gayne-sayers For so strong and mightie is the worde of God in operation that if it be rightly expounded or propounded it is sharper then any two edged sworde and entreth through euen to the deuiding a sunder of the very hart and soule of the hearers thereof as the Apostle sayth You see also by these former examples of Schollers and Guydes what is both your duetie and also theirs Yours how diligent you ought to be in reading of the holy Scriptures and also conferring of Christ and his kingdome And your Guydes what course they ought to take in teaching of you when as you shall demande to be resolued of your doubtes and that is to teache you Christ by the Scriptures and thyther to sende you to finde him out your selfe and not els where for no where els is he rightly to be found For searche the Scriptures sayth our Sauiour for they be they that testifie of me So that when you shall be thus instructed by your Guyde eyther priuatly at home or publikely abroade and that you haue perfourmed the one part of your duetie which is to heare them with all diligence and willingnes you must alwayes remember with the Noble men of Berea to performe the other part which is that hauyng heard the worde of God with all willingnes went and searched the Scriptures dayly them selues to see whether those thynges were so or no whereby you may learne that you are not onely to beleeue that this is Christ or that is Christ or he is here or there in the wildernes I know not where because such and such a man telleth you so Or yf he do tel you aright which is he you are not to beleeue him onely because he telleth you so for you see they of Berea went and searched the Scriptures them selues to see whether it were so or no Euen so must you for otherwyse you disobey that which our Sauiour Christ hath commaunded you to do for sayth he Search the Scriptures Yea but you wyll say he spake that to such as woulde not beleeue him but we beleeue them that tell vs. I thinke so in deede for a great many beleeue too much them that tell them vnles they tolde them a more trueth But although they were vnbeleeuers that our Sauiour commaunded to search the Scriptures doth he therefore commaunde you that you shall not search them Thinke not so in any wyse for doth not the holy Ghost pronounce a blessing on al those that reade the worde of God continually And doth not S. Peter wyll them whom he had taught that notwithstandyng they had knowledge and were established in the trueth yet to geue more heede vnto the Prophetes as vnto a most sure worde and as to a light that shineth in a darke place vntyl the day did dawne and the Daystarre shyne more cleere in their hartes And likewyse doth not S. Paule commende those whom he had taught vnto the worde of God as vnto a Schoolemaister which was able to buylde them further yes forsooth So that by these examples you may see that you are not onely bounde to heare the worde of God but you are also bound to search and read the Scriptures dayly your selfe for you see in geuing credite onely to the Teachers thereof many thousande soules goe to destruction as specially amongst the Papists they do Therefore yf you loue to keepe your selfe from destruction you were best to beare in minde that which our Sauiour hath geuen you in charge that is to take heede what you heare as also to take heede of false Prophetes and that you beleeue them not no although their comming wyll be with such signes woonders as that yf it were possible the very elect shoulde be deceyued thereby Yet notwithstanding I say he commaundeth you not to beleeue them but to search the Scriptures because in deede they are the true touchstone whereby you may easely trie the true Christ from the false as also the true Prophet from the false Prophet Now it may be that you wyll aske me here agayne whether you may read no other Booke but the Scriptures only The answere is that yf you wyll you may but yf it be for matters of saluation the Booke of God is the onely Apothecaries shoppe for you to resort vnto because there you may be sure to haue a most precious medicine for euery disease or curing salue for euery sore And surely the Prophet Dauid found it so to be for sayth he I had euen perished in the middest of mine afflictions had not the booke of God been my delyght and therefore made he that his only meditation both day and nyght So that when you haue bestowed long time with lyke delight and diligence therein as he did and that your wittes thereby are quickened so that you may be well able to discerne of Spirites that is betwixt good and euyll then you may if your leysure serue you reade other Bookes and catch no hurt Or yf it be so that you haue not as yet heard of the Booke of God you may also reade some bookes and take no harme for some Bookes there are which are good and tende to very good purpose because their dryft is as I suppose to draw you to the Booke of God euen to that fountayne of all ioy but otherwyse yf their drift be to draw your delight vnto them selues they can in no wyse be good For Iohn the Baptist being tolde that more Disciples followed Christ then followed him he taketh them selues to witnes that he had tolde them plainely that him selfe was not the Christ but that he was sent to shew them which was he and hauing once shewed him vnto them that he him selfe was then to ceasse and therfore when he heard that all men ran to Christ he sayth that then was his only ioy fulfilled because in deede that was his onely drift and purpose So that yf any man write to that ende as of late most learnedly one hath done in a lytle Booke called a Consent of Scripture you are to be thankefull vnto God for such a one and when he or any other haue by their wrytinges thus led you vnto Christ in saying Come and see the Booke of God for there we haue founde the Messias Then may you say also with the Samaritans when you haue so done Now we beleeue not onely for your sayinges but also muche more because of his owne worde for we haue heard him speake our selues now whom before you told vs of and we know now by his owne worde that this is in deede the very CHRIST the only Sauiour of the worlde Againe some Bookes there are which in respect of the holy stories conteined in the Booke of God we cal prophane Stories as the Macchabees Iosephus and the Roman stories the which prophane stories yf you reade you may learne thereby yf you know the Scriptures before how iust the Lord is in
they do to haue their mindes renewed by sound knowledge that so the darkenes that is in them might be turned into lyght and that so they myght be able as the Apostle sayth euen to comprehende with any how exceeding great that heauenly misterie of our saluation is Therefore much lyke they are vnto those blinde zelous Scribes and Pharisees who as our Sauiour sayth made more accompt of tything tryfling toyes then they did of tything iudgement and weightier matters that is they made more accompt of foolyshe zeale in outwarde shewes and ceremonies of religion then they did to haue a sounde knowledge of Christe the Sonne of God Who was not onely a bare sonne desended of Dauid and no more as they thought him but also euen Dauids Lorde and God So that notwithstanding all this their blinde zeale yet missing of a sounde knowledge herein â—…yght most woofull wooes doth the Lorde our Sauiour pronounce agaynst them Therefore in the name of God what soeuer such ignoraunt Guydes do tell you take heede how you despise to encrease your knowledge of the Sonne of God least the lyke plague befall you that befell them and take heede also how you suffer such to beare rule ouer you as the Apostle commaundeth For whatsoeuer shewe of humilitie such blynde guydes woulde seeme to haue yet you shall finde in the ende that they are suche as the Apostle speaketh of to the Colossians whom in flatte wordes he tearmeth to be puft vp with a fleshly minde and also to aduaunce them selues in those thinges which they neuer saw whose fault as it seemeth by the Apostles exhortaion to the Colossians was much in the same kinde of theirs who woulde haue you to make no accompt of knowledge For the Apostle greatly vrgeth them especially to be increasing therein euen so farre as to be rooted and buylt and stablished and styll to be abounding in height vntyll they became as fitte Temples for Christe to dwell in Euen so in the name of God do you for you are so bounde as further you shall see a non and assure your selfe the more knowledge you haue in the worde of God the more shall you be humbled in your owne eyes for it is myghtie through God to cast downe all stroâ—…g holdes and to bryng into captiuitie euery high thought to the obedience of our Sauiour Christ. Now whereas they tell you that of necessitie you must learne to mortifie your selfe and also that you must endeuour to do good workes it is meete you shoulde so do in deede For mortifie your earthly members saith the Apostle Paule And agayne Abstayne from the lustes of the fleshe which fight agaynst the soule sayth the Apostle Peter And againe let your workes so shyne before men that they seeing may glorifie your Father which is in heauen sayth our Sauiour and reason good you shoulde so do for to that ende tendeth all your knowledge For yf you haue learned Christ sayth the Apostle and haue heard him and haue been taught by hym as the trueth is in him then you must of necessitie cast off the conuersation in tymes past for otherwyse your knowledge is in vayne and you remayne as yet the seruantes vnto sinne whereunto you were bounde euen as slaues geuing your members as seruantes to fulfill the wyll thereof Wherefore yf you wyll be freed by Christe and be seruantes vnto God you must also geue your members as seruantes vnto righteousnesse in obeying his wyll vnto whom you now stande bounde And for this cause the Apostle sayth cast off the olde man which is corrupt through the deceiueable lustes and be renewed in the spirite of your minde sayth he and then put on the new man which after God is created in righteouâ—…nes and true holines So that you see true mortification consisteth in castyng off the olde Adam and putting on the new which is Christ. Now yf one should aske you what this olde Adam is the which we are so often commanded to cast off how can it be answered I pray you but by the booke of God For by no write els in all the worlde can you describe him aright vnles it be so as that they haue learned thence but there you may beholde him as in a glasse most cleere euen to his very thoughtes and intentes of the hart for the worde of God is a searcher and tryer thereof If then you can not discerne throughly what this olde man is which you are to cast off but by the worde of God How much les then are you able to discerne what this new man is which you are to put on which after God is created in righteousnes and true holynes but by the same For if we be not able in this our corruption to iudge and discerne throughly of our corruption but that the Law came shewed it that so it myght appeare playnely to abounde How is it possible then being altogether blinde in iudgement that we shoulde discerne that exceeding righteousnes of Christe which we are to put on but that the same hath also shewed it And therefore the Apostle telleth you that you must be renewed in the spirit of your minde before he bidde you put on the newe man For howe can you put on Christe vnles you knowe him and how can you knowe him but by the booke of God where he only is described So that the first steppe you are to make to true mortification is to mortifie your follie and that can not be done but by the quickening of your wysedome neyther can that be done but by the worde of God For by thy Statutes haue I been quickened sayth the Prophet therefore as the Apostle sayth Let the worde of Christe dwell in you most plenteously euen in al wisedome wherby you may be so changed by the renewing of your mindes as that you may be able to proue what is the goodwyll of God and acceptable and perfect and when you haue so done then in any wyse geue vp your bodies as liuing sacrifices holy and acceptable vnto God by your obedience in seeking to fulfill the same alwayes prouided that the knowledge thereof must first goe before for so much may you also wel perceiue by the Apostle Peter his speeches which are these I wyll not be negligent sayth he to put you alwayes in remembrance of these thinges though that you haue knowledge Wherby you may learne that the Apostles did euer plant the knowledge of Christe in mens brestes before they woulde commaunde them to walke because that otherwyse their mortification or walking had been in vaine For yf an vnbeleeuing Iew or a Turke or a Papist or any other what so euer that knoweth not Christ aright should do all the good workes in the worlde or mortifie the fleshe neuer so much yet shoulde none of all these thinges profite him any thing at all vnles he knew
plentifull sort as the Apostles and the rest of the Iewes in our Sauiours tyme had for so sayth the Apostle in these wordes As the Gospell was preached vnto vs euen so was it also vnto them Now in this place he hath onely relation vnto the Hebrewes in the tyme of their being in the Wildernes but in the same sort that he was preached vnto them who left their carkeises there was he also preached vnto the younger sort that went into the Land and in lyke maner to their successours for the fyrst seuen Iubilees or three hundreth and fyfty yeeres the which I haue here ioyned togeather as one speech So that it wyl not be amisse if we consider here in what sort Christe was preached vnto these Hebrewes or Israelites of both these tymes Fyrst then they were to consider with them selues whyle they were in Egypt and there serued Idols that they were not bonde slaues for a tyme onely in body vnto Pharaoh but they were also to looke backe vnto their first father Adam his storie that so they myght see how they were bond slaues both in body and soule vnto the spirituall Pharaoh the Deuyll Now yf you aske how thâ—…y might know this seeing those Bookes of Moses which should shew it were not written tyll they came into the Wildernes The answere is they myght and also dyd knowe it very wyll for you shal vnderstande that Adam he lyueth two hundreth fourtie three yeeres with Methusalah to teach him Methusalah he liueth one hundreth wanting but two yeeres with Sem to teach him Sem he lyueth vnto the hundreth and fiftie yeere of Abrahams life to teach him Abraham he lyueth to teach his owne sonne Isaak and also Iacob his graundchylde Iacob he lyueth in Egypt seuenteene yeeres and there dyeth and as he foretold his sonnes at hys death of their redemption by Christ also of which of them Christ should come euen so you may be sure he would and also had taught them of the creation and the story of their first father Adam and what intollerable bondage both of body and soule by his meanes they were brought vnto that so they might receiue such comfort as they ought of their redemption by Christ. And to put you out of all doubt that they were thus taught before the law you haue Iob those that dispute with him for an example for those matters fell out before Moses wrote the lawe and the story of the creation and yet you see how plentiful they are in the handling of y e creation likewise of the corruption which they had by Adams fall and also how Iob for his part saw Christ in most cleere sort For notwithstanding all the assaults of Sathan yet was he fully assured that his redeemer liued and that hee should see him with his owne eyes though wormes destroied that tabernacle which hee then carried about him so that by these men you may see how carefull Abraham was according as the Lord giueth commendation of him to teach his sonnes the knowledge of the Lord. For of him by Keturah as most like it is commeth Iob and as he was carefull to teach his sonnes he had by her both of their captiuitie by Adam and redemption by Christ so you may be sure he was as carefull to teach hys other sonnes by Sarah which are those of whome we nowe speake So then these Israelites being thus taught aswell of the captiuitie by Adam as of the redemption by Christ as of necâ—…ssitie so it must be they were I say to consider with them selues that they were not onely in bondage of body for a time vnto Pharaoh but also in most intollerable bondage of body and soule vnto that spiritual Pharaoh the deuil that not for foure hundreth yeeres but eternally vnles they had some one to redeeme them thence So that hauing wel considered with themselues of this double bondage and captiuitie they were also as well to consider and know being come out of Egypt that as they were deliuered from that outward bondage and destroyer by the bloud of a silly poore lambe euen so should they be deliuered from that spiritual bondage and destroying destroyer the deuill by the bloud of Iesus Christ as of that immaculate lambe of God which was slaine from the beginning of the world that is to say from the verie day of their father Adams his creation to recouer then his fall Now if you ask how they might know that this lambe did signifie Christ the answere is very well for many of them did know it all the rest might and ought to haue knowne as well for if they had but thought vpon one sermon made to their father Abraham euen the very selfe and same day foure hundreth thirtie yâ—…eres before they might haue found therein a seed promised in whome all the nations of the earth if they would put their trust in him should be blessed And to make the matter more plaine that this lambe did signifie Christ that seede then promised saith Moses vnto them It is a day to be kept holy to the Lord because he brought them out of the land of Egypt This is that day of the Lord saith he Which all y e children of Israel muâ—…t keepe throughout al their generations And why Euen to put them still in remembrance not onely of their outwarde but also of their spirituall redemption and for this cause were the fathers bound to teache their children the vse heereof For vnlesse they saw the spiriâ—…uall meaning heerein as well as the outward it profited nothing because the vaile that couered Moses face that they coulde not beholde the brightnes thereof remained also ouer their hartes and so they went to eternall destruction But that Moses taught this matter playnely that Christ that Lambe of God shoulde suffer it is manifest for so sayth the Apostle Now it must needes be that herein it is to be considered for you see he appoynteth this day to be obserued throughout their generations and he also telleth them that when they shall neglect their Sabaothes and fall from the Lorde he wyll cary them into their enemies Land and they shall be there vntyll their owne Land haue enioyed her Sabaothes But yf there they be humbled and turne vnto the Lord their God then wyll he remember his couenaunt of olde made vnto their father Abram which is euen this by the which he brought them from the land of Egypt So that yf you consâ—…r the ninth of Daniell with the twentie sixe of Leuiticus you shall see how Moses sawe Christe playnely to be that Lambe of God that should be killed that so he myght confirme this couenant for the Many of all nations that woulde trust herein euen this couenaunt of olde made vnto Abraham to Isaak and to Iacob and there doth the Angell Gabriel tell Daniel euen the very yeere weeke day and
appeareth to Ioshua in the forme of a man to shew that in time he so would be and therefore doth Ioshua doe worshippe vnto him as acknowledging him to be his only God sauiour Christ. So that by this they might well knowe it was not Iesus the captaine sonne of Nun that conquered the lande for them but Iesus the sonne of God euen that noble captaine of the Lords host who not onely setled them in the rest of that earthly Canaan but also in the heauenly So that if the sixe hundreth thousand in the wildernesse and all the other for the space of three hundreth and fiftie yeares in the land had but considered well of these fewe sermons of Christ which I haue heere layd downe amongest many more their carkeises had escaped the wrath of God and they had entered into the rest of Canaan which through vnbeliefe they did not and also the other in the land had remained as Lordes ouer their enimies where as nowe they became Lordes ouer them and therefore in any wise see that you alwayes remember the louing kindnesse and the seueritie of the Lord and the chiefe cause of both The iudgements of God vpon the house of Israel and Iuda for the time of seuentie seuens of yeares that is from the time of Samuel and Saul to the captiuitie of Babilon THe Lord nowe being full of compassion and not willing to hide the light of hys countenance ouer long from his people causeth such horrible plagues to befall the Philistians while y ◠Ark was amongst them which was seuen monthes as that full glad are they to be rid therof For as there can be no agreement betwixt God and Belyall no more could there be betwixt the Arke of Gods presence and Dagon the God of the Philistians So that home againe doe they send it by a couple of milch kyne who haue more wit to shew the cause of all those plagues that befell them then all the priestes of Dagon had by these two kyne then to Bethshemesh the Ark of God is brought Where you haue a most notable example of foolish zeale running before wit punished for there doth the Lord kill euen of his owne people fiftie thousand threescore and ten men because they had looked into the Arke which was not lawfull for them to do So that euen at this first entrance of Gods presence againe amongest them they had a good warning a man would thinke to take better heed vnto the booke of God then before they had done that so they might heare his voyce and in hearing learn therby to doe that which he commandeth and no more yet neuerthelesse they rebelled still against the Lord euen as they had done euer since he brought them from the land of Egypt For notwithstanding all the great thyngs the Lorde had done for them as styll to rayse vp deliuerers to deliuer them from the crueltie of their oppressours which through their owne idolatrie befell them Notwithstanding all this I say and many other his great benefites bestowed vpon them they continued still in that great sinne of infidelitie and mistrust of the Lorde his goodnes Although he had often told them that so long as they did worship him according to his holy wil layd downe in his word he would defend them from all their enimies round about yet no sooner commeth Nahash the king of the children of Ammon against them but they cry out vpon Samuel that they might haue a king forsooth yea a king to reigne ouer them as al other nations had when as yet the Lord Iehouah of hoastes was their king So that their wickednes as y e holy ghost recordeth was maruellous great herin for they cast not away only Samuel such other iudges or deliuerers but also the Lorde himselfe that he shoulde not reigne ouer them wherefore his wrath for this was so kindled against them that he gaue thē a king indeed euen according to their desire but out of all doubt in his verie great anger and therefore tooke him away in his sore displeasure and so establisheth his couenant with Dauid vnto whom the crowne and kingdome did belong as being a figure of Christ their king euen that true Dauid who should raigne ouer them for euermore Yet notwithstanding al this and although rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednesse and idolatrie in the dayes of Rehoboam ten of the tribes despise this sonne of Ieshai of the tribe of Iuda from whence theyr glory was to arise and so became children of fornication in following the wayes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat who erected two calues and set the one in Dan and the other in Bethel and made the people to confesse that those were their Gods that brought them out of y ◠land of Egypt And thus Ephraim vnder whom is named the ten tribes ioyned themselues vnto Idols and so became children of fornication euen worse then an harlot committing whoredome with all the chosen men of Ashur and with all on whome they doted neyther left they their fornications learned of the Egyptians for in their youth they lay with them and they brused the brestes of their virginitie Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was so greatly stirred vp against them that hee gaue them into the handes of the kinges of Ashur as vnto Pull-ashur Tiglath Pilesser and Salmanesar euen into the hands I say of the kinges of Ashur vpon whom they doted and they discouered their shame and tooke away their sonnes and daughters and slew them with the sword and why because they would not obey the voyce of the Lord their God but transgressed his couenant that is all that Moses the seruant of the Lord had commanded them and woulde neither obey them nor doe them And therefore Ephraim became vnto the Lord as an abhominable branch and he vnto them as a moth and as a very Lyon yea they became vnto him Loammy that is not his people therefore would not he be their God For when he saw that this rebellious Israel euen Aholah which is Samaria had played the harlot when she was his he cast her away and gaue her a bill of diuorcement And yet for all this was not her rebellious sister Iudah afrayd but she went and played the harlot likewise euen Ierusalem which is a holy bath the other two tribes Iuda and Beniamen euen they his pleasant plant defiled themselues with inordinate loue more then the other and with their fornications more then the other with their fornications for according to y e number of their Cities were their Gods and according to the number of the streetes of Ierusalem did they set vp altars of confusion euen altars to burne incense vnto Baal and also committed their abhominations in the house of the Lord whereupon his name was called to defile