lyghtened wyth the gospel Pag. 655. The church at Berrhea disturbed Pag. 656. B ante L. Blasphemie is a deniall of the faith Pag. 856. Blasphemous and filthy talkers are ledde with the euill spirite 85. Who are sayde to be blessed and happye 763. Blessedfulnesse is to bee iudged of holynesse of place 313. True blessednesse discrybed 119.120 True blessedfulnesse is to bee most like vnto God. 757. It is more blessed to gyue then to take ibidem To blesse is to bid farewell 35. The heyres of blesse 187. The maner of Christs blessing 188. Christ is the Mediator of blesse 47. Blessing what it comprehendeth in it ibidem B ante O. The true marke of those that are borne againe 138. Bookes of the Byble belong to all men 326. B ante R. The vtilitie of well bringing vp of chyldren 615. Breaking of breade 140.734 Brethren kinsfolke of Christ. 48. Brethren at Rome their kindenesse Pag. 894. B ante V. Burials must be reuerently vsed by christians 359. Burthens and yokes are all those things that are taught beside fayth in Christ. 608. B ante Y. Byshops could alwayes abyde to be reprehended of other Byshoppes Pag. 468. Byshops of Rome make money of religion 719. Byshops accuse Paule 818. Byshops of Rome may erre 198. Byshops counselles what they are Pag. 240. Byshops of Romes craft and tyranye in persecuting the truth 191. Byshoppe of Rome hys incurable impietie 350. Byshops which ought most to sette foorth Christes doctrine greatest enimies thereof 191. C. C ante A. CAlamities of men directed to an ende by God.  Captiuity of Babilon 343. Care of God for vs. 832. God careth most for his people wheÌ„ they are most destitute of mannes helpe 349. Carnall men what they seeke for in Christ. 26. Causes of the calamities of thys worlde 101. Cause of all calamitie is the not beleeuing and gainesaying of the Gospell 31. Causes of calamitie are as well in the godly as the vngodly 101. Causes of strife and contention 550 Cause of saluation is fayth 168. Causes of the euilles of these latter dayes ibidem Causes whye Saule was cast of Pag. 528. Causes of afflictions are to bee diligently considered 269. C ante E. Centurion is Paules friend 871. Centurion gentlye obeyeth Paule Pag. 810. Centurion and his souldiours fayth Pag. 882. Ceremonies that the Apostles taught are certaine 3. Ceremonies of the lawe are abolyshed 76. Ceremonies in religion howe farre they are lawfull 349. Ceremonies of the olde lawe to what ende and vse they were 292. Certainetie and antiquitie of christian fayth 175. C ante H. Chanaan lande a figure of our saluation and of heauen 294. Charitie of the Apostles towarde their enimies 561. Charitie must be vsed euen towarde the vnthankfull 355. Charitie is the cognizaunce of Christes children 77. Charitie hath hir markes and tokens ibidem Charitie and wisedomes examples Pag. 758. What the nature of charitie is 896. Charitie is not suspitioâ—s 769. The propertie of charitie 756. Charitie in Steuen 351. The effect of Gods chastisement declared in Paule 395. The chastisement of God requyreth repentaunce ibidem The duetie of those whome God chastiseth 491. Chiliastes errour touching the dwelling on earth 98. Goddes children acknowledge hys iudgements and amend by others examples  Who be the children of God. 94. Howe the children of GOD are knowne 181. The children of Iacob grieuouslye offende 308. Choyse of meates 434. and .435 Christian libertie must bee mainteyned 607. Christian fayth doth not derogate from humanitie and ciuilitie 293. The beginning of the christian faith Pag. 202. Christians nowe denie and betraye Christ as the Iewes did 166. Christian people may sometime saue themselues by flying 411. Who ought to bee called Christians Pag. 141. Howe christians be ydolaters 343. Christes enimies 100. The begynning and vse of a christian name 490. Christians what they owe to theyr brethren being in daunger for the testimonie of Christ. 491. Christians must talke of the kingdome of God. 15. Christians must increase go forwarde in fayth 476. What the markes and weapons of christians are 227. The duetie of christians 879.793 and 761. The sacrifices of christians ibidem Christians maye vse the lawe for their safegarde and succour 838. Christians maye possesse thynges of their owne 143. Christians maye seeke ayde of Magistrates 812. Christians which waye they maye get themselues fauour and authoritie 241. Christians must boldely defend their cause 500. Christ is reiected of the buylders Pag. 202. What Christs last comming teacheth vs. 41. Why Christes second comming is so long differred 175. Howe Christ is the aungell of the great counsell 326. Christ instructed hys Apostles with commaundementes before he left the earth 8. Christ is taken hold of by faith 544 Christ is the head of apostolike doctrine 679. Christ comforteth hys Apostles being in errour of an earthly kingdome 30. Christ descrybed of the Prophetes to be honourable 2. Christ called a Mountayne of the Prophets ibidem Christ is the Sauiour of all Nations 32. Christ being preached the kingdome of God is preached 119.915 Christ by his diuine power and operation is euery where 40. Christ is very God. 106.448 Christ is the Lorde 127. Christ is the name of God and the Image of hys father 9 Christ is a priest 127. Christ is a man. 106. Christ is a man approoued of God. Pag. 107. Christ is lyfe and they that beleeue in hym haue lyfe 12. Christ is the lyfe and the resurrection 119. Christ is an vniuersall sauiour 127. Christ dyed according to Gods appointment 109 Christ was a very man of the stock of the Iewes 178.448 Christ tooke hys humane nature into heauen 35. Christ appertayneth to the Iewes Pag. 184. Christ is ascended into Heauen the place of the blessed 35. Christ is ascended into that place whyther our bodyes must also ascende ibidem Christ gyueth light to his people in the myddle of darknesse 494. Christ was crucyfied being innocent 535. Christ shall iudge the quick and the deade 457. Christ resembled to Moses 179. Christ seeth and careth for his sheepe on earth 8. Christ is the peacemaker betweene God and man. 448. Christ the Prince and chiefe of all Prophets 333. Christ is the Phisition for sinnes 130. Christ ouercame by death 381. Christ preached by Moses and the Prophets 177. Christ is the Prince or chiefe of the Prophets 333. Christ is a Prophet 178. How Christ must be acknowledged and confessed 649. How Christ must be preached ibideÌ„ How Christ perfourmed the office of a priest 6 How Christ is a stumbling block to the Iewes and foolishnesse to the Gentyles 663. Christ ruleth in the myddle of hys enimyes 242. Christ is declared a king by God his father 2. Christ is a king and a priest 37.452 Howe Chryst fulfylled the office of a king 6. Christ is a victorious king 126 Christ aduaunceth vs to saluation Pag. 576. Christ is not euerye where in bodye Pag. 34.35 Christ ought to dye but once 540. If Christ bee
in their mother tongue Acheldama that is to say the bloudy fielde SAint LVKE hitherto hath declared what the Apostles did in their owne priuate case after Christ departed from the earth attributing to them true obedience vnitie of mindes and continuance in prayer And these verily are wholesome exercises wherewith we must prepare our selues duely to receyue the holye ghost who entreth not into a frowarde soule and whome the worlde cannot receyue but contemneth and derideth such cogitations and studies Nowe in this place he beginneth to declare what the Apostles first did how they settled themselues to the publike ministery of the Church which was committed vnto them And this was the substitution of Matthye in the place of Iudas the traytour and reprobate For where Christ would haue the Apostles to be twelue in number whom hee ordayned to be Iudges of the twelue Trybes of Israel it was requisite the same number should be fulfilled least the falshoode of Iudas should any way hinder the ordinaunce of Christ. In the meane season the example of the Apostles admonisheth vs that the chiefe care of the Church ought to be in prouiding to haue fitte meete ministers For how shal they beleeue in him sayth Paule of whom they haue not hearde howe shall they heare without a Preacher howe shall they preach except they be sent And the same Apostle in another place sayth that himselfe Apollo and Cephas were the ministers of God by whome the Corinthians beleeued For although it belonge onely to God to giue fayth and hee worketh the same in the mindes of men by the vertue of his holy spirite for which cause the worshippers of Christ are called by the Prophet the taught of God yet for our sakes he witteth safe to vse the outwarde ministerie of the worde the vse and dignitie whereof must be defended and retayned in the Church Which thing is the cause why the Prophetes account fitte teachers among the chiefe benefites of God and Christ teacheth his Apostles to praye vnto God to sende worthy and faithfull workmen into his vineyarde And Paule in another place sheweth the maiesty and great care of Christ for his Church by this one argument chiefly that he sendeth from high giftes of his holy spirite and giueth some Apostles some Prophetes some Euaungelists some Pastors and teachers to the increase of the Saintes in the woorke of administration and to the building vp of his bodye They ought well to remember this that take vppon them in these dayes authoritie ouer the Church of Christ whether they be Bishops or secular Magistrates that they fayle not in this most necessary poynt to see to the Church but that they order euery thing in such sort that they maye leaue to their posteritie presidents of sounde and true doctrine Whervnto chiefly belongeth the appointing of schooles and bringing vp of youth which the Prophetes in the olde Testament had a great care of and after that the Christian Emperours likewyse Which things whosoeuer eyther through negligence or wasting of the Church goodes consume they ought to be taken for the greatest enimies of the Church and shall one daye buy such their heynous offences full deere at Christes hande But to addresse vs to the declaration of this present place Luke with great diligence rehearseth this hystorie declaring how the chiefe vse thereof is for vs to learne by example of the Apostles what to obserue and followe in choosing and appoynting ministers of the Church He beginneth with the description of the Church that was at that time In those dayes sayth he when they being gathered togither with one accorde looked for the comming of the holy ghost Peter stoode vp in the midst of the Disciples and proposed a matter which indifferently appertained to them all The number of them that beleeued when they were rehearsed by name was about an hundred and twentie Here both the small number of beleeuers in the Primitiue Church and Peter the Apostle are diligently to be considered For touching the number of them that professed Christ I thinke there is no man but marueyleth that there was no more founde in so famous and populous a Citie that professed and followed christ For what had Christ left vnassayde in that Citie For to omit the teaching aduertisements exhortation of the Prophets if a man consider but the things done in that Citie from the time that Christ came among them he shall perceyue an incredible hardnesse of heart and frowardnesse in that nation Iohn the Baptist went before Christ by reason of the plainnesse of his doctrine and straightnesse of his lyfe had bene able to haue mooued anye kinde of men But howe smally he profited the proofe very well declared Then by and by vpon followed Christ who to his doctrine which he framed and prepaced all maner of wayes to winne them with added myracles of such force and efficacie that they were able to make the verye enimies to confesse the truth Uerily Nicodemus confessed that no man but he that was sent of God coulde doe such things as they sawe him doe euery daye And manye openlye sayde Shall Christ when hee commeth worke more myracles than this man hath done I let passe the signes and woonders which partlye went before Christes death and partly followed which were able to mollifie the harts of the most cruell souldiers And yet after all these thinges there are no more but sixe score persons reckened among all that beleeued by Lukes testimonie who was a most faithfull and true witnesse In this appeareth the great power of Iesus Christ which of this smal remnant as the Prophets afore times tolde was able to multiplie and encrease his Church that in fewe yeares it was spred ouer all the worlde Wee maye learne also the vntowardnesse of mans nature and acknowledge almost an incurable naughtinesse in him and not to be offended though we see but fewe in these dayes that beleeue the doctrine of the Gospell For this did Esaias long ago foresee therfore minding to preach of the redemption that should be made by Christ crieth out who hath beleeued our preaching to whom is the arme of the Lorde declared And Christ speaking to his flocke sayth feare not little flocke for it hath pleased my father to giue you a kingdome And himselfe speaking of the last times declareth that such shall be the fashion and condicion of the worlde when he commeth that he shall finde no faith or truth vpon the earth Therfore great is the errour of those which iudge of faith and doctrine according to the multitude or fewnesse of them that followe it which is a common thing nowe a dayes For such was the state of the Church euen in the verye beginning that the smallest number embraced the doctrine of truth Noah only with his familie in that auncient worlde followed a diuers faith and religion from the residue of
To the which thing Dauid had a respect where he said Whither shall I go from thy spirite or whether shall I go from thy presence If I climbe vp into heauen thou art there if I go downe into hell thou art there also c. Therefore it is manifest that all this Hystorie ought to be expounded of the operation and giftes of the holy ghost And the Apostles are sayde to receyue the holy ghost bicause the same which otherwise is incomprehensible wrought effectually in them and endued and furnished them with all maner of gyftes as was meete to the execution of so weightie an office After which sense euery where in the Scripture they are sayde to haue God and the spirit of God present in them in whom he woorketh and who suffer themselues to be guided and directed by him and they lacke God and his spirite which withstand his woorking and rather giue themselues to the vnruly desires of the fleshe and the worlde than vnto the gouerning of the holy ghost Yet these thinges shall appeare more plaine by the context of the Hystorie wherein first we will note the tyme then the Apostles persons and last of all the maner of this sending all in order Luke beginneth with the discription of the tyme not so much for Hystoricall order sake and to purchase and get credite to the thing that was done as to aduertise vs of verye great mysteryes whereof the diuine prouidence had chiefly a consideration It was the day of Pentecost which otherwheres the scripture calleth the feast of weekes or of newe corne bicause on that day the Shewbread of newe corne was offered It tooke the name of Pentecost amongst the Greekes of the number bicause it was celebrated the fifteth day after Passeouer or Easter He that will see the Ceremonies obserued on that day may looke them in Leuit. 23. and Deut. 16. The chiefe thing here to be considered was the remembraunce of the lawe which the Scripture sayth was giuen that day and vttered by the mouth of Gods Maiestie It shall appeare that this day was appoynted by God for this businesse not without a cause if we consider the number of people which vsed to be present at this feast and well marke Christ to be the truest and best expositor of the olde lawe For it is euery where seene that God vseth to notifie and publishe to all men the things that concerne our saluation For he would haue as Paule sayth all men to be saued and to come vnto the knowledge of truth It was therfore most commodious that the preaching of the Gospell should begin vpon one of the greatest holy dayes and amongst the greatest number of people that both the more people might be instructed and also that the miracle of the holy ghost which should shortly be published to diuers nations might after a sort prepare for the Apostles the way of preaching And the Lorde obserueth in the Apostles that thing which we reade him selfe obserued while he was on the earth For as he chose publike places alwayes to preach in so was he woont on the holy dayes to go to Hierusalem that aswell his doctrine as miracles might be knowne to the more people Yea he would be crucifyed at the feast of Passeouer that the knowledge of his death being so profitable might the sooner and the wyder be published abroade It shall be profitable for vs diligently to marke the tokens of Gods goodnesse which teach vs that the redemption made by Christ Iesus is offered of God to all men and appertayneth to all men neyther can we haue any surer consolation any where in our temptations Uerily Sathan will not lightly denie that Iesus Christ is a Sauiour and a Redeemer But he vseth this pollicie in assaulting our fayth that the redemption which is by Christ appertayneth not vnto vs and teacheth vs to measure the merites of Christ and the limits thereof according to our worthinesse or vnworthinesse And it cannot bee chosen but here our fayth must quayle forasmuch as there is no man but findeth himselfe most vnworthie of saluation when he throughly hath considered his owne nature But the consideration of those thinges which teach Christ to be the vniuersall Sauiour of all them that beléeue in him and a most bountifull Author of health that is glad to benefite most men doth most strongly prop and beare vp our fayth thus faltring But the other cause is more diligently to be searched where we sayde that the spirite of Christ was giuen in Pentecost bycause of the lawe once published on that day It is manifest that all the things which happened to the Iewes were shadowes and figures of things to come to the accomplishment and performance whereof Iesus Christ from euerlasting was ordayned and appointed Therfore Augustines obseruation seemeth to me neyther superfluous nor curious who in the consideration of this present Hystorie compareth it with the figure of the olde Testament touching the setting foorth of the law where there is a great likenesse of all circumstances and a iust proportion or measure of mysteries on both sides to be obserued which we haue thought good to expounde by Austens wordes A sheepe is slaine sayth he the Passeouer is holden and within fiftie dayes after the lawe written with the finger of God is giuen to make vs feare Christ is slaine who like a sheepe was led to be offered as Esay witnesseth The true Passeouer is celebrated and within fiftie dayes after the holye ghost which is the finger of God is giuen to make vs to loue c. Yea Paule the Apostle diligentlye compareth the preaching of the Gospell which began at Pentecost with the publishing of the law and by that comparison prooueth the authoritie of the Gospell And the Scripture sheweth that Christ is the ende of the law whereof he professeth himselfe to be a true interpreter Therefore there could be no fitter tyme chosen to sende the holy ghost in than the fifteth day after Easter which by reason of the law then published was very notable For hereby we are taught that there is but one spirit of the olde and new Testament and not two diuers as the Manychies in tyme past dreamed For Christ would not take vpon him to haue interpreted the lawe if it had beene published with any other spirite than the spirite of God neyther would haue commended and celebrated the memoriall thereof with so wholesome a myracle Further we are taught that the true sence of the lawe can be gathered of none other than of the spirite of christ For where Christ onely hath satisfyed the lawe to whome the lawe led vs as a guide and Schoolemayster they shall in vaine traueyle about the vnderstanding thereof which are destitute of the spirit of Christ and faith in Christ which he worketh in vs Which thing is the cause that Paule sayth the Iewes haue yet the vayle before their eyes by reason whereof
shoulde be instructed with the example of the primitiue Church what to doe in time of persecutions And to this ende principally are all those things to be applied which hitherto haue bene sayde of the Apostles They being brought before the counsayle doe plainly and boldly confesse christ Then when the enimies had forbidden them to preach the Gospell they protest with marueylous constancie that they can not obey so wicked a commaundement At length when they perceyue that reason coulde not preuayle with these wicked Counsaylers but that they were still threatened they declare all the matter to the congregation to th ende that ech one being admonished of the daunger ensuing might the more easily prouide for themselues These proceedings let the Ministers imitate as often as they perceyue the world raise stormes of persecutions against them Let their stoute and bolde confession of Christ be an example vnto others Let them not yeelde to the wicked commaundements of Princes Let them faithfully premonish the congregation least any mannes saluation stande in perill through their sloth Luke proceedeth on in his hystorie and sheweth what the Church doth being thus admonished by the Apostles By which example it maye appeare what euery Christian hath to doe both particulerly and in generall when persecutions are stirring They sayth he when they hearde the Apostles lift vp their voyce to God with one accorde And he telleth of the Church howe they sought the succour and helpe of God only by prayer They were not carelesse therefore nor did not set light the daungers approching Neither fledde they to mans wisedome helpe or counsayle but sought all maner of ayde and succour by prayers This is the sure sanctuarie of the Church bicause God euerywhere promiseth to be their defender that seeke their helpe of him And that which he euerywhere promiseth he hath by infinite examples perfourmed so that none that is a true Christian can doubt of the truth of his promises To this may be ioyned how he deliuered the Israelites enuironned with the hoste of the Egyptians at Moyses entreatie and prayers And after that through the prayers of the same Moyses he gaue them victorie ouer the Amalechites In the Psalmes there are infinit examples of them which testifie how God hath bene fauourable and gracious vnto their prayers Yea Ioël the Prophete giueth this only counsell to the Church in distresse that they shoulde all turne vnto God and call vppon him for helpe prescribing also such a forme of prayers as they shoulde openly vse And that his counsayle was not in vaine the successe of the matter prooued For God sent his Aungell which in one night slewe the hoste of the Assirians and deliuered the citie of Ierusalem from the great tyrannie of Sennacharib Wherefore the primitiue Church coulde not doe better than to sue vnto God by praier as they did The corrupt condicions and maners of our dayes are by this example reprooued For we see many with ouermuch carelesnesse contemne the daungers hanging ouer the Church scoffe and deride all admonitions and wholy giue themselues to all vntimely pleasures and exercises But when they feele the fire of persecution burning either they follow the counsell of the fleshe dissembling their fayth or else fortifye themselues in the league of Princes and helpe of man Which is the cause that the more they seeke to be out of daunger the more grieuously they entangle and endaunger themselues Luke also in fewe wordes comprehendeth the right trade and order of praying First they call vpon God who is onely to be inuocated as appeareth both by the couenant made with Abraham by the first commaundement in the Decaloge and by the order of the Lordes prayer And it is manifest by many examples that he only heareth vs euerywhere and can deliuer vs Wherfore great heinous is their error whosoeuer they be that make their prayers vnto Creatures Then they lift vp their voice and pray And yet is it plaine that God heareth euen the groning onely of them that are afflicted and their teares continually are in his sight Howbeit they woulde expresse the synceritie of their fayth by lifting vp their voyce and testifie that they were not ashamed of their prayers and calling vpon God for helpe For this is not the least poynt of the confession of our fayth as we may perceyue Daniel well iudged who hauing before prayed in secret when he perceyued the King had commaunded God shoulde not be inuocated setteth open his windowes and prayeth as it were in the sight of all men bicause he woulde not seeme to like or allowe the wicked proclamation Last of all he attributeth vnanimitie or concorde vnto them which thing except the Church obserue neyther shall their prayers be hearde ne yet their selues be taken for the Church of god For the Church being made one body vnder one head which is Christ is quickened with one selfe spirite calleth vpon one and the same father and hath one and the same inheritance layde vp for them in heauen And they that in these things agree cannot in their mindes be deuided Therefore let vs followe the trade of praying vsed in the primitiue Church and we shall perceyue in our aduersities that Gods helpe will be most neare at hande It shall be good to consider diligently the prayer that they made which may be deuided into three partes The first conteyneth a description of God wherein they acknowledge him for the creator of the whole worlde They make mention first of the creation that men might consider the omnipotencie of God and his singuler power ouer all creatures whereby they might conceyue the greater consolation For thus they were aduertised that the wicked enimies of Christ neyther coulde hinder the worke of God by their enterprises nor yet hurt them in any thing without the deuise and sufferance of god It behooueth vs likewise to haue a consideration of Gods omnipotencie that we acknowledge him not only for the creator but also for the gouernour and preseruer of all creatures who though he hath set his throne on high yet hee humbleth himselfe to beholde whatsoeuer is done eyther in heauen or in earth Which consideration as it is very profitable for the amendement of our life and maners so in tribulations it bringeth comfort and in our prayers chiefely confirmeth our faith wherevpon the effect of prayer principally dependeth And this is the chiefe vse of the first Article in the Apostles Creede where we professe we beleeue in God the Father maker of heauen and earth For it maketh for the confirmation of our faith and taketh awaye all cause of distrust which commonlye springeth by reason we thinke God eyther cannot or will not helpe vs But what is impossible vnto him which hath made heauen and earth by his worde and hath hyther to preserued all this worlde Or is it like he will neglect men whom he hath made Lords ouer all the things
Congregation and entred into euery house and drew out both menne and women and thrust them into prison Therefore they that were scattered abrode went euery where preaching the worde of God. THe holy ghost would haue the vnworthye death of the blessed Martyr Steuen with great diligence described by Luke not so muche for Steuens sake that his name according to the Oracle of Dauid might be had in perpetuall remembrance but for our sakes for whose instruction and comfort the hystorie doth greatly serue For we are taught by the example of the most holy man and first Martyr how we also ought to suffer all maner of extremitie for Christes sake and the truths and not to shunne death be it neuer so cruell forasmuch as we haue Christ to be our reuenger who hath layde vp for vs a moste excellent rewarde in heauen Agayne it is moste comfortable that we see the kingdome of Christ is not ouerwhelmed with the slaughters and tyrannie of the wicked but rather dylated and enlarged For as this thing hath oftentymes otherwheres bene declared so at this tyme the hystorie following abundantly sheweth it came to passe what tyme as Steuen receyued the garlande of martyrdome to the declaration whereof Luke in this present place prepareth him premising three things whereby that that we now haue sayd is prooued euery one of which three things we will intreate of in order First it is sayde that an vniuersall and cruell persecution was raysed in Ierusalem agaynst the Church We haue seene diuers things before attempted by the Priestes but the Apostles were chiefely then thrust at and the enimies repressed with feare of the people were the more calme But nowe perceyuing all thinges succeede agaynst Steuen as they woulde haue them and that there aryseth no tumult or businesse in the people lyke beastes hauing once tasted bloude they waxe the more thirstie therefore yea more cruell and bolde and set vpon the whole body of the congregation to ouerthrowe it Wherein they so rage and take on that within a short whyle the whole Congregation is scattered throughout Iurie and Samaria which hither vnto dwelt togither in Ierusalem It shal be for our profite diligently to behold this viewe of the primitiue Church For in this Church we see all thinges are verye well ordred after the rule of christ And the Apostles had oftentimes notable victorie when they were apprehended and caused to pleade their cause before Counselles Wherevpon any body would haue hoped that great rest and peace shoulde haue ensued But beholde horrible tumultes aryse vppon the sodeyne and the enimies emboldened wyth the death of Steuen alone cruelly make warre and set on the whole Congregation What shall we therfore in these dayes hope for whose sloth and manifolde defectes deserue a more seuere correction For if God haue suffered these thinges to come to passe in the greene tree what shall he doe in the drie This place also reprooueth their preposterous iudgements which vse to pronounce of fayth and the doctrine of fayth according to the successe of thinges falling out in the worlde For if we shall beleeue these men then must we confesse that the Priestes quarrell was good and right and that the primitiue Church was vtterly deceyued But we must search deeper for the causes of Gods iudgements and then we shall perceyue that it is for our saluation that we be exercised and invred with the furiousnesse of the wicked who in the meane season fill vp the measure of iniquitie and at length receyue worthy punishment for their tyrannie at Christes handes who is the defender of his Church But here is chiefely to be considered how the Apostles remayne in the citie after all the residue were fled Yet we reade that before this they were chiefly molested and troubled Wherfore it must needes be that they were woonderfully preserued by the help of God in this boysterous tempest of persecution For God would haue his gospell long preached in this bloudy citie of Ierusalem to the intent that both his mercy and iustice might the more easily appeere His mercy and goodnesse in that hee suffred the doctrine of grace and saluation so long to bee preached to them that were embrued with the bloude of his sonne His iustice in that he subuerted by horrible destruction those that were incurable and woulde not repent In the meane whyle we haue two thinges to consider First that there are certaine limits bounds appointed for the wicked persecutors of the congregation which they cannot go beyond For he that hath set a border about the sea within the which that great heape of waters is conteyned he that bindeth Satan by his lawes the same bridleth the wicked that they cannot do as they would nor vse crueltie agaynst whom they would Herein receyue we great consolation of mynde when we consider that the lawes of Gods prouidence can not be broken with the rage of the wicked Agayne the Apostles gyue vs an example of faythfull Superindents of the word and of the Congregation For although they knewe that Christ sayde when they persecute you in one Citie flie vnto another â–ª yet bicause they were bounde by a certayne vocation and perceyued that the remnant of the Church was lyke to fall awaye if they also shoulde leaue the Citie they had rather to hazarde their lyfe than by vnhonest flying to forsake the congregation And surely Ministers haue neede in this case diligently to beware For as all are not rashly to be condemned which by flying prouyde for themselues so must we not thinke it lawfull for euery man at all times and in all places But if it be in such a case that the Minister alone is sought for of the enimye or else he be forsaken of them which hytherto woulde haue the name of a congregation or if no ruine or detryment ensue vnto the Congregation by his departing then is there no cause why he may not reserue himselfe for a more commodious season But they that forsake the publyke cause of the Congregation and go from them that holde fast the confession of fayth these in deede be Apostatas and hyrelinges who Christ sayeth vse to flie when they see the woolfe come Woulde to God they had well considered these things which in these dayes to hastily forsooke their Churches whom it behooued rather to haue folowed the ensample of Ambrose which denied to deliuer his Churches vnto the Arrianes although the Emperour commaunded it See the Epistle to Marcella his sister which in number is the thirtie and three Luke going on in his history begunne sheweth what the faythfull which remayned in the Citie did vnto Steuen being thus stoned First he sayeth they dressed him that is they buried him This is a most auncient vsage agreable to that firste sentence pronounced of God where he sayeth that we came of the earth and shall returne to the earth agayne and conteyneth the mistery of the resurrection in
delectable and pleasaunt Spring the cheerefull and mery Sommer and fruitefull Haruest So after continuall showres and horrible stormes of hayle commeth comfortable Phoebus and chaseth away the Clowdes And Mariners when the terrors of tempests be ouerpast haue afterward cleere weather and prosperous windes And that the state of the Church is ruled by lyke interchaungeablenesse the examples of all ages testifie But the only booke of Iudges may abundantly suffyce to approoue the same Let no man therefore be so abashed at the countenance of present calamitie to thinke he must vtterly perishe For eyther God will cheere them in this lyfe with better successe of thinges or else of his mercy he will take them out of all the stormes of this world into the inheritance of his heauenly kingdome In the meane season this place teacheth vs that the crosse is not alway such a marke of the Church that it can neuer be without it bicause we heare in this place that the primitiue Church had vniuersall peace and the same came to passe also oftentimes in the yeres following Therfore their iudgement is most vayne who rashly condemne euery Church which through the benefite of God enioyeth rest and will graunt vnto Christians no time of breathing nor rest from the crosse Agayne we are admonished that for the attayning of peace there needeth neyther dastardly dissimulation nor false abnegation of the fayth but rather constancie and boldnesse to keepe the word and doctrine of faith For Luke sayth that then peace ensued after Paule had stirred the enimies of the truth both at Damascus and at Ierusalem with earnest preaching and disputation agaynst them Therefore they that nowe a dayes woulde haue vs to dissemble the truth and say that by our vehement inueyghing against errors and superstitions we more exasperate and kindle the enimies mindes talke altogither in vayne as though God were not able to bridle and keepe vnder them which in their rage doe nothing but threaten fire and sworde Naye we are taught by examples that they which for such mens sake can finde in their hart to denye the fayth and truth doe seldome finde them faythfull in friendship Next Luke declareth the fruite of the peace ensuing forasmuch as he saith the congregations were edifyed This may be vnderstanded two maner of wayes For the Church is sayde to be edifyed eyther when new beleeuers be added therevnto or else when they which before beleeued through more plentifull gyftes of the holy ghost profite in the faith And the holy ghost doth not without a cause vse this Metaphore of building forasmuch as the Church is the house of god which is builded of liuely stones that is to say of such as beleeue in Christ 1. Timoth. 3. and. 1. Peter 2. and all the faythfull are called otherwheres the Temple of the holy ghost For the which cause the teachers are called builders and the building of the church is called the building of God. Furthermore beside that by this example it appeareth howe the enterprises of Christes enimies in pulling downe the church are in vayne we are also taught what oughte to be the ende and marke of all them which beare office in the Church Paule diligently inculcateth the same speaking of the publike exercises of the Churche in his first Epistle to the Corinthians and .xiiij. Chapter Herevnto let all Ministers apply themselues with all their power both with teaching and reproouing and let them alwayes remember this saying of Paul that they haue power giuen them to edifie and not to destroy Let them therefore suffer nothing in the Church that serueth to the destruction thereof Let Kinges and Magistrates haue the same ende before them whome the Lorde hath appoynted to be the Nurses of his Church as we haue already oftentimes declared The Elders to whom the discipline of the Church belongeth let them looke vpon the same Let parents and teachers of youth direct all their doinges to this ende This care shoulde euery day stirre vp priuate men also For whosoeuer bringeth any thing to the spirituall building vp of this Church and shall builde but one man as a liuely stone vppon Christ which is the foundation surely he deserueth more prayse than they which with great costes builde Churches of Marble Last of all is declared how the faithfull vsed this peace and tranquility They walked sayth he in the feare of the Lorde and were filled with the comfort of the holy ghost He attributeth to them feare of the Lord whereby he vnderstandeth all things belonging to true religion the knowledge of god sincere faith loue of God fulfilling of his word and faithfull obedience vnto him For how shal he feare god which knoweth him not how shall the knowledge of God lacke fayth and how shall fayth want the looue of God And where these things be there must needes be the loue of the word and obedience to the same He sayth also that they were fylled wyth the comfort of the holy ghost By this we may vnderstande both the preaching of the Gospell and the inwarde suggestion of the spirite which Christ promiseth to those that be his Surely both these marueylously comfort the mindes and afflicted consciences of men in that they teache vs that God is made at one with vs and reconcyled to vs through the merite of Christ and in the middle of the broyle of afflictions besprinkle vs with the promises of Gods helpe as with the most wholesome water of a liuely fountaine And in these thinges Luke sayeth the primitiue Church sought the recreation of their myndes their ioyes and delightes Whereby we gather what their exercises ought to be which are at rest and peace Therefore execrable is the wickednesse and ingratitude of such which abuse quietnesse and peace to the license of the fleshe and in the meane season will neither by helpe counsayle nor at least by comfort ease them whome they see many wayes afflicted for the testimonie of Iesus Christ. This sinne as it is heynous so it is to common in these dayes whereby it commeth to passe that as we abuse peace so we be easily offended and vtterly dismayde at euery light affliction These things being thus premised he passeth to Peters actes or doings out of which he picketh two myracles done orderly one after the other the one done at Lidda the other at Ioppe The occasion of these myracles is said to be Peters traueyling from Church to Church according to his Apostolyke office not for that he vsurped vpon them as a Lorde and ruler but as to succour where neede was such as were heauy laden and in distresse to confirme the weake to pull vp errors where any were growen and to bestow benefits vpon all men For that these were the duties of the Apostles it appeareth by many other places and the very name of an Apostle teacheth the same which forbiddeth them to haue anye certaine or fixed sea or dwelling place we reade
more strong and effectuall comfort for the godly than to vnderstand there shall be a day of iudgement wherein Christ shall declare their innocencie gyue vnto them the reward of lyfe which he promised them Therefore Christ reasoning of the signes which shall go before the later day sayth when these things begin to come to passe lift vp your heades for your redemption draweth nye And Paule teacheth vs to looke for a sauiour from heauen which shall chaunge our vyle bodye that he maye make it lyke vnto his glorious bodye He teacheth also that the faythfull shoulde comfort one another with the meditation of Christes last comming This is a great glory of our fayth that maketh that daye merry and ioyfull vnto vs whereof the wicked children of this worlde cannot thinke without great feare and sorrowe of heart Nowe let vs passe to the seconde part of this place wherein we are taught howe we be made partakers of the saluation which is in christ This thing Peter setteth forth with great grauitie of wordes saying To him giue all the Prophetes witnesse that through his name whosoeuer beleueth in him shall receyue remission of sinnes Here must euery thing be distinguished that this doctrine being so necessary may seeme the more euident For first shewing the vtilitie of the thinges which he hath hitherto declared he teacheth vs that we haue forgiuenesse of our sinnes in the name of christ And whyle he maketh mention thereof he plainely testifieth that we be sinners in that we haue neede thereof And whyle he teacheth that the same is giuen in Christ he sheweth that it is free as proceeding of the meere grace of God without our desert so that here we may heare that saying of Paule All men haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God but are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesu. And herevnto is to be referred that that was saide before of the clensing of our sinnes made on the aultar of the Crosse. For there the sonne of God was made sinne for vs that we by his meanes should be that righteousnesse which is allowed before God. By this saying are all maner sectes of other religion taken cleane awaye For where Peter sheweth vs that we haue forgiuenesse of our sinnes in the name of Christ onely he teacheth vs that they lose all their labour that seeke it any otherwhere and so with a newe argument he confirmeth that graue sentence that he vttered before the Senate at Ierusalem that there was none other name vnder heauen giuen vnto man in which he could be saued The same Christ himselfe affirmeth where he sayth I am the way the truth and the lyfe No man commeth vnto the father but by me Secondarily Peter declareth to vs by this sentence the meane whereby we take holde of the remission of sinnes offred vs by christ For he sayth euerye one that beleeueth in him obtayneth the same Then by fayth we obtayne forgiuenesse of our sinnes The reason of which doctrine is that faith onely grafteth vs into Christ as he sayth himselfe He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude that is to say whosoeuer beleeueth in me dwelleth in me and I in him And forasmuch as forgiuenesse of sinnes dependeth vpon Gods free promise it can none other waye be taken holde of than by fayth For fayth taketh holde of Christ as he is set forth in the Gospell and cleaueth altogither vnto the promise of god For the which cause Christ euerywhere attributeth saluation vnto faith and euerywhere repeateth that generall sentence He that beleeueth in me hath lyfe euerlasting Agayne He that beleueth and is baptised shall be saued And he sayth to the woman Great is thy fayth be it vnto thee as thou wilt And agayne Thy fayth hath made thee whole And from hence tooke the Apostles their opinion where they teach that men are iustified by fayth onely in Christ that is to saye deliuered and purged from their sinnes By the which opinion iustification of workes is plainely excluded For where iustification as euen nowe was declared is to be had in Christ onely which we can take holde of none other waye than by fayth it must needes followe that by fayth onely we are iustified And yet we condemne not the exercise of good workes but take from them the insolent tytle of merite and iustification the glory whereof is due onely to Christ that Christ maye haue his glory wholye to himselfe For otherwise we be not ignorant that all kinde of innocencie and righteousnesse is required of them whome Iesus Christ hath restored to the libertie of the children of God through the merite of his bloude But whereas Peter a little before had confirmed his doctrine by the testimonie of the Apostles bicause no man shoulde thinke there was anye collusion or craft among them he defendeth this cause yet by grauer authoritie telling vs that all the Prophetes testifye the same of christ And there is no doubt but he stoode some pretie whyle in reciting their testimonies albeit that Luke who thought it ynough to touch but the chiefe poynts of his Sermon only for breuities sake hath passed them ouer But it is a very easy matter to prooue that which Peter here sayth out of the writings of the Prophets For to begin with Moses yet not to rehearse the first promises he writeth that Abraham beleeued God and that fayth was imputed to him for righteousnesse And it is playne that Abraham had none other faith than the wayting for that seede in which all Nations shoulde be blessed And Iesus Christ sayth that he desired to see his day and that he reioyced therein Moses also setteth out vnto vs figures of the law all which no man will denie but to haue beene shadowes of Christ especially if he haue diligentlye reade but that one Epistle to the Hebrues And Paule plainely prooueth the iustification of fayth out of the .xxxij. Psalme Of Esaye what neede we to speake whereas we haue heard his testimony before where vnto he addeth this also by the knowledge of him which is my righteous seruaunt he shall iustifie the multitude for he shall beare awaye their sinnes And Ieremâ—e speaking of our Sauiour Christ sayth This shall bee hys name whereby they shall call him the Lorde our righteousnesse I omitte diuers other testimonies which might be alleaged bicause I woulde not be to long and for that it is good to leaue occasion to the studious to seeke them In the meane season let vs marke howe Peter groundeth vpon none other testimonies than the Prophetes and Apostles Whereby we learne what consent and what maner authoritie of men shoulde preuayle in matters of fayth and religion euen theirs doubtlesse whome it appeareth did speake by the holy ghost Those are they by whose ministerye God woulde haue the bookes of the olde and newe Testamentes
things are obteyned which farre exceede the strength of man and where nature is constreyned to giue place So we reade that by prayer Moses deuided the waues of the redde sea By prayer he gaue the Amalekytes a great ouerthrowe Iames the Apostle testifieth that Elias through prayer locked the heauens that they gaue no raine and by the same opened them agayne Here in this place at the prayers of Paule and Silas the foundations of the prison are shaken gyues and manacles vnloosed and all the doores of the prison opened Wherevnto that which we hearde before of Peter which was deliuered out of prison at the prayers of the congregation is also like Let vs herewith comfort our selues in aduersitie that we be not ouercome of the threates of the worlde forasmuch as no man is able to take praying from vs which is of more force and efficacie as it well appeareth than any other thing And of the more force it is alwaye the more grieuously we are oppressed Likewyse let all men abstayne from oppressing of Innocents whose prayers and gronings we see are of such effect with God. Furthermore let vs see the principall effect of this myracle that is to saye the conuersion of the Iayler of the prison wherein the holye ghost thought good to set forth a generall example for all menne to imitate This conuersion hath in it certayne steppes and degrees which it shall be good for vs in order to consider Fyrst being waked with the earthquake he seeth all the doores opened and where he thought all the prisoners were fledde he drewe his sworde and was about to haue killed himselfe fearing the seueritie of the lawes which made it death for the Iaylers of prisons if any prisoners escaped through their negligence An example of which seueritie Herode before shewed vpon them which he set to watch Peter Thys keeper therefore mynding to escape open shame and being deceyued wyth the common errour of the Gentyles thought it woulde sounde to his great praise of manlynesse in auoyding infamy and shame to kill himselfe Thus had Satan bewytched mens mindes that they sought saluation in destruction and prayse in ignominie and shame Howbeit in deede there is nothing more pernitious and dishonest than to go about by violent death to throwe downe the burthen of the crosse that God layeth vpon vs and this kynde of feare doth vtterly declare cowardlye hearts and such as growe out of kinde which neyther can nor will suffer any thing Agayne thys is an euident argument of a desperate mynde forasmuch as no man will bereue himselfe of lyfe which of all other is the pleasauntest thing that man can wyshe or desire but he that before hande despayreth of the helpe and grace of God and as the example of Iudas the Traytor and such lyke abundantly declare Therefore Paule doth well to call vpon this keeper that he doe himselfe no harme And Christian menne must take heede that they harken not to the suggestions of Satan perswading them to kyll themselues For whatsoeuer colour or pretence he set vppon them yet in deede they are deuilyshe and daungerous bicause it is euident God wyll not the death of a sinner but rather that he shoulde conuert and lyue We are therfore taught by this example what kynde of lyfe they commonly lead which eyther serue the wicked or consent vnto them as it is euident this Iayler did of whome we intreate For beyng to obsequious and double diligent to execute the wicked commaundement giuen him of wicked Magistrates he putteth the Apostles in the stocks in the inner prison But being fast a sleepe as though all thing had bene safe such a chaunce falleth as putteth him in hazard both of body and soule Yea he had euen nowe vtterly perished had not the Lord of hys singular fauour reuoked him from destruction by Paule the preacher of saluation Let vs thynke that to be a notable very golden sentence whych is in the fyrst Psalme Blessed is that man that hath not walked in the counsell of the vngodly nor stande in the waye of sinners and hath not sitten in the seate of the scornefull c. Furthermore we haue in Paule an example of Christian charitie whych is so carefull for his saluation who not long before had so vncourteously and vniustly handled him Let vs imitate this doyng and loue those which hate vs and seeke their saluation that wishe our destruction So shall we be taken to be the true children of God the father which suffreth his sunne to aryse both vpon the good and the bad But let vs returne to the Iayler of the prison which Luke writeth was sodenly chaunged yea become altogither another man For after he heard the prisoners were not fledde but stayed by the hande of God comparing the boldenesse and playnnesse of the Apostles wherof the like hytherto had bene seene in no men with the present myracle being stryken wyth the inwarde inspiration of God he is altogither a whaped in hys minde For he beginneth to feele in himselfe howe grieuously he had sinned by his vngentle vsage of those whome he sawe God so greatly regarded Wherfore calling forthwith for lyght he goeth in vnto them falleth downe at their feete and at length bringing them forth which was contrary to the Magistrates commaundement sayth Syrs what must I doe to be saued Who will not here acknowledge the mightie hande of God which wrought all this matter Surely it must be ascrybed vnto God that he reuerenceth these men being scourged and put to open shame that he breaketh the wicked and vniust commaundement of the Magistrate and that he demaundeth the right way how to be saued Yea he teacheth by his example that those thinges must not lightly or negligently be passed ouer that God worketh myraculously in his seruaunts For there is nothing almost more pernicious than that amazednesse which maketh vs blynde in the manifest workes of god It is euident that this thing in time past brought Pharao to his destruction and at this day this hurteth many men that they iudge all thinges come to passe by fortune and chaunce and search not out the iudgements of God in the things which they see fall out beyonde the course of nature Let vs therfore alway diligently marke and search out the right way of saluation touching which we see this keeper nowe so profytably made inquirie For streyght wayes the Apostles aunswere him friendly and declare vnto him in fewe wordes the right and absolute way of mannes saluation saying Beleeue on the Lorde Iesus and thou shalt be saued and thy houshold They preach fayth onely and that fayth that stayeth vpon none other but Iesus Christ the onely author of saluation For in him is conteyned all satisfaction righteousnesse redemption and sanctifycation all which we obtayne none otherwayes than by fayth whych is the cause that the scripture teacheth we are iustifyed and saued by fayth wherof seeing we haue
diuers tymes intreated these fewe wordes for this time may suffyse Let vs note well thys one thing that there is none other thing in scripture for fayth to take holde on but christ For hereof it is gathered that all they that seeke saluation out of Christ lacke fayth and are miserably molested with vncertayne opinions Yet bicause this doctryne was more briefe than a barbarous man and a Gentyle coulde at the fyrst vnderstande therefore the Apostles afterwarde open the same more at large For they preach the word of the Lorde that is the Gospell aswell to hym as to all his housholde the summe whereof is that we are iustifyed and saued by fayth through the merite of christ In the meane season we are taught that fayth is no rashlye conceyued or imaginatyue opinion but a full and perfyte knowledge of Iesus Christ which dependeth vpon the eternall worde of god Therefore fayth must be learned in his worde and nothing admitted that is not plainly expressed in the Gospell And whatsoeuer is contained therein that let vs embrace with stedfast fayth that we also by that meane maye be saued through our Lorde Iesus Christ to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The Cxij Homelie AND he tooke them the same houre of the nyght and washed their woundes and was baptised and all they of his housholde straight way And when he had brought them into his house he set meate before them and ioyed that he with all his housholde beleeued on god And when it was day the officers sent the Ministers saying Let those men go The keeper of the Prison tolde this saying to Paule The officers haue sent worde to lose you Now therefore get you hence and go in peace Then sayd Paule vnto them they haue beaten vs openly vncondemned for all that we are Romaynes and haue cast vs in Prison and nowe would they sende vs away priuily Nay verily but let them come themselues and fet vs out when the Ministers tolde these wordes vnto the officers they feared when they heard that they were Romanes they came and besought them and brought them out and desired them to depart out of the Citie And they went out of the Prison and entred into the house of Lydia and when they had seene the brethren they comforted them and departed AS the Euangelist Luke hath diligently descrybed the tyranny and vnrighteousnesse of the magistrate of Philippi vsed against the faythfull seruantes of Christ Paule and Silas so he reporteth as dyligently howe the keeper of the Prison a great dooer in the sayde wicked enterprise was conuerted vnto the faith of Iesus Christ. The ende of all which hystorie is partly to learne vs the true way howe to turne vnto God then what afterwardes we must do when we are turned vnto god And the fyrst point of this present place pertayneth vnto the later member wherein is declared what this keeper dyd after he had embrased christ This part therefore we wyll fyrst declare meaning afterwarde to speake of the Apostles delyuerie as much as God shall put in our mindes As touching the keeper of the Prison nowe conuerted vnto Christ foure things chiefely are affyrmed Fyrst in the same night he bringeth the Apostles out of Prison washeth their sores This he doth contrarie to the commaundement of the magistrate which badde they shoulde diligently and straightly be kept Yea euen he that knew the seueritie of the Iudges to be such that he would euen now haue kylled hymselfe when he thought the prisoners were fledde bringeth them out of his owne accorde putting himselfe in manifest daunger of his lyfe This place teacheth vs that the chiefe and principall effect of fayth is to make men obedyent vnto God and bolde to put those thinges in execution that they know God alloweth and commaundeth although the worlde thinke neuer so much the contrarie For this is the saying and minde of all the faythfull as well as of Peter that we must obey God more than man. Therefore they are confuted by this example which nowe a dayes alleage the authoritie of Princes publyke lawes the friendship of the worlde and infynite such lyke agaynst the preceptes of God and being frozen with cowardely feare dare neuer attempt any thing in Christes quarrell and glorye Let vs rather followe this keeper of the Prison whome neyther authoritie of magistrate publike lawe breaking of Prison nor present daunger coulde so feare but that he durst bring them out of prison whome he knewe were vniustlye committed thyther and to vnworthily entreated After this he is by and by baptized and causeth all his housholde lykewise to be baptized For he had learned by the Gospell which the Apostles preached vnto him that it was an ordynance of Christ that all they which woulde beleeue in him shoulde be ioyned togither into one bodye of the Church by baptisme Wherefore he thinketh the sacrament instituted of Christ ought not to be neglected nor did not sophistically reason of the doctrine of fayth going before on this wise If faith onely in our sauiour Iesus Christ be sufficient vnto saluation as you erewhyle dyd teache whye require you nowe baptisme which must needes be superfluous and vnprofytable For they that truely beleeue in Christ will neuer despise the ordynaunces of Christ bicause they know that the sacramentes are not repugnaunt vnto faith but are rather certaine labelles and outwarde seales of Gods promises whereof we take holde by fayth In the meane season we haue to consyder the zealous fayth of this keeper wherewith he was so enflamed that he would haue his housholde also dedicated vnto God by baptisme An example wherof we had before also in Lyddia Which thing as it serueth to confute the Annabaptistes which of their owne head keepe the children of the faythfull from baptisme so it reprooueth the sloth and intollerable sluggishnesse of them which haue so little care for their familie that they regarde not to haue them consecrated vnto Christ and to hys Church by outwarde sacramentes thereby abundantlye declaring that they are not greatly carefull for the glory of God. Thirdly he prepareth meate for them at his house for that he knew they had in the Prison a verie slender supper or none at all This is a worke of christian liberalitie and loue which they that beleeue in Christ are neuer wythout For it is impossible to seperate fayth from the loue of god And he that truely loueth God can not neglect his neighbour whom he knoweth is made after the similitude of God and so esteemed of hym that he would haue him redeemed with the bloude of his sonne which was the cause that Paule sayth fayth worketh through loue Galat. 5. For althoughe there be many workes of fayth yet may they all for the most part be referred vnto charitie bicause through it the whole lawe is fulfylled And the Apostle Iohn teacheth vs that he that neglecteth his neighbour neyther looueth God
a traunce for the more credite authoritie of the oracle And he diligently reporteth his talke wyth Chryst both whose persons muste be considered First Chryste appeareth vnto him and byddeth him with speede to get him out of Ierusalem adding this reason of his commaundement bycause they will not receyue the testimonie that thou bearest of me But if a man would consider these things with the vocation of Paule ▪ it shall appeare that thys was no smal temptation trial of him For he had heard that he was a chosen vessel of Christ should be his witnesse vnto al men And it is no doubt but he conceiued a special hope of the conuersion of his owne nation whō he so gretly loued and made of And now he heareth that al his hope was in vayne But thus God tryeth the fayth of his chosen when successe faileth not out alwayes according to their godly wishes and endeuours So Moses when he beganne to deliuer and defend his countreymen found how they vnkindely reiected him So Helias after he had ouercome and killed the Priests of Baal and thought all thing was hushe and quiet was feared a fresh with the new manaces and cruel attempts of Iezabell Let vs being taught by these and suche like examples not giue ouer but keepe our standing stoutly and at length we shall not want occasion wherby to do profitable seruice vnto god But let vs heare Paule which seemeth by his disputation with God to drawe his head as it were out of the coller For calling to remembraunce his former state and condition he thinketh it can not be by reason of his sodaine chaunge that they could be moued to beleue the Gospell This is cōmonly sene in the scripture that the holy men sometime seeme to contende with God not of any froward and obstinate mind but for that they feele the faith confirmed by discussing and examining the diuerse reasons of things For the which cause God gently permitteth thē so to do who if he should deale with vs rigorously would not once voutsafe to speake vnto vs Here is the superstition of suche ouerthrowne as thinke we haue neede of Sainctes to be our intercessours bycause it is not lawfull for vs beeing sinners to come in Gods sight as they say And yet he heareth not onely the prayers of those that be hys seruauntes but also the reasons and argumentes that they make euen contrary to his commaundements Yet wee muste beware that we abuse not Gods gentlenesse in contending and so proceede vnto murmuring and stubborne disobedience but rather let vs wholly submit our selues vnto God to whom it is mete that al our reasons do yeld and giue place For he will not at any time change his minde sentence as it were at our appoyntment bycause his coūsel endureth for euer This Paule proueth here in this place For the Lorde vrgeth his commaundement and expressely sendeth him vnto the Gentiles not promising him any successe of the Gospell among them bycause he will haue vs simply to obey him Furthermore as Paule would haue gone forwarde and haue declared a reason of his doctrine the Iewes with furious clamours cry out vpon hym yea required to haue him put to death For as soone as they herd the Gentils were mentioned they could kepe pacience nor modesty no longer The cause of this their importunitie vnreasonablenesse was the proud conceipt opinion they had of thēselues For where they claymed to them only the name of gods people leaned vpō the merit of their leuitical law they thought it an hainous offence for any mā to match the gentils which were vncircumcised not vnder the discipline of the law with them in the state of saluation So arrogant proud a thing is hypocrisie dissimulation Thus we know the Pharisies sometime were offended with Christ for that he preached saluation vnto publicans So now adays the doctrine of the gospell semeth a thing intollerable to the monks their adherents bicause it sheweth saluatiō in christ vnto sinners techeth that they are iustified by faith only For hereby they see their inuentions wherin they put al their trust throwen down But let vs cōfesse the goodnesse of god not be greeued to haue sinners conuerted vnto the faith to be partakers of saluation with vs seing that Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of God and our sauiour did vouchsafe to be hanged among theeues and there purged the sinnes of the whole worlde to whome be prayse honour glory and power for euer Amen The Cxlvj. Homelie ANd as they cryed and caste off their clothes and threw duste into the ayre the Captayne commaunded him to be brought into the Castle and bad that he should be scourged and to be examined that he myghte know wherfore they cryed so on him And when they bounde him wyth thongs Paule sayde vnto the Centurion that stoode by him Is it lawefull for you to scourge a man that is a Romane and vncondemned When the Centurion heard that he went and tolde the vpper Captaine saying what intendest thou to doo for this man is a Citizen of Rome Then the vpper Captayne came and sayd to him Tell mee art thou a Romane He sayde yea And the Captayne aunswered with a great summe obteyned I thys freedome And Paule sayde I was free borne Then strayght way departed from him they which should haue examined him And the high Captaine also was afrayde after he knew that he was a Romane and bycause he had bounde him On the morrowe bycause he woulde haue knowne the certentie wherefore he was accused of the Iewes he loosed him from hys bondes and commaunded the highe priestes and all the Councell to come togyther and brought Paule foorth and set him before them ALthough Paule the Apostle hath so aunswered the poyntes of his aduersaries accusation that it mighte satisfie all the godly well inough as alleaging the commaundement of God for all hys dooings yet were the Iewes so little satisfied therewith that they would voutchsafe to heare him no longer The chiefe cause of this their indignation was for that he sayde God had sent him vnto the Gentiles For thereby they construed that God had reiected them as vnworthy of saluation and thought the Gentiles were preferred before them which semed to them a haynous matter bycause the people of the Iewes were counted alwayes to be Gods owne children and the Gentiles were counted for vncleane persons and straungers from the kingdome of god For this is the propertie of all Hypocrites that they can not abide to haue sinners to be coparteners with them in the societie of saluation as yesterday wee heard Howebeit Luke going forwarde in the Hystorie begunne declareth furthermore what was done where wee haue to consider euery person Firste wee haue to speake of the Iewes which wyth vnseemely clamour require to haue Paule put to death before he had ended his Oration Which is so muche the more haynous a
Apoc. 3. iiij. The Apostles flye from IconiuÌ„ and preach at other places 1 The myracle of the Creple that was healed The miserable state of the Creple Iohn 9. Iohn 5. Luke 13. Math. 8. Deut. 27. Leuit. 19. The Creple heareth the Gospell and beleeueth Math. 11. 1. Cor. 3. Rom. 10. Iohn 5. The Creple is myraculously healed A fygure of the redemption of man. Esay 53. Gene. 8. 2. Cor. 5. Iohn 15. Phil. 4. 2 Howe they of Listra were affected at the myracle Ouid. Meta. 1. Olde errors are hardlye put awaye The beginning and going forwarde of Idolatry The Apostles put away worshipping from them by their gestures Esay 42. The Apostles put from them worship by speaking i. The proposâ—tion ij. The confirmation Hebrues 1. Esay 63. Deut 6. Math. 4. Iohn 3. 2. Cor. 11. All worship is vaine deuised without the word of God. Math. 15. Esay 29. The duetie of the ministers of the worde Ierem. 1. God is the Creator and gouernour of all things Psal. 113. iij. The confutation Roma 1. 1. Cor. 2. Psal. 106. Luke 12. Math. 7. Actes 20. 2. Thes. 2. God is not to be charged for mens Idolatrie Psal. 147. Psal. 104. Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. The effect of the Apostles sermon Satan hath euerywhere his instrumentes The inconstancie of the Commons The prouidence of God preserueth the godly in daungers Math. 5. 1. Cor. 10. Rom. 8.14 Math. 10. The dutie of Christians towardes their brethren in distresse Math. 10. Marc. 15. i. The Apostles made the bolder by afflictions returne to their vocation agayne Marc. 16. ij. They come to the Cities agayne from whence they were driuen iij. Ther confirme the minds of the Disciples iiij. They exhort menne to perseuerance Math. 12. Luke 9. Apocal. 2. Galat. 1. v. They put away the offence of the crosse Luke 9. Psalm 34. Iohn 15.16 Iohn 12.14 and .17 The Apostles appoynt Elders in euery church Ephe. 4. 1. Cor. 12. The ceremony or maner of the Primitiue Church in â—hoosing Elders The Apostles commeÌ„d the congregation vnto the Lorde 2. Cor. 11. Iohn 17. Iohn 14. Iohn 10. 2. Tim. 2. Rom. 8. The Apostles preach the Gospell at Perga 1 They giue account of their doings abrode 1. Pet. 5. ij. They referre all their doings vnto God. Iohn 6. iij. They repoâ—e themselfe after thâ—ir traueâ—le and dauÌ„gers Marc. 6. The doctrine of the Apostles is onsâ—t by intestiâ—e diuision and schisme 1 The Authors of the discention Roma 15. 1. Iohn 2. Math. 7. Actes 20. 1. Cor. 11. 2 The state of the controuersie or discention Gene. 17. Galat. 5. Esay 29. Math. 15. Ierem. 2. 3 The successe therof Galat. 1. Philip. 3. 1. Cor. 11. 4 Paule and Barnabas stowtely resist Galat. 5. Galat. 3. Math. 10. Marc. 8. Iohn 16. The congregaâ—ion at Antioch referre the controuersie to the iudgement of the Apostles The cause of conuocations sinodes and counsayles in the primitiue Church Galat. 1.2 Luke 10. Iohn 17. 2. Tim. 3. Paule and Barnabas iourney to Ierusalem The controuersie of iustifycation before the Apostles Peters iudgement concerning iustification God iustifyeth of fauour or grace through faith in Christ. Ehesi 2. Roma 3. The waye how we are iustifyed Gene. 8. 1. Iohn 1. 1. Cor. 1. 2. Cor. 5. Iohn 15. Ephes. 2. Iohn 6. Psal. 51. Rom. 8. Math. 9. To attribute righteousnes to the works of the lawe is an heynous offence Psal. 78. Num. 11. Rom. 7. Deut. 27. Psa. 130.143 Esay 64. The vse of the lawe Rom. 6. The faith of the fathers of the olde Testament and the newe is but one Iohn 8. 1. Cor. 10. Math. 3.17 A President of a counsell assembled in the holy ghost The order of the Apostles Counsayles 1. Iames subscribeth vnto Peters iudgement The Prophetes are agreeable with the Apostles The place of Amoz the .ix. Chap. Rom. 9.11 2 A deuyse how to make an vnitie and concorde betweene the Iewes and the Gentyles Fylthynesse of Images and fornication Deut. 7. Deut. 6. 1. Cor. 10. 1. Cor. 6. Ephe. 5. Heb. 13. Strangled and bloude Gen. 9. Leuit 17. and .19 Rom. 14. 1. Cor. â— The reading of Moses The consent of the counsayle of Ierusalem i. The superscription of the letter sent from the Counsayle Ephe. 4. ij. The false Apostles are touched Galat. 5. Rom. 4. Galat. 1. iij. Paule and Barnabas are commended Luke 9. iiij. The decree of the Counsayle is expounded Luke 10. Math. 15. 1. Cor. 10. 1. Tim 4. Math. 15. 1 The execution of the ambassage vnto the church at Antioch 2 The industrie of Sâ—las Paule Barnabas in setting forth the kingdome of Christ. Exod. 28. 3 The discention betweene Paule and Barnabas Luke 9. 2. Cor. 12. Rom. 7. Phil. 2. 1. Cor. 10. Esay 40. 4 Paule and Barnabas visite the churches The calling of Timothie What Timothie is and what maner of man. 2. Tim. 3. 1. Tim. 3. Timothie is circumcised Galat. 2. 1. Cor. 9. Timothie is borne of parentes th one a Iewe thother a Gentyle 2. Cor. 6. 1. Cor. 7. The doctrine of Paule and his companions 1. Cor. 10. The profyte of the Apostles labour The vse of the Apostles peregrinatioÌ„ or 〈◊〉 Phrygia and Galatia are conuerted Paule is forbidden to preach in Asia 2. Cor. 3. Iohn 6. Rom. 8. Iohn 10. Luke 9.10 Paule is called to go into Macedonia Esay 65. Ephes. 1. Genes 3. Esay 53. Luke 15. Galat. 1. Esay 6â— Paules passage into Macedonia Luke 9. Paule preacheth at Philippi Lydia is an example of true conuersion Iohn 4. Luke 7. Math. 9. Luke 19. Math. 27. Iohn 7. Math. 11. Luke 1â— The order and maner of conuersion Luke 8. Roma 10. The effectes of conuersion and true fayth Deut. 6. Psal. 78. A Maid possessed with a spirite is an instrument of the Deuill Exo. 7.8 Roma 1. 2. Thes. 2. Satan beareth witnesse vnto the truth Marc. 1. Luke 4. Math. 7. Satan by the name of christ is expelled Gene. 3. 1. Iohn 3. Couetousnesse commonly incenseth Christes enimies 1. Tim. 6. Eccles. 10. Math. 6. 2. Pet. 2. Iohn 11. Iohn 12. The Apostles are accused of sedition deceyt Apolog. 5. The Apostles are scourged and put in prison The Apostles beyng whipped and put in bonds prayse and praye vnto God. Roma 5. Luke 22. 2. Tim. 2. Roma 8. Psal. 50. Psal. 94. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Cor. 10. God deliuereth the Apostles calling vpon him Eccle. 35. The keeper of the prison is conuerted Ezech. 18. Math. 5. The summe of saluation is fayth in Christ. i. The fruite and workes of fayth ij. Outwarde religion iij. Charitie Math. 22. Roma 13. iiij. Ioy of spirite Roma 6. Iames. 2. Ful and perâ—â—te deliuery of the Apostles The repentance of the wicked 1. Samu. 15. Wicked officers Roma 13. 2. Para. 13. Deuter. 1. Psalm 72. The power of God in delyuering his people Exodus 12. 1. Sam. 24. and .26 The simplicitie of fayth Paule will not be set at libertie and dismyssed priuilie
the Apostles touching Christes kingdom on earth Pag. 24 Question of the priestes in the councell at Ierusalem 198 R ante E. REdemption in Christe belongeth to all men 78 RedemptioÌ„ of maÌ„ how it was made 455 Regarde muste bee had more of the church theÌ„ of priuate matters 611 Reformation how it may truely bee made 3 Reformacion may haue errours and whereof they spring ibid. Refutacion of such obiections as the people of Lystra might haue made against the Apostles 573 Religion without knowledge of god is nothing 665 Religion standeth not in outward ceremonies but in faith wherby we take hold of the grace of god 313 ReligioÌ„ corrupted must be abolished and true planted 572 Religion may be found in souldiours Pag. 432 Religion is not subiect to councelles Pag. 818 Religion must not be estemed after the multitude auctoritie of men ibi Religion dependeth not on mannes Iudgement 47 Religion beloÌ„geth to god alone 767 Religion is certen and not to bee suspected of obscuritie 838 Religion must not bee iudged by the successe falling out therof 268 Religion can not man rightly walke in except hee be guyded by the spirit of God. 339 Religion muste the Magistrate haue care of 690 Religions shewing vs any other saluatioÌ„ then in Christ ar al false 202 Reliques of Christ and of the faythfull what they are 422 Remission of sinnes is the benefyte of gods grace onely 303 Remission of sinnes in the name of Christ. 458 Remission of sinnes is gyuen vs in Christ. 543 Repentance of the wicked 642 Repentance muste bee vrged by feare of the latter day 674 Repentance must be done as god appointed by his woorde and not after our brayne 788 Repentance after transgression openeth the way to saluation 131 Repentaunce what it is ibid. RepeÌ„tance wherof it consisteth ibid. Repentance and forgyuenes of sinne preached in Christes name seemeth a thing intollerable to the worlde Pag. 270 Repentaunce cause efficient in man what it is 259 Repentance in hir partes 131 Repentaunce howe God gyueth it Pag. 472 Reprehensions without Christs spirit are cold 680 Reprobates can not heare the worde of Christ. 548 Reprobates manners and condicions and how they must bee dealt with Pag. 710 Resurrection of Christe defended Pag. 536 Resurrection of Christ is the foundacion of fayth and of doctrine Apostolike 12 Resurrection of Christ a thing moste approued ibid. Resurrection of Christ why it was so diligently confirmed 11 ResurrectioÌ„ of christ the accomplishment of our redemption 65 Resurrection of Christ why it is confirmed with so many and so sounde argumentes 111 Resurrection declareth the glory of the children of God. 540 Resurrection of the dead ought not to bee thought incredible 854 Resurrection of the dead is vniuersall 823 Resurrection proueth the certayntie and maiestie of Christes kingdome Pag. 11 ResurrectioÌ„ of al other articles most repeated of the Apostles 223 Resurrection of Christ diligently defended 12 ResurrectioÌ„ of the body what ample fruite it hath in it 118 Resurrection scoffers what we maye iudge of them 13 Resurrection scorners take away all fayth and the misteries of mennes saluation 13.14 Resurrections vse and meditacion Pag. 14 Resurrection preached what it comprehendeth in it 65 Resurrection is certayne 117 Resurrection goeth before lyfe euerlasting 118.119 ResurrectioÌ„ of Christ ouercommeth sinne and death and restoreth saluacion vnto man. 12 ResurrectioÌ„ proueth Iesus to be the Messias 1â—3 R ante I Rites of the primitiue Churche in choosing of Priestes 584 Rites and order of the Lordes Supper must not be altered 140 Riches of the wycked are accursed Pag. ibid. Riche mennes dutie 891 R ante O Romayne church iustely forsaken of Christian men 797 Romaine Church woorshippers are vnwoorthy to bee accompted of the Church 188 Romish Prelates may lawfully bee spoken agaynst 293 Romes destruction and misery 60 Romanistes say the church of Rome can not erre 281 Romaine Antichrist must bee reprehended for the merchandize hee vseth in religion 372 Romaine brethren go to meete Paul. Pag. 894 Romaines diligence in administring of Iustice. 870 Romaine Bishoppes presumptuousnes reprehended 335 Romaine Bishops pryde 468 Romaine Bishoppes Supremacie ridiculous 417 S ante A SAbboth keepinge and breakynge Pag. 733.734 Sabbothes must bee reuerentlye kept 521 Sabbothes how they should bee obserued and kept holy 647 Sabboth obseruances and comming to the church 521 Sacramentall speech 304.791 Sacramentes instituted of god must not be contempned 291 Sacramentes are â—eales of Goddes promises and benefites 23 Sacramentall wordes and misteries how they ought to bee considered Pag. 304.305 Sacrament despisers 463 Sacrament despisers are destitute of fayth 385 Sacramentes and the gifts of health are giuen vs by inuocation of gods name 791 Sacramentes haue their efficacie not of the woordes of consecration but bicause of Christes institution 23 Sacramentes truly vsed in the church Pag. 348.366 Sacramentes and doctrine must goe togyther 451 Sacramentes haue not grace tyed oâ— bound to them 366 Sacrifice of Christe pourgeth oure sinnes 455 Sacrifices of Christians 667 Sacrifices how they are called purging sinnes 304.305 Sadduceyes doctrine and religion what it was 191.803 Saluation the free gift of God must be obteyned by prayer 102 Saluation dependeth vpon the meere grace and fauour of God. 133 Saluation consisteth in inuocation Pag. 102 Saluation in Christ onely 202 Saluation belongeth to the Gentyls aswell as the Iewes 423 Saluation hangeth vpon Gods prouidence 585 Saluation in our selues 578 Saluation and preseruation both of men and common weales dependeth on God. 529 Saluation by what order we maye attaine to it 393 Saluation and redemption of man confirmed with an oth 123 Saluation pardon for sinners 170 To be a disciple of Christ is the first steppe to saluation 419 Saluation by Goddes commaundement caried to the Gentiles 508 Saluation more plainely declared in the new testament than in the olde Pag. 93 Saluation is giuen to men in none other than in Christ. 897 Saluation by what meanes it is hindred and stopped 181 Saluation of others we must reioyce in 475 Samaria conuerted 362 Samaritanes giue eare to Christ and beleeue in him onely 393 Samaritanes embrace the Gospell Pag. 362 Samaritans obedience 365 Saintes and holy men haue neede to be strengthned 895 Saintes trustinesse in defending of Christ. 531 Saintes are ignorant in many things Pag. 446 Saintes how they alleadge their innocencie in priuate causes 799 Saintes how we must iudge of them Pag. 409 Saintes are subiect to mocions and affections 613 Saintes giue all glorie vnto Christ. Pag. 160 Saintes worship whereof it sprong Pag. 157 Saintes of all ages wherin they hoped 823 Saintes singuler workes must bee ascrybed to God as to the authour of them 613 Saintes flightes what they are 307 Saintes zeale and condicion 579 Saintes slippes and falles proue our corruption 25.26 Saintes patience is no dastardlinesse Pag. 481 Saintes labours are not in vaine Pag. 696 Saintes estate in this worlde 796 Saintes vertue is to obeye and beeleue God. 113
the lyfe he that beleeueth in mee though he were dead yet shall hee lyue and euery one that lyueth and beleeueth in mee shall not dye for euer What needeth many woordes There is none other cause of our beliefe in Christ but for that God promiseth vs euery where in him the life both of body and soule But who would beleeue to finde life in him which was not able to restore him selfe to lyfe againe Therefore least wee beyng offended at Christes death should doubte in his promises he was reuiued againe the thyrde day after his death and being raysed againe in his true body declared that he had power and authoritie to rayse againe our bodies likewise For he that beyng truely dead and buried touchyng his manhoode coulde rayse himself againe shall he not now much more being aliue and in his kingdome be able to restore our bodies from death to lyfe againe Hereunto belonge other promises of Christ prouyng his resurrection For he sayth Where I am there shall my mynister be And in an other place I will come againe and take you to my selfe that where I am there may you be also Againe Father those that thou hast gyuen to mee I will that where I am they shall be with mee that they may see my glory And what else could these fayre promises declare vnto vs but death vnlesse Christ being risen againe from death liued nowe in Heauen For thus we must of necessitie conclude where Christ is there must also his ministers be which beleeue in him but Christ being dead and buried remayned in death Ergo his ministers also remayne in death Now Christes resurrection doth moste stronglye confute this so desperate an argument and teacheth vs to reason agaynst the threates of death and terrour of Hell on this sorte Where Christ is there must also his mynisters be But Christ is risen from death ascended into Heauen and sitteth on the right hande of God the father Ergo The mynisters of Christ shall ryse from death and shall with Christ theyr king raigne in Heauen for euer Which thinges if the faithfull deepely consider in theyr mindes they shall straight way being boldened with this confidence be able to triumph ouer death and all theyr enimies and say with Paule the Apostle Death where is thy stinge Hell where is thy victory If God be with vs who can be agaynst vs For they are fully perswaded that neyther death nor lyfe can seperate them from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lorde Besides this death which is the reward and punishment of sinne could by no other meanes be conquered but by his resurrection For as longe as death helde them that were departed thys life hir power strength could neuer seeme subdued And it behooued that death should be subdued to set mankinde at libertie and to deliuer him from sinne For who could be certayne of remission of his sinnes and reconciliation with God the father as long as death raigned which God in his wrath appointed for the punishment of sinne It was therefore necessary that Iesus Christ should take away the yoke of sinne and rise againe from death that it might appeare howe death was subdued that sinne the sting of death was taken away and saluation restored to mankinde againe Therefore it was not without a cause that Christ thought it good to haue the truth of his Resurrection with so euident argumentes to be confirmed This is the chiefe cause that the auncient Prophetes mooued with the spirite of Christ prophecied the same aswell otherwheres as in the Psalme xvj and in Esay liij is to be seene Surely wee learne that this was the chiefe hope and greatest article of confession and beliefe wherby the true Catholikes woorshippers of God were alwaies knowne tried as may appeare by thexample of Iob. For when he was accused by his importunate friendes of breach of faith and religion he prooued him selfe this way onely to be faultlesse for that he firmely beleeued the roote and foundation of religion I know saith he that my redeemer lyueth and that I shall ryse out of the earth in the last day and shall be couered agayne with my skinne and shall see God in my fleshe and I my selfe shall beholde him not with other but with the same eyes This hope is layde vp for me in my bosome â–ª This place teacheth vs what wee should iudge of those mockers which Hystories mention to haue bene in all Ages and the Apostles foreshewed should raigne in the later age And now a dayes we may euery where here the prophane and wicked voices of such as thinke themselues iolly companions and pleasantly conceyted when they can with scurrilitie scoffe and deride that which we holde and beleeue of the last commyng of Christ and of the resurrection of the bodye But they can by no argument more euidently prooue themselues voyde of all religion than by this For in this Article all the pointes of our beliefe and religion so agree that who so denieth this taketh away at once all the beliefe and mysteries of mans saluation Wee gather this sense out of Paules woordes which writyng against such among the Corinthians as denied the resurrection amongst other thinges saith If Christ be preached how that he rose from the dead how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead If there be no rysing againe of the dead then is Christ not rysen againe If Christ be not rysen againe then our preachyng is in vayne and your fayth is also in vaine and you remayne in your sinnes Therfore they that are fallen a sleepe in Christ are perished If in this lyfe onely wee beleeue on Christ then are wee of all men most miserable c. Therefore such wicked scoffers must be put away from vs and haue no place permitted to them in well ordered common weales For what will they leaue vnassayde which will go about so boldely to ouerthrowe the foundation of our health and as it were with one blowe cut of the heade of all faith and religion as much as in them lieth Let vs learne to haue a right thought and cogitation of the resurrection that the same may serue both to gouerne our life and to comfort vs For this is a most effectuall preseruatiue against the intisements of flesh the world oftentimes to call to remembrance set before our eyes the shew and counterfaite of the last iudgement set out to vs in the scripture Againe there can happen no greater comfort to man than while he is in this body to thinke of the ioyes of heauen which he shall enioy in the resurrection of the dead Notwithstanding he is now depressed with infinite greefes cares and sorrowes Uerily Paule exhorteth the Christians one to comforte an other with such things as are written in Scripture touching this article It remaineth that we speake of that other thing
things which can not be attayned too nor perceyued by mans reason it becommeth vs with Paule to marueyle with godly confession of our ignorance and to crie out O the depth of the riches and of the wisedome of God how vnsearchable be his iudgementes and his wayes vnfindeable for who hath knowne the minde of the Lorde or who hath bene a counsell with him or who hath first giuen to him and it shall be giuen to him againe For of him and by him and in him c. Nowe let vs see the other part of Christes aunswere wherein he repeateth such thinges of his kingdome as serue for this present purpose Hee so handleth this matter as I sayde before that he both marueylously comforteth the Disciples and admonisheth them of their dutie For he sayth You shall receyue power when the holy ghost shall come vpon you and you shall be witnesses to me not only in Hierusalem but in all Iurie and Samarie and vnto the worldes ende First he repeateth the promyse of the holy ghost wherwith he comforteth the Disciples and describeth the state of his kingdome I woulde not sayth he haue you abashed where you heare you are appointed to the setting forth of my kingdome among the Gentyles For this thing will not bee compassed by mans strength which I perceyue in you to be very small and little regarded Here needeth heauenlye and diuine strength from aboue which I haue often promised you shal not want and now againe I promise you the same For the holy ghost shall come vpon you which shall giue you courage and strength that shall make you able to fulfill your office We are here admonished that Christes kingdome as hee confessed before Pylate is not of this worlde or earthly but spirituall neyther consisteth in the power honour glory triumphes riches and pleasures of this world but in righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holye ghost Wherevpon we gather further that it is not set foorth and defended with carnall weapons and strength of Princes of this worlde but with preaching of the worde wherwith the spirite of God worketh effectuously in the harts of men This teacheth the wordes of Paule where he sayth Though we walke in the fleshe yet warre we not after the flesh For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty in God to cast downe strong holdes wherewith we ouerthrowe counsayles and euery high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God bring into captiuity all imagination to the obedience of Christ. c. Therfore they labour in vaine which go about by mans counsell leagues fight fauour and amitie of Princes and such lyke meanes to set vp the kingdome of god For Christes kingdome is in the mindes of men which by no mans strength can be forced but with the power and operation of the holye ghost It becommeth both Kings and Princes to be the nurses and maintayners of the Church as Esay sayth but they shall neuer with outwarde power and strength set forth the kingdome of christ And the examples of all ages plainely teach vs that whatsoeuer man went about by his counsell and strength that way to bring it to passe neuer happily succeeded Moreouer he expressely teacheth what the Apostles haue to doe in their office in this kingdome You shall be my witnesses sayth hee This shall bee your kingdome your office your dignitie to beare witnesse of my doctrine life myracles passion death buriall resurrection from death and ascention into heauen and briefly of all the things which I haue done and suffred for mans saluation Neyther shall you expounde the hystorie of things by mee done onelye but declare the ende and vse of them that all nations maye acknowledge mee their onelye teacher sauiour and redeemer Christ thought good in this place to vse this worde witnesse as also in Iohn the .xv. to admonish as well the Apostles as the hearers of their dutie For the Apostles and their successors learne by the dutie of a witnesse how to preache the Gospell of Iesus christ In a witnesse the looue of truth is chiefly required and a lying witnesse God hateth Againe it is the part of a witnesse to speake nothing but that he knoweth which he hath so certainly seene and heard that he doubteth nothing of the truth of them Further he must haue no corrupt affections least of hatred feare or fauour he put to hyde or conceale any thing but plainly confesse the thing he knoweth Such witnesses we reade that the Apostles were For whatsoeuer they heard Christ teach or sawe him doe they truely preached it neyther feared they the threates of their enimies as appeareth in all hystories Neyther confirmed they their witnesse of Christ with words onely but with their life with death and with their bloud It becommeth the Ministers of the worde to imitate their truth and constancy who if for fauour of man or feare of daunger they chaunge or at least dissemble any thing in the quarrell of Christ they pollute themselues with an horrible crime and are in daunger of Christes sentence Whosoeuer is ashamed of me in this naughty and adulterous world him will I also be ashamed of when I come wirh the holy angels in the glory of my father Againe the hearers of the Apostles and Apostolicall doctrine are here admonished what an heynous offence it is not to beleeue the holye gospell or to gainesay it For it is not a simple preaching of Christ or an hystoricall and bare narration but a testimonie which the Apostles as sworne witnesses brought into the worlde by the very sonne of God gaue not only before the common people but also before the Bishoppes and Priestes Kinges and their Counsell But he that in the lawe giueth no credite to sworne witnesses and openly denieth their testimony bringeth himselfe in daunger of lyfe What shall we saye then of those â–ª which feare not to speake against the Apostles being Christes witnesses For they accuse not only the Apostles of lying but also Christ himselfe as much as in them lyeth yea they woulde cause God the father to be suspected as though he would bring forth false witnesses and obtaine his sonnes cause with suborned witnesses This sawe that beloued Disciple of Christ when he sayth If we receyue the witnesse of men the witnesse of God is greater For this is the witnesse of God which he bare of his sonne He that beleeueth the sonne of God hath the witnesse in himselfe He that beleeueth not God maketh him a lyer bicause hee beleeueth not the witnesse that God beareth of his sonne c. These things if we consider brethren we shall finde the chiefe cause of the euils of these daies For where we take it for a ieast and pastime to call in question and doubt the things written by the Apostles of Iesus Christ yea many wickedly deny them and persecute that testimony of Iesus Christ with fire and sworde
denie it For whosoeuer hath any taste of the doctrine of the gospell shall confesse that the preaching therof beateth downe the same Neyther doth the spirite of Christ by outwarde worde onely oppugne the same but it also consecrateth the minds vnto God that they which a little while ago were the bondslaues of sinne are now become the Temples of the liuing god In the meane season we denie not but there are many which abuse the colour of the gospell to sow dissention and to plant libertie But ought the gospell to be charged therewith I pray you what wise man condemneth the Magistrate bicause diuers vnder the colour thereof haue become Tyrauntes and oppressors of the libertie of their Countrie Why doe we not rather marke the vse of the Magistrate which is appointed for that ende that the lust of priuate persons should be restrayned and violence and tyrannie be brideled Euen so let vs confesse that the right vse of the Gospell and effect of the holye ghost is onely to set vp true concorde and holly honestie of life Nay if we shall confesse the truth there is none other concorde acceptable before God than that which is amonge the faythfull in Iesus Christ which are borne againe of the worde and spirite of god Neyther can there be any other true holinesse and innocencie than that whereof Christes spirite is the Author For that holinesse which men counterfaite without his spirite is hippocriticall and is not able to abide the iudgement of God as straunge from the righteousnesse of Christ which vseth to supplie all the defectes and wantes of the faythfull Now to these aforesayde poyntes Luke ioyneth the maner of his sending which was visible both bicause the Apostles might conceyue through presence of the spirite the greater confidence and boldnesse to go about their office and also for our cause that it might appeare how Iesus Christ neuer forsaketh his Church but defendeth it by his inuisible grace which he declared by the sending of his holy spirit For hereto serueth that notable promise I will not leaue you comfortlesse And againe Beholde I am with you vntill the ende of the worlde But touching the maner howe this thing was here done three things remaine to be discussed First there was sodainly a noyse from heauen And it is not without a mysterie that these things come to passe sodainly or vnlooked for For this is alwayes Gods vsage that he then most truely performeth his promises when we least looke for them yea when there is no more helpe remayning in man So he performeth his promise in deliuering his people out of the bondage of Egypt foure hundred yeares after the Israelites were bereft of all libertie and were constrayned to beholde most horrible examples of Tyrannie in their newe borne babes and haue nothing safely to trust vnto So in this place he sendeth the holy ghost now sodainely when they least thought of it whose comming he had deferred now a .xj. daies long We are taught by these examples paciently to wayte for the promises of god For where God is truth it selfe he cannot deceiue And forasmuch as he is our Lord we his seruaunts it becommeth vs to attende his leysure and not to prescribe him any time Tarie thou the Lordes leysure sayth Dauid be stronge and he shall comfort thine heart and put thou thy trust in the Lorde And the Prophete sayth If he tarie yet wayte thou for him For in verie deede he will come and not be slacke And such a noyse and sounde came from heauen bicause wee might knowe that the holye Apostles endued with an heauenly and diuine spirite were become preachers of an heauenly and diuine doctrine and not mans the aucthoritie and credite whereof might be called in doubt This serueth to confute the foolishnesse of such as with the ritche glutton require teachers to come from an other worlde from heauen or from hell And whatsouer thinges are sayde of mans saluation and dutie they reiect with this scoffe saying there was yet neuer none that came eyther from heauen or hell to tell vs what is there to do So they disclose how theyr wicked mindes are voyde of all religion For onlesse these wicked men had vtterly put away all shamefastnesse they would know that the sonne of God came downe from heauen into fleshe and rose againe from death and most faythfully declared vnto vs the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen They would know that the holy ghost came downe from heauen and spake these things by the Apostles which they haue taught vs touching the meane of our saluation and what our dutie is But he that would require any newe kinde of learning yea though an Aungell brought it from heauen he ought not to be beleeued but accursed Secondly a certaine blast or violent winde russhing in filled all the house where the Apostles dwelt And that the spirite is signifyed by blast or winde it is no doubt bicause the very name of spirite is a borrowed speache and the diuine power is so called for that it pierceth and by his power conserueth all things And the Hebrues vse this worde Ruach which is as well vsed for the winde as for the spirite Christ woulde in this place therefore vse the token of winde to set before our eyes as it were the strength and efficacie of the holy spirite which is incomprehensible to mans capacitie and can be attayned to by no power of man It is better to here himselfe interpretate the same thing For reasoning with Nicodemus of the operation of his spirite by the which they that beleeue are borne againe he sayth The winde bloweth where it will and thou hearest the noyse thereof but knowest not whence it commeth nor whither it goeth For as the wit of man coulde not hitherto shewe vs for a certayntie the causes and begynnynges of the wynde although they haue long and much searched for the same so the operation of the holy spirite farre passeth the capacitie of man although we effectuallye feele the same in our hartes And euen as the blowyng of windes can not be let by any deuice or force of men so the spirite of Christ which worketh by the gospell feareth not the strength of men nor is not hindred therby to shew his power where and when he wyll Yea foolishe and ridiculous is the endeuour of them whosoeuer wyll striue with God to bryng the spirite and worde of God to their bent wyl holde them within boundes of them appoynted Examples hereof we haue euery where but the Apostles examples of right ought to haue the first place They were commaunded of the Lorde that they should fyll all the world with their preachyng This seemed a thing impossible to be done by simple vnlearned men despised persons Yea as many as were counted eyther of power or wisdome in the worlde withstoode them Yet the spirite of Christe by the ministerie of the
is in Christ alone whome whosoeuer despiseth he cannot attayne vnto life as Christ sayth No man commeth vnto the father but by me Last of al he addeth Thou shalt make me full of ioy with thy countenance By these wordes is expressed the condicion of an heauenlye and eternall life which is of a farre other sort than the life we haue here on earth For this life as was aforesayde is full of traueyle sorrowe care and trouble The eternall life is full of mirth and ioye For there God will wipe all teares from the eyes of hys faithfull And there shall bee no more death neyther sorow neyther crying neyther shall there be any more paine And these being taken awaye there can remaine nothing but ioye Therefore Christ sayth he will say to the faithfull seruant enter into the ioy of thy Lord. This ioye in an other place Christ calleth the glorye which he testifieth he had with his father before the worlde was made Christes humanitie was taken vp to be partaker of that ioye and mirth in that kingdome which in his godhead he possessed from euerlasting For so we read it was promised long agone God saying sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thine enimies thy footestoole In these wordes are conteined an article of our faith where we confesse Christ is ascended into heauen sitteth vpon the right hande of his father omnipotent In the meane while we that by faith are graffed in Christ and made his members must beleeue that these things appertaine to vs likewise For it can not be that the members can be pulled from their head And Christ promiseth Where I am there shall my minister be also And declaring this promise otherwheres in moe wordes he sayth In my fathers house are manye dwellinges If it were not so I woulde haue tolde you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receyue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am there may yee be also Yea being ready to go to his death when he had made and disposed of his will as by waye of a testament he sayth Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me where I am that they may see my glory which thou hast giuen mee Which thinges for that they shoulde not be vnderstanded only of the Apostles he plainly testifieth that he prayeth not for them alone but also for all those which shoulde beleeue in him through their teaching Therefore it is no doubt but we also shall be filled with ioye in that eternall and heauenly life which shall follow the resurrection of our bodies Here must we not omit to marke how he sayth and sheweth the cause efficient of this ioy is the face of god Which we must vnderstande to be the fauourable and mercifull countenance of God wherewith he looketh chearefully vpon vs for Christes sake so that there appeareth no token of the olde anger which we deserued by sinne For as the cherefull countenance of a king is life as Salomon sayth and by hys looking well about him all euill is driuen away So in the looke of God all fulnesse of ioye is to be had for them that beleeue wherevnto me seemeth Christ had a respect saying Blessed be the cleane in heart for they shall see God. And therefore the godly pray Shew vs the light of thy countenaunce and wee shall be safe Hereof maye we gather howe great miserie they shall be in which being secluded from the face of God shall be throwen into vtter darkenesse And thus hitherto hath the Prophete in fewe wordes described all true godlynesse and true felicitie Let vs learne to set God before our eyes to reuerence him obediently and to trust in him onelye Of this endeuour shall spring true ioye and we shall haue euery daye newe occasions to set forth Gods goodnesse and when we depart this life we shall rest in glad hope And after that shall followe a blessed resurrection wherein the soules shall be restored to the body and being taken into that true life we shall be filled with all ioye before the face of God with Iesus Christ our brother and co-heyre to whome be blessing honour power and glory for euer Amen The .xvj. Homelie YE men and brethren let me freely speake vnto you of the Patriarch Dauid for hee is both deade and buried and his sepulchre remayneth with vs vnto this daye Therefore seeing he was a Prophet and knew that God had sworne with an othe to him that Christ as concerning the fleshe shoulde come of the fruite of his loynes and sit vpon his seate he knowing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soule sâ—oulde not bee left in hell neyther his fleshe shoulde see corruption This Iesus hath God raysed vp whereof we all are witnesses Sythence nowe that he by the right hande of God is exalted he hath receyued of the father the promise of the holye ghost he hath shed foorth this gift which you now see and heare For Dauid is not ascended into heauen but hee sayth The Lorde sayde vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hande vntill I make thy foes thy footestoole So therefore let all the house of Israell knowe for a suretie that God hath made that same Iesus whome ye haue crucified Lorde and Christ. BIcause the whole order of our saluation is accomplished as it were in the resurrection of our bodies therefore the scripture is greatlye occupied in proouing the same which was the cause that Peter argued so diligently of Christes resurrection wherevpon it is manifest that our resurrection dependeth For he is not contented simply and plainely to preache the same but describeth all the order and maner thereof out of the â–ª xvj Psalme the authoritie whereof he vseth to prooue the same resurrection to the intreaty whereof this present place also serueth For first preuenting the obiection of his aduersaries by a preoccupation he prooueth that this Psalme ought to be expounded of christ Then commeth he backe againe to Christ and teacheth vs that whatsoeuer was prophecied by Dauid is fulfilled in him And at length he concludeth his sermon with a graue obtestation and beseeching of them About the testimonie of the Psalme Peter doth two things First he teacheth them that it cannot be expounded of Dauid by any meanes Then he prooueth that Dauid prophecieth of christ And bicause the authoritie of Dauid was verye great with the Iewes he mollifieth the mindes of his hearers with a proper preface leaâ—t they might thinke he spake any thing contemptuouslye of Dauid yea he citeth themselues as witnesses of the things that he meaneth to saye Let me sayth he speake of the Patriarch Dauid to you who I knowe are not ignorant in Dauids matters and are earnest studentes of his prophecies And bicause many would thinke that he spake these
that we be not afrayd with the power of our enimies when we see our selues to weake for them For this is not our fight but a battell taken in hande vnder Gods conduct who can most easilye subdue their force and attemptes Which thing Iohn teacheth vs when he sayth that he that is in vs is of more power than he that is in the worlde Last of all the faithfull expresse more euidently the effect and ende of these mischieuous attempts where they say They gathered themselues togyther to doe whatsoeuer thy hande and thy counsaile determined before to be done Howbeit the wicked consult not nor meete not togither to put Gods will and purpose in execution but they declare vnto vs how they are able to doe nothing but that which God hath decreed to haue done and that then they most further Gods purpose when they most studie to hinder it This shall appeare to be manifest if we consider what the Priestes of the Iewes dyd They woulde keepe Christ oute of his kingdome Therefore they mooued the Romane Presidents and communaltie against him and sâ—ynted not vntill they sawe him vpon the Crosse dead and buried But what other did they in all these things but helpe Christ being the Sauiour of the worlde according to the eternall purpose of his Father to enter into his kingdome And by the consideration hereof the Apostles remooue out of the way that blocke whereat such stumble as thinke the wicked are able to ouercome Christ by power and force Here serueth the vse of Gods singuler prouidence to make men vnderstande that the enterprises of the wycked can go no further nor doe no more than God hath appoynted Here haue we to obserue that they acknowledge in Gods prouidence not onely his prescience and foreknowledge but also his stable decree and hande whereby he doth execute at his pleasure that which he hath decreed that himselfe may be all in all And yet the wicked are not therfore excused bicause they respect not the decree and will of God but followe their owne corrupt affections as we haue alreadie many times declared And although the primitiue Church doth truely beleeue and professe the same yet she prayeth and with feruent sute beseecheth God of his succour and ayde Therefore the doctrine that submitteth all things and the successe of them vnto God taketh not praying away For God will be prayed to and inuocated And for this cause the godly vse it the more ardently for that they knowe all thinges are gouerned by his appoyntment For they doe that which he commaundeth and they search not ouer curiously after his secret counselles but permit the successe of all things vnto him whome they knowe to be faithfull who will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue our strength and bringeth all things to an happy ende for all them that loue him Nowe let vs see the thirde part of this prayer which contayneth the peticions of those thinges which they perceyued then they had most neede of The first of them is And now Lorde beholde their threatnings By this worde beholde they meane iudgement and punishment and it is as much to saye as if they should desyre God to reuenge theyr cause For who had more right to reuenge him than he for as much as agaynst him this warre was made as they had prooued by the wordes of the Psalme Thys is the peculiar vsage of the godly that when they perceyue they are hyndered in their vocation or not able to make their parte good to appeale vnto the iudgement of God as we see Dauid oftentymes dyd when Saule persecuted hym yet shall we neuer doe it wyth more affyaunce than when the glory of God by the wycked is openly impeached Thus Ezechias layde the blasphemous letter of the king of Assyria open before the Lorde and beseecheth hym that he wyll defende hys quarrell And it is no doubt but he heareth them which be carefull for the glorie of his name seeing he so mercyfully heareth the pryuate quarrels of those that be hys But to the ende they woulde not seeme so to commyt thys matter vnto God as to withdrawe themselues out of all daunger they beseeche God also to gyue them such grace that they maye speake and declare his worde boldely which thing chiefely is to be vnderstanded of the Apostles and other Ministers of the worde who vnlesse they be boldened and guyded wyth the spirite of God may easily be made afrayde with the threats and assaultes of the worlde to intermyt their office Which thing Paule after hys manifolde traueyles in the ministerie acknowledged and therefore thought good to be holpen wyth the publike prayers of the congregations that he might speake the worde of God freely and with open mouth Yet is thys also to be referred to euery singuler christian and it behooueth to pray for euery particuler person that they may confesse Christ boldely and stowtely before thys naughtie and adulterous worlde It is necessarie that we vnderstand how this boldenesse is gyuen vs of god For so shall we be prouoked to pray oftentymes for the increase of fayth crying with the Apostles Lorde increase our fayth Thirdly they require that the power of working myracles may be increased bycause God hath appoynted them as certayne publike seales and testimonials to the Apostles doctrine And they desyre the same may be done by the name of Christ to declare that theyr care is onely for Christes glorie In thys place there shyneth a marueylous stoutenesse and most ardent zeale towardes Christ in the primitiue Church They perceyued a little before that the mindes of the Iewes were incensed with the doctrine and myracles of the Apostles yet desyre they that the Apostles may haue more boldenesse graunted them and their giftes of myracles to be increased so little place doe they gyue to their enimies furie though but for a season which yet the men in our dayes wyll doer who thinke that to be the best trade of teaching that most pleaseth the professed enymies of truth and seeke nothing but ydlenesse and the peace of the worlde being little or nothing carefull for the increase of Christes kingdome These men thinke the Ministers are to feruent and manye tymes also those that be scarce luke warme which seemeth to me is the chiefe cause that Christes kingdome is so little inlarged amongst vs. To conclude Luke sheweth what effect ensued of their praying For God heard their prayers which was declared both by a sensible signe that is to saye by the moouing of the house which signified the presence of God and also by most wholesome effectes For they were filled with the holye ghost that is to say they perceyued an effectuall comfort of the holye ghost and courage giuen them where before this the feare of daunger did somewhat dismay them And they to whome the ministerie of the Gospell was committed preached the same with great constancie so that a
that bodies are committed to the ground as seedes vnto the earth which afterward shall be raysed vp with more glory Howbeit it is like the holy men had an other consideration For while they decently bury him that was condemned by the sentence of the counsell they manifestly reproue the vnrighteousnesse of their aduersaries giue an euident testimony of the fayth which Steuen had preached Furthermore they declare how they reuerenced him whō they saw was so singular an instrumēt of christ And they are not like vnto those which now adays vse to let slip the raynes of an impotent vnbridled tonge against the ministers of the word by whose free speach and doctrine they see their enimies are incensed and so seeke after the bloud of the faithfull ministers of Christ deride their cōstancy boldnesse whom they ought to reuerence honor In the meane time we learne by this example what we owe to the bodies of the deade that is to say honest and comely buriall forasmuch as Paule sayeth our bodies be the Temples of the holy ghost We must in our buryinges vse no pryde or superstition wherin diuers faultes are now adayes committed For there are some which puffed vp with vanitie doe so forgette their mortall estate that they will after death also be prowde while they fasten the armes cognizances of vayne glory about their Tumbs There are other again which labour by Diriges and sacrifices to do away the sinnes of the dead or else after a peculiar sorte of ceremonie vse to canonize them and make them saintes wherof the one is peeuish and without example the other derogatory and repugnaunt vnto Christes merite and doctrine which teacheth vs that those that beleeue passe from death vnto lyfe and haue neede of no new expiacions Moreouer they make great lamentation ouer Steuen And that is not against the rule of Paule whiche forbiddeth vs we shoulde not mourne as the heathen do For they lament not as vncertaine doubtfull of Steuens estate but for that they see the wicked to haue such power and the church depriued of so excellent a Minister which might yet haue done very much good in setting forth the kingdome of christ Neither are they to be blamed which cannot by and by forget their friendes like men voyde of all humanitie and common sense but are enforced to weepe forasmuch as God hath not made vs blockes and the scripture euery where condemneth those that be destitute of naturall affections On this sort we reade Abraham bewayled Sara his wife Ioseph with his brethren Iacob their father the people of Israell Aaron Moses and Samuel wyth godly dutie Yea Christe when he sawe the two sisters mourne wepte for his belooued Lazarus In deede a meane must be kept lest we may be thought either to enuy the dead their heauenly felicitie or else to stande in doubte or not firmely to beleeue the inheritaunce of the same Last of all Luke setteth vs out a singuler example of tiranny that Saule vsed against the church wherin first the great crueltie of the tyranne next the vayne successe of his purpose and intent is to be considered Of this Saule it was sayd before that he consented to the death of Steuen and kept their clothes that stoned him wherby is signified that he was guiltie of innocent bloude But now he can not be satisfied with the tirannye of an vniuersall persecution but deuiseth a peculier way and goeth about vtterly to pull vp the church as it were by the rootes And he setteth not on them alone which openly professed the faith but bursteth into priuate houses and draweth out not onelye men but women also whome the infirmitie and weakenesse of sexe defended and putteth them in prison in so muche that certaine writers thinke not vnwittily the Oracle of a Woolfe that shoulde come out of the tribe of Beniamin ought to be applied vnto this Saule For he was in deede a rauenyng Woolfe which yet at length when he was conuerted distributed the wholesome spoyles of Euangelicall preachyng almost ouer the whole world And the thinges which Luke here reporteth of him he himselfe oftentimes confesseth yea he lamenteth hym of the same verye often See Actes 26. 1. Cor. 15. Galath 1. The vse of them all is that we shoulde acknowledge the goodnesse of God whiche did vouchsafe to take into his fauour so great an enimy For as he himselfe interpreteth the matter On hym would Iesus Christ shewe all long pacience to declare an example vnto them which should beleeue on him vnto eternall lyfe But what preuayled Saules great enterprise Coulde he make hauocke of the church Nothing lesse Yea he was the cause that they beyng scattered hither and thither spred the word of saluation kingdome of Christ the further Thus God knewe how to set forth the glorye of his sonne euen by those wayes which seemed most to hinder it Whervnto also is to be referred how the euill spirites in the gospell euen against their will brought before Christe and threw to the ground those whom they thought they had all power ouer Therefore their feare is foolishe which suffer themselues to be discouraged with the attemptes of tyrannes In the meane while we are aduertised of our dutie that we be not ouercome with persecutions nor forsake not our dutie by and by Which thyng diuers doe in these dayes who hauing bene once or twise in daunger make holyday for euer after as though they had fully discharged their dutie toward Christ already But they of whom Luke here speaketh do better which being driuen out of Ierusalem are by their banishment made the bolder and preach Christ euerywhere being myndfull of that sentence which sayth they shall be saued not which begin well but which continue vnto the ende Let vs therfore follow their zeale that after we haue faithfully finished this race of life we may attaine to the garland of the heauenly reward through Iesus Christ to whom be all praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lvij. Homelie THEN came Phillip into a Citie of Samarie and preached Christ vnto them And the people gaue heede vnto those thinges which Phillippe spake with one accord hearing and seyng the myracles which he did For vncleane spirites crying with lowde voyce came oute of many that were possessed of them And manye taken with palseyes and many that halted were healed And there was great ioye in that Citie But there was a certaine man called Simon which before tyme in the same Citie vsed witchcraft and bewitched the people of Samarie saying that he was a man that coulde doe great things whome they regarded from the least to the greatest saying this man is the power of God which is called great And hym they set much by bicause that of long tyme he had bewitched them with sorceries ALthough the Kingdome of Christ and the church is alway assaulted and set on by the
nothing contrary to the same though it seeme neuer so worthy of authoritie And hereof the Lord himselfe giueth vs warning where he forbiddeth vs in the law to beleeue false Prophets although they confirmed their doctrine with myracles For the Lorde your God sayeth Moses tempteth you to see whether you loue the Lorde your God with all your heart c. Therefore they obiect myracles to vs in vaine which go about to perswade vs in things varying from Gods worde See 2. Thess. 2. Math. 24. Besides in Simon is set forth a manifest marke whereby a deceyuer may be knowne For he challengeth to himselfe godly honor which Satan chiefly desireth to th ende to spoyle God of his honor wherein he farre differeth from the good Aungels which refuse godly honor being offered them and put it ouer vnto god See Apocal. 19. and .22 And the faythfull seruaunts of God being well remembred of their naturall corruption be most free from this sacrilegall desire of godly honor and giue all the prayse to God for whatsoeuer they doe well and laudably Example hereof we haue seene before in Iohn and Peter and shall hereafter see the lyke in Paule Therfore let them be driuen from vs and clapped out of our company which dare to take vpon them any be it neuer so little a peece of diuine honor For he can be no faythfull seruant that will take vnto him his maisters glory Last of all we haue in the Samaritanes an example of the inconstancy and lightnesse of the Commons in that they yeelde to this crafty deceyuour and suffer themselues to be beguiled This is the propertie of the world to delite in deceyuers and to reioyce in deuisers of straunge subtelties But if there be any hope of neuer so little gayne yee shall see them who oughte to depend onely vpon the word of God by and by striken in a great rage They that in these dayes seeke after Soothsayers to heare tell of thinges lost or who hath taken them away giue vs examples of this madnesse And there be woorse than these which thinke diseases may be put awaye by incantations and certaine conceiued formes of wordes and with costly superstition hyre such as professe such kynd of witchcraft But the obedience of the Samaritanes being better instructed deserueth prayse This it becommeth vs to imitate and not to giue our studye to curious sciences which are long since plainely condemned by Gods sentence See Exod. 22. Leuit. 20. Deut. 18. Mich. 5. God the father hath appointed Iesus Christ to be our teacher and Sauiour Him it behooueth vs to heare and to doe his commaundement to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lviij. Homelie BVT assoone as they gaue credence to Philips preaching of the kingdome of GOD and of the name of Iesu Christ they were baptized both men and women Then Simon himselfe beleeued also And when he was baptized he continued with Phillip and woondered beholdyng the my racles and signes which were shewed When the Apostles which were at Ierusalem heard say that Samaria had receyued the worde of God they sent vnto them Peter and Iohn which when they were come downe prayed for them that they might receyue the holy Ghost For as yet he was come on none of them But they were baptized only in the name of Christ iesu Then layde they their handes on them and they receyued the holy ghost BIcause the kingdome of our Sauiour Iesus Christ was to be extended ouer all the world it was therfore necessary that the gospell by the teaching wherofmen are brought vnto Christ should be preached vnto all Nations whereof we haue seene how the Apostles receyued a commaundement of the Lorde himself being ready to ascende vp into heauen The great persecution which Luke sayth beganne at Ierusalem gaue an occasion of the putting this matter in execution For where before the tyme of this persecution the sermons of the Apostles sounded but in Ierusalem onely the other faithful ministers of Christ beyng thence dispersed beganne to preach in other places and had such good successe that within short space Phillip being come to Samaria wanne vnto Christ by his continuall preachyng the Gospell the people of the Citie which Simon long tyme had bewitched with his Magicall sciences For they contempning his Magicall conueyaunces began to giue eare vnto Christ to heare him only And how prosperously they tooke this thing in hand this present place declareth which setteth out vnto vs a more full constitution and ordering of that churche and most diligently sheweth the great going forwarde of those men in fayth and other gifts of the spirite First it is declared how they grew into one body of a congregation where he sayth Assone as they gaue credence to Philips preaching of the kingdome of God and of the name of Iesu Christ they were baptized both men and women Therefore this place is attributed chiefly to the beliefe which they gaue vnto Philips preaching in such sort that they thought his doctrine was confirmed with authority inough by the myracles which he wrought We learne therfore that through fayth congregations do duely grow in one are most stronglye knit with an inwarde bande For this Fayth only grafteth vs in Christ Iesu and maketh vs members of one body in him as Paule in many places testifieth Whervpon we euidently gather agayne that where men want faith there can be no church of Christ for such must needes be led with most variable and contrary senses and meanings We are taught by the example of the Samaritanes that the worde of God where men teache must be beleeued and that it must not be comptrolled by mans reason so that it shall nede euery day new authority For as Paule testifieth that the scriptures are inspired of GOD so the ministerye of the worde instituted of Christ in his church expressely teacheth the same Therfore whosoeuer beleeueth the ministers of Christ bringing Christes voyce and his worde we may saye hee beleeueth Christ and not men For vnto all suche belongeth this saying of Christ He that heareth you heareth me And whosoeuer receyueth hym that I sende receyueth me Wherefore Paule iudgeth the Thessalonians for this cause woorthy to be praysed for that they receyued his doctrine not as the worde of a man but as of an Aungell And the same prayse the Samaritanes deserue and as many as haue beleeued the Gospell according to their ensample Furthermore to this inwarde communion consisting of Fayth is ioyned also an outwarde bande of communion or societie For it is sayd that all as well men as women were baptized in the name of Iesus christ For as Christ chose his elect out of the world so will he haue them separated from the world and consecrated to himselfe onely To the which ende he requireth of them a playne confession of their fayth and furnisheth them wyth sacraments whereby they be
enuious Therfore to leape ouer the walles or to breake open the gates of a city was death although no other trespasse had bene cōmitted Yet these brethren vsed a godly and holy ordering of the matter without contempt of the ciuile lawes therfore deserue to be excused For they saw that more regard was to be had of Gods law which biddeth vs to succour them that be in perill commaundeth vs so to obserue mans lawe that we displace not Gods law or preiudice the good and godly Therfore to the intent he might escape this present daunger they let him downe ouer the walle in a basket and Paule refuseth not the benefite thus offered him By the which example first wee are taught that sometime Christian men yea Ministers of the worde may by flying prouide for themselues and not rashly put themselues in ieoperdie of death For we both reade that Christ oftentimes fledde when he conueyed himselfe from the Iewes lying in wayte ▪ and from the rage of Herode and also warned his Disciples to take heede of men and when persecution ariseth to flie from one Citie to another In deede we must be well aduised that we flie not when our tarying maye set forth the glorie of God and doth not pull vs from the office and dutie wherein the Lorde hath appoynted vs For vnlesse we haue a diligent eie to these two things when we flie we shall shamefully betray the glory of God ▪ and forgetting our dutie neglect the saluation of them ▪ whome we ought to holde moste deare Paule had a consideration of both these things forasmuch as when he fled there were notwithstanding at Damascus which set forth Christes quarrell and Paule gaue not himselfe to shamefull ydlenesse but both at Ierusalem and elsewhere set forth the doctrine of saluation with great fruite and vtilitie as the hystorie following sheweth Moreouer the faythfull are admonished of that dutie that the Lorde hath bounde them in to their teachers He requireth that they shall prouide for the safetie of their Ministers with the perill of their owne life For it is playne they are to be accounted as our parentes bicause through their ministerie as Paule sayth we are borne againe to eternall life Therefore the ingratitude and falshoode of those which assoone as persecution ariseth let go their vnbridled tongues against the ministers of Gods worde and redeeme and purchase to themselues peace with their liues is most shamefull But if it be the dutie of a priuate person to defende the Ministers with the perill of his owne life howe much more is it to be required of the ciuill magistrates whom Christ once promised should be the Nurses and defenders of his Church Wherefore their opinion is playne foolishe which saye the Magistrates ought not to defende religion by walles and fight whereas the brethren at Damascus brake the religion of walles with great commendation in the defence of Paule onely Furthermore Luke declareth what Paule did after his prosperous escape out of Damascus saying he came to Ierusalem which came to passe in the iii◠yere after his conuersion as himselfe writeth Where when he would haue ioyned himselfe to the Disciples and chiefely to Peter they mistrusted him bicause of hys former tyrannie vsed agaynst those that beleeued in Christ. But Barnabas of whom mention was made in the ende of the fourth Chapter hauing better intelligence of his doings commended his ministerie with great prayse vnto the Apostles namely to Peter and Iames whome onely Paule sayeth he sawe of all the Apostles beside writing to the Galathians Therefore remayning with them fifteene dayes space hee boldly maintayned Christes religion till he was agayne layde wayte for and compelled to flie Here we haue to consider the Disciples at Ierusalem who Luke writeth were afrayde of Paule This was no dastardly feare but such a feare as Christ commendeth where he requireth of hys people the wysedome of Serpents For where it was scarce credible that so cruell a tyrant could so sodeinly be chaunged they thought they had good cause to beware least he might beguyle them vnawares For they knewe that saying of Christ which testifieth that the children of this worlde are wyser in their generation than the children of light But afterwarde being enformed of the truth they embrace him courteously as a brother and fellowe In these thinges we haue an example both of Christian prudence and charitie whereby we are taught howe both these vertues must be coupled togither For where all men are lyers they knewe that they ought not rashlye to beleeue euery one that coulde egregiously counterfeyte godlynesse For what great harme false brethren doe Paule himselfe confesseth that he had prooued to his great perill And for that cause he biddeth vs to beware of newe brethren or yong scholers and will haue him that desireth to be a Bishop to haue the commendation of them that be abrode and without Agayne we must take heede of that ouer great rigour wherwith many are so stiffe hardened that they thinke all straungers and vnknowne persons ought at once to be reiected For as it is the dutie of Christian charitie to thinke well of all men so it easily admitteth the honest and credible testimonie giuen of vnknown brethren Let vs therefore vse this moderation at these dayes seeing the banished for Christes sake wander vp and downe euerywhere and let vs not yeelde to their sentences which on both sides being to extreeme eyther through their ouermuch facilitie cause all men to laugh at them or by their to great austeritie reiect all men without any difference Moreouer Barnabas is to be considered who as before of his liberalitie he relieued the needye of the whole Church and therefore was called the childe of Consolation so nowe by his testimonie he maintaineth Paules good name being in daunger and is not ashamed of him whome he knewe euery body suspected This deede of charitie is singuler and very necessary bicause there is scarce anything amongst men more ryfe than sinister and wrong suspicion For as being blinded with selfeloue we flatter our selues so we diligently note other mennes maners and seeke euery little occasion howe to backbite their good name Therefore great is their offence which aggrauate the faultes of them that are wrongfully suspected whose good name and fame they rather ought to tender and defende Thirdly let vs consider Paule who Luke writeth declared his fayth at Ierusalem by many and singuler vertues And first he writeth howe hee sought the familiaritie and company of the Church and of Christes Disciples This is worthy of singuler prayse if a man consider howe Paule not long before was accounted amongst the chiefe of that Citie But he iudging all worldly dignities worthy nowe to be stamped vnder his feete is desirous to get Christ and to be ioyned vnto his Church See the thirde to the Philippians Let vs laye this example before
written If therefore any thing be brought forth contrarye to their doctrine let vs knowe that it commeth from man whose tradicions long since are beaten downe by the sentence of God. We haue therefore a notable and wholesome sermon of Peters whereby the first of the Gentyles are conuerted vnto Christ. This sermon if it be well expended conteyneth in it all the articles of our fayth concerning God the father Iesus Christ his sonne and the holy ghost The same comprehendeth in it a perfite order of the saluation of man which as it is sette forth to vs in Christ so is it to be taken holde of by fayth only in him Which bicause it is the gift of God it becommeth vs by continuall prayer to aske it of him that being truly graffed into Iesus Christ iustified by his merit we may be saued To him be all praise honor power glory for euer AmeÌ„ The .lxxvij. Homelie Whyle Peter yet spake these wordes the holy ghost fell on all them which hearde the preaching And they of the Circumcision which beleeued were astonied as many as came with Peter bicause that on the Gentyles also was shedde out the gift of the holye ghost For they hearde them speake wyth tongues and magnifie god Then aunswered Peter can any man forbydde water that these shoulde not be baptised which haue receyued the holy ghost as well as we And he commaunded them to be baptised in the name of the Lorde Then prayed they him to tarie a fewe dayes AS God the father hath included all the meane of our saluation in Iesus Christ his sonne so he woulde that he shoulde be the sauiour and Redemer of all Nations and not of one people onely Whereof may be gathered euident arguments both of the first promises and oracles of the Prophetes and also of the last commaundement of Christ when he sent forth his Apostles into all the worlde to preach the Gospell But whereas the Iewes being puft vp with the prerogatiue of the lawe and ceremonies thereof vsed to despyse other Nations and woulde not vouchsafe to admit them into their congregation it was neede there shoulde be some peculiar demonstration to declare that the stoppe of the lawe was broken downe by Christ and that the grace of God was offred vnto the Gentyles also without the righteousnesse of the lawe This doth the holy ghost most liuely set forth in this hystorie For as God did vouchsafe to sende his Aungell to Cornelius a Gentyle and one vncircumcised and to awake Peter by an heauenlye vision to instruct him so Peter the Apostle preacheth vnto the same Cornelius by instinct of the holy spirite the whole order of saluation wyth marueylous breuitie and playnenesse and without any mention making of the ceremonies of the law teacheth vs that Iesus Christ is appoynted vs of God in whom to haue the forgiuenesse of our sinnes But least any man might thinke that Peter had ouer rashly and without aduyse blabbed out these sayinges the effect of the matter prooueth the same which Luke for this cause the more diligently describeth bicause he woulde stirre vs vppe to the more diligent consideration of the matter First whyle Peter as yet was speaking it is sayde the holy ghost fell on all them which hearde the preaching And not long after it is sayde likewyse that they spake with diuers tongues and declared the great grace of god The same therefore commeth here to passe that fell out in the daye of Pentecost and God thought good to confirme Peters doctrine which Cornelius and his kinne had receyued by the visible sending of his holy spirite and to declare in deede that the grace of saluation was alyke belonging to all beleeuers whether they were Iewes or Gentiles and that from henceforth the ceremonies of the lawe were no more to be obserued This is euident that in the Apostles times it was a common thing to haue the visible sending of the holy ghost to be ioyned with the preaching of the Gospell which God did vouchsafe to giue vnto them that beleeued in him By the which argument Paule prooueth the iustifycation of fayth agaynst them which affirme that men are iustified by the workes of the law For he saith This onelye woulde I learne of you whether you receyued the spirite by the deedes of the lawe or by the preaching of the fayth Are you such fooles that after you haue begonne in the spirite you nowe ende in the flesh He that ministreth to you the spirit and worketh myracles among you â–ª doth he it through the deedes of the lawe or by the preaching of the fayth We haue in this place to consider the dignitie and efficacie of the working of the Gospell For wee see this is the instrument whereby God vseth to giue his spirite and to worke effectuously in the minde of man so that it is not without a cause that Paule sayth the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation to all that beleeue it And for the same cause he calleth the Preachers of the Gospell the ministers of the spirite For although all they that heare the Gospell in these dayes haue not the gyft of tongues giuen vnto them and such other gyftes as is euident remayned in the Church vntill the time of Iraeneus and after be for the moste part ceased yet it is manifest that all they are endued with the spirite of adoption and regeneration which duly heare the Gospell and embrace it by fayth whereby they crie Abba father and which Paule calleth the earnest or pledge of our saluation 2. Cor. 1. and .5 And the effectes of this spirite are manifest whyle it mortifyeth the fleshe wyth the earthly members thereof in the beleeuers regenerateth men illuminateth the mynde and causeth that they which by nature are apt and meete to no goodnesse are able to doe all thinges in christ Wherevpon we gather agayne that they are not to be taken for the members of Christ iâ— whome there appeare no effectes of the holy spirite For that spirite is not ydle and â—luggysh And Paule sayth that they which are destitute of the spirite of Christ are not his Agayne this place teacheth vs what the exercises of them that beleeue are after they haue receyued the holye ghost They speake with straunge new tongues which although it come not to passe to euery man as we sayd euen nowe yet the holy ghost ordreth the tongues of all them that beleeue to speake those thinges which serue to the glory of God and the edifying of other whereof hath bene sufficiently sayde in the second Chapter Then it is sayde that they greatly praysed god So doe they that truly acknowledge the grace of God which he offreth vs in Christ whereas contrarywyse whosoeuer beleeue to be iustifyed by their workes praise themselues And this giuing of thankes is a sacrifyce most acceptable vnto God which he both often requireth and the godly euerywhere vowe
none other cause graunted to flie but for that they shoulde after such daunger escaped turne vnto doing their dutie againe and to bestowe all their life after in setting forth the glory of Christ. Howbeit Luke maketh a diligent mention also of the places where these men preached And first he nameth Phaenicia which is neare vnto Iurie famous by reason of the Cities and people therin and is accounted notable euen among the prophane writers After that he nameth Cyprus an Islande of great fame in the Poets writings which they say by reason aswell of the pleasantnesse of the soyle as of the dissolute maners of the inhabitants is consecrated vnto Venus And here appeareth partlye the great goodnesse of God which woulde vouchsafe to endue such people with the knowledge of his sonne and partly the woonderfull and inuincible power of the Gospell through the preaching whereof the boundes of Christes kingdome were in short time so enlarged that from the mayne land it passed ouer sea and beganne to come into the Islandes as was long before foretolde of the Prophetes See Psalme 72. Esay 60.66 c. He chiefely maketh mention of Antioch which was the moste famous Citie of all the Cities of Syria For as it was notable by reason of Seleucus the builder thereof and of great renowme bicause of their woonderfull glorie and ryches so as we shall herafter heare the first Church among the Gentyles was there assembled and flourished in such number that they which before were called onely but Disciples of Christ beganne nowe to be called by a more worthy name Christians This Citie hath had Bishops notable both in life and learning It hath also so abounded in Martyrs that scarce any other can be compared therewith It is therefore woonderfull and much to be obserued that God woulde haue so great a Citie conuerted by the ministerie of those men whose names be not extant For this onely is written of them that they were of Ciprus Cyrene Howbeit it might haue pleased God aswell to haue vsed the helpe of notable Apostles But by the vyle and contemned thinges of this worlde after his maner he woulde bring to passe a thing of most importance that we might knowe howe we ought to reioyce and glory in him and not in man. Now let vs see what they preached that layd the foundations of the Church at Antioch They preached sayth Luke the Lord Iesus He was then the argument theme of their doctrine whome Paule also saith he only acknowledgeth He maketh mention onely of Iesus Christ bicause in him is contayned whatsoeuer things make for our saluation For he is giuen vnto vs of God to be the authour of repentance and remission of sinnes to all mankind as hath bene declared in the fyft Chapter For as in him onely remission of sinnes is to be founde so that repentance that is made without fayth in Christ cannot please god We haue here therfore what to answere them which reprehende vs and scorne vs bicause in our Sermons we inculcate and often repeate Christ only Thus we doe following the example of the Apostles and we can not doe otherwyse forasmuch as we can fynde no saluation without Christ. Last of all Luke declareth a notable successe of the Gospell saying And a great number beleeued and turned vnto the Lorde He first declareth the cause efficient least any man might ascribe it vnto the ministerie of men For he sayth the hande of the Lorde was with them Whereby we gather that all successe of fayth and saluation dependeth vppon God and that nothing is to be attributed to man more than the outwarde ministerie This thing Paule declareth at large in his first Epistle to the Corinthians the thirde Chap. And it is good oftentimes to haue the same in remembrance both bicause Ministers shoulde not waxe to prowde and also for that they whome God hath illuminated with true faith might learne to be thankfull vnto him Also the Euangelist expresseth the proper ende of Christian faith which is that they which through ignorance or superstition or sinne haue turned from God might conuert and turne againe vnto him Therefore fayth is not occupied in vayne speculation but is a liuely knowledge of Iesus Christ which draweth whole man vnto the obedience of god And they are not to be taken for Christians which being drowned in superstition and sinne will not conuert vnto the Lorde Let vs therefore set before vs this marke that we turning by true faith vnto God may attayne to saluation in Iesus Christ our onely Sauiour to whome be prayse honor power and glory for euer Amen The .lxxx. Homelie Tydings of these things came vnto the eares of the congregation which was in Ierusalem And they sent forth Barnabas that he should go vnto Antioch which when he came and had seene the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would continually cleaue vnto the Lorde For he was a good man and full of the holye ghost and of fayth and much people was added vnto the Lorde Then departed Barnabas vnto Tharsus for to seeke Saule And when hee had founde him hee brought him vnto Antioch And it came to passe that a whole yere they had their conuersation with the cōgregation and taught much people insomuch that the Disciples of Antioche were the first that were called Christians BYcause God had appointed Iesus Christ his sonne to be the Sauiour of all the worlde therefore it was requisite that all nations should be brought vnto him by preaching of the Gospell as it appeareth by the Oracles of the Prophetes and by the commaundement of Christ where he bade the Apostles to go into all the world and to bring him Disciples out of all Nations And howe this thing beganne to come to passe Luke declareth in this chapter For although it be described before in the storie of Cornelius conuersion to the fayth of Christ yet bicause it might seeme he was called vpon some speciall fauor or priuiledge the conuersion of the notable citie of Antioch is ioyned therevnto in the which a Church of the Gentyles for many causes notable is gathered togither The beginners whereof were certayne men that came from Cyprus and Cyrene as was yesterday declared of small or no name yet whose names vndoubtedly are written before God in the booke of life These men comming into the Citie preached Iesus Christ onely vnto the Gentyles teaching them that he was sent from God the father to giue repentance and forgiuenesse of sinnes to them that beleeue in him And their godly enterprise wanted not a most prosperous successe For Gods power working most effectually by their ministery an innumerable sort of menne learned the fayth and turned vnto the Lorde Now vnto these premisses Luke ioyneth certaine things touching the confirming of the Church at Antioch And first he declareth the kindenesse of those of Ierusalem towardes this newe Church of Christ which
which being giuen to curious artes contrary to the prescript word of God dare prophecie of warres to come of plentie of sickenesses and such lyke things Whose boldenesse and impietie I haue before declared to be forbidden by the lawes of god See the fourth Homelie and also our Commentaries vpon Micheas homil 20. It remayneth that we declare what the Christians at Antioch did after the Prophete had thus admonished them Where chiefly appeareth their fayth which was the grounde of all their well doing For by their doings it may easily be gathered that they beleeued Agabus prophecie For they coulde not suspect him whome they sawe threatned but such things as the publike corruption of all states and degrees deserued This is the beginning of saluation when men can fynde in their heartes to beleeue the word of god This thing in time past put away the destruction which god threatned vnto the Niniuites Contrarywise it appeareth that diuers men haue bene the occasion of their owne vtter vndooing bicause they rather woulde with their hinderaunce and losse prooue the veritie of Gods worde than beleeue it And our Sauiour Christ teacheth this to be the onely cause of the destruction of Ierusalem that they knewe not the daye of their visitation So likewise he calleth that the time of grace when the father of heauen did vouchsafe to admonishe the Iewes of the wrath to come first by Iohn the Baptist then by his sonne and the Apostles and did exhort them to amendment of lyfe and a newe conuersation And if we list to apply these things to our dayes we shall be constrayned to confesse that this is the chiefe cause of our miseries in that there be so fewe which vse to beleeue the worde of God and to feare the predictions or warnings of punishment to come Moreouer after the people of Antiochia had beleeued Agabus thus prophecying they called to minde the state of their needye brethren and weighing with themselues diligently what a dearth was lyke to be at that time they prepared themselues to the deedes of Christian charity deuotion a thing not vsed of the children of this world For when they perceyue a dearth like to folow they apply themselfe to their gainful deuises they heap vp corne and hoorde in their Garners to make of a publike calamitie their priuate lucre and aduantage yea by these fellowes subtelties it commeth to passe that they which are in neede are the more distressed with penurie the dearth holdes the longer bicause they still greedily gape after more aduauntage But the Christians at Antioche did farre otherwise whome Christ did vouchsafe first to haue called after his own name For their chief care was howe to succour their poore and needye brethren And in this case they thinke their brethren the Iewes to haue most neede partly for that they knew their goodes were taken from them as Paule testifyeth Heb. 10. and partly for that they knewe they were bounde to them in that they had receyued from them the wholesome doctrine of the Gospell and knowledge of Christ their sauiour For being godly and wyse people they did easilye perceyue that it was not without the prouidence of God that they whose goodes as yet were not consumed shoulde for this ende be admonished of the dearth to ensue For after this sort they thought that god in this publike scarcitie did in their brethrens behalfe require this deede of charity of them This is a verye notable example of Christian gratitude whereby we are taught what dutie learners owe to their teachers seeing the Antiochians acknowledge themselues to be debters to all the Iewes bicause they had learned the truth of some of the Iewes For by common reason they vnderstande that saying of Paule to be most iust that it is but a small matter if they reape their temporall goodes which haue sowed them spirituall goodes But nowe a dayes we be moste vnkinde for hauing receyued great profite by the doctrine of the Gospell men enuye the teachers themselues a necessary liuing much more their other neighbours and countrie men Thus they declare they make no great account of the Gospell when they make so much a doe to paye the Ministers of the Gospell but their bare stipende and pension Howbeit Luke diligently declareth the order that the Antiochians tooke about this matter First euery man of the Disciples purposed to sende succour vnto the brethren which dwelt at Iurie And where hee declareth that thys was the purpose of euery one he sheweth it was a voluntary benefyte and not enforced Such ought they to be which will haue their charitie accepted of god For as Paule teacheth the Lorde looueth a cheerefull giuer It shall much make for the stirring vp of liberalitie in vs if we consider that the richer sort owe this seruice and dutie to the poore Which thing is the cause that Paule reasoning of this matter vseth so often this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth the dutie of ministery and dispensation Whervnto is to be referred that saying of Christ admonishing vs to make vs friendes of the vniust Mammon which when we depart hence maye receyue vs into euerlasting Tabernacles These done he sayth they purposed to sende euery one according to his a bilitie For God did so moderate our Christian liberalitie that hee woulde no man shoulde be charged aboue his possibilitie For it is well knowne what Paule sayth if there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that hee hath not Not that other be set at libertie and you brought into combraunce but that there be egalnesse nowe at this time and that your abundance may succour their lacke And wee reade that the widdowe that cast but two Mytes into the Corban was praysed of Christ bicause she was able to giue no more And here is the niggishnesse of them greatlye reprooued which neglect the workes of liberalitie vnder pretence that they thinke it vniust to bestowe the goodes that they haue gotten with their labour and traueyle vpon other whereas God requireth nothing of them more than that they be able to spare Last of all they are very circumspect that their so godly and necessarye a deuise be not by craft and subtiltie hindred or disappoynted For when they had gathered this mony they committed it not at all aduentures to euery one to be caried but to Paule and Barnabas whose credit they had tryed diuers wayes And surely to let all this geare passe it appeareth in Paules writings what great truth he vsed in this behalfe and howe carefully hee procured the reliefe of his needye brethren in Iurie See .1 Corint 16. 2. Cor. 8. and .9 and Rom. 15. Moreouer they sende it to the Elders that it might duely be distributed according to their discretion We haue therfore in this place to learne what Christians haue to doe in times of publyke distresse
the spirite and worde of God came with great chearefulnesse vnto the kingdome of Christ. Howbeit bicause the Apostles woulde seeme to doe nothing rashlye and of their owne heades they alleage the Oracle of God out of the .xlix. Chapter of Esay whereby they teache that God long agoe decreed that the Gentyles also shoulde knowe howe they had saluation in Christ and that the same shoulde no longer be deferred seeing the Iewes vnto whom the same was fyrst to be preached despised it Here therefore is the calling of the Gentyles prooued whereof we haue heretofore oftentimes spoken Moreouer the place of Esay teacheth vs what is giuen to vs in christ First and foremost a light which worketh in vs the true knowledge of God and saluation which the industrie of mans reason cannot attaine vnto for no man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him Uerily saluation followeth this light For this is life euerlasting that wee knowe God the father and Iesus Christ whome he hath sent This is a woonderfull bountie and goodnesse of God which woulde in so short and briefe a summe set out vnto vs all that belongeth to our saluation Let vs therfore walke in this light that darkenesse do not ouerwhelme vs that we may attaine to saluation in this light that is in Iesus Christ to whome be praise honor power and glory for euer Amen The lxxxxv Homelie WHEN the Gentyles hearde this they were gladde and glorifyed the worde of the Lorde and beleeued euen as many as were ordeyned vnto eternall lyfe And the worde of the Lorde was published throughout all the region But the Iewes mooued the deuout and honest women and the chiefe of the Citie and raysed persecution against Paule and Barnabas and droue them out of their coastes But they shooke off the dust of their feete against them and came vnto Iconium And the Disciples were filled with ioye and with the holy ghost ALthough God gaue vnto his Sonne Iesus Christ a kingdome and all maner of power yet the scriptures euerywhere testify that he should haue many enimies in the worlde and Christ himselfe oftentimes admonished his Disciples thereof least they shoulde hope for a temporall felicitie and kingdome and so be offended with the crosse and aduersitie This present hystorie sheweth vs an euident example of such things as Christ sayde shoulde come to passe Paule after he had conuerted Cyprus and Pamphilia came to Antioch in Pisidia and there according to his custome preached Christ in the Sinagoge of the Iewes By and by he hath both Iewes and Gentyles to embrace the doctrine of fayth yea the whole Citie almost beganne to listen and giue eare to the gospell so that the matter seemed to be brought to passe euen as he woulde haue it But sodeinly the Iewes stande vp and openly speake against the Apostles in their sermons refrayne not from rayling In the which contention the constancie and boldenesse of the Apostles is specially to be noted whereby they did not only resist their wicked enimies but also pronounced the horrible iudgement of God against them declaring howe God woulde forsake them and transferre his kingdome vnto the Gentyles yet coulde not this contention be so appeased but more grieuous matters yet ensued of the which Luke intreateth in this place For he teacheth vs howe the doctrine of the Gospell was most faithfully published euen in the middle of the enimies After this he sheweth a newe persecution by meanes whereof the Apostles were driuen out of Pisidia and came to Lycaonia The ende of this Tragedie at length is declared to haue bene prosperous and ioyfull to the godly but very horrible and miserable for the vngodly To the fyrst part of this place appertaineth this saying when the Gentyles hearde this they were glad and glorified the worde of the Lorde and beleeued euen as many as were ordeyned vnto eternall life And the worde of the Lorde was published throughout all the Region The Gentyles which hearde Paules wordes reioyced not bicause the Iewes were forsaken for that had bene vnsitting both for their faith and Christian charitie but for that they hearde that saluation belonged to them also and that Christ was the sauiour not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentyles according to the Oracles of the Prophetes Therefore with thankefull mindes they embrace the worde of God and worthily commende it And this saluation is not contayned within the walles of the Citie onely but is caried and spred abrode by preaching of the worde ouer all the Countrie of Pisidia There are in these things certaine poyntes worthy of diligent consideration of all which we will intreate orderly And first it is to be considered what these men were of whome these thinges are reported verily such as were ordeyned vnto eternall life And Luke so describeth them that it is manifest what the cause is that men beleeue the Gospell when the same is impugned of many and cruell enimies Surely it is the free election of God who ordeyneth those vnto lyfe whom it pleaseth him and likewise leaueth them in destruction and eternall damnation whome it seemeth him good For if we consider man as he is of nature we shall see it is not in his will or power to beleeue the Gospell and to take holde of Christ. For the naturall man perceyueth not the things belonging vnto the spirite of God. And wee bee not able of our selues so much as to thinke a good thought Our sauiour Christ teacheth vs the very same where he sayth it is needefull that we be borne againe from aboue and that none cōmeth vnto him but whome his father draweth He sayde likewise vnto Peter making confession of his faith Happy or blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas For flesh and bloude hath not opened that vnto thee but my father which is in heauen Of the which sayings we may easily gather that faith belongeth to them onely whome God hath chosen and predestinate vnto life euerlasting And it is plaine that this election was made from euerlasting and before the beginning of the worlde and that in Christ who was ordeyned to be our sauiour and Redeemer before this world was made Therefore our election is free and of Gods mercie Furthermore those whome he chose in Christ the same when he seeth good he calleth by preaching of the Gospell and draweth effectuously by his spirite that being graffed in Christ through faith they may be iustifyed by his merite and made partakers with him of the heauenly glorye according to that saying of Paule Those which he knewe before he also ordeyned before that they shoulde bee like fashioned vnto the shape of his sonne Moreouer whome he appointed before them also he called And whome he hath called them also he iustified and whome he iustified them he also glorified And as many as be of this number
Then Iupiters priest which dwelt before their Citie brought Oxen and garlandes vnto the porch and woulde haue done sacrifice with the people WHen our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ fyrst sent forth his Apostles to preache the Gospell he warned them of nothing so diligently as of persecutions that shoulde come vnto them in going about that businesse Of these he foretolde they shoulde suffer both many and grieuous not hereby meaning through feare to dismay them but to arme them with fayth against troubles foreseene that thereby they might learne to ouercome them Paule and Barnabas the chosen vessels of Christ well vnderstoode this thing who at the speciall commaundement of the holye ghost were sent forth as we hearde before to preach among the Gentyles For they vse such fayth and constancie in their office and charge that after persecution as men increased with more force and strength they returne with more alacritie to their office againe For being driuen out of Antioch they fyll Iconium with the doctrine of christ Agayne beinst expulsed Iconium by reason of a sedition there raysed they come to Lystra and Derba and there they beginne to teach And it is sayde they preached the Gospell least any man might thinke they had chaunged their doctrine for their enimies pleasure Their constancie is set forth to be imitated of all men to th ende that they which will seeme the true worshippers of Christ shoulde giue no place to the wicked enimies of the worde For he is vnworthy of Christ that more setteth by the friendship of this vntowarde and adulterous worlde than by the glory of christ Howbeit bicause mention was made of myracles whereby God gaue testimonie to the Apostles doctrine nowe Luke rehearseth one myracle among a great many which by reason of the effect falling out thereof seemed verye worthy to be declared For the more profyte that may come vnto vs by the consideration thereof fyrst we will discusse the myracle with the circumstances and then declare the effect thereof Luke beginneth with the description of him on whome the myracle was wrought He was a townesman of Lystra many wayes very miserable For he was lame of his feete and that from his mothers wombe so that thereby it appeareth his disease was incurable such as they be for the most part that cleaue to vs from our natiuitie and birth It is also added that he neuer went on his feete or walked So diligent a description of this Creple maketh for the certaintie of the myracle that the power of Christ might appeare the more euident in whose name not long after he was healed Here is to be obserued how Christ commonly setteth forth the glorye of his name by them which eyther are sicke of incurable diseases from their natiuitie or else are otherwise in great calamitie Such an one we reade the blinde man was whom Christ restored to his sight Such another was he that had the Palsie who at length after he had bene .xxxviij. yeares diseased was restored againe to his health Such an one was the woman which had eyghtene yeares gone stowping and bowed as it were togither Such were the Demoniakes that so raged and were by his benefyte deliuered These thinges serue fyrst for our consolation that we shoulde not take the aduersities that God sendeth impaciently considering that hereby Christ knoweth howe to fetch matter to glorifye his name by For God so little hateth vs therefore that rather by bearing them pacientlye he maketh vs the instruments of his glory Furthermore they make for our instruction that we rashly ryde not on them whome God hath punished with anye deformities or blemishes of nature For according to the saying of Salomon he that derideth the poore contemneth god his maker so is he very wicked which by tauntes and scornes nicketh them whom God hath chastened or afflicted with his hande Which thing is the cause that the lawe pronounceth them accursed that layeth a stumbling blocke in the blindes waye or curseth the deafe Let vs see what this Creple did before he was made whole He heard Paule preach and beleeued he should be made whole Whereby it appeareth that Paule preached of the saluation of christ Which when the creple heard to be confyrmed with many myracles he conceyued also good hope of his restitution who by like had also some secret suggestion of the holy spirite forasmuch as there is no promises vniuersall that promiseth health of bodye to all that beleeue in the name of christ Luke ment to shewe the cause of his saluation where he sayth hee beleeued For all the Scripture teacheth vs that by faith we are made partakers both of Christ and of all his benefytes and Christ many times teacheth vs the same saying when he healed any Be it done vnto thee according to thy fayth or thy fayth hath saued thee or made thee whole It is very worthy to be considered how fyrst it is sayde he hearde and afterwarde mention is made of his beliefe which he gatte by hearing the worde This teacheth vs after what sort and meanes fayth commeth vnto vs It is manifest that faith is the gift of God and that it consisteth not in the will eloquence or wisedome of manne For no man knoweth the father but the sonne and hee to whome the sonne will open him And God vseth men for Ministers and instrumentes of his worde when he meaneth to teach men his word according to that saying of Paule We be the Ministers of Cod by whome you haue beleeued euen as the Lorde gaue euery man grace Therfore whosoeuer will attaine vnto fayth must diligently harken to the worde of god For how shall they beleeue except they haue hearde howe shall they heare without a Preacher for faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God. Wherefore Christ ioyning both these togither sayth He that heareth my word and beleeueth in him that sent me hath life euerlasting These things serue for commendation of the outward word that we contemne it not nor imagine another word of God nor search for such wayes of fayth as the Saintes neuer knewe of Which who so doe they lye open commonly to the assaults of the Deuill and are troubled with marueylous illusions and fare like men which hearing howe God giueth the encrease of corne leaue of tillage a thing that God hath ordeyned for the maintenance of man. After this Luke sheweth the myracle For Paule well beholding this Creple perceyued certaine tokens of fayth in him which coulde not be without some secret working of the holy spirite For who is able by a mans countenance which is the most variable and deceyueable thing that is to iudge surely of any mannes faith it must needes therefore be the suggestion of the spirite that certifyed Paule of this lame mannes fayth Then turning about vnto him he giueth him perfyte helth of his body And as it is written in
Citie in the partes of Macedonia and a free Citie THE spirite of our Lorde Iesus Christe woulde that the iourneyes and voyages of the Apostles and specially those of Paule shoulde be diligently described bicause the same make not a little for our instruction For by them appeareth a great goodnesse of God which within so short a space of tyme did vouchsafe to lighten all the worlde with the doctrine of the gospell and saluation and to bring the prophane Gentyles when they were most corrupt to the knowledge fellowship of him It appeareth also by this hystorie by what meanes and weapons the kingdome of God vseth here on earth both to be enlarged and conserued Uerily by the preaching of the Gospell whereby in despyte of the worlde the spirite of God bloweth where it will as Christ otherwheres sayeth And where God doth vouchsafe to vse the ministerie of men herein he required of them earnest diligence and vigilant zeale Wherein we haue to imitate Paule of all others touching whose feruent zeale Luke reporteth manye things Whereof this is no simple argument and proofe that not contented to haue gayned many Congregations vnto Christ he goeth agayne to visite them and confyrmeth them by faithfull admonitions teaching vs that we must be carefull in the matter of our saluation bicause all men knowe the sleyghtes of Satan which laboureth to turne vs or euer we be ware out of the way of saluation Yet Paule so visiteth the congregations that he endeuoreth to gather and gayne newe companies vnto Christ of the which thing in this place Luke chiefely intreateth First it is sayde he went through Phrigia and Galacia And that there were newe congregations there erected the Epistle of Paule to the Galathians abundantly declareth conteyning in a compendious and perfyte abridgement all the whole summe of Euangelike doctrine In that iourney came to passe this one thing most marueylous of all other that they were forbidden by the holy ghost to preach the Gospell in Asia Under the name of Asia is comprehended that part which bordering on the sea westwarde conteyneth in the continent Acolia and Lydia aboue Ephesus and Smyrna and Ionia it selfe Which countries as they are most fruitfull and rich of all others so for this cause they were very vnhappye in that Christ would not at this time they should heare the doctrine of saluation Such was the case of Bythinia also into the which the same spirite of Christ woulde not suffer Paule to go neyther By which argument it easily appeareth that the Apostles wandered not about the worlde at their owne pleasure but did all things by the guiding and ordering of the spirite of GOD for we knowe that this holye spirite was promised and giuen vnto them by christ Beside that they had singuler reuelations when neede was whereof we had example before in Peter and Philip where the Ethiopian Eunuch and Cornelius the Centurion by their ministery should be conuerted This maketh for the commendation of the Apostles doctrine that we despyse it not as an humane thyng and to be little esteemed seeing it is manifest it was published among men by the euident working of the holy ghost But some men vse in this place to mooue a graue question why Paule was suffred in one place to teach and forbidden in another This question some men thinke is very commodiously soluted if all such doings be referred vnto Gods prescience or foreknowledge For they saye he foreseeth who be worthy to haue his word and to be saued and who be not But these kind of menne whyle they are carefull to defende the iustice of God for feare of making him the author of any sinne they make little of his grace measuring saluation by the worthynesse of menne which is impossible for them to doe vnlesse they will also stablishe the merite of man and the prowde affiaunce in mannes righteousnesse But howe friuolous and vayne a glose this is appeareth by this in that all men of themselues are vnworthye of saluation For as Paule testifyeth All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God and there is not a iust man no not one And there is none worthy to receyue the worde of saluation but such as God pleaseth to make worthy and meete For of our selues we are not once able to thinke good but all our worthynesse and abilitie to perceyue that that is good commeth of God. This saying of Christ is notable and well knowne to all menne No manne commeth to me but he whome the father draweth An example whereof we had in the .xiiij. Chapter where it is sayde they beleeued that were ordeyned vnto life euerlasting And in the next Sermon we shall haue the example of Lydia which therefore beleeued Paule bicause the Lord had opened hir hart It remayneth therefore that there can be none other cause alleaged of this doing but the franke and free election of God which embraceth by his mercye whome he pleaseth and whome againe he lyâ—â—eth their harts he hardeneth And yet no man must accuse God eyther of vnrighteousnesse or crueltie forasmuch as he is bound to man and so ordreth his iudgements that great learning commeth thereby vnto vs For in the elect he sheweth an example of his meere goodnesse and in the reprobate the seueritie of his iustice that we may learne to feare the one and to embrace and kisse the other Moreouer the vse of this doctrine serueth and is necessarye for many purposes For it marueylously comforteth vs in temptations bicause we knowe our saluation is not founded in our power or in the merite of our righteousnesse but in the grace of God and merite of christ For who can ouerthrow this righteousnesse or grace who shall seperate those from the loue of God whom he hath once embraced Or who shall be able to take one sheepe out of Christes hande seeing all power is giuen to him in heauen and in earth Whosoeuer teach that saluation dependeth vpon our worthinesse doe vtterlye infringe the force and strength of this consolation Besides this doctrine teacheth vs our dutie and to acknowledge the great goodnesse of God when we perceyue our selues more sought after and visited by the worde of God than others For as God attributeth not this vnto our merites but of his meere grace goeth about to saue vs so if any disdaine to acknowledge his goodnesse and shewe themselues vnkinde towardes him he sheweth the horrible seueritie of his iustice agaynst them We haue for example Corozaim Bethsaida Capernäum and the whole Nation of the Iewes which we reade God cast of for none other cause but for that they woulde not acknowledge the day of their visitation Examples of like seuertitie are those Cities which God did vouchsafe to illuminate by the ministerie of Paule more than other For we sâ—e they are at this day tyrannously oppressed by the Turkes bicause they shewed not themselues so thankfull vnto God as they ought
Lette vs I beseech you thinke hereof whome it hath pleased God these many yeares to let enioy the preaching of the Gospell and to let vs abounde in the quiet and peace thereof where a number beside feele great want therof and being famined would be glad of one little morsell of Euangelike consolation But let vs returne to Paule and his companions who though they be forbidden in one place to preach yet cease not from doing their duetie but passing through Misia come at length to Aeolis and to a Citie in the same Countrie called Troas earnestly seeking euerywhere occasion to preach And there Paule being admonished by oracle vnderstandeth he must go into Macedonia For there appeareth vnto him a Macedonian which vndoubtedly was nothing but an Aungell and desireth to haue his countrye holpen And here came diuers thinges very profytable for vs to consider First is the example of Paule whereby we are taught that we must not be slacke in doing our office and dutie although our enterprise succeede not at the fyrst or seconde attempt as we desire For we reade the like came to passe many times both to the Prophetes and the Apostles which followed their calling the more earnestlye the more impedimentes they perceyued were layde in their waye Let all men go forwarde after these mennes examples and God will assist their endeuours who vseth when he seeth time and place to giue occasion of onset and also prosperous successe Furthermore this place sheweth vs a singuler example of Gods goodnesse whereby it commeth to passe that God worketh our saluation when we least knowe or thinke of it For who among the Macedonians woulde you thinke thought eyther of Paule or of the waye of saluation who when he came had none but a fewe of women to followe him and heare him So by this meane is the saying of the Prophete fulfylled I am founde of them that sought me not and haue appeared to them that asked not after mee And that that Luke sayth came to passe here among them of Macedonia the same may be seene in all other that eyther haue attained or at this day do attayne vnto saluation For before this worlde was made Paule sayth we were elected in Christ. And our fyrst parent Adam when he was fallen in sinne and did not onely not seeke God but fled from him yet was he both sought of God and called and receyued the free promise of saluation Hereto appertayneth it that men in the Scriptures are compared vnto sâ—eepe which hauing once strayed from the flocke neuer returne vnlesse the shepeheard by his diligence fette them agayne But Christ is our shepehearde which vseth to seeke his sheepe in valleyes and mountaynes and when he hath founde him layeth him on his shoulder and bringeth him home And this care of God may not onely be perceyued in those thinges that concerne the saluation of our soules but also sheweth it selfe in the things seruing to the vse and maintenance of our bodies For as God feedeth our bodye bountifully in giuing vs a liuing out of the earth so hath he appoynted the Aungels to be our tutors and keepers which â—arie rounde about them that feare him and deliuer them But bicause we haue hereof intreated heretofore let this nowe suffyse Yet let vs marke the vse of his doctrine which consisteth chiefely in this poynt that we shoulde be thankefull vnto God and stryue in all kinde of aduersities to defende our calling by the inuincible hope and affiaunce of Gods ayde and succor Furthermore this example commendeth vnto vs the dignitie of the Gospell and the ministery thereof For fyrst this is a notable thing that Paule is called by an Aungell and by the Oracle of God to preache So Peter was admonished by a vision from heauen to preach vnto Cornelius and to the Gentyles and the spirite led Philip to teach the Aethiopian his saluation Therefore some menne doe very vainely to contemne the ministerie of man as a thing of small or none account and requyre to haue Aungels to teach them seeing Aungels sende vs vnto men to be taught Yea Paule will not haue vs to beleeue an Aungell if he teach anye thing disagreeing from the doctryne of the Apostles Also the wordes of the Aungell commende the dignitie of the Ministerie For he sayth Come into Macedonia and helpe vs. Yet is it in Gods power onely to helpe vs both in body and soule But bicause the worde of the Gospell is the power of saluation to all that beleeue it the Ministers thereof are therefore not without a cause sayd to helpe men and to saue them And for this cause Abdias prophecying of the kingdome of Christ calleth the Apostles Sauiours Therefore the temeritie and impietie of those which saye that the Gospell causeth troubles and disquietnesse is reprooued seeing it is euident that men cannot choose but perishe except they be called by the preaching of Christ into the way of saluation according to the saying of the Prophete The Nation and kingdome that serueth not thee shall perishe But what doth Paule when he heareth he is called of God into Macedonia to men vnknowne and into Europe another part of the worlde Doth he tryfle and make delayes bicause he was before once or twyse forbidden No yea he prepareth him to the voyage and frameth him altogither vnto Gods calling and at length with a strayght course commeth to Philippie a very notable Citie and state By which example we are taught that nothing is rashly to be taken in hand without Gods calling but when we are certaine thereof then wyth speede to doe that the Lorde commaundeth For he so little regardeth prolongers and delayers that he cannot abyde pretence of godlynesse if vnder colour therof we neglect our vocation as we are taught by the example of him which was not suffered to go burie his father after Christ had called him to the ministerye of the worde But this is the most commodious way to doe well if we haue a diligent regarde to the calling of God and followe the same faythfully and earnestly For they that trust their owne deuises and seeke after vanitie as Dauid sayth cannot choose but grieuouslye offende God graunt that we be all mindefull hereof and followe our vocation that after we haue on earth fulfylled our duetie we maye at length lyue in heauen with Iesus Christ our Sauiour to whome be prayse honour power and glorye for euer Amen The Cviij Homelie WE were in that Citie abiding certaine dayes and on the Sabboth dayes we went out of the Citie besides a riuer where men were wont to pray And we sate downe and spake vnto the women which resorted thither And a certaine woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the Citie of Thyaâ—ira which worshipped God gaue vs audience whose heart the Lorde opened that shee attended vnto the things that Paule spake When she was baptized and hir housholde she besought vs
behooueth that Ministers shoulde be bolde to speake that they dissemble not eyther for fauor or feare But herof we haue spoken before where Paule was cōmaunded to speake and not to hold his peace And the things enioyned the Ministers of the word it is necessary al men that beare office should likewise performe as the scriptures euerywhere declare Yea let all men priuately apply these things to themselfe if they meane to be allowed of God in their vocation For where God requyreth vs to serue him with all our harts we that haue giuen our selues wholye vnto him must not choose but paynefully plainely and feruently occupie our selues in these affayres as meete is Now Luke describeth howe Apollos profyted in the knowledge of Christ and saluation while he goeth about to set forth his glory and to further the saluation of others For he sayth when Aquila and Priscilla had hearde him they tooke him vnto them and expounded the waye of God vnto him more perfitely And here aboue all thinges appeareth the truth of that promise of Christ To euery one that hath sayth he shall be giuen and he shall abounde They are sayde to haue which acknowledge the giftes giuen vnto them and which vse them diligently to the glory of God that when the Lorde requyreth an account of them he may receyue it with vsaunce and encrease This bicause Apollos did performe with all diligence and industrie as we sayde erewhyle therefore God fayleth not of his promise but streightway stirreth vp faythfull Ministers which enforme him more fully and perfytely in his will. This ought to serue for the instruction of all men that they may vnderstande howe all the graces of God are no waye more happily increased than by faithfull studie Thus they that vse their wisedome to the setting forth of Gods glory doe feele euery day how God encreaseth the same The like reason is to be made of learning honours riches and of all other things whereof we lacke not examples to prooue the same Agayne there is no greater cause why the giftes of God are quenched in vs than when we giue our selues rather to sloth and ydlenesse than to the setting forth of Gods glory Here for manye considerations both Aquila and Priscilla and Apollos are to be marked For vnder those fewe wordes the Euaungelist comprehendeth great godlynesse and vertues It is a great argument of godlinesse that they giue eare to Apollos while he teacheth wheras yet they had so great intelligence in the mysteries of Christ that they were able to teach both him and others This is the true marke of the children of God whose propertie Christ sayth is to heare his worde both willingly and often They are reprooued by this example which thinke they haue profyted so much in the knowledge of saluation that they haue neede of no farther instruction and therefore will neyther reade the Scriptures at home nor come at the Church to heare Sermons Thus whyle they thinke they haue profyted to much they openly declare they are yet ignorant what the chiefe cognizance of the children of God is For they bicause they knowe the kingdome of God consisteth not in bare knowledge but rather that God requyreth we shoulde order our life according to the rule of his worde they cannot be satisfyed with hearing bicause they feele that they want much euen in the chiefest poynt Moreouer this holy couple of maried folke declare a feruent desire to the glory of God in taking such an one to instruct as they sawe was able greatly to profyte the Church of christ Agayne it is an argument of true loue and cleare of all enuye that they priuately instruct him and enuie him not that glory that he had hytherto gotten by his faithfull traueyle but rather helpe him that both he may be the more perfytely instructed and the more people woonne by his meane If a manne woulde compare this with the doings in our dayes good Lorde howe few or rather no tokens of so Christian a minde shall we fynde in them which will seeme godlye and restorers of the light of the Gospell For assoone as they perceyue the authoritie of any man to increase by and by the gyddinesse of ambition maketh them to enuie him and they seeke all meanes possible if any occasion serue to bring him in enuye and contempt as though they coulde not prouide for their owne honour but with the infamye of others But howe shall they be beleeued that are so desirous of the honor of the worlde Surely this is the spirite of Cain who we reade rose against hys brother for no other cause but for that he perceyued his brother was better than he and more in fauor with God than he Nowe as in religion and in the ministery of the Church it behooueth to auoyde this mischiefe so in priuate doings it becommeth diligently to auoyde all occasions of enuye and hatred if we will be called the true children of god But as in Aquila and Priscilla these vertues appeare so in Apollo maye be perceyued a rare and singuler modestie and tractabilitie For he that excelled in eloquence and in all kinde of learning is contented to be taught of a man of handycraft and of a woman vnknowne to him before this time and straungers For true is that saying of Paule that the spirites of the Prophetes are subdued vnto the Prophetes Nowe compare with this Apollo the arrogaunce of them which cannot abyde to be admonished or rebuked of their Coministers whereof there is to great a number in these dayes But as in times past the insolencie of such did much hurt vnto the Church so this is the chiefe cause in these dayes that there is such contention euerywhere bicause there are in all places which take vpon them such rule in the Church that they esteeme their brethren and Coministers but as dogges or hogs Besides these is there yet an other argument whereby Appollos declareth his feruent desyre to set forth the kingdome of God. For after he perceyued he was sufficiently instructed in the knowledge of Christ he appointed to go into Achaia to Corinth bicause he perceyued that Church had much neede of his helpe For as valyant souldyours of their owne accord choose them such places as where they see is most labour and daunger so they which will traueyle in the warfare of the Church with their commendation and the profyte of the same Church must dyligently obserue where their help is most requisite and thyther haste themselues dyligently that by their negligence the kingdome of God suffer no detriment Here also is the fayth and dyligence of the brethren of Ephesus to be obserued which would not let the faythfull Minister of Christ and one that had deserued so well of their congregation to depart without a publike testimonie of his vertuous behauiour yea they so commend him vnto the Corinthians that they also desyre them to giue him the rowme
their beliefe Yet bicause he woulde seeme to doe nothing rashly he sent Timotheus and Erastus which were of his familiers before meaning himselfe to followe not long after if that vprore begoonne at Ephesus had not stayed him a good many of dayes Againe by this example it appeareth howe needefull it is for the conseruation of the Church to be very carefull seeing the moste paynefull Apostle which had as yet so much to doe was faine so often to go visite and confyrme the Churches before ordeined Therefore they bewray their fylthy sluggishenesse wicked arrogancy that thinke the zeale which the Ministers now a daies vse in this behalfe is vnprofytable or superfluous Also in Paule appeareth the property of true faith bicause she is not ydle and slothfull but maketh men diligent in their vocation For where she burneth in the zeale of the glory of God and loue of hir neighbour it cannot be that she will stande still ydle no she will be ouercome with no traueyle or daunger Which is more euident by this onely example of Paule than needeth long profe Let euery man apply this to himselfe and by following it declare his faith by his works Moreouer it appeareth that fayth is circumspect also bicause Paule whome the holye ghost guided in all his doings sendeth such men before him as he knewe were trustye For as true beleeuers when they haue the expresse commaundement of God followe it without any staggering although the fleshe suggest diuers things to the contrarye so in other thinges whereof they haue no certaine commaundement of God they doe all thinges prudently and circumspectly for feare they might obscure the glory of God and giue the weake an occasion of stumbling And this is the safest way we can vse in taking of things in hande c. Howbeit although Paule was scarce anye where receyued with more good will than among the Ephesians and had taught there two yeares togither with great vtilitie and successe so that not onely many of the people beleeued but also he had gotten many of the chiefe of Asia to be his friends as hereafter shall appeare yet at length he fyndeth no better curtesie than that we haue hearde he founde so often in other places namely troubles and publike sedition wherewith he was so tossed and turmoyled that he reckeneth the daunger he was in at Ephesus among the greatest troubles that euer he was in For he writeth that he there fought with beastes and was in despayre of his life 1. Cor. 15. 2. Cor. 1. c. Luke describeth all this hystorie marueylous diligently bicause in it as in a glasse the propertie and condicions of the enimies of truth their craftes and weapons are set forth to be beholden and also it appeareth howe God vseth moste faythfully to defende both his seruants and the truth In this place fyrst he proponeth the summe of the matter and then next he sheweth the beginners of the sedition with the oration of Demetrius who was the cause and stirrer of all this tragedie incensing the mindes of his adherentes against Paule At that time sayth he there arose much adoe about that way He calleth the Christian sect or religion a way which the aduersaries woulde haue oppressed The time is diligently to be obserued which sheweth vs howe thys stirre was made when Paule had set al things in an order at Ephesus was minded to go to the Macedonians and Corinthians and had sent two of his companions before to prepare all things necessary By which example we are admonished that we must alwaye be watchfull but chiefely when matters seeme in safetie and out of all daunger For Satan neuer resteth but being driuen out of his holde seeketh meanes to returne againe as Christ teacheth And there want not examples of such as being grieuously offended with sodayne crosses and troubles haue fallen from the fayth Let it yet comfort vs that how much so euer our enimie rage and raue yet hath he no power vppon Christ ne yet vppon those which by fayth are graffed in Christ yea being long agone vanquished he doth but lighten as out of a Basen and shewe counterfeyte scarmuches of fyght whereby to fraye vntryed and vnskylfull myndes But let vs see the author and instruments of this vprore Demetrius the Siluersmith was the Capitaine of them a welthy man and one that made Syluer shrynes and such other gay geere in the honor of Diana and therby was an occasion that the men of his occupation gate much money Diana was worshipped as we shewed aboue among the Ephesians vnder the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multimannuia whome they being seduced by gentile superstition beleeued to be a Goddesse that nourished and fedde all lyuing creatures The Temple of this Goddesse was the famousest and most sumptuous in all the worlde vnto the which there were Pilgrimages instituted from all places of Asia both farre and neere which was the cause that they that made implementes of superstition gat very much daylie by straungers that came thether Therefore they could not abyde the doctrine of Paule which at once ouerthrew both their superstition and all their hope of gayne These men therefore being called togyther by Demetrius go about to oppresse Paule by sedition knowing that by no force of reason they were able to conuince hym Here therefore it appeareth as euidently as may be that the occasions of sedition ought not to be ascribed to the gospell or ministers thereof For as the fayth that they preache vniteth vs to God so it chiefely commendeth vnto vs charitiye and concorde And here Demetrius is expressely named for the begynner of this sedition and not Paule who for two yeres before had so taught that he had shewed no token at all of a seditious person And of this kinde there are many examples both in this booke and also in other hystories Whereby we learne that they ought not ouer soone to be credited which accuse the gospell and preachers thereof of sedition but let vs searche for the truth farther and it shall appeare that they commonly are the fyrst begynners of sedition which would lay the fault thereof vpon other And such for the most parte are they which lyke Demetrius and his Complyces eyther lyue of craftes and trades forbidden by God or else hunte after game and pleasure The standard bearer among these men is the Byshop of Rome and his creatures the Cardinals Byshops Monkes and priestes For the greatest share of lucre and aduauntage by superstition commeth to hym He causeth his creatures also to get much money while being marked with his badge he gyueth them power to buye and sell that is to make marchaundize of of Gods worde and to chop and chaunge the same But all these can not abyde the truth of the gospell which lyke a sharpe whyppe shaken with the hande and spirite of Christ dryueth all marchaunting out of the Temple and ouerturneth the tables of
obtained he vseth all the helps possible to helpe relieue his cause For he maketh a diligent and long discourse of al the things that he had done so that all the people might vnderstande his doing least he might seeme to haue done any thing of lightnesse of head or of rashnesse and boldnesse It shall be profitable to harken diligētly vnto the Apostle pleating in his chains and to consider all the partes of his oration First he comprehendeth his beginning and proposition in few wordes For he calleth them brethren and fathers wherein he goeth about to get their good will. It maketh also for the same purpose that he vseth the Hebrewe tong wherein he knewe they greatly delited Then he promiseth to excuse him selfe that they might vnderstand he was guiltlesse But his modestie is very worthy to be considered in that he doth vouchsafe to call them that were so many wayes his professed enimies and had so iniuried him brethren and fathers For he dothe it not either of flatterie or feare but partly for that he was of the same nation and partly for that he hoped in so great a multitude there woulde some be founde that were good or which would be conuerted and won by the doctrine of the word Therfore they are reproued by this example of Paule that condemne the lawfull and receiued stiles of honoure which the Apostle otherwheres commaundeth vs to vse where he biddeth vs to goe one before an other in honor Although we allow God such as through peuish flattery excede al measure while they goe not about so much to honor others as to profite thēselues In the meane season we are taught our dutie that for a fewes sake which haue don vs iniury we shuld not cōdemne the whole nation For what more greuous iniuries cā be deuised thā those which the Iewes did vnto Paule Yet he loueth them reuerently speaketh to thē He wisheth their health and saluation wold haue redemed it with the losse of his own Yea being yet sore of the late stripes blowes that they had giuen him being in bands he taketh them for his brethren fathers Let them wel trie them selues after this rule who being blinded with hastie anger for a trifeling iniurie done by some rascall parson vse to burthen whole nations with slāders wish al euil to them wheras it is not lawful for a christiā mā to reuēge him of his enimie What madnes is it therfore to charge a whole coūtry or nation for the naughtinesse of one persō But let vs return vnto Paul who after he had premised this brefe beginning cometh to the discourse of his doings not like a vaūter to bost of his vertues but bicause it was so requisite to his matter For first beginning with his natiuitie he putteth that wrōgful suspition out of the captaines hed that thought he was a captain of hopelosts Thē he maketh answer to the Iewes who partly wer offended at the alteration of their old religiō partly toke in il part his preaching the gospel among the Gentiles The sum end of his whole narratiō is to declare that he had don nothing of his own hed or autoritie but al thing according to gods cōmandement calling Howbeit he so proceedeth in his narration that he answereth all such obiections of ignorance contempt of religion or lightnesse as might be made against him for professing the faith of Christe taking vpon him the office of an Apostle Al which things we shall consider in order First ther are some which of ignorance wāt of vnderstāding are of no constācie in religion while for lack of knowledge they are caried about with euery blast of doctrine Therfore lest he shuld be thought to be any of this nūbre he beginneth with his bringing vp and education I was saith he brought vp in this citie at the fere of Gamaliel was diligently enformed in the law of the fathers It is not without a cause that he maketh mention both of the citie of Ierusalem of his teacher for in this citie was the most famous vniuersitie of al that nation his master amōg the lawyers and doctors was of gretest authoritie as we haue alredy herd ch v. Therfore it could not be that he that had bene brought vp frō his childhode in that citie in the middle of their sacrifices vnder such a mā could be rude and ignorāt in the scriptures religiō Moreouer Pauls exāple serueth trimly for al our enstructiōs who hauing to entreat of faith religion first of al putteth away suspition of ignorance vnskilfulnesse hereby teaching vs that no man ought to be ignorant in religion that their opinion is not to be allowed which affirme it is inough only to beleeue and will not suffer any diligent examination to be vsed in matters of religion For God will haue vs to be instructed frō our infācie as may be sene Ex. 14. De. 6. Ps. 78. And Abraham is praised for no cause so much as that he was so diligent in bringing vp his familie in the knowledge of Gods religion Here haue parents what to obserue who vnlesse they infuse religion into the tender mindes of their children shall neuer haue them tractable in their age For that wee proue by experience in graffes horsses dogges and other beasts the same we finde in the education of children But O great slouth vngodlinesse of vs which take such great paines in training of hounds and breaking of horsses and care so little how vnruly and vntowarde our children growe Furthermore it is a great token of modestie and loue in Paule that he would make such reuerend mention of Gamaliel his master whome yet he knew did erre in many poyntes and throughe whose teaching he learned that preposterous zeale of the lawe Yet he acknowledgeth himselfe beholding to him for as much as vnder him he had at least learned good literature Then howe much more bound are we vnto suche masters as beside learning teach vs godlinesse and the tracke of true saluation Heereunto referre the commaundement of God in the tables touching the honouring of our parents But to persist in the narration of Paule there are againe other some which of a certaine wicked contempt passe vnto other religions persuading them selues that men may be saued vnder any religion These men while they seeme to allow all religions they plainly ouerthrow all religion and imagine that God is some foolish ambitious body delighted with diuers kindes of players Therfore least any might thinke Paule to be one of this sort he sayth that he was zelous and feruent in the Iewes auncient religion I was feruent minded to Godwarde as you are all this daye Otherwheres he sayth he profited therein aboue all his fellowes Which example teacheth vs that a zeale is requisite in religion For althoughe Paule greeuously offended in his zeale yet is he not by and by to be
hir go and draue with the weather But we were caryed into an Isle which is named Clauda and had muche worke to come by a bote which they tooke vp and vsed helpe and made fast the shippe fearing least they should fall into the Syrtes and so they let downe a vessell and were caryed The next day when we were tossed with an exceeding Tempest they lightned the ship and the thirde day we cast out with our owne hande the takeling of the Shippe When at the laste neither the sunne nor starres appeared no small tempest lay vpon vs All hope that we should escape was then taken away THat that came to passe vnto the sonne of God our sauiour Iesus Chryst while he liued on the earth to be enured and exercised with diuerse and dayly afflictions the same Paule both by his example in this place and by expresse wordes in other places teacheth vs to remayne for all them which shall followe his steppes For he that had nowe two whole yeres suffered to lye in bonds and to feele the greefes of imprisonment and had tryed day from day the fresh awayts and trecheries of enimies is nowe committed to a most fierce element to try the daungerous tempestes of the sea and at length to proue the misfortunes of vnhappie shipwracke For it was declared in the Homelie afore going howe he came out of Syria vnto the Isle of Candy by contrary windes and very daungerous sayling But yet followeth a description of a farre greater daunger which at length we shall heare ended with shipwracke the order and going forwarde whereof Luke hath reported very truely and diligently bycause in this narration which at the firste sighte seemeth bare and barren there fall out diuerse things which serue both for our learning and comforte Amongest the which this is worthy first to be noted that God admonisheth bothe the souldiours and Mariners in tyme of the eminent daunger For where they had layne at anker a long whyle in the fayre Hauen neare vnto Lasâ—a and winter nowe drewe on The Iewes faste beeing nowe ouerpaste which was vsed to bee kepte in the seuenth moneth which with vs falleth out betweene September and October Paule diligently exhorteth them to putte off their vowe tyll an other tyme Whiche thing it is euident that hee dyd not without the Reuelation of the holy Ghoste bycause he playnely foresheweth the daungers that afterwarde followed And heere wee haue chiefly to consider howe God neuer forâ—aketh those that are his For where he woulde haue all men to be saued he warneth them of dangers in time that they may take heede to themselues and deuise some meanes howe to escape and he attempereth his warnings in diuerse sortes For sometimes he warneth vs by his Prophetes and preachers of his worde which is his most common way vsage and one of the chiefest tokens of his good will towards vs touching the which thing see Amos the Prophet in his third chapter Sometimes he reuealeth vnto vs priuately by our friends and acquayntaunce in what daunger we be He hath also his tokens of diuerse sortes which declare his wrath towards sinners Furthermore he nippeth vs somtime by the eare with the secret inspiration of his spirite and with our owne conscience And we reade that some haue ben admonished by the ministerie of Angels all which things are so common vsuall that we nede not declare them by any examples Let vs learne at the least wise to acknowledge the goodnesse of god and not to contemne faithful wholsome admonitions least we be the authors of our owne destruction For this is the ende of the froward and disobedient as the examples of these men also shal afterward declare But before we entreat therof we haue somthings to say of Paule For we heard before howe he was tolde by the heauenly Oracle that he should go vnto Rome which thing it is playne he firmely beleeued Yet he abused not the Oracle to put him selfe in daunger without cause and so to tempte god But rather beeing admonished of the daunger by a newe reuelation he beleeueth it and lykewise admonisheth other to haue a regarde vnto them selues Whereby it appeareth that the doctrine of fayth and prouidence of God maketh not men to bee rashe and tempters of god For euen as Chryst requireth wisedome in those that be his so when soeuer God offereth vs any lawfull and due meanes of escape it is certayne he would not haue vs to put our selues in daunger Therefore it becommeth vs to vse these meanes of auoydaunce with feare and godlynesse Furthermore Paules wholsome counsayle is not accepted but to the greate hynderaunce and losse of them all is contemned Where it behoueth vs to consider the proceeding of all the matter that wee may learne thereby howe it commeth to passe that a greate many despyse wholsome counsayle and procure their owne losse and sometymes destruction The firste cause alleaged in this place is for that the Centurion thought good to beleeue the gouernour and maister of the shippe rather than Paule And in so doing if a man woulde consider the reason of the fleshe he seemeth it dyd very wisely yet he erreth and that fowely bycause he esteemeth and regardeth the counsayle not according to the cause but after the authoritie of men otherwyse he woulde easily haue perceyued that it was not without a cause that Paule sayde it was ieopardous sayling considering the wynter drewe on And this is a very common errour specially if God giue counsayle by the Ministers of hys worde For to giue eare vnto them it seemeth to many men not onely a greeuous but also a very haynous offence And there are nowe a dayes euery where Achabes and Sedechiases whiche disdayne to heare the Micheases and Ieremyes and thinke they them selues can giue beste counsayle or else take vnto them other counsellers whiche they thynke are more agreable wyth their humours and conditions Heereby moste tymes it commeth to passe that in daungers of warre wee flee vnto barbarous Nations and blouddy Souldioures to leagues of Princes and to Fortresses and Holdes in sycknesses to Phisitions onely in neede and pouertie vnto vnlawefull artes and wee geue eare vnto them which wee suppose haue had good successe heeretofore in lyke enterprises After thys sorte menne are wrapped in many euilles and incumberaunces whiche they myghte easily eschue if they woulde admitte the worde of GOD onely and the aduises and counsayles taken out thereof The other cause why they despised Paules counsayle was for that the Rode or Hauen seemed not to them commodious inoughe to Wynter in For thys cause they drewe vppe their Ankers meaning to seeke some more commodious harbour The same thing sloppeth vppe the way vnto many wholesome counsayles bycause wee bee not contente wyth presente commodities but seeke others in our iudgemente better For thus it commeth to passe that whyle wee followe the insaciable and blinde affections of the fleshe wee entangle our selues
voyde of the knowledge of Christ. Iohn 8. Rom. 15. God sweareth Heb. 6. Gene. 22. Gene. 26. Math. 3.17 Heb. 10. 1. Iohn 5. Isa. 40. Whatsoeuer was prophecied of the Messias is fulfilled in Christ. By the resurrection Iesus is prooued to be the Messias Rom. 1. By the ascention Iesus is proued to be the Messias Psal. 68. Iohn 16. Iohn 15. Iohn 5. Math. 22. Christes absence in body is no domage to the beleeuing Iohn 16. In his booke entituled the prescriptions against heretikes Iohn 3. 1. Peter 1. Iohn 14.15 2. Cor. 1.5 Ephe. 1. Rom. 8. Gala. 4. What maner of kingdome Christes kingdome is Iohn 18. The right hand of God. Iohn 3. Iohn 5. Gene. 3. Iohn 12.16 Rom 8. 1. Cor. 15. Psal. 2. Math. 16. Iohn 16. The conclusion of Peters sermon Isa. 42. Heb. 2. 1. Iohn 2. The effect of Peters sermon Heb. 4. Iohn 3. Ezech. 3.33 Let the 〈◊〉 hâ—â—rted 〈◊〉 counsell 〈…〉 worde of God. Ezech. 18. Isa. 61. Math. 11. Peters counsayle Repentance Leuit. 26. Deut. 32. Math. 3. What repentance is Hierem. 4. Hierem. 2. Ioël 2. The partes or braunches of repentance Rom. 7. Prouer. 24. Isa. 55. To be baptised in the naâ—â— of Christ. Luc. 24. To be baptised for forgiuenesse of sinnes 1. Iohn 1. Rom. 4. The confessioÌ„ of our faith in Christ necessary Maâ—c 8. The order of the doctrine of iustificatioÌ„ Luc. 24. Marc 16. Math. 28. Peter comforteth with promises The gift of the holy ghost Rom. 8. Iacob 2. Math. 5. The promise of the olde Testament The promise of saluation belongeth to infants also Gene. 17. 1. Cor. 7. Marc. 10. The vocation of saluation is of gods free mercy Rom. 9. Iohn 6. Iohn 3. 2. Pet. 1. The vntowarde generation are the Priestes and Scribes Rom. 2. Math. 3. Math. 12.16 Iohn 8. Math. 7.15.23.24 Iohn 10. c Apoc. 18. The effect of the Apostles counsell Luc. 5. The preaching of gods woorde is not in vayne Isa. 55. Iohn 9. Iohn 3. The propertie of fayth and of the elect Iohn 10. Math. 24. Luc. 9. The fourme and order of the primitiue Church 1 The doctrine of the Apostles Math 28. Luc. 24. 1. Iohn 2. 1. Reg. 12. Ephe. 4. 2 Communicating of goodes Heb. 13. Iohn 13. 3 The breaking of bread or receyuing togither 4 Praying Math. 18. What defended the church Psal. 105. 1. Iohn 5. Communicating of goods 1. Tim. 6. 1. Tim. 5. Math. 27. Luc. 8. Rom. 16. 1. Iohn 3. Deut. 15. Deut. 14.15.16.24 c Mat. 25.26 Galat. 2. 1. Cor. 16. 2. Cor. 8.9 The congregation and meetings of the faithfull Iohn 3. Luc. 22. Iohn 18. Iohn 17. Galat. 5. Howe the Christians liued priuately Rom. 12. 2. Cor. 9. Luc. 14. Psal 147. Math. 6. Actes 20. 1. Tim. 4. The fruite of true godlynesse 1. Sam. 2. Iohn 6. Iere. 31. Isa. 54. Iohn 14. Math. 23. 1. Cor. 1.3 The occasion of the miracle Exod. 29. Nume 28. Prou. 16. Iacob 4. 2. Cor. 11. Phil. 1. Iere. 48. The description of the lame man. Halt or lame from his mothers wombe Iohn 9. Rom. 8. A begger Deut. 15. Math. 25. Gene. 17. Exod. 12. 2. Sam. 7. Esay 64. The report of the myracle The pouertie of Peter 1. Cor. 4. Marc. 10. Daniel 11. Looke the Pontifical of the fathers touching the Popes coronation A figure of the restitution of mankinde Rom. 7. Gene. 3. Iohn 3. Rom. 8. Iohn 14.16 Phil. 4. An example of them that be restored Rom. 6. How the people receyued the myracle To marueyle at the workes of God is necessary Iohn 3.7 Math. 24. Luc. 21. 1. Thess. 5. 2. Pet. 3. To bee too much addicted to myracles is the beginning of ydolatrie Rom. 1. Diuersitie of signes or miracles Marc. 16. Math. 10. 2. Thess. 2. Math. 24. Actes 14. The argument of Peters sermon Peter putteth away errour and ignoraunce Ierem. 1. The Saints or holy men ascribe all glory to God. Esay 42. Iohn 1. Iohn 3. Math. 11. Actes 14. Apoc. 22. Galat. 1. God alone is the author of myracles Math. 28. Iohn 3. Math. 6.5 Math. 7. What we ought after a godly sort to beleeue of Saintes Math. 10. Iohn 13. 1. Cor. 11. Esay 63. The author and finall cause of the myracle The God of Abraham Isaac Iacob and of the fathers Gene. 22. Gen. 26.28 Deut. 13. Math. 15.23 c. Rom. 4. Iohn 8. Math. 8. The purport or ende of the myracles of the newe Testament Iohn 20. Iohn 5. Iohn 11. Hee telleth them of their wickednesse committed against Christ Math. 20. Luc. 18. Math. 27. Luc. 23. The order of the myracle and of oure whole saluation Math. 10. Christ is the author of saluation Esay 43. The meane whereby we apprehende saluation is faith Iohn 6. Math. 9. Luke 7. 1. Cor. 1. Math. 1. Psal. 110. 1. Iohn 3. The fruite of faith 1. Pet. 1. Phil. 4. Iohn 5. 1. Thess. 4. He putteth them that killed Christ in hope of pardon and saluation How pretence of ignoraunce excuseth 1. Cor. 2. Math. 12. 1. Ioh. 5. Luke 23. Iere. 44. Iohn 3. 1. Tim. 1. Phil. 3. Rom. 10. The prouidence of God comforteth sinners Roma 3. He giueth them counsell howe to be saued The remission of sinnes is of free gift Math. 9. Psal. 143. Isa. 64. He vrgeth them by feare of the last iudgement The day of refreshing Apoc. 21. Esay 64. Iohn 19. Luc. 21. 1. Iohn 2. The day of restitution Esay 9.11 Ierem. 23. Amos. 9. Apoc. 20. Rom. 8. Apoc. 21. 2. Pet. 3. 2. Cor. 5. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Cor. 13. Why Christ deferreth his comming 2. Thess. 2. Apoc. 7. Math. 24. Moyses bearâ—th witnesse of Christ. 1. Pet. 1. Christ in his very manhode is borne of the Iewes Heb. 2. Rom. 9. Genes 3.22 Psal. 132. Esay 11. c Christ is a Prophete Luc. 4. Math. 17. Mar. 1. Luc. 4. Christ is like vnto Moyses Heb. 11. Iohn 1.19 Psal. 24. Iohn 10. Exod. 20. Deut. 5. Iohn 1.15 2. Cor. 10. Rom. 1. Exod. 32.33 Num. 11.12 Galat. 3. 1. Tim. 2. 1. Iohn 2. We owe to Christ fayth and obedience Luke 10. Iohn 8. Iohn 10. Luc. 24. Luc. 7. Iohn 5. 1. Cor. 6. Math. 7.24 Iohn 15.16 The punishment of those that coÌ„temne Christ. Heb. 10. Iohn 3. Marc. 16. The Prophetes beare witnesse of Christ. 2. Sam. 7. The certaintie and antiquitie of the Christian fayth Galat. 1. Esay 1. The order of preaching the Gospell Math. 11. Iohn 3. Iohn 17. 1. Iohn 2. The Iewes are the children of the Prophetes Psal. 105. Math. 3. Iohn 8. The Iewes are the children of the couenant A pronunciatis Gene. 17. A comparatis Against the Anabaptists Gene. 17. Math. 18.19 Marc. 10. 1. Cor. 7. Our saluation is conteyned in the testament or couenant of God. Heb. 6. Galat. 3. Roma 11. Esay 49. The summe of the Testament of God. A blessing Rom. 3.5 Christ is the mediator of blisse Esay 43. Math. 3.17 1. Cor. 11. The heires of blisse Rom. 3.