doe nether fede nor norish S. Augustin also subscribeth vnto them saying Accedat verbum elemento fit sacramentum he saith not succedat but accedat whiche is this much to say Let the word be added to the element and then it is made a sacrament Thus it is euident that y e bread and wyne which is the element remayneth and is not traÌ„substanciat both by autentical scriptures whiche do alowe thre similitudes and also by the consent of al the doctors and elder fathers For out of doubt Athanasius Basil Nazianzene Hierome Chrisostome and other both Latinistes and Grekes do not disagre with these Moreouer the rock was a sacrament of Christes bloud yet not transubstanciat They we drinke one spiritual drinke as Paul recordeth Likewise Manna was a sacrament of his body without any such mutacion You wil aske me then whether our sacramentes be better then the sacraments of the old testameÌ„t Yea truly but not of their own nature but thorow y e grace of God thorow the fulnes of time bicause in this testament the face of Christ is more clearly discouered and knowen and not thorow any transubstanciation These be y e daies which the Patriarkes Prophets desired to come the daies of saluation the acceptable time I haue opened the true meaning of Christes words this is my body and declared the necessitie the vse the fruit the mary and swetenes of the holy communion which fruit is incomparable For if all they whiche did but touch the hem of Christes garment receiued their perfect health How much more shall we be made strong and conforted if we haue Christ in vs. This holy communion geueth lyfe destroyeth death quickeneth our bodies lighteneth our soules banysheth synne and encreaseth vertue For as a litle wax powred vpon other wax is made al one with it euen so they that receiue this sacrament worthely abyde in Christ and Christ in them A little leauen sowreth a whole batch but the seldome receiuing of this sacrament if I say it be receiued worthely bryngeth remission of sinnes purgeth our soules maketh cleane our herts amendeth our vnderstandinges but the oftener the better All you that approch vnto this table and desyre to be braunches of the vyne and to be sealed into the felowship of the congregation forsake your sinfull lyuing entend to leade a newe conuersacion from the bottom of your hearts pourge out the olde leauen and become newe dough burie al affections and liue vnto vertue otherwyse ye nether eat Christes flesh nor drink his bloud He that eateth Christes flesh hath eternall life Yea mary saith the Papistes if he eat it digne worthely adding vnto the text or els making it false but he may receiue it vnworthely as Iudas did Examen this exposition with the touchstone opeÌ„ the scripture with the key not with the pick lock and thou shalt finde that Christes flesh is not receiued vnworthely In all the scriptures this word indigne vnworthely is but once read concerning this sacrament and there marke the bread the wyne is said to be receiued vnworthely not Christes most coÌ„fortable flesh and bloud Quicunque manducauerit paneÌ„ hunc c. He that eateth of this bread drinketh of this cup saith Paul vnworthely he shal be gilthy of the body and bloud of Christ. Lo he saith he that eateth of this bread vnworthely and drinketh of this cup not of the body bloud of Christ which alwaies be receiued vnto health Chose nowe gentell reader whether thou wilt beleue y e papistes which teach that Christes flesh is receiued of euil meÌ„ vnworthely â—r Paul which saith he that eateth of this bread that is not commen bread not dayly bread but sacramental bread that is ment by the word this If they can shew in any place of scripture where this word vnworthely is ioined with the body of Christ as I haue shewed where it is coupled with bread I will be of their opinion Christes flesh is meat according to his own saying Caro mea vere est cibus c. My flesh is very meat and my bloud is very drink Now meat doth hurt where it findeth a bely corrupt with naughtie humores Euen so this spiritual fode if it find a man defiled with sinne encreaseth his dampnation bryngeth hym vnto destruction not of the nature of it but thorowe the default of hym that receceiueth it Yea if we be defiled with corrupt humors we be no partakers of these deinties But peraduenture the Papistes wil reply if it be meat then is it receiued both of good and euil men for nether of both sortes can lyue without meat To this I auÌ„swere it is the meat of the soul not of the bodie the fode of the spirit not of the flesh and therfore it is not receiued of euill persones because the meat is good and they be euill so that this is a strong argument Christes flesh and bloud is meat ergo it is not receiued of euil men Moreouer Christes flesh and bloud is the vine as I haue proued before and we be the braunches Only the brauches be fed of the vine Euil men be not braunches of the vine Ergo euil meÌ„ be not partakers of y e vine Which is Christes flesh and bloud Therfor let no Iudas no SimoÌ„ Magus no man with a cloked mind thinke that he is fed with these deinties If it were not lawful for the vncircumsised in flesh to eate the figuratiue paschal lambe how much more is it vnlawful for y e vncircumcised vnclean in heart to tast of these deinties If he that despised Moises law was condempned without any mercy vnto death vnder two or thre witnesses how more greuously shall he be punished which treadeth vnder fote the sonne of God couÌ„teth the bloud of the new testameÌ„t as an vnholy thing wherwith he is sanctified Purge out y e old leuen or els thou maist not nor thou canst not eat this swete bread Paul testifieth that many among the CorinthiaÌ„s for y e abusing of this sacrameÌ„t were punished with weakenes with sicknes yea many stroken with death the whiche he wrot for our enstruction Against the coÌ„ming of our frend we make cleane our houses and loke diligeÌ„tly that al things be trym And are we negligent in puryfying of our mindes against the coÌ„ming of the great king who hath promised to dwell with vs after the receiuing of this holy meat I wold wysh that men wold geue thankes more customably immediatly after the receyuing therof vnto God for the redemption of mankinde and for all his benefites syngyng the C. Psalme O be ioyfull in the Lorde all ye landes serue the Lord in gladnes and come before his presence with a song And the Psalme that beginneth O com let vs sing vnto the Lorde let vs hartely reioyce in the strength of our saluacion let vs come before his presence with thaÌ„kes geuing
thou swearest by Gods wisdom when thou swearest by Gods armes thou swearest by Christ when y u swearest hands legs thou swearest by his humanitie wheÌ„ thou swearest by his tong and finger thou swerest by the holy ghost and swearing by his head thou swerest by his diuine and blessed nature and swearing by his heares thou abusest his creatures by which thou art forbiddeÌ„ to swear WheÌ„ an oth is necessary we are bounde to swear by God only vnto whom al honor is due for we honor that thing wherby we swear It is naught to swear by the Masse a prophanacion of Christes supper and a patched creature of the Byshop of Rome which was longer in patching then SalomoÌ„s great teÌ„ple in building Nether is it lawfull to swear by any sainctes as Iudges and Stewardes make the simple people do at cessions and courtes for if they be to be sworne by they are to be praied vnto and to be honored Dauid saieth all they that swear by him shalbe commeÌ„ded And Paul vnto the Hebrues speaketh thus that God because he had no greater thing to swear by swore by him self wherby we must gather y t we must swear by God only Thei that swear by his creatures or by the Masse be Idolaters But some wil say if we honor y â— thing wherby we swear let vs swear by God that we may honor him Brother be not deceiued God is honored by swering but how Truly when thou swearest by him in a waighty matter of life death before an officer or in any other matters of importaunce thou dost hym honor and homage but if in euery trifle thou call him to witnes thou dishononorest him and breakest his commaundement which saith Non assumes nomen domini c. Thou shalt not take y e name of thy Lord God in vaine Swear therfore by God as God hath commauÌ„ded thee thou honorest him I trust nowe it is euident that God not withstaÌ„ding all these forsaid partes and members is a spirit and no bodely no corporall no sensible thing If ther be any that think otherwyse I would fain learn how thei set the scripturs together which can not be contrary one to another for scripture is truth and truth can by no meanes be contrary to the truth If they wil proue of the places before that God is like man I will proue also because the scripture saith who is this y t cometh froÌ„ Edom with stained red clothes of Bosra whiche is so costly that God goeth in a red coat whiche if it be true he must nedes haue a tailer or els make it himself for those wordes ar spoken of God as the place sheweth But if we weigh the place diligently we shall find that Edom is the earth the stained red clothes are Christes bloude whiche he did shed vppon earth for our sinnes And they whiche demaund who he is be his creatures which shall maruel at the wisdom of God in deliuering mankind from the bondage of the spiritual Pharao by bloud by death by the crosse I wil proue also y t he hath shoes for he saith by Dauid ouer Edom wil I strech out my shoe And then he must nedes haue a shomaker or els make shoes him selfe But Edom is the earth the Apostels fete be his shoes for it is written how bewtiful are the fete of them which bryng glad tidinges of peace He stretched his shoe ouer the earth when he sent them to preach to al creatures For their sounde went into all landes their words to the ends of the world I may proue also with lyke argumentes vnto these bycause Gods worde doth attribute wynges vnto God that he is a byrd and so if he be lyke a man and a byrd both he is a moÌ„ster and bicause it doth attribute vnto him bow shaftes quyuer that he vseth shoting bicause it graunteth to him a fan a flore wheat chaffe that he occupieth husbandry Dauid saith defend me vnder the shadowe of thy wynges likening God to a bird forasmuche as he is no lesse carefull for his chosen then the Hen is for her chickens as Christ declareth very well crying Ierusalem Ierusalem howe often wold I haue gathered thy children together as the hen gathered hir chickeÌ„s vnder hir winges and ye would not And it graunteth God bow and shaftes and a quiuer to signifie him to be a punisher of the vngodly and a rewarder of the Godly for as muche as men minister helpe or vengeaunce one to another oftentimes through bowes and shaftes and one Prince aideth an other with archers He hath bent his bow saith Dauid and made it ready he hath prepared weapons of death and ordeined arowes to destroy that is he wil aueÌ„ge euil meÌ„ he wil reward them for their oppression â–ª he wil punish them for their vngracious deuises except they amende he hathe whet his swerde And â—ell may God be compared to a shoter For as the shoter the lesse or more he draweth his shaft his stroke is therafter and if he draw it far and vp to the Iron then it payeth likenes of God Yea truly but in soule in mind in y â— inward man not touching his body Wherfore Augustin a man most expert in Gods word crieth out against the Image of the trinitie calling it Sacrilegium A staining of Gods honour and an Idoll because the glory of the immortall God is chaunged into y e similitude and Image of mortall man forbidding such an Image not only in the church but also in thought mind I suppose that the Antropomorphites erected this Image When Philip desired Christ to shew him the father he rebuked him and aunswered he that seeth me seeth the Father for he is the only Image of the Father as Paul writeth not a domme Image for he is his word not a dead Image for he is life and resurrection not couÌ„terfet for he is truth God is a spirit not fleshe a soull not a body The soull of man is sayde to be made Ad imaginem similitudinem dei after the Image of God because it is a spirituall creature vnuisible vncorruptible not of the substaunce of God as the Maniches and the Priscillianistes do falsly defend but made of nothing For then it should know all thinges as God knoweth and be ignoraunt of nothing it should be voyd of al affections mutabilitie and vnconstancie There is in mans soull reason discerning good from euil truth from falshead There is memory by the whiche he remembreth thinges past there is will by the whiche he choseth what hym lyketh Besides this our first parentes were made with out spot voyd of sinne clean righteous holy replenished with al floures of vertues and knowledge In these thinges man was formed after the lykenes of God In these we be like y e Angels our bodies we haue comen with the brute beastes it was made of the
ignoraunce doth not argue Gods worcks to be vnprofitable yea Gods glory and wonderful power is more maruelous in making the litle flie to hear to tast and to fele with a mouth with legges with wynges a body the stomaâ—k the otheâ— inward partes then in an Elephant and more maruelous in a frog then in a great Whale and in a mouse then in a mightie horse If thou come into a riche mans house and seest much stuffe thou thinkest al to be to some purpose and darest thou iudge y t God in his house hath made any thing to no purpose Al Gods creatures ether be profitable or hurtful or not necessary thanck him for the profitable take hede of the hurtful and question not reason not of thinges not necessary For although thy capacitie can not perceiue it yet God hath made all thinges in measure and number and weight he made not y e deuil for he made him an aungel and he made himself a deuil by sinning when he fell from heauen as lightening For the deuill is as much to say as an accuser and a seducer of the Greke word Diaballi whiche signifieth to accuse to infame to disceiue God made man but he made not man euil so he made him an angel but not a deuil he made many angels but they made them selues euill for no euil commeth of him as it is written he beheld many thinges yea al that he had made and â—o they wer exceading good But why did he make him an angel knowing he wold become a deuil why did he make other aungels innumerable why many thousands of men women and children which he forseeth shalbe dampned Verely that he might declare himself to be rightuous in punishing the vngodly as he is merciful in rewarding the godly no man can blame him therfore but rather magnifie his rightuousnes He compelleth them not to sinne for which thei ar dampned Should God because he forsawe they would be euill absteine from creatinge them which is good Is it not lauful for him to do what him listeth with his own are their eies euyll bycause he is good should he not do well in making them because they would doe ill in offendyng him Of this thing seke a further aunswer in the .xii. of the boke of wysdom but let vs returne from whence we are straied al beit these questions are annexed vnto our purpose The smyth is not able to make any thing without Iron nor the Carpenter without wood nor the Tayler without cloth nor the Shomaker without leather nor the Potter without clay but God who is almightie made al thyngs of nothyng Before any thyng was what could there be to make them of except he would haue made them of hymself Iesus the sonne of Sirach saith Qui viuit in eternum creauit omnia simul He that liueth for euer more made al thinges simul together that is God made first a confused heap called in Greke Chaos of nothing and of that heap he formed all thinges as it is written Qui fecisti mundum ex materia informi who hast formed the world of a confused heape He made this heap altogether where he saith in the beginning God treated all thynges heauen and earth for the heap is called there heaueÌ„ and earth as afterward also it is called the water the spirit of y e Lord was born vpon the waters So far no time no order of daies is mencioned afterward God of this heap in six daies shapeth al thinges so that both be true that God made the world in syx daies and that he made all thinges together This article of creation is necessary to be knowen for as muche as some deny God to be the maker of the world and geueth the glory therof to aungels as the Menandrians Saturnians Cerinthians al so the Nicolitanes it is y e first article of our Crede The .xv. Chapter ¶ God ruleth the world after his prouideÌ„ce and how he rested the .vii. day OTher graunt God to be maker of al thinges but they suppose that as the shypwright wheÌ„ he hath made the ship leaueth it to y e mariners medleth no more therwith as the carpenter leaueth the house that he hath made euen so God after he had formed all thinges left al his creatures to their own gouernauÌ„ce or to the gouernauÌ„ce of y e starres not ruling the world after his prouideÌ„ce but liuiÌ„g in ease quietnes as y e Stoiks Epicures diuers astrologers because it is writteÌ„ y t on the .vii. day God rested from al his workes To these I aunswer with the prophet Dauid God couereth the heauen with cloudes prepareth rain for the earth maketh the grasse to grow vpon the mouÌ„tains geueth foder vnto the cattel maketh fast y e bars of y e gates of Sion blesseth y e children within maketh peace in our borders filleth vs with the flour of wheat geueth vs snow lyke wol seatreth the hore frâ—â—t like ashes casteth forth his ise like morsels helpeth them to right that sustein wrong loseth men out of pryson geueth sight to the blind raiseth vp them that are fallen careth for straungers defendeth the fatherles socoureth the widowe wherfore he is not an idle God For as the body lyueth thorow the lyfe of the soul euen so the world continueth by Gods gouernaunce who ruleth it as y e maister doth his seruaunt without whom it perâ—sheth in the twinkling of an eie All thynges wayte vpon him to receiue fode in due season when he geueth it them they gather it when he openeth his hand they are filled with good things when he hideth his face thei are sorowful if he take away his breath they die and are turned again to dust The common wealth of y e Israelites teacheth vs how woÌ„derfully God prouideth for theÌ„ that he hath chosen He preserued Iacob froÌ„ his brother Esau he seÌ„t Ioseph into Egipt to make prouision against the .vii. dear yeares he sent darknes amongs the Egiptians he turned their waters into bloud and slue their fishe their landes brought forth frogges flies lyse grashoppers caterpillers yea euen in their kinges chambers he brought them forth of the house of bondage and slauery with siluer gold he rebuked the sea and dried ti vp he led them thorow the depe as in the wildernes he spred out a cloud to be a couering and fire to geue light in the nyght season at their desires came quailes and he filled them with the bread of heauen he opened the rock of stone and the waters flowed out so that riuers came into the wildernes he dried vp the waters of Iordan that y e people might passe ouer he ouerthrew the walles of Iericho and made the sunne to stand stil and the day was lengthened he sâ—ew mightie kings Sehon king of the Amorites and Og king of â—asan and gaue away their laÌ„d for an heritage
to be mindful of both kindes But here we must note that Christ toke mans nature vpon him not by the turning of his godhead into his manhead but by assumpting of manhead vnto his godhead not by confusioÌ„ or mixture of substauÌ„ce but by vnitie of person For as the reasonable soul the fleshly body is one man so y â— deitie humanitie is one Christ. WheÌ„ I say Christ toke our nature vpoÌ„ him I meane not y t he toke flesh only as some heretikes haue thought but the soull of man also forsomuch as he is no halfe sauiour but a redemer of both For he witnesseth of himself Tristis est anima mea my soull is sad vnto death I haue power to put my soul from me I haue power to take it again no maÌ„ taketh it froÌ„ me Dauid speaketh also in his behalfe thou shalt not leue my soul in hel nether shalt thou suffer thy saint to se corruptioÌ„ Some are moued to thinke that Christ toke not mans soull vpon hym but the body only because his beloued disciple sayth Verbum caro factum est the worde was made flesh makyng no mencion of a soul. S. Iohn sayeth the word was made flesh as Paul recordeth that by the deades of the lawe no fleshe shall be iustified The whiche in another place he sayth more plainly through the lawe no man shall be iustified vnderstanding by the worde fleshe not the body only but the hole man both body soul. This maner of speaking is often in the scripture for Dauid saith thou hearest y e praier therfore al flesh coÌ„meth vnto thee all flesh for al men And note here a vehemencie in the wordes thou hearest as if he shuld say We pray to thee for we do know that thou dost hear but of other we know not that they hear and therfor we only call on thy name Thus did the olde Patriarkes this was their fayth We neuer read that they praied to any creature And Ieremy curseth him that maketh flesh his arm that is putteth his trust in man And Iohn Baptist testififieth that al flesh shall se the sauiour sent of God So Ihon the Euangelist saith the worde was made fleshe as if he had said the word was made man toke maÌ„s flesh and nature which worde is Christ. I haue declared before whi he is named a word and what maner of word he is But wherof was he made fleshe Of what matter and stuffe was his humanitie shapen or did he bring it out of heauen No truly The first AdaÌ„s flesh was formed of the earth as it is writteÌ„ then the Lord God shaped man of the mould of the earth And wherof the second Adams flesh was made the blessed apostle S. Paul telleth saing When the fulnes of time was expired God sent his sonne Factum ex muliere made or born of a woman He did not passe thorow her as water gusheth thorow a pipe or condite but toke part of her substaunce and nature Wherfore y e Prophet Esay nameth him a flower or blossome coÌ„ming out of the rote of Iesse Salomon nameth hym a Lily a Rose among thornes Doth not euery floure take his nature of the body and stok out of which it groweth Doth not the Lily Rose likewise Are grapes gathered of thornes or fygges of appell trees Besides this it was nedefull that thesame flesh shuld be punished on y e tre which offended in eating of the fruit of the tree that the same flesh shold be iustified ryse in rightousnes which died in synne and vnrightuousnes For by a man sayth Paul came deâ—â—h and by a man cometh resurreccion of the dead And as by the disobedience of one man many became dead so by the obedieÌ„ce of one man many be made aliue Wâ—y coÌ„sider the coÌ„parison that Paul maketh betwene the first Adam the second Adam in the .v. to the Romains and it destroyeth this opinion vtterly Besides S. Paul saith that we be flesh of his flesh bones of his bones speaking of Christ MeÌ„bra sumus de corpore eius de carne eius de ossibus eius We are meÌ„bers of his body of his flesh and of his bones But how are we good christen people flesh of Christs flesh except he be flesh of Maries flesh and bones of Maries bones Besides he did suck his mother toke his norishment out of her swete brestes For we read that a certain womaÌ„ came vnto him said Beatus venter qui te portauit vbera que suxisti Happy is the wombe that bare the the paps whiche gaue y e suck Nether Christ who is truth doth not reproue her as a lyer wherfore we must neds grauÌ„t that he toke his nature substaunce manhod flesh of her I do touche this matter because not loÌ„g sith I communed with a certain womaÌ„ which denied this point and when I M. Whytehead Thomas Leuer and others alleadged this text against her opinion Semen mulieris conteret caput serpentis The sede of the woman shal grind or breack the Serpentes head She aunswered I deny not that Christ is Maries sede or the womans sede nor I deny him not to be a man but Mary had two sedes one sede of her faith and another sede of her flesh and in her body There is a naturall and a corporall sede and there is a spirituall and an heauenly sede as we may gather of S. IhoÌ„ wher he sayth The sede of God remayneth in him and he can not synne And Christ is her sede but he is become man of the sede of her faith and belief of spirituall seede not of naturall seede for her sede and flesh was synful as the flesh sede of others The sede which is promised vnto Adam is named to be Semen mulieris the sede of a woman the same is the sede of Eue the self same afterwarde is called the sede of Abraham of Iacob the sede of Dauid and of the blessed Virgin But the sede that S. Ihon speaketh of is Semen Dei the sede of God that is y e holy spirit not Abrahams sede Dauids sede or Maries sede How caÌ„ it be their sede which toke no substaunce of them Further thesame promise is renued vnto Abraham Iacob Dauid and others with al these special words that of their wombes of their bodies of their fruit of their bellies of their loynes of theyr flesh the sauiour of y e world shalbe born not of their fayth of their belief Wherfore it must nedes be a fleshly a natural and a corporal sede of which Christ was made man maugre the head of the deuil al heretykes He toke not sayth Paul on hym the angels but the sede of Abraham taketh he on him Now y e spirituall sede is in aungels more plentifully then in men for so much as thei be not depressed
spirituall creatures and whatsoeuer also is visible is also mutable God is said only to be inuisible bicause he is void of all mutabilitie He saieth vnâ—â— Moyses no man shall see me and lyue By Iohn Baptist no man hath sene God at any time If no man hath seen GOD howe did the faithfull of the olde Testament se him The scripture saith that the Lord spake vnto Moises face to face as a maÌ„ speaketh vnto his frend And Micheas affirmeth vnto king Achab the wicked I saw the Lord sit on his seat and all the company of heaueÌ„ standing about him Steauen also y e first martir that we read of in the new Testament loking vp stedfastly with his eies vnto heauen sawe y e glory of God Iesus standing on his right hand To these I answer Moises saw not God with his bodely eies who is a spirit nor thou cannot gather any such thing of the text which saieth that God spake vnto hym face to face as a man vnto his frend that is God talked familiarly with hym not that he sawe him in that place albeit we read oftentimes that God appeared vnto him and to all the Israelites but not in his owne nature and substaunce but in his creatures and visible formes For Moises desireth God afterward if I haue fouÌ„d fauour in thy â—ight shew me thy self manifestly wherfore he did not se him manifestly before but only talked with him And as for Micheas and Steauen they sawe God as Paul did when he was caried vp vnto the third heauen with the eies of their belefe of their minde not of their body As long as we continue in this life we shall neuer se the deuine and blessed nature because our hartes be vnclean Blessed be the pure in hart saieth Christ for they shal se God This lyfe is a warfare and a purifying of our hartes by faith from sinne As long as the warfare endureth there is no perfect victory of sinne for victory maketh an ende of warre the victory of sinne is the perfect vision of Gods glory whiche is gotten by faith as Iohn the beloued disciple testified This is the victory that ouercommeth the world euen our faith Who is he that ouercommeth the worlde but he that beleueth that Iesus is the sonne of God Of these it appereth that God is a pure nature vnchaungeable vnsearcheable inuisible The .vii. Chapter ¶ God is euery where and howe Christ is in the Sacrament HE is also euery where by nature not by grace according to which he saith by Ieremy heauen and earth do I fill For the heauens be hys seat and the earth is his fotestole Thys thing belongeth only vnto God and to no creature nether spirituall ne corporall A certain Christen man being demaunded of a Phllosopher where God was enquired of him wher he was not Wherfore the sonne and the holy ghost be no creatures for of the sonne it sayd wisdom reacheth from one end vnto an other mightely and ordereth al thinges louingly and of the holy comforter lykewyse The spirit of the Lord filleth the round compasse of the worlde and vpholdeth all thinges There is a great difference betwene mans soull and his body but exceading more difference betwene God his creatures who made both the soull and the body He is not sayde to fulfyll the world as the water the ayre the Sunne light which by deuisioÌ„ be in many places he is in al places without diuision wholy and conteined in no place But as a sound or noyse is hard more of some lesse of other some being of equal distaunce from it as they be of quick or dull hearyng so all be it God be present with all thinges yet he is in some more plentifully in some lesse not with parcialitie but according to the diuersities of their capacities If God be in all places how is it true that wysdom doth not enter into a frowarde soule ne dwell in a body subdued vnto synne Surely synne doeth seperate vs from God for what coÌ„pany hath lyght with darkenes What concord hath Christ with Beliall What felowship hath truth with falshod I answer God is said to dwel to enter where he fauoureth where he loueth after whiche sort he is not in the wicked but after another sort he is in them For where he is not by hys fauour and grace he is by his righteousnes where he is not a benefactour he is a punysher where he is not a dweller he is an auenger But Christ saieth if a man loue hym that his father and he wyll come to hym if they wyll come to hym they were not with hym before and so God is not in al places This text sheweth howe all suche thinges are to be vnderstanded in God The words expouÌ„d one another which be these If a man loue me he wyl kepe my word and my father also wyll loue him and we wil come vnto him dwell with him Where the comming of God the father and dwelling is the same that goeth immediatly before my father also wyl loue hym These wordes be a good comentary to the other wordes before we wyl come to hym we wil dwel with him Wherof it is manifest that all such phrases darke speaches and ridels make nothing against the presence of God in al places but rather fortifie and establish it we can go no whither from his spirit we can flie no where from his face if we climme vp vnto heaueÌ„ he is there if we go down vnto hell he is also there We must not imagin him to be coÌ„teined in place and yet he is al thing in al. He is to all men as he findeth them he is good in them that he findeth good yll to them that be yll he is a helper in them that be good and a punisher in theÌ„ that be euill If thou lokest for any succour help or ayd at Gods hand forsake that is euill aâ—d folowe that is good When thou stealest or goest about aduoutry thou tariest for the darke thou louest the night because thy workes be of darkenes lest thou shouldest be seen and shamed lest thou shouldest be taken and hanged Thou goest vnto the kings high way and takest a standing thou goest to thy neighbours house and robbest hym thou ridest vp to London to sue thy neighbour to robbe him of his right Cal to remembraunce that God is with thee euery where he is with thee goyng he is with thee by the way he is with thee when thou art doing thy deuelish purpose he staÌ„deth by and loketh on wryting thy fact as it were in a paire of tables and at the last day he wil make it knowen vnto al men to thy vtter confusion shame and condemnation If thou be afrayed of men that destroy the bodi fear him that hath power to throw both thy body and soull headlong into hell into the lake that
but far different and diuerse for the vyne is no sacrament neither the dore nor the way be no sacramentes The bread of the which Christ said this is my body is a sacrament not a bare and naked metaphore the rocke was a sacrament the braseÌ„ serpent was a sacrameÌ„t not metaphores only When Christe sayd this is my body he ordeyned a sacrameÌ„t y t is he gaue y e name of the thing to the signe so y t notwythstanding the matter nature substaunce of the signe remaineth onlesse this substaunce remaine the bread is no Sacrament For sacramentes saith S. Augustine are so called of the similitude of those thinges to which they be sacramentes Take away the matter the substaunce and nature of bread and wyne and there remaineth no more similitude Now all the fathers that were before Gregory do confesse that the scriptures do wytnes that there must be thre similitudes in this sacrament a similitude of norishing a similitude of vnitie and a similitude of coÌ„uersion The similitude of norishing is this that as bread and wyne doe norish our body and comfort our outward maÌ„ so the body and bloud of Christ be the meat and fode of our soules and do coÌ„fort our inward man And the similitude of vnitie is this that as the loâ—â— of which we eate was made of many cornes of wheat by the liquor of water knoden in to dough and yet is but one loaf and as the wyne waâ— made of the iuyce of diuerse grapes and yet is but one cup of wyne so al they that eat Christes body and drinke his bloud being many are made one body one flesh by the liquor of charitie and loue the mistical body of our sauiour Christ which is his church not his natural body for the bread is a sacrament not only of Christes naturall body but also of the congregation and mistical body and therfore Paul saith that albeit we be many yet notwithstanding we ar Vnus panis vnum corpus one loaf and one body What a loaf are we Verely euen Triticeus panis a wheaten loaf by the similitude of vnitie which I haue declared The similitude of conuersion is this that as the bread and wyne is turned in to y e substauÌ„ce of our bodies so by the receiuing of Christes body and bloud we are turned into the nature of them we are chaunged and made bones of his bones and flesh of his flesh He that eateth my flesh saith Chrst drinketh my bloud he abideth in me and I in him that is to saye we be made one flesh and one bloud and thesame nature that my flesh and my bloud hath thesame getteth he that eateth me These similitudes must be in the bread and wine or els they be no sacramentes Now take away the substaunce matter and nature of them and what similitude remaineth ether of norishing or of vnitie or of conuersion These similitudes be in the very substaunce and inward nature of bread and wyne not in the outward shewe of accidentes whiche doe nether noryshe nether are they chaunged neither haue any similitude of any vnitie Here percase gentle reader thou wilt demaund of me seing I teache the substaunce of bread and wyne to remayne after the consecration what I doe aunswer to the doctours and fathers which oftentymes doe say that the nature and substaunce of bread and wine is altered is turned into the body bloud of our sauiour Christ as Ciprian in his treatise which he writeth De cena domini of the Lordes supper saith Panis non effigie sed natura mutatus this bread is chaungeâ— not in the outward shew but in the nature and substaunce and Ignatius saith the same and Cirill and Ambrose and Hierom and Augustin and Chrisostom whose doctrinâ—s we doe folowe and we do alowe and imbrace them Be not deceiued good people they ar nothing against this doctrine but the pillers and mainteiners therof if their wrytinges be truly vnderstand Marke the phrases compare their sayinges together one with an other and you shall find that many do fasly slaunder them and that they which boast prate most of the doctours and old fathers vnderstand not the old fathers So they say that Eliseus chaunged and altered the nature of Iron wheÌ„ he made it to swym aboue the water so they say that Elias chaunged the nature of fyre when thorowe his praier it fell from heauen and consumed his sacrifice of wood stones and dust The nature of fire was chaunged no man can deny it at what tyme God appeared vnto Moyses out of a bush in a flame for the bush was not coÌ„sumed He coÌ„maunded y e fier not to hurt his faithful seruaunts Sidrach Misak and Abednago preserued them harmles from the hot burning ouen There again nature was altered Elias Eliseus did not turne alter or chauÌ„ge the very substaunce inward essence or matter ether of Iron or of the fier into any other substaunce or nature but the naturall propertie of theÌ„ making the Iron which is heuy to houe aboue y e waters causing the fier which is light to descend dounward Euen so the doctours and old fathers which we alowe and folow say that the substaunce of bread wyne is chaunged that is the natural propertie of them so that where as before they were only the meat of the body now after the wordes rehearsed they are the fode of the soul also for so much as they deliuer vnto vs Christes swete flesh and comfortable bloud before it was comen bread and wine now it is holy and sanctified before it was no sacrament now it is a sacrament of the blessed body and honorable bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ. But for a more manifest profe y t the old fathers beleued the substauÌ„ce of bread to remaine after the consecration I wyll aledge some of theÌ„ Ireneus saith that euery sacrament is made of two natures of a heauenly nature and of a terrenal or earthly nature Now take away the substaunce of bread and what earthly nature or substauÌ„ce remaineth in this holy sacrament The papistes say that the earthly nature is Christes body which he toke of the earth when he was borne of the blessed virgin Mary For she was earth and all men be earth To this I aunswer that Christes body is earth in very dede yet it is not the earthly and terrenall nature of this sacrameÌ„t which must haue thre similitudes of vnitie of nutricion and of conuersion as is declared before whiche similitudes can not be in Christes body Moreouer hear what Origen saith Panis sanctificatus vadit in ventrem The sacramentall bread entreth into the belly Wherfore entreth it thither but to norish our bodies to fede them to be y e meat of the flesh Wherfore the substaunce therof is not turned not chaunged not altered but remayneth and continueth for accidentes
With the C.iii. Psalme Praise the Lord O my soull For who coÌ„meth to the table of any man departeth without any thaÌ„kesgeuing it is called also a sacrament of thankesgeuing I wold men wold as diligently dispose them selues to receiue this sacrament as they do eftsones delight to talke of it if they would prepare them selues to receiue it more oft the holy Ghost would enstruct them and becom their scolemaster for wysdom entreth not vnto a soul subdued into sin But I heare some say I wil not come to receiue the sacrament for I can and do receiue the bodye and bloud of Christ at home in the field and in the church yea euery where withoute the sacrameÌ„t beleuing vpon his passion Truly if thou be godly mynded and do call his death to remembrauÌ„ce trusting to haue pardon of thy sinnes by the effusion of his bloud thou dost eat his body and drinke his bloude But thou art not godly mynded but carnall the seruaunt of sinne if thou dispise the ordinaunce of God and his coÌ„maundement who biddeth the take and eat and carnall and vngodly men do not receiue the body of Christ but the spirituall and godly Thou maist say likewyse I wil not com at the minister for remission of my sines and for absolution for God is not bouÌ„d to his sacramentes he pardoneth without the ceremony of ministration as he did y e thief Mary magdalen and other Sure it is God forgeueth thy sinnes before thou come to the priest if thou haue earnest repentaunce and true entent of amendement for he sayth In quacunque hora. c. In what hour soeuer y e vnrighteous man doth repeÌ„t c. and yet neuertheles he himself coÌ„mauÌ„deth y e to come to them for he hath geuen them authoritie to louse to bynd and to blesse and curse â–ª Now what their lousing blessing and absolution is shalbe declared herafter in the .xvii. Chapter So albeit Christes body be receiued in fayth withoute the sacrament yet thou must come vnto the sacrament because thou arte commaunded or els thou art an euill man It is not inough to receiue it spiritually we must receiue it also sacrameÌ„tally yea he that will not receiue it sacramentally neither doth he neither can he receiue it in faith spiritually for I haue proued before y e euill meÌ„ do not eat these dainties The .viij. Chapter ¶ God is full of vnderstanding GOD is also full of vnderstaÌ„ding If any man lack wysdom Iames biddeth him aske it of god which geueth to al men indifferentlye and castethe no manne in the teth and it shall be geuen him if he aske it without wauering without mistrust Dauid asking with a sure fayth obteyned his request in so much that he had more vnderstanding then all his teachers was wyser then the aged but what foloweth for because I kepe thy commaundements Thou askest not in fayth without keping of Gods commaundements ostende mihi fidem tuaÌ„ ex operibus shew me thy faith saith Iames of thy workes Kepe them he wil geue the vnderstanding His testimonies are a lanterne and geue light euen vnto the babes He gaue Salomon an vnderstanding heart to iudge his people and to discerne betwen good and bad so that ther was none lyke hym neyther before nor after He gaue him also honour and ryches and long lyfe which be his gyftes He opened the myndes of his discyples that they might vnderstand the scriptures He toke Paul vp into y e third heaueÌ„ and taught him things which cannot be vttered He â—â—lled Besaliell and Ahaliab with the spirite of God with wysdome vnderstanding and knowledg to fynde out curiouse workes to worke in golde and syluer brasse to karue in wood to graue in stone to make y e tabernacle of witnes the Arke y e mercy seat the table the pure candlestickes the alter of incense vestiments to minister in and the holy garments for Aaron the priest Wherfore he himself must nedes be full of all wysedome and all vnderstanding But these thinges as they were coÌ„mauÌ„ded to them of the ould law so we of the new lawe are not bouÌ„d to them because we haue no commaundement For as Paule writeth vnto his nation we haue an aulter wherof thei mai not eat which serue in the tabernacle The priesthod of the leuites ther sacrifices and ther lawes be disanulled Christes euerlasting priesthod hath made an end of all the Leuites priesthod yea and of all other priesthod saue onlye that whych belongeth to all Christen men The oblation of his body once for all vpon the aulter of the crosse which was a slayne sacrifice for our sinnes abolisheth all other and the lawe of his Gospel hath blotted oâ—t the lawe of the carnall commaundement But oure Romanes allege the prophet Malachy for the defence of the sacrifice of their masse and for their Popish priesthod by whom God saith I haue no pleasure in you and as for an offring I will not accept it at your hands For from the rysing of the Sunne vnto the going down of the same my name is great amongest the gentils yea in euery place shal there sacrifice be done and a clean offring offered vp in my name Albertus Pighius one of y e byshop of Romes chief knyghtes laboureth to proue that this text is ment of the oblacion of the masse whose reasons be these First that it cannot be taken for the oblation of Christes body on y e crosse for God promised here such a sacrifice that should be offred in al places and of the Heathen That was offred in one place in Iewry only and of the Iewes Moreouer it can not be such a sacrifice as Dauid coÌ„mended that a troubled spirit a broken and a contrit heart is a sacrifice vnto God for the Prophet speaketh here of a cleane sacrifice vnto God all that we offer vnto God is spotted vnclean and defiled as the clothes stayned with the flours of a woman The Prophet also speaketh of a new sacrifice that was not before but should be vsed among the Heathen and offred only of the priestes But we haue the sacrifice that Dauid praiseth commen with them of the old law and it is to be offered of all christen men and womeÌ„ wherfore it must nedes be spokeÌ„ of the masse This is Pighius reason yea the principal argument of al the papistes vnto which I besech you hear paciently my answer I entend to wryte a comentary to Malachie but I wil take it out of gods word and I wil open scripture with the key I defend that Malachie meaneth none other sacrifice then an oblacion of a pure and contrite heart and I proue it thus First Malachie speaketh of such a sacrifice as shall be offered in all places vnto God as vndoubtedly this hath bene shal be to the worlds end He speaketh also of a cleane sacrifice Is not y e oblacioÌ„ of
gathered them together as the hen gathereth hyr chickens vnder hir wynges and they would not suche be not saued for God saueth no maÌ„ against his wil. Ther is theÌ„ no parcialitie no vnrightuousnes with God whose iudgemeÌ„ts be vnsearchable but neuer against iustice aboue our capacitie but neuer against equitie Who is able to discusse why some die old some yong some in midle age why some be poore some rych some gentlemen some Lordes some kinges some of a base ston and other infinite diuersities If these thinges were necessary to be knowen God wold haue opened theÌ„ in his scriptures but in that he speaketh not of theÌ„ iudgeth theÌ„ vnprofitable for vs to know Let vs beleue that God worketh al these thinges and that therfore they must nedes be right iust bicause he is y e workmaÌ„ not searching things aboue our vnderstandings but say with S. Paul O the depenes of the riches and wisdom knowledge of God how vnsearcheable are his iudgements and his waies vntraceable for who hath knowen y e mind of the Lord or who was his counceller The .xii. Chapter ¶ God is ful of compassion HE is full of all goodnes S. Iames witnessing of him y t euery good gifte is from aboue cometh down from the father of light that is father of good meÌ„ for thei are called light Vos estis lux mundi you are the light of y e world What haue we that we haue not receiued He is liberal pacient merciful wise strong constant equall faithfull magnifical aâ—â—able liberal geuing to all meÌ„ indifferently casting no man in the teeth Pacient calling vs thorowe his long suffring vnto repentaunce Merciful not dealing with vs after our sinnes nor rewardyng vs according to our wickednes Wyse for of his wysdome Dauid saith there is no number Strong for he is our buckeler our shield our strength and defence the rock of our might and castel of our health ConstaÌ„t with whom no man can proue any variablenes Equall for there is no parcialitie with God there is no Iewe nether gentile nether bound nor free nether man ne woman but all be one in Christ Iesu. Faithfull for he is a strong God and a faithfull stable in all his wordes Magnificall for the work of the Lord is great and worthy to be praysed the heauens the Sunne and the Starres the waters and great fyshes therin are the worck of thy fyngers Affable exhorting vs continually to aske knock and pray vnto hym and talkyng with vs moste familiarly first by holy Fathers hys Prophets and Patriarkes afterwarde by his only begotteÌ„ sonne Iesus Christ walking hear vppon earth to whome belongeth all power maiestie rule and honor We read of a certen ruler which called Christ good maister askynge him what he should do to obtain euerlasting lyfe whome Christ rebuked saying why callest thou me good none is good saue God only If God only be good then all goodnes is in him The xiii Chapeer ¶ God only is immortall and yet neuertheles the myndes of menne and Aungels be immortall HE is without beginning without ending How caÌ„ he haue any beginnyng of whome al things take their originall Howe can he haue anye end who is of himselfe by no other thing Heauen and earth perisheth and all y t is in them shall fade awaye as grasse and as the floure of the field but oure God lyueth eternallye who speaketh of himselfe I am Alpha Omega the beginning and y e ending which is which was and which is to come Paul affirmeth the same vnto his disciplâ— Timothe geuing al honor and rule vnto God who only hath immortalitie If only God haue immortalitie why doth Christ forbyd vs to feare men which slea the body and caÌ„not slea the soule howe is man formed after the Image similtude of God Howe can the immortalitie of the mynd be defeÌ„ded and of Angels truly mans soule is immortall and yet only God is immortal for this word onely doth not deny this priuilege to other things as to mannes soul to the Angels but God is said only to be immortall as he is said onely to be good only to forgeue sin Mans soule is immortal but clean after an other sort then God who only hath immoralitie For the scripture testifieth of mans soul that it dieth saying suffer y e dead to buay their dead that is to say let the dead in soule bury y e dead in body It is troubled with affections with passions and subiect to mutabilitie But it so dieth thorow vice that it ceaseth not to liue in his owne nature It is so mortal that it is also immortall Wherfor God is only euerlasting immortal euermore who is only immutable And if this interpretation do not content the heare an other That is immortall properlâ— which is w tout beginning without ending Al creatures haue a begynnynge of the which some neuerthelsse are called immortall because they haue no endynge as the angels mans soul but only God is properly immortall who speaketh of himselfe I am which is which was which is to come This beloÌ„geth only to God and to none of his creatures to none of the works of his fingers of which som may truly say that thei be ar to come but not that thei were because once they were not The .xiiij. Chapter ¶ God is the maker of all things wherof he made them by whome and who made the Deuil and of the begynning of sin euil IN the beginnig GOD made al things wherfore he hath no beginning that which neuer had beginning can not haue ending When I say God made all things I mean that the father the son and the holy spirite formed heauen earth angels men and all other creatures of nothing For of the son it is writteÌ„ al things were made by him and of the holy comforter by y e word of the Lord were the heauens made and al the hostes of them by y e breath of his mouth wher the latin is Spiritus Yea in the beginnyng of the boke it is writteÌ„ of them both that they be no creatures of y e son in y e beginning God created heaueÌ„ and earth that is in Christ. For he answereth y e Iewes askyng what he was I am the beginnyng which speake vnto you and in whose behalf Dauid speaketh In the beginning of the boke it is writteÌ„ of me Paule to the Hebrues repeteth the latter text and expoundeth it of Christ. And Dixit Deus fiat lux c. God said be ther light be there a firmameÌ„t God said the waters be gathered together God said be there lights in the firmament This phrase and maner of speaking is ioyned with the creation of euery thing What did God say what language did he speake Did he speake grek latin Italian freÌ„ch spanish english or hebrue Mark
this was no audible voyce no sounding or transitory noyse commyng from the lightes but God said be there light fyrmament c. that is to saye God made these thinges by his saying â–ª by his word by his voice which is christ as it is writteÌ„ In y e beginniÌ„g was y e word that is in y e father was christ al thiÌ„gs were made by it and nothing was made without iâ— as Moises teacheth very wel repeting these wordes Deus dixit God sayd in y e creatioÌ„ of euery thiÌ„g And why is Christ called his fathers word Truly bicause he is his image and no man cometh to the knowledge of the father but by the sonne And as we do open manifest and declare our mindes one to another by our words and communication so God is disclosed opened and discouered by Christ. No man hath sene God at any time thonly begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him in his sermons he is sincerely published and plainly painted and portraied For this cause he is surnamed y e saying of God and an audible and a traÌ„sitory word not properly but by a metaphore and borowed spech And this traÌ„sitory word made al thinges vpholdeth al thinges gouerneth al things Nowe touching the holy spirit we read in the first Chapter of generation spiritus domini ferebatur the spirit of y e Lord was born vpoÌ„ the waters Many do expouÌ„d by the spirit in this text the wynd but it can not be taken so for many causes First the wynd is the exhalatioÌ„ or spirit of the waters this was y e spirit of God as the text doth say Moreouer y e wind then was vncreat vnmade For I think no man wil defend that the wind was made before the first day which is made after these wordes And others do read for ferebatur super aquas fouebat vel exclu debat aquas the spirit did bring forth or hatch the waters so in dede the word signifieth in the Sirian tonge wherfore was borne vpon the waters is no blast of wind but a metaphore of the hen and a borowed speach The hen is borne of her egs and sittteth vpon them and so hatcheth her yong and so the holy ghost was borne vpoÌ„ the waters sat vpon theÌ„ brought forth and hatched all creatures which there are called waters For as it is wrytten when thou lettest thy spirit go forth they are made Basil who for his great learning was surnamed magnus expoundeth this text thus sayth that his predecessors toke it so and S. Austen is of the same mind and Philip MelancthoÌ„ aloweth their interpretatioÌ„ Thus it is euident y t the vniuersal world is the workmaÌ„ship of the whole trinitie whose workes be inseperable as they be inseperable and one almighty euerlasting inuisible vnsercheable god of one substaunce and nature power and maiestie who gathered the waters together as it werin a bottel who maketh y e cloudes his chariot and goeth vpoÌ„ the winges of the wind and who spreadeth out heauen like vnto a curteyn After that he had finished al his workes he beheld theÌ„ and â—o they were exceading good Now there be many thinges not good vnprofitable vnfrutful perilouse for thornes and thistels prick vs the gout greueth vs the pocks the canker consumeth vs the sciatica payneth vs spasmes palsies feuers noy vs serpentes doe poysen vs flies do bite vs cats do scrat vs flees do eat vs mouÌ„taines weary vs snow doth let vs thonders do fear vs the cocodrils do kil our bodies the deuyl our souls God made not these thinges for al that he made was good and if he made not these he made not al thinges The earth bringeth forth thornes and thistels and other venemous herbes not by nature but thorow the synne of man vnto whoÌ„ God speaketh Because thou hast obeyed the voyce of thy wyfe and hast eaten of the tree of which I commaunded the not to eat Cursed be the earth in thy worke In sorow shalt thou eat therof al the daies of thy lyfe and it shall beare thornes and thistels vnto thee and thou shalt eat the herbes of the field in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread Before sinne we read not that the earth brought forth thistels bushes vnfruitful trees but grene gras fruitful trees herbes bearing holsome sedes The fal of Adam also caused al maner of griefs panges sicknes disease which then began to torment man when God had said In sorow shalt thou eat therof all the daies of thy life By this word sorow al such thinges be ment and signified If you aske me why God suffred the earth to bring forth thornes and vnfruitful trees my answer is not to pain the earth with theÌ„ which feleth no pain but to admonish vs of our synne to put vs in remeÌ„braunce of our fault to be a warning vnto vs as often as we se theÌ„ to take hede that we synne no more For if he punish the earth for our sinnes how much more will he punishe vs Wherfore this memory shall continue vntyll the sting of death which is sinne be taken away vntil that be brought to passe that is written death is consumed into victory death where is thy sting Hell where is thy victory by vnfruitful trees he warneth vs y t we be not vnfruitful For as husbandmen forsake their trees not doÌ„ging not watring theÌ„ when they be baren but to burn them euen so God ceaseth to poure his blessinges vpon the vnfruitfull for he is a husbandman herken what his only son saith whom we are coÌ„maunded to hear I am the true vine and my father is the husbandmaÌ„ He that abideth not in me is cast forth as a braunch and is widdered and men gather it and cast it into the fier and it burneth This fruit we may gather and learn of the vnfruitfull tree By siknes partly he scurgeth vs for our sinne partly he trieth vs and lerneth vs his will as it is wrytten the ouen proueth the potters vessell so doth temptation of trouble try rightuous meÌ„ Now we are come to those whiche demaund who made serpentes Cocodriles flies wormes c. Of which much harm and no profite coÌ„meth Verely he who made al thinges Although they be hurtful vnto vs for our disobedience yet be they exceading good in their own nature and profite vnto the furnishing of the whole world no lesse then the other which we recount more profitable and preciouse If an ignoraunt man chaunce to go into a conning mans shop and happen to see many â—oles there that he knoweth not he thinketh them either to be vnprofitable or not necessary Euen so we in almightie Gods shop which is the world do iudge many thinges to be naught because we are ignoraunt The Cocodrill the litle flie the small flee haue their coÌ„moditie albeit we know it not Our
why did he leaue his accustomed progres Or how could he be a guide vnto the wyse men betwene Bethleem and Hierusalem being placed with the other starres in the firmament of heauen We read that the sunne stode vnder Iosue and went backward vnder Esechias but neuer of no star that left his ordeined circuite and wandred as one that loseth his way Peraduenture an aungell appered vnto the wyse men in the lykenes of a star for they appere in diuers likenesses and shapes At mouÌ„t Oreb an aungell spake vnto Moises out of a bush in the lykenes of fyre and at Galgall to Iosue the sonne of Nun like a man of armes Helias is caried vp to heauen in a charet of fyre and with horses of fyre The charet and the horse be the aungels of God whiche be ministring spirits accomplishing all his commaundementes The aungels appere vnto Abraham and Lot like thre wayfaring men Manne his wyfe sawe an angel talking with them as he had ben a Prophet So it may wel be that an aungel in the similitude of a star was a guide to the wise men For aungeles are called starres in the scriptures as in the reuelation of Iohn Stelle sep tem ecclesiarum angeli The seuen starres are the aungels of the seuen congregations Other thinke that this star was nether aungell nor a materiall star but the holy spirite whiche opened the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ both vnto the Iewes and to the Gentils but vnto the Iewes in the likenes of a Doue to the Gentils in the shape and similitude of a star of whiche Balaam an Astronomer prophecied long before Orietur stella ex Iacob there shall come a starre of Iacob that is a shining light of the holy ghost the which shal leade the HeatheÌ„ to the knowledge of Christ in the likenes of a star as he fell vpon the Apostles in the shape of fyre Thus muche I haue spoken of the starre that appered at the natiuitie of Christ bicause many by it wold proue fate and destinie But what say they is fate and destinie A stedfast and immutable order of causes wherby all thynges are done of necessitie called in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 True it is nothing is done w tout a cause but yet many thiÌ„gs may seme to be done without any necessary cause for some causes be perfit some in our iudgement again may seme to be vnperfit Fire causeth heat perfectly and water cold but surfiting causeth sicknes a wound causeth death study causeth learning vnperfectly for a man may surfet be wounded and applie his study and yet nether be sick nedy ne learned If all causes were necessary but presuppose they were yet I wold deny all things to be ruled by their necessitie of fate and destinie for almighty God worketh what he will in them of his good pleasure He appered vnto Moises out of a bushe in a flame of fire and yet the bush consumed not He coÌ„maunded the fire not to hurt Ananias Azarias and Misael and saued them harmeles from the hote burning ouen Did necessitie of fate and destinie make Sara Elizabeth which were barren and past chyldren fruitfull Did destinie make Aarons rod bud the sunne to go bakward a maid to conceiue the blynd to see the deaf to heare the dead to aryse If almighty God then did al those thinges he leaueth not his creatures to be gouerned of causes which depeÌ„d one on another but ruleth them at his pleasure Salomon witnesseth of GOD that he doeth lengthen the lyfe of hys and shorten the life of the wicked saying The fear of the Lorde maketh a long life but the yeares of y e vngodly shalbe shortened There be many examples of this in the Bible The Prophet Esay commaundeth kyng Esechias to put his houshold in an order because he shoulde die out of hand and not liue and yet at his earnest request God lengthned his life .xv. yeares Thus we denie that the creatures are gouerned by stoicall destinie ether in their byrth death or any of their actions but only by the prouidence of God as the examples of the Scriptures concerning the birth of Iacob and Esau Phares and zara do witnes for the notable birth of Iacob Esau doth confute destinie and destroy the influence of the starres for they were borne both at one tyme in one place of one woman by one maÌ„ and yet they were as vnlyke as fier and water as lyght and darkenes as blacke white So were Phares and zara two twinnes also the chyldren of Iudas by his daugter Thamar These examples declare destinie influence of the starres to be but a fable yea they fortifie Gods prouidence teachyng him to be a gyuer of dyuers graces vnlyke fortunes and seuerall blessynges I graunt that an Astronomer may tell by the obseruation of the starres to what occupation to what estate of lyfe euery man is most feat most apâ— by nature but that he can tell mans fortune by any of his arte or cunning I deny vtterly For our lyfe is not ruled by the mouynge of the starres but by Gods prouidence who worketh all thynges in heauen and earth How then is that true whiche is wrytten in the boke of generation Compleuit Deus die septimo opus suum requieuit ab vni uerso opere c. He finished and he rested the seuenth day from all hys workes God rested the seuenth day from the workes of creation from formyng of newe creatures but not from gouerning of them The Carpenter after he hath finyshed the the house medleth no more therwith if God should doe so all creatures would peryshe If mans body can lyue without quickenyng of the soule the world may continue without his prouidence For he is to the worlde that the soule is to the body and more necessary to y e gouernauÌ„ce of it then y e soul to y e gouernaunce of the body forasmuch as he is y e maker both of soul body Thou must not imagin that God was wery with syxe dayes labour because he is sayd to haue rested the seuenth day who made all thynges and gouerneth them without labour and rested without werynes For resting signifieth endyng In the seuenth day God rested from al his workes that is he ended he finished the creation of the world Why then doeth not the scripture say he ended all his workes but that he rested from them Truly not without an vrgent cause for God is sayd to haue rested from all his workes whiche he made exceadyng good for because he wyll geue vs rest and quietnes from our trauayl if we wyll doe all good workes as he made all thynges exceading good This phrase of speakyng is vsed muche in the scripture as of the Apostle we knowe not what to desyre as we ought Spiritus intercedit pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilihus buâ—â—he spirit maketh intercession mightely for vs
with groninges whiche can not be expressed wyth â—ong The holy ghost doth not grone but maketh vs to grone and lamente our synnes nor make intercession but sturreth vs vnto prayer Moyses vseth the same maner of spekyng vnto the Israelites saying The Lord your God tempteth you to knowe whether you loue hym God doeth not tempt his to knowe any thynge therby who knoweth all thynges but to make them to knowe howe much they loue hym He crieth vnto AbrahaÌ„ now I know that thou fearest God in that thou hast not spared thine only sonne for my sake that is I haue made thee to know So he is said to haue rested because he wil make vs to rest with hym in glory If we endeuour our selues to folowe hym in goodnes who made nothyng but it was good Wherfore this resting of God doth rather establish his prouidence then make against it declaryng hym to be myndful of good men and to haue prepared them a restinge place where they shall beholde his glorious countenaunce euer more for he is called in latin Deus in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which worde signifieth to run because he hasteth vnto euery place to gouerne and order all creatures The .xvi. Chapter ¶ God only knoweth all thynges AS we sufficiently taught that God is the worker of al things so if we searche the Scriptures we shal finde that he only knoweth al thinges and is ignoraunt of nothing as Iesus the sonne of Sirach witnesseth The Lorde knoweth al science The knowledge of men is vnperfit and encreaseth by diligence for the mortal corruptible body is heuy vnto the soul our earthly mancion kepeth down vnderstaÌ„ding so that we can not perfectly iudge of earthly things much les of heuenly matters Aungels haue a more plentiful knowledge then we yet they be ignoraunt of many thinges as of the last day and hour which the father knoweth only but God knoweth al things perfitly who is the Lord of knowledge whose wysdom can tel thinges that are past and discerne thinges to come The workes of al flesh are before him there is nothing hid from his eies his wisdom knoweth the subteltie of words and can expound darck sentences He seketh out the ground of the heart and vnderstandeth al imagination No thought may escape him nether may any word be hyd froÌ„ him He called vnto Adam said vnto him Adam vbi es wher art thou not bicause he was ignoraunt but to teach him what he had lost to moue him vnto earnest repentaunce for his syn After like sort he asked Cain wher is Abel thy brother not for to lerne y t he knew not but for to punish and dismay him The scriptur telleth that Penituit deum quod hominem fecisset in terra God repented y t he had made man vpoÌ„ the earth sorowed in his heart who repenteth also of making Saul king of the Israelites He is said to repent not that he is ignorant of thinges to come who forsawe that Saul al mankind wold become abhominable but wheÌ„ we chauÌ„ge go astray from him or returne to him are ether punished for our synne or rewarded of his mercy After the first sort he repented of making mankind of making disobedient Saul king of the chusing of the Iewes who once wer y e people of God and now the meÌ„bers of Antichrist After the other sort the Heathen are become y e worshippers of God through the fauourable regard of Iesus Christ which once were the sonnes of wrath and the shepe going astray Through it the traytor Iudas lost his Apostleship is iustly dampned in hel and the thief after great robberie is deliuered from the crosse mercifully crouned in paradise This chauÌ„ge from good to il or froÌ„ il to good which is done by the secret and most rightfull iudgementes of almighty God in the scripture is called his repentaunce and the chaunge is in vs and not in hym Dauid a man according to Gods hertes desire witnesseth of him saying The generation which is to come shalbe told to the Lord they shal tel his rightuousnes He doth not say the Lord shalbe told to the generation but the generation to the Lord of whiche wordes we can not gather that any thing is told God wherof he is ignoraunt that he may know it but that he is told that which he knoweth already as the aungels tel vnto him our praiers and almes deades and as we shewe God our griefs and what we desire in our praiers Raphael one of the seuen aungels that stand before God sayth vnto Toby I haue offered thy prayer before the Lord wherby is ment that they be ministring spirits for their sakes which shall be heyres of saluacioÌ„ not that God lerneth our nede by them who knoweth what is necessary for vs before we aske it of hym neuertheles he willeth vs to aske that we may receiue as it is written aske and it shalbe geuen you Euery one y t asketh receiueth and he that seketh findeth and to hym that knocketh it shalbe opened After this sort S. Paul is to be taken saying Petitiones vestre innotescant apud deum let your requests be knowen vnto God Why dost thou maruel that God is shewed that he knoweth seing y e men oftentimes are told of other that which they knew before If thou mislike this exposition hear another These wordes the generation to come shalbe told the Lord be as much to say as the Lord shall be praised in it for to tel vnto the Lord is to praise knowledge and magnifie hym as to liue vnto the Lord to eat vnto the Lord. S. Paul expoundeth eating to the Lord to be geuing of thankes and praysing him when thou eatest saying he y t eateth doth it to the Lord for he geueth God thaÌ„kes If doing to the Lord be geueng of thankes as S. Paul declareth saying he doth it to y e Lord for he giueth thankes then of necessitie telling to the Lord is thaÌ„king of him forasmuch as al â—elling is doing We read of the sonne of God in the reuelation of Iohn that he hath eies like the flame of fier on his head many crownes a name written y t none knew but he himself If non knew it but he him self the father knoweth it not wherof followeth that God knoweth not al thinges To this I answer bicause the father and Christ be one that y e father knoweth it for as much as Christ knoweth it nor y e text doth not exclude the father from the knowledge therof saying none knoweth it but he himself for the lantin is Nemo scit that is no maÌ„ knoweth Moreouer this saying no maÌ„ knoweth it but he himself teacheth vs that only his diuinitie knoweth it not his humanitie for y t is excluded by these words no man knoweth it But Christs deuinitie is y e fathers deuinitie
tormenting and desperat conscience and that a ioyful quiet mery conscience is heauen and that deuils ar euil thoughtes good aungels good thoughtes First if this doctrine be true we beleue in vaine the resurrectioÌ„ of our bodies which is grouÌ„ded of scripture nothing els so y t if you beleue scripture this is a false pretensed damnable doctrine If our bodies shal not ryse then is Christ not risen saith Paul al preachiÌ„g is vanitie but our bodies be dead through y e syn of AdaÌ„ shalbe raised through the rightuousnes of Christ Iesus By a man came death of soul body and by a man cometh resurrection of soul body Were not many christen men baptysed ouer dead mens graues in the primatiue church in token that the dead should rise againe S. Paul in his .xv. Chapter to the Corinthians the first letter doth nothing els but confute this damnable opinion of the Saduces denying the resurrection which now the Libertines begin to renew But our Saduces grauÌ„t the resurrection they say we must rise froÌ„ syn if we wil come to heaue which is a mery and ioyful conscience There be two sortes of resurrections expressed in Gods word of which it is written Lykewise as Christ was raised vp froÌ„ death by y e glory of the father Euen so we also should walke in a new life This new life is resurrection from sinne Christes raising is the other resurrection that is of the body which began in Christ the first fruits of the dead For Paul saith He that raysed vp Christ from death shal quickeÌ„ our mortal bodies in another place it shall rise a spiritual body Our Saduces because they ether wil not or can not perceaue the difference betwene these two sortes of resurrection which both are in scripture grauÌ„t in words deny in dede both heauen hel both good aungels il defending al resurrection to be from sinne to vertue froÌ„ vice to godlines froÌ„ vnclennes to sanctifitation Resurrection from sinne is but a figure of the other resurreccion For Paul saith Christ being once raised from death not from synne who neuer sinned dieth no more Likewyse imagen ye also that ye are dead coÌ„cerning sinne but are aliue to God TheÌ„ it disanulleth not resurrection of bodies but fortifieth the same forasmuche as if there be a shadow there must nedes be a body Now let vs search what the scripture teacheth vs of good aungels beleue them For a scripture geueÌ„ by inspiration of God is profitable to teache to control to amend and it is truth No maÌ„ can deny aungels to be creaturs and almighty Gods workmanship as Paul witnesseth He maketh his aungels spirites and his ministers flames of fyre How then are they inspirations Luke regestreth that at Christes birth a multitude of heauenly souldiours which wer angels song glory to God on high and peace in earth and reioysing to men Therfore they be no inspirations Did an inspiration appeare to priest Zacharie burning inceÌ„se in the temple Did an inspiration shew him that Elizabeth his wife shuld beare him a sonne Did an inspiration make him specheles No truly for the aungel telleth what he is saying I am Gabriel that standeth in the syght of God and am sent to speak vnto thee In y t he saith I stand I am sent he declareth that he is a substauÌ„ce And if Gabriel be a substance y e rest be also substaÌ„ces They reioyse ouer euery sinner y â— repenteth they behold the face of the father in heauen they assist beare vs vp in their hands thei cari Lazarus into Abrahams bosome they minister vnto Christ after his temptation they deliuered y e law vnto the Israelites thei shal come to the generall Iudgement with Christ and after the resurrectioÌ„ they shalbe made like vnto them If they be inspirations tell me how speaking singing staÌ„ding seÌ„ding ioye seing punishing handes helpe and infinite other things which the scripture geueth to Angels can be in an inspiratioÌ„ and without a substaunce Me thinke this assercion hath affinitie with the doating opinion of transubstaÌ„tiation For our Romanistes although they more stubburnely then truely and more obstinately then deuoutly defend that no bread remaineth after the consecration yet they cannot deny but that many accidents remaine as the culloure of bread the tast of bread bredth length and other the which cannot be in y e comfortable and swete flesh of Christ wherfore either the substauÌ„ce of bread remayneth or els we must sai with the papists that these things be without a substauÌ„ce the which is as if we should say there is sickenes and there is helth there is cold and heat moisture drith but ther is no such thing as a body An angel of y e Lord comforteth Agar y e Egiptian besyde the well of Seer and commauÌ„deth her to returne to her mistris Abraham promiseth his seruaunt that an Angel shall ayd and further him in his iourney Iacob when he blesseth Ephraim Manasses prayeth y t the Angel of y e Lord which had ben his succour at all times might blesse and multiplie them We read that an Angell gouerneth y e hostes of the Israelites an Angel of the Lord killeth thousaÌ„ds of the Assyrianes Angelles certifie women of Christes resurrectioÌ„ and the disciples of his glorious returne Wheafore they be no inspiratioÌ„s no mocioÌ„s cuÌ„ming from God but spiritual substauÌ„ces and ministring spirites sent to minister for their sakes which shalbe heyrâ—s of saluation Now as I haue spoken of good Angels so I thinke it no lesse nedefull somwhat to speake of euil Angels For ther be many late borne Saduces which haue perswaded theyr owne wauering myndes and allure the consciences of others to y â— to the foresaid opinion that the deuill is nothing but Nolitum or a filthy affecton of the flesh and swaruing from honesty vertue and godlines I thinke such haue either already said in their harts ther is no God or y t they may as easely be brought thervnto as Cherea was vnto Pamphila Cherea durst not ieopard in his owne apparell but fained himself to be anoteer Euen so our late Saduces Libertines will not reason these thinges stifly for disturbing y e coÌ„monwelth or rather for losing their lyues But it is to be feared that vnder the coloure of christians they say they reason in the way of disputation when they speake from y e bottom of their hearts If any man winch at my wryting he declareth y t he is a Saducie If there be a God as we most stedfastly must beleue verely ther is a deuill also if ther be a deuill there is no surer argument no stronger profe no playner euidence that ther is a God Be not al euill angels spirits Then ar they not sensual motioÌ„s but spiritual substauÌ„ces But I will leaue argumeÌ„ts call truth to
image of God not in sinful flesh through any sinne of man But his posteritie and of spring ar born babes forasmuche as they are borne in sinful flesh as Dauid witnesseth saying Ecce enim in iniquitatibus c. Beholde saith Dauid I was born in wickednes and my mother conceaued me in synne Vnreasonable beastes as the calf the little lambe the whelpe as sone as they ar borne can go runne fynde out their mothers teates and sucke them without any helpe of other only man when he is borne can nether ocupy his tongue in speaking nor fete in going nor his haÌ„ds to fynd and except his mother or nourse thrust her breast vnto his lyps he knoweth not where they are nor what to do and would crie for hunger yea famyshe before he â—ould suck of his own accord This infirmitie is in our bodies when we be young because Adam and Eue sinned when thei were old forasmuch as then our mindes also be weake blynd through thesame sinne that the feblenes of the body might be agreable to the ignoraunce of the minde For as both body and soul sinned in eating the apple y e mynd in lusting the body in taking so both are punished the body with infirmitie the mind with ignoraunce Nowe our Sauiour Christ albeit he were not borne in sinful flesh yet because he was not borne in the likenes of this synfull flesh he was borne a babe not of perfect bygnes like Adam his flesh was not sin ful in dede but holy and vndefiled yet it semeth sinful in that he toke both this al other humane infirmities as hunger thirst cold heate pouertie death vpon hym which ouerflowed the world thorow sin Misit deus filium suum God sent his sonne His comming is his incarnation and his sending lykewise The father is not sayd to come or to be sent because he was not incarnate That the comyng and sending of Christ is to be taken of his incarnation we may perceiue by this For who cometh there wher he is alredy Or who is sent thether But Christ is euery wher touching his diuinitie for he is the wisdome of the father which reacheth from one end to another mightily and ordreth all thinges louingly Seing therfore he is euery where how cometh he where he was not by appearing in his humanitie But it is a great question why God sent his sonne Cum venit plenitudo temporis in the fulnes of time why he came no soner but in the endes of the world If he had com long before many had ben saued which haue perished For sith his incarnation many mo haue beleued him then did in tyme past â–ª for he is the light â–ª shining in darknes Truly he came when he sawe his coming should be moste profitable not being moued therunto through the consideration of our merites but of his own voluntary goodnes for our deseruinges did not constraine him to come Wherfore we can not blame him for the losse before his in carnation for it was not vndeserued it was a iust losse Cain y e thief blame the iudge for condeÌ„pninge him according to the law Or is the Phisition to be blamed coming of his own accord to heale the pacieÌ„t if he tary loÌ„g He came therfore when it pleased hym wheÌ„ he knew he shuld be most welcom If thou help one before his nede he doth not take it so thankefully as when thou succourest him in great nede The hungry maÌ„ who hath nede of meat wil thaÌ„k the more for it then he which hath plenty The poore wil giue the more habundaunt thankes for thy money then the rych Before y e time of Christes coming men were not nedy they were not hungry but thought themselues rightuous rich in al good workes true kepers of y e lawe Wherfore it was necessary that y e preching of the law should go before his coming by whiche men should learne that they had nede of a Phisicion For by the law cometh knowledge of sinne The lawe is Sicuris ad arborem posita The axe which shal hewe down al those that bring not forth good fruites The lawe is a glasse wherin we may beholde our nakednesse our vnclean thoughtes our filthy liuing Lex subintrauit The lawe sayth Paul entred in that synne should encrese where aboundaunce of sin is there as he recordeth also is more plentuousnes of grace of the part of the giuer and more thanke of the part of the pacient for asmuch as the sicke thaÌ„keth the Phisicion not the hole man Wherfore Christ the Phisition of our soules wouâ—â— not come but to helpe the wounded man to cal sinners vnto repeÌ„taunce to seke the shepe which was lost For this cause God the sonne of God equall with his father in the ende of the world humbled himself to our nature to deliuer vs from the bondage of the spitual Pharao the deuil who held vs prisoners perforce vntil Christ entred into his house which is the world and bouÌ„d him 〈◊〉 him of his goodes This is the fulnesse of tyme of which Paul speaketh saying When the fulnesse of time was come God sent his son borne of a woman The warriour which wyll deceiue his ennemies putteth away his own apparell and clotheth him selfe in their apparel that he may safely go into their region and behold all their prouision and afterward easely ouercom theÌ„ so our sauiour Iesus Christ in the later end of the world did deck and cloth him self with our nature to deceaue and conquere the deuyll who had seduced and conquered mankinde in the likenes of a serpent which policie is figured long before in Iacob who stealeth away the blessing froÌ„ his brother Esau in his brothers raiment Did the father and the holy ghost take our nature vppon them were they borne of a woman were they conceaued of the holy ghost were they borne litle babes Did they vse this policy to deceaue the deuil If not then is Christ vnconfounded with them Christ also was baptised not the father nor the holy ghost For the father sounded these wordes at his baptisme This is my beloued sonne in whom is my delite and y e holy ghost descendeth like a doue sitteth vpoÌ„ him Wherfore is he christened not for any spot of sinne any crom of vnclennes in him but for our eruditioÌ„ and ensamble For if he came to be baptised of Iohn his seruaunt how necessary is baptisme for vs which be his seruaunts and defiled with original actual trespaces If he required baptisme of him disdaine not thou to be christened of thi inferior dispise not baptisme be thou neuer so holy neuer so perfit haue no light opinion of it If it were a light thinge Christ wold not haue required it for our exaÌ„ple Christ also fasted after baptisme and was tempted of the deuill he fasted for our example and was teÌ„pted for our victory He was tempted
is immortal Christ his sonne also must nedes be immortall forasmuch as the father is lykened to the sunne and Christ to the clear and bright beames for he is the bryghtnes of the euerlasting light I would know of the Paulians Arrians whether the father in tyme begon to be a father or was a father euermore without tyme. If they graunt that he was a father euer the which thei can not denie then it must nedest folow that the sonne was euermore For he was not a father before he had a sonne but he was called a father of the sonne and he that is alwaies a father hath euermore alwaies a son If Christ was not euermore then time was before him the Apostle lieth calling him Primogenitum omnis creature first begotten of al creatures for time is a creatur was before him But time was made by Christ for all thinges wer made by him as y e beloued disciple witnesseth If he wer the maker of time thē he was before all time and that whiche was before al time is not moued in time but is without time without beginning immortal Wherfore Christ is immortal and then he is God for only God is immortal after this sort Likewise the alknowyng cōforter was euermore who is cōpared to the heat for an euerlasting heat must nedes procede out an euerlasting sunne and euerlasting beames He is digitus dei the finger of god If I cast out deuils in the fynger of God c. For where Luke sayth in the finger of God it is in Matthew I cast out deuils in the spirit of God Then ether we must confesse him to be without beginning and of the substaunce of God or els graunt that God once lacked a fynger and denie the same to be of the substaūce of the body Like reason may be made of christ who is the hand and the arme of God for God was neuer without his fynger hand ne arme and then al thre be of the same nature with the body And for so much as Gods finger is almyghty and his hand and arme likewise both Christ is almighty and the blessed cōforter also and Christ is God by nature and the holy comforter also For nothing is almighty and of the nature of God but God only But the Arians reply that y e father is elder thē the sonne and that he which begetteth is before him that is begotten Ego hodie genui te This day begat I thee This is true in fathers vpon earth but not in an euerlasting father who must nedes haue an euerlastynge sonne Nether doth this reason holde in al earthly thinges for fire gendreth light and heate procedeth from it and yet the fire gendring and light gendred heat proceding be Coena not one before the oother Therfor it is against reason that y e father begetting and Christ begotten the holy ghost proceding should be coeterne coimmortal not one before the other in time but eche one of them before al time And wel may the trinitie be likened to fyre and his heat light for God in the scripture is called fyre Dominus deus tuus ignis consumens est The Lorde thy God saith Moises is a consumyng fire And Ihon calleth him also light saiyng Deus lux est God is light in him is no darkenes at al. And Christ witnesseth of him self that he is light saying I am the light of the world who is Lumen de lumine light of light For as the fyre ministreth light to a multitude yet is not minished or cōsumed therbi so God bestoweth innumerable benefites vpon vs and yet his liberalitie is not hindred therw t. Likewise also in a cādel of which many other candels be light the light is not therby in any wise diminished or hurt at al. One supper doth not refreshe or suffise many as wel as few but y e voice of one preacher teacheth as wel a hūdred as one The sound of one bell is neuerthelesse when it is heard of many Euen so he who preserued the smal porcion of meal oyl for the wydowe and her son that was not diminished who with a very few loaues a certein fishes refresshed a great multitude so y t those things were not diminished but increased knoweth how to employ his benefites with out any losse or detriment to his liberalitie Moreouer as fire sēdeth forth both heat light but nether heat ne light sendeth fire so y e father sendeth both Christ and the alknowing comforter he is vnsent And as both the light the heat are of y e fire so Christ y e holy ghost both ar of the father the one begotten the other proceding and the father only is of him self of no other And as fire is not before heat light no more is the father before the sonne and the holy Ghost But in that place which I rehearsed out of Deuter. God is called fyre because he melteth the synnes of those that wyll amend as the fyre melteth war and punisheth the sinnes of disobediēt persones with vnquencheable fire and Iohn calleth him light for the same cause For light putteth away darknes and is contrary to it For these properties and diuers other the scriptures cal God the sun of rightousnes fier and light If we ponder thē diligently we shal fynde also the Image of the blessed Trinitie in our selues in our owne natures For it is written God made man after his Image after y e Image of god formed he him This Image is in our soules not in our bodies as I haue proued in my cōfutatiō of the Anthropomorphites or humaniformiās Mānes soul is a liuely Image of God The soul is a spirit almightie God is a spirite the soule quikneth ruleth the body the Trinitie gouerneth the maruelouse frame of this world Reason will and memory are thre but one and the same soule So y e father the son and y e holy ghost are thre distinct in propertie and one God Whatsoeuer thing the soule doth these thre be the workers therof Reason cannot discern good and euill truth falshed plainnes and craft profe sophisticatiō without either will or memory Neither will chuseth what him lyketh without the other nor memory remēbreth not things gone without reason and wil. These actions workes which are sayd properly to belonge only to memory and only to reason and will in very dede ar done by the workemanship of all thre So the father y e son and the holy ghost worke all things vnseparablie not that each of them is vnable to worke by him selfe but that they all thre are one God one spirite one nature as reason wil memory ar one soul. The sonne worketh alwayes wyth the father for whatsoeuer the father doth y ◠doth the sōne also and Christ recordeth that as his father worketh hytherto so he worketh ▪ The