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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	adam_n	sin_n	will_n	1,571	5	7.0624	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03620	Certeine comfortable expositions of the constant martyr of Christ, M. Iohn Hooper, Bishop of Glocester and Worcester written in the time of his tribulation and imprisonment, vpon the XXIII. LXII. LXXIII. and LXXVII. Psalmes of the prophet Dauid.	Hooper, John, d. 1555.; Bull, Henry, d. 1575?; A. F., fl. 1580.; Hooper, John, d. 1555. Exposition upon the. 23. psalme of David.	1580 (1580)	STC 13743; ESTC S104196	167,330	255

vnspeakable wisedome and iustice maketh them for their sinnes aliue and in securitie of conscience to goe to hell As Pharao whilest he followed the Israelites in persequution into the red sea soudenly was drewned Chore Dathan and Abiron whilest they were doing their sacrifices God killed them in opening the earth that swallowed them aliue downe into hell Nowe this inwarde discomfort although it eude not in ioye but onely in such as beléeue their sinnes to be forgiuen in the death and passion of Christ yet we sée by the examples of the scripture that both good and bad suffer and féele this that their spirite will take no comfort But nowe as concerning outward and externall discomfort which is felt as well of such as haue the word of God as such as haue not the word of God but only the lawe of nature As we may sée in the time of the lawe of nature how Noah shewed the discomfort of all men and the destruction of the world for sinne but this discomfort did not enter into the spirites of the hearers Christ complaineth of the same that the people had both discomfort and comfort preached vnto them and yet they receiued none of them both To whome saith Christ should I compare this generation It is like boyes that sit in the streates and cry vnto their fellowes and say We haue played vpon our tymbrels to you and you haue not daunsed we haue soung mourning songs vnto you and ye haue not wept God by his Prophete Esaie saith the same All the day long haue I extended foorth my hand vnto an vnfaithfull and intractable people Meaning that what so euer he threatened or gently offered vnto the Iewes it came no further then the outwarde eare Whereof both the Prophets and Christ him self gréeuously complaine in this sort They haue eares and heare not and they haue eyes and see not Saint Paule rebuketh men also that by the lawe of nature knewe good whereof they should haue reioyced and euill whereof they should haue lamented and yet did not And to leaue off the examples of our fathers mentioned in the scriptures we may sée the same by daily experience amongest our selues We reade in the booke of God we heare by preaching we knowe in our owne consciences the displeasure and anger of God against vs for our sinnes God outwardly sheweth vs the same with many horrible plagues as by sicknesse warre sedition scarsitie enimitie and hatred by the deliuerance and surrender of a whole realme to the vtter destruction thereof into the handes and rule of a straunger and by the deliuery and giuing ouer of Christian soules into the hands and rule of the Antichristian Pope and his wicked Cleargie and yet this discomfort commeth no further then our outward eare If Asaph the authour of this Psalme were amongest vs he would say His spirite would take no consolation And this is an horrible plague that wéekely this Psalme is read amongest the Popish Cleargie and yet it bringeth their spirites to no sorowe nor féeling of God displeasure Wherefore our owne experience teacheth that there is an inward and an outwarde discomfort in this Psalme and in the rest of Gods most holy word The one penitent sinners féele and by it amend their liues and the other some wicked men féele and yet despaire but of the most part of the world it is not felt at all Whereof commeth the contempt of God the loue of our selues and of the world and the losse of our sinfull soules in the world to come Let vs therefore marke the scripture that teacheth this discomfort and pray to God that as we sée it in the letter so we may féele it in the spirite Of the two maner of consolations it shall be saide in the next verse and of the brightnesse and darknesse also in the Psalme hereafter Nowe in the trouble of the spirite is an other thing to be considered whereof the text also maketh mention that is howe the discomfort of the spirite had continuaunce all the night Whereof is to be gathered the greatnesse of discomfort For as the night is a very image of death and the bed a very similitude of the sepulchre and graue euen so is the discomfort of the spirite in the night that will not suffer the body to take rest but to be vnquieted with it selfe The which vnquietnesse of the spirite is a very similitude and image of eternall discomfort in the world to come that both body and soule whiche were created first to inherite the heauenly blisse after the fall of Adam should rest by night as king Dauid saith and after this life for sinne vnforgiuen should for euer be disquieted in the vnquenchable fire of hell Here may we learne the circumstances and causes how the trouble of the Prophet Asaphes spirite was increased It was trouble ingendered by sinne the occasion onely of al mens miseries opened and reuealed vnto the conscience by the law condemned by iustice to eternall fire and it continued al night yea how much more the scripture declareth not In the which night the darknesse thereof represented vnto his eyes outwardly the horrour of hell prison and also his bed the graue and sepulchre wherein al flesh is clad after the spirite departeth The shéetes of mans flesh after this life be nothing but earth aboue and earth vnderneath as whilest it liueth it is clad with such vaine thinges as grow vpon the earth This whole night in discomfort of the spirit declareth two notable things First howe earnestly God is angrie in déede with sinne that putteth man to such long paine for it And the next howe gratious a God he is that will not yet suffer the discomforted spirite to despaire in his discomfort as it followeth meruellously in the next verse 3 When I am in heauinesse I wil thinke vpon God when my heart is vexed I will complaine Sela. Whilest Asaph was thus troubled in spirite he remembred the Lord and called vnto him for helpe First out of this verse it is to be considered that nothing can quiet the comfortlesse spirit but GOD alone But for as much as it séemeth by the partes of this Psalme that followeth that this verse came in by occasion rather then to shewe a full remedie for the Prophetes trouble I will not write what I thinke thereof but deferre the remedie against trouble to such other verses as follow bycause the Prophete saide before that his spirite could take no consolation and that a great many of troubles followe as the Psalme declareth It sheweth that he was not able to beare the troubles of the minde alone without the inuocation and helpe of God Wherefore before he expresseth by writing al his troubles he writeth also howe in the middest of them he did remember and put his trust in the Lord. Out of this we learne howe necessarie it is

body of man that can neither beginne nor yet continue in a life acceptable vnto God except that GOD wholy worketh the same himselfe And as it declareth the wonderfull wretchednes of man so doeth it manifest and set foorth a wonderful and vnspeakeable mercie and compassion of God towardes man that so meruellously and gratiously he canne be content to helpe and saue his enimie and very aduersarie But herein is required of as many as the Lorde conuerseth from iniquitie and sinnefull liuing that they walke in the same lawe and vse their conuersation in equitie and iustice as it béecommeth obedient men and women redéemed with the shéepeheardes most pretious bloud For the Lord doth not teach his shéepe the truth that they should liue in falsehood neither giueth he them the remission of their sinnes that they should returne to the same againe but because they should studiously applie and diligently exercise themselues in vertuous woorks to the honor of almightie God There be two sortes of people that the Lorde will iudge and punish in the latter day with extreme ire and iustice The one sort be called vpon to learne the knowledge of God and of Gods honour as Gods word commandeth but they will not heare nor obey the calling but knowe God and learne God as the custome and maner of the world is to know him and learne him though it be neuer so farre from the trueth And the other sort be contented to heare and learne to knowe God and to serue him as he teacheth in his holy and most pure word but in their heartes consent not to their knowledge but contrary to it they do outward seruice to a false God and frame their conuersation both in religion toward God and their maners toward men as men of the world do So that God hath no more reuerence of him that knoweth the trueth then of him that is ignorant of the trueth Esaie the Prophet speaketh against the first sort of men that will not heare when they be called nor learne when they be taught and saith When other men shall laughe they shall weepe when other bee merrie they shal be sorrie when other be whole they shalbe sicke when other men shal liue they shall die and when other men reioyce in mirthe they shall lament in sorowe And good cause why saith S. Paule For the Lord hath stretched forth his hand alwayes to a rebellious and obstinate people that will not learne nor knowe his holy will Againe the other sort that knowe and haue learned the Lordes will and pleasure and yet prepare not themselues to doe his will shall be beaten with many stripes saith our sauiour Christ. And the Lord in S. Matthewe doeth wonderfully charge both such as ignorantly doe offend and those that doe with knowledge offend those also that be called vppon to amendment in faith and charitie and those that be not called vppon by preaching of the trueth and saith The greater damnanation is vppon such as know or might knowe or els when they do knowe they be nothing the better for their knowledge He putteth foorth there foure cities Chorozaim and Bethsaida Tire and Sidon two of them many times admonished by Christ to amend the other two not so called vppon neuerthelesse both of them the Lord will iudge but most seuerely such as neglect the word of God when it is offered Therfore it is not ynough for a man to hearken or heare read or learne Gods word but he must be ruled by Gods word frame his whole life after Gods word and before all things auoyd idolatrie by Gods word as king Dauid saith in this Psalme that The Lord did not onely conuert his soule but brought him into the pathes of iustice Let euery man and woman therfore thinke with themselues what knowledge they haue receiued of God for he that hath receiued most shall make accompt for most and the more he knoweth and abuseth his knowledge the more shalbe his damnation and in case they knowe nothing at all and be neuer the better for all the preaching of the Lordes word let them take héede what persons they be and in what place they haue dwelled In case their pouertie was such that they could not heare and their dwelling where as was no preaching at all yet be they vnder the iudgement and damnation of God because they knowe not as Tire and Sidon were If they were of such state as they might haue come if they would and had preachers to tel them the truth in case they would haue heard the trueth such men and women shall be the more in daunger of Gods seuere and iust iudgement For God doth not onely take an accompt of that which men haue receiued if they vse not Gods giftes well but also straightly requireth of them that might haue learned the thing that either willingly or obstinately they refused to learne as ye may sée by Choroazim and Bethsaida God will as well take an accompt of him that refused to receiue the gift of Gods word as he requireth an accompt of him that hath receiued it and abused it Whereby we learne that not onely the man that abuseth Gods word shalbe damned but also he that will not learne Gods word King Dauid had the word offered he receiued it and was carried thereby into the pathes of iustice and liued godly thereafter Nowe he goeth foorth and sheweth wherefore man is brought to life and saluation ¶ The fourth part of the Psalme Wherefore man is brought to life and saluation THE THIRD VERSE continued For his names sake HE brought not me to life and saluation saith the Prophet for any merits or deseruinges of mine but for his owne infinite goodnes sake And whatsoeuer euill hath béene done and sinne committed all these thinges I ascribe to my corrupt nature and accuse my selfe to be the doer of them but if any thing haue béene thought said or done that is vertuous and godly that I wholy ascribe and attribute vnto the mercie of God that gaue me a good minde to wish to do wel and also strength to doe the thinges that he gaue me will to wishe Of this part of the Psalme we learne that man can neither wishe nor speake nor doe any thing nor yet vnderstand any thing that good is but onely throughe the mercie of God who maketh of an ignorant man a man of knowledge of an vnwilling man a willing man of an euill speaker a good speaker and of an euill doer a good doer Therefore S. Paule when he séeth that the nature of man will take vppon her to be the authour of any good thing he accuseth and condemneth her of arrogancie and pride saying What hast thou that thou hast not receiued If thou hast receiued why doest thou glorie as though thou receiuedst not And in the same Epistle he saith that Hee preached Christ crucified which was a slaunder to the Iewes and a foolishnesse to

Christ and his church Winchester fell into such a trembling and feare that with all hast he wrote his purgation in a booke named True obedience and Boner set an epistle before it both they crying our against the Pope as against a tyrant and false vsurper of authoritie in this Realme although they thought nothing lesse Thus we may sée how incōstant trembling and quaking these tottering wicked persequuters of Gods word be I could declare more of their religion to be of the same conditions but because these two and Tunstal the bishop of Duresme be knowen openly to y e world by their bookes to be such I speake onely of them When the prophet hath declared that the persequuters of the godly shall soudenly perish he telleth the cause why they shall perish Because they deuise how to put him downe saith he whome God will exalt And after that the Prophete hath shewed that the cause of their fall and punishment is their conspiracie against Gods elect he setteth foorth by what meanes the wicked vse to depose persequute tumble downe the people of God By lies saith the Prophet and by imagining of falshod and vntruth And when he hath declared that the wicked do purpose to bring their case and matter against the godly with lies he sheweth after what sort and fashion lies by wicked men be vsed To bring mischiefe to purpose This is the letter of the Psalme concerning the third part of it Now there is in euery of these sentences profite to be gathered by the reader or hearer of it First is to be noted the conspiracie and treason of the wicked against God If it please the Lord to fauour and aduaunce one the nature of the wicked is as much to deface that God would haue honoured as may be As God bare fauour and aduaunced Abel Cain wrought treason and killed his brother for the loue that God did beare him The Lord appointed Samuel to rule the wicked people misliked that which God best approued God would exalt Dauid Saule Absolon and Achitophel would prefer themselues Againe the Lord appointed Noah to teache the people to beware of the vniuersall floud the people preferred liers vnto whom God neuer gaue his holy spirite God elected Ieremie the true prophete the people aduaunced Passur the false prophete The Lord exalted his deare sonne and willed the world to learne of him the people preferred the Pharisées desired the Iudge to hange Christ. God commanded his word onely to be taught but the world plucketh it so downe that either they cleane refuse the word or els they will haue it none other wise then it is authorized and made true by man God saith That which is wisedome before the world is foolishnes before him The world recompenseth most arrogantly God with the like accompteth all his wisedome and learning foolishnes in respecte of worldly wisedome counsell and religion But what saith the Prophet Asaphe shall become of these Nemrods and controllers of God They shal saith he quickly fall and be destroyed as a tottering wall Here we sée howe controlling and amending of Gods workes at length spéedeth and what is the end of these persecuting Giants of Gods afflicted They fight they fare foule they moue heauen and earth to alter the purpose and minde of God but He that sitteth in heauen laugheth them to scorne And they themselues that thus wickedly vse Christe and his members fal downe and come to nought as old rotten and dustie walles And in the other part that these shameles tyrants conspire thus against Christ and his people by lies and falshoode is declared the filthines of their conscience that be so farre past shame and honestie that they care not so they may obteine their wicked purpose howe craftily or falsly they lie or calumniate any sayinges or doinges of God or man As the diuel their father when God had exalted man into Paradise he wished him out of it and began to worke mans destruction with calumniating and false lying vppon Gods owne word When God had set vp Dauid to reigne Absolon his owne sonne thinking the better to pull his father downe lied falsly vppon him to the people said that There was no Iudge appointed in Israel to heare causes and to end them betwene man and man So slaundered he his father a man of good iustice and aduaunced himselfe that neuer knewe what iustice ment The good Prophet Elias likewise whome God appointed to warne the people to beware of sinne king Achab to disgrace him lied falsly vppon him and said that He was the troubler of the common wealth So Christ whom God had elected to saue the world from death and damnation the wicked sort of the world said Hee hath saued others but he cannot saue himselfe Againe God sent him to be amongest the troubled to comfort them but such as wanted consolation when they sawe him prayed him to depart out of their countrie because with his presence they loste their swine God said that Paule was the chosen vessell to beare the name of him thorough all the Gentiles Tertullus and the other Iewes said He was one that molested all the world Euen so at this time there is neither honest nor vertuous man that God exalteth to speake the trueth but the wicked saith He is an heretique a scismatique a traitour But séeing it is none other then alwayes hath béene accustomed falsly to be layed to such as God loueth it must be borne patiently But nowe the Prophet sheweth how these liers and enuious persecuters vse their lies They giue faire woordes with their mouth saith the prophet but they curse with their heart By these wordes we may learne that there are thrée maner of ways that lies do harme The one when they be openly and plainly vsed The other when open falshoode outwardly is cloked with pretended trueth And the third when they be dissembled outwardly yet in the heart they lie hid tarying for a time when they may be put abroad to do mischiefe to worke the destruction of the godly But for as muche as the diuell the father of all lyes knoweth that such as he inspireth with lyes can not do harme with his lyes except they be vsed as the persons be qualified amongst whom the lyes must be sowen he teacheth his disciples to vse them as opportunitie and occasion shall serue Manifest and vncouered lyes he causeth to be vsed amongest suche as doe not knowe nor loue the trueth For those lyes shall stablishe and confirme the wicked in their errour and wickednesse As for example Absolon and Achitophel tolde the people as many lyes in maner as they did words against king Dauid and when they were by Absolons faire wordes alienated from king Dauid and bent vnto his sonne bicause he

of the sect of the Peripatets did hold that a blessed and fortunate life did consist in honestie and said that The same might be accomplished with the voluptuous pleasures of the body and with externall riches honour and felicitie But both these opinions and all the rest are confuted by our sauiour Christ and his holy word He saith This is life euerlasting that men knowe thee O father the only and true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And in an other place he saith Euery one that forsaketh house brothers sisters father mother wife children or possessions for my name shall receiue an hundred folde and possesse life euerlasting By these places we knowe that beatitude felicitie consisteth in knowlege working of Gods will which be the causes of quietnesse of conscience and innocencie of life wherein felicitie doth consist as I saide before The right knowledge of GOD bringeth faith in Christe Faith in Christe bringeth tranquillitie of conscience Tranquillitie of conscience by faith worketh charitie and loue to do and worke the will of our heauenly father This may ye sée also in the booke of the Psalmes that felicitie blisse resteth not in these trifling things that glitter to the eye wherewith the Prophete was so sore offended but in knowledge and working of Gods will Blessed is the man whom thou teachest Lord and whom thou instructest in thy lawe And in an other Psalme he saith Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord and desireth to worke his will In these Psalmes if ye reade them with iudgement and prayer to God ye shall finde both knowledge and consolation farre aboue the common sorte of such as reade and vse them in the Churches nowe to the dishonour of GOD and to the destruction of their owne soules And in this matter of felicitie and beatitude of man and woman in this life I would haue you iudge by the scripture of God or else ye shall be deceiued what it is wherein it consisteth and what it worketh for onely the worde of God teacheth and sheweth it and nothing but it The scripture of GOD plainely declareth that nothing can be profitable whiche is not honest and vertuous And vertue is blessed and very felicitie in what condition or state so euer it be neyther can it be increased with any externall or bodily goods or honour neyther yet can it be diminished with any aduersities or troubles And nothing can be blessed but that which is voyde from iniquitie full of honestie and the grace of God As ye may sée in the booke of the Psalmes whereas this matter is plainely set foorth Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsell of the wicked nor stoode in the way of sinners nor sate in the chaire of scorners But his delight was in the lawe of God c. And in an other Psalme he saith Blessed are they that be cleane of life and walke in the lawe of God Out of these places we learne that knowledge and innocencie of life worketh felicitie and beatitude We must therefore beware that we iudge not felicitie to be in these inconstant and vncerteine riches of the world but we must contemne them and also beware we feare not the trouble that may happen for such vertues wherein felicitie doth stand And we must vnderstande also that although these vertues wherein felicitie consisteth and suche as be friendes of God dwelleth be afflicted and troubled that neyther the felicitie nor the person in whome it dwelleth is any thing the worse for troubles and aduersities before God but rather the better As ye may sée by the worde of God that saith Blessed be ye when men speak euill of you and persequute you and speake al euill against you lying for iustice sake Be glad and reioyce for your rewarde is great in heauen So did they persequute the Prophetes before you And in an other place it is saide Hee that will come after me let him denie him selfe and take his crosse and followe me The Psalme therfore in this part amendeth the iudgement of weake and wauering Christian men that be offended with the prosperitie of the wicked bicause they do not know nor marke by Gods word wherein felicitie doth consist and that it remaineth in suche vertues as be not diminished nor drowned in the aduersities of this world what so euer daungers happen When was Moses stronger then when he saw of the one side the mounteines of Egypt and of the other side Pharao and his armie and before him the red sea and in the middest of these enimies he and his people standing like shéepe ready for the woolues to be slaine He was neuer more strong nor in this life more blessed then at that time Daniel was neuer better then amongest the Lions We must therefore know the vertues wherein felicitie doth consist to be nothing diminished by sorrowe and trouble nor any thing increased by voluptuous pleasures and brittle honours of this world As S. Paul most godly setteth foorth in his Epistle to the Philippians The things saith he that I thought profite and gaines for Christes sake I esteeme as hurt and damage for whose loue I esteeme all thinges as nothing so that I may winne Christ. And Moses estéemed the treasures of Egypt hurtfull and preferred them not before the reproches and rebukes of the Lord neyther thought he him self rich nor blessed with the riches of Egypt ne cursed when he was in néede and lacked them Elias the Prophet if he had considered his néed and daunger he might haue accounted him selfe very miserable and vnhappie but bycause he knewe it was appointed him of GOD he complained not of Gods doings for he was as well contented to haue bread from God by the Rauen in the morning and water at night from the founteine as though he had had all the world And he was nothing the lesse blessed although he was poore but rather more blessed bycause he was riche to God ward Reade the Gospell of S. Matthewe and sée the practise of this felicitie Moses that was so destritute of all worldly helpe and Helias voyde of all worldly consolation do talke with Christ in the mount of Thabor where as Peter would haue tarried with all his heart although he knewe both Christ and those that he talked with in the estimation of this world were accounted most vnhappie and miserable of all men yet he sawe that transitorie honours riches and felicitie holp nothing to the life euerlasting As Christ plainly teacheth in S. Luke Blessed are the poore for theirs is the kingdome of God Blessed be they that hunger and thirst for iustice for they shall be satisfied Blessed be ye that nowe weepe for ye shall laugh Therefore the pouertie miserie and affliction that the Prophete was in when he spake this Psalme and most godly Hymne hindered nothing at all his felicitie and blessing of God