doctrine comprehended verie briefly in fewe woordes the verie same which is taught amongst vs Whereby you may easily learne what hath bene amended in Ecclesiasticall doctrine Now wee will proceede to declare what hath bene either chaunged or quite taken away in Ceremonies but first we will speake somewhat of the Pope or Bishop of Rome All men well nigh heretofore did beleeue as their Creede that the Pope was by Gods lawe head of the Church But wee after the iudgement of S. Paule doe affirme that Christe alone is the head of the Church For the place out of the Epistle to the Ephesians and of the Colossians is well knowen Wee denie not this that the Bishop of Rome may by the generall consent of the other Bishops bee appointed as it were a certeine superintendent or ouerseer of the Churches and a president of the Christian common weale that hee may both bee and also seeme to be as it were a Censour of mens manners a maister of Ecclesiasticall discipline if so bee hee woulde vse his authoritie graunted not to get any Lordship or souereigntie ouer others but to the profit of the Church not to bring in superstition but to establish true religion and if hee woulde throughly doe the duetie belonging to the function taken in hand finally if hee woulde bee bounde to certeine lawes of gouernement neither would permit as he hath done heretofore that his owne lust and licence should stand for a lawe Our men verely hitherto haue made warre onely with the Popes kingdome and with the Romish ruledome and with that power which would aduance it selfe both aboue the Scripture and the Church and almost aboue God him selfe neither seeme they to graunte vnto any mortall man whatsoeuer as long as they can helpe it to be able to doe more than the woorde of God and the Church Otherwise I knowe full well they will not refuse the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome if hee will take paines to see that Christian Religon bee instaured that superstitions bee taken away that the Churches bee reformed that the manners of all estates bee corrected and amended And if that authoritie of the Bishop which at the beginning was graunted for the better preseruation of Christianitie of consent in doctrine had not bene turned into domination or rather tyrannie our men truely would neuer haue bene persuaded to haue violated cast off and to haue banished as it were out of the Church that authoritie Therefore no other man but the Bishop of Rome him selfe is the cause why that Apostolicall seate as they call it hath bene so despised neither can the Bishop accuse any man for that matter more iustly than him selfe For who can thinke it tollerable that hee should call him selfe The vniuersall and Oicomenicall Bishop who hath the right to ordeine and to confirme to displace and remoue from their office all the Bishops and Pastours in the whole world that hee doth arrogate vnto him self the authoritie of making lawes concerning the seruice and woorship of God concerning the chaunging of the Sacraments concerning Ecclesiasticall doctrine that hee doth thinke his owne decrees to be equall with Gods lawes so that all mens consciences are necessarily bounde to the obseruing of them if they will see to their owne saluation that hee doth sit in the Temple of God as God as S. Paule saith of Antichrist and that hee doth take vnto him the right of chaunging the doctrine of Christ and the woorshippes appointed by God that hee doth suffer him selfe to bee iudged of no man and that hee doth preferre his owne authoritie before the iudgement of Councelles and of the whole Christian Church that hee doth not suffer Ecclesiasticall controuersies to bee decided rightly and orderly and that in Synodes hee doth not suffer any thing to be iudged and concluded against his sentence that hee challengeth vnto him selfe the authoritie to translate from one to an other both kingdomes and Empires that hee sticketh hard to this how that by Gods lawe hee is Lord of all the kingdomes of the worlde finally that hee boasteth how that hee is the Emperours lawfull successour when the Empire is vacant and that hee doth confirme this howe that it is necessarie to saluation to beleeue it But let vs come now to Ceremonies In baptising infantes wee had rather vse our owne vulgar tongue than the Latine because verie few vnderstand this but all vnderstand the other that is both the Godfathers and Godmothers which are brought thither and adhibited as witnesses at the baptisme of the childe and also the rest of the congregation if any bee present and lastly the Priest him selfe which doth baptise the childe Now it is verie profitable and necessarie that all shoulde vnderstand that language wherein the childe is baptised namely to this end both that the Godfathers may knowe what they doe professe and promise to God in the childes name and also that the rest which stand aboute may not bee ignorant what matter is in hande how serious how diuine and how full of mysteries it is finally that the Prieste may bee occupied in that holie mysterie with greater attention of minde that he may thereby bee excited to a more exquisite diligence and that hee may bee forced the better to doe his duetie for shame of all those which are present vnderstanding now what is done Iustinian the Emperour maketh for vs in his Nouellis Constitutionibus de capitibus Ecclesiasticorum sumptuum whose woordes I doe omitte lest I should bee longer than needed As concerning that vngodlie rite and custome of baptising belles and of hallowing water with salte brought into the Church by superstitious men wee thought good in any wise to reteine it no longer Concerning Penance and Confession if the abuses which haue crept in bee taken away wee both thinke and teach verie highly of it For wee doe clearely and plainely testifie that there can bee no way any true faith in a man without repentance that is but in him who is truely sorrowfull and greatly greeued for his sinnes but in him which repenteth seriously and from his hearte and which feeleth the wrathe of God against his sinnes but in him which purposing now to liue godly doth call to God for mercie doth goe vnto the Minister of the Church and confessing his sinnes doth desire absolution of him Wee verely doe nothing regarde that their carefull curious and scrupulous enumeration or reckoning vp of their seuerall sinnes with all the cirumstances perteining to it as what was done with what minde with whome at what time howe long where howe often wherefore howe much howe farre foorth with what reason and other such like this wee reiect as both full of superstition and also euerie way vnprofitable and as it were a certeine snare or rather a butcherie and crosse of miserable consciences Neither doe wee approue or allow those manifolde errours concerning
backward into their former darknesse of ignorance errours For certeine men haue now begonne with no little care and cunning to set a faire glasse vpon old superstitions and with comelie wordes to cloake and couer the faultes and vices of the Papistes But now at this day seeing that our aduersaries doe shew foorth euidently and plainely without dissimulation what they goe aboute what they looke at what they ayme at what they shoote at and seeing that now wee may almost feele and groape as it were with our handes the fond counselles and wicked practises of the vngodlie Papistes I doe see there is no greate daunger and I thinke that wee neede not to feare so much any more lest they can induce and bring any man hereafter so easily into errour vnlesse hee bee starke blinde out of his right wittes For who now doth not see that the aduersaries of sounde and wholesome doctrine doe endeuour to take quite away to pluck out of all mens heartes yea after a sorte to burie wholy and altogether to ouerwhelme the very sacred and holy religion of Christe For thus they teache Ad verbum Woorde for woorde I will put nothing to of mine owne That faith say they by which a man doth stedfastly beleeue and assuredly trust to haue his sinnes forgiuen him for Christes sake and to possesse euerlasting saluation hath no testimonie or witnesse at all in the Scriptures yea it is cleane against it What else If any man shall say that the iustifying faith is nothing else but a stedfast trust in Gods mercie pardoning our sinnes for Christes sake or that that only confidence is the meane whereby wee shal be iustified let him bee accursed Item If any man shall say that to the obteining of saluation it is necessarie for euery man to beleeue assuredly and without all doubting of his owne infirmitie that his sinnes are forgiuen him let him bee accursed What is there any more of this stuffe Yea If any man shall say that a man is absolued from his sinnes and iustified for that he doth certeinly beleeue that hee is absolued or that no man is truely iustified but hee that doeth beleeue himselfe to be iustified and that our absolution and iustification is fully perfected and finished onely by this faith let him bee accursed I tremble and quake to rehearse such deuilish decrees of vngodlie men They will haue faith to bee onely a simple credulitie and a bare knowledge of the historie of Christ and not also a stedfast trust and beliefe in Christ as S. Paul in all his Epistles vnderstandeth it They woulde haue vs continually to doubte of the good will of God towardes vs They denie that a man is iustified only by trust and beliefe in the mercie of God pardoning our sinnes for Christes sake that is they denie that a man is iustified Gratis freely as S. Paul saith euen by the grace of God and that without woorkes They denie that faith is necessarie for all men to the obteining of pardon and remission of their sinnes They denie that faith is alwayes necessarie to absolution from our sinnes that is to speake more plainly they denie that wee ought necessarily to beleeue the Gospell For I pray you what other thing is absolution but the voice of the Gospell sounding by the minister of the Church by which voice that remission of sinnes promised to the penitent in the Gospell is priuately and particularly applied to euery mans conscience And seeing that our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell of S. Marke flatly commaundeth both namely to repent and to beleeue the Gospell beholde heere the intollerable boldnesse or rather impudencie of our aduersaries For they very willingly graunt the one that we ought to repent but verily they doe so stoutly denie the other namely that wee ought to beleeue the Gospell that is the preaching of forgiuenesse of sinnes that they accurse and condemne euery one that affirmeth this to bee true Christ saith Credite Euangelio that is Beleeue the Gospell but these men say quite contrary If any man say they shall affirme that in absolution of sinnes wee must beleeue the Gospell let him bee accursed Now what an absurde thing also is this their Anathema If any man shall say that if grace bee lost through sinne faith also is alwayes together lost with it or that that faith which doth remaine is not a true faith although it bee not a liuely faith or that hee which hath faith without charitie is not a Christian let him bee accursed Here to be briefe they affirme that adulterers manquellers extortioners and such like whome S. Paule denieth euer to be heires of the kingdome of God persisting still in their sinne and wickednesse may conceiue some hope and trust of their saluation and may promise vnto them selues that God for Christes sake will be mercifull â–ª and fauorable vnto them for that is it which we call To beleeue If this their assertion be true then surely the Apostle S. Paule is in an errour But if it bee impietie to graunt that the Apostle erred then they them selues doe erre and are deceiued and doe manifestly teach a falshood In the meane while such is the miserable blindenesse of those mens mindes they doe not see and perceiue how that they speake contraries They doe denie that there is any liuely faith in heinous sinners and wicked offenders Ergo it necessarily followeth that their faith is a dead faith such an one as the Diuels also may haue in them according as S. Iames witnesseth How therefore can that faith be founde true which is dead Here I doe beleeue they will coyne and bring foorth out of their owne braine as Iupiter brought forth Minerua out of his head a new definition of faith But let vs briefly haue a viewe also of other of their Diuelish decrees The Catholike Church say they doeth reteine and receiue whatsoeuer the chaire of Peter hath giuen out doeth giue out and shall giue out concerning faith and religion Hereby you may easily vnderstand how greate the credite of the Church of Rome and the authoritie of the Apostolicall seate is amongst them Let vs proceede on forward to the rest Ecclesiasticall constitutions say they concerning fastes feastes and abstinence from meates and many other thinges doe bind a man in conscience to obserue and keepe them Etiam extra casum scandali yea without the case of offence to any This is a hard saying But what followeth Christ say they doeth giue and graunt many thinges vnto vs here on earth through the merites and intercession of Saintes which otherwise he would not bestowe vppon vs Wherefore they doe verie holily and religiously which with a deuoute pietie and godlinesse doe visite those places which are dedicated to them and which by this meanes seeke for helpe at their handes Here you see that they doe allowe prayer to the deade and
commend vnto vs as namely the feare of God repentance trust in God loue towardes him from the whole heart the confession and propagation of the Gospell calling vpon God in trouble and aduersitie thankesgeuing in prosperitie cheerefulnesse in miseries and afflictions perpetuall praise of God iustice and vpright dealing towardes thy neighbour diligence and painefulnesse in thy office duetie sobrietie temperance chastitie and such like And those which are next in place to these to ouercome anger to put away hatred to represse the desire of reuenge to refuse glorie to loue our enimies to blesse them which curse vs to doe good to them which hate vs to pray for them which hurt vs raile vpon vs and reuile vs to recompense an iniurie with a benefite to giue meate to the hungrie drinke to the thirstie almes to the needie to interteine and receiue straungers into thine house to couer and cloath the naked to visite the sicke to admonishe him that is in an errour to teache and instruct the ignorant to helpe the perplexed and doubtfull man with thine aduise and counsell to make enimies and those that disagree friendes againe to comforte the afflicted and such like What other thing doth the Apostle S. Paule teache but that we should alwayes endeuour not trusting to our owne strength but chiefly to Gods assistance and labour to liue godly iustly innocently vprightly holily chastely soberly temperately profitably to the Church of God friendly for the life of men agreeably to Christianitie and in summe to liue worthie the Gospell of Christ He willeth vs to walke in newnesse of life and not to serue sinne any more to offer vp our bodies a liuely holy and an acceptable sacrifice to God to crucifie our flesh with the affections and desires thereof to keepe our selues immaculate and vnspotted of the world He warneth and exhorteth vs that we be renewed in the spirit of our minde and that we put on the newe man which is created to the image and similitude of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse that we be followers of God as deare children that we walke worthie of God and as becommeth Saintes supporting one another through loue endeuouring to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace being courteous and tender hearted one to another He biddeth vs to tame alwayes and to represse our naturall viciousnesse and our wicked affections neither to waxe proud and loftie in prosperitie nor to be too much deiected and cast downe in aduersitie whatsoeuer we doe to doe all to the glorie of God no man to regard his owne things but rather those thinges which are other mens Moreouer to be such that no man may be offended at any time with vs but that we prouoke others by our good example vnto godlinesse and vertue Finally he exhorteth vs that we pray without ceasing that in all things we giue thankes to God that we alwayes sigh after heauenly things and despise humane and earthly thinges Euerie where verely both this same Apostle and the rest doe deterre dehort vs from whoorehunting from obscenitie and filthinesse of wordes from hatred and heartburninges from spitefull enuie from vaineglorie from ambition from auarice from pride from surfeting and gluttonie and from all other vice and wickednesse And before all things they doe perpetually inculcate that faith which looke what an one it is within such an one doeth loue towardes our neighbour shew it forth represent it to be without Thus you haue heard what be the duties of a Christian man and the workes which are truely good acceptable in deede to God and which God hath ordeined that we should walke in them as S. Paule saith to the Ephesians And these verely are those good workes which both giue euident testimonie of our faith declare our minde to be gratefull mindfull of Gods benefites towardes vs commend vnto Infidels our Christian profession which allure inuite our neighboures to the studie of godlinesse If these thinges had bene in former ages diligently daily inculcated into the eares mindes of all men truely there had not so many superstitions so many vices abuses crept into the Church as there did of which now we will goe on forward to speake and to intreate of the rest which remaine behind But first let vs say somewhat of the Pope the God vpon earth as the Papistes doe call him They were drowned in a deepe and great errour which were persuaded throughly that the Bishop of Rome was by Gods law head of the catholike Church the high Priest of Christian religion the vicar of Christ and successour of S. Peter as it were a certeine God amongst men partaker of both natures with Christ and superiour to an vniuersall Synod or generall Counsell to whom it was lawfull to broach a newe doctrine which was contrarie to the doctrine of the Gospell to make a new article of our faith in the Creede to prescribe vnto all men a new forme and manner of liuing who lastly might commaund euen the Angels themselues as his garde attending his becke and who might at his pleasure thrust out of Heauen whome he would yea those that were guiltlesse and had neuer deserued it I omitte and let passe howe that he commandeth that all the decrees of the Apostolicall seate shoulde bee receiued as if they had bene confirmed and ratified by the diuine voyce of Peter himselfe that he will haue vs to beare the yoke put vpon vs by the holy seate yea though it be scarse tollerable that he doth suffer him selfe to be reproued and rebuked of none though he doeth leade an innumerable sorte of soules to Hell with him that he doeth take away in the Supper of the Lord rites instituted by our Sauiour Christ that he transferreth to his owne constitutions that glorie which is due vnto God alone that he goeth on still to manteine and defende doctrines of Diuels for so doeth the Apostle call them concerning forbidding of marriage concerning the vse and choyce of meates and finally concerning such like thinges that he glorieth that both the swordes are giuen to him that he challengeth vnto him selfe the power both of the celestial terrestriall Empire according vnto that saying Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo in terra that is All power is giuen vnto mee in Heauen and in earth that he affirmeth himselfe to haue the right of translating the Monarchie which Cesar now obteineth to be brief that he compelleth religion to serue his profite that hee ruleth and reigneth like a King that he encreaseth his dominions by warres that he possesseth and holdeth straunge cities by force by fraud finally by any pretence whatsoeuer in summe that he desireth him selfe to bee set both aboue the Scripture and the Church and almost aboue God him selfe that hee maketh a gaine of
and turne that your sinnes may bee put away Christe him selfe in Iohn saith GOD so loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue life euerlasting But the same Christ in Matthaewe saith Not euerie one that saith vnto mee Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but hee that doeth my fathers will which is in heauen Paule saith vnto Timothie Christ Iesus came into the worlde to saue sinners But the same Paule vnto the Corinthians saith Bee not deceiued neither fornicatours nor idolatours nor adulterers nor wantons nor theeues nor couetous persons nor dronkardes nor railers nor extortioners shall inherite the kingdome of God. I would to God I woulde to God that wee would acknowledge in parte and studie to be thankefull for so notable a benefite of GOD in restoring this sacred doctrine and that after so greate ignorance and blindnesse of men in matters perteining to saluation and which are chiefly necessarie to bee knowen Which thing verely woulde come to passe first if wee thinking vpon the infelicitie and olde superstition of former times and beeing as it were astonied at Gods greate benefites would breake foorth into the praises of God into Psalmes and hymnes into spirituall songes singing and making melodie to the Lorde in our heartes giuing thankes alwayes for all thinges vnto GOD euen the father in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ as the Apostle saith Secondly if wee woulde labour to promote and set forward the ministerie of the woorde to keepe honour to defend and manteine godlie teachers if we would labour to helpe and releeue the necessarie studies of the Church Last of all if wee woulde liue godly and holily towardes God patiently in afflictions vprghtly towardes our neighbour diligently in our duetie temperately and soberly in our diet and in our clothing honorably towardes our parentes obediently towardes our magistrates masters louingly curteously with all men liberally towards the poore needy to be short if we would liue innocently chastely soberly friendly to our enimies profitably to the Church of God fauorably to the life of men agreably to Religion consonantly to Christianitie conueniently meete for the Gospell and as S. Paule saith Liue worthie of God that is to speake most plainely if we did both loue God with our whole heart and from our verie bowelles and also if wee did beare as great good will to our neighbour as we doe to our selues if we our selues would doe that to no man which we would not haue done to vs if we were such towardes others as we would other men were towardes vs finally if we did helpe and succour alwayes our neighbour either with our substance or with our helping hand or with our good aduise and counsell not regarding euerie man his owne thinges but the thinges of other men if we did studie to profite all men yea euen our enimies to hurt no man no not if we be prouoked lastly if wee would be terrified from sinne and wickednesse rather with the loue of God than for feare if we would not loose the bridle to our lustes if we would doe nothing which ought not to be done But O our execrable abhominable ingratitude we doe not measure and ponder as it is worthie the greatnesse of Gods benefits neither doe we sufficiently consider with our selues how great commodities this doctrine instaured by God hath brought a good while agoe vnto Christendome For in how many errours were we heretofore wrapped in in how great superstitions were wee nusled in to what passe was Christian pietie come vnto was it not come to this point that it was thought a better and a more excellent thing for a man to be called a Franciscane than simply a Christian that wee did attribute much more to mans rites than to Gods preceptes that in obteining saluation we did trust rather to ceremonies than to the fauour and mercie of God or to the merite of Christ that almost altogether excluding Christ whose death was a pacification of Gods wrath against sinne wee did of our selues seeke to satisfie for our owne sinnes that wee did not onely iudge that heauen was due to our merites but also that we did sell our good woorkes of supererogation Finally that leauing and refusing God euerie man did for him selfe woorshippe reuerence adore the idol of his owne hearte I doe omitte and let passe lighter matters how that we did both feare vaine apparitions and shadowes of walking spirites and also how that wee did feigne deuise Purgatorie fire out of Virgils Aeneades how that wee gaue that seruice and honour to mortall men long since departed which should haue bene giuen to God onely how that they whiche were deliuered from the plague gaue thankes to Saint Roch they whiche returned safe from battell gaue thankes to Saint George they which had escaped shipwrack gaue thankes to Saint Nicholas they which had gotte good store of riches gaue thankes to I can not tell what Saint Erasmus they whiche had a plentifull and fruitfull vineyarde gaue thankes to S. Vrban they which were eased from the torment of toothachegaue thankes to Saint Apolline they whiche had conceiued borne children without any greate paine gaue thankes to Saint Margaret For wee of these had plainely made Ethnikall and Heathenish Gods and as the Gentiles in times past were woont to pray vnto Aesculapius and Apollo for the depulsion and driuing away of diseases vnto Mars for victorie vnto Neptune for a prosperous nauigation vnto Iuno for riches vnto Bacchus for plentie of wine vnto Ceres for abundance of corne vnto Lucina for an happie childbirth so wee were woont to begge and craue the like benefites of them whom wee speake of Yea as amongest the Ethnikes in olde time euerie citie or region had their Gods whom they did peculiarly woorshippe for as the Poet saith Cecropia serues as God Minerua wise and Creete Diana dame Hipsiphile soile adores the black-smith Vulcane halt and lame But Sparta woorshippes Iunoes grace Micaena honors Pelops stock The coastes of Menalis serues that Syluan God which Faunus hight And eke Lauinia lande doth woorshippe Mars that warlik wight So at this day Venice hath her S. Marke in whose tutelship she stands Millain hath S. Ambrose Paris hath S. Denis Collin hath the three Kings or the three Magi Francia hath S. Chilian Polonia hath S. Hedeuigis finally other haue other Saintes to defend them Also euerie seuerall companie and order of craftes men hath adopted their peculiar patrons and as it were houshold gods to defend them as for example the Goldsmithes haue got them S. Eulogius the Shoomakers S. Crispin the Fullers S. Seuerus the Painters S. Luke the Physicians S. Cosma S. Damian the Lawyers S. Fuon the Students of artes and liberall sciences S. Catharine If wee would repeate call
the same one to another as good disposers of the manifold grace of god Also Humble your selfs vnder the mightie hande of God that he may exalte you in due time Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Bee sober and watch for your aduersarie the Diuell as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whome he may deuoure Hitherto also perteinerh that saying of S. Iohn Loue not this worlde neither the thinges that are in the worlde And againe Let vs not loue in woorde neither in tongue onely but in deede and and in all truth And God saith he hath sent his sonne to bee the propitiation for our sinnes Beloued if God so loued vs we ought also to loue one an other And If any man say I loue God and hate his brother hee is a lier Moreouer hitherto belongeth that of S. Iames Pure religion and vndefiled before God euen the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and to keepe him self vnspotted of the world And Submitte your selues to God resist the Diuell and he will flee from you Cast downe your selues before the Lorde and he will lift you vp Speake not euill one of an other brethren Finally hitherto tendeth that saying of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell by Saint Matthaewe Let your light so shine before men saith he that they may see your good woorkes and glorifie your father whiche is in Heauen And againe Resist not euill but whosoeuer shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also Giue to him that asketh and from him that would borrowe of thee turne not away And Loue your enimies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you pray for them which hurte you and persecute you that you may be the children of your father that is in heauen who both maketh his sunne to arise on the euill the good and also sendeth raine vpon the iust and vniust And Lend one to another looking for nothing againe And Looke whatsoeuer yee would that other men should do to you so doe you likewise to them For this is the lawe and the Prophetes Hitherto also perteine Christes woordes of feeding the hungrie of refreshing the thirstie with drinke of enterteining straungers of couering the naked of visiting the sicke persons prisoners other such like deedes Nowe to the ende that he whome we haue taken in hande to teach and instruct may liue godly and holily and may resist and withstand first that naughtinesse and pronenesse to sinne throughly settled and fixed in our corrupt nature secondly the worlde offering vnto vs daily innumerable occasions and causes to all vices lastly the Diuell who maketh deadlie warre vpon vs and who intermitteth not the least point of time wherein he doeth not either assaulte vs with open force or with priuie vndermining wee doe exhort him being priuie to mans infirmitie and weakenesse to craue daily in godly prayers Gods assistance and helpe in the matter setting aside all confidence and trust of his owne strength For all mortall mens endeuours and labours without the grace of God is vaine voyde to no purpose For as S. Cyprian saith Dei est omne quod possumus All that we can doe cōmeth from god Therfore we bid him pray the eternall father of our Lorde Sauiour Iesus Christ with all confidence to bestowe vpon him the holy Spirit and that he would vouchsafe to powre the same his holy Spirit vppon him plentifully and abundantly and as the Apostle saith richely who may nowe by his wholsome inspiration stirre vp in his hearte new motions and such as are consonant to Gods will who may excite him inflame him to the loue of God and to charitie towardes men who may compell and 〈…〉 vnto true and constant trust towardes God to inuocation vnto thankesgiuing vnto perpetuall praising of God vnto the confession and propagation of the Gospell finally to all the dueties of godlinesse vnto patience in afflictions and calamities vnto modestie in prosperitie vnto iust and vpright dealing towards our neighbour vnto diligence in our duetie and office vnto temperance of life vnto sobrietie vnto chastitie vnto courteous and milde manners vnto the studie of peace and concord breefly to all vertues beseeming a Christian man to liue godly holily innocently friendly to the life of men profitably to the Church of god For the holie Ghost is giuen of God so as Christ hath promised but to those onely which pray vnto him for it Neither can any man keepe the commaundementes of God vnlesse he bee assisted with the helpe of the holy Spirit For he it is whiche illuminateth the minde of man whiche inflameth his will whiche reneweth the whole hearte which stirreth it vp whiche moueth it to the obseruation of Gods lawe and to doe those thinges alwayes whiche are gratefull and acceptable to god By the secret instinct of this holy Spirit wee goe about those thinges which are right honest and good and at the length by the present helpe of the same Spirit wee finish and perfect those things which wee haue well begonne But before all thinges wee admonish and warne him that is carefull of his owne saluation to beware of this that he doe not resist the holie Spirit by obeying his wicked Iustes against his conscience or that hee expell not or to vse the Apostles woorde greeue not the holie Spirit And because the holie Spirit doeth not helpe and aide sluggardes nor those that pamper their owne nicenesse or that loose and slacken the bridle to their lustes nor those that rush headlong into voluntarie destruction but those verely or rather those onely whiche labour to tame by all meanes and to represse their inbred naughtinesse and their wicked affections and who take great heede and are maruellous warie that they haue not receiued the grace of God in vaine therefore wee exhorte him continually to represse and keepe vnder the flesh to eschewe surfeting to liue continently soberly chastely and wee warne him not once or twice but very often by fasting to prepare him selfe to prayer nowe and then for as saint Cyprian saith Largioribus epulis mens grauata minus ad preces crationis euigilat Oth at is The minde whiche is ouer charged with large cheere is the lesse diligent and watchfull to pray and that euer amongst so many deceiptes sleightes and assaultes of the Diuell the worlde and the flesh he would in feruent prayer request the aide and assistance of God neither that hee would be fainte and wearie in praying And we shew him that he ought to be moued and stirred vp to prayer not onely with priuate miseries and afflictions but also with publike calamities and common miseries Therefore we will him to pray and to make requests daily vnto God for the Church and Christian Common weale and wee bid him pray vnto him
for the increase of true Religion for the fall and destruction of superstition for the concorde and amitie of Princes also for the peace of the Common weale and for publike tranquillitie wee teache him that vnto prayer hee ought to ioyne both fasting and almes bountie and liberalitie towardes the poore and all kind of dueties towardes his neighbours whiche thinges verelie are a certeine signe and token of a minde which gladly desireth to please God and to approue himselfe to God onely which ought to be the summe of all our prayers And we tell him that so it will come to passe that God will sooner heare the prayers of the supplicant according to that of Esai Breake thy bread vnto the hungrie and bring the needie and the straunger into thine house when thou seest the naked see that thou couer him and despise not thine owne flesh Then thou shalt call vppon him and the Lorde shall heare thee thou shalt crie and he shall say Here I am Yea and the Angel in Tobie saieth Prayer is good with fasting and almes deedes Hitherto perteineth the example of Cornelius the Centurion who as S. Luke writeth in the Actes of the Apostles was woont to giue much almes to the people and to pray vnto God continually Therefore he heard of the Angel Thy prayer is heard and thine almes are come vp into remembrance before God. But if this our penitent person offend in any thing and fall againe into sinne as we are all of vs prone to vice and the Diuell doth alwayes set before vs some prouocations and allurementes to sinne we doe with all diligence exhort him by and by to acknowledge his errour and humblie to aske forgiuenesse of his most mercifull father not to suffer sinne to reigne and rule in him nor to goe on in heaping one sinne vpon another finally we exhort him to salue by Gods helpe and assistance the fault committed with greater good deedes and becomming an honest man againe to amend and refourme his life Also we bid him to remember as S. Iohn saith in the Reuelation from whence he is fallen and to repent and to doe woorkes worthie of a man that is repentant finally to endeuour in a certeine studie and desire to reconcile Gods will vnto him to doe those thinges which are well pleasing and acceptable to God last of all acknowledging mans imbecillitie and procliuitie to offend and chiefly that inward stubbornnesse and contumacie of the heart against the lawe of God moreouer setting before his eyes those thinges wherein he hath often offended either of ignorance or negligence we bid him perseuere in a continuall repentance yea and to cast himselfe downe perpetually as it were at the feete of Iesu with the sinnefull woman in the Gospell not doubting but that grace doth abound aboue sinne as the Apostle saieth We bid him being now wholy displeased with himselfe to request the mercie of God with an humble voyce and knocking of his breast with the Publicane in the Gospell Finally to purge continually the old leuen and to mortifie that I may vse Paules worde by the Spirit the reliques of sinne which as yet sticke fast in his fleshe and to chasten his bodie and to bring it into bondage and to tame and represse his vicious nature both with daily prayer and with daily repentance and with the acknowledging of Gods anger against sinne and with patience in miseries and tribulations and with the memorie and remembrance of the last iudgement but chiefly with a certeine Christian courage of the minde and with the inuincible strength of faith and of the Euangelicall spirit Whatsoeuer there are in the Propheticall and Apostolicall writinges either testimonies of Gods wrath against sinne or examples of punishmentes against the wicked wee doe excite and stirre vp this our penitent person to the remembrance of them we shew him both that God did not spare the Angels which had sinned and also that by a deluge or generall floud of waters he extinguished almost all mankinde for impietie and vngodlinesse and that he ouerthrewe quite from the foundation the cities of the Sodomites and Gomorrheans burning them into ashes and that he made them an ensample vnto them that afterwardes should liue vngodly as Saint Peter saith in his second Epistle Wee doe set before him not onely the punishmentes wherewith God plagued Pharao and the Aegyptians but also the great calamities of the people of Israel and their often captiuities vnder barbarous nations neither doe we omitted either the destruction of the citie of Hierusalem or other innumerable such like desolations Yea we doe not dissemble and hide from him those punishmentes which God hath taken oftentimes vppon seuerall persons for their sinnes as vppon his dearest darling Dauid vppon Osias vpon Manasses and all this wee doe to this ende and purpose that he being terrified with suche examples may both temper himselfe from sinne and wickednesse and also loue and embrace vertue and godlinesse Moreouer wee set downe before him certeine places out of the holy Scriptures worthie to be remembred which are fitte for this purpose and amongest other sayinges that chiefly whiche is in the Epistle to the Hebrewes He that despiseth Moses lawe dieth without mercie vnder two or three witnesses Of howe much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be worthie which treadeth vnder foote the Sonne of God and counteth the bloud of the Testament as an vnholie thing wherewith he was sanctified and doeth despite the spirit of grace And that saying out of the second Epistle of Saint Peter For if they after they haue fledde backe from the filthinesse of the worlde through the acknowledging of the Lord and of the Sauiour Iesus Christ are notwithstanding yet againe entangled therein and ouercome their latter end is worse with them thā their beginning For it had ben better so them not to haue knowen the way of righteousnesse than after they haue knowen it to turne from the holy commaundement geuen vnto them Saint Peter speaketh these wordes of those men who like as the dogge returneth to his owne vomite as it is saied in the common Prouerbe or as the Sow that was washed returneth to her wallowing in the mire so they slide backe againe afreshe into their sinnes and wickednesse Wherefore by these and such like both examples and threates of the Scripture we goe about to terrifie and call backe the repentant person from sinne Before all thinges we exhort him to see well to this that not onely he himselfe doe not willingly against his owne conscience rush headlong into sinne for so he might loose both faith and the holy spirit neither could he be in fauour with God or that he doe not pamper too much as the common sorte of men is woont to doe the tendernesse of his minde but also that with all might and maine he resist and withstand Sathan