of doctrine maners Neither charge they them with light coÌ„mon faults but heynous Esaie crieth That from the crowne of the head to the soale of the foot there is no whole place and yet he departed not froÌ„ the churche nor planted him selfe a newe albeit froÌ„ al vngodlinesse corruptioÌ„ he kept him self very diligeÌ„tly How many faults nay howe many errours I pray you were there amongest the Apostles of Christ them selues what did our lord depart from them The church of Corynth was corrupted not only in maners but also in doctrine There was in it conteÌ„tions factioÌ„s brawlings Whordome breaking of wedlocke vndoutedly was coÌ„mon among them What thinke you of that the many of them were present at prophane sacrifices Surely it was no small error that they estéemed baptisme according to the worthinesse of the minister They had defiled the Lords Supper with their priuate prodigal banquets yea of the resurrection of the dead they thought not aright But did the apostle for the cause either depart from them him selfe or commaund others to depart yea rather he calleth theÌ„ a holy church greatly rebuking their coÌ„tentions he exhorteth al meÌ„ to obserue the vnitie of the church in the sinceritie of truth It is not to be douted therfore the they greatly sinne which abstein from the fellowship of our or rather the catholique churche in which albeit there be great corruption of life yet the doctrine is sincere the sacrameÌ„ts are purely ministred But these men obiect ye admit al men without exception to the receiuing of the Lordes supper wicked men drunkards couetous men souldiers such like kindes of men with whome the holy apostle forbids vs to eate coÌ„mon breade so far off is it that he graunteth vs to be partakers at thâ— lords table with such Except therfore we like to be defiled with the fellowship of the wicked it is néedful either not to ioyne with this societie or else altogether to flee from it But of the Lords supper the receiuing therof if I liue I wil speak in an other place apt for it At this time this onely we bring against them that Paule the most faithfull seruant of Iesu Christe was not sharper than his maister But it is manifest that he admitted Iudas to the holy table whoÌ„ he knew as it is wont to be saide Intus in cute that is to say throughly within without yet he did not put him by But he wold haue reiected him if he had knowne the rest of his disciples wold haue ben polluted with his coÌ„panie Iudas him selfe was polluted for his minde conscience were corrupt but the rest of the apostls whose minds were pure through perfect faith could not be defiled by another mans trecherie Therfore saith Paule the apostle Let a maÌ„ proue him selfe and so let him eate of that breade and drinke of that cup. He biddeth euery man to proue him self not to iudge an other mans seruant who standeth to his Lorde or falleth If thou béest indued with faith dost lawfully participate at the Lords table thou art not defiled with an other mans wickednesse Therefore to auoyd pollution there is no cause why thou shouldest be separated from the church in which thou séest the bad mingled with the good to be partakers of the Lords supper But if so be thou béest separated thou plainly declarest thy selfe being hardned with arrogancie to be partaker with those whome S. Aug. in his 3. booke against Parmenian the first chapter painteth forth with these proper liuely colours They are â—uil childreÌ„ who not for the hatred of other mens iniquities but throughe the studie of their owne contentions go about eyther wholy to alure or at lest to diuide the simple people prouoked with the bragging titles of their names puft vp with pride folish with frowardnes subtile with slaunders troublesome with seditions who least they shuld be detected to want the lighte of trueth pretend the shadowe of sharpe seueritie and those things which in the holy scriptures the sinceritie of loue beeing saued and the vnitie of peace beeing kept are commaunded for the correction of the faults of their brethren wherein moderation also should be vsed they vsurpe to the sacriledge of scisme and occasion of cutting off The same authour amongst other things godlily and wisely disputed in the two chapters following giues this counsel to modest wits That quietly they should correct what they may and what they can not mende they should patiently suffer and louingly mourne till God him selfe either amend it or in the day of iudgement fan away the chaffe Furthermore concluding this place I wil recite vnto you the words of the blessed martir CypriaÌ„ He in his 3. booke 3. epistle hath thus left it written If cockle appeare to be in the churche yet ought neither our faith nor our charitie be letted that bicause wee see cockle in the church we our selues depart froÌ„ the church we must rather labour to bee good corne that when the corne shal be laid vp in the lords barne we may receiue the fruite of our labour and trauell The Apostle saith in his Epistle but in a great house are not only vessels of gold and siluer but also of wood and of earth some vessels of honor some of dishonor Let vs indeuour and labor what we may that we may be a vessel either of gold or of siluer But the Lorde only hath libertie to break in peeces the eartheÌ„ vessels to whoÌ„ also is giuen an yron rod. The seruaÌ„t can not be greater thaÌ„ his lord Neither let any man think it lawful for him to challenge that to him selfe which the father hath giueÌ„ only to his sonne that he might now be able to purge the â—â—owre or fanne the chaffe or by al the wit man hath to separate al the chaff froÌ„ the corne This is a proud obstinacie and wicked presumption which lewde furie taketh to him selfe And whiles some men alwayes take to theÌ„ selues a further dominion thaÌ„ peaceable iustice requireth they perish froÌ„ the church and whiles they proudly lift vp theÌ„ selues blinded with their owne presumption they are bereft of the light of truth The Lord Iesus reduce the wandering shepe into the vnitie of the catholique churche liuing in vnitie kéepe vphold them Amen These aduersaries of ours being ouercome there arise vp new cruel enimes that is to say the defenders of the Romane Monarchie of the apostolique sea as they cal it the most auncient church for they cry eueÌ„ while they be whorse that we are guiltie of the same cryme whereof we condemned the Anabaptistes certeine other fantastical fellowes For they say that we with a wicked scisme forced by no necessitie haue forsaken the olde Romishe church and haue set vp for our selues newâ— hereticall Synagogues And they alledge that the holy scripture hath as yet her authoritie in the
precept is giuen Thou shalt not go vp downe with tales among thy people neither shalt thou hate thy brother in thine heart but shalt rebuke him and tell him thy minde plainely Also in the 22 of Exodus it is saide thou shalt not raile vpō the Gods or Iudges nor blaspheme the ruler of thy people Moreouer there are sundrie kinds of murther wherof some are greater or smaller then other The moste detestable murther of all is parricidie when one killeth his father or his kinnesman vnder which wee do cōprchend the euil intreating or currishe handling of parentes by their children Whosoeuer striketh father or mother or curseth them saith the lawe let him die the death Againe they are bidden to kill the rebell that dareth stande vpp to resist the vpright decrées and holie ordinances of the elders Deuteronomium 17. And also in the 21 of Deuteronomie we finde If any man haue a stubborne a froward and rebellious sonne that will not harken to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother they haue chastened him and hee woulde not hearken vnto them Then shall his father and his mother take him bring him out vnto the elders of that citie and to the gate of that place and saye vnto the elders of the citie this our sonne is stubborne and disobedient wil not hearken to our voice he is a riottour and a drunkard and straightway all the men of that citie shal stone him with stones vntil hee die and thou shalt put euil frō thee and all Israel shal heare and feare Furthermore murther is either committed willingly or else vnwillingly Of murther vnwillingly cōmitted there is an example in the 19 Chapter of Deuteronomie where the case is put as followeth two friends go to the wood to hewe wood together and as the one fetcheth his stroke the head of the are falleth from the helue and striketh the other so that he dyeth vppon it This déede the Lorde doeth neither impute nor would haue it to be imputed to the man but to him selfe And therefore he giueth licence to the man to flye vnto the Sanctuarie For his minde was that the sanctuaries should be a safegarde to suche kinde of people as killed men vnwillingly and not to bladers and cutters not to them that poyson or otherwise kill their neighbours of a set pretence or purpose Of which there is much to be séene in the 35 of Numeri the fourth the ninetéenth Chapters of Deuteronomie To the lawe for murther vnwillingly committed doth the case belong that is thus put forth Two men fight together and in their fight they strike a woman with childe so that either shée falleth in trauaile before her time or else doth presently die out of hande In such a case what is to be done the Lord did teach in the 21 of Exodus where the lawe of like for like is also set downe An eye for an eye a toothe for a toothe a hand for a hand c. In the same place also is putt an other kinde of murther which is committed either by thy beast as by thine Oxe that pussheth with his hornes or by thy Wolfe or by thy dogge that thou kéepest in thine house or else by some instrument or buylding that is in thy possession Nowe thou diddest either knowe or not knowe the fiercenesse of thy beast the perill in thine instrument or the rottennesse of thy buylding If thou knewest it not thou wast then excused But if thou knewest it and didst not séeke a way to preuent the mischiefe the Lorde gaue charge that thou shouldest dye for it But if of clemencie it were graunted thee to redéeme thy life thou shouldest not refuse to paye any summe of money howe greate so euer it were Nowe wilfull murther committed vppon pretended malice is vtterly vnpardonable in the lawe of god Such an one saith the lawe thou shalt pull from mine altar that he may bee killed In this case redemption of life is not permitted but the bloud of the murtherer is streightly required Many causes of this seueritie and many other thinges tending to this ende are to be read in the 35 Chapter of Numbers and the seconde of Exodus In the 21 of Deuteronomie is described the action partely ceremoniall and partly Iudiciall which was solemnized when any man was found to be slayne and no man knewe who was the murtherer Where also the manner is prescribed howe to make an attonemēt for the murther whereby we may gather howe horrible a sinne murther is in the sight of God the Catholique church Lastly the lawe doth not leaue the order of warre vntouched For it giueth precepts concerning the beginning the making and the endinge of warre which are to bee read in the twentieth Chapter of Deuteronomie Moreouer in the law there are set out the examples of terrible warres as that with the Amalechites in the seuenth of Exodus and that with the Madianites in the 31 of the booke of Numbers where somewhat also is sayed touching the diuision of spoyles gotten in the warres I knowe my brethren that I haue béene somewhat tedious vnto you in makinge this rehearsall of the lawes vnto you but for because the moste wise and mightie God doth nothinge without especiall causes and the euident profite of mankinde I coulde not therefore suffer this parte of the lawe to passe mée vntouched considering that I sée it so diligently taught by God him selfe and that it maketh much to the opening and mainteining of the morall lawe Our good God who knoweth all thinges doeth also knowe the dullnesse and ouerthwarte slacknesse of mannes witt and howe it requireth to be driuen perforce many times to do good and eschue euill And therefore the holie Lorde hath in these Iudiciall lawes added an holy kinde of compulsion to driue men on withall In the Morals hee frameth our manners and teacheth vs what to doe and what to leaue vndone With the ceremonials he helpeth forwarde the morals and doth vnder types and figures laye before the eyes of our bodie and mynde the mysteries of God and his heauenly kingdome And lastly by the Iudicials he compelleth vs to the kéepinge of the lawes and doth preserue the integritie of the same Nowe all these together doe tende to this end only that man may be saued that he may worship God aright and liue according to the will of the Lorde Thus much haue I spoken hitherto by the helpe of God concerninge his holie lawes Nowe let vs prayse the goodnesse of the Lorde who doeth not suffer his people to lacke any thing that is necessarie for their commoditie and doth euen at this day instruct vs with these lawes to the glory of his name and health of our soules ¶ Of the vse or effect of the lawe of God and of the fullfilling and abrogating of the same of the likenesse difference of both the testaments people the olde the newe
at Hierusalem so must thou beare record of mee at Rome And although he did nothing doubt of the trueth of Gods promises and was not ignoraunt of the power of Gods prouidence yet notwithstanding he did priuily send his sisters sonne which told him that the Iewes had cōspired to kill him vnto the Tribune to desire of him that Paul might not be brought forth at the Iewes request Neither did he shew himselfe vncourteous or vnthanckfull to the souldiers that carried him to Antipatridis nor to the horsemen that went with him to Cęsarea Againe as he sailed in y Adriaticke sea whē he was in perill of dangerous shipwracke and y all his cōpany were stricken with feare hee said Sirs I exhort you to bee of good cheare for there shall bee no losse of any mans life among you but of the shippe For there stood by mee this night the Angel of God whose I am and whome I serue saying Feare not Paule thou must be brought before Caesar and loe GOD hath giuen thee all them that saile with thee Wherefore sirs be of good cheare For I beleeue God that it shal be euen as it was told mee But a while after when the mariners went about to leaue the ship the same Paule said to the Centurion and to the souldiours Vnlesse these abide in the shipp yee cannot be saued Therefore meanes doe belonge to the prouidence of God by which he woorketh and therefore are they not to be neglected Truely it is by Gods gouernement or prouidence that we haue all these * impressions of what sort soeuer either fierie or ayrie or watrie For by the power of God and not by any power of their owne doeth the ayre make the earth fruitefull the waters flowe and ebb againe and the earth doth bring forth her increase And although the saincts thincke verily that none of all this is done for any merits sake of theirs because the Sauiour himself in the Gospell sayeth The father sendeth raine vppon the iust and vniust yet for all that they do neuer forget the woords of the Prophete where he sayeth If ye will be willing and obedient ye shall eate the good of the land but if ye be obstinate rebellious ye shal be deuoured with the swoord For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it For the great Prophete Moses longe before Esaie had said If thou shalt hearken diligently vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and do all his commaundements all these blessinges shall come vppon thee Thou shalt bee blessed in the citie blessed in the field Blessed shall the fruite of thy body bee blessed shall the fruit of thy ground be The Lord shal open heauen vnto thee and giue raine to thy land in due season But if thou wilt not hearken vnto the voice of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe his commaundements then all these curses shall come vppon thee Cursed shalt thou be in the citie and cursed in the field The heauen aboue thy head shall be brasse and the Lord shall smite thee with many plagues c. And histories beare record that all these thinges happened to the people of God euen as they are here foretold and that too not without the prouidence of the Lord their god All good successes and prosperitie are the good blessings of God and on the other side all calamities and aduersities are the curses of god Therefore herevppon the Saincts do gather that mens affayres and state are wholie gouerned by Gods prouidence so yet that they must not therfore sitt as we say with their hāds in their bosomes idlely and neglect good means but rather watchfully and diligently walke by the grace of GOD in the wayes and meanes or precepts and ordinaunces of the lord For the prouidence of God doeth not disturbe the order of thinges it doth not abrogate the offices of life nor labour and industrie it doth not take a iust dispensation and obedience but by these things it worketh the health of those men which do thrugh that help of God religiously apply themselues to the decrées purpose or woorking of the Lord to whome they doe rightly ascribe what good soeuer doeth chaunce or betyde them imputing to mans corruption to our owne vnskilfulnesse and to our sinns what euil soeuer doth happē vnto vs Therfore the sainctes acknowledge that although warres plagues and diuers other calamities do by God his prouidence afflict mortal men yet notwithstanding that the causes thereof do arise of nothing else than of the sinns of man For God is good which wisheth vs rather well than euill Yea oftentimes hee of his goodnesse turneth oure euill purposes vnto good ends as is to be séene by the historie of Ioseph in the booke of Genesis Truely vpon the earnest consideration of Gods prouidence al the godly sort doe gather that their good God wisheth well vnto man For he hath a greate care ouer vs not in greate things onely but also in the smallest He knoweth the number of the dayes of our life In his sight are all oure members as wel within as without For the Lorde in the Gospell sayth that al the haires of our head are nūbered He by his prouidence defendeth vs from all manner diseases and imminent perils He féedeth refresheth and preserueth vs For as he made all creatures for mans health and behoofe so doth he preserue and apply them to mans good and commoditie The doctrine of the foreknowledge and predestination of God whiche hath a certein likenesse with his prouidence doth no lesse comfort the godly worshippers of god They call foreknowledge that knowledge in God whereby he knoweth all things before they come to passe and séeth euen present all things that are haue bene and shall be For to the knowledge of God all thinges are present nothing is past nothing is to come And the predestination of God is the eternall decrée of God whereby he hathe ordeyned eyther to saue or destroy men a most certeine end of life and death being appointed vnto thē Wherevpon also it is elsewhere called a foreappointment Touching these pointes some haue diuersly disputed and many verily curiously and contentiously enoughe and in suche sort surely that not onely the saluation of soules but the glory of God also with the simple sorte is indaungered The religious searchers or interpreters of the scriptures confesse that here nothing is to be permitted to mans wit but that we must simply wholy hang vppon what so euer the scripture hath pronounced And therfore these words of S. Paul are cōtinually before their eyes and in their mindes O the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowlege of God! how vnsearchable or incomprehensible are his iudgementes and his waies past finding out For who hath knowne the minde of the Lorde or who was his coūseller Or who hath giuen vnto him first and he shal be recompenced They neuer forget
FIFTIE GODLIE AND LEARned Sermons diuided into fiue Decades conteyning the chiefe and principall pointes of Christian Religion written in three seuerall Tomes or Sections by Henrie Bullinger minister of the Churche of Tigure in Swicerlande WHEREVNTO IS ADIOYNED A TRIPLE or three-folde Table verie fruitefull and necessarie Translated out of Latine into English by H. I. student in Diuinitie ET INVENTA EST PERIIT MATTHEWE 17. This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased Heare him ¶ IMPRINTED AT LONDON BY RALPHE Newberrie dwelling in Fleete-streate a little aboue the Conduite Anno. Gratiae 1577. A Praeface to the Ministerie of the Church of England and to other wel disposed Readers of GDOS woorde WHat iust cause there is that all spiritual sheepeherdes and especially these of our time should see carefully to the feeding of the flockes committed to their charge may easily appeare to him that shal but a litle stay his consideration vpon this matter For first the commaundementes of the Almightie touching this thing are verie earnest the authoritie of whiche shoulde greatly inforce Secondly the rewardes which hee proposeth to vigilant and carefull pastours are large and bountiful the sweetenesse of which should muche allure Thirdly the plagues and heauie iudgementes whiche hee denounceth against slouthful and carelesse shepeheards are grieuous and importable the terrour whereof shoulde make afraide Then the nature and condition of the sheepe ouer whom they watche the vigilancie of the wolfe againste whome they watche the conscience in taking the fleece for whiche they watche and this time and age wherein they watche being rightly considered will giue them to vnderstand sufficiently that they haue good occasion to watch Howe earnestly God commaundeth appeareth Esaie 58. Where he sayth Crie aloude spare not lift vp thy voice like a trumpet shewe my people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes And Esaie 62. I haue set watchmen vpon thy walles O Hierusalem which all the day and al the night continually shal not ceasse ye that are mindfull of the Lord keepe not silence And Iohn 21. Feede my lambes Feede my sheepe and if ye loue me Feede And 2. Tim. 4. Preache the woord be instant in season out of season improue rebuke exhorte c. Howe sweetely with rewardes he allureth doth appeare in the 12. of Daniel They that be wise shal shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnes shal shine as the starres for euer and euer And â— Tim. 4. Take heede to thy selfe and to doctrine in them occupie thy selfe continually For in so dooing thou shalt saue thy selfe and them which heare thee How fiersly also he vrgeth and driueth on the sluggish and carelesse sheapheards with terrible plagues and whips threatened vnto them appeareth Ezechiel 3. Where he sayth Sonne of man I haue made thee a watche-man vnto the house of Israel therefore heare the woord of my mouth and giue them learning from me When I shal say vnto the wicked thou shalt surely dye and thou giuest him not warning nor speakest to admonish the wicked of his wicked way that he may liue the same wicked man shal dye in his iniquitie but his bloud wil I require at thy hand And Ieremie 1. ver 17. Thou therefore trusse vp thy loynes and arise and speake vnto them all that I commaund thee bee not afraide of their faces least I destroy thee before them And 1. Cor. 9. ver 16. Though I preache the Gospel I haue nothing to reioyce of for necessitie is laide vpon me and woe is vnto me if I preach not the Gospell for if I doe it willingly I haue a rewarde but if I doe it against my will notwithstanding the dispensation is committed vnto me Nowe the sheepe whereof spiritual sheepheards haue vndertaken charge are not beastes but men the verie Images of God himselfe endued with euerliuing soules Citizens with the saintes and blessed angels cloathed with Gods liuerie beautified with his cognisance and all the badges of saluation admitted to his Table to no meaner dishes than the bodie bloud of the vndefiled lambe Christ Iesus bought also and redeemed out of the wolues chawes with no lesse price than of that same bloud more precious than any Golde or siluer Sheepe also of that nature they are that being carefully fed and discreetely ordered they proue gentle and louing towardes their sheepherds and seruiceable towards the chief sheepherd Iesus Christ but being neglected left to theÌ„ selues they degenerate into bloudie wolues watching euer opportunitie wheÌ„ they may rent in peeces their sheepherds and all other sheepe which are not degenerated into their woluishe nature As for the spirituall wolfe against whom they watch which is Satan He as the Apostle Peter witnesseth 2. Epistle cap. 5. Neuer resteth but as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking euer whom he may deuour And for that cause also is he called Apoc. 20. ver 2 A dragon Which beast naturally is verie malicious craftie and watchfull so then if the spiritual sheepheard must watche whiles the spirituall wolfe doth wake he can promise vnto him selfe no one moment of securitie wherein he may be carelesse God by his Prophet Ezechiel cap. 34. saith Woe be vnto the sheepherds of Israel that feede themselues should not the sheepherdes feede the flockes ye eate the fatte and ye cloathe you with the wooll ye kill them that are fedde but ye feede not the sheepe This sentence should awake the sleepie and carelesse consciences of many sheepherds For as the priest that serueth the altar is worthie to liue vpon the offeringes and the souldier that ventereth is worthie his wages and the husbandman that toyleth is worthie the haruest and the sheepheard that feedeth the flocke is worthie to be fedde with the milke and cloathed with the wooll so questiâ—nlesse the priest that serueth not is worthie no offerings the souldier that fighteth not is worthie no wages the husbandman that loytereth is worthie of weedes and the sheepherd that feedeth not can with no good conscieÌ„ce require either the milke or the fleece but his due rewarde and iust recompence is punishment for that through his default the sheepe are hunger-sterued and destroyed of the wolfe But let the ministers of our time well weighe the condition and manner of the time and then no doubt they shall see that it is highe time to bestyrre them to the doing of their dueties This time succedeth a time wherein was extreame famine of all spiritual foode so that the sheepe of this time can neuer recouer themselues of â—hat feeblenesse whereinto they were brought but by some great and extraordinarie diligence This time succedeth a time wherein the multitude of wolues and rauenous beastes was so great and their rage and furie so fell in euery sheepfolde that the good sheepherdes were either put to flight or pitifully murthâ—red so that the sheepe being committed to wolues did
c. 878 15 He that brake the Lords Sabboth by gathering of stickes was stoned to death c. 141 19 How to make the holy clensing water against al defilings c. 376 24 Baalam foretold the ouerthrowe of Hierusalem c. 414 27 Let the God of the spirites of all flesh sett a man ouer the congregation c. 177. 389 27 Iosua the Capteine of Gods people is set before Eleazar c. 181 30 Touching Votories and when their vowes are of force c. 380 ¶ Out of Deuteronomie 1 BRing men of wisedome of vnderstanding and of an honest life c. 176. 389. 894 1 Heare the cause of your brethren and iudge righteously c. 192. 390 4 The Lord spake vnto you from the middest of the fire and a voyce of words ye heard but likenes sawe ye none c. 2. 119 5 These words spake the Lord with a lowde voyce from out of the middest of the fire c. 2 5 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife thou shalt not c. 324 5 I haue heard the voice of the woordes of this people whiche they haue spoken c. 870 6 Heare Israel the Lord our God c. And thou shalt shewe them vnto thy children c. 56 160. 623 6 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. 93 8 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery woord that commeth out of the mouth of c. 947 8 When thou hast eaten therefore and filled thée selfe c. Beware that thou forget not c. 283 8 Saye not thou in thine hearte Mine owne strength the power c. 471 9 The Lord had determined to destroy you therefore I made intercession c. 916 10 And Nowe Israel what doeth the Lord thy God require of thée c. 668. 475 10 Circumcise the foreskin of your heartes and harden not your c. 361. 1025. 10 Thou shalt worshipp the Lord thy God him shalt thou feare c. 655 12 Euery man shall not doe that whiche is righteous in his owne eyes c. 472 12 15. The eating of bloud and strangled is forbidden c. 385 13 The Lord commaundeth that euery citie whiche departeth from God and the worship of God shuld be sett on with warriours c. 211 13 Follow ye the Lord your God feare him c. 113. 671 14 Of cleane vncleane creatures c. 382 15 Beware that thou harden not thine heart nor shutt to thine hand for c. 288 16 God also forbad the magistrate to plant groaues c. 179 16 Thou shalt appoint thée Iudges c. 894 17 When the king sitteth vppon the seat of his kingdome he shal c 252. 391 19 If a false witnesse be founde amonge you then shall you doe vnto him c. 320 20 Lawes made for warre c. 213 21 The parentes them selues are commaunded to bring their disobedient children before the Iudge c. 162 24 No man shall take the neather or the vpper milstone to pledge c. 272 24 Thou shalt not denie nor withhold the wages of an hired seruant c. 272 25 Thou shalt not haue in thy bag two manner of weightes c. 270 28 If thou shalt hearken diligently vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and do c 641 30 The Lord thy God shal circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy séede c. 359. 454 32 Sée nowe howe that I I am God and there is none other God but I I kill c. 623. 658 ¶ Out of Iosua 1 SEe that thou doest obserue and doe according to all the Lawe c. 184 2 Let not the booke of this Lawe depart out of thy mouth c. 252 2 Giue mée a signe by oath that ye will shewe mercie vnto mée And they gaue her a roape to hang out of her windowe c. 956 5 Make thée sharpe kniues of stone go to againe and circumcise the children of Israel the second time c. 1059 28 Of the Lordes Tabernacle at his apointment erected in Silo c. 342 23 When ye shall come in among these nations sée that c. 133 ¶ Out of Iudges 6 HE is called Lord who before was called an angel c. 743 14 And the spirit of the Lord came vpon Samson c. 382 17 Micha instituted vnto the true God a kinde of seruice of his owne c. 676 ¶ Out of the first booke of Samuel 1. 3. OF the Lords Tabernacle at his appointment erected in Silo c. 342 3 And the sinne of the children of Helie was too abhaminable before the face c. 910 4 The elders of Israel said Wherfore hath the lord cast vs downe c. 996. 4 So the people sent into Silo brought from thence the arcke c. 996 4 And thâ— Philistines fought and Israel was smitten downe and fled c. 996 4 5. The vse and abuse of the arke c. 346 6 The Lord smote fiftie thousand thrée score and ten men of Beth-shemesh c. 997 15 Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offeringes and sacrifices as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed c. 472 677 16 The good spirite of God departed from Saule and the euil spirite succéeded c. 722 19 Dauid doth not despise the ayd and shiftes of his wiâ—e Michol c. 640 23 When Abigael saw Dauid shée hasted lighted off her aâ—â—e c 649 28 Samuel or rather Sathan couÌ„terfecting Samuel raised vpp by a witch c. 247 ¶ Out of the second booke of Samuel 6 OZa perished for handling the arche of the Lord otherwise than was commaunded in the law c. 676 7 I wil be his father and he shal be my sonne c. 57 7 Who am I O Lord God and what is the house of my father c. 952 8 Dauids sonns were called priestes c. 880 12 The sword shal not depart from thy house c. 522 12 The Lord hath taken thy sinne 〈◊〉 c. 522 12 Take thou the citie Rabah least I take it and my name be called vppon it c. 655 15 Carrie bache the arcke of God into the citie againe If I shal finde c. 308 15 If I shall finde fauour in the eyes of the Lord hee wil bring mée c. 926 ¶ Out of the first bookâ— of kinges 3 SOlomon loued the Lord c. onely he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places c. 343 3 And when he was come in to the king he worshipped or made obeysaunce c. 650 4 And vnder Solomon they increased and were many in number as the sand c. 284 6 Dauids deuotion was great toward the arke of the Lord c. 824 6. 7. c. The description of Solomons temple c. 344 8 If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thée how much lesse c. 659. 943. 1004 8 And Solomon made a solemne feast and all
sayinges euen as it were siluer cleansed in the fire and seuen times fined from the earth This you shal more fully perceiue dearely beloued if I speake somewhat more largely of the cause or beginning and certaintie of the worde of god The worde of God is trueth but God is the onely welspring of trueth therefore God is the beginning and cause of the worde of God. And here in déede God since he hath not members like to mortall men wanteth also a bodily mouth yet neuerthelesse bycause the mouthe is the instrument of the voice to God is a mouth atributed For he spake to men in the voice of a man that is in a voice easily vnderstood of men and facioned according to the speach vsually spokeÌ„ among men This is euidentlye to bée séene in the things wherein he dealte with the holy fathers with whome as with oure parents Adam and Eua Noe and the rest of the fathers he is read to haue talked many and often tymes In the mount Sina the Lord him selfe preached to the great congregatioÌ„ of Israel rehearsing so plainly that they might vnderstand those tenne Commaundementes wherein is contained euerye poynt of godlinesse For in the. 5. of Deut. thus we reade These words meaning the. 10. CommauÌ„dements spake the Lorde with a loude voyce from out of the middes of the fire to the whole congregation And in the 4. Chapiter A voice of wordes you hearde but no similitude did you see beside the voice God verily vsed oftentimes the meanes of Angels by whose ministerie he talked with mortall men And it is very well knowne to all men that the sonne of God the father being incarnate walked about on the earth and being very God and man taught the people of Israell almost for the space of 3. yeares But in times past and before that the Sonne of God was borne in the worlde God by litle and litle made him selfe acquainted with the hartes of the holy Fathers after that with the minds of the holy Prophets and last of all by their preaching and writinges he taught the whole worlde So also Christe our Lorde sent the holy ghost which is of the father the sonne into the Apostles by whose mouths words writings he was knowen to all the world And al these seruants of god as it were the elect vessels of God hauing with sincere harts receiued the reuelation of God from God him selfe first of all in a liuely expressed voyce deliuered to the worlde the Oracles and worde of God whiche they before had learned and afterward when the world drewe more to an ende some of them did put them in writing for a memoriall to the posteritie And it is good to know how by whom all this was done For by this narration the true cause certaintie and dignitie of the word of God doth plainly appeare There are not extant to be séene the writings of any man from the beginning of the worlde vntill the time of Moses whiche are come to oure knowledge although it be likely that that same ancient and first world was not altogether without all writings For by S. Iude the Apostle and brother of S. Iames is cited the written prophesie of our holy father Enoch which is read to haue ben the seuenth from our father Adam Furthermore the writing or historie of Iob séemeth to haue bene set foorth a great while before But howe soeuer it is all the Saintes in the Churche of God giue to Moses the faithfull seruant of God the first place amoÌ„g the holy writers From the beginning therefore of the worlde God by his spirit and the ministerie of Angels spake to the holy fathers and they by word of mouth taught their children and childers children and all their posteritie that whiche they had learned at the mouth of God when they verily had hearde it not to the intent to kéepe it close to themselues but also to make their posteritie partakers of the same For God oftentimes witnesseth that He will be the God of the fathers and of their seed for euermore This is most plainly to be séene in the historie of Adam Noe and Abraham the first and great grandfathers In the. 19. of Genesis verily we reade that the angell of God yea and that more is that eueÌ„ the Lorde him selfe did say to Abraham And shall I hide from Abraham what I minde to doe since of Abraham shall come a great and mightie people and al the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him And this I knowe that he will commaunde his children and his posteritie after him to keepe the way of the Lorde and to do iustice iudgement and the rest Abraham therfore a faithfull and zealous worshipper of God did not euen as also those olde fathers of the firste world did not waxe negligent at all herein but did diligently teache men the wil iudgemeÌ„ts of God whervpoÌ„ of Moses yea of God him selfe he is called a prophet That deuout liuely tradition of the fathers from hande to hand was had in vse continually euen from the beginning of the world vntil the time of Moses Moreouer God of his goodnesse did prouide the no age at any time should be without most excellent lightes to be witnesses of the vndoubted faith and fathers of great authoritie For the worlde before the deluge had in it 9. most excellent most holy and wise men Adam Seth Enos Kenam Malaleel Iared Enoch Methusalem and Lamech The chief of these Adam and Methusalem doe beginne and make an end of all the. 1656 yeares of the world before the deluge For Adam liued 930. yeres He dieth therefore the. 726. yeare before the floud And Methusalem liued 969. yeres He dieth in the very same yere that the floud did ouerflowe and he liued together with Adam 243. yeres so that of Adam he might be aboundantly inoughe instructed as concerning the beginning of things as concerning God the fall and restoring againe of mankinde and all things else belonging to religion euen as he was taught of God him selfe These two fathers with the rest aboue named were able sufficiently inoughe to instruct the whole age in the true saluation and right wayes of the Lorde After the deluge God gaue to the world againe excellent men and very great lightes The names of them are Noe Sem Arphaxad Sale Heber Palec Reu Saruch Nachor Thaâ—e Abraham Isaac and Iacob Here haue we 13. most excellent Patriarches among whom the first two Noe and Sem are the chiefe nexte to whome Abraham Isaac and Iacob were more notable then the rest Noe liued 950. yeares in all He was 600 yeares olde when the floud drowned the worlde He therefore sawe and hearde all the holy fathers of the firste world before the deluge thrée only excepted Adam Seth and Enos And also he liued manye yeares together with the other whiche had both séene and heard them so that he could be
tranquilitie doe preserue fellowly societie among men doe defend the good bring inordinate persons into better order and lastly doe not make a little onely to the setting for warde of religion but doe also abrogate euill customes and vtterly bannish vnlawfull mischiefes Hereof we haue examples in the déedes of Nabuchodonosor Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes and other Princes more But touching the Magistrates power his lawes and office I will speake of them in an other place Ecclesiasticall lawes are those which being taken out of the worde of God and applyed to the state of men times and places are receiued haue authoritie in the church among the people of god I call these ecclesiasticall lawes and not traditions of men bycause being takeÌ„ out of the holy scriptures and not inuented or brought to light by the wit of man they are vsed of that Churche which heareth the voyce of the shéepehearde alone and knoweth not a straungers tong The congregation commeth together to heare the word of God and vnto common prayers at Morning at Euening and at such appointed houres as are moste conuenient for euery place and euerie people and that the church holdeth as a lawe The Church hath solemne prayer times holy dayes and fasting dayes which it doth kéepe by certaine lawes The Church at certaine times in a certaine place and appointed order dothe celebrate the Sacraments according to the lawes and receiued custome of the Church The Churche baptiseth infantes it forbiddeth not women to come to the Lordes Supper and that it holdeth as a lawe The Churche by Iudges conueniently appointed doth iudge in causes of matrimonie and hath certaine lawes to direct them in such cases But it deriueth these and al other like to these out of the Scriptures and doth for edification apply them to the estate of men times and places so that in diuers Churches ye may sée some diuersitie in déede but no discord or repugnancie at all Furthermore Ecclesiasticall lawes haue their measure certain marks beyond which they may not passe to wit that nothing be done or receiued contrarie or differing in any iote from the worde of God sounding againste charitie and comelinesse either in little or muche that lastly this rule of the Apostle may be effectually obserued Let all thinges be done decently according vnto order and to the edification of the Church If therefore any man shall goe about vnder a coloured pretence of ecclesiastical lawes tobring in and pop into the mouthes of the godly any superstitious busie and vnseemely traditions of men whiche withal do differ from the Scriptures their part shall be first to trie that deceipt of theirs by the rule of Gods worde and then to reiect it There remaine nowe the traditions of men whiche haue their beginning are made and inuented of men at their owne choyce of some foolishe intent or some fonde affection of mankinde contrarie or without the holy Scriptures of which sorte you shall finde an infinite number of examples I meane the sectes the dominion and single life of spirituall men the rites and sundry fashioned customes vsed in their Church Touching all which the Lorde in the Gospell citing the Prophet Esaie sayth Why transgresse ye the Lords commaundement for your own traditioÌ„ ye hypocrites rightly did Esaias prophesie of you where he saith This people commeth nigh vnto me with their mouth and with their lippes they honour me but their heart is farre from me but they worship me in vaine teaching doctrines the precepts of men The blessed Martyr Cyprian alluding to these wordes of Christ Epistolarum lib. 1. epi. 8. saith It is corrupt wicked and robberie to the glory of God what soeuer is ordeyned by the giddie madnesse of mens heads to the violating of Gods disposition Depart as farre as may be from the infectiue contagiousnes of such fellowes and seeke by flight to shunne their talke as warely as an eating cancker or infecting pestilence for the Lorde forewarneth and telleth you that they are blinde leaders of the blinde Paule also in his Epistle to Titus sayth Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth not taking heede to Iewishe fables and commaundements of men turning from the trueth I doe of purpose here let passe the words of Paul in his second chapter to the Colossians bycause the place is knowne of all men I will not trouble you dearely beued with too large and busie an exposition hereof For I suppose that this little that I haue sayde touching the lawes of nature and of men I meane lawes politique Ecclesiasticall and méere traditions of men are sufficient to the attentiue and faythful hearers who at their comming home do more diligently thinke of euery point by theÌ„ selues and also reade the places of Scripture often cited by me and deuoutly expounded The Lord for his mercy graunt that we doe neuer despise the admonitions of natures lawe graffed in our heartes nor yet be intangled in mens traditions but that we in walking lawfully in vpright politique lawes and holy Ecclesiasticall ordinaunces maye serue the Lord To whom be all glory honour and dominion for euer and euer Amen Of Gods lawe and of the two first commaundements of the first Table ¶ The second Sermon THE lawe of God openly published proclaimed by the Lord our God him self setteth downe ordinarie rules for vs to knowe what we haue to doe and what to leaue vndone requiring obedience and threatning vtter destruction to disobedient rebels This lawe is diuided into the Morall Ceremoniall and Iudiciall lawes All whiche partes and euery point whereof Moses hath very exquisitely written and diligently expounded The Morall lawe is that which teacheth men manners and layeth downe before vs the shape of vertue declaring therewithall howe great righteousnesse godlinesse obedience and perfectnesse God looketh for at the handes of vs mortall men The Ceremoniall lawes are they whiche are giuen concerning the order of holy and Ecclesiasticall rites and ceremonies and also touching the ministers and things assigned to the ministerie and other holy vses Last of all the Iudiciall lawes giue rules concerning matters to be iudged of betwéen man and man for the preseruation of publique peace equitie and ciuil honestie Touching the two latter of these I will speake of them in place conuenient At this time I meane to discourse vpon the Morall lawe First of all therefore let no man thinke that before Moses time there was no lawe and that the lawe was by Moses firste of all published For the selfe same especiall pointes of the Morall lawe whiche Moses setteth down in the ten Commaundements were very well knowne to the Patriarches euen from the beginning of the world For they worshipped the one â—rue God alone for their God whome they reuerenced and called vpon him Iacob tooke away with him the Syrian Idolles of Laban out of his house and hid them in Bethel vnder an oke or Terebinth trée which was nigh to
not lye which sayth that they shall not scape fcotfrée that take his name in vaine The mē of our time do not only take it in vain but doe of malice also blasphemously defile it I woulde to God the Magistrates would more sincerely set forth the worship of God among the people or else if this may not be obteined at their handes yet then at leaste that they woulde be no worse nor godlesse then Caiphas who when he heard as he thought blasphemie againste the name of God did rent his cloathes and crie that the blasphemer was worthy to dye For surely vnlesse our Christian Magistrates doe become more sharpe and seuere against blaspheming villaines I doe not sée but that they must néedes be a great deale worse then the wicked knaue Caiphas Vndoubtedly the Lord is true as euery one of you must seuerally thinke within your selues and he verily will punish in all men the defiling of his name but much more the malicious blaspheming of the same This very matter and place doe nowe require that I also speake somewhat here of taking an othe or swearing whiche is done by calling and taking to witnesse of Gods name Nowe in the handling of this matter many things are to be thought of and considered For first of al I sée that some there are which doubt whether it be be lawfull to take an othe or no bycause in Matthew the Lord hath said Ye haue heard what was sayd of old Thou shalt not forsweare thee selfe but shalt perfourme thine othes vnto the Lord but I say vnto you sweare not at all c. But the Lords minde in Matthewe was not to take cleane away the true and auncient law but to interprete it and to bring it to a saunder sense bycause it was before corrupted and marred by diuers forged counterfaite gloses of the Pharises For the people being taught by them had euermore an eye to kéep their mouthes from periurie but touching superfluous vnprofitable and néedlesse othes they had no care at all not thinking that it was amisse to sweare by Heauen and by Earth wherefore the Lorde expounding his fathers lawe sayth That all othes generally are forbidden to wit those wherein the name of the Lorde is taken in vaine and whereby we sweare when there is no néede at all In the meane while he neyther condemned nor yet tooke cleane away the solemne and lawfull othe Now there is great difference betwixt a solemne oth and our daily othes which are nothing els but déepe swearings not only néedelesse but also hurtfull But a solemne oth is both profitable néedfull The lawe of God and wordes of Christ do not forbid things profitable and néedfull and therfore they condemne not a solemne and lawfull othe Yea in the lawe too is permitted a solemne othe where there is forbiodē alone the vnprofitable vsing of the Lordes name And Christ our lord came not to break the lawe but to fulfill the lawe And therefore he in Saint Matthewe did not condemne an othe vnlesse a man shoulde goe about to proue that the Sonne taught a doctrine cleane contrarie to the doctrine of his heauenly father which is a blasphemie against the father and the sonne not to be suffered Moreouer God him selfe also sweareth which vndoutedly he would not do if an othe coulde not be taken without any sinne For after a long exposition of the lawe he saith Be ye holy for I am holy be ye perfect euen as your heauenly father is perfect We reade also that the holiest men of both the Testamentes by calling and taking to witnesse the name of God in matters of weight did sweare and that they sware without any sinne An othe therfore in the lawe of Christ is not forbidden and it is lawfull for a Christian man both to exact and also to take an othe I rather verily do not sée howe that man is worthy to be called a Christian which being lawfully required to sweare wil séeme to refuse it But of this I haue more fully disputed in another place against the Anabaptistes Secondarily we haue to cōsider for what causes we ought to swere In many cōmon weals it is an vsual and receiued custome to take an othe vpon euery light occasion and for that cause we sée that an othe is lightly set by and very little estéemed For what is this but to take the name of God in vaine Let Magistrates therfore learne and knowe that an othe ought not to be required but in earnest affaires as when it standeth for the glory of God for the safetie of our neighbour and for the publique weale We must marke therefore when and why the people of God haue sworne in the scriptures Abraham sware when he made that league confederacie with Abimelech The people of God doth very often sweare vnder their kings in making a couenant with God for the keeping of true religion They of olde time did cleare themselues of heinous suspicions by taking of an othe In Exodus we reade If any man shall giue to his neighbour a beast to kepe and it shall dye or be stoalne awaye no man seeing it then shal an othe by the Lorde goe betwixt them twaine that he hath not layd his hand on his neighbors thing which 〈…〉 owner of the thing shal take the other shall not restore it For Paule in the 6. to the Hebrues sayth Men verily sweare by the greater and an othe for confirmation is to them an end of all strife To this end therefore let Magistrates apply the vse of an othe and let them haue an especiall regard in giuing an othe to do it reuerently let the peeres of the people keepe inuiolably that which they sweare and let them take héed that they do not rashly require an othe of light headed fellowes let thē not compare any thing or thinke any thing to be equall to an othe but let them reuerently and last of all haue their recourse to that as to the vtmost remedie to finde out the truth and therewithall let them vse sharpe punishment against periured persons But woe to the peoples princes if through their wicked negligēce an othe be not estéemed For he without doubt will punishe them sharply for it who sayth By cause I will not suffer him to goe vnpunished that taketh the Lordes name in vaine Thirdly I will tell you what an othe is and what it is to swears An othe is the calling or taking to witnesse of Gods name to confirme the truth of that we say There is difference betwixt an othe and that déepe kynde of swearing whereby God is blasphemed torne in péeces There is difference too betwirt an othe and those bitter speaches where with we vse to curse and ban our neighbours They are not worthy doubtlesse to be called othes But for bycause this word Iuramentum is ouer largely vsed for any hynde of othe as well in the worse as better part therefore
the godly lawfull othes are wisely called by the name of IusiuranduÌ„ For by 〈…〉 â—hich signifieth the law we are admonished that that kinde of othe is lâ—wfâ—ll and righteous Now this taking of Gods name to witnesse hath ioyned to it a calling on and a vowing our selues to Gods curse and vengeance For this is the maner of an oth and order of swearing I will say or do â—t truly in déed and without deceit so God may helpe me Therefore we put our selues in daunger of Gods wrath and vengeaunce vnlesse we do truly and in déede both speake and do the thing that we promised to doe or speake A very déepe and solemne promise making is this then the whiche verily there is not a greater to be fouÌ„d in the world Here also must be considered the circumstances and ceremonies in swearing For our auncesters of olde were wont to lift their hande vp vnto heauen and to sweare by the name of the lord The Lord our God dwelleth in heauen We therfore do manifestly declare that as in the iudges eyes we lifte our hand to heauen euen so in our mindes we do ascend sweare in the presence sight of God yea we giue our hand and plight our faith to God there in taking an oth by the name of god This ceremonie vsed AbrahaÌ„ the singular friend of God father of the faithfull when he was wont to sweare I néed not therfore to procéed any further for to declare whether we ought to sweare by the name of god alone or els by the names of saints or els by laying the hand vpon the holy Gospel For it is manifest that the faithful must sweare by the only eternal most high god Touching which thing we haue most euident precepts commaunding vs to sweare by the name of the Lord againe forbidding vs to sweare by the names of strange Gods. Of the first sort are these Thou shalt feare the Lorde thy God thou shalte serue him and sweare by his name Deut. 6. 10. Chapter Also the Lord him self in Esaie sayth To me shall euery knee bende and by me shall euery tongue sweare And again in the. 65. chapter the same Prophet sayth He that wil blesse him self shal blesse in the lord and he that wil sweare shal sweare by the true very God. Of the latter sort too are these testimonies of the holy Scriptures Exod. 23. All that I haue sayde keepe ye and doe ye not once so muche as thinke of the names of strange Gods neither let them be heard out of your mouth And Iosue in the. 23. chapter sayth When ye shal come in among these nations see that ye sweare not by the name of their Gods and looke that ye neyther worship nor yet bow downe vnto them In the. 5. of Ieremie the Lord sayth Thy sonnes haue forsaken mee and sworne by other Gods which are no Gods in deede I haue filled them and they haue gone a whoreing c. Moreouer the Prophet Sophonie bringeth in the Lorde speaking and saying I will cut off those that worship and sweare by the Lorde and sweare by Malchom that is by their king and defender And no maruell thoughe he doe threaten destruction to them that sweare by the names of creatures For an othe is the chiefe and especiall honour done to God which therefore can not be diuided to other For we sweare by the highest whome we beléeue to be the chiefest goodnesse the giuer of all good things and the punishing reuenger of euery euil déed But and if we sweare by the names of other Gods then verily shall we make them equall to God him selfe and attribute to them the honour due to him And for this cause the blessed martyr of Christ Polycarpus chose rather the flames of fire than to sweare by the power and estate of Caesar The storie is to be séene in the fourth booke and fiftene chapter of Eusebius Fourthly we haue to consider how we ought to sweare and what the conditions of a iust a lawfull and an honest othe are Ieremie therefore sayth Thou shalt sweare The Lord liueth in trueth in iudgement â—nd righteousnesse And the nations shal blesse them selues in him and in him shall they glory There are therfore foure conditions of a iust and a lawfull othe The first is Thou shalte sweare The Lord liueth Here now againe is repeated that which hath so many times bene beaten into oure heads that we ought to sweare by the name of the liuing god The pattern of our auncestours oth was this The Lorde liueth as it is euident by the writings of the Prophetes Let vs not sweare therfore by any other but by god The second coÌ„dition is Thou shalt sweare in truth So then it is required that not onely the tong but also the mynde should sweare leaste haply we say The tong in déede did sweare but the minde sware not at all Let vs be true and faythful therfore without deceit or guile let vs not lye nor goe about with subtiltie to shifte off the othe that once we haue made We Germanes expresse this well when we say On alle gfard Or else On gfard That is I will not vse any double dealing but will simply and in good fayth performe that I promise There is an excellent patterne of a false and a deceitfull othe in Auli Gellij lib. noct Att. 7. cap. 18. The third condition is Thou shalt sweare in or with iudgement that is aduisedly with great discretion not rashly nor lightly but with consideration of euery thing and circumstaunce in greate necessitie and cases of publique commoditie The fourth condition is thou shalte sweare in iustice or righteousnesse leaste peraduenture our othe be against right and equitie that is leaste we sinne against righteousnesse or iustice whiche attributeth that whiche is theirs both to God and man so that our othe doe not directly tende against the loue of God and our neighbour Here dearely beloued ye haue heard me expresse in few words which God him self hath also taught vs how we must sweare of what sort and fashion our lawfull and allowable othes ought to be and vnder what conditions they are conteined But nowe if we shall sweare against these conditions appointed vs by God then shall our othes and swearings be altogether vnlawfull and furthermore if we shall go about to performe those vnlawful and vnalowable othes then shall we therwithall purchase and inincurre the heauie wrath of the reuenging Lord. Nowe in these dayes it is vsually of custome demaunded whether we ought to kéepe or performe wicked or vngodly vniust or euill vowes or othes as if for example thy othe or vowe should directly tende againste God against true religion against the worde of God or the healthe of thy neighbour I will here alledge and rehearse the vsuall and accustomed aunswere which notwithstanding is very true and grounded vpon examples of holy Sâ—riptures as that that squareth not
magistrate to be a kéeper of the lawes Plutarch in that booke wherein hée sheweth that learning is required to be in a king among other things sayth Princes are the ministers of god for the ouersight and safegard of mortall men to the end that they may partly distribute and partly keep the good things that he doth liberallie giue and franckly bestow vppon them The Magistracie by the Scriptures may be defined to be a diuine ordinaunce or action wherby the good being defended by the Princes 〈◊〉 and the euill suppressed by the same authoritie godlines iustice honestie peace and tranquilliâ—ie both publique and priuate are safely preserued Wherby we gather that to gouerne a common weale and to execute the office of a magistrate is a worship and seruice to God himselfe God verilie is delighted therein For the office of a magistrate is a thing most excellente and abounding with all good workes as in my former sermon I haue declared Now there are thrée kinds of Magistracies or gouernements of coÌ„mon weales the Monarchie the Aristocracie and the Democracie We may cal the Monarchie a kingdome wherein one alone doth by iust and vpright lawes rule all things and causes in the common weale For if that iustice equitie be once neglected that this One doe against all right and reason rule al the roast then is he a Tyrant and his power is Tyrannie that is to say wrong and iniurie which is a disease of that troubled kingdome and a vice that is as it were set â—â—posite to be the destructioÌ„ of that common weale The Aristocracie is the superiour power of a few Péeres wher a certaine number of holie and vpright men are chosen to be the guides and rulers of the people And this did first beginne by the fall of Tyrannie For when men perceiued how daungerous it was to commit the rule of their whoale state into one mans hand they altered the order and gaue the charge thereof to an appointed number of chosen men who did excell the common sort in power authoritie But if these chiefe or head men vse euill meanes to come to authoritie and neglecting the common weale do hunt after their owne aduauntage then is their gouernmeÌ„t not to be called an Aristocracie but an Oligarchie that is the violent lust of a few and not the good and vpright gouernement of chosen Péeres So then these few violent rulers are the contrarie to the estate where vpright headmen haue the preeminence The Democracie may be called a coÌ„mon weale wherein all the people together beare the whole sway and absolute authoritie And this Democracie began first by the fall of the Oligarchie For when the people saw that their head men did abuse their power waxed violent rulers they displaced them and kept the authoritie to themselues meaning that euery man should fréelie giue his voyce in matters touching the commonweale This kind of gouernement breaketh out commonly into outragious tumultes I meane into seditions and conspiracies for no man will suffer himselfe to be corrected while euerie man will challenge to himselfe full absolute authoritie to do what hée lusteth because for sooth hee is one and a member â—â— the people in whose hands the whoale authoritie doth consist Now touching the excellencie of these fourms or kindes of gouernement it maketh not greatly to my purpose to dispute which ought to be preferred before other Many haue preferred the Monarchie before the rest but therewithall they added If he which holdeth the Monarchie be a good and vpright Prince Which neuerthelesse is rare to be found They also which were of that opinion did themselues liue vnder Princes in Monarchies But it is dauÌ„gerous to speake against Iupiter Among many kings of Iuda and Israell thou shalt finde a verie few good or at least wise tollerable indifferent Princes wherby wée may perceiue that the Lord did not in vaine by the mouth of Samuel persuade his people to kéepe their Aristocracie and to be ruled by their priestes and elders as God by Moses and Iethro the wisest in the world had ordeyned long before And yet none can denie but that great perills and infinite discommodities are in the Aristocracie but farre more many in the Democracie But such is the condition of mortall men in this corruptible flesh that nothing among them is absolutely and on euery syde happie therfore that seemeth to them to be most excellent which although it be not altogether without inconveniences some kinde of vices doth neuerthelesse in comparison of other bring fewer perils and lesser annoyaunce But how soeuer the case doth â—â—aÌ„d the Apostles of Christ do commaund vs to obey the magistrate whether he be king or senate of chosen meÌ„ For Paul in his Epistle to Titus sayeth Warne them to be subiect to rule power and to obey magistrates For to the Romans he saith Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers For no power is but of god those powers that are are or deined by god Again to Tim. he saith I exhort you that prayers be made for kings for al that are in authoritie If therfore any man liue in a Monarchie let him obey the king if in a ceÌ„mon weale of what title soeuer let him be ruled by the Consuls Tribunes headmen elders of the people For we ought rather to obey the ordinaunce of God than ouer euriously to dispute of the kinds of gouernements which is the better or worse than other And in all cases truely the magistrate is very necessarie and cannot bée missing among men yea hée is so necessarie that without the magistrates help the state of men can hardly prosper nor easilie stand Neither doest thou read that the state and common-weale of the Israelites was euer at any time in greater daunger and peril of vndooing than it was in the middle time betwixt Sampson and Heli when they were gouerned by no magistrates but did euery man what he thought good himselfe For all men euen from their birth are blindly ledd with selfe loue and therefore they séeke their own aduauntage nothing pleaseth them but what they do them selues they vtterly mislyke the déedes and woords of other men yea such is oure fond affection and opinionatiue sense that how euil soeuer our causes are yet wee will not stick to face them out with a card of ten and to colour them with law and equitie Hée that will stand in deniall hereof did neuer consider mans disposition The people of Israel at their deliuerie out of Aegypt saw woÌ„derful signes they were meruaylously fedd froÌ„ heauen in y desart did euery day behold new myracles But yet hearkeÌ„ my brethren consider what Moses the meekest and gentillest man that euer was doth say touching this holy people this people of God whom God had chosen to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe How shall I alone sayth hée to
that they at their pleasure may cōmaund what they liste and that all men by and by must take it for lawe But that kind of ruling without al doubt is extreme tyrannie The saying of the Poet is verie well knowen which representeth the verie words of a tyraunt I say it and it shal be so my lust shal be the lawe The Prince in déede is y liuing lawe if his mind obey the written lawes and square not from the lawe of nature Power and authoritie therefore is subiecte vnto lawes For vnlesse the Prince in his heart agree with the law in his brest doe write the law and in his woords and déedes expresse the law he is not worthie to be called a good mā much lesse a Prince Againe a good Prince and magistrate hath power ouer the Lawe is maister of the lawes not that they may tourne put out vndoe make and vnmake them as they liste at their pleasure but because hée may put them in practise among the people applie them to the necessitie of the state and attemper their interpretation to the meaning of the maker They therefore are deceyued as farre as heauen is wide which thinck for a few priuileges of Emperours kinges graunted to the magistrate to adde diminish or chaunge some point of the lawe that therefore they may vtterly abolish good lawes and liue against all lawe and séemelinesse For as no Emperours or kinges are permitted to graunt any priuileges contrarie to iustice goodnesse and honestie so if they do graunt any such privilege it ought not to be receiued or taken of good subiects for a good tourn or benefite but to be counted rather as it is in déede their vtter destruction and cleane ouerthrowe Among all men at all times and of all ages the meaning substaunce of the lawes touching honestie iustice publique peace is kept vnuiolable if chaūge be made it is in circumstances and the law is interpreted as the case requireth according to iustice and a good end The law sayth Let no man kill an other let him that killeth an other be killed himself That law remayneth for euer vnchaungeable neither is it lawfull for any man at any time to put it out or wipe it away And yet the rigour of the law may be diminished and the law it selfe fauourablie interpreted as for example If a man kill one whom hee loueth entirely well and kill him by chaunce not of set purpose or pretended malice so that when hee hath done hee is soarie for it at the verie hart would if it were possible buye his life again with what soeuer hée hath to giue for it in such a case the killer ought not to be killed and therin the magistrate may dispence with the rigour of the lawe An other beareth a deadly and continuall grudge to one whom hee killeth and goeth about to colour the matter vnder the pretence of happe misfortune For hée sought occasion that hée might for himself haue a shew of chauncemedley In such a case as this the magistrate cannot chaung any iote of the law but must néedes kil him whom the meaning of the law commaundeth to kill I could alledge more examples like vnto these but my care is of purpose somuch as I may not to bee too tedious vnto you with too a long a discourse By this that I haue spoken it is apparauntly euident that lawes are good and not to be broken how farre forth they doe admit the Princes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Princes moderation interpretation limitation or dispensation least peraduēture that old and accustomed Prouerbe bée rightly applied vnto them Lawe with extremitie is extreme iniurie Hetherto I haue declared that lawes are good profitable necessarie and not to bee broken it remaineth now to tell what and what kind of lawes the magistrate ought most chieflie to vse for the ordering and mainteyning of honestie iustice publique peace according to his office Some there are whose opinion is that the magistrate ought not to vse any written lawes but that hée should rather giue sentence as hée thought best according to naturall equitie as the circumstances of place time persons and cases doe séeme to require Other some there are that do their indeuour to thrust into all kingdomes and common weales the Iudiciall lawes of Moses And some there are which hauing once reiected the lawe of Moses wil haue no iudgement giuen in law but what is deriued out of the lawes of heathen Princes But since they that haue the preeminence and magistrates autoritie are men either good or bad and since that euen in the best men courtousnes anger hatred fauour griefe feare and other affectiōs are rife to be found to whom I pray you haue they committed the common weale which reiecting all written statuts and certein lawes would haue euerie man that is a magistrate to giue iudgment as hée himself thinketh best Haue they not committed their common weale to the rule of a beast But what shal I say then of euill men that are in authoritie since in the best men thnges are so amisse As good were a kingdome subiecte to the furies of hel as bound to the iudgments of naughtie men But wée will say they haue them giue iudgement according to the equitie of natures lawe and not after the luste of their corrupt affection Mine aunswere is to that that they will giue iudgement as affection leadeth them without controllment and say that they iudged by naturall equitie They cannot they wil say iudge otherwise nor otherwise vnderstand the pith of the matter They thincke that beste which they haue determined and nothing is done contrarie to conscience and thou for thy labour shalt be called Coram nobis for daring find fault with their sentence in iudgment And so shal the iust man perish barbarous affections shall haue the vpper hand and naughtie men rule all the roste Yea and admitte wée graunt all men are good that are called to be magistrates yet diuersitie of opinions that will rise in giuing of iudgement will stirre vp among them endlesse braules and continuall troubles If all thinges therefore be well considered the best way by a great deale is to put written lawes in vre Let vs learne this by the example of our eternall wise excellent and mightie God who gaue to the Iewes his peculiar people such lawes as at his cōmaundement were set downe in writing The magistrate hath otherwise busines enough to iudge that is to applie and conferre the causes with the lawes to sée how farre and wherein they agrée or disagrée and to iudge who hath offended against the law and who haue not transgressed the lawe Now it is to be marked that in Moses Iudiciall lawe there are many things proper and peculiar to the Iewish Nation and so ordeyned according to the state of the place time and persons that if wée should goe about to thrust on and applie them
Iudgemente Let therefore the feare of the Lord bee vppon you and take heede and bee dilligent For there is no vnrighteousnes with the Lord our God that hee should haue any respecte of persons or take any rewarde To these I will yet adde a fewe places of the holie Scripture more which shall partlie make manifeste those that wente before and partlie expounde and more plainlie expresse the office of the Iudge In Deuteronomie wée reade The Iudges shall iudge the people with equitie and iustice Thou shalte not peruerte Iudgemente nor haue respecte of personnes nor take a rewarde For a rewarde doeth blinde the eyes of the wise and peruerteth the woordes of the righteous Thou shalte doe Iudgemente with iustice that thou mayste liue and possesse the Land. Againe in Exodus wée finde Thou shalte not follow a multitude to doe euill neither shalte thou speake in a matter of Iustice accordinge to the greater number for to peruert Iudgemente Neither shalte thou esteeme a poore man in his cause keepe thee farre from false matters and the innocent and righteous see thou slaye not for I will not iustifie the wicked Thou shalt take no rewardes for rewardes blinde the seeinge and peruerte the woordes of the righteous In Leuiticus also wee haue this Yee shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgemente thou shalte not fauoure the personne of the poore nor honour the mightie but in righteousnes shalt thou iudge thy neighbour Againe Yee shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgemente in metyarde in weighte or in measure True balaunces true weightes a true Epha and a true Hin shall yee haue I am the Lord your God c. I suppose verilie and am thus persuaded that in these fewe woordes of the Lord our God are comprehended al that which profounde Philosophers and Laweyers of great learning doe scarcelie absolue in infinite bookes and volumes of many leaues Beside all this the most holie Prophete Ieremie crieth to the kinge and saith Keepe equitie and righteousnesse deliuer the oppressed from the power of the violent doe not greeue nor oppresse the straunger the fatherlesse or the widowe and shed no innoceÌ„t bloud Thus much touching the office of Iudges But in the eyes of some men this oure discourse may séeme vaine and fruitelesse vnlesse wée do also refute their obiections whereby they indeuour to proue that pleadinges and lawe matters are at an ende because the Lord in the Gospell saith To him that will sue thee at the lawe and take away thy coate let him haue thy cloake also And againe While thou arte yet with thine aduersarie vpon the way agree with him quicklie least hee deliuer thee to the tormentour They adde moreouer the strifes in the lawe which S. Paule the Apostle in the sâ—â—te Chapiter of his Epistle to the Corinthians doth flatlie condemne To al which obiections mine aunsweare is this As the doctrine of the Euangelistes and Apostles doth not abrogate the priuate ordering of particular houses so doeth it not condemne or disanull the publique gouernemente of common weales The Lord in the Gospell after S. Luke chideth with and repelleth the young man who desired him to speake to his brother for an equall diuision of the inheritaunce betwixte them Hée blamed him not for because hee thinketh ill of him that claymeth an equall diuision or that parte of the inheritaunce that is his by righte but because hée thought that it was not his duetie but the Iudges office to deale in such cases The words of our Sauiour in that place are these Whoe hath appointed mee a Iudge betwene you and a diuider of land and inheritaunce And againe as wée reade in the Gospell If any man will sue thee at the lawe and take awaye thy coate giue him thy cloake also So on the other syde againste this doinge of iniurie there is nothinge more busilie handled and required in all the Euangelicall doctrine than charitie and welldoinge But a good deede is done in nothing more than in iudgmente and iustice Since therefore that Iudgemente was inuented for the practisinge and preseruinge of Iustice and vprighte dealinge it is manifeste that to iudge in matters of controuersie is not forbidden in the Gospell The notable Prophets of the Lord Esai and Zacharie crie oute and saye Ceasse to doe euill learne to doe good seeke after Iudgemente helpe the oppressed and pleade the cause of the fatherlesse and widdowe Execute true Iudgemente shewe mercie and louinge kindenesse euerie manne to his brother Doe the widdowe the fatherlesse the straunger and poore no wronge They sinne therefore that goe on to hinder Iudgemente and to thruste Iudges beside their Seates For as they pull awaye from the true God no small parte of his woorshippe so doe they open a wide gate to wronge robberie and oppression of the poore The Lorde I graunte commaunded that which oure aduersaries haue alledged meaninge there by to settle quietnesse amonge his people but because the malice of menne is inuincible and the longe sufferinge of sillie Soules makes wicked knaues more mischiefous therefore the Lord hath not forbidden nor condemned the moderate vse of Iudgements in lawe Moreouer wée reade in the Actes of the Apostles that Paule did oftener than once vse the benefite of Iudgemente not for monie or goodes but for his life which hée endeuoured to saue and defende from them that laye in waite to kill him Neither consented hée to the vniuste iudgemente of Festus the President but appealed to Caesar and yet wée know that Paule did not offend therein against the doctrine of the Gospell of Christe The same Paule in his Epistle to the Corinthians did not absolutely coÌ„demne the Corinthians for going to lawe aboute thinges belonginge to their liuing but because they sued and troubled one an other before Heathen Iudges It is good and séemely without doubte to suffer wronge with a patient minde but because it pleaseth the Lord to ordeine iudgement to bée a meane of helpe and succour to them that are oppressed with iniurie hée sinneth not at all that seekes to kéepe himselfe from wronge not by priuate reuengement but by the vprighte sentence of Iudges in lawe And therfore did the Apostle commaunde the Corinthians to choose out to themseluâ—s amonge the faithfull such Iudges as might take vp temporall matters in coÌ„trouersie betwixt them that fell at variaunce Thus haue I declared vnto you the seconde parte of the magistrates office which consisteth in Iudgement I will now therefore descende to the exposition of the third and laste parte which comprehendeth reuengemente and punishment For the magistrate by his office beareth the sworde and therefore is hée commaunded by God to take reuengement for the wronge done to the good and to punish the euill For the Sword is Gods vengeaunce or instrumente wherewith hée strikes the stroake to reuenge himselfe vppon his enimies for the iniurie done vnto him and is in the scripture generallie taken for vengeaunce and punishment The
Lord in Ieremie crieth out and saith I call a sworde vppon all the dwellers vppon earth Againe in Ezechiel The sword is sharpe and readie trimmed to kill the sacrifice And againe I will giue my sword into the handes of the king of Babell The kings of Aegypte were of their people called Pharaos as who should saye Reuengers But the swoord in the magistrates hand is to bée put vnto two vses For either hée punisheth offenders therewith for doinge other men iniurie and for other ill déeds Or else hée doth in warre therwith repell the violence of forreine enimies abroade or represse the rebellions of seditious and contentious Citizens at hoame But here againe an other obiection is cast in oure way by them which say that according to the doctrine of the Gospell no man ought either to kill or to be killed ▪ because the Lord hath said Resiste not the euill And againe to Peter Put vppe thy sword into thy sheath Euerie one that taketh the sworde doth perishe by the sworde Mine aunsweare to this is that throughout all the Scripture priuate reuengement is vtterlie forbidden but that that is done openlie by authoritie of the publique magistrate is neuer founde fault withall But that was priuate and extraordinarie vengeaunce that the Apostle Peter was about to haue taken considering that hee was called to bée a Preacher of the woord of God not to bée a Iudge a Capitaine or a man of warre And against priuate and extraordinarie reuengment is that sentence rightlie pronounced Euerie one that taketh the sword shall perish by the sword But that publique vengeaunce and the ordinarie vse of the sword is not prohibited by God in the Church of Christe I proue by this testimonie of the holie Apostle Paule in the 12. to the Romanes hath taught what and how much the perfectnesse of the Gospell requireth of vs and among the rest thus hée saith Deerelie beloued reuenge not your selues but rather giue place vnto wrath For it is written vengeaunce is mine and I wil repay But because this might be argued against and this obiection caste in his way Than by this meanes the long suffering of Christians shall minister matter enough to murder and manslaughter hée doth therefore immediately after in the next Chapiter adde The magistrate is the minister of God to thy wealth to terrifie the euill doers For hee beareth not the sword in vaine For hee is Gods minister reuenger of wrath to him that doth euill Wée gather therefore by this doctrine of the Apostle that euerie one of vs must let God alone with taking of vengeaunce that no man is allowed to reuenge himself by his owne priuate authoritie But publique reuengemēt wrought by the ordinarie magistrate is no where forbidden For that God which said to vs Vengeaunce is mine I will repay doth graunt to the magistrate authoritie to exercise and put that vengeaunce in vre which hee doth claime as due to himselfe So that the magistrates duetie is to punish with the sword the wrongfull dealings of wicked men in the name and at the commaundement of God himselfe Therefore when the magistrate punisheth then doth God himselfe to whom all vengeaunce belongeth punish by the magistrate who for that cause is called by the name of god Moreouer it is written Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue Againe A wise king will scatter the wicked and turne the wheele vppon them And againe He that iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the iust they are both abhominable in the sight of the Lord. Neither doe wée lacke examples to proue that some haue incurred y heauie wrath and displeasure of the Lord for their foolish pittie in sparing them whom the Lord cōmaunded to strike with the sword I speake of Saul and Achab. Againe on the other side there are innumerable examples of most excellent Princes which testifie beare witnesse of the praise that they deserued for punishing of lewde wicked offenders For the Prince sinneth not nor is blameworthie any whit at all which killeth or otherwise punisheth the guiltie and vngratious man and for that cause we finde in the law so often repeated His bloud be vppon him selfe But if the bloud of the guiltie be not shedde then that is imputed as a fault and layde to the magistrates charge because hée neglecting his office hath pardoned them that were not worthie to bée forgieuen and by letting them goe hath left the innocent vnreuenged For hée is made partaker of the iniurie done shedding of the innocents bloud which he leaueth vnreuenged by letting the murderer goe vntouched on whose necke the Lord gaue charge to let the sword fall The iust seueritie of the vprighte magistrate in punishinge naughtie men is not as it is falselie iudged extreme crueltie But ouerthwart and péeuish pitie that spareth offenders which are not worthie to liue amonge men is vtter and méere crueltie in déede For when the magistrate letteth them goe vnpunished and at ease which with their naughtie déeds haue deserued death he doth thereby first of all giue occasion and courage to like offenders to go on and increase in their mischiefous wickednes For they sée their owne faultes borne with al in other men Secondarilie the men that are not as yet altogether drowned in the myre of wickednesse but are euerie hour◠tempted and prouoked to naughtinesse wil at the last leaue to haue scruple of cōscience and giue their consent to yéeld to mischiefe For they sée that mischiefous marchaunts are gentellie dealt withall Lastly offenders set frée without any punishment doe for the most parte become little better yea they become twice worse than they were before and the increase of his sinne shal at length compell thée to kil him for many murders whom thou wouldest not kill for the murder of one wherby thou mightest haue saued many guiltlesse men whō that cutthroate since his first pardon hath villaynously slaine They therefore send wolues and beares amonge the common people that let such rakehells escape vnpunished Since now that I haue declared the right vse of the sword proued that the magistrate hath power to reueng mens iniuries and to kill haynous offenders let vs goe on to consider what the causes bée for which God cōmaundeth to punish transgressors let vs sée also when they ought to be punished and lastlie what kinds of punishment or penalties the magistrate must vse The especiall causes for which the Lord doth openly commaunde to punish offenders are for the most part these that follow The Lord resisteth force with force worketh the safegard and saluation of men he reuengeth them that suffer wronge and restoreth againe whatsoeuer may be restored Hée declareth his iustice also which rewardeth euerie one according to his déedes And therefore hée wipeth out reprochfull déedes with a reprochfull death Hée putteth offenders in minde of their crime and therwithall for the most part doth giue them sense of repentaunce
being vtterly forsaken of the Lord he heareth Samuel say to his face Thou hast refused and cast off the word of the Lord therefore hath God also cast thee away that thou shalt not be king of Israell I will not here stand ouer largely to declare the miseries and calamities wherein he was wrapped from that time forward For as he himselfe was horriblie haunted and vexed with the euill spirite so did he not ceasse to vexe and torment his people and kingdome vntill hee had brought them all into extreeme daunger where hee and some of his were slaine put to the worste by the heathen their enimyes leauing nothing behind him but a perpetuall shame and endlesse ignominie Next after Saule doth Dauid succeede in the seate and kingdome who without all controuersie was the most happiest of all other kinges and Princes But what stoare he did set by the word of the Lord it is euident to bee seene by many notable actes of his and especially in that Alphabeticall Psalme which in order and number is the hundreth and nintenth For therin he setteth forth the praise of Gods word the whoalsom vertue wherof he doth at large wonderfully expound in teaching what great desire zeale we ought to haue thereto For he was scholed had learned before by priuate mishaps and shameful deeds lastly by the vnhappie seditioÌ„ of his graceles sonne Absalom what an euill it is to decline froÌ„ the word of the lord SolomoÌ„ the sonne of Dauid the wisest most coÌ„mended king of all the world did so long enioy prosperitie praise at the mouth of the Lord as he did not neglect with reuerence to obey his word But when once he had transgressed the Lords commaundement streight way the Lord did say vnto him For as much as this is done of thee and that thou hast not kept mine ordinaunces and my statutes which I commaunded thee I will rent thy kingdome from thee and will giue it to thy seruaunt And nowe marke that according to that saying immediately after Solomons death the kingdome was rent into two partes and that 10. Tribes followed Ieroboam the seruaunt of Solomon Two tribes claue still to Roboam Solomons sonne Hee for neglecting the word of the Lord following after straunge Gods is ouerwhelmed with an infinite number of wofull miseries For the Scripture testifieth that the Aegyptians came vpp against Hierusalem and did destroy the Citie Palace and temple of the lord Abia the sonne of Roboam ouercame the host of Israell and bare away a triumphant victorie when hee had wounded and slaine fiue hundred thousand men of the 10. Tribes of Israell And of this so great a victorie no other cause is mencioned but because hee beleeued the word of the lord Next after Abia did his sonne Asa a renowmed and most puissaunt king reigne in his steede of whom the holy Scripture testifieth that hee abolished all superstition and did restoare sincere religion according to the word of God whereby hee obteyned a most flourishing kingdome in peace and quietnesse by the space of fourtie yeares Againe of Iosaphat Asa his sonne wee read The Lord was with Iosaphat because he walked in the former wayes of his father Dauid sought not Baalim but sought the God of his father and walked in his commaundement And therefore for his princelike wealth and famous victories he was renowmed through all the world But to his sonne Ioram who forsooke the word of God Helias the Prophete said Because thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iosaphat thy father and in the wayes of king Asa but hast walked the wayes of the kings of Israell behold with a great plague wil the Lord smite thy folke thy children thy wiues and all thy goods And thou shalt suffer great paine euen a disease of the bowells vntill thy guttes fall out And whatsoeuer the Lord threatened to bring vppon him by the mouth of the Prophet that did the vnhappie king feele with vnspeakeable tormentes to his great reproche being made an example of wretchâ—dnesse miserie which doth light on all the pates of them that do forsake the word of god Neither was the happ of Ochosias sonne to king Ioram and Athalia in any point better For at the commaundement of Iehu hee was stabbed in and slaine wretchedly bâ—câ—usâ— hee chose rather to followe the lawes and rites of the kinges of Israell than the verie true lawes of the Lord his god Moreouer Ioas a child yet but seuen yeares old being by the labour fayth and diligence of the faithfull priest Ioiada restoared to and settled in the place of his father who was slaine before him reigned after the wicked Athalia was put to death most happilie and in a prosperous state so longe as Ioiada the priest did line But when the high priest was once departed out of this world vnto the Lord the king being immediately seduced by the malice and wilinesse of his wicked counsellours left off to follow the word of the lord And as hee ceassed to followe the lord so did felicitie and glorie forsake to followe him For the Syrians comming on with a verie small power of armed men doe destroy and put to flight an insinite hoast of Iewish people they put to the sword all Ioas his counsellours and make a spoile of all his kingdome And Ioas for reiecting the Lord deserued with excessiue griefe first to behold this miserie than to 〈◊〉 away with a long consuming sicknesse and lastly vppon his bedd to haue his throate cruellte cutt of his owne houshold scruaunts Amasias the sonne of Ioas is renoâ—med for a â—amous victorie which he obteyned vppon the Idumitâ—s for no other cause but for obeying the word of the lord But afterward when hee began to rebell against God and his Prophets he is in battaile vanquished by Ioas king of Israell by whom when be was spoyled and compelled to see the ouerthrowe of a great part of the walles of Hierusalem he was himselfe at the last by conspiratours entrâ—pped and miserablie murdered Next after him succeeded his sonne Osias who also as well as his father enioyed a singular felicitie and most happie life so longe as he gainsayed not the mouth of God but when hee would vsurpe and take vppon him that office which God had properly appointed to the Leuits alone directly opposing himselfe against the word of the Lord he was striken with a leprosie and for his vncleannesse was compelled seuerallie to dwell â—loofe in banishmeÌ„t from the companie of men euen vntil his last and dying day Iothan also the sonne of Osias is reported to haue beene wealthie and victorious in his warres the cause of this felicitie the Scripture dâ—th briefly add and say Iothan became mightie because he directed his wayes before the Lord his God. But contrarily Achaz the some of Iothan as hee was of all the Iewishe kinges almost the wickeddest so was hee in his life
significaÌ„tly in the Psalme where he sayth My feete were almost gone my treadings had wel nigh slipped for I was greeued at the wicked when I did see the vngodly in such prosperitie for they are in no peril of deth they are I say troubled with no diseases whereby they are drawne as it were to death but are lustie and strong They come into no misfortune like other meÌ„ but are free froÌ„ the euils wherwith other folk are plagued and this is the cause that they are so holden with pride wrapped in violence as in a garment Their eyes swel with fatnes and they do euen what they lust They stretch forth their mouth vnto heauen and their tongue goeth thoroughe the world Yea they dare to say Tush how shuld God perceiue it Lo these are the vngodly these prosper in the world these haue riches in possession TheÌ„ said I haue I cleÌ„sed my hart in vaine â—ashed mine hands in innocencie â–ª and I beare punisheÌ„t euery day And while I thought thus to my self I had almost departed from the generation of Gods children Now since this is so it followeth consequently to beate out the causes of these calamities For in so doinge wée shal be the better able to iudge rightly of the miseries both of that godly and wicked sort of people The causes of calamities are many of many sortes but the generall and especiall cause is knowen to be sinne For by disobedieÌ„ce sinne entred into that world and death by sinne and so coÌ„sequently diseases and al euills in the world They are very lightheaded and vaine fellowes that referre these causes to I cannot tell what blind constellations and mouinges of Planets For wee by our euill lustes and corrupte affections do heape vp day by day one euill on an others necke And at our elbowes standeth the deuill who roundeth vs in the eares eggeth vs forwards and as helps to spurre vs on there are a crewe of naughtie packes that neuer ceasse to traine vs in and daily there doe rise vp diuers instruments of tribulation wherewith the most wise and iust God doth suffer vs men to be excercised and tormented But the same causes of affliction are not alwayes founde to bee in the holy worshippers of God as are in the wicked despisers of his name The Saintes are often afflicted that by their trouble the glorie of GOD may be knowen to the world For when the disciples of Christ did sée y blind man in the Gospell which was blind from his mothers wombe they said to that Lord Maister who sinned this man or his parents that he was borne blinde Iesus aunswered Neither did this man sinne nor his parentes but that the woorkes of God might be made manifest in him Likewise when the Lord heard say that Lazarus was sicke This disease said hee is not to death but to the glorie of God that by it the sonne of God may be glorified And yet if wee touch this matter to the quicke there can none in the woorld be found without sinne so that if the Lorde will marke oure iniquities hee shall alwayes finde somewhat to be punished in vs As it is at large declared in the booke of Iob. Furthermore the Lord doth suffer his spouse the Church which hée loueth full dearely to bee troubled and afflicted to this end and purpose that hee may openly declare that the electe are defended preserued and deliuered by the power ayde of God and not by the policie or help of man For Paule saith We haue this treasure in earthen vessells that the excellencie of the power may be Gods and not of vs while we are troubled on euerie side but not made sorrowfull Wee are in pouertie but not in extreeme pouertie wee suffer persecution but are not forsaken therein wee are cast downe but wee perish not wee alwayes beare about in the bodie the dying of the Lord Iesus that the life of Iesus might also be made manifest in our body For wee which liue are alwayes deliuered vnto death for Iesus sake that the life also of Iesus might bee made manifest in our mortall fleshe Also the same Apostle saith Vertue is made perfect in infirmitie Againe as the afflictions of the holy martyrs and faithfull Saintes of Christ are testimonies of the doctrine of faith as our Sauiour in the Gospell saith They shall deliuer you vp to counsells in their Synagogues they shall scourge you yea ye shal bee brought before kinges and rulers for my sake that this might bee for a wittnesse to them and the people Euen so in like manner are the Saintes ouerladen wyth miseries made examples for vs to learne by how to ouercome and despise the world and to aspire to heauenly thinges Finally the Lord doeth trie these that bée his by laying the crosse vppon their neckes and purgeth them like gold in the fire hée cutteth from vs many occasions of euill that hee may bring vs to the bearing of greater and more plentifull fruite The wisedome of the Lord doeth therein followe the manner of Goldsmythes who put their gold into the fire to purge and not to marre it And hée imitateth also good husbandmen who when their corne is somewhat too ranke do mowe it downe and prune their trées not to destroy but make them beare more abundant fruite And this flesh of ours verilie in peace and quietnesse is luskish lazie drowsie and slowe to good and honest exercises it is content and séeketh no further than earthly thinges it is whoalie giuen to pleasures it doth vtterly forget God and godly thinges nowe therefore it is not expedient onely but also very necessarie to haue this dull and sluggishe lumpe stirred vpp and excercised with troubles afflicions and sharpe persecutions The Saints herein are like toyron which by vse is somewhat woarne and diminished but by lying stil vnoccupied is eaten more with ruste and canker Most truely therefore said S. Peter Dearely beloued thincke it not straunge that yee are tried wyth fire which thing is to trie you as though some straunge thing happened vnto you But reioyce rather in that yee are partakers of the afflictions of Christ that when his glorie is reucaled yee may be merie and glad For Paule to Timothie saith Remember that Iesus Christe of the seede of Dauid was raised from the dead according to my gospel for which I am afflicted as an euill doer euen vnto bondes and yet I suffer al things for the electes sakes that they might also obteine the saluation which is in Christ Iesus with eternall glorie It is a faithfull saying For if wee bee dead with him we shal also liue with him if we be patient we shal reigne with him if we denie him hee shall also denie vs. For in his epistle to the Romans he saith Those which hee knew before he did also predestinate that they should be like facioned vnto the shape of his sonne that
all this haue I hether to rehearsed out of Sainct Augustine The last and hindermost cause of the calamities which oppresse that holy Sainctes of God is because the Lord in afflicting his friends deeth thereby giue a most euident testimonie of his iuste iudgement which shall fall vppon his enimies for their contemning of his name and Maiestie For Saint Peter sayth The time is that iudgment must beginne at the house of God if it first beginne at vs what shal the ende bee of those which beleeue not the Gospell of God And if the righteous scarsely bee saued where shall the vngodly and sinner appeare And like to this is that notable sentence of the Lords which hée spake when hée went to the place of execution saying If they doe this in a moyst tree what shall bee done in the drie If the Saincts by whom are meante the fruitefull trées bringing foorth most pretious fruites of good woorkes are by the suâ—â—eraunce of God in this world so miserably tormented and wofully vexed what shall wée say I pray you of the wicked which are so farre from vertue and good woorks They shal vndoubtedly bee plagued with vnspeakable paynes and punishments For touching the causes of those calamities wherewith the wicked are tormented they can bée none other than the heynous crimes which they commit from day to day and are therefore punished by Gods iuste iudgement to the end that all men may perceiue that God hateth wicked men and wickednesse alike So wée reade that Pharao was afflicted Saul fell vppon his owne sword and was slaine in the mounte Gelboe wyth many thousand Israelites because he had sinned against the Lord which purposed to destroy him for an example of his iudgement and a terrour to them that should followe after Antiochus Epiphanes Herode the great Herod Agrippa and Galerius Maximianus the Emperour were taken horriblie wyth gréeuous diseases and died of the same The reason was because they sinned against GOD and his seruaunts on whome hee determined to take a vengeaunce and to make them proofes of his iuste iudgemente so to bee examples for tyrauntes to perceiue what plagues remayne for those which séeke the bloud of the godly and faithfull And although oure good God doth ordeyne all thinges for the beste to his creatures and sendeth in a manner all calamities and miseries to drawe vs from wickednesse yet beecause hypocrites and wicked people despise the counselles and admonitions of GOD and neither will acknowledge God when hee striketh nor turne to him when hee calleth them all thinges doe turne to their destruction euen as to them which loue the Lord all thinges woorke to the beste and therefore doe they perishe in their calamities for in this world they féele the wrath of the Almightie God in most horible punishmentes and in the world to come when once they are parted oute of this life do for euer beare farre greater and bitterer paynes than any tongue can tell But if it happen that the wicked and vngodly sorte doe not in this life féele anye plague or greeuous affliction then shall they bée punished so much the soarer in the woorld to come There is no man that knoweth not the Euangelicall parable of the riche vnmerciful glutton who when as in this life hee liued as hée iusted in passinge delightes was notwythstanding in hell tormented wyth vnquencheable thyrste and parched wyth fire which neuer ceassed burning The felicitie therefore of the wicked in this life is nothing else but ertreeme miserie For Saint Iames the Apostle sayth Yee haue liued in pleasure vpon earth and beene wanton ye haue nourished your harts as in a day of slaughter which I say wil turne to you as to well fedd beastes that are fatted vp to be slaine to make meate of For Ieremie goeth a litle more plainly to woorke and sayth O Lord thou art more righteous than that I should dispute with thee yet notwithstanding I will talke with thee Howe happeneth it that the waye of the vngodly doeth prosper so well and that it goeth so wel with them which without shame offend in wickednesse Thou haste planted them they take roote they growe and bring forth fruite And immediatly after But drawe thou them out O Lord like a sheepe to be slaine and ordeine or appoint them against the day of slaughter Wyth this also doeth that agrée which the Prophete Asaph after hée had roundly and largely reckoned vp the felicitie of the wicked addeth saying Thou verilie hast set them in slipperie places thou shalt cast them downe head long and vtterly destroy them O wyth howe soudaine calamities are they oppressed they are perished swallowed vp of terrours Euen as a dreame that vanisheth so sone as one awaketh thou Lord shalt make their image contemptible in the citie For Dauid also before him did cry saying Yet a little and the vngodly shal bee no where and when thou lookest in his place he shall not appeare I haue seene the vngodly in great power slourishing like a greene Bay tree and I went by and loe he was gone I soughte him but hee could not bee found In like maner also doth Malachie the Prophet witnesse that there is great difference in the day of iudgement betwiâ—te the worshipper and despiser of God and betwixt the iuste and vniust dealer For the day of the Lord shall come in which the proude and those that woorke wickednesse shal be burnt as stubble with fire froÌ„ heauen so that there shall remaine vnto them neither roote nor braunch They that are wise therefore wil neuer hereafter be offended at the felicitie of the wicked they will neuer desire and long to be made partakers of their vnhappie prosperitie they wil not grudge at all to beare the miserie of the Crosse which they do daily heare to be layd by God vppon his Saintes to the end they may be tried and fined from the drosse of the fleshe and this vncleane world Thus farre haue I sufficiently reasoned of the causes of calamities Let vs now sée my reuerend brethren howe and in what order the godly and sincere worshipper of God doth behaue himselfe in all calamities and worldly afflictions His courage quayleth not but kicketh rather all desperation aside because hee vnderstandeth that hee must manfully in faith beare al sorts of euils Therfore doth he arme himselfe with hope patience and prayer There are verily among men some which so soone as they féele any affliction do presently crie as the common voyce is That it had béen best if they neuer had béen borne or else destroyed assone as they were borne A verie wicked saying is this and not worthie to be heard in a Christian mans mouth But farre more wicked are they which sticke not to destroy them selues rather than by liuing they would be compelled to suffer any longer some smal calamitie or abide the tauntes of the open world And yet on the other
in God nor his couenaunts Finally circumcision did put the circumcised in mind of their duetie al their life long to wite that euery man should thinke that he had taken vpon him to professe God to beare in his bodie the SacrameÌ„t of the Lorde For that is the cause why the Israelites were named or had their names giuen them in their circumcision For it is euident in Luke that Iohn Baptist and Iesus our sauiour had their names giuen them at their circumcision euen as also the first circumcised at his circumcision was called Abraham whose name before was said to be Abram It did admonish the circumcised of his duetie for so much as he had giuen his name vnto the Lord his confederate to bee inrolled in the register of God amoÌ„g the names of them that giue them selues vnto the Lord wherefore he ought by couenaunt duetie to frame his life not after his owne lust and pleasure but according to the will of God to whome he did betake him selfe For the condition of the couenaunt was that the circumcised shoulde not defile them selues with idolatrie and straunge religions that they should not pollute with vncleane lyuing the bodies and mindes that were hallowed to the Lord but that they perseuearing in true faith should ensue godlynesse shewe the workes of repentance and be obedient to God in all things For thus saith Moses in the tenth of Deuterono Circumcise the foreskinne of your hearts and harden not your neckes any longer To which words the Prophet Ieremie alludeth in his fourth Chapter saying Bee ye circumcised to the Lord and cut away the foreskinne of your hearte And the Martyr S. Stephan rebuking the vnbeléeuing Iewes sayeth Ye stiffe-necked and of vncircumcised hearte and eares ye alwayes resist the holie ghost Verie rightly therefore doth the holy Apostle Paule in his Epistle to the Romanes declare that there are two sortes of circumcision the one of the letter in the fleshe the outwarde circumcision that is made with handes the other in the heart of the Spirite the inwarde circumcision which is made by the meanes of the holy Ghost The circumcision of the heart God doth like well of in those y be his but that in the fleash he doeth vtterly mislike of if as the fleashe is the heart be not circumcised The liking and misliking of these two circumcisions is in that which went before so plainly alreadie declared that I néede not to stick any longer vpon it And here I think it not amisse before I make an ende of circumcision to reherse vnto you déerely beloued the woordes of the auncient writer Lactantius lib. Instit 4. Chap. 17. where he speaketh of circumcision in this manner The meaning of circumcision was that we should make bare our breastes to wite that wee should liue with a simple and plaine dealing heart because that parte of the bodie which is circumcised is partely like to a heart and is the fore parte of the priuitie and the cause why God commaunded to make it bare was that by that signe he might admonishe vs not to haue a couered heart that is that we should not couer within the secretes of our conscience any crime whereof wee ought to be ashamed And this is the circumcision of the heart whereof the Prophets speake which God hath translated from the mortall fleshe to the immortall soule For the Lorde being whole set and fully minded according to his eternall goodnesse to haue a care for our life and safegard did set repentance before our eyes for vs to followe as a waye to bring vs thereunto so that if wee make bare our heartes that is if by confession of our sinnes we satisfie the Lord we should obteine pardone whiche is denied to the proude and those that conceale their faultes by God who beholdeth not the face as man doeth but searcheth the secrets of the brest Thus much hitherto hath that auncient writer of the churche Lactantiê° Firmianus declared vnto vs touching the mysterie of circumcision Nowe all this whiche hitherto I haue saide touching the meaning and mysterie of circumcisioÌ„ was set forth as in a picture to be séene of all mens eyes so often as circumcision was solemnized in the church There was the league as it were renued which God did make with men There was the grace of God his sanctification and our corruption declared therein did Christ the rocke of stone appeare who with his spirite doth cutt wash away all spottes of the Churche Moreouer the worshippers of God did learne by that signe and so by all the holie ceremonie that they beeing in one ecclesiasticall bodie ought to do their indeuour by purenesse of liuing to winne the fauour of God their confederate Because by the visible circumcision there was after a sorte an open confession made of the true religion of frée consent to the true religion and of a bynding by promise vnto the same He therefore that did despise or vnaduisedly neglect that holie ceremonie was sharply punished as may be gathered by the 17. of Genesis and the fourth Chapter of Exodus And so muche hetherto touching circumcision There followeth nowe the seconde Sacrament of the auncient churche I meane the Paschal Lamb. It is an Hebrewe word not signifying a passion as it should séeme if it were deriued according to the Gréeke etymologie but it signifieth a skipping a leaping or a passing ouer For the Hebrewe *** signifieth to leape or passe ouer The cause of this worde Moses him selfe sheweth in the lawe where he saith The Lord shall go ouer to strike the Aegyptians when he shall see the bloud vppon the vpper poste and the two side postes of the doore *** the Lord wil passe ouer that doore and will not suffer the destroyer to come within your houses This sacrament is knowen also and called by other names For it is called a signe a remembraunce a solemnitie an holie assemblie the feast of the Lorde a worship an obseruation an oblation and a Sacrifice But whereas that ceremonie is called a passing ouer that is not done without a trope For the passing ouer was the verie benefite wherein the Angel of the Lorde did passe ouer the Iewes leaue their houses vntouched and saue their liues but for because the Paschall Lambe was a memoriall a renuing of that benefite therefore it tooke the name of the benefite Euen as I admonished you before that it is vsuall in Sacramentes for the signes to bee called by the names of the thinges that they signifie béecause of the likenesse and mutual proportion that is betwixt them Let vs sée nowe what the passeouer was and what kinde of ceremonie did belong vnto it The Passeouer was an holy action ordeined by God in the killing and eating of a Lambe partely to the ende that the Churche might kéepe in memorie the benefite which God did for them in the land of Aegypt to be a testimonie of Gods
giuen by God touching the magistrate or Iudges with their office and election Of their election thus we reade Bring ye saith Moses to the people men of wisedome and of vnderstanding and expert according to your tribes and I will make them rulers ouer you Againe I will make thee rulers and Iudges to iudge the people according to thy tribes in all thy cities which the Lorde thy God giueth thee And yet againe more plainly Seeke saith Iethâ—o being inspired from aboue vnto Moses out of all the people men of courage and suche as feare God true men hating couetousnesse to wite such as hate to take money and bribes â–ª and make of them ouer the people rulers of thousands rulers of hundredes rulers of fifties and rulers of tennes and let them iudge the people at all seasons Which if thou doest thou shalt both keep the ordinances of God and the people in peace and safetie To this doth beloÌ„g that which we reade in the booke of NuÌ„bers where Moses prayed saying Let the God of the spirits of al fleashe set a man ouer this congregation which may go out and in before theÌ„ that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheepe without a shepehearde Herein Moses hath leaft an example for vs to imitate in making our prayers to God for the election of our Iudges For often times our opinions or iudgements of men do vtterly deceiue vs But the God of spirites doth behold the mindes and heartes kneweth what euery one is in thoughtes and inward meaning He therefore must be besought to giue and shewe to vs not hypocrites to be our Iudges but men of trueth and vertue In the same place doth Moses leaue to vs the description of consecrating newe chosen Iudges For they were set before the Lorde and handes were laide vpon them with making of prayers supplications Moreouer the office of Iudges is verie briefely but yet in moste effectuall and absolute sentences described of the Lord by the mouth of Moses in these wordes Heare the causes of your brethren and iudge righteousely betwixt euery man and his brother and the straunger that is with him Ye shal haue no respect of any person in iugement but heare the small and the greate alike and feare not the face of any man for the iudgement is Gods. Againe Iudge the people with iust iudgement Decline not in iudgement haue no respect of persons neither take thou any bribes for rewardes do blinde the eyes of the wise and doeth peruert iust causes Doe iudgement with iustice that thou mayst liue possesse the land which the Lorde thy God shal giue thee And againe Do no vniust thing in iudgement accept not the face of the poore neither feare thou the face of the mightie but iudge thou iustly vnto thy neighbor Againe Thou shalt not haue to doe with a false reporte thou shalt not followe a multitude to doe euil neither shalt thou speake in a matter of iustice according to the greater number for to peruert iudgement that is if thou séest an innocent to be condemned of the multitude do not thou therfore condemne him because the multitude hath condemned him but iudge thou iustly and committ not euil because of the many voices of the multitude Thou shalte not esteeme a poore man in his cause neither shalt thou hinder the poore of his right in his suite Keep thee farre from a false matter and the innocent and righteous see that thou slaye not Thou shalt not oppresse the straunger seeing ye your selues were straungers in the â—and of Aegypt And God verily when he had deliuered the people from the tyrannie of the kings of Aegypt did not putt them in subiection to kinges againe nor burden them with the tributes which kings are wont to exact of their subiects for he made them a common weale or an Aristocracie which was the moste excellent kind of regiment wherein the choicest men in all the multitude were piked out to beare that swaye and to rule the rest but yet because hee was not ignorant of his peoples foolishenesse and that they being wearie of their libertie woulde craue a king which thing he did afterward also disuade them from by his seruaunt Samuel he made lawes for a king also that hee might vnderstand that he was to liue vnder the lawes and to giue iudgement according to the lawes The discipline or institution of a king is thus expressed in the 17 Chapter of Deuteronomium WheÌ„ thou art come into the land which the lord thy God giueth thee and shalte saye I wil set a king ouer mee like as all the nations that are about me then thou shalt make him king ouer thee whome the Lord thy God shall choose One from among the middest of thy brethren shalte thou make king ouer thee and thou mayest not set a straunger ouer thee which is not of thy brethren But he shall not gather many horses vnto him selfe nor bring the people back againe into Aegypt to increase the number of horses that is to get him selfe a strong troope of horse men for as much as the Lorde hath saide ye shall hencefoorth go no more againe that waye Also let him not take many wiues to him selfe least his heart turne awaye neither let him gather too much siluer and golde And when he is sett vppon the seate of his kingdome he shall write him out a copie of this law in a booke according to the copie of the booke which the priestes the Leuites do vse and it shal bee with him he ought to reade therein all the dayes of his life that hee may learne to feare the Lorde his God and to keepe all the woordes of this lawe and these ordinaunces for to do them And let not his hart arise aboue his brethren neither let him turne from the commandement either to the right hand or to the leaft that hee may prolong his dayes in his kingdome both hee and his sonnes in the middest of Israel Thus much hitherto of the magistrates of Iudges and of kinges Nowe I suppose that in this institution of a kinge all thinges are conteined which are moste largely set out by other authors touching the discipline and education of a Prince And by the waye this is especially to bée noted that Kinges are not set as Lordes and rulers ouer the worde and lawes of God but are as subiectes to bee iudged of God by the worde as they that ought to rule and gouerne all thinges according to the rule of his worde and commaundements And here I haue to rehearsâ— vnto you some of the Iudiciall lawes I meane not all and euery seueral one but those alone which are the chiefe choicest to be noted by which ye may consider of the rest and plainly perceiue that the people of Israel were not destitute of anye lawe which was necessarie and profitable for their good state and welfare I will recite them vnto you as briefely as may bee
Wherevppon wée doe fréely confesse that the lawe doeth properly make manifeste our infirmitie but that the Gospel giueth a medicine a remedie to that which was almost past hope And now here we must thinke that our holy ancestors had not the lawe alone to conuince them of sinne nor Moses to doe nothing else but kill and slay nor that Moses was giuen to wound them but to heale them that not by his owne power or vertue but by the guiding of them to him that chéerisheth the contrite in heart and healeth all their sorrowes that is Christ Iesus who also wrought by the ministerie of Moses For we must not thincke from the beginning of the world nor from Moses his time till the comming of Christe that the bare letter was preached onely and that the grace and spirite of God was idle wrought not in the mindes of the faithfull For in that the law doth shewe vs and inuincibly proue to vs that in vs I meane in our flesh y perfection is not which the most holy and perfecte God doth in his lawe require of vs it doeth therein reuoke and pull backe mankinde not by the vertue of it selfe but by the power of the quickening spirite of Christ from confidence of the fleshe as that wherin there is no health nor iote of perfection and so coÌ„sequently doeth giue vs occasion to turne our selues to Christ our mediatour who is alone our sanctification perfection And so for this occasion the law is a path and readie way and as it were a scholemaster giuen by God to vs men to drawe vs from all confidence in our owne strengths from all hope of our owne merites and from y trust in any kinde of creatures and to lead vs directly by faith to Christ who was made by God as I said eueÌ„ now our righteousnesse sanctification and redemptioÌ„ without whom there is no saluation vnder the sunne Therefore Moses did not onely vrge the lawe but did also preach Christ life in Christ For the Lord in the Gospel saith to the Iewes Thinke not that I will accuse you to my father There is one that accuseth you euen Moses in whome ye trust For if ye had beleued Moses ye would vndoubtedly haue beleued mee For he wrote of mee And Paule to the Galathians saith If there had beene a law giuen which could haue giuen life then no doubt righteousnesse should haue beene by the lawe but the Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne that the promise by the faith of Iesus Christ should bee giuen vnto them that beleeue But before faith came wee were kept vnder the lawe and were shut vp into the faith which should afterward be reuealed Wherefore the lawe was our scholemaster vnto Christ that we should be iustified by faith Loe what could bée said more plainly then that the lawe hath concluded all vnder sinne But to what end That the promise by the faith of Christ Iesus should bée giuen vnto them that do beléeue And againe Before faith came that is before he came to whom our faith is directed and vppon whoÌ„ it is grounded we were kept vnder the lawe How forsooth being shut vp vnto the faith that was to bee reuealed Therefore our fathers were shut vpin the law that they should not breake out at any time séeke for life and saluation any where else but in Christ alone Wherefore the lawe did lead vs by faith directly vnto Christe And yet more plainly hée saith The lawe was oure scholemaister vnto Christ Loe here againe the law doth bring vs to Christ And againe he addeth That we should bee iustified by faith Therefore the lawe setteth forward the true doctrine of iustification teaching plainly that we are iustified by faith in Christ and not by the merits of our owne workes In whiche point it is opeÌ„ly like vnto the Gospel and taketh to it selfe the office of the Gospell and no meruaile since to many men through their owne fault the Gospell doth become and is made the letter Furthermore the same Apostle doth in an other place say that in sacrifices they called their sinnes to remeÌ„brance we knowe that in them was prefigured the purging of sinns Therfore eueÌ„ the ceremonial lawes also led them to Christ testifying teaching them that he alone doth clense vs from all our sinnes Whervpon I conclude that the office of Moses and of the lawe both was is to opeÌ„ to vs our sinne iudgment yet not to condemne vs only but also by occasion to lead vs to Christ By which we learne also that the law doth not only teach vs the first principles and rudimentes of righteousnesse but the very true absolute righteousnesse For Moses doth expresly say that he taught a most perfecte absolute kind of doctrine as that wher in both life and death doth wholie consist And the Apostle saith that the law leadeth vs by the hand to Christ that we should be iustified by faith Now the righteousnesse of faith is the most perfect righteousnesse Therfore wher as the precepts of the law are in some places called the rudimeÌ„ts of the world that is for two especiall causes The first wherof is because the lawe is as it were the first instructioÌ„s or elemeÌ„ts which when the doctrine of the Gospel commeth is finished and giueth place to it as to more absolute principles The latter cause is because ceremonies are taught vnder outward thinges or signes when as in those outward things they do prefigure and set forth to be séen y inward things euen Christ himselfe his holy mysteries And out of that which I haue hetherto said we may also learne that the ancient saints which liued vnder the old testament did not séeke for righteousnesse saluation in the workes of the lawe but in him which is the perfectnesse end of the law euen Christ Iesus therfore that they vsed the law the ceremonies as a guide and scholemistresse to lead them by the hande to Christe their sauiour For so often as they heard that the lawe required perfect righteousnesse at their hands they did by faith through grace vnderstand y in the lawe Christ was set forth to be the most absolute righteousnesse to whom all men ought to flie for â—he obtâ—ining of righteousnesse So often as they mette together in the holy congregation to behold the holy Ceremonies which God had ordeined they did not looke vppon the bare figures only nor thincke that they did please God and were purged from their sinnes by that externall kinde of worshipp but they did cast the eyes of their minds of faith vppon the Messiah to come who was prefigured in al the Ceremonies and ordinaunces of the lawe They therefore did abuse the lawe who thoughte that they were acceptable to God and that they serued him as they should because they were busie in those Ceremoniall workes For those thoughtes and persuasions the Prophets
Iesus said vnto him Verilie I say vnto thee this day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise Therefore this théefe was thoroughe faith iustified without the workes of the lawe For after this request and prayer of his the Lord made no inquisition what his woorkes were all his life longe neither did hee looke what workes hée would doe after this faith and beleeuing but did immediatly vppon his confession both iustifie and take him as a companion to goe with him to Paradise Moreouer to the woman of whom mention is made in the Gospell after Sainct Luke not for any worke of the lawe but for faith onely hee said Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And againe Go in peace thy faith hath made thee safe Furthermore in many places of the Gospell wée finde that our Sauiour vsed the like kinde of speach making faith alwayes to bee the cause of mens saluation And a little while after the same Apostle saith God forbid that I should glorie in any thing but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ by whome the world is crucified to mee and I to the world Thou séest héere that the Apostle glorieth not of his owne righteousnesse or chastitie or wisedome or other workes or vertues of his owne but doth most plainly pronounce and say Let him that glorieth glorie in the Lord and so by that meanes all boasting is excluded And so forth with many other sayings tending to this purpose S. AMBROSE in his exposition of Paule his Epistle vnto the Romanes vppon the third and fourth Chapiters doeth saye They are fréelie iustified sayth Sainct Paule beecause when they woorke nothing nor doe any thing for GOD againe they are yet thorough faith onely iustified by the gift of God. According to the purpose of Gods grace sayeth Paule it was so ordeined of God that laying the law aside the grace of God should require faith onely vnto saluation This doeth by the example of the Prophete confirme the blessednesse of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without woorkes hée calleth them blessed with whome the Lord hath couenaunted that without labour and kéeping of the lawe they should bee iustified before their maker S. IOHN Chrysostome treating of faith of the lawe of nature and of the holie Ghost doth expressely saye I cannot proue that hee whiche woorketh the woorkes of righteousnesse without faith doeth enioye eternall life But I can by good proofe shewe that hée which beleeued without works did both liue and obteine the kingdome of heauen No man without faith hath obteined life But the théefe beléeued onely and for his faith was iustified by the most mercifull god And whereas here peraduenture thou wilt obiecte that hee wanted time to liue iustly and to doe good woorkes I aunsweare that I doe not greatly striue about that but this onelye I sticke to that faith alone did iustifie saue him For if he had liued any longer and had neglected faith and workes hée had vndoubtedly fallen from saluation But the onely end and argument whereat I now shoote is that faith of it selfe doth bring saluation and that workes of themselues did neuer saue any workers that wrought them As Chrysostome doth at large declare by the example of the Capitaine Cornelius These testimonies I suppose are sufficient to wittes that will bee aunsweared and doe not stand obstinateâ—â— in quarellinges and ianglings Otheâ—wise I could alledge a great 〈◊〉 But I will not bee ouer tedâ—ors vnto you deerely beloued nor same to bee endlesse in an euident matter But nowe because to this treatise of the righteousnesse of woorkes there is a questioÌ„ annexed touching the merits of good woorkes I will therefore summarilie say somewhat of merits or rather of the hire and reward of good woorkes To this ende especiallie least any man thincking irreligiouâ—ly of the merits of good workes do therby winne to himselfe not good but euill workes The name of Merits is an vnaâ—quainted terme not vsed in the Scriptures For in that signification wherin our Merite woorkers vse it to wit for meritorious woorkes for that I meane wherevnto both life and the grace of GOD is of duetie giuen as debt that is due in that signification I saye it doeth obscure the Grace of God and maketh man too proude and arrogant What I pray you can our woorkes deserue since none of the Sainctes durst bée so bold as to plead their merites before the Lord Iob cryeth If I wil iustifie mee selfe mine owne mouthe shall condemne mee If I will goe about to shewe mee selfe to bee an innocent hee shall proue mee a wicked doer If I washe mee selfe with snowe water and make my handes neuer so cleane at the wel yet shalt thou dippe me in the myre and mine owne garmentes shall defile mee Dauid crieth Enter not into iudgment with thy seruaunt for in thy sighte shall no man liuing bee iustified Christ oure Lord in the Gospell saith When ye haue done all thinges that are commaunded you then say wee are vnprofitable seruauntes wee haue done that wee oughte to doe But a little before oure Lord saide Doeth the maister thancke the seruaunt whiche doeth the thinges that are commaunded him to doe The holy Apostle Sainct Paule also cryeth I doe not despise the Grace of god For if righteousnesse bee of the Lawe then did Christe die in vaine Againe in the Gospell after Sainct Luke the Phariscie is greatly blamed which could not be content to put confidence in his owne righteousnesse but would néedes boaste of his merits also And Nabuchodonosor fealt no little plague for saying that the kingdome of Babylon did come vnto him by his owne arte industrie power and vertue By how muche a greater punishement therefore shall wée thincke them to be worthie off which are persuaded make their bragges that they by their merits haue deserued or earned the kingdome of heauen And yet all this doth not tend to y making void of the stipend of good woror to the denying of the reward that is prepared for vertues For he is true which promised and what hee promised he will performe Now he promised rewards to them that worke righteousnesse euen as also according to his iustice and trueth hée hath threatened terrible punishments to wicked impenitent sinners But the promises of God are of two sortes to witt they lay before oure eyes the giftes and rewards of this present life and of the life to come For the Lord in the Gospell after S. Marke doth say Verilie I saye vnto you there is no man that hath forsaken house or brethren or landes for my sake and the Gospels but he shall receiue an hundreth fold now at this present with persecutioÌ„s and in the world to come life euerlasting And Paul saith Godlinesse is profitable to all thinges hauing promise of the life that is nowe of that which is to come This is a sure saying and by all meanes worthie to bee receiued For therefore wee
blasphemers of the Gospell of Christ do sinne more grieuously than the Sodomites did and that God which is a sure reuenger will surely plague them for it either in this life or in the worlde to come or else in both with vnspeakeable miseries and endlesse torments Let vs therefore beléeue the Gospell of the sonne of God firste preached to the worlde by God the father then by the Patriarches after that of the Prophets and lastely of the onely begotten sonne of God Christ Iesus his Apostles whose heauenly voyce doth euen at this daye sounde to vs in the mouthes of the mynisters sincerely preaching the Gospel vnto vs. Secondarily wee haue to consider what it is that the heauenly preaching of the Gospell doeth shewe vnto the worlde to wite the Grace of God our heauenly father For the Apostle Paule in the twentieth Chapter of the Actes saith that hee receiued the ministerie of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the Grace of God. Nowe therefore I will at this present saye so much of the grace of GOD as is sufficient for this place The woorde grace is diuersly vsed in the holie Scriptures euen as it is in prophane writinges also For in the Bible it signifieth Thankesgiuinge and also a Benefite and almes as 2. Cor. 8. Moreouer it signifieth prayse and recompence as in that place where the Apostle saith If when ye do well ye are afflicted yet do beare it that is praisworthie before God. It doeth also signifie facultie or licence as when wee saye that one hath gotten grace to teache and execute an office For the Apostle saith that he receiued grace and immediately to expounde his owne meaning hee addeth to execute the office of an Apostle Moreouer the gifts of God are called grace because they are giuen gratis and fréely bestowed without looking for of any recompēce And yet Paule in the fifte to the Romanes distinguisheth a gifte from grace For Grace doth signifie the fauour and good will of God towarde vs But a gifte is the thinge whiche God doth giue vs of that good wil such as are faith constancie and integritie They are saide to haue founde Grace with God whome God doeth dearely loue and fauour more than other In that sense Noah founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde Ioseph founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde of the prison And the holie virgin is read to haue founde grace with the Lorde because shee was beloued of God and verie deare vnto the Lord as shée whome he had singularly chosen from among all other women But in this place and present argument Grace is the fauour goodnesse of the eternall godhead wherwith he according to his incomprehensible goodnesse doeth gratis fréely for Christe his sake imbrace call iustifie and saue vs mortall men Nowe here mée thinketh before wee go anye further it is not amisse to examine and search out the cause of this Gods loue to vs exhibited For we sée that there is a certein relatiō betwixt the fauour of God vs men to whom his fauour is so bent It is a matter neither hard nor tedious to be found out For in vs there is nothing wherewith God can be in loue or wherewithall hee may be moued or stirred vp to imbrace vs yea in so much as wee are all vnpure sinners and that God is holye iuste and a reuenger of iniquities he hath matter ynoughe to finde in vs for which he may be angrie at and with iust reuengement plague vs So then the cause of Gods loue to vs wardes must of necessitie be not in vs nor in any other thing beside God considering that nothinge is more excellent than man but euen in God him self Moreouer the moste true Scripture doth teach vs that God is of his owne inclination naturally good gentle as Paul calleth him Philanthropon a louer of vs men who hath sent his owne sonne of his owne nature into the worlde for our redemption whervppon it doeth consequently followe that God doth fréely of him selfe and for his sonnes sake loue man and not for any other cause Whereby immediately all the preparamentes incitaments and merites of men beeing dissolued by the fire of Gods greate loue doe vade and passe awaye like smoke For the grace of God is altogether free and vnlesse it be so I cannot sée howe it can bee called Grace But it behoueth vs in a thing so weightie to cite some euident testimonies of the holie Scripture to confirme our mindes withall against all sophistical trifles and temptations of the diuell Our Lorde in the Gospell said So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne for the world that euery one which beleue in him shuld not perish but haue life euerlasting Loe here this goodwill of God which is the fauour and loue wherwith God embraceth vs is the cause of oure saluation For Christ hauing suffered for vs is our saluation Now God of verie loue hath giuen Christ both to vs for vs Neither may we thincke that God was first moued by oure loue to him ward to shewe like mutuall loue to vs againe and to giue his sonne for vs For he had determined before the beginning of the world to woorke our redemption through Christ his sonne And Iohn the Euangeliste in his Canonical Epistle sayth Herein is loue not that we loued God but that hee loued vs and sent his sonne to be an attonement for our sinnes To these testimonies although sufficiently plaine and stronge enough I will yet add some proofes out of the Apostle Paul y so this argument may be more euident that the great agréement may appeare which is betwixt Euangelists and Apostles in this doctrine of grace Paule therfore sayeth All haue sinned stand in neede of the glorie of God but are iustified freely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesu Againe to the Ephesians he sayeth Ye are saued thorough grace by faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of woorkes least any man should boast Againe to Titus The grace and loue of God our Sauiour towards all men hath appeared not of the woorkes of our owne righteousnesse which he did but according to his mercie hath he saued vs. Likewise in the 2. Epistle to Timothie the first Chapiter he sayeth God hath saued vs and hath called vs with an holie calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus I thinke verilie that if a man had béene sett of purpose to haue feigned any thing for the defence of this matter hee could not haue framed any sentence so fitt and euident as these woordes are So nowe it is manifest that the grace of God is altogether frée as that which excludeth all our woorks and merits And this frée loue of God is the only cause and true beginning of the Gospell For
whiche cause Paule calleth the Gospell the Preaching of Grace But nowe althoughe the grace of God doth not depend vppon vs or our woorks yet doth it not idlely abide in God as if it were vtterly without vs and altogether farre from vs as the thing that is neither felt nor yet worketh in vs For we vnderstood by the cited testimonies that grace is the fauour of God wherewith hee loueth vs men We vnderstood that men are saued by grace For since God loueth men he would not haue them perish therefore hee hath thorough grace sent his sonne to deliuer them from destruction and that in him the iustice and mercie of God might be knowen to al the world But none are deliuered saue those that beleeue therefore grace hath somewhat whereby to worke in man For by the powring of the holy Ghost into our hearts the vnderstanding will are instructed in the faith To be short Grace as I haue alreadie told you doeth call iustifie saue or glorifie the faithfull so that we must make our account that the whole worke of our saluation and all the vertues of the godly do procéed of the onely grace of God alone whose working we doe at all times acknowledge confesse And that is againe proued both by diuine and humane testimonies Paul to the Romanes sayeth Those which he knew before he also did predestinate and those which he did predestinate he also called those whom he called he also iustified and those whome he iustified he also glorified What shall we then say to these thinges If God be on our side who can be against vs which spared not his own sonne but gaue him for vs how shall he not with him also giue vs all thinges Againe in the first cap. of his Epistle to the Ephcsians he hath referred the whole worke of election and saluation with all the parts therof vnto the grace of god Moreouer the holie fathers in the counsel Mileuentanum amonge whom also S. Augustine was present made this decree touching the grace of god If any mā say that mercie is without the grace of God bestowed from aboue vpon vs beleeuing willing desiring endeuouring studiing asking seeking striuing as of our selues doeth not confesse that euen To beleeue To will and To be able to do all these things as we shold doe is wrought by the powring in inspiration of the holie Ghost if hee ioyne the humilitie or obedience of man as an helpe vnto grace and if hee doth not cōsent that it is the very gift of grace euen that we are humble obedient he is directly cōtrarie to the Apostle who sayeth For what hast thou that thou hast not receiued And By the grace of God I am that I am Thus much say they Now these diuine humane testimonies béeing throughly considered there is none I hope which maye not vnderstand that the grace of God is the same that I told you to wit the fauour and goodwil of the eternal Godhead wherwith he according to his incomprehensible goodnesse doeth embrace call iustifie and saue men fréely for Christ his sake our Lord and Sauiour The blessed man Aurelius Augustine had a sharp conflict with Pelagius the Britton concerning the grace of god For the heretique did by grace vnderstand nothing but the benefite of the creation which as Augustine denied not to be grace so did hevehemētly vrge that the Apostle did especiallie speake of that frée grace wherby without any merite of oures wee are fréely saued for Christ his sake This did he vrge therfore the more earnestly be cause he sawe that the heretique affirmed that his owne humane nature was sufficient vnto him not to do only but also to do perfectly the cōmaundements of God by frée will. But of these matters s. Augustine doth verie largely religiously dispute in his 95. Epistle Ad Innocentium Many of the late writers for teachings sake haue diuided Grace * into Grace that doth things acceptable and * Grace that is gratis or freely giuen Againe they haue diuided it into * working Grace and ioynte working Grace Finallie they part it into * Grace that goeth before and grace that followeth after And the very same writers also reckon vp the operatiōs or effects of grace after this maner almost Grace healeth the soule maketh it first to wil well and then to worke effectuallie y thing that it willeth so it causeth it to perseueare in goodnesse at length to come to eternall glorie But I am not so careful to reckon vpp the sentences of writers to shew you euery ones seuerall opinion whiche both were an excessiue labour and also more than my abilitie is to do as I am willing to cite the places of scripture which is the one and onely rule how to think and how to iudge rightly to shew you therby what the scripture would haue you thinke as I haue in my former treatise of the grace of God both briefly euidently enough I hope declared vnto you And also the discourse of Christe whiche followeth hereafter thorough whome the father hath powred the most excellent heauenly grace into vs shal help to make vp y which sémeth to be wāting here But now before I depart from this argument I thought good to admonish you that the sentences of Gods woord do not iarre among themselues when we doe in sundrie places read heare first that we are saued fréely or by the Grace of God then that we are saued by the loue of God thirdly that we are saued thoroughe the mercie of God fourthly that wee are saued thoroughe Christe fiftly that wee are saued thorough the bloud or death or incarnation of Christ and lastly that we are saued through faith in Christ or in the mercie or grace of god For all these speaches tend to one the same end doe ascribe the whole glorie cause of mans saluation vnto the verie mercie or grace of god The pledge of grace yea and our only Sauiour is the onely begottē sonne of God betrayed vnto death Sincere fayth layeth hold on méere grace in Christ nothing else Nowe therefore hauing thus expounded according to my smal abilitie that which I had to speake in generall of the grace of God I doe heere descend to handle that singular or particular worke of Gods grace which is nothing else but that the mercifull father hath exhibited to vs his sonne in that maner and order as he promised him to vs in the old prophets and that in him he hath fullie giuē vs al things requisite to eternall life and absolute felicitie because hee is the Lord and Messiah or onelye and true Sauiour whiche was incarnate dead raised to life and taken vpp into heauen for vs and our saluation For Christ is both king and high priest that is our sauiour he is the marke the starre and verie Sunne lighte of the preaching of the Gospell Nowe in expounding these
the second parte where wee haue to shewe you that GOD the father hath faithfully perfourmed to vs that which he promised to our forefathers in giuing to vs his onely begotten Sonne who is that true and looked-for Messiah that is to bee blessed world without ende In making this matter manifest the Euangelistes and Apostles of oure Lord haue taken great paines and set it forth so well and faithfully that it cannot be bettered They shewe that Christ doth come of the stocke of Dauid descending lineally of the séede of Abrraham they tell that his mother was the Virgin which did conceiue by the holie Ghost and being a Virgin still brought him into the world They note the time wherein Christ was reuealed in all points correspondent to the Prophets prophecies They add that the place of his natiuitie was aunswerable to that whiche Micheas foretolde In the Easte there appeareth a starre whiche moueth the Princes or wisemen to goe and salute the newe borne Kinge They come therefore and euen in Hierusalem doe openly professe that the Messiah is borne and that they are come out of the Easte to worship and honour him According to their woordes so were their déedes For when by the leading of the starre they had once found him they fall downe before him and doe by offering to Christ the giftes that they brought not obscurely declare howe ioyfull they were and how much they set by their Lord and Sauiour In the verie citie of Hierusalem the most iust man Simeon with great ioye of heart and godly gratulation doeth in the temple openly testifie that God according to his eternall goodnesse and constancie had giuen to the world his onely begotten sonne whome hee had promised vnto the fathers therewithall protesting that hee was willing to die He addeth the cause For that saith hee mine eyes haue seene thy saluation to witt that Schilo the Sauiour whome thou O God hast determined to set before al people a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glorie of thy people Israel that is that hee shaking off al darckenes should bring the light of trueth life vnto the Gentiles to lighten them withall and that hee should bée the glorie and life of the people of Israel Herevnto also belongeth the testimonie of that notable man Zacharie the holie priest of God saying Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for hee hath visited and redeemed his people hath raised vp a horne of saluation for vs in the house of his seruaunt Dauid As hee spake by the mouth of his holie Prophets whiche haue beene since the world began And so forth as is to be séen in the first of Lukes Gospel Moreouer Iohn the sonne of this Zacharie syrnamed the Baptist than who we read not that any one more holie was euer borne of women did with his finger pointe at Christ Iesus and openly declare that hee is that looked for Messiah whome all the Prophetes promised and that God by giuing him vnto the woorld hath done that hee promised and wholie powred himselfe with all his benefites into and vppon all faithful beléeuers And as the people wayted saith Luke and thought in their heartes of Iohn whether hee were verie Christ Iohn aunswered saying to them all In deed I baptise you with water but one stronger than I commeth after me whose shoes latchet I am not worthie to vnloâ—se hee shall baptise you with the holie Ghost and with fire And in the Gospel after S. Iohn wee read The next day Iohn seeth Iesus comming vnto him and sayeth Beehold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinne of the world This is he of whome I said After mee commeth a man which is preferred before mee because he was before mee and I knewe him not but that hee should be declared vnto Israel therfore am I come baptising with water And immediatly after hee sayeth I sawe the spirite descending from heauen like vnto a doue and it aboad vpon him And I knew him not but he that sent mee to baptise with water the same said vnto me vpon whom thou shalt see the spirite descending tarying still on him the same is hee whiche baptiseth with the holie Ghost And I sawe and bare record that this is the sonne of God. Againe when the disciples of Iohn did enuie the happie successe of Christ that it gréeued them to sée their maister Iohn as it were neglected in coÌ„parison of Christ Iohn said to his disciples Ye your selues are witnesses that I said I am not Christ but I am sent before him Hee that hath the bride is the bridegrome but the friend of the bridegrome whiche standeth and heareth him reioyceth because of the bridegrome Therfore this my ioy is fulfilled hee must increase but I must decrease The father loueth the sonne and hath giuen all thinges into his hand He that beleeueth in the sonn hath life euerlasting hee that beleeueth not in the sonne shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth vppon him These testimonies are firme cleare and euident enough and might suffice for the confirmation of this cause But let vs yet of a many moe picke out and add a fewe whiche may declare that Christ is alreadie exhibited vnto vs Therefore our Lord himselfe whome wee beléeue to bee Messiah when hee had a great while béene verie greatly commended by the testimonie of Iohn doeth at length come abroad preach the woord of life But it is not read that in any age before or since there was euer any y taughte with so great grace And therewithall hee shewed almost incredible and wonderfull miracles which do easilie argue who hée was and were sufficient to winne such a man with whome no woordes might possiblie preuaile Hee was louing and gentle to sinners repeating still and beating into their heads that hee was come to saue them and call them to repentance Therefore when the disciples of Iohn did once come vnto him saying Art thou hee that should come or shall we looke for an other Hée aunsweared Goe ye and tell those thinges to Iohn whiche ye see and heare The blinde receiue their sighte and the lame walke the lepers are clensed the deafe heare the dead are raised to life and to the poore is preached the glad tydinges of the Gospell Nowe by these his doctrine I meane and his woorkes or miracles his minde was to shewe that hee was exhibited the true Messiah vnto the world and that none other is to be loked-for Moreouer in the Synagogue at Nazareth where hee read and expounded Esaies prophecie of the comming of Messiah he declared there that that Scripture was in himselfe fulfilled And to the historie is immediatly annexed And all bare record vnto him and wondered at the gratious sayings that proceded froÌ„ his mouth Againe in the tenth Chapiter of S. Iohn his Gospell The Iewes came round about the Lord and said How longe doest thou make vs to doubt If thou
celebrated in stéede of other ordinances of god came in a high heap of foolish and superstitious Ceremonies whervnto a great number of men yelding made themselues subiect to the sea of Rome In the meane space notwithstanding the church of God was not vtterly extinguished throughout al the world neither the holy ministerie of the word of God the true worship of God vtterly decayed amongest all men For there were found spred abrode in euery place not a few men who neither alowed the Pope and his conspirators nether his corruption in matters of the church But they worshipped the lord Christ whom they acknowledged to be the onely authour of saluation and therfore they kept them selues frée from Popish filthines And god also sent almost in euery age since the beginning of Popedome men that were graue godly and learned who greuously accused the Popes kingdome and tyrannie euen as the Prophets did of old time in the dayes of Ieroboam the idolatrous corruption coÌ„stantly requiring the reformation of the church from Popish corruptions and also teaching the true doctrine of saluation the true vse of the sacramentes And wheras a pure reformation by reason of Antichristes tyrannie could not bée obteined there was notwithstanding found a continual studie of puritie a godly desire of the lawful vse of the sacraments euen as I said there was in the elect members of the true church of God in the dayes of IeroboaÌ„ Achab Manasses in the time of the captiuitie of Babylon But euen as in those times the true prophets of God were not acknowleged for true prophets of the priests of Baal but were coÌ„demned for scismatiques heretiques eueÌ„ so in certeine ages past the bishops of Rome with their conspiratours did excoÌ„municate persecute godly and learned men who preached the word of God called for the reformation of the church many of them did they put to death with fire and sword which thing our Lord and maister himselfe with the prophets and Apostles did foreshewe should come to passe Moreouer God could vndoubtedly reserue to himselfe a mightie church euen vnder the Papisme euen as we doubte not but hee hath done a very gret vnder Mahometanisme for who will thinke that no meÌ„bers of the church of God are remayning in all Asia and Africa Could not our merciful god with his mightie power in the last calamitie and ruine of gods church reserue againe as sometime he did 7000. meÌ„ of whom neuer a one had worshipped the beast or receiued his mark What hath béen don in Turkie or what at this day is don let them declare that can do it best most rightly What hath béene done amongest vs in these last ages no man can denie Through the great goodnesse of God we sée it is come to passe that euen as circumcision the signe of gods couenaunt of old was giueÌ„ vnto the people of god euen in the middest of the falling from god so also at this day in the greatest darcknesse of Antichrist most holy baptisme was giuen to the ChristiaÌ„s to be as a seale of the forgiuenesse of sinnes inheritance of the children of god Surely the purenes of doctrine was prophaned with infinite most grosse traditions by the Popes sworne frends yet in the meane time it was not altogether abolished For that I repeat not againe any thing of that which I haue said of godly and learned men sent of God crying for reformation of the Church and greatly profiting with all the children of God was it not with a certein vniuersall consent receiued for most certeine and vndoubted that in the decalogue or tenne commandements there was set downe a short and most absolute summe of all the commaundements of God and that in the Lords prayer was taughte vs a most ample forme of prayer vnto God And that in the Apostles créed was conteyned a most perfect rule of faith or of y which was to be beléeued Surelie the custome was to recite the créede almost vnto euery one that was departinge out of this world and to those that lay euen at the last gasp as a most perfect rule of that faith whiche bringeth saluation Neither do we doubt that the mercifull God and father of mercies who vouchsafed to saue the théefe vppon the crosse euen at the giuing vp of his life had mercie vppon those that were oppressed with the tyrannie of Antichrist and through his vnmeasurable grace touched the hearts of men both liuing and readie to die taught them by his holy spirite and that they coÌ„fessing one God the father maker of all things and one Iesus Christ the sonne of God redéemer of the world to haue suffered and risen againe and one holy Ghoste and finallie the holie catholique Church that he hath sanctifyed them forgiuing them all their sinnes and hath translated the soules of such faithfull men into life euerlasting according as they beléeued into which place also wee beléeue our flesh being raised againe shal be caried in the end of the world They haue here therfore their answere also who aske whether all oure elders who died beefore these last times wherein the Gospell is reuealed be damned Let therfore those that bee aliue rather looke least for their contempt of the word of God and contâ—ntions raised against the word of God they come to worse end thaÌ„ their forefathers came Therfore thoughe we acknowledge not the Popish Church to be the true Church yet it followeth not thereof that there neither is or was any Church of God in the earth For we say that is the true Church of GOD which beléeueth in Christe and forsaketh not his word which Church also we haue plentifully enough described We know moreouer that wée our selues which at this daye beléeue in Christe are the true Church of Christ our lord For wee cleane by faith to oure onely head Christe and to all the members of the catholique church so as we are not destitute of the true markes of the true Church of God. But we read not say they that vnder the bishops priestes and kings of the Church of the Iewes either the prophets that is to saye the guides of the faithfull or else the faithful themselues did depart away from the high priest from the king or from their vniuersall Church and ordeyned vnto themselues new particular sacrifices as you at this day doe For you departing from the bishopp of Rome from kinges and gouernours and from the vniuersal Church do congregate vnto your selues a Church farre vnlike the vniuersall Church both in preaching and ministring of the Sacraments Wherevnto I aunswere that the old fathers before the comming of oure maister Christe for a certeine prescribed cause did not séeke places to offer new sacrifices in the temple being abused and defiled with idolatrie For it was vnlawfull to offer sacrifice without the bounds of the temple As is to be séene in the 3. of Leuit. and the 12. of Deut. Neither
hath giuen vnto none neyther doth any minister vnles he be blinded with diuelish pryde take that vnto him selfe as though he did worke those workes that are proper vnto Christe eyther for Christe or in Christes stead or together with Christ The Apostles being Christ his most faithful ministers and most chosen instruments of God did not giue the holy ghoste did not drawe mens harts did not inwardly anoynt mens mindes did not regenerate soules they them selues did not deliuer from sinne death the diuell and hell For all these things be the works of God whiche he hath not communicated to any Wherfore the most holy Baptist in plaine wordes denied that he was Christ he denied that he him selfe baptised with the holy Ghoste I saithe he baptise with water but hee baptiseth with the holy Ghost I am the voyce of a cryer in the wildernes prepare the way of the Lorde And Paule pleading his cause before Agrippa wisheth of God that king Agrippa were such a one as Paule him selfe was except his bonds But such a wishe had not néeded if he him selfe could drawe sanctifie and absolue There are infinite other of this kinde to be séene in the scriptures Yet neuerthelesse the ministerie of the church is not néedles The kings counsellers and officers haue not equall power with the king neither are they kinges with the king or for the king but for all that their seruice is not in vaine Therefore that thing which Christ the sonne of God who is the greatest the best and the chiefe high priest of his Church worketh in his catholique church inwardly and in their mindes as the onely searcher of of the hearts the very same outwardly he declareth and testifieth by his ministers whome the Scripture for that cause calleth witnesses embassadours or messingers You sayth the Lord to his Apostles shall beare witnesse bycause ye haue beene with me frō the beginning And Paul saith I am ordeined a precher an apostle a teacher of the gentiles Therfore the same apostle in another place calleth the same Gospell both a testimonie and preaching of our Lord Iesus Christe And Ihon the Apostle affirmeth that he was banished into the Isle of Pathmos For the worde of God and for the witnessing of Iesus Christe And therefore when ministers beare witnesse of the Sonne of God and out of his word promise life euerlasting their worde is not called mans word but the word of God and they are saide to saue and to release from sinn For they are the true messingers and harroldes of the king who is the deliuerer who hath sent them to publishe remission of sinnes wherevpon also they attribute all the meanes of life saluation and deliuerie to the onely deliuerer Christe Paule in an other place calleth ministers Fellowe labourers with God and afterward againe Disopsers of the secrets of God. For the saluation whiche the sonne of God hath onely wrought and whiche he also onely giueth the ministers preache or dispose and so they are fellowe labourers The same Apostle out of the doctrine of the Gospell which resembleth the teacher in the Church to one that soweth séede compareth the ministers to gardeners and planters of trées to whom he committeth the outward manuring reseruing the inwarde working to Christe our Lord saying Who is Paule then and who is Apollos but ministers by whome ye beleeued and as the Lorde gaue to euerie man I haue planted Apollos watered but god gaue the increase So then neyther is he that planteth any thing neyther he that watereth but God that giueth the increase With whiche testimonie of the Scripture Augustine being instructed learned so to speake and write of the ministerie of the Church as nothing shoulde be diminished from the glorie of God which inwardly moueth and teacheth vs and yet in the meane time the office of the ministerie should not be taken away or despised as vnprofitable For in his Epistle Ad Circenses which in order is accounted the 130. speaking of the secrete drawing of God and the outwarde ministerie of men These are not sayth he oure workes but Gods I would not at al attribute these thinges vnto mans working no not if when wee were with you so greate a conuersion of the multitude through our speaking and exhortations should happen That thing hee worketh and bringeth to passe who by his ministers outwardly warneth by tokens or signes of things but by the things them selues he inwardly teacheth by him selfe Thus farre he But least it might séem to any man that he spake too briefly and sparingly and not worthily enoughe of the ministerie of the Church euen he him selfe immediately addeth and sayth Neyther therfore ought we to be more flowe to come vnto you bycause whatsoeuer is done prayse woorthy among you commeth not of vs but of him which alone doth wonderfull thinges For we ought more carefully to runne to behold the workes of God than our owne workes Bycause euen we our selues if we haue any goodnesse in vs we are his worke and not mans Therefore the Apostle said Neither is he that plāteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the increase The same writer speaking of the verie same thing in his 26. treatise vpon Iohn Al the men of that kingdome sayth he shall be suche as are taught of God they shall not heare by men and though they heare by men yet that which they vnderstand is inwardly giuen it shineth inwardly it is inwardly reuealed What doe men in preaching outwardly what do I nowe when I speake make you to heare a noyse of wordes with your eares But vnlesse he reueale it which it within what say I or what speake I The outward workman is the plāter of the tree and the inwarde is the creatour Hee that planteth and hee that watereth worketh outwardly that doe we But neyther is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the increase This is the meaning of They shall be all taught of God. Thus far Augustine Wherfore when in another place S. Paule sayth Ye are the Epistle of Christe ministred by vs written not with ynke but with the spirit of the liuing God not in stonie tables but in fleshie tables of the heart we must diligently put a difference betwéene the worke of the spirit and the work of man or of the minister The minister doth not take on him the honor of God and the worke of the spirite but his owne worke that is to say the ministerie Paule preacheth and writeth with ynke but the spirite of God moueth the heart and with his grace or annoynting he writeth in the very heart so he worketh together with GOD Paule working his proper woorke and the spirite working his worke The Apostles are preachers and ministers of the Gospell not of the letter but of the spirite not that they giue the holie Ghoste but bycause they are preachers of the
they were put to their oath and sworne They toke a solemne oath hauing one to recite the fourme of the oathe to them woord by word as Vegetius saieth in his booke Deremilitari that they would stoutly readily do whatsoeuer their capiteine commaunded them and that they would neuer forsake the field in the defence of the common weale of Rome They had a donatiō giuen vnto ech of them as it were a pledge or earnest they gaue vp their names to be inrolled were marked that they might be knowen frō other souldiers Now because wee by our sacramentes specially by baptisme are receiued inrolled to be Christes souldiers and by receiuing the sacraments doe professe and witnesse our selues to be vnder Christ our captaines banner therefore not amisse nor without reason are the signes of Christ his church called sacraments In the meane while I will not stoutly stand in contention that the word Sacrament was for the cause chiefly attributed of them in auncient time to these our signes For Eras Rot. a mā very wel seene in the tongues throughly tried in old and ancient writers none better In Cathec sua Symb. 5. saith They whiche speake most exquisitly cal Sacramentū an oth or bond cōfirmed by the authoritie of god reuerence of religion But our elders vsed this word to expresse that whiche the Greekes call a mysterie which a man may call a religious secret because the cōmon people were excluded from meddling with them Thus farre he Therfore the old writers did cal those signes sacraments in stéede of mysteries For the self-same signes are called of the Gréeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mysteries which the Latine writers for the most part interprete holy and religious secrets holy secrets I say from the celebration of which secrets the prophane common people were excluded debarred For Cęliusin Lectio antiquis supposeth that they are called mysteries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it behoued thē which hid them or which ministred them to kéepe them close and to shewe them to no common person Whervppon mysteries may be well called separated holy secrets knowē to them only which were ordeined for that purpose to be celebrated onelye of sainctes or holy men Yet it maye séeme that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Etymon thereof with the Gréeks maye be of no more force than Testamentum amonge the Latines which is a wittnesse bearing of the minde Althoughe I am not ignoraunt what some also do reason in this case Sacramentes therefore are called mysteries because in a darcke speach they hide other thinges which are more holy And Paule willingly vseth this word in his epistles And why this word was attributed to the holy signes of the christian church there is a plaine reason For these thinges are onely knowen to the faithfull and are hidd from those that are prophane and vnholie And surely the preaching of the Gospel it selfe is called The mysterie of the kingdome of God to teach vs that the vncleane being shutt out it is reuealed to the onely children of God. For our chiefe interpretour of mysteries sayth Cast not your pearles before swine neither giue that which is holie vnto dogges And Paule If our Gospell lie hidd as yet sayth he it is hidd in them which are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that beleeue not 2. Cor. 4. Furthermore many of the Gréeke doctours of the Church haue called our sacraments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symbola which word is also receiued and vsed verie often of the Latines It is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Confero to conferr or compare together For by comparing one thinge with another symbols are made apparant and rightly perceiued Symbolum therefore signifieth a signe which hath relation to some other thinge as wée said of the standard c. And truely amonge the Grecians in old time the vse of symbols or signes was diuers for in their sacrifices they had their symbols signes I say Allegorically meaning something as in the sacrifices of Bacchus a siue was their symbole or signe the same they carried about when they were well tippled thereby signifying y such as be dronken are blabbes and can kéep nothing in secret What if I can proue that opinions of men cōteyning somewhat of déepe vnderstanding by an allegorie or dark speach are called symbols For Pythagoras his symbols are wel enough knowen So mysticall diuinitie began to be called symbolicall béecause it was inwrapped in more hidd and secrete mysteries So that is mystical which is darkely vttered and in maner of a riddle hauing in it a farre contrarie meaning than by wordes it séemeth to offer Againe the gift and token of faith trueth whiche by mutual consent passeth betwéene the bride and the bridegrome wherby it is not lawefull for them to shrincke or goe backe from their word promise or couenaunt is called a symbole Furthermore to souldiers also seruing vnder one and the same banner symbols or badges were giuen Vnto certeine confederate cities in like maner and ioyned together in league of friendship to the end that they might go safely to the bordering cities to those which toke parts with them symbols or mutuall signes were giuen that is to say tokens whiche being shewed séene they gaue eche other gentle and curteous interteinement as to their league-fellowes companions and singular friends The auncient writers therfore herevppon haue applied this word symbol to our sacraments bycause they represente and shewe vnto vs the excéeding great and déepe mysteries of good they are Allegorical Aenigmatical hard dark to vnderstand bycause the Lord him selfe by the institution of his Sacraments hath bounde him selfe vnto vs and we againe by the partaking of them doe binde our selues to him and to all the Saints testifying and openly professing to fighte stoutly and valiauntly vnder the Lordes banner Moreouer these holy symbols or signes doe admonishe and put vs in mynde of brotherly loue and concord and that we remēber to loue thē most entirely with al our hart as Gods children our brethren which are cōmunicants or partakers with vs of the same table and are washed cleane by the same baptisme Thus much concerning sacraments what they are by what names they are called and why they are so called let it be sufficient that we haue briefly noted Setting aside all other thinges it séemeth necessarie firste of all to declare and shewe who was the author of the sacraments and for what causes they were instituted All men in a manner confesse that God alone is the authour of sacraments and not men nor yet the Church it selfe An odde man there is among the scholemen which teacheth the Churche this lesson