Loe to thys place went the holy father Symeon departing wherof perswaded he departed in moste assured peace in conscience and with God who in his Christ with him being satisfied by his holye spirite setled the harte of Symeon in moste quyet rest That the soules departed walke not after death in earth againe But yet or I passe from thys worde departe for that I wryting this a most slaunderous reporte is raysed of an honest and vertuous Minister departed this lyfe that hys soule nowe walketh at this daye in his Parsonage house it shall not be vnprofitable Christian Reader that I saye something to the beating downe to death this error It is an olde sinister opinion of men that the soules of the dead depart not so from vs but that after buryall they walke in the earth and appeare vnto men exhorting them to this or to that as Gregory of Rome reporteth in his Dialogues Yea the Apostles might séeme to be combred wyth this error saying when they saw Christ vpon the water it is a Spirite Act. 12.15 And when Peter knocked at Iohn Markes mothers dore they saide to Rhoda the mayde it is his Angel This had they of the vulgare opinion receyued from Pithagoras teaching the soules of men to returne into the bodies of others eyther for correction or reward And thus deluded Herod hearing of Christ supposed Iohn Baptist to be rysen againe Mat. 14.1 Mar. 6.14 Luc. 9.7 whom he had beheaded And the better sort of the people dreamed Christ to be Helias Iohn Baptist Ieremy or some of the Prophetes all which we sée were most vntrue But as touching the departure of the soule once seperated from the bodye that it returneth not or can possibly into the world the storie of Lazarus doth affyrme Diues desyreth that Lazarus might come to help his tongue Luc. 16. but it is denied that they which be in ioy can come to the Helles He then desyreth that the soule of Lazarus may go to his brethren that are in the earth and may teach them to beware but he receyueth this aunswere They which be here cannot come hence and they which be there cannot come thence And they haue Moyses and the Prophets let them heare them and if they wil not heare them neyther wil they beleue though one should which is vnpossible before iudgement come from death againe Esa 8.19.20 Deut. 18. The Prophets doe forbid vs to aske counsell of the dead God lykewise in the lawe here Abraham doth sende vs to the Prophets and to Moses bookes for our instruction denying most constantly that any soules of the dead shall walke againe to teach or terrifie vs All they which departe thys lyfe be eyther godly or wicked If they be godly then are they by imputation iust and the soules of the iuste Sapi. 3. are in the hands of God And godly Lazarus cannot be permitted no not to do much good to come from Abrahams bosome But if they be wicked they lye in the Hels like sheepe and thence cannot Diues or his fellowes come though heauen and earth should runne together But thou wilt say what shall we saye to this there is much iumblyng in suche a house and there is séene lyuely such a man walke before vs Chrisost hom 29. whome we cannot but say to be our friend departed to all our sences iudgemente To thys I aunswere wyth Chrysostome vpon S. Mathew What shal we say to those voyces sayth he which saye I am the soule of such a man The Deuil not the soule of the deade it is that after buryall walketh to deceiue men Say it is not the soule of the deade man but it is the Deuill which doth fayne these things to deceyue the hearers thereby These are sayth he olde wyues Fables and fryuolous tales The soules of the righteous are in the hands of God and soules of Infants c. But the soules of synners are straight waye after their departure called to their place as playnely appeareth sayth thys father by Lazarus the righteous and the wicked rich man Loe this is no newe doctrine by vs deuysed but an olde truth by the Fathers concluded through the warrante of Gods worde that the soules of men departed be placed presently at the hower of death out of which place they cannot come againe to men in earth Whether Samuell apeared to Saule or no. before the day of iudgement But the Papistes séeme to presse vs with the apparition of Samuel to king Saule at the cuniuration of the Pythonisse To whome we soundly aunswere that Samuel appeared not to Saule but Satan abusing the king tolde him that he was Samuel But here againe they saye sée howe these men denye the playne Text of scripture Doth not the holye booke of GOD twise saye 1. Sam. 28. Eccle. 46. Samuel appeared vnto Saule we acknowledge the scripture to call the Spirite that apeared by the name of Samuel And albeit against the second place as not Canonicall we maye lawfully excepte August quest 3. yet we answere with Augustine ad Simplicianum the Bishop of Millaine It was not sayth he the spirite of Samuel raysed from his rest but it was some fantasie or imagination of the Deuill which the scripture notwythstanding calleth Samuel as Images be called after the names of such persons as they do represent Who doubteth sayth this father to name the Images of the Phylosophers pictured vpon the wall saying this is Cicero that is Salust and this is Achilles and this manne is Hector this is the flood of Simois and that is Rome when these be nothing other but bare pictures vpon a paynted wall No maruell therfore though the wryter of the sacred Storyes sayth he call this Image of Samuel by the name he represented or that the Deuill could transfigure himselfe to the shape of a holye man which hath power also to tourne hymselfe into an Aungell of lyght But Turtullian sayth Absit vt animam cuiuslibet sancti c. God forbid that wée should beléeue the Deuill to haue power to call vp anye soule of the saints of God much lesse of his holy Prophets for we are taught that Satan doth transforme hymselfe into an Angel of light with what ease then into the shape of a manne of lighte so he calleth Samuell bicause he is a member of Christ the true light of the worlde yea he doth sayth he affirme himselfe to be God and worketh great and prodigious things if it were possibly therby to seduce the elect people of God That learned father Peter Martyr sayth that Samuell apeared not to Saule but it was an imagined shape which by the delusion of Satan was brought vnto Saule and as we call it a Ghost and he gyueth probable reasons to approoue his assertion Diuers reasons proouing Samuell not to appeare to Saule First syth the case so stood with Saule that God would neyther answere him being often
the false Prophets to turne to his saluation that is their prayer to God for his pacience shall profyte him to beare the crosse wyth silence Iam 5.16 which bringeth peace in Christ And so in such sort it is that Iames sayth The prayer of the iuste auayleth much wherfore pray one for another that ye may be saued But if God by his grace giue not this grace into man to beléeue and suffer for him that man cannot by other mens fayth be saued as we haue sufficiently prooued wherefore Symeon rightly reioyceth that his proper eyes to saye the eyes of his fayth and also of bodye haue had the experimented perswasion in his heart that this borne Babe Iesus the Virgins son is his sauiour But let no man dreame here that Symeons solace is of that that only he saw with his bodily eyes the body of Christ For notwithstanding that sight had he not with the eyes of his fayth beholden Christ for his onely Sauiour he had died most sorrowfull What did it profite the Phariseys Iewes Pilate Caiphas and the tormentors of Christ that they sawe hym whom they pierced No more then it doth the Traytor hauing sentence of death pronounced against him to loke vpon the face of the Iudge hasting the expectation of his final decrée Such is the comforte to all those Papistes which dreame and deceyue the worlde in this imagination that Christs body is to our sight offred really corporally fleshe bloud and bone as he was borne of the Virgin Mary in the sacryfice of their dead Masse A reproofe to the Popishe Masse For as the Iewes were condemned for this sight bicause then when they so sawe him they crucifyed him So are they Papistes when as with the Iewes the Popishe Priest if he coulde shewe thée in déede the bodye of his Christ in his abhominable Masse doth in sacryficing Christ euery daye so often crucifie him afreshe For sayth the Hebrewes where so euer Christ is offred there he is also deade that is to say againe crucified Their comforte is endlesse woe in the same Epistle descrybed thus He that despiseth Moses lawe Heb. 10.28 dyeth without mercy c. Of how much more punishment suppose you shall he be which treadeth vnder foote the sonne of God as doe the Papistes for where God hath exalted him on high no more subiect to death they kill him euery day at their Masse and eate him they say in that cake counteth the bloud of the Testament as an vnholy thing wherewith he was sanctifyed and doth despite that Spirite of grace Hebr. frō the 7. to the. 11. cap. Herein the Papistes are also touched for Paule sayth the holynesse of this bloud is once onely to be offered no more to be offred bicause in that one Oblation once for al offred he hath made perfect for euer those which be sanctifyed They doe despite also the Spirite of grace which sayth in the same Chapter Nowe where there is remission of these things there is no more offring for synne Yet the Popishe Priest wil euery day iterate this Sacrifice wyping thy eyes with thys miste it is an vnbloudy sacryfice For no more may Christ be offered bloudy But I aske the shauen Gentleman whether he offer truely the bodye of Christ or no If he say he doth then I aske hym whether the same body that rose from death and was crucyfied To this if he say yea then agayne I say wheresoeuer that body is offred he must of force in bloud be offred forsomuch as he hath revnited the same to his soule and Godhead and is not a spirite without fleshe and bloud as he sayth to Thomas Lu. 24.39 Secondly if you could and doe offer his body without bloud An vnbloudie sacryfice can neuer take awaye sinne you must of force new agayne kill him and tread a freshe that glorious Wyne presse which ye denie to doe Thirdly if your sacrifice be an vnbloudye Sacrifice then cannot it obtayne forgiuenesse of sinnes which is the colour ye haue to offer it but your owne lucring luste is the cause of it For the Apostle sayth that without blood Heb. 9.22 there is no forgiuenesse And without a testament there is no promise whersoeuer this Testamente and bodye is offred there of necessitie must be the death of the Testator But you chalenge the Testamente to haue forgiuenesse of synnes by your daylie sacryfice it followeth of necessitie then that in this your sacryficing Testament you must again kyll Christ the Testator For thus sayth the text For where a Testament is there must be the death of him that made the Testament And if you wil reply that Christ is aliue and you kill him not which cannot die and yet ye offer him I saye first that in the sacrifice of Christes Testament vnlesse he dye the Testament is of no force so long as he liueth that made it And then I saye it is most absurde to say that you can offer Christ and not make him to suffer death againe When as the text sayth Christ is not entred into the holy places Heb. 9.24 that are made wyth handes which are symilituds of the true sanctuary but is entred into very heauen Marke where our Christ offred is not in the priests hands to appeare in the sight of God for vs. Not that he should offer himselfe often as the high priest entred into the holy place euery yere with other blood now marke to this reason for then must he haue often suffered synce the foundation of the worlde Where and whensoeuer Christ is offred there and then he is also slayn and agayne crucifyed But he can no more dye therefore can he no more be offered but now he hath appeared once to put away synne by the sacryfice of himself Note how elegantly he sayth by the sacrifice of himselfe not of other after or for him hath he put awaye sinne And forget not that he sayth Christ is not gone to heauen to the ende he should be often offered where the daylie offering of the Popishe Masse is denied by Paule to be the offering of Christ and that that Oblation is against the will of God who hath ascended the heauens bicause he will no more be offered for he can no more be slaine and for that he hath obtained in that his owne sacryfice already for vs eternall redemption And laste of all he sayth that whensoeuer Christ is offred he is therewith slayne O Lorde Hebr. 9.12 if wyth pure eyes we coulde looke into the booke of lyfe the worde of God how could this doltish damnable doctrine of Rome deuoure vs and this is most certaine The corporall presence of Christes body not so profitable to be wyth vs. that this corporall sight of Christes body should rather hinder then help vs For Christ sayth vnlesse that he be taken from vs his holye spirite will not come to vs and if we haue not the spirite of
worldly cares and enimies there is consolation and happy euent easely had If destrest and perplexed there is sound counsell and faythfull friendship If doubting of Gods lyfe there is a most sure Towre of defence and well buylded bulwarkes against all such assaultes And truely our second Dauid Christ did not else where 1. Sam. 17.40 Mat. 4. then forth of this Scrip take those little stones which slue the olde Goliath Satanas in his subtile assaulte and cruell temptation Scriptum est c. What wouldest thou haue Hence floweth the Ryuers of God in Christ to the drinking of which Ioh. 4.14 our Christ doth daylie inuyte vs whose nature is absolutely to quenche oure intollerable thyrst The treasures dwelling in the worde of God and to satisfie vs in desire of most happinesse Here is the Storehouse of GOD whether we ought to goe to satisfie oure hungry soules Thys is the Table of the Lorde most amply furnished with all dyshes of necessary dyet dressed by the finger of God wherewith he doth most lyberally féede vs Here is also moste pleasaunt Wyne of consolation and lyfe the Fountayne of Christs bloud daylie open for euery soule that thyrsteth after it to washe away his synnes In this holy Byble is situate the Heauenly Paradise farre passing the Garden of Eden where is all kinde of fruit for vs to eate in which the Trée of lyfe Christ Iesus is most fayre and frée to vs. The trée of knowledge of good and euill is set to our instruction vz the worde of God of which we maye eate and muste eate wyll we be saued But that we eate not as our fyrst Father Adam did in earthly Paradise it is fyt that we come as Bées and not lyke vnto venemous Spyders Let vs search and séeke therein the most swéete lycour of lyfe the knowledge of God and his Christ the knowledge of our synnes the reward of them the forgiuenesse of them by whome and the maner howe The will of God and the strength to serue him orderly the power of Satan and his wylie engins and how to escape them The weapons and armour of God and how to be armed therewith and by battayle in our Captayne Christ to beate downe Satan vnder our féete If on this sort we come and humbly with open hartes pray and reade aduisedly and eftsoones meditate in the lawe of God we shall moste ioyfully returne daylie to our brethren into the Hyue of Gods Churche where we shall become profitable to all men by the honey of lyfe euen his spirite and truth which forth of the Garden of Gods scriptures we haue receyued But if we come with mindes to cauill forestuffed with errors and bent to gather to féede our yll we shall misconster the worde for his truth is open to babes Mat. 11.15 that are content to take the lesson at the parents mouth and not to the worldly wyse and lyke learned resting in their owne wouen webbe of frayle humayne spynning Hence commeth darknesse error heresies schismes backslydings from God and running into Hell without remorse Take héede therfore how thou commest to this holy booke and looke not therein superficially but in great diligence and let the hardnesse thereof procure thy whole industrie as before consydering wyth what paynes men attayne to skyll and how harde things by often vse become both swéete and easie Mortall men take great paines to read prophane but little in gods Booke The mortall bookes of heathen men we toyle and turne ouer with incredible endeuour and contynuall labor beating body and brayne the solace and safetie of health often berefte and contemned hereby that we might attayne the perfection of the wryters will And yet doe such labors but teach or the kéeping or recouery of Natures health or the increase of state and wealth or the ruled lynes of common welths guyde or such other artifyciall poyntes of temporall blessings which in themselues consydered are in deede precious but compared with the treasures of Gods booke the lyght of lyfe there is no comparison For we haue not therein mannes earthy but Gods heauenly wisedome speaking vnto vs to whose worde Gods word wyll make vs apt to all perfection if we giue obedient eare we shall receyue most synguler aptnesse and ability to al heauenly things we shall dryue from vs all heauy depressing pleasures that hinder godly paines in Gospel studie we shall be lightened with consolation in the booke of God and his worde shal become most swéete and easie vnto vs of what estate soeuer Kings shall haue in this booke their rule to gouerne learned Preachers to teache and the matter and Methode Counsellors Lordes and Lawyers matters of health the déepe wyttes and great Clarkes high and déepe mysteries and louing lowly persons plaine and most open doctrine sufficient to their saluation Therfore reade diligently and praye continually and no doubt the Lord according to his promise seeke and you shal finde Luc. 11.10 Math. 6. Ezech. 36. pray and it shall be giuen you c. will giue thée his holye spirite change thy heart of stone into a fleshy heart and teach thée his statutes giue thée the vnderstanding of hys lawe and teach thée himselfe This onely remayneth that we which be Gentyls should cast away our former darknesse and put on this armour of lyghte and embracing Christ for our lead Starre as he is of his father giuen to vs should by his spirite and sacred worde of fayth in his power cast of the power and workes of darknesse Otherwise it shall be to all Recusants their condemnation that light is come into the worlde Ioh. 3.19 and those blynde men loue darknesse rather then the light The Iewe ought to refuse his Righteousnesse by the lawe also and the Pharisey not to bragge glory of his holynesse but sincerely to receyue this our light Christ and in him onely to repose his trust bycause he is giuen him of GOD to be his onely glory And this God graunt to his good pleasure in Christ To the which Christ with God the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glory nowe and for euer Amen Laus Deo A. A. ⧠Imprinted at London in Fleetestreate beneath the Conduite at the Signe of Saint Iohn Euangelist by H. Iackson 1581.