Lorde If they haue called the maister of the house Beelzebub how much more them of his housholde But this is reckoned vnto them for happipinesse Blessed are you when men reuile you and persecute you and saie al manner of euil against you for my sake falsely Reioice and be glad for great is your reward in Heauen For so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you They slue them drowned them hewed them with swords and cut them in péeces with sawes If anie man saith our Sauiour wil folow me let him forsake himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow mee So farre must the children of God be from the loue of this worlde in such sorte must he forsake his owne life and endure affliction that wil come vnto Christ. In the olde lawe the Priests went on and carried the Arke before and the people came after In token that they should giue good example and the people shoulde follow them The Priest was appointed to be a shril trumpet sounding in the eares of the people and the people were commanded to prepare them selues for the battel of the Lord of hostes Therefore saieth S. Paul so haue I followed the Lord and so haue you folowed me and receiued the word not in affliction onelie but in much Affliction Where he much describeth the vnmercifull hearts and tyrannous hate of the wicked against al those that followe the lamb and receiue the word of God with gladnes No torment so cruel no deuise so strange no maner of death so horrible which hath not beene or which is not laide vpon them Their babies be cast into prisons they are stript out of their houses and spoiled of their goodes Thus doe the enimies of God worke tyrannie and much affliction vnto the godlie They consume their bodies in fire shed their bloud without measure throw out their bones and scatter them vppon the face of the earth and this doe they not as against murtherers robbers adulterers or such like but â—…nelie because they receiue the word and beare a loue to the trueth and cannot denie the power thereof With ioy of the holie ghost This is that which passeth al naturall sense and wisedome Manie séeme to take in good part and abide patiently afflictions losse of goods imprisonment and losse of life But no man can reioice in the suffring of these things but the child of god no man but whoÌ„ Christ hath choseÌ„ out of y e world but whose name is written in the booke of life but he in whom y e spirit beareth witnes with his spirit that he is the child of God He knoweth that through manie tribulations he must enter intorest He knoweth the wicked could haue no power ouer him â—…nlesse it were giuen them from aboue he knoweth that al is done for the best to them that loue God and that God could dispose meanes if it were so â—…dient to bring to naught all the deuises of the vngodlie When the â—…ernantes of God were rast into the hote burning fornace bicause they woulde not worship the golden Image that the â—…ing Nabuchodonosor had set vp who would haue thought that the fire could not burne Dâ—… that their bodies shoulde not haue béene consumedâ—… yet did God in the middest of the fire preferâ—… them so that not one haire of their head was burnt neither were their coats changed nor anie smel of fire came vpon them Let vs neuer forget this notable example of Gods power to deliuer his seruants that we may euer be earnest and carefull to professe our faith in him to â—…riue vnto the death for the setting foorth of his glorie It â—…areth euen so with the children of God in the persecution of this world troubles miseries and aduerâ—…tie compasse them as the â—…rie â—…nace compassed those thrée men of God But God couereth them with his mercie as with a cloude that nothing shal hurt them I say not al that stande in likâ—… defence shal in like sort be so preserued that their bodies â—…al not be peirced For God suffereth the wicked to destroy and kil his seruauntes and to consume their bodies to dust and ashes Yet are his seruauntes warned not to feare them When the Apostles were beaten because they had spoken in the name of Iesus They departed from the counsel reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his name We reioyce saith Saint Paule in â—…bulations knowing that tribulation bringeth foorth patience and patience experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shed abroade in our heartes by the holy ghost which is giuen vnto vs. The comfort which is giuen in this case to the godlie is hidden within them For to him that ouer commeth shal be giuen a white stone and in the stone a newe name written which no man knoweth sauing he that receyueth it The afflictions of this present time are not worthie the glorie which shal be shewed vnto vs. When our saniour did sée the time of his passion drawe neare he saide to his Disciples You are they which haue continued with me in my temptations Therefore I appoint to you a kingdome as my father hath appointed vnto me that yee may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome and sit on seates and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel And in his sermon vpon the mountaine he saith Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of Heauen The case shal be altered It shal be betwéene them and their persecuters as it was betwéene Lazarus and the Rich man When the wicked and cruel tyrantes shal sée them in the presence of the throne of God because they came out of great tribulatioÌ„ haue washed their long robes and haue made them white in y e bloud of the lambe the god of Abraham shal say vnto the wicked sons remember that you in your life time receiued your pleasures like wise these men paines now therfore are they câ—…orted you tormented They are taken out of affliction into rest from their bondes into libertie out of prison into a kingdome out of miserie vnto glory from life vnto death The promise of this comfort is often renewed The prophet Dauid saith They y t sowe in teares shal reape in ioy Our sauiour telleth his Disciples Ye shal weepe and lament and the world shal reioyce and you shal forrowe but your sorrowe shal be turned to ioy S. Iohn heard a voice from heauen saying Blessed be the dead which hereafter dy in y e Lórd Euen so saith the spirite for they rest froÌ„ their labours and their workes follow them He is commanded to write vnto y e Angel of the Church of the Smyrnians Feare none of those things which thou shalt suffer Bohold it shal come to passe that the diuel shal cast some of you into prison that you may be tried
An Exposition vpon the two Epistles of the Apostle S. Paul to the Thessalonians By the reuerend Father IOHN IEVVEL late Bishop of SARISBVRIE Whereunto is adioined a very necessarie table of the principal matters contained in this Exposition AT LONDON Printed by Ralfe Newberie Anno salutis 1584. Cum privilegio regia maiestati◅ TO THE RIGHT honorable Sir Francis VValsingham Knight principal Secretarie to the Queenes Maiestie and one of her H◅nesse most honorable i◅ie Counsel IT is now some long tyme sithēce that learned reuerende father bishoppe Iewel deliuered vnto the people of his charge the Exposition vpon the epistles of S. Paul to the Thessalonians when manie his hearers thought it worthie to be made common and besought him earnestly euen as since his blessed departure out of this life they haue often required me to publish the same It is very likely that he would if he had liued haue perused these his trauailes and some others haue drawne them to the vse benefite of the Church and rather haue spent his time in setting forth matters profitable for al mē to vnderstand towards the attainement of saluation than in folowing their humour anie longer whom neither the weaknesse of their owne cause nor the force of the truth nor the defence thereof by so waighty autorities of the holy Scriptures of the ancient catholike fathers and of general councels could content or perswade them to forsake the waie of contention whereunto they were entred and of troubling the Church of God with their writings against the truth This his purpose hee partlie declared in giuing his last answeare to a booke written by Maister Harding entituled A detection of sundrie foule errours c. For answere whereof he thought not good to charge with number of bookes or to encomber the world with needelesse labours but onelie by a shorte augmentation of his former defence of the Apologie of the Church of England to discharge Master Hardings quarels For reason whereof he saith I cannot imagine that anie my poore labours shall be able to end these quarels For a contentious man will neuer lacke wordes I haue endeuoured for my simple parte to say so much as to a reasonable man maie seeme sufficient If any thing be left vnanswered either it was nothing or nothing worth Wherein hee was of like minde vnto that famous learned man Maister Bucer who speaking of the new and fresh supplie that is made among the aduersaries of our Christian religion said thus Veteribus respondimus novos quotidie legimus nihil adferunt novi quid ergo faciemus Aunswere hath beene made by vs to their olde Writers wee reade their newe Writers which come foorth dailie which yet bring no newe matter or proofes with them What then shall wee doe What else but as he giueth counsaile laie downe al affection and fauour of parties and peruse that hath beene saide in matter of controuersie on both sides and iudge iustly of that is alleadged and with feare and reuerence be careful of our own saluation For after the trueth is once found out whosoeuer seeketh farther seeketh not for the truth but for errour The Apostle willeth Titus to staie foolish questions and genealogies contentions and brawlings about the law for they are vnprofitable and vaine And also to reiect him that is an heretique after once or twice admonition In like cafe he said vnto Timothie If anie man teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlines hee is puft vp and knoweth nothing but doateth about questiōs strife of words whereof commeth enuie strife railings euil surmisings froward disputations of mē of corrupt minds destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is godlinesse from such separate thy selfe Now bicause he himself had some good liking to publish this exposition and the matter thereof is so fit for our time as nothing maie be more and there is not as I can learne anie interpretor vpon these epistles in the english tongue and his Sermons vpon them were the last fruits and trauailes hee bestowed in the cathedrall Church of Sarum I made choice of it amōg manie other excellent monumēts of his paines taken in the Church of God gaue my best diligence to peruse his notes thereupon and to draw them to some such perfection as might carrie to the Reader the whole waight of his matter without anie diminution euen as fully as he declared it so far foorth as the notes which remaine vnder his owne hand might direct me The which I most humblie commend to the fauourable protection of your Honor whom I beseech so to accept my simple indeuor herein as I haue beene careful to answere your Honors commandement in giuing foorth some part of his laboures to light In this discourse as there are manie good things fruitfully declared the vse and practise whereof is common to your Honour with al Christians so are there two matters the one of Vsurie the other of Antichrist that is of the bane and poison of the common wealth and of the infectiō and decaie of the Church wherein he bestowed more paines to open them and make them manifest that all men might know and abhorre them and beware of them What hath beene wrought by these two mischiefes to the vndoing in conscience substance and to the vtter destruction of the soules and bodies of manie thousand subiects of this realme within these late yeares it is to the griefe of all good men too wel knowne If therefore in the duetie of a good Bishop he standing in his watch hath discried these enimies to al ciuil and christian estates and if now so many yeares after his entrāce into rest by these means he cal vpon your good Honor to step forth in fresh courage into the battaile of the Lorde of hostes and to vse and employ the great giftes of wisedome and aucthoritie which God hath bestowed vppon you and to excite and stir vp others the worthie and notable captaines set ouer the people to be a fenced wal betwene them and these so perillous monsters and dangerous enimies what remaineth but that your Honour put to your hande and doe that for the comfort of Gods people which besides hir excellent Maiestie and hir honorable Counsaile no other can do in giuing life to al such lawes which haue beene deuised by men of great godlinesse and experience and haue beene confirmed by high authoritie to the suppression of Vsurie and to the setting foorth of Gods glorie The God of glory and of power who hath called your Honour to his seruice in high place strengthen you to doe his wil and grant you many and prosperous daies to the comfort of his Church and his common weale Your Honours most humble to commaunde IOHN GARBRAND A TABLE CONTAINING THE principal matters in this exposition A ANtichrist contrarie to Christ. 283 Antichrist his comming foretolde 281 Antichrist
al be changed In a moment in y e twinkling of an eie shal they that are dead arise and we shall be changed This our mortall bodie shall be changed and shal put on immortalitie this corruptible bodie shal be changed and put on incorruption Christ wil change our earthly bodies to the likenesse of his glorious heauenly bodie Then shall our flesh be pure and heauenly and spirituall and we shall be able to behold the glorie of God Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written death is swalowed vp into victorie O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie To meete the Lord in the aire c. This is a comfortable end of al troubles and persecutions which the godlie suffer in this life that they be receiued into the glorie of God and that both their bodie and soule doth liue with him and enioy his presence for euer Then shall they eate of the trée of life which is in the middest of the paradise of GOD. They shal hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shal the sunne light on them nor anie heate God shal wipe away al teares from their eies Then shal they féele those ioies which eie hath not séene nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man Such an end shal they haue whosoeuer feare the Lord. Comfort your selues one another with these wordes You sée the turmoiles and troubles of the world what vexations and afflictions Sathan raiseth vp against al those that will liue godlie Open and notorious sinners are â—…borne Theft adulterie vsurie extortion wilfull murther rebellion treason are many times pardoned and vnpunished but true religion which is the turning from idols to serue the true and liuing God and faith in Jesus Christ that by him we shall be deliuered from the wrath to come findeth feâ—…e friends and seldome escapeth without strange and most cruel tormeÌ„ts What is this but to crucifie the Lord of glory and to set Barrabas a murtherer at libertie Dauid saith The Kings of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his annointed They séeke to spoile the vine of the Lord and to destroy his little flocke They vse al meanes to put out the light of the Gospel But be you of good chéere coÌ„tinue you stedfast in the truth your redemption is euen at hand You shal be caught vp in the cloudes to méete the Lord and so shall abide with him for euer Let euerie neighbour comfort his neighbour and euery father his childe let vs al one comfort an other with these words CHAP. 5. BVt of times and seasons brethren you haue no neede that I write vnto you 2 For yee your selues know perfectly that the daie of the Lord shal come as a theefe in the night 3 For when they shal say peace and safetie then shal come vpon them sodaine destruction as the trauaile vpon a woman with child and they shal not escape WHen the Disciples came vnto Christ a part and saide Tel vs when these things shall be and what signe shal be of thy comming and of the ende of the world hee answered Take heede least anie man deceiue you It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his owne power For of that daie and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heauen neither the sonne himselfe saue the Father vere not your spirite in vaine Séeke not for that you may not knowe you shall not be able to finde it Therefore saith Paul I néede not write of times and seasons in which these things shall be done Your selues haue béene taught the word of God you haue learned what his wil is you know the day of the Lord shal come vpon you as a théefe And how commeth a théefe not in the day time not when a man hath company about him not when he is watched but in the night in the darkenesse when al light is out when the good man of the house taketh his rest when the seruants are asléepe Euen so when the light of the truth is taken away when the hart of the goodman of the house is at rest and his eies are darkened that they cannot sée and al his senses drowned in worldlie pleasures when we care for nothing and think of nothing when we say peace and safety then wil the sonne of man come to iudgement then shal destruction sodainly fal vpon vs. Therfore let vs be readie for in the houre that we think not wil the sonne of man come Marke that Paul saith yée haue no néede that I write vnto you of times and seasons that our sauior saith it is not for you to know the times or the seasons What may we think then of them that write bookes almanackes and say such a yeare and at such a time Christ shal come and with these spéeches fray and mocke the world Paul was the Apostle of Christ an elect vessel of the holie ghost he said I haue no néed to write of it you cannot know it What néede is there nowe that such bookes and pamphlets should be written why should the world be troubled with such vanities Spare me your patience and giue me leaue a little to deale with these wisards Tell mee thou that doest measure and beholde the compasse of heauen and markest the coniunoions and oppositions and aspects of the starres and by that wisedome canst foretel the things that shalbe done hereafter where learnest thou this skil how commest thou by this déepe knowledge Paul was taken vp into the third héaueÌ„ heard words which cannot be spoken which are not lawful for man to vtter yet he knew not this secret nor might not know it What art thou then art thou greater than the Apostle of Christ hast thou béene taken vp into some place higher than the third heauen hast thou heard such words as are not lawfull to vtter if it be so why doest thou vtter them wilt thou take that vpon thée which the holie Apostle dareth not arte thou of Gods priuie counsel the angels and archangels know not hereof and shal we thinke that thou knowest it Art thou wiser than an Angel Consider thy selfe thou art a miserable man thy breath fadeth as the smoake Thou art nothing but dust and ashes thou canst not attaine to the knowledge hereof And what is that which thou boastest the knowledge of that terrible daie when all flesh shall appeare before the Judge Euen of that time which God hath put in his owne power O vaine man thou knowest not thine owne â—…aie thou knowest not when thy soule shall be taken from thée By what helpes and meanes camest thou vnto this knowledge by reading the writings of the Apostles by reading the Gospell of Christ or anie parte of the word of GOD No GOD wote thou hast no great skill in this learning Thou hast
called by the name of GOD. I will not tell you in mine owne wordes Vnlesse the Bishop himselfe so speake I will not tell you Marke then and witnesse of my indifferencie whilest I speake hereof that I followe not affection but deale vprightly Therefore I say againe vnlesse the Bishop himselfe suffer himselfe to be called by the name of GOD I will not so saie of him Then let vs sée what hée hath written of himselfe and what hée hath suffered others to write Pope Nicholas saith Constat summum pontificem à pio principe Constantino Deum appellari It is wel knowen that the Pope of the godlie Prince Constantine was called God And therefore Pope Pius in his Bull saieth Nemo audeat obedire No man dare obey hir or her will or commaundements or lawes vpon paine of our curse The Pope was well content to suffer Christopher Marcellus one of his Parasites in the Councel of Laterane to say vnto him Tu es alter deus in terris Thou arte an other God in earth The Pope is content in such sorte to haue a diuision of tenures made betwéene him and God as the Poet sometime flatteringly wrote Divinsuni imperium cum Iove Caesar habet The Emperour parteth his rule and holdeth halfe with Iupiter In the Extrauagants it is set down Dominus de us noster Papa Our Lord God the Pope Marke these words Our Lord God the Pope In them the Pope is called Lord and is called God Oh merciful Lord God which from thy heauens beholdest this vanitie how great is thy mercie in suffering this I deuise not this His owne bookes his owne doctors his owne decrées and decretals speake it and set it downe Credere dominum deum nostrum Papam non potuisse statuere prout statuit Hereticum censeretur To beleeue that our Lord God the Pope might not decree as hee decrecd it were a matter of Heresie It is so written there he hath heard it he hath séene it he knoweth it is so yet he suffereth it to goe abroad and thereby suffreth himselfe to be called God He hath burnt many Saints of God and holie men for no other cause but for the profession of the Gospell He hath in manie places burnt the holie Bible and such bookes as teach nothing but godlinesse Where did he euer burne what speake I of burning where may it appeare that euer he controlled any for so writing or called in such spéeches One of them séemeth to take shame of this shamelesse and blasphemous stile or title He séeketh friendly to temper and qualifie and take vp the matter Nec deus es nec homo quasi neuter es inter vtrumque Thou arte neither God nor man in a manner thou arte neither of both but rather a meane betweene both That is thou art not so high as God nor yet so base as man Whom then shal we imagine him to be Is he an Archangell or Angel or a spirite of the aire God giue him grace to sée his owne vanitie that hée maie knowe he is but a miserable and mortal man that hée maie knowe that a time shall come when his hipocrisie and dissimulation shall be disclosed GOD giue him grace to become godlie as becommeth the man of God That he maie indéed be the minister of Christ and a disposer of the secrets of God that hee may serue God in trueth in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of his life But you saie the Pope at this daie is not called GOD. Hée rather abaseth himselfe and writeth himselfe by a title of humilitie and is called so Servus servorum The seruant of seruants Be it so that he is so called and so written yet he is King of Kings and Lord of Lordes This seruant saieth I doe make holie the vnholie I doe iâ—…stifie the wicked I doe forgiue sinnes I open and no man shutteth This seruant can saie whosoeuer obeyeth not mée hée shall be rooted out This seruant maie dispence for anie commaundement of the olde and newe Testament This seruant hath Christs lieftenantship not onelie ouer things in heauen ouer things in earth and ouer things in hell but also ouer the Angelles both good and bad No man maie iudge this seruant For they saie Papa solutus est omni lege humana The Pope is exempted from all lawe of man And againe Nec totus clerus nec totus umndus potest Papam iudicare aut deponere Neither all the Cleargie nor all the whole world maie either iudge or depose the Pope Such a power this seruant of seruantes claimeth to himselfe What greater power maie be giuen vnto GOD What Angel what archangel euer had the like power And this power euen at this day Pope Pius chalengeth as proper to his seate That hée hath the authority which is due to Christ ouer his Church that no man may iudge him nor say he doth erre nor aske why he doth so He is inuested in the priuiledge of his Church and loseth no one iote of his dignitie It is yet good at this day which hath béene set downe Sacrilegij instar esset disputare de facto papae It is sinne as great as sacriledge or Church robbing to reason of anie the Popes doinges These be their owne wordes God knoweth before whom we stande this day they be their owne wordes and not mine Thus doth he sit in the temple of God shewing himselfe that hee is God And therefore may we say as sometime sayd Eusebius Hoc est argumentum eos odisse deum quod veâ—…nt seipsos appellari Deos. This is an euident token that they hate God because they wil haue themselues called by the name of God Or as Gregory who speaking of Antichrist saide Cùm sit damnatus homo nequaquà m spiritus Deum se esse mentitur Whereas he is a cursed man and not a spirite he faigneth himselfe by lying to be a God V. 5. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told ye these thinges Before I departed from you to goe farther to plant the Gospel in other churches I tolde you that Antichrist should come and that hee should oppresse and confounde the Church of Christ. Paule was chosen to be an Apostle The office of an Apostle was not to rest in any one certaine place but to passe from countrey to countrey from lande to lande and to fil al the world with knowledge of the Gospel and therein appeareth the difference betwéene an Apostle and a Bishop A Bishop had the charge of one certaine Church an Apostle had the charge ouer al the churches But Paule was not tyed to any one citie or Ilande or countrey He had authoritie to preach to al cities and countries to al landes and Ilandes from the east to the west So did Christ appoint his Apostles Goe ye into all the worlde and preach the Gospel vnto euerie creature They were not sent to Ierusalem