Temple You may imagine to what a straight the church was brought when the high Priest himselfe findeth this booke but by a chance No sooner had he found it but hee sendeth it to Iosiah by Shaphan the Secretarie which read it be fore him therein hee findeth that it was a thing of nothing to build vp againe the Temple of God vnlesse hee also would establish againe his seruice that it rained not only on the hoâ—se top as they say but that the inside also was posaned and the Sanctuarie filled with Idolatry And hereupon beginneth hee nowe to detest the sinne of the Church rent his cloathes taketh counsell with the Prophetesse and humbleth himselfe Here the Priest might haue coÌ„forted himselfe with this that he knew his lesson by hearte might haue contented him with the tradition of the Church which neuer faileth never lieth but what do'es he He gathereth together the Priests and the Levits in the house of God all Iuda all Ierusalem from the verie least to the greatest At that time was it not the fashion to get a dispensation for to read the holy Scriptures In the middest of them all he causeth this booke to bee read which being read hee maketh a couenant to obserue it and bindeth therewith all the people And after al this he purgeth the Temple from all idolatrie and superstition and driueth out al the Priests thereof hee casteth their vessels into the fire and breaketh down the high places euen those that were in the cities of Iuda hauing beene tolerated by so many good kings in the which the Priests of the stock of Leui those that had their lawfull calling did sacrifice vnto the true God And hereupoÌ„ there might haue beene much to gainesay what is there wanting to these sacrifices Are they not offered to him and by those to whome and by whom they ought to be offered Is this therefore any thing else but a desire of noveltie And put the case that there is some defect in them is it not for all that tolerable having already beene tolerated by so many good kings by so many high Priests for so many yeares to gether And is it not in this that that law of policy is to take place that a thing once well setled though it bee euill ought not to bee taken away but to shun all inconueniences it ought to be left still in his place And neuertheles our rule makes him not sticke at all this Deut. 12 v. 11. From the beginning it was not so There shall be a place saith Moses which the Lord shal chuse to cause his name to dwell there thither shall you bring all your burnt offerings and your sacrifices c. Take heed V. 1â— that thou offer them not in every place that thou seest and which thou thinkest to be fit for thy purpose As if he said for I will not take any of thy pretended supererogations for sacrifices or worshipping I will be worshiped according to that which I haue commanded thee and not after thine owne fansie Because indeed that God the very reason and cause of all things hath his end in all whatsoeuer he ordeineth for to direct all nations to the sacrifice of his onlie sonne alone hee would haue but one temple one sanctuarie and one altar whereas thou dost darken and confound his meaning by thine owne inventions by thy pretended good purposes and by such a multitude of thine high places and thine altars every sacrifice of thine is a wroÌ„g worship Therefore also is it said in that which followes that he commanded the people to keep the Passeover But how As it is written in the booke of the covenant 2 Kin. c. 23 according to the word of the Lord delivered by the hand of Moses He sendeth them to the originall to the old form thereof and indeed it is added There was no Passeover holden like that from the daies of the Iudges that iudged Israell V. 22. nor in all the daies of the kings of Israell and of the kings of Iuda not in Samuels time no nor in the time of Hezekiah himselfe So necessarie a thing did hee esteeme it to keepe himselfe exactly to the law of the Lord and to his holy Scriptures In the time of the captiuitie of Babylon the Church of God Gods Israell in the midst of the Chaldeans those great masters of ceremonies and patrons of al idolatrie and superstition could not possibly haue stood out so long without being corrupted What does then Esdras in this case when he bringeth back the people into Ierusalem Howe doth he proceed to set them in order againe Truely it is said that as soon as they were come into Ierusalem Ieshua the son of Iozadak with his brethren the Priests and Zerubbabel the sonne of Salathiel the captaine of the transmigration Builded the altar of the God of Israell to offer thereon Esd 3 v. 2 not according to their owne fansy nor according to that which they might haue learned in that medlie of the heathen but saith hee as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God As if it were said that they calling to minde the punishment of the sonnes of Aaron which were consumed by the fire of the wrath of God for hauing offered vnto him a strange fire they reestablish after the same manner the service of God in Ierusalem as it is written in the booke of Moses they are not ashamed to go and learne their lesson therein And yet are wee not to thinke that they wanted amongst theÌ„ such men as were of courage and had in theÌ„ presumptioÌ„ enough to adde somewhat of their own therevnto Lastly to apply somwhat neerer our text to this purpose Esdras the restorer of the Church at that time was fully informed how that many of the cheefest of the people yea soÌ„e Priests also against the expresse law of the Lord had taken vnto themselues strange wiues Chap. 9. of those nations which were forbidden them whereupon hee rent his clothes pluckt of the haire of his heade and of his beard fell on his knees and coÌ„fessed both his owne and the peoples sinnes in the preseÌ„ce of God V. 7. from the daies of our fathers saith he haue wee beene in a great trespasse vnto this day The longer that the sinne had lasted the greater doth hee acknowledge to bee the fault so farre was he from taking thereby any right occasion to continue it But did he stay here only No he returned to his principle Thou hadst forbidden vs to do so Levit 18. â— 25 27. saith he by thy servants the Prophets Deut. 7.3 c. And now shall wee returne to breake these commandements Shall wee goe on stil ô Lord in these abominations So that being strengthned by the assistance of honest men amongst others by Shechaniah the sonne of Iehiel hee caused the people to sweare bound them with a newe oath to the keeping of Gods
law that lawe especially which forbad all these incestes whence ensued forth with the putting away of all their strange wiues and that by the common consent of the people and of the Priests themselues which at the reading of the law were convicted of their faults This was a hard sentence you will say as also an harder execution to part asunder so many housholds and to rent in two the wife from the husband the children from the mother And what became then all this while of Esdras his wisdome Was there no Pope amongst them in those daies that might haue dispensed with them for this But rather if thou beleevest the Lord when he hath spoken wouldst thou haue had him cast Gods people againe into that furnace from whence they were but newly come and that the wrath of the Lord for disobedience they are the very wordes of the law should waxhot against them Deut â— 4. and destroy them suddenly So certaine is that maxime in al good divinitie that wee ought to obey God without looking back and in a matter of reformation we ought to do nothing by roate but haue alwaies recourse vnto this booke Our Lord therefore which was come in our flesh to reform the Church doth giue vs also the same rule a rule indeed pronouÌ„ced by him in this one case but yet it extendeth it selfe over all whatsoever concernes Gods service and therefore is it herein so much the more to bee put in practise as this is a matter of greater mysterie and weight As also we learne the same in Gods law concerning his service So saith he in another place where hee instructeth his Disciples Thinke not that I am come to destroy the law or the Prophets Matth. 5. v. 17. The reformation of the church hath alwaies bin subiect to this slander I am come to fulfil them to recal the law vnto his right observation to restore vnto it his due and natural interpretation and to keepe it from all traditions inventions and Pharisaical glosses the which vnder a colour of giuing light vnto it doe indeed darken it insteede of establishing it doe destroy it insteed of honouring it doe make a mocke of it You haue hearde that it was saide by them of the old time your Doctors your Fathers Thou shalt not kill for whosoever killeth shall bee culpable of iudgement V. 21. For to avoide this iudgment they haue taught you that it was enough not to kill at all likewise it was saide Thou shalt not commit adulterie V. 27. And they haue made you beleeue that you were free from this law if only you kept your selues from acting this sin Like wise V. 43. Thou shalt loue thy neighbour and hate thine enemie And in like manner all the other coÌ„mandements But I say vnto you I that am the true law giuer that knowe the meaning of the Father of that eternall Father the creatour of bodies and spirites which giveth his lawe alike to the one and to the other That whosoever hateth his brother hath already killed him whosoever looketh on a womaÌ„ to lust after hir hath already committed adultery with her And if so be you do not helpe your greatest enemies euen those which persecute you then are you not his children but the children of hell Calling them backe in this manner from their Fathers as we haue observed throughout in the state of the church of Israell to the God of their Fathers froÌ„ the glosse to the text from the letter to the spirit to the right purpose of the Law giver to the reasonâ— of the law And this did the Pharisies saie we to blaspheme the Temple and to call Moses in question in these daies amongst vs men would say it were to condemne the Fathers and to overthrowe the Church Behold therefore this rule which our Sauiour giveth vs from the beginning it was not so This was not the will of him that made the Testament let this rule but bee stretched out over the building of the church and then whatsoever shall be found to bee out of this line or out of the squire let it be censured to be also out of the worke let it bee condemned to be battered by the hammer and to be cut of from the faith doctrine of the church Let S. Paul bee an example vnto vs even in those first times For men in matters of religion can never go on very farre without straying vnlesse they alwaies take this guide along with them EveÌ„ in his time was the holy supper of the Lord prophaned amongst the Corinthians in this church of God by theÌ„ that were sanctified in Christ Iesus Cor. 1.2 and Saints by calling for so hee tearmeth them But what saith he to them Everie man when they should eate 〈◊〉 11. v. 21 taketh his owne supper afore c. And one is hungry and another is drunken This is not to eat the Lords Supper This is not to celebrate that holy Sacrament it is rather to despise his church Here then is a remedie for it I haue received saith he of the Lord V. 23 that which I also haue delivered or taught vnto you Theodor iâ— 1. de 〈…〉 â— 7 And herevpon doth hee rehearse vnto them at large the whole institution of the Lords Supper in the same manner as we finde it in the Gospell As I haue receiued it euen so haue I delivered it vnto you It is now your dutie if you will be Christians to obserue it accordingly S. Peter also perceiving that hee was nowe shortly to leaue this worlde Gelas Cilic in Act. Conc. â—ic doth not tell the churches to the which he wrot after my decease doe not much trouble your selues about that which you are to do I will instruct you sufficiently by revelations and visions there shall scarce bee one weeke in the which I will not giue you some new Article of faith or deliuer vnto you some new ceremonie or other But on the contrarie he saith Seeing I know that the time is at hand that I must laie downe this my tabernacle 2. Pet 1. v. 14 15. I will indevour therefore alwaies that after my departing ye also may be able to haue remeÌ„brance of these things that is of the doctrine of saluation which openeth vnto theÌ„ an entrance into the everlasting kingdome of Christ Iesus To wit I my selfe beating this doctrine into you so deepe whilest I am yet amongst you in this Tabernacle that after I shall haue left you you caÌ„not forget it Which also was the reason why that great Emperor Constantine in the middest of all the hard contentions of his time went no where for helpe but thither There is nothing more vnworthy said he to the Bishoppes of his time then to wrangle one with another about the controversies of divine matters seeing that vvee haue the doctrin of the holy Ghost in writing And the bookes of the Evangelists and Apostles togither
with the Oracles of the ancient Prophets doe teach vs evidently what we ought to coÌ„clude about divine matters and therefore laying aside all discord let vs take the decision of all our controversies out of those words which were inspired by God What then Is it now behouefull to reduce the Christian Church to this rule The church truely hath alwaies fitly beene compared to a ship and no ship can keep his right way without a coÌ„passe to direct it if at some time it be not looked vpoÌ„ how good and skilfull soeuer the Pilot or the Mates of the ship be we are not to think it strange if shee bee much out of the waie This ship also hath floted vp downe for many yeares together and hath run vpon manie strange coasts it were then a marveile if she were not soiled or had not gathered on the out side much mosse many wormes and shels in the inside much corruption contagion and all kindes of vermine or if shee did not leake for a long time already on so many places where every one bringeth his superfluities leaueth his excrements but no man in all this time hath taken the beasom in hand or set hand to the Pumpe It were a miracle indeed if there had bin left any thing entire And wretched meÌ„ that we are being our selues full of nastinesse in the midst of all this filth yet do we cry out blasphemy if anie one smell it and curse him that will take it away Shee hath moiled hir anker within the haveÌ„s yea and in the mud also and owze of Iewes Pagans Philosophers Peripatetiks Academikes both old and new Shee hath beene fraighted with their marchandise with their inventions FroÌ„ the one she hath put on the ceremonies which from henceforth ore without any mysterie and from the others shee hath borrowed their superstition Idolatry from the one by a forcible imitation she hath confirmed the presumption merits of man contrary to the ende of the whole law and Gospell froÌ„ the others they haue receiued fables for truth Poësies for history Mythology for Diuinity for these tenne or twelue hundred yeares togither we haue had no other trade no other traficke beeing alwaies mingled like vnto the people of Israell not once looking on the lawe with strange women yet doe we finde it strange that our progeny our religioÌ„ is become bastard can we beleeue if the Apostles of our Lorde if all those Apostolicall men of the nexte age should come hither once againe that they would finde as much as one step of the old discipline and Christian policie Amongst vs truly hath now been verified that tale which goeth about of him that tooke a prisoner but was caried away by him himselfe We haue converted many Iews and Pagans vnto Christ but they haue perverted vs we haue baptized them but they haue plunged vs in their filthines and from henceforth if we now convert one amongst tâ—em wee make them twise as much the sons of hell Come thou then hither and question with our Lorde Iesus Christ not as a Pharisie to teÌ„pt him but as a true ChristiaÌ„ with a good conscience to learne of him Master teach me how to pray I know that I ought to cal vpon God but I am told that I ought also to call vpon the Angels and Saints and set them a work as intercessers vnto thee Is this lawfull He will tell thee with out doubt for he cannot do otherwise being neither coÌ„trary to God nor to himselfe Hast thou not read that which is written Call vpon me and I will heare thee thou shalt giue me the praise And knowest thou not that hee in whom men beleeue is one only God according to thy Creed the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost And howe often is it rehearsed vnto thee that there is but one only Mediator betweene God men he alone that could make their peace with the Father and their propitiation in his blood And herevpon as thy Pharisies thou canst not choose but make reply on this manner why then doth such or such a father direct vs to this or to that Martyr But he will answere vs againe For the hardnes of your hart out of the weaknesse of theirs was this so done You come but new and fresh from the service of false Gods These good men thought then to haue gained much when they had caused you to put theÌ„ away to take the Saints for a change insteede of them But from the beginning it was not so For the space of 4. or 5. thousand yeares togither men spake not of calling vpon any other in the church but on God alone the Angels were coÌ„versant with the Patriarks doth any one cal vpon them Henoch and Eliah were taken vp into heauen Noe or his children Elisha or his other disciples doe they come vnto them Of so many Psalmes of David which are as so many praiers in al that diversity of matter is there anie one only that hath any other obiect of his faith and of his praier but him alone And am I come to derogate from his glory I the beloued Son from the Fathers worship or rather to establish it so much the more to glorifie him I then tell you that which I long since tolde to Sathan Thou shalt worshippe the Lord thy God Marth 4. and him only shalt thou serue And invocation is one of the chiefe partes of his worship of his service FroÌ„ the weaknes of some of my servaÌ„ts do not you take al your streÌ„ght out of their wants doe not you seeke a supply either of the law of God or of my Gospell and from my patience by reason of my long forbearance doe not you make a law nor thinke to pleade prescription against the true religion and pure worship That which the Lorde hath reserued vnto himselfe alone doe not you turne it away vpon the creature do not part it Let another come and saie thus Master we are al in doubt amidst al these controversies Is it lawfull to reverence to adore the Images of the Saints of the Virgin Marie thine owne that also of the holy Trinitie And he will answere doubtlesse hee which is come to establish the law and not do destroy it Hast thou not read what is writteÌ„ in the law in that law which was given by the ministerie of the holy Angels Thou shalt not make any graveÌ„ image Exod. 20. thou shalt not bow downe to them neither serue them Doest thou not look for some plainer or more expresse speech Or is it need that you should haue a glosse herevpon There followes therefore the reasoÌ„ of it For saith he I am the Lord thy God a mighty iealous God And can his nature then be changed now And yet thou wilt not bee ashamed to reply why theÌ„ haue our Masters giueÌ„ theÌ„ vnto vs for books insteed of the Gospels When we guild them cloth them perfume them