there was an other booke opened which is the Booke of life ¶ This is the booke wherein the chosen are reported to be written before the beginning of the world by reason of the certaintie of their Predestination whereof thou readest thus either forgiue them this offence or if thou wilt not doe it wipe out of the booke of life which thou hast written Exodus 32. 32. Also be glad for your names are written in heauen Luk. 10. 20 Also whose name are in the booke of life Phil. 4. 3. Moreouer it is a similitude borrowed of the custome of men who in taking musters are wont to write the choicer sort and to call them by name So is God said to take view of his seruaunts by name and to call them by name Exo. 33. 12. and Iohn 10. 3. Mar. vpon the Apoc. fol. 281. ¶ After this was an other booke opened of a farre diuerse nature from the other bookes for it was the swéete booke of life wherein were registred all that were predestinate to be saued from the worlds beginning And this booke is the eternall predestination of God Bale Who be written or wiped out of the booke of life And I will not wipe him out of the booke of life ¶ To bée wiped out of the booke of life is as much as not to be reckoned among the liuing blessed and happie sort For the booke of life is nothing els but the register of the righteous which are fore ordeined to life according as Moses saith Exo. 32. 32. And as it is written in Psal. 69. 27. and in Dan. 12. 2. This regester saith Gasper Megander doth God reserue in his owne kéeping And therefore it is nothing els but his eternall dteermination fore purposed in his brest In like manner Dauid saith let them be wiped out of the booke of the liuing Psal. 69. 27. that is to saie let them not be reckoned among Gods chosen whom he allotteth to the possession of his church and kingdome In this booke of life that is to saie in this election or choice determination purpose knowledge or predestination of God there is not registred ante misbeléeuing Turke anie wicked Iewe anie vnâ—epentant noughtie packe nor anie stubborne hypocrite vnlesse they turne to the Lord acknowledge Christ the onelie sonne of God For none be written in it but such as beléeue aright in Christ. And that we maie read this booke we need not to climbe vp into heauen with the worldlie wise men to search out Gods secrets but must come to the plaine Shepheard to the Dxe â—all where Christ laie Luke 2. 16. We must looke vpon Christ who is become man and was crucified and put to death for vs and if we finde our selues in Christ then doe we reade our name written in the booke of life For he that beléeueth in the sonne of God hath euerlasting life Iohn 3. 36. And he shall not come to damnation but is passed from death to life Iohn 5. 24. And in this place Christs meaning is that he which ouercommeth not but like a weakling and coward shrinketh in this incounter by consenting to wicked errour shall be cast awaie with shame haue his name striken out of the booke of life Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 59. And the Bookes were opened◠¶ These bookes séeme to be the consciences of all men be they good or bad which shall be then laied open according as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 2. 15. 1. Cor. 4â—5 by reason that Christ shall bring all the things to light which were couered before Other some take these bookes to be the olde and newe Testaments that forasmuch as there is shewed in them what God had commanded it shuld appeare also by them what euerie man had done or not done But the first exposition is the truer Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 280. Of what credit the bookes of Machabees be in the scripture Saint Austen receiued it for Canonicall But first of what sure credite did he receiue it The Iewes saith he estéeme not the writings of the Machabees as they doe the Lawe the Prophets and the Psalmes of which the Lord himselfe hath witnessed as of his witnesses saieng It was necessarie that all things should be fulfilled that are writen in the Lawe and the Psalmes and Prophets concerning me But it hath bene receiued of the Church not vnprofitablie if it be sobâ—rlie read or heard And Hierome teacheth without anie doubting that the Authoritie thereof is of no force to the prouing of Doctrines And it euidentlie appeareth by that olde booke which is intituled vnder the name of Cipriane concerning the exposition of the Crede that it had no place at all in the olde Church But why do I héere striue without cause as though the Authour himselfe did not sufficientlie shewe how much he is to be credited when in the ende he craueth pardon if he haue spoken anie thing not well Truelie he that confesseth his writing to néede pardon saith plainlie that they are not the Oracles of the Holie Ghost Beside all that the godlinesse of Iudas is praised for none other cause but for that he had an assured hope of the last resurrection when he sent an offering for the dead to Hierusalem Neither doth the writer of that historie referre that which Iudas did to be a price of redemption but that they might be partakers of the eternall life with the other faithfull that had died for their Countrey and Religion This doing was indéed not without superstition and preposterous zeale but they are more then fooles that drawe a Sacrifice of the Lawe so farre as vnto vs forasmuch as we knowe that things doe cease by the comming of Christ that then were in vse Caluine in his institutions 3. li. chap. 5. Sect. 8. Of certeine bookes of holie scripture lost Whereof it shall be spoken in the booke of the Battailes of the Lord. ¶ Which séemeth to be the Booke of the Iudges or as some thinke a Booke which is lost Geneua Is it not written in the booke of Iasher ¶ Some read in the booke of the righteous meaning Moses The Chaldes text readeth in the Booke of the Lawe but it is like that it was a booke thus named which is now lost Geneua In the Booke of Nathan the Prophet in the Booke of Gad ¶ The Booke of Nathan the Prophet and the Booke of Gad are thought to haue bene lost in the Captiuitie Geneua Written in the Booke of Chronicles of the Kings of Iuda ¶ Which Bookes are called the Bookes of Semeia and Iddo the Prophets 2. Par. 12. 15. Geneua Of the booke of the Lawe found I haue found the Booke of the Law of the Lord. ¶ This was the copie that Moses left them as appeareth 2. Par. 34â— 14. which either by the negligence of the Priests had bene lost or els by the wickednesse of idolatrous Kings had bene abolished Geneua BORDERS Wherefore
because the King should not entice him by this sweete poison to forgette his religion and accustomed sobrietie and that in his meate and drinke hée might dailye remember of what people he was And Daniel bringeth this into shewe how God from the beginnning assisted him with his spirit and at length called him to be a Prophet Geneua DARKNESSE Of the darknesse that was in the land of Iewrie at the death of Christ. DArknesse ouer the land c. ¶ Not ouer the whole earth but this darknesse was ouer Iudea onelie or Hierusalem For if this darknesse had bene ouer the whole worlde it woulde haue ben thought a natural Eclipse and so not regarded of men But to haue Iudea couered with darknesse and the Sunne to thine in other places was a more notable myracle Tertulian doth affirme in this Apologitico that this darknesse of the Sunne was written in the booke of auncient monuments of the Romans For Pilate as he writeth in an other place had foreshewed all these things vnto Tiberius Eusebius also in his Chronicles maketh mention of this darknesse of the Sunne and of the earthquake by the which manie houâ—es in Bechania sell downe Hee bringeth in Philogontis the writer of the Olimpiades for his witnesse There want not some which write that this darknes was ouer the whole world béeing lead thervnto by the writing of Philogontis and Orosius describing â—eraduenture those things which were kept of this matter in the monumentes of the Romanes beeing written and foreshewed as we said euen nowe by Pilate vnto Tiberius But although this was brought foorth by one or two writers yet notwithstanding the historie of their times was so common that such a notable myracle could not be buried in silence of so manie which diligentlie obserued those things which were not so well worthie to be remembred Marl. fol. 726. What is vnderstood by darknesse in this place And the darknesse comprehended it not ¶ This darknesse that is to saie the vnfaithfull which doe sit alwaies in darknesse and in the shadow of death doe all that they can to darken and put out the beames of this Sunne but they shal neuer preuaile Psal. 9. Esaie 29. Abdy 1. Sir I. Cheeke They could not perceiue nor reach vnto it to receiue any light of it no they did not so much as acknowledge him Beza What is meant heere by darknesse And men loued darknesse c. By darknesse is héere meant the ignorance of Christ and whatsoeuer else worldlie men loue moe then Christ. For they which are not borne of God as they cannot heare the word of God so it is necessarie yâ— they prefer the ignoraunce of Christ before they knowledge him and so to loue darknesse more then light Marl. vpon Iohn fol. 82. DAVID Of Dauids praise to king Saule by Doeg DOeg one of the chiefe about Saule hated Dauid and praised him to Saule not of loue but of hatred thinking that for as much as Saule was now vexed with a diuell he might kill Dauid at one time or other but God turned it to good Lyra. The cause whie Dauid was vnknowne both to Saule and Abner Saule said to Abner whose sonne is this younge man and Abner aunswered as thy soule liueth O King I cannot tell ¶ Saule knewe not Dauid now although he had béene in seruice with him afore And the matter that brought out Saule of knowing of Dauid was his bearde which was now growne and did chaunge the sight of his face verie much And whie did Abner saie that he knew not Dauid seeing hée was in seruice with him before Ans. It might bée that Abner did not know Dauid for that he was captaine of the kings armie and alwaies occupied in the kings affaires in the extreame partes of his dominion and not at home during the small time of Dauids béeing with king Saule Lyra. Of Dauids comming to Ahimelech the Priest When Ahimelech sawe Dauid come so sodeinlie so hastelie vnto him and also alone he meruailed not a little thereat and saide Quare tu solus nullus est â—ecum Whie art thou alone and no man with thée Héere it seemeth that Dauid had no bodie with him but himselfe alone when he came to Ahimelech but that is not so for the text saith afterward if thy seruants be cleane fro women So that it appeareth that he had men with him but yet verie few in comparison of them that he was wont to haue And therefore Ahimelech saith Whie commest thou alone The Euangelist S. Mathew also saith haue ye not read what Dauid did when he was an hungred and they that were with him how he entered into the house of God and did eate the shew breads which were not lawful for him to eate neither for them which were with him but onelie for the Priests Héere it is plaine that he came not to Ahimelech alone Ric. Turnar Of Dauids â—e to Ahimelech The king hath commaunded me a certaine thing c. ¶ These infirmities that we sée in the Saints of God teach vs that none hath his iustice in himselfe but receiueth it of Gods mercie Geneua ¶ This lie that Dauid made to Ahimelech Priest of Nob and such like infirmities as we see in the Saints of God maie teach vs that no man is iust of himselfe but receiueth all iustice at Christs hand The Bible note Why the people flocked to Dauid And there gathered vnto him all men that were in comberaunce and in debt ¶ The peoples gathering to Dauid was not to assemble a rebellious multitude to inuade King Saule and to depose him from the Crowne to set vp himselâ—e For neither they came for anie such purpose but for their succour béeing in debt and trouble or otherwise vexed Neither did Dauid send for them nor incited anie to take his part nor proclaimed himselfe to be King or published the Lords anointing of him or euer vsed that multitude that came vnto him for anie such purpose And yet the question is moued both by Caietanus and Lyranus héerevpon The question saith Caâ—etanus ariseth whether it were lawfull for Dauid to receiue these debters in the preiudice of the Creditours that had lent them The solution is that if these men had houses fieldes or vineyards they are vnderstood to haue lefte their goods vnto them But if they were vtterlie vnable to paie their debts they were excused for their vnabilitie vntill their better abilitie For that Dauid excellentlie instructed all theÌ„ that came vnto him while he taried in that Caue The Psalme testifieth I will praise the Lord at all times Conteining according to the letter a doctrine giuen ther of Dauid vnto the Souldiers Therefore Dauid receiued not these men in preiudice of their Creditours And thus as he did not receiue them to the preiudice of anie priuate man so hée receiued them not to the preiudice of the King publike state Where as Lyra moueth the other question saieng
for couetousnesse as when I cherish or flatter a rich man for his goods when I make much of them that haue done me plesures and may doe me moe The fifte way I may loue for my sensuall lust as when I loue to fare deliciously or els when I mad or dote vpon women The first way to loue my neighbour for the loue I beare to God is onely worthy to be praised The second way naturally deserueth neither praise nor dispraise The third the fourth and the fift to loue for glorie and aduantage or pleasure all three be stark naught Lupset LOVVLINESSE Wherefore lowly men come to worship THe lowly person shall come to worship ¶ Not for that lowlinesse deserueth these things but that these fall vnto the lowly for the lowlinesse of Christ. Hemmyng ¶ Saint Augustine saith that the whole lowlinesse of man consisteth in the knowledge of himselfe Caluine Psal. 9. Of loosing binding ¶ Looke Binding loosing Of the loosing of Lazarus ¶ Looke Lazarus LVCIFER What is meant by Lucifer ¶ Looke Nabuchodonosor LVKE The life of S. Luke written by S. Hierome LVke a Phisition born at Antioch was not ignorant of the Gréeke tongue as his writing do shew he was a follower disciple of the Apostle Paule a companion of al his peregrination he wrote a volume of the Gospell of whom the same Paule saith on this wise We haue sent with him a brother whose praise is in the Gospel throughout all the Congregations And againe to the Collossians Most deare Lucas the Phisition gréeteth you And to Timothie Luke is with me alone He set foorth also an other speciall good booke which is intitled the Actes of the Apostles the storie whereof came euen full to Paules time béeing tarieng two yeares at Rome that is to say vnto the fourth yere of Nero the Emperour there whereby we do wel perceiue that the same booke was made in the same Citie Therfore as for the circuites of Paule of Tecla the Uirgin and all the tale of Leo by him baptised we recken among the Scriptures that be called Apoâ—ripha For what manner a thing is it that a companion which neuer went from his elbow should among his other matters be ignoraunt of this thing alone Tertulian which was néere vnto that time reporteth that a certaine Priest in Asia being an affectionate fauourer of the Apostle Paule was conuict before Iohn for being Author of that booke and that the Priest confessed himselfe to haue done the thing for the loue that he bare to Paule and the booke by reason thereof to had escaped him Some Writers déeme that as often as Paule in his Epistles saith according to my Gospel he signifieth of the worke of Luke And that Luke learned the Gospell not onely of the Apostle Paule who had not bene conuersant with the Lord in the flesh but also of the rest of the Apostles which thing Luke also himselfe declareth in the beginning of his owne workes saieng As they haue deliuered them vnto vs which from the beginning sawe them themselues with their eyes and were Ministers of the things that they declared The Gospell therefore he wrote as he had heard but the Actes of the Apostles he composed as he had seene He liued lxxxiiij yeares not hauing any wife Buried he was at Constantinople vnto which Citie his bones were remoued conuaied out of Achaia together with the bones of Andrew the Apostle in yâ— 20. yere of Constantius yâ— Emperour Eras. In this second booke the blessed Euangelist S. Luke whose life we haue set foorth already at the beginning of his Gospell doth declare write vnto vs if we will be Theophile that is to say vnfained louers of God what was done and wrought for our secular comfort after the glorious Resurrection most triumphant Ascention of our Sauiour Iesus Christ how that our Lord Iesus did both promise also gaue most abundantly his holy spirit vnto all his Disciples And what this spirit did worke by the preaching of the word both in the Iewes and also in the Gentiles that beleeued in Christ this booke hath alwayes bene in great estimation and that most deseruingly For the Actes of the Apostles saith S. Hierom seeme to be but a bare history because in them onely the infancie of the Church which then began to spring is set forth but if we consider that Luke the Phisition whose praise is in the Gospell hath written them we shall also perceiue that all his words are the phisick of a languishing sick soule What other thing I beséech you is this sacred heauenly history but one of the chiefest parts of the Gospell For truly in yâ— other bookes which are intitled the Gospell the corne of wheate are cast into the ground discribed But héere in this booke yâ— selfe same corne is set foorth being already sprong vp and declaring most effectually his riches vnto the world Againe if we had not by Luke known after what manner Christ forsooke the earth where and in what place how and after what fashion the promised Comforter did come what beginning the Church had wherein it did flourish by what meanes it did increase should we not haue lacked a great parte of the Gospell Therefore Bede did right well saieng that Luke had not onely made an historie vntill the Resurrection and Ascention of the Lord as the other did but also did so set foorth by writing the doings of the Apostles as much as he knew to be sufficient to edifie the faith of the readers hearers that onely his booke touching the Actes of the Apostles was by the Church thought good to be credited all other which presumed to write of the same matter being reiected disapproued Chrisostome also to them that did meruaile why S. Luke had not written forth all the Apostolicall historie vnto the ende or that he had not described the Actes of euery one of them seuerally in books by themselues doth aunswere godly saieng These are sufficient vnto them that will apply their mindes and take héede Therefore leauing vnprofitable questions why was not this written or that written let vs take heede vnto those wholesome saiengs of the Euangelist that so we may apply this most comfortable salue ministred vnto vs by him vnto our wounded soules Sir I. Cheeke Luke warme ¶ Looke Colde LVNATIKE Of the man that was lunatike MAister haue pitie vpon my sonne for he is lunaticke ¶ They that at certaine times of the Moone are troubled with the falling sicknesse or any other kinde of disease But in this place we must so take it that beside the naturall disease he had a diuelish phrensie Beza LVTHER What he vvas LVther was an Augustine Frier And began to write against the Bishop of Romes Pardons in the yeare of our Lorde 1517. The cause why he first wrote against the Bishop of Rome Frier Tecel the Pardoner made his proclamations vnto the people openly in the
we not to reioice therefore for we shall haue no profit at all thereby but other shall haue the profite that come thereof But this ought to be our chiefe ioye and comfort that we are elect and chosen in Christ Iesu afore the foundation of the worlde were laid whose names are written in the booke of life S. I. Ch. RELEASEMENT How releasement and payment cannot stand togethers THe Lord forgaue the seruaunt his debt ¶ By this it appeareth that saluation falleth vnto men by releasement of the debt and not for satisfieng of the debt For releasement and payment cannot stand in one respect together It ouerthroweth Popish satisfaction which say they must be done by Pilgrimages fasting and almes deedes It quencheth the fire of Purgatorie For where the debt is forgiuen the debter ought not to be punished RELIGION How couples ioyned in marriage of diuers Religions is doubtfull THe prohibition of S. Paule is that we drawe not the yoake with the vnbeleeuers which thing is to be vnderstood not only of doctrine but of all trade of life For he that toucheth pitch saith Salomon shall be defiled therewith For it cannot bée but that he which keepeth company with the vngodlye must néedes himselfe gather some infection thereby As Salomon kéeping companie with Heathen women became an Idolater Achab through the counsell of lezabel slewe the Prophets Hemmyng Be not vnequally yoked with the Infidels ¶ He séemeth to allude to that which is written Deut. 22. 10. where the Lord cōmaundeth that an Oxe and an Asse be not yoked together because the match is vnequall So if the faithfull marry with the Infidells or els haue to do with them in any thing vnlawfull it is héere reproued Eccl. 13. 18. Geneua How the Diuell is sory to see the religion of Christ flourish Diabolus gentium vocatione cruciatur c. The Diuell is sore greeued with the calling of the Heathen to the faith and with the daily decresing of his power sorrowing to sée himselfe forsaken and Christ the true King to be worshipped in all places therefore he deuiseth guyles and imagineth dissentions REMEMBER How God is said to remember GOd remembred Noe. ¶ This is not so to be vnderstood that there is any forgetfulnesse in God But the Scripture speketh after the manner of our speaking As when we maye delyuer a man that is oppressed and doth it not then it is sayde we doe forget him And when we begin to goe about his delyueraunce then it is said we doe remember him REMNAVNT Of the remnaunt that God saith he had reserued I Haue reserued vnto my selfe seuen thousand men c. ¶ He speaketh of remnaunts and reserued people which were chosen from euerlasting and not of remnaunts that should bée chosen afterward For they are not chosen because they were no Idolaters but therefore they wer no Idolaters because they were chosen and elect Theo. Beza RENT What is ment by renting of clothes HE rent his clothes ¶ It was specially vsed among the Hebrues to rent clothes when the glory of God was contemned And héere where they feared God so little as to kill their owne brother T. M. Then they rent their clothes ¶ To signifie how greatly the thing displeased them and how sorie they were for it Geneua What is ment by renting of our hearts Rent your hearts and not your garments Ioel meaneth that it is to no purpose for men to haue great store of ceremonies and to martir themselues much in outward sight of the world except their hearts be broken before And what manner of renting or breaking is it that God requireth in our hearts it is that we should be cast downe and humbled before him that when we perceiue any signes of his wrath specially when we feele the blowe of his hand already we should be patient assuring our selues that all commeth for our sinnes and that we doe not as many doe who when they be beaten with Gods rod chawe their bridles lyke mules and conceiue I wot not what a fiercenesse bitternesse which serue to set them in a rage against God notwithstanding that they make countenaunce as though they were well tamed But contrariwise as I haue said it behooueth our hearts to be rent according to the exhortation that is made vnto vs in the Psalme by laieng our hearts open before God to the ende that he should knowe all that is within it Then let vs follow the said saieng of the Prophet Ioel that we should not rent our garments but our hearts rather for therein will the true repentaunce shewe it selfe Cal. vpon Iob. fol. 46. And rent your hearts c. ¶ Mortifie your affections and serue God with purenesse of heart and not with Ceremonies Geneua REPENTAVNCE What Repentaunce is and the definition thereof REpentaunce is an vnfained tourning to God whereby wée being of a sincere feare of God once humbled doe acknowledge our sinnes and so by mortifieng our olde man are afresh renued by the spirit of God Bulling fol. 562. Repentaunce is a very displeasure which man hath in his heart of his sinne the which ingenderesh in him an hatred against sinne a desire to liue better in time to come reseruing his life to the will of God Peter Viret Repentaunce is nothing but a conuersion of the minde and an alteration of the former opinion as appeareth by the sayeng of the Prophet Turne vnto me and ye shall be safe Againe I will not the death of a sinner but that he turne liue Also Repent and amende that your sinnes may be done away Marl. Repentaunce is an inward thing which hath his seate in the heart and minde and bringeth foorth fruits in chaunging the life Marl. vpon Math. fol. 47. Concerning this word Repentaunce as they vsed Penaunce the Hebrue hath in the olde Testament generally Sob Turne or be conuerted for which the Translation that we take for S. Hieromes hath most part Conuert◠to turne or to bee conuerted And sometime Agite poenitentiam And y◠Gréeke in the new Testament hath perpetually Metanoeo to tourne in the heart and minde and to come into the right knowledge to a mans right wit againe for which Metanoeo S Hieroms translation hath sometime Ago poenitentiam I doe repent Sometime Poeniteor I am repentaunt Sometime Habeo poenitentiam I haue repentaunce Sometime Poenitet me it repenteth me And Erasmus vseth much this word Recipisco I come to my selfe or to my right minde againe And the very sense and signification both of the Hebrue also of the Gréeke word is to be conuerted and to turne to God with all the heart to know his will and to liue according to his lawes and to be cured of our corrupt nature with the Oyle of his spirit wine of obedience of his doctrine which conuersion or turning if it be vnfained these foure doe accompanie it and are included therein Confession not in
represented by the Paschall Lambe should abstaine from leauened bread Yea how dare your Priests eate anye leauened bread at anye time sith that they doe eate and drinke the bodie and bloud of Christ almost euery day How the Lords death is shewed As often as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this Cup ye shall shew the Lords death c. ¶ The Lords death is not shewed except both parts of the Sacrament be ministred because in his death the bloud was diuided from the bodie it is necessary that the same diuision be represented in the supper otherwise the supper is not a shewing of the Lords death Latimer SHOE What Gods shooe is OUer Edom will I stretch out my shooe ¶ Edom is the earth The Apostles féete be his shooes for it is writteÌ„ How bewtifull are the feete of them which bring glad tidings of peace He stretched out his shooe vppon the earth when he sent them to preach to all creatures for their sound went into all lands their words to the ende of the world SHORT LIFE How short life is not a generall rule of Gods indignation IT is a certaine token but no sure token of Gods indignation when a man is snatched away with vnripe death in his flourishing age Then what shall we saye to the sentence written in the Booke of Sapience 4. chapter The iust man is snatched out of this world that the mallice of men and wickednesse of the worlde shoulde not tourne his minde and least lyeng should deceiue his soule And againe The righteous man what death soeuer he be preuented withall his soule shall go to rest The Innocents that Herod did murther for Christs cause Iohn Baptist whom he did behead are the blessed Martirs of Christ. This must néedes be graunted yâ— sometime God taketh out of this world the righteous onely because the world is not worthy to haue them among them sometime least the mallice lewd example of men shoulde tourne their hearts to vngodlinesse But now this taking away of righteous men out the world is not a rule nor an order generall that God vseth with men but it is onely Per accidens because that troublesome times are at hand as of famine warres and such others and in such perticular cases It is true that Christ saide Beati sterilis c. Happye are the barren and the wombes that neuer bare c. And yet the rule generall of all women is this that fruite of their wombe is a blessing the contrary a woman to be barren is a displeasure a plague more grieuous to them then pouertie or hunger Ric. Turnar SICERA What kinde of drinke it was THis Sicera as Hierom writeth to Nepotianus was a kinde of drinke much like vnto wine which was made either of Wheate or of Apples or of Dates or els of other fruits Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 202. SICLE What a Sicle is A Sicle as Iosephus saith coÌ„teined 4. drams of Athens And a dranâ— of Athens as Budens gathereth in his booke de ass conteined 3. shillings of Towers A shilling of Towers is yâ— half part of a Baâ—se Wherefore a dram was as much in value as a shilling of Argentine that is thrée halfe Batses that is foure shillings But there were two manner of Sicles one was vsuall and prophane and the other was of the Sanctuary The holy sickle was double so much as the prophane Wherefore Ezechiel in his 45. chapter verse 12. saith that a prophane sickle containeth 20. halfe pence but the sicle of the Sanctuary 40. Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 238. ¶ A Sicle was a péece of money in value worth 4. grotes equiualent with that which is called Stater whereof the halfe part of this sicle is two grotes that is to saye the 5. part of a French Crowne as they went in Fraunce as very exactly declareth the learned Master William Budns in his booke De Assi Marl. fol. 390. ¶ A Sicle after the Hebrues is an Ounce but after the Gréekes and Latines it is but thâ— fourth part of an Ounce and is contained 12. Geras as in Exo. 30. 13. which is ten pence sterling or thereabout T. M. Take 5. Sicles of euery head ¶ Sicles were of two sorts the one common the other belonging to the Sanctuary and that of the Sanctuary was double the waight of the common The common Sicle weighed two grotes and the Sanctuary Sicle 4. The Scripture in this place and in the 30. of Exo. us Ezechiel fortie and fiue saith that the Sanctuary Sicle doth weigh 20. Geras which the Grecians doe call Obolus and we in English an halfe peny when 8. grotes of our money was an ounce and the Hebrues do think that Obolus doth weigh the waight of 16. barly Cornes The Bible note SICHEM What Dauid meaneth by the deuiding of Sichem SIchem was the most richest and the most strongest Citie in all the Tribe of Ephraim wherof Isboseth was king ouer all Israel beside The Tribe of Iuda onely except which stucke vnto Dauid Now where the Prophet doth prophecie make his bost in God saieng Dominus loquutus est è sanctuario suo laetabor diuidam Sichem The Lord hath spoken it out of his holy place I will reioice and diuide Sichem is no more to say but that Dauid should conquere Sichem and be king therof and diuide it and lot it as Iosua did as all conquerours do when they conquer any countrey or lande And as Dauid shoulde conquere Sichem so was it saide that hée shoulde meate out yâ— valley of Sucoth for Dauid reioysing afore hand of Gods goodnesse towards him saith Ego vallem sâ—coth demetiar It is not Isboseth that shall long continue king of sucoth but it is I whome the Lord hath appointed to be king of sucoth and as I haue now sayd of sichem and sucoth so will I saye of Galaad and Manasses Meus est Galaad meus est Manasses Galaad is mine and Manasses is mine And to know what Sucoth Galaad and Manasses were ye shall vnderstande that sucoth was a vale nigh vnto the citie of sichem in the land of Canaan In the which vale Iacob pitched his tents after he had met his brother Esau and was departed from him And of his pitching his tents there the vaâ—le had this name sucoth giuen him for Sucoth by interpretation and turning of the word into Latine is as much to say as Tabernacula Galaad was the name of a little hillocke as we read in Gen. 31. When Iacob fled away sodeinly and priuely from Laban his father in lawe with his wiues Lea and Rachel Then at the ende of seauen daies iourney Laban ouertooke Iacob in mount Galaad where he reproued him not onely of running away deceitfully but also of theft which when he coulde not proue Laban cooled himselfe and so did shake hands with Iacob And in witnes of friendship of vnfeined reconciliation
menâ— and preserueth them from the wickednesse of heresie openeth them vnto repentaunce maketh way through them that they may receiue grace and maketh them to bring forth the fruite of good workes and beautifieth them with good examples But now is this blast of all blasts the pleasantestâ— by Satans subtiltie and naughtinesse forbidden to blow vpon the earth Marl. vpon the Apoc. 105. The meaning of this place following The wind bloweth wher it listeth c. As yâ— power of God is manifest by the mouing of the aire so is it in chaunging and reuiuing vs although the matter be hid from vs. Geneua VVINGS How God is said to haue wings DAuid saith Defend me O Lord vnder the shadow of thy wings likening God vnto a bird forasmuch as he is no lesse carefull for his chosen then yâ— hen is for hir chickens as Christ declareth very wel crieng Hierusalem HierusaleÌ„ how oft wold I haue gathered thy children together as the hen gathereth hir chickens vnder hir wings and ye would not This shadow of his wings héere signifieth the protection vnspekable goodnes of God by which only we stand in safetie It is a borrowed speach of the nature of an hen which nourisheth feedeth defendeth hir chickens vnder hir wings yea fighteth for them and despiseth hiâ— owne life to saue them Christ borroweth a like speach in Mat. 23. 37. T. M. VVINTER The meaning of this place following PRay yâ— your flight be not in the winter neither on the Sabboth day In yâ— winter because it was euill traueling on the sabboth day because they wer coÌ„manded as yâ— day they should not go farther theÌ„ a mile And in yâ— day did Pompeius take theÌ„ Strab. 16. 〈…〉 And so did Titus and Vespasian also of whom Frontomus writeth T. M. VVISEDOME How this word wisedome signifieth Christ. I Wisedome was hefore the world of olde He declareth heereby the diuinitie eternitie of this wisedome which he magnifieth praiseth through this booke mening therby the eternal son of God Iesus Christ our sauiour whoÌ„ S. Iohn calleth yâ— word that was in the beginning Iohn 1. 1. Geneua When he prepared the Heauens I Wisedome was there He declareth yâ— eternitie of yâ— son of God which is ment by this word Wisedome who was before all time euer present with the Father Geneua When he appointed the foundation of the earth then was I Wisedome with him as a nourisher ¶ Some read as a chieâ—e worker signifieng that this wisdome euen Iesus Christ was equall with God his father and created and preserued and still worketh with him as Iohn 5. 17. Geneua How wisedome is iustified of hir children And wisedome is iustified of hir children S. Luke doth adde All and notwithstanding that they doe expound this place sundrye waies yet it is a cleere matter that Christ spake neither Greeke nor Latin but Hebrue to the Hebrues in the holy language and accustomed sense Therefore when he said yâ— the wisdome of God was iustified of all his children he meant nothing els but that he left nothing vndone toward his children that is to say the people of the kingdome which he had trayned vp as his children in all things yâ— might belong to their saluation that it was therefore free and cleere from all blame of their destruction perishing And so Chrisostom doth also expound it It wer a very vnfit thing to expouÌ„d it the wisdome is iustified by hir children to say it is from vniust by the benefit of yâ— children chaunged into iust and innocent By thy words saith yâ— Lord thou shalt be iustified or by thy words condemned yâ— is to say by thy words thou shalt be declared either to be iust or condemned of iniustice Words dâ—e not make but declare a man to be iust or vniust c. Muscul. fol. 223. ¶ This sentence Wisedome is iustified of hir children is sundry waies expounded Some by those children do vnderstand the elect chosen because yâ— they haue imbraced the wisedom of God in Iohn â— in Christ iustifieng yâ— is to say allowing praising it Chrisostom by the children doth generally vnderstand all meÌ„ whether they be elect or reproued for by theÌ„ the wisdom of gâ—d is iustified yâ— is to say by their own confession she hath oueâ—â—oÌ„med in iudgmeÌ„t hath omitted nothing yâ— pertain to their saluation so yâ— their perditioÌ„ cannot be laid to their charge S. I. C. ¶ They that were wise indeed acknowledged the wisedome of God in him whom yâ— Phariâ—ies contemne But yâ— Publicans being baptised with the Baptime of Iohn praised him as iust faithfull good mâ—rcifull so that the fruite of their Baptime appeared in them And wisedome is iustified of hir children ¶ That is the children of wisedome or the wise which beléeue the Gospell do acknowledge the wisdome of God therein which the Pharisies condemn so that wisedome is then iustifiâ—d of hir children when the Gospell is receiued The Bi. note VVISE MEN. What these wise men were THere came wise men from the East ¶ These were neither Kings nor Princes but as Strabo saith which was in theyr time sage men among the Persians as Moses was among yâ— Hebrues He saith also yâ— they wer yâ— Priests of yâ— Persians Tinda Wise men or Magi in yâ— Persians Chaldeans tongue signifie Philosophers Priests Astronomers are héere the first fruites of the Gentiles that came to worship Christ. Geneua VVITH THE HOLY c. The meaning of the Prophet in this place Looke Holy VVITNESSE How these places following are to be vnderstood ANd ye shall beare witnes also ¶ Whereas in the 5. Chapter of Iohn Christ saith that he receiueth no witnes of man it is to be vnderstood that for his own part be needed noneâ— but for our cause it was expedient yâ— his disciples shuld testifie his truth vnto vs therfore saith he ye shal beare witnes of me also Ti. But I haue greater witnesses then yâ— witnes of Iohn Let vs note heere how circumspectly wisely he saith not I haue a testimony much more certain true then yâ— testimony of Iohn lesâ— he might so exâ—ol yâ— testimony of his father concerning himself yâ— the testimony of Iohn thereby should be quite discredited for whatsoeuer Iohn did testifie concerning Christ yâ— same was of God nâ—ither was it any whit contrary from yâ— which yâ— father by his works tesâ—fied of him But if ye coÌ„pare yâ— testimonie of the works of Christ which he had receiued of yâ— father with the testimony of Iohn ye shall finde yâ— it is much more excellent notable For as Lucifer or yâ— morning star though it be a true testimonie of yâ— rising of yâ— sun yet notwithstanding is 〈…〉 nothing so â—â—ideÌ„t as yâ— sun beams it self which shine throughout yâ— who le world EueÌ„ so Iohn though his testimâ—ny wer true concerning Christ yet notwtstanding it was far
is to heare the Gospell to beléeue it with heart to confesse God with mouth which worship Paul laieth it as the foundation of all righteousnes saluation saieng Nigh is the word vnto thée euen in thy mouth heart and this is the word of faith which we preach For faith in our hearts iustifieth and the confession with our mouth bringeth saluation c. Melancthon vpon Dan. How God onely is to be worshipped Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue saith our Sauiour Iesus Christ Whervpon it may be argued thus Whosoeuer is neither our Lord nor our God to him ought we in no wise to giue godly honor nor yet to worship him but neither the Angells nor the dead Saints are our Lords and Gods but are ministers of our Lord God vnder him our fellow seruaunts To them therefore ought we in no wise to giue godly honour nor yet to worship them neither do we honour and worship Christ because he is holy righteous or because that he is beloued of God but because he is true and naturall God of one substaunce with the Father and the Holy ghost Veron Of the worshipping of Saints ¶ Looke Saints VVRATH What wrath is in God BY wrath is vnderstood not a disturbaunce or perturbation of mind for these things can haue no place in God but as Augustine hath well interpreted in his Booke of the Trinitie Wrath in God signifieth a iust vengeaunce And God is saide to be angry when he sheweth forth the effects of an angry man which are to punish and auenge So he is said to repent himself that he had made man because lyke a man that repenteth himselfe he would ouerthrow his worke Pet. Mar. vpon the Rom. fol. 107. ¶ Looke Anger VVRITTEN So much is written as is necessary for our saluation I Suppose the world could not containe the bookes yâ— should be written ¶ This is a figuratiue speach which doth signifie yâ— there was many things mo to write but there remaineth so much written as is necessary sufficieÌ„t for our saluatioÌ„ Ti. ¶ But God would not charge vs with so great an heape séeing therefore that we haue so much as is necessary we ought to content our selues and praise his mercie Geneua ¶ These things are written which being well weyed are plentifull inough to instruct vs in all godlinesse I wold to God they were so exactly discussed to imbrace godlinesse as they are narrowly sifted and stretched to maintaine contention and brawle Marl. vpon Ioh. fo 613. ¶ S. Austen plainly declareth and saith True it is that the Lord hath done many things the which be not all written but they haue written those things which ought to be written and which is sufficient for all beléeuers Aug. vpon the 11. of Iohn tract 49. I am not ignoraunt saith Bullinger but that I knowe that the Lord Iesus both did and spake many things which wer not written by the Apostles but it followeth not therefore that the doctrine of the word of God taught by the Apostles is not absolutely perfect For Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist doth fréely confesse that the Lord did many other things also which wer not written in his booke but immediately he addeth this saith But these are written that ye might beléeue the Iesus is Christ the sonne of God that in beléeuing ye might haue life through his name He affirmeth by this doctrine which he contained in writing that faith is fully taught and that through faith there is graunted by God euerlasting life Bullinger fo 17. What it is to be written in the earâ—h Domine omnes qui te derelinquunt confundentur recedentes a te in terra scribentur quoniam derelinquerunt venam aquarum viâ—entium Domini Lord all they that forsake thée shall come to shame all they that run from the trust in thy gouernaunce and diuine prouidence hoping and trusting in the pollicies of Princes and might of men they shall be written in the earth that is their name shall be spoken off héere in the earth amongst men they shall haue cappe and knée and manye gaye good morrowes in this lyfe In terra scribentur but in Heauen and in the booke of lyfe they shall not come Why so For they haue forsaken the vaine of liuing waters I meane the Lord and his word Ric. Turnar Whose names are written in the booke of life and whose in earth Whose names are not written in the Lambes booke of life ¶ The names of the Apostles and all beléeuers are written in heauen and the names of the wicked are written in the earth according to this saieng They that depart from thée shall bée written in the earth Iere. 17. 13. that is to say they shal be forgotten before God and before the Congregation of the righteous which thing is expressed vnder another borrowed speach The vngodly are not so but they be as chaffe which the winde tosseth about Psal. 1. 4. Marl. fol. 191. ¶ They onely shall possesse that which are written in the Lambes booke of life yâ— were predestinate therevnto in Christ before the worlds constitution to be holy and vnspotted in his sight These are they whom he hath in a perpetuall remembraunce whom he hath ordâ—ined of goodnesse chosen of mercie called by the Gospell iustified through faith and glorified in the perfourmaunce of his commaundements that they shoulde bée lyke fashioned to the shape of his sonne Though these of frailenesse offend many times as the flesh can doe none other yet denie they not the veritie they abhorre not the scriptures But after they haue fallen they repent from the heart they séeke yâ— remedies they hate their owne déedes they call vnto Christ they lament their chance they hunger and thirst continually for the righteousnesse of God and such other lyke Bale Yeare How the yeare is now as it was in the olde time THat which Macrobius doth only attribute vnto the Aegyptians shuld haue ben more better attributed to the Hebrues among whom there was alwaies a certaine course of yâ— yere which by the circuit of the Sunne was obserued The yeare was then of twelue months as it is now The month contained that time as it doth now the whole course of the Moone the day lyke of 24. houres Whereby worthely is refused the errour of them which would the yeares of that age to be ten times shorter then they be now which the holy scripture testifieth to be false The floud began in the 600. yeare of the life of Noe in the 17. daye of the second month ceased the 30. day of the same month in the yere following in which place the 11. months is read whereby it appeareth that there were no fewer months in a yere then there be now and as they lyned then much longer then we doe now so is it plain that they had farre greater bodies then we haue now Lanquet How the yeare was
voice should bée hearde neither yet so softlie that hée should onelie thinke in minde the things which heâ— desired but in such sort as wée reade that Hanna praied in the first booke of Samuel where it is sayde that shée moued hir lippes onelie neither spake shée anie thing that could be heard Then was the Oracle giuen on this manner vnto the Priest By the power of the holie Ghost certeine letters appeared aboue the other in the brest plate and that either in place or in brightnesse wherein the Priest read the Oracle and will of God And these things are those Vrim and Thumim which the Priest bare in his breast lappe This is Kimhies opinion vnto whom what faith is to be giuen I cannot tell for it might be that the spirit of God did without letters giue Oracles by the voice of the high Priest whose heart he inspired with prophesie c. Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. 272 Of whom we ought to aske our petition Uerily verily I say vnto you whatsoeuer ye aske yâ— father in my name he wil giue it vnto you ¶ He saith not whatsoeuer ye aske the Father in the name of Saint Peter Saint Paule or other Saints but in my name Let vs aske therefore helpe in the name of him which is able to obteine for vs of his Father whatsoeuer we aske least peraduenture héereafter in the end of the world at the straight iudgement we shall heare Hitherto in my name yée haue asked nothing Bilney in the booke of Mar. fol. 1139. How Christ asked what men did saie of him He asked of his Disciples saieng whom do men saie that I the sonne of man am ¶ If anie man saith Origen be a Bishop or a Magistrate let him hardlie aske this question what doe men saie of mee but this they must aske of them that will tell the truth without flatterie Cheeke ASSVR How the people of Assiria tooke their name of him THe Assirians which is a part of Asia came of Assur the second sonne of Sem which Assur as Lyra saith would not rebell against God with Nemroth in the building of the towre of Babilon but fled out of the land of Senhar into a nother farre countrie where he first inhabited by reason wherof the countrie tooke his name and was called Assiria In the which countrie he builded a citie that in processe was called Niniue which citie was so great that it was thrée daies iourney to goe through it Lyra. What is meant by Assur in this place following Assur also shall be slaine with the sword not with a mans sword ¶ The Prophet should héere séeme to prophesie of the great destruction that happened vnto Sennacherib 2. Par. 32. 21. And Esaie 37. 36. which was done by the sword of the Angell not by the sword of man as ye maie there sée Sennacherib was the king of Assiria and therefore is the destruction of the Assirians which happened vnder him signified by this word Assur Some because the Prophet a little before in the Textâ— moueth the people to forsake Idols expound it thus not by our Idols not by our strength not by mannes helpe which all maie be called the sword of man shall our spirituall enimie which is signified by Assur perish but by the power of God and the inuisible sword that cannot bée séene with which the Angell slewe an hundred foure score and fiue thousand in one night T. M. ASTHAROTH What manner of Idoll it was THis Idoll Astharoth was so called because it stoode to be worshipped in the forme of a Shéepe For a shéepe in Hebrue is called Aschtor And as it appeareth by the fourth booke of kings Cap. 23. 13. it was an Idoll of the Sidonians wherevnto Salomon by the instigation of his wiues builded sometime a Cappell c. Pet. Mar. vpon Iudic. fol. 68. â— ASTROLOGIE What Astrologie is AStrologie is the knowledge of the naturall order and disposition that God hath set in the starres and planets to iudge of the office propertie and vertue and to bring all to their end and vse Caluine The Astrologer is he that knoweth the course and motions of the heauens and teacheth the same which is a vertue if it passe not his bondes and he become of an Astrologer an Astronomer Who taketh vpon him to giue iudgement and censure of those motions and course of the heauens what they prognosticate and destinie vnto the creatures of the earth man beast and other what shall be the temperature of the aire the condition of the earth the state successe of such fruite as it bringeth foorth By this knowledge they forespeake of pestilence and other discases and séeth the death of great men to come such commotions and warres as shall followe betwéene the Princes of the world And thus they saie they knowe by the course of the heauens Whereas they sée the coniunctions of manie planets of figures and fatall disposition and qualitie concurre by reason of whose influence into these inferiour partes all those calamities must happen Heere they abuse not onelie the name of God and the naturall discourse of reason which hath comprehended the motions and course of heauens but also heauen it selfe and attribute vnto the heauens the thing that onelie apperteineth to God To saie the health of man the sickenesse of man the plentie of the earth and scarcitie of the same the regument of common and the life death of gouernours thereof Their knowledge and practise in those things is nothing at all For almightie God hath not made the heauens to that end and purpose that man shold learne of them good fortune or ill as it is plaine Gen. 1. In the second daie God made the Firmament and superiour Starres which the text calleth Rakiah to this end that it should seperate the waters that be vnder the Firmament from those that be aboue the Firmament and God called the Firmament heauen In the fourth daye GOD made the Sunne the Moone and the Starâ—es And sheweth to what purpose and ende he made them the one to haue dominion in the daie the other in the night and God put them in the Firmament of heauen to giue light vnto the earth These rule in the daie and night and put difference betwéene light and darknesse to diuide the yeare into his portes the Spring Sommer Autume and Winter They are in signes likewise saith the Text. The which the Husbandman that tilleth and soweth the ground obserueth without superstition to sowe and reape his corne Hée casteth it into the ground in the Winter and receiueth it againe in the Summer So doth the Marriner make the reuolution of the Moone his decrease and increase whereby he knoweth the tides the ebbes and flowe of the same And the latter Phisitions Auicene and Auerrois hath likewise assigned their vse in mans bodie therefore they appoint diuersitie of daies in the practise of Phisicke one to bée more apt for letting of bloude then other
spoken of in the same that in the flame they felt no heate and in the fire they felt no consumption And I constantlie beléeue that howsoeuer the stubble of this my bodie shall be wasted by it yet my soule spirit shall be purged thereby A paine for a time whereon nowithstanding followeth ioie vnspeakable And he much intreated of this place of Scripture Noli timere c. Feare not for I haue redéemed thée and called thée by name Thou art mine owne when thou goest through the water I will bée with thée and the strong floud shall not ouerthrow thée when thou walkest in the fire it shall not burne thée and the flame shall not kindle vpon thée for I am the Lord thy God the holie one of Israel Which he did most comfortablie intreat off as well in respect of himselfe as appling it to the perticular vse of his friendes there present Of whom some tooke such swéet fruit therein that they caused the whole sayd sentence to be faire written in tables and some in their bookes the comfort whereof in diuerse of them was neuer taken from them to their dieng daie In the booke of Mar. fol 1131. His aunswere to a proude Papist BIlney béeing demaunded in dirision by a proud Papist when hée went to his death whie hée wrought no Myraâ—les béeing so holy a man as he was accompted aunswered with milde voice and countenance God onely sayd he worketh myracles wonders he it is that hath wrought this one wonder in your eies that I being wroÌ„gfullie accused falslie belied opprobriouslie and spitefullie handled imprisonned buffeted and condmned to the fire yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one ill word against anie of you This passeth the worke of nature and is therefore the manifest miracle of God who will by my suffering and death be glorified and haue his truth enhaunced Of the Bill of diuorcement ¶ Looke Diuorcement BINDING AND LOOSING What is meant heereby TO binde and loose is to preach the lawe of God and the Gospel or promises as thou maist sée in the third chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians wher Paule calleth the preaching of the lawe the ministration of death and damnation and the preaching of the promises the ministring of the spirit and of righteousnesse For when the lawe is preached al men are found sinners and therefore dampned And when the Gospell of glad tidings are preached then are all that repent and beléeue found righteous in Christ c. Tindale fol. 150. Whatsoeuer ye binde on earth c. ¶ That is whatsoeuer ye condemne by my word in earth the same is condempned in heauen And that ye allow by my word in earth is allowed in heauen Tindale In the. 16. Chapter verse 19. he meant this of doctrine and héere of Ecclesiasticall discipline which dependeth of the doctrine Geneua ¶ To binde is to banish the stifnecked and vnrepentant sinner from the congregation of the Saints to loose is when he repenteth and submitteth himselfe to receiue him againe into the fellowship of the elect and chosen people of God Sir I. Chee ¶ God in promising men the forgiuenesse of their sinnes giueth charge and commission to the ministers of his worde to drawe them from death according as it is expreslie saide that the keies of the kingdome of heauen are coÌ„mitted so those which preach the gospell to what end To forgiue sinnes not of their owne authoritie but to the intent that the wretched man bée the better assured of their saluation and not doubt but God receiueth them to mercie Cal. â—pon Iob. fol. 592. BISHOP What a Bishop and his office is IF a man couet the office of a Bishoppe he desireth a good worke c. ¶ Bishop is as much to say as séer to or an ouer séer Which when he desireth to féede Christs flocke with the foode of health that is with his holie word as the Bishops did in Paules time desireth a good work and the verie office of a Bishop But he that desireth honour gapeth for lucre thirsteth great rentes séeketh preheminence pompe dominion coueteth abundance of al things without want rest and hearts ease castles parkes Lordships Earledomes c. desireth not a worke much lesse a good worke and is nothing lesse then a Bishop as Saint Paule héere vnderstandeth a Bishop Tind How Bishops were chosen In choosing of Bishops the people had their libertie long preserued that none should be thrust in that were not accepted of all This therfore was forbidden in the counsell at Antioch that none should be thrust in to them against their wil Which thing also Leo the first doth diligentlie confirme Héerevpon came these saiengs Let him be chosen whom the Clergie and the people or the greater number shal require Againe let him that shall beare the rule ouer all be chosen of all For it must needs be the he that is made a ruler being vnknowne and not examined is thrust in by violence Againe let him be chosen by the Clarks and desired by the people and let him be consecrate by them of that prouince with the iudgemeÌ„t of the Metropolitane The holy Fathers tooke so great héed that the libertie of the people should by no meanes be diminished that when the generall Synode gathered together at Constantinople did ordeine Nectarius they would not doe it without the allowance of the whole Clergy and people As they testified by thrée Epistles to the Synode at Rome Therfore when anie Bishop did appoint a successor to himselfeâ— it was none otherwise stablished vnlesse yâ— who le people did confirme it Whereof you haue not onely an example but also yâ— verie forme in Augustine in the naming of Gradius And Theodorâ—te when he reheraseth that Peter was named by Athanasius to bée his successor by by addeth yâ— the elders of Priests confirmed it the magistrate nobility the people approued it with their allowing shoute Caluine in his insti 4. â— Chap. 4. Sect. 11. Of the ordination of Bishops and Ministers The ordination of Bishops hath nothing proper or peculiar besides fruits commodities that necessarilie depend therof for it is the decrée of the Lord that of them to whome they minister the secrets and mysteries of the heauenlie life they receiue the things that belong to the necessarie vses and maintenaunce of this lyfe As Saint Paule plainlie proueth to the Corinthians 1. Chapter 9. from the. 4. verse to the. 15. And the 1. to Timothie 5. 17. 18. And to the Gal. 6. 6. which thing also Christ teacheth Mat. 10. 10. Luke 10. 17. So the this is the iust right lawe of God that the Bishoppes or ministers are to bée mainteined of the Churches and such a measure is to be kept the they be neither pressed with ouer great néed nor runne riot with too much excesse for in either of them a regard is to bée had to the calling of a
sanctifie their spirits which doth set their trust onlie in the redemption promised theÌ„ in Christs blessed bloud this church by Christ is made without spot or wrinkle D. Barnes fol. 313. The Church saith Lyra doth not stand by reason of spirituall power or secular dignitie for many Princes many Popes other inferiour persons haue swarued from the faith wherfore the church doth stand in those persons in whom is the true knowledge and confession of faith and veritie Lyra in Math. Chap. The holie church are we saith Augustine but I do not say are we as who should say we that be héere alonelie that heare me now but as manie as bee héere faithfull christen men in this church the is to say in this citie as manie as be in this regigion as many as be beyonde the sea as manie as be in all the whole world for from the rising of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same is the name of God praised So is the church our mother August sermo 99. de tempore Saint Paule calleth the church the spouse of Christ for that she ought in all things to giue eare to the voice of the Bridegrome Likewise he calleth the church the piller of the truth for that that she â—aieth hir selfe onlie by the word of God without which word the church were it neuer so beautifull should bée nâ— church The holie church is all they that haue bene and that nowe are and alwaies to the end of the world shall bée a people the which shall endeuour them to know to kéepe the commandements of God dreading ouer all things to offend God and louing and séeking most to please him c. Booke of Mar. 632. The church saith Lambart I doe take for to be all those that GOD hath chosen or predestinate to be inheritours of eternall blisse and saluation whether they be temporall or spirituall king or subiect bishop or deacoâ— father or childe Grecian or Romaine c. Booke of Mar. fol. 1276. Of whom the Church began When Adam and Eue his wife had taken comfort of Gods promises which was that Christ should come of the womans séede to redeeme the world from sinne death and hell then they beléeuing the same stedfastlie in their heartes were the beginning of the true Church Lanquet Whie the Church is holie and Catholike On this consideration saith Saint Austen the Church is holy and Catholike not because it dependeth on Rome or anie other place nor of anie multitude obedient to Rome both which are donatistical but Quia recte credit in Deum because it beléeueth rightly in God I. Bridges fol. 543. The Fathers began to call this true and right teaching the Church of Christ the catholike Church which is as much to saie as vniuersall Augustine to his cosin Seuerinus This is saith he the catholike Church wherevpon it is also called Catholice in Gréeke because it is spred throughout al the world Isichius vpon Leuiticus For the vniuersal Church saith he is Hierusalem the citie of the liuing God which conteineth the Church of the first begotten written in heauen And Gelasius vnto Anastatius the Emperour The same is called saith he the Catholike Church which is by a pure cleane and vndefiled fellowship sequestred from all the vnfaithfull and their successours and companions otherwise there should not be a difference giuen of God but a miserable mingle mangle c. Musculus fol. 258. Cipriane the Bishop and Martyr in his booke De simplicitate Clericorum saith The Church is one which is spread further and further abrode by fertile increase euen as there are manie heames of the Sunne and but one light and manie boughes of a tree yet but one Oke grounded vpon a stedfast roote And where as manie brookes issue out of one spring though the number séeme to be increased by the abundaunce of store yet it is but one at the head Plucke a beame of the Sun from the Gloabe that one once separated is voide of light Breake a bough from the Tree it can bring foorth no fruite Cutte a Brooke from the Springe and béeing cutte of it drieth vp Guen so the Church lightened with Gods light which is spread euerie where neither is the vnitie of the bodie seperated she extendeth hot braunches with plenteous increase throughout all the earth she sendeth out her plentifull riuers all abrode Yet is there but one head and one spring and one mother plentifull with fertile successâ—â— c. Bullinger fol. 841. How the Church is made cleane by Christ. If the feare of God haue deliuered you then are yée trulie deliuered You are washed you are sanctified you are iustified in the name of Iesus Christ and in the spirit of God Of Christ is the Church made faire first she was filthie in sinnes afterward by pardon and grace was she made faire D. Barnes 253. How the Church hath spots and wrinkles in her The whole Church praieth Lorde forgiue vs our sinnes wherefore she hath spottes and wrinkles but by knowing of them her wrinkles are stretched out knowledging her spots be washed awaie The Church continueth in praier that shée might be cleansed by knowledging of her sinnes and as long as we héere liue so standeth it And when euerie man departeth out of this bodie all such sinnes are forgiuen him which ought to be forgiuen him For they be forgiuen by dailie praier and he goeth hence cleansed And the Church of God is laide vp in the treasure of God for golde and by this meanes the Church of God is the treasure of our Lord without spotte or wrinkle Sequitur Let vs praie that God maie forgiue vs and that we maie forgiue our debters séeing it is said And it shall be forgiuen vnto you Wee saie this dailie and dailye we doe this and this thing is done dailie in vs. We are not héere without sinne but we shall depart without sinne D. B. fol. 254. How it is said aright that the Church cannot erre The Church is the pillor and foundation of the truth how then can it erre Wée aunswere brieflie saith Musculus wée doe knowe right well that the Church is the onelie and welbeloued spouse of Christ the kingdome of heauen the it is ruled by the masterie and leading of the holie spirit and that wée bée alwaies taught by his anoninting and that it is the piller and foundation of the truth But these saiengs do perteine not vnto all particuler Churches but vnto that onelie vpright and catholike church which is the communion of the Saints and elect throughout all the worlde which doth beléeue in Christ their Lord and spouse in all ages And touching this ther is no variaunce there is none of vs that saie that the catholike church hath erred in the faith of Christ. For how can it erre when it followeth Christ and walketh not in darknesse but hath the light of
his help but goe about without him to helpe them selues by ther owne workes and wisedome or are impatient in their troubles them doth he forsake vtterlie in the middes of their afflictions Sir I. Cheeke What Gods curse is Gods curse is the taking awaie of his benefites As God cursed the earth and made it barren so now hunger dearth warre pestilence and such like are yet right curses and signes of the wrath of God vnto the vnbeléeuers but vnto them that know Christ they are verie blessings and that wholsome crosse and true Purâ—â—torie oâ— our flesh through which all must go that will liue godlie and be saued As thou readest Math. 5. 10. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake c. And Heb. 12. 6. The Lord chasteneth whom he loueth and scorgeth all the children that he receiueth Tindale What God appointeth and no more Whatsoeuer thy hand and thy counsell determined before to be done ¶ Héere we doe learne that the enimies of Christ can goâ— no farther then God hath appointed them Therefore let the Preacher of the truth be of good comfort though Satan with all his legion of diuells the world all the mightie Princes thereof doe arise and conspire against them yet they can doe no more then the Lords hand and counsell hath appointed before Sir I. Cheeke How all things come to passe by Gods will ¶ Looke Will Of two wills in God ¶ Looke Will. How God ordeined sinne and yet is not the author of sinne ¶ Looke Sinne. Of the God of this world Iâ— whom the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of them which beléeue not ¶ Satan is Gods minister and can doe no more then he appointeth him to doe Neuertheles Christ calleth him the Prince of this world Iohn 16. 11. And héere the Apostle calleth him the God of this world because the worlde doth most commonlie forsake the true God and serueth him For vnto whom soeuer we obaie we make him our God As S. Paule calleth the bellie their God that are earthlie minded serue their owne bellies Phil. 3. 19. What is meant by the God of Iacob ¶ Looke Iacob What the seate of God is ¶ Looke Seate GODHEAD IN CHRIST How Christs Godhead is vnderstood FOr in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodelie ¶ We must beware that we doe not with the Antropomorphiâ—es think that God hath a bodilie shape because the Apostle saith that the Godhead dwelleth in Christ bodelie for that is as much to saie that the Godhead doth dwell trulie and naturallie in Christ being a 〈…〉 and◠〈…〉 God and that therefore he is a sufficient treasure of all 〈…〉 riched Sir I. Cheeke ¶ In saieng that the Godhead is reallie in Christ he sheweth that he is verie God Also saieng In him he declareth two distinct natures And by this word Dwelleth he proueth that he is there foreuer Geneua How Christ in his Godhead is euerie where How maie Christ be called a straunger is he departed into a straunge countrie Séeing he is with vs vnto the worlds end and is among them that he gathered in his name Aunâ—were Christ is both God and man hauing in him two natures and as man he is not with vs vnto the worldes ende nor is present with his faithfull gathered together in his name But his diuine power and spirite is euer with vs. Paule saith he was absent from the Corinthians in bodie but he was present with them in spirite So is Christ gone hence saith he and absent in his humanitie which his diuine nature is euerie where And in these saiengs we reserue to both his natures their owne properties Origen in Math. homil 33. GODS MERCIE Of such as presume too much thereof MAnie doe presume so much of Gods mercie that they sinne at pleasure and repent at leasure But be not seduced saith S. Paule for God is not mocked whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall he reape Hemmyng How the Magistrates are called Gods ¶ Looke Iuâ—ges What the nature of Gods word is ¶ Looke Word Nature GODLIE SORROVV What godlie sorrow bringeth to a man FOr godlie sorrow causeth repentaunâ—â— c. ¶ There be two manners of sorrow The one commeth of God and ingendereth repentaunâ—e 〈…〉 life The other commeth of the flesh and bréedeth desperation vnto death We haue examples of both in Cain and Dauid in Iudas and Peter For they all sorrowed but the sorrow of Cain and of Iudas was fleshlie and carnall and therefore being without godlie comâ—ort it did driue them to desperation Whereas Dauid and Peter in their godlie sorrow did flie vnto the father of mercies with a true repentant heart and were receiued againe into the fauour of God Sir I. Cheeke ¶ Whose heart Gods spirite doth touch he is sorie for his sinnes committed against so mercifull a father and these are the fruites of his repentaunce as witnesse Dauids and Peters teares Others which are sorie for their sinnes onelie for feare of punishment and Gods vengeaunce fall into desperation as Cain Saule Achitophel and Iudas Geneua GODLINESSE What Godlinesse is GOdlinesse is not made of words as wood is made of Trées but it is an earnest loue procéeding from a pure heart and a good conscience and an vnfained faith in which we maie glorifie God and doe good to his people Paule was godlie when he gloried in nothing but in the crosse of Iesus Christ by which the world was crucified vnto him and he vnto the world They are godlesse hypocrites which in word confesse they know God but in deede doe denie him They are Christs which haue crucified the flesh with the affections and concupiscence of it They are of their father the Diuell that in wickednesse doe the desire of the Diuell c. M. Deering GOG AND MAGOG What they were and what they doe signifie SAint Austen in his 20. booke De ciuitate Dei willeth by Gog to be signified the glorious hypocrites of the world by Magog the open enimies of righteousnesse pretending the contrarie As testifieth Berosus the Chaldean in the first booke of his histories 5. chapter Gog was a mightie gouernour in the land of Sabea Arabia the rich vnder Nimroth the great king of Babilon and there ruled with Sabâ—s his Father in the 18. yeare of his raigne In the 38. Chapter of Ezechielâ— Prophecie ver 2. he is called the chiefe Prince of Mosoch and Tâ—â—bal whom some Expositours taketh for Capadoce and Spaine But after the opinion of S. Hierom and Isidorus which was a Spaniard the Hebrue taketh this Thubal for Italy which is much more agréeable to the purpose Magog was the seconde sonne of Iaphet which was the third sonne vnto Noe. This Magog as witnesseth Iosephus in the first booke of his Antiquities the 11. chapter was the first beginner of the Magogites whom the Greekes called the Scythians and we now the Tartarians And all the chiefe
The Bible note ¶ Looke Eliote HINDER PART What is meant by the hinder part of God THe hinder part of God is Christs humanitie the which he tooke vpon him in the end of the worlde that we might liue without end HYPOCRITE What an hypocrite is AN hypocrite is as much to saie as a fainer or dissembler or a player which representeth the person of an other man which seemeth to be such a one as indéede he is not Marl. vpon Math. fol. 113. Hypocrisie described We sée manie which beare the face of verie zealous Christians so long as it is but to dispute and to holde long talke to beare men in hand that they studie to serue God and to honour him and yet for all that as soone as they haue to doe with their neighbour a man shall perceiue what they haue in their hearts for they séeke their owne aduauntage and make no conscience to rake to themselues and to beguile folke when they haue them in their danger by what meanes so euer it be Now then there is no doubt but that those which séeke their owne aduauntage and profite are hypocrites Caluine vpon Iob. foi 4. HYPOTIPOSIS What this word signifieth IT is a figure called Illustration by the which the forme of things is so set foorth in words that it séemeth rather to be séene with the eies thâ—â— heard with the eares Marl. vpon Math. fol. 607. HIRE What is meant by hire wages or reward AND my hire is with me ¶ Héere Christ sheweth himselfe to be iudge of the whole worlde inasmuch as he auoucheth that he will render euerie man his reward For all this whole booke treaseth of the holynesse and righteousnesse of the chosen and lykewise of the naughtinesse of the cast-awaies wherfore it behoueth vs to bée héedfull that euerie one of vs doe diligentlie performe his duetie according to his calling As for the profiting or not profiting of our labour that must we put to the discreation of him that promiseth to yéeld to euerie man his reward according to his work Let vs not sléepe as other doe but let vs watch be sober 1. The. 5. 6. waiting for the blessed hope for yâ— appearing of yâ— glory of yâ— great God of our sauiour Iesus Christ. Tit. 2. 13. Moreouer the hire wherof mention is made héere must be referred not to the desert of the worke as the meritmoÌ„gers talke but to yâ— beléeuing of yâ— promise according to this text when yée haue done al that is enioined you saie ye we are vnprofitable seruants haue done that which we ought to doe Luke 17. 10. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 312. Why eternall life is called by the name of hire And yâ— thou shouldest render hire vnto thy seruants c. The Lord shall bring to light the things that are couered make the righteousnesse of yâ— godlie to shine as the noone daie whome the gracelesse world had condemned for the worst of al men Psa. 32. 6. Esa. 58. 8. 1. Cor. 4. 5. And it is called by yâ— name of hire in the Scripture not absolutelie nor yet for yâ— works sake but in respect of yâ— bountifulnes of the promiser as for example If a man â—uie a bondslaue he is wholie at his maisters coÌ„maundement And whatsoeuer seruice or toile he doth it is onelie his Lorde and maisters Now if his maister should of his owne frée goodnesse promise his slaue anie wages for shewing himselfe diligent and faithfull in dooing his seruice surelie it were rather a reward then of hire but yet the maisters promising of it giueth it the name of hire by reason wherof our Sauiour Christ saith When you haue done all that is commaunded you saye ye we be vnprofitable seruants Luke 17. 10. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 164. HISTORIE What an historie is TVllie calleth an historie the witnesse of times the light of vertue the life of memorie Maistres of life HOBAB What this Hobab was AND Moses said to Hobab the sonne of Raguel the Madiaâ—te Moses Father in lawe ¶ Hobab is the same which before is called Iethro euen as Salomon is called in some place Idida and as Osias is also called Azarias He was the sonne of Raguel and Father to Zephora Moses wife Albeit that in the second of Exod. Raguel is called her Father not because hee was so indeede but because he was her Fathers Father which manner of speaking is not a few times vsed in the Scripture T. M. ¶ Some thinke that Raguel Iethro Hobab and Keni were alone Kimhi saith that Raguel was Iethroes Father So Hobab was Moses Father in lawe Geneua HOLIE Who is holie HE is holie that is borne againe by the word of lyfe and hallowed that is to saie made cleane by Christs spirite and so â—s become the dwelling place of God In the respect whereof Paule calleth them holie which are borne againe through the fountaine of lyfe Rom. 1. 7. 1. Cor. 1. 2. For the chosen heare how the Lorde saith Be ye holie as I am holie Leuit. 11. 44. 1. Pet. 1. 16. Also God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holinesse 1. Thes. 4. 7. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 276. How Christ is called holie Thus saith he that is holie c. ¶ Christ Iesus is properlye tearmed holie and so soothfast because that all other things yea euen the Starres of the Skie are defiled and vntrue in comparison of him for he is God blessed for euer Rom. 9. 5. Moreouer he onelie is holie in respect of his manhood because béeing segregated from the number of sinners he alwaies performed the things that pleased his Father and became obedient vnto him euen vnto death He did not sinne neither was there anie guile founde in his mouth Heb. 7. 26. Iohn 8. 29. Psal. 2. 8. 1. Pe. 2. 22. Héereby onelie hath he reconciled vs vnto God and obteined faith and grace at his hand for vs becomming our righteousnesse and holynesse 1. Cor. 1. 30. To be short he is worthelie termed the holie of holiest Dan. 9. 24. Marl. vpon the Apoc. fol. 60 What is meant by the Angells crieng Holie Holie Holie And one cried to an other said Holie Holie Holie ¶ This oft repetition signifieth that yâ— holie Angels cannot satisfie themselues in praising God to teach vs that in all our liues wée should giue our selues to the continuall praise of God Geneua The meaning of the Prophet in this place With the holie thou shalt be holie and with the perfect thou shalt be perfect with the cleane thou shalt be cleane and with the froward thou shalt be froward ¶ This text most commonlie hathâ—bene alleadged to this end That if a man did acquaint himselfe and kéepe companie with good men he shoulde learne by their example custome and companie kéeping to be a good a godlie man And contrariwise who did keep companie with the vngodlie with mockers and scorners with liars and swearers
Moses and sée that yee walke not after strange Gods of the nations that you remaine among See that ye neither make mention sayth Iosua nor yet sweare by the name of their Gods Thus in the olde lawe were they suffered to sweare in an earnest iust and waightie cause But now after the rule of Christ be the matter neuer so true we maye not of our owne selues nor by our own authoritie and priuate power sweare or promise anie manner of thing c. What the principall causes be that stop the Iewes from Christianitie I reade in the persecution of Scotlande of one George Wisehart a Gentleman and Martyr of a certeine storie which he resiteth on this wise I once sayth hée chaunced to méete with a Iew when I was sailinge vpon the water of Rhene I dyd enquire of him what was the cause of his partinacye that he dyd not beléeue that the true Messias was come consideringe that they had séene all the prophesies which were spoken of him to be fulfilled Moreouer the prophesies taken awaye and the Scepter of Iuda by manye other testimonies of the Scripture I vanquished him that Messias was come the which hée called Iesus of Nazareth This Iewe aunswered againe vnto mée When Messias commeth he shall restore all thinges and hee shall not abrogate the lawe which was giuen to our fore-fathers as ye doe For why wée sée the poore almost perishe through hunger amonge you yet you are not moued with pitie towardes them But amonge vs Iewes though wée bée poore there is no begger founde Secondarilie it is forbidden by the Lawe to faine anie kinde of Imagrie of thinges in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath or in the Sea vnder the earth but one God onelye to honour but your Sanctuaryes and Churches are full of them Thirdlye a peece of bread baken vppon the Ashes ye adore and worshippe and saie that it is your God In the booke of Mar. fol. 1446. Why the Iewes were suffered to be diuoâ—ced ¶ Looke Diuorcement Howe the Iewes were driuen out of diuerse Realmes About the yeare of our Lorde 1179. were many Iewes in Englande which agaynst the feast of Easter did vse to Crucifie younge children in despite of Christian Relygion ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1186. They crucified a childe in the towne of Bury About the yeare of Christ. 1235. the 18. yeare of the reigne of king Henrie the third the Iews dwelling in Norwich were accused for the stealing of a childe whome they purposed to crucifie ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1245. and the 28. yeare of Henrie the third king of England at Tollet in Spaine a Iew digging in the ground to enlarge his vineyard found a hollow stone wherin was a booke of the bignesse of a Psalter written in Gréeke Latine and Hebrew the matter wherof was of the worlds to come And declared the coÌ„ming of Christ to be the beginning of the third world which was expressed on this wise In the beginning of the third world the sonne of God shall bée borne of a Uirgin By occasion of this booke the Iewes were turned to the faith of Christ. ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1264. and in the. 47. yeare of the reigne of Henrie the third king of England 500. Iewes were slaine by the Citizens of London because one Iew would haue forced a christen man to paie more then two pence for the vsurie of xx s. the wéeke ¶ About the yeare of our Lord 1279. and in the sixt yeare of the reigne of king Edward the first king of England 284. Iews were put to execution for clipping of the kings coine ¶ About the yeare of our Lord. 1475. at the citie of Trident a childe named Symon was murthered of the Iewes of that Citie in dirision of the passion of Christ for which murther and villanie the Iewes suffered great and worthie punishment ¶ In the yeare of our Lord. 1492. There were driuen out of Spaine by commaundement of the king 125. families of the Iewes of the which 30. thousand died of the pestilence in their iourneie as they were departing Of the conuersion of the Iewes Bretheren I will not haue you to be ignoraunt of this mysterie that you be not high minded in your selues for that the blindnesse is happened vpon parte of the Israelites vntill that the fulnesse of the Gentiles come in so Israel shall be saued ¶ This conuersion of the Iewes I doe disseuer from those tokens which began to be done a great while a goe do passe before the comming of the Lorde and I doe applie it vnto those signes which shall goe nearest before it But how that conuersion shall be fulfilled and what shall be the point of the fulfilling of the Gentiles let him define which is able We can rather wish it then for a certeine define it Augustine sayth that there shall be sometimes a manifest vocation or calling of the Iewes in the saluation of the Gospell but how and what time it shall be he doth not expresse Musculus fol. 451. ¶ He sheweth that the time shall come that the whole nation of the Iewes though not euerie one perticularly shall bée ioyned to the Church of Christ. Geneua IGNORAVNCE What a pleasure it is to the diuell for a man to be ignorant in the Scripture VNto the diuell it is a torment aboue all tormentes and a paine aboue all paines if they sâ—e anie man readinge the worde of GOD and with feruent studie searchinge the knowledge of Gods lawes and the mysteries and secrets of the Scriptures Héerein standeth all the flame of the diuels in this fire are they tormented for they are ceased and possessed of all them that remaine in ignoraunce The reading of the Scriptures is a greate fence against sinne and the ignoraunce of the Scriptures is a daungerous downefall and a great dungeon To knowe nothing of Gods lawe is the losse of saluation Ignoraunce hath brought in heresies and vicious life Ignoraunce hath turned all thinges vpside downe How no man is excused by Ignorance Ignoraunce excuseth no man if thou of ignoraunce followe a blinde guide thou shalt perish together with him The ignoraunce of Scriptures and the word of God is the head spring of all heresies and perniâ—ious errours For why Without the Scriptures the power of God connot be knowne which is Christ. Sir I. Cheeke vpon these words of S. Math. Ye are deceiued vnderstanding not the Scriptures Wherevnto the mainteâ—ners of ignorance maie be likened They be like that Painter that Plutarch speaketh of that had euill fauouredlie proportioned a painted Henne and therefore chased away the liue hennes least that his euill workmanship should be perceiued Those chase awaie Gods word least their fancie should be discouered I LE What is signified by the I le THey that dwell in the Iles shall sée c. ¶ Some reade And he that dwelleth in this I le c. Hierusalem
God by a mediatour and a meane which was onely borne without sinne liued and was slaine vnto the rising againe of the flesh and to euerlasting lyfe August in his Enchirid to Laurence the. 32. chap. Saint Paule saith Vnus est Mediator c. Ther is one mediatour betwéene God and man Christ Iesus being manâ— Upon this place S. Austen saith thus Paulus non facet se mediatorem c. Paule maketh not himselfe a mediatour betwéene God and the people but requireth that they pray all one for an other béeing all the members of the bodie of Christ. August contra Epist. perminiani li. 2. chap. 8. Againe in the same booke he writeth thus of Saint Iohn St. Iohannes ita dicerit c. If Iohn would say this haue I written vnto you that ye sinne not and if ye sin ye haue me your mediatour before God I will intreate for your sinnes as Permenian the heretike in a certeine place made the Bishop a mediatour betwéene God and the people what good faithful christen man could abide him Who would looke vpon him as the Apostle of Christ and not rather to thinke him to be Antechrist Tell me woman sith thou art a sinfull and wicked woman how durst thou goe vnto him I know saith she what I do Beholde the wisdome of the woman Shée prayeth not vnto Iames Shée entreateth not Iohn She goeth not vnto Peter She did not get her selfe vnto the company of the Apostles She sought for no mediatour but for all those things She tooke repentance for her companion which did fulfill the roome and place of an aduocate and so she did goe to the high fountaine Chrisost. in his 12. Ho. of the woman of Ca. There is no néed of porter of a mediatour of minister say onely Lord haue mercie vpon me we haue no néede of aduocates with God nor of any running and gadding about for to speake faire vnto other For although thou be alone and without an aduocate and praye vnto God by thy selfe thou shalt obteine thy petition Chrisostome in his Sermon of going forward in the Gospell Saint Austen saith Christen men doe mutally commende themselues in their praiers But he for whom none maketh intercession but he for all he is the onely true mediatour Paule the Apostle though he were a principall member vnder yâ— head yet because he was a member of the body of Christ knew that the greatest truest Priest of the Church entred not by a figure into the inward places of the vaile to heauen to a holinesse not shadowish but eternall commendeth himself also to the praiers of the faithfull neither doth he make himselfe a mediatour betweene the people and God but praieth that all the members of the bodie of Christ should mutuallye praye for him because the members are careful one for another of all the members yet trauailing in earth may ascend to the head which is gone before into heauen in whom is apeacement for our sinnes For if Paule were a mediatour the other Apostles should also be mediatours and if there were many mediatours then neither Paules owne reason stood fast in which he had sayd for there is one God one mediatour betweene God men the man Christ in whoÌ„ we also are one if we kéepe the vnitie of faith in the bonde of peace Againe in another place but it thou séeke for a Priest he is aboue the heauens wher he maketh intercession for thée which in earth died for thée Yet do we not dreame yâ— he falleth downe at the fathers knées and in humble wise intreateth for vs but we vnderstand by the Apostle the he so appeareth before the face of God that the vertue of his death auaileth to be a perpetuall intercession for vs yet so that being entered into the Sanctuarie of heauen vnto the ende of the ages of the worlde he alone carrieth to God the prayers of the people abiding farre off in the porch Caluine in his Instit. â— booke chap. 20. Sect. 20. Brethren saith Saint Austen we haue Iesus Christ the iust for our aduocate with the Father he is the propiciation for our sinnes He which held this committed no heresie he which held this opinion committed no Scisme For wherevppon are Scismes committed When men doe saye we be iust wée doe make holye vncleane we doe iustifie the wicked we doe desire and we doe obteine But I beséech you by the way howe much more past shame be they which doe saye we doe determine we doe commaunde and what sayde Iohn And if a man doe sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust But some man will saye Doe not the Saintes then praye for vs Doe not the Bishoppes and superintendentes pray for the people Marke the Scriptures and sée that the ouerséers also doe commend themselues to the people For the Apostle saith to the people prayeng togethers for vs also The Apostle prayeth for the people and the people prayed for the Apostle we doe praie for you brethren but pray fo vs also Let al the members pray together one for an other let the head make meanes for all This saith Augustine in yâ— place in which words he doth plainely openly attribute the office of intercession which perteyneth to the chiefe Priest to none but to Christ the head Againe he writeth thus But if the Apostle shuld haue sayd thus This I write vnto you to the intent yee should not sinne and in case anye man doe sinne you haue a mediatour to the Father I doe praye for your sinnes as Perminianâ—s in one place doth make the Bishoppe mediatour betweene the people and GOD what good and faythfull Christen folkes could abide him Who wold estéeme him as yâ— Apostle of Christ and not rather an Antichrist for all christen men do commend themselues one to an other in their praiers but he for whome none doth intreate but he himselfe intreateth for al. He is yâ— only and true mediatour forasmuch as the figure of him was resembled in the Priest of the olde Testament there is none sound theâ—â— that euer prayed for the Priest Musculus fol. 149. The man Christ Iesus alone which gaue himselfe a raunsome for al men is our sufficieÌ„t mediatour aduocate intercessour as the holy Scripture teacheth in diuers places Whosoeeuer therefore refuseth to pray vnto this man Christ Iesus to be his mediatour and aduocate vnto God the father and flyeth to other without all doubt he is an enimie vnto Christ and to the vttermost of his power he laboureth to make Christ as they vse to say Iaâ—ke out of office For since the time of his ascention his chiefe and principall office is to be our intercessour mediatour and aduocate ¶ Looke more at Aduocate MEEKE Who are meeke THe meeke are such as are not easilye prouoked by iniuries who by euery offence are not wayward froward but are rather readie
may iudge it by the word of Saint Ambrose to be detestable I. Veron We doe make Sacrifices and Oblations for the dead euery yeare on a certaine day saith Tertulian This with another place of Cypriane doth the Papists obiect to make for the praieng for the dead Aunswere This word Oblation and Sacrifice among these auncient Writers is taken for an Hymne of laude and praise for an earnest thanks-giuing or els for a thankfull and solemne commemoration or remembrance of them yâ— were dead in the faith of our sauiour Iesus Christ. For in the olde time when any of the bretheren was deceased the Superintendent Bishoppe or Minister did giue thankes vnto God for him And sometime made a funerall Sermon as Ambrose did for Theodotus The people did also pray and thanke God that he had vouchsafed to call their christen brother or sister out of this world in the fayth of his sonne Iesus Christ beséeching him that hée woulde giue them grace to depart in the same beliefe I. Veron How praier in a straunge tongue profiteth nothing The Gréekes name God in the Gréeke tongue and the Latines in the Latine tongue and all seuerall nations pray vnto God and praise him in their owne naturall mother tongue for he that is Lord of all tongues heareth men praieng in all tongues none otherwise then if ther were one voice pronounced by diuerse tongues for he that ruleth the whole world is not as some one man that hath gotten the Gréeke or Latine tongue and knoweth none other Origen in his 8. booke against Celsum What profit is there in speach be it neuer so perfect if the vnderstanding of the hearer cannot atteine vnto it For there is no cause why we should speake at all if they vnderstand not what we speake for whose sake we speake that they may vnderstand vs. August in his 4. b. and. 10. chap. of Christ doct Unlesse I speak that you may plainely and cléerly vnderstand but onely shew my selfe to haue the gift of tongues yée shall depart away hauing no fruite of those things that ye vnderstand not For of a voice that ye know not what profit can ye haue Chrisost. in his 35. Homil. vpon the. 1. Cor. 14. Some entring into the Church stretcheth forth and draweth at length their praier till they haue sayd a thousand verses as though the great number of wordes were néedfull before God as though he knewe not what thou doest aske which knowest before thou think euen they wot not what they say Their lips onely moueth and their mind is without fruite and his eares are vnto them deafe Thou hearest not that is vnderstandest not and takest no héede of thy praier and yet thou wilt that God shall heare thy praier Chrisostome in his 12. Homil. of the woman of Cana. Of Common praier Saint Basil in the vsing of Common praier in his time saith thus In our praiers that we make vnto God we raise vp such a sound of the voices of men women children prayeng togethers as if it were the noise of the waues beating against the sea banks ¶ By this it appeareth that in S. Basils time men women children song in the church altogether Of praier and fasting This kinde goeth not out but by praier and fasting ¶ Satan the flesh which are our most mortall enimies are ouercome by faith praier true abstinence or sobernesse of liuing if we vse the same according to Gods word and the doctrine of Christ. Sir I. Cheeke ¶ The best remedy to strengthen the weake faith is prayer which hath fasting added vnto it as an helpe to the same Geneua How praier ought to be made according to Gods will Saint Austen vpon the fortie Psalme sayth Call vppon God with praise and thankes-giuing and not with reprehention for why when thou callest vpon him to destroy thine enimie when thou wilt reioyce of an other mans hurt and callest God to that euill thou makest him pertaker of thy mallice For why thou supposest God to be as thou art therefore it is said vnto thée in an other place These things hast thou done and I held my peace O thou wicked creature thou doest coniecture that I would be like thée Hetherto Austen Now therfore our praiers must be made after the rule of the Lords and we must euermore pray with these exceptions Thy will bée done and not ours Biblian fol. 109. What modestie ought to be vsed in praier Let these wordes saith Cipriane and praiers of such as praie be orderly gouerned kéeping modestie shamefastnesse Let vs thinke we stand in the sight of God God his eyes must be delighted both in the iesture of our bodyes and manner of our words For as it is the part of an impudent person to vse clamorous shoutes in praieng so contrariwise it beséemes a shamefast person to praye with modest prayers Some foolishly imagine that praier is made either better or worse by the iesture of our bodyes Therefore let them heare Saint Austen li. 2. ad SimplicianuÌ„ quest 4. saieng It skilleth not after what sorte our bodyes be placed so that the minde béeing present with God bring her purpose to passe For wée both praye standing as it is written the Publicane stoode a farre of and knéeling as we reade in the Acts of the Apostles And sitting as did Dauid and Helias And vnlesse we might praye lieng it should not haue bene written in the Psalmes euery night wash I my bed For when any man seeketh to pray he placeth the members of his bodye after such a manner as it shall séeme most méete vnto him for the time so stirre vp his deuotion Bullinger fol. 929. To pray continually how it is vnderstood There were a sort of heretiks Massaliani of their first Captaine Massalianus which vnder the pretence of long praieng did studye to liue idlely and condempned all manner workes and labour of the handes alleadging for themselues a great sorte of Scriptures but speciallye this place of Saint Paule Orate sine intermissione doe yée praye continnallye to this they ioyned the example of the primitiue Church which when Saint Peter was â—ast in prison by Herode prayer was made without ceasing of the congregation vnto GOD for him Also that our Sauiour Christ did teach his Disciples that they should alwayes praye and neuer cease And also that the Prophet Dauid sayth I will alwayes praise the Lorde euermore shall his praise bée in my mouth Upon these places did these heretikes ground their errours which they vnderstood not aright For God hath set this generall order for all men Sixe dayes shalt thou worke and doe therin all thy businesse but vppon the seauenth daye thou shalt doe no bodely labour neither thou nor thy seruaunt nor thy cattell for in sixe daies the Lorde made heauen and earth the sea and all that therein is and vpon the
¶ This word Selah after Rabikim was a signe or token of lifting vp the voice also a monition and aduertisement to enforce the thought minde earnestly to giue héede to the meaning of the verse vnto which it is added Some will that it signifie perpetually or verily T. M. ¶ Selah heere signifieth a lifting vp of the voice to cause vs to consider the sentence as a thing of great importance Geneua ¶ Concerning this word Selah the interpretours agrée not among themselues Some vpholde it to be a marke of affirmation to signifie as much as truely or verely or so be it Other take it for time without end Howbeit forasmuch Salal signifieth to lift vp the opinion of those is allowable which thinke yâ— by this word is betokened yâ— lifting vp of the voice in tune Neuerthelesse it is to be vnderstood therwithall that the notes of singing were applyed to the meaning of the matter And so the tune aunswered the thing or the matter that it was set vnto Caluine vpon the. 3. Psal. SEALE The opening the. 7. Seales and the meaning thereof THe opening of the first seale telleth the state of the Church in yâ— time of the preaching of Christ and of his Apostles For the first beast that is the Lion gaue his voice that â—etokeneth the preachers of Christs resurrection and of his ascention for then yede out a white horse and he that sate vpon him had a Bowe in his hande and he yede out ouercomming to be ouercome By this white horse we vnderstand the cleane lyfe and conuersation that these preachers had and by the bow their true teaching pricking sorrow in mens heartes for ther sinnes without flattering And they went out of Iewrie yâ— they commen off ouercomming some of the Iewes and making them to leaue the trust that they hadden in the olde law and to beléeue in Iesus Christ and shewen his teaching And they wenten out to the Paynims shewing to them that their Images were no Gods but mens workes vnmightie to saue themselues or any other drawing them to the beléefe of Iesus Christ God man In the opening of the second seale ther cryed the second beast that is a calfe that was a beast wonted to bée slaine and offered to God in the olde lawe This sheweth the state of the Church in the time of Martirs that for their stedfast preaching of Gods true lawe shedde their bloud that is signified by the redde horse that went out at this second opening this estate beganne at Nero the cursed Emperour and dured till the time of Constantine the great that endued the Church For in his time many of Christs seruauntes and leaders of Gods flocke were slaine For of 32. Bishoppes of Rome that were betwéene Peter and Siluester the first I reade but of foure but that they were Martirs for the lawe of Christ. And also in the time of Dioclesian the Emperour the persecution of the Christian men was so great that in thirtie dayes were slaine two and twentie thousand men and women in diuerse countries for the lawe of God The opening of the third seale telleth the state of the Church in time of Heretikes that beth figured by the blacke horse for false vnderstanding of holy writ for that cried the third beast that is a man for at that time was it néede to preach the mysterie of Christs incarnation and his passion against these Heretikes that â—elden misse in these pointes Howe Christ tooke verye mankinde of our bodye him béeing God as hée was before and his mother béeing maide before and after The opening of the fourth seale telleth the state of the Church in the time of hypocrites that beth by signified the pale horse yâ— beth signes of penance without forth to binde the people And he yâ— sate vpoÌ„ the horse his name was Death for they should slay Ghostly them that they leden and teacheth to trust vppon other thing then God And hell followeth him for hell receiueth thilke that those destinieth At that time shal it néede that the fourth beast that is the Eagle make his crie that flyeth highest of foules to reare vp Gods Gospell to praise that lawe aboue other least that mens wit and their traditions ouergrow and troden downe the lawe of God by enforming of those hypocrits and that is the last state that is either shall be in the Church before the comming of the great Antichrist The opening of the fift seale telleth the state of the Church that then shall follow and the desire that louers of Gods law shuldeth haue after the end of this worlde to be deliuered of this woe The opening of the sixt seale telleth the state of the Church in time of Antichrists time the which state ye may know to be in the Church when ye séeth fulfilled that Saint Iohn prophesieth to fall on the opening of this seale where he saith thus After this I sawe foure Angels standing vpon foure corners of the earthâ— holding the foure windes of the earth that they blowne not on the earth ne vpon the sea ne vpon any tree These foure Angels be the number of all the diuels ministers that in that time shalleth in the pleasance of the Lord Antichrist stop the foure windes that beth the foure Gospels to be preached and so let the breath of the grace of the holy Ghost to fall vppon men mourning for sinne casting them to amendement and to other that woulden increase in vertues either vpon perfect men What is there after this to fall but that the mysterie of the seauenth seale be shewed that he come in his own person That Iesus Christ shall sleye with the breath of his owne mouth when the fiend shall shew the vttermost persecution that he and his seruants may doe to Christs lims that shall be the third warning that the world shall haue to come to the dreadfull iudgement c. This is drawne out of a Sermon in the booke of Martirs preached in the yere of our Lord. 1389. and in the daies of king Henry the fourth by Richard Wymbeldon fol. 653. The meaning of this place following Whom God the Father hath sealed ¶ That is whom God the father hath distinguished from all other men by planting his owne vertue in him as though he had sealed him with his seale that he might be a lyuely pattern and representer of him and that more is install him to this office to reconcile vs men vnto God and bring vs to euerlasting lyfe which is onely proper to Christ. Beza ¶ Sealed that is he hath put his marks of the Holy ghost which testifieth with miracles what he is Tindale ¶ Sealed For when he appointed him to be the Mediator he set his marke and seale in him to be the onely one to reconcile God and man together Geneua SELEVCIANI What the opinions of these heretikes were
Godhead S. Iohn sayth not Caro verbum facta est as the Arrians expound it and say the flesh receiued the worde but hée sayth Verbum caro factum est The word was made flesh I. Proctour ¶ In that he sayth the word became flesh and not man hée sheweth how farre Gods sonne humbled and abased himselfe For the Scripture calleth man flesh when he will signifie the pouertie vilenesse and miserie of man As when it is said All flesh is grasse and he remembred that we were but flesh my spirit shall not euer striue in man for he is flesh But when yâ— Euangelist sayth The word became flesh we may not imagin that Gods sonne ioyned to his diuine nature flesh only and not mans soule as Appolinaris thought in his traunce that flesh and the Godhead made one person without mans soule For he imagined that the diuinitie was in steede of a soule But so it should follow that the Lord Iesus was not a very man For flesh is not a man For the soule is the formall part of a man namely that wherby a man is a man without which a man cannot be And that the Lord had a mans soule beside his diuinitie he himselfe testifieth where he saith My soule is heauy vnto yâ— death Neither can Appol 〈…〉 is aide himselfe with this place For when the Scripture calleth men flesh it meaneth not that they are without soule for then they were no men indeede Traheâ—on What the Euangelist meaneth by the word in this place of Iohn In the beginning was the worde c. ¶ By the word the Euangelist meaneth the second person in the holy Trinitie namely our Lord Iesus Christ touching his diuine nature as it appeareth afterward when he saith And the worde became flesh Héere we must consider why Gods son is called a word Auncient writers consider a worde two wayes For they teach that there is an outward word and an inward word The outward word is that foundeth and passeth awaye The inwarde worde is the conceite of the heart which remaineth still in the heart when the sound is past So they saye that God hath an outward worde which is sounded pronounced and written in bookes And that hée hath an inwarde worde which remaineth within himselfe whereof the outwarde worde is an Image effect and fruite This inwarde worde euer remaining in him is called his sonne as the conceite of the heart maye bée called the ingendered fruite of the heart and the heartes childe They thinke also that he is called the worde of God because that as a worde is the Image of mans minde and representeth it vnto vs so the Lorde Iesus is Gods Image and most liuely representeth vnto vs his power his Godhead and his wisedome For whatsoeeuer is in the Father shineth in the Sonne Some other thinke that the worde héere is taken for a thing after the Hebrew manner of speaking For the Hebrewes vse Dabar which signifieth a worde for a thing When Esay the Prophet asked king Ezechias what the Babylonians had seene in his house he aunswereth thus They sawe all that was in my house Iohaial dabar there was not a word that is to say any one thing that I shewed not vnto them in my treasures The Prophet replyeth Behold the daies come that whatsoeuer is in thine house shall be taken away and whatsoeuer thy father haue laid vp in store vnto this day shal be carried to Babylon Ioij vather dabar ther shall not a word remain saith the Lord that is to say there shall not one thing be left behinde The Angel also in S. Luke when the virgin Mary meruailed how she shuld coceiue a childe without mans helpe sayd vnto her No word shall be impossible vnto God yâ— is nothing shal be impossible for him to do So that after this vnderstanding S. Iohns mening is that in the beginning ther was a diuine and heauenly thing with God Traheron How the word of God is called the light Thy word saith Dauid is a lanterne vnto my féet Psa. 119. 105 Againe the commaundements of the Lord is lightsome giuing light to the eyes Psal. 19. 7. Theophilact saith Verbum Dei est lucerna c. The word of God is the candle whereby the théefe or false preacher is espied How the word of God endureth for euer S. Hierome sayth Quomodo eternae erunt Scripturae diuinâ— c. How shall the holy Scriptures be euerlasting séeing the world shall haue an ende True it is that the parchment or leaues of the books with the letters and all shall bée abolished but forsomuch as the Lord addeth My words shal neuer passe doubtlesse though the papers and letters perish yet the thing that is promised by the same letters shall last for euer Of the nature and strength of the word of God For the word of God is liuely and mighty in operation and sharper then anye two edged swoorde and entereth through euen to the diuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit of the ioyntes and of the marrowe and is a discouerer of the thoughts and the intent of the heart neither is there any creature which is not manifest in his sight but all thinges are naked and open vnto his eyes with whome wée haue to doe Surely as the raine commeth down and the Snow from heauen and returneth not thether but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring forth bud that it may giue séed to the sower and bread to him that eateth so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth it shall not returne vnto me in vaine but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it How the word of God hath sundrie names The word of God according to the sundry effectes and propertyes thereof hath sundry names as thus It is called seed for that it encreaseth and multiplyeth It is called a sword for that it cutteth the heart and diuideth the flesh from the spirit It is called a net for that it taketh vs and encloseth vs together It is called water for that it washeth vs cleane it is called fire for that it inflameth vs It is called bread for that it féedeth vs. Euen so it is called a key for that it giueth vs an entrye into the house The house is the kingdome of heauen Christ is the doore the word of God is the keye Iewel fo 144. How the word of God is the key ¶ Looke Key How the word of God is plaine They are all plaine vnto him that will vnderstand ¶ Meaning that the word of God is easie to al that haue a desire vnto it and which are not blinded by the Prince of this worlde Geneua The more that Gods word is troden downe the more it groweth The Pharesies sayd thus of Christ Videtis nos nihil proficere c. Ye sée we can doe no good lo the whole world