that is of the sorrowes of a woman trauelling with child eueÌ„ to Tabbaath to the last moneth in the yeare which answereth to our December which for the abundance of waters Psal 137.8 1. Pet. 5.3 which commonly are â—herein is called in Hebrue Tabbah which signifieth to be drowned Surely such flouds of sorowes and calamities remaine for Rome the daughter of Babylon Reue. 17.2 which Saint Peter calleth Babylon as the prophesies of the holie Scriptures do teach Nay Saint Iohn describeth her most manifestly That great citie which is built vpon seuen hilles and raignes ouer the kings of the earth Psal 73.27 Ier. 3 1. made them drinke the wine of her fornication What citie in the world is thus built and hath had this authoritie ouer Kings Reuel 17.17 and hath made them drinke wine of fornication that is Idolatrie which is so called in the Scripture but Rome The day shall come that these her louers those kings which with one consent haue giuen their kingdome to the beast shall hate her and shall eate her flesh and shall burne her with fire Wee see now the former of these fulfilled so no doubt wee shall see the latter also When God shall put it into their hearts and when his wordes are fulfilled and that euen in one day If Rome be in this case may shee not fitly be called the afflicted tottering house And therefore as the father and prince of the Madianites Dan may resemble the Pope and the Madianites his souldiers which shall one of them kill another so Beth-hashittah may resemble Rome their castle of refuge And God deales euen now as mercifully with his Church 2. Chro. 20.22 as he did in the dayes of good king Iehoshaphat against whom when manie nations had conspired and came to make warre it is thus written When they began to shout and praise the Lord the Lord himselfe laid ambushmeÌ„ts against the children of Ammon Moab mount Seir which were come against Iudah they slew one another 1. King 18.13 Ioh. 3.1 Luke 25 50. Matth. 27.19 euen so the enemies of the Church of God at this day by Gods speciall grace and mercy one of them kill another And euen as in the law Obadiah Ahabs steward nourished the Prophets of the Lord and Nichodemus and Ioseph of Arimathea princes amongst the Iewes Phil. 4.22 Ierem. 38.7 and euen Pilates wife fauoured Iesus Christ euen so now also in the Gospell the Popes darlings and Friers some of them fauour the truth And as Saint Paul also had some friends in Caesars house and Ieremie in the kings court so now hath the Gospell some friends among the Popes traine and that in no smal matters There is no one thing I am perswaded at this day doth so dazell the eyes of a great nuÌ„ber that they cannot behold the cleare light of the Gospel keeps theÌ„ stil in the obedience of the Church of Rome as the reading of Granatensis Stella Ferus Philippus de diez such like But all shall clearly see in this book how that in the principall points of religion they ioyne hands with vs. And that we may say of them 1 King 22.43 as we reade in the booke of the Kings of Iehoshaphat that he walked in all the wayes of Asa his father and declined not therefrom but did that was right in the eyes of the Lord neuerthelesse the high places were not taken away and the people offered still and burnt incense in the high places Good men haue their imperfections So these follow the way of the Fathers in preaching and setting forth zealously the word of God in maintaining the authoritie thereof as also the knowledge reading and meditation thereof they teach also the true vse of prayer with faith deuotion vnderstanding our perfect redemption by Christ and the assured faith that we ought to haue in him and how that we ought to trust in his merits and not in our owne works his exceeding great loue towards vs and the great corruption of our nature without his grace In these points they worship God aright with good king Iehoshaphat and they followe the wayes of their fathers But yet the high places are not taken away they burne incense there still They maintaine the Popes supremacie their patron Col. 2.18 2. King 9.20 10.28 they make prayers to Saints and Angels through their ouermuch humilitie as Saint Paul teacheth vs. Their great and good zeale is like to that wee reade of Iehu And the marching is like the marching of Iehu the sonne of Nimshie for he marcheth furiously And againe So Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel but from the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat which made Israel to sinne he departed not He was the founder of his kingdome The policie which he deuised to maintaine his estate and kingdome hee also although it were against the word of God embraced So these are zealous Mark 12.34 but they also maintaine their founder the Pope and his authoritie We may say of these truly as our Sauiour Christ in the Gospel sayd of that Scribe Thou art not far from the kingdom of God no more surely are these So that heere good gentle Reader thou maist see Popery pulled vp euen by the roots by the hands of Papists themselues The true Catholike faith out of the Scriptures out of the Fathers out of the mouthes of them who seeme to be the verie enemies therof this small Treatise teacheth Euery one therefore that tendereth his own saluation let him mark wel that faith which herein is taught In the time of ignorance God might and no doubt did shew mercy but now at midday in the most cleare sunshine of the Gospell now I say to shut the eyes is wilful murther Reu. 14.8 For in the Reuelation our daies are most liuely expressed Then I saw saith S. Iohn another Angel fly in the midst of heauen hauing an euerlasting Gospell to preach vnto them that dwel on the earth and to euery nation and kinred tongue and people saying with a loud voice Feare God giue glorie to him for the houre of his iudgement is come and worship him that made heauen and earth the sea and the fountaines of waters Are not here our daies most euidently declared The preaching of the euerlasting Gospell the worshipping of God alone that made all things and not of any creature nay the verie time For the houre of his iudgement is come This preaching of these doctrines and this preaching of the Gospell shall be immediately before the iudgement Hee that is not starke blind cannot choose but see this Now followes the Church of Antichrist And there followed another Angell saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie for she made all nations to drinke of the wine of her fornication Here is likewise the Church of Antichrist most euidently described She shall make all nations drinke of the wine
in margin word r. world THE TRVE CATHOLIQVES Alphabet or A. B. C. taken out of Saint Ierom. OOR Sauiour Christ in the gospel Mat. 10.1.11.1 Luke 6.13 often cals all those which followed him Disciples that is Schollers now the first thing that a scholler must learne is his Alphabet And that Christians might haue as it were an Alphabet to learne the holy ghost hath put downe that also in manie places of the scriptures First in the 119. Psalme Of which Psalme euerie part begins in the Hebrew with a letter as they are placed in order in the Alphabet Gra. lib. 1. Deuot. cap. 5. nay that Psalme containes in it as some haue noted the word Lawe or Testimonie almost in euery verse To the ende no doubt that euerie Christian should be a scholler and learne that Psalme It is verie easie it is euen milke for children The Prouerbs of Salomon also end with an Alphabet they are also short and fit lessons for yoong beginners in the Lords schoole to learne The Lamentations of Ieremy haue foure Alphabets in them as Ierom notes in the preface of the Lamentations And he expounds euerie letter of the Hebrew Alphabet verie excellently in that place to euerie Christians comfort and edification teaching therein which is the true Church and which teacheth her children the true Alphabet which I haue set downe here as thy Alphabet good Christian Reader if thou wilt be Christs and S. Ieroms scholler Euen as saith he in our writings we cannot come to reade and spell the words vnlesse wee begin at the elements or letters Ieron in praef Lam. 1. so in the Scriptures we cannot know the greater matters vnlesse we beginne at the morall precepts contained in them According as the Prophet saith By thy commandements I get vnderstanding that is after his good workes he got the vnderstanding of secrets But now I must fulfill your request saith he to Eusebius that I may expound euery letter and the meaning thereof Aleph signifies learning Beth a house Gimel fulnesse or plentie Daleth a Gallerie or boards * Ista or â—aec He those Vau and Zain these Ceth life Teth goodnesse Iod a beginning Caph a hand Lamed of learning or of the heart Mem of them Nun euerlasting Samech helpe Gnain a fountaine or eie Pe a mouth and not a bone Tsadi of righteousnesse Koph a vocation Resh of the head Shin of the teeth Tau signes And here marke well least thou be deceiued with the ambiguity of the letters for there are many of them one very like another After the exposition of the letters now the order of the vnderstanding and meaning of them is to be shewed The first connexion of them is Aleph Beth Gimel Daleth that is doctrine a house fulnesse of boards Because the doctrine of the Church which is the house of God is fully and plentifully found in the fulnesse and plentie of the holie scriptures The second connexion is of He Vau Zain Ceth that is those and these be life for what life can there be else without the knowledge of the scriptures by which Christ himselfe is knowen who is the life of the faithfull The third connexion hath Teth and Iod that is a good beginning because that although now we know all things which are written yet we know but in part 〈◊〉 now we sée as it were thorough a glasse darkely but when as â—â—e shall be accompted worthy to be with Christ shal be like the Angels then we shall néede bookes no more The fourth connexion hath Caph Lamed that is the hand of the heart or of discipline The hand is meant in working the heart and discipline is meant in vnderstanding because we can doe nothing vnlesse we first know what we must doe The fift connexion hath Mem Nun Samech that is of these we haue an euerlasting helpe This néedes no exposition but is clearer then the sunne that by the scriptures euerlasting helps are ministred to the faithfull The sixt connexion hath Gnain Pe Tsadi that is the fountaine or the eye of the mouth of righteousnesse agreeing with that we haue expounded in the third number The seuenth connexion which is the last that there maie be also a secret meaning or mysterie in the number of seuen hath Koph Resh Shin Tau that is the calling of the head the signes and the téeth By the teeth a distinct voice is formed and by these signes we go to the head of all which is Christ by whom we come to the kingdome of heauen Now haue we added these things saith Ierom that we might instruct the Reader that these things were not in vaine set downe of the Prophet according to the lawes and order of the letters but all things which are written doe belong to the mysteries of Christ and his Church If this be the true meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet by Saint Ieroms iudgement and as it were also an Alphabet of Christian Religion which belongs to Christ his church and that she is the true church which teacheth her children the same then surely the church of Rome is not the true church which doth not teach her children this Alphabet nay which teacheth doctrine quite contrarie to this that the fulnesse of Christian doctrine is not contained in the scriptures that lay men maie haue life without the knowledge of the scriptures and that they maie doe such good workes as please God without the knowledge of them that they are not helpers but hinderers of their saluation and the verie fountaines of heresies But the scriptures are by Saint Ieroms iudgement the very beginning and first steppe to Christianitie and that in heauen we shall not néede them but here we doe and that no man can doe anie thing well vnlesse he know first what he must doe And no doubt his meaning is that he ought to haue this knowledge out of the scriptures and that they are not authors of heresies but euerlasting helpers to our saluation and containe in them plentifully all the doctrine which is necessarie for the Church Surely it appeares by this that the Church of Rome teacheth not her children the verie first steppe to heauen and this good beginning and therefore shee is Antichrists Synagogue and the mother of perdition by Ieroms iudgement and that without Gods great mercie shée endangereth the saluation of her children Maister Bellarmine in his Hebrew Grammar yéeldes the meaning of euerie Hebrew letter and also makes mention of Saint Ieroms exposition here declared but belike it pleased him not he puts downe another of his owne The true Catholiques Pater noster or Lords prayer expounded briefly by Saint Augustine Ench. ad Laur. cap. 114. CVrsed is euery one as the holy scriptures witnesse that puts his trust in man And by this also whosoeuer shall trust in himselfe is within the compasse of this curse And therefore we are to desire of none other but of God whatsoeuer we hope either to doe
also in this matter is of the same opinion first that onelie the Scriptures are of force to prooue and perswade Hitherto sayeth hee Peter hath preached Christs resurrection by his owne testimony and of the other Apostles very liuely now he prooues the same out of the Scriptures that hee may giue vs to vnderstand from whence and with what Testimonies wee ought to confirme our sayings in our Sermons for it is not enough for vs to say we thinke thus vnlesse we can also iustly affirme that the Scriptures doe agree with vs. And therefore by the testimony of Dauid Peter here also confirmes the resurrection of Christ Fer. in 3. c. act Of the knowledge also of the Scripture Ferus writes thus It behooued them which from their Cradles were brought vp in this holsome doctrine as the Iewes were in times past and we are now to be so expert and cunning in Gods words works that at the first sight they could iudge what God spake or did therefore they are greatly to be blamed which saie now of the words of the Gospell and of the holy Scripture we neuer heard these things Why then hast thou beene a Scholler so long in Christs Schoole Ibidem And after vpon these words of the Acts I know that of ignorance yee did it Marke here saith hee that euery wicked man is an ignorant man for hee knowes not what hee doeth Marke also how dangerous a thing it is to lacke the knowledge of God for then wee fall into most grieuous sinnes Marke also how foolishly they doe which fly from the word of God by which they might get the knowledge of God nay they will not heare any thing of God Thus farre Ferus he makes ignorance of the Scriptures the mother of destruction and not the reading of them as Staphilus doeth Againe hee takes awaie that common excuse that manie simple soules will make who when they are reprooued for their grosse ignorance in the time of poperie they will saie In cap. 9. Act. they had a good meaning in those daies they ment well But we must marke here sayeth Ferus that zeale pleaseth not God without knowledge Saul thought he did God seruice when as of all others hee offended him most grieuously So did Saul so did the Iewes Therefore it is a dangerous thing to lacke the knowledge of God Therefore my people is ledde into captiuity because they had no knowledge And he that knowes not shall not be knowne A good meaning sufficeth not vnlesse it agree with the word of God And a little after The faithfull called themselues the Disciples of Christ for they knew no other maister I would to God all Catholikes would call themselues by that name Disciples This is an ancient name it would put them in minde to looke on Gods Booke And speaking of Paul hee writes thus These things are very excellently set downe here which are required to Christian righteousnes First he heareth the word of God Secondly he seeth Thirdly he ariseth by faith from sinne he rouseth vp himselfe vnder a heauy burthen but onely through confidence of the mercy of God Fourthly he is filled with the holy Ghost fiftly he is baptized and sixtly he is comforted with meate And after is conuersant among the Disciples of God The first steppe therefore that Ferus makes here of Christianitie is to heare the word of God And againe after To the true Saints of God there is nothing more precious then the word of God which the counterfeit Saints doe loathe Wouldest thou then bee a true Saint let the word of God be thy chiefest Iewell And of Tabitha hee writes thus First she is called a Disciple by which word is signified that with great desire she heard the word of God I would to God our women also would all bee Disciples But let vs a little consider the ground of Maister Staphilus his assertion he saith that Vnto the Apostles and their successours it was giuen Mat. 13.10.11 that they should know the mysteries of the Kingdome of God But hee doeth greatlie mistake the Text for it is thus written His Disciples comming said vnto him Why doest thou speake in Parables vnto them And he answering said vnto them Because to you it is giuen to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of God but to them it is not giuen For to him that hath shall be giuen and he shall abound and he that hath not euen that which hee hath shall be taken from him Our Sauiour here plainlie speakes to all his Disciples not to his Apostles onelie Now all Christians are the Disciples of Christ are his schollers And to all these hee saide a little before He that hath eares to heare let him heare And of these he saieth also in these words He that hath shall haue more giuen him So that here our Sauiour Christ maketh a difference betwéene his schollers and Disciples which doe beleeue in him and the Infidels which doe not beleeue in him but like the deafe Adder stop their eares To these it is not giuen to know the secretes of the kingdome of GOD but to all the other not to his Apostles onelie as Maister Staphilus expounds it it is giuen And they shal daily haue more giuen them and shall encrease in knowledge Hom. 31. Oper. imperf in Mat. Chrysostome also is of the same iudgement and expounds that place thus All vnderstanding saieth he is of the holy Ghost and is the grace of God yet there is one grace which God gaue to all men in creating them and another grace which he giues not to al men but to the more worthy and excellent and to those whom he hath chosen Euen as a house-keeper hauing many seruants to euery one of them he giues a simple coat and simple fare because he is their master for he could not be his seruant vnles he were clothed and fed of him but to certaine which are more faithfull and trusty about him he giues a better liuery and better fare not because he is their master but because of their good conditions So God giues his generall grace that is the vnderstanding of good and euill to all men in that they are men for otherwise we should not seeme men created to the Image of God vnles we had a diuine vnderstanding but to the more worthy he giues a speciall grace that is of knowing his mysteries not for the necessity of nature but as it were a reward of their good will or of their good works Here wee maie plainlie see that hee restraines not this gift of God of knowing the mysteries of the Kingdome of heauen to the Apostles and their successours as Staphilus did but also to all his faithfull and most trustie seruauntes And concerning that place in the Gospel Giue not that which is holy to Dogges The Iewes in the beginning thought by all likelyhood that the Gentiles had beene those Dogges but Ferus saieth Our Sauiour Christ
night in the word of God For by this exercise the soule is fed with the knowledge of the trueth and the will with the loue and sweetnes of it And when as the vnderstanding and the will are as it were two principall wheeles of a clocke that is of a life that is rightly gouerned if they moue in order and as they ought all the whole worke and whatsoeuer dependes thereon shall be perfectly ordered In this holy reading a man seeth his wants he resolueth his doubts he findes remedies to keepe in store against tribulations there are good counsels also afforded him there he learns many mysteries he is strengthened by the examples of vertues and he learnes the profit that comes by them And therefore Salomon so highly commendes it in his Prouerbes Keepe saith hee my sonne the precepts of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother Binde them in thy heart continually and knit them about thy necke When as thou walkest any whither let them go with thee and when thou sleepest let them preserue thee and when thou awakest talke with them because the commaundement is a lanterne the law a light and the nurture of discipline the way of life Thus farre Granatensis Where he plainely condemnes that position of other Papistes that the reading of the scripture is daungerous Nay hée condemnes that which in their blind kingdome when as Gods word was banished they allowed that is the reading of vaine Histories as of Beuis and such like That saith he is most dangerous The author also of that booke called the Resolution agrees with Granatensis herein Who is there now adaies saith he which maketh the lawe or commaundement or iustifications of God as the scripture termeth them his daily meditation Part. 1. ca. 2. as king Dauid did Neither onely in the day time did he this but also by night in his heart as in another place he testifieth of himselfe How many of vs doe passe ouer whole daies and monethes without euer entering into these meditations Nay God grant that there be not many Christians in the world which know not what these meditatiōs meane We beleeue in grosse the mysteries of our Christ ā faith as that there is a Hell a Heauen a reward for vertue a punishment for vice a iudgement to come and an account to be made and the like but for that we chew them not well by deepe consideration and doe not digest them well in our hearts by the heat of meditation they helpe vs little to good life no more then a preseruatiue put in a mans pocket can helpe his health c. This author besides that he commends the continuall studie and meditation of the scriptures séemes to mislike with that generall faith knowledge which the Church of Rome teacheth we must not beléeue in grosse saith hée but we must particularly muse vpon and applie the things to our selues Ferus also of the princely authoritie of the scriptures writes thus And here thou feest the great boldnes of trueth Only trueth can say Fer. part 2. pass I feare no man No other doctrine is so perfect that it can say so besides that which God hath reuealed in his word And after he writes thus That Christ suffered all other iniuries with silence besides this blow on the face which the high Priests seruant gaue him He replies to that saith Ferus least that he should thinke that it were not lawfull to reprooue princes with the word of God whereas the word of God spareth no bodie It is the iudge of all men c. If the word of God be the iudge of all men then of the Pope hee must submit himselfe vnto it he cannot dispense with it The same Granatensis also De deuor Lib. 1. cap. 44. of the authoritie of the scriptures writes thus The controuersies that arise about trust or credite of bargaines betweene man and man and of ecclesiasticall decrees commaundements the Maisters and Doctors of that facultie know best And those same spiritual matters also are diligently to be examined that we may see if they agree with the rule of the diuine scripture He makes the holy scripture the rule of spirituall matters Granatensis also in another place yéeldes this excellent testimonie to the scriptures Med. 7. vitae Christi Mat. 2. And as these men speaking of the wise men made no account of this wisedome and of the argumentes of the flesh after that they saw a contrarie witnesse and testimonie giuen them in heauen so neither must thou thinke that the iudgements and opinions of the world to be of any force when as thou seest the word of God and the most holy gospell to teach the contrarie Let the world reproue and let it gainesay as much as it listeth the words of God let all the wise men of this worlde storme against it let them alledge olde customes let them oppose the examples of Kings and Emperours all these are but vapors and smoke neither are they of any force against the worde of God and his holy gospell and his heauenly wisedome And after Where art thou which art borne King of the Iewes the lawe of all deuout men the captaine of all miserable men the sight of all blind men the life of the dead and the euerlasting saluation of them that shall liue for euer And a fit answere followes In Bethlehem Iudah Bethlehem is expounded to be the house of bread and Iudah confessing For there Christ is found where after the confession of our faultes the bread of the heauenly life that is the doctrine of the gospell is heard mused vpon and kept in a deuout mind that it may be practised in deed and also may be declared to others There the child Iesus with his mother Mary is found whereafter sorrowfull contrition and fruitfull confession the sweetnes of heauenly comfort is tasted sometimes amongst streames of teares where praier him whom she founde almost in despaire now leaues reioysing and presuming of pardon c. And in another place he writes As concerning the first we must consider that it ought to be the chiefe and most principall exercise of a christian that he should meditate in the lawe of God and in the doctrine of the commandements And therefore among the commendations of a iust man this is one of the chiefest that he should meditate in the law of God day and night Med. 11. vitae Christi And the kingly Prophet in his Psalmes doth almost euery where make his boast of the loue which he had to the law of God and that he daily meditated in it And that the wordes of God were more sweete to him then hony and the hony combe If it were so delectable and pleasant to that most holy King to reade meditate and studie the words and precepts of that olde law how farre more pleasant should the reading and meditation of the words of the Gospell be to vs All the commandements
writes in another place thus Blessed is that man that hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodly nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the chaire of pestilence The Scripture meaning this That he is blessed that hath separated himselfe from the fellowship of the wicked for this is the part of vngodlinesse to acknowledge no author of life nor parent of saluation or that hath not dwelt in sinne or that hath not continued in Ryot and wantonnesse But that he studying in the law of God day and night shall be like a tree that shall yeelde his fruite in due season The former are merits of rewards but this is a reward of merits Let vs marke here how Ambrose prefers the studying of the word of God to all other good workes But some Papists perchance will obiect Stel. in Luc. 21. that our Sauiour Christ taught his Apostles manie things priuately and in secret And that therefore the Scriptures are not to bee knowen of all men for these secrets are contained in them To this obiection Stella answeres All things saith he which Iesus reuealed to his Apostles although he tolde them to them neuer so secretly they ought to preach them publikely for they were as it were the conduit pipes by which the water of the doctrine which Christ the liuely spring preached vnto them should come to all the faithfull of the Church And therefore the Lord said vnto them That which I say vnto you in darkenesse speake ye in light and that ye heare in the eare preach ye in the houses And here I cannot but maruell 2. Tim. 3 16. Psal 12.6 Reu. 22.18 that séeing the Scripture is inspired of God as Saint Paul testifieth and is siluer purified seuen times in the furnace as Dauid affirmeth and as to Saint Iohns Reuelation so no doubt to anie other booke of the holy Scriptures hee that shall adde or diminish or alter any thing shall bee plagued of God that the Papists in their allegations of the scriptures maintaine their old translation against the verity of the original of the Gréeke and Hebrew wheras it differs from them As for example Philippus de Dies alleageth a text of Saint Iohns gospell to good purpose following their olde translation But in the Gréeke originall it is not so as hee alleageth it speaking of the carefull bringing vp of children hee writes thus Phil. de Dies Summa praed titulo adolescens The diligence of parentes is not onely necessary to this purpose but also the great care and watchfulnesse of pastors or prelates which thing our Lord Christ doth aduertise vs in Saint Iohns gospell For when as he committed his Church to Saint Peter and made him vniuersall pastor hee said twise to him feed my Lambes but after hee saith but once feed my sheepe wherein the heauenly Maister taught that a prelate although he bee bound both to feede Lambes and sheep yet he ought to haue more care attendance of Lambes then of sheepe That is greater care of children then of parents c. The scope of this doctrine is not amisse but it is not well grounded on this place for it is in the Greeke twise repeated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say feede my sheepe feede my sheepe And but once said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is feed my Lambes And yet the common translation which Philippus de Dies followes hath twise to gather in the first places pasce agnos meos that is feed my Lambes and after but once feed my sheepe where as in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a Lambe is but once vsed and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a sheepe is twise what great presumption is this to dare to go from the originall 7. Of the sufficiencie of the Scriptures THE Rhemistes first vpon the gospell of Saint Iohn note In cap. 16. v. 12 that the scriptures are not sufficient and expounde that place of the gospell I haue yet many things to say vnto you on this manner This place conuinceth that the Apostles the faithfull be taught many things which Christ omitted to teach them for their weaknesse and that it was the prouidence of God that Christ in presence shoulde not teach and order all things that we might be no lesse assured of the things the Church teacheth by the holy Ghost then of things that himselfe deliuered How contrarie this their exposition is to the exposition of Ferus vpon the same place which hereafter followeth Let euery true Christian iudge and sée who comes néerer to the marke and trueth Andradius also writes thus That the scriptures are not sufficient when as God would helpe the frailty of mans memory Lib. 2 Orthodox Explicat by the working of his Gospell yet he would but so haue such a short abstract or abridgement of his matters committed to writing that the greatest part Lib. 4. de verbo dei non scripto cap. 4. as a treasure of great price should be left to be inclosed or kept in the minde of man And M. Bellarmine plainely affirmes that the scriptures without tradition neither to haue beene simplie necessarie nor sufficient So that by his iudgement the wants of the scriptures must be supplied by traditions But first saint Ierome of the scriptures writes otherwise It was impossible saith Ierome that she which brought forth the man child was in childbed should lacke aboundance of milke In cap. Es 66. for the bringing vp of that people and of those little ones that were borne at once that she might giue them her two pappes not as before in Egypt swampt as we say or brused but with virginall bewtie now full and strowted out that is the olde and new Testament to giue that reasonable milke The olde and newe Testament are by Ieromes iudgement two pappes full fraught with sufficient milke to the nourishing of all the children of Gods Church Serranus also a papist Serranus in 47 cap. Ezech. of the sufficiency of the scriptures writes thus Euery part of scripture containes trueth alike and is alike absolute and perfect in the Reuelation of mysteries euen as the number of a thousand is whole and perfect so all is plainely reuealed and through faith shewed that pertaines to our redemption saluation and instruction Wherefore wee must goe forwarde the scripture beeing our guide But to goe about to search the reasons of it to examine the causes of the articles of our beliefe and with the finger of reason to teach all things and preach the incomprehensible iudgement of God and to haue a will to know that vnsearchablenesse which Paul wonders at is to passe the boundes of the angell the Prophets guide and to endeuour to passe ouer that sea which no man can passe ouer whereat the angell himselfe makes a stoppe is diuelish presumption Wherefore commending these things to be worthy euerlasting consideration and memorie that heretikes
mā doubts but that he is good merciful iust We know also assuredly that they which obey the will of this most holy God to be crowned with most excellent rewardes in that heauenly kingdome and againe that those which offende him impudently with sins offences shall be thrown with great shame reproch into that miserable darke dungeon of hel If now God had not giuen vs his law wherin he had declared to vs as well those things which were to be eschewed as those things which were to be embraced sorrowfull surely and most sorrowfull heauie had beene the life of man For although we had knowen that we had bin created to euerlasting felicitie yet we should haue bene vtterly ignorant how we should haue obtained it Therefore that great God and parent of all things hath bestowed vpon vs a singular and most excellent benefit when he did proclaime his law by which all Christians may plainely vnderstand what was necessarie to obtaine euerlasting life and what was also required to eschewe that darke dungeon of hell So the notable Psalmist speaking to God saith Because of thy law I haue endured thee patiently If thou hadst not giuen mee thy law I could neuer haue endured this life So the same Psalmist saith againe Thy word is a lanterne to my feet a light to my pathes That benefit was no small benefit by which God bound all men to him when as he gaue them his lawe to the square and leuell whereof they should frame and apply all their actions c. What can be said more in the commendation of Gods word then this It makes knowne to vs Gods pleasure and will It is a rule and square to frame all our actions by It is Gods lanterne to direct our steppes in the darke night of this world and what neede we then anie other Is not this sufficient And after he writes thus Wilt thou know how excellent and of what great force the law of God is consider with thy selfe but a little this one thing that God himselfe did not disdaine to submit himselfe vnto it and to obey it O then a most excellent and princely lawe and shall not man submit himselfe vnto it and obey it Nay shall anie man say that he is aboue it and hath power to dispense with it Ibid. as the Pope now doth Of mans will the same Stella also verie excellently writes thus The beginning of our miserie and vndoing was the pride of our first parent when as he refused to keepe that commaundement which he ought to haue kept He had rather doe his owne will then Gods will Therefore when God came to redeeme vs it was necessarie that he should come humble to cure our pride and obedient to cure our disobedience which disobedience was the fountaine and cause of all our euils There is nothing burnes in hell but mans owne will the which man had rather fulfill then the will of God So the Lord God himselfe witnesseth Of olde times thou hast broken the yoke and burst my bonds and hast said I will not serue the Lord but will walke after mine owne deuises From the smallest to the greatest all will fulfill their owne willes euery one is ruled by his owne iudgement doth that which seemeth good to himself Thus farre Stella Where we may learne that we must not doe our owne willes Mat. 16.24 Psal 119.115 Io. 15.15 we must denie our selues as our Sauiour teacheth in the gospell and that especially in Gods seruice we must do the will of God And his will is reuealed to vs in his word To the same effect the same Stella writes thus againe in the same Chapter In these fewe wordes saith hee the Euangelist saith thrise According to the law of God first According to the law of Moses Secondly As it is written in the law of the Lord And thirdly As it is said in the law of the Lord. Wherein the Euangelist would signifie vnto vs how studious our thoughtes ought to be and our wordes and workes howe greatly they ought to be conformable to the law of God Because Christ whatsoeuer he did he did it according to the law of God The which thing Dauid also declared in the Psalme saying What loue haue I vnto thy law O Lord All the day long is my studie in it If this be true what degenerate Christians be they which thinke they ought not to know the law of God which all their life neuer care for it These follow not Dauids steps nor the holy steps of Iesus Christ And after let vs also wōder at Iesus Christ beleeuing those things stedfastly not which appeare outwardly but which the holy scriptures the Catholike saith do testifie according to that whē thou entrest into the house of God stand fast draw neere that thou maist heare for we cannot see the maiestie of God with our eies neither comprehend it with all our witte but with our faith and hearing only without any more search or enquirie Beware of that He that searcheth the Maiestie of God shall be confounded of his glory So many Iewes Philosophers and Heathens were confounded erred and were deceiued who because they would not captiuate their vnderstanding into the obedience of Christ and according to their knowledge worship him fell into many errors and heresies For euen as in Isaake now being olde all his senses were deceiued when he blessed his sonne Iacob besides his hearing so about the vnderstanding of our Sauiour Christ all mans senses are deceiued besides hearing The voyce saith hee is the voyce of Iacob In this thing onely he said trueth but he was deceiued in that he said thy handes are the handes of Esau So thou O faithfull Christian when thou hearest Simeon confessing Iesus Christ to be the light and saluation of the world and Anna confessing that he is the King of Israell and that the redeemer which was so greatly looked for is comed beleeue that these things are true for Isaackes hearing was not deceiued c. I would to God the Papistes would obserue this rule in their worship of God their inuocation of Saints their Latine prayers their images haue no warrant in the worde of God where heare they that these are commanded That which hee saith after of hearing the Church and the Martyres is true if they shall speake that which they haue heard from God for they maie not speake of their owne heads Gal 1.8 Againe of the excellencie of the Scriptures he writes thus The word was vpon Iohn he saith because it descended vpon him For Esay saith Euen as the showers and snow doe descend from heauen c. so shall the word be that proceedeth out of my mouth For that word vpon signifieth an excellencie because the word of God doth not ascend vp into the hart of man but the word doth descend to the heart and the heart ascendeth vnto the word So holy Dauid cals all his Psalmes by
Christian against Antichrist These things haue I written vnto you 1. Ep. 2.26 as concerning those that deceiue you and the annointing yee haue receiued of him abideth in you so that no man needeth to teach you any thing no not Elias nor Enoch We may note here how that he armeth the faithfull onely with the Scripture and the holie spirit against Antichrist and that they neede no other armour And againe I write vnto you children Verse 14. that you haue knowne the father I write vnto you fathers that you haue knowne him that was from the beginning I write vnto you young men that you are strong and the word of God dwelleth in you The worde of God is the knowledge and light of olde men against Sathan and his sonne Antichrist and the strength also of young men to wrastle and encounter with them both and with this they being strengthened they are able to ouercome them Saint Paul also speaking of Antichrist and of his members which by and by after his departure should succéed in the church saieth thus Act. 20 24. I knowe this that after my departure shall grieuous Wolues enter in amongst you not sparing the flocke and from amongst your selues shall men arise speaking peruerse things to drawe away the Disciples after them Therefore watch ye remembring how by the space of three yeeres night and day I haue not ceased to warne euerie one of you And now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you further then I haue as yet builded you and to giue you an inheritance amongst all those which shall be sanctified Here Saint Paul teacheth that Wolues shall succéede in the Church and no doubt these were the members of Antichrist Against these as a faithfull Pastor he commits his shéepe to God and to the word of God which is able to build them further naie to preserue them safe and sound from all errors and dangers in the wildernesse of this worlde and to bring them euen to heauen if so be that they shall follow onely the direction of it And here also we maie learne an excellent commendation of the worde of God it is a bottomelesse pitte no man can euer come to the depth thereof so that of it that saying of Saint Austen is verified So great is the depth of the holy Scriptures that I should euerie day profit in the study of them Aug. ep 3. if from mine infancie till I were a verie olde man I should learne them hauing neuer so much leisure studying neuer so earnestly and hauing neuer so good a wit they are still able to build further This testimonie Saint Paul and Saint Austen yéelde to the worde of God and what néedes Maister Bellarmine then to adde the comming of Elias and Enoch as necessarie to preserue the elect in the faith as though the worde of God were not sufficient Our Sauiour himselfe in the Gospell teacheth the same doctrine and that it is dangerous to beléeue anie rising againe frō the dead whosoeuer they are in points of saluation Luk. 16.31 They haue Moses the prophets saith Abraham the father of the faithful if they will not beleeue them neither wil they beleeue if anie arise from the dead againe no if it were Enoch and Elias This lesson Abraham by our sauiours testimonie hath taught all his children and yet by Maister Bellarmine his iudgement the faithfull must looke for Elias and Enoch to come to preserue them in the faith Esay also opposeth the word of God against all doctrines of dead men whatsoeuer Esay 8.20 Should not a people enquire of their God From the liuing to the dead will you seeke To the lawe and to the testimonie Psal 119.105 The lawe and the testimonie must be a light to our feet our counsellers in all controuersies and doubts as also they were Dauids Chrysostome vpon Matthew writes thus of Antichrist and of the onely way to bewray him Then that is Chrys Ho. 49. in ca. 24. Mat. when Antichrists kingdome shall come they which are in Iewrie let them flie vnto the hilles These things are to be vnderstood spiritually thus Then when you shall see the abomination of desolation sitting in the holy place that is when you shall see a wicked heresie which is the host of Antichrist standing in the holy places of the Church at that time they which are in Iewrie let them flie to the hilles that is they which are Christians let them get them to the Scriptures For as the true Iewe is a Christian as the Apostle saith not he which is a Iew openly but he which is a Iew in secret so christendome is true Iewrie whose name signifies confession or thanksgiuing and the hilles are the writings of the Prophets and Apostles of which hilles it is said Thou wonderfully giuest light from the eternall hilles And againe of the Church he saith the foundations are vpon the holy hilles And why doth he command all christians at this time to get them to the scriptures Because at that time since that heresy hath taken place in the Church there can be no other proofe or triall of true christianitie nor any other help for christians which thē would know which is the true faith but the holy Scriptures Before by many meanes it might be shewed which was the church of Christ and which was the heathenish Synagogue But now they which will know which is the true Church can know it by no meanes else but onely by the Scriptures And after Therefore the Lord knowing what a great confusion of all things should be in the latter daies therefore he commaunds that Christians which would be sure to know the true faith should flie to nothing else but to the Scriptures Here we maie first learne what Antichrist is not a Deuill incarnate as the Papists imagine but a wicked heresie which shall take possession in the Church nay in the beginning of that Homily he saith That when as all heresies are as it were the host of Antichrist yet especially that which shall take vpon it the face and roume of the Church Quae obtinuit ecclesiae locum stetit in loco sancto ita vt videatur quasi verbum veritatis stetisse cum non sit verbum veritatis sed abominatio desolationis id est exercitus Antichrists qui multorum animas reddidit desolatas à Deo which hath borne the shew of the Church so that it seemed to haue continued in the holy place as the word of truth when as it is not the word of truth but the abhomination of desolation that is the host of Antichrist which shall make many mens soules destitute of God And dare anie man then venture his saluation vpon the bare name and shewe of the Church He saith here plainlie that Antichrists heresie shall haue the roume and shewe of the Church Therefore it is dangerous onely to relie vpon
and shew thy selfe thou I say who art loaden with sinnes fall downe on the ground crie and sigh c. Here we note againe the manner of their common prayers that they made a common confession And againe that children could not pray because they lacked vnderstanding Augustine of the common praiers now in Christs Church August de mirab scriptur lib. 1. ca. 9. writes thus Also after this diuision of tongues by Gods appointment it came to passe that the mystery of the holy scriptures til the fulnes of time should be kept in the proper language of one people chosen out of manie vntill the time appointed when as he would make manifest vnto all nations the mysterie of his diuine pleasure he sent downe from aboue the holy Ghost bringing with him that knowledge of all languages hauing also before ordained preachers of that his heauenly wil and pleasure The which spirit before had sung the great and mightie works of God till that time but in one language but now as it were to consecrate and make holy all languages at his first comming preached by the Apostles in all languages so they which as it were to confirme this matter God had gathered togither in Ierusalem at that time out of all nations said We haue heard them speake in our owne tongues the mightie works of God Thus farre Austen Before Christ the holie Ghost sang the praises of God in one tongue but since his comming in all tongues All languages are sanctified Michael ab Isselt describing the estate of the primitiue Church writes this of prayer In times past saith he there was great zeale of prayer in the Church in so much that no houre passed without the praises of God without praiers without thanksgiuing In this one thing they were occupied day and night Saint Ierome saith that euer after praier they gaue themselues to reading after reading again to prayer whithersoeuer one went he should heare the plowman holding his plough singing Alleluiah And the sweating shearer comforted himselfe with Psalmes and the vinedresser pruning his vine with his sharpe hooke did sing some of Dauids Psalmes The mariner at his sterne the waterman at his oare the digger among his clods the shomaker in making his shoes the weauer at his loome the fisher among his nets euery one of these obtained good successe increase and Gods blessing to his workes by prayer The wife sitting at her rocke the boy playing with his ball the seruant sent about his masters busines all these commit themselues and their health to God by prayers All these like Bees saith Epiphanius hauing in their hands the waxe of their worke but in their mouth drops of honie when as with their owne singing voices they did praise the Lord of all things and did pray vnto him Thus farre Michael ab Isselt This was the estate of the Primitiue Church Thus they occupied themselues now with reading now with praying but in all these with vnderstanding quite contrarie to the ignorance which of late reigned in the popish Church And of such praiers may most truly be verified that which the same author addeth after what shal I saith he make manie words By prayer wee may do all things and without prayer we can do nothing It is the generall instrument or toole of Christians without which they can worke nothing For euen as a souldier without his sword or a scriuener without his penne or a smith without his tooles so is a Christian without prayer What maruell is it if diuels which neuer before haue beene heard of haue now inuaded all sortes of men The cause is that nowe prayer amongst all is perished In 4. cap. Act. Ferus of prayer writes thus These things are required to an effectuall praier first that thou beleeue that which God hath promised Faith in the word and promise of God Secondly that with an ardent and earnest affection thou dost offer something to God which thou couetest to obtaine Thus farre Ferus So that then we must know what we pray for Ferus of the inuocation of the name of Iesus in our prayers writes thus In 5. cap. Act. It proues saith he the diuinitie and power of Christ that the inuocatiō of his name performeth that which we request Peter healed the lame man not with anie superstitions but by calling on the name of the Lord Iesus So vse corporall medicines that the chiefe hope may be in humble prayer Thus farre Ferus They diminish the vertue of Christs name and derogate from his deitie by his iudgement that vse other names in their praiers It is superstition to call vpon others Iacobus de Valentia a Papist of the name of Iesus writes thus vpon these words O God saue me in thy name In psal 53. But here saith he a doubt may arise because this name Iesus seemes not to be the name of the father but of Christ his sonne How therefore doth the sonne say to the father O God in thy name saue me It should seeme that he should haue said In my name To this it may be answered that the name Iesus belongs principally to the father and was giuen and communicated to Christ himselfe of his father For whatsoeuer Christ hath he hath it of the father wherfore this name Iesus is the name Adonai and Tetragrammaton as we haue said in the prologue of the Psalmes and in the 7. psalme which is as much to say as to be omnipotent saluation and to be perfect And that this name doth properly belong to God therefore it is communicated and giuen of the father to his sonne as the Apostle saith of the Philippians He hath giuen him a name which is aboue all names that at the name of Iesus euerie knee should bow c. Therfore not only we doe aske of the Father by this name Iesus in all our prayers but also Christ himselfe as hee is man askes in the vertue of this name bestowed on him of the father Because this name containes in it all vertue and omnipotencie and an infinite sea of merits Therefore Christ saith to his father O God my father saue me in thy name Iesus which name thou hast imparted and bestowed vpon me and deliuer me and my members by thy vertue and omnipotencie which is contained vnder this name Iesus For there is no other name in the which the world must be saued but in this thy name Thus farre Iacobus de Valentia Where he excellentlie describes the dignitie of the name of Iesus It is the name of God himselfe in the vertue of this name Christ himselfe praied it is a sea of infinite merits and shall we then vse anie other Shall we doubt whether this name alone will serue our turne or not Ludouicus Viues of the Lords prayer writes thus Praefat. ora◠dom As of our religion so also of our prayer which is a chiefe part of our religion hee may bee the author and master who knowes perfectly
testimonies God will haue and what witnesses in his Temple what trées in this his new Paradise and what candles in his house Exod. 25.31 The old Tabernacle had but one Candlesticke in it with seuen braunches to lighten it 2. Pe. 2.5 Heb. 3.5 and the olde world but one Noah to testifie to them the wil of God and the house of Israel but one Moses as a seruant to testifie those things which should be spoken after As our Sauiour also tolde the Iewes Doe not you thinke that I will accuse you to my father Io. 5.45 there is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whom you trust But in the Church of Christ shall be two witnesses The Law and the Gospell Besides this former testimonie of Moses The gospell also shall be preached to all nations for a testimonie Mat. 24 14. Mat. 18.16 saith our Sauiour and then shall the ende come Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall euerie word or matter be confirmed Before his iudgement God will haue his truth firmely ratified to the world And therefore of these two witnesses and of these two testaments of the Law and of the Gospell in our daies in the repairing againe of the Temple which was prophaned and defaced by Antichrist Saint Iohn saith These are two Oliue trees and two Candlestickes standing before the God of the earth Alluding no doubt to Dauid here in the Psalme The word of the Lord is purified to the Lord of the earth and these Oliues and Candlesticks stood before the Lord of the earth As though the word of God and these Oliues and Candlesticks were all one The word of God the two testaments are the Lords two Oliues able not onely to sustaine Psal 104.15 but to chéere and make merie all Gods household seruants They are also the Lords two great lights like the Sunne the Moone which are sufficient also to lighten his whole house in all obscure and dark points of Religion and to shew vs the perfect and readie way to heauen Now let all his faithfull seruants haue an eie only to these De Mirah scrip lib. 1. cap. 6. Let vs marke what authoritie saint Austen himselfe yéelded to the fathers and expositers of the holy scriptures which were before him who speaking of the doores of heauen which were opened and of the fountains of the déepe at Noah his floud writes thus We cannot saith he for the slendernes of our wit and knowledge vnfold the hardnes of this matter with a grounded or ratified opinion that that is truth which we teach notwithstanding we will without anie partiality shew what in these matters the studies of our former masters could finde out in their diuers opinions yeelding no more authoritie to one then to another of whose iudgements and of whose particular choises we giue euerie man leaue to allow or disallow at his pleasure This opinion Saint Austen had of the opinions and iudgements of those which before him expounded the holy scriptures whom he cals Masters he himselfe was bound to none of them nor no more would he haue anie other And so no doubt by this his owne example he hath taught all men what opinion if they will not be wilfull euery one should haue of his writings expositions So that then in the time of popery the shepheards the pastors of congregations in not giuing this meat vnto their flocks in not healing their woundes sores with the leaues of these trees in not preaching the word of God they haue declared themselues not be Christs shepheards Io. 10.10 but to be Antichrists hirelings Nay to make this matter more plaine They haue not only not fed them but torne in peeces their hoofes as Zacharie prophecieth wounding their consciences and weakneng their faithes in teaching that vnlesse they sang masses for them after their deaths their faith in Christ did not profit them And that they were damned if they brake one of the least of their ceremonies and traditions Is not this quite to teare in péeces the verie hoofes and clawes of the poore sillie lambes whereby they began now to go and to lay hold on Christ Secondly this same Author saith That now one hauing gotten such a faithfull and holy confessor let him account of him euen as of God himselfe and reueale to him boldly all his secret sins and all the secrets of his heart And is not this plainly to say that the Pope is Antichrist He shall sit in the Church shewing himselfe as God saith saint Paul And doth not he here confesse the same What is it else to be God Psal 7.9 Ier. 11.20.20.12 Reu. 2.23 but to search the harts and raines as the scriptures often teach This thing they attribute to God onely And yet the Pope and his cleargie arrogate it to themselues And is not this to sit in the Church as God Saint Paul writes to the ministers of the Church of Corinth that they should iudge nothing before the time 1. Cor. 3.5 vntill the Lord come who shall lighten things that are hidde in darknesse and make the counsels and secrets of the hearts manifest 1. Ti. 5.24 and then shall euerie man haue praise of God And to Timothie Some mens sinnes are open before hand and goe before vnto iudgement but some mens follow after But the papists by this their doctrine contrarie to saint Pauls doctrine in both these places doe make their confessors to take vpon them that knowledge of secrets which belongs to God and that no sinnes are to be reserued vnto the daie of iudgement Their confessors if men will not be damned as they teach must knowe them before This author here himselfe confesseth that to know the secrets of the heart belongs onely to God And that therefore euerie one is to account of his confessor euen as of God himselfe And is not this plainly to affirme that the Pope shall sit in the Church as God Let vs neuer looke that anie other shall euer come into the Church and challenge or take vpon him more of the diuine Authoritie then this And therefore let vs acknowledge that this prophecie of saint Paul is alreadie fulfilled in him And that the Pope and his cleargie sit now in the Church of God 17. Of Purgatorie Psa 40.1 FIrst concerning Purgatorie that vehement and comfortable Sermon which God commaundes Esay and in him all ministers to preach to his Church is as it were a double cannon to beat downe the paper wals of Purgatorie Comfort comfort my people saith the Lord your God speake to the heart of Ierusalem and crie vnto her that her warfare is now at an end and that her iniquitie now hath obtained pardon For she hath receiued at the Lords hands double for all her sinnes This is a sermon of comfort and this must be preached to the heart of Ierusalem and of all Gods Church and cried out in their eares that their warfare now
bring foorth So likewise when it is said Sit thou on my right hand till I put c. it may verie well hereof be gathered that all Christs enemies somtime shal be put vnder his feet otherwise that vntill were vnfitly said So also when it is said Thou shalt not go out till thou hast paide the vttermost farthing we may very wel inferre Therfore sometime he shal pay the vttermost farthing and so consequently shall go out from thence But Stella of this place writes farre otherwise then M. Bellarmine The iudge shall giue thee to the Iaylor In 12. Luc. The sentence shall be pronounced of Christ the iudge and the wicked man shall be deliuered to the Iaylor that he may punish him because the sinner shall be deliuered to the Diuell to be punished For the Lord saith to the wicked Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuell and his angels c. And the Iaylor cast thee into prison that is into hell Of which prison Esay speakes They shall be shut in prison And lest he should despise this prison thinking it to be a light matter he addes the grieuousnesse of it saying I say vnto thee Thou shalt not go out thence till thou haue paide the vttermost farthing Thinke not that hee shall sometimes come out For this word vntill in the holy scriptures signifies eternitie of times whence we haue it thus written in the Psalme The Lord said to my Lord sit thou on my right hand till I put thine enemies c. And yet it is most certaine that Christ our Sauiour sits in the excellent good things of his father for euer and euer Secondly this place may be expounded properly as it foundeth Because thou shalt not go out till thou hast paide the vttermost farthing and yet after thou shalt go out But thou shalt neuer go out For one can neuer come to the end of a thing that is without end But the punishment of hell for continuance of time is without ende and therefore a man can neuer come to the end of his paiment So is meant that of the Psalme Iustice shall spring in his daies and abundance of peace as long as the moone endureth that is till she shall cease to be in heauen and yet she shall neuer cease to bee in heauen therefore that peace shall neuer faile So the wicked shall bee in hell vntill they haue paide the vttermost farthing The which because they shall neuer pay it is most certaine that they shall bee there for euer Ferus vpon these words After these things I wil returne writes thus In cap. 15. Act. This saying is taken out of Amos. As long as we are here God doth not quite cast vs away but he returnes to vs againe for God hath not forgotten to be mercifull but euen in his anger thinkes of mercie And hereof Dauid saith As a father is mercifull toward his owne children so God is merciful towards them that feare him But after this life he is either angrie for euer or mercifull for euer Ferus here séemes to make no meane nor middle place of Gods wrath Med. 10. vitae Christi Granatensis of afflictions writes thus As with a file iron is purged and by filing is polished and made smoothe all the rust being done away so the spirituall file of tribulations doth wipe away all the rust of sins and makes the soule pure and bright from all the drosse of vices In 6. cap. Luc. Stella writes thus If he which did no sinne nor there was anie deceit found in his mouth nor he stood need of any purgation of afflictions yet for our sakes would suffer so great things before he entred into his glorie Shall we who are guiltie of so many grieuous sinnes and to whom manie and grieuous punishments are due refuse to be afflicted that we may enter into that glorie Ferus also yeelds the same effects to the tribulations and afflictions of this life Affliction saith he doth not only not hurt vs but doth vs much good For it shewes vs what we are and then it purgeth the euill which we haue gotten then it leades vs to God Fer. in 4. cap. Act. To conclude the Crosse is Gods schoole house the nurture of our manners the praise and meditation of our blessednesse the shoppe of the holy Ghost and the treasurie of all good things So that by his iudgement in the schoole-house of afflictions in this life all Gods children are beaten for their faults In this shoppe of the holie Ghost they are purged filed and made bright In 7. cap. Act. And againe of the fathers he writes thus Marke that the fathers of the olde testament were by no other means brought to saluation then we are that is by faith Therefore if by our faith we passe from death to life as our Sauiour teacheth in the Gospell then also by Ferus iudgement euen so did they Those same phrases in Beda of the faithfull departed Bed lib. 2. eccles hist Aug. cap. 1.5.7 lib. 5. cap. 23. He went out of this life to the true life which is in heauen and he went vnto the Lord which he vseth of Gregorie Egbertus and others quite ouerthrow purgatorie Olympiodorus vpon that place of Ecclesiastes Olymp. in 11 cap. eccl v. 1. In the place where the tree falles there it lies he writes thus Trees in the holy Scriptures signifie sometimes good men sometimes sinners The South is also taken for a bright and cleare place or els for that true light which is Iesus Christ our Lord God Contrariwise the North is taken for an obscure place and full of darkenesse and for the diuell himselfe who dwels in darkenesse In what place soeuer therefore either light or cleare or obscure and darke that is either in the filthy state of sinnes or in the commendable state of workes a man shall be found when he dieth in the same degree and order he shall remaine for euer For either he shall rest in the light of eternall felicitie with the iust and Christ our Lord or els he shall be tormented in darkenesse with the wicked and the Diuell prince of the world Thus farre Olympiodotus Hee makes but two places after death Into either of which who soeuer shall fall at his death there he shall abide There is no helpe after death In his time it is likely that purgatorie and pardons were not knowne Master Bellarmine alleadging manie authorities to confirme purgatorie out of the olde testament Lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 3. as that place of Esay cap. 4. ver 4. and Mal. 3. v. 2.3 addeth the expositions of the fathers vnto them that they expound these places of purgatorie And after of that place of Ierom vpon Malachie he cōcludes thus Ieroh in cap. 3. Malac. Although the paine of purgatory is not that of which we speake of now for that shall purge them that liue but we
not tied to any one place as the Iewish church was The Papists would nowe make their Rome a second Ierusalem and all the churches of christendome bound to her as all the Synagogues of the Iewes were bound to Ierusalem And they would make their Pope like to the hie priest of the Iewes But these Iewish shadowes are vanished away and now that mysterie of Antichrist which they by their shadowes would maintaine is come in stéed of them And no doubt this was that mysterie which began to worke in S. Pauls daies 2. Thess 2.7 Gal. 5.1 of which he speakes some did not stand then in the libertie of Christ but brought in Iewish shadowes Againe Rome is not the daughter of Ierusalem but Sion as Dauid here auoucheth whose gates and children and singers and trumpeters and fresh springs are not now in anie one place but thorow the whole world Rome if shée will néeds haue a mother is the daughter of Babylon 2. King 25.7 putting out the eies of kings that she might make them serue her leading Gods people from that good freedome wherein Iesus Christ had placed them into a miserable bondage againe Ier. 5◠58 Psal 137.8 hauing her thicke and stately wals reaching vnto heauen Of whom Dauid speaketh O daughter of Babylon which shall be sacked happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast serued vs. Happie shall he be that spoileth thée euen as thou hast spoiled all nations And their spoiles are in thy pallaces yea happy shall he be that taketh thy young children thy young impes and dasheth them against that rocke that is Iesus Christ Images in the beginning were lay mens bookes only to admonish and to put them in remembrance but now they are become lay mens Gods to worship Prayers for the dead were testimonies of the good will and affection men liuing owed to the dead now they are become means of their saluation Such impes must now be dashed against that Rocke Iesus Christ they impaire his merits they are repugnant to his Gospell Behold Palestine and Tirus with Ethiopia there was he borne In all these countries kingdomes where Iesus Christ nowe raigneth where the Pope neuer set his seat shall Iesus Christ haue children shall he haue subiects The Lord shal count where he reckons vp the people that he was borne there most gloriously Those that be regenerate and made Gods children by spirituall regeneration shall God number and account for his and therfore one Lewes a king of France Zmuger in Theatro pag. 2840. when as he had conquered manie countries one asking him of which of them he woulde take his name he answered he would be called Lewes of Poicters because there he was christened and had gotten there the greatest victorie of all other his victories euen of the Deuill the Prince of this world He accounted that birth most glorious better then to be borne the Emperors sonne and heire here in this world And here euerie poore and simple christian may reioice greatly in the Lord that he is knowne of God and that God himselfe kéepes a Register of his natiuitie and therefore he cannot perish he cannot be lost he cannot be forgotten By this Register God reckons vp and numbers all his and he shal reckon vp as well singers as trumpeters Of the people which praise God God makes account of as well as of the trumpeters which preach him 2. Pet. 1.1 S. Peter writes his Catholike Epistle to all the dispersed brethren who had obtained like pretious faith with them Our Sauiour Iesus praies not only for his Apostles Ioh. 17.20 but for all those also which should beleeue thorow their preaching Oh happie are all those whom Iesus Christ praies for 1. Cor. 3.22 All are yours saith S. Paul to the Corinthians euen Cephas and Paul and Apollo and the world and death and life and things present and things to come you are Lords of all these and all these are your seruants And you are Christs he is only your Lord and Christ is Gods Christians are Lords of life and of death of this world and of the world to come by the means of Iesus Christ they néede not feare nor care for anie of these they maie trample them vnder their féet they maie command them O excellent dignitie of all christians And here by this one place the Popes supremacie which he challengeth falleth downe euen to the ground onely Iesus Christ is here set downe as Lord of christians And Paul and Cephas and Apollo ioined altogither and the pope also if he be Peters successor are made equall accounted but as seruants of Christians Peter and the Pope here and Paul also are but seruants all christians are their Lords euen as Iesus Christ againe is the onely Lord of all christians Here is the Lordship of being Christs vicegerent committed to Peter no more then to Paul naie all christians are his Lordes and he their seruant Lastly all my fresh springs shall be in thee O fruitfull soile O plentifull church To haue one of Gods springs in it were a great blessing but to haue all Gods fresh springs in it far passeth mans reason Where such plentie of springs are who would debarre anie to digge for water who will complaine of drought as the church of Rome hath done who hath forbidden the people to reade the scriptures who hath made a pretence that they lacked water they lacked iudgement But herein the Prophet Dauid agrées with our Sauiour in the gospell Who saith Iob. 4.14 that whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I will giue him shall neuer be more a thirst but the water that I shal giue him shall be in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life Our Sauiour meaneth here of the aboundance of his holy spirit which euerie one that beleeueth in him hath receiued and therefore hath this fresh spring in him And why should we suffer it to be stopt with earth why should not we dig this spring and drawe water out of these wels of saluation with ioy Esay 12.3 as Esay prophecieth why should we suffer this water to putrifie in vs for lacke of drawing that is for lacke of reading meditating on the holy scriptures Gods people are so ignorant in them because they will not doe their endeuour they will not delight in reading of them Euerie one hath a fresh spring in himselfe springing to euerlasting life to water and comfort himselfe and others to by the holy scriptures if he would kéepe it open if he would vse it These markes of the true Church I haue briefely runne ouer although I haue handled some of them elsewhere because Gods words are compared by the preacher to Nailes Eccles 12.11 and must therfore be fastened by many strokes Mat. 13.31.33 And our Sauiour in the gospell doth iterate his parables As also these two marks of the Church which follow although I haue handled
to thanke you that we as it were triumphing may reioice that we also are deliuered froÌ„ these slaunderous accusations Here also we maie see the same Christians most liuely painted out which before we saw in Iustine holy in life and conuersation Despisers of this world not giuen to quarrelling or going to law they had learned another lesson saith Athenagoras in those daies which condemnes the quarrelling and contentious Christians of our age who sue at lawe now for euerie light trifle their brethren When as I haue heard that euen in the memorie of some yet liuing to haue a sute in lawe in a whole towne or to haue one goe to London was counted a great strange matter euen as now it is counted to trauell to Rome or to Constantinople So peaceablie they liued in those dayes A man in all his life neuer sawe London that was a rare thing But nowe our sutes are so common that they make the waie thither beaten The former Christians were not so contentious as wée maie learne here by Athenagoras Eusebius also verie excellentlie describeth thus vnto vs the maners and conuersation of Christians in his time De demonst Euang. lib. 3. cap. 8. If it be now a thing most certaine that the Disciples of our Sauiour were such like why was not then their maister also such a one long before And if you will learne of the Disciples what a kind of maister they had you haue at this day innumerable scholers of the words of Iesus of whom there are manie great assemblies of men who both as it were in battell aray stand and fight against the naturall pleasures of the body also who keep their minds safe and stand without anie wound froÌ„ all vnlawful affections or lusts of the flesh who wheÌ„ as they haue spent their whole life eueÌ„ to their old age most temperately may yeeld vnto vs most euident proofes of the information of his doctrin what his doctrine teacheth Neither men only vnder this Schoolemaster do teach vs this philosophy but so manie thousands of women thorow the whole world which are so many as their number cannot bee told who as it were certaine priests worshipping the God of the whole world and hauing imbraced that heauenly philosophie and for the loue of this heauenly wisedome make no account of off-spring and children as of things which pertaine to the body but with all their studies and diligence hauing a care of their soules haue dedicated themselues wholy both in bodie and soule to the king of all things and to the God of all the whole world that so they might practise perfect and perpetuall chastitie and virginitie Behold here another notable description of Christians They despised not only the world but also the pleasures of the flesh They embraced virginitie they did dedicate themselues as spouses wiues onelie and wholy to the king of all kings as Saint Paule teacheth 1. Cor. 7.34 They seeke to please the Lord only they are holy in bodie and spirit So are not they who are maried And in those daies of this sort were thousands so manie as their numbers could not be told How are now Christians degenerated from this Surelie now we maie saie They marie and are maried as our Sauiour prophecieth in the Gospell Mat. 24.38 Luk. 17.27 so few at this time embrace virginitie in comparison of the thousandes in those dayes Apolog. ca. 34 Tertullian also a verie ancient Father describeth the conuersation of Christians in his dayes thus Now I will declare the workes of the sect of the Christians that seeing I haue repeated the euils wherewith they are charged I may also declare the good things wherein they are occupied Wee are all one bodie bound together with one maner of religion with one truth of discipline and with one league of hope we meete altogether in our assemblies that praying with our prayers we may as it were euen with an armie of souldiers take God And this force is pleasant to God We pray also for the Emperours and for their officers and for all those that bee in authoritie for the whole world for peace and for the stay of the end of the world We meete altogether also to haue the holy Scriptures read as the present state of the time forceth vs either to forewarne any thing to come or to consider anie thing that is past We feed as it were our faith with that most holy word we strengthen our hope therewith as with an anchor we make sure our confidence And we also print deeply into our mindes the doctrine of those holy precepts by often beating vpon them There also are exhortations corrections and euen as it were Gods iudgement seat For we pronounce sentence there against sinners most seuerely that to others in the sight of God this may seeme to be but a preamble of Gods iudgement to come If any offend so that he bee accounted worthie to be excommunicated from the communion of prayer and of the assembly and of other holy exercises certaine chosen Elders set in authoritie who haue obtained that honour not with anie money but for their good report for none of Gods things with vs are bought and sold and they do excommunicate all such Of euerie artificer also we gather somewhat for the poore but not anie grieuous summe of money as though he should pay for his religion Euery one brings his little almes euery moneth or when he will puts it according to his abilitie in the poore mens box For with vs no man is compelled to do this but euery one contributes willingly And this same worke of chaâ—itie is a cause why we are euill spoken of some See say they how they loue one another wheÌ„ as they hate one another how they are ready euen to die one for another when as they themselues are more readie to kill one another But I suppose they are grieued at no one thing more then that we call one another brethren when as amongst them all names of kinred through pride and ambition are but counterfeit We are your brethren by the law of nature as it were of one mother although you in this point doe a little degenerate from the nature of men because that you are euill brethren among your selues But how much more rightly are they called accounted brethren which acknowledge one God for their father which haue drunke one spirit of iustification which as it were from one wombe of ignorance haue aspired to the same light of truth But perchance therefore we are accounted lesse brethren because no tragedy exclaimes of our brotherhood or else because we are as brethen in the communicating of our temporall goods which amongst you most commonly breakes this brotherhood We which are ioyned together in soule and heart make no account to communicate our riches one to another there is no difference of anie things amongst vs but of our wiues c. Such vnitie as
bee strong then against this enemie call vpon the Lorde praie One compares prayer to Sampsons haire when it was long hee was of an inuincible strength but when it was cut short Iudg. 16.19 hee was no stronger then another man Euen so whosoeuer thou art praie continuallie Pray thrise a daie with Dauid and Daniel and thou shalt be as strong as Sampson Psal 55.17 thy soule shall be endued with much strength but if thou neuer vse to praie Dan. 6.10 thou shalt be no stronger then another man Nay euen Sampson himselfe vsed prayer though his haire were growne long now againe yet when he came to take the piller in his hand and to pull the house on the Philistines heads hee prayed O Lorde God I beseech thee thinke vpon me O God I beseech thee Iudg. 16.28 now strengthen mee at this time onely Hée vsed also prayer besides his haire S. Iames also saieth ye haue not because you aske not And our sauiour vseth so manie words as one noteth Aske seeke and knocke to declare our dulnes and slacknesse in prayer Stella in 12. ca. Luc. Let vs pray that we maie haue And resist him stedfast in the faith Ephes 6.16 Aboue all things as saint Paul counselleth vs against this enemie let vs take the shield of faith Beleeue assuredly in Iesus Christ and in his death passion be strong in his power and might Eph 4.8 He hath led captiuitie it selfe captiue euen that mightie conquerour that conquered all men he hath not onelie conquered him but also hee hath made him thy captiue The verie witches confesse that against those that are strong in faith neither they nor their diuell haue anie power Iesus Christ is Vcal and Ithiel Prou. 30.1 of whome that man of might Agur the sonne of Iache prophesied which is the son of Hammoshe the bundell of all religion knit vp togither as the Hebrew word maie seeme to signifie that is Iesus Christ is euer with vs and can doe all thinges And this lesson no doubt Saint Paul had learned Phil. 4.13 who said I can doe all things through Christ which strengtheneth me For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie for euer and euer Psal 97.1.99.1 Our God is the great king ouer all the world if we marke he gouernes all things Psal 62.11 but most secretlie and most patiently euen as corne growes To him also belongs all power Those euer which haue gloried in their owne strength he hath ouerthrowne by weake meanes Iudg. 4 3.21 1. Sam. 17.51 Sisera who had nine hundred chariots of yron by a woman Goliah whose speare was like a weauers beame Psal 65.1 by a boy To him belongs all glorie they which go about to robbe him thereof Act. 12.22 shall bee eaten with wormes like Herode To him therefore with the sonne and the holy Ghost be all honour glorie power and saluation nowe and for euer Amen Amen The Contents or points of the true Catholiques Catechisme 1. Of mans free will 2. Of Iustification 3. Of speciall grace 4. Of good workes 5. Of the certaintie of Saluation 6. Of the reading the Scriptures and their sufficiencie 7. Of Pilgrimage 8. Of Traditions 9. Of the Popes Supremacie and in this Article is declared howe the Papists haue iniuriously dealt with Ferus in leauing out manie thinges in his Commentaries vpon Matthew printed at Rome concerning this matter which are in the copies printed at Paris 10. Of Antichrist and the calling of the Iewes 11. Of Miracles and apparitions of spirits 12. Of Inuocation 13. Of Pâ—â—â—atorie 14. O Idolatrie The true Catholiques Catechisme or briefe summe of Religion 1. Of mans free will THE Fathers of the councell of Trent Conc. Trid. Sess 6. ca. 5. concerning this weightie matter declare their iudgment thus The beginning of iustification in those that haue yeeres of discretion is from God by Iesus Christ his grace preuenting them that is by his calling by which they are called without any of their deserts as such who by their sinnes were turned away from God and are now prepared by his grace stirring them vppe and helping them to conuert themselues to their owne iustification by their free assenting and working iointly with this grace So that God toucheth mans heart by the light of his holy spirit neither doth man himselfe nothing receiuing that inspiration who might also haue refused it nor yet could he haue mooued himselfe without the grace of God to righteousnesse before him of his owne free will And therefore it is said in the holy Scripture Turne ye vnto me and I will turne vnto you We are here put in mind of our freedome And when we answere turne vs O Lord vnto thee and we shall be turned we confesse that we are preuented by the grace of God This is the sentence of the councell of Trent wherein they teach that in mans first calling to God Gods grace doth but only stirre vp his will as being a sléepe and helpe it as being weake And that being thus wakened and helped and strengthned it doth fréely and willingly yéeld to this grace and so helpes her owne iustification But this their assertion diminisheth the grace of God which euerie true Catholique must acknowledge that he hath receiued and it extols too much mans corrupt nature Rom. 6.8 Ephes 2.1 2. Cor. 3.5 which euerie true Christian must with the Apostle confesse to be in himselfe Man was not onely a sléepe through his sinnes but dead in them as Saint Paul teacheth neither was he onely weake but vnapt vnfit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Gréeke worde signifies to thinke a good thought much lesse to doe a good worke There remained not in man as in one that sléepeth his former strength so that hee néedes nothing Gen. 3.10 but wakening to doe his dutie but he was now quite spoiled and robbed thereof and left naked as Adam himselfe confesseth and now stands néede of a supplie of newe strength to be giuen him And therefore our Sauiour to let passe all Metaphors and allegories tels Nicodemus in plaine termes That vnlesse a man be borne againe Ioh 3.3 he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen This is more then the helping of a man vp that is fallen downe or wakening one that is a sleepe Man must be borne againe he is starke dead he must haue new life put in him if he euer will enter into the kingdome of heauen And this must all Gods children confesse This was the first lesson concerning his saluation that our Sauiour Iesus taught Nicodemus and as manie as do minde to be saued must also learne it Mat. 5.3 and this will make them poore in spirit which is the first steppe to blessednesse Nay our Sauiour there plainly teacheth that that which is borne of the flesh is flesh Whereby we maie learne what we are by our owne nature nothing but flesh sonnes
light and those vaine shadowes which seeme to mooue hither and thither and to speake and those resemblances of thinges which those men which are thus bound in yron chaines falsely iudge to be things indeed He could not more fitly by any other meanes haue set before our eyes the liues of wicked men For they beeing here groueling on the earth and in loue with their bodies and chained with the innumerable chaines of vices cannot turne their minde that way that they may beholde the light and the true shapes of things For there is no trueth indeed in these bodily and earthly but in diuine and eternall things Therefore all the commodities of this life haue no firme or sound thing in them but onely beare a face or shew of good things And men being now acquainted with these shadowes and being deluded with these Images of things do with tooth and naile pursue after false good things and being effeminated with the false sweetnes of pleasure are so kept in bondage that they are now enemies to all those which woulde ridde them out of those bonds would endeuour to bring them to heauen that they might behold the true sunne indeed and the true light and true men and true good things that is that they might behold heauenly and diuine thinges and that they might haue the vvhole force of their minds fixed in euerlasting things Thus farre Osorius This is mans estate before regeneration to delight in sinne not to be able to be hold the true light naie to be euen an open enemie to those that shall go about to draw him from this bondage or shall endeuour to make him see his owne miserie and vnhappinesse so farre off is he from embracing the true light if it be offered vnto him This is Osorius his iudgement in this place And a little after hee writes thus Is it not most certaine that this is graunted to Christians to behold God as often as they stirre vp their weake faith and doe deuoutly pray for Gods grace that being loosed from these bonds and turned away from these shadowes of things and turned to the true good things indeed that they may mount vp with their minds into heauen and that they may beholde those most excellent and eternall riches and may enioy that sweete and most pleasant familiaritie and talke with God with vnspeakeable ioifulnes Here plainely appeares what effects the grace of God works in mens soules It not onelie looseth them from the stronge and iron chaines of their sinnes but also it withdrawes them from the loue of vanities and turnes them to the loue of vertue and true godlinesse These effectes here Osorius attributes to the grace of God man of his owne nature hath them not Ambrose of mans duetie to God writes thus De Abraham pat lib. 2. ca. 8. That soule which is full of wisedome and righteousnesse is more deuout in the worship of God and paies her tenthes of all the fruits of the earth according to a more heauenly wisedome herein in that she referres the perfection of all her senses and workes to God shee challengeth nothing to hir selfe which is not able to gouerne her selfe vnlesse she were vnderpropped with Gods fauour c. All Abrahams children of their father must learne to paie these tenthes to God But for the maintenance of frée will Rom. 7.18 that place of Saint Paul maie be obiected To will is at hand but to doe good I cannot tell how to do it Saint Austen expounds this place thus De praed gra ca. 13. Although that same will is not of vs it is the gift of God because of him wee haue both to will and to do according to his good pleasure And concerning this place Austen first expounded it of a man vnregenerate but after he changed his mind and expounded it of the regenerate as appeares in his Booke Contra Iu◠cap. 11. Ambrose also is of the same mind with Austen herein and expounds this place of the regenerate speaking of the strife that was betwéene Abraham and Lot which he allegoricallie applies to the soule of man Lib. 2. de Abra. cap. 6. Hereof comes saieth he the discord of our cogitations when as the flesh rebels against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Then there is no small combate when as the Apostle himselfe the Lords chosen vessell saith I see the lawe of my flesh resisting the law of my mind and bringing me in bondage vnder the law of sinne which is in my members He himselfe coulde not pacifie this combate and therefore he fled to Christ saying O vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death that is that I cleaue not to the pleasures of the flesh Who is it that shall loose me from these bonds and shall set me free and shall writh rather the senses to the sobriety of the mind then to the drunkennes of the body but because amongst men he could not find such a guide turning to God he saith The grace of God by our Lord Iesus Christ If he that was so strong trusted not in his owne strength that he might escape the body of death but sought for helpe of Christ what shall we do who are weaker c. Phil. de Dies sum prae dic Tit. amor hominis erga Deum I will conclude this point of free will with a saying of Philippus de Dies When as onely God is the author of the reasonable soule and that the will is a power of such a soule it followeth manifestly that onely God can moue it not onely in bestowing the nature and essence vnto it but also the willing of that which is good and also the end which is the conclusion of all our willings Therefore wee must desire of him with most earnest prayers with that kingly Prophet Incline my heart O God vnto thy Testimonies 2. Of Justification De indulg POligranes a Papist of Christs merites writes thus We must know that Christ the son of God by his works and passions did deserue many things of God his father To himselfe glorie and exaltation as Saint Paul saith for which cause God hath exalted him c. He hath deserued also to men a generall satisfaction for their sinnes For by his bloud hee hath washed away the faults and by his death hath restored the grace of iustification You are iustified freely saith the Apostle by his grace Rom. 3. by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus But by this his merit he hath so freely washed away the faults that according to the faith of the Church and of the holy scripture he hath left some part of the punishment vnredeemed which is either here to be redeemed with the workes of mercie or els to be paied hereafter And therefore thirdly he deserued that he which of himselfe hath deserued it through speciall faith and deuotion might forgiue this punishment himselfe which we
I trusting to this thy promise turne to thee with my whole hart no otherwise then if thou hadst called me alone and hadst inuited me vnto thee with this sweete word As Granatensis doeth applie this promise of God particularlie to himselfe so hee teacheth all Christians how they must also applie all the rest of Gods promises particularlie to themselues Granatensis againe of speciall grace writes thus De orat Med. cap. 1. Wee haue not sayeth hee a fitter Shield against the darts of sinne then euer to haue in our memories what faith hath reuealed against sinne And that faith may worke this thing in vs it is necessary that vvee frame our selues sometimes to thinke and consider attentiuely what faith saith For if we shall not doe this wee shall account the letters of faith as shutte and sealed vp from vs which although they containe either very good or very euill newes yet they shall neither make vs merie nor sorie no other waies then as if wee had neuer receiued them For wee haue not opened them and seene what is in them And what can be more fitlie said of the faith of wicked men For there can be nothing more terrible nor more ioifull then those things which are handled in Christian Religion But the euill as though they had neuer opened this Epistle that they might haue seene what had been contained in it they neuer thinke of this mystery of their faith but runne forcibly into all manner of sinnes so they neuer feele those good motions and alterations which faith works in others Therfore it behooueth euery one of vs that sometimes we diligently scanne ouer these letters and that we read them diligently and that we marke attentiuely what they teach which all are doone by the meanes of consideration or meditation for this is that which lightens obscure things and so by lightning our vnderstanding by the greatnes of the mysteries inclines our will also as much as it is able that we may liue according to the rule of them God would also prefigurate this our duty in the old law when as among the conditions of cleane beasts he puts downe this also To chew the cudde not that God hath such great care of beasts but in this he would giue vs to vnderstand the condition and duty of cleane spirituall beasts that is of iust men to whome it is not enough to haue eaten the heauenly things by beleeuing them by faith but they must chew them ouer againe by consideration thinking on the mysteries which they beleeue thorowly discussing the greatnes of them and dispersing this meat by by through al the spiritual members of the soule that it may be the food sustentation therof By Granatensis his iudgment euery Christian must open the letters of faith that is the holie Scriptures which God hath as it were sent priuatelie vnto him and hee must looke into them and examine and marke them well and applie them to his owne soule The wicked kéepe these Letters as it were sealed and neuer mind them and so runne forciblie into their sinnes Also the cleane Beasts wherein God delightes onely must chewe the cudde euerie one of them and distribute this spirituall foode to the particular spirituall members of their soules They which doe not so are vncleane in Gods sight howe deuout and religious soeuer they séem in the eies of men And is not this to haue a speciall faith Againe hee writes thus The Scripture sayeth hee is the fountaine from whence the iust man drawes the waters of comfort by which he is strengthened to trust in God For there you see the greatnes of Christs merites which is the head and foundation of our hope you see there the greatnesse of the goodnesse and sweetnes of God expressed in a thousand places his prouidence whereby he preserues and keepes his his mercy whereby he receiues those that draw nie vnto him the promises and certaine pledges which he hath giuen them that he will neuer forsake them that put their trust in him You see nothing oftener repeated in the Psalmes promised in the Prophets declared in the Histories from the beginning of the world then the fauour louing kindnes benefits which God hath euer vsed towards his how he hath euer helped them in all their tribulations and afflictions how he neuer forsooke Abraham in all his iourneys Iacob in all his dangers Ioseph in his banishment Dauid in his persecutions Iob in his griefes and sicknesses Tobie in his blindnesse Iudith in the atchieuing of her valiant act Hester in her Prayers the Machabees in their warres and triumphes to conclude how he hath defended and patronized all which with humility and with a religious and sincere heart haue craued his diuine help These and such other like do encourage vs least we should be weary in trusting in him This is Granatensis counsell that euerie particular man should applie all these examples to himselfe and thereby haue an assured hope in God that God will neuer leaue him nor forsake him as he did not anie of these And is not this to haue a speciall faith and trust in God But most manifestlie of the Passion of Christ hee writes thus Do not sayeth hee thinke these things as a thing that is past but rather as a thing present and not as another mans griefes or sorrowes but euen as it were thine own Imagine that thou thy selfe stoodst in that place wherin he is which suffereth examine thy self what thou wouldest do if any man should bore thorow any mēber thou hast so tender sensible as the head is with so many thornes and should thrust them euen to the very boanes so that they should pierce thorow thy temples thy hinder part of thy head and thy forehead what talke I of thornes thou couldest not endure the pricke of an Needle What torments then suffered the most tender heade of thy Sauiour boared thorow with so many and cruell thornes O thou brrightnesse of thy Father who abused thee so greatly O thou most cleare glasse of the diuine maiestie who be spotted thee so filthily O thou floud which runnes out of the earthly Paradice and with thy streame makes glad the Citie of God! who troubled these thy so sweet and pleasant waters My sinnes O Lord haue troubled them mine iniquities haue defiled them O wretch that I am O miserable man how haue mine owne sinnes defiled mine own soule If other mens sinnes haue filthily polluted the most cleare Spring of all beauty Oh good Iesu they are my sinnes which pricke thee my foolery and vanities are the purple wherewith thou art mocked mine hypocrisie and fained holines are those ceremonies and cappings and kneelinges wherewith they doe mocke and despise thee my pompe and vaine glorie are that crowne which is put on thy head scoffingly and yet with intollerable griefe In all my workes O Lord I am thy hangman in all places I am the cause of thy griefes Ezechias
of our Christians at this daie Naie in the Acts he pronounceth the same sentence Act. 10 34. that God is no respecter of persons that in euerie Nation he is accepted vnto him which feareth him and worketh righteousnesse And when as the Holie ghost fell vpon them hee commaunded them to be baptized and haue not all Christians at this daie likewise the holie Ghost doeth not Saint Paul saie that they which haue not the Spirite of God Roman 8.9 are none of his If all christians then haue the Holie ghost then must they néedes haue faith which is the first and principall fruite thereof and such a faith as is required to the obtaining of the remission of their sins Maie not wée saie of our christians as Saint Paul speakes of the christians in the Primitiue Church 2. Corin. 3.3 1. Corin. 1.7 You are the Epistle of Christ sayth he to the Corinthians made by our ministerie written not with Inke but with the Spirit of the liuing God And in his first Epistle he giues thanks to God that they wanted no gift Therefore they had no doubt such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes by Saint Pauls owne Testimonie yea although that their faith had some imperfectiōs in it of dissention of diuers errors both concerning the Sacrament and also the resurrection of the dead Why maie we not therefore beléeue and pronounce of all christians in these our daies which are not notorious Atheists or cut off from the church as saint Paul did of the christians generallie in his daies Thus wée maie see howe saint Pauls doctrine and master Bellarmines differs the one tendeth to consolation and edification the other plainly to the destruction of the faith and to desperation Ferus writes That most iustly the holy Ghost is called the comforter not only for this cause In. cap. 14. Ioh. that it comforted the Apostles the Children of the Bride of the death and absence of their father by the word of the Scripture saying that it behooued Christ thus to haue suffered but also for this cause that as an earnest peny and pledge it assureth the faithfull that they are the sonnes of God But Bellarmine saieth That the Spirit witnesseth to our spirites that we are the Sonnes of God but this Testimony is by no expresse word that is by Reuelation but by a taste of some inward ioy and peace which ingenders in vs no certainty but coniectural But an earnest giuen to any takes away all coniecture And Ferus speaking of this Testimonie sayeth O this happy knowledge yea most happy vnion so to be knit not only to the Sonne but to the father It makes vs know surely we are Gods Sonnes So this earnest takes awaie all coniecture nay more then this it vnites vs to God But that place of Ecclesiastes is alleadged of some to disprooue this certainty of our saluation the which place if it bee indifferently considered prooues no such thing but rather it condemnes all rash iudgements of Christians Ecclesiast 9.1 Matthew 7.1 according to our Sauiours doctrine Iudge not and yee shall not be iudged The place is this I gaue my selfe sayeth Salomon to consider this whole matter and to declare the same because that iust men and wise men and their seruice are in the hands of God euen the iust men and wise men are in the handes of God if hee held them not vp they should surelie fall euen into the pitte of hell Loue also and hatred no man knowes all things are before their faces for all thinges happen to all men alike There is one euent to the iust and wicked to the good and pure and to the vncleane to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not The plaine meaning of this place is that no man knowes by the externall euentes which happen to himselfe or others whether hee bee beloued of God or hated The same thinges chance verie often alike both to the godlie and to the wicked 2. King 23.29 1. King 22.35 Gen. 13.2 Luk. 16.19 2. Sam. 12.18 1. Kin. 19 14 17 1 King 22 49. Psalm 48.6 Luke 13.4 Act. 28.4 Gen. 22.2 Good Iosias was slaine in the battell as well as wicked Ahab Abraham was rich as well as Diues Dauids child died as well as Ieroboams Iosaphats Shippes were broken as wel as the Shippes of the wicked Let no man pronounce sentence of condemnation against his Brother by reason of these outward euents as did the superstitious Iewes against those vpon whom the Tower of Siloam did fall or as did those prophane Paganes against Paul who iudged him a wicked man because a Viper caught him God deales woonderfullie with his Isaac the hope of the world is commanded to be sacrificed Iesus the light of the Gentiles Luk. 2.32.23.33 and the glory of Israel is crucified who will then iudge or condemne by anie externall accident This sense the verie coherence of the verse that followeth inforceth for thus it followeth in the Text. This is an euill that is done amongst all vnder the sunne that there is one chance or euent to all and that the harts of the sons of men are full of euill and madnesse is in their harts whilest they liue And because in all mens heartes this sinne and madnesse remaines so that no man can saie hee hath no sinne therefore these like euents and chances outwardlie happen to all alike Again it is to be noted that Salomon here saith The man knoweth not that is the carnall man and he that is not regenerate in whose person he hath spoken manie things before as that Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascēd vpward the spirit of a beast descend downward Eccles 3.21 to the earth It is euident that Salomon speaketh not that of himselfe who affirmes in the 12. Chapter that the spirit of man returnes to God Cap. 12. ver 7. that gaue it him so that the carnall man knowes not then whether hee bee worthy of loue or hatred It is Gods Spirite that bringes this certaintie that workes this effect that witnesseth this without which our spirits should doubt naie euen despaire euen the spirites of the most couragious and valiant So our Sauiour told Peter of the profession of his faith that flesh and bloud had not reuealed that vnto him Matth. 16.17 but his heauenly father by the working of his holie spirite So wee reade in the Gospell Mark 13.32 that our Sauiour himselfe knowes not the day of iudgement as hee is man so man in that respect hee is man knowes not his loue nor his hate Rom 8.15.16 but the holy spirit beares witnesse to our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and therefore beloued of God and vpon this assurance of loue makes vs call boldlie vpon God and crie Abba father And Salomon himselfe after seemes to make this distinction of man The end of all the Word saieth hee
iust man as thy goodnes required thou hast here one iustified according to the measure of our sinnes Therefore O our defender looke vpon this my Lord and looke vpon the face of thine annointed But also thou O our Sauiour doe not cease to set thy selfe alwayes before thy fathers sight for vs. If thy loue were such that thou fearedst not to yeeld thy members to the tormentor that he might beat them wrest them and teare them let thy loue also be so great that it may not grieue thee to offer those members so torne and rent to thy eternall father that he being moued with the sight of them may forgiue vs all our sins and receiue vs againe into his fauour Sée how Granatensis calles those Christians cowards that distrust of the goodnesse of God now hauing so mightie and louing and forcible a Sauiour to pleade their cause To be accounted a coward in worldlie exploites is the greatest disgrace in the world and shall all Christians which are accounted souldiers bee cowards in this necessarie and waightie matter of their saluation Naie if euer courage were necessarie it is here necessarie and to bee cowardlie in other matters it makes no great matter so that here we be not cowards lacke of courage here killes the soule and loseth all the goods wee haue all the good works wee haue done The fearefull shall neuer enter into heauen but their portion shall bee in the lake But some obiect that the gift of perseuerance is not giuen to all Granatensis writes thus thereof Gran. de orat med vesp 7. What kind of great mercie was it that after he haue restored thee being fallen to thy former righteousnesse againe besides this hee gaue thee grace by the meanes whereof thou mightest not fall againe and mightest ouercome thy enemie and perseuere in doing good This is that former and latter raine whereof the Lord speaketh by his Prophet Ioel Ye Sonnes of Sion be glad and reioice in the Lord your God who hath giuen you a teacher of righteousnesse Ioel. 2.23 and hee will raine vpon you the early and latter raine as in the beginning that is he will preuent you with his grace that the seeds of vertues may begin to grow in you and his grace shal also stil continue and follow you that those seedes may waxe ripe and answere your expectation Thus farre Granatensis where hee plainelie teacheth that the gift of perseuerance is so knitte to the gift of faith euen as the former raine by Gods promise here in the Prophet is to the latter And this is euerie true Christians comfort which they learne also out of the Apostle that God who hath begunne that good worke of faith in them will finish it Phil. 1.6 euen vnto the end And out of the Gospell that When as our Sauiour loued his which were in the world he loued them vnto the end Pintus of the signe Taw wherewith euerie one of the faithfull that should bee saued was signed writes thus It is written in the booke of Exodus Ioh in Ezec. ca. 13. that The Lord passed ouer and stroke all the first borne besides those which were signed with the bloud of the lambe c. And Saint Iohn in the Reuelation sayeth that The Angell imprinted a signe in the forehead of Gods seruants which should obtaine euerlasting saluation And after Saint Paul willing to exhort the Ephesians who had imbraced true Religion and now were become Christians that they should not defile the excellencie of their soules with the filth of sinne speakes to them in this manner Doe not make sad the holy Ghost wherewith ye are sealed against the day of redemption As though he should say Do not commit those sinnes wherewith the holy Ghost like a man vexed or molested should forsake you cal to your remembrance how you were sealed with it in the day of your baptisme And our prophet Ezechiel saith that they were onely deliuered from death which were marked with the letter Tau of the man clothed in linnen All these in my iudgement come to one and signifie one thing for that same Lambe with whose bloud the Israelites were signed that they might bee saued being without blemish and rosted with fire whose bones were not to be broken as the holy Scriptures doe testifie in Exodus what doe they signifie but Christ c. And after Hee is the Lambe of God of whome Iohn Baptist sayeth Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world He was inflamed with the fire of loue and rosted with the flames of most bitter torments and was sacrificed for vs on the Altar of the Crosse that he might purge our sins with his bloud and that he might bring vs vnto the true land of promise They which are not marked with his blood they which haue not the memory of his death imprinted in their minds beleeuing it and reposing all their trust therein as in our remedie they which are not sealed with his marke which he in Baptisme hath imprinted into vs which print is not in the substance of the soule as in a subiect but in the power thereof cannot obtaine euerlasting life And after When as the letter Tau signifies a consummation and end as Saint Ierom saith in the Booke of Hebrew names and all the Hebrew letters haue their proper significations and when as Christ is the end as that place sayeth which I haue euen now alleadged out of the Reuelation and according to that which Saint Paul writes in the Epistle to the Romanes Christ is the end of the law it is plainly and manifestly concluded that it is he wherewith wee ought to bee sealed And after hee alleadgeth Cyprian against Demetrius who affirmes verie vehementlie that This signe belongs to the passion and blood of Christ And that he onely shall be preserued to saluation who is marked with the blood of Christ And after There are some which by the letter Tau doe vnderstand the signe of the Crosse saying that this letter in Hebrew hath the figure of the Crosse but they are greatly deceiued for it is not like the Crosse being thus written ◠Vnles they will say that the Hebrewes changed the characters of their letters and the old letters to haue remained among the Samaritans For Saint Ierom saieth that in his time the Samaritans vsed the Crosse in stead of this letter but in Saint Ieroms dayes the same Hebrew letters were which are now Thus farre Pintus wherein hee plainelie teacheth that all Christians are to bee sealed with a marke that is with the blood of Christ and with the holie Ghost And if they bee sealed then they are sure of their saluation for as Saint Paul saieth The foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale God knowes who are his 2. Tim. 2.19 Ioh. 10.28 16.14 His shéepe haue all his marke And he knoweth them and no man shall take them out of his hands And the
holy Ghost sayeth our Sauiour shall glorifie me for hee shall take of mine and shall shew vnto you he shall imprint Christs death and passion in the harts and minds of the faithfull Secondlie he makes that signe not to bee an externall signe but an inward signe But after hee addeth Hee doeth not onely seale vs with the Sacramentall print which can neuer be blotted out of the soule but also with his grace which may be blotted out and lost through sin But here hee goes besides his Text for both Ezechiel and saint Paul and S. Iohn Reuel 7.2 mentions but one signe not two and therefore that print of baptisme which he saith cannot be blotted out is the grace of God And S. Austen and the best Diuines say A Sacrament is an outward signe or seale of Gods inuisible grace Aug. Epist 23. in Psal 77. so that the inward print of the sacrament in the soule is the grace of God by saint Austens iudgment which inward print of the sacrament can neuer be blotted out saieth Pintus And therefore neither can the grace of God be blotted out and so the saluation of the faithfull is most certaine And to saint Austen agreeth also saint Paul 1. Cor. 6.11 But such like ye were in times past but yee are washed yee are sanctified yee are iustified in the name of our Lord Iesus and in the spirit of our God here is both the outward signe and the inward print of baptisme To be washed outwardly and to be sanctified to be iustified by the Spirit of God inwardly The same doctrine saint Peter teacheth who speaking of the arke of Noah 1. Pet. 2.21 The type whereof sayeth hee saueth vs now euen baptisme not the putting away of the filth of the flesh here is the outward element which of it selfe is not auaileable But the request or prayer of a good conscience to God here is the inward print or seale of the holie Ghost Rom. 8.26 whose chiefe propertie is to teach the faithfull to pray as they ought to pray And here is that same lesson repeated againe of saint Peter which hee taught in the Acts that He that calleth on the name of the Lord shall bee saued Here is Those pure hands which saint Paul also requires in prayer Act. 2.21 which saint Peter calles a good conscience This is the inward print of baptisme by saint Peters iudgement To this also agreeth saint Paul in another place As many as are baptised haue put on Iesus Christ here is also the outward signe Galath 3.27 and the inward print the putting on of Christ Iesus here is the sanctification and iustification of all the faithfull whereof saint Paul spake before which they doe receiue in their baptisme And here first they which flatter themselues that they haue faith and will doe no good works doe deceiue themselues For if the holie Ghost bee imprinted in their soules and if it be compared to fire of Saint Iohn who saieth to the Iewes Mat. 3 1â— that Afterward Christ shall baptize them with the holie Ghost and with fire then it will shew it selfe it wil shine by good works it wil burne in charitie it will worke through loue Gal. 5.6 Can a man carie fire in his bosome and will it not burn and giue light So is it as impossible to haue the holie Ghost in our soules but it will inflame vs with the loue of our neighbours it will make vs shine in all good works it will make vs reprooue sinne and therefore the holie Ghost fell vpon the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues Act. 2.3 And therefore Dauid saith as saint Paul also alleadgeth him 2. Cor. 4 13. I haue beleeued and therefore I spake And our Sauiour Luke 12 49. I haue comen to send fire vpon earth and what will I but that it burne Secondlie they are reprooued which will not reade nor heare the word of God the preaching of the word is called 2. Cor. 3.8 The ministration of the Spirit God hath appointed meanes to obtaine all things as plowing and sowing to obtaine Corne eating and drinking to sustaine nature studie to obtaine learning no doubt as we cannot obtain any of these without these meanes which God hath appointed no more can wée obtaine that other therefore how greatlie deceiued are they which thinke to haue the spirit of God without hearing the word it is euen as though they should think to haue corn without plowing or streÌ„gth without eating or learning without studying Oh that men would bee wise therefore that they would bee as carefull to procure those meanes which profit their soules as they are those meanes which profit their bodies For their bodilie health to take the aire they will climbe vp hils they will walk by water sides Gen. 1.2 Psal 23.1 130.1 The spirit of God is caried on the waters of coÌ„fort the holy scriptures are those holy hils the spirit of God blowes in them continually be as carefull for the soule to be conuersant amongst these as thou art for the bodie amongst the other When Peter preached The holy Ghost fel vpon Cornelius Act. 10.44 8.29 Luke 24.15 vpoÌ„ al that were present when the Eunuch read the holie Ghost sent Philip a Schoolemaster vnto him when the Apostles talked of Christ in their iourney he was straight waies in the midst of them Surelie if we would so occupie our selues the same effects would follow euen now The holie Ghost if wée would diligentlie and humblie reade the scriptures would not send Philip to vs to bee our schoole master but would come to vs euen his owne selfe as saint Iohn tels vs 1. Ioh. 2.27 Now we neede not that any man should teach vs for the holy Ghost himselfe teacheth vs. But here Pintus will obiect why then shall all they bee saued which are baptized Surelie there is an inward and an outward baptisme they which are both inwardlie and outwardlie baptized they which haue once put on Christ Iesus they which are sealed with the holie Ghost shall most assuredlie bee saued but not all which are outwardlie washed although wee are to saie with the Apostle 1. Cor. 6 11. Gal. 3.27 Ye are washed ye are sanctified And again as manie as are baptized haue put on Christ Iesus This christian hope wee ought to haue of all our brethren The seale may bee applied to the waxe and make no print but that wee must referre to the secret iudgements of God Wée must here saie O Lord how vnspeakeable are thy iudgements Rom. 11.33 Iohn 10.27.28 and thy waâ—â—s past mans finding out My sheepe saieth our Sauiour heare my voice I knowe them and they followe mee I giue them eternall life and they shall not perish for euer and no man shall snatch them out of my hand The sunne maie bee eclipsed but neuer lose his light the faithful are the sonnes
beene paid The Lord had such an earnest care of thy saluation that almost he hazarded his owne that he might gaine thee Hee tooke vpon him all our losses that hee might place thee in heauen that he might consecrate thee with heauenly vertues And hee addeth Very miraculously he gaue himself for vs al that he might declare that he so loued vs all that he gaue his welbeloued sonne for euery one of vs. For whom therefore hee that gaue that which surpasseth all things is it possible that in him he shall not also giue vs all things For he excepts nothing who hath giuen the Author of all things There is nothing therefore that we may feare shall be denied vs there is no cause why wee should doubt of the continuance of this bountifulnes of God towards vs whose goodnesse hath beene so long in continuance and so liberall towards vs that first he predestinated vs then hee called vs and those whom he called them he iustified and those whom he iustified also he will glorifie Can he forsake those whome he hath bestowed so many benefits vpon euen till he crowne them Amongst so many benefits of God shall we feare any of the wiles of our accuser but who dare accuse any of those whom he hath chosen in Gods iudgement can God the father who hath bestowed them cal his gifts back againe and dismisse those from his fatherly fauour whom he hath adopted to be his children But perchance thou fearest least that the iudge will bee seuere consider who shall bee thy iudge To Christ hath the father committed all iudgement can he condemne thee who hath redeemed thee from death for whome he hath offered himselfe whose life he knowes to bee the wages of his death shall he not say what profit is in my blood if I condemne him whom I haue saued Againe thou considerest him as a iudge and not as an aduocate can he pronounce sharpe sentence vvho ceaseth not to request that the grace of his fathers reconciliation may be bestowed on vs Here Ambrose first teacheth the excéeding great loue that God hath towards his children and that hee gaue his sonne for euerie one of vs And shall not then euerie particular man embrace this so mercifull and gracious a gift in his owne armes that is by the faith of his owne soule And lastlie the great assurance that euerie Christian ought to haue of his saluation Our Iudge is our aduocate and shall wee feare the sentence of condemnation 6. Of the reading of the Scriptures and of their sufficiencie STaphilus a Papist Counseller to the Emperour Staph. of translating the Bible into the vulgar tongue whose Apologie was traÌ„slated by Thomas Stapleton student in Diuinitie in his Apologie writes thus Surely I could neuer yet find in holy Scripture that the common people ought of necessity to read the scripture but that of the reading thereof much Schisme and the destruction of manie soules hath proceeded daily experience teacheth vs and holy writte warneth vs where our Sauiour thus speaketh It is giuen to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of God but to the rest in Parables that seeing yet they see not and hearing they vnderstand not Who are those vnto whom our Lord saith To you it is giuen c. Surely the Apostles and their successours the rulers of Christs flocke And Who are they that should learne by parables Surely such men as were better not to know the mysteries least misusing them they procure to themselues a greater damnation For precious stones ought not to be cast before hogges and such of al likelyhood are the Lay ignorant people Thus farre Staphilus Let all true Christians marke what commendations the papists yeeld vnto the scriptures that dailie experience teacheth that the destruction of many soules haue procéeded thereof when as Gods spirit calles the scripture alwaies The word of life Ioh. 6.68 1. Tim. 1.10 and the holesome doctrine of Christ The one marke were sufficient to descrie of whose spirit they are that write this of the scriptures But it is also worthie the marking Lib. 2. ca. 21. de offic bon patr how in this point the papists disagree among themselues Viuiennus a Papist writes thus I counsell thee and all other which haue not as yet purchased to themselues the sound knowledge of the holy scriptures that they eschew that booke of his meaning Ouid and in the meane while that they reade the Bible and other godly mens works For it is not possible that he which is not very expert in the scriptures should not stumble very dangerously and that his faith should not by some meanes be shaken and weakned Hector Pintus also a Papist of the holie scripture writes thus But amongst all other they beare the bell who being guarded with the furniture of vertue giue themselues to the study of the holy scriptures that they may behold with the eyes of their mind the hie mysteries of God clearer then the sunne it selfe for the knowledge of the holy scriptures is that heauenly philosophy wherewith the soules of men are refreshed and are nourished to euerlasting life This is the finder out of vertues and expeller of vices which eases our soules takes away vaine cares deliuers vs from wicked desires and giues vs tranquillity of life wherfore the course of a mans life being well passed ouer and according to the precepts thereof is to be preferred before all the prosperity in the world The diuine and Kingly prophet foreseeing that in his mind calles Him blessed that studies in the law of God day and night For as the same in another place testifieth The law of God is an vndefiled law conuerting the soule and the Testimonie of the Lord is faithfull and giueth wisdome euen to children For such is the excellency of Gods law that it conuerts the minds of men from an euill custome to an honest kind of liuing and to those men which wander and goe out of the way it shewes the right path to obtaine euerlasting glory Thus farre Pintus The which his saying if it bee true as it is most true then is Staphilus and Maister Stapletons sentence false that the reading of the scriptures should leade manie soules to destruction it leades them the waie to euerlasting life which wander and go out of the way saith Pintus Pintus pro â—em in Dan. And of the authoritie of the scripture also he yéelds this excellent Testimonie The most part of the Papists saie that the Scriptures take authoritie of the Church but Pintus of them writes thus Euen as saieth hee that same strange precious stone called Draconites is not polished nor admits any art or cunning about the dressing of it but of it selfe is very beautifull and bright so the diuine scripture is not adorned with childâ—sh eloquence of words nor stands need of the skill of mans Rhetoricke being famous and excellent by her owne maiesty and proper brightnesse Thus farre
Pintus As this precious stone of it selfe caries a Maiestie and glorie with it it needes not the helpe or skill of man to polish it So much lesse the scriptures They glorifie themselues their authoritie is their owne maiesty And no doubt as in the handling of them of which Pintus seemes here to speake so also in the discerning of them Who requires a witnesse to prooue that the sunne shineth Here the thing it selfe is a sufficient witnes So the scriptures by their owne Maiestie especiallie beare witnesse to themselues To Infidelles perchance which neuer knewe nor read the Scriptures the authoritie of the Church maie bee an Introduction to beleeue them as that woman was to the Samaritanes to beleeue in Christ c. But after they shall haue once read them and hauing also well meditated vpon them day and night and laid them vp in their harts Ioh. 4.42 Luk 2.51 as Mary did the words of Simeon and Anna they will then saie as the Samaritanes also saide to the woman Now we beleeue not because of thy saying For wee haue heard him our selues and knowe that this is indeede that Christ that Sauiour of the world So they will also saie of the Churches Testimonie Pintus of reading the holie scripture writes thus Pintus in 3. cap. Ezech. All holie Scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach In all mens Books may errours be found be the Author thereof neuer so wise nor neuer so learned for euen as in a fruitfull field sometimes amongst holesome hearbes grow those that bee hurtfull so mens wittes sometimes amongst holesome counselles yeeld also manie errors The heathen Philosophers although setting apart all priuate and publike actions they gaue themselues wholy to search out truth yet they haue committed to writing their own vaine deuises and innumerable vanities For All men are liers as the Psalmist sayeth What shall I speake of the vnprofitable fictions of the Poets The Poets sing of strange but not credible matters If sometimes they affoorde vs any thing that is good they mingle it vvith a thousand lyes But all the holy Scripture is true all to bee read all to be searched all to be deuoured As they which digge mettalles doe not lose the least scrappes but if so bee that they find any mine of gold they diligently search after euery vaine and they take out the earth also with the Gold and they are very circumspect so wee must doe in the holy Scripture we must passe ouer nothing we must not make light account of one word of the holy Scriptures yea we must be much more desirous and diligent in searching out this treasure and wee must endeuour to bring all to light For here is no earth mingled with gold it is all most pure gold tried to the vttermost yea as the Psalmist saith Aboue thousands of gold and siluer In the holy Scriptures because God is the author of it Who can neither be deceiued nor deceiue anie whatsoeuer is written is truth whatsoeuer is taught is vertue whatsoeuer is promised after death is immortality and euerlasting felicity The word of God giueth light and directs vs the way to heauen for the diuine Psalmist saith Thy word is a lanterne to my feet Therefore all that loue God desire to heare it therefore saith Christ our God He that is of God heareth Gods word And in Saint Lukes Gospel Blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it O woonderfull reliques being so precious and in the world so little esteemed If we make great account of the garments of the saints and if we reuerence some parts of their garments and that rightlie because they touched their bodies how much more ought wee to esteeme the words of Christ which issued from his heart by his most blessed mouth and touched both his tongue and his lippes They are all heauenly full of holinesse breathing heauenly mysteries Moyses beganne his booke from the generation of the creatures but Saint Matthew began his from the generation of the creator saying The booke of the generation of Iesus Christ. And after This booke is the Chronicle of Iesus Christ this is his testament what sonne will not reade the Testament of his father who is it that wil not giue good heed to his fathers last wil This new Testament is an infinit treasure which can neuer be spent of heauenly wisdome and celestial treasures And after The word of God ought to be in our hands that we might neuer forget it but it cannot be in our hands vnlesse it be first in our heart and therefore before God saith My words shall bee in thy hand he saith They shall be in thy heart He that will not fall into sinnes let him keepe Gods words in his heart The holy Prophet would teach vs this in these words I haue hid thy words in my heart least I should sinne against thee He loued the word of God so greatly that as a most precious treasure and most excellent Iewelles he kept them laid vp in the closet of his heart And Salomon in the Prouerbes speaking of the law of God Bind it saith he alwaies in thie heart and compasse it about thie necke and when thou walkest let it go with thee As in the arke of the Testament was the law of God manna as the holy scriptures do record in many places So in the soule where the word of God is kept Christ that hidden and heauenly manna is there by his grace of whome Esay saieth Truelie thou art a hidden God And the same Christ in Saint Iohns Gospell saith I am the liuelie bread that came downe from heauen In that soule which is refreshed with this heauenly food is the law of God written not with inke that I may vse Saint Pauls words but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in Tables of stone but in the fleshie Tables of the heart Saint Paul saith That those which haue the law of God imprinted in their mind that they shew the worke of the law written in their hearts And these obey and loue GOD whereof the truth it selfe saith in Saint Iohns Gospell If anie man loue me he will keepe mie saieng And in Saint Lukes Gospell Blessed are they which heare the word of God and keepe it For as saint Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes saith Not the hearers of the law are iust before God but the doers thereof shall be iustified And saint Iames saith in his Canonical Epistle Be ye doers of the word not hearers onelie deceiuing your owne selues Euen as he which will make an assault vpon his enimies or defend himself from them stands need of a sword the which being taken in his hand he may strike them that he may obtaine the victory So he that will triumph ouer the world the flesh and the diuell the most cruell enemies of the soule he must carie in his hands that is in his works the word of God
For the word of God is the sword of God whereof saint Paul speakes to the Ephesians Take vnto you the Sword of the Spirite which is the word of God c. Thus farre Pintus The scriptures are most pure gold and shall wée not earnestly labour for them They are our fathers will and testament and shall wée not reade them They are the onelie sword to haue in our hands against the world the flesh and the diuell our most deadlie enemies and shall wée goe vnarmed amongst so manie and so cruell enemies Or shall Priests onelie haue this sword as the Papists teach and not Laie men As though these enemies onelie assaulted them Granatensis also takes awaie Maister Staphilus his obiection Lib. 1. de ora◠med cap. 1. Thou wilt say peraduenture sayeth hee that this exercise of praying and meditating of the holy Scriptures belongs onely to religious men and to Priests and not to men that are occupied about worldly businesses It is true sayeth hee that that belongs chiefly vnto them by reason of their estate and office yet the men of the world cannot be excused if they haue not also a certaine manner of prayer although they be not in that degree of perfection which the other be in if so be that they desire euer to liue in the feate of God and not to sinne mortally For it is necessary that worldly men haue faith hope and charity humility and the feare of God contrition also and deuotion and the hatred of sinne And therefore as all these vertues for the most part as we haue said proceede of the affection of the mind which must necessarily flow from some consideration of the vnderstanding if the worldly man haue not these considerations how can he preserue these vertues How can a man continue faithfull vnlesse hee often meditate on those things which faith commandeth How can hee bee inflamed with charity strengthened in hope brideled through the feare of God bee moued to deuotion and contrition and the contempt of himselfe wherein consists the vertue of humility which belongs to all these vertues if he doe not frame himselfe to meditate vpon those things by which those affections as we haue proued before are woont to be kindled And a little after Hitherto may be added the dangers of the world and that great difficulty which man feeles herein that he can hardly keepe himselfe free from sinne in such a fraile body in such a dangerous world and amongst so many enemies which we haue Therefore although thou be not a religious man and thy condition doe not bind thee yet looke that the greatnes of the perill thou art in do bind thee I confesse truly that the state of a religious man is very hard and great but thy danger is greater then his The religious man is looked vnto of his superior he is kept in of his cloister he is fenced as it were and walled about with his attendance with his obedience with prayer with fasting with saying his seruice with the strictnes of his order with good company and with all other exercises and businesses which belong to the monastery But the man that liueth in the world besides that he is naked and destitute of all these helpes he is compassed about on euery side with Dragons and Scorpions he walks euer vpon serpents and Cocatrices both at home and abroad both in himselfe and without himselfe in his doores and windowes night and day a thousand kind of snares are set in his way amongst all which hee is bound to keepe a pure heart chast eyes and a cleane body euer in the midst of the flame of his youth and of the euill companies and examples of this life wherein he sees or heares nothing that tasteth of God Wherefore if the religious man who is a Souldiour by profession ought euer to go armed how much more behooueth it that a man of this world should euer goe armed who is not so safe as the other not so much for the strict bond of the state of his perfection then as for the greatnesse of the dangers wherein he is Those which haue some enemies whom they doe feare doe goe no lesse armed then Souldiours those for their othe wherewith they are bound these for necessity Amongst these weapons we put not onely prayer but fasting also and silence and reading and hearing of the word of God the receiuing of the Sacraments the eschewing of the occasions of sinne and other corporall exercises which all are as it were a * Salsitudo quaedam brine as we call it which preserue this our carnall nature prone to vices least it putrifie and wormes be ingendered in it Thus farre Granatensis wherein he plainelie prooues that Laie men as well as cleargie or religious men are bound to studie and reade and meditate vpon the Scriptures For how else can they haue faith sayeth hee or hope or charitie without which none can bee saued how else can they withstand their enimies amongst the midst of whome we dailie walke They haue béene traitours to their brethren that haue spoiled them of this spirituall Armour Againe the same Granatensis De Deuot. li. 1. ca. 9. of the reading of the Scriptures verie excellentlie writes thus The deuout reading of heauenly Bookes profits to this guard and puritie of the heart for as Saint Bernard sayth our heart is like to a Milne which neuer rests but euer grinds that which is put into it if Wheat it grinds Wheat if Barlie it grinds Barlie Therefore it is very profitable to be occupied in the reading of holy Bookes that when the mind would thinke or meditate of any matter it might meditate on those things wherewith it was occupied For this cause Saint Ierome doeth so greatly commend the reading of the holy Scripture in all his Epistles but especially in that which hee wrote to Demetriades the Virgine in the beginning wherof he sayeth thus O thou daughter of God I wil commend this one thing vnto thee and one aboue all other things and repeating it I will giue thee counsell thereunto againe and againe that is that thou occupy thy mind with the loue of the reading of the holy Scripture neither that thou receiue into the good ground of thy heart the seedes of Darnell or Oates And in the end of his Epistle he repeates the same counsell againe saying I ioine the end and the beginning together neither I thinke it sufficient to haue admonished thee once loue the holy Scriptures and wisedome shall loue thee loue hir and she shall preserue thee honour hir and she shall embrace thee Here wee maie plainelie see how that Granatensis Bernard and Ierome are not of Staphilus and Stapletons mind that the reading of the holie Scriptures doe not hurt the soules of the faithfull which thing if it had doone as some of our latter Papists thinke then these men would neuer haue so earnestlie perswaded all men vnto it In 2. Act. Ferus
and proud persons which will examine all things at their owne pleasures without the faith of the Church may plucke in their combes he addeth hast thou seene these things Who denie the sufficiency of the scripture but the Church of Rome who will teach all things with the finger of reason but that synagogue As their doctrines of the supremacy fréewill reall presence inuocation of saints do plainly declare Ierome of the scriptures writes thus to Eustochium In praef Esai Thou compellest me O Christian virgine Eustochium to passe ouer now to the Prophet Esay and to performe that to thee which I promised to thy mother Paula while she liued Therefore I pay both to thee and by thee to her that which I doe owe obeying the commaundements of Christ who saith search the scriptures And againe seeke and ye shall finde least I should heare with the Iewes you erre not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God For if according to the Apostle Paul Christ be the vertue of God and the wisedome of God and he which knowes not the scriptures is ignorant both of the vertue of God and of his wisedome the ignorance of the scripture is the ignorance of Christ Eustochium a virgine was so in loue with the scriptures that she compelled Ierome to write his commentaries vpon the Prophet Esay And shall not our women studie know and loue them The ignorance of the scriptures is the ignorance of Christ as Ierome heere plainely auoucheth how can it be then the mother of deuotion as the Papistes affirme In cap. 16. Io. Of the sufficiencie of the scriptures Ferus writes thus I haue as yet many things to say vnto you That which he said before seemes contrarie to this Whatsoeuer I haue heard of my father I haue declared vnto you But they are not contrarie For first that which he saies I haue declared vnto you he takes the preterperfect tense for the future tense for the certaintie of this doctrine which is a familiar thing in the writing of the prophets As when as Esay saith He was wounded for our iniquities which notwithstanding chanced long after Compare this doctrine with the Rhemists doctrine Then Christ also in trueth hath reuealed all things vnto vs necessarie for our saluation because hee hath preached the Gospell which is the fountaine of all trueth For whatsoeuer the spirit hereafter hath reuealed to the Church proceeded our of this fountaine So that trueth which the holy Ghost reuealed in the first councell of the Apostles that is that circumcision and other legall ceremonies were not necessarie to saluation came not from any where else then from the gospell where Christ plainely shewes that we haue saluation through faith in him and not of the workes of the law So that trueth that the sonne is consubstantiall to his father which appeared in the Nicene Councell against Arrius issued out of the gospel for although that word Homousion or consubstantial be not found in the Gospell yet there are found there other wordes of as great force as I my father are one Héere we may note first that that place I haue many things to say vnto you by Ferus a papists iudgement makes nothing for traditions or vnwritten verities Secondly that the holy Ghost reuealeth to the Church no new or straunge doctrine but that which is contained in the scriptures whereas other papistes affirme that the holy Ghost doth reueale doctrines to the Church besides the scriptures which are as firmely to be beleeued as those which are contained in the scriptures Lastly that that same doctrine of Christes equalitie with God his father Ferus acknowledgeth to be gathered out of the scriptures And after vpon the same wordes he writes thus I haue as yet many things to say to you The Apostles had forgotten many things and many things they did not vnderstand aright many things also Christ had spoken obscurely the which might be drawen into a wrong sense the which after chanced in the heretikes Therefore the holy Ghost was necessarie for them which might bring into their memories those things they had forgotten and should lighten those things they vnderstood not and should giue the true meaning of all obscure sayings Therefore this word may be referred to the whole gospell as though he shoul say although I haue taught you many things yet you neede further instructions for the causes now mentioned He shall speake all things which he shall heare that is which truely are and indeed stand fast and haue authoritie in the scriptures deuising nothing of his owne peruerting or misconstruing nothing heere we may learne what is to be preached taught in the Church or else we shall heare that I speake not to them and yet they prophecied Héere we may plainely sée what doctrine Ferus would haue taught and preached in the Church onely the scriptures and such as the holy Ghost doth drawe out of them In cap. 14. Ioh. not any vnwritten verities or traditions of the Church or inuentions of man And in another place he writes thus of Christ I am the way of life the trueth of doctrine and the life of saluation all men desire the way the trueth and the life These are not any where found certaine or sure sauing in Christ In cap. 2. Mat. And of the excellency of the scriptures he writes thus As in the latter daies the word of God came clad with flesh into the world and it was one thing that was seene and another that was vnderstood the sight of the flesh in him was apparant to all men but the knowledge of his diuinitie was giuen but to a few and to his elect so the word of God and the spirit is couered with the vaile of the letter The letter is looked vpon as the flesh and the spirit lying hid within is perceiued like the deitie And as the sheepheards being taught of the Angels knew Christ in his ragges and simple swathling clothes who otherwise would neuer haue beleeued that that childe was Christ although they had seene him a thousand times his clothes were so base of no great cost So the letter of the Scripture is plaine and it seemes often to speake of matters of no waight Therefore vnlesse we be lightened from aboue it doth not seeme that we should finde Christ in them Ferus here doth not make the Scriptures a bare or dead letter as some other Papistes doe but a liuing letter vnder which being read and studied Gods spirit lieth hid euen as vnder Christs flesh his diuinitie Oh wonderfull force and maiestie then of Gods words Oh that all Papists would confesse thus much and beléeue it It would make them reade the scriptures And herein Ferus agrées with the doctrine Ioh. 6.63 euen of our Sauiour himselfe who saith That the wordes which I speake are spirit and life which saying of his is to be referred to all the Scriptures of the Gospell For he
condition annexed vnto them that is If so bee we to day heare his voice Oh let euerie good christian heare his voice to day that is with all spéede possible that God maie be his God that he maie bee one of the people of his pasture and a shéepe of his hands The doctrine is plaine the contempt thereof is very dangerous Who now will be a Recusant The Prophet Dauid discoursing excellently of the corruption of our nature doth thus vnfould the sins thereof Psal 53.5 Haue they no knowledge Here is the roote of all sinne to be ignorant to lacke knowledge now followes the branches Working iniquitie eating my people as though they would eate bread they haue not called vpon God they feared where no feare was These are the fruits of ignorance to doe wickedlie to deale cruellie with Gods people not to call vpon God and to be fearefull and superstitious These are the workes of darkenesse these are the workes of the seruants of the prince of darkenes these are the fruits which procéede of ignorance of the Scriptures And I pray God for want of this roote the like fruits of doing wickedly of dealing cruellie of praying idolatrously and of fearing superstitiously be not in manie at this day Stella writes thus of the blessed Virgine Stell in 2. cap. Luc. The most wise Virgine had not a fooles heart of which the wise man saith It is like a broken vessell and can hold no wisedome But she was like the Arke of the couenant wherein both the tables of the new law that is of the Gospel and of the olde law also were contained or laid vp For whatsoeuer things were spoken before of our blessed and mightie Sauiour or what things himselfe our Sauiour opening his mouth taught his Disciples and the rude multitude all those things the pure Virgine without wearinesse kept in her faithfull heart and did ruminate or meditate vpon them Let vs learne therefore being stirred vp by the blessed Virgines example to meditate vpon heauenly things and to carrie in our mindes those things which God teacheth the which we shall excellently doe if we shal daily meditate vpon Gods mysteries In the olde lawe those beasts which did not chew the cudde as swine and such like were accounted vncleane and by Gods commandement the people of Israell might not eate of them So doe thou alwaies meditate and as it were chew the end as concerning those things which the Lord God the creator and maker of all things hath done for thee how for thy sake he tooke the shape of a seruant how he suffered most bitter death for thee a miserable sinner c. Thus farre Stella Where we may note that he wisheth all Christians to be like the blessed virgine Heb. 9.4 in this that she had both tables of the Testaments laide vp in her heart And how can they be like her herein which séeme otherwise verie deuoutly to honour and reuerence her Reu. 22.9 euen more then she requires euen as Saint Iohn did to the Angell which will scarcely take the tables of the Testaments that is the holy scriptures into their handes How can they haue them in their hearts nay surely if this be the onely marke of cleane beastes to chew the cudde as Stella affirmeth that is to meditate vpon the word of God then they surely which thinke they are not bound to know the scriptures and so cannot meditate vpon them and therefore doe not chew the cudde are euen as swine and vncleane beasts before God how religious or holy otherwise outwardly they appeare Ferus of Marie writes thus when she saw Christ Marke heere the good workes of Marie Ferus in 11. ca. Io. nay thou shalt see here the roote and true order of good workes When as she did see Iesus saith hee This is the roote of all good workes the knowledge of Christ For he which sees him not that is doth not know him will neuer fall down before him nor pray vnto him Afterward she fell downe at Iesus feete For the throwing downe of our selues immediately followes the knowledge of Christ He falles downe happily that falles before the Lord. And againe he standes vpright vnhappily which before God doth not humble but aduance himselfe As did that chiefe Angell and that Pharisee in the Gospell who standing not onely in bodie but in minde did bragge of his good workes Héere we may learne that Ferus affirmes that knowledge is the roote of all good workes and if this be true how could they do anie good works in poperie in their great blindnes and ignorance Surely it could not be but that they erred often and if they did any it was by chance rather as a blinde man may doe a thing rightly then by anie certaintie In 2. ca. Luc. Of the excellencie and sufficiencie of the scriptures Stella also writes thus The giuing of vs the lawe wherein we should liue should most of all mooue vs and euen force vs to loue God with all our heart and to serue him faithfully For although the gift of our creation to his owne image and likenesse and that he would make vs capable of that heauenly inheritance although I say this were a great and an excellent gift yet notwithstanding if God had not giuen vs his law wherein he should declare vnto vs his will shewing vnto vs also what we should doe that we might obtaine that same blessednesse for which we were created without all doubt our life had beene sorrowfull and miserable If a King should say to any one if you shall doe that which pleaseth me I will aduance you to great honours so that none in my kingdome shall be compared vnto you but contrariwise if you shall not doe that which pleaseth mee you shall not escape vnpunished yea being fast bound in chaines and as it were buried in a darke dungeon you shall die miserably What thinke you would this man doe what would hee chiefely care for Certainly to know the Kings pleasure and then with all his endeuour to doe it For by this meanes he should gaine the greatest good thing in the world and contrarily if he did not this he should purchase himselfe euerlasting confusion But if the King would not declare to this man his pleasure and what thing he delighted in or what he hated surely this man must needs liue a miserable and sorrowfull life vntil he could come to the knowledge of the Kings pleasure So Nabuchadnezzar commanded his wise men vpon paine of death that they should shew him the dreame he had dreamed But now if the king should declare to this man al his pleasure should disclose to him faithfully his very hart how glad would he be how greatly would he reioice because now he saw plainly the gate of his pleasure opened vnto him We know assuredly being led not only through faith but also by reason that there is one only God in the world there is no
the Hebrewe article Lamed which is the signe of the Datiue case as though they were giuen to Dauid from aboue and not Dauids Psalmes with the signe of the Genitiue case as though they were of his owne making or inuention So saint Paul saith 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God And saint Peter saith Pet. 2. ep 3.15 Iames 1.5 As our beloued brother Paul according to the wisedome giuen to him wrote to you And saint Iames saith If any man lacke wisedome let him aske of God c. Hereof is the maiestie of the holy scriptures and worde of God it descendes from aboue all mens hearts must climbe vp to it no man nor Church is aboue it so that we maie iustly saie thereof as Dauid said Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy name and thy word aboue all things Osor lib. 3. de Sapientia Of the authoritie of the scriptures Osorius writes thus If thou be afraide to walke in darkenesse and desirest to be filled with the light of saluation doe not search for those causes and reasons of things thou canst neuer attaine vnto but onely giue credit to the heauenly testimonies and be content that thou maiest be sure that those thinges which thou beleeuest are confirmed by Gods â—â—ne word and sentence This is the rocke of all Christians â—â—at they knowe that those things which they doe beleeue are ratified by Gods owne word The words of all the Angels in heauen nor of all the men and Churches in the world without this word could not quiet and assure our consciences Therefore we beleeue and are assured because we know God hath spoken it and whatsoeuer hee hath spoken we doubt not of though he haue but once spoken it as Balam did Num. 22.11.20 after Gods answere he went to aske him the second time Againe of the excellent commoditie which is reaped by studying the scriptures he writes thus And that we may begin Lib. 5. de Sap. from hence it is euident by Gods owne mouth that true wisedome consists in true obedience and kéeping of the law of God For thus it is written This shall be your wisedome and vnderstanding before all people that they hearing these commandements may say Behold a wise and an vnderstanding people As though hee should say let others loue the studies of the Mathematiques let them search out with all their endeuours the hidden secretes of nature and if they thinke good let them measure out the heauens and let them endeuour to bring to light that which is shut vp in the bowels of the earth let them bragge of their wisedome and vaunt of their wits let them walke with the titles of great learned men and let them intrude themselues euerie where as correctors and amenders of common wealths But you keepe firmely with you one kinde of wisedome onely that is to say study you in the Lawe of God day and night let that neuer slippe out of your mindes Other studies can neither saue you nor aduance you nor deliuer you out of perils nor to conclude can bring you any fruit or commoditie in aduersities Nay it may so fall out that that same false opinion of wisedome may oftentimes bring you into the danger of your life and maye throw you headlong into euerlasting destruction For he is not called blessed which is skilfull in the artes which mans braine hath deuised but he that studies earnestly in the law of God day and night And after he concludes thus This Oration plainely declares that all wisedome is contained in the studying of the law of God If this be true why then are not all men in the Popes kingdome exhorted and pricked forward to this blessednesse why are some kept backe from it and forbidden it If all wisedome bee contained therein what state haue they béene in which neuer knew it And Ferus herin also agrées with Osorius Fer in c 9. act As vnreasonable beasts are guided and holden in with a bridle so to man is giuen reason and to Christians the word of God by which they may be gouerned He accounts Christians lacking the knowledge of the word of God like bruit bâ—astes without a bridle or like men without reason And againe The word of God is that sharpe and piercing sword wherewith the Diuell is repelled and put to flight He therefore that will liue without care danger let him take into his hands this sword Thus saith Ferus but the Pope saith not so he will not haue euerie one meddle with this sword In cap. 20. act And againe These are the weapons wherewith the enemies haue hurt the Church that is to say peruerse doctrine and all doctrine is peruerse wicked that agrees not with the rule and square of Gods worde Ibidem And a little after vpon these words And to the word of his grace He addes this as though he should say If any thing as yet bee wanting let it be taken out of the word of God For Gods word is a Lanterne vnto our feete Aboue all other things chiefly in all aduersities the power and authoritie of God and the word of truth doe comfort vs and doe defend vs against all inuasions of heretiques the Diuell and the world He doth not say as some Papists doe nowe saie that the wants of the Church must be supplied by traditions but by the Scriptures It is able to supplie all wants And againe vpon these words Saying none other things then those Fer. in act 24. which Moses and the Prophets did saie should come The doctrine of Christians must bee agreeable to the Scriptures And if Paul were not ashamed to preach the Scriptures how much lesse we And after speaking of Pauls Nauigation Let vs vse all fit meanes saith he but especially let vs trust in God In Act. 27. If we cannot escape the danger of our body yet let vs haue a care that our soule may be safe And marke here that the longer we are on this sea meaning the world wee doe saile the more dangerously Againe There is neuer more dangerous fayling then where there is famine of the word of God If we would then not suffer shipwrack Col. 3.16 let vs haue the anchor in our houses as Saint Paul counsels vs. And a little after As these men in so great dangers had nothing els to comfort them but the words of Paul so also now the word of God only comforts vs which God giues vs abundantly But wo be to our vnthankfulnesse which despise it The houre shall come when we shall desire to heare the word of God and it shall not be granted vs. Wo to him that despiseth it for he shall be despised Let all Recusants marke this Marke diligently also saith he that Paul spake but thrise in the shippe first he warned them that they should not saile secondly he comforted them And here thirdly he forewarneth against imminent
what doe we answere to this We thinke it not meete that that manner of speech which hath obtained the name of a custome among them should be accounted for a rule and canon of true doctrine Let vs both stand to the iudgement of the holy scriptures inspired by God and amongst whome are found opinions agreeing to the diuine Oracles let the sentence of truth bee pronounced on their side What can be plainer then this Custome must not be the canon and rule of truth in doctrine but Gods worde and they which haue that on their side let them haue the victorie The like offer now we make to the Paâ—â—â—ts But that booke of S. Basill is of Erasmus suspected to be forged and that not without iust cause as the most Reuerend Father in God the L. Byshop of Winchester in his booke called The difference betweene Christian subiection and vnchristian rebellion hath verie learnedly prooued Of Christes doctrine Ferus writes thus Fer. de pass part 2. and he quite ouerthrowes the verie ground of Traditions Christ proueth saieth he the truth of his doctrine by two arguments First that he neuer taught secretly but openly For he that doth euill hateth the light but he that doth the truth comes to the light Secondly he giues his hearers leaue to iudge I saith he spake openly in the world in secret I spake nothing that I would haue kept secret or not come to light yea he plainly coÌ„manded his Apostles That which I tell you in darknes preach you in the light He told his Disciples many things alone but for no other cause then that others were not able to comprehende them For whatsoeuer Christ hath taught he will haue it published and made knowne to all least any should excuse himselfe And hereof Saint Paul saith If our Gospell be hidde it is hidde in those that perish For in truth Christ speakes openly in the world euen now wisedome cries in the streets Therefore no man can iustly excuse himselfe of ignorance And this also is most true that he taught in the Synagogues and Temple of the Iewes where all were wont to assemble themselues yea not onely in the Temple and in their Synagogues but in ships and hilles Luke 6. and plaine fields That is publikely where men most commonly mette together therfore they can haue no excuse Therefore at another time he said vnto them If I had not comed and spoken vnto them they had had no sinne c. This quite ouerthrowes the Popes Religion Christ will haue his doctrine knowne to all and the refore he frequented common places They goe about to kéepe it in secret and thinke it not conuenient that all shoulde know it Againe he deliuered all things openly and nothing by tradition secretly Lib. 5. Eccles Hist ca. 2.4 Eusebius also of Traditions writes thus Not onely saith hee of the day of Easter is the controuersie but also of the manner of fasting for some thinke that the fast ought to be kept but one day some other but two daies other moe daies some fortie daies so that counting the howres of the day and night together they make a day which varietie of obseruations began not in our times but long before vs of them as I suppose who holding not surely that which was by tradition deliuered in the beginning haue eyther by their negligence or vnskilfulnesse afterward falne into another custome Héere we may learne that traditions are no safe and sure kéepers of trueth as the papists would make vs beleeue How soone had they lost the true tradition of fasting which the Apostles practised euen in Eusebius daies And shall wee nowe in the ende of the worlde grounde our faithes vpon traditions Ier. de ord Eccle part 3. c. 9. Saint Ierome also concerning the authoritie of Bishoppes and Elders in the Church writes thus If any of vs could know the custome of the time past I would proue that which I say to haue beene obserued euer and to haue beene obserued when as the Apostles preached in the Church And after by the spite of certaine some things were corrupted and some things were presumed Héere Ierome affirmes that what was done in the Apostles times he could not then certainly learne much lesse we nowe Such an vncertaine rule in matters of faith tradition is And Austen also of Antichrist writes thus But what is the cause of the delaie that he may be reuealed in his time you do know De ciu del lib. 20. ca. 19. that which he said that they knew he would not vtter And therefore we which know not which they knew desire to come to the knowledge of that which the Apostle ment with great labour neither can we attaine vnto it because that those things which he added haue made the sense also more obscure for what meanes this nowe the mysterie of iniquitie worketh let him onely that now holdeth holde till he be taken out of the waie and then that wicked one shall be reuealed I plainely heere confesse my selfe to be ignorant what he hath said yet I will not keepe close the suspitions and surmises of men which I haue read or heard concerning this matter In Austens daies that tradition which was deliuered by saint Paul to the Thessalonians concerning Antichrist a most great and weightie matter was forgotten and doe we thinke that till our daies the Church hath kept traditions of lighter matters inuiolably Irenaeus to Florinus an heretike writes thus I saw thee Euseb lib. 5. Eccle. hi. ca. 19. when as yet being but a childe I was with Policarpe in Asia who then didst verie well whilest as yet thou remainedst within the Emperours palace and didst studie to please Policarpe For I remember farre better the things which were done then then they which are done now because those things we learne wheÌ„ we are children grow vp in vs with our minde and doe cleaue fast vnto it Wherefore also I can tell thee the place wherein Policarpe did sit when as he did dispute and also his manner of going his countenance the maner of all his life and also his apparell and also his sermons and discourses he made to the people and also howe he liued with Iohn and how he was wont also to tell of others which had seen the Lord and also how he remembred all the words which the Lord spake which he had heard of them and of his miracles and doctrine and yet notwithstanding he reported all these agreeing to the scriptures the which things I then of the mercie of God which he vouchsafed to bestow vpon me hearing attentiuely and diligently did write not in papers but in my heart and which thinges by the grace of God I yet keepe faithfully and doe as it were chew them ouer againe with my selfe without ceasing I take God to witnesse and in his sight I affirme vnto thee that if that blessed Apostolical man Policarpe had heard any such matter as thou
conclude this matter for of miracles I shall haue an occasion to speake hereafter Ludouicus Viues a Papist writes thus of Legenda aurea Lud. Viu de caus corr art lib. 2. The French men saith he write of the French and the Italians of the Italique and the Spaniards of the Spanish and the Germans of the German and the English men of English affaires and some others to please some other countrey And the Author thinkes that he hath sufficiently plaied his part if he haue commended as much as he can that nation he respects not the truth of the matter but the glorie of the countrey Neither in the writings of the acts of the Saints is there any greater regard of truth in which all things ought to be exact and absolute Euerie one wrote their actes as he was affected towards them so that the Authors affection indited the historie and not the truth How vnworthy of the Saints and christian men is that historie of the Saints which is called the Golden-Legend which I cannot tell why they call it golden when as it was written of a man hauing an yron mouth and a leaden heart what thing can be named more dishonourable then that booke Oh what a great shame is it to vs christians that the most famous actes of our Saints are not more truely and sincerely committed to memorie either for the knowledge or imitation of so excellent vertues as were in them when as the Greeke and Roman writers haue written so diligently of their captaines Philosophers and wise men Thus much Ludouicus Viues affirms He smelled Satans sleights in these matters He was not ashamed to confesse his blacknesse and that euen the most part of their Legends are lies I could wish that all true Catholiques would doe the like and marke well what S. Paul teacheth that Antichrist shall come by the working of Sathan 2. Thess 2.9 with all power and signes and lying wonders in all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnes among them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued Let all true Catholiques hate all lies whatsoeuer though they be in their Legend and loue Gods word which is truth it selfe Psal 119.142 Osorius of the Iewes writes thus De Sap. ◠lib. We haue not as yet touched the greatest euill wherewith they are afflicted and what I pray you is that you will saie vnto me their raging madnesse by which they hauing forsaken the studie of the law and the Prophets they haue gotten vnto themselues other learned helpes Search the Scriptures saith the Lord himselfe for they beare witnesse of me That this thing which Christ commands the Iewes might not easily doe Sathan by his sleight and subtiltie deuised that they despising the study of the holy Scriptures might spend all their life in studying of poysoned and hurtfull doctrines The Greeke and Latine Poets faine many things but yet wittily and finely not to deceiue any but to delight from whose fables many things may be verie fitly applyed to our maners and to our life but the Iewes inuent and coine such things which haue no delight in them at all For they are verie absurd and foolish not beautified with any eloquence of wordes or of speech which they haue committed to writing not that they might delight the mindes but that they might intangle them with errors For they say that God did not make perfect the heauens and that the light of the Moone was diminished for her pride enuie And that our first father Adam before Eue was created had copulation incestuously with all other beasts and that all other trees when as he had transgressed the Law of God did lift vp aloft from him both their leaues and fruits least he should take any commoditie by them and that only the figge tree because she was guiltie of his offence for it was the fruit thereof they say which our first parents did taste against Gods commandement did yeeld to them her leaues wherewith they might couer their priuie parts c. Such vanities Sathan deuised for the Iewes to kéepe them occupied withall when as they forsooke the studie of the Scriptures And hath he not done the like in the Popes kingdome When the studie of the scriptures was neglected as before hath béen shewed This Osorius confesseth and wee haue by experience prooued true And after he writes thus Thus much onely I will say when as Mahomet in his Alchoran hath fained many things not onely impudently and wickedly but also foolishly and blockishly yet in many places the Iewes in the monstrousnes and impudencie of their fables haue gone beyond Mahomet So that Mahomet being compared to them may seeme to bee some bodie And yet these Maisters of the Rabbines are read and learned and with these wicked disciplines as Esay prophesied their youthes are intangled and these are imprinted into them in their tender yeeres as Gods testimonies Surely the like maie wee saie of the monstrous lies and fables which Sathan deuised in time of Popery and were giuen to be taught children in steed of Gods worde as were the fables of Beuis of Hampton Valentine and Vrson Houleglas Clyme of the Clough and such like Surely all these like apples grew of the same trée came no doubt from that father of lies and from that prince of darkenesse Sathan And being saith he delighted with these studies they despise the studie of the law of God and they verie seldome take the Prophets into their hands and they place the chiefe wisedome nowe in this shoppe of madnes rashnes and wickednes And doe not manie euen so amongst vs who will seeme religious They will delight to heare a plaie or to reade some vaine historie but the Lawe of God they will not take in their hands But saith Osorius as concerning the maners and dealings of their liues with what errors and wickednes doe they pollute the puritie of the lawe For that they expound the law that it is necessarie that he which is condemned of the greater part of the iudges shall suffer punishment But he that is condemned by the sentences of all the iudges shall be acquited And he that shall go about to kill a Citizen by false witnesse shall die but he that shall kill one shall be absolued As though the purpose of hurting without taking effect were worthy of punishment but hauing obtained his purpose were worthy of praise It is also lawfull for them by the decrees of their Rabbines to defraude Christians of their money to take their liues from them to beguile any nation to inuent crafts and deceits to wish a plague day night to the innocent c. With such corruptions and false expositions of the law is that doctrine stuffed which they call Talmud which professeth that it obserueth the letter of the law verie diligently And doth not the Pope so expound Gods law that yet if anie man kill another he maie dispense with
papist cites out of Eusebius Clemens that that Cephas which Paul reprehended in the 2. of the Galathians was not Peter the Apostle but another one of the 72. Disciples who was also called Cephas as he proueth out of Dorotheus and Hippolytus And he séemes to be himselfe of the same opinion for sayth he After the comming of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles it is not likely that the pillar of the Church shold haue fallen into so great a fault and haue erred in so great a matter of faith that is concerning the abrogation of the legall ceremonies To whom Christ committed his Church and appointed him generall pastour and teacher and maister of the faithfull and left him his Vicar vpon earth c. And againe It was not meete that the high Bishop and Prince of the Apostles should bee reproued of Paul so publiquely and sharply But this his smoake manifestly obscureth the truth for what is the drift of Paul in that place by the iudgement of other learned papists themselues but that he conferred the gospell with the Apostles not that he should learne any thinge of them whom he witnesseth to haue added nothing vnto him but lest they should not haue allowed it of whom onely he receiued the ministerie of gathering of almes And he shewes himselfe in somuch not inferiour to the Apostles that he feared not to reproue Peter their prince as it were compelling the gentiles to Iudaisme And after he shewes that we are Iustified by saith and not by the Lawe Gal. 2.16 This is Gagneus opinion in his argument of the second chap. to the Gal. So that if Paul conferred not his gospell with Peter the rest if he rebuked not Peter euen to the face as he there writes neither his owne authoritie nor the authoritie of his gospell which he preached amongst the GalathiaÌ„s had béene of such great authoritie Gal. 2.1 as hee there goeth about to proue vnto them And againe he writes that he went to Ierusalem where the Apostles abode and he reckons vp by name those that were chiefe amongst the Apostles Iames Cephas and Iohn and if Iames and Iohn were the Apostles he conferred with so also was Peter no doubt the Apostle he after reproued nay hee calleth Peter also Cephas by both his names lest hee should seeme to forget the priuiledge giuen him of our sauiour Nay hee called them pillars and is it likely that any of the 72 disciples should be called by that honorable name Nay he addeth that they gaue him right hands of fellowshippe now what great matter had it béen if any of the 72 disciples had made Paul equall with them And hee addeth after no doubt of the same Peter and not of any other that when as hee was come to Antioch hee withstood him to his face We may note here that the Papists are so blinded with the loue of their Pope that they will not sticke to discredite S. Paul and to diminish as much as in them lieth his authoritie and the authoritie of the gospell which hee preached to maintaine their Popes authoritie But this their exposition is not onely against the scripture but also against the Fathers Ierome and Augustine hadde soone béen agréede if they had credited any such matter who so earnestly wrote one against the other Aug. epist 9. concerning this reprehension when as Austin sayd Peter erred in deede and Ierome that he dissembled only and that Paul did not iustly reproue him But Ierome in his commentaries vpon the Galathians makes mention of this opinion and reiects it Hanmer in trans Dorothei de 70. discip Nay also in Dorotheus latin copie there is no such Cephas numbred amongst the 72 disciples although in the gréeke such an one is named This diuersitie of copies argues some of Sathans subtilties And here may bee a true and forcible argument drawne against the Popes supremacie If Peter had béen head of the Church hee ought not so publiquely sharply to haue béen reproued of Paul saith Pintus but as Gagneus and Austen and almost all the auncient fathers and truth it selfe doth witnesse Paul did so openly and sharply reproue him therefore he was not head of the Church Ferus how resolute he is in this his opinion concerning the Popes authoritie it is worth the marking howe plainly in other his workes as occasion offers hee shewes his iudgment herein If therefore saith hee wee will haue the Church safe let vs especially pray for the holy ghost for it is he wherein the Church is vnited gouerned spread abroad and preserued He alone is the only tutor gouernour teacher and comforter of all the faithfull To the vnitie of the church as other papists doe hee requires not the vnitie of a ministeriall head to gouerne the church but the vnitie of the holy spirit And after speaking of Peter he writes thus He stood in the midst of his brethren In which word the humilitie of Peter is commended For he did not alone by himselfe puft vp with vaine arrogaÌ„cie dispose the ecclesiasticall affaires according to his owne pleasure but in the midst of his brethren he dispatched all thinges which were to be done For it is not lawfull that the ecclesiasticall affaires and what thinges belong to the whole Church should bee ordered by the pleasures of a fewe but rather that those thinges should be disposed to the glorie of God according to the rules and appointment of the scriptures by the mutuall consent of good men Neither is that fit that any one shall take vpon him any office whatsoeuer For the Apostle sayth Let all things be done decently and according to order Therefore it was necessarie that one of the Apostles should orderly doe those necessarie affaires and therefore Peter stepps forth who had béen euer hitherto both more zelous and more apt and luckie in dispatching businesses Peter alone like the Pope presumptuously dealt not in ecclesiasticall affaires And after speaking of Peter Hee calles them brethren though he were the first in order amongst the Apostles For others are not to be disdained because of our higher estate aboue theÌ„ lastly he begins his oration of the holy scrip uâ—es Neither doth Peter this by mans fancie but by the mouing of the holy scriptures And if the chiefe of the Apostles did this what thinke we that we ought to doe Therefore let ciuill matters be discussed by ciuill iust and equall lawes And those things which are diuine let them be weighed in the ballance of the scriptures For there ought nothing to bee established or decreede in the Church but first of all wee should aske couÌ„sell of the holy scriptures The which thing I would to God had been obserued till now but now that is coÌ„monly put in practise of many So I wil haue it This I command to be done my pleasure is a sufficient warrant Surely Ferus in these words toucheth the Popes peremptorie authoritie And after vpon these wordes Let
be vnder his kingdom And sée how euidentlie in these fewe wordes hee describes this kingdome of Antichrist first It shal be nothing else but an abomination Secondly it shall make a desolation of true faith and religion Thirdly it shall sitte in the Church This abomination shall rest in the hearts of men that externally they shall séeme the temples of God but inwardly in stead of Christ an Idoll shall sit That is this abomination shall polish it selfe with a faire shew that it shall be able to beguile the saints vnlesse they were by Gods power preserued What can be more manifestlie sayde then this that there shal be in the Church of Christ such an abomination that shall quite ouerthrow all true religion and shall polish it selfe with a great shew of holines Doth not this plainly paint out poperie who will venter the health of his soule vpon the name of the Church wherein his abomination shall rest and that with such a great shew of holines But he goes forward When you shall see the abomination that is when that sonne of perdition shall make himselfe manifest For he shal bee made manifest Although his kingdome begun by and by in the Apostles time as Paul saith Now the mysterie of iniquitie worketh And Iohn saith Now there are many Antichristes yea euen as Christs kingdome began from that iust Abell so the kingdome of Antichrist from that wicked Caine yet in the end of the world that impietie shall manifestly discouer it selfe and of this Christ here puts vs in minde And Christ hath added He that readeth let him vnderstand By which word he giues vs to vnderstād that that abomination apostasie shall creepe in so secretly that none vnlesse he be verie attētiue watchfull shal be able to perceiue the same The which is most worthie of marking otherwise the same thing shall happen to vs with Antichrist as befell to the Iewes with the true Christ for they onely looked for in Christ promised an earthlie kingdome worldlie iurisdiction and peace This they gaped after and do as yet gape for In the meane while they knew not Christ being present amōg thē yea they cōdemned him as a wicked man to death who if they had cōpared Christs doctrine miracles to the scriptures might easilie haue knowne him So it falles out for the most part with vs we marke onely those thinges which are externally spokē of Antichrist which as long as we see not we liue carelesse And in the mean time no mā marks that this abomination in many things is fulfilled dayly which one shall easilie perceiue that compareth Christs doctrine to our times Marke therefore that as Christ came first secretly so that he was knowne but of a few neither did it appeare who he was before that he had ouercome the Diuell and Death but these being ouercome when as he raigned then at last he appeared to the world by the preaching of the Apostles All power saith hee is giuen to mee goe yee therefore and teach c. So the kingdome of Antichrist enters in secretly neyther shall it be perceiued till he hath gotten possession of the temple and then shall Antichrist himselfe appeare To conclude if Christ at the first had shewed who he had been all men would haue receiued him So the Deuill if in the beginning hee should haue shewed his wickednesse manifestly all would haue fled from him Againe as Christs kingdome began before hee appeared in the flesh for all the elect from Abel euen to the worlds ende belong to the kingdome of Christ and are one bodie with him So Antichrists kingdome began before he appeared himselfe as S. Paul saith the mysterie of iniquity worketh which shal be reueiled in his time yea all the wicked from Cain euen to the last of them doe belong to the kingdome of Antichrist are one bodie with him Let euery bodie nowe consider himselfe and search the Temple of his hart least peraduēture he find any thing of Antichrists kingdom abomination that is of Idolatrie in himselfe Which that thou maist the better doe Take with thee the first commaundement wherein wee are taught to haue but one God If thou findest any thing in thy selfe wherein thou trustest besides God whether it be any externall thing as to trust in thine owne righteousnes and merits now thou hast that abomination in thy heart and that true Antichrist For Christ teacheth contrarie thinges If thou hearest or seest any thing in the Church which is repugnant to the doctrine of Christ to his life that truly belonges to the kingdome of Antichrist for this is a true saying He that is not with me is against me Thus farre Ferus And secondlie here we may not that Antichrist shall come in closelie and priuilie that he shall possesse the temple that is the heart of man and that the onelie way to discouer him is by the scriptures that all doctrines contrarye to them are Antichristian And that this is a principall braunch of antichristian doctrine to taste of one for all to trust in our owne merits or righteousnes And is not this most euidentlie to affirme that the Church of Rome is the seate of Antichrist who hath taught and doth teach this doctrine Againe vpon these wordes Behold here is Christ or there Ferus writes thus Doe the false prophets preach Christ yea verelie for to preach Christ is to preach righteousnes sanctification forgiuenes of sinnes and redemption For Christ is become al these thinges vnto vs. And these thinges the false Prophets preach how we may obtaine righteousnes and redemption But they teach not that we must looke for and seeke these thinges onely from Christ and onely by Christ Yea they neglecting Christ doe teach to seeke for righteousnes and forgiuenes of sinnes in other thinges Behold say they here or there is Christ which in deede is to seduce and leade out of the way For these thinges are founde no where else but in Christ There is no other name vnder heauen by which wee must be saued Thus farre Ferus If this be true then let all the world iudge who be false prophets whether the Papists or wee who teach all men to trust onelie in Christ and by his meanes onely to séeke for all good thinges at Gods handes when as they teach men to trust in their owne works and to hope for remission of sinnes by the merits of their friers which things onlie are to bee founde in Christ saith Ferus and in nothing else This doctrine Ferus taught we teach But the latter edition of Ferus printed at Rome hath thus corrupted Ferus To preach Christ is to preach righteousnes sanctification remissiō of sinnes redemptiō for Christ is become all these thinges vnto vs. These thinges also the false prophets preach how we shall obtaine righteousnes and redemption but they teach not vs to obtaine these things by Christ his sacramēts and following his steps yea they
and that God will defend the Iewes for all this their ingratitude De ciuit Dei lib. 20. ca. 30. Saint Austen also referres this prophecie of Zacharie to be fulfilled in the end of the world It shall repent saith he at that day the Iewes yea euen those which shall receiue the spirit of grace and mercy hat in this passion they haue triumphed ouer him when as they shall haue respect vnto him comming in his maiestie and shall know that this is he whom being humble before and of no account among them they haue laughed to scorne in their parents Although their parents the ringleaders of that most hainous offence rising againe shall see him also but to be punished not to be pardoned Therefore in this place he meanes not them whereas he saith I will powre out vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and mercie and they shall now haue a speciall regard of me for that they made a iest of me but only those which come of their progenie which at that time shall beleeue by the meanes of Elias Thus farre Austen where he also thinkes that this prophecie of Zacharie shall be fulfilled in the end of the world and in the ofspring and progenie of those Iewes which put Christ to death But Austen here saith that Elias shall come But what then Ierome denies it Ier. in cap. 4. Mat. and cals them heretiques that say so And whether of these now shall we beléeue The Angell also taught Zacharie that in Iohn Baptist that prophecie of Malachie was fulfilled and he repeats the verie words of that prophecie that he shal turne the hearts of the fathers to the children c. least any one should doubt Luk. 1.17 whether he meant that prophecie or no. And our sauiour also in the gospel plainly teacheth that Elias was thē come and that they had done to him whatsoeuer they would Therefore he is not to come and to be killed againe of Antichrist as the papists teach Luk. 17.12 Likewise also saith he shall the sonne of man suffer of them They may as well say that Christ shall come and suffer againe as to say that Elias shall come and suffer againe for Christ himselfe compares both their sufferings togither And speaking of the prophecies which should be fulfilled All the law and the prophets saith he prophecie but vnto Iohn Mat. 11.13.14 And if ye will receiue it he is Elias which was to come What can be more planly spoken The prophecie of Malachie is fulfilled Iohn is not a type or figure of Elias as the papists would haue him but he is Elias which was to come saith our Sauiour And shall we not beléeue the Angell that taught Zacharie alleadging the verie words of the prophecie of Malachie that Iohn should fulfill it nor our Sauiour who agrées with the Angell and saith that that prophecie is fulfilled Nay who saith plainly that Iohn is Elias which was to come In this matter being so plaine to doubt surely is great incredulitie Nay our Sauiour addes yet more to make vs very wel to marke and beléeue this Vers 15. He that hath eares to heare let him heare saith he And yet for all this shall we not heare this doctrine of our blessed Sauiours owne mouth shall we not beléeue it So that then the prophecie of Malachie is fulfilled alreadie And what néds then Elias to come againe to fulfil it But they will say Elias neuer died but all men must die And therefore he must needs come againe to suffer death 1. Cor. 15.51 Must all men die Those that liue when Christ comes againe to iudgement shal not die vnlesse you cal that their change to be a death 2. Cor. 5.4 They shall not be vncloathed but cloathed vpon which thing saint Paul himselfe desired And so no doubt Elias and Enoch haue died already and are chaunged And therefore their bodies now vnlesse God should create them new bodies cannot suffer death And therefore for this cause they néed not nay they cannot come Now if Austen Gal. 1.8 nay if an Angell from heauen shall teach any thing contrarie to the gospell let him be acursed saith Saint Paul neither doth Saint Austen affirme this out of the scriptures but rather by tradition No man saith he will denie the iudgement but he that will denie the scripture But we haue learned that at the daie of iudgement or about that time these things shall be meaning Elias the Thesbite the conuersion or the faith of the Iewes that Antichrist shall persecute Lib. 20. de ciui ca. 30 that Christ shall come to iudgement that there shall be a resurrection of the good and a spoile of the wicked a consuming of the world by fire and a renewing of it againe All which that they shal come we must beleeue but in what manner and what order they shall come experience shall then better teach then now any mans wit can perfectly comprehend Lib. 20. ciu ca. 29. But I thinke that they shall come in order as I haue said And of Elias comming thus he writes in another place By this great Elias and wonderful prophet that the Iewes shall beleeue in the true Christ that is in our Christ before the iudgement by Elias who shal expound the law vnto them it is a verie common thing in the mouthes and hearts of the faithfull It was as should séeme a common spéech among the Christians in Saint Austens daies that Elias should come but we must ground our faith vpon the scriptures not vpon spéeches To these fathers Rup lib. 5 in Zac. Rupertus a latter writer agréeth And it shall come to passe that in that day I wil destroy al nations which come against Ierusalem This saith he needs no fauourable exposition for although this word conterere may sometime signifie mercie yet no man doubts or is ignorant but in that day of iudgement God ought to breake in peeces or destroy al nations which come against Ierusalem which haue shed so many martyrs bloud and haue not repented But before this the remnant of the Iewes are to be conuerted And therefore he saith And I will power vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the dwellers of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayers that is the spirit of the rem ssion of their sinnes which is the chiefest and greatest gift of grace And it shall come to passe that they shall be the house of Dauid and the inhabiters of Ierusalem And after this shall be the great day of iudgement of which he said In that day I will seeke to breake in peeces all nations which come against Ierusalem And therefore by and by he addeth and they shall behold me whom they haue pierced and they shall lament ouer him as ouer their onely begotten sonne c. Here is Rupertus iudgement that God will powre vpon the Iewes the spirit of mercie
to anie other The same Granatensis writes thus of himselfe Ibidem And surely the errours of my life and sinnes are so manie and so great that some men being in the same state of damnation as well as I and not considering O Lord thy omnipotencie but measuring according to their owne frailtie and wauering mindes with their forward thoughts haue entered into iudgement with thee saying Mine iniquities are greater then that they may be pardoned and giuing no credite to thy words and promises imagine that as some angrie or cruell man thou thinkest vpon punishment and reuenge and not vpon grace and pardon And such O my God when they shall see that thou wilt forgiue me my sinnes shall be ouercome and ashamed of their iudgements And they shall acknowledge that which thou spakest by thy Prophet that is As high as the heauens are exalted from the earth so are thy waies farre aboue the waies of men and thy thoughts aboue their thoughts Therefore O Lord haue mercie vpon me and blot out mine iniquitie Thus farre Granatensis He confesseth himselfe to be a damnable sinner Here is no merits then and yet for all that he hopes for pardon comes to the throne of Gods mercie nay they which think God to be an angrie God so that he will not heare sinners he plainlie teacheth that they haue a wrong opinion of God And do not the papists teach this in their doctrine of intercession to saints Angels This faith al the scriptures teach vs that when we pray in the name of Iesus Christ God doth most assuredly heare vs. And so we ought to frame our words when we pray as though we were in the presence of God and our hearts after we haue praied that God in whose presence we haue praied hath granted our requests This faith the gospell teacheth They which beléeue not this denie the faith of the Gospell And the same Granatensis that he may the more déepelie imprint and fasten this loue of God in our hearts which is the very roote of the assurance which we haue in our prayers in another place let vs marke how excellentlie he commendeth and expresseth this excéeding great loue of God towards vs. Can there be any greater argumēt of the goodnes of God wished or desired then to consider that a God of such infinite Maiestie Granat de perfect amor dei cap. 28. who not for any need but onely of his owne goodnes doth stoupe downe humble himselfe so greatly that as a steward purueyour of birds fishes and wormes he prouides all things necessary for their life Neither being content with this alone he doth humble himselfe so far that he giues them also pleasant things wherewith they may delight themselues stirring vp in them also certaine motions of pleasures That euen as thou O Lord hast not only an essence or being but also a most happie and blessed essence so also thou wouldest haue all thy creatures be they neuer so vile and base in their kinde to participate of thee and to enioy both these that they should haue both an essence and also a most happie and ioyfull essence Who is not now amased to see such a miracle who hereby acknowledgeth not the infinite kindnes nobilitie and liberalitie of Gods heart who shewes himselfe so louing and courteous to so vile creatures which if a man meet withall he will make no account to trample vnder his feet Which of vs is it that thinkes it concernes him any thing at all whether a Flie or Pismire haue food or not or whether she be merie or sad Who therefore will not maruell that a God of such great maiestie in comparison of whom all the world is no bigger almost then a little Pismire not onely to haue special care of the liues of these smal vermine but also of the delights and pleasures wherewith euerie one of these is delighted when as he lookes at the hands of these neither for praise nor thanks O wonderfull goodnes O inestimable sweetnes O my God how great incomprehensible are those things which in the bosome of thy glorie thou hast reserued for thy faithfull friends when as thou hast such a speciall care of vile wormes How can I distrust of thy prouidence mercie towards men whom thou hast bought with thy precious bloud when as that is not wanting euen to the beasts of the field Thus farre Granatensis This onelie consideration should make vs pray to God alone Chap. 29. And after of the praiers of the faithfull he writes thus What shal I say O Lord of thy readines in hearing the praiers of the iust what of thy speedines in fulfilling their desires how often doest thou promise vs this in thy holy scriptures that thou mightest take away our infidelity distresse In a certain place thou saiest which of you askes bread of his father and will he giue him a stone our askes fish and will he for fish giue him a serpent or if he aske an egge will he reach him a Scorpion If ye therefore when as ye are euill know to giue good things to your children how much more shall your heauenly father from heauen giue his holy spirit to them which aske him And in another place Aske and it shal be giuen to you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you But the words of our Lord which are in S. Iohns Gospell doe declare the same much more manifestly by which it is manifest that God hath at once opened to his friends all the gates of his mercie when as he saith If you abide in me and my words abide in you aske whatsoeuer ye will and it shall be done vnto you Could the heart of man if a wish were giuen him to wish whatsoeuer he would haue wished a more large or greater benefit when as in these words he hath leaue giuen him to aske whatsoeuer he will And he giues his word also that whatsoeuer he asketh he shall obtaine These are the promises of the Gospell from which they also disagree not which are found euerie where amongst the Prophets The Psalmist saith in a certaine place he will doe the will of them that feare him and he will heare their prayer and will saue them And in another place The eies of the Lord are vpon the iust and his eares are open vnto their prayers And in another place hee saith He hath regarded the prayer of the humble and hath not despised their petition Esay also sings the same song to vs. For after he had shewed with what good works God is especially serued by and by he addeth the reward that shall be giuen to them that serue him saying Then he shall call and the Lord shall heare him he shal crie and the Lord shal say Behold here am I. And as though this were but a small thing thou thy selfe O Lord addest a farre greater and more bountifull promise in the same Prophet
pastors to feed their flocks themselues and our blessed Sauiour enioines this thing to Peter Ier. 23.2.4 Ezec. 34.16 as his principall duetie to feede his flocke The true shepheard is to binde vp the woundes of his flocke and to heale them himselfe He that doth not so is that idol shepheard Zach. 11.16 whereof Zacharie prophesieth He shall not looke for the thing that is lost nor seeke the tender lambes nor heale that which is hurt nor feede that that standeth but he shall eate the flesh of the fatte and shall teare thir hoofes and clawes in peeces And haue not the shepheards in poperie done thus Psal 119.105 whereof manie of them neuer preached Is not the word of God the lanterne and candle in Gods house to lighten our pathes and wherewith also to séeke that which is lost Luke 15.8 which candle that wise woman which was a figure of Christs Church lighted and therewith sought for her lost groat which the foolish woman the Popes Church hath quite put out and hidden vnder a bushell Matt. 5.15 Is it not the leaues of that tree of life Iesus Christ which serue to heale the nations Reu. 22.2 as Saint Iohn sheweth vs in the Reuelation Are not the scriptures those fruitfull trees also whereof Ezechiel prophecieth that by the riuer of Gods spirit which is our only comforter in this life as our Sauiour doth teach vs do grow on the brinke thereof on this side and on that side whose leafe shall not fade neither shall the fruit thereof faile and it shall bring forth new fruit according to his moneths because their waters run out of the sanctuarie and the fruit thereof shall be meat and the leaues therof shal be for medicine Is not here a liuelie description of Gods spirit and of the scriptures The one is a well a streame springing into euerlasting life a comforter that onlie like water comforts in all the heats and broyles of this life as our sauiour teacheth And the other as trees that grow on the brinke of this heauenlie riuer The word of God and his spirit are neuer separated which euer haue their leaues and fruit no winter can make their fruit fade nor frost cause their leaues fall Nay because they are watered from the sanctuary they do not onlie like other trées bring forth stil the same fruits but new fruits euerie moneth And their fruits are meate and their leaues medicines If this be true then the papists in whose coasts in times past these fruitfull trées were not seene growing and flourishing lacked also that heauenly and comfortable riuer that procéeded out of the sanctuary They had in those daies worldlie comfortes enough like to that rich man but they lacked the comfort of Gods spirit their soules were famished for the want of these trées whose fruits are the onelie food of soules And their sinnes and wounds of their soules were putrified and festered for lacke of these leaues to heale them which are the onely plaisters for spirituall sores as the prophet Ezechiel Saint Iohn do plainlie teach If we will liue we must applie these leaues to our hearts as the preacher doth teach vs. It is better saith he to go into the house of mourning then of feasting because this is the end of all men Eccl. 7.4 And the liuing will lay it to his heart And Abacucke saith that the iust shall liue by faith Abacuck 2.4 And Saint Paul that faith commeth by hearing the word of God Therefore what life could be in that Church where Gods word was seldome or neuer taught It is written of the blessed virgine Marie Luk. 2.19.51 that she laid vp her sonnes words Iesus Christs words and the words of the shepheards in her heart So must all good women that minde to be blessed that loue the blessed virgine follow likewise these her holie steps and laye vp Iesus Christs words their pastors words in their hearts and the words of no others They must not séeke straungers to confesse their sinnes and to lay open their sores vnto as the popish Church teacheth Nay euen now when as these trées beginne againe to flourish in the world many are not thankefull to God for such a great blessing that now hath made these holesome and fruitfull trées to spring againe in their coasts but doe finde fault with them do despise them They will haue nothing but olde fruit They can abide no new fruit But here they must learne that these trées bring forth new fruits euerie moneth They must not be so wedded to antiquity as to contemne condemn all nouelty but rather let them marke well what euerie thing is Let them say if it be a fruit of the tree of life if it haue a roote and ground in the scriptures 1. Thes 5.21 1. Io. 4.1 I will receiue it most thankfully ioyfullie Let euerie one of vs Trie all things and keepe that which is good as Saint Paul counselleth vs and examine the spirits whether they be of God or no as S. Iohn also commaundeth and not wilfully shut our eies or straight way cast it out of our hands we wil none of it because it séemes new Let vs remēber how that these fruitfull trees of the Lord which are watered with the water that comes out of the sanctuarie bring forth new fruits euerie moneth They diminish the dignitie of these trées are enemies to their owne health nay to their owne onely true greatest ioy and pleasures that they can haue in this world that beleeue not this and will not taste of these new most pleasant fruits And here also we must marke another singular smacke or relish and another speciall commendation or priuiledge which these fruits which the word of God hath beyond all other fruits and writings of men whosoeuer Psal 12.6 The words of the Lord saith Dauid are pure words as siluer purified to the Lord of the whole earth and fined seuen times And no siluer else whatsoeuer nay all the golde of man yea of the fathers whosoeuer is but drosse to this siluer And so must all Christians account of the fathers and yet I cannot tel how it comes to passe that in many mens mouthes the writings of the fathers haue a better relish and pleasanter taste then the word of God But let all men heere learne that euen the gold of the fathers euen the purest doctrine they teach is impure in comparison of the doctrines of the scriptures They haue onely this commendation that they are siluer purified seuen times to the Lord of the whole earth And in the repairing of the Church of Christ which now in our daies is in hand which Antichrist had defaced Re. 11.1 2.3.4 Saint Iohn in the Reuelation borrowes this testimonie of Dauid where after he had declared how much of Gods house should be repaired againe how farre the builders should procéed in that worke he addes what
euidently he writes thus If any man therefore haue tares which may be burnt which the enuious man did sowe whilest the housholder slept these shall the fire burne these shall be burnt and in the eies of all the Saints their punishments shall be made manifest which in steed of gold siluer and pretious stones haue built vpon the foundation of the Lord hay wood stubble food of that euerlasting fire And after As of the diuels and all them that denie God and wicked men which say in their hearts there is no God we beleeue their torments are euerlasting fire so also of sinners Alas euen of Christians whose works are to be prooued and tried with fire we thinke that there shall be a mercifull sentence of the iudge mixt with clemencie This fire and this purging and this sentence Ierome plainly affirmes to be at the last daie Also writing of that hard place of the Psalme Pardon me before I go hence he writes thus Lib. 18. in Es He truely which while he liues in this body and hath not obtained pardon for his sinnes and so shall depart out of this life perisheth to God and ceaseth to be any more although as concerning himselfe he remaine in punishments Of purgatorie also Ierom in another place writes thus Ier. Epist 135. ad Damas God wil not punish twise the same fault and he that hath once receiued euils in this life shall not suffer again the same torments at his death which he hath suffred in his life But if néed be al Gods children are chastened in this life saith S. Peter Againe 1. Pet. 1.6 4.27 now the time is that iudgement begins at the house of God Therefore none of Gods children shall be punished hereafter If need be they shall be punished now Ephes 4.5 Iam. 4.12 And S. Peter séemes to make but as there is one God and one law and one lawgiuer so also but one iudgement concerning all the transgressions of this law And he affirmes that it is begun alreadie in Gods house among Gods children but it shall bee perfited and consummated at that great day of iudgement of all the wicked and damned And in another place he writes thus Tract 1.2 par Epist 3. ad Dar. Doe we therefore seeke where this healthfull burning shal be No man doubts but in the holy Scriptures By the reading whereof all the sinnes of men are purged These thrée purgatories Ierome séemes to auouch vnto vs the purgatorie of Gods worde the purgatorie of afflictions and the purging fire of the daie of iudgement which according to the opinion then receiued of manie in the Church he thought should purge the Lords gold without impairing it or hurting it from his drosse that it might shine the brighter Although S. Peter doe referre this purging to the afflictions of this life 1. Pet. 1.7 Cyp. de mortalitate The common receiued opinion of the Church was in Cyprians daies that all Christians departed were with the Lord as at large he prooues first by a vision secondly by the scriptures He writes thus When as one of his fellowes ministers and priests being now wearie with sicknesse and affraid of death approching desired deliuerance from death there stood by him thus desiring and almost dying a young man of maiestie of honour to be worshipped of great dignitie and glorie whom no mortall eie could almost behold but that he was able to see him being now ready to die But he not without griefe of minde and voice groned out and said Are you affraid to suffer will you not depart hence what shall I do to you Our brother being at the point of death heard what he should say to others for he which heard it being nowe dying heard it to this end that he should shew it to others he heard it not for himselfe but for others c. And after he writes thus To vs our selues the least and basest of all others how often hath it bin reuolued how often and plainly by the grace of God commaunded that I should diligently and humbly preach and protest that our brethren are not to be lamented that by the Lords calling are deliuered out of this world when as I know that they are not lost but sent before and departing from vs that they go before vs. And that as going a iourney or sayling we should long for them we should not lament them neither that we should here weare mourning garments for them when as they there haue taken white garments And that we should not giue occasion to the Gentiles that they may iustly and rightly reprooue vs that we should lament those as extinct or perished whom we affirme to be aliue with the Lord and that we should reprooue with the testimonie of our heart and mindes the faith which wee professe with our tongues and voice We our selues sin against our owne hope and faith all the things we say seems but faigned forged counterfaited It auaileth nothing in wordes to tattle of vertue and with deeds to destroy the truth S. Paul also reprooues and chides and blames those that are sorie for the departure of their friends He affirmes that those are sory for their friends departure which haue no hope but we which liue thorow hope and beleeue in God and beleeue that Christ suffered for vs and rose againe we beleeue that those that remaine in Christ Iesus shall rise again by him and in him Why will not we our selues depart out of this world or why doe we deplore and lament our friends departing as though they were perished Our Lord Christ admonishing vs saying I am the resurrection he that beleeues in me though he were dead yet shall he liue And all that liues and beleeues in me shall not die for euer If we beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his words and promises and we shall not die for euer that we may come to Christ ioyfully and without care with whom we shall liue and raigne That in the meane time we die by death we passe to immortalitie neither can immortalitie succeede vnlesse we depart hence first Death is not a going out of the doores but a passage from a worse place to a better And an earthly iourney being ended as an arriuall to things eternall who will not hasten to obtaine these things which are better Who will not wish the sooner to be changed and to be made like the forme and shape of Christ to come to the dignitie of eternal glorie as S. Paul preacheth our conuersation is in heauen 3. Philipp And that we shall be such as our Lorde Christ promiseth when as he prayeth to his father for vs that we might be with him And that we may liue with him in eternall dwellings and may reioice with him in the heauenly kingdome O father those that thou hast giuen me I will that where I am they be with me and that they may see my glorie which thou
lambs for so Gedithaik the Hebrew word signifies nigh vnto the tents of those sheepheards Here is that heauenly Oracle first she must know for her selfe Habac. 2.4 Heb. 8.10 The iust man must liue by his own faith And this is now the new couenant that all shall know me saith the Lord from the smallest to the greatest They which lacke this knowledge no doubt are without the couenant And this is life eternall saith our Sauiour that they know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Io. 17.3 They which know not thus much shall neuer haue eternall life But how now shall we attaine this true knowledge and be sure not to go astray in so manie by waies as now are in the world The answere is plaine and easie Follow the tract of those sheepe Hatsoon saith the spouse as it is in the Hebrew that is of the first Christians not of euerie common shéepe as the Papists would haue vs. The shéepe will make a tract or way by which it may appeare which way they haue gone Euen so let vs follow the steppes of the ancient Christians Let vs beléeue to be saued as they beleeued let vs liue as they liued and then surely we shall rest with Iesus Christ For as saint Paul saith The Corinthians wanted nothing 1. Cor. 1.7 but were euen now readie to looke for the comming of our Lord Iesus to iudgement What things then they had not as necessarie to their saluation what néed we thē And S. Peter saith testifieth that that was the true grace of God wherein the Christiās stood in his daies 1. Pet. 5.12 And shall we beleeue to please God now by any other new deuises And this is that which saint Paul teacheth the Corinthians For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timothie 1. Cor. 4 17. which is my beloued sonne and faithfull in the Lord which shall put you in remembrance of my waies in Christ Saint Paul would haue the Corinthians follow his tract follow his waies And againe in the same Epistle Be ye followers of me 1. Cor. 11.1 euen as I am of Christ And againe to the Philippians Brethren be yee followers of me and looke on them which walk so Phil. 3.17 as ye haue vs for an example And to Timothie he writes thus 2. Ti. 3.10 Thou hast fully knowne my doctrine manner of liuing purpose faith long suffering loue patience c. And to the Hebrewes Remember them that haue the ouersight of you Heb. 13.7 which haue declared to you the word of God whose faith follow considering what hath been the end of their conuersation No doubt these are those shéepe which the bridegroome here counselleth his spouse to follow And feed thy younglings Vers 2. Here all Catholickes must learne another principall marke of Gods Church that is to instruct their young children in the law of the Lord as Dauid teacheth them also Wherewith shall a young man redresse his waie euen by taking heed thereunto according to thy word Psal 119.9 1. Ioh. 2.14 And saint Iohn also in his Epistle I write to you babes that you haue knowne the father Euen young infants must know God the Father and then Iesus Christ the Sonne also who makes God to be our louing father Luk. 2 14. and then the holy Ghost by whom this loue of God is shed into our hearts And saint Paul writes of Timothie Rom. 5.5 2. Ti. 3.15 that he knew the scriptures of a child And shall we not beléeue all these and instruct our children in the lawe of the Lord By the Tents of those shepheards that is of the Apostles whō Christ made pastors of his Church not of euery common shepheard nor also of anie one of those shepheards no not of Peter Ephe. 4.11 God hath giuen Apostles Prophets and Euangelistes to the building of his Church and no one Apostle Embrace therefore all the Apostles writings and féede on them and not on Peters onely embrace and follow all the Apostolical Churches as the fathers did and not the Romane Church onely And here I cannot but giue a lift at that great rocke which being deriued from that rocke whereof our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the 16. of Matthew the Papists oppose for the defence of their Church that because hel gates haue neuer preuailed against her Mat. 16.18 as they haue done against others because that now only of the Apostolical Churches she remaines therefore that she is the true Church But I answere that if by hell gates be vnderstood Heresies as some of the Fathers haue expounded them Epiphan in ancorato August de symbolo ad Catechum lib. 1. ca. 6 Bellarm. de Ro. Pont. lib. 4. ca. 3 D. Reinolds against Hart. ca. 7. deuis 8. and as Master Bellarmine seemes to affirme neither haue heresies preuailed against anie of the other Apostolike Churches For Artius though he assaulted the Church of Alexandria and Nestorius the Church of Constantinople yet they preuailed not but had the repulse in the end Nay in the Church of Rome there haue bin Bishops that haue béene heretiks as hath beene of late verie learnedly proued Neither hath hell gates at this day that is heresies preuailed against those Churches of the East which now the Turk possesseth but rather his sword power And that partly for their own sins partly for the sin of the Pope as may appeare by that prophecy of Zachary Zach. 11.17 O Idol sheepheard which leauest the flocke the sword shal be vpon his arme and vpon his right eie His arme shall be cleane dried vp and his right eye shall be vtterly darkened Which prophecie I haue handled else where in a Treatise of the Epistle of saint Iude. Har. euang ca. 66. But if by the gates of hell be meant the kingdome of the diuell as Iansenius doth expound them surely then also the gates of hell haue preuailed against the Church of Rome as well as against other Churches For from what monstrous sinnes hath she béene frée as appeareth by their owne histories But the true meaning of this promise Read Platina that hell gates shall not preuaile against the Church of Christ and against that faith which Peter professed is that although Sathan assault it with all his power and might with sinne heresies persecutions c. yet it shall neuer be quite ouerthrowne Mat. 24.2 as is now that stately Temple of Ierusalem which though it were builded on an earthly hill hath not now one stone left on another but shall remaine euer vnto the worlds ind Nay euen the reliques of those other Apostolicall Churches professing Christianitie remaine yet vnder the Turkes tyrannie so that Rome cannot brag that she alone remaines God shall haue at the least two witnesses to confirme his truth for euer Reuel 11.3 So that whereas the bridegroome bids his spouse to
féed her young ones by the Tabernacles of those shéepheards he meanes not anie one of the Apostolicall Churches but them all And what these Apostolicall Churches taught we may learne by Chrysostome Cyrill Clemens Gregorie Athanasius and others which succéeded in them whose works we haue at this day Againe wée haue now the Ethiopian Church which professeth Christ where Prester Iohn gouernes and the Gréeke Church founded no doubt by the Apostles which in manie points of religion differ from the Romane Church which Churches also we are here by the bridegroomes sentence to embrace and feed our younglings by Lastly that correlation or mutuall respect which the bridegroome here vseth betweene those shéepheards and those shéepe may plainely declare what shéepe he meaneth whose tract we are to follow For by those shéepheards no doubt he meanes the Apostles And then by those shéepe he meanes likewise those Christians which liued in the daies of the Apostles This is that heauenlie and manifest aunswere which the bridegroome himselfe makes vnto the bride of this waightie and doubtfull question I would to God all true Catholiks would marke it well and by it be resolued It is plaine And this is the effect of this treatise following It teacheth first the faith of the Church and her true markes and next the tract of the Lords shéepe the manners and conuersations of the former Christians which here the heauenly bridegroome counsels his spouse to follow The true Catholickes house or the notes and marks of the true Church taken out of the holy Scriptures THe true Church began in Paradice And God himselfe as he was the Creator of man so was he the founder thereof For thus we read in Genesis immediatly afer mans creation And God commaunded Adam saying In eating thou shalt eate Gen. 2.16 that is thou maist fréely eate of euerie tree of the Garden But of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt not eate therof for in the day wherein thou shalt eate thereof thou shalt surely die Here is the foundation of the Church the preaching of Gods word God himselfe being the first preacher thereof Now followes Sathans synagogue But the Serpent was craftier then euerie beast of the field which the Lord God had made Gen. 3.1 Here is first craft and subtiltie in the foundation of the false Church Gods Church is builded vpon a plaine sure and hard rocke but Sathans Synagogue on a moorish deceitfull and vnstable marsh or fenne And to this saint Paul alludes writing to the Corinthians I am iealous ouer you saith he euen with the zeale of God I haue made you fit for one husband 2. Cor. 11.2 to make you a chast virgine to Christ Here is first saint Pauls great loue to the Church of Corinth he is as iealous ouer them euen as God is ouer his No greater loue can be then wherwith he loueth them And as a token of this his loue as louing Parents are wont to bestow great cost vpon their children to preferre them in mariage so he hath made theÌ„ a fit spouse for Christ He hath adorned theÌ„ with all heauenly Iewels that he might set them forth as a chaste virgin fit for Christ and all this he hath done by the preaching of the Gospell But as louers are euer carefull and fearefull of them whom they loue and especiallie parents of their children So S. Paul feares one thing least that as the Serpent by his wilinesse beguiled Eue in Paradise and caused her to depart by his subtilties and wilines from Gods plaine word and commandement so now also least he should corrupt their vnderstandings from the simplicitie and plainnes that is in Christ As Gods commandement was plaine to Adam that in what day soeuer he did eate of the trée of knowledge of good and euill he should die the death so in the gospel he hath as plainly taught that whosoeuer with a liuely faith beleeueth on his sonne Iesus Mark 16.16 Ioh. 3.16 and now by faith eateth againe of that true trée of life shall be saued So that as that corporall eating of the trée of knowledge condemned them euen so now the spirituall eating of the trée of life shall saue vs. But the Diuell as he did then so he doth now seeke to drawe awaie mens mindes from this simplicitie and subtillie to mingle things of his owne deuise to this plaine meanes of our saluation so that now to be saued by his doctrine is the most intricate hardest and grieuoust thing in the world So manie obseruations of his owne besides Gods word as he did then so hath he now forged and added to this plaine worde of our saluation by faith in Iesus Christ And that which S. Paul then feared we sée now plainlie come to passe And he said to the woman yea Gen. 3.1 and hath God commaunded you that you shall not eat of euery tree that is in the garden Here secondly is another corner stone of Sathans house to depart from Gods expresse word Whereas God had commanded Adam plainlie that he should eate of euerie trée now Sathan comes and preacheth quite contrarie that God had commanded that they should not eate of euerie tree And so he doth preach still if we doe marke well Whereas God doth command that we should make no grauen Image Exod. 20.4 and that we shall not kneele downe to it nor worship it Sathan saith that wee maie make Images and knéele downe to them and worshippe them And whereas God saith Psal 50.14.15 that in the time of our trouble we shall call vpon him and he wil deliuer vs Sathan perswades vs then to make other intercessors and spokesmen for vs. And whereas God saith herein we shall glorifie him Sathan saith that this inuocation is not Latria it is no part of Gods honor but he communicates it to Angels and creatures Thirdly Eue by giuing eare to this craftie serpent and by communing manie words with him as should séeme as sathans first wâ—â—d doth séeme to import whereas he saith yea and hath God c. She addeth a stone or two more to further sathans building by adding Gen. 3.2 detracting and doubting of Gods word And the woman said to the Serpent we shall eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden but of the fruit of that tree which is in the midst of the garden said God ye shall not eate of it nor shall ye touch it least peraduenture ye die Here Eue ioines hands with sathan to erect his synagogue First she detracts from Gods word wheras God most amplie had commanded them that they should eate freely of euerie tree of the Garden Gen. 2.16 she leaues out euerie trée and saith onlie of the fruit of the trees of the Garden Againe she addes that that trée which was forbidden them stood in the midst of the Garden Gen. 3.2.3 that was more then God told them And that they might not touch it And this
be by it wiser as he himselfe was then the aged By Gods word the holy Ghost shall so teach euerie one of them that now as saint Iohn saith they shall need no other teacher 1. Io. 2.27 Esay 11.9 Then shall be fulfilled that which Esay prophecieth The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord euen as the waters that couer the sea If this be the marke of the true Church then euerie one that is not to too partiall or will not shut his eies wilfully against the light of the sunne néed goe no further but may here plainly discerne which is the true and false Church and may decide that great doubt which at this day troubles so many mens consciences Hath this knowledge béene in the Popes Church Haue they thus knowen God from the greatest to the smallest Speake truth herein whosoeuer thou art And if it be most apparant that this knowledge hath béene wanting therein be not afraid to say with the Prophet Ieremie and with S. Paul with Esay that she is none of Christs spouse that she hath no part in his testament This same onely marke bewrayeth her and condemneth her The same marke hath God put downe againe of his house and true Church by the Prophet Esay least we should doubt thereof Esay 59.20.21 The redeemer shall come vnto you and vnto thē that turne from iniquitie in Iacob saith the Lord. Here first is Iesus Christ now followes his Church And I wil make this my couenant with them saith the Lord My spirit which is vpon thee the words which I haue put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed saith the Lord frō henceforth euē for euer Here is first a couenant Secondly here are the spirit Gods word vnited and knit togither So that euen as the windes accompanie the waters so doth Gods spirit the waters of comfort Rom. 15.4 that is the waters of the scriptures And these words as they haue bene in Christs mouth for he spake not of himselfe but as his father gaue him commaundement so he spake so they shall be in the mouth of his séed Io. 12.49 and of his seedes séede for euer If these be the true markes of the Church the Popish Church which lacks these markes is not the true Church Nay she hath broken this couenant most apparantly And therefore no doubt she is that whore of Babylon which saint Iohn speaketh of in the Reuelation Reu. 17.2 Io. 6.63 Ro. 8.9 Gen. 1.2 Act. 10 44. 2. Cor. 3.6 Nay she is not onely a trucebreaket but a murtherer she hath debarred Gods people of his word and so also of his spirit which is the verie life of the faithfull and without the which they are but withered braunches For the word and the spirit are knit togither as the Prophet here teacheth vs and therefore shée is guiltie of murther And of such liuing and spirituall murtherers of whom the ciuil lawes of magistrates take no hold Saint Iohn saith also Cap. 9.11 that they will not repent of these their murthers but still maintaine them and practise them euen as the Papists doe at this daie They which wil be accounted Gods séede and his children let them sée that they haue Gods word in their mouthes euen as Iesus Christ had Let it neuer depart neither from their mouthes nor hearts let it alone direct all their workes let them in all their workes saie as he said As my father hath commanded me so doe I. Iohn 14.30 Dauid also thus pictureth out Gods Church Psal 87.1 A paraphrase of the 87. psal 1. Cor. 15.3 Her foundations are vpon the holy hils What other holy hilles are these but the scriptures Gods Church is built vpon the scriptures vpon them shée groundeth all her doctrines God loueth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob Here is next her glorie her beautie her strength her felicitie God loueth nowe the meanest christian better then the best Iewe euen the gates of Sion before the stately pallaces of Iacob Ier. 9.23 So that now let not the wise man reioyce in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that reioiceth glorie in this that he knoweth me saith the Lord. 1. Cor. 1.31 And wherein this knowledge consisteth S. Paul teacheth that is to know that Iesus Christ of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption That according as it is written saith S. Paul let him that reioiceth reioice in the Lord for these things for this wisedome of Gods word for this strength of faith for the riches of Christ merits which all are ours And therefore he saith so often to the Philippians Phil. 4.4 Reioice in the Lord and againe I say reioice And why because God loues thee If thou be a christian euen whosoeuer thou art though thou be neuer so meane a christian though thou be but a gate no stately pallace yet the Lord loues thée more then all the pallaces of Iacob Though thou be but a little one in Christ Mat. 18.10 yet thy Angell thy seruant that attends vpon thée beholds the face of God in heauen And this loue of God is another marke of Gods Church Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou citie of God The Church is called here the citie of God Reu. 22.17 shee is called also the Spouse of Christ And againe Esay writes thus of her Esay 54.10 For a moment in my anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercie haue I had compassion of thee saith the Lord thy redeemer And againe O thou afflicted and tossed with the tempest that hast no comfort Behold I will lay thy stones with the carbuncle and lay thy foundations with Saphires And I will make thy windowes of Emerauds and thy gates shining stones and all thy borders of pleasant stones And thy children shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall be to thy children In righteousnesse shalt thou be established and be farre from oppression for thou shalt not feare it and from feare for it shall not come neere thee These are great blessings euen in worldly affaires in things that concerne our bodies but in those things which concerne our soules how farre more excellent are they such glorious things are spoken of Gods Church But the Romish Church by their placing of peblestones and stones that lie in the hie waie in the windowes of Gods church that is simple and vnpreaching Prelates and also by teaching the doctrine of the vncertaintie of saluation hath obscured this glorie I will thinke of Rahab and Babylon with them that know me c. Here is another marke of the church She shall now be spread ouer the whole world
in some other place yet for their plainenes and excellencie I cannot here passe them ouer Heb. 3 6. But Christ as the sonne is ouer his owne house saith Saint Paul Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the reioycing of our hope euen vnto the end Here are two plaine markes of the Church we are Gods house we are Gods Church if so be we keepe and hold fast these two things that is our confidence in our praiers 1. Io. 5.14 as saint Iohn expounds it And our reioycing of the certaine hope of our saluation vnto the end This is our confidence we haue in him saith saint Iohn that if we aske anie thing according to his will he heareth vs. And if we know that he heareth vs whatsoeuer we aske we know that we haue the petitions that we haue desired of him This ought to be euerie Christians confidence and assurance that whatsoeuer they aske in the name of Iesus Christ which is agréeing to the will of God they are sure they shall obtaine it And they know that Iesus Christ heares them they know that their petitions are granted This is the first marke of Gods Church no doubt euerie Christian ought to haue this confidence whensoeuer he praies that he may say as our Sauiour said when he praied to God his father I thank thee father that thou hast heard me I know that thou hearest me alwaies Io. 11.41 Ro. 15.4 Io. 17.23 Psal 56.9.31.22.118.5.68 3 This is written for our learning God loues vs now as he loued him This the world must know much more euerie Christian himselfe This confidence Dauid had in all his praiers as appeareth in his Psalmes And the second marke also saint Iohn agréeing with saint Paul hath put downe in the former verse which is the ground of this Vers 13. These things haue I written vnto you saith saint Iohn which beleeue on the name of the son of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life and that ye may beleeue in the name of the sonne of God All Christians must know that they haue eternall life And that this their knowledge might be sure and certaine Saint Iohn a faithfull witnesse writes thus vnto them Who will not beléeue in our affaires the deposition of a faithfull and honest man and shall we not beléeue the testimonie and writing of saint Iohn And againe in his first Chapter he writes thus The life appeared and we haue seene it and be are witnesse 1 Iohn 1.3 and shew vnto you the eternal life which was with the father and appeared vnto vs. This I say that we haue seene and heard declare we vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and that our fellowship also may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ And these things write we vnto you that your ioy may be full Who would not read such a comfortable letter who durst euer haue presumed to thinke thus much in his heart That we vile wretches and miserable sinners should be fellowes with the Apostles nay should haue fellowship and a communion euen with God the father and his sonne Iesus Christ and the holy Ghost if saint Iohn had not written it And now that he hath written this vnto vs who dare doubt of it Oh the fellowship with God the father with his son Iesus Christ and with the holy Ghost the ioyfullest letter that euer was read Will God nay doth God euen now account vs as his friends as those whom he sets most by Who reads this reioyceth not euen from his heart whom will not this glad tidings cause to reioyce daily as often as he thinkes thereon Nay who will euer now cease to thinke thus let all other matters be forgoiteÌ„ I haue fellowship with God the father with his sonne Iesus Christ and with the holy Ghost What do I care for else He that walkes in the sunne the excéeding great light thereof so daseleth his eies that when he comes into his owne house though it be richly furnished â—e sées nothing So should this excéeding great ioy drowne all our other ioyes whatsoeuer This rich fellowship with God the father and his sonne and the holy Ghost should so dasell our eies that we should now make no account of these our earthly riches And this ioy of this rich and certaine hope being thus certified vs by a faithfull witnes Saint Iohn is the marke of the true Church They which lacke these markes are none of the Church what fair shewes soeuer they haue besides And this is the verie scope of saint Iohns Epistle I write vnto you saith he these things not that ye may reioyce onely but that your ioy may be full And this he writes to all Christians who will then doubt of his saluation And here I note how the Church of Rome doth take quite away saint Iohns knowledge and assurance I write vnto you saith he that you may know that you haue eternal life And again this is our confideÌ„ce that when we pray we know that he heareth vs. We know that we haue the petitions that we aske of him This certainty this knowledge the Church of Rome caÌ„not abide She teacheth that no Christian can say he knowes that he shall be saued and therefore she teacheth men to doubt of their saluation She teacheth that we are not sure whether being hindred by our sinnes Iesus Christ will heare vs or no And therefore she teacheth to make mediators vnto him As though anie thing could be added to his loue towards vs. Nay his mother the blessed Virgine Marie nor all the saints and Angels in heauen doe not loue vs so dearely as he doth if the loue of all these were put altogither And whereas they vrge our sinnes to discourage vs and to weaken this our confidence 1. Ioh. 1. vers 8. Saint Iohn in his first chapter doth confesse also so much that we are all sinners or else if we denie that we are lyars And yet for all that in this chapter he teacheth vs this ioy of our saluation and this confidence and assurance of our praiers And is the Church of Rome the true Church Is she Gods house that holdes not fast this confidence in her praiers and this certaintie of the hope of her saluation Let all men of indifferencie iudge Saint Iude in his Epistle hauing foretold of heretiques that should trouble the Church briefely knits vp as in a little bundell the markes of the true Church being the same in substance which saint Paul and saint Iohn haue taught vs. Iude epist Vers 20. But ye beloued saith he edifie your selues in your most holy faith That is studie read meditate and be expert in the scriptures So shall you be sure to be within Gods league and couenant and be a shéep of Iesus Christs fold as hath béene noted before Secondly pray in the holy Ghost that is with knowledge with
all things he adbed nothing of his owne Again heereby it plainly appeareth that the word is the rule and square of the Church by which it is to be builded and gouerned and not the Church of the word as the Papists would haue it And that is Psal 138.2.87.1 Eph. 2.20 to beare rule in the Church and that the Church is not to rule it By this also that great pillar which the Papists doe obiect for the defence of the Church fals to the ground The Church say they is the pillar of truth and therefore whatsoeuer the Church teacheth must of necessitie be beléeued The Church cannot erre But they must marke here that as the Church is called a pillar 1. Ti 3.15 so the word of God is also called truth Thy law is the truth saith Dauid And therefore if she keepe not the word of God Psal 119.143 Gen. 19.26 she may erre she may be a pillar of salt without it as was Lots wife but a piller of truth without it she cannot be Now if this be the true Church which hitherto vnder the type of Noahs Arke I haue described let vs a little compare the Church of Rome to this and sée how they agrée togither Who brags that she is this Arke of Noah and that whithout her there is no saluation And first to beginne with the name she is not Tebah She is not a building she hath not taught her children one to build another in the common and holy faith as saint Iude counselleth Iud. ep vers 2. Ephes 4.12 Her Pastors haue not built the bodie of Christ as saint Paul teacheth they should do They haue accounted their chiefe office to be to sing masse and not to preach the gospell And in her building when she did build she hath not builded Tebah that is the Arke with the word of God Ezech 13.10 Mar. 7.7 but with the clay and morter of man Also she teacheth and thinketh that this worke of building is finished alreadie But saint Paul teacheth that the word of God is able to builde further Act. 20.32 Fer. in 1. c Act. and to giue an inheritance among all them that are sanctified And Ferus saith verie excellently That if all the things which our Sauiour Iesus did should be written all the world could not containe the bookes which should be written Containe saith he that is vnderstand For if saith he the world cannot nor all the men that euer shall be in the world containe that is vnderstand that which is written alreadie being so small in volume how were it able to vnderstand if all things that Iesus did were written Iesus our Sauiour his works were manie in number Psal 36.7 1. Pet 3.18 and profound in mysteries Gods word is a bottomlesse pit no man can euer come to the bottome of it We must grow and may grow in the knowledge thereof daily And therfore manie at this day are deceiued in this point They wil beleeue no more they say then the fathers beléeued and that which they saw not they will not sée But if God lift vp his cloud giue light true Israel must go forward in their pilgrimage They may not say Exod. 40.38 because we haue staied in this place thus long therefore we will stay here still Lastly the Church of Rome is not this Arke of God she kéepes not these Iewels of Gods word in her heart she as a ship rather 1. King 22.48 she sailes with Iehosaphat vnder pretence of religion for gold She is wealthie The Pope cannot now say as Peter said siluer and gold haue I none or as Ferus notes on that place I will haue none if I might haue it the custodie of greater Iewels and treasures is committed vnto me Act. 4.6 She deuoures with the Pharisees vnder pretence of long prayers Mat. 23.14 widowes houses causing the husband to giue his house vnkindly euen from his wife a poore desolate widow that they might pray for him And thus they are become great landlords here vpon earth whereas Christ saith plainely my kingdome is not of this world Iohn 1◠36 But they haue gotten Christ now by their praying and massing euen an earthlie kingdome here in this world The Arke was made of Pine trées that would neuer be rotten and is the Church of Rome built of such timber Looke but a little into the liues of her Popes and you shall sée most euidently the contrarie Their Popes haue béene notorious in all kind of wickednes Some of them sorcerers coniurers as a Fascic temporum Homagium fecit Diabolo An Do. 1004. Siluester secundus Some proud who haue made compelled Kings and Superiours to stoope vnto them b Baleus in vita Pontificum as Adrianus quartus Some enuious who haue not onely ouerthrowne the actes of al their predecessors but euen vnburied their bodies againe as c Fascic temp An. Do. 904. Pontac Bur. in Chron. An. Do. 1159. ex Platin◠Sergius tertius Some ambitious insomuch that there haue béene three Popes at once Fasciculus temporum Anno Domini 1034. The pride of Alexander the third Pontacus Burgedalensis a Papist in his Chronicle reports thus At his feete Fredericke the Emperour fel down desiring the absolution of his excommunication And they say that two d Pontac ibid. kings Lewes king of France Henrie 2. king of England did wait vpon him a foot as yeomen of his stirtope holding his horse by the bridle on his right hand and on his left and to haue conducted him thorow the citie Totiacum with great pomp Of Pope Ioan the woman Fasc temp An. Christi 954. Fasciculus Temporū writes thus This was called Ioan English by name but by countrey was borne at Moguntia and is reported to haue beene about this time And she was a woman that went in mans apparrell And she so greatly profited in the holy Scriptures that there was none like to be compared with her and she was chosen Pope But after being gotten with child as she went solemnlie in procession she trauelled and died And this seemes saith he to be the sixt Pope that hitherto had the name of holy father without the thing and was plagued of God as the rest were And she is not placed in the Catalogue of Bishops Some heere make a tale and say that for this cause no German is chosen Pope which is most certain that it is a lie So that if this woman were no Pope yet there were fiue Popes by his iudgement that had the title of Holinesse giuen them which were wicked Of Bonifacius the eight the same Author writes thus Anno Christi 1294 This Boniface in matters concerning the Popes courts was most expert And because he had none that might be compared to him in wisdome he became so arrogant that he called himselfe the Lord of the whole world as well in temporall as in spiritual causes And
pardon of sinnes for them euen like the prowd Pharisées She lacked a window in her she was like a dungeon without anie light Psal 1.2 She teacheth not her children to meditate in the law of God day and night Col. 3.16 and that the worde of Christ should dwell plenteously in their houses Her light is not midday like the light of the Arke but midnight Her Linsie Wolsie translation of the newe testament into English which shee giues some leaue to reade is but a light in a corner whereas S. Paul excepts none it lightens not the whole house it is but the light of a Rush it is not the light of a torch Psal 119.105 The doore in her was not in the side but on her toppe by the Pope all entred into heauen for the most part in her She had diuersities of mansions in her as the Arke had but shée did disorder them that should haue béen placed in them She placed her Prelates and Cleargie in the highest roumes Rom. 13. ◠and Princes and Magistrates in the inferiour roumes The onlie true meanes of saluation the couenants of God she hath not taught the people with Noah naie she hath apparantly broken the couenant in denying the cuppe to the laytie which Christ cals the new couenant and therefore belongs to all as though they had not béen in the couenant or if they were 1. Cor. 11.25 to exclude them That blessing our Sauiour pronounceth to all good Pastors Blessed is that seruant Luk. 12.42 whom his maister when he commeth shall finde giuing meate to his family in due season She hath quite taken awaie she hath not fedde Gods flocke as Noah did in the Arke but she hath pined them Matt. 4.4 For man liueth not by bread only saith our Sauiour but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God But her pastors haue not giuen meate to the Lords familie in due season nay they haue not giuen them anie meate at all They haue fedde their bodies with bread as though man had liued with bread onlie as Sathan then did séeme to instruct our Sauiour and would haue the world beléeue still and not their soules with Gods word which foode was the more necessarie Amos 8.11 And to conclude the Church of Rome is not built in all points according as God hath commanded How manie points of doctrine hath she in her which are not grounded vpon anie promise or commandement of God her inuocation of Angels and Saints departed her Latine prayers her worshipping of Images prooue this Therefore being so farre vnlike shee doth falsly bragge that shee is the Arke of Noah as hereby euerie one maie see Iericho also is a figure of the world and of Satans Citie as the name thereof in Hebrew deriued from the Moone which is called Iarak prooues which neuer continues in one state but is euer stil either increasing or decreasing Iosuah 6.34 The compassing also thereof 7. daies about with the Arke of God and the seuenth day 7. times plainly declares the same So after Christs ascension seuen Angels blew their trumpets Reu. 8.6 and in the daies of the seuenth Angell when he shall begin to blowe the mysterie shall be finished there shall be no more time the walles of Iericho shall fall downe And surely the daie we liue in now is the seuenth daie At this daie Iericho is compassed about with the Arke of God euen seuen times as much as in all the daies before The plentifull preaching of the Gospell by men speaking and writing more then euer before in anie age plainly prooue this The sunne now arising all the birds of heauen begin to sing whereas before the cockes onely did sing Surely this generall knowledge of God in the world and the profession of his gospell euen of some wicked Kites and couetous cormorants and Rauens declares that the rising of the true sunne Iesus Christ is not farre off And as Iericho resembles the worlde so no doubt the house of Rahab the harlot resembles the Church God will haue a house in Iericho Psal 87.4 Mat. 8.24 he will haue a shippe on the raging sea of this world And first her name Rahab which signifies a streete or enlarged agrées with the calling of the Gentiles The Church of God now is Rahab that is it is enlarged Esay 54.2 now is that prophesie of Esay fulfilled stretch foorth thy cordes and spare not c. Secondly her condition of life agrées with the Church She was Zonah Heb. 11.31 which signifies a vittailer or rather as the Gréeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expounds it and restraines it she was a harlot and so is the church before regeneration an Adultresse Iam. 4.4 Esay 50.1 Ezech. 16.15 Iosuah 2.2 separated from God the Spouse of Satan Assoone as the men were come into her house the king of Iericho had word and persecutes them by and by So the Gospell of Iesus Christ his true professors shall be sure to be persecuted in this world 2. Tim. 3.12 They cannot be so secret in anie place but the king of Iericho the prince of this world will heare of them will spie them out And the woman tooke the men and made them go vp to the toppe of her house and hid them in line of that tree which shee had laid in order vpon the roofe of her house Here is a liuely Image of the true Church She greatly honours reuerences and makes much of Gods seruants and ministers Rom. 10.15 Gal. 4.15 she exalts them she would euen pull out hir owne eies to giue them to do them good withall as the Galathians would haue done to Paul And she hides them in the line of that tree Bepishbe Hagnets This line of that tree no doubt is a figure of the holy Scripture which was to bee written in paper which is made of linnen cloth And in the line of that tree meaning some notable and especiall trée no doubt signifies Iesus Christ He is that tree of life Reuel 22.2 that whosoeuer tasteth of shall liue foreuer and he that shrowdes himselfe vnder it needes not to feare the persecutions of the king of Iericho In the line of this tree the true Church hides her Ministers with this they are couered They are mightie in the Scriptures with Apollo In these they are ouer the head and eares Acts. 18.24 as we say Againe here we may learne how the true Church esteemes of the Scriptures She placeth the line of that tree vpon the roofe of her house She hath them in high estimation according as Dauid saith in the Psalme Psal 138.2 O Lord thou hast magnified thy name and thy word is aboue all things And she had laid her line in order 2. Ti. 2.15 Psal 2.10.11 Ro. 13.1 Ephes 5.22.23.6.1 5 So the true Church doth rightly deuide the word of God She hath meat for kings subiects for men and
about so that there was nothing in the Temple that was not couered all ouer with gold And hee made sielings and caruings and the ioyning of the boords so close in so much that no rift or partition could be perceiued In the middle of the boords he graued Cherubims and Palm-trees standing out further then the rest So in the truth when the true Salomon God would build his Church he built it of grauen and foure squared stones that is of holy valiant and sound men That Temple consisted of foure kind of things of grauen stones of Cedar and firre boords and of plates of gold So the Church hath some men which were grauen that is Martyrs which were as it were carued by their martyrdomes Shee had some boords of Cedar also that is professours of Christian religion which were wholy in conteÌ„plation engrauen with vertues She had likewise some firre-boords that is holy religious men in the world who were in the lowermost parts She had also plates of gold that is Doctours which were famous for the brightnesse of their wisdom In all which were the images of vertues the Characters of sciences and of the holie scriptures the bonds and ioints of concord because in the persons of the Church as in the boords of the Temple there was such close ioyning of charitie that no rift or partition could appeare where of Iob saith Iob. 41. â— One is ioyned so to another that no aire can come betweene Amongst these also as amongst other things there ought to be grauen two especiall images that is of the Palme tree which signifies victorie and of the Cherubims which signifies knowledge for Cherubim signifies fulnesse of knowledge to declare vnto vs that all the faithfull and members of the Church must haue a palme that is perseuerance in vertues all their life and victorie and also Cherubim that is discretion knowledge and wisedome wherof it is said in the seuenth of the Reuelation that they were clothed in white robes and they had Palmes in their hands And to conclude there ought to be nothing in this Temple but it should be couered with gold of charity and knowledge So that as well the roofe the wals and the floore that is as well the superiors as the middle sort as also the inferiors should shine in faith and maners In the 20. of the Reuelation The Citie is of pure gold The TeÌ„ple had 3. parts because the Church also hath 3. sorts of men of superiors maried folks virgins or ecclesiastical persons which also was deuided again into two parts into the holy holiest of holies that is saith he into the regular Church and the Church of Friers which liue vnder their orders and into the secular Church He maketh the Sancta sanctorum the holy of holies to signifie their Church of Monks and Friers Heb. 9.7.12 but héerein he erres euen against the scriptures who applie that to Christ only And after he addes These are the three sorts of men which shal be saued which in Noah the superiour and in Iob the maried man and in Daniel the virgin were prefigured in the 14. of Ezechiel And therefore hereof may that be verified Gen. 29. He saw a well in the field and three flockes of sheepe lying by it And that the Temple was built vpon a hill it signifies that the Church of Christ must haue her heart dwell aloft in paradise and not to seeke heere an abiding citie but rather one that which is to come saying that of the Apostle Philip. 3. Our conuersation is in heauen Thus farre Berchorius Where wee may note that hee requires knowledge especiallie 1. King 6.5 and perseuerance in euerie member of the Church vers 6. There were galleries made round about the Temple and euery of them one aboue another Psal 1.2 Leu. 15.4 and their beames did not pierce thorough the walles to declare first that Christians should meditate on the word of God They should be cleane beasts they should chew the cud Secondly The beames of the galleries were not fastened in the walles but onely rested vpon the walles â—he wall being taken in 1. Cor. 7.31 that they might rest on it to teach vs not to be carefull if the beames of Gods temple were not fastened in the walles there of vers 4. how much lesse should the beames of our houses that is our cares be fastened on our walles We should vse the world as though wee vsed it not The windowes of the Temple were wide outwardly but narrow inwardly to declare that the Pastors of Christs Church which are as it were the windowes thereof should shine as great lightes outwardlie by their doctrine and life but be narrow within that is not to be proud of their labours count theÌ„selues with Paul the least of al others Nay 1. Cor. 15.9 1. Cor. 9.27 with him should tame and pinch themselues inwardly lest that hauing preached to others they should be reproued themselues There was not the noise of an hammer heard in the Temple vers 7. Matth. 5.40 Col. 3.13 Phil. 2.2 1. Pet. 3.8 1 King 6.8 to teach what great peace God requires of all Christians wée should haue no suites nor quarrels amongst our selues wée should all be as one man and of one soule The doore of the middle chamber was on the right sâ—de of the house and men went vp with winding staires into the miâ—dlemost chamber and out of the middlemost into the third Ioh. 10.7 1. Ti. 2.5 Iâ— is Christ is this doore the way of perfection the Mediator betweeâ— God and vs. We ascend by winding staires because euerie one must say with Dauid O Lord Psal 40.5 how many are thy thoughâ— to vs ward If I would declare and speake of them they should be moe then I am able to expresse God leades vs not the straight way to heauen but by a compasse as he did the Israelites Eâ— 13 17.18 Iat 1.2 Eccle 9.1 through manie temptations by little and little as it were by staires and degrées he brings vs thither we not knowing all our worldlie affaires are so vncertain we ascend by winding staires And all these temptations as they are trials of our faith so they are degrées of our glorie 1. Pet. 1.7 and our patience in them makes all our workes perfect 1. Iam. 4. And to the entring in of the Oracle he made two doores of Oliue trees and the vpper post and the side postes were fiue square vers 31. Ibid. Petrus Berchorius thus vnfolds this allegorie That the Prelates of the Church are these doores by whose ministerie we enter into the Church and to the Sacraments And they must be two vnited together through charitie And they must be made of Oliue trees because they must giue almes They must haue posts fiue square that is the strength of vertues able to guide their fiue senses and they must be grauen with the grauing of Cherubims
lift vp vnto thy commandements which I haue loued And I will meditate in thy statutes vers 9â— And againe Oh how do I loue thy law it is my meditation continually And this commandement also God himselfe gaue to Iosuah being a Captaine and a man of warre Ioâ—ua â—â— Let not this booke of the law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is written therein For then shalt thou make thy waie prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe And Dauid no doubt grounded that his great blessing which euery one that meditateth thus on the word of God should reap that is that whatsoeuer hee doth it shall prosper vpon this great promise of God made vnto Iosuah Eph. 6 11.1â— For now euerie Christian is the Lords Captaine against that spiritual enemy Sathan As Saint Paul doth also applie that same other great blessing of God made to Iosuah As I was with Moses Heb. 13.5 Iosua 1.5 so will I be with thee I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee to euerie Christian souldier Let your conuersation be without couetousnesse saith he and be content with such things as God presently sends what kind soeuer they be for he hath said I will not faile thee neither forsake thee So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper neither will I feare what man can do vnto me That same Eunuch of Candaces Queen of Ethiopia Act 8.28 no doubt moued by Gods Spirit fulfilled that commandement of Moses giuen to the Iewes who as he was in his iourney read the Prophet Esay If a Barbarian did this in his iourney whie should not Christians do the like Luke 24.14 Our Sauiour also after his resurrection appearing to those two Disciples that trauailed to Emaus talked of him expounded to them the Scriptures Hereby also no doubt teaching euen trauailers what to talke on in their iournies Neither was this commandement onelie giuen to the Iewes but also it is as it were Col. 3.16 reuiued againe amongst vs Christians Let the word of God saith S. Paul dwell amongst you plenteously in all wisedome teaching and admonishing your owne selues in Psalmes and hymnes and spirituall songs singing with grace in your hearts vnto the Lord. 1. Ioh. 2.14 And S. Iohn in his Epistle writes generally vnto all I write vnto you babes because ye haue known the Father I haue written to you Fathers because ye haue knowne him that is from the beginning I haue written vnto you young men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome the wicked Young men must know the word of God and therefore old men And this is their strength against that spirituall enemie Satan And therefore as all Christians are Souldiers in this warfare against this enemie Ephes 6.10.11 as Saint Paul teacheth so all must be endued with this strength and armed with this sword As our Sauiour also by his example hath most manifestly taught vs that as he did so also must we fight against all the assaults of Satan with this sword Matt. 4.4 So that then this is the first dutie of all Christians to know and meditate vpon the holie Scriptures Kings Captaines old men young men trauailers and to conclude all men in generall All the Lords faithfull seruants and souldiers doe this Secondly euerie good Christian must be altogether prayer as Dauid wils theÌ„ as he witnesseth of himselfe that he was For my good will saith hee they hated me Psal 109.3 but I was prayer Am te phillah as it is in the Hebrew He must pray without ceasing as S. Paul also commands him He must pray without wearinesse although prayer of all spirituall exercises bee the Luke 18.1 most troublesome as one noteth as our Sauiour himselfe doth also enioyne him Such earnest practisers of this holie exercise haue all Gods seruants béene Daniel who was a Iew and bare a type of them Dan. 6.10 prayed thrise euerie day and that vpon perill of his life He chose rather to venture his life then to omit his prayers But we that are Christians are to exceede the Iewes in our righteousnesse Matt. 5.20 and in our good workes as our Sauiour teacheth And shall not we pray so often Nay Dauid also in the person of Christ and of all Christians saith Euening and morning Psal 55.17 and at noone will I pray and that instantly and thou shalt heare my voice Psal 119.164 And in another Psalme Seuen times a day do I giue thankes to thee because of thy righteous iudgements Geâ— 5.22 That is no doubt verie often So Enoch is said to haue walked with God That is no doubt by the works of his hands by the words of his mouth especially by praying He did all things Col. 3.17 as S. Paul teacheth vs to doe in the name of the Lord Iesus So no doubt in the sight and presence of God himselfe Gen. 24.63 Isaak is reported to haue gone into the fields euery euening to pray and meditate And Abraham praying for the Sodomites teacheth vs his perseuerance in prayer for himselfe Gen. 32.28 Iacob when as he wrestled with the Angel by prayer obtained a newe name and was called Israel that is mightie with God They that will be Israel that is of force and great power with God must be earnest prayers And of this force of prayer it was that God himselfe spake to Moses Exo 32 1â— 1. Sam. 16 1. Suffer me now that I may destroy them And againe the Lord said to Samuel How long wilt thou mourne for Saul seeing I haue cast him away from raigning ouer Israel No doubt this mourning was in his prayers Such a forceable thing prayer is that it séemes euen as it were to bind God himselfe Ios 10.13 So at Iosuah his prayer the Sunne stood still And Iosuah when as he was ouercome of his enemies by Achans sinne 7.6 hee and the Elders of Israel sought with prayer and so found out the cause of their ouerthrow Elias as S. Iames reporteth by prayer opened and shut heauen Iam. 5.17 And as Ecclesiasticall histories doe testifie Saint Iames was such a diligent practiser of this holy exercise Euseb Eccles hist lib. 2. c. 23 that his knees were with often kneeling downe to prayer as hard as brawne Neither must Christians onely pray but also euen watch in prayer as S. Paul often commands them First to the Ephesians Ephes 6.18 And pray alwayes in all maner of prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watch thereunto with all perseuerance And againe to the Colosians Continue in prayer Col. 4.2 and watch in the same with thanksgiuing And that this his watching is literally meant no doubt that example of our blessed Sauiour from which he deriued it plainly proues Luke 6.12 who
these when as he said Shake off this dust arise and sit now O Ierusalem By which words the Prophet meanes that first she must shake off the dust of all earthly things and that all the snares of worldly affections must be takē from her neck the which things being done then wee may without any let arise to the contemplation of heauenly things and sit downe in the rest and comfort of them Saint Paul prophesieth of some 1. Tim. 3.5 that in the latter times shal haue a shew of godlines but haue denied the power thereof Which prophesie I feare me toucheth many at this time who make a shew of Christian religion in words but haue denied the power thereof which is as members to ioyne vs to Christ our head in heauen what member would not long to bee with the head and to haue vs vnited as spouses to Iesus Christ our heauenly husband what wife would not long to be with her husband and to draw men from the loue of this world to account this world but as an Inne in a mans iourney and to account heauen their countrey Our excessiue purchasing of land our couetousnesse about this vile earth our great cost spent thereon argues plainly that we are not so affected towards it Would a man bestow so much cost or be so busie in his Inne where he was to lodge but a night as men do now on the earth Our Sauiour hath said It is as hard for a rich man to goe to heauen Matt. 19.24 as for a camell to go thorough a needles eye But now all men studie to be rich many times they passe not how As though he had said It is as easie for a rich man to go to heauen as for a twine thréed to go thorowe a néedles eye But let all such worldly minded rich men take héede they shall one daie finde his saying true what excuses and pretence soeuer they make now And Saint Paul also saith They that will bee rich 1. Tim. 6. ◠shall fall into temptations and snares of the diuell He doth not say they that deale hardly with their brethren to become rich And how will hard dealing landlords here créepe out Who would fall into the hands but euen of a mortall Prince but to fall into the snares of the diuell what a madnes is it Surely we beleeue not Saint Paules words for if we did we would not do as we do And againe the same Granatensis writes thus Although the affaires of this world saith he do somtimes draw thy mind down to these earthly things cap. 11. yet by and by the spirit which is in it rebounds backe againe and is againe lift vp to heauen no otherwise then wood that is violently kept vnder the water yet by and by according to the naturall lightnesse that is in it it will appeare and swimme aloft againe That which nature doth here good conditions and the grace of God should work there which are of faire greater power then nature And here is a doubt resolued which perchance in reading the Scriptures may trouble some Sphinx Philosophica cap. 39. Often times you will thinke that in the Scriptures the answeres which are there made do not concerne the matter proposed or doe not fully answer the question are nothing to the purpose because indeed they answer not to those things which we enquire for but to those things that we ought to haue enquired for Christ being asked of the restoring againe of the kingdome of Israel Act. 1.7 answered of the heauenly kingdome We are troubled about the cares of this life but wee are instructed of the life to come If at anie time the Prophets do make mention of the calling of the people backe againe from Babylon of restoring the kingdom of Israel or of the repairing of the Temple by and by as it were forgetting themselues they are rapt to speake of the spirituall deliuerance from the yoke of Sathan of the kingdom of Christ and of the description of the true Temple that is of the Church Hereby signifying vnto vs that wee must not cleaue to and rest in these momentarie and transitorie things which are nothing else but a shadow and that we should not haue our kingdome here in this world but that Christ should raigne in vs by the scepter of his word and power of his spirit This lesson these impertinent answers in the Scriptures do teach vs. Orat. adhort ad gentes Clemens Alexandrinus thus also describeth a Christians conuersation Come to me all yee that be wearie and laden and I will refresh you Take my yoke vpon you and learne of me for I am meeke and humble in heart and yee shall find rest for your soules for my yoke is pleasant and my burthen is light Let vs that are religious and like to the word of God make haste and runne O men O his images let vs make haste let vs runne Let vs take his yoke vpon vs let vs take vpon vs incorruption Let vs loue Christ that most excellent carter and driuer as it were of men hee yoked the foale and the old Asse vnder one yoke together and likewise he made two yokes of men and he driues his chariote to immortalitie making haste to God that hee might now euidently fulfill that that mystically before he signified in Ierusalem doing now the same in heauen The eternall Sonne being a Conquerour is the brauest shew that can be to God the Father Therefore let vs with great studie and zeale be caried to those things which are vertuous and let vs become holy and religious men and then wee shall obtaine the chiefest of all those thinges which are free from all affections and perturbations that is God and immortall life The Word is our helper and therefore let vs be of good comfort and let vs put all our confidence in him Let neuer the desire of siluer and gold so possesse vs as of the word of truth For we greatly displease God if so be we make no account of those things which are precious and if we shall highly esteeme follies ignorances idlenesse pleasures idolatrie manifest shame and reproofe and extreame wickednesse The verie Philosophers verie iustly say whatsoeuer fooles doe thinke that they doe wickedly and iudge them wicked for their labours And also defining ignorance to be a kind of madnesse what doe they els but teach that manie are mad Therefore the word will say there is no doubt whether of these be better to bee wise and sober or to be mad Therefore we must cleauing to the truth valiantly followe God with all our strength behauing our selues soberly and to account all his things such as they are indeed And further when as we shall know that it is the greatest and gloriousest thing in the world to possesse God let vs commit our selues vnto God louing the Lord God and accounting this to be our dutie all our whole life And if
caried very earnestly by the broad way to the pleasures of the flesh riches of this world being accustomed to obey no body being desirous of reueÌ„ge ambitious c. These stumbling blockes as much as in him lyeth euerie good Christian must endeuour to take out of the waie We must not onlie commend praise vertue with our mouthes but also embrace the meanes by the which we maie attaine the same which are contempt of the world heartie earnest prayer fasting such like That holinesse of life which flourished amongst all sorts of men in the Primitiue Church appeares not in our daies because we vse not those means of fasting and prayer which they vsed If we would vse the like tillage to the grounds of our hearts which they then vsed without all doubt we should haue the same fruits of righteousnesse Can euen the best land bring forth good corne without tillage Sow to your selues in righteousnes saith the Prophet and reap after the measure of mercie Break vp your fallow ground Hos 10.12 Fasting no doubt is this spirituall ploughing and braking vp of our fallow ground mercie is that spirituall sowing which the Prophet here speaks of They which will haue the land of their hearts beare good corne plentifullie and be fruitfull in all good workes let them vse these meanes let them vse this husbandrie Manie amongst vs at this daie are like the Iewes which relie onlie on the word of God and search out therein manie high points Rom. 2.17 those things which differ are most excellent but those works of charity to their neighbors of contempt of the world of mercie to the poore of watching in prayer of fasting which so manifestlie almost euerie where it commends to vs commands they practise not And is this to professe Gods word This is plainlie to doe as the Iewes did to brag of it and not to follow it The which if we do Rom. 2.23 it shall no more profite vs then it did theÌ„ For they were as S. Paul there saith catechized instructed in the law euen as well as we are and knew the will of God And here I would to God all Christians would marke what Basill writeth concerning another Christian exercise which is watching in prayer which point also I haue handled before out of the Scriptures But as concerning that matter that we are accused of Basil epist 63. that is for the singing of Psalmes by which thing they chiefly terrifie the simpler sort which slaunder vs yet this I haue to answer that the customes which now are vsed are correspondent and agreeable to all the Churches of God The people rising in the night go to the house of prayer making a confession to God in labours and vexation of mind and continuall teares at length rising from prayer they are appointed to sing Psalmes and being deuided into two parts they sing one part answering another after that they strengtheÌ„ theÌ„selues with exercising meditation of the word of God they prepare to their hearts thereby attention and hauing reiected all vaine cares soundnes constantnesse Then one of them hath this office committed to him to begin the Psalme al the rest sing after him and so they passe ouer the night with varietie of singing of Psalmes prayers being entermingled at the breake of the day they altogether as being one man with one mouth with one hart offer to God a psalme of confession and they professe repentance euerie man with his own words If you flie froÌ„ vs for these things you must also fly froÌ„ Egypt you must also fly from both Libyas from the Thebans Palestines Arabians Phoenicians Syrians they that dwell by Euphrates that I may say all in one word all those with whoÌ„ watchings prayers coÌ„mon singing of Psalmes are of great account Here is plainlie set downe the forme of common prayers vsed in the Primitiue Church They rose to praier before daie they made a general confession as we do all together of their sinnes but with teares which we leaue out They read the Scriptures with them strengthened their faith They sang Psalmes all together sometimes and other somtimes prayed Thus they spent their nights and this was the common practise of all the Churches in those daies but now we cannot abide either to wéepe or to watch in prayer Let vs follow their holie footsteps which agree with the Scriptures as before hath béene declared They which beare the names of Christians are not true Christians indéed are like to counterfeit coin which although it haue as it were the Princes image stamp vpoÌ„ it yet is none of his but is forged of some rebel or enemie so these although they haue the outward stamp of the sacraments are not pure gold within but drosse They are not gold but copper Gold is a soft thing pliable and comfortable restoratiue as Phisitians saie but copper is stiffe hard hurtfull to man These lacke the true gold of faith Their faith worketh not by charitie they are not mercifull Gal. 5.6 2. Tim. 3.3 they are not comfortable to their brethren Their beleefe is a counterfeit beléefe it is of copper they are not louing kind they deale hardlie with their brethren They speak Gnathok as it is in the Hebrew Psal 93 4 which signifies anie thing that is old old things are commonly stiffe stubborne that is stubbornly roughly to their brethren Luke 16.24 they coÌ„fort them not they kill their hearts And though such Hypocrits can saie to Abraham with that same rich man father AbrahaÌ„ to our Sauior Christ with many Christians at the day of iudgment Lord Lord open vnto vs we haue eaten at thy table Luke 13.26 we haue receiued thy Sacraments we haue heard thee preach not seldome but often euen euerie Sabboth plentifully euen in our streetes Yet the Lord at his comming for all these externall religious works of inuocation of his name alone and receiuing his sacraments and of hearing him preach shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall punish to the example of all others such counterfeit Christians which haue wrought iniquitie and he shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. 25.32 Luk. 12.46 cut them in the middle because they haue but halfe serued him their part shal be with hypocrits For that seruant which knew his masters will prepared not himself not did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes But he that knew it not yet did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes For vnto whomsoeuer much is giuen of him shall bee much required and to whom men much commit the more of him will they aske O terrible sentence The hypocriticall Christian is in worse case then the infidell and Pagan For he not knowing Gods will and yet sinning shall be punished but with a few stripes but the other which knew his masters will and yet offended shall be punished with many stripes And wo be to him that shall be punished with manie stripes at Gods hand who is not able 〈◊〉 â—ndure one There is a parable in thâ—â—â—spel of a father and two sons and he came and said to the elder Son go worke to day in my vineyard And he answered and said I will not Matt. 21.28 yet afterward he repented himselfe and went Then came he to the second said likewise And he answered and said I wil Sir or as it is in the Gréek I Lord I will worke in thy vineyard He made a great shew of willingnesse but he went not What thinke ye saith our Sauiour Euen in mans reason the former is preferred and this yonger with his great shewes is condemned This parable was theÌ„ verified among the Iewes of the bragging and learned Pharisies and repenting and ignorant sinners and I pray God it be not verified likewise in our daies of some vaine protestants puft vp with knowledge and of some ignorant and repenting Papists That same parable also of the virgins was neuer more trulie verified then now Matt. 25.11 it is to be feared manie that be virgins and hate the spirituall fornication of the whoore of Babylon haue lampes of faith Reuel 17.5 yet for want of the oyle of mercie and light of good works shall be excluded though they knocke and praie saying Matt. 5.16 Lord Lord open vnto vs. Let your light so shine before men saith our Sauior that men may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen This lesson is generall to all Christs disciples Our workes should be séene Manie Christians worldly stately works at this daie are séene but their good works are not séene Reuel 14.13 Blessed are they that die in the Lord saith the Spirit they rest froÌ„ their labors their works follow theÌ„ Many do such works now as cannot follow them but remaine behind them But such works shall not profite them Phil. 2.15 That yee saith Saint Paul to the Philippians may be blamelesse and pure and the sonnes of God without rebuke in the midst of a naughtie and crooked generation amongst whoÌ„ ye shine as lights in the world Such should all Christians bee They should be blamelesse But now one shall hardly heare anie one spoken of but that he shall bee blamed for some thing They should be lights giuing good examples in the midst of a crooked generation but now almost all men giue euill example to their brethren Eph. 4. Luke 15.8 Exod. 19.5 Rom. 4 11 24 Matth. 25.1 Phil. 2.15 Luke 12.37 2. Tim. 1.17 The Lord Iesus giue all Christians grace to walke worthy of their callings of that most honourable name wherewith they are called that they may be the Lords trâ—â—ne his iewels that they may be Abrahams sons and wise â—ins that they may be blamelesse and as shining torches in the â—dst of this wicked world and froward generation That Iesus Christ at his comming may acknowledge them for his obedient and watchfull seruants for his glorious names sake to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost one God immortall inuisible and only wise be al praise honor and glory power and saluation both now and for euer Amen FINIS