their countrie but they are slaine the Arcke of God is taken and caried into the cities of their idolatrous enimies Likewise that excellente Prince Iosias is ouerthrowne and slaine by the Chaldeis because the Lord had purposed to punish bring euil vppon the whoale people of Israell which hée would not haue so holie a Prince his seruaunt to see with his eyes to his sorrow and griefe Wherby wée haue to gather that the trueth of religion is not to be estéemed by the victorie or ouerthrowe of any people so that that religion should bee true and right whose fauourers haue the vpper hand and that againe be false and vntrue whose professours and mainteyners are put to the worse For wée must distinguish betwixt religion and the men or personnes that keepe that religion which do for other causes suffer the Lords visitation But all this admonisheth vs that the magistrate hath néede of the great feare of God before his eyes both in making and repelling warres leaste while hée goeth aboute to auoyde the smoulthering coasepitte hée happ to fall into the scalding lyme kill or least while hée supposeth to ease his shoulders of one euill hée doth by the way whereby hée soughte ease heape vppe either more or farre greater euills Princes therefore must precisely looke into and throughly examine the causes of warres before they beginne or take them in hand The causes are many and of many sortes but the chiefe are these that followe For either the magistrate is compelled to sende ayde and rayse the siege of his enimie which doth enuironne the garrisons that hée hath appointed for the defence of some of his cities because it were an offence and parte of parricide to forsake and giue ouer against oathe and honestie his cities and garrisons that are in extremitie Or else the magistrate of duetie is compelled to make warre vppon men which are incurable whom the verie iudgemente of the Lord condemneth and biddeth to kill without pittie or mercie Such were the warres as Moses had with the Madianites and Iosue with the Amalechites Of that sorte are the warres wherein such men are oppressed as of inuincible malice will both perish themselues and drawe other to destruction as well as themselues with those also which reiecting all iustice and equitie doe stubbornly go on to persist in their naughtinesse Such were the Beniamites which were destroyed by sword and fire of the other eleuen
lawe sinne grace the Gospell and repentaunce Neither doe I as I thinke handle them irreligiously For I vse to conferre one Scripture with an other than which there is no way better and safer to follow in the handling of matters touching our religion And forbecause you are the true defender of the Christian fayth it cannot bee but well vndoubtedly to haue Christian Sermons come abroad vnder the defence of your Maiesties name My minde was according to mine abilitie and the measure of fayth which is in mee to further the cause of true religion which now beginneth to budd in England to the great reioysing of all good people I haue therefore written these Sermons at large and handled the matter so that of one many more may bee gotten Wherein the Pastors discretion shall easily discerne what is most auayleable and profitable for euery seuerall Church And the Pastors duetie verily is rightly to moawe the word of truth and aptly to giue the fodder of life vnto the Lords flocke They will not thinke much I hope because in these Sermons I doe vse the same matter the same arguments and the very same words that other before mee both auncient and late writers whom I haue iudged to followe the Scriptures haue vsed yer nowe or which I my selfe haue else wher alledged in other bookes of mine heretofore published For as this doctrine at all times in all pointes agreeable to it selfe is safest to be followed so hath it alwayes beene worthily praised of all good and godly people If the Lord graunt me life leysure strength I will shortly add the other eight Sermons of the fourth Decade which as yet are behinde And all that I say heere I speake it still without all preiudice to the iudgement of the right and true Church Our Lord Iesus the king of kinges and Lord of Lords lead you with his spirite and defend you to the glorie of his name and safetie of all your Realme At Tigure in the moneth of March the yeare of our Lord. 1550. Your Maiesties duetifullie bounden and daily Oratour Henrie Bullinger minister of the Church at Tigure in Swicerland THE THIRD DECADE of Sermons written by Henrie Bullinger Of the fourth precept of the second Table which is in order the 8. of the 10. Commaundementes Thou shalt not steale Of the owning and possessing of proper goods and of the right and lawfull getting of the same against sundrie kinds of theft ¶ The first Sermon FOR the susteyning and nourishing of oure liues families wee men haue néede of earthly riches Nexte therefore after the comaundements touching the preseruation of mans life and the holy kéeping of wedlocks knot in this fourth commaundement a lawe is giuen for the true getting possessing vsing and bestowing of wealth and worldly substance to the ende that wée should not get them by theft or euill meanes that we should not possesse them vniustly nor vse or spend them vnlawfully Iustice requireth to vse riches wel and to giue to euery man that which is his now since the lawes of God bee the lawes of Iustice they do verie necessarilie by way of comaundement say Thou shalt not steale These words againe in number are fewe but in sense of ample signification For in this precept theft it self is vtterly forbidden all shifting subtilties are flatly prohibited deceipt and guile is banished al cousening fetches are cleane cutt off couetousnes idlenes prodigalitie or lauishe spending and all vniuste dealing is herein debarred Moreouer charge is here giuen for mainteining of iustice and that especially in contractes and bargaynes Wonderfull turmoyles verily are raysed vpp and begonne amonge men of this world about the getting possessing and spēding of temporall riches it was expedient therefore that God in his lawe which he ordeyneth for the health cōmeditie and peace of vs men should appoint a state and prescribe an order for earthly goods as in this lawe hee hath most excellently done And that yee maye the better vnderstand it I wil at this present by the help of Gods holy spirite discourse vppon the proper owning and vpright gettinge of worldly riches in which treatise the whoale consideration of theft in all his kinds shal be plainly declared For the proper owning and possessing of goods is not by this precept prohibited but wée are forbidden to gett them vniustly to possesse them vnlawfully and to spend them wickedly yea by this commaundement the proper owning of peculiar substance is lawfully ordeined firmely established The Lord forbiddeth theft therefore hee ordeineth confirmeth the proper owning of worldly riches For what canst thou steale if all things be common to all men For thou hast stollen thine owne and not another mans if thou takest from an other that which hée hath But God forbiddeth thefte and therefore by the making of this lawe hée confirmeth the proper possession of peculiar goods But because there is no small number of that furious secte of Anabaptistes which denie this proprietie of seuerall possessions I will by some euident testimonies of Scripture declare that it is both allowed and ratified of old Of Abraham who in the Scripture is called the father of faith Eliezer his seruaunt saith God hath blessed my maister merueylously that hee is become great hath giuen him sheepe and Oxen siluer and gold men seruaunts and mayde seruaunts camels and asses and to his sonne hath he giuen all that he hath Loe then Abraham was wealthie did possesse by the right of proprietie al those things which God had giuen him and he left them all by the title of inheritaunce as peculiar and proper goods vnto his sonne Isaac Isaac therefore and Iacob possessed their owne and proper goods Moreouer God by the hand of Moses brought the Israelites his people into the land of promise the groūds whereof he did by lot diuide vnto the tribes of Iosue his seruaunt appointing to euery one a particular portion to possesse and did by lawes prouide that those inheritaunces should not be mingled and confounded together In Solomon and the Prophets there are very many preceptes and sentences tending to this purpose But I knowe verie well that these troublesome wranglers do make this obiection and say That Christian men are not bound to these proofes that are fetched out of the old Testament And although I could confute that obiection and proue that those places of the old Testament doe in this case binde vs to marke and followe them yet wil I rather for shortnesse sake alledge some proofes out of the Scriptures of the newe testamēt to stop their mouthes withall Our Lord Iesus Christ doth greatly commend in his disciples the woorkes of mercie which doe consiste in feedinge the hungrie in giuing drincke to the thirstie in cloathing the naked in visiting prisoners and those that be sick and in harbouring strangers and banished men Hée therefore graunteth to his disciples a proprietie and possession of peculiar goodes wherewith they may frankly
pot of Manna and Aarons rodd y budded For we heard that in Christ were hidden the iewels of the Church Christ is our wisedom the word of the father the fulfilling of the Lawe he is iust himselfe and oure righteousnes also In Christ is the heauenly foode For he is the bread of life that came downe from heauen to the ende that euery one that eateth of it may liue eternallie In Christ did the priesthood bud againe it séemed verily at the death of Christ vppon the crosse to haue béene cut downe for growing any more but at his resurrection it bâ—dded againe and he tooke the euerlasting priesthoode that neuer shal be ended For euen now as he standeth at the right hand of his father in heauen he maketh intercession to him for vs Moreouer the arke was compassed with a crowne because Christ our lord is a king which deliuereth vs his faithfull seruaunts from all euill and maketh vs the sonnes of god Vppon the arke we read that there was placed the mercie seate which was either the couer of the arke or else a seate set vppon the arke By it was figured as the Apostles Iohn Paule interprete it Christ our Lord who is the throne of grace and the propitiation for oure sinnes not onely for ours but also for the sinnes of all the world Out of the propitiatorie or Mercie seat also were vttered the Oracles and aunsweares of god For the vse of the mercie seate is read in the holy Scripture to haue béene this that Moses entering into the tabernacle did at the mercie seate receiue the answeres and commaundements of God which he declared vnto the people And Christ is he by whom our heauenly father declareth his wil to vs and whom alone he hath giuen vs to heare saying This is my beloued sonne in whom I am wel pleased heare him Two Cherubim haue their faces turned toward the mercie seate and do as it were looke one to an other Whereuppon S. Peter saith that The Angels do desire to behold the sauiour of the world which is declared in the Gospell The same Angels doe alwayes serue our Lord and maister and are readie at his becke as to him that is Lord ouer all Now none did carrie the arke of the Lord but the priests alone For they onely which are annoincted by the holy ghost and indued with true faith do receiue Christ and are made partakers of his heauenly giftes Neither must wée winck at and let passe the note that is giuen in the 4. and 5. Chap. of the first booke of Samuel where it is said that the Israelites for abusing the arke and turning it to another vse than that for which it was giuen and for attributing vnto it more than the Scripture willed were slaine by the Philistines and that the arke was carried into captiuitie to the ende that all men might learne therby not to attribute more to the Sacramentes and mysteries of God than is conuenient and not to applie them to any other vse than that for which the Lord hath ordeyned them For the arke was not ordeined to the ende that it should be taken for God althoughe it bare the name of God neither was it made to the end that they should loke for grace and helpe to procéede from it as wée read that they did but it was giuen them as a token that God their confederate was in the middest of his people so long as they did kepe the tables of the couenaunt that were cloased within the arke did cleaue to God alone at whose hands they should looke for all good things through Christ his sonne whiche was prefigured by the arke Nexte to the Adytum or Sanctum SanctoruÌ„ in the Sanctum did stand the golden table the matter and fashion wherof is declared in the 25. ca. of Exod. Vppon the table we men doe set oure meate and sustenance by the table we are refreshed and at the table we forget our cares and are merrie and iocunde Therfore the table can be none other but Christe our Lord and Christian doctrine For Christ is the sustenance of our life he is the ioy mirthe of the faithfull The table was of gold without and all wood within because Christ our table is both God and maÌ„ The table which is the type of Christian doctrine is set forth in the Church it is not therefore to be sought at Athens amonge the Sophisters nor amonge the Gymnosophistes of India nor in the Iewish Synagogues Vppon the table are set 12. new loanes diuided into two parts For the bread of life which is new and swéete doth féed and fill both the Iewes and the Gentiles Moreouer that bread was holy and not prophane none might eate it but the priestes alone In like maner the faithful only are worthie of Christ the bread of life and they that beléeue receiue it only The loaâ—es were called by the name of Shewe bread or y bread of sight wherby is ment that the bread of life which is Christian doctrine should alwayes be in sighte before oure eyes And as those leaues were to be set alwayes before the Lord in the sight of all men so must not the doctrine of Christe be priuily hidden but openly shewed vnto all people A vessel with franckincense was set vppon the Shewe bread Because they that eate the heauenly bread doe offer to God prayers and thankesgiuinges without intermission which is to God as swéete aâ— franckincense In the 24. of Leuiticus it is at large declared in what sort the Shewe bread is prepared The golden Candlesticke is in the Sanctum standeth before the vaile on the one side or ouer against the table Wée haue the description of it in the 25. Chap. of Exodus Candles are set vp in oure common houses to giue light to all them that are in the house And Christ our Lord is come a lighte into the world that whosoeuer followeth him should get the light of life Out of Christe doe procéede and vppon Christe doe sticke other noses of Candlestickes which haue their light from Christ the chiefe Candlesticke For the Lord did saye vnto the Apostles Ye are the lighte of the world So then Christ is the shancke or shalt of the CaÌ„dlesticke vpon which shanke many snuffes or noses doe sticke whiche hold the light vp to the Church For what light soeuer is in the ministers of y Church they haue it all of Christ who is the head of light very lighte it selfe The candlesticke is wholie all of gold And Christ is very God in déed the lighte and wisedome of the father and the ministers of Christe must bée sincere and throughly snuffed from al affections of the flesh and to that end belongeth the vse of the snuffers that did pertaine vnto the candlesticke In the middest betwixt the table the candlestick before the vaile in the Sanctum did stand the golden altar of incense
who declared to vs the meaning of that ceremonie out of the 61. Chapter of the prophecie of Esaie in Sainct Lukes Gospell where hee saith that hee is hee that doth in déede proclaime the Iubilie the true fréedome and acceptable yeare of the Lorde Nowe he hath pronounced remission fréedome to all the faithfull not with a trumpet made of a Rammes horne but with the Gospell For by the mercie of God in the merite of Iesus Christe the sonne of God all debtes or sinnes are forgiuen to all the faithfull that liue vpon the face of all the earth vppon condition that we whose sinnes are forgiuen should likewise forgiue the trespasses of them that offend vs And in Christe verily wee haue the true and euerlasting rest that shall neuer faile vs By Christe wee haue returne graunted vs to our possession or countrie from whence wee were fallen that is to heauen the place of the faithfull Thus much haue I saide of the holie time or holie dayes as briefely as possibly I could The rest is at the full to be séene in the 23. of Exodus Leuiticus 23. Num. 28. 29 Deut. 6. That which is behinde touchinge this argument I meane touching the Iewishe ceremonies I will by Gods leaue make an ende of in my nexte Sermon Nowe let vs make our humble prayers and supplications vnto God c. ¶ Of the Sacraments of the Iewes of their sundrie sortes of sacrifices and certeine other thinges perteining to their ceremoniall lawe The sixte Sermon IN my laste Sermon I spake of the holy persones I meane the ministers of Gods religion the Leuitical priestes and the place and time assigned to Gods seruice there remaineth nowe for vs to consider the holie thinge which those holie persons did exercise in the holy time place I meane the verie worship holie rites so ordeined taught prescribed by God him selfe that all men might easily vnderstande how to do seruice and what honour to giue vnto the Lorde In this treatise wee haue first to consider the Iewish Sacraments and then their sacrifices The auncient church of the saints had two especial sacraments circumcision and the Pascall lambe Of both which I will speake seuerally and agreably to the worde of God according to the grace which the Lord shal vouchsafe to giue vnto mee Nowe circumcision was the holie action whereby the flesh of the foreskinne was cutt awaye for a signe of the couenaunt that God made with men Or to describe it more largely circumcision was a marke in the priuie members of men betokening the eternal couenant of God and was or deined by God him selfe to testifie his goodwill toward them that were circumcised to warne them of regeneration and cleannesse and to make a difference betwixt the confederates of God other people or nations The author therefore of circumcision is God him selfe the beginning of it is of great antiquitie For the Lord him selfe in the Gospel saith Circumcision began not at Moses but at the Patriarches Moses verilye did renue or repaire the lawe or custome of circumcision but Abraham the renowmed friende of God was the first that was circumcised in the ninetieth yere of his age and in the verie same daye that God making a couenaunt with him did first ordeine the vse of circumcision For he added circumcision as a seale to the league which hee made with Abraham and with his séede for euer The place is extant in the 17. Chap. of Genesis It was first ordeined in the 2046. yeare after the creation of the worlde 390. yeres after the deluge when Sem the sonne of Noah was 487 yeares olde So that Moses is founde to haue béene borne 320. yeares after the firste institution of circumcision whereby it appeareth that circumcision was in vse amonge the Patriarches 400. yeares before the law was giuen to the Israelites by the hand of Moses Now for because circumcision is added as a signe or seale to the league that was made betwixt God Abraham I must briefely by a short digression touch the manner or order of that couenaunt God in making of leagues as he doth in all things else applieth him selfe to our capacities imitateth the order which men vse in making confederacies Men do by leagues as by most sure and stedfast bonds bynde themselues to the societie and fellowship of one bodie or people in which societie to the end they may be the safer and liue more quietly from the wronges and iniuries of all other nations they do mutually hazard both liues liuings the one in defence of y others libertie In these leagues they do precisely expresse what they be that make the confederacie vpon what conditions and howe farre the couenant shall extend And therefore when Gods mind was to declare the fauour good will that he bare to mankind and to make vs men partakers wholie of him self and his goodnes by powring him selfe out vpon vs to our great good profite it pleased him to make a league or couenant with mankinde Now hee did not firste beginne the league with Abraham but did renue to him the couenant that he had made a great while before For be did firste of all make it with Adam the first father of vs all immediately vpon his transgression when hee receiued him sillie wretche into his fauour againe and promised his onely begotten sonne in whome he would be reconciled to the world and through whome he would whoaly bestowe him selfe vpon vs by making vs partakers of all his good and heauenly blessinges and by binding vs vnto him self in faith and due obedience This auncient league made firste with Adam hee did afterwarde renue to Noah and after that againe with the blessed Patriarche Abraham And againe after the space of 400. yeres it was renued vnder Moses at the mount Sinai where the conditions of the leagu were at large written in the two tables and many ceremonies added thereunto But most excellently of all most clearely and euidently did our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ him selfe shewe forth that league who wiping away all the ceremonies types figures shadowes brought in in stéed of them the verie trueth and did moste absolutely fulfill and finish the old league bringing all the principles of our saluation and true godlynesse into a briefe summarie which for the reuewing and fulfilling of all thinges for the abrogation of the olde ceremonies hee called the newe league or newe testament In that testament Christe alone is preached the perfectnesse and fullnesse of all thinges in it there is nothing more desired then faith and charitie and in it is graunted holy and wonderfull libertie vnto the Godly Of which I will speake at another time But now I returne to y league which was renued with Abraham We are expressely taught in 〈◊〉 who they were that made the league that is the liuing eternall omnipotent God who is the chiefe maker preseruer
in mind that he was not only the God of their fathers and auncestours but that hée would be the God of all the posterities of the Israelites that hee would beare with and spare them for the bloud of Christ and finally that hee both would and could defend them froÌ„ all euill and bestowe vpon them all good and fatherly blessinges For in the 136 Psalme we reade O Praise the Lorde for he is good because his mercie endureth for euer which strucke the first borne of the Aegyptians for his mercie endureth for euer With a strong hand and a stretched out arme For his mercie endureth for euer Besides the remembraunce therfore of the benefit which God did for their fathers the posteritie did by the vse of that ceremonie stirre vp their faith to beléeue that god would haue mercie on and do good for them according to his naturall goodnesse euen as hee did to their fathers before them And by that meanes this ceremonie was no small exercise of faith in the children of Israel Furthermore those ceremonies did conteine the mysteries that were to come of Christ the Sauiour of vs al. For in them was prefigured what Christe should be what hee should do for the worlde by what meanes the faithfull should bee partakers with him and howe they shoulde beehaue them selues before him For amonge many other beastes there was none thought to be more fitt for this sacrament then a lambe not so muche for the signification of simplicite and patience that was in Christe like to the quietnesse of a Lambe as for because a Lambe was the dayly sacrifice that was offered to the Lorde For Paule saith Christe our paschall Lambe is offered vp And a Lamb by the lawe was euery morning and euening offered vp in sacrifice For Christe is the lambe that was killed since the beginning of the worlde Of whome Iohn Baptist testifyed saying Beeholde the lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And for because wée all did goe astray like shéepe euery one after his owne way the sonne of God came downe vnto vs and became a shéepe of oure verie substaunce and nature But yet hee was sound and without spott without sinne and wickednesse conceiued by the holy ghoste and borne of the virgin Marie He was a male and of a yeare old that is to say strong and all one the same to day that he was yesterday and the same for euer to witte the sauiour of al the world The ceremoniall lambe was chosen and taken from amonge other lambs and goates For Christ descended lineally of righteous men and sinners as is to be seene in the first Chapter of Mathewes gospell Likewise for the shedding of y lambs bloud God did beare with the whole church of the Israelits for the bloud of Christ whereof the lambes bloud was a type was to be shedde that by it al the faithful might be cleansed and that by the sheadinge of that the anger of God the father mighte be appeased and he reconciled againe vnto the church The bloud was sprinckled vppon the vpper and two side postes of the house with a bunch of Hysope Hysope verilie is a base hearb and of small accompte and the preachinge of the gospell seemeth to be foolish vile and of no valure yet by the preachinge of the gospell â—he bloud of Christ vnto the remission of sinnes muste be sprinckled on vs which are the house of god Now we receiue the lambe to life when we do eate that is wheÌ„ we beleue that Christ did suffer for vs For Christ is eaten by faith as is at large declared in the 6. Chap. of Sainct Iohn The lambe is dressed with fire and not with water it is not eaten rawe but rosted For Christe was not man alone but verie God also the true burnt offering He is able fully to absolue vs so that there néedes no additioÌ„ of ours All our additions are méere water altogether colde Moreouer the whole Lambe was to be eaten the head the féete and purtenance For vnlesse we beléeue that Christ is very God verie man and that he is our wisedom and righteousnesse wee doe not eate him wholy They eate not the head which deny that Christ is god They eate not the feete which do deny that Christ is man They eate not the purtenance which do not acknowledge the giftes that are in Christ which he doth communicate vnto the faithfull to wite righteousnesse wisedome sanctification redemption and life The bones of the Lambe were neither broken nor thrown to the dogges but burnt with fire For in Christe there was not one bone broken as the Apostle Iohn beareth witnesse in the nineteenth Chapter of his Gospell Herein also lyeth hidd another mysterie For although the sonne of God did susâ—er in his humanitie yet in his diuinitie he remained still without any passion Nowe the thinges in Christe which we cannot attaine vnto by reason of the excellencie of his Godhead we do earnestly wishe for greately desire Moreouer Christ is the meate of the reasonable and faithfull soule and is not to be cast to dogges and vnbeléeuing miscreants The Lambe was to be eaten in haste without delaye For Christ must bée eaten by faith out of hande without foading off and that too with a sharpe desire and eager appetite With the Lambe they were commaunded to eate sower hearbes and vnleauened bread For the faithfull must repent them of their life yll spent and wholie betake theÌ„ selues to a purer trade of liuing For here followeth the maner howe they ought to behaue them selues toward their redéemer They stoode to eate the Lambe hauing their loynes girded with shooes on their féete and staues in their hands Such was the habite of waifaring men or pilgrimes We therefore must so behaue our selues in this present world as doth become pilgrims strauÌ„gers which do contemne this world looke for another countrie In their iorney therfore let them giue them selues to temperate modestie let their féete be shodde with the preaching of the Gospell of peace let them wholie leane vpon y staffe of Gods aide succour let theÌ„ departe with as much haste as may be from the bondage corruption of this naughtie world This verie same ceremonie was as it were a confession of y true religion and as a cognizance wherby y people of God were known froÌ„ other people natioÌ„s Therefore al the Israelites were gathered together into one church societie wherein by celebratinge of the passeouer they did professe that they were the redéemed the Libertines the people of the liuing god For thereunto belongeth the commaundement which charged them that no straunger should eate of the Lambe but that the circumcised alone should be partakers of it that it should not be diuided into many partes that it should bee eaten no where but in one place alone and that too by companies of al the Israelites lastly that no man
should once set a foote out of doores vntil the next morning By which thing it is giuen vs to vnderstand that neither Christ nor our saluation is to bee found without the church in the sects or schismes of wicked heretikes Christe the Lambe of God doth gather al the faithful into one church wherin he kéepeth them lastly doth saue them Last of al this ceremonie did put gods people in mind of their duetie of thākfulnes especially of y studie of godlinesse harmelesse innocencie They therefore did giue thanks to God for these all other his benefites they praised his name and did vtterly absteine from all leauened bread For ye shal finde nothing so seuerely forbidden in this ceremonie as the eating of leauened bread Who soeuer eateth leauened bread saith the Lord his soule shall perishe from amonge the congregation of Israel whether he be a straunger or an Israelite borne The same saying is afterward often times repeated thoroughly beaten into their braines Nowe the Apostle Paule whose cunning and learning was much in the law of Moses expounding what was meant by the leauened bread doth say Therefore let vs keepe the feast not in the olde leauen nor in the leauen of malice and vnrighteousnesse but in vnleauened bread that is in sinceritie trueth Thus muche hitherto touching y eating of y Paschal lamb To these sacraments were also added sacrifices of sundrie sorts many kindes which were not first inuēted and taught by Moses but were taken vp and vsed immediately after the world was created For Caine Abel offered burnte sacrifices to God the maker of the world the one of the fruites of the earth and the other of the cattaile that was in his flock Like wise Seth Noah Sem Abraham Isaac and Iacob with al the other patriarches are knowne to haue sacrificed vnto the Lorde Nowe since the heathenish sacrifices of the Gentiles as the verie heathen writers them selues did testifie were partely like vnto and in many pointes all one with the Iewish sacrifices it is not vnlikely but that the graunde partriarchs of the Gentiles did teach euerie one his owne nation the manner of sacrificing which they had learned of their forefathers Sem Cham Iaphet and of the holie Patriarche Noah him selfe But it is vndoubtedly certein that the holy fathers did bring in nothing of their owne inuention nor adde any thinge to the sacrifices more then they had receiued learned of God who is the author of all goodnesse although Moses did more precisely distinguish certeinly order the sortes the kindes differences betwixt sacrifice and sacrifice And yet whatsoeuer he did that did hee at the Lords appointment God instructed Moses in all that he did For the booke of Leuiticus wherein are especially described all the kindes of sacrifices doth immediatly after the verie beginning testifie that Moses was called by God and that he learned of the Lord all the ceremonies of the sacrifices which he commaunded the Israelites to kéepe And in the 7 Chap. of y booke of Numb we read And when Moses came into the Tabernacle of appointment hee heard the voice of God speakinge vnto him out of the mercie seate Now as I was about to say there were diuers sacrifices sundrily differing in many pointes amōg thēselues yet hauing many thinges cōmon general one with another It was general to al sacrifices not to be offered in any other but one apointed place alone It was general to all sacrifices that they ought of duetie to be offered by faith according as they were taught by y word of god It was general to al sacrifices to be made according to the Lords cōmandement with holy fire not with strange fire or fire prophanely kindled Nadab Abihu the sonnes of Aaron were slaine for nothing else but for because they vsed prophane or strange fire in sacrificing to the lord For when the Israelites or Leuites did first of all sacrifice as the Lord had commaunded them in the tabernacle of appointmēt then did God by sending fire from heauen giue a token that he did like of that manner of sacrifice Whereupon in the sixte of Leuiticus the priestes are charged to mainteine or kéepe the holie fire alwayes burning first in the tabernacle and then in the temple whiche thinge it is manifest that the heathen did imitate in commaunding the vestall virgins at Rome alwayes to kéep the holie fire burning By this perpetual fire is meant the perpetual working of the holie Ghost in the church of Christe which must be kept quicke stirred vp in the heartes of the faithful with feruent prayers with the sincere doctrine of the Lorde with the right vse of his holie Sacraments It was also generall to all sacrifices that in them neither wilde nor vncleane beasts were offered to y lord Moreouer this generall rule of sacrifices is giuen by Moses in the 22. Chapter of Leuiticus saying Let no deformitie bee in the thinge that thou shalt offer If it be blinde or lame or maymed if it haue pusshes or scabbes or tettar ye shall not offer it vnto the Lorde neither shall ye put ought of it vpō his altar Verily if any man had brought a deformed oblation vnto the Lorde hee shewed him selfe plainly to be a contemner vtterly vnthankfull toward his maker And therefore the Lorde in Malachie cryeth out and saith When ye bring the blinde for sacrifice do ye not sinne and when ye bring the lame and sicke do ye not sinne Offer it nowe I praye thee to thy prince or capteine wil he be content with it or wil he accept thy person saith the Lorde of hostes And so I saye my name is in contempt of no estimation among you The iust and true God therefore doth at all times require trueth liberalitie sinceritie and integritie in them that worship him and on the other side he abhorreth and vtterly detesteth vncleanenesse lying and hypocrisie There are certeine other thinges also which be generally cōmon to all sorts of sacrifices but I will not at this time make particular rehersal of euery seuerall iott or minute But what peculiarities euery sundrie sacrifice hath it wil euidently appeare in the exposition of their sundrie sorts which I wil nowe speake of in order as they lye First of all I will expound to you that kinde of sacrifice which in the scripture is called Holocaustum That sacrifice was wholly consumed with fire so that nothing but the skin or hyde of the beast was leafte for the priest The woorde is deriued of the Gréeke For it is called Holocaustū as one should saye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is wholie burnt or consumed with fire This sacrifice was of thrée kindes I meane it was made after thrée sortes to wite with greater with little and with lesse liuing creatures namely with an Oxe a bullocke or a calfe or if any mannes abilitie were not sufficient
the first precept thou shalt referre the feare the faith loue of God with assured hope perseuearing patience constancie inuincible in trouble and afflictions To the second belongeth the true and sincere worship wherwith God is pleased with the vtter refusall of all superstition and peruerse religion Vppon the third doeth depende the reuerence of Gods Maiestie the frée confession of his might the holie inuocation of his name and the sanctification of the same In the fourth is comprehended the moderate conseruation of the Ecclesiasticall Ceremonies y preaching of Gods word publique prayers whatsoeuer else doeth belonge to the outward seruice or externall worship due to god To the fifte thou mayest annexe the naturall loue of children toward their parents of men toward their countrie kinese-folkes the due obedience that we owe to the magistrates and all in authoritie and lastly the offices of ciuil humanitie To the sixte thou shalt ioyne iustice and iudgement the protection of widowes orphanes the deliuering of the oppressed and afflicted weldoing to all men and doing hurt to no man To the seuenth thou shalt add the faith of wedded couples the offices of marriage the honest and Godly bringing vp of childrē with the studie of chastitie temperance and sobrietie To the eighth is to bee reckoned vpright dealing in cōtracts liberalitie bountifulnesse and hospitalitie Vnder y ninthe is couched the studie of trueth through al our life time faith in words déeds with decēt honest profitable speach In the tenth and last thou mayest remember good affections holie wishes with all holy and honest thoughts And so this is the compendious platforme of good workes Nowe if thou desire to haue it more briefly expressed than this that thou séest then turne thee selfe hearken to the wordes of Christ our Lord who gathereth these 10. into two principall points saith Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with al thy soul with al thy mind thy neighbour as thy selfe Whatsoeuer therefore yee would that men shuld do to you euen so do ye to thē Vppon these precepts of the Lord let all the faithful which desire to doe good works most surely fixe their eyes and minds that too so much the more diligently and constantly as they doe more surely and euidently perceiue see that God in the lawe the prophets doeth require nothing else nor any other works at the hands of his electe chosen seruants Go to now therefore let vs heare out of the holy Prophets some such euidēt testimonies touching good woorks as do consent wholie agree with the lawe of the lord Moses in Deut. crieth And now Israel what doeth the Lord thy God require of thee but to feare the Lord thy God to walk in al his wayes to loue him to serue the Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soule That thou keepe the cōmandements of the Lord and his ordinances which I cōmaund thee this day And the kinglye Prophete Dauid in the 15. Psalme asketh this questiō Lord who shal dwel in thy tabernacle And presently answereth it himselfe saying Euen hee that walketh vprightly doeth the thing that is iust right And so forth as is conteined in the 10. cōmaundemēts Esaie also in his 33. cap. moueth the same question and answereth it euen so as Dauid had done before him Ieremie in the 21. chap. doth vrge and reiterate these woords to the Iewes Thus the Lord cōmaundeth Keepe equitie and righteousnes deliuer the oppressed from the power of the violent do not greeue nor oppresse the strāger the fatherles nor the widow and shedd no innocent bloud in this place And Ezechiel in his 18. cap. knitteth vp a beadrowe of good workes in no point vnlike to these sauing only y it is somewhat more largly amplified In Osée the Lord saith I desire mercie more than sacrifice the knowledge of God more than whole burnt offerings Micheas doth diligently inquire what the worshipper of God should do to please him with all what workes he should doe to delight the Lord and immediatly by the inspiration of the holy Ghoste he maketh aunswere saying I will shewe thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee namely to doe iustly to loue mercie and with reuerence to walke before thy God. In like maner the Prophete Zacharie to them that demaunded of him certaine questions touching vertues such good woorkes as please the Lord gaue this answere saying Thus sayeth the Lord of hostes Execute true iudgement shewe mercie and louing kindenesse euerie man to his brother doe the widowe the fatherlesse the straunger and the poore no wronge Let no man imagine euill in his heart against his brother neither bee ye louers of false othes for these are the thinges which I do hate sayeth the Lord. With this doctrine of the Prophets doth the preaching of the Euangelists and Apostles fullie agrée teaching in euerie place that charitie righteousnesse and innocencie are the scoape summe of all good woorkes The Apostle Iames sayeth Pure religion and vndefiled before God and the father is this To visite the father lesse and widowes in their aduersitie to kepe himself vnspotted of the world It remayneth now for me to drawe to an end and in the rest that is yet be hind to be spoken touching the descriptiō of good works to confer places of the Scripture for the confirmation plaine exposition of the same Now therfore we said y good works in déed are wrought by them that are regenerate to the glorie of God the ornamēt of our life and the profite of our neighbour For the Lord in the Gospell prescribeth this end to good works where he saith Let your lighte so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father whiche is in heauen The Apostle Paul also oftener than once exhorting vs to good woorks doth as a most effectuall cause to sett them forward add That by those workes of ours we may adorne the doctrine of oure Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus And euen as a comelie and cleanely garment adorneth a man so doe good workes in déede set foorth the life of Christian people For herevppon it riseth that the Apostles of Christe did so often persuade vs to put off the old man and put on the newe which is created to the similitude and likenesse of god For thereby wee obteine both honour and glorie We both are and are called the seruaunts yea and the sonnes of oure Lord and God whose propertie and vertue shineth in vs to the glorie and praise of his holy name And as hée doth require good works at our hands so if we do them we on the one side do please and delight him and hee on the other doeth honour vs againe as may bee proued by many testimonies of the holy Scripture But the thing it selfe is so plaine
which god had threatened vnto him to wit that he shoulde so be humbled by the incest of his sonne c. And what is the cause that they demaund not if God for sinne did threaten that scourge why then when he had pardoned the sinne did he fulfill that whiche he threatened but for bicause they knowe if they demaund that question that they shall rightly be answered that the remission of the sinne was graunted to the end the man shuld not be by his sinne hindered to obteine eternall life but the effect of Gods threatening did followe after the remission of the sinne to the end that the godlinesse of the maÌ„ might be tryed and exercised in that humilitie In like manner God hath for sinnes layde bodily death as a punishment vpon the body of man and after the forgiuenesse of sinnes hathe not taken it away but left it in the body to be a meane to the exercise of righteousnesse Thus farre hath Augustine Nowe as concerning the punishments of the wicked If the most iust God doe in this worlde touch them with any let vs knowe that they bee the arguments of Gods iust iudgement who in this worlde beginneth to punishe them temporally and in the worlde to come doeth not ceasse to plague them euerlastingly The wicked verily perishe thorough their owne default For God beginneth to whippe them in this life to the end that they beeing chastened may begin to be wise and turne to the Lorde but they by his chasticement are the more indurate and murmur at the iudgements of God conuerting that to their owne destruction which was ordeined to haue bene to their health For as to them that loue GOD all thinges worke to the best so to them that hate the Lord all things do work to their vtter destruction This argument might bee extended further yet but for because I haue alreadie spoken a great deale to this effect in the third Sermon of this thirde Decade that whiche is here left out may there be founde therefore I referre you to the looking vpon that And so nowe hitherto touching sinne I haue with somewhat too long a Sermon dearely beloued by more than the space of two whole houres deteyned you here That therefore I may nowe make an end let vs humblie acknowledge our sinnes and méekely crye with prayers vnto the Lorde which sitteth in the throne of Grace saying Haue mercie vppon vs O Lorde for against thée haue wée sinned and do confesse our offences Thy debters are wée Forgiue thou vs our debtes as wée forgiue our debters and leade vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euil Amen ⸫ The ende of the thirde Decade of Sermons The fourth Decade of Sermons written by Henrie Bullinger ¶ Of the Gospell of the Grace of God who hath giuen his sonne vnto the worlde and in him all thinges necessarie to saluation that wee beleeuing in him might obteine eternall life The first Sermon AFter the expositioÌ„ of the lawe and those poyntes of doctrine that depende vppon the lawe I thinke it it best nowe to come to the handling of the Gospell which in the exposition of the lawe other places else hath bene mentioned often times Nowe therefore dearely beloued as I haue béene hitherto helped with your prayers to God so here againe I request your earnest supplications with mee to the father that I by his holie spirite may speake the trueth to your edification in this present argument Euangelium is a Gréeke woorde but is receiued of the Latines Germanes and at this day vsed as a worde of their owne It is compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth good and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to tell tydings For Euangelium signifieth the telling of good tydings or happie newes as is wont to be blowen abroade when the enimies being put to foyle wee rayse the siege of any citie or obteine some notable victorie ouer our foes The worde is attributed to any ioyfull luckie newes concerning any matter luckily accomplished The Apostles did willingly vse that terme not so much because the Prophets had vsed it before them as for that it doth wonderfully conteine and doth as it were laye before our eyes the manner and woorke of oure saluation accomplished by Christe wherevnto they haue applyed the worde Euangelium The Prophet Esaie as Luke interpreteth it bringeth in Christe our Lorde speaking in this manner The spirite of the Lord vpon mee because he hath annoynted mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to preache the Gospell hath he sent me to heale the broken harted to preach deliuerance vnto the captiue and recouering of sight vnto the blindâ— freely to sett at libertie them that are brused and to preach the acceptable yere of the Lorde Lo here the Sauiuiour of the worlde doeâ—h in the Prophet and the Euangelist expounde to vs what Euangelium is and wherevnto it tendeth The father sayth hee hath sent mee to preache Euangelium the Gospell to the poore And immediately after to shew who those poore should bee hee addeth whiche are broken hearted or broken minded to wite suche as finde in them selues no soundnesse or health but vtterly despairinge of their owne strength do wholy depend vpon the help of Christ their cunning and willing Physician Nowe the Gospell or good tydings which is shewed to the afflicted is this that the sonne of God is descended from heauen to heale the sicke and diseased soules To which also to make it more euident hee addeth another cause saying that the sonne of God is come to preache deliueraunce vnto captiues and the recouering of sight to the blinde c. For all men are helde captiue in the bondes of damnation they doe all serue a sorrowfull slauerie vnder their cruel enimie Satan they are all kept blinde in the darknesse of errors And to them it is that redemption deliuerance and the acceptable yere of the Lorde is preached Now this ioyfull tydings is called Euangelium the Gospell Therefore the Gspell is of all men in a manner after this sorte defined The Gospell is a good and a sweete worde and an assured testimonie of Gods grace to vs warde exhibited in Christe vnto all beléeuers Or else the Gospell is the moste euident sentence of the eternall God brought downe from heauen absoluing al beléeuers from all their sinnes and that too freely for Christe his sake with a promise of eternal life These definitions are gathered out of the testimonies of the Euangelistes Apostles For Sainct Luke bringeth in the Angel of the Lorde speaking to the amazed shéepeheards saying Feare not for behold I bring you good tydings of greate ioye that shal be to all people for vnto you is borne this daye in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lorde Lo here he taketh from the sheepeheardes all manner of feare with the 〈…〉 of good tydinges that is with 〈…〉 of health which is a 〈…〉 is full of
that this saluation is common both to the Iewes and Gentiles saying Is he the God of the Iewes onely Is hee not also of the Gentiles yes euen also of the Gentiles For it is one God that shal iustifie the circumcision by faith the vncircumcision through faith Hee fetcheth the confirmation of that which he saide from the nature of god There is but one God who is of his owne nature both life righteousenesse And he is the God bothe of the Iewes and the Gentiles therefore he is the life and righteousenesse of both the people which righteousenesse hee bestoweth on them by faith therefore faith doeth iustifie or make them both righteous This is declared by the example of Cornelius the Centurion For he is iustified or as I should rather saye being once iustified hee is declared to be acceptable to God by the sendinge downe of the holie Ghoste in a visible fourme vppon him when as hee neither was circumcised nor yet had kept the lawe but had onely heard y preaching of the Gospell and had beléeued in Iesus Christ Nowe GOD did not iustifie Cornelius so alone but wil also iustifie all other nations by faith euen as hee wil not by anye other meanes than by faith alone iustifie the Iewes It followeth in Paule Doe wee then destroy the lawe through faith God forbidde but we rather mainteine the lawe For the defenders or the disputers in the defence of works or rather of iustification by workes are wont to obiecte if faith alone in Christ doth iustifie then is the lawe or doctrine of the lawe altogether vnprofitable For to what ende are wee commaunded to doe good woorkes if good workes do not iustifie The Apostle aunswereth that the lawe is not abolished by faith but rather mainteined For since faith doeth directly tende to Christe in whome alone it doth séeke and finde all fullnesse and that the lawe it selfe is the scholemystresse vnto Christ and doth shut vpp all vnder sinne so that iustification is by faith giuen to the faithfull it is moste euident that the lawe is not destroyed or darkened but confirmed and made lighte by the doctrine of faith The Apostle goeth on in his confirmation and saith What shal wee saye then that Abraham oure father as pertaining to the fleshe did finde For if Abraham were iustified by woorkes then hath hee wherein to boast but not before god For what saith the Scripture AbrahaÌ„ beleeued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousenesse There are verily many examples of the holy fathers but among all the rest the Apostle chose out this of Abraham to handle it at large For he in the Scriptures is called the father of them that do beléeue Wherevppon it is assuredly certeine that the children shal be iustified after the same sorte that theire father was as the Apostle hath in expresse woordes taught in the latter ende of the fourth Chapter Moreouer Abraham was famous for good workes aboue all the rest of the holie fathers therfore if any other could haue beene iustified by his good woorkes or merites much more might Abraham before all the rest But forbecause he was iustified by faith and not by workes it is manifest therefore that all the Sainctes also both haue béene and are iustified by faith and not by workes Furthermore Abraham liued 430 yeres before the lawe was reuealed by Moses wherevppon it followeth that his woorkes cannot be called the workes of the lawe by them that are the denyers of the iustificatioÌ„ by faith without the lawe Therefore the workes that hee did hee did them of faith and his woorkes were the works of faith and yet was he not iustified by them but by faith Therefore the â—lorie of the iustification of faith remaineth sounde vnspotted and vnmingled with any thing else What saith he shal we saye that oure father Abraham founde concerninge the fleshe to wite so farre forth as he is a man and we also men of him What I saye shal wee saye that hee deserued To this demaunde this answere must be added hee founde nothing and by his woorkes hee deserued nothing For the proofe followeth if by his workes he deserued any thing or was by his merits iustified then hath he wherein to boaste But he hath nothing wherin to boast therfore is he not iustified by his workes For God alone is righteous and kéepeth this his glorie vnto him selfe alone without any partener or ioyntpossessour with him freely iustifying them that are of the faith of Iesus Christe to the end that his grace may be alwayes praised But Paule him selfe by bringing in a place of Scripture doeth shewe that Abraham had nothinge wherein to make his boast For what saith he doth the Scripture say Abraham beleeued God and it was counted vn to him for righteousenesse Lo here the Scripture doth moste plainly say that Abraham was iustified by faith or rather that faith was imputed to him for righteousenesse and therefore that Abraham was for his faith counted righteous before the moste iuste and righteous God. But let vs heare Paule howe he applyeth this place of Scripture vnto his purpose It followeth then To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of duetie But to him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousenesse Which woordes verily maye bee briefely reduced into this kinde of argument Who soeuer doeth with his woorkes deserue anye thing to him the rewarde is giuen as a thing of duetie due vnto him and not imputed freely as though it were no debte But faith is imputed to Abraham vnto righteousenesse therefore he receiued righteousenesse not as a rewarde of duetie ought vnto him but as a gifte not due but freely giuen him And againe To him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is reckoned for righteousenesse But to Abraham faith was imputed vnto righteousenesse therefore he obteined righteousenesse by faith and not by workes Nowe there is an Emphasis in that he fayth But beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly For therby is signified that he which is to be iustified doth bring nothing with him but the onely acknowledginge of his owne miserie and vngodlynesse to séeke for mercie at the hande of the Lorde For he vnderstandeth that he is destitute of good workes and such as may abide the tryall of Gods iust iudgement He doth therefore flye to the mercie of God presuming for a certeintie that the righteousenesse of faith is the ayde or helpe of the sinner that must be freely saued by the grace of God. Here by the way ye must note that Christians righteousenesse both is is saide to be imputatiue righteousenesse Which thing alone is able to breake the necke of all our boastinge for imputation is the contrarie vnto debte God is not of duetie bound to vs either for our owne sakes or for our woorkes sakes but so farre forth as hee
repent Else-where Repentaunce is figuratiuely attributed to God like to the affection of mortall men as when hee sayeth It repenteth mee that I haue made man. For God of his owne nature doeth not repent as men doe so that hée should be touched with griefe and that the thing should now mislike him which hee before did like off but he doeth barely alter that whiche hee hath done Amonge Ecclesiasticall writers they are said to repent which after a prescribed manner of punishment doe penaunce for their sinnes which they haue coÌ„mitted The scripture in an other place doth vse it for the whole effect and matter of the Gospel For in the Actes wee read that God gaue to the Gentiles repentaunce vnto life But we in this disputation of ours will vse Repentaunce for a conuerting or turning to the Lord for the acknowledging of sinns for the griefe conceiued for sinnes committed for mortification and the beginning to leade a newe life and finally for the chaunge correction and amendement of the life from euil to better that which we Germanes call Bekeerung Enderung oder Besserung And as diuersly too is Repentance defined of the Ecclesiasticall writers howbeit all agrée that it is a conuersion or turning to the Lord and an alteration of the former life and opinion We therefore do say that Repentaunce is an vnfeigned turning to God whereby wee being of a sincere feare of God once humbled doe acknowledge our sinnes so by mortifying our old man are afresh renued by the spirite of God. This definition doeth consist vppon her partes whiche being somewhat more largely opened and diligently expounded wil declare vnto vs and laye before oure eyes the whole nature of Repentaunce First we say that Repentaunce is an vnfeigned turning vnto god For I will hereafter shewe you that there are two sorts of Repentaunce to wit feigned and vnfeigned And the Apostle Peter sayeth Repent and turne that your sinnes may be blotted out expounding as it were the first by the last to witt Repentaunce by Returning he meaneth to him from whom they had turned themselues away For there is a certeine relation béetwixt turning to and turning fro If thou hadst neuer turned away then hadst thou had no néed to haue turned to againe But we haue all turned away from the true iust and good God and from his holy will vnto the diuel and our owne corrupt affections And therfore must we againe turne vs froÌ„ the diuel and from oure old naughtie life and will vnto the liuing God and his most holy will and pleasure Wee do here significantly say To God and not To creatures or any help of man For the Lord in Ieremie doeth say If Israel thou wilt returne returne to me Whosoeuer therfore do not turne to God nor make themselues conformable to his holy wil how soeuer they do turne to creatures other meanes of mans inuention yet are they not to be estéemed or counted penitents Nowe there is none so blinde but séeth that for the stirring of vs vpp to repentaunce the preaching or doctrine of the trueth is néedeful and requisite to teache vs what God is to whome wée must bee turned what the goodnesse holinesse is to which wee must bee turned whoe the diuel is what the euill wickednesse is from which wee must be turned and lastly what the thing is that must be amended in oure minde and life and also howe it must be altered and amended Truely the Prophetes and Apostles of the Lord in exhorting men vnto repentaunce doe traueile much and sticke verie long in describing of Gods nature goodnesse righteousnesse trueth and mercie in painting out the lawes and offices of the life of man and in accusing and heaping vp the sinns of men wherevnto they add the gréeuous and horrible tokens of Gods iuste iudgements as is in euery place of the Prophets writings to be found very rifely And therefore some there are whiche bidd vs euen nowe to preache the lawe to those men whome we would drawe vnto repentaunce which thing as I doe not gainesay but very well like it so do I with-al admonish them that the preaching of the Gospell also doeth obiecte to men their sinnes and gréeuously accuse them For the Lord in the Gospel sayeth When the holy Ghoste commeth it shall argue the world of sinne because they beleeued not in mee Whervppon S. Peter in the Actes of the Apostles vpbrayding to the Iewes their sinnes committed and preaching vnto them Christe and faith in Christ exhorteth them vnto repentaunce The places are very well knowen Actes 2. and 3. S. Paule going about to drawe the Athenieâ—s vnto Repentaunce doth say God who hath hetherto winked at the times of this ignoraunce doth now preach to al men euery where that they should repent because hee hath appointed a day in which he wil iudge the world with righteousnesse through Christ Let them therefore to whome charge is giuen to drawe men vnto repentaunce learne heere to vse much libertie and wisedome that all men maye acknowledge their sinne and the greatnesse of their iniquitie Moreouer God doeth stirre vpp men to repentaunce not by his woord onely but also by diuers afflictions and sundrie sortes of punishments Yea all the calamities that happen in the world are certeine Sermons as it were persuading and drawing vs vnto repentaunce For that I maye in silence ouerpasse that which is written in the Prophets did not our Lord himselfe in the Gospell when he heard tidings of the slaughter which Pontius Pilate had made vpon the GalilÄ™ans and the death of the 18. men vpon whom the tower in Siloc fel presently say Thincke ye that they were greater sinners than the rest No verilie but vnlesse ye repent ye shall all likewise perish It is assuredly certeine therefore that warre famine plagues doe alwayes inuite vs vnto repentaunce that is they premonishe vs by laying sinne aside to be conuerted vnto God and wholie to giue our selues to sincere integritie But in vaine is repentaunce preached vnto vs vnlesse by feare trembling conceiued in our minds we doe reuerendly dread the wrath iudgement of Almightie God conceiued against vs because of oure sinnes and wickednesses Now this feare is outwardly stirred in vs by the externall preaching or discipline of the minister as I told you before but that external doctrine auaileth nothing alone vnlesse inwardly that is in our hearts we be moued by the holy spirit of our heauenly father And therefore Ieremie in his Lamentations cryeth Turne vs O Lord and we shal be turned And in the 31. Chap. Turne thou me O Lord and I shal be turned beecause thou art the lord my god And after I was turned it repented mee of euill Wée read that S. Peter being prouoked by the wordes of the damsel that kept the doore and of the souldiers did foulie denie his master Christ but being reuoked at the cockes crowing he repented his fault or folly from
Iesus Christ Therefore repentaunce and faith séeme to be diuers not that true repentaunce can be without faith but because they must bee distinguished not confounded Wée doe all knowe that true faith is not without workes as that whiche of necessitie sheweth forth good woorkes and yet wee make a difference betwixt faith and works so yet that we do not separate them or rend the one from the other and in like manner wee acknowledge that true faith and true repentaunce are vndiuidedly knit together and closely fastened the one to the other I wil not stand in argument whether faith be a part of repentaunce or doth by any other meanes depend vppon it It séemeth to me a notable point of follie to goe about to tye matters of Diuinitie to precepts of Logicke For we learne not that of the Lords Apostles I admonished you before in a Sermon of the Gospel which thinge I do here repeate againe that the acknowledging of sinnes doeth not of it selfe obteine grace or forgiuenesse of sinnes euen as the bare acknowledging of a disease is not the remedie for the same For eueÌ„ damned men also do acknowledge their sinnes and yet are not therefore healed The acknowledging of sinne is a certaine preparatiue vnto faith as the acknowledging of a disease doth minister occasion to thincke vppon a remedie To this at this present wee add that not the verie feare of God howe sincere soeuer it bée not the verie sorrowe conceiued for oure sinnes how great soeuer it bée nor the verie humiliation howe submisse soeuer it bee doe of themselues make vs acceptable to god but rather that they prepare an entraunce make a waye for vs vnto the knowledge of Christe and so consequently doe leade vs to Christe himselfe being incarnate and crucified for vs and our redemption and lay vs vppon Christ alone by him to be quickened and purely cleansed For he that is truly conuerted to God is vtterly turned from himselfe and all hope of worldly ayde Who so doth truely feare God and is sorie in very déede from the bottome of his heart he doeth feare and is sorie for his sinnes committed and not for that alone but because he findeth himselfe to be corrupted wholy and to haue in himselfe no soundnesse or integritie yea because he reuereÌ„ceth God as his father he doth disclose to him his wounds as to a Cheirurgian desiring instantly to be recoÌ„ciled to him as to his louing father And wheras here true godlinesse doeth crie that no man can be reconciled to God the father but by the onely begotten sonne the penitent doeth by faith lay hold on the sonne and so séeke the meanes of his recoÌ„ciliation Faith is grounded vppon the onely grace or mercie of GOD exhibited to vs in Christ Iesus and the penitent beléeneth that he is accepted of God for Christ his sake alone and therfore he maketh his supplications to God committing himselfe wholy vnto his mercie as we read that Dauid the prodigal sonne in the 15. cap. of S. Lukes Gospell did To this place might bee annexed the doctrine of the Gospell of faith in Iesus Christ of the remission of sinnes touchinge whiche I haue alreadie spoken And héere I thincke it not amisse that the mindes of penitents must by all meanes bee confirmed with many and euident places of scripture plainly vttered concerning the full remission of sinnes to the end that hereafter wee haue no scruple of conscience to cause vs to despaire or doubt in oure temptations Wherein notwithstanding I repeate againe and againe this note to be thoroughly marcked for the confirmation of the glorie of the onely begotten sonne of God our lord Christ Iesus that penitent sinners haue their sinnes remitted not for their repentaunce in respecte that it is oure worke or action but in respecte that it comprehendeth the renuing of man by the holy Ghost and true faith whiche deliuereth vs to Christ our Physician that he may heale all our diseases and bynde vp al our griefes And although this treatise doeth properly belonge to the common place of faith and the Gospell of which I haue so briefly as I could alreadie discoursed yet notwithstanding I wil heere recite some euident sentences touching the grace of GOD and frée remission of oure sinnes Dauid in the hundreth and thirde Psalme sayeth Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not the thinges that hee hath done for thee whiche forgiueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities Which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercie and louinge kindnesse Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our wickednesse For loke howe highe the heauen is in comparison of the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him And looke how farre the East is from the West so farre hath hee sett oure sinnes from vs Yea like as a father pitieth his owne children so is the lord merciful to them that feare him For hee knoweth that wee are fraile proane to sinne doth remember that we are but dust Esaie in the first Chapiter of his Prophecie sayeth Thus sayeth the Lord Though your sinnes bee as red as Scarlet they shal bee made whiter then snowe and thoughe they bee redd as purple they shal be made like vndied woll Againe in the fourtie and thrée Chapiter he bringeth in the Lord saying I I am hee that blott out the transgressions and that for mine owne sake I will not remember thy sinnes In the 31. Chapiter of Ieremie which saying is also alleged by Paule in the eighth and tenthe Chapiters to the Hebrues the Lord sayeth This is my couenaunt that I will make with them after these dayes I wil be mercifull vnto their iniquities and not remember their sinnes any more In the 36. Chapiter of Ezechiel the Lord sayeth I will sprinckle cleane water vppon you and yee shall bee cleansed from all your vncleannesse A newe heart also will I giue you and a newe spirite will I put within you as for that stonie heart I will take it out of your flesh and giue you a fleshie heart I wil deliuer you from all your vncleannesses But I wil not doe this for your sakes sayeth the Lord be ye sure of it c. Daniel in his ninth Chapiter leaueth to vs a manifest example of confession of sinnes and doeth in expresse words say that by the Messiah sinnes are forgiuen iniquitie purged and euerlasting righteousnesse brought in in stéed of it So doth the Prophet â—acharie in his thirde Chapiter affirme that the iniquitie of the earth is purged by the onely Sacrifice of Christe Iesus The Lord in the Gospell after S. Matthewe doeth say They that are whole neede not the Physician but they that are sick Neither did I come to call the righteous but sinners to repentaunce And therefore is he called Iesus that is a Sauiour For the Angel said Hee shall saue his people from their sinnes
satisfie him if so bée that thou canst Yea if he demaundeth not and thou doest sée thy brother to be in danger charitie againe commaundeth thée to admonishe him that is so in daunger and to handle him as a brother For Paule to the Galathians sayeth Brethren if a man be preuented in any fault ye whiche are spirituall restore such an one in the spirite of meckenesse considering thee selfe least thou also be tempted Beare ye one an others burthen and so fulfill the lawe of Christ But this belongeth nothing to confession therefore wee returne to our purpose againe Thus muche haue wée hetherto said touching the confession of sinnes which God hath instituted Now wee will annexe somewhat touching the confession of sinnes that men haue ordeyned That confession also is of two sortes the one is publique rituall or ceremoniall whiche for the most part they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The other is priuate or secrete is called Auricular I call the publique confession Rituall not so much because it is the acknowledging or confession of sinne as for that it is the penitentiall action for the sinne committed For Isidore the bishoppe Libro Etymol 6. Cap. 18. sayeth Exhomologesis is the discipline of prostrating and humbling men in habite in huing to lye in sacke and ashes to deface the bodie with filthe to mourne lament with a sorrowfull minde and thorough sorrowe to amende that wherein they sinned before These woordes of bishop Isidore I would not haue recited vnto you déerely beloued who is an authour not very famous vnlesse I had séene the same woordes in a manner to bée read in the booke whiche Tertullian wrote of Repentaunce and vnlesse I had found an example thereof in Eusebius who in the fifte booke and last Chapiter of his Ecclesiasticall historie sayeth Natalis the martyre being seduced by heretiques and at leng the vnderstanding his errour riseth vpp in the morninge and putting on a sackecloth sprinckling himselfe with ashes and with many teares bewayling his errour casting himselfe prostrate at the feete of Zephyrinus the bishoppe and all other not Clearks onely but Laye-men also with great lamentation and exceeding sorrowe prouoked all the congregation with earnest and continuall prayers to request of Christe Iesus to pardon his offence Touching the rites of repentaunce I will hereafter speake Nowe this rituall or ceromoniall Repentaunce as it was vsed amonge them of old appeareth not to haue béene cōmaunded of God that whosoeuer at this day committeth any sinne should be compelled presently to confesse it openly in such sorte as they were wont to doe it For where is it read that such penaunce was inioyned to the sinnefull or adulterous woman that is mentioned in the Gospell Many other sinners are receiued by Christe into the grace of GOD without such outward penaunce For it is very well knowen howe Christ dealt with Matthew with Zacheus with Peter that denied him and with many other Therefore wée doe not amisse beléeue that the old bishoppes and priestes did inuent that publique kind of penance for disciplines sake and that they of their times might haue lesse libertie to sinne Truely Hermius Sozomenus Salaminius that notable writer of the Ecclesiasticall historie in his seuenth booke and sixtéenth Chapiter sayeth In the beginning it pleased the priestes that as it were in a theatre where all the congregation might beare record of the same the sinnes of offenders should bee openly published Loe héere hee sayeth It pleased the priestes Hée addeth also that there was a Priest appointed to whome they that sinned should come and confesse their sinnes and should heare of him the penaunce to wit what they should doe or how they should abye for their transgression Immediately after he describeth the manner of penaunce in the Romane Church vsed And to that againe hee addeth that in the Church at Constantinople there was a priest appointed to heare penitents whiche office remayned still till at the length a certaine Gentlewoman whiche for the sinnes that she had confessed was inioyned by such a penitentiarie to fast and to pray to God and thereby haning occasion to be long in the church was at last bewrayed to haue played the whore with a deacon For which cause the priestes were euil spoken of But Nectareus the bishop deuising how it were best to deale with such a gréenous crime depriued the deacon that had done the sinne of his deaconshipp And for-because some persuaded him to leaue it free to euery one according to his owne conscience and confidence to come to the communion of the mysteries hée did quite take away the office of that penitentiarie priesthoode and euer since that time hath that coūsel giuen to Nectareus preuailed and doth euen to this day indure And so foorth The same in the beginning of the Chapiter sayeth Nectareus the bishopp of Constantinople did first take out of the church the priest that was appointed to heare the confession of penitents whome all the other bishoppes did in a manner followe Thus farre hée But the bishop Nectareus would not haue abrogated that Exhomologesis being so holy a man as in déede hee was if hee had vnderstoode that it had béene instituted by God himselfe neither had it béene lawefull for him to haue abrogated it Therefore hee knewe euen as Sozome doeth also confesse that by the counsell of the bishoppes that order of penaunce was vsurped in the Church Neither doe wée read that Iohn Chrysostome who succéeded Nectareus and was a very diligent and seuere bishopp did euer restore that rituall penaunce whiche his predecessour had abrogated before him For in the 31. Homilie vppon S. Paules Epistle to the Hebrues hee writeth I bidd thee not to bewraye thee selfe openly nor yet to accuse thee selfe to others but I will haue thee to obey the holy Prophete who sayeth Open thy waye vnto the lord Therefore confesse thy sinnes before GOD the true and vprighte Iudge with prayers for the imurie committed not with thy tongue but with the memorie of thy conscience And then at lengthe beleeue that thou mayest obteine mercie if thou hast it in thy mind continually And so forth Againe vppon the 56. Psalme If thou art ashamed to tell thy sinnes to any man because thou hast sinned yet saye them daily in thine owne heart I bid thee not confesse them to thy fellowe that hee should vpbraid thee tell them to thy God who doth regard them If thou tellest them not God is not ignoraunt of them for he was at hand when thou didst them And againe in an other place hee sayeth I bring thee not forth into the theatre of thy companions I compell thee not to discouer thy sinnes vnto mortall men Rehearse thy conscience before God and declare it vnto him Shewe thy woundes vnto the Lord thy best Physician and aske of him a salue for the same Againe Take heed that thou tell not a man of thy sinnes least he
diligence to correcte that which is amisse Verily out of carelesse loosenesse doeth arise invred custome to committ sinne and negligent securitie Penitents doe not stande in defence of their sinnes but make their supplicant apologie to God to haue them remitted Hypocrites excuse themselues and seeke out shiftes and starting holes not coÌ„fessing fréely their sinns and offences nor praying to God to haue them forgiuen He which repentâ—th truely in verie déed is angrie with him selfe because of his wicked manners and life alreadie lewdly spent The punishment which he doth exercise vpon him selfe preuenteth and turneth awaye the reuengeing and imminent wrath of God. Moreouer with feare he doeth take heede howe hee sinneth any more For the contempte of GOD is the originall of mischiefes and bonde of an impenitent life Furthermore he which doeth truely repent is rauished with the passing vehement desire or loue of GOD and heauenly thinges hee burneth with zeale whereby it commeth to passe that hee neither foadeth off from daye to day nor yet doth coldly nor slackely go about that whiche hee hath learned by the word of God to be required at his hand to be done and performed Briefly what soeuer he doth he doth it with al his minde euen from the very bottome and roote of his heart For so sayeth the great Prophete of God the holy man Moses If thou wilt turne to the Lord thy God and hearken vnto his voice with all thy heart and with all thy soule the Lord thy God also shall turne thy captiuitie and shewe pitie vpon thee in the bowels of mercie Thus much touching the fruits of Repentaunce Nowe vppon all the premisses we inferre this consequent that Repentaunce whose onely scope whereto it tendeth is the renouation by the spirit of Christ of the image of God whiche was by Adams fall of old defiled is not a worke of a day or twaine or of a prescribed number of yeres but a coÌ„tinuall obseruaunce of our whole life and so coÌ„sequently a daily putting off and renuing of the old man for euer For they that are regenerate by the holy spirite of God are neuer so purged that they féele no motions of the flesh of sinne and of carnal affections There is alwayes obiecte to the eyes of the faithful this sentence of s Paul that cannot by any meanes be pluckt out of their minds I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing For to will is preseÌ„t with mee but I finde no meanes to perfourme that which is good For the good that I would I doe not but the euill that I would not that doe I. For wee beare about the reliques of the flesh thorough all our life Wherevppon it commeth that in the Saincts there is a perpetuall and very sharpe battaile For they doe partly obey the spirite and are partly weakened of the flesh By the spirite they are lifted vp to the contemplation desire of heauenly thinges But by the flesh they are thrust downe to earthly thinges troubled with the allurements of this naughtie world For euen the Apostle féeling that combat in himselfe sayed The flesh lusteth contrarie to the spirite and the spirite contrarie to the flesh For they are so at enimitie beetwixt theÌ„selues that what ye would ye cannot doe And in an other place he sayth Euen I the same doe in the minde serue the lawe of God but in the flesh the lawe of sinne And to help the matter forward withal there lackes no deceipt no craft and a thousand temptations of the subtile crafts maister our enimie the diuell Therefore the labour and perill of the true penitent that is of a Christian man is farre greater than that our prayers are comparable vnto it But now who doeth not here perceiue how great watching abstineÌ„ce constancie fortitude and patience are néedeful for those y doe repent What great néede they haue of earnest and continuall prayers Let vs in this sharpe conflict lay before our eyes the instruction of that valiaunt champion the Apostle Paule For that which he sayeth may be to vs in stéed of a large and ample commentarie For he will in fewe wordes passingly instruct vs how to behaue our selues in this troublesome combate how to vanquish howe to triumphe when the victorie is gotten In his Epistle to the Ephesians thus he sayth Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Put on al the armour of God that ye may stand against the assaults of the diuel For wee wrestle not against flesh and bloud onely but against rules against powers against worldly gouernours of the darckenesse of this world against spirituall subtiltis in heaueÌ„ly things Wherfore take vnto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all thinges to stand fast Stand therfore hauing your loynes girt about with the truth hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse your feete shodd in the preparation of the Gospell of peace Aboue all taking the shield of faith wherwith ye may quench al the sierie dartes of the wicked take the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirite which is the word of god Praying alwayes in al prayer supplication in the spirite and watching for the same wth all instance And so as followeth in the 6. to the Ephesians Here therfore are also to be rehearsed y outward exercises of repentance or rites of penaunce wherewith the Sainctes do exercise themselues partly to tame and kéepe vnder the motious of flesh and partly to testifie their repentaunce vnto the congregation Those exercises are carelessenes of the flesh teares sighes sackcloth fastings wéeping lamenting neglecting hatred of deintie diet trimming of the body and also of allowable pleasures which although they be done and yet do not procéed from the very heart and from true faith are notwithstanding nothing auaileable to him that vseth them But it is best héere to learne as it were in a painted table to behold them pictured in the word of god The Prophete Ioel sayth Turne ye to me sayth the Lord with all your heartes with fasting with weeping and with mourning and rent your heartes and not your garmentes and turne to the Lord your God for he is gratious mercifull slowe to anger and of great goodnesse he wil repent him of the euill Who knoweth whether the Lord wil returne take compassion and wil leaue behind him a blessing Blowe vp a truÌ„pet in Sion proclame fast call an assemblie sanctifie the coÌ„gregation gather the people gather the elders assemble the children and sucking babes Let the bridegrome come forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet Let the priests the Lords ministers weepe betwixte the porch and the altar and let them saye Spare thy people O Lord and giue not ouer thine heritage vnto reproch that the heathen should rule ouer them Wherfore
you in minde of them But now the moste renowmed and excellent one of them all I will héere recite and handle at large It is to be séene in the 33. and 34. Chapter of Exodus Moses had triall of the facilitie and goodnesse of God and that there was nothing which he obtained not at Gods hand therefore he taketh vpon him boldely to aske this also of the Lord to sée God in his substance glorie and maiestie whiche thing all the true wise menne of euerye age did onely wishe and long for For Moses saith because I vnderstand that thou O GOD wishect wel vnto me and that thou canst denie nothing go to I beséech thée shew me thy glorie that is suffer me I pray thée to sée thée so as thou art in thy glorious substance and maiestie Nowe GOD aunswering to this request which is the greatest of all other doeth say vnto him I will make all my good to passe by before thee and I will crye the name of the Lorde Or in the name of the Lorde before thee In whiche wordes he promiseth two things to Moses The one is All my good shall passe by before thée But this chiefe good of GOD can be nothing else than the good and mightie GOD him selfe or rather the word of God I say the very beloued sonne of God in whome wée beléeue that all the treasures of wisdome diuinitie goodnesse and perfectnesse are placed and layed vpp For he sett before Moses eyes the shew of him in a humane and visible shape suche in sight as he in the end of the world should be incarnate in The other thing that he promised is I wil cry the name of the Lord Or in the name of the Lord before thée that is I will proclame the names of my glorie by whiche thou maist vnderstand who I am and séeme in thy minde But now that no man should attribute so excellent a vision to the merite of Moses the Lord doeth add this sentence following This vision doth not happen to thée because of thine owne merite For without mans merites I reueale my selfe to whome I will and without respect of persons will haue compassion on whome it pleaseth me which consideratiō of the frée grace and liberall goodnesse of God doeth greatly belong to the true knowledge of god Then the lord goeth too againe and doeth more significantly declare to Moses in what maner and order he will exhibite or shew him selfe vnto him Thou mayest not saith he in this life sée my face that is thou mayest not fully sée me in my substance For that is reserued for the blessed spirits and clarified bodies in the worlde to come I will therefore in this fashion shew my selfe vnto thée Thou shalt go vp into the mounteine there in a rock I will shew thée a clifte wherin thou shalt place thée selfe and I will lay mine hand vppon thée that is a cloude or some such thing that as I come towarde thée thou mayest not looke directly in my face In that phrase of spéeche the Lorde doeth imitate the fashion of men whose order is to spredd their hands ouer the eyes of him whome they would not haue narrowely to beholde any thing The Lorde then addeth and in the meane while I will passe by that is the image whiche I take to wit the shape of a man wherein I will exhibite me selfe to be séene shall passe by before thee And when I am once past so that thou canst not sée my face I will take away the hand wherewith I hidd thine eyes and then thou shalt beholde the back of the figure or my hinder partes Now the hinder parte of GOD are the words and déeds of God which he leueth behinde him that we by thē may learne to knowe him Again the beholding of Gods face is taken for the moste exacte and exquisite knowledge of god But they that sée but the back onely doe not knowe so well as they that sée the face And in the hinder or latter times of the world God sent his sonne into the world borne of a womā whom who so euer doe in faithe beholde they doe not sée the Godhead in his humanitie but doe by his wordes and déedes knowe who God is and so they sée the father in the sonne For they learne that God is the chiefe good and that y sonne of God is God béeing coequall and of the same substance with the father Now let vs sée how God according to his promise made did exhibite him selfe to be séene of Moses Moses rising vpp betimes ascendeth vp into the mounteine chéerefully vnto the rocke which the Lord had shewed him placeing himselfe in the clift and looketh gréedilie for the vision or reuelation of god At length the Lord descended in a cloude and came vpon the mounteine vnto the clifte of the rocke wherein Moses stayed for him And presently when Moses his face was hidden the figure of God that is the shape of a man whiche God tooke vpon him did passe by before him and when as now the backe of the figure was towarde Moses so that he could no more sée the face thereof the Lorde tooke his hand away and Moses behelde the hinder partes of the same Whereby he gathered that GOD should once that is to say in the hinder times of the worlde be incarnate and reuealed to the world Of whiche reuelation we will héereafter speake somewhat more And when the Lord was once gone past he cryed and as his promise was so in a certaine Catalogue he reckoned vppe his names whereby as in a shadowe he did declare his nature For he saide Iehouah Iehouah GOD mercifull and gratious long suffering and abounding in goodnesse and trueth keeping mercie in store for thousandes forgiuing wickednesse transgression and sinne and yet not suffering the wicked to escape vnpunished visiting the wickednesse of the fathers vpon the children and childers children vnto the third and fourth generation What What else is this than if he had saide I am the vncreated essence béeing of my selfe from before all beginninge which giueth Being to all things and keepeth all thinges in Being I am a strong and almightie god I doe not abuse my might For I am gentle and mercifull I loue my creatures and man especially on whom I doe wholy yearne in the bowels of loue and mercie I am rich and bountifull and readie at all times to helpe my creatures I doe fréely without recompence giue al that I bestow I am long suffering and not irritable to anger and hasty to reuenge as mankinde is I am no nigarde or enuious as wealthie men in the world are woont to be I am moste liberall and bountifull reioycing to be diuided amonge my people and to heape vp benefites vpon the faithfull Moreouer I am true and faithfull I deceiue no man I lie in nothing what I promise that I stande to and faithfully perfourme it Neither doe I nor can I so
eyes of their minde vpon Christe and beléeue the mysterie of him conteined in woords déedes learning by them what who God is For God is such an one as he exhibiteth him selfe to be knoweÌ„ in Christ in that verie know ledge he doeth appoint eternall life to be where he saith And this is eternall life that they might knowe thee the only true God Iesus Christ whoÌ„e thou hast sent Let him y wisheth wel to himselfe take héede that he go not about to know any more than God him selfe doth teach vs in Christ But who soeuer neglecting Christ doth follow y rule subtilties of mans wit he verily doeth come to nought and perish in his thoughts The fourth meane to know god by is fetched out of the conteÌ„plation of his woorkes Dauid saith The heauens declare the glory of god and the firmament sheweth foorth the works of his bandes And the Apostle Paule saith His inuisible things beeing vnderstanded by his woorkes through the creation of the worlde are seene that is both his eternal power god head Loe the power and godhead of God are those inuisible things of God and yet they are vnderstoode by the coÌ„sideration of Gods workes therefore euen God him-selfe is knowne by the workes of god But now the workes of God are doubly considered or bée of twoe sorts For either they are layed before vs to be béehelde in thinges created for the behoofe of men as in heauen in earth in those things that are in heaueÌ„ and in earth and are gouerned and preserued by the prouidence of God of which sorte are the starres and the motions or courses of the starres the influences of heauen the course of time liuing creatures of all kindes trées plants fruites of the earth the sea and whatsoeuer is therein stones and whatsoeuer things are hid within and digged out of the earth for the vse of men Of these S. Basile S. Ambrose haue written very learnedly and godly in their bookes intituled The worke of sixe dayes the whiche they called Hexaemeron Héere may be inserted that history of nature which the glorious worthie king Dauid doth in the psalmes especially after the 100. psalme most fitly apply to our purpose But lest we shuld intangle make intricate the course of this preseÌ„t treatise I will hereafter speake of the creation of the world of gods gouernment prouidence in the same At this present it shal suffice to know the heaueÌ„ earth all that is therein do declare to vs and sette as it were before our cies an euident argument that God as he is moste wise is also most mightie woonderful of an infinite maiesty of an incomprehensible glorie moste iust most gratious and most excellent Esaie therefore a faithful teacher of the Church giuing good counsell for the state of mortall men doth say vnto them Lifte vp your eyes on high and consider who hath made these things that come foorthe by heapes calling them all by theire names whose strength is so great that none of them doth faile For although that euen from the beginning the starres haue shined to the worlde and haue in their course perfourmed that for which they were created yet are they not woarne by vse nor by continuance consumed awaye or darckened ought at all For by the power of their maker they are preserued whole Ieremie also cryeth O Lord there is none like vnto thee Thou art great and great is thy name with power Who woulde not feare thee O King of the gentiles For thine is the glorie for among all the wise men of the Heathen and in all their kingdoms there is none that may be likened vnto thee And immediatly after againe The Lord God is a true and liuing God and king If he be wroth the earth shaketh nether can the gentiles abide his indignation He made the earth with his power with his wisedome doth he order the whole compasse of the world and with his discretion hath he spred the hâ—auens out At his voice the waters gathered together in the aâ—re he draweth vpp the Cloudes from the vttermoste partes of the earthe he turneth lightning to raine bringeth the windes out of their tresures Or else the works of God are set foorth for vs to beholde in man the verie Lord prince of all creatures not so much in the workmanshipp or making of man whiche Lactantius and Andreas Wesalius haue passingly painted out for all men to sée as in the woorks which toward man or in man or by man the Lord him selfe doeth finish and bring to passe For God doeth iustly punish some men and by punishing them he doth declare that he knoweth the dealings of mortall men and hateth all wrong and iniurie Vppon other he heapeth vpp verie large and ample benefites and in béeing beuntifull vnto them he declareth that he is rich yea that he is the founteine of goodnesse that cannot be drawen dry that he is bountiful good merciful gentle and long suffering Héereof there are innumerable examples in the historie of the Bible Caine for the murder committed vppon his brother lyued here in earth a miserable wretched life For the iust lord doth reueÌ„ge the bloudshedd of the innocent The first world was drowned in the deluge a plague was layd it on for the conteÌ„pt of god But Noah and his were sauedin the Arke by the mercie of God. God bringeth Abraham from Vr of the Chaldées and placeth him in the land of Chanaan blessing and loading him with all manner of goods He doeth woonderfullie kéepe Iacob in all his troubles infinite calamities Through great afflictions he lifteth vp Ioseph froÌ„ the prison vnto the throne of Aegypt He doth gréeuously plague the Aegyptians for the tyrannie shewed in oppressing Israel and for the contempt of his commaundement But it would be too longe and tedious to make a beadrowe of all the examples Now by these and such like workes of GOD we learne who and howe greate our GOD is howe wise hée is howe good howe mightie howe liberall howe iuste and rightful and with-all we learne that we must beéeue and in althings obey him For Asaph sath The things that we haue heard and knowen and such as our fathers haue told vs those we will not hide froÌ„ our sonnes but wil shew to the generations to come the praise of the Lorde his mightie and woonderfull workes which hee hath done that the children whiche are borne when they come to age may shewe their children the same that they may putt theire truste in God and not forget the woorkes of God but kepe his commandements And so as foloweth in the 78. psalme An other waye to knowe God by next to this is that which is gathered vpon comparisons for the Scripture doeth compare all the moste excellent things in the world with God whoÌ„e it preferreth before them all so that we may
thereby gather that God is the chiefe good that his maiestie is in coÌ„prehensible This one place of Esay may staÌ„d in sted of many where in the 40. cha he saith Who hath measured the waters with his fist Who hath mesured heauen with his span Who hath helde the dust of the earth betwixt three fingers and weighed the mounteines and hilles in a balance Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord who gaue him counsell who taught him who is of his counsell to instruct him Beholde all people are in comparison of him as a droppe of a bucket full and counted as the least thing that the balance weigheth Yea he shall cast out the Isles as the smallest crumb of dust Libanus were not sufficient to minister him wood to burne nor the beasts thereof were in ough for one sacrifice vnto him All people in comparison of him are reckoned as nothing and if they bee compared with him they are couÌ„ted as lesse than nothing Vnderstand ye not this hath it not bene preached vnto you since the beginning haue ye not beene taughte this by the fouÌ„dation of the earth It is he that sitteth vpon the circle of the world whose inhabiters are in coÌ„parison of him but as Grashoppers He spredeth out the heauens as a couering stretcheth theÌ„ out as a tent to dwell in He bringeth princes to nothing and maketh the Iudges of the earth as though they were not And so foorth To this place now doe belong the Prosopopeiall spéeches of God of which thou shalt finde suÌ„drie and many beside the visions which we placed in the second way or meane to know god But the moste excellent are extant in the 18. Psalme and in the 5. Chapter of Solomons Ballad bothe which I passe ouer vntouched because I meane not to stay you too long For we muste descend to the other points Last of all God is knowen by the sayings or sentences vttered by the mouthes of the Prophetes Apostles Of which sorte is that notable spéech of Ieremie where he saith Let not the wise man glorie in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glorie in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord and doe mercie iudgement and righteousnesse vpon earth therefore am I delighted in suche things alone saith the Lord. Now by the mercie of God we are saued and adorned with sundrie great benefites By his iudgement he punisheth the wicked and disobedient according to their deserts and therewithal he kéepeth equitie Euen as also his righteousnes doeth truely perfourme that which he promisseth Therefore we say that God is a sauiour a liberall giuer of all good things an vpright iudge assured trueth in performing his promisses And hether now is to be referred the doctrine of the Prophets and apostles which teacheth that to be the true knowledge of God y acknowledgeth God to be one in essence and thrée in persons Concerning the vnitie of the diuine essence by the allegation whereof the pluralitie of the heathen Gods are vtterly reiected and flatly condemned I will cite those testimonies out of the holie Scripture that séeme to be more euidente and excellent than all the other which are in number so many that a man canne hardely reckon them all The notablest is that whiche is grounded vppon the Propheticall and Euangelicall authoritie and béeing cited out of the 6 Chap. of Deuteronomie is in the 12. of Marke set downe in these words Iesus said The first of all the commaundements is Hearken Israel the Lord our GOD is one lord And thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule with all thy minde and with all thy strength This is the first commandement and the second like this is thou shalt loue thy neighboure as thee selâ—e There is none other commaundement greater than these It followeth now in the Gospell And the Scribe said Well maister thou hast saide the trueth that there is one god that there is none other but he and that to loue him with all the hart with all the minde with all the soule and with all the strength and to loue a mans neighboure as him selfe is greater than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices With this testimonie also doe all the other notable ones agrée that are in the lawe For in the 20. of Exodus we reade that the Lord him selfe with his owne mouthe did in mount Sina say I am the Lord thy GOD which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage haue thou none other Gods but me Againe Moses in the end of his Song bringeth in GOD saying Se now how that I I am GOD and there is none other God but I. I kill and make aliue againe I wound and I heale neither is there any that can deliuer out of my hand With the testimonies in the lawe doe those of the Prophets also agrée For Dauid in the 18. Psalme saith The way of God is an vndefiled way the worde of the Lorde also is tryed in the fire He is the defender of all them that put their truste in him For who is God but the Lord or who hath any strength except our God There are of this sorte many other places in the volume of the Psalmes The Lord in Esaie and by Esaie cryeth and saieth I am the Lord Hu is my name and my glorie will I not giue vnto any other nor mine honoure to grauen images I am the first and the laste and beside me there is no god And who is like to me If any be let him call foorthe and openly shewe the thing that is past and lay before me what hath chaunced since I appointed the people of the worlde and let him tell what shall happen hereafter and come to passe I the Lorde do all-things I spred out the heauens alone and I onely haue layed foorthe the earth by mee selfe I make the tokens of witches of none effect and make the soothsayers fooles As for the wise I turne them backwarde and make their wisedome foolishnesse I set vpp the word of my seruant and doe fulfill the counsells of my messingers I am the Lorde and there is else none which created light and darcknesse and maketh peace and trouble yea euen I the Lord doe all these things To these testimonies of the Prophetes we will nowe add one or two out of Sainct Paule the great instructer and Apostle of the Gentiles He in his Epistle to Timothie saith There is one GOD and one mediatour of GOD and men the man Christe Iesus And againe he saith One Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all and through all and in you all Againe the same Apostle to the Corinthians saith There is none other God but one And though there bee
the admonition of the most wise man Iesus Syrache saying Seeke not out the things that are too hard for thee neither search after things which are too mightie for thee But what God hath commaunded thee thinke thou alwayes therevpon and bee not too curious in many of his workes for it is not needfull for thee to see with thine eyes the things that be secrete In the meane time truly they do not contemne neither yet neglect those things which it hath pleased God by the open scriptures to reueale to his seruants touching this matter Of Gods foreknowledge there are many testimonies especially in the prophecie of Isaie chapter 41. and in the chapters following whereby also the Lorde doth declare that he is the true god Furthermore God by his eternall and vnchaungeable counsel hath foreappointed who are to be saued and who are to be condēmned Now the end or the decrée of life and death is short and manifest to al the godly The end of predestination or foreappointment is Christe the sonne of God the father For God hath ordeydeined and decréed to saue all howe many so euer haue communion and felowship with Christ his only begotten sonn and to destroy or condemne all howe many so euer haue no part in the communion or fellowship of Christe his onely sonne Nowe the faithfull verily haue fellowship with Christ and the vnfaithful are straungers from Christ For Paule in his Epistle to the Ephesians sayth God hath chosen vs in Christe before the foundations of the world were layd that we should be holy and without blame before him through loue who hath predestinate vs into his sonnes through Iesus Christ into him selfe according to the good pleasure of his will that the glorie of his grace may be praysed wherewith he is pleased with vs in his beloued Loe God hath chosen vs and he hath chosen vs before the foūdations of the world were layde yea he hath chosen vs that we shoulde be without blame that is to be heires of eternall life howbeit in Christe by and through Christe hath he chosen vs And yet againe more plainer hee hath predestinate vs saith he to adopt vs into his sonnes but by Christe and that too hath he done fréely to the intent that to his diuine grace glory might be giuen Therefore who so euer are in Christ are chosen and elected For Iohn the Apostle saieth Who so hath the sonne hathe life who so hathe not the sonne of god hath not life With the doctrine of the Apostles agréeth that also of the Gospell For in the Gospell the Lorde sayth This is the will of him that sent me the father that euerie one whiche seeth the sonne and beleeueth in him shoulde haue euerlasting life and I will raise him vp in the last day Loe this is the will or eternall decrée of GOD saith he that in the sonne by faith we should be saued Againe on the contrarie part touching those that are predestinate to death the Lorde saith He that beleeueth not is condemned alreadie bycause hee hath not beleeued in the name of the onely begotten sonne of god And this is the condemnatiō that light is come into the world and men haue loued darknesse more than light Therefore if thou aske me whether thou art elected to lyfe or predestinate to death that is whether thou arte of the number of them that are to be damned or that are to be saued I answere simply out of the scripture bothe of the Euangelistes and the Apostles If thou haste communion or fellowship with Christe thou art predestinate to life and thou arte of the number of the elect and chosen but if thou be a straunger from Christe howe so euer otherwise thou seeme to flourish in vertues thou arte predestinate to death and foreknowledged as they say to damnation Higher and déeper I wil not créepe into the seate of Gods counsell And here I rehearse againe the former testimonies of Scripture God hath predestinate vs to adopt vs into his sonnes through Iesus Christe This is the will of God that who so beleeueth in the sonne should liue and who so beleeueth not shoulde dye Faithe therefore is a moste assured signe that thou art elected and whiles thou art called to the Communion of Christe and art taught faith the most louing GOD declareth towardes thée his election and good will. The simpler sort verily are greatly tempted and excéedingly troubled with the question of election For the diuell goeth about to throwe into their myndes the hate of GOD as though he enuyed vs oure saluation and had appointed and ordeyned vs to death That he may the more easily persuade this vnto vs he laboureth tooth and nayle wickedly to inféeble and ouerthrowe our fayth as though our saluation were doubtfull whiche leaneth and is stayed vppon the vncerteine election of god Against these fierie weapons the sernauntes of GOD doe arme their heartes with cogitations and comfortes of this sorte fetched out of the Scripture Gods Predestination is not stayed or stirred with any worthinesse or vnworthinesse of oures but of the méere grace and mercie of GOD the father it respecteth Christe alone And bycause our saluation doth stay onely vppon him it can not but be most certeine For they are wrong that thinke those that are to be saued to life are predestinate of GOD for the merites sake or good workes whiche GOD did foresée in them For notably sayeth the Apostle Paule Hee hath chosen vs in Christe into him self according to the good pleasure of his will that the glory of his grace might bee praysed And againe It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Againe GOD hathe saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace whiche was giuen vnto vs throughe Christe Iesus before the worlde was but is nowe made manifest by the appearing of oure Lorde Iesus Christe Fréely therefore of his meere mercy not for our desarts but for Christes sake not but in Christe hath he chosen vs and for Christes sake doth embrace vs bycause he is our father and a louer of men Of whome also speaketh the Prophete Dauid The Lorde is full of compassion and mercy slowe to anger and of great kindenesse And as a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lorde compassion on them that feare him for he knoweth wherof wee bee made and remembereth that we are but dust Moreouer in the Prophete Isaie we reade Can a woman forget her childe and not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe Though she should forget yet will not I forget thee Truely in Christe the onely begotten sonne of God exhibited vnto vs GOD the Father hath declared what greate store he setteth by vs Therevpon doth the Apostle gather Who spared not his sonne but gaue him for vs al howe can
word Colere is in Latine of large signification For we say Colere amicitiam to mainteine frendship Colere literaruÌ„ studia to loue learning Colere arua to till or husband our lands and Colere senes to reuerence olde men We in this place vse Colere for Seruire that is in all pointes like a seruant to be dutifull and to shewe him selfe obedient to reuerence or haue in veneration and to â—e worshippe The Hebricians vse their worde Abad which the Latine interpretour translateth Seruiuit coluit or sacrificauit that is he serued worshipped or sacrificed In the booke of Kings thou dost reade And Achab serued Baal worshipped him The GreciaÌ„s cal this seruice either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The one is taken for the other though in déede Seruire to serue be more than Colere to worshippe For thou canst abide without any adoe to worship some man but to serue the same thou canst not so well away withall We say therefore that the seruice of God is a seruice whereby men submit them selues reuerently vnto God and obey him and according to his will worship him They therefore serue God which serue him earnestly behaue them selues duetifully in obeying him seruing him inwardly and outwardly as he hath appointed For the seruice of God is two-fold or of two sortes The true and the false TheÌ„ true is called true religion true fayth and godlinesse The false is called superstition idolatrie and vngodlinesse For that is the true seruice of God which springeth from the true feare of God from a sincere fayth whiche submitteth it selfe to God alone and applyeth it selfe in all things to the will of god The false seruice consisteth in the contrarie Touching the whiche we will say more when we come to speake of superstition The true seruice of God is diuided againe for perspicuitie or plainenesse sake into the inward seruice of God and the outward The inwarde seruice is knowne to God alone who is the searcher of heartes For it is occupyed in the feare of God and perfect obedience in fayth hope and charitie from whence doe spring the worshipping of God the calling vpon him thankesgiuing patience perseueraunce chastitie innocencie weldoing and the rest of the fruites of the spirite For with these giftes of God and spirituall thinges God who is a spirite is truly serued Without these no seruice is allowed of God howe so euer in the sight of men it séeme gay glorious and pure This seruice of god hath testimonies both diuine and humane but firste of all of the Lawe the Prophetes and the Apostles For in the lawe Moses sayth And nowe Israel what doth the Lorde thy God require of thee but that thou shouldest feare the Lorde thy God and walke in all his wayes that thou shouldest loue him and that thou shouldest serue the Lord thy God with all thy hart and with all thy soul that thou shouldest keepe the commaundements of the Lord and his ordinaunces whiche I coÌ„mand thee this day for thy welth Micheas the Prophet bringeth in one asking questions concerning the true seruice of God in what thinges the same consisteth and he maketh answere I will shewe thee O man what is good and what the lord doth require of thee surely to do iustly or iudgement to loue mercy and to huÌ„ble thy selfe to walke with thy God. S. Paule the Apostle sayth I besech you brethren by the mercies of god that ye giue vp youre bodies a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God whiche is your reasonable seruing of god And fashion not your selues like vnto this world but be ye chaunged by the renuing of youre minde that ye may proue what is the wil of god and what is good and acceptable and perfect The same Apostle comprehending in few words the true seruice of God to be a turning from Idols vnto God and the fayth of Iesus Christ sayth They of Macedonia and other nations or quarters shewe of you how you are turned to God from Idols that ye might serue the liuing and true god and loke for his sonne from heauen whom he raysed from the dead euen Iesus who deliuereth vs from the wrath to come Moreouer S. Iames the Apostle saith Pure religion and vndefiled before God the father is this to visite the fatherlesse or orphanes and widowes in their aduersitie and to kepe him selfe vnspotted of the worlde These diuine and euident testimonies of holy scripture declare plentifully enough dearely beloued which is the true inward seruice of god Humane testimonies neuertheles nothing disagréeing from diuine verie many and euery where found in Ecclesiasticall writers Lactantius lib. Institut 6. cap. 9. sayth Therefore the knowledge of God and his seruice is all in all In this consisteth all the hope and saluation of man this is the first step or degrée of wisedome that we shoulde knowe who is oure true father that we should reuerence him alone with due godlinesse that wee should obey him and most deuoutly serue him and to obteyne his fauour let all labour care and industrie be bestowed Of this kinde the same authour citeth other testimonies also largely in the tenth chapter of the same booke and in the firste chapter of his booke De vero Dei cultu he giueth vs manifest But in stead of many we like well the citing of that one testimonie touching the true seruice of God fréely vttered by the mouth of a Romane martyr before iudge Asclepiades at y Romane Consistorie For after he had both couragiously and religiously tolde what God was in person and what in substance he addeth Thou knowest God nowe vnderstand as well The fourme and man-ner how he serued is What kynd of Church it is where he doth dwell What gifts to giue he thought it not amisse What vowes he askes whome he beside all this Will haue his priestes and in his Church like-wise What he commaundes to bring for sacrifice Vnto him selfe euen in the minde of man A Church he hath vouchsafed vp to reare A liuely feeling breathing Church which can Not sundered be faire beautifull and cleare And neuer like destructions dint to feare With loftie top and painted pleasantlie With coloures fresh of great diuersitie At th' holy porch a priest is standing there And keepes the doores before the Church which beene Fayth is her name a virgine chast and cleare Her haire tyed vp with fillets like a Queene For sacrifices simple pure and cleene And which she knowes are pleasing bids this priest Offer to God and to his deare sonne Christ A shamefast looke a meeke and harmelesse hart The rest of Peace a body pure and chaste The feare of GOD which sinners doth conuart The rule like-wise of knowledge truly plaste A sober fast from all excessiue waste Of Gluttonie an hope which doth not faint A liberall hand which giues without restraint From these oblations a vapour doth
histories declare more largelie Of this King Christ the Prophets prophecying said And in mercie shal the seate be prepared and he shall sitt vpon it in trueth in the tabernacle of Dauid iudging and seeking iudgement and making haste vnto righteousnes And againe Beholde the time commeth saith the Lorde that I will raise vp the righteous brauÌ„che of Dauid which King shall beare rule he shall prosper with wisdome and shall set vp equitie and righteousnes againe in the earth In his time shall Iuda be saued and Israel shall dwell without feare and this is the name that they shall call him The Lorde our righteousnesse And because our Lord is a king therefore be must néeds haue a kingdome As well the realme dominion subiecte to a kinge is called a kingdoÌ„e as principalitie empire power maÌ„ner of gouernment it selfe Therefore the church the communion or fellowship of saints béeing obedient subiect to their king Christe is called the kingdoÌ„e of god For Micheas saith And the Lord shall reigne ouer them in mount Sion therfore Sion which signifieth the church is the kingdome of god And god is said to reigne when in the church he ruleth gouerneth kéepeth defendeth those that be his and indueth and maketh theÌ„ fruitful with diuerse graces For Paule saith The kingdome of God is not meate and drink but righteousnes peace ioy in the holy ghost Moreouer the kingdome of god is that eternall glorie felicitie which God dâ—eth communicate to his elect For the Lord saith in the gospel Comeye blessed of my father inherit the kingdome which is prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world And the théefe euen at point of death making his praâ—er to the Lord who was redy to dye on the crosse desiring to bee â—artaker of this kingdoÌ„e saith Lord remember me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome â–ª Againe since y gospel teacheth vs how God reigneth in vs in this world in time to translate vs vnto him self into that other that is since the gospell is that thing by which the Lord reareth vp his dominion it is not vnaduisedly called of Matthew in his 13. cap. the kingdome of god In another place for the same cause it is called the word of the kingdome To be short we at this preseÌ„t by the kingdome of God vnderstand the coÌ„gregation of saints it self the catholique church I meane and the power or administratioÌ„ of God reigning therein that is preseruing gouerning glorifying the same And this kingdome of god is verily but only one for ther is but one God only one king Christ only one church â— life â—uerlasting But his one kingdome of god according to he dispensation 〈…〉 two wayes First acording to y omâ—ipotencie of god For he 〈◊〉 he iâ— the highest omnipotent hath executeth ouer all creatures visible inuisible â—oste iust rule and equall powerâ— nill they or will they be obedient Secondly according to his spirits whereby he reigneth in his elect And so y kingdoÌ„e of God is againe two waies coÌ„sidered For either it is earthly is called the kingdome of grace or else it is heauenlye and is called the kingdome of glorie The earthly kingdome of grace is not therefore called earthly as though it were carnall earthly like the kingdome of Babylon Persia Alexander or Rome but because it is on earth For a good parte of the holie churche of God is conuersant on this earth beeing partaker of flesh bloud while it â—â—eth on the earth though it liue not an earthly life according to the â—â—esh For acording to the spirit whereby it is ruled it liueth a heauenly life Not that the partakers of the kingdome of God sinne not For the iust man falleth riseth seuen times in a day Whervpon it is also called the kingdome of grace For as long as we liue in this world our King Lord neuer denyeth his grace mercie to vs that craue pardon And the faithfull doe wholie hange vppon the grace of their king they embrace continuall repentance and endeuor theÌ„ selues to things of more perfectnesse For they frame all that they do according to the lawes of their king prince For he reigneth in his elect by the worde of truth and by the holie ghost By the word of truethe hee teacheth what the Saintes should doe and what they should auoide By his holie spirit he moueth their hartes and giueth strength to 〈◊〉 euill and followe that is good For truely our king reigneth not so much for him self as for vs For he maketh vs also kinges that we béeing deliuered from the diuell damnation sinne and the curse may be Lords ouer the diuel damnation sinne and the cursse yea ouer all thinges and ioynâ—t-heires with the sonne of God him self For these causes the kingdoÌ„e of God is called a spirituall kingdoÌ„e For the partakers of the kingdome of God indued with the spirite of God doe bring foorth the fruites of the spirit not the works of the flesh and to be short are gouerned with the spirit of god Neither truelie doeth our Lorde reigne after the manner of the kinges of this worlde sayinge to Pilate My kingdome is not of this worlde Which sentence some abuse gathering y there is no ouâ—ward gouernemeÌ„t in the church of God vnder whiche name they also take away the office of a Magistrate and speake so subtilely of the kingdome of God that a man cannot tell where the kingdome of God is or who be partakers of this kingdome They vnderstand nâ—t that the meaning must bee gathered vppon the occasion of that saying The Iewes accusing the Lorde before Pilate laide to his charge that he ambition flye sought after a kingdome The lord clering him self of this crime sheweth Pilate that his kingdome shal not be such a one whiche after hee had cast out Tiberius Caesar should be gotten and kepte with armes and be gouerned after the manner of this worlde declaring that he addeth If my kingdome were of this world then would my seruaunts surely fighte that I should not bee deliuered to the Iewes Therefore he inferreth But now is my kingdome not from hence therefore they fight not for me to place main the throne of the kingdome Tiberius béeing cast out And anon he saith For this cause was I borne and for this cause came I into the worlde that I should beare witnesse vnto the truethe and all that are of the truethe heare mye voice As therefore Christ by trueth not by lyinge deceipts and craftie practises like the Princes of this worlde prepareth him selfe a kingdome so by trueth he doeth bothe reteine gouerne his kingdome and whosoeuer imbrace trueth are partakers of Christes kingdome whether they be princes or of the coÌ„monaltie all these obey the voice of their king and serue their highest prince Héere neuerthelesse we expresly add y Kings can no
for heauen or the place of blessednesse as the left hande for hell or the place of damnation Therefore this is his meaning When thou art deade thou shalt remaine for euer either 〈…〉 agreeable to the heaueÌ„ly For S. Cypriâ— against Demetrianâ—s sayth When we shall bee departed hence there is then no place of repetance 〈…〉 value Here life is eyther lost or gotten Here is prouision made for eternall saluation by the seruing of god and the fruite of fayth They obiect againe That souls when they depart from the body are purged in déede by the bloud of the sonne of God but not fully for there remaines some filth to be washed away in Purgatoriâ— For they depart out of this worlde not hauing a full and perfect sayth therefore they be not altogether good and again since they haue some fayth they be not altogether euill bicause they are not perfectly good they cannot enter into heauen againe since they are not altogether euil they caÌ„not be daÌ„ned and therefore there remayneth a middle place wherein they may be fully tryed and at the length being purified may be presented â—â—to the sight of god But these mâ—n after their manner 〈◊〉 what they 〈◊〉 But we haue shewed by the holie scriptures that the souls of the faithfull are purged by the onely bloud â—â— the sonne of God through 〈◊〉 and not by purgatorie Nowe will I also shewe in that whiche followeth that the sinnes of all men are puriâ—â—edfully that is to say moste absolutely by the onely sacrifice of Christe and further that by the grace of God in the bloude of Christe is forgiuen in the verie instant of death whatsoeuer infirmitie remnants of sinne are behinde in the soules of the faithfull departing from the body For the Lorde saith in the gospel He that is washed needeth not saue to washe his feete 〈…〉 euery whâ—â— Beholde he 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 washed by the grace of Christ so that the 〈…〉 of the féete that is to say the infirmitâ—e and imperfection whiche remaineth after regeneration caÌ„not bring him againe into the number of those that are vncleane For the Lord sayth againe in the Gospell And for their sakes sanctifie I my self that they also might bee sanctified through the truth The Lorde gaue vp himselfe to be a sacrifice for oure sinnes to the ende that we might be sanctified that is purged from oure sinnes truly that is to say fully and 〈◊〉 perfectly For Paule sayth For with one offering hath he made perfâ—st for euer them that are sanctified â–ª Mark I pray you y apostles words Christ with one oblatioÌ„ Lo he saith with one hath perfectly sanctified al that are sanctified are made heires of eternall life Herevpon we gather If by the one sacrifice of Christ once offered for vs al soules are purified and that in déede perfectly purified so that there is nothing waÌ„ting to their puâ—â—fying what I praye you findeth Purgatorie to purifie Therefore it is a shamelesse forgerie and horrible blaspheâ—â—ie against the merite of the purifying of IESVS CHRIST the some of god If there séeme any thing to be diminished or wanting vnto the soule nowe departing Christe by his grace performeth and maketh it vp whilest it is yet in the worlde It is a wicked speach and vnworthy to be heard among christian people that by oure sufferings in Purgatorie that is fulfilled whiche was not as yet fully satisfied with the bloud and passion of Christ As if our suffrings were better more effectual than the passion of that sonne of God. Thâ—se men obieâ—te vnto vs the weaknesse of faith in them that dye and we â—n the other side obiect vnto them the mercie of God fully pardoning his faithfull people The father of the Lunatique mentioned in the Gospell requiring helpe of the Lord heareth If thou caÌ„st beleeue to wit that I am able to heale thy sonne al things are possible to him that beleeueth And albeit he felt his fayth not altogether perfect but that therein remayned much weakenesse yet the helpe of God was not hindered by the weaknesse thereof For bycause he humbly submitted him selfe wholy vnto the mercy of the Lorde beséeching and saying Lord I beleeue help my vnbeliefe the Lorde by and by succoured him and without delaye healed his sonne So there is no dout that the most mercifull Lorde will fayle his faithfull people to whom he hath promised most full forgiuenesse acknowledging their weakenesse in the houre of death and therefore also calling for the mercy of God but that vppon the instant of the going out of the soule he forth with perfectly â—anctifieth it with his spirtie for Christes sake and beautifieth it with all kynd of graces that being truely purged from all filthe of sinnes it maye flée vp and deserue to appeare in the presence of god And this shoulde be beaten into the heades of them that are a dying For there are extant most large promises of god there are extant examples of many holy men dying and calling vpon god Furthermore it is certeine by those thinges which we haue already alledged that the death of Christ hath made ful satisfaction for sinnes so that nowe there remayneth nothing further to â—e 〈◊〉 wâ—th the fire of purgatorie Souls after the death of the â—â—dy 〈◊〉 the right 〈…〉 heauen taking nothing 〈…〉 them which â—â— it dâ—th purging Therefore that fire of purgatorie is nothing else in verie déeâ—e than a traâ—â—â—que or merchandize of most couetâ—â—s meÌ„ whereby craftily and cunningly they purge the pursses not the soules both of rich and poore These men by and by vnderprop their purgatorie building which is a falling with two postes The first is this They of olde say they prayed for the saluation of soules separated from the body therfore there is a purgatorie For since in heauen they haue no néed of prayers surely in hel prayers do no good since in hell is no redemption truely there is a middle place left wherein soules are kepte vnto whom the prayers of the liuing doe good that place is Purgatorie Thus in déede they reason howbeit imagining all thinges of their owne heades without the authoritie of the scriptures But this is that they haue to say That they of old prayed for the deade I knowe what Augustine that famous doctour of the Churche what Chrysostome that golden-mouthed man and other auncient and notable men haue lâ—â—t written touching this matter But I aske the question Whether that whiche they did were well done For not all thinges which the holy fathers sayd and did who oftentimes haue suffered somthing of maÌ„s inuention are absolutely to be alowed or followed Those things are not to be allowed and folowed which are set down by them against the decrées of the scripture which thing they theÌ„ selues vnfeinedly confesse but those things onely whiche are vttered and confirmed by the authoritie of holie scriptures which 〈…〉 of godlynesse But thou 〈…〉 nothing in them
the benefite of Christes sanctification not that by her selfe while she is in the flesh she is without spot but for that those spots in déede otherwise cleauing vnto her through the innocencie of Christ to those that imbrace Christe by faith are not imputed sinally for that the selfe same church in the world to come shall be without spot or wrinckle For hauing put off the fleshe cast off all miseries it shal at length be brought to passe that she shall want nothing Besides this it is saide that the church is without spot because of the continuall studie of the church wherby she laboureth and traueileth by all meanes that as farre as it is possible she may haue as fewe spottes as maye be And by that meanes and chiefly by the benefite of imputation the church erreth not but is moste pure and without sinne Moreouer as touching doctrine and faith the church of Christ doth not erre For it heareth the voice of the shepeherd only but the voice of straungers she knoweth not for she followeth her onely shepheard Christ saying I am the light of the world he that followeth me shal not walk in darknesse but shall haue the light of life Paule also to Timothie saith These thinges hitherto haue I writtē vnto thee that thou maist know how thou oughtest to behaue thy selfe in the house of God whiche is the Church of the liuing God the piller and grounde of trueth But the Churche is the piller and ground of truth for that being stablished vppon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles Christe him selfe which is the euerlasting truth of God the only strength of the church receiueth this by fellowship which it hath with him that she also mighte be the piller and foundation of the truth For the truth of God is in the church and the same throgh the ministerie of the church is spread abroade and being assaulted and warred againste by the enimies abiding sure is not ouercome so farfoorth as being made one body with Christe she doth perseuere in the fellowship of Christe without whome she can do nothing Againe the same church doth erre in doctrine and faith as oftēn as she turning from Christ and his word goeth after men and the counsels and decrées of the flesh For she forsaketh that thing that hath hitherto stayd that she erred not which is the word of God and Christ I thinke no man will denie that the greate congregation of the people of Israell in the desert was an excellent Churche of God with the whiche the Lord made a couenaunt and bounde him selfe vnto it by Sacraments and ordinances And yet howe shamefully she erred whilest neglecting Gods word Aaron the high priest of religiō not cōstantly earnestly resisting she both made a molten calfe worshipped it as a God no man is ignorant Where also surely it shal be necessary more diligētly to looke into and mark the whole number of the church For many in the church erring it foloweth not that none at all is frée from error For as in the churche of Israell the Lord reserued a rēnant to him selfe I meane Moses Iosua vndoubtedly many moe as wel in the cōgregatiō as else-where without whiche did neuer worship the calfe so there is no doubt althoughe there doe manye erre in the Church but that the Lord through his mercie doeth preserue to himselfe a certeine number who both vnderstād a-right and by whose faithfull diligence errours are destroyed and the wandering flocke of the Lord brought backe againe into the holy fould The Church therfore is said to erre when a parte of it hauing loste Gods word doeth erre and the same erreth not wholie and altogether forasmuch as certeine remnauntes through the grace of God are reserued by whome the trueth maye flourishe againe and may againe be spred abroad in euery place S. Paule called the Churches of the Corinthians and Galathians The holie churches of God yet these erred greatly in doctrine in faith and in manners And yet who doubteth that there were many amonge them who were most sincere followers of the pure doctrine preached by Sainct Paule That holy Church therefore erred so farre forth as it cōtinued not stedfastly in true doctrine and it erred not so farre foorth as it departed not from the truth deliuered by the Apostles From hence it plainly appeareth to the whole world that those are most vaine lyars which commend vnto vs Churches not builded vppon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles but vppon the decrées of men which they shame not to commend vnto vs for most true Churches and such as cannot erre Dauid cryeth out Onely God is true and euery man a lyar Ieremie also cryeth They haue reiected the woord of the Lord and what wisedome is in them Therfore those Churches doe erre neither bee they the true Churches of god The true Church groundeth vppon Christ Iesus and is gouerned by his woorde onelye Vnto this treatise of the woord of God which is the onely rule whereby all thinges are done in the Church the disputation of the power of the church of God in earth of the studies thereof which also are directed according to the word of God is verie like But before I wil bring forth my iudgement that is to say the iudgement deliuered by the Scriptures I will briefly rehearse the summe of those things whiche the Papistes haue lefte in writing concerning this matter and doe vndoubtedly mainteine for sounde doctrine Iohn Gerson not much amisse vnlesse he haue an ill interpreter hath defined Ecclesiasticall authoritie to be a power supernaturally and spiritually giuen of the Lord to his disciples and to their lawefull successours vnto the ende of the world for the edification of the Church Militant according to the lawes of the Gospell for the obteyning of eternall felicitie But Peter de Aliaco the Cardinal sayth that this authoritie is sixe-fould to witt of consecration of administring the sacraments of appointing ministers of the Church of preaching of iudiciall correction and receyuing thinges necessarie vnto this life They call that the power of consecration whereby a priest being rightly ordered maye consecrate the body bloud of Christ on the altar This power they say was giuē to the disciples of the Lord by these words Doe this in the remēbraunce of mee But vnto the priestes in these dayes they thinke it to be giuen of the bishop giuing with the bread the chalice and saying Receiue ye power to offer vp to consecrate Christes bodie both for the quicke and the dead This moreouer they call the power of orders and a marke or character that cānot be wyped out The power of administring the sacraments chiefly of the sacrament of Penance they call the power of the keyes The keyes they make of two sortes The keyes of knowledge that is to say the authoritie of knowledge in the cause of a sinner makinge
that whiche they aske it doeth not proue that prayer is altogether vnprofitable for it is ofteÌ„times profitable for him that prayeth not to receiue his requestes There are moreouer many causes for the whiche God either putteth off the things that are asked or doeth not graunt them There is a kind of men which pray of whome we read written He that stoppeth his â—are at the crie of the poore shal crie himselfe not be heard Againe Though ye make many prayers yet will I heare nothing at all seeing your handes are full of bloud So againe in Solomon Wisedome cryeth testifying that she will not heare them that call on her because they would not first heare her giuing them warning in time All these things in a maÌ„ner are gathered from the person of them that pray from the thing it selfe which they pray for that whiche followeth is deriued S. Iames sayeth Yee aske and receiue not because ye aske amisse euen to consume it vpon your lustes For the Lord also aunswering two euen of his chosen disciples which required the highest roomes in the kingdome of Christ saith Ye knowe not what ye aske Furthermore holy men when they aske holy and necessarie things or at the least not vniust or euil whiche neuerthelesse they receiue not of the Lord they forthwith thincke that God is a God of iudgement and iustice and therefore that hee will not immediatly deliuer out of afflictions yet desire they deliuerance with continuall prayers Whome the Lord loueth he chasteneth whome he chasteneth he doeth not to this end to destroy them but that they should not be condeÌ„ned with the wicked world For it is lawefull in such distresses to pray with Dauid Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither chasten me in thy displeasure And with Ieremie Lord â—orrecte me in iudgement not in furie And with Abacuch WheÌ„ thou art angrie remeÌ„ber thy mercie The godly doubt nothing of the power goodnes of God to men ward That which God will and which is profitable for the children of God god can do Innumerable examples of this thing the old new testament doth affoard vs Wherefore when we are not deliuered when we obteine not our desires it is most sure that God wil haue it so and that it is profitable for vs it should so be By this meanes he heareth our prayers when he heareth vs For our prayers tend to this end onely that it might go wel with vs God since he is onely wise knoweth what can profite and what can hurt vs and doth not giue vs y we aske yet by not giuing he in verie déed grauÌ„teth that whiche is good for vs Therefore the lawful prayer of the faithful is alwaies effectual and euermore obteineth his purpose the Lord gaunting to his that which he knoweth to be good Furthermore the Lord deferreth to perfourme that whiche is asked yea and at somtime séemeth altogether to neglecte our prayers but hee doeth that by prolonging to trie his that he may make their faith the more feruent and his giftes also more acceptable whiche are so much the more ioyfully receiued by how much they are looked for by an ardent desire In this temptation let that saying of the prophete comfort vs Can a woman forgett her child not haue compassion on the sonne of her owne wombe Though they shuld forget yet wil not I forget thee For the church had said God hath forsaken me my Lord hath forgotten me Let vs now coÌ„sider what maner of prayer that shuld be which he y calleth on God vseth That question cannot bee better resolued than by weighing the chiefest circumstances First therefore let vs consider who must bee called vppon of them that pray None verily but the one and only god For thrée things are required of him whiche is prayed vnto First that he heare the prayers of all the men in the whole world that he pierce and exactly know their hearts yea that he know more rightly and better all the desires of men than men themselues can vtter them Secondly that he be present euerie where haue power ouer all thinges in heauen in earth and in hell whiche hath in his power all the wayes and all the meanes to helpe Thirdly that his will be excéeding good and readie prepared that that which he can he may also be willing to do But these properties are found in God onely For God onely searcheth the reines and the harts he onely séeth and heareth all thinges he onely knoweth more perfectly those things which are within and without man than man himselfe he onely is present in all places hee onely is Almightie he onely is wise the will of God onely imbraceth man with most perfect goodnes is alwayes readie onely procureth faithfully that which is profitable for man therefore ought God only to bée called vpon But who can attribute these properties were it to the most chosen soules in heauen without blasphemie and sacrilege Therefore the soules in heauen liuing with God are not to be called vpon Especially since the scripture in plaine words testifieth the Abraham Iacob know vs not and commaundeth vs to cal on God and forbiddeth to communicate those thinges which are Gods to creatures And that we say nothing else to whom I pray you of all the saincts or angels in heauen can we say without blushing O our father whiche art in heauen that which followeth in the Lords prayer Let vs therfore call vpon God onely that heauenly father whome alone all the sainctes or godly men as many as haue bin in the church haue called vppon But since no mortal man how good soeuer hee séeme to be is worthie to come forth into the sight of the eternall and most holy God whiche thinge all men with one voice confesse many in déed and diuerse patrones intercessours and aduocates are chosen and receiued of them that pray by whose intercessioÌ„ either they themselues might be brought to God or their prayers presented vnto god Wherfore some haue chosen to themselues angels other apostles other the most holy among all other women that blessed virgin the mother of Christ other some haue chosen other as they haue put confidence in this man or the man but they haue forged these thinges vnto themselues out of the imagination of their owne hart haue not learned them at the mouth of the lord The scripture y only rule of truth setteth forth to vs one mediatour intercessour patrone aduocate by whom we mâ—y come vnto God by whome we may present our prayers vnto the lord All the prayers of all men are vnpleasant and abhominable which are not made by Christ Iesus Neither doeth true faith suffer vs to forge and imagine another aduocate for Christ or some other with Christ in the sight of God nor our selues alone without our aduocate Christ to rushe into the presence
of God the father Here true Christiās are separated from Iewes from Turkes yea and Papistes also For they despising the sonne of God call vpon the father only without the mediation of Christ Iesus But the voice of God by the Gospel and his Apostles pronounceth against them In the Gospel we read the Lord said The father hath committed all iudgement vnto the sonne beecause that all men shuld honour the sonne euen as they honor the father He that honoureth not the sonne the same honoreth not the father which hath sent him And againe I am the way the trueth the life No man cōmeth to the father but by me And Iohn the Apostle and Euāgelist saith Who soeuer denieth the sonne the same hath not the father But these men doe not acknowledge Christ to be the only intercessour but teach the saincts in his stéed or with him ought to bee called vppon as patrones before god But the same Iohn shewing an aduocate vnto Christiās did not appoint him selfe did not lay before vs sainctes in stéed of Christ or them with Christ But saieth he wee haue an aduocate with GOD the father Iesus Christ the righteous Neither doeth Paule shewe vs any other in 1. Tim. 2. cap. and Heb. 7. cap. To the Ephesi By Christ sayth he wee haue bouldnesse entraunce with confidēce by faith in him Christ is sufficient for them that beléeue as in whom alone the father hath stoared vpp all good things commaunding vs to aske those thinges in him and by him thorough prayer These thinges are sufficient for minds not desirous of contention They that wil let them serch further in the third Sermon of the fourth Decade I haue told you who is to be prayed vnto or called vppon of the godly worshipers of God and by whome to witt God alone by the onely sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ Let vs now sée what should stirre vp man to call vppon God surely the spirite of our God principally For prayer is rightly counted amonge the giftes of grace For neither could we earnestly nor hartily call vpon our God vnlesse we be stirred vpp and prouoked thervnto by the spirite of god For albeit the commaundement of God will vs to pray present necessitie and daunger driue vs and the example of other allure vs to pray yet all these thinges would doe nothing vnlesse the spirite inforce our minds vnto his will and guide and kéepe vs in prayer Therefore though there be many causes concurring whiche moue men to prayer yet the chiefe original of prayer is the holy Ghost to whose motion and gouernement in the entraunce of all prayers whosoeuer pray with any fruite do begge with an holy preface To this perteine these words of the holy Apostle The spirite also saith hée helpeth our infirmities For we know not what to pray as we ought but the spirite it selfe maketh requests for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed But he which searcheth the harts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirite for he maketh requests for the saincts according to the will of God. In déede the spirite of God is said to make intercession not that he in very déed prayeth groaneth but because he stirreth vp our mindes to pray and to sighe and bringeth to passe that according to the pleasure of GOD wée should make intercession or pray for the Sainctes that is to saye for oure selues But let vs consider with what abilities hée must be furnished which cōmeth of purpose to pray vnto god First it is necessarie that hée lay aside all opinion of his owne worthinesse and righteousnesse that hee acknowledge himselfe to bee a sinner and to stand in néed of all good thinges and so let him yéeld himselfe vnto the méere mercie of God desiring of the same to be filled with all things that are good For that great prophete of God Daniel saieth Wee doe not present our prayers before thee in our own righteousnes but in thy manifold mercies Also you read the like prayers offered vnto God Psal. 79. For the people of the Lord crie Helpe vs O Lord of our saluation for the glorie of thy name deliuer vs and be mercifull vnto our sinnes for thy names sake Remember not our sinnes of old make hast and let thy mercie deliuer vs. In the new Testament the Phariseie in Luke trusting in his owne righteousnesse is put by and cast off from the Lord but the Publican fréely confessing his sinnes and crauing mercie of God is heard and iustified For vnlesse we acknowledge our nakednes weakenes and pouertie who I pray you wil pray vnto God For not they that bestrong but they that bee sicke haue neede of the Physician And the Lorde in the Gospell sayth Aske and ye shal receiue knocke and it shal be opened vnto you seeke and ye shall finde Hee therfore that is commaunded to aske that he may receiue hath not as yet that he asketh he that knocketh by knocking signifieth that he standeth without doores and he whiche séeketh hathe lost that which yet he séeketh for We therefore being shut out from the ioyes of Paradise by prayer do séeke and aske for that whiche we haue lost and haue not Therefore where as Dauid and Ezechias and other saintes of God in prayer do alledge their owne righteousnes for which they séeme worthily to require to be heard truely they regarde not their owne worthinesse but rather the trueth of god He hath promised that he will heare them that worship him therfore the Godly say Beholde wee are thy worshippers therefore it is méete thou shouldest not neglect vs but deliuer vs In the meane while in other places they speake in suche sort of their righteousnesse that we cannot doubt that in their prayers they made mention of their righteousnesse with a certeine measure and limitation Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant sayth Dauid for in thy sight shal no man liuing be iustified c. Furthermore and that whiche is the chiefe of all it is needefull that they which pray must haue a true feruent faith Let the doctrine of faith therefore in the matter of prayer shewe vs lighte as the morning starr and with an assured hope to obtein of God the thing which is asked let him that prayeth make his petition Let him aske in faith sayth saint Iames nothing wauering for he that wauereth is like a waue of the Sea tost of the winde and carried with violence Neither let that man think that he shal receiue any thing of the Lord. And Paule also sayth Howe shall they call vppon him on whome they haue not beleeued I haue spoken of faith in the fourth sermon of the firste Decade But to the ende that faith may increase in iust measure flourish and continue stable we must labour in the promises and examples from euery place gathered together We will recite a fewe In the booke of Psalmes
of vs feruent prayer but it can not choose but be colde whiche is not inflamed with charitie Therfore they that be cruell and vnwilling to forgiue their brethren their trespasses and do still retein hatred toward their brethren cannot pray before God who sayth And when ye stand praying forgiue if ye haue ought against any man that your Father also whiche is in heauen may forgiue you your trespasses And again If ye forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly father shal also forgiue you But if ye forgiue not men their trespasses no more shal your Heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses And in another place he sayeth Therefore if thou bring thy gyft vn-the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hathe ought against thee leaue there thy gyfte before the Altar and goe thy waye first be reconciled to thy brother and then come offer thy gyft For otherwise all thy gyftes shall not bee acceptable vnto God. Let vs therefore willingly forgiue let vs loue do good vnto oure neighbors so our prayers shal pearce the heauens Agreable vnto this is y we pray not only with the mouth or voice but with the mind and inward affection of the hart and with the spirite and feruencie There was no voice heard of Moses neither of Anna the mother of Samuel when they prayed but most earnestly in spirite they cried vnto God who also hearde and lâ—dd him safely with all the people of Israel through the redde Sea out of the moste bloudie handes of the Egyptians her which afore was barren he made fruitefull And contrariwise we read that the Lord in the Gospel out of Esay alledged these wordes against the Phariseis This people draweth nighe vnto mee with their mouth and honoureth me with their lippes howbeit their hart is farre froÌ„ me but in vaine do they worship me teaching doctrines preceptes of men Therefore aptly saide Paule I will pray with the spirite and wil pray with the vnderstanding also where he calleth the liuely breath and voice of man Spirite By these heauenly testimonies their prayers are condemned who with a marueilous rouling and swiftnesse of the tounge in a shorte space babble many wordes and those maimed and curtayled vttering wordes without sense For their minde in the meane while is otherwise occupied No other desire is there felt of them vnlesse happilie this séeme a desire in that they pant and blowe hasting to make an ende of praying Among whiche kinde of men Monkes and priestes are chiefe who pray for money for their hire that is sell a thing of naught for a great price vnto the madde people not that prayers are vaine of them selues but because being vsed after that maner they become vaine Of these men the Lorde pronounceth in the Gospel Woe be vnto you Scribes and Phariseis Hypocrites for ye deuoure widowes houses and that vnder a pretence of long prayer therefore ye shal receiue the greater damnation I know what these Sophisters do here bring foorth and alledge for the defence of prayers said for rewarde or stipend but in fewe wordes I giue them this knotte to loose These men that pray in this sorte either haue fayth and charitie or else they haue not if they haue they pray without rewarde for charities sake if they haue not their prayers ar of no effect and therefore with a false shewe they deceiue the ignorant people paying their money for lawfull prayers whereas they requite them with vnlawful and if they were lawful yet were they neither to be sold or boght This is also required of him that prayeth that he desire not things vnworthie for God to graunt nor require those things that are contrarie to the lawes of god For S. Iohn the Apostle saith If we aske any thing according to his wil he heareth vs therefore when we aske thinges vnworthie for God to grauÌ„t he heareth vs not Moreouer alwayes and in all our prayers our wil and our desires ought to be obedient to God and his wil. Therefore let no man go aboute wickedly to tye God to certein circuÌ„staÌ„ces let no man prescribe vnto God at what time in what place or after what manner hee shall bring to passe any thing that he wil doe God who is only wise knoweth wheÌ„ it is time to helpe He is also both faithfull and omnipotent and able in déede to doe greater thinges than either we can aske or vnderstand Which thing we also read that Paule hath said Therfore not without cause is that moste honest widowe Iudith verie angrie with Osias the Priest because he appointed a sette number of dayes vnto God which being ended he should deliuer or otherwise they wold giue vp the citie For Iudith saith What maner of sentence is this whereunto Osias hath consented to deliuer the Citie vnto the Assyrians if within fiue dayes there come not succour for vs And who are ye that tempt the Lord This is not a sentence like to obteine mercie but rather to prouoke wrath kindle displeasure You haue set the mercie of God a time haue appointed him a day after your own phantasie But for asmuch as the Lord is patient let vs so much the rather repent craue pardon at his handes by powring out of teares Therfore Dauid is read to haue spoken most godly being in extreme daunger If I shal finde fauour in the eyes of the Lorde hee will bring me againe but if he say to me I haue no lust to thee behold here am I let him doe with me what seemeth good in his eyes And nowe also long continuance is verie néedefull in prayers Aske saith the Lord in the Gospell and it shal be giuen you seeke ye shal find knock it shal be opened vnto you And by this heaping together of wordes he often remembreth vs of continuance in prayer Aske saith he earnestly constantly as they do whiche require things whereof they stand in néede Seeke as they are wonte that search for thinges that are hidden and pretious Knocke as they are wont who with earnest desire couet to come in to their friend For all these sayinges doe not onely signifie a desire but also a continual studie to obteine thinges required In the Gospell according to saint Luke the Lord put foorth a parable tending to this ende that we ought alwayes to pray and neuer to be weried For Paul also saith Reioyce alway pray continually in all thinges giue thankes Yet let no man think that by these words of the Lord and the Apostle the errour of the heretiques Psallini or Euchitae is confirmed They did nothing else but pray The Lord commaundeth to pray alwayes that is to say as often as wee conueniently may at al times and in all places to be of an vpright hart toward God in al things which should always waite for good thinges at Gods hande and giue him thanks for benefites receiued
and of heauenly thinges doeth deuoutly and ardently meditate these thinges And truely the woord Father putteth vs in minde of many thinges together For first it teacheth vs that all oure prayers are to bee offered to none other than to him which is a father that is to say that onely God is to bee called vppon and not another for him or another with him For our God and father is one the fulnesse and sufficiencie of all good thinges in whome only the faithfull are acquieted and doe rest and without whome they séeke nothing that is truely good And verilie this prayer can be offered to no creature For to whiche of the Angels or the Sainctes canst thou say without sacrilege O our father whiche art in heauen c. Furthermore this word Father teacheth vs through whome wee should call vppon this father not by the mediation or by the mouthes of sainctes but by Iesus Christ our lord through whome only we are made the sonnes of God who were otherwise by birth and by nature the children of wrath Who I pray you durst come for the before the presence of the most highe and euerlasting God and call him Father and himselfe Sonne vnlesse the father in his beloued and naturall sonne had adopted vs the sonnes of grace Therfore when we say Father we speake from the mouth of the sonne who hath taught vs so to pray and by whome we be promoted into this dignitie that it néedeth nothing at all to add the name of Christe and to saye Wée pray thée O heauenly father for Christs sake since in the first word Father we comprehend the whole mysterie of the sonne of God and our redemption For in somuch as hee is our father wee are his sonnes and that by the merite of Christ therefore wée call vppon the father and so call him through Christ that I may not now repeat that we pray so from the mouth of Christ Moreouer this swéete and fauourable woord Father disburtheneth vs cleane of all distrust of heart For wée call him Father not somuch in consideration of his creating of all things as for his singular and fatherly good-will toward vs Wherevpon though he be Lord God and in déede a great Lord and an Allmightie God yet when wée praye wée attribute none of these names vnto him but call him fathér because in déede he wisheth vs wel loueth vs taketh care and charge ouer vs and hauing pitie vppon vs is desirous yea of his owne accorde and good will toward vs to stoare and heape vppon vs all good things whatsoeuer Hetherto appertaine the testimonies of the Prophets especially that of Dauid The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slowe to anger and of great kindnesse Hee will not alway chide neither keepe his anger for euer Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him As farre as the East is from the west so farre hath hee remoued oure sinnes from vs As a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him For hee knoweth whereof wee bee made hee remembreth that wee are but dust A verie excellent example of this thinge is to be séene in the Gospel after S. Luke where the louing father is painted out with wonderfull affections receiuing into fauour again that prodigall sonne waster of his wealth Herevnto is added this word Our whiche putteth vs in minde of two thinges For first it is a small matter to acknowledge God to be the God and father of all or to be the God and father of others vnlesse we also beléeue that he is our father vnlesse wee dedicate yéeld our selues wholy into his faith and protection as of our father who wisheth well vnto vs loueth vs hath a care ouer vs at no time and place neglecteth vs for vnlesse wee doe so beléeue neither with faith nor with the loue of GOD is oure prayer commended and therefore not a whit acceptable vnto god But that that best and greatest God is our God we doe vnderstand as well by his manifold benefites as also speciallie by the mysterie of our redemption throughe Christ Of which thing wée haue spoken elsewhere Furthermore since he bad vs pray Our father and not My father streight waye vppon the verie beginning he requireth loue of vs For his will is that we should not onely haue care of our owne saluation but of the saluation of all other men For wée are all the members of one body wherevppon each seuerall one prayeth not seuerally for themselues but euerie one for the safety of all the members and also the whole bodie Touching that matter I spake before when I intreated of the manner of prayeing vnto God. There is by and by added Which art in heauen not that God is shut vp in heauen as in a prison Solomon the happiest and wisest king of all cōfuting that errour long agone said If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thee howe muche lesse this house To which woordes I thincke that may be annexed which Stephan alledged in the Actes of the Apostles out of Esaie concerning the same thing Hee is therefore said to bee in heauen because his diuine maiestie and power and glorie shineth most of all in the heauens For in the whole course of nature there is nothing more glorious nothing more beautifull than the heauens Moreouer the father exhibiteth and giueth him selfe vnto vs to bee enioyed in the heauens Heauen is the countrie common to vs all where wée beléeue that GOD and oure father doeth dwel and where we worshipp GOD and oure father albeit wee beléeue that hee is in euerie place and alwayes present with all For as heauen compasseth and couereth all thinges and is euery where distant from the earthby euen spaces so the presence of his maiestie also doth fayle vs in no place Wée haue heauen euery where in our sight wée are euery where in the sighte of god But beside this by mention made of heauen wee are put in minde of oure duetie and our wretchednesse It is our duetie to be lifted vpp in our mindes by praying into heauen and to forgett earthly thinges and more to bee delighted with that heauenly father and countrie than with this earthly prison and exile It is our wretchednesse that beeing banished out of that countrie for oure sinnes and wandering in this earth wée are subiecte to diuers calamities and therefore béeing constreined by necessitie we neuer ceasse crying vnto the father But first of all saying Which art in heauen wée make a difference betwéene the father whome wée call vppon saying Our and our earthly father attributing allmightinesse vnto him Hée surely that is called vppon and ought to heare must know all sée all and heare all yea and more too will and
all things vnto God and the father in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ And againe he saith By him wee offer sacrifice of prayse alwayes to God that is the fruite of lippes confessing his name But that we may be thankefull for all the benefites of God and offer continuall thankesgiuing vnto God it is néedefull firste to acknowledge and well to weigh with oure selues the benefites of god For these being not yet knowne or rightly weyed our mynde is not set on fire to gyue God thankes for his benefites And these are indéede diuers yea they are infinit For they are priuate publique generall and speciall spirituall corporal temporal and eternall ecclesiasticall and politicall singular and excellent But who can reckon vp all their kindes and partes God created beautified garnished and made this worlde fruitfull for man To the ministerie of this he seuerally appointeth angelicall spirites whom hee had created ministers for him selfe He giueth vs soules and bodies which he furnisheth and storeth with infinite gifts and abilities and that which farre passeth all other benefits he loosed man being intangled in sin he deliuered him being a bondslaue to the diuell For the sonne of GOD setteth vs frée into the libertie of the sonnes of God by dying he quickeneth by sheading his bloud he purgeth and cleanseth he giueth vs with his spirite whereby we may be guided and preserued in this banishement vntill we be receiued into that oure euerlasting and true countrie They that consider these thinges with a true fayth can not choose but be rapte into the prayse and setting foorth of Gods â–ª goodnesse and into a wondering at a thing doubtlesse to be maruelled at that the gratious and mightie God hath suche a special care of men than whome this earth hath nothing either more wretched or miserable Here the Saints of God are destitute of words Neither haue they words méete enough for this so great a matter Dauid cryeth O Lorde our God howe woonderfull is thy name in all the worlde for that thou hast set thy glorie aboue the heauens and as followeth in the eight Psal. And againe the same Who am I O Lorde God and what is the house of my father that thou hast brought me hitherto or so aduaunced me And what can Dauid say further vnto thee for thou Lord God knowest thy seruant and so foorth as followeth in the 2. booke of Samuel cha 7. The same Dauid hath set downe a moste notable forme of blessing or praising or giuing thankes vnto God in the 103 Psal. whiche beginneth thus Blesse the Lorde O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefites who forgiueth al thy wickednesse And so forth But what néede any more wordes The Lordes prayer may be a moste perfect forme of praysing God and giuing thankes to God for all his benefites serue in stead of many For as the preface and all the petitions do call vnto our remembraunce and absolutely set foorthe vnto vs Gods greatest benefites most liberally bestowed vpoÌ„ vs also vpoÌ„ al other so if we consider that it is our dutie â—o giue thanks to God for euery one of these and by and by beginne euen at the beginning of the Lordes prayer to weighe this chiefly with our selues that God the father of his vnspeakeable mercie to vs ward hath adopted vs miserable sinners into the number of sonnes by whome he will be sanctified and in whom he wil reigne and at the laste also translate vnto his euerlasting kingdome that I maye speake nothing of other petitions what plentifull matter of praysing God and giuing thankes vnto him shall be ministred But these thinges are better and more rightly vnderstood by good godly and deuout exercise than by preceptes thoughe neuer so diligent And the Lord doth so much estéeme this thankes giuing offered vnto him with true humilitie of mynde and also faith that he receiueth it and counteth it for a most acceptable sacrifice Of this thing there is very often meÌ„tion in the olde Testament as when it is sayde Who so euer offereth me thankes and prayse hee honoureth me I will not reproue thee bycause of thy sacrifices I will take no bullockes out of thy house nor goates out of thy fouldes Offer vnto God the sacrifice of prayse and paye thy vowes vnto the most highest And call vpon me in the day of trouble I will heare thee and deliuer thée and thou shalt glorifie me Againe I wil offer vnto thee the sacrifice of thankesgiuing and I will call vppon the name of the Lorde And Oseas also sayth Take these wordes with you and turne ye to the Lord and say vnto him O for giue vs all our sinnes receiue vs gratiously Nim recht fur gut and then will we offer the calues of our lippes vnto thee After which maner Malachie also hath left written I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lorde of hoastes neyther will I receiue an offering at youre hande For from the rising of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name is greate among the Gentiles and in euery place incense and a pure offering shall bee offered to my name for my name is greate among the Gentiles sayth the Lord of hoastes Furthermore this Pure offering al the old interpreters with great coÌ„sent Irenaeus chiefly Tertullian doe interprete Eucharistia that is to say prayses and thankesgiuinges and prayer procéeding from a pure heart and a good conscience and an vnfeigned fayth Truely for no other cause haue the auncient fathers called the Euchariste or mysticall Supper of Christe a sacrifice than for that in it prayse and thankesgiuing is offered vnto god For the Apostle Paule sheweth that Christe was once offered and that he can not be offered often or any more For great is the worthinesse power and vertue not onely of prayse or thankesgiuing but also of prayer wholy I meane of inuocation also it selfe Whereof although I haue already spoken somewhat where I declared that our prayers are effectual yet do I adde these fewe words The Saintes truely had a most ardent desire of praying bycause of the wonderfull force of prayer For that I maye say nothing of those moste auncient fathers before and anonafter the floud did not Abraham praye when he receiued the promises and as often as he chaunged his dwelling did not he call vppon God At his prayer king Abimelech is deliuered from death and barrennes whiche the Lord being displeased layed vppon his house is cured Iacob powred forth most ardent prayers vnto God and receiued of him inestimable benefits In Exodus Moses prayeth not once but often and taketh away the plagues from the AegyptiaÌ„s which the Lord by his iust iudgement had brought vppon them At the prayer of Moses the Amalechites turne their backes and when he ceassed or left off the Israelites
the words pronounced doe preuaile nothing at all Neither is that any let or hinderaunce at all that those Exorcistes were without faith For this is a thinge very well knowen and receiued of all men that Sacramentes are no lesse effectuall when they are ministred by wicked ministers then when they are ministred by the best ministers But héere is obiected againste vs this saying of the Apostle Christe gaue him selfe for the church to sanctifie it cleansing it in the founteine of water by the word or in the word Beholde say they men are cleansed by the water of Baptisme which by the word hath the force of sanctifying put into it therfore it must néeds be that words haue force to sanctifie But I wil confute them by an euident demonstration that the Apostle did not so meane as they suppose The Apostle prescribeth vnto married Christians their dutie to the more plaine and pithyer settinge foorth whereof he vseth the example of Christe and his Church commending that excéedinge loue whiche Christe beareth toward his Church wherewith béeing inflamed he gaue him selfe for it to this end to make it to him selfe a pure and glorious spouse where by the way hée setteth downe the manner of purgeing For the Lord Iesus him selfe sayeth hée hath cleansed it For it is onlye Christes office to purge and cleanse Now the manner of purgeing followeth In the founteine of water by the worde â–ª which because it is briefly spoken hath in it some obscuritie He maketh mention of two thinges which the Lord vseth to cleanse those that bée his The founteine of water And The worde The Founteine of water is Baptisme whiche is the outwarde action and witnesse-bearing of the inwarde purifying or cleansing wrought by the grace and spirite of GOD as the Apostle sayeth According to his mercie hee saued vs by the founteine of regeneration and renewing of the holie Ghoste which hee shed vpon vs richlie throughe Iesus Christe our Sauiour For hee addeth in way of interpretation And renewing of the holie Ghoste whereof the founteine of water is a signe Moreouer the Worde is the verie preaching of the Gospell testifying that by the grace and mercie of God the Father his onelye Sonne was giuen vnto vs who béeinge giuen for our sinnes maketh them that beléeue in him heyers of eternall life so that now these wordes of Paule to the Ephesians the 5. Chapter doe verie well agrée with this Commaundement of the Lorde mentioned in Sainct Marke Goe into all the whole worlde and preache the Gospell to all creatures hee whiche shall beleeue and be baptised shall be saued c. For by these words also the Lord shadoweth out vnto vs the manner and meanes of our saluation that it is hee onelie whiche purgeth vs by faithe yet in the meane while hee willeth the beléeuers to bee signed with Baptisme and that it shoulde be preached openlye in the worlde that it is he which pardoneth sinnes yea and which freely giueth euerlasting life But what doe all these thinges I pray you make for their purpose who wil proue by those wordes of Paule that there is force and vertue in the words to sanctifie baptisme These wordes of the lord spoken to his Apostles do yet make our matter more manifest Now are ye cleane saith he through the worde which I haue spoken vnto you Shall we say here that through the wordes which Christ rehearsed the disciples of Christ were made cleane what then néeded he the nexte day to haue bene crucified to haue died What to the ende that he might purchase power vnto the wordes Therefore all boastinge in the force of wordes shal be cleane taken away Doth not faith and godlunesse tell vs By the worde of the Lorde we should rather vnderstande this which is declared by the preaching of the Lorde that is the death and redemption of Christ wherby because they beleued it they are clensed For in an other place he saith purifying their hearts by faith Wherefore they erre in that because they doe not rightly iudge of the word or speach For the Lorde speaketh of the word preached and beléeued and they vnderstande him of the worde pronounced as though béeinge pronounced it had force from the Lorde to sanctifie S. Augustine also maketh for vs who in his 80. treatise vpon Iohn saith From whence commeth so great vertue and power vnto the water that it should touch the bodie and wash the heart but through the woorking of the worde not because it is spoken or pronounced but because it is beleeued For in the word it selfe the sounde passing away is one thing and the vertue which remaineth is an other thinge This is the worde of faith which wee preach saieth the Apostle because if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth that Iesus is the lord and beleeue with thy heart that God hath raised him from the deade thou shalt be saued For with the hart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation Whereupon we reade in the Actes of the Apostles purifying or cleasing their heates by faith And S. Peter in his Epistle saith So also Baptisme saueth vs not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but in that a good conscience maketh request to god This is the worde of faith which we preach wherwith vndoubtedly baptisme is also consecrated that it may haue power to clense For Christ with vs the Vine with his father the Husbandman hath loued his church and gaue him selfe for it Reade the Apostle and marke what he addeth saying That he might sanctifie it cleansing it by the founteine of water in the worde In vaine therefore should cleansing be attributed to a fraile and vading element vnlesse this were added In the word And so forth For thus farre I haue recited S. Augustines wordes not that I stay my selfe vpon mans testimonie or that I would haue any man to vrge the same or that I am content to be ruled by the witnesse of man but because in these wordes he hath gathered together some testimonies out of the scripture bearing witnesse of the worde Whereby we may vnderstande that the worde of faith preached and not the worde spoken or pronounced ought to be receiued This worde I say doth truly clense that is to say the grace of Christ only doth purifie to the which both the worde faith are directed for that cause he saide â—xpresly Not because it is spoken but beâ—ause it is beleeued Anon after he saith The word of faith which we preach Furâ—hermore he saith by the word of faith bapâ—isme is coÌ„secrated that it might haue powâ—r to clense Which what is it else theÌ„ if â—e had said the very substaÌ„ce of faith makâ—th baptisme effectual For it followeth For clensing in vain should be attributed to the vading corruptible element vnles were added In the word Now if a maÌ„â—o consider the mysteries of the saints or holy men
Iesus Christe And whereas in euery place almost they adde Not by the lawe not by ceremonies or other rituall obseruationes do wee thinke that they will admitte Sacramentes to the partaking of suche power and vertue séeing they be cōprehended vnder rites and ceremonies and so accounted Christian faith doeth attribute the grace of GOD remission of sinnes sanctification and iustification fully and wholely to the frée mercie of God to the merite of Christs passion yea in suche sorte doth Christian faith attribute these spirituall benefites vnto it that beside it nothing at all is admitted to take parte with it Therefore whereas Lombard saieth That sacramentes haue receiued power to conferr or giue grace by the merite of the passion of Christe it is of his owne foarging For as Christ giueth not his glorie to any either saint or mortall man muche lesse to a creature without life euen so he that beléeueth to be fully iustified by the death and resurrection of the Lord séeketh no further grace and righteousnesse in any other thing than in Christe only vpon whom he stayeth whome also by faith he féeleth in his hart or minde alreadie to exercise his force by the holy Ghost For herevnto perteyne those sayinges in the Gospel Goe in peace thy faithe hath saued thee And also He whiche drinketh of this water shall thirst againe but whosoeuer shall drinke of that water which I shal giue him shall neuer thirst c. To this perteineth the saying of Paule also Therefore being iustified by faith we are at peace with God thorough our Lorde Iesus Christ By whome also we had an entraunce by faith vnto this grace wherein wee stande and reioyce in hope of the glorie of God. I am not ignorant of the craftie sleightes of some who imagine there is a certeine generall also a speciall faithe The generall faithe they call that whereby we beléeue that we are truely iustified by the deathe and resurrection of Christe but that they call a speciall faith whereby we béeléeue that by the sacramentes and by our owne worke the gyfts of GOD are applied particularly to euery one of vs one by one But to what purpose was it béeing in a lande where they might bee fedde with Manna to looke backe to the potage pottes and vnsauourie léekes of Egypt What I pray you haue Christians to doe with the distinctiōs of subtile sophisters or how will they proue this distinction of theirs vnto vs Verily there is but one faith and the same is no other in the vse of the Sacraments than it is without the vse of them Without the vse of them we beléeue that wee are sanctified by the death and resurrection of Christ In baptisme and the Lordes supper we practise no other faithe than wherby we beléeue that we are purged from our sinnes by the grace and mercie of Christe and that by his body giuen for vs and his bloud shed for vs we are redéemed from deathe and become heirs of eternal life Not the Sacramentes but faithe through the holy Ghost applyeth these thinges vnto vs whiche thing all the writinges of the Apostles doe witnesse but suche feigned gloses do obscure and darken To be shorte there is one GOD and Sauiour of all one Saluation one Redemption and purging one faith whereby wee receiue Saluation offered vnto vs of GOD in Christe through the holie Ghoste The same is declared or preached vnto vs in the worde by the minister and is represented and sealed by the Sacramentes And now who knoweth not that Paule the Apostle in all his writinges onely laboureth to proue that those that beléeue are iustified by faith in the Lorde Iesus and not by any workes Againe who is ignoraunt that the receiuing and celebration of sacramentes are also counted among our workes Wherevnto I will add this that Sacramentes giue not that whiche they haue not themselues but they haue not grace and righteousnesse and heauenly gyftes therfore they doe not giue them But hence springeth vppe another disputation for vs to handle whether the grace of GOD and a certeine heauenly power be put in or included in the Sacramentes and as it were conteined in them so that from them it might be conueyed into the receyuers The whole rable of Priestes and monkes as well in worde as in déede haue bewrayed them selues that they thinke That in the bare signes there is heauenly grace included yea and that God himselfe is comprehended in them For from no other founteine sprang their carefull disputations concerning That the mouse eateth when it eateth the Sacrament of the bodie of Christe Pope Innocent Libro quarto De Sacramento altaris Capite vnde cimo sayth Miraculously doth the substaunce of bread returne againe not that bread which was turned into flesh But it cōmeth to passe that in sted of it other bread is miraculously created which bread is eaten c. Behold here is a certein wittie miraculous kinde of diuinitie I passe ouer of purpose many other whiche are of this kinde And herevnto that by crossinges and certeine secret words gestures and breathings they consecrate the water of baptisme all which things they beautifie with the name of blessinge And among other thinges they sing thus God by the secrete mixture of his light make fruitefull this water prepared to regenerate men with-all that beeing sanctified and borne againe of the immaculate wombe of the heauenly founteine it may come foorth a new creature Let this holy innocent creature be free from all the assaultes of the aduersarie Let him not intrap it in his snare Let it become a liuing founteine a regenerating water a purifying riuer that all that are dipped in this wholesome lauer the holy ghost working in thē may atteine to the excellencie of perfect purificatiō Wherfore ô thou creature of water I blesse or coniure thee by the liuing God by the true God by the holy god by the god which in the beginning feparated thee by his word from the drie lande c. Againe breathing thrice on the water he forthwith vttereth these wordes Thou O Lord blesse with thy worde these waters which make request vnto thee that beside their natural cleannes whiche in washing they may giue to our bodies they may also be effectual to purifie our soules Then the priest taketh a burning waxe candle and putteth it thrice in the water consecrated to baptisme saying Let the power of the holy Ghost come down into this plentifull founteine He addeth And let it make the whole substance of this water fruitefull with the fruite of regeneration And so foorthe All these thinges they vnderstande and expounde to be spoken simplie and without tropes or figures whiche euidently enough declareth what these men attribute to holy or consecrated water and howe they thinke that in the signes the holy thinges themselues are conteyned Aboute this matter Bonauentura hathe woonderfully busied himselfe who in his writing In 4. Magistri
and sure Some also haue saide very wel I four mindes be destitute of the holie Ghoste the Sacramentes doe no more profite vs then it doth a blinde man to looke vppon the bright beames of the Sunne But if our eyes be opened through the illumination of the spirit they are wonderfully delighted with the heauenly sight of the Sacramentes And Zwinglius in Libello ad principes Germanil sayth It doeth not offende vs though all those things which the holie Ghoste worketh be referred to the externall Sacrament as long as wee vnderstand them to be spoken figuratiuely as the fathers spake Thus saith he And although Sacraments seale not the promises to the vnbeléeuers because they mistrust thē yet neuerthelesse the Sacraments were instituted of God that they might seale The wicked and vngodly person receiueth not the doctrine of the Gospel yet no man therefore doeth gather that this doctrine was not instituted of God to teache Some one there is that wil not giue credit to a sealed Charter yet doeth it not therfore followe that the sealed charter serueth not to assure or confirme ones faithe Therefore since the doctrine of the Gospel worketh nothing in him that is obstinate and rebellious since the sacramentes doe nothing moue him that is prophane and vnholie neither profite the wicked by any manner meanes that commeth not to passe through him that did institute them or through the worde and sacraments but through the default of the vnbeléeuer In the meane time of them selues they are instituted to profit and to seale and to haue their holie vse end in the holie And thus much haue I said of that principall vertue of sacraments that they be testimonies of gods truth and of his good wil towarde vs and are seales of all that promises of the gospel sealing and assuring vs that faith is righteousnesse and that all the good giftes of Christe perteine to them that beléeue There is also another end and vse of sacramentall signes that is to say that they signifie in signifying do represent which were superfluous to proue by many testimonies since it is moste manifest to all men at least by that which we spake before Now to signifie is to shew and by signes and tokens to declare and pointe out any thing But to represent doth not signifie as some dreame to bring to giue or make that now again corporally present which somtime was taken away but to resemble it in likenes and by a certeine imitation and to call it back againe to minde and to set it as it were before our eyes For we say that a sonne doth represent or resemble his father when after a sort he expresseth his father in fauour and likenes of manners so that he which séeth him may verily think that he seeth his father as it were present And after this manner doe sacraments stir vp help our faith while wee sée outwardely before our eyes that whiche stirreth vpp the minde worketh in vs and warneth vs of our dutie yea that very thing which we a while before comprehended in our minde is nowe after a sorte visibly offered to our senses in a similitude parable type or figure to be viewed and weighed in our minde that mutuallie they might helpe one another The similitude therefore or Analogie of the signe to the thinge signified is héere by the way to be considered I told you before that Analogia is an aptnes proportion and a certeine conuenience of the signe to the thinge signified so that this maye be séene in that as in a loking-glasse The matter shall be made manifest by examples The bountifull and gratious Lord of his méere mercie receiueth mankinde into the partaking of all his good gifts and graces and adopteth the faithfull that nowe they bee not onely ioyned in league with God but also the children of God whiche thing by the holy action of baptisme béeing in stéede of the signe or the verie signe it selfe is most euidētly by representation laid before the eyes of al men For the minister of GOD standeth at the holie fonte to whome the infant is offered to be baptised whom he receiueth and baptiseth into the name or in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghoste For we maye finde both Into the name and In the name So that to be baptised Into the name of the Lord is to be sealed into his vertue and power for the name of the Lord signifieth power into the fauour mercie and protection of God yea to be graffed and as it were to be fastned to be dedicated and to be incorporated into god To be baptised In the name of the Lord is by the commaundement or authoritie of God to be baptised I meane by the commission or appointment of God the father the sonne and the holie Ghost to be receiued into the companie of the children of God to be counted of Gods household that they whiche are baptised are be called Christians and be named w the name of God béeing called the children of God the father c. His spéech therfore doth somewhat resemble that which we read else-where that The name of God was called vppon ouer some one which is in a maner as if we should say that one is called by the name of God that is to be called The seruaunt sonne of God. They therefore which before by grace inuisibly are receiued of God into the societie of God those selfe same are visibly now by baptisme admitted into the selfe same household of God by the minister of God and therefore at that time also receiue their name that they may alwayes remember that in baptisme they gaue vpp their names to Christ and in like manner also receiued a name After this manner by a most apt Analogie the verie signe resembleth the thing signified To be short baptisme is done by water And water in mens matters hath a double vse For it clenseth filthe as it were renueth man also it quencheth thirst and cooleth him that is in a heate So also it representeth the grace of God when it cleanseth his faithfull ones from their sinnes regenerateth and refresheth vs with his spirite Beside this the minister of Christ sprinckleth or rather powreth in water or being dipped taketh them out of the water whereby is signified that God verie bountifully bestoweth his gifts vpon his faithful ones it signifieth also that wee are buried with Christe into his death and are raised againe with him into newnesse of life Pharao was drowned in the gulfe of the redd sea but the people of God passed throughe it safe For our old Adam must be drowned and extinguished but oure new Adam day by day must be quickned and rise vp againe out of the water Therefore is the mortification and viuification of Christians verie excellently represented by baptisme Now in the Lords supper bread and wine represent the verie bodie and
are gathered and knitt together into the vnitie of the bodie of Christe are separated from all other religions fellowships assemblies more too we are bound by them as by an othe to the true worship of one God and vnto one sincere religion to the which wée openly professe that we agrée and giue our consent with all them that are partakers of the sacraments Where this chiefly is to be marked that the gathering or knitting together into the vnitie of the body of Christe hath a double respecte for either wée are ioyned with Christe that hée is in vs and wée liue in him or else wée are coupled with all the members of Christe to witt with Christes faithfull seruauntes I meane with the Catholique Church it selfe Furthermore we are knit together with Christ in spirite and faith But we are ioyned to the Church or to the members of Christ by the vnitie of faith and of the spirite and by the bonde of charitie All which verily are the inward giftes of the spirite whiche fréely are bestowed on vs by the Lord onely not by any creatures not by any elementes Sacraments therefore do visiblie graffe vs into the fellowship of Christ his saincts who were inuisibly graffed by his grace before we were partakers of the Sacramentes but by receyuing of the sacramentes we doe nowe open and make manifest of whose body wée would bée and are members the Lord with his signes or markes by his minister also visiblie marking vs for his owne household and for his owne people Whiche thing by the Scriptures wée will more fully open and make manifest They who in time past by the force of the couenaunt by the grace mercie and promise of God were the people of God were by Circūcision visibly gathered together into one Churche knit together into one bodie For the Apostle S. Paule sayeth vnto the Ephesians Wherefore remember that ye beeing in time passed Gentiles in the fleshe called vncircumcisiō of them which are called circumcision in the fleshe made with handes that at that time I say ye were without Christe and were aliantes from the cōmon wealth of Israel and straungers from the couenaunt of promise c. Whereby it is also easilye vnderstood how the Iewes by circumcision were distinguished from other religions and fellowships and that circumcision in another place for this cause is put for them that are circumcised and why the name of vncircumcised was reprochfull For those that were vncircumcised were counted for vngodly and vncleane persons that had no fellowshippe nor parte or inheritaunce with God and his Sainctes Of baptisme whiche was ordeined in the stéede of circumcision some thing is spoken in my former Sermons And also the apostle setteth it out most plainely As the bodie sayeth hée is one and hath many members and all the members of the bodie whiche is one thoughe they bee many yet are but one bodie euen so is Christ For by one spirite are wee all baptised into one bodie whether wee be Iewes or Gentiles whether wee be bond or free and haue been all made to drinke into one spirite Wee are therefore knitt together by the Sacramente of baptisme into the vnitie of the bodie of Christe so that to haue broken this bond and to yeld our selues into another fellowshipp of religion and brotherhoode may worthilie be called sacrilege and treason Herevnto the Apostle séemed to haue respect when he asked the Corinthians Are ye not baptised into the name of Christe declaring thereby that they whiche are baptised into the name of Christ haue openly sworne and bound their faith before the church of Christe so that nowe they neither can nor ought to reioyce in any other name than in the name of Christ into whose household they are receiued by baptisme So I say wée are separated by baptisme from all other religions and are onelye consecrated to Christian religion Hée hath the like place in all pointes touching the supper of the Lord 1. Corinth cap. 10. For when the Apostle would declare to the Corinthians that it is a thinge farre from all godlines vnséemely yea and sacrilegious that Christians should eate in the idols temples thinges offered to idols and be partakers of the Gentiles sacrifices reasoning from the manner and nature of the Sacrament of the Lords supper he sayeth Flie from idolatrie I speake as vnto them that haue vnderstanding iudge ye what I saye The cupp of blessing whiche wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ The bread whiche we breake is it not the communion of the bodie of Christe For wee that are many are one bread and one bodie because we all are partakers of one bread Behold Israel whiche is after the flesh are not they whiche eate of the sacrifices partakers of the altar What say I then that the idol is any thinge or that that whiche is sacrificed vnto idols is any thing Nay but rather this I say that those thinges whiche the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to diuels not to god And I would not that yee should haue fellowship with the diuels Ye cannot drincke the cupp of the Lord and the cupp of the diuels Ye cannot bee partakers of the Lords table and of the table of diuels c. For all this is Paules saying whiche since it serueth notably to oure purpose and is verie plaine I will but briefly runne ouer it First he layeth downe the state and scope of the matter whervnto he immediatly directeth his whole discourse Flie saith he idolatrie And he meaneth by the word Idolatrie whatsoeuer perteyneth to idolatrie especially the eating of meate offered to idols But if you know not what Idolothytū is which word he there vseth vnderstand that it is a Gréeke word whiche Paule vseth in this case and it signifieth a thinge sacrificed to an idol or a thing publiquely in sacrifice consecrated to an idol And it was the manner of the Corinthians to sacrifice at the altars of their Gods in idol-houses that is to say in their idol temples and to call Christians vnto those their sacrifices and they when they came sate and eate of that whiche was offered vnto idols eating without difference with the idolaters thincking they might haue done that without any fault at all béecause by the bright shining of the Gospel it appeared that neither the idol neither that God whome the idol represented and therefore also the thinges themselues that were offered to idols were nothing else but vaine names and thinges of no price or estimation But Paul disputing against these from the 8. Cap. vnto the 11. teacheth that it is farre wide from Christianitie to be partakers of the Gentiles sacrifices and saith I wil speake vnto you as vnto them that haue discretiō that after I haue shadowed out vnto you which way to walke you by the sharpenes of your witt maye vnderstand what is true what is false and to be
whose guestes wée are if we be faithfull He hath consecrated the supper for vs and doeth yet consecrate it by his holy word his will and his power of which matter we spake before And because the faithfull vnderstand and know these things they sitt downe to the holy and heauenly banquet with Christ being wholie occupied in heauenly thinges both in minde and soule Hee instituted the supper the same night that he was betrayed and the next night by his death and bloudsheding he confirmed the new testament For so soone as hee had eaten the figuratiue Lambe with his disciples and had plainely told them that from that time forwards that ceremonie should not be vsed the supper was established in the place of that which was abolished That like as the bloudie Lambe did signifie that Christ should suffer euen so the bread which is with out bloud witnesseth that Christ who is the bread of life is alreadie baked vpon the crosse and hath suffered and made the food for all beléeuers Wherfore that night was worthie to be obserued and celebrated and that last supper is full of mysteries For wee commonly most of all account of the words déeds of our dearest friendes whiche they vse a little before their death Wherefore as all Christes doinges are beloued and pretious vnto vs so ought this his last supper to be most déerely beloued and pretious in our sight The supper consisteth of the word and manner promise and ceremonie The word is this that Christ is preached to haue béene giuen vpp to death for our sinnes and that hee shedd his bloud for the remission of our sinnes Promise is made vnto al that beléeue that their offences shall bee forgiuen The same thinge is also expressed by the manner The manner is diligently sett downe in writing by S. Matthew Marke and Luke whome S. Paule following hath nothing at all varied from them The wordes therefore déerely beloued as they be gathered out of these foure into one text I will recite vnto you The same night in the Euening wherein he was betrayed the Lord came with the twelue and when it was time hee sate downe the twelue with him And while they were eating Iesus tooke bread when he had giuen thankes he brake it and gaue it vnto his disciples saying Take and eate this is my bodie which is giuen for you or broken Doe this in the remembraunce of mee Likewise taking the cup after he had supped hee gaue thanâ—kes deliuered it vnto theÌ„ saying Take ye this diuide it among you drink ye al therof And they dranke al therof And he said vnto them this is my bloud which is of the new TestameÌ„t which is shed for many for the remission of their sins This cup is the new testameÌ„t in my bloud which is shed for you This do as ofte as you shall drink it in the remembrance of mee Verily I say vnto you that I will not drinke hencefoorth of the fruite of the vine vntill that day come that I drinke it new with you in my fathers kingdom These are word for word the solemne moste holy wordes of the Lorde spoken at his last supper The high bishop of the catholike church Christ our Lord celebrated his supper with his disciples in like sorte as we haue now séene heard without al pompe simplie plainly sparingly He tooke away the ouer-busie ceremonie of the lawe appointing an other verie easie to be gotten and no thing sumptuous Moste thinges apperteining to the law were troublesome and all belonging to the gospel easie nothing sumptuous The Lord sitteth downe with his twelue disciples Whereby we learue that first of all there must a companie bée gathered together which must celebrate the supper In his assemblie these thinges doth the Lord First of all he preacheth most diligently vnto his disciples of those things especially which concerne the mysterie of his passion and of our redemption But wheresoeuer is the preaching hearing of the word of God or of the gospel of Christ there are also gronings vowes or prayers of the faithfull wherfore they that intende to celebrate the supper of the Lord before althing according to the example institution of the highe bishop Christ our Lord they do most diligently heare the preaching of the Gospel also pray most earnestly Afterward he took bread the lord blessed it and brake it moreouer he gaue vnto his disciples bad them eate Anon he parted the Cup among them commaunding them al to drinke thereof And therevpon he plainely and expresly commaunded saying Do this to wit as you haue séene me do Wherfore the disciples did eate the bread and dranke all of the cup. Therfore they the celebrate the Lords supper lawfully do one vnto an other breake distribute and eate the Lords bread which they receiue at the handes of Christes ministers likewise distribute and drinke al of the Lords cup which they receiue at the hands of Christes ministers And like as the high bishop Christ bad theÌ„ do it in remembrance of him so they the celebrate the Lords supper remeÌ„ber the death of Christ all his benefits Moreouer as the Lord hath gone before vs in his example in giuing thanks to God the Father so likewise do the faithfull make an ende with this holy mysterie with giuing of thaÌ„ks praysing his goodnes and mercie because he is good and his mercie indureth for euer This is the most simple best maner of the Lords supper whiche the Apostles receiuing of Christ deliuered to be obserued of all nations Wherfore when this questioÌ„ is asked Whether it be lawfull to sup after an other rite or manner Whether it be lawfull to add or diminishe any thing froÌ„ the maner left deliuered or to chaunge any thing therin Whether the supper of the lord ought only to be celebrated after the maner alreadie deliuered not after any other there is no small follie rastnesse yea rather great vngodlinesse therein bewrayed For to what end serueth the most simple most plaine best and perfectest forme of the supper deliuered of the Lord himselfe receiued of his apostles if we deuise another who I pray you shal deliuer a better than the sonne of God himselfe the highe priest of the Catholique Churche hath alreadie deliuered Or who I beséech you that is well in his wittes shall either add or diminish any thing to the ordinaunces of God Who dare be so â—old as to chaunge that whiche is deliuered by the euerlasting wisedome of God All the sayings and doinges of Christ are most perfect Therefore the fourme also of the Lords supper is a moste perfect fourme of a right singular and excellent ordinaunce or institution The rites or ceremonies of celebrating the sacramentes of the olde testament were most perfect so deliuered from the first institution of them that nothing was added to theÌ„ nor taken froÌ„ them by suche
members of Christes bodie of whom he is also a member and be readie to spend his life for them according to the example of Christe and whether he haue remitted or pardoned all anger and enimitie and whether he be desirous to call to minde Christes passion the whole mysterie of our redemption to giue thanks to God for our redeÌ„ption for all other gyftes of God already receiued to be receiued This is the right examining which agréeth with the receiuing of the mystical supper and when we haue done so we may in humblenes and feare of the Lord with gladnesse approche to the supper of our Lord Christ But here the faithful do tremble who are as it were priuie to their owne imperfection infirmitie For they do not finde these thinges to be so perfect in their mindes as otherwise they knâ—w a iust perfection requireth Satan commeth and he casteth in many and great stayes to the intent he may drawe vs backe from the celebration of the supper Therefore we say if any man suppose that none is to be admitted to the supper but he that is purged from al sinne infirmitie surely he shall driue away exclude al men howe many soeuer liue in this world nay he shal altogether depriue theÌ„ of the lords supper as not to be any loÌ„ger for sinful men but for Angels We must remeÌ„ber that this examinatioÌ„ resteth within his own bounds that God here also as euerie where else doth vse this clemencie and mercie towards vs He knoweth our weakenesse corruption with vs can beare our infirmities The Israelits vnder king Ezechias being not fully cleansed tooke part of the paschal lamb But the king prayed and said The Lorde who is good wil haue mercie vppon all men that with al their hart seeke after the God of their fathers will not impute it vnto them that they are not sanctified And herevnto is added in the holy history in 2. Chron â–ª 30. chap And the Lord heard Ezechias and he was pleased with the people The worthinesse which is inquired for by exacte examination is no absolute perfection but a wil and mind instructed by God which humblie acknowledgeth it owne vnworthinesse and therfore humblie prayeth for increase of faith charitie all perfection in Christ only At that first supper the Apostles were Christes guests among these was Iudas but because hee lacked faith and was a traitour yea a murtherer he was made guiltie of the bodie and bloud of the lord The other apostles were also sinners theÌ„selues but not wicked thei beleued in christ thei loued Christ one of theÌ„ loued aother like brethreÌ„ therfore they did not eate of the Lords supper vnworthily as Iudas did Although in the meane time at the same table they shewed tokens of great imperfectioÌ„ For Peter not without great contempt reproch of his brethren preferreth himselfe before them all Moreouer they contend among themselues for honour which of them should seme to be greater than another I will not nowe recite that streightway after they arose from the table they shamefully forsoke their maister and ranne away many wayes behaud them selues vnworthili but al these things were easily washed away for the faith had taken very déepe roote within them Neither will I here sticke to recite worde for worde the comfort of M. Iohn Caluine a godly and learned man who with great commendation teacheth in the church at this day my fellow minister most welbeloued déere brother whiche he hathe sette down for the afflicted in this case Let vs call to remembrance saith he that this holy banquet is a medicine for the sick a coÌ„fort for the sinfull a largesse to the pore which to the whole righteous and rich if there could any such be found would bring small vantage For seing that in this banquet Christ is giuen vnto vs to be eaten we vnderstand that without him we faynt faile and are forsaken Moreouer seeing he is giuen to vs to be our life we vnderstande that without him wee are but dead Wherfore this is the greatest only worthines which we can giue vnto God if we lay before him our own vilenes vnworthines that through his mercy he may make vs worthie of himselfe if we despaire in our selues that we may be coÌ„forted in him if we humble our selues that we may be lift vp by him if we accuse ourselues that we may be iustified by him Moreouer if we attein vnto that vnitie whiche he coÌ„mendeth vnto vs in the supper and like as he maketh vs all to dwel in him so that we may with likewise that ther were one soul one hart one tongue in vs all If we wel wey meditate these things theÌ„ shal these thoughts neuer trouble vs we that ar naked and destitute of all goodnes we that are stayned with spots of sinn we that are halfe deade how shoulde wee worthily eate the Lords bodie Let vs rather think that we being poore doe come to a plentifull giuer we that are sicke come to a Physician we that are sinful come to a sauiour that the worthines which is coÌ„manded by God coÌ„sisteth in faith chiefly which reposeth al in God nothing in our selues secondly in charitie suche charitie as it is sufficient if we offer it vnto God vnperfect that he may increse it to the better seing we cannot performe it absolute as it ought to be Thus farr he This muche haue I saide hetherto of the most holie supper of our lord Iesus Christe the moste excellent wholesome sacrament of Christians for which euen from the very beginning while the Apostles were yet liuing sathan the most deadly enimie to our saluation lying in wayte hath gone about to ouerthrow by many corruptions defilings from whiche being nowe for a time faithfully cleansed yet doth he not so leaue it but intermingles throwes an heap of coÌ„tentions into it being made vnto y churche y token of a couenant neuer to be broken Wherevpon the thing itself our saluation requireth that we bée circumspect giue no place to the temptour but agreing altogether in christ and being ioyned into one body by faithful celebrating of the supper we may loue one another and giue euerlasting thankes to our redéemer and Lorde Christe to whome be praise glory nowe for euer Amen Amen ¶ Of certeine institutions of the Church of god Of Scholes Of Ecclesiastical goodes and the vse and abuse of the same Of Churches and holie instrumentes of Christians Of the admonitioÌ„ correctioÌ„ of the ministers of the church and of the whole Church Of matrimonie Of widowes Of virgines Of monkes What the Church of Christ determineth concerning the sicke and of funeralls and buryall ¶ The tenth Sermon THERE remaine certeine thinges but a fewe truly whiche are to be expounded vnto you déerely beleued the whiche partly apperteine to the institution
Of whiche the Scripture doeth in many places substantially speake Dauid in the Psalmes doeth pray saying Haue mercie vppon mee O God according to the greatnesse of thy mercie For I acknowledge my sinnes and my sinne is euer before mee To thee alone haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight And so forth And in an other Psalme I haue made my fault knowen vnto thee mine vnrighteousnesse haue I not hidd I said I will confesse mine vnrighteousnesse vnto thee against mee selfe and thou hast forgiuen the wickednesse of my sinne In the Gospel the Lord teacheth to pray and in prayer to confesse and saye Forgiue vs our debtes as wee forgiue our debitours And when wée pray so he biddeth vs to goe aside into oure Chamber that oure heart and the deuotion of our heartes may there appeare vnto our heauenly father alone The prodigall sonne did in the field where none but swine alone were to bée séene priuately both make and offer the confession of his sinne vnto his father And that Publicane in the Gospell which is compared with the Phariseie knocketh his breast and with a lamentable voyce doeth to him selfe confesse and say Lord bee mercifull to mee a sinner Let vs nowe also heare Iohn the holy Apostle and Euangeliste comprehending all that maye bee truely spoken touching this confession in this one saying If wee say that wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues the truth is not in vs If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all iniquitie With this priuate confession whiche is made to God is that voluntarie confession alwayes ioyned that is made before men For penitents are humbled so often as the matter the glorie of God safegard of our neighbour requireth and doe before men openly testifie that they haue sinned vnto god For so Dauid when Nathan the Prophete told him of his sinne cryed out saying I haue sinned to the Lord. So also Zacheus vnderstanding that the Lord was vppbrayded for receyuing him doeth openly confesse his sinne and promise amendement Wée verily do publiquely make our confession to God so as I told you a litle aboue but so much the rather yet when after the hearing of the woord of trueth wee doe after that publique or solemne maner either in the Church or otherwise in some congregation or holy assemblie recite our sinnes committed and crie to God for mercie and pardon of the same Truely of old the Lord appointed in oure forefathers dayes that the prieste going before in woordes premeditated for the purpose the whole people should followe him woord for woord and openly confesse their sinns in the temple Whervppon vndoubtedly it is at this daye receiued in the Church of the Christians that the pastour or doctour of the Church going before in woordes conceined at the end of the exposition of the Scriptures before the assemblie is dimissed all the people should openly in the temple confesse all their sinnes against God and hartily desire him of his mercie to forgiue them the same The publique confessions of sinnes are notablie knowen whiche were made by Daniel Esdras and Nehemias And I say plainely that that was a publique cōfession of sinns which Sainct Matthewe in his thirde Chapiter sayeth that the Iewes did make For all Iurie came out to Iohn the forerunner of the Lord and were baptised of him in Iordane cōfessing their sinnes For when they did publiquely receiue Baptisme then did they thereby declare and openly confesse their sinnes For baptisme is the signe of the cleansing of sinnes therfore they that are baptised cōfesse that they are sinners They that were not baptised thought themselues to be otherwise purged that they néeded not any sanctification The Ephesians did publiquely confesse their sinns when gathering their books of witchcraft together they burned them in the fire For by the burning of those bookes they did confesse that they had committed wickednesse that was to be purged with fire Nowe the confession that is made to our neighbour is of this sort Thou hast offended thy brother or else hee perhappes hath done thee iniurie for whiche ye are at discord and doe hate one an other in this case verilie ye must thincke of reconciliation let the one therefore goe to the other and confesse and aske pardon for the fault committed and let him that is innocent in the matter fréely forgiue him that confesseth his faulte and so béecome his friend againe Of this confession the Apostle Iames spake saying Confesse your faultes one to an other and pray one for an other that ye may be healed And our Lord and Sauiour did before Iames teache vs saying If thou offerest thy gifte at the altar for hée speaketh to those among whome at that time the sacrifices of the law were yet in vse dost remēber there that thy brother hath any thing against thee leaue there thy gifte before the altar and goe thy wayes first be reconciled to thy brother and then thou mayest come and offer thy gift To this also doeth belong that parable which the Lord putteth forth and expoundeth in the eighteenthe Chapiter after S. Matthewe of him that was caste into perpetuall prison because when hee had found fauoure at his Lords hand he was ouer cruell vppon his fellowe seruaunt to whome hée would not forgiue so much as a farthing For in the sixte Chapiter after Sainct Matthewe the Lord sayeth If ye forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly father will also forgiue you But if ye forgiue not men their trespasses no more will your father forgiue you your trespasses Not that for our forgiuing of others our sinnes are forgiuen vs For so the forgiuenes of our sinnes should not bee frée but should come by oure merites and as a recompence of oure desertes But now when our sinnes are fréely forgiuen thorough faith verily that vnreconcileable and harde heart is an assured argument that there is no faith in a hard stubborne and vnappeaseable man But where there is no faith there is no remission Therefore voluntarie forgiuenesse in a man toward his neighbour is not that for whiche wee are forgiuen of God our father but is an euidēt signe and naturall fruite of true faith and the grace of God with-in vs. To these two kindes of confession some men add that whereby they that are oppressed in conscience with any gréeuous sinne doe consulte or aske counsell either of the Pastoure of the Lords flocke or else of some other that is experte and skilfull in the lawe of god But that is rather to be termed a consultation than a confession And it is in no place either commaunded or forbidden and therefore lefte frée at euery mans choice Wherefore no man ought to bée compelled to this cōsultation But if any brother doe demaunde counsel either of the minister of the Churhc or of any other priuate brother then charitie commaundeth thée to