way and shall flee before thee seuen waies And againe one of you shall chase a thousand of them And we may be sure that if the speech of the men of Iudah being fewer was fiercer then the speech of the men of Israel being more by reason of their spirite 2. Sa 19.43 that then much more the spirite of one true Christian will ouer-match the spirit of many Papists And so we haue the sentence of S. Luke a man of God for his obseruations in the story of S. Stephen But they were not able to resist the wisedome and the Spirit by which hee spake Actes 6. â—â— This reason is fortified further by the circumstance of our aduersaries person For as the matter now standeth a contentious Papist is a double theefe both in the cause of religion and also in the question of lawe and obedience to the Prince and therfore false hearted And certainly if they be duly stood to specially by those to whom it doth appertaine they will take their heeles And marke what I say to you the magnanimity of our most excellent Prince may put mettall into vs. And this is the first reason The second reason is taken from the protection of God ouer his Church For although the flocke of Christ were lesse and this herd of goates were neuer so numbrous yet if the sheepe wil cleaue to their shepheard the Lorde hath promised to create vpon euery place of mount Zion Isaiah 4 5. and vpon the assemblies thereof a cloud and a smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night For vpon all the glory shall be a defence This protection of God by discourse of reason may bee thus manifested vnto vs. Consider the protection of God ouer the politicall state of the world I meane sustaining the state of common wealthes wherby euery man hath the benefit of enioying his owne There is no man well aduised that ascribeth this security wholy to ciuil gouerment For we see that if the people were numbred by the pole and due notice taken of euerie mans disposition that there are three to one which had rather liue of the spoile and those also couragious and valiant vnthrifts And in other particular Cities and townes where it is more easie to take a true suruey then in this it is an apparant case that there are enow penurious and idle male-contents euerie night couching to expell all the substantiall inhabitants of the towne out of their houses before morning For the well ciuilly disposed in a common wealth are but an handfull to those that are stroy-goods and of ill behauiour And yet ye see what the Lord doth for the protection of the ciuill conuersation of men And will ye not beleeue that his protection will be greater ouer his Church Certainly he that checketh the sea with the tender sand Iere. 5.22 Psal 104.22.23 and maketh the wilde beasts of the forrest toretyre to their dennes when man goeth to his labour will deliuer vs from the enemies of our soules though they were double as many and compell them to serue vs if we will serue the Lord. But peraduenture thou wilt say vnto me that it sufficeth vs to holde our owne though wee stande not vpon tearmes of keeping others in subiection Consider diligently what must be answered that Papists are not to bee helde in subiection vnder vs as they are men but as they are Papists not in respect of their person but in respect of their religion In which regard we are bound to hold them vnder in Gods behalfe For who are wee that wee should presume to depart with Gods right If the Lord haue trusted vs and we let them go how shall we escape that sentence that our life shall go for theirs 1. King 20.39 And thinke with your selues that if Asa thought it necessarie to put downe Maachah his grandmother from her estate because of her idolatrie 1. King 15.13 how much more necessarie is it for Gods Church that Papists be put downe because of their Poperie And if any man thinke that Poperie is not idolatrie the same man there being now no time to debate this cause otherwise must also thinke of necessitie that our religion is not Gods veritie Now followeth the sixth and last conclusion out of this text that Canaan should be brought into bondage that the enemies of the church should be held downe As it appeareth by the lawe of God Iosh 23.12 13. that when the Lord in mercie bringeth them in subiection they ought to be helde in subiection So as they may in no sort breake the yoke and relinquish their obedience much lesse preuaile ouer vs and vsurpe any priuiledge And to this purpose Salomon saith that it is a point of wisedome to catter the wicked Pro. 20 26. and to cause the wheele to turne ouer them And king Dauid voweth Betimes will I destroy all the wicked of the land Psal 101.8 that I may cut off all the workers of iniquitie from the Citie of the Lord. And according to his vowe so was his practise not onely at home 2. Sam. 8 1 2 14 but also amongst the borderers for he subdued the Philistims and destroyed the Moabites to the third man he put a garrison in Edom and made them his seruants By this meanes the throne of righteousnesse is established Pro. 25 4.5 as Salomon saith Take the drosse from the siluer and there shall proceede a vessell for the finer So take away the wicked from the king and his throne shall be established in righteousnesse On the other-side it is threatned if they be not helde downe Iosh 23.13 they shall be a snare and destruction vnto you and a whippe on your sides and a thorne in your eies till you perish This is the word of God concerning the enemies of the Church And this is the meanes for the Church of God to lay hold vpon his blessing and promise here giuen For it is incredible else to what insolencie the enemies wil grow and how much they would take vpon them It is chronicled of Salomon that he as it were surucied the roll of his recusants 2. Chron. 2 17 18 he numbred all the strangers that were in the land of Israel and finding them to be an hundreth and three and fiftie thousand and six hundreth he set seuentie thousand of them to the burden and fourescore thousand to hew stones in the mountaine and the rest to ouersee He was not terrified with that multitude but thought that if Pharaoh by vngodly policie held downe Gods people then he might by godly policie holde downe Gods enemies And it is the direction of the spouse to his friends to catch both the Foxes and the cubs that destroy the vines Cant. 2 â—5 Was it not a marueilous arrogant speech of Aram and Apostaticall Ephraim to say let vs go vp against Iudah Isaiah 7 5 6 and let vs rouze them and
of pietie to me For although there shall be a long and a grieuous departing away of Iapheths posteritie from Shem with whom shall remaine the truth of religion with the oracles thereof of whom the Messiah shall descend so that their Gentilisme and idolatrie shall alienate them and Satan shall a long time entise in the ill part from the true God of Shem so farre that they shall be past all mans recouerie yet the time in due season shal come that the Lord himselfe shall take the matter into his hands and by the omnipotent vertue of his holy Spirit shall conuert them And for the manner of conuerting them it shal not be done by violence but as I said by entising and by the sweete allurements of almightie God euen by the Gospell of Iesus Christ and the godly endeuours of the seruants of Christ who shall both by their life and doctrine allure them And these are the meanes which the Lord will sanctifie by the might and grace of his holy Spirit to their conuersion And wherto shall the Lord allure Iapheth euen to dwel in the tents of SheÌ„ that is in the Church of Christ which is the statioÌ„ of felicitie and the greatest benefit that God can bestow on man who otherwise is the mirrour of wretchednesse In these tents of Shem the Lord shall allure them to dwell that is they shall come thither and abide there when they are come so that the Church shall not be remoued from the Gentiles though some parts thereof shall be greatly ecclipsed And this shall be the first blessing to communicate with Shem in the blessing of Christian religion And to this there shall be added a second blessing wherein he shall communicate with Shem likewise by succession from the Iewes to the Gentiles and that is in the dominion ouer such enemies of the Church as shall be in their seuerall times For as the verie nation of the Canaanites shal be subiect to the Iewes which descended of Shem so those which shall succeed the Canaanites in enmitie to Gods Church of 〈◊〉 nation soeuer they be shall bee brought in subiection And their subiection shall consist not only in suppressing them from vsurping authoritie but also from vsurping libertie and impunitie in their maliciousnesse And this second blessing shall be so annexed to the former that it cannot be enioyed apart But so long as Iapheth shall dwell in the tents of Shem so long shall Canaan bee their seruant But when their loue of religion shall quaile their enimies shall preuaile against them This is the exposition of this oracle now it remaineth to make our obseruations according to it and there are sixe conclusions to bee drawne out of this Text. The first conclusion is that whereas Noah vrgeth Iapheths posteritie with an argument taken out of the signification of his name Iapheth wherewith also hee polisheth his speech saying Iepth Iapheth as much as by like agnominatioÌ„ the allurable shall bee allured 〈…〉 Ghost propoundeth vnto vs thereoâ—â— the edification of names that it is our duty to edifie our selues by those names of importance which the Lord by his prouidence ordinance hath allotted vnto vs. And amongst the rest by this particular name of Iapheth which is ours by descent to edifie our selues in the grace of tractablenesse and easinesse to be allured to our owne good that we may be Iapheths indeede as well as in name The holy Scriptures are found to haue a great felicitie in these notations agnominatioÌ„s in their originall both by the like sound of words which pleased well and also for the deriuations sake as those that can skill may see in many places of the originall Thus it is Zepan 2.4 thus Isai 24.4 thus Act. 8.30 thus Rom. 12.3 and thus Iacob in his blessing both decketh his speech and also maketh matter of the seuerall names of the Patriarkes Genel 49. And yet alwayes with the sobrietie of wisedome not giuing libertie to make matter of Etymologies without a cause nor to be vaine in affecting the sound of words but shewing their completenes in ioyning sweet and profitable together Specially this is so in these ample Oracles which were certain * Holy grauings Hieroglyphicks as they were wont to call other conceits in the Church of God grauen in the memory with a diuine skil Heere the holy ghost dispeÌ„seth with the impropriety of the word for the pleasant affinity of the souÌ„d for to say the truth this verb Iepht properly signifieth to intise in the il part or to deceiue as Exo. 22.16 but because it sweetly soundeth with the name of Iapheth he vseth it in the good part So theÌ„ this name of Iapheth which we haue now vnder hand wherewith the holy ghost chargeth the conscience of the Gentiles of Europe descended from him to whom the gospell is tendered and amongst the rest specially of these verie Ilands as some men vndertake to particularize it ought to moue vs as we haue said to tractablenes that there be not a stubborne and vnflexible mind in vs that will not be allured to true religion that we be not as Dauid saith Like the deafe Adder that will not heare the voice of the charmer Psal 58.4.5 though he charme neuer so cunningly We must saith Salomon cause our eares perforce to heare Pro. â— 1.2 and encline our hearts to vnderstanding It is an heauie iudgement of God to be hard hearted This sinne is the punishment of another sinne euen of continuance in sinne And it is vnspeakablie horrible to be giuen ouer to a reprobate sense that is to hold a lie in our right hand after demonstratioÌ„ of the truth He is indeed a foole as SalomoÌ„ saith that beleeueth euerie thing Pro. 14.15 and is caried vp and downe with euerie wind of doctrine But he is a worse and more wofull foole that sheweth his vntractablenes against God and his stubbornnes against his word wheÌ„ he goeth about to reclaime him There is a better stifnes to be stiffe in the truth The Papists defame the land with a pretence of praise that they find many tractable persons in the same but who so is of a wise heart will disdaine the deuils prayses and will remember that amongst whoremongers austeritie is the defence of chastitie Well I am sure that there are many poisoned with a preiudice against the religion of Iesus Christ and they will not heare with any patience what may be said for the truth And there are againe which although they will heare will not be perswaded to an effectuall conuersion Moued they are but not remoued The stifnecked Papists if they will suffer themselues to beare their denomination where they haue their dependence I means of the Pope are grieuous offenders in this kind by name in this sinne of obfirming hardening themselues against counsell and perswasion They haue the propertie of the Adders before mentioned in the Psalme which as Augustine and Cassiodorus say
make a shift with the earth on the one side and their taile on the other to stop both eares that they may not be charmed Obfirmation is a Cardinall tradition of poperie and in this they are so resolute that they will turne to anie shift rather then be perswaded by the truth First some will not heare Secondly some wil not confer Thirdly some that will reason wil not yeeld when they cōfesse they are ouercome but wil lay the blame in their owne vnskilfulnes the subtilty of their aduersary whom they referre to those of their side that are better learned and so thēselues remain obstinate Fourthly some will be tried by certaine writers and then if they be taken in their owne snare they will pretend some forgery in the impressiō they muse as they vse as their index expurgatorius beareth mention Fiftly others will stand vpon a Doctor where his exposition may aduantage them and otherwhere when they are like to be losers by his sentence they depose him appeale to the exposition of the Church Sixtly they will authorise bookes as Montanus Iansenius Ferus and other they will permit others to bee printed by couen And if there be aduantage for the Protestants in either then forsooth they are iudgements of particular men and not of the Church To be briefe whatsoeuer the text saith or whatsoeuer the glosse saith though indeed at the first both text and glosse be of their owne edition and approbation if they fall not out to serue their turne they will contradict them For they are resolued to be Papists still being no Iapheths but of an vnreachable spirit They are for great Clarkes sold to the world by their ostentation of Manuscripts but their mayn ground is obstinacy They are so farre from yeelding themselues to the spirit of God that they be not gouerned by the common sense of man which is reason but by the cōmon sense of beasts which is wil. We stand all before the Lord in whose sight it is damnably dangerous to beare false witnesse either against Papists or other if any be worse then they Al this which we haue spoken is vnder the manifolde experience of many and they are a generation which may inure vs to S. Pauls speech 2. Thes 3 2◠Pray for vs that we may be deliuered from euill and absurd men for all haue not faith Nay they are so farre from faith and so hardned in infidelitie that they wil not be allured by God himselfe They haue cast the word of the Lord behind them and they shall see as Ieremie saith what wil come of it at the last And this for those Papists that are more stubborne and resolute Now there are others moued as I said but not remoued which although they begin to shew some signe of flexiblenes when means are made to them yet they persist not in a tractable spirit They come part of the way by some worke of conscience within them but they are soone drawn backe againe The reuocation of Sathan is stronger with them then the vocation of God These persons haue great need to looke to themselues to examine duely what kind of sinne this may bee which is in them which causeth these fearefull relapses either in their religion or in their conuersation The examination is this If a man cannot bee effectually enticed to hate sinne it is to be imputed to the flesh which resisteth the grace of God And this cause is to be considered distinctly to be either because the flesh remaineth in him that hindreth the proceeding of his sanctificatiō though it be begun or else because he is in the flesh hath no true grace begun in him at al. And if wee affect to be of the first kind let vs mortifie our corruption and the vnteachablenes of our carnall man And if we feare to bee of the second let vs terrifie our selues from that conditiō with the word of God which saith that they that are in the flesh cānot please God Rom. 8.8 now if there be any other instāce vnder heauē to be setled in popery is to be in the flesh And let vs remember the example of Simon the witch S. Peters censure of him His exāple is that being so far conuerted that he was baptized he reuolted so farre that he offered to buy the holy ghost to play the impostor Saint Peters censure is not that the gall of bitternes was so deepely setled in him that it was not cleane purged out but I see saith hee that thou art set in the gall of bitternes Act. 8 23 For these two sinnes differ as much one from another as his case in whose belly the water is still after that he hath beene pulled out of the sea and his that himselfe is still in the water and ouerwhelmed with the sea The times are verie enticing to corruption in religion as they were before the floud At that time the holy Ghost saith they that had any syncerity in them began more effectually to call on the name of the Lord Gen. 4.26 as we read in the 4. of Gen. or to bee called or entitled after the name of Iehoua as we are now entituled Christiās after the name of Christ They begā when they saw the rest of the world to fly off from the Church to aggregate to flock to the church of God Is it not a venerable president for these daungerous times And if euer there were a time for those that are newters by infirmitie and haue caried themselues loosely doubtfully in the matter of religion to fasten vpon a resolution it is now It concerneth our freehold to embrace the religion which by the gracious benefit of her Maiesties lawes hath beene now so many yeeres and is still and that exclusiuely afforded and authorized vnto vs. It is euen this time into which we are fallen in which our tractablenes and our allurablenes to religion and godlines is instantly required Let vs not be halfe Iapheths as Agrippa was at the hearing of Saint Paul Act. 26.28 but whole Iapheths let vs be fully and confirmedly wonne to this true and holy religion which the Lord hath vouchsafed vs so long When men are lost this way they are lost to God and they are lost to their prince there is not a Papist made but Queene Elizabeth loseth a subiect But shall we consider the reason of this selling vp to error it may appeare in the former example before the floud where the Sethites were seduced by the carnall entisements of the Cainites by their men who as may appeare Gen. 4. were men of parts and by their women who as may appeare Gen. 6. were beautifull Voluptuousnes then is the witch for looke how a gorged and surfetted stomach maketh an il aking head by the vapors ascending as appeareth by drunkards who will rue their gorge if they repent not so a voluptuous heart infects the iudgement and smokes out the eye of the
A SERMON PREAched at Paules Crosse the 13. of Iune 1602. Genes 9. vers 27. The Lord shall allure Iapheth and he shall dwel in the tents of Shem and Canaan shall be their seruant AFter that Moses had finished the storie of the drowning of the old world he beginneth to speake of the restoring of the earth to Noah againe And he mentioneth the thankfulnes of Noah and the blessing of God vpon him and his by bestowing both benefits lawes and promises vpon them By name he prospered the handie worke of Noah in the vineyard which hee had planted And by occasion thereof is chronicled Noahs fall by infirmity into drunkennesse and the little regard which he had of his honour in his drunkennes which appeared by his discouering of himselfe in the middest of his tent From hence as it followeth his sonne Cham tooke occasion to dishonour him both by impious lookes to the forfeiture of his owne reuerence also by impious and scornefull report of that he saw to draw his brethren to the like But he failed of his purpose for Shem being affected with due piety as the author of this filiall dutie and Iapheth being induced by his brother Shem to be a readie coadiutor in the same came to the succour of their fathers dishonour and throwing his garment that lay by vpon their shoulders with their faces from him couered him with the same reseruing their reuerence vnto him by not seeing When Noah awooke and his drunkennes was clean departed had receiued some informatiō someway of the matter concerning the behauiour of his sonnes all perturbation of mind remoued as became the Prophet of the Lord he was moued by the holy Ghost to publish vnto them by way of oracle what should seuerally befall them after this deede especially in their prosteritie So this oracle hath the commendation of the full recouerie of his sobrietie and of his due notice of the cause And first as the vengeance of God vpon Chams impietie who before is called Cham the father of Canaan he denounceth a curse against this Canaan being Chams sonne Vers 22. because as Aben Ezra supposeth this Canaan abused his grandfather to I know not vpon what ground or rather because Moses from Gods oracle not to bee examined by mans rule purposed to make the name of the Canaanites odious to the Israelites for whom he wrote this storie as they were now on their iourney to the land of Canaan to winne it The curse hee denounceth against Canaan is Gen. 10.21 that he shall be a seruant of seruants to his brethren The other two which are after called brethrē for their ioyning in this deed hee ioyneth in a blessing First hee blesseth Shem the authour thereof though otherwise yonger then Iapheth In his behalfe hee blesseth the Lord in a right feruent blessing as for some high benefit reueiled Giuing intitling intimation in his blessing that Christ should descend of him in whose ly also from that time forward true religion continued Next he blesseth in this text Iapheth Shems helper in this worke of pietie Him he blesseth in his posteritie that is in the Gentiles which should dwell far distant in Asia and Europe as Rupertus obserueth specially for as for the opinion of the Iewes that he meaneth the nations bordering on the holy land it may go amongst the rest of their vanities He prophecieth then that howsoeuer some generations of Iapheths ofspring should grow wild and barbarous and forsake the religion of Shem yet the time should come that the Lord by the vertue of his Spirit would reclaime thē and call them home to his grace And that he would worke vpon their wildnesse and fiercenesse with his sweet and amiable allurements of the Gospell and as it were to breake their hearts with kindnesse to draw them both to returne and also to abide in the tents of Shem. Speaking after their maner of dwelling then but meaning that the Gentiles whereof as I haue said a good part descended of Iapheth should be wonne to the religion of Christ the son of Shem in Gods fatherly pietie to them according to his eternall election and according to the grace and filiall pietie that God wrought in their father Iapheth when he holpe Shem to couer his father Noah For frō hence God moued Noah to promise Iapheth thus much as from the occasion but not the cause of this blessing And further he promiseth to Iapheth as before he promised to Shem that Canaan shal be his seruant because they should both successiuely participate in this dominion ouer Canaan as Moses indeed hath it plurally in both places But Iapheth hath this differēce first that Canaan which is promised to be his seruant is not to bee vnderstood literally but is to be taken vnder that name for the enemies wherewith the Church of the Gentiles in generall should be annoyed And secondly that the seruitude of Canaan shall be annexed to Iapheths dwelling with Shem and so conditionall to Iapheth to continue during his continuance in the tents of Shem. Thus the promise hath two parts the first that he shall communicate with Shem in the couenant signified by dwelling in Shems tents and the second that he shall participate with Shem in ruling ouer the enemies of the church signified by Canaans seruitude vnder him So this text is disposed into two parts that is into two promises The proposition of the former promise is that Iapheth that is Iapheths posteritie according to his name which signifieth allurable shall shew himselfe a Iapheth that is allurable and shall receiue a vocation Which is described first from the author The Lord secondly from the meanes shall allure Iapheth thirdly by the effect that hee may dwell in the tents of Shem. The proposition of the latter promise is that Canaan shall bee their seruant where Canaan is put figuratiuely And this first is inferred with that Hebrue copulatine Vau which is of so many significations and here standeth for Le magnan as it doth Leu. 18.5 Let a man keepe my statutes and he shall liue in them that is Then as it is wel rendred or vpō that condition Secondly it is denounced vnder the tearme of seruant which signifieth one that is held from hauing interest in himselfe As if Noah had extended this reuerend breuity into a larger discourse thus As I haue already partly in the right of a father and more amply in the dutie of a Prophet blessed my sonne Shem for his pietie to me wherein hee was the principal so now likewise in the like right and dutie I blesse my sonne Iapheth his coadiutor To whom as by Gods direction I gaue the name of Iapheth which carieth the signification of aptnesse to be allured so I prophecie to him in the behalfe of his posteritie that he shall in it answerably to his name be allured in the good part to good as my son here hath now been by his brother Shem in this worke
impenitencie of dead works What man that is not bewitched out of the wit of a man will forsake the doctrine of trusting in Gods free grace but once to leane to trust to himselfe Wee in the sacrament of the Supper doe offer Christ spritually to the faithful receiuer They offer him carnally that is monstrously and irksomelie and that to the vnfaithfull On which side is the better allurement They offer the pardons of men wee offer the pardon of God to the penitent They require bodily penance for sins and put in contrition for fashions sake We require spirituall as the acceptable sacrifice and value bodily exercise at a lowe rate We teach that the preaching of the worde must bee heard which pierceth and entreth into the soule They teach that masse must be heard which biteth not for this is the hypocrits comfort missa non mordet As for their preaching it is the huÌ„ming of a Drone without a sting except they be disposed to playe the Termagants against the truth We teach that a mans purgatorie consisteth in respect of merit in Christs death and in respect of spirit in the mortification of our corruptions whiles we liue here by the power of Christs death They teach that if the Priests be not be better paid a man must abide in purgatorie long after his death Let as many as are not sophisticated with the diuels mists see with their eies â—ea let them feele with their hands which of these doctrines are more likely to be true But let vs to it againe They say that priestes may not marrie with a good conscience And we say that all those of them which cannot liue continently are bound in conscience to marrie Their reason is an vnlawfull vow Our reason is that they their praiers and their preachings may not bee polluted with damnable hypocrisie by reason of their wilfull pollutions They alleadge that we teach voluptuousnesse when we teach thus the auoiding of fornication But we alleadge that they by consequence teach stolen voluptuousnesse which burneth and wasteth the conscience for thus to frequent relapses is to cauterize the spirit and vastare conscientiam as the schoolemen aptly tearme it Are there any but bewailed wretches that cannot see on which side the truth standeth Their doctrine is that it is presumption by any meanes to be rid of the feare of damnation ordinarily Our doctrine is that whosoeuer loueth the Lord out of a pure coÌ„science that is out of a conscience inlightened by Gods word and not offended by liuing in sinne against the conscience so inlightened may iustly vpon that grouÌ„d receiue from the holy ghost assurance of his saluation though the Fathers of Trent condemne this perswasion neuer so much They affirme that a man hath free will to do things truely good which is a deuise of the deuill to teach men to presume of that they haue not that they might erre vnto perdition We teach that a man hath no free will in his nature to doe any true sanctified and spirituall good that men acknowledging their bondage may seeke free will of God To be briefe concerning the scriptures whereby all must be tried they teach that the vulgar translation which is so grosly faultie is onely authenticall Wee teach that the originall text in Hebrewe and Greeke is onely authenticall These differences are so manifest and these faces are of so coÌ„trarie hue that it is no maruell if the holy ghost say that men must be first drunke before they can be deceiued in them Reuel 14.8 17.2 Otherwise their delusions are as easie to discerne as that Iezabel had borrowed her face then she looked out at the window The whore of Babylon is highly mounted finely painted and terribly armed and these be her allurements The doctrine of the gospell hath beautie in it selfe inward comfort and constant colour and these are her allurements But peraduenture some man will say vnto me I pray you what allurement is in your doctrine of mortification which you so much vrge And which you extend so far that a man can haue no peace in his conscience that fauoureth and retaineth any sinne in himselfe against his conscience Which determineth that a man is in a damnable case whatsoeuer good deedes seeme to be in him if he yeelde not to the worke of the holy ghost for a leauing but of any one knowne sinne which fighteth against the peace of his conscience Dearely beloued I beseech you in the bowels of Christ to take this answere cast it into the balance and marke well the scales I confesse in deed to begin withal that this doctrine fawneth not vpon hypocrites but remooueth them to their wo and the weale of the Church But why is it is it not because they are hypocrits To the rest may it not be truely said of this doctrine Matt. 11 29 30. that it is an easie yoke and a light burden Is it not an alluring doctrine that hath but one onely difficultie and is otherwise accompanied with most certaine consolation The difficultie is to shake off the vnconscionable sin that cleaueth so fast to vs and tarrieth behind to mischiefe vs. Were it not damnable doctrine to dispense with that which admitteth no dispensation should we take vpon vs to heale with sweete wordes like witches Be strong in the Lord and of a good courage in throwing away that sin and then the maine brunt is ouer and the worst is past Holde thee there and thou maiest enioy perpetuall that is vndiscontinued consolations notwithstanding a thousand infirmities For so long as the power of mortification destroyeth thy sinfull affections as they rise and so long as thou art vnfainedly displeased with all sinne and doest mortifie the deedes of the body by the spirit thy case is the case of saluation And when thou art once soundly confirmed in this resolution thou art not onely in the case but also in the state of saluation thou shalt liue not die What would a man haue more then this But the Papistes haue found an ease for this matter For they which accuse the doctrine of the gospell to be a doctrine of libertie because of the article of iustification by faith only do themselues by indulgences by pardons by merits of Saints and by setting of good deedes against ill teach foolish virgins that oyle is to bee begged or bought wherby they are induced into a damnable sleepe and securitie It would allure a pyrate indeede to be of their religion if he might be sure to buy out his punishment after his death with the robberies and rapines of his life In the meane time such doctrine as this hath brought Atheisme into the world and that also of the vilest kind For a Popish Atheist is an hideous mungrell euen a verie Centaure As to say the very truth Poperie and Atheisme are very coincident and their differences very obscure Poperie is a sensuall dissembling with Gods Atheisme is a sensual mocking of God The
Papist is a make-god and the Atheist is a mock-god And you may be sure that the maker wil be so bold as to be a mocker in time The Papist deludeth his conscience and the Atheist derideth his conscience Poperie being copia cornu of sensuall ceremonies for euerie sense a play-fellow a merrie religion the good-fellowes religion comforteth the flesh Atheisme suppresseth the spirit Brethren obserue it well and you shall find that Poperie to them that haue heard the Gospell soundly and sincerely taught marke well what I say to them that haue heard the Gospell soundly and sincerely taught hath nothing in it to allure anie but hypocrites nor anie thing in it to detaine anie such in that religion but those which are in a faire forwardnesse to degenerate into Atheisme But peraduenture it will be alleaged that there are manie euen in the bosome of the Realme that after the hearing of the Gospell are drawne away in their verie consciences to Poperie But I aske who are they Are they not they of whom a man may say O how great is that darkenesse when their verie Mat. 6.33 light is become darkenesse when the candle of their conscience is put out Are they not they which are giuen ouer to a forlorne sense whose thoughts and conscience as Salomon saith are litle worth Prou. 10 20 because as Saint Paul saith themselues being defiled Infidels nothing is pure to them Tit. 1.15 but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled It is no great matter which way the consciences of these men doe wagge I will tell you dearely beloued what may be obserued of many that are sodainly reconciled Papists in this kingdome that if there were no other respect but the losse of them for the good that was in them when they were Protestants they are better lost thē found and become that Synagogue better then this Church for they suite it better Men of a proditorious imperious and luxurious disposition But what should I talke of conscience seeing that kind of religion is the refuge of the vnconsc̄ionable whose trade is first to promise what they lust thē to make heretikes whom they lust and at the last to breake promise with them when and how they lust Their religion it selfe is spied well enough by many of the professors of it And there are manie that are Papists euen against their conscience if conscience were to bee stinted at this apprehension that Poperie is a false and fraudulent religion haeresis Catholica impostura magna the imposture of the world But to say the truth they are not Papists against their conscience because they haue no conscience secundum sensum And therefore as for the examples and liues of men whereby wee are to allure one another they neede not to boast so much as they do considering that their religion consisteth by consequence of the profession of many great crimes Against the third commandement they professe resolution of periurie if it serue their turne when they are sworne to those that they call here-tikes Against the fist commandement they professe disobedience to their princes if their holy father incite them to it Against the sixt commandement they professe murther vpon the like warrantie Against the seuenth commandement by barring mariage and expresse preferring the faults of single life before it they professe filthinesse and vnchastitie in those that ought to bee most pure Against the eight commandement they professe making merchandize of soules Against the ninth commandement vnder pretence of reconciling to the Church they professe alienation of subiects from their natural princes and are the most renowmed artificers of mischiefe and debate that euer were heard of All these they doe directly or indirectly professe besides the rest As for vs which professe the Gospel it behooueth vs on the other side to allure by our example in better maner then we do and not to cause the name of God to be blasphemed by these Papists through vs but rather to let our light so shine before men that they may glorifie our father which is in heauen Matt. 5.16 For the truth is that wee are to too short in this kind of allurement The doctrin which we professe is indeed Gods alluring doctrine but our examples are not such The workes of the Papists especially many of their Antichristian piles are monuments of their errours And our works are monuments of the prophanation of Gods truth as our antisabbatarie play-houses But who doth anie common good The merits of an arrogant Papist are caried after him with a dolefull Item fit for a black Sanctus that they will not go for payment And our works if we repent not will follow after vs and giue vs our payment because we in our generation haue not beene so gracious in alluring as the Papists haue beene witching in theirs The Lord giue vs grace to repent The fourth conclusion out of this text is that all those true Iapheths whō the Lord shall take in hand to allure shall dwell in the tents of Shem that is shall come to the true Church and shall abide therein If God be not mercifull vnto vs in this thing all his mercies are frustrate vnto vs. And vnto this blessing he after a sort exhorteth them to wit to lay hold vpon it For it is the greatest fauour that God bestoweth vpon men in this world to make them true members of his true Church And this is the grace if wee bee not vtterly vngratious which aboue all worldly things we will desire and affect though it should cost vs all we are worth to purchase this field As Dauid saith One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will require and will not alter this petition into another Psal 27.4 5 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his temple For as he saith Psal 48.2 3 Mount Sion is the ioy of the whole earth to wit as farre as God hath any people in the earth belonging to his election For in it saith the Prophet he speaketh forth all his glorie This is the Arke Psal 29.9 out of which there is no saluation all else is a floud fifteene cubits aboue the highest mountaines They therefore which cannot be allured to come and dwell in the tents of Shem must perish For euen the children of God themselues are no better then wretches so long as they are withheld from hence Whose state is represented in the prodigall sonne that was faine to feed on swill and swads Luk. 15.15 16. And Dauid complaineth of his banishment from the Church which yet he was not guiltie of Psal 120. Wo is to me saith he that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Kedar But you will say vnto me that I shal not need to vrge this point because it is alredie confessed But I am constrained to replie that the
be preferred to the grace of the holy Ghost For these wild men these Faunes and Satyrs as I may say are a kind of demo niacks and are not so much as capable of the Spirit of God til they haue submitted themselues to bee members of Gods Church And thirdly by tarying their turne they should be not only capable but it shold euen be vnto thē according to their faith And there would be a maruellous change worthy to be celebrated with a song of Angels Wheras now they are oftē incōbred with the horrors of conscience so that the sound of fear is euer in their eares Against this Satan cānot otherwise succour them then by teaching them to make out a power of blasphemies and derisions both of heauen and hell or to earth themselues in the caues of obliuion that the iudgemēt to come may not come into their mindes Then they should be able to pacifie their consciences with sound arguments of their saluation and the grace of God would perswade their consciences to take part on their side And when their heart was become their friend it would perswade their affection to dine and sup with their conscience Which would be a royall amends to the poorer sort for the hard fare they should find in the world by changing their course and a dish beyond all their dainties to the rich This second part was not vttered for lacke of time but was likewise by authoritie thought fit to be annexed in the print NOw followeth the second parte of the text of Iapheths participating with Shem or rather his succeeding of Shem in dominion ouer Canaan And Canaan shall be their seruant that is let Iapheth continue in the tents of Shem and then he shall hold Canaan in seruitude For the seruitude of Canaan vnder Iapheth is annexed to Iapheths dwelling in the tents of Shem. And so groweth the fift conclusion out of this text that the subduing of ours and Gods enemies is a benefit tyed to our constancy in true religion It is cleare enough that they which are helde in seruitude being of Canaans broode doe foster disdaine and enmity But in the meane while as Salomon sayeth When a mans wayes please God Prou. 16.7 his enemies shal bee contented to bee at peace with him Therefore the Psalmist sayeth O that my people had harkened vnto me and Israel had walked in my wayes Psal 81.13.14.15 I would soone haue humbled their enemies and turned my hand against their aduersaries The haters of the Lord should haue beene subiect vnto him though fainedly and their time of ruling should haue endured for euer On the other side the scripture sayeth Deut. 28.43.44 That when wee cease to walke in the wayes of the Lord whereof a principal part is to vphold his religion our enemies shall bee the head and wee shal be the tayle And such likewise are the examples of the word When Eli suffered Gods seruice to be corrupted by his sonnes ◠Sam. 2.30.32 the Lord remooued him you know howe and saide vnto him Them that honour me will I honor and they that despise me shal be despised And further he sayeth to him And thou shalt see anguish in the habitation of the Lord in stead of al those things wherwith God would haue blessed Israel And of the children of Israel the scripture sayeth Iudg. 2 13.14 They for sooke the Lord and serued Baal and Ashtaroth and the wrath of the Lord was hotte against Israel And he deliuered thē into the hands of spoilers and solde them into the handes of their enemies round about them so that they could no longer stand before their enemies So we read of Salomon 1. King 11.14.23.26 how he went to wreck when he had once yeelded to the corruption of religion at the instigation of his wiues The Lord stirred vp enemie vpon enemie against him euen those which before serued him In the recitall of these scriptures we haue neede to make vse of two worthie sayings of S. Paul The first Rom. 15.4 That Whatsoeuer things are written are written for our learning to comfort and animate vs to holde our religion The second that these examples of Gods vengeance on them that forsooke it are ensamples to vs to terrifie vs from once meditating of such a sinne 1. Cor. 10.6 Let it not come into our mindes that there is any wisedome in yeelding any thing from the truth of God Let vs not think that others will thinke that wee deale wisely if wee take that course For the scripture affirmeth that our strict holding of our religion is our wisedome Deut. 4 6. and our vnderstanding in the sight of the people Great is the praise of Queene Elizabeth for holding her owne or rather Gods owne in this behalfe especially when we consider how she hath beene vrged The lawes which haue beene made for the repressing of idolatry are all still in force and we doe yet abide in the tents of Shem. And assure your selues brethrē that as the thoughts of God are tender towardes vs if wee will serue him so the thoughtes of Queene Elizabeth his seruant and daughter our Queene and mother are tender towardes vs in this matter of preseruation of religion If we will be quietly zealous and charitably tractable we shall see that as her entrance was graced with the restoring so her proceeding shal be honoured with the constant conseruing of religion So long as weekeepe vs within the limits of wise zeale and descend not to the heady courses of the vast vulgar but do maintaine the true seruice of God as followers and not forerunners of wise gouernment not preuenting it by headinesse wee shal be able to keepe these Canaanites in subiection though they did exceede vs in number neuer so much If any say that our holding religion will not holde downe our enemies because the most religious at some times are oppressed I answere that martyrdome is but in particular places or of particular persons But the like cannot be made to appeare of a whole land by any story It Iapheth dwell in Shems tents Canaan shall surely serue him The word of God ought to suffice to confirme vs in the truth of this point But let vs wade into the matter by reason because reason as they say impugneth it seeing the Papists are so many Our entrance into the first reason is out of an vsuall saying that wee haue amongst vs that one true man is too hard for two theeues by reason of his confidence This certainly is most true in the matter of religion that confidence giueth courage This is an only grace to daunt these theenish Canaanites Iosh 1.7 as the Lord said to Ioshua Onely be thou strong and of a most valiant courage According to the promise in the Law Deut. 28.7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise against thee to fall before thy face Iosh 23.10 They shall come out against thee one
make a breach therein for vs and set a king in the midst thereof euen the sonne of Tabeel that is such a one as shall set vp idolatrie No lesse pride then this is in the hearts of Papists They meditate terrible things and are more arrogant them Iannes Iambres which resisted Moses 2. Tim. 3 8 For they had Pharaoh on their sides to countenance them But these haue our gratious Queene against thē whose clemencie they haue most vngratiously abused and are therefore to be well watched that they breake not from vs and duely suppressed by those which ought according to the direction of her royall authoritie The Lord in the fourth commandement saith That the stranger that is in our gates shall not breake the Sabboth that is shall not be suffered to breake it but shall be helde at the least from the manifest contempt of Gods commandement For as I say without holding them down by authoritie according to the trust reposed by her Maiestie in the Magistrates it is not to bee hoped that the Lord will holde them downe For we shall be guiltie of contemning of the meanes by which the Lord both spiritually and outwardly treadeth downe his enemies as it is written Rom. 16.20 The God of peace shall treade Satan vnder your feete marke what he saith Your feete And be sure of it that if this serpent will turne againe and bruise our heele Genes 3 15 though we tread vpon him and breake his head that then if we tread not vpon him he wil not be contented to bite at our heele but will flie in our face But the Papists are instant that violence ought not to be offered to their consciences This is not other obiection then hath beene made by heretikes of old yea it is one of the things wherein Saint Augustine reformed his iudgement Although it be true indeed that whosoeuer seemeth to imbrace true religion if he do it against his conscience sinneth for his conscience sake and on the other side if hee imbrace it not he sinneth for the trueths sake and so sinneth perplexed that is whatsoeuer he doth as long as his conscience is blinded in which respect he seemeth to be thrust vpon his damnation by vrging yet vnderstand that here that saying ought to take place that it is better to admit a mischiefe then an inconuenience because this mischiefe in particular Papists is not to bee compared with the inconuenience that commeth to the whole Church of God by suffering them to goe vntied The administrations of the Church ought not to be subiect to the conscience of vnreclaimable heretikes to the hurt of the Church no more then the administrations of the common wealth ought to bee subiect to the irregularitie of the licentious in anie other kind to the hurt of the commonwealth Moreouer obserue well that that whereunto they are vrged is negatiue that they shall not bee reconcilers or peruerters They cannot say that this is to vrge their conscience when they are pressed onely with negatiue lawes for this case differeth from that of vrging them to come to the Church to receiue the Sacraments which is by the vertue of the affirmatiue lawes extending onely to other penaltie But these men cannot be content to scape with their Recusancie for a pecuniarie mulct which they pay to the halues but doe complaine that violence is offered to their conscience to the perill of their soules except they may bee suffered to infect and supplant our Church by Massing and reconciling And where they threaten vs with their argument that Compulsion doth no good nor worketh anie conuersion and therefore better left It is plaine enough that the same consideration which gaue satisfaction to Saint Augustine in the same point concerning the Donatists may satisfie vs likewise that as in the common-wealth so in the Church malefactors are vtterly to bee repressed for a common good whether the malefactors themselues get good by it or no. There are all meanes to be vsed to winne them and all gentlenesse and forbearing to be vsed towards those of whom in godly charitie there is good hope by reason of their tractablenesse They also that are of a quiet disposition among them are not to be proceeded against with like seueritie as the turbulent So that wee beare in mind what Pliny saith of Serpents Plin. natural historiae lib. 8. cap. 23 Vulgatum est colorem plerosque terrae habere qua occultentur Most of them are of the colour of the earth that they may not be discerned and that some of them do gather in their bodies like birds to entice birds Otherwise let there be no fraud Iude 22. and then as Saint Iude saith put a difference And whether it bee by louing wisedome or by wise loue let those that can preuaile with them haue their foorth Only let two rules be obserued First that their doinges bee warrantable by the word of God and secondly that their heartes bee sound to the Church of God For whatsoeuer is don ought to bee done out of our loue to the religion already established to amplifie it in the first place and out of our compassion to our seduced brethren to reduce them in the second place Where this course wil take no place it behooueth vs to cary a quick eye and a steady hand in suppressing the Canaanite that is stil in the land So as our loue to God and our Prince therein may appeare But principally let vs haue our part with Shem that consequently we may succeed in dominion ouer Canaan Let vs al holde of our renowmed Shem our Shem in deed Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glory now and euermore Amen FINIS Friendly Reader I pray thee mend one fault in the fourth page and 15. line for ly read family