liuishe and mightie in operation and sharper then any two edged sworde Lay a part all filthinesse all superfluitie of maliciousnesse and receaue with mekeâ—…es y â— word that is grafted in you which is able to saue your soules And see ye be doers of the word and not hearers onely disceauinge your selues For if any heare the worde and doe it not he is like to a man that beholdeth hys bodely face in a glasse For as sone as he hath looked on hym selfe hee goeth hys waye and forgetteth forthwyth what his fashion was But who so looketh in the perfecte lawe of libertye and continueth therin if he bee not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke the same shall be happy in hys dede Lay a side all malice guile and dissimulation and enuy and al backbityng and as new borne babes desire that milke not of the bodye but of the minde which is without corruption that ye may grow therin We haue a ryght sure word of prophecie wherunto if ye take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place ye doe well vntill the daye dawne and the daye starre aryse in our hartes So that ye firste knowe thys that no prophecie in the scripture hath any priuate interpretation For the scripture came neuer by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy ghost Whosoeuer transgresseth and abydeth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not god He that endureth in the doctrine of Christ hath both the father and the sonne If there come any to you and bring not thys learning him receaue not to house neither once bid him god spede for he that biddeth him God spede is partaker of hys euill deedes Blessed is he that readeth and heareth the wordes of the prophecte and keepeth these thinges that are written therin Blessed is he that kepeth the words of the prophecie of this booke ☞ Examples out of the new Testament THe people preased so greatlye vppon Christ to heare the word of God that he was compelled to enter into a ship and so to teach them Mary the sister of Martha sat at Iesus feete and hearde hys preaching And when Martha being greatlye combred aboute muche seruing and other worldlye busines sayd to Christ Maister doest thou not care that my sister hath leste me to minister alone Byd her therefore that she helpe me He said Martha Martha thou carest and arte troubled aboute many thinges but one thing is needefull Mary hath choseÌ„ her that good part which shall not be taken away from her Whan Christ preached in the temple all the people did hange of his mouth hearing hym Peter turned three thousande at one of hys sermons The Eunuch chamberlain and of great authoritie with Candace Queene of the Ethiopians read the Prophet Esaye sitting in his charet to whom the holy ghost sent Philip which did both expounde the Scriptures vnto him also baptised him So dere are they to God which delight in the reading of his holy word The noblest of byrth amonge them of Thessalonia which receaued the worde with all diligence of mindes searched the Scriptures dayly whether those thinges were euen so as Paule Silas preached Apollos was an eloquent man mightie in the scriptures He was informed in the way of the lord and he spake feruently in the spirite and taught diligently the thinges of the Lord and yet knewe he but the baptisme and doctrine of Iohn onely whom wheÌ„ Aquila and Priscilla his wife being lay persons had herd they toke him vnto them expounded vnto him the way of God more perfectlye in somuch that afterward he mightely ouercame the Iewes and that openly shewing by the scriptures that Iesus was Christ. Philip the Euaungelist and preacher of the gospell had foure daughters excellently learned in the holy scriptures Timothe was brought vp in the holy scriptures from his young age Against straunge religion or newe found worshipping of God IF thou be moued vnto straunge religion or new found worshipping of God eyther by Sathan by the pope or by any subtue hipocrite loke that thou by no meanes doest leane vnto their wicked motions but rather valiauntly withstaÌ„d theÌ„ with these sentences and examples of the holy scripture ☞ Sentences out of the old Testament HEare Israell your Lorde God is one God Thou shalt loue thy Lord god with all thy harte with all thy soule and with all thy strength Thou shalt feare thy Lord God and serue him alone And now Israell what doth the Lorde thy God require of thee but that thou fearest the Lorde thy God and walke in hys wayes and loue him and serue the Lorde thy Godwith all thy harte with all thy soule and kepe the commaundementes of the Lorde Doe that which is pleasaunt in y â— sight of the Lord thy God Sacrifice to the Lord the sacrifyce of righteousnesse and trust in hym I will not reproue thee in thy sacrifices sayeth theâ—… Lord for I am full of thy burnt offeringes Offer to God the sacrifice of prayse and pay to the most highest thy vowes Call on me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt honour me Heare O my people I will geue thee a charge O Israel If thou wilt heare me there shall be no straunge nor new found God in thee neither shalt thou worship any foraine God For I am the Lorde thy God which brought thee out of the lande of Egipt To doe mercy and iudgement pleaseth the Lord more than sacrifice A sacrifice well pleasing to the Lorde isto attend to hys coÌ„maundementes and to departe from all iniquities and vnrighteousnes What shall I do with all these your sacrifices sayth the Lord I am full of them The burnte offeringes of Weathers and fatlynges the bloude of Calues Lambes and Goates I will none of them When ye come before my sighte who requyred these thinges at your handes that ye shoulde walke in my courtes Bryng me no more sacrifice on thys manner in vain Your sensing is abhomination vnto me The feastes of the new Moone and the Sabbothes and other holy dayes I can not abide Your congregations are wicked Your Kalendes and your solemne feastes my soule hateth I am euen werye of them It greueth me to the hart for to suffer them When ye shall praye many prayers I will not heare you For your handes are full of bloude Bee ye washed and cleane Take awaye your euil thoughts from myne eyes Cease to do euill learne to doe well Seeke iudgement helpe the poore oppressed be fauourable to the fatherlesse defend y â— widdow and then come proue me sayth the lord If your sinnes bee as redde as scarlet yet shall they be made as whyte as snow And if they be made like purpell yet shall they be made as white as wolle If that ye will be contented
with her at the wine lest thy hart consent vnto her and thou wyth thy bloud fall into destruction A man that breaketh wedlocke and re gardeth not his soule but sayth tush who seeth me I am coÌ„passed about with darke nes the walles couer me no body seeth me Whome nede I to feare the highest wyll not remember my sinnes He vnderstandeth not that his eyes see all thynges for all such feare of meÌ„ driueth away the fear of God from him For he feareth onelye the eyes of men and considereth not that the eyes of the Lorde are clearer then the Sunne beholdinge all the wayes of men and the ground of the deepe and loking euen to mens hartes in secrete places c. Reade forth the Chapiter to the ende Examples out of the olde Testament God drowned once all the whole world eight persons only excepted for the sinne of vncleannes God poured downe from heauen water fyre and brymstone vpon the Sodomites Gomorrians and such other and destroyed them al for their abhominable vncleanes When Sychem the sonne of Hemor had violently defloured Dina the doughter of Iacob her brothers hearing of the matter slew not only Sichem and Hemor but also al the men and men children that were in the city and afterward spoiled the city And when Iacob their father talked with them of the matter they answered should they deal with our sister as w t an whore When it was told Iuda that Thamar his doughter in law had played the whore and with playing the whore was become great with child Iuda her father in lawe answered and said bring her forth that she may be brent Ioseph feared god and woulde not consente vnto his Lordes wyfe in any pointe of vnclenes but chosed rather to be cast into prison then he would commit so great wickednes and defile his Lordes wyfe Therfore did God bless him and brought him to hyghe degree There were slayne in one day of y â— Iewes 24. thousand for the whoredom that they committed For the defloring of a certayne Leuites wife there were destroyed mo theÌ„ an hun dred thousand people Dauid committed adultery with Bethsabe Urias wife but he escaped not vnplaged Salomon before he doted in loue of womeÌ„ was wholy geuen to the setting forth of Gods honor but beyng once nousâ—…ed with theyr loue he dyd not onely neglecte the glory of the alone true and lyuynge God but he also thoroughe the entisment of these women fel vnto the worshippyng of straunge godes and so he prouoked the highe displeasure of God agaynst him and his realme Susan feared God and desired rather to be stoned vnto death then she should de file her husbandes bed or once consent to the two filthy Iudges and so become an whore god therfore preserued her Sentences out of the new Testament Ye haue heard that it was sayde to theÌ„ of olde tyme thou shalt not commyte adultry But I say vnto you that whosoeuer loketh on another mans wyfe to luste after her hath committed adultry already with her in his harte It semeth good to the holy ghost and to vs to charge you that ye abstayne from whordome Kepe no company with whoremongers If any that is called a brother that is to say a christen man be an whorehunter with such one se that ye eate not Neither whoremongers nor adulterers nor weakelynges neyther abusers of them selues with mankinde shall inherite the kingdom of god Knowe ye not that youre bodyes are the members of Christe shall I now take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Do ye not know that he whyche coupleth him selfe with an harlot is become one body For two saith he shal be one fleshe But he that is ioyned to the Lorde is one â–ª spirite whoredome Euery sinne that a man doth is without the body But he that is a whoremonger sinneth against his own bo dy Knowe ye not how that youre bodyes are the temple of the holy ghoste whiche dwell in you whome ye haue of god and how ye are not your own For ye are dearly bought Therfore glorify god in your bo dyes and in your spirits which are gods To auoyd whoredome let euery man haue his wife and let euery woman haue her husband It is better to marry then to burne Adultery fornication vnclennes wanton nes c. are workes of the flesh and whosoeuer doth them shall not inherite y â— kingdome of god Let not whoredome or vnclennes be once named amoÌ„g you For this ye know that no whoremonger or vncleane person hath inheritance in the kingdome of christ and of god This is the wil of god that ye abstain from whoredome For god hath not called vs vnto vnclennes but vnto holynes Kepe thy self pure and honest Auoyd the lustes of youth but follow righteousnes faithe loue and peace wyth them that call on the Lorde with a pure hart Wedlock is honorable among all meÌ„ and the bed vndefiled but whoremongers and adulterers god wil condemne Whoremongers shall haue their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brim stone which is the second death ¶ Sentences out of the new Testament WHoredome was the occasion that Herodias Herods whore sought so dilygently the death of godly Iohn Baptiste which reproued them of their abhominable liuing Thorow whoredome and kepinge of riotouse company the prodigall sonne was ted away his goodes and fel vnto such necessitie beggerye and misery that he was glad to kepe swine and would faine haue filled his bellye with the coddes that the swine did eat but he could not be suffered Learne of this history what the ende of whoredome is Saint Paule did excommunicate that man of Corinth which vngodlye kept his fathers wife and woulde not suffer that any of the faithful should kepe him company nor yet eat or drink with him The ende of the whore of Babilon is described of Saint Iohn to be wonderfull wretched miserable and dampnable Against Couetousnes If the deuil and the worlde moue thee not to bee content with that is sufficient and enough but inordinatly add vnmeasurably to scrat together the goods of the world to oppresse the pore â–ª to ioine house to house land to land lordship to lordship c. to take great incommes to raise the rentes and to get that maye be gotten by right or by wrong defend thy selfe against them with these holye scriptures that folow euer remembring that thou arte but a straunger and a pilgrime in this worlde and that thou must go hence eyther vnto glory or vnto paine yea and that â–ª how sone thou knowest not Sentences out of the olde Testament TThou shalt not couet thy neyghbours goods Ye shall not trouble hurt nor anoy no widow nor fatherles childe If ye shall hurt them and they cry vnto me I wil surely heare tâ—…eir cry
his frendes and kinsfolkes were al destroyd so that ther was not one left aliue Zimry conspired against Ela king of Israell slew him and raigned in his steade But shortly after he was driuen to suche misery and straytes that he fledde into the kings pallace at Thirza and settng it on a fyre brent himselfe and so wretchedlye ended hys lyfe Sentences out of the new Testament Let euery soule submit himselfe vnto y â— aucthority of the higher power For there is no power but of God Thepowers that be are ordeined of God Who soeuer therfore resysteth the power resisteth the ordi nance of God but they that resyste shall get to themselues dampnacion For rulers are not fearefull to them that doo good but to them that do euil Wilt thou be without feare of the power Doo well then so shalt thou be praised of the same For hee is the minister of God for thy wealth But if thou donst that which is euill then feare For hee beareth not the sword for noughte For he is the minister of god to take vengance on him that doth euill Wherfore ye must nedes obey not onelye for feare of vengeaunce but also because of conscience And euen for thys cause paye ye tribute For they are Gods ministers seruinge for the same purpose Geue to euery man therefore his duty tribute â—…o whoÌ„ tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whom fear belongeth honoure to whom honour pertaineth I exhort that aboue all things prayers supplications intercessions and geuinge of thankes be had for all men for kinges for all that are in authoritye that we may liue a quiet and a peaceable life withall godlines and honestye For that is good accepted in the sight of god our Sauyour whiche will haue all men to be saued and to come vnto the knowledg of the truthe Warne them that they submit them selues to rule and power that they obey the Magistrates that they be ready to doo euery good work that they speake euill of no man that they be no fighters but gentle shewing all meekenes vnto all men Submit your elues vnto all maner ordinance of man for the Lordes sake whether it be vnto the king as vnto the chiefe head either vnto rulers as vnto them that are sent of him for the punishment of euill dooers but for the praise of them that doo wel For so is the will of god that with well doing ye may stop the mouthes of folish and ignoraunt men as free and not as hauing the liherty for a cloke of malyciousnesse but euen as the sernauntes of God Honour all men loue brotherly felow ship feare god honour the king Wicked are they and damned shal they be that despise authority and â—…eare not to speak euil of them that excel in honour Examples out of the new Testament MAry Christes mother and Ioseph her husbande obeyed the Emperours commaundement and went into their citie Bethelem to be taxed Christe payed tribute to Cesar both for him self and for his disciples and willed o ther so to do Christe euen vnto the death obeyed the temporall rulers The Apostles of Christ were obedient to the higher â–ª powers and taught other so to be Saint Paule willinglye obeyed the publique Magistrates Felix Festus c Theudas and Iudas of Galile were two sedicious persons The one boasted to doo greate thinges and so allured muche people to follow him the other councelled the Iewes by no meanes to pay tribute to Cesar but to mayntayne theyr olde liber ties and by this meanes moued greate sedicion among the people What became of them were they not put to death and so many as folowed thâ—… eyther slayne or els scattered abroad and so brought to nought We read not in all the holy scriptures that anye traytour or notable sedicious person hath at any time â—…scaped without notable and famous punishmente God can not suffer his magistrates to be disobeyed his coÌ„mon weales to be disturbed hys polytyqne or cyuylâ—… lawes to be conteÌ„ned his godly and honest orders to be broken Whosoeuer attempteth any such wickednes God wil be a uenged of him as it is euidente not onely in the holye Scriptures but also in prophane histories Against maliçe grudge enuy hatred and anger IF thou be tempted of Sathan to breake the order of charitie to malice thy christen brother â–ª set these scriptures before the eyes of thy mynd Sentences out of the olde Testament Thou shalt not hate thy brother inthine hart but shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour that thou beare not sin ne for hys sake Thou shalt not auenge thy selfe nor be myndefull of wrong agaynst the children of my people but shalt loue thy neighbours euen as thy selfe If thine enemy honger fede him if he thirst geue him drinke for so shalt thou heape coles of fyre vppon his head and the Lord shal reward thee He that seketh vengeance shal find vengeaunce of the lord which shal suerly kepe him in his sinnes Forgeue thy neighbour the hurt that he hath don the and so shal thy sines be forge uen to thee also when thou prayest A man that bereth hatred agaiÌ„st aÌ„other how dare â—…e destre forgeuenes of god He that shew â—…th no mercy to a man whiche is like hym selfe howe dare he aske forgeuenesse of his sinnes If he that is but fleshe beareth hatred and kepe it who will entreat for hys sinnes Remember thy end and let enmitie passe Examples out of the olde Testament Samuell prayed for kinge Saul although a wicked man an enemy to gods seruaunts aâ—…d altogether disobedient to the will of God Moyses prayed for the stubborne and vn faythfull Iewes which not withstandinge rebelled agaynste him and woulde haue slayne him ☞ Sentences out of the new Testament Louâ—… your enemies Blesse them that curse you Do good to them that hate you Pray for them whiche do you wronge and pursue you that ye may be the children of your father that is in heauen Whatsoeuer ye will that men shoulde do to you euen so do you to them That is the law and the prophetes Thou shalte loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Be mercifull as your father is merciful Iudge not and you shal not be iudged CoÌ„ demn not and you shal not be condemned Forgeue and ye shal be forgeuen Geue it shal be geuen to you good measure pressed downe shaken together and running ouer shall men geue into your bâ—…somes â–ª For wyth the same measure ye meete wyth the same shall other meete to you agayne A newe commaundemente geue I vnto you that ye loue together as I loued you that euen so you loue one an other By this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples if ye shall haue loue one to another Though I bestow all my goods to feede the poore and though I geue my bodye to be brent
the dead but of the liuing The houre shall come in the whiche all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and shall come forthe they that haue done good vnto y e resurectioÌ„ of life thei y e haue done euel vnto y e resurrectioÌ„ of damnatioÌ„ I know that my brother shall rise again at the latter day God hath raised vp y e Lord and shall raisâ—… vs vp by his power If there be no risinge again from death then is Christ not risen If Christ is not risen then is our preaching vaine your faith is also vaine Read and commend to memory the xv Chapiter of the first to the Corinth The Lord Iesus shall chaunge our vlle bodies that they may be fashioned like vn to his glorious body c. I would not brethern haue yon ignoraÌ„t concerning them which are fallen a slepe that ye sorow not as other do which haue no hope For if we beleue y â— Iesus Christe died rose againe euen so they also which slepe by Iesus wil god bring againe with him Read forth ☞ Examples out of the new Testament CHrist raised from death the daughter of y â— Rular the Son of a certaine widow and Lazarus with many other These are euident examples of our resurrection After Christ had geuen vp the ghoste the graues did open and the bodyes of ma ny Saintes whiche slept arose and came out of y â— graues after his resurrectioÌ„ caÌ„e into the holy citie appeared vnto many Christ rose againe from death the third day accordinge to the scriptures and was sene of Cephas then of the twelue After that he was sene of mo then fiue hundreth brethern at once c S. Peter raised Tabitha from death S. Paule restored vnto life a certaine yong man named Euticus Christe rebuked the Saduces because they beleued not the resurrection of y e ded The Epicures and Stoykes laughed S Paule to scorne when as he at Athens taught the resurrection of the dead But he defended the doctrine Against them that deny the immortalitie of the soule IF Sathan or any of his tempte thee to liue at thy pleasure labouring to perswade the â—…y sophi sticall reasons of carnal imaginations y â— the soul of man is but as the breath of other beastes that after the dissolutioÌ„ of the body it is nothing nether liueth afterward but hath an end with the bodye take hede that thou geuest no place to such wicked and most damnable doctrine but enarme thy selfe a gainst it w t these authorities of the holy Scripture ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament GOd created man in his owne image in y e image of god created he him male and female created he them The Lord god shope man euen dust froÌ„ the ground and breathed in his nostrels the breathe of life and Adam was made a liuing soule I should vtterly haue fainted but that I beleue verely to sâ—… the goodnes of y e lord in the land of the liuing Like as the harte desireth the water brookes so longeth my soule after thee O god My soule is a thirste for god yea euen for the liuing god when shal I come to ap peare before the presence of god The bodye shal be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came and the spirit that is the soule shall returne vnto God whiche gaue it God made man to be vndestroyed that is to say immortall yea after the image of his own likenes made be him The soules of the righteous are in the hand of God and the pain of death shall not hurt them In the sight of the vnwisethey seme to dy and their end is taken for very destructioÌ„ but they are in rest The hope of the faithful is ful of immortalitie The righteous shall liue for euermore their reward also is w t the Lord and their remembrance with the highest Therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome a bewtiful crowne of the Lordes hand Read the third fourth and fift Chapiters of the boke of Wisedome We are the children of holy men and looke for the life whiche God shall geue vnto them that neuer turne their faythe from him Examples out of the olde Testament THe holy scriptur testifieth that Ehore and his complices went downe quicke vnto Hel and the earthe couered them so that they perished By this it is euident that the soules of the wicked are immortall and liue in the paines of hel fire If Saule had not beleued bothe the resurrection of the body and immortalitie of the soule he wold neuer haue gone about to haue had Samuel raised vp When Dauid saw that his childe was dead he wept no more but said I shall go vnto him he shal not come again vnto me Helias prayed for the rasing vp againe vnto life of his hostes Sonne sayinge O Lord my God I beseche thee let the soule of this Childe come into him againe And he reuiued When Tobias was laughed to scorne of his elders and kinssolkes which said vn to him here is thy hope for the which thou hast done almose and buried the dead He rebuked them and sayde say not so for we are the children of holy men and looke for the life which god shall geue vnto theÌ„ that neuer turne their faith from him Againe he prayed vnto god on this ma ner Now O Lorde deale with me according to thy wil and commaund my spirite to be receiued in peace For more expedieÌ„t were it for me to dye than to liue Sentences out of the new Testament FEare not them whiche kil the bodye but are not able to kil the soule But rather feare him whiche is able to destroy both soule and body in hel Ther is no man that hath forsakeÌ„ house eyther father or mother either brethren or wyfe or children for the kingdom of Gods sake which shall not receiue muche more in thys worlde and in the worlde to come lyfe euerlasting Thys is the wyll of hym that sent me that euery one which seeth the sonne and beleueth on him haue euerlasting life and I wyll raise him vp at the last day My shepe heare my voyce and I knowe them and they followe me and I geue vn to them euerlasting lyfe and they shal neuer peryshe neyther shall anye man pluck them oute of my hand I am the resurrection and the lyfe He that beleueth on me yea though he were dead yet shal he liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleueth on me shal neuer dye Let not your hart be troubled Ye beleue in God beleue olso in me In my fathers house are many mansions If it were not so I would haue told you I go to prepare a place for you And if I goe to prepare a place for you I will come agayne and receiue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am