wil be their God and they shalbe my people Let vs then know this our selues of others let vs with the prophet Esay say Therfore let them see and knowe let them consider and vnderstande together that the hand of the Lorde hath done this Hee is able to set starres and heauens out of course to set the Sunne backe and to make it stand to open the earthe to deuide the sea to make the drie rocke to yeelde water to make the clouds to giue breade to make Children to preach to make an Asse to speak to make the diuels to confesse his holy name to say I know who thou art euē y e holy one of god With this power he blew downe the walles of Hiericho with this power he beateth downe whatsoeuer holde is built vp against god This power standeth not in worldly strength but is shewed in weakenesse God hath chosen the weake thinges of the worlde to confounde the mightie things saith the Apostle Paule Some trust in chariots some in horses but wee will remember the name of the Lorde our God Our helpe is in the name of the Lorde which hath made both heauen and earth Thus is the prince of darknesse caste out thus is the Gospell of Christe caried throughoute the world this is the ouerthrowe of Hiericho this is the might of Gods hande But is Hiericho so layde flat that no mā wyl attempt or wishe to restore it Uerily it was afterward restored in the dayes of Achab but bee that restored it was accursed Euen so it fareth with this spirituall Hiericho it is neuer so blowne downe but some woulde wyshe to rayse it vp God deliuered his people out of Egypt and yet there were that looked backe and wisht to bee there agayne and when they had Manna in their mouthes they thought it a lothsome and a squamishe meate and wisht for their Goordes and Ouyons and hauinge the Angels of God to goe in visible forme before them to hee their guydes both daye and night yet wyshed to bee vnder Pharao in the house of bondage to be tormented with labors to liue in tyrannie and oppression where they had their children slayne before their faces Notwithstandinge God had deliuered his people from the captiuitie of Babilon yet the greatest part of them remayned still there and would neuer returne to see Ierusalem Babylon the great citie is fallen and is become the habitation of deuils yet Iohn sayeth Many shall mourne and weepe lament and cry ouer her alas alas the great citie Babilon the mightie citie Babilon that was clothed in fine linnen and purple skarlet gylded with golde precious stone pearles What citie was like to this great citie Dauid sayth Their sounde is gone foorth through all y t earth their words into the ends of the world And the prophet Esaye Howe beautifull vpō the mountaines are y e feete of him y t declareth publisheth peace y t declareth good tydings publisheth saluation Yet S. Paul saith They haue not al obeyed the gospel And Esay Lord who hath beleeued our report or to whō is the arme of the lord reueled And againe I haue spred out my hands all the day vnto a rebellious people whiche walked in a way y t was not good after their owne imaginations The truth of god is not alway taken it is neuer so receiued that euery man liketh thereof The Lord knoweth who are his and to whom he wil make himselfe knowne Christ himselfe was a stumblinge stone vnto the vnbeleeuinge Iewes and a signe that should be spoken against Saint Iohn saith This is the condēnation that light is come into the world men loued darknes rather thē light because their deedes were euill The Gospel of Christ is the power of god to saluation it is the sauour of life vnto life yet is it also the sauour of death vnto death For many wyll not suffer wholesome doctrine but hauing their eares itching shal after their owne lust get them a heape of teachers and shal turne their eares from the truth and shal be giuē vnto fables shal giue heede vnto sprits of error doctrins of deuils Because wisdom cannot enter into a wicked hart nor dwell in a body that is subiect to sinne the deuil the prince of this worlde was cast foorth yet S. Peter sayeth He walketh about like a roaring lion seking whō he may deuour And euen so standeth it with Ierusalem the Cittie of the Lorde and that cursed Cittie Hiericho Many refuse the blessinge of the Lorde in their deliuerance from vnder Pharao and feedinge them with heauenly Manna and giuinge them his Angels to be their guides they wyll not returne home to their owne countrey out of their captiuitie in Babylon though they see the iudgements of God done vpon proude Babilon yet they mourne and lament ouer it they looke not vpon the hands that are spread all the day vnto them they obey not the gospel Christe is vnto them a stumbling stone and so seeke they to restore agayne Hiericho which the Lord hath ouerthrowen and which he would not haue built againe but curseth them that shall seeke to restore it And this doe they because they knowe not how amiable the Tabernacles of the Lord are because they did neuer taste and see howe sweete the Lord is Three speciall helpes the deuil hath vsed to further this purpose of restoring Hiericho First the hard heart blindnes of the people secondly the eloquēce and subtil perswasion of the learned thirdly the sworde and violence of tyrants Of these three the first is the greatest for blindnesse and stubburnnesse wyll preuayle where cunning and tyranny can doo nothinge Hereof the prophet Ieremy complayneth My people is foolish they haue not known me they ar foolish childrē haue none vnderstādīg they ar wise to do euil but to do wel they haue no knowledge Of this sort our sauiour speaketh This peoples heart is waxed fat their eares are dul of hearing with their eies haue they winked least they shuld see with their eies heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts should returne that I might heale them Of this sort Esay reporteth It is a rebellious people lying children and children that would not heare the law of the Lorde whiche say vnto the Seers see not vnto the prophets prophecie not vnto vs right things but speake flattering things vnto vs prophesie errors depart out of the way goe out of the path cause the holy one of Israel to cease from vs. Through blindnes stubburnes al the children of Israel murmured against Moses Aaron Wherfore now hath the lord brought vs to this land to fal vpō the sworde were it not better for vs to return into Egipt Therfore y e lord said I wil do to thē as they haue spoken they shal not see the
to GOD. And therefore God blessed his doinges as wee see this daye For it is the cause of GOD and not of man The zeale of the Lord of hostes hath done this I wil bring this to passe saith the Lord not for your sakes but that my name may bee glorified among the nations For God chooseth y e weake thinkes and the foolish thinges of the world As for the Aduersaries be they neuer so strong he that dwelleth in the heauens laugheth them to scorne These through feare and dispaire keepe backe from building the temple Some there be that confesse that manye things are out of frame and ought to be looked on but they say it is no time to fall a buylding We must looke for a generall Councel And God graunt we may once see that daye that a general Councel may be called wherein Christ may sit president and all these matters that are nowe in question maye haue indifferent hearing and maye bee decided by the woorde of God But alas they that make a face and shewe of general Councels them selues stoppe and staye that there may be no generall Councell When Luther made his first appeale from the Pope that then was to a generall councell they made him answeare that it was against the decree of Pope Iulius and Pope Pius that anye appeale shoulde bee made from the Pope to any councel When the Emperour had compelled them to a Councel and the Princes of Germanie common weales had sent learned men thither the Bishops that were there assembled woulde not heare any of them preache or dispute or declare their minde For onely bishops may sit speake in their councel and suche as are sworne to mainteine the Pope Aeneas Syluius otherwise called Pope Pius the second saith if a Bishop speake against the Pope yea although hee speake the truth yet neuertheles hee sinneth against the othe that he hath made vnto the pope And last of all when the Councell hath done all that it can the whole conclusion of the matter hangeth vpon y e determination of the Pope Now iudge you what sentence there is like to be where as hee shalbe iudge in his owne cause Thus when they crye out and speake of Councels they seeke delay they mocke with God and man and indeed meane to haue no councel Saint Paul after hee was called of God and touched in his heart and couscience with Gods trueth appealed not to a generall Councel but saith Non acquieni carni sanguini I communicated not with fleshe and blood The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force There is no Councel aboue God A Councel may testifie the trueth to be truth but it cannot make falshood to be truth Augustine aunsweared most indifferently writing to Maximinus a Bishop of y e Arrsans y t alleaged a general councel holden at Ariminum Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debes Arimincuse tan quaÌ„ praeiudicaturus proferre coÌ„cilium c. Neither may I lay to thee the councel of Nice nor maiest thou lay to me the couÌ„cel of Ariminum either of vs thinking therby to find preiudice against the other But let vs laye matter to matter cause to cause and reason to reason by the authority of the Scriptures whiche are indifferent witnesses for both WheÌ„ Agisilaus minded to make his passage with his army through his neighbors lande he desired licence of the prince of that countrie the prince saide he coulde make him no ready aunswere but that he would take aduise of his councel Wel then said Agesilaus take you aduisement in the meane season I wil passe through So when our aduersaries delay off soiourne til they may take their deliberation in a councel let them deliberate while they wil but in the meane season let vs passe on in the busines of God and take the occasion offered vs to buylde by a house to the Lord. Some other say it is not yet time y e Bishops be they that should redresse the church Would to God they would For they should be Lux muÌ„di The light of the world they should be shepheards Watchmen they should be builders of Gods church But what if the light become darknes What if the shepheardes become wolues What if the Watchmen lye asleepe what if the builders become ouerthrowers Ieremie saith the Pastours haue ouerthrowen the Uineyard and is it likely that they wil reare it vp again Christ said vnto y e bishops you haue made my house a denne of theeues is it likely that they wil bring it againe to the former state and make it a place of prayer But O merciful God what a building is that like to bee where ignorance is the foundation where ignoraunce is deuotion and the greatest corner stone of the buylding I pray God lighten their hearts w t his holy spirite and make them to bee that they professe themselues to be the light of the world and true labourers in Gods Uineyarde faithful buylders of his house In the meane season let vs remember that in the olde Lawe whensoeuer the Byshoppe grewe out of order God raysed vp sometimes Prophetes sometimes Princes to refourme the churche to redresse things that were amisse and to reedifie the decayes For the Prince is keeper of the Lawe of GOD and that of both Tables as wel of the first that pertayneth to Religion as of the seconde that pertayneth to good order For he is the Head of the people not onelye of the commons and Laâ—â—y but also of the Ministers and Cleargye By that authoritye Moses beynge a Magistrate rebuked Aaron the Bishop for making the golden calfe Ioas beeing a king redressed the riot of the Priestes Salomon being King firste builded the temple of God put down the high Bishop Abiathar and set vp Sadoc Afterwarde the same Temple being polluted was restored not by the Bishoppes but by the Kings Ezechias Iosias Abias Iehosaephat at this time after the captiuitie of Babylon it was restored not by the Bishoppes but by Zorobabel the Prince of Iuda And after the comming of Christ when the Emperours became christened Constantine a Godly Emperour threatned the Bishops if they would not be ruled he would take vppon him to see them punished as hauing in deed authority and power ouer Bishoppes And Iustinianus in his law threatneth the Bishops that if they woulde not make their prayers in a loude voyce that y â— people might say Amen he would punish them with his sworde as hath been sayd before But what needeth more examples When the Arke of God was restored home Dauid being King played the chiefest part Dauid being King made Psalmes and ditties Dauid being King daunced before the Arke and being king set the Bishops Priestes in order And for this cause they are kings euen to serue y â— Lord. And therefore they doe not wel that deuide common weales in two and deuise two heads the one for the
owne cause remember thy dayly reproch by the foolish man So strong is the holde of this spirituall Hiericho and so stoutely it fighteth against the Lord. Albeit Hiericho was so strong and the walles thereof seemed inuincible such as no power could pearce yet at the sound of seuen truÌ„pets and the showt of the people they fel downe flat to the ground So mightily did God in such weake meanes shew foorth his wonderfull and fatherly care to woorke the râ—st and peace of his people Pharao had Israel euen in his mouth as a pray the Sea was before them and the hilles on eche side they were vnarmed he had the power and all the pollicie of his countrie it seemed vnpossible they shoulde euer bee able to escape that daunger but marke the turning of Gods mighty hande sodainly the Sea opened Israel passed through the middes of it as vppon dry land Pharao followed after and was swallowed and drowned with all his men Israel looked back and sawe the marueilous workes of God howe it was now perfourmed which God had sayd vnto Pharao Thou shalt perish from the earth and in deede for this cause haue I appointed thee to shew my power in thee and to declare my name throughout all the world Therfore they reioyced in God and feared him and made him sacrifice Nabuchodonosor when he fell vpon Iurie made the whole countrie to shake with the terrour of his name Hee was like to a mightye great tree whose height reached to the heauens and the fight thereof through all the world yet sodainly was this mightie tree hewen downe as the holy one that came downe from heauen had said Hew downe the tree destroye it Nabuchodonosor was driuen froÌ„ men and had his dwelling with the beasts of the field did eate grasse fodder as the oxen seuen yers til his heares were growne as Eagles feathers his nailes like birds clawes The power of Senacherib was terrible y â— people of Israel were not able to withstande it hee did glory in the pride therof he said no god was able to deliuer Ierusalem nor to saue it out of his hands yet sodenly the Angel of the lord in one night smote in the campe of Asshur an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande of his men he fled away with the rest was slayne by his sounes and the people of God left at libertie Though Babylon said she should neuer mourn nor feele any heauenes yet an Angell came downe from heauen and cried out mightily with a loude voyce saying It is fallen it is fallen Babylon the great citie and is become the habitation of Deuils and the hold of al foule spirits and a cage of euery vnclean hateful bird It were an infinite labour and yet very comfortable to consider how marueilously God in the old times hath ouerthrowne his enemies and deliuered his poore seruants Dauid to saue his life was faine to run froÌ„ king Saul and remained in a mountaine in the wildernes of Ziph Saul sought him euery day but God deliuered hym not into his hand Dauid was not only w tout ayde or hope of ayde but also without sustenaunce looked when he should be taken thought it not possible to escape for Saul his men compassed Dauid his men round about to take theÌ„ But there came a messenger to Saul saying hast thee and come for the Philistims haue inuaded thy Land Wherfore Saul returned from pursuinge Dauid and thus poore Dauid was deliuered God is a helper in due season he commeth with aide when things are desperate hee helpeth when there is no hope of help els where the counsels attempts policies of the wicked are in vaine He that dwelleth in the heauens shal laugh theÌ„ to scorn The prophet Dauid found himselfe disquieted at the worldly prosperity of the wicked saith As for mee my feete were almost gone my steps had welneere slipt for I fretted at the foolish wheÌ„ I saw the prosperitie of the wicked c. theÌ„ thought I to know this but it was to painful for me vntil I went vp into y â— Sanctuary of God theÌ„ vnderstoode I their end Surely thou hast set them in slipperie places castest theÌ„ downe into desolation How sodenly are thei destroied perished coÌ„sumed As for me it is good to draw nere vnto god therfore haue I put my trust in y â— Lord god that I may declare al thy workes A King is strong a woman is stronge and wine is stronge but trueth dooth abyde and is stronge for euer Truth is great and strongest Whither may a man go from the spirit of the lord or whither may a maÌ„ fly from his preseÌ„ce If he ascend vp into heauen the lord is there or if he descende into hell the Lorde is there also The face of the Lord is vpon them y t doo euill When they shal say peace and safetie then shal come vpon them sodaine destruction Let no man be deceiued and think that these thinges are wrought by the power of starres or by the pleasure of princes it is God that ruleth the world and not the starres It was not Ioshuah that ouerturned the walles of Hiericho nor the crie of the people sounde of the trumpets It was neither Constantinus nor Iouinian nor Valentinian nor Theodosius that planted the Gospel and changed the heartes of the people These were vertuous and godly Emperours yet those changes were not made by their power but it was God which sent forth his spirite and renewed the face of the earth Christe Iesus the sonne of righteousnesse had looked vpon them The morninge starre from an high had risen ouer them Good princes and good rulers are the good instrumeÌ„ts by whom God setteth foorth his glory their hearts be in the handes of God hee â—endeth them and enclineth them to his purpose but the trueth of the Gospel is not planted and setled in our hearts neither by the wyll of man nor by the authority of princes No creature can claime part of this glory this glory belongeth vnto God but vnto vs and to our fathers to our kinges and to our prophets the confusioÌ„ of our faces This is the Lords doing and it is maruelous in our eies This is y e day which the lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad in it This is a chaÌ„ge wrought not by the Starres but by the righte hand of the most high The soÌ„nes of God euen they which beleeue in him ar borne not of blood nor of the wil of flesh nor of y e wil of man but of god as by the Prophet Ezechiel God himself declareth A new heart wil I giue you a new sprit wil I put within you I wil put my sprit within you cause you to walk in my statuts And by y e prophet Ieremy I wil put my law in their inward parts write it in their harts
despise his calling let him not speake to vs in vain let vs no longer say it is not yet time to build vp the Lords house God hath raised vp vnto vs a most vertuous noble Lady that hath already set labourers a woorke begun the building Let vs remember that the Chaldees when they came to Ierusalem neuer strayned curtesie or sayde It is not yet time to pul down the house of God they layd handes on it spoyled it they burnt it without mercy euen vnto the grounde Let vs not in Gods cause bee more negligent then our enemies were against God Let euery man say with himselfe It is Gods temple that must be built vp it is the heauenly Hierusalem it is the arke of the Lord it is the Lords busines that I haue in hand accursed be he that doth the Lordes busines vnfaithfully And you my Lordes forasmuch as God hath planted you in chiefest honour and made you the greatest ouerseers of his worke I beseech you euen for his sake when you see your owne houses so furnished as is meete for your estates remember the poore house of God When you see your men waiting attending at your Tables remember howe fewe there bee to wayte vppon Christ at his table When you coÌ„sider that your owne houses cannot bee mainteyned without prouision remember there bee prouision made for the house of God Let y e zeale of Gods owne house rauish and deuour our hearts let vs build vp the cabernacle of the most holy and dreadful and euer liuing God so will God dwell and abide with vs and be glorified in the middest amongst vs. And thou most mercifull father deale fauourably with Sion that wee may see the walles of thy Hierusalem restored For now is the time of thy mercy come vpon vs now is the time And as thou hast begun this worke in vs in these our daies so vouchsafe to blesse the same that it may endure and continue for euer that al the world may know thee the onely true and liuing God and thy Sonne Iesus Christe whose Gospell thou hast reuiued amongst vs. To whom with thee and the holy Ghost be al honour and glory world without end Amen Psalme 69. The zeale of thine house hath eaten me CErtaine learned wise men of old time that had no vnderstaÌ„ding or sauour of god when they considered with themselues to what end and purpose mankinde was create set in this worlde after they had driuen the matter as farre as they might by naturall knowledge at length they concluded some that man was made to knowe the properties and qualities the conuenience or difference of natural thinges either in the aire or in the water or in the earth or vnder y e earth Some other that man was made to consider and behold the Sunne and Moone the starres the course and reuolutions of the Heauens And so they iudged that man which eyther had most aboundance of naturall reason or behelde and considered the heauens best to be most perfect of all others and that he came neerest to the end of his creation Thus sayde they as men without feeling of God onely endued with the light of nature But as God himselfe declareth who fashioned vs and made vs and knoweth vs best the very true ende why man was made was to knowe and to honour God Therefore who so knoweth him best honoreth him with most reuerence he is most perfect hee commeth neerest the end of his creation When Salomon had described the deceyuable vanities of the worlde and saide Vanity of vanities vanitie of vanities al is vanity wheÌ„ hee had concluded by longe discourse that riches empire honour pleasures knowledge and whatsoeuer els vnder the Sunne is but vanitie hee knieteth vp the matter with these woordes Feare GOD and keepe his commaundementes for this is the whole duetie of men That is this is trueth and no vanity this is our perfection to this ende are wee made not to liue in eating and drinking not to passe our time in pleasure follies not to heape vp those thinges which are daylye taken from vs or from whiche wee are daylye taken awaye but that in our woordes in our life in our bodye and in our soule wee doe seruice vnto God that wee looke aboue the Sunne and Moone and all the Heauens that we become the Temples of the holye Ghoste that the holy spirite of GOD may dwell in vs and make vs fitte instrumentes of the glorye of God Therfore God gaue vs his holy word hath continued it from the beginning of the worlde vntill this daye notwithstanding the Philosophers and learned men in all ages who scorned it out as the worde of fâ—llie for so it seemeth to them that perish Notwithstanding the wicked Princes and Tyrants and high â—omers of the worlde who consumed and burnt it as false and wicked or seâ—â—tious doctrine notwithstanding the whole worlde and 〈◊〉 of darkenes 〈◊〉 euer bent against it yet hath he wonderfully coÌ„tinued and perserued it without losse of one letter vntil this day that we might haue whereby truly to know him the true and onely God and his sonne Iesus Christ whom he sent Therfore haue we Temples and Churches places to resorte vnto altogether to honour to worship and to acknowledge him to be our god to ioyne our hearts and voyces together and to call vpon his holy name In suche places God hath at all times vsed to open his maiesty and to shew his power In such places God hath made vs a special promise to heare our prayer when soeuer we call vpon him Therefore are they called the dwelling place and house of GOD. In such places al godly men euermore set their greatest pleasure and thought themselues miserable when they were seciuded or put off from the same as the Prophete and â—oiy prince Dauid Laetatus sum in his quae â—icta sunt 〈◊〉 in domum Domini ibimus O saith that holye man my hart reioyced within my body wheÌ„ my fellowes called vpon me and said Let vs go into the house of the Lord. Againe I am in loue with the beauty of thy house And again O how beautiful is thy tabernacle O Lord O thou y â— God of hosts my heart longeth fainteth to come within thy courts His spirits were rauished with the sight maiesty of the tabernacle not for y â— the place it selfe at y â— time was so beautiful for in Dauids time it was almost rotten ruinous a homely thing to behold nothing in comparison to that teÌ„ple that afterward was built by Salomon But therein stood the shew worthines of that holy place y â— Gods trueth and lawe was opened and proclaimed in it and the sacraments and ceremonies so vsed in such forme and order as God had commanded them to be vsed the people receiued them obediently and liued thereafter Therfore when the tabernacle was restored when the Arke was fet
it is Gods cause The liuings of such as are in the ministery are not in their handes to whom they are due Al other labourers and artificers haue their hire increased double as much as it was wont to be Onely the poore man that laboureth sweateth in the vineyard of the Lorde of hostes hath his hire abridged abated I speak not of the Curats but of Personages Uicarages that is of the places which are the castles towers of fence for the Lordes temple They seldome passe now a dayes from the patrone if he be no better then a gentleman but either for the lease or for present money Such marchaÌ„ts are brokeÌ„ into y â— church of God a great deale more intolerable theÌ„ were they whoÌ„ Christ chased whipt out of y â— teÌ„ple Thus they y â— should be careful for Gods church that should be patrones to prouide for y â— conscieÌ„ces of the people to place amoÌ„g theÌ„ a learned Minister who might bee able to preach y â— worde vnto theÌ„ out of season in season to fulfil his ministerie seeke their own not y â— which is Iesus Christs They serue not Iesus Christ but their bellie And this is done not in one place or in one countrie but throughout England A gentlemaÌ„ cannot keepe his house vnles he haue a Parsonage or two in ferme for his prouision O mercifull God wherto will this growe at last If the miserie which this plague worketh would reache but to one age it were tolerable But it wil be a plague to the posteritie it wilbe the decay desolation of Gods Church Yong men which are toward learned see this They see that he whiche feedeth the flocke hath least part of the milke hee which goeth a warfare hath not halfe his wages Therefore they are weary and discouraged they chaunge their studies some become prentises some turne to phisick some to lawe all shun and flee the Ministerie And besides the hinderance that thus groweth by wicked dealing of patrons by reason of the impropriations the Uicarages in many places in the properest market townes are so simple that no man can liue vpon them and therefore no man wyll take them They were wont to saye Beneficia sine cura Benenefices without charge but now may be said Cura sine beneficio Charge or cure without benefice I speake not this of my selfe many here present know I speake the trueth And my selfe know the places which haue continued styll these many yeares without a Minister resident amonge them and haue prouided them selues as they might with their owne mony Your Graces subiects had hope of amendement in your graces late visitation But yet it standeth stil in case as miserable as it did before I know your grace heareth not of these matters And I hope God wyll worke in your gracious heart to prouide some remedy agaynste them For otherwise the scholes wil be forsakeÌ„ the Church desolate the people wylde and dismayed the Gospel discredited otherwise wee shal see that wrought against the house of God that neuer any Ieroboam or Iulian or Licinius could haue brought to passe against vs. This noble Realme which euer was famous for the name of learninge is like thereby to come to such ignorance and barbarie as hath not beene heard of in any memorie before our time I knowe that there are grieuous complaintes made that the Bishops appoint Priests and Ministers that are ignoraunt and haue no vnderstanding in the latine tongue Woulde God it were not true Or would God that they which be the causers hereof woulde somewhat helpe to ameÌ„d it But alas are we able to make learned men vpon the sudden Or can we make others then come vnto vs or wyll come to liue in miserie But there are many which can say such as bee ministers in the Churche shoulde teache freely without hope of recompence or hire for their labour Our preachers are no better then Peter Paul the other Apostles They are no better then the holy prophets who liued poorely Pouertie is a coÌ„mendable estate So say some in lyke deuotion as did Iudas What needed this wast this might haue bene sold for much giuen to the pore not that he cared for the pore but because he was a thiefe had the bag bare y t which was giuen I doubt not there are many which teach Christ for Christes sake which say in their soule y e Lord is my portion who in that heauy time from which God deliuered theÌ„ if they might haue receiued theyr life only for a recoÌ„pence would haue bin glad to take the paines who seeke you and not yours which haue forsaken all they had to followe Christ I doubt not there are such But for y t hope of posteritie I report me to al you which are fathers haue childreÌ„ for whom you are carefull Although your selues haue a zeale a care for the house of god yet wil you breed them vp keepe them at schoole vntil 24. yeeres old to your charges that in the ende they may liue in glorious pouertie y t they may liue poorely naked like the Prophets Apostles Our posteritie shall rue that euer such fathers went before them And Chronicles shal report this contempt of learning amonge the punishments and murraines and other plagues of God They shall leaue it written in what time and vnder whose raygne this was done Or if we growe so barbarous that wee consider not this or bee not able to drawe it into Chronicle yet forraine nations wyl not spare to write this and publish it to our euerlastinge reproche and shame In the meane time what may bee ghessed of their meaning which thus rauine and spoyle the house of God which decay the prouision therof and so basely esteeme the Ministers of his Gospel They can not say to God the zeale of thy house hath eaten me vp Howsoeuer in other thinges they doe wel howsoeuer they seeme to reioyce at the prosperitie of Sion and to seeke the safetie and preseruation of the Lordes anoyâ—ted yet needes must it bee that by these meanes forraine power of which this realme by the mercie of God is happely delyuered shall agayne be brought in vpon vs. Suche thinges shalbe done vnto vs as we before suffered the truth of God shalbe taken away the holy scriptures burnt and consumed in fire A marueilous darknesse and calamitie must needes ensue For if the tempest be so darke in the sea that the load starre lose her light and the needle fayle to giue token of the North Pole no marueile though the Ship lose her course and be swallowed vp in the sandes The Gospell of Christe is the fountaine of light and of knowledge It cannot be mainteined by ignorance and darknes These bee the proppes of their kingdome which take away y e scriptures which hold the people in blindenes which flie the light whiche haue their common prayers minister
damnation In this case God so loued y â— world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne y â— whosoeuer beleeueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue life euerlasting And as Saint Paule sayeth God sent his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinful flesh and by sinne coâ—â—emned sinne in the fleshe There was no other thing in He auen or earth which woulde be taken for our ransome Therefore was the Sonne of GOD brought before the Iudge and arraigned as a Theefe and condemned and scourged and put to death his side was opened with a speare and the bloode flowed out and he sayde It is finished that is to say the price for man is nowe payed Thus beeing in the fourme of God hee thought it no robberie to bee equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation tooke on him the fourme of a seruaunt and was made like vnto men was founde in shape as a man He humbled himself and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the Crosse Hee gaue his bodye to bee crucified and his blood to bee shedde for our sakes There was no other sacrifice left for sinne woe worth the sinne of man that was the cause of the death of Christ What were the effects of his death What followed God hath highly exalted him and giueÌ„ him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus should euery knee bowe and that euerie tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father God spake out of the heauens and saide This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Hee crowned him with glorie and honour hee hath not onely aduanced Christ but vs also together with him And made vs sitte together in heauenly places in Christ Iesus Hee hath made vs like to the Image of his sonne Thus hath hee made vs an acceptable people and hath renewed the face of the earth so y â— nowe hee saith not as he did to Adam thou art earth and shalt returne to earth but he saith Thou art heauen an immortall and vndefiled inheritance that fadeth not away is reserued in heauen for thee This is the effect and value of the death of Christ All these thinges are layde before vs in the holy Table if wee haue eyes to see and beholde them There may wee see the crucifiyng of his bodie and the shedding of his blood as it were in a glasse Therefore Christe sayeth doe this in remembraunce of mee in remembraunce of my benefite wrought for you in remembrance of your saluation purchased by me Saint Paul saith As often as ye shal eate this bread and drinke this cuppe ye shew the Lordes death til he come In this supper lieth a hiddeÌ„ mystery There is the horror of sinne there is y e death of our Lorde for our sinne represented howe he was wounded for our sinnes and tormented for our iniquities and ledde as a lambe to the slaughter There may we see the shame of the crosse the darkenesse ouer the worlde the earth to quake the stones to cleaue asunder the graues to open and the dead to rise These thinges may we see in the Supper this is the meaning of these holy mysteries Therefore let euery one examine him selfe and search and weigh his owne hearte whether he be the childe of GOD and a member of the bodie of Christe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cuppe The sacrament of the Lordes Supper is a holie foode the seale of our Faith the assuraunce of Gods promises and a couenant betweene God and man He that doeth vn worthely thrust himselfe to this table eateth and drinketh his owne damnation When a sicke man of a weake and feeble stomacke sitteth downe to eate with them that are whole whatsoeuer he eateth or drinketh it doth increase his sicknesse To them that perish the worde of God is a sauour of death vnto death Who so disagreeth from Christ neither eateth his bread nor drinketh his blood as saith S. Augustine If any of vs come to the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ and yet make our selues the members of the Diuell wee treade Christe vnder our feete we regarde not his body crucified nor his blood shed for vs we regard not the price of our saluation wee are guiltie of his death we betraie the innocent blood we are fallen from grace and Christ hath died in vaine for vs. Let vs remember Christ was forsaken scorned buffeted crucified and left vpon the crosse he was a worme and no man a reproch among men Nature it selfe yearned and yelded at the sight hereof The whole lande grewe darke the earth did quake the sunne lost his light the powers of heauen were moued the rockes were clouen the vaile of the temple rent the thiefe repented said Lorde remember me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome the centurion glorified God and said of a suretie this man was iust Where is the power of Christs death now Where is the force and power of his word By these meanes he speaketh to thee and calleth saying Beholde O man thus haue I sought thee these things I suffer for thy sake that thou shouldest eate my flesh and drinke my blood be made one with me that thou mightest come into mee and I into thee I haue made thee a member of my bodie bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh Thou that wallowest in thy sinnes thou Sodoma and Gomorrah thou childe of destruction which hast reioysed in my shame and arte not moued with the paines which I haue suffered what might I do for thy sake to saue thee that I haue not done What might I suffer and haue not endured it O be a partener of my death that thou matest haue part in my resurrection Let vs die with Christ let vs bee crucified vnto the worlde Let vs bee holy Egles and scare aboue Let vs goe vp into the great parlar and receiue of our Lorde the cup of the newe testament There let vs beholde the bodie that was crucified for vs the blood which was shead for vs. There let vs say this is the raunsom of the world this was once offered hath made perfect for euer al them that beleue this entered once into the holy place and obtained euerlasting redemption for vs this standeth alwaies in the presence of God maketh intercession for vs this is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world by this bodie I am now no more earth ashes by this I am now not a bondman but made free This bodie hath broken the gates of hell hath opened heauen In this are all the treasures of Gods mercie by this the prince of darkenes is cast foorth in this bodie shall he come againe to iudge the quicke and the dead Let no vncleane or filthie person no adulterer no vsurer no cruel extortioner or deuourer of Gods people offer him selfe to