chanced to his Apostles Let vs not therefore be troubled if there be now great dissension and quarels about religion Neither for this cause must we neglect to go to godly sermons but rather let vs diligently do this First call vpon God with the kingly Prophet saying Shew me thy wayes O Lord and teach me thy paths Then compare the doctrines diligently together and that which thou shalt perceiue more forcible to drawe thee from the world to God from the flesh to the Spirit from euill to goodnesse and from idolatrie to the true worshipping of God embrace that without anie feare with tooth and naile as they say nothing respecting the gainesayings of others The diuell hath euer gone about this That good deeds and words might bee made none account of least men beleeuing should bee saued Therefore by his ministers he sowes errours and sometimes also hee doth worke miracles that by errours he might make Gods word and by false signes Gods works to be lightly set by that by this means he may rather draw men quite frō the word or at least wise he may make them distrust and doubt of it God suffers this first that the godly may be tried according to that If a Prophet rise among you c. beleeue him not Deut. 13.1 for God tries you And hereof also Christ saith that in the end of the world so great shall be the beguilings of false Prophets that if it vvere possible the very elect should be seduced And hereof Saint Iohn saith Beleeue not euerie spirit but proue the spirits whether they be of God or no. The doctrin of the Gospell which we haue receiued is the word of God which hath been confirmed by many signes and with the bloud of many thousands Wherefore let no man doubt of that although an Angell from heauen should perswade the contrarie Againe therefore God suffers the diuell to shew lying signes that the wicked may be more blinded For it is done by the iust iudgement of God that they which will not beleeue the truth should be seduced and should cleaue to lies Thus far Ferus Where he plainly teacheth that it is no maruell that after the preaching of the Gospell contention and heresies haue sprung in the Church he saith it hath béene alwaies so and shall be euer And that for this cause no man ought to refuse to go and heare sermons And he loues the doctrine of the Gospell not anie lying miracles as the ground-worke of true Christian religion And after concerning the same matter he writes thus vpon these words The citie was deuided Ferus in 14. cap. Act. Here thou seest fulfilled that which Christ foretold I came not to send peace into the world but a sword The Gospell teacheth not seditions nor soweth discords but because it reprooueth their sinnes it cannot choose but the worldlings should repine against it I came to send fire vpon the earth maruell not therefore if there spring vp and be sects in the world for it hath beene euer so yea there must be heresies that the elect may be proued As much more as we see sects to arise so let vs striue earnestly to find and search out the truth and to stand firmely and vnmoueably in the confessed truth and to professe it boldly vnto our liues end And after he writes thus of the ground of euerie true Christians faith Ferus in cap. Act. 15. Euerie Christian ought to bee so sure of his faith that if all the world were of a contrarie opinion yet he could say I am sure this is Gods word let other men think what they will God cannot deceiue or beguile Yea if an Angell frō heauen should preach the contrarie let him be accursed Vnles thou be thus grounded thou canst not stand stedfastly when the false Apostles shall teach the contrarie And hereof Christ saith My sheepe heare my voyce and they will not heare stangers but run from them Gods word by Ferus iudgement is the onely Rocke of Christians faith and religion in these doubtful daies And againe in another place he makes these steps of Christianitie Marke in the foresaid words this order in Christianitie Ferus in cap. 22. Act. First is the predestination of God For it is not of him that willeth but of God that sheweth mercie Reade the ninth chapter to the Romans And we are predestinate not to idlenesse or wantonnesse but that wee may know the will of God what kind of one he is towards vs what he requires and willes at our hands Then wee are sent to Christ in whom alone we see how God is affected to vs. By him also we receiue the holy Ghost that we may be able to doe the will of God After we haue knowne Christ it remaines that in our life maners and words we testifie his goodnesse towards vs and that we are his disciples And this testimonie cōsists in foure things First that we rise vp from our old conuersation Secondly that we be baptized and bee partakers of the Sacraments Thirdly that we wash away the sinnes whereinto wee haue fallen by Christs bloud Fourthly that we call vpon his name that is his righteousnes and merits Here Ferus doth as it were make a perfect anatomie of a Christian man I would to God euery true Christian would marke well euerie part thereof and sée whether himselfe were sound in that faith or no. And in another place of Christian conuersation he writes thus Ferus in cap. Act 20. Marke here the manners of Christians First of all hee prayes the Saints alwayes giue themselues diligently to prayers both in the beginning and end of their work yea all their work thorough For we euer stand neede of the helpe of God for without him we can do nothing We are not sufficient of ourselues to thinke any thing that is good And againe He workes in vs both the will and to finish And in Osee O Israel thy destruction comes of thy selfe but thy helpe comes of me Let no man therefore trust in his owne strength Cursed is he that puts flesh his arme Therefore Paul neuer tooke any thing in hand nor finished anie thing without the helpe of prayer Secondly he kneeles downe against those which make a iest at all ceremonies in prayers He that goes about to make his prayers vnto God must haue well profited first in the schoole of humility otherwise he shall not be heard The prayers of him that humbleth himselfe pierceth the clouds And hereof it is said by the Prophet Vpon whom shall my Spirit rest but vpon the humble and peaceble And thirdly he prayes not alone but with all the companie The prayers of the holy Church is of great force So when the Apostles continued praying with one accord and consent the holy Ghost came vpon them and filled them all In like maner after the Iewes had threatned them when they had prayed altogether the place moued and they were all filled
any signes for God hath sufficiently yeelded to our infirmitie that in the beginning of the law and gospell he adioyned to his word certaine signes as seales by which we might be assured that they were the word of God But now he will not at our pleasure giue any more signes but he will haue vs beleeue his word For we walke not by sight but by faith And hereupon he saith to Thomas Blessed are they which haue not seene and yet haue beleeued Therefore not without cause he condemnes those which as yet seeke for signes For first not to beleeue without signes is against the nature of faith For faith is a substance of those things which are not seene but are hoped for Secondly not to beleeue without signes is iniurious to God as though he could either deceiue or be deceiued Thirdly it is daungerous to giue more heed to signes then to the word of God it selfe for the diuell can shew signes the which thing we see in the enchaunters of Egypt Hereof also Moses forbiddeth that no credit should be giuen to the Prophet doing miracles and in the meane while teaching against the law because miracles cannot make the false word true but seduce rather but if they be annexed to the true word they confirme and seale vs the more in the truth Lastly faith conceiued by miracles is not so constant for they which beleeue not because of the word but by reason of miracles oftentimes fall into incredulitie in the time of tribulation neither continue stedfast in faith as we may see in the Israelites who verie often when as the miracles ceased fell a doubting Againe he writes thus Then we may safely beleeue miracles if the doctrine agree with the word of God which they teach that they are done in Christ And againe of the ends of miracles he writes thus God hath annexed miracles to his word Fer. in 3 ca. act as it were certaine seales by which we should be assured that they were not the words of man but of God which we see confirmed with such great signes which belong onely to God to doe for which cause Christ did not onely miracles himselfe but gaue his Apostles also power to do the same as also in times past to Moses and the Prophets Thus much Ferus Therefore miracles of themselues if they be separated from the word are of no force to establish anie doctrine 13. Of Apparitions of spirits AGainst Appearing of spirits Ierome writeth thus Ierom. in 8. ca. Esai This you ought to know that euerie nation asketh counsell of their owne Gods and enquires of the dead for the liuing but to you he hath giuen his law for to helpe you that you may say The diuination of the heathen is not such which often deceiueth the worshippers And not like ours which without any gift is drawen out of the law of God And after No maruell if you follow your traditions when as euerie nation asketh counsell of their Idols speaking of the Scribes and Pharisées following the traditions of their fathers Therefore we will not aske counsell of you being as it were dead concerning the liuing God hath rather giuen you a law and the testimonie of the Scriptures which if ye will not follow you shall haue no light but euer darknes shall oppresse you May we not say the like of the Papists who followed the apparitions of spirits and the traditions of the elders Saint Bernard also asketh a question of the blessed Virgine of whom it is said that she cast in her mind what that salutation should meane Oleast in 2. ca. Gen. And why she should suspect talking with an Angell and he answereth wilt thou O man be in daunger without care feare then securitie it selfe Wilt thou be safe and sure from the diuell then feare Angels from heauen Thou hast heard that Sathan hath transformed himselfe into an Angell of light that he might deceiue man Thus much Oleaster alleadgeth out of Bernard I would to God they themselues had followed this holy fact of the blessed virgin who at the first suspected the Angell that appeared to her and that they had not giuen credit to the apparitions of Angels nor of the Saints No nor to the blessed virgin her selfe or of the soules of any departed of whom they haue learned most part of their religion Sathan may seeme a saint the blessed virgine nay euen an Angell of God Beware therefore how thou at all beléeuest such apparitions least thou be deceiued Looke rather to Moses and the prophets according to thy Sauiours counsell then to these doubtfull apparitions And after Why O woman dost thou lie saying God hath forbidden both to eate and touch the tree when as God onely forbad the eating thereof Note heere that he calleth it a lie to adde to the commaundement of God though it seeme religious as not so much as to touch the trée This Eue might seeme to haue said of a deuotion that she bare to the commaundement that she would not so much as touch the trée But that had béene superstition that had béene more then God commanded she might lawfully haue touched the tree And many such superstitions beside the word Eue the mother Church of Rome vpon a good intent for deuotion bringeth now into the Church Stella also of Reuelations writes thus Simeon beleeued the scriptures which spake of Messias and after he had Reuelations Stell in 2. Luc. Hereby we are taught that they are worthy to haue Reuelations shewed them which beleeuing the scriptures obtaine those things which they beleeue and doe them Secondly that those Reuelations are certaine which doe not dissent from the Scriptures Thus farre Stella I would to God they had examined all their reuelations and apparitions by this rule of the scriptures then the papists by lying spirits had not béene so often deceiued as they haue béene Of the nature and sleights of the diuell In orat dom Ludouicus Viues hath verie excellently writen thus Thou O Lord art onely good and whatsoeuer thou hast created are good because thou art the creator of them But he that is thy continuall enemie the diuell is naught and wicked He is thy enemie and therefore also ours because thou accountest vs for thy children He can hurt thee by no manner of meanes but he can and is willing to hurt vs diuersly and he is euer readie to destroy vs neuer sleeping his opportunitie And which of vs in any respect is able to resist him for if we deale with him in strength he is most strong neither is there any power found vpon earth as Iob saith that may be compared vnto him If by pollicie he is most craftie he will counterfait loue fauor to thee whose destruction aboue all others he longeth for and to whom euery minute he imagineth mischiefe Nay also he will seeme to beare a faire shew as that he alloweth truth and vertue which he hates most deadly and he will
to haue reuenged the griefe of his brotherly pity The purpose of a godly mind lookes for no reward but so hir reward hath the conscience of a good worke and the effecting and bringing to passe of a good deed Base minds are pricked forward with promises and are encouraged with the hope of wages but the good soule which takes vpon hir the battell without the obligation of Gods answere reapes to hir self double fruit of praise that she may lay vp in treasure both the grace of most valiant courage and also of most perfect deuotion Thus must all Abrahams Children doe all their workes euen venture their liues not respecting wages but of a free heart with their father Abraham And of God Ambrose after writes thus And also the iustice of God is herein cōmended who rewards godly minds not by the necessity of his promise but through the consideration of his equity thinking it worthy that they which warre without any reward of man should haue a reward laid vp in store in his goodnes for whose sake they haue ventured their soules c. Gods mercie is aboue his promises naie his mercie is aboue all his works Hée will most assuredlie reward all his Againe Ambrose speaking of the vse of the law writes thus But also the law yeelds me this commodity that we are not iustified of the works of the law Amb. de Iacob beat vit ca. 6 therefore I haue no cause why I should glory in my works I haue no cause why I should boast of my selfe and therefore I will glory in Christ I will not reioice in that I am iust but I will reioice in that I am redeemed I will not reioice that I am void of sinne but because that my sinnes are forgiuen mee I wil not reioyce because I haue doon God any seruice or that any other hath doone any thing for me but because Christ is become my Aduocate with the Father because Christs bloud is shedde for me My fault is now become to me the wages of my redemption by the meanes thereof I obtaine Christ For my sake Christ tasted death my fault profited me more then my innocency my innocency made me arrogant my fault made me humble Here thou maist see wherein the law profited thee c. Granatensis of workes and merites writes thus The second steppe to humility is if a man know that that which he hath from God if so bee that hee haue any thing hee hath not obtained it by his owne strength but by the meere grace and mercy of God Gran. de perfect amor dei cap. 16. that he hath receiued it There are found some that beeing well grounded on the first step confesse that all which they haue comes from God yet notwithstanding they nourish in their breasts a secret perswasion that they haue gotten all that they haue to themselues by their owne labour and merites or deserts when as it is most certaine that the merites themselues as well as that which is obtained by the merites to be the graces of God vvhen as we cannot haue a thought or one good desire that is not of God Furthermore also our works haue not the value and merite they haue of themselues but of the grace of God by which they are doone For euen as the value of any coine is not of the substance of the coine but especially of the Image and inscription that it hath so the merit of our workes doeth not so much proceede of the substance of the worke as of the grace of God which giues value to them And therfore as often as by them any grace is giuen vnto vs euen one grace is giuen for another euen as if a friend should giue thee a hundreth pieces of gold and for them afterwards should giue thee a horse Here were both a selling and a giuing gaine and grace Grace because thy friend gaue thee gaine because vvith the mony that he gaue thee thou boughtest the horse of him The Prophet doth couertly teach vs both these when hee saith Come and buy without money and without any exchange Wine and Milke That is meat and drinke both for the beginners and for those that are perfect In which words when as he biddes vs buy he declares our industry but when as he excludes Siluer and all exchange he shewes grace All this therefore declares that man hath nothing in himselfe whereof he may glory thinking that which he hath comes of himselfe yea rather he ought to thinke that he hath of himselfe infinite sinnes for which he deserues so many hels And that all things else whatsoeuer they are come from aboue from the Father of light and are bestowed on vs of grace when as merite it selfe is grace Thus far Granatensis who plainlie affirmes that all our merites are grace And surelie our wages that the best of vs is to looke for if wee bee worthie of anie is like the wages they receiued that came into the Vineyard at the eleuenth houre of the daie a wages also of grace and not of desert or merit But Granatensis goeth forward To this the fourth steppe is to be added for it is not sufficient that a man acknowledge himselfe poore and destitute of all good things but also it is necessary that he acknowledge how truly hee abounds with many euilles that is how greatly he loues himselfe and his owne will and stands in his owne conceit how liuely are all his euill affections and how perfect are all his wicked motions how inconstant he is in good purposes how lauish in his tongue howe carelesse in keeping of his heart what a louer he is of his owne profit and of the desires of his owne pleasures To know these things is the best knowledge in the world and also most profitable For other knowledges as the Apostle sayeth puffe vs vp but this onely makes vs humble And it is also true that to the obtaining of this knowledge our owne exercise onely sufficeth not but wee stand need also of the light of heauen that the mist of our owne selfe-loue do not blindfold vs which is a very blind iudge And for this cause euery Christian ought to aske of God this light and that as earnestly as Saint Frances did who very often in his prayers repeated these words O my God that I may know thee and that I may knowe me Neither is it sufficient for him that he account himselfe such a poore and grieuous sinner but let him imagine that he is the greatest sinner in the world and the most vile of al sinners And this is a degree higher then the former for as a certain doctor saith It shal hurt thee nothing to cast downe thy selfe at the feet of all men but it may hurt thee if thou preferre thy selfe before any one c. Thus Granatensis would haue euerie Christian humble himselfe And is not this the verie doctrine our Church teacheth Granatensis also of our sinnes and the satisfaction
of our Christians at this daie Naie in the Acts he pronounceth the same sentence Act. 10 34. that God is no respecter of persons that in euerie Nation he is accepted vnto him which feareth him and worketh righteousnesse And when as the Holie ghost fell vpon them hee commaunded them to be baptized and haue not all Christians at this daie likewise the holie Ghost doeth not Saint Paul saie that they which haue not the Spirite of God Roman 8.9 are none of his If all christians then haue the Holie ghost then must they néedes haue faith which is the first and principall fruite thereof and such a faith as is required to the obtaining of the remission of their sins Maie not wée saie of our christians as Saint Paul speakes of the christians in the Primitiue Church 2. Corin. 3.3 1. Corin. 1.7 You are the Epistle of Christ sayth he to the Corinthians made by our ministerie written not with Inke but with the Spirit of the liuing God And in his first Epistle he giues thanks to God that they wanted no gift Therefore they had no doubt such a faith as is required to the forgiuenesse of sinnes by Saint Pauls owne Testimonie yea although that their faith had some imperfectiōs in it of dissention of diuers errors both concerning the Sacrament and also the resurrection of the dead Why maie we not therefore beléeue and pronounce of all christians in these our daies which are not notorious Atheists or cut off from the church as saint Paul did of the christians generallie in his daies Thus wée maie see howe saint Pauls doctrine and master Bellarmines differs the one tendeth to consolation and edification the other plainly to the destruction of the faith and to desperation Ferus writes That most iustly the holy Ghost is called the comforter not only for this cause In. cap. 14. Ioh. that it comforted the Apostles the Children of the Bride of the death and absence of their father by the word of the Scripture saying that it behooued Christ thus to haue suffered but also for this cause that as an earnest peny and pledge it assureth the faithfull that they are the sonnes of God But Bellarmine saieth That the Spirit witnesseth to our spirites that we are the Sonnes of God but this Testimony is by no expresse word that is by Reuelation but by a taste of some inward ioy and peace which ingenders in vs no certainty but coniectural But an earnest giuen to any takes away all coniecture And Ferus speaking of this Testimonie sayeth O this happy knowledge yea most happy vnion so to be knit not only to the Sonne but to the father It makes vs know surely we are Gods Sonnes So this earnest takes awaie all coniecture nay more then this it vnites vs to God But that place of Ecclesiastes is alleadged of some to disprooue this certainty of our saluation the which place if it bee indifferently considered prooues no such thing but rather it condemnes all rash iudgements of Christians Ecclesiast 9.1 Matthew 7.1 according to our Sauiours doctrine Iudge not and yee shall not be iudged The place is this I gaue my selfe sayeth Salomon to consider this whole matter and to declare the same because that iust men and wise men and their seruice are in the hands of God euen the iust men and wise men are in the handes of God if hee held them not vp they should surelie fall euen into the pitte of hell Loue also and hatred no man knowes all things are before their faces for all thinges happen to all men alike There is one euent to the iust and wicked to the good and pure and to the vncleane to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not The plaine meaning of this place is that no man knowes by the externall euentes which happen to himselfe or others whether hee bee beloued of God or hated The same thinges chance verie often alike both to the godlie and to the wicked 2. King 23.29 1. King 22.35 Gen. 13.2 Luk. 16.19 2. Sam. 12.18 1. Kin. 19 14 17 1 King 22 49. Psalm 48.6 Luke 13.4 Act. 28.4 Gen. 22.2 Good Iosias was slaine in the battell as well as wicked Ahab Abraham was rich as well as Diues Dauids child died as well as Ieroboams Iosaphats Shippes were broken as wel as the Shippes of the wicked Let no man pronounce sentence of condemnation against his Brother by reason of these outward euents as did the superstitious Iewes against those vpon whom the Tower of Siloam did fall or as did those prophane Paganes against Paul who iudged him a wicked man because a Viper caught him God deales woonderfullie with his Isaac the hope of the world is commanded to be sacrificed Iesus the light of the Gentiles Luk. 2.32.23.33 and the glory of Israel is crucified who will then iudge or condemne by anie externall accident This sense the verie coherence of the verse that followeth inforceth for thus it followeth in the Text. This is an euill that is done amongst all vnder the sunne that there is one chance or euent to all and that the harts of the sons of men are full of euill and madnesse is in their harts whilest they liue And because in all mens heartes this sinne and madnesse remaines so that no man can saie hee hath no sinne therefore these like euents and chances outwardlie happen to all alike Again it is to be noted that Salomon here saith The man knoweth not that is the carnall man and he that is not regenerate in whose person he hath spoken manie things before as that Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascēd vpward the spirit of a beast descend downward Eccles 3.21 to the earth It is euident that Salomon speaketh not that of himselfe who affirmes in the 12. Chapter that the spirit of man returnes to God Cap. 12. ver 7. that gaue it him so that the carnall man knowes not then whether hee bee worthy of loue or hatred It is Gods Spirite that bringes this certaintie that workes this effect that witnesseth this without which our spirits should doubt naie euen despaire euen the spirites of the most couragious and valiant So our Sauiour told Peter of the profession of his faith that flesh and bloud had not reuealed that vnto him Matth. 16.17 but his heauenly father by the working of his holie spirite So wee reade in the Gospell Mark 13.32 that our Sauiour himselfe knowes not the day of iudgement as hee is man so man in that respect hee is man knowes not his loue nor his hate Rom 8.15.16 but the holy spirit beares witnesse to our spirits that we are the Sonnes of God and therefore beloued of God and vpon this assurance of loue makes vs call boldlie vpon God and crie Abba father And Salomon himselfe after seemes to make this distinction of man The end of all the Word saieth hee
anie thing and excellent personages and the dignitie of the things themselues The things themselues oftentimes do speake and witnesse And here concerning the certaintie of our saluation first that plaine and short Epistle which saint Iohn writes to all that beléeue in Iesus Christ as a most ancient record doth testifie Ioh. Epist 1. ca. 5.13 Secondlie saint Iohn himselfe who wrote the Epistle who was the beloued Disciple on whome Iesus Christ leaned and lastlie the dignitie of Christians all that beléeue in Iesus Christ must know that they haue eternall life Faith in Iesus Christ is no small iewell it bringes with it this vertue euen the assurance and knowledge of our saluation They diminish and take the dignitie both of faith and of Christians from them that deny this which saint Iohn repeates twise in that his short Epistle as a thing not lightly to be regarded as a thing which the diuell should go about to steale from Christians and to deface for he cannot abide the dignitie of faith These things haue I written to you sayeth saint Iohn which beleeue on the name of the son of God that ye may know that ye haue eternall life and that ye may beleeue on the name of the Sonne of God Let vs marke here first that he sayth that all Christians must know that they haue eternall life now that they shall haue it but that they must now know that they are assured of it euen as if they had it already Secondlie that he repeates that they which beléeue on the name of the sonne of God haue this knowledge and this assurance And he vrgeth this knowledge and assurance as a spur and a mightie cause to make them beléeue on the name of the sonne of God Who would not to be assured of his saluation to know certainly that he should be saued doe any thing Nowe saint Iohn teacheth all true Christians that to the obtaining of this so waightie a matter there is one thing necessary and that is To beleeue on the name of the sonne of God who will not now beléeue and euery day pray for increase of faith that heares and beleeues this In ca. 5. Epi. Io. Ferus also as I haue noted before affirmeth that as Christ had witnesse from heauen and on earth that he was the onely true Sauiour of the world so euery Christian hath the same Testimonie that he is the sonne of God And shal any christian doubt then whether he be the sonne of God or no First the Father from heauen witnesseth they shall be my sonnes and my daughters and I wil be their father Secondly the holy Ghost witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God And thirdly the Sacrament of Baptisme wherewith we are washed and the Sacrament of the Eucharist wherewith we are sed doth witnesse the same what can then be more happie then a Christian saith Ferus that hath so manie Testimonies Master Bellarmine that Salomon spake generally of the vncertainty which iust men haue of their proper grace either as men or as the sonnes of God may be gathered of two things first of these words that all things are kept vncertaine or before their faces But here Bellarmine must not mistake Salomon for all things are not kept vncertaine as the words seeme to import for then the Articles of our faith should bee vncertaine which I thinke Bellarmine will not affirme among which Articles also are contained the remission of sinnes and the resurrection of the bodie I maruell why they will not make the one of these as certaine to euerie mans conscience as the other So that then these words of Salomon that all things are vncertain must be restrained within their limits and to bee vnderstood in that respect hee spake them which the words following doe declare that is that by these externall euents a man cannot iudge anie thing but all things are vncertaine Secondlie Master Bellarmine saieth that of the intent or purpose of Salomon this may be gathered which was to shew that this was one of the miseries of this life and that not the least that euen iust men might iustly feare least peraduenture they were not iust but if they knew they were iust howsoeuer they know it then saieth hee all things were not reserued as vncertaine to come But what was Salomons purpose appeareth by the Chapter going before And I see all the worke of God saieth hee that man cannot find it out the worke that is done vnder the Sunne Eccl ca. 8. v. 17 the which man studies to search out and cannot find the same yea though a wise man saie he will search it out yet he cannot find it And then followes I gaue my mind to this whole matter and to declare it all Here is first Salomons purpose that Gods works are woonderfull and that no man can attaine to the depth or to the reason of them not to teach as master Bellarmine teacheth that this is not the least misery of man to feare whether he be iust or no. And then after Salomon hath put downe this his intent and purpose he sets downe this foundation concerning the matter propounded That all men whether wise or iust whether seruants or masters are in the hands of God How soeuer God dealeth with men this is a sure ground That be they wise and iust they are in the hands of God and therefore are sure to be saued whatsoeuer befall them But his loue or hatred saieth hee man knowes not for all things happen to the good and wicked alike so woonderfull are the works of God that by them no man can tell his loue or his hatred This is Salomons drift and purpose as most euidentlie appeares out of this Text whereas that first ground That the iust and wise men are in the hands of God whatsoeuer befalles them seemes to inferre necessarilie this certaintie of our saluation But to conclude this place doth not that saying of the Apostle prooue euidentlie the certaintie of our saluation That the feruent desire of the creature waiteth Rom. 8 20.21.22 when the sonnes of God shall be reuealed For wee know that euery creature groneth with vs also and trauelleth in paine together vnto this present And not onely the creature but we also which haue the first fruits of the spirit euen we doe sigh in our selues waiting for the adoption euen the redemption of our bodies If all the godlie doe sigh and grone for the daie of Iudgement with the earth which then shall most assuredlie be restored to the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God doe wee thinke that they doe doubt of their saluation or doe wee thinke God deales more hardlie with them then with the earth It is sure of deliuerance and liberty euen now which causeth it to grone and are not they That saying also of Peter confirmes the same That all Christians should looke for 2. Pet. 4 12. hasten vnto the day of God
the Hebrewe article Lamed which is the signe of the Datiue case as though they were giuen to Dauid from aboue and not Dauids Psalmes with the signe of the Genitiue case as though they were of his owne making or inuention So saint Paul saith 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God And saint Peter saith Pet. 2. ep 3.15 Iames 1.5 As our beloued brother Paul according to the wisedome giuen to him wrote to you And saint Iames saith If any man lacke wisedome let him aske of God c. Hereof is the maiestie of the holy scriptures and worde of God it descendes from aboue all mens hearts must climbe vp to it no man nor Church is aboue it so that we maie iustly saie thereof as Dauid said Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy name and thy word aboue all things Osor lib. 3. de Sapientia Of the authoritie of the scriptures Osorius writes thus If thou be afraide to walke in darkenesse and desirest to be filled with the light of saluation doe not search for those causes and reasons of things thou canst neuer attaine vnto but onely giue credit to the heauenly testimonies and be content that thou maiest be sure that those thinges which thou beleeuest are confirmed by Gods â—â—ne word and sentence This is the rocke of all Christians â—â—at they knowe that those things which they doe beleeue are ratified by Gods owne word The words of all the Angels in heauen nor of all the men and Churches in the world without this word could not quiet and assure our consciences Therefore we beleeue and are assured because we know God hath spoken it and whatsoeuer hee hath spoken we doubt not of though he haue but once spoken it as Balam did Num. 22.11.20 after Gods answere he went to aske him the second time Againe of the excellent commoditie which is reaped by studying the scriptures he writes thus And that we may begin Lib. 5. de Sap. from hence it is euident by Gods owne mouth that true wisedome consists in true obedience and kéeping of the law of God For thus it is written This shall be your wisedome and vnderstanding before all people that they hearing these commandements may say Behold a wise and an vnderstanding people As though hee should say let others loue the studies of the Mathematiques let them search out with all their endeuours the hidden secretes of nature and if they thinke good let them measure out the heauens and let them endeuour to bring to light that which is shut vp in the bowels of the earth let them bragge of their wisedome and vaunt of their wits let them walke with the titles of great learned men and let them intrude themselues euerie where as correctors and amenders of common wealths But you keepe firmely with you one kinde of wisedome onely that is to say study you in the Lawe of God day and night let that neuer slippe out of your mindes Other studies can neither saue you nor aduance you nor deliuer you out of perils nor to conclude can bring you any fruit or commoditie in aduersities Nay it may so fall out that that same false opinion of wisedome may oftentimes bring you into the danger of your life and maye throw you headlong into euerlasting destruction For he is not called blessed which is skilfull in the artes which mans braine hath deuised but he that studies earnestly in the law of God day and night And after he concludes thus This Oration plainely declares that all wisedome is contained in the studying of the law of God If this be true why then are not all men in the Popes kingdome exhorted and pricked forward to this blessednesse why are some kept backe from it and forbidden it If all wisedome bee contained therein what state haue they béene in which neuer knew it And Ferus herin also agrées with Osorius Fer in c 9. act As vnreasonable beasts are guided and holden in with a bridle so to man is giuen reason and to Christians the word of God by which they may be gouerned He accounts Christians lacking the knowledge of the word of God like bruit bâ—astes without a bridle or like men without reason And againe The word of God is that sharpe and piercing sword wherewith the Diuell is repelled and put to flight He therefore that will liue without care danger let him take into his hands this sword Thus saith Ferus but the Pope saith not so he will not haue euerie one meddle with this sword In cap. 20. act And againe These are the weapons wherewith the enemies haue hurt the Church that is to say peruerse doctrine and all doctrine is peruerse wicked that agrees not with the rule and square of Gods worde Ibidem And a little after vpon these words And to the word of his grace He addes this as though he should say If any thing as yet bee wanting let it be taken out of the word of God For Gods word is a Lanterne vnto our feete Aboue all other things chiefly in all aduersities the power and authoritie of God and the word of truth doe comfort vs and doe defend vs against all inuasions of heretiques the Diuell and the world He doth not say as some Papists doe nowe saie that the wants of the Church must be supplied by traditions but by the Scriptures It is able to supplie all wants And againe vpon these words Saying none other things then those Fer. in act 24. which Moses and the Prophets did saie should come The doctrine of Christians must bee agreeable to the Scriptures And if Paul were not ashamed to preach the Scriptures how much lesse we And after speaking of Pauls Nauigation Let vs vse all fit meanes saith he but especially let vs trust in God In Act. 27. If we cannot escape the danger of our body yet let vs haue a care that our soule may be safe And marke here that the longer we are on this sea meaning the world wee doe saile the more dangerously Againe There is neuer more dangerous fayling then where there is famine of the word of God If we would then not suffer shipwrack Col. 3.16 let vs haue the anchor in our houses as Saint Paul counsels vs. And a little after As these men in so great dangers had nothing els to comfort them but the words of Paul so also now the word of God only comforts vs which God giues vs abundantly But wo be to our vnthankfulnesse which despise it The houre shall come when we shall desire to heare the word of God and it shall not be granted vs. Wo to him that despiseth it for he shall be despised Let all Recusants marke this Marke diligently also saith he that Paul spake but thrise in the shippe first he warned them that they should not saile secondly he comforted them And here thirdly he forewarneth against imminent
nowe teachest he would by and by haue cried out and would haue stopped his eares and as his manner was he would haue said O good God into what times hast thou reserued me that I should heare these things Would not he also by and by haue fled from the place where sitting or standing he should haue heard such words Héere we may plainly see what maner of traditions they were which the father 's kept and in the commendations wherof they wrote that is such traditions as were agréeable to the scriptures and no other And this one place of Eusebius may be a rule to square all other places of fathers whosoeuer when they highly commend traditions To teach all Christians that they meane no other traditions then Policarpe and Irenaeus that is such as are agréeing to the scriptures Among the Iewes that olde and subtile serpent Sathan had sowen tares amongst the Lordes wheat Munster in annot in cap. 1. Gen. as appeareth by the manifolde dreames and strange opinions of the Rabbins besides the scriptures As that before the world God had created seuen things that is to say paradise the law the iust men the throne of maiestie Ierusalem and Messias Againe they say that the moone was in the beginning created equall in light with the sunne but that this her light was diminished In annot in 7. cap. Gen. for her pride Againe All the Rabbines of the Hebrewes thinke generally that the waters which increased in the floud were hotte and that so the fishes also perished What are all these but sathans plantes so ouershadow the Lords trueth So likewise amongst vs Christians in the time of the Gospell hee hath not beene idle He hath mixed his drosse amongst the Lords gold as appeares in the Popes Legend and other Histories Longinus was a certaine Centurion who standing with other soldiers saith their Legend by the commaundement of Pilate Legend aurea de sancto Long. thrust the Lords side thorow with his speare And after seeing the signes which then happened that is the sunne to be darkened and the earthquake he beleeued but especially for this cause as some say that when as his eies were dimmed either by some infirmity or by age by chance some of the blood which ranne out of Christs side running downe his speare touched his eies and presently he saw most cleerely This is one of their traditions But Granatensis as should séeme not liking this fable in his meditations of Christes passion I thanke thee saith hee O Lord Iesu Orat. 6. parad prec that thou wouldest suffer thy side to be pierced of a certaine soldier He names not Longinus but agreeth with the scripture and goes no further that a certaine soldier pierced him to the heart with his speare So likewise they haue added manie things to the other scriptures of God as in an olde printed booke in verse made in those daies I read thus of Putifats wife and Ioseph He said Madam I will be true to my Lord Traitor will I neuer be to my Soueraigne Therefore beleeue me at a word Rather then do so I had rather be slaine With that loude did she crie and brake her lace in twaine And smote her nose that it gusht out all on bloud And rent down her serket that was of silk ful good She told the Knights that Ioseph would by her laine And that he tare her robes all asunder And helpe had not come the thiefe had me slaine Heere is no mention made howe she kept his garment when he fled away from her whereof the scripture makes mention but of dashing her selfe on the nose and rending her robe whereof in scripture there is no mention Of the first originall of bonefires in their Legend Leg. aur in Nat. Ioh. bap thus wee may read The bones of dead beastes being out of all places gathered together are burnt of some vpon this daie whereof there is two causes as Iohn Beleth saith one an obseruation of an auncient custome for there are certaine beasts called Dragons which doe flye in the ayre and swimme in the water and goe on the earth and sometime when as they goe on earth they are inflamed with lust and doe throw their seede into springs and flouds whereof followed a plaguie and vnholsome yeare Against this this remedie was founde out that a fire should be made of the bones of beasts and this fire would driue them away and because this chanced about this time therefore yet this of some is obserued Another cause is to signifie vnto vs that the bones of Saint Iohn Baptist were burnt in the Citie called Sebasta of the infidels Also then they carie in their hands burning firebrands because Iohn was a light shining burning And they turne about a wheele because then the sunne declines in his circle to signifie that the fame of Iohn who was supposed to be Christ did descende and diminish What preseruatiues against Dragons what doctrines for their soules were these Io. 5 35. Especially when as they neuer then heard in the scriptures read that Iohn was a burning light But that fable of Formosus is notable Fasc Tem. 6 aetate Christi an Dom. 9 14. which Fasciculus Temporum makes mention of This Sergius saith that booke when as he came to Rome by the ayde of the French men tooke Christopher the Antipope and sate in his steed And to reuenge his repulse he drew the body of Formosus out of his graue and being clothed like the Pope he commanded his head to be chopt off in his pontificall chaire and to be throwne into Tiber. But the fishers brought him into the Church the Images bowing themselues vnto him and saluting him reuerently as all they did see which were present This is reported in that historie And after Fulbertus Byshop of Carnotensis in his sicknesse was visited of the blessed Virgin Marie and restored againe with her most blessed milke Also of the visitation of Elizabeth they saie in their Legend that the blessed Virgin carried with her Cousin three moneths waiting vpon her and that she tooke the childe being borne in her holy armes from the ground as it is written in the Scholasticall historie and did most diligently the dutie of a nurse carrying him about This teacheth their Legend Whereas the Gospel saith that she abode with her thrée moneths and after returned to her owne house Luc. 1.56 and that when Elizabeths time was comed that she should be deliuered she brought forth a forme and her neighbours and Cousins reioiced with her But this as should séeme was after Maries departure And this Stella affirmes also in 2. cap. Luc. Thus they erre not knowing the Scriptures That miracle is strange of Germanus the Byshop of Antisiodore Fasc temp Fol. 50. which is written of him that he restored three dead men to life againe and also his Asse That he would shew a miracle vpon his asse séemes verie strange But to
say they hold of Paul I of Apollo I of Cephas If that CorinthiaÌ„s had béen taught this principall point of religion which nowe the catholiques accompt the chiefest point of all other that Peter had béen ordained of Christ his Vicar generall they would neuer haue matched Apollo with him By this it is likelie the there was no such superiority among the Apostles taught in the primitiue Church Fer. in 21. Act. And again vpon these words Thus saith the holy Ghost the Lord as a most wise gouernour of his doth foreshew the crosse which is appointed to his but sodaine destruction falleth on the wicked He makes the holie Ghost the gouernour of the Church And in another place No congregatioÌ„ can contiâ—ue without order Therfore it is a great matter in the reformation of the Church that order be kept Therefore they offende grieuously which in the Church of God disturb rent asunder and quite take away all order Fer. in 23. Act Christ himselfe ordeined an order some Apostles some Prophets some doctors He makes in this order appointed of Christ no one visible head And after speaking of the Apostles hee writes thus It is the office of the Apostles to be seruants or ministers and witnesses of Christ They haue all one office by Ferus iudgement The same Ferus also of the supremacie writes thus The seruant saith he is not aboue his Maister Fer. in pass part 1. By this worde therefore Christ doth bridle all the pride and ambition of ecclesiasticall persons for admitte whosoeuer they be whether Popes or Bishoppes or Cardinals or Doctours what are they else but seruants And if they be seruants as no man will denie they ought to behaue themselues so as that they should not climbe aboue their maister howe this is done among them let them looke to it For here is not a place as we saie to rake in this filthie fenne or lake Their owne consciences will tell them in what thinges they are vnlike to Christ nay wherein they endeuour to climbe vp aboue Christ c. Here Ferus is loth to meddle with the Popes pride as should séeme but for all that hee glaunceth at it and giues him as wee saie an Item And a little after he discouers some parts of this pride In worldly affaires no man dare preferre himselfe before his maister or will seeke to take more ease then his maister doth but in spirituall matters we see it farre otherwise There is no man but coueteth and wisheth to be in better estate theÌ„ Christ was in Christ wheÌ„ as he was in the shape of God huÌ„bled himselfe we vile wretches caÌ„not abide humilitie Christ ministred to vs who were his seruaÌ„ts we thinke scorne to minister or do seruice to any Christ did good euen to the simplest we thinke much to do good euen to our brethren Christ laboured tooke paines we seeke our owne ease Christ although hee were the brightnes of his fathers glorie yet patiently endured the reproches of men we are of a contrarie minde Christ being the iudge of all men notwithstanding suffered himselfe to bee iudged we disdaine to be iudged or reproued of any Christ by the crosse and death entred into his glorie we thinke to come thither by riot and pleasure What therefore doe we else but preferre our selues before our maister and desire a better estate then hee had Therefore not without cause he vrgeth this word so often so vehemently vnto vs He will haue vs knowe that we are seruants Againe that we should consider what he hath done and suffered he that markes this diligently will bee most readie to doe all good and most patient to endure all euill He séemes here also to glaunce at the Popes pride and pompe Againe howe Peter was chiefe amonge the Apostles he writes thus of the washing of the Apostles féete It is most likelie that he began at Peter who was the first or chiefe amonge the Apostles not in calling for Andrew followed Christ before him but in the election of the Apostleshippe for there Peter is placed in the first place c. So that by Ferus his iudgment Peter was the chiefe among the Apostles because when as Christ chose his xij Apostles he first chose Peter he was the first in order the first chosen of the twelue And againe that the Pope ought not to haue both swords Fer. Part. 2 pass he writes thus Christ speakes thus to Peter Hinder not my death but rather studie to imitate it Awaye with thy sworde which kills men my sworde which I haue committed vnto thee cuts off vices but saues men Therefore put thou that materiall sworde into thy sheath againe or as the other Euangelists saide into his owne place The proper place of the materiall sworde is the ordinarie power that is the ciuill magistrate Put thy sword therfore into that sheath let the ciuill magistrate vse it and not thou In this place as in manie other places alledged in this discourse Ferus plainlie teacheth that the Pope ought not to haue both swords because Peter had them not and therefore he quite ouerthrowes the Popes supremacie This is the very foundation thereof that the Pope hath the right of both the swordes And after Againe he teacheth by this worde that the gospell is not to be defended with worldly weapons nor with mans ayde but the defence thereof is to be committed to God So saith Paul the weapons of our warfare are not carnall so Christ neuer vsed any sword nor his Apostles are euer read to haue been girded with swordes They taught the word and the word it selfe fought with his owne power And the Apostles went euer away conquerors So Christ in Luke sayth I will giue you a mouth and wisdome which your enemies shall not be able to resist Therefore Christ especially by this word forbiddes his Apostles the externall sword for they haue and they ought to haue the sworde of the spirite which is the worde of God And hence Esay prophesieth that the battell of the Apostles shal be as in the day of Madian that is as Gedeon ouercame the Madianits not with weapons but with trumpets and breaking of pitchers so should the Apostles do spiritually that they should subdue the whole world to Christ by the trumpet of the word of God and by suffering afflictions c. Here also Ferus plainly teacheth the the gospel must not be maintained with armes and swords with fire and fagotte as the Pope séeke nowe to maintaine his kingdome And Ferus of Christs kingdome Part 3. pass writes thus My kingdome is otherwise gouerned then a warlike kingdome for this is gouerned with a materiall sword but my kingdome stands in no neede of that sword for the sword thereof is the word of God The kingdome of the world hath Cities Castles Townes Villages Armes Weapons but my kingdome only requires the hearts of men The world raignes ouer mens bodies and goods but I ouer
are taught in this place first by this fact of our Sauiour that the authoritie of a kinge is of God which is both worthie of honour and reuerence So hee payde tribute to Caesar and to the tol gatherers of Caesar he would that tribute should bee paide of Peter and being asked whether tribute should be payde to Caesar hee answered Giue to Caesar the thinges that are Caesars He would be subiect to lawes euen from the beginning of his birth least he which should bee to others an example of life and holinesse should trouble the cōmon wealth which also came to amende that was amisse that he might also insinuate that a iust Empire hath lawes acceptable to all mē while the common wealth is maintained in peace iustice And for this cause no man ought to resist the higher powers when as Christ the example of humilitie would be subiect vnto them Thus farre Stella He excepts none from that subiection and obedience and paying of tribute neither Pope nor cleargie And whereas the Papists saye that one ministeriall head is necessarie for the gouernment of the Church August in psal 56. and that such a head is the Pope S. Austen concerning this matter writes thus Because all Christ is a head a bodie which I doe not doubt but that you knowe well enough our Sauiour himselfe the head who suffered vnder Pontius Pilate who now after he rose from the dead fitteth at the right hand of his father The Church is his bodie not this Church or that Church but that which is spred ouer the whole world nor that onely which is among men which now presently liue but they also belonging to her which were before vs and those also which shal be after vs to the worlds ende For the whole church consisting of all the faithfull because all the faithfull are mēbers of Christ hath now that head which is now placed in heauen which gouernes his bodie And although hee bee separated from sight yet hee is not separated from loue Therefore because all Christ is a head and his bodie therfore in al Psalmes let vs so heare the voice of our head as we also heare the voice of his bodie For he would not speake seuerally because he would not be separated Saying I am with you euen vnto the ende of the world If hee bee with vs he speakes in vs he speakes of vs and hee speakes by vs because we speake by him And therefore we speake truth because we speake in him For if at any time wee shall speake in our selues and of our selues we shall continue liers Thus far Austen where he saith plainly that Christ himselfe is a head gouerning his Church And that which is the chief part of a gouernor he speakes vnto it and that not by anie one but by all his ministers Fer. in 14. ca. Ioh. To whome hee hath promised He wil be with to the end of the world And how this gouernment is executed that is by his holie spirit Ferus verie excellentlie declares Christ alwaies saith he doth the part of a most faithfull Father For euen as a father his children being yet young doth not onely leaue them his inheritance and all the goods he hath but also placeth Tutors and guardians ouer them that may keepe that inheritance for his children and may resist those that would iniurie them which thing the children themselues orphanes could not doe So Christ here being not content by his testament to leaue vs his inheritance and his goods but moreouer he promiseth and appointeth the holie spirit to be our tutor and guardian who should take vpon him the care and guardianshippe of his Orphanes and should in euerie court before any Iudge King or tyraunt defende by his lawfull pleading the inheritance of the father bequeathed them in his testament nay written with his owne bloud and should haue a care least the children by their owne negligence should lose their inheritance Thus farre Ferus Now to be appointed tutor or guardian of the church what is it else but to be appointed gouernour of the Church Ieron in 4. ca. Mal. The Papists doe teach that before Antichrist Elias in his owne person shall come Concerning which thing Ierome writes thus The Iewes and heretiques following the Iewes before their Messias thinke that Elias shall come shall restore all things And hereupon in the Gospell this question was made to Christ Why the Pharisees doe say that Elias shall come To whome he answered Helias truly shall come And if you beleeue he is comed alreadie by Elias meaning Iohn Thus much Ierome Where we may note that Ierome calles them Iewish heretiques that looke for Elias And yet the Papistes at this daie looke for Elias If this had béen a point of Catholique doctrine in the Church in Ieromes daies no doubt hee would not haue béen ignorant of it neither would he haue called the professors thereof heretiques So that it should séeme the papists opinion concerning Antichrist was comed since Ieroms daies whereof this comming of Elias is a principall braunch And that the Papists are of this opinion Gagneius writes thus Neither in this place a mystical exposition of the number Gag in cap. xx Apoc. can fitly be applied when as in deede in the time of Antichrist that Elias shall come and preach according to the testimonie of Malachie we holde for a suretie Maister Bellarmine also affirmes the same De Rom. pont lib. 5. cap. 6. The third demonstration saith he is drawne from the comming of Enoch and Elias which as yet liue and liue to this ende that they may oppose themselues against Antichrist when he commeth and should preserue the elect in the faith of Christ and at the length should conuert the Iewes These are the causes why Maister Bellarmine saith that Elias and Enoch shall come But these causes haue no ground in the scripture and therfore the effect of them shall not follow For S. Paul saith Eph. 6.17 that the word of God is the sword of the spirit with which sworde no doubt all Gods enemies amongst whom Antichrist is chiefe must be wounded and confounded And S. Paul saith plainly that Antichrist must be consumed with the breath of Gods mouth 2. Thess 2.8 that is no doubt with this sword And as our Sauiour Christ fought against Antichrists father the Deuill saying Luk. 4.48 It is written and not saying thus it is taught by tradition so must all his souldiers fight against his sonne the sonne of perdition Antichrist himselfe saying Thus it is written Euerie Christian armed with the sword of the spirit that is with the word of God must oppose himselfe against Antichrist This sword is able to confound him and cut off his head There néedes not Elias and Enoch to come to oppose themselues against him They blunt the edge of this sword which teach this doctrine And with this sword also Saint Iohn armes euerie
professe himselfe a schoolmaister of good dealing and integritie condemning all euill actions whereof he himselfe is the author and principall actor That thing which he greatliest desireth he will make a shew as that he could in no wise abide it and that thing which he abhors and detests he will seeme greatly to long for and desire that he may more easily take vs at his pleasure This is another point of his cunning by vrging thy iustice to make the mind sorrowfull and to perswade desperation and againe by shewing thy mercie and clemencie to make the mind presumptuous and slothfull Againe of the consideration of euerie ones dignitie to make them proude and arrogant Againe he will procure hatred against thy law that is euen against thine owne selfe as though thou wast an enemie to the lawful desires of the flesh It were to be wished that these sleights of sathan were knowne to all Christians It would make coniurers take héed how they trusted Sathan It would make simple christians also take heed how they beléeued any apparition of spirits or vaine fables although it had a smocke or some sauour of truth or vertue For this is one of sathans sleights as here we may learne to season his lies sometimes with some shew of vertue and goodnes that he may beguile simple soules and draw them on and so cause them to beleeue lies But here all those that are wise in Iesus Christ must know that all is not gold that glistereth And no doubt this was the root of that golden Legend which the Papistes make so great account of and wherein are manie fables tending to vertue and religion but they are but sathans lies burnished ouer with a shew of truth and vertue As Ludouicus Viues here teacheth all Christians that sathan can do cunningly 2 Cor. 2.11 And saint Paul also saith We are not ignorant of his sleights or deuises Of Apparitions and Reuelations Granatensis writes thus Gra. de Deu. lib. 1. cap. 53. If we ought not saith he to seeke for spiritual comforts delights that we may wholy giue our selues vnto them and delight in them much lesse are reuelations visions inspirations and such like to be desired for they truly are the beginnings of diuellish illusions neither let any man fear that herein he is disobedient to God if he shut all his gates against these For God knoweth if he mind to reueale any thing to man to finde an entrie to come in at and to open the gates so that men need not doubt but know assuredly that God is there So he dealt with Samuel being yet a child whenas he called once and twise and the third time and he told him all things which he would that he should know so plainly that there now was no cause of doubting left nor the Prophet now should doubt of his embassage Granatensis here suspects reuelations and he plainly affirms that they are the verie beginnings of sathans illusions Therefore true Christians must not easily giue credit to such but examine them alwaies by Gods word If he agrée not with that it is sathan which appeares though he appeare like an Angell of light 14. Of Inuocation THe common receiued opinion of the Papistes is that we may inuocate the saints in heauen Poligranes a papist writes thus Polig de com sanctorum If they forsake Christ their aduocate and mediator in heauen which call vpon saints then much more they forsake him which do require the praiers of saints on earth The which thing Christ hath not onely forbidden but commanded He makes no difference betwéene inuocation and a request men may request one another to do anie thing but to call vpon anie man is idolatrie and forbidden by Gods word But I would not haue them ignorant saith he that it is one thing to be a mediator of saluation another of intercession onely Christ is the mediator of saluation but there may be more of intercession c. As though Christ had said onely for your saluation if you begin it in my name you shall obtaine it and not generally of all things Whatsoeuer you shall aske the father in my name he will giue it you If he be a Mediator then he is a mediator of all things There is no exception in his most bountifull large promise made to vs. But after as should seeme not being bold to giue inuocation to saints he partly reclaimes his former sentence so saith he After some sort mans name may be called vpon For Iacob sâ—ith to the sons of Ioseph Let my name be called vpon them c. That is I account them as my children though they were borne in Egypt Doth this place proue that they should in their prayers call vpon Iacob but rather that they should of men be accounted the children of Iacob It makes nothing for inuocation or prayer Other papistes more sound haue defined prayer farre otherwise Granatensis defines prayer thus That prayer rightly made is nothing else then a drawing neere of man to God De orat lib. 2. cap. 5. and an vnion of both their spirits If this definition be true then the praiers we do make to saints are no prayers Stella in 5. Luc. And Stella defines prayer thus Prayer is a climing or flying vp of the soul that liues in this world to God And it is as it were a suit which we offer to our God and to our King Our God as he is a most mightie so he is a most mercifull and bountiful prince He will haue all suits to be made to himselfe alone Psal 68.19 He himselfe will bestow all his benefits to make vs praise him alone Praised be the Lord euen the God of our saluation which ladeth vs daily with benefits saith Dauid And Vocabularium Scholasticum defines inuocation to be calling of a thing into it selfe by effects and diuine worship But Stella teacheth That the diuell cannot take any thing from our vnderstanding or will because the operation of the diuell cannot directly reach vnto the substance of our soule Stella in 8. ca. Luc. no nor any Angell can do that because it is only God which can enter into our soule is truly in it which also can worke in it So that then God is only to be inuocated who can enter into our soule and not any Saint or Angell Leu. 10.1 First of all that terrible example of Gods iudgement vpon Nadab and Abihu Aarons sonnes should terrifie all Christians They offering incense to the Lord with a good intent no doubt with strange fire not with that which came downe from heauen thorow their own blind deuotion breaking and transgressing Gods most holy commaundement were sodainly of God consumed with fire sent from heauen And are not our praiers now incense sacrifices of God Psal 141.2 Heb. 13.15 as both Dauid saint Paul do plainly teach and dare we presume to offer them to his maiesty otherwise
which call vpon him and beleeue in him c. This great zeale and loue of Christ towards his verie enemies in the midst of all his torments must néedes worke an assured confidence that he will now heare vs which beléeue in him And therfore we néede not flie to anie other in our prayers but only to him If he so willingly saith Ferus forgaue the sinne done against his owne person he will no doubt farre more easily forgiue vs. Therfore we come boldlie and without all feare to God hauing so louing a patron and aduocate Fer in 4. cap. Mat. Ferus also of Inuocation that it is a part of Gods honour writes thus Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God This adoration consists not in bowing of the knee or such like but in spirit and truth To worship God to beleeue in him to serue him to cal vpō him without these thou art an Idolater whatsoeuer thou doest if thou loue or feare any other thing more then God if thou in thy necessitie call not vpon him for for this cause he sends thee aduersities that thou shouldest call vpon him And they haue not inquired after the Lord but haue trusted in the helpe of Egypt And so many of vs do Thus farre Ferus Here we may plainlie sée first that Ferus makes this Inuocation of God a speciall part of Gods worship or Latria and that to this end to make vs to call vpon him he sends vs afflictions Secondly how he reprooues them that trusts in Egypt that is in man either liuing or dead or in what thing soeuer Dom. 23. post pent conc 2. Philippus de dies also of prayer writes thus Whosoeuer doth knocke at the doores of the tender mercie of God with his prayers with faith and reuerence with humilitie and sure confidence with all which this woman was furnished he truely toucheth the Lord and drawes his vertue and spirit to him Therefore happy is he that truely can say with the Prophet I will offer the fat burnt offrings He offers to God fat burnt offrings which offers him prayers full of humilitie assurance of obtaining them and deuotion And he offers prayers without marrow which offers prayers without loue deuotion or attention And these whether they be Clergie or Lay-men although they pray a great number of Psalmes or of other prayers as a taske without any intention of the minde blessing God with their mouths but with their hearts giuing themselues to pleasures and delights in the streetes these truely thrust the Lord they touch him not because they onely touch him with their bodies and not with their spirit And therefore they receiue from him neither any vertue or grace What must we doe then brethren Truely that of Saint Paul I will praie with my spirit I will pray with my minde I will sing with my spirit I wil sing with my minde Thus much Philippus de Dies Wherein he condemnes all the Latine prayers made of the ignorant and simple people which vnderstand no Latine And such were almost all their prayers in the daies of our forefathers because they lacked this marrow of truth and confidence of the assurance of obtaining their prayers at Gods hands they lacked this minde and vnderstanding which S. Paul speaketh of And as Dies truely affirmes they that pray so thrust and throng Christ but they touch him not Stella also to the same effect writes thus In 1. cap. Luc. My soule doth magnifie the Lord saith the blessed virgin Marie And that verie fitly for God is to be praised rather in heart and minde then in voice according to that of S. Paul Sing to God in your hearts And after My soule saith she doth magnifie the Lord because my toong stambreth neither can it number all the benefits bestowed vpon me Therefore I offer the inward affection of my minde in giuing of thanks And againe Where we are taught that God is to be praised rather in minde and heart then in body But many haue the prayer of the voice onely and mouth and not of the heart to whom the Lord saith This people honoureth me with their lips but their hearts are farre from me And of our Sauiour Iesus he writes thus In that they led Iesus with them to Ierusalem Idem in ca. 3◠Luc. thou oughtest to learne that in all thy iournies and in all thy trauailings most sweete Iesus ought to accompanie thee Haue him alwaies before thine eies let no worldly matter enter into thy minde but in all thy affaires direct all thy thoughts to him as it were to a marke If we ought to haue him alwaies before our eies why should we haue then anie other And that Iesus Christ is so louing towards vs that we néede not haue anie other he writes thus after preferring his great loue towards vs before the loue of Iohn the greatest saint in the world and so by a consequent before anie other saint whatsoeuer Therefore saith he Iohn preached in the wildernesse because in the Citie there are so many sins and abominations that Iohn could not abide them Iohn was grieued at the heart neither could he digest so many sinnes But when as he saw the Pharisees he could not abide them but he burst out saying O ye generation of vipers c. But Christ hath a better stomacke to beare with our iniquities and to cure our infirmities as one that loues vs with all his heart and with all his affection and winkes at the sinnes of men that they might repent And for this cause Iohn would not enter into Cities that he might not see the lying of artificers the vsury of merchants the vanitie and pompe of noble men c. Thus farre Stella But quite to ouerthrow all inuocation of Angell or Saint whatsoeuer Coloss 2.18 doth not S. Paul most euidently write thus Let no man make you shoote at a wrong marke or defraude you of your price at his pleasure through humilitie in worshipping Angels intruding himselfe into those things he knowes not puffed vp vainly by the conceipt of his owne flesh As though he should saie If any man teach you this doctrine that it is humilitie to worship Angels and that you maie not presume to come in Gods sight such a one beguiles you he makes you lose your price lose your reward For he that runnes in a race must obey his pleasure that maketh and appointeth the game masterie If you pray neuer so much and fast neuer so often if you doe not these according to Gods word in the name of Iesus Christ you lose your price and he that teacheth contrary is puft vp of the pride of his owne minde he followes his owne reason and not the light of Gods word and therefore in these matters is starke blinde and knoweth nothing As S. Paul teacheth of all such If any man saith he teach any other doctrine and giues not heede respects not the holesome words of our Lord Iesus
and shew thy selfe thou I say who art loaden with sinnes fall downe on the ground crie and sigh c. Here we note againe the manner of their common prayers that they made a common confession And againe that children could not pray because they lacked vnderstanding Augustine of the common praiers now in Christs Church August de mirab scriptur lib. 1. ca. 9. writes thus Also after this diuision of tongues by Gods appointment it came to passe that the mystery of the holy scriptures til the fulnes of time should be kept in the proper language of one people chosen out of manie vntill the time appointed when as he would make manifest vnto all nations the mysterie of his diuine pleasure he sent downe from aboue the holy Ghost bringing with him that knowledge of all languages hauing also before ordained preachers of that his heauenly wil and pleasure The which spirit before had sung the great and mightie works of God till that time but in one language but now as it were to consecrate and make holy all languages at his first comming preached by the Apostles in all languages so they which as it were to confirme this matter God had gathered togither in Ierusalem at that time out of all nations said We haue heard them speake in our owne tongues the mightie works of God Thus farre Austen Before Christ the holie Ghost sang the praises of God in one tongue but since his comming in all tongues All languages are sanctified Michael ab Isselt describing the estate of the primitiue Church writes this of prayer In times past saith he there was great zeale of prayer in the Church in so much that no houre passed without the praises of God without praiers without thanksgiuing In this one thing they were occupied day and night Saint Ierome saith that euer after praier they gaue themselues to reading after reading again to prayer whithersoeuer one went he should heare the plowman holding his plough singing Alleluiah And the sweating shearer comforted himselfe with Psalmes and the vinedresser pruning his vine with his sharpe hooke did sing some of Dauids Psalmes The mariner at his sterne the waterman at his oare the digger among his clods the shomaker in making his shoes the weauer at his loome the fisher among his nets euery one of these obtained good successe increase and Gods blessing to his workes by prayer The wife sitting at her rocke the boy playing with his ball the seruant sent about his masters busines all these commit themselues and their health to God by prayers All these like Bees saith Epiphanius hauing in their hands the waxe of their worke but in their mouth drops of honie when as with their owne singing voices they did praise the Lord of all things and did pray vnto him Thus farre Michael ab Isselt This was the estate of the Primitiue Church Thus they occupied themselues now with reading now with praying but in all these with vnderstanding quite contrarie to the ignorance which of late reigned in the popish Church And of such praiers may most truly be verified that which the same author addeth after what shal I saith he make manie words By prayer wee may do all things and without prayer we can do nothing It is the generall instrument or toole of Christians without which they can worke nothing For euen as a souldier without his sword or a scriuener without his penne or a smith without his tooles so is a Christian without prayer What maruell is it if diuels which neuer before haue beene heard of haue now inuaded all sortes of men The cause is that nowe prayer amongst all is perished In 4. cap. Act. Ferus of prayer writes thus These things are required to an effectuall praier first that thou beleeue that which God hath promised Faith in the word and promise of God Secondly that with an ardent and earnest affection thou dost offer something to God which thou couetest to obtaine Thus farre Ferus So that then we must know what we pray for Ferus of the inuocation of the name of Iesus in our prayers writes thus In 5. cap. Act. It proues saith he the diuinitie and power of Christ that the inuocatiō of his name performeth that which we request Peter healed the lame man not with anie superstitions but by calling on the name of the Lord Iesus So vse corporall medicines that the chiefe hope may be in humble prayer Thus farre Ferus They diminish the vertue of Christs name and derogate from his deitie by his iudgement that vse other names in their praiers It is superstition to call vpon others Iacobus de Valentia a Papist of the name of Iesus writes thus vpon these words O God saue me in thy name In psal 53. But here saith he a doubt may arise because this name Iesus seemes not to be the name of the father but of Christ his sonne How therefore doth the sonne say to the father O God in thy name saue me It should seeme that he should haue said In my name To this it may be answered that the name Iesus belongs principally to the father and was giuen and communicated to Christ himselfe of his father For whatsoeuer Christ hath he hath it of the father wherfore this name Iesus is the name Adonai and Tetragrammaton as we haue said in the prologue of the Psalmes and in the 7. psalme which is as much to say as to be omnipotent saluation and to be perfect And that this name doth properly belong to God therefore it is communicated and giuen of the father to his sonne as the Apostle saith of the Philippians He hath giuen him a name which is aboue all names that at the name of Iesus euerie knee should bow c. Therfore not only we doe aske of the Father by this name Iesus in all our prayers but also Christ himselfe as hee is man askes in the vertue of this name bestowed on him of the father Because this name containes in it all vertue and omnipotencie and an infinite sea of merits Therefore Christ saith to his father O God my father saue me in thy name Iesus which name thou hast imparted and bestowed vpon me and deliuer me and my members by thy vertue and omnipotencie which is contained vnder this name Iesus For there is no other name in the which the world must be saued but in this thy name Thus farre Iacobus de Valentia Where he excellentlie describes the dignitie of the name of Iesus It is the name of God himselfe in the vertue of this name Christ himselfe praied it is a sea of infinite merits and shall we then vse anie other Shall we doubt whether this name alone will serue our turne or not Ludouicus Viues of the Lords prayer writes thus Praefat. ora◠dom As of our religion so also of our prayer which is a chiefe part of our religion hee may bee the author and master who knowes perfectly
intreate of the punishment of them that are dead For therefore a great tribulation shall go before and afterward fire shall descend and shall quickly purge all the relickes of sinne in iust men For as Ireneus notes in the ende of his fift booke Then sodainly the Church which is on earth shal be taken to her spouse Neither then shall be any time of purging any more as there is now after death before iudgement Here is purgatorie and no purgatorie for those fathers in déede speake of a purging which shall be at the daie of iudgement by fire but not of those onely that then shall liue as M. Bellarmine here séemes to expound Ierom but of all men in generall as appeareth by the words Ierom there vseth Peccatores quosque flumina ignis ante cum traehent voluentia The rowling streames of fire shall drawe before him all sinners not those that be liuing as Master Bellarmine expounds him And the Lord is called a fire and a consuming fire that he may burne our wood hay and stubble alluding to that place of Saint Paul That if any man haue built vpon Iesus Christ wood hâ—y or stubble the day of the Lord shall trie euerie mans worke not the workes of them that liue then onely but euerie mans worke And after he addeth That according to the saying of Ezechiel whatsoeuer in our gold and siluer that is in our vnderstanding and word is mingled with brasse iron or lead in the Lords furnace may be a Percoquitur thorowly fined that pure gold and siluer may remaine Here Ierome speakes of all sinners not of those that shall liue then And he addeth That our gold and siluer that is iust mens workes as well as sinners drosse shall then bee examined And in another place which hath béene alleadged before he manifestly confirmeth this exposition As we beleeue saith he that the torments of the Diuell and of all them which denie God and of wicked men which say in their heart there is no God Ieron in 66. ca. Esaiae are euerlasting So also wo is me of sinners yea of Christians whose workes shall be purged and tried with fire we suppose that the sentence of the iudge shall not be extreame but mixed with mercie This place against M. Bellarmines exposition prooues that all Christians workes which are sinners shall be tried and purged at that daie and not those onely that then are liuing in stéede of the purgatorie they should haue endured Saint Augustine also saith which place Master Bellarmine there also hath alleadged for purgatorie Aug. de ciuit lib. 20. cap. 25. of these things which haue been spoken it seemes to appeare most euidently that in that iudgement there shall be some purgatorie punishment of some but he names not who they be It should séeme he means those whom Ierom meant before Neither doth that place of Irenaeus which alleadgeth make anie thing for his purpose For Irenaeus there first writes thus The day of the Lord is as it were a thousand yeeres Iren. lib. 5. And in sixe daies were all things finished that were made And therefore it is manifest that the sixt thousand yeere shall be the consummation of all these things And therefore in all that time man being made in the beginning by the hand of God that is of the Sonne of the Spirit that he may be according to the image and likenesse of God the chaffe being cast away which are Apostacie and the corne being taken into the barne that is they which bring forth fruits to God through faith And therefore tribulation is necessarie for them that shall be saued that being as it were broken in peeces and made into smal powder and sprinkled here and there through patience by the word of God yea euen beene all a fire they might be fit guests for the kings banquet And as one â— our Christians who being iudged to be cast to wild beasts to be torne in peeces of them for his martyrdome towards God said Because I am the corn of Christ I am grinded by the teeth of these wild beasts that I might be found fine manchet of God And after The nations are so farre profitable and fit for the iust in as much as the stubble is profitable for the increasing of the wheat the chaffe thereof to burne for the purifying of Gold And therefore in the end when the Church departing hence shall be taken aloft there shall be saith he tribulation such as neuer was nor shall be That shall be the last combate of the iust wherein the conquerors shall be crowned with incorruption Thus farre Irenaeus And here M. Bellarmine mistakes a word for repetente Ecclesia as it is in Irenaeus printed at Basil Anno Dom. 1526. which is as much as to say the Church repairing againe to a place he puts in repente that is sodainly As though this sodainnesse of her departure should be the cause of that her purging by fire because she could not stay to endure the fire of Purgatorie It may séeme of that one word he grounds this his exposition And if he doe it is but his collection it is not Irenaeus assertion as he saith and that also of a false foundation taking repente for repente which is in the auncient copie And if so be that the word were repente so dainly yet there néeded not anie Purgatorie fire to the end that they might attaine saluation For euen sodainly God is able and hath also saued sinners as Elias is called of Saint Iames A man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subiect to like affection and perturbations euen as we are Iam. 5.17 and therefore a sinner yet was he translated into heauen sodainly And our Sauiour himselfe speaketh thus of Zacheus who before was a Publican as soone as he beléeued on him This day is saluation come vnto this house Christ also healed very many both of their bodily Luke 19.9 Mark 5.34 Luke 7 50. and spirituall diseases sodainly saying thy faith hath saued thee No doubt if these had then died they should haue béene saued euen sodainly without enduring anie Purgatorie There is a place in saint Paul where the word sodainly is vsed 1. Thes 5.3.4 For when they shall say peace and safetie then shall come vpon them sodaine destruction c. But you brethren are not in darknesse that that day should come on you as a theefe in the night But that sodaine destruction or punishment respects the wicked not the faithfull that shall then liue at that day more then them that haue liued before that day Here is not one word of anie purging but of the purging of afflictions And that shall be all the time of the continuance of the world saith Irenaeus And that shall so cleane purge vs as it shall make vs fit guestes for the Lords banquet and what other purgatorie then shall the faithfull stand néede of Here is not that those that liue at the
lambs for so Gedithaik the Hebrew word signifies nigh vnto the tents of those sheepheards Here is that heauenly Oracle first she must know for her selfe Habac. 2.4 Heb. 8.10 The iust man must liue by his own faith And this is now the new couenant that all shall know me saith the Lord from the smallest to the greatest They which lacke this knowledge no doubt are without the couenant And this is life eternall saith our Sauiour that they know thee to be the onely true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Io. 17.3 They which know not thus much shall neuer haue eternall life But how now shall we attaine this true knowledge and be sure not to go astray in so manie by waies as now are in the world The answere is plaine and easie Follow the tract of those sheepe Hatsoon saith the spouse as it is in the Hebrew that is of the first Christians not of euerie common shéepe as the Papists would haue vs. The shéepe will make a tract or way by which it may appeare which way they haue gone Euen so let vs follow the steppes of the ancient Christians Let vs beléeue to be saued as they beleeued let vs liue as they liued and then surely we shall rest with Iesus Christ For as saint Paul saith The Corinthians wanted nothing 1. Cor. 1.7 but were euen now readie to looke for the comming of our Lord Iesus to iudgement What things then they had not as necessarie to their saluation what néed we thē And S. Peter saith testifieth that that was the true grace of God wherein the Christiās stood in his daies 1. Pet. 5.12 And shall we beleeue to please God now by any other new deuises And this is that which saint Paul teacheth the Corinthians For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timothie 1. Cor. 4 17. which is my beloued sonne and faithfull in the Lord which shall put you in remembrance of my waies in Christ Saint Paul would haue the Corinthians follow his tract follow his waies And againe in the same Epistle Be ye followers of me 1. Cor. 11.1 euen as I am of Christ And againe to the Philippians Brethren be yee followers of me and looke on them which walk so Phil. 3.17 as ye haue vs for an example And to Timothie he writes thus 2. Ti. 3.10 Thou hast fully knowne my doctrine manner of liuing purpose faith long suffering loue patience c. And to the Hebrewes Remember them that haue the ouersight of you Heb. 13.7 which haue declared to you the word of God whose faith follow considering what hath been the end of their conuersation No doubt these are those shéepe which the bridegroome here counselleth his spouse to follow And feed thy younglings Vers 2. Here all Catholickes must learne another principall marke of Gods Church that is to instruct their young children in the law of the Lord as Dauid teacheth them also Wherewith shall a young man redresse his waie euen by taking heed thereunto according to thy word Psal 119.9 1. Ioh. 2.14 And saint Iohn also in his Epistle I write to you babes that you haue knowne the father Euen young infants must know God the Father and then Iesus Christ the Sonne also who makes God to be our louing father Luk. 2 14. and then the holy Ghost by whom this loue of God is shed into our hearts And saint Paul writes of Timothie Rom. 5.5 2. Ti. 3.15 that he knew the scriptures of a child And shall we not beléeue all these and instruct our children in the lawe of the Lord By the Tents of those shepheards that is of the Apostles whō Christ made pastors of his Church not of euery common shepheard nor also of anie one of those shepheards no not of Peter Ephe. 4.11 God hath giuen Apostles Prophets and Euangelistes to the building of his Church and no one Apostle Embrace therefore all the Apostles writings and féede on them and not on Peters onely embrace and follow all the Apostolical Churches as the fathers did and not the Romane Church onely And here I cannot but giue a lift at that great rocke which being deriued from that rocke whereof our Sauiour Christ speaketh in the 16. of Matthew the Papists oppose for the defence of their Church that because hel gates haue neuer preuailed against her Mat. 16.18 as they haue done against others because that now only of the Apostolical Churches she remaines therefore that she is the true Church But I answere that if by hell gates be vnderstood Heresies as some of the Fathers haue expounded them Epiphan in ancorato August de symbolo ad Catechum lib. 1. ca. 6 Bellarm. de Ro. Pont. lib. 4. ca. 3 D. Reinolds against Hart. ca. 7. deuis 8. and as Master Bellarmine seemes to affirme neither haue heresies preuailed against anie of the other Apostolike Churches For Artius though he assaulted the Church of Alexandria and Nestorius the Church of Constantinople yet they preuailed not but had the repulse in the end Nay in the Church of Rome there haue bin Bishops that haue béene heretiks as hath beene of late verie learnedly proued Neither hath hell gates at this day that is heresies preuailed against those Churches of the East which now the Turk possesseth but rather his sword power And that partly for their own sins partly for the sin of the Pope as may appeare by that prophecy of Zachary Zach. 11.17 O Idol sheepheard which leauest the flocke the sword shal be vpon his arme and vpon his right eie His arme shall be cleane dried vp and his right eye shall be vtterly darkened Which prophecie I haue handled else where in a Treatise of the Epistle of saint Iude. Har. euang ca. 66. But if by the gates of hell be meant the kingdome of the diuell as Iansenius doth expound them surely then also the gates of hell haue preuailed against the Church of Rome as well as against other Churches For from what monstrous sinnes hath she béene frée as appeareth by their owne histories But the true meaning of this promise Read Platina that hell gates shall not preuaile against the Church of Christ and against that faith which Peter professed is that although Sathan assault it with all his power and might with sinne heresies persecutions c. yet it shall neuer be quite ouerthrowne Mat. 24.2 as is now that stately Temple of Ierusalem which though it were builded on an earthly hill hath not now one stone left on another but shall remaine euer vnto the worlds ind Nay euen the reliques of those other Apostolicall Churches professing Christianitie remaine yet vnder the Turkes tyrannie so that Rome cannot brag that she alone remaines God shall haue at the least two witnesses to confirme his truth for euer Reuel 11.3 So that whereas the bridegroome bids his spouse to
with the holy Ghost And this is that which Christ promised once If two of you shall agree vpon earth whatsoeuer thing they shall aske it shall be done vnto them Ferus would haue common praiers made with the common consent of the whole Church or else saith he they are of no force Contrarie to the common practise of the Roman Church amongst vs in times past Againe he writes thus of the euill life of the Church which offends manie Ferus in cap. Act. 23. Although it be a great imperfection and defect where the life is not approued and vertuous yet there is lesse danger if the faith be right and sound then if the life were good and the faith euill For without faith it is impossible to please God and he that comes to God must beleeue Therefore it is of more force if the faith be pure and good then if thy works were good Thus farre Ferus He preferres that Church which hath a right faith although in some respect she faile in good workes before that Church which hath good works and an euill faith And of the Church Ferus in Act 21. and of the sacrifices thereof he writes thus Paul taught that Gods house was the Church and that now the true sacrifice was to bee offered in euerie place So Theodoret expounds it in cap 1. Malach. alleageth this place of S Paul and that of our Sauiour Ioh 4.23 1. Tim. 2.8 the which thing also Malachie prophesied Ferus séemes to expound the sacrifice which Malachie speaks of to be Christian prayer as Saint Paul doth also who saith I will that men pray in all places lifting vp pure hands without wrath or doubtfulnesse S. Paul here without all doubt alludes to Malachie Here is pure hands and that pure sacrifice void of wrath and doubtfulnesse Here is in all places And expounds that place of Malachie of Prayer and not of the Eucharist as some of the Papists do Iacob Vshanskus Guesnensis Archiep. Heb. 13.15 Ose 14 3. And for all Iewish sacrifices for that sacrifice Mincha which was drawn to the altar now Saint Paul puts downe in another place the fruit of our lips which sentence he takes out of Osee who cals prayers and giuing of thanks the calues of our lips And of religion maintained by warres he writes thus He that maintaines his cause by seditions and tumults of the people Ferus in Act. 21. discouers and bewrayes himselfe that he hath not a iust cause A good cause needs not vproares or mans authority who hath God the fauourer and protector of it And doth not the Pope vse these meanes to further his cause In this he declares he is not of God But in this waightie matter to let all mens testimonies passe which are light vpon the ballance as Dauid termes them Psal 62.9 yea lighter then vanitie it selfe and to returne to that vndoubted fountaine of all truth the word of God with which I began That is an euident and infallible marke of Gods Church which the Angell taught Saint Iohn Reu. 19.10 Who when as he would haue worshipped him said See thou do it not for I am thy fellow seruant and one of thy brethren which haue the testimonie Iesus Worship God Here is an euident marke of Gods Church she worships only God and not Angels And secondly here is a reason why we should not worship Angels we debase our selues in worshipping them they are our fellow seruants And who in common sense will worship his equals By worshipping Angels we forget that great dignitie whereunto Iesus Christ hath aduanced vs. We are now Iesus Christs we are his members 1. Cor. 3.23 1. Cor. 6.15 Therfore as he doth not no more should we worship Angels A second mark of Gods Church here also we may learne She hath the testimonie of Iesus And what is that that is the spirit of prophesie as the Angell after expounds it that is the Spirit of God wherby all Gods children are able in some measure to vnderstand and expound the scriptures For as all Gods children haue Gods Spirit so it is no doubt a fire in them and therefore it will burne through Christian charitie it will lighten their knowledge and disperse the mysts of darknesse This fire hath Antichrist quenched by taking the wood and matter of it awaie I meane the Scriptures from the common people And to this that of Saint Paul hath relation no doubt 1. Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit But here they thinke that because they worship Saints and Angels therefore they shall be blamelesse But that shall not excuse them Reu. 14 7. because they are plainly taught and commanded to worship him onely that made heauen and earth And by these words God onely is signified and all other creatures are excluded And this Epithite is commonly attributed to God in the Scriptures Psal 124.8.134.3 Our help standeth in the name of the Lord who hath made heauen and earth Here is as it were a distinction put betwéene the workes and the workman all the works iointly must worship their maker they must not begin one to magnifie or worship another Nay the more to conuince them in this their errour all the Saints and angels haue refused this seruice Act. 10.26 Act. 14.15 Peter to Cornelius Paul to the men of Lystra saying We are men like to your selues why do you honour vs And the angell twise in the Reuelation wheras S. Iohn did not forget himselfe and would haue yéelded to the angell the honour due to God but euen this ciuill outward honor which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the angell twise refused alleaging my former reason Reu. 19.10 22.9 that he was one of our fellow seruants and fellow seruants must not worship one another but only their master Teaching vs to be very warie in worshipping yea euen angels least our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grow into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as amongst the Papists it hath done These two are easily in words distinguished but not so easily in déed To bowe the knée is but a ciuill honor but yet to bow the knee to Baal Rom. 11.4 God accounts part of his honor And S. Paul writes thus most manifestly of the worshipping of angels Let none ouer-rule you Col. 2.18 or spoile you of your prize which by the worshipping of God you obtaine by humblenesse of mind and worshipping of Angels aduancing himselfe into those things hee neuer saw rashly puft vp with his fleshly mind As though hée should saie No man knowes the estate of angels whether they heare our prayers at all times and can helpe vs at their pleasures or not and who will then pray vnto them nay this shall make vs lose our prize We all in this life as Saint Paul teacheth runne as it were in a race 1. Cor. 9.24 now he that runneth in a race must haue his eyes still fixt on the goale
of Sodome let vs strengthen their hands nay let vs bee good schollers of our heauenly maister and Sauiour Let vs euen feast them and our expences cost our dinner or supper we shall make them neuer so much they shall not be lost we shall receiue a reward at the resurrection of the iust Luke 14.14 O happie feast-maker that then shall be recompenced At that day to haue onely the louing countenance of that great and mightie king what a ioy or comfort shall it be but to receiue a recompence at his hands the ioie thereof shall be to our poore hearts then no doubt vnspeakable O let vs not despise it Let vs beléeue this promise of our Sauiour Let vs make some such feastes that at that daie when all such as feast themselues with Diues shall quake we maie then reioyce Eccles 11.1 This is that which Salomon also teacheth vs Cast thy bread vpon the face of the waters after manie daies thou shalt find it As though he should say that which our Sauiour here saith Cast thy bread awaie bestow it on them who are neuer likely to make shée any recompence Throwe it not on the earth where some maie find it and it maie perchance do them some good and they maie thanke thee for it but throwe it on the waters that it maie séeme to be quite lost and cast awaie and yet after many dayes Luke 10.38 that is at the resurrection of the iust thou shalt find it So that here we maie sée this doctrine of our Sauiour is no strange or new doctrine euen Salomon as it were in a shadowe Gen. 18.1 and obscurely taught the same So Abraham sate at his tent doore as I haue noted before to waite for strangers that he might feast them So Martha entertained feasted Iesus Christ Luke 22.11 So that citizen of Ierusalem whatsoeuer he was entertained Iesus Christ when as he should eate his passeouer He not only lent him his house the best roome in it but also gaue him a lambe and wine and bread and al things that belonged therunto condemning all those that will not suffer Christ to come within their houses The poore must lie at their gates Luke 16. â—0 as Lazarus did at the gates of Diues but they maie not put foote ouer the threshold either to entertaine them or releeue them It were more Christianlike that they were euen admitted within their houses and euen feasted as Christ commands and these good Christians practised This our liberalitie would cause the poore to speake well of vs. Pet. Gregor de repub lib. 22. cap. 13. When as one Smicythus told king Philip of Macedonia that Nicanor continually spake euill of him Well saith Philip Nicanor is not the worst subiect I haue and it may be the fault is in me And when as he vnderstood that he was a verie poore man and that he neuer did giue him anie thing hee commanded that something should be giuen him which when it was done then Smicythus told the king that Nicanor commended him highly to all men Thou maist see saith Philip that it is in our power either to be well or euill reported of This liberalitie should make the poore not only to praise but to pray for the rich which is the greatest and best thing in the world God heareth the prayers of the poore And one saith very excellently that a Christians weapons are teares and prayers Exod. 5.22.23 and that therefore if the poore do crie out against any man they fight and preuaile more against him with their prayers then if an hoste of armed men besieged him Christians should not onely be thus liberall in giuing and relieuing the poore but also in lending Psal 112.5 A good man saith Dauid is mercifull and lendeth and will guide his words with discretion And againe I haue beene young and now am olde yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken Psal 37.25 nor his seede begging their bread But he is euer mercifull and lendeth and his seede enioyeth the blessing Here are notable descriptions of good men And in them both this is a principall part that they are mercifull to the poore which is the thing that I haue touched before and are mercifull to their brethren and will lend which is the thing I doe now meane to handle by Gods grace And here first is a great blessing promised to all lenders Their seede shall neuer beg their bread their seede shall neuer be forsaken Who would not purchase such a benefit for his children though he gaue for it all the goods he had Surely for the lacke of this lending and charitie to their poore brethreÌ„ no doubt the heires of many great purchasers doe goe a begging and after their fathers deaths come to great penurie The iust mans seede is neuer forsaken neuer goeth a begging but his father is euer mercifull and lendeth Wouldest thou not haue thine heires come to beggerie then nor be forsaken of God Be thou neuer so rich it is not thy great purchasing of lands or heaping vp treasures together for them that shall bring this to passe But rather be mercifull and lend to thy néedie neighbour no doubt as God hath spoken it by the mouth of king Dauid thy children shall neuer be forsakeÌ„ nor beg their bread Some will put an hundreth pound in some mens hands for a yearely annutie to be paid thereof to their children but that is but a kind of cloked vsurie and it is as much as to make their children drone Bées and not to labour in anie vocation But let it be lent to their brethren rather and here is promised a certaine and euerlasting annuitie for them And the manner how euerie Christian ought to lend our Sauiour also teacheth If you lend of whom you hope to receiue againe Luke 6.34 what thanks haue you for sinners lend to sinners that they may receiue the like againe But loue your enemies and doe good and lend looking for nothing againe and your reward shall be great and you shall be the sonnes of the highest for he is kind both to the vnthankefull and wicked Our Sauiour no doubt here commands all Christians to excell the wicked infidels But they lend to their friends onlie and of whom they looke for like curtesie againe But saith he Lend you euen to your enemies M.D. Fulke in his notes vpon the Rem testam expounds this place thus looking for nothing againe That is if thy brother bee not able to pay thee being thus resolued in thy mind when thou lendest him that thou art content to lose the principall for Gods cause for whose sake thou lendest But if anie will say that this is a hard doctrine let such but marke that the words import it The wicked when they lend looke for like curtesie againe but thou looke for nothing againe saith our Sauiour And againe God maie coÌ„mand this who lends thee freely
members of one bodie such common prayers with faith and knowledge such hearing of the Scriptures with punishments of the disobedient such voluntarie contributions to the poore such Christian charitie such a communitie of the vse of all things were in those former good Christians But with vs almost all these are quite contrarie so farre we haue degenerated And in their prayers they vsed great reuerence in those dayes they knéeled For thus I reade in a sermon of Beatus Caesarius Bishop of Orleance For when as verie often as it becommeth me I marke diligently when as the Deacon cries Biblioth Pat. Tom. 7. ser 30. Let vs kneele downe I see the greatest part of the people to stand vpright like pillers which is neither lawfull nor seemely nor expedient for Christians to do in the Church in the time of prayers c. It should séeme that the Deacon in time of prayer cried Let vs kneele as we in our prayers now saie Let vs pray to stir vp the peoples minds to prayer And that the Bishop had a care to marke whether the people in time of prayers knéeled or no. I would all Pastors of Churches would do the like nowe and marke who kneeles not and exhort them to knéele But now no man regards this And in another place of the discipline of Christians the same Tertullian writes thus Loue your enemies and blesse them which curse you Tert. lib. de Pat. and pray for them which persecute you that you may bee the children of your heauenly Father In this chiefe commandement all the doctrin of patience is briefly comprehended when as we may not hurt anie though wee haue a iust cause Now if we shall runne ouer all the other causes which may driue vs into impatiencie the other commandements will likewise fall out iustly in their places If thy mind be moued to impatiencie by the losse of thy goods it is admonished almost in euerie place of the Scriptures that it ought to despise the world Neither can there be any greater exhortation to despise money then that the Lord himselfe had no riches And he euer iustifies the poore and condemnes the rich The former Christians as appeareth by this did not so greedilie séeke for money and riches as we do at this daie They despised riches they passed not for money Cyprian also condemnes this couetousnes in Christians Câ—â— Lib 2. â—piâ—t 2. But those whom thou supposest to be rich men ioyning field to field and excluding the poore of their quarters haue their pastures and fields without bounds which haue great store of gold and siluer and huge masses of money or reekes it as were of siluer hid in the ground these being afraid amongst the middest of all their riches the doubtfulnesse of their estates often troubles them least the thiefe should robbe them least the murtherer should catch them least the malice enuie of anie wealthier then themselues should vexe them with trouble some sutes He sighes euen in the middle of his banquet though he drinke in pearle and when as the downe and soft featherbed hath embraced his pined bodie for all his good cheare ouer the eares as it were in her bosome yet he cannot take any rest for all these feathers Neither doth this miserable wretch vnderstand that his riches are no other thing to him then braue torments and that he is bound with his golde as theeues are with gyues and fetters And that he is rather possessed of his riches then that he should possesse them And O abominable blindnesse of the mind of man and deepe darknesse of raging couetousnesse when as hee might disburden himselfe and also ease himselfe of so great a weight he goeth on still forward to set all his mind vpon these same riches that thus vexe him he goeth on still to cleaue fast to these pinching burthens There is no bestowing of them vpon his poore retainers no distribution to them that stand in need And they call that their money which they keepe verie carefully lockt vp in their houses as if it were another mans whereof they will bestow none vpon their friends no nor to their children no nor to themselues They possesse these riches onely to this end that another should not haue them And what a misnaming of things is this They call them goods whereof they haue no vse but to those things which are naught Or do you think that they are also safe whom amidst the robes of their honours and great riches whom flourishing with the glorie of kings courts a great companie of armed men continually waites vpon and guards They are more afraid themselues then others are of them he is as glad to feare himselfe as he is feared of others Dignitie honour or authâ—rity seemes to take punishment euen of the mightie man himselfe c. Their auâ—hâ—â—itâ—â— first maketh themselues afraid which make them so terrible to others This account the former Christians made of riches as of fetters and of honors as of burthens But to come neerer vs and to condemne our couetousnes Chrysostome telleth a strange historie of two Christians I wil shew you saith he a thing that was done amongst our forefathers Ho. 30. ad Pop. Ant. not concerning anger but concerning money There was a certaine place that had treasure hidden in it And when as the Lord thereof knew not so much he sold the place Hee which bought it when as he digged it vp that he might plant his field and dresse it he found that treasure that was hidden in it And when as he came to him that sold him the field hee would haue compelled him to haue receiued the treasure For he said that he bought the place and not the treasure But hee on the contrarie refused that which he would haue giuen him saying I haue solde the place neither haue I now any right in it They fell at strife the one would haue giuen it the other and the other striuing that he would not receiue it And going to a certaine man they reasoned the matter before him and after they asked his sentence to whom the treasure was due He would giue no sentence on neither side But saith he I will end your controuersie let me haue it possesse it for you both The which wheÌ„ they had both yeelded to he that was so greedie to receiue the treasure sustained afterward a thousand euils And learned by experience that they iustly and not without good cause had departed from it Such contempt of riches was in those dayes and such a conscience amongst Christians The Fathers here agree with the scriptures alleaged before concerning the contempt of the word The like should be amongst vs if we were not growne out of kind Such like contemners of the world were Augustine Ambrose Cyptian Ierom and all the Fathers as by reading their liues appeares We haue now few such Augustines Ambroses and Ieromes We alleage their sayings commonlie but neuer follow