Christ to our soules to nourish them to eternall life After we haue fed our bodies with bread and drinke we are hungry and â—hirsty again but Christ the liuing bread that came from heauen so feedeth our soules that they hunger and thirst no more Sampson could not see the hony dropping Iud. 14 9. but he must needes be licking so we cannot behold Christ inuiting vs to so heauenly a banquet but we long to be feeding and when we haue fed and disgested this spirituall foode we neuer hunger any more because our soule are still full as the Prophet Dauid saith my cup is ful and in the strength Psal 24 5. of this foode we are able to continue longer then Eliah did And when he had giuen thanks Christ did first giue thankes that 's the first action in this sacrament hee woulde not breake the bread nor giue it to his disciples till hee had sanctified it To teach vs what we must doe before we feede our selues He is ill woorthy of the creatures of God that will venture to vse them with greater liberty then the Sonne of God did In the twentie six of Mathew we find him not sitting downe til he had first saied grace nor râ—â—â—ng againe till hee had sung a Psalme Vnthankful people that notwithstanding this example of Christ in this place will yet forget God that feedes them deserue to die with meate in their mouthes like the Israelites â—â— 11 20 with quailes in their nostrilles Christ in giuing thankes calles vppon vs for gratitude and thanksgiuing in all matters whatsoeuer for what haue we that we haue not receiued for our food our health our liberty our peace All the creatures of God giue prayse to God that made them and shall ingratitude rest onely in men That which Christ here hath taught the children of God in all ages haue learned of him and practised The Prophet Dauid in the hundred and third Psalme calles vpon his soule and al that is within him to prayse the Lord. The very birds doo not feede themselues in the morning till first they haue chyrped and sung out prayses vnto God that made them Plâ—â—ie recordeth that there is not so fierce oâ— cruel a nature in the world but it is allured and wonne by benefites and stories do make report of strange examples in this kind as of lions and dogges towards their benefactors only an obstinate is he among all the sauage creatures that are whom neither benefits can moue nor curteâ—â—es can mollifie nor promises can allure nor gifts can gaine to the gratefull seruice of his Lord. We haue nothing from our selues but our sinnes all else comes from God yet we forget God that giues vs all things the bread to feed vs the earth to beare vs the light to comfort vs our cloathes to couer vs yea more than can be most his owne son to die for vs and yet our hearts will not call vppon our mouthes to acknowledge the author of all this So ingraâ—efull are we like those nine leapers ten were cleansed and but one returned Luc. 17. 17 to giue thankes So is it with vs scarce one of ten haue learned to be thankful Nature hath stampt in the very beasts of the earth a kind of gratitude Esay proueth it to reproue men for that they shew themselues so vnlike beasts Esay 1 The oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his maisters cribbe yet Israel knoweth not me Among these lepers aboue cited we find one better than nine and they were men one man better then many men but here wee finde beasts better then men If we will not learne of Dauid nor yet of Christ Dauids Lord learne of an oxe and an asse to be thankfull He brake it The breaking of the bread may not passe without his note It betokeneth the participation of his body as bread cannot be giuen nor diuided vnlesse it bee broken so the flesh of Christ cannot equally bee communicated nor imparted to the faithfull receiuers vnlesse first it be broke As we cannot eate whole loaues vntill they be cut into peeces and morselles that so wee may the better chew them and digest them so that other bread in the sacrament must be broken and diuided also because it cannot otherwise be redeemed Besides the breaking hath in it this mysterie it signifieth the breaking of Christes bodie viz. the torments and tortures and bitter paines that he indured for vs both in his bodie and soule As our eie then beholdes the breaking of the bread in the sacrament so let our spirituall eie the eie of the soule looke vppon Christ and his passion looke vpon him reuiled scorned spitted at whipped araigned crowned with thorne by false euidence conuicted and condemned and sentenced and executed betweene two theeues his handes and feete nailed through gaule and vinegar giuen him to drinke his most precious side goared and pearced through with a speare All this must bee seriously thought vppon with all other occurrences of his death and passion when thou seest the bread broken And gaue it After hee had broken it he giues it for now it was made fit for them and they were as capable to receiue it and as he gaue it so hee gaue not it alone but hee gaue comfort with it euen himselfe with it 2. Kin. 2. 13 as Elisha receiued at one time both Eliah his cloake and his spirit too Take eate this is my body As if he should haue said I haue alreadie fed your bodyes with materiall foode loe now receiue better meat food for your soules which shall feede them vp to eternall life Because Christ came to fulfill the lawe therefore he first ate the Passeouer with his Disciples and so finished that abrogated it in steede whereof he preseutly for the coÌ„fort of his Church ordained this sacrament of his bodie and bloud which should for euer bee vsed a speciall marke of the true Church being arightly administred In this sacrament we receiue Christ Iesus God and man we eate his bodie and wee drinke his blod so we beleene and teach but by his body we meane not that body which was at the table when this sacrament was instituted not that body which was crucified for vs vpon the Crosse not that bodie that was incarnate of the virgine Mary But by his body wee meane the force and fellowship and power of his bodie with all his goodnes and righteousnes This doctrine is as true as Christ is Christ and the Scripture is Scripture Howsoeuer the Papistes maintaine the contrarie by their doctrine of transubstantiation which is an execrable doctrine and a detestable heresie They hold that the bread and wine in the Sacrament is turned after the words spoken by the minister into the very flesh of Christ and the wine into his bloud A grosse and most absurd opinion that we should rent with our teeth the very flesh oâ— Christ our Sauiour This is euen to cruciâ—â—â— Christ againe like the
the second booke of Chronicles we find Salomon the son asking of God wisedome and here we find Dauid the father asking of God wisedome also A good father chawlkes the waie first and as gracious a sonne that well might seeme to descend from so good a father followes the same path after both walking towards God a father to them both both of one affection do aske one the same thing viz. wisedom but respecting a diuers end the one to th end he might the better gouerne his people the other to be able thereby to number his days And this much shal briefly suffice for the cleering of the first note which teacheth you if you will learne of Dauid to pray vnto God for knowledge desire him to direct you and teach you as to teach you al things so principally this pray him to learne you to number your daies This lesson wel learned wil bring you to the knowledge of all your other duties It followeth Dan. 5. To number It is ascribed vnto God by Daniel that God alone numbreth weigheth and diuideth he measureth times seasons daies yeares and he that is the numberer will teach vs to number if we wil offer our selues to be taught by him No lesson is more necessary for these times considering how sinne hath spread it selfe like a leprozie ouer all flesh and iniquitie hath gotten the vpperhand And more then this the vialls of Gods wrath are powred our alreadie vpon vs to consume vs as we are all eie-witnesses this day Al had bin preuented if we had bin carefull to get vnto our selues this one comfortatiue more worth than all the balme in Gilead to haue knowledge to number our daies From the first words of this psalme to this present text now handled the prophet recapitulateth and recounteth the shortnes and miserie of this life and in the tenth verse he makes vp a calender as it were of mans age in that he saith the life of man is threescore Psal 90. yeares and ten and though men be so strong that they come to fourescore yeares yet is their time then but labor and sorrow so soon passeth it away and we are gone The note raised hence must be this the shortnes of time ought to make vs more circumspect and certainly if men did in a careful conscience surueigh the short scantling of our yeares and crosses incident to the same they would not run so wilfully to the vomit of sinne as they do and so seale vp their own condemnation The want of this consideration blindfolds the sinful soules of men and casteth them headlong into a thousand inconueniences Gen. 19. If Lot had numbred his owne daies as he liued to see the Sodomites days both numbred and determined when fire from heauen consumed them he had not proceeded to commit incest so soon after with his own daughters Gen. 9. Righteous Noah forgat his righteousnesse and being drunke lay vncouered in his tent his owne sonnes being ashamed that their owne father had cast off shame He could preach to the olde world that their daies should be an hundred and twenty yeares and then should the floud come but he forgat to number his own dayes and therfore a seconde inundation preuailed against him he became ouerflowed with wine as the old world with water Dan. 4. If Nâ—bucad nezzar had numbred his time when hee numbred his towers and riches and honor he had not so soon lost his honor nor haue bin sent out to dwel with beasts in the field where he was compelled to eate grasse like an oxe because he liued like an asse til his haires were growne like Egles fethers and his nailes like birds clawes Belshazzar carowsing wine among his Dan. 5. nobles thought of nothing lesse than the numbring of his daies although euen then the moment of time was come when he should resigne vp boâ—h life and kingdome Not to stand vpon particulars if the great rich man in the Gospel had bin as careful to Lu. 12. 19. 20. number his daies as he was cumbered with deuising how to take downe hiâ—â—lde barnes and to build vp new thinking to store vp for many yeares that voice of terror had not sounded from the Numberer of times Thou foole this night wil they take the soule from thee he dreamed of many yeares behind but because he reckoned without his host for he neuer schooled himself where Dauid learned his Arithmetike therefore he deceiued himselfe and that daie proued to be the last of his life Such is and hath euer bin the course of carnal men that do fixe their eies vpon the present time only and do think that the same shall neuer be altered This securitie was far from Iob when he Iob. 14. 14. saith al the time of my pilgrimage wil I wait til my changing come as if he made it his occupation euery daie from time to time he waited for his changing Iob hath lefte few his like behind him few such Numberers of time recorded Iob and Dauid both do teach vs to number our daies as they did their daies Satan casteth so many golden baites in our Coruinus waye that we cleane forget our time as Coruinus forgate his name We are so busied like Naball about white 1. Sam. 25. 10. earth and red earth in raping and scraping transitorie trash and so deuoted to fleshly pleasures and deceitfull vanities of this life that we haue no leisure at al to think on death and so we chop into the earth afore we be aware like a man walking vpon a greene field couered with snow and not seeing the waie runneth on and sodainely falles into a pit Herodotus writeth of Sesostris a King of the Aegyptians that he was caried in a chariot drawne with foure Kings whom he before had conquered one of the foure casting his eies behinde him looked often vpon the wheeles of the chariot and was at length demanded by Sesostris what he meant to looke backe so often saith he I see that 〈…〉 which were highest in the wheel 〈…〉 sently lowest the lowest eftsoo 〈…〉 highest cogito de mutatione fortu◠〈…〉 vpon the inconstancie of thi 〈…〉 hereupon aduising himselfe 〈…〉 milde and deliuered the sai 〈…〉 As it did Pirrus history noteth mans mortalit 〈…〉 Teach vs to number our d◠〈…〉 speakes not of yeares or monet 〈…〉 but of daies noting the shortnesse 〈…〉 in the word Daies And the same phrase is vsed of all the 〈…〉 men vpoÌ„ the like occasion Iacob told Pharâ—oh that few and euill were the daies of his pilgrimage speaking of the time to note the shortnesse of life he names not yeares but daies and speaking of the toyles and troubles of life he calles it a pilgrimage Iob in like manner in numbring his daies my daies saith he are more swift than a post Iob. 9. 25. and in the 26. verse they are swifter than shippes Our Sauiour in teaching vs to
should eâ—en dissolue all eies into teares If the eie be drie at any time it ought in no case to be drie when we should weep for sin No teares are lost that fall from the eies of â—odly men for god catches them before they can fall to the ground and he treasureth them Psal 56 8 vp in his bottle If you will direct this watery humor to his due course and deriue this floud of affection to the right channell we must weepe for our sinnes like Peter Such weeping is both the salue and smart of sinne curing that which it chastneth with true remorce and preuenting neede of new Cure with detestation of the disease Teares tie the tongues of all accusers and soften the rigor of the seuerest iudge when they are most pittiful they are most powerfull and when they are most forsaken they are most victorious full of strength like to Samsons hairy lockes euen to foile whole armies Iud. 16. This heauenly dew of deuotion neuer falleth but the sunne of righteousnes drawes it vp and vpon whose face soeuer it droppes it makes the same most amiable and glorious like the face of Moses when he came downe Exo. 34 35 from the Mount Most sweetly was it vttered by a diuine of sweetest vtterance that repentant eies are â— cellars of Angells and penitent teares thâ— sweetest wines which the sauour of life pâ— fumeth the taste of grace sweetneth and tâ— purest colours of returning innocency higâ—ly beautifieth O that our hearts were such a limbeckâ— euermore distilling so pure a quintessencâ— drawen out from the weedes of our offencâ— by the fire of true contrition Heauen woulâ— mourne at the absence of so precious a water and earth lament the losse of so fruitfuâ— showres Sure till death close vp the fountaines the shall neuer faile running and then shall ouâ— soules be ferried in them to the hauen of life that as by them we were first transporteâ— from sinne to grace so in them wâ— may bâ— wafâ—ed from grace to glory And thus haue I deliuered vnto you the three degrees of Peters repentance which steps we must all pace if we will treade the way that leadeth to eternall life And nowe if I might be so priuileged 2. Chro. 1. 7 that I might receiue what I would at Gods hands like Solomon I would intreat no more but this of him that he would direct euery one of vs to keep these steps which his apostle S. Peter hath troaden out afore vs. There is none of vs but hath offended â—th Peter we haue denied Christ as he did â—hough not in the same manner yet sure in as â—â—eat a measure and had we liued to haue â—â—ne Christ in the flesh and had bin in like â—ort vrged as Peter was we would not haue â—icked to haue likewise offended But how many are among vs that though â—hey confesse Christ in name do not denie â—â—m in deedes and workes we professe the â—â—me of christians but liue like infidells haâ—ing a shew of godlinesse but denying the power of it We haue nothing from Christianity but the name like Labans Idols that were called gods and yet were but blockes What fruit hath the word wrought in vs what amendment of life what reformation euery man sound himselfe and descend into his owne conscience and he shal find himself now nothing better than he was many score yeares ago as prowd now as euer as couetous now as euer as vaine euery way now as euer as vnapt to serue God now as euer and what els is this then to denie Christ Although Christ is preached vnto vs euery Sabbaoth and we all in good measure acquainted with the will of God opened vnto vs in his word yet who careth to walke wâ— thy of his knowledge and to practise in a â—â—ly obedience that which we know and is â— this to deny Christ Wee heare how straightly God coâ—maunds vs to keep his Sabbaoth and yetâ— wilfully violate the same if we present oâ— selues in the beginning of the Sabbaoth offer vnto God the morning sacrifice weâ— not come in the afternoone to giue him â— euening incense But we reserue the beâ— part of the day to our selues and do bestâ— it vpon our lustes and is not this to dâ—â— Christ Peter after he had weighed the greatnesâ— his sinne was so offended with himselfe thâ— he had almost drowned himselfe in his owâ— teares Since we haue sinned with Peter vs repent with Peter â— who after this did sinâ— no more The same Peter after this tooâ— penance of himself for his Deniall and coâ— ragiously gaue vp his life for the testimony â— Iesus Christ Let euery one of vs theÌ„ go forth with Petâ—â— and weepe before the Lord like Ezechial that he may forgiue vs our misdeedes If wâ— had as many eyes in our heads as there bâ— grasse-piles vpon the ground yet we ougâ— â—o weepe them all out for our sinnes If euer there were a time for teares then â—â—is is the time wherein eye-streames ought â—o be most behoouefull for this is the time of our visitation this is a time that should be deuoted wholly to mourning meditations â—â—ke the Captiue Israelites vpon Babilons banckes Were Ieremie now aliue and saw the iniquity of these times and the vialls of Gods wrath already powred out vpon this land â—nd the inhabitants thereof for the sin thereâ—n committed hee would againe renue his tragicall ditty in the ninth of his prophecy O that my head were a well of water and mine eies a fountaine of teares that I may weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of my people The scarcity and streightnes wherewith we yet are and of long time haue bin afflicted should force vs to take vp a lamentation and to howle out with those husbandmen in Ioel his time for the wheat and for the barly because the fields are wasted and the haruest is perished Our Ephah is become small but the shekel great and God hath vtterly broken the staffe of our bread as Ezechiel speaketh and had we not need to weep bitterly with Peter aâ— with Dauid to water our couch with teareâ— Yet notwithstanding all this where is â—â— humiliation that is required who yet 〈◊〉 neth to the Lord nay we seeme to be haâ—â—ned in our sins and we haue mâ—de our haâ— like the adamant that the impression of Goâ— graces cannot enter Resembling herein wicked Pharaoh anâ— those senceles Aegyptians who were so frâ—zen in the dregges of their sins and their haâ— so stony that the ten plagues powred vpâ—â— them did no whit humble them or maâ—â— them to relent The like remorceles obduration we read Amos 4. of in the fourth of Amos there the Lorâ— checketh the people for their rebellious obstinacy in not reforming themselues accoâ—ding to his righteous iudgements I haue giuen you cleanesse of teeth in â— your citties and scarcenes of bread in all youâ— places yet you haue not returned vnto mâ— saith the
Christs body should be offered and his bloud powred out for our sinnes Giuen for vs. Here is all merite excluded the meere loue of God caused Christ to die for vs. So God loued the word that he gaue his only begotten Son that so many as beleeued on him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Hauing now the participation of his bodie and bloud we may sing with S. Paul now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus God spared not his only sonne but gaue him for vs al to death and again who shall condemne it is Christ who is dead or rather who is â—isen for vs. This should make vs loue God and this should stirre vs vp to be thankfull vnto him for so inestimable a benefit And God doth call vpon vs for this thankfulnes in the following words Doe it in remembrance of me O it is a thing especially to be remembred this benefit of our redemption O it ought to be printed vpon our nailes and vpon our tables and vpon our beds that we might neuer forget it Let vs remember Christ his death for it is our life it saues vs from death euen eternal death Dauid could say of Ierusalem If I forget Psa 137. 5. thee O Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning yea lette my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth if I preferre not Ierusalem to my cheefest ioy So let vs say the same of Christ if we forget thee O our redeemer let our right hand forget her cunning yea lette our tongues cleaue to the roofe of our mouthes if wee preferre not thy death to our cheefest ioye Remember thy creator saith the Preacher Eccle. 12 1 so I say remember also thy Redeemer Thou oughtest sooner to forget thy selfe as Messalah did his name theÌ„ to forget him that died for thee Consider this you that forget God you that dwell in sinful Ierico leaue your sinnes they procured Christs death Christ hath died for vs that henceforth we should learne to die to sinne and walke in newnesse of life knowing that our olde man is crucified with him to thend the body of sinne should be destroyed You then remember him as yee ought when you lay all the storie of his Passion before you as if you looâ—ed vppon him nowe crucified and hanging on the crosse induring all the torments and paines of hell both in body and soule for our sakes consider of all the tortures and bitter pangs of his innocent passion which Nazianzene compriseth in three words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Buffets and blowes mockes and mowes railings and reuilings whips and scourges prickes and thornes hammers and nailes cordes and ropes crosse and gibbet thirst and vinegar reede and speare these were the instruments of our redemption Al this and more then can be vttered did he sustain patiently for our sakes in his most blessed body Which though they be now past in him ought not lightly to passe from vs but euer to be fresh in memorie as Dauid saide I will neuer forget these iustifications of thine so let vs say we will neuer forget these torments of thine The christian soules of men should liue Act. 7 55 and die in the meditation of Christs life and death like Stephan in the contemplating of his glory If the Philosophers call contemplation the greatest and chefest felicitie certainelie then in this contemplation consists the greatest felicity The forgetfulnes of this benefite driues vs blindfolded into al sin for wheÌ„ we forget Christ we straightwaies forget our selues too and so this proud flesh of ours wil not suffer vs to crucifie our crooked affections What flesh can be proud that beholdeth our Sauiour so poore and contemptible vpon the crosse or what soule hauing any spark of grace like the maimed faith of Agrippa caÌ„ nowe giue himselfe ouer vnto sinne considering the seueritie of Gods iustice vppon his owne naturall and only begotten Sonne for our sinnes which otherwise could not be cleered but by so deere a price euen the hart bloud of so glorious a person But of this inough although inough can neuer be spoken and it ought rather to bee mused vpon in our harts than amplified in words Here may wise men studie and wonder like the disciples gazing after Iesus ascending or like Elisha when his maister was taken from him I will end with the woordes of this shorte charge in this place Do it in remembraunce of Christ Remember Christ hath redeemed you Christ hath reconciled you his bloud hath purged you his faith doth iustifie you his appearing will glorifie you to him with the father and the holy spirite bee glory for euer Amen Christ Combating with Satan Then was Iesus ledde aside by the spirit into the Wildernesse to be tempted of the diuell And when hee had fasted forty dayes and fortye nights he was at the last an hungry Then came to him the Tempter and sayd if thou be the Sonne of God command these stones to be made bread c. Math. 4. 1. This Historye is recorded for our learning and for our exhortation for our learning to the end we should know that Christ by this his faste hunger temptation and victory ouer Satan did all this for our sakes and therein worketh our good and safetie The faithfull in Christ must know that they shall neuer be left in temptation nor ouercome in affliction because our head Christ Iesus hath in his owne person ouercome al these things for vs according to that sweete testimony of himselfe in the 16. of Iohn Be of good cheere I haue ouercome the world We are exhorted after this example of Christ to indure hunger temptation and any necessitie or crosse of affliction soeuer that God shal lay vpon vs when and so ofteÌ„ as it shall please God to exercise vs with any such triall arming our selues with patience and much constancie and we shall vndoubtedly be deliuered at Gods hands al in good time God wil comfort vs when we are most pinched as in this place hee comforted his sonne after his long fast by causing the Angels to minister vnto him In the time of trouble and heauines when wee combat with the diuel and our owne flesh comfort seemes for a time to be hid like fire that is raked vp in the ashes vntil the bellowes of Gods prouidence blowe vpon it and then it shewes it selfe vpon a sodaine like the sunne out of a cloude when the storme is past God requireth that we stay his leysure and at length though his helpe and succor seeme as farre from vs as Lazarus in Abrahams Luc. 16 22. bosome yet it wil come at last to do vs most good as the Sunne that was rising is risen and as the sheaues fell afore Ruth in the gleaning time If when wee bee no sooner downe God presently raiseth vs vp Ruth 2 16. why here can bee no triall of patience but God is woont to leaue vs for a time to the
it no more Wee will now proceede to the second Commaundement The secoÌ„d commandement IF thou loue God as thou oughtest and as he requireth thou wilt make no Image of God for so runneth the commaundement Tbou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image And if thon mayest not make it much lesse mayst thou worship it no Commaundement Exe. 34 14 throughout the Scripture is more pressed than this thou shalt bow downe to no other God because the Lorde whose name is Iealous he is God This Commaundement was greatly violated in the dayes of Ieremy the prophet chargeth Iudah that according to the number of their Cityes were their gods they could say to a tree thou art my father and to a stone thou hast begotten me Remember saith Moses when God spake vnto you out of the fire you hard the voice Deu. 4. 12. of the wordes but saw no similitude saue a voyce only As we are forbidden in this commandement to make the Image of God so are we likewise charged not to make the Image of any other thing either to worship it or god sainct or angell by it for God will not bee worshipped after our owne fancies but as his word commaundeth God will be worshipped in spirit and truth according to the paterne of the word as Moses did all thinges according to the patterne he saw in the mount In vaine ye worship me teaching for doctrine Mark 7. 7. the precepts of men This controules the vaine and idle conceitednesse of ignorant people who being demaunded why they maintaine this or that superstition they answere no other thing but this our father 's held the same before vs and wee holde the same too by tradition from them as if religion came by discent so folishe are some and ignorant euen as an horse or mule which haue no vnderstanding Ambrose in his twenty ninth Epistle saith that the Iewes are the rather estranged from Christian religion because they find Images erected in the Papistes Synagogues The Iews smarted many times for their Idolatrous worship therfore now detesting it in themselues they abhor it in others also Osee telleth the Iewes that because they counsailed with their stocke and staffe and went a whoring from vnder their god therfore their daughters should be harlots and their spouses whores What sencelesnesse is it saith a learned diuine for the Image of God to fall downe before the Image of a man Danid painteth out the vanitie of superstitious worshippers when speaking of Idols he saith the Idolls of the heathen are siluer and gold euen the worke of mens hands they haue mouths and speake not they haue eies and see not they haue eares and heare not neither is there any breath in their mouth they that make them are like vnto them so are all they that put their trust in tâ—â—m Liclantius peremptorily giues out this censure there is no doubt saith he but that no pure religion can be there where any Image is receiued Againe if thou loue God thou wilt cary The third commandement such ar euerent estimatioÌ„ of him as that thou wilt not abuse so much as his name thou wilt both speak and think reuerently of him Thou dost violate this commaundement so often as thou dost blasphemously apply the name of God to inchauntment sorcery cursing and periury The iniquity of these times and the necessity of reforming the grosse abuses of men wilfully and wittingly incurring the breach of this commaundement would require whole volumes of inuectiues witchcraft forceries charming they are sinnes too commonly practized in this age If ones finger do but ake or any part of thy body be extraordinarily touched with any infirmity straight to the witch thou runnest or sendest and so for things that be lost or stolne for the which the wiseman or the wise woman must be consulted with alas beloued is God as Baal that he should not care for your abuse nor call you to an accouÌ„t for the breach of his commandements Or are you yet to be taught whether this be a sinne or not For so many shame not to answer when they are challenged for going to a wise man or woman why say they we hope we do well we find that good comes of it we get our health we recouer our goods that were lost and so they crosse S. Paul his rule Non facienda sunt mala vt veniant bona we may not do ill that good may come of it If thou hast not yet heard the Lord condemning this sinne heare it now and henceforth condemne it in thy selfe Let none be found among you that vseth Leuiti 20. witchcraft or that is a regarder of time or a sorcerer or a charmer or that councelleth with spirits for all that do such things are an abhomination to the Lorde The Canaanites for this cause were expelled Exo. 22. 18. from their good land let not a witch liue In the sift of the Gallathians it is reckoned among the sins of the flesh and condemned Wilt thou behold the terror of the Lords wrath vpon this sinfull generation and euer after beware of a witch looke vppon Saul whom God did not spare though he were a King for consulting with the witch at Endor he was vtterly forsaken his kingdome taken 1. Sa. 31. 4. 6 from him the next day folowing he and his three sonnes were slaine Will ye haue another president of Gods iustice vpon another who was a King too Achaziah being sicke of a bruze taken with a fall would needes send to Beelzebub 2. King â— of Ekron to know whether hee shoulde recouer or no but the Lorde by the mouth of Eliah sent backe the messenger before he could come to the witch and bade him returne this colde comfort to his master is there no God in Israel that thou sendest to inquire of Beelzebub wherefore thus saith the Lorde thou shalt not rise vp from the bed whereon thou art gone vp but shalt die the death If you or any other when you go to a witch should receiue this or the like sentence at the Lordes mouth I resolue you would be more warie I cannot part with this sinne because I would beate it downe and stamp it into hel from whence it came Oh would I could find that stone that might kill this Goliah I would throw it at him with al my might and make it sincke into the midst of his temples to returne glory to Israel and shame to the Philistins Most notable is that place in Ezech. where God pronounceth an heauy woe against these wise-mongers Woe vnto the women that sow pillowes Ezec. 13. 18 vnder euery arme-hole wil ye hunt the souls of my people wil ye pollute me among my people for handfulls of barley and for peeces of bread to stay the soules of them that should not die can you giue life to the soules that come vnto you why do ye hunt the soules of my people