temptations As soone as Christ was declared the sonne of God instantly Satan declared himselfe an open enemy and this euery child of GOD shall proue in himselfe What perill was Saint Paul in whiles he was a persecutour was it not a sweet world to apprehend to binde to imprison whome he listed But when he is conuerted to Christ heare what he saies In Perils of water of Robbers of his owne nation of the Gentiles in perils in the Citty in the Wildernesse in the Sea in perils of false brethren See how the world is changed now he must iourny be weary watch fast hunger for our goodnesse will not free vs from danger it is the cause of danger as we see in Abel Are not men slaine for their goods so the treasure of Godlinesse is the sole cause of the enimies assault he will venture most for the richest booty Thus the wicked haue a trebble aduantage of the Godly First their heauen is heere on earth they are in their owne country they seeke no farther Secondly they haue no such treasure being voyde of grace cantabit vacuus coram latrone vâ—…ator He that hath neuer a peny in his purse neede not feare robbing Thirdly their friends are here the world loueth him So standes it not with the Saints of God whose country is not the world whose treasure is not in the world whose friends are not of the world I will briefly shew three things which belong to a good souldier of Christ. First he must haue a good heart the Deuill fights for the heart who then will be a niggard of an hearts courage in an hearts defence they say mens cuiusque is est quisque a Christian should be all heart For so much as we deduct out of courage and resolution for Gods cause so much haue we forfeited of our being and subsisting to Christ. Doe not Princes when they send treasure by land or sea picke out the most stout resolute the most hardy and ventrous men will they trust cowards We haue grace from Christ as a depositum a treasure committed God hath put vs in trust let not vs basly and cowardly giue it ouer Lucan speaks of Metellus which when Iulius Caesar entred Rome suffring the dishonor of the Citty and the breach of all lawes yet when Caesar brake open the doore of the treasury thrust himselfe betweene and would not let him passe without breaking through his owne sides So the Poet hath Vsque adeo solus ferrum mor temque timere Auri nescit amor pereunt discrimine nullo Amissae leges sed pars vilissima rerum Certamen mouistis opes O cursed gold thy onely loue when state and lawes decay Through fire sword bloody death doth carles make a-way Riches yee vilest part of things for you men kill and slay Shall it be said so the loue of riches feareth not sword nor death O no let onely the loue of Christ contemne death No sacke of a citty is so lamentable as when the Deuill entreth into a soule as when he cries downe with an heart and synks the whole man into ruine and perdition we haue true enemies why haue we false hearts he which hewed vs as I may say out of the dust of the earth was knowne to bring vs to an excellent piece of worke Why then doe wee suffer that enemie which will breake downe all our carued workes with Axes and Hammers We want no courage to stout it and braue it in defence of our wicked liues and lewd manners we will beare no reproofe we will maintayne it to the death we are hardie and resolute to follow causes at Law we spare for no cost though our cause be weake our heart is strong A man is not afrayd to challenge his Brother into the field and to seeke to shed his bloud with hazard of his owne life though he fight against God and the iust Lawes armed with vengeance The World hath her Martyres Sinne hath hers What hath Religion Come on deare Christians let vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First challenge the enemies of our faith We onely which stand for the truth of God haue a strong cause Let vs not haue faint hearts We fight against a fugitiue enemy a Runnagate whom our Captayne Michaell hath so wounded that if we but resist him he will flie from vs Our fellow Souldiers are all the Saints of God Martyrs Apostles Prophets Patriarchs euen that royall Army of God our auxiliares copiae our supplies are the Angels in Heauen which pitch their Tents about vs whom if we could see we should say That more are they that fight for vs then they that fight against vs. Our Captayne our Leader is Christ Iesus which combated the enemy in single fight and is ascended vp on high Principalities Powers Mights and Dominations being made subiect to him Come on I say courage for Heauen for Christ for the Crowne of glory What Dwarfe wil feare to bid defiance to the strongest Champion if a Giant will stand by and abet his quarrell Dominus nobiscum The Lord is on our side that Giant of infinite stature Heere what Dauid the Prophet saith Though an hoast of men were gathered against mee yet will not I be afraid See a little Dwarfe in in this Name defie all names and Powers Angels Principalities Life Death Height depth things present things to come counting his daily killing for Christ more then conquering For know we this no man can be ouercome which hath a good cause if his enemy kill him his cause will saue him then come what will we onely which haue this cause of Christ can say of all our enemies as Socrates said of Anytus and Melitus Me vero Anytus Melitus necare possunt nocere non possunt Our enemies may kill vs but they cannot hurt vs. Finally to make our courage lasting and durable let vs behold our Lord Iesus holding ouer our heads the Crowne of glory and saying Vincenti dabo to him that ouercommeth I will giue the Crowne of life The second in a good Souldier is to haue a good hand or arme for we must not be such onely as may not feare our enemies we must make them feare vs as Pelopidas which when one told him We are in danger of our enemies Why said he more then they of vs For why should we feare carnall or couetous or cruell men if the arme of our Faith be extent and strong they shall rather feare vs. I say then Hostem qui feriet mihi erit Carthaginiensis He that strikes an enemy of Gods shal be to me a good Christian. Strike at Atheists downe with proud Goliah pull away the visards of hypocrites and hit them in the faces feare no mans person no not the Giants For wee haue a Sword of that temper and sharpenesse which will diuide and pierce the diuisions of the Spirit and the ioynts
and Hatred are attributed to God himselfe which if they were simply and by nature euill should neuer haue beene ascribed to him It cannot then be denied but that Anger is vpon iust causes to be permitted Now let vs see in regard whereof it may be commanded There is a time when Gods honour is defaced and then be angry through iust zeale as Phinehas was with Zimry and Cozby but in this kind of anger sinne not be not ouer iust There is a time when our brother is to be reproued in this reproofe sinne not be not too sharpe and bitter in rebuking and in this place we may well cary with vs the rule of the Apostle Brethren if any man be ouer taken with a fault you which are spiritual instruct such an one with the spirit of gentlenesse considering thy selfe least thou also be tainted First the ve ry insinuation were enough to perswadevs seeing we are al brethren Secondly there is no difference betweene them and vs but in time they may preuent vs in sinning we shall follow them Thirdly because flesh and blood is insolent the Apostle maketh a distinct choyse of the persons exhorted you that are spirituall you which haue your hearts softned with the vnction of the holy Ghost Fourthly the medicine is set downe we must instruct him shew him the nature and measure of his fault and how to amend it Fiftly the ingredience to the medicine is prescribed with the spirit of meeknesse Sixtly we are bound to it by equality of nature considering thy selfe Seauenthly it is worth the noting that whereas before hee sayd in the plurall number brethren you now by a kinde of selecisme he maketh it euery mans case considering thy selfe least thou also be tainted But to goe forward there is a third kinde of lawfull anger when wee must be angry with our selues for sinnes and trespasses by vs committed but yet in this kinde of anger let vs not sinne that is fall into dispaire for there is mercy with God albeit we haue sinned So the first anger in which we are moued against our brother commeth from a Godly zeale the second when we rebuke our brother for his amendment commeth from our loue to God and the third when we are angry and displeased with our selues for our sinnes is our repentance before God We which haue suffred our affections to stoope downe to sinne and haue suffered our selues to be caried and misled by them knowing now that there is necessary vse of them to good shall we not turne them away from actions of vniustice and restore them to the honour of God and the good of our selues and of our neighbour We which haue beene so often angry and sinned is it not now time to learne to be angry and not sinne How happy shall we be if wee can fence and saue our selues with that sword with which we haue wounded so many of our brethren How happy shall we then be when we haue wonne those preturbations from the Diuell which hang downe so low and easie for sinne and by which sinne taking hold doth clime vp higher into our will and vnderstanding I conclude then with Saint Basile Ser de Ira If you will be angry with out sinning and shew forth the lawfull vse of this affection know that one is allured to sinne another enclineth and allureth him conuert your anger against the latter of these two a murtherer of his brethren a father of lies maligne not him that is ensnared entrapped Be angry where is a fault which may beare anger which cannot be a priuate displeasure but a fáult openly tending to the prophanation of Gods feareful name pollution of his Sacraments and seruice Publique scandalous incorrigible and insufferable faults whereby his Christ is dishonoured his good spirit of grace despighted and the whole congregation and family that is in heauen and earth wounded and blasphemed Be angry with those which are angry with God vpon euery light occasion for euery crosse wherewith they are tryed ready to goe backe and to walke no longer with him or if their mouthes be not filled with laughter and pleasure to their hearts desire and their besties with Garlicke and flesh-pots as in the daies of darkenesse breake forth into termes of highest vndutifulnesse saying What profit is there in seruing God Be angry with those that are angry with the Prophets for prophesying right things vnto them Be angry with the Prophets if they seeke their ease if they preach Lies if they preach not the Word Be angry with the Citty if it repent not at the preaching of the Prophets but when they haue pronounced the iudgments of God take them but for fables and like the sayings and doings of the mad man who casteth firebrands and arrowes and mortall things and saith am I not in iest Be angry with dogges which returne to their vomit though they beene purged seauen times and in a word to knit vp all Be angry with your sinnes the diuell lies vanities your selues Now come we to the prohibition which is the second part but sinne not Heere Saint Paul warneth vs of a pit into which our anger may fall namely sinne A pit more daungerous then that into which Ioseph was throwne by his brethren for many fall into this pit which neuer come foorth againe and this the more carefully we ought to shunne how much the more our nature vergeth downewards and our passions haue their selfe aptnesse and pronesse to that which is euill There is in vs almost an insensible difference betweene anger and sinne and Saint Paul cannot name the one but hee must aduise to cause vs shunne the other so secretly so subtily that which is euill is mixed to that which is naturall the motions of our minds were ordained to this end that they should obey reason but they refuse to obey God But the sinne of anger is so far extended and lyeth so many waies that it may seeme a matter of great hardnesse to expresse how diuersly we fall into it It shall suffice for our present purpose to make some briefe obseruations hereof and so to come to our conclusion First Anger bringeth in sinne by rashnesse for what easier way is there to fall then by omitting counsaile and what greater enimie to counsaile then wrath by which when we haue but a little distasted like mouthes of men diseased we relish not of sweet and wholesome counsailes but by heate and distemperature of mind fall into sodaine and violent passions which bring with them shame and confusion and for this cause Socrates when he was angry at his seruant refused to beate him saying He would first whip his anger This was Potiphers fault for when his wrath was kindled by a false suggestion he punished Ioseph with imprisonment albeit his anger tooke occasion from a lie to wrong the innocent I this was Dauids fault when he gaue too hasty credit to false Ziba his accusation and
of his mouth like an armory stored with cruell instruments of death whose teeth are speares and arrowes and his tongue a sharpe sword his words like hammers his throat like a gaping sepulchre the whole nature set on fire and now this faire Image of God this Microcosinus this little world for beauty and excellence is made a confused Image of shame and confusion so that in the whole nature of things vnder heauen there is not found so vgly mis-shapen a monster as an angry man What should we now say if that deformity might be seene which lurkes within Hence come slaunders deare brethren hence blasphemies cursing swearing lying fightings warres bloudshed euen from wrath the seminary of all mischiefe what Beare hauing broken the Grates is more sauage or outragious then Anger hauing once gotten out of the warde and custody of Reason We grieue not for the euill we haue done but for that we could not doe we will sooner repent what wee promised out of the aduice of Loue than what wee haue menaced in our fury O wretches if we doe not yet conceiue what wrong we doe to others yet let vs pitty our selues Our anger hurteth vs before it can hurt our brother What then gainest thou if thy ovvne minde being darkened reason cast behinde thy vnderstanding led captiue in wracke of thy soule and in confusion of thy selfe thy fury hath preuayled to hurt thy brother Nay what if thou hurt him not but with thy stroke hast lanced his vlcer and let out his impostumation as the enemy of Alexander Pheraeus did What if thou haue deserued of him better by being a bitter enemy than a svveet friend what if by this he become regardfull watchfull of his life What if thy wrongs haue turned to his gaine But were it not so yet by being injustly angry thou dost more absurdly than hee vvhich asked an hundred stripes that his fellovv might haue halfe for thou giuest thy selfe many stripes but art not sure to giue him one Thou dost but venture his vexation thou art sure of thine ovvne Thou makest men his enemies thou hast made God thine enemy Thou fightest against him with that svvord the very poynt whereof thou turnest to thine ovvne heart Thou woundest his fame thou slayest thine ovvne soule Socrates was wont to say when he saw a drunken man Num ego talis Am I such a one Let vs consider whether we be such as I haue said let vs see whether we haue offended God more by not repenting the euill then by committing it whether wee haue cursed them whom we should haue blessed vvhether vvee haue smitten them vvhom vve should haue defended if wee haue turned our compassions into cruelties and our loues into hatreds Let vs consider if wee haue rashly or despitefully slaundered our brethren and giuen the reines to sinne and made our members the vveapons of wrath and reuenge and say Are we such Doubtlesse the sinne of Anger should be so much the more detested of vs hovv much the more it fighteth against Loue and Charity the very Badges and Recognisances of our calling Neither ought vve to abhorre Anger onely as I haue spoken but all priuy and secret consultation vvith it For there is a sort of men which vvould seeme vvisest vvhich dissemble Wrath and giue it strength by delay vvhich harbour Hatred as a treasure in their hearts These doe but as the Lacedemonian Boy vvhich stole a Foxe and hid him so long vnder his cloake till at last hee did gnavve out his heart For vvhere Wrath is most hidden and concealed there is it not onely most filthy and abhominable but more pernicious and to be feared Therefore as Anger is sinne let vs not act our Anger neither openly neither in secret neither with a cause nor without a cause We haue handled two parts First the Permission Secondly the Prohibition Now followes the Exhortation in which we are instructed to confine this passion of our mind that it passe not her bounds Let not the Sunne goe downe vpon your wrath Plutarch in his Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Brotherly Loue writeth that it was the custome of Pythagoras Schollers how euer they had beene at oddes jarring and wrangling in their Disputations yet before the Sunnes set to kisse and shake hands as they departed out of Schoole A custome most worthy obseruation and most fit for the Scholers of CHRIST to end all dissentions and controuersie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the holy kisse of loue GOD forbid that when our liues are mortall that our hatreds should be immortall Nay if we haue entertained Anger as a bad guest let vs send him away quickely and turne him out of doores For he that but toucheth Pitch shall be defiled how much more hee that holdeth it in his bosome We should be glad to apprehend any occasion to shunne that which is euill This short night telleth vs of a long night The setting of this Sunne warneth vs of the setting of our life If GOD to our visible sight be contented to bury this blessed Sunne and â—…his sweet light of Heauen vnder the Earth all night shall we refuse to bury foule displeasure and cursed hatred and sinne How dare we commit our selues to Anger when we sleepe with which we haue no safe conuersation waking Who will deliuer the keyes of his house to a thiefe which will robbe him and lodge him in his secret Chamber and rest with him in bed Cuiuslibet est errare nullius nisi insipientis in errore per seuerare Any man may erre but none but madde men will perseuere in their errour What then can we better doe then redeeme our selues quickely from captiuity The Dogs in Egypt for feare of Crocodiles doe runne and drinke and doe wee drinke downe malice and lie downe and sleepe Doubtlesse hee which hath not maistred the enemie by the light of the day will be lesse able to doe it in the darkenesse of the night But let vs see what fruit may redound to vs from this counsell of the Apostle First we shall avoyde the familiarity of sinne then which nothing is more daungerous and shunne those occasions by which sinne insinuating it selfe into vs preuaileth at last to seeme sweet and pleasing so that it should neuer possibly appeare to vs but in her blacke shape and abhorred nature for the custome and fellowship with sinne lendeth that ougly monster opportunity to dissemble and shrowd it selfe vnder the couering of nature Be the familiarity of sinne as farre from the children of God as light from darknesse let rancor and malice and fury rest in the natures of fierce and sauage beasts whose outward formes and aspects doe threaten violence and cruelty If we iustly auoyde the company of sinners how much more the sinne it selfe How far should we be from harbouring dissention and strife in vs which if we follow the rule of the Apostle must not be named in vs. The
get nothing without labour watching trouble venture fight doe but the same and see Heauen is offered how much difference in the endes and see the meanes of both are one But let vs see how our life is a warfare Arma militiae nostrae non sunt carnalia the weapons of our warfare are not carnal our enimies would esteem these as straw or stubble They would mock such a battaile They beare this armour whom we esteem poore and naked men These fights they fight whom we esteem base and cowardly our enimy the Deuil is a subtile cruel enimy he striks within he wounds the hart whom Christs champions doe vanquish with their bloud-shed and their flesh battered When God shut man for sinne out of Paradise he set the Cherubims and the blade of a Sword shaken to keepe the way of the tree of Life But now Christ is entred into Paradise and hath left the Sword sticking in their flesh which will enter into life so that good Christians must be as E. paminondas Nonsolliciti de vita sed de scuto Is my buckler safe is our Faith sure For our enemy neither the goodnesse of our cause neither the succour and help we haue from heauen can affright Our Innocency shall not shield vs from him he will strike at the elect hee will assault those whose names are written in heauen He careth not for our armour of light but will dart the fiery darts of temptation euen at the buckler of our Faith He stroke at the head hee attempted to shake the Rocke Iesus Christ will he feare the members whether then we fight with Sathan in person or with any of his cursed band Let vs see how farre different this fight is from all other fights If I fight against a man I whet my sword but when I am to deale with my spirituall enemy I must blunt my sword the reason is Against man I vse my owne weapons but heere the Diuell vseth my weapons that is the members of my flesh I must by all means make this flesh vnprofitable for my enemy So Saint Paul did dull his sword Castigo corpus meum I chastice my body Plutarch writes of a man blind and lame which in his Countries cause would aduenture to fight And being asked how hee durst said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may blunt the edge of my enemies sword We doe by deading and mortifying the members of our body blunt the sword of our enemy all care in bodily fight is pro commeatu for viands for the Campe. Our care is to haue no care for these Our Generall will haue vs goe â—…orth without a Scrippe or Wallet Wee goe not to his fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with our breakefast as Neâ—…or in Homer but fasting and praying Our spirites â—…rength consists in our bodies weakenesse Christs â—…rmy consists of poore and lame and blinde of â—…eake and despised men to throw downe powers â—…nd principalities he vseth things which seeme to â—…aue no being to confound the things which are Secondly they which fight against men onely fight with noyse showting crying pressing forth threatâ—…ing with all whether force or slight for dolus an â—…irtus quis in hoste requirat Our warfare is in yeeldâ—…g in silence in simplicity in singlenesse of heart â—…ith sighes and groanes Mihi arma preces lachryâ—… saith Saint Ambrose My Weapons are my Prayrs and my Teares In your patience you shall possesse â—…ur soules the truth of God is our shield and buckler Thirdly in bodily conflicts the more wounds we â—…iue our enemies the sooner we maister them Not 〈◊〉 heere if thy enemy hunger feede him if he thirst â—…ue him drinke A strange fight hee that ouercomes â—…ust be the stronger But if my enemies power of â—…urting me hath ouercome my power of doing him â—…ood he hath the victory ouer me Lastly if I striue with my bodily enemy I seeke 〈◊〉 shed his bloud which till I haue done I preuayle â—…t little that heere I am counted no singular souldiâ—… till mine enemy hath shed my bloud till I beare â—…e markes of his hostilitie engrauen in my flesh For â—…r enemies are fabri sufflantes in igno Prunas the black â—…yths that blow the coales of fire which burning â—…ales of persecution doe try and refine the Crownes 〈◊〉 Martirs and make them shine more glorious Now the manner of our warfare wee shall best attend if wee consider the stratagems and machinations of our enemy like Proteus turning himselfe into all formes and shapes to doe hurt Fiet enim subito Sus horridus atraque Tigris Squamosusque Draco aut fi lva cervice Leaena Aut acrem flammae sonitum dabit atque ita vinclis Excidet aut in aquas tenues dilapsus abibit Sometimes like bristled Bore he foames then to a Tiger turnes Like scaly Dragon now he roames anone like fire burnes Or Lyons fearefull shape he shews to breake the holding bands Or changed into watry dewes will slide out of your hands When he warreth with Michael and the Angells with the Captaines and Leaders of Gods hoste hee fights in likenesse of Dragon to the Church in generall he swells like a floud which would drowne and swallow her vp assayling the weake he is like a roaring Lion if we be zealous of Gods word he will transforme himselfe into the likenesse of an Angell of Light to make the children of Darkenesse The innocent and simple he beguiles as the Serpent did Heuah saying You shall not dye When hee giues the mortall stabbe he will come like a friend and compound and make league hee will not come feasting like a good fellow and throw downe the house he will come like a Diuine with a Psalter in his hand and kill vs if he can with Scriptum est hee will come like a Prince of this world in his ruffe and stake downe haec dabo ready mony All these will I giue thee he will lurke like an Aspe vnder the lippes of our deere friends and parents If hee preuayle not so hee will spit fire out of the mouthes of our enemies Know we this for certaine it is warre whiles hostilitie lasteth whiles our destruction and ouerthrow is sought be the meanes what they may while the enemy is an enemy it is warre Thinke wee not onely Satan our enemy when hee rageth and is at open defiance when he flattereth and beguileth he is the same And the Graecians onely fight when they battered Troy not then also when they sent Sinon the fox for then they tooke the Citty So doth Sathan more hurt in his sheepes skinne than by roaring like a Lyon For as God doth seeke by all meanes to draw vs to him by alluring by threatning by good things by euills by friends by enemies so doth Sathan vse all meanes to draw vs from God Let
vs then haue our eye vpon him that we may know this changeable Proteus vnder what forme soeuer he shrowds himselfe When Peter spake like a friend Maister pitty thy selfe Christ spied the diuell there Auoid Satan When Elymas the Sorcerer perswaded the Deputy Paul eied the diuell thou sonne of the Diuell he found him in men-beasts at Ephesus he spide him lurking in his own flesh whither Sathan had sent his messenger to buffet him And it mattereth not whether he seeke our subucrsion by himselfe or by his sworne seruants For as when a Prince suborneth his subiect to worke treason vpon his enemy the benefit redoundeth to the Prince not to the subject so when men draw vs from God the booty is the Diuells O where doth not this subtile Serpent lurke what station haue the Souldiers of Christ without danger where can we put our selues without perill of falling Wee haue a night and clandesline enemy which neuer ceaseth to subuert ruinate and destroy If we had to doe with a bodily enemy wee might sleepe or intermit the watch there might be something vnperfect in our munitions and he not espie it This enemy spies all aduantages his Dragon eye so called of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to see pries into all things he intermits no time Then in a word whensoeuer wee may be subuerted wee are taken by him Wee haue seene this our arch-enemy ruling ouer all the Nations of the world fortifying himselfe like a great Monarch with bands of Atheists and Idolatrous hauing built himselfe Altars and Temples in the heathen as strong holdes bearing visible sway and carrying the Kingdomes of the earth in open triumph We haue seene how hee hath warred with the Saints in the Primitiue Church and how deare the cause of Iesus Christ stoode the Apostles and Martires in which prodigall of their liues and bloud charged the enemy in open fight and cast him out rescuing kingdomes and subduing the Nations of the world to Christ and his Gospell howbeit hee hath made a reentry hauing gotten the signiory in Africke and holds them as a prey More he raungeth ouer the great Asia and hath laid it waste I hee is entred into Europe and like the surging and ouerflowing ocean frets at the shoare seeking to breake the bounds hauing gotten ground of the Church but what doe I speake of outlings which haue yeelded ouer see how he hath drawne the Starres from heauen Euen them which professing Christ in his Church doe take now the contrary part And now when wee see without the Church the common enemies brauing the poore Christians despising our little number yet lesse for sects and schismes intestine and ciuill warre when I see amiddest them which professe Christ in one side hote fiery men whetting their tongues in Pulpits with curses and bitter words preaching common Inuectiues as if they had warre with one part of their hearers holding their scute or buckler of Predestination ouer the side they fauour and powring out plagues and curses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like stormes in winter on the other When againe I see our aduersaries with bloudy Inquisitions with fire and sword armed not onely with poyson in their mouthes as lying slandering blaspheming for that they count too little but with treasons and all cruel instruments of death sharpned with spite and malice implacable and seconded with hellish policy Heu quantae miseris strages Laurentibus instante what warres what massacres doe threaten vs God thou knowest If euer Christs Church had warre heere is warre It is warre when the enemy batters the walls What is it when hostes habet muros When our enemy possesseth our walls So had wee when wee drew within the walls of our Church that monstrum infelix full of armes and armed men as the Trojan Horse which hath not ceased to practise all cruelty and hostilitie in the Church And if euill were then to be feared how is it now when the enemy commeth out of the sides and bowells of the Church when he is gotten into the Pulpits and hath diuided our small number and pretending nothing but the pure Word hath sowen that sedition that parts are taken that it is growne to mutiny to sides that almost through the whole kingdome euery towne is at open faction Preacher against Preacher hearer against hearer One side goes from the Sermon discouraged and marked out for reprobate the other hath grace and comfort as solely elected Then spies are sent abroad for more hearers this man is graced and magnified as the onely Preacher if another come they will not heare him And hath not this fiery disposition attended to ruinate the very foundation of the Church as in Brownists and Barrowists But you will say these are zealous and godly men they minde but to mend the couering and alter somewhat of the old building Be not deceiued for it is to be feared they will downe with all for the new sides doe heare them as the onely Preachers and they haue cast imputation on their fellowes of Errour and Popery But be not deceiued deare Christians these are not they which brought you out of darkenes into light which stoode and fought for your Faith and the Gospell when the Truth was at a lowe ebbe and the Church had neede of stowt Souldiers in the cause of Christ. Non his Inventus orta parentibus Infeâ—…it aequor sanguine No lusty youths nor any of this race Did euer shed their bloud in such a case They were Ridleys Latimers and Cranmers playne Souldiers fighters not boasters which died for Christ and his Gospell in those dangerous times they cared for the body of Religion not striuing for the shadow They had the compleate armour of righteousnesse they did not contend about the guilding and enamelling They fought indeed not beating the Ayre with wordes they warred with the common enemy and left not the sword sticking in the sides of their fellowes But see how the Serpent is still a Serpent He is out of hope to hurt vs by our enemies abroad now he seekes to bring the same ruine on vs by our selues If he cannot procure our downefall for want of preaching he will doe it by preaching if he cannot hurt vs by hiding prayers in a tongue vnknowne hee will make vs despise them in a tongue knowne if he cannot obtayne the rule as he is Prince of darkenesse He will in a counterfeit forme attempt vs like an Angell of Light By these let vs learne what we ought to be not onely good souldiers but labouring suffering euill First is a good souldier then suffring euil For an euill man is no souldier but an enimy of Christ Transfuga a run-away he hath forsaken his colours and giuen ouer the cause If we be good then shall we be sure of enemies when first we become good then the fight beginueth My sonne when thou commest into the seruice of God stand fast and feare and prepare thy soule to