would rather at thys tyme fraye them to make them amende then to punyshe them and lose thē for euer and wold perce thus theyr mindes and brynge them to a knowledge of theyr synnes And as subuercion destruccion was threatned vnto thys Niniue so is it to thys hole realme for ther is among vs as greate and as manye syns God geue grace there be no greater nor nomore as wer among them We muste then amende or els we shall peryshe euerychone Luke .xiii. but what tyme the Lord knoweth not I. Now it foloweth how the preaching of Ionas was accepted And the people of Niniue beleued God preclaymed fastynge and arayed them selues in sacke clothe as well the greate as the small of them Out of this text is fyrst to be noted how that y e Niniuits resisted not the preachynge of Ionas when they had yet yf they would haue excused their euil mani refuges pretexts Ther obedience to the word of god cōdēneth both the Iewes vs of obstynacie malyce i. They might haue pretended thys Ionas is but one man therfore not to be credited ii He is a stranger speketh it of hatred vnto vs of affecciō towardes hys owne countrye .iii. He is of a cōtrary relygion to ours wuld deceaue as frō our fathers faith iiii He is no king but a man that semeth to haue lytle wir and lesse experience v. He is one cōtemned of hys owne countrye men and can not be hearde of them and shuld we credit hys woordes vi He is a noughty lyuer an◠one that God hateth and hath punyshed and shuld we passe of hys sayinges But they remembred theyr own faults at the preachyng of one day they amended they neuer loked for myracle They pretended not the antiquitie and aunciētnes of theyr citie that had stode almost from the tyme of the flud Gen. x. They that heard hym neuer desyred theyr amendement vntyl suche tyme as the kyng the preists and the other elders of the Citie had agreed whether Ionas doctrine were true or not Of thys facilitie quycknes of belyfe in the Niniuites we maye se y t soner beleueth the verye infydels the word of god then such as beareth the name of God and be broughte vp in supersticion And that I thynke were easye to be sene yf experiēce shuld be taken to preach at Babilon or Constantinople he should rather conuert those cities then Rome Farther theyr promptnes cōdemneth our obstinacie and hardnes of harte that daily heare the word of god preached and yet nothyng the better nor nerer to saluacion It foloweth what the Niniuites do when they be conuerted Fyrst they beleue in the Lord second they fast A man ignoraunt of God offendeth twoo maner of waies in bodi and in soule and both these offences must be amended if we wyl be reconciled vnto god By fayth the mynde is reconcyled vnto god and by abstinēce the body is kepte in subieccion and the wantones of cōcupiscence kept in obedience But in thys our myserable and cursed tyme of God for synne is great question and controuersy moued not onely cōcerning fayth but also fasting of which two thinges I iudge it mete somwhat to be spoken of As touchynge fayth it is not an opinion and knowledge onlye but a vehement ernest and certayne persuasion of Gods promises in Christ and out of thys faythe spryngeth all Godlynes and vertuous woorkes and what soeuer spryngeth not hereof is synne And thys faythe the almighty god confirmeth in his true and vertuous people two maner of wayes Inwardly outwardly Inwardlye by the holy gost who testifieth by his spirite with our spirit that we be the chyldren of God Outwardly by preaching of gods word and ministracion of the sacramentes The preachynge conteyne the innumerable benefites and promyses of God made in the new testamēt and y e old vnto vs in Christe who is y e seede that shuld and doth treade and breake the heade of the serpent Gene. iii. Io. iii. The Sacramentes be as visyble woordes offered vnto the Eyes and other Senses as the sweete sounde of the word to the eare and the holye gost to the hart The numbre of these sacramentes in y ◠publycke ministerie of the church be twoo One of baptisme and the other of the lords supper and both these teach and confyrme none other thynge then that the mercye of God saueth the faithfull and beleuers Therfore is the bread in y e holy supper called the bodye of Christ and the wyne the blud of Christ because thei be sacraments and seales of gods promises in Christ. This plaine symple doctryne of the sacramentes were sufficiēt if fraud gile treason heresie supersticion papistrie ignorancie arrogancie miserie and the malyce of men woulde suffer it But these iuels afore rehersed haue called into question and controuersie whether carnally corporally and reallye the precious body of Christ be present and how the communion and sacrament of hys body shulde be ministred and vsed For the resolucion answerynge vnto the whyche questions I wyll sincerlye and playnelye shewe my mynde accordynge to the worde of God ¶ Of the presence of Christes body in the sacrament I Wyl not in this question saye asmuche as I would or could because of late dayes in thys place it was godlye and learnedly touched But yet somewhat muste I saye because the ignoraunce of it bringeth idololatrye Idololatry bryngeth eternal damnaciō eternall dānacion commeth not onlye to the ygnoraunte but also vnto hym that shuld in hys vocacion remoue or do his good wil to remoue the ygnorauncie I am appoynted to remoue ygnorauncye thus therefore I pray you hear how ye may remoue it I wil kepe this order Fyrst I wil shew by many argumēts that ther is no corporal presēce of Christs body in the sacramēt Thē wyll I answer to the argumēts of y ◠aduersaryes y t wold haue it here The fyrst argument THis I take of y e name of christs body which is lyke vnto ours in al thynges except syn Heb. ii Esa. liii And incase it wer not in al thynges like vnto oures excepte synne and immortalitie Sayncte Paules Argument would proue nothynge i. Cor. xv But our bodyes be one to each one measured certaynelye wyth quantitie and qualitie and occupye at one tyme one place therfore so doeth and euer hath done Christes bodye And thus woulde Paule proue our resurreccion because our bodies be as Christes is y t is rysen excepte synne and immortalitie After that thei sat Christ hath now a glorified body so we haue not it maketh nothing for their purpose for whē Christ made hys supper instituted y e sacramēt of hys death he was a mortal and passible man subiect vnto the tyrany and violence of his aduersaries Yea after his immortalitie he shewed manifest tokens and arguments of his pure true and sensible humanitie Io. xxi i. Io. i. For y ◠apostles fyngers touched hym
thys ye may see the dyuersitie betwene the ministerye of God of y ◠deuil of Christ and of Antechrist Christs mynistery is ful of labors paines sclounders and calamytyes Antichrist is ful of care pleasures cōmodities honoures as ye maye see through all the kingdom of the Pope for ther is not a byshoppricke nor benefice cā fal but ten ar reddy to take it or it come to the groūd Yea and healpe awaye the incumbēt wyth an Italion figge before tyme as ye may rede of Uictor the thyrd The seconde doctryne is that who so euer leaueth vndone the office commaunded vnto him by god flieth from the fauour and good wyl of God as it is to be sene i. Regu xv Here be al bishops and priestes admonished to beware how they leaue their deuties and cures They flie from y ◠face of god as many as beare that name and preache not the word of God and instruct not the people after the mouthe of god Myserable and cursed is our tyme of gods owne mouth that ther be such dom bishops vnpreaching prelats and such asseheadded Mynysters in the church of God Christ institutid nether singers nor massers but preachers and testimonies of his true doctrine Mar. xvi Mat. xxviii Luk. xxiiii Act. i. He that leaueth thys doctryne vntaught in the church or teacheth a contrary doctrin flieth from the face of god and do incurre the daunger and dampnacion that is wrytten Ezechi xxxiii iii. I wyll requyre theyr losse sayeth God to the preacher at thy hand Let nomā therfore be offended if the cryer speake agaynst the faultes of al degres wythout excepcion seing he is commaunded so to do vpō the paine eternal of his soule and Paule sayth wo be vnto me if I preache not i. Cor. ix Let all men take heede to do the thing that apparteyneth to theyr offyce least they depart from the face of the Lord as kyngs do if they make any laws contrary to the lawe of God and the lawe of nature or suffer theyr subiectes to be tawght in anye doctryne for the saluacion of theyr soules beside and contrary to the expresse word of god The iustyce departeth from the face of God when y t he for fauor preposterous peti or for bribes iudgeth not iustly The gentle men when bysyde charity seke themselues wyth the hurt of their neighbours The commons of euery realme departeth frō the fauour of god when sediciously inobedientlye they make tumults and sedicion lyftynge vp weapon agaynst theyr kyng and rulers whych leadeth to eternal dāpnacion Rom. xiii Num. xvi But a man might say toush it is not so great a matter if a man walke not in hys vocacion neyther yet is god so much offended with dysobediēce but thys fleshly and peruerse opinion may soone be corrected if mē wold cōsider the daungers that thys poore man Ionas fell into for hys dysobedyence They be in number syxe The fyrste is the perylous wyndes that troubleth the shippe The seconde hys synne and dysobedience is detected and made open by lottes The thyrd he is examyned what he is The fourthe he is constrayned to geue sentence of death agaynst hym selfe The fyfth the shipmen cannot saue him The sixt he is cast into the sea The fyrst daunger hath two partes The one sheweth the daunger of the shyppe The other shewith how the mariners behaueth thē selues in the time of theyr daunger Of the fyrst thus sayth the Prophet The Lorde hurled a greate wynde into the sea and there arose a myghtie tempest in the sea so that the shyppe was in Ieoperdie of goynge in pieces Well we maye thyncke to escape the daunger of GOD though we neglect oure dewty and vocacion but truely it can not be so Whither sayeth Dauyd shoulde I go from thy spirite and whither shoulde I fle frō thy face Psal. cxxxix Ther is no corner of the world wher in man maye hyde hym selfe from the knowlege and punishment of God if we neglect the worckes of oure vocacion He hath all thynges in hys hand heauen earth the wyndes and the waters with the whiche he vseth to punyshe the wyckednes of transgressours wythall at his pleasure when he wil as it is to be seen Samu. i. Of thys place of the text we learne that whosoeuer contrarye to Goddes commaundemente studieth to auoyde one yuell falleth into manye The byshop or the preacher that for the loue or feare of the world letteth to speke the trueth falleth into the burnyng and damnacion of hys owne conscience The people that agaynst goddes lawe woulde defende the pouertye of theyr bodies loste body soule wyfe chyldren and all together The corrupte Iudge in serchynge to serue hyz owne tourne or hys frenfrends in corrupting of iustice bryngeth bothe hym selfe and hys frende into the daunger of eternal dampnacion The text procedeth y t sheweth howe the mariners behaued them selues in this daūger y t whych thyng is dylygently to be noted For in them is expressed averi liuelye ymage of all men that lackyth fayth howe they feare aboue measure in the tyme of trouble Theyr doinges is expressed foure waies First their fayth Second eche of thē calleth vpō his own god Third thei exonerate the ship Fourth they wake Ionas oute of hys sleepe The fear declareth y e greatnes of the daunger they were in theyr ignoraunce of God who onelye comforteth in the dayes and houre of trouble That euery man calleth vpon his own god it appeareth ther were people of sondry and dyuers nacions and also what is common to all men vnder the sunne that haue not lost the vse of reason when we be left destitute of humane healpe we call vpon god not for loue but for feare as it is sayd metus primus in orbe Deos fecit That is to say feare was the fyrste that made Gods in the world These mariners are of some part to be folowed of some part not that in the daye of trouble they praye we ought to folowe them that they praye not to the one and sole God but euerye man to a sondrye God they maye not be folowed For there is but one patron and helper for all men and he is neuer nor no where knowen but by his word Mānes reason knoweth ryght wel in the tyme of trouble that ther is a god but who he is reason cannot tell Therefore worshippeth reasō an idole of hys own heade vnder the name of God and then foloweth man eyther hys owne opinion eyther the tradicion of hys elders And thys is the fountayne of Idolatrye when that euery manne thyncketh hym to be hys God that he hym selfe hys elders or custome hath taken to be god From hence came suche diuersitye of gods among the Gētiles so many patrons among y e supersticious sort of Christians These goddes all together be forbyd Exodi xx Deutrono vi They lyghten the shyp when they felt that prayers auayled nothynge they tourne to laboure whyche also eased them
theyr exces vpoÌ„ the towardly youth of theyr dyoceses So might y â— Nobilitie and our worshipful men of the shyre dooe yea so might euery person and curat do either with his goods help forth the truth and old catholycke faythe of Christe eyther wyth their goodwyls animate them to learne the doctryne of y â— Patriarkes Prophets and the apostles and such as haue the talent of teachyng myght rather teache then play helpe then hyndre buylde then pull downe helpe forth then draw-backe promote God rather then the deuyl fauour Christ then Antichrist agre wyth the kynge then conspire wyth the Pope As concernyng the policâ—e and reformacion therof I haue sayd my mind before the whych God geue grace it may be accepted folowed If it be not yet I haue delyuered my soule God shal requyre your bluddes at your owne hande And incase any man be offended wyth me for my true sayinge I had rather haue dyspleasure of al the worlde then of God that is able to damne â—ath my bodye and my sowle In y â— thyrd place Ionas putteth an excellent discripcion of God the whych we should wel kepe in mynde that he is a pitiful and mercyful God longe suffering and of much clemencie Thys descripcion of God agreeth with Gods own wordes spokeÌ„ to Moses cx.xxxiiii the whych encoraged Iustes shulde do the same to vs if we were of god Great doubtles was the synne of Ionas that toke an occasioÌ„ to be angry by gods fauour and goodnes towardes thys sorowful Citye Euen thus dyd the Pharises that were angry at Christ because he kept companye wyth synners Ionas was then as many meÌ„ be now adayes that thyncke wretched Synners shoulde neuer fynde pardon for theyr synnes before God Now foloweth a farther discripcion of Ionas faute and impaciencye And nowe O Lord take my lyfe from me I beseeche thee for I had rather dy theÌ„ liue Of thys text we learne two thynges fyrste howe sore and haynously thys Ionas offended that rather desyred to dy theÌ„ god should haue pitye vpon thâ—se penytente people by whose preseruacioÌ„ he thought some shame and rebuke shuld happen vnto hym because he did afore speake and threaten theyr perdicion and losse Muche better and more Godly dyd Moses and Paul that wyshed rather their owne harme theÌ„ y e losse of y t people Also thys texte declareth the werynes and impaciencye of the fleshe that wyll not suffer the troubles annexed vnto the vocacioÌ„ but rather wisheth to dye then to lyue So did Elias desyre death .iii. Reg. xix so that the text experience â–ª dayly sheweth the best day that euer a true preacher shal see is the day of hys deathe But as the deuyll hath vsed the vocacion of Bishops and Priestes in this present tyme ther is no day so terrible nor fearefull to them as the dai of death The cause therof me thynketh S. Augustine Episto cxlviii ad Ualerium sheweth right well Ante omnia inquam peto ut cogitet religiose prudentia tua nihil esse in hac vita et maxime hoc tempore facâ—â—iâ—s et letius et hominibus acceptabilius Episcopi aut Presbiteri aut Diaconi officio si perfunctorie atque adâ—â—â—atorie res agatur sed nihil apud deum miserius et tristius et damnabilius That is to say Before al thynges I desyre that your Godlye prudence would thynke nothynge to be more lyght facile or ioyfull in thys lyfe chiefely nowe thys tyme then the offyce of a Byshop Priest or Deacon yf the thynge be done lyghtlye or hypocriticallye but before God there is nothynge more miserable sorowful and damnable Nowe foloweth the answer of god to this angry maÌ„ ¶ God maketh answer to angry Ionas Then sayd the lord art thou so angry Of thys demaund question of the Lord we learne how he in a fume or hastye passion if a maÌ„ may speake so of god wil not cast away this infirme and weake Ionas but wyth sufferaunce trayned hym to a better and more aduised iudgemente So doeth Esaye reporte of Gods nature chap. xlii He wil not put out the towe kindled He dyd not onely consyder the weakenes of the man but also the daungers and trouble of hys pastoral vocacion Pytyâ—ully therfore doth god bear wyth hym and scholeth him to a farther better knowledge Of this maÌ„ we mai learn how to be ware of hasty rash passions of Ire â–ª for if there be not in all oure actes a moderacion thereof we shal neuer doo nor iudge thinges vp ryghtly accordyng to knowledge If meÌ„ would remember this demauÌ„d of God towardes Ionas they woulde not be so angrye when they be rebuked for their faultes but rather thanke y â— admonitoure for hys good admonicion and warning of gods displeasure Now foloweth the secoÌ„d part of the chapter And Ionas gat him oute of the Citye and sat downe on the East syde thereof and there made hym a Boothe and satte vnder it in the shadowe tyll he myght see what shuld Chaunce vnto the cytye WheÌ„ Ionas had no excuse to make why he was angrye nor woulde not confesse hys faulte for he answereth nowe nothyng to the questyon God demaundeth of hym he goeth hym selfe out of the Citâ—e to se the ende whether y e Niniuiâ—es wold perseuer in their penauÌ„ce begone or not Of thys we learne yf we be wrongfully angrye and admonyshed if we wyl not confesse the faulte yet shuld we consyder and way it the more deepelye In that he made hym selfe a boothe we see wyth what symplycitie the good man was contented wyth al and likewyse howe he hym selfe was contente to labour to make hys own couch Our Byshops and Priestes haue all thynges prepared to theyr handes God geue them grace better to deserue it The texte sayeth The Lorde God prepared a wilde vine whych sprang vp ouer Ionas that he myght haue shadowe aboue hys heade to delyuer hym out of hys paine The Lorde here purposeth to helpe the infirmities of Ionas and remoue the sinistre and false iudgement he had of Gods mercye by the ymage of a yong tree He bringeth forth a yong tree that may geue shadow to Ionas wherof Ionas reioyceth very much But the Lorde queeleth it a agayne strayght way and that maketh Ionas eftsones angri In the myddest of hys fumes commeth the Lord and by a collacion and similitude betwene symple tree and the woorthye Cytye of Niniue he sheweth Ionas his fault that was angry for the mercy shewed wnto the Citie But in these thinges be thynges to be marked Fyrst in Ionas then in God thyrdly in the 〈◊〉 In Ionas maye be sene the ymage of aâ—â—an that laboreth and is oppressed with many affeccions and neuer contented with y â— doings of god We shoulde not folowe thys fault but submyt oure iudgementes to his wyl Saing alwaies in al gods works thy wylbe done whether thou send vs myrth or sorow ioy or pain for euery