saieth Paule is the misterie hid since the world began and from all ages but nowe is made manifest to the Saintes of God to whom GOD would make knowne what is the riches of his glorious misterie among the gentiles Dogs must not haue that which is holy There is a dogge which turneth about and teareth them that doe offer holy thinges Let not this dogge receiue that holy thing There is a dogge that cryeth with the woeman of Canaan trueth Lord I confesse that I am a dog yet the whelps may gather vp the crums that fal frō the childrēs table Christ wil haue that holy thing to be giuen to this dog Cast not pearls before swin Truth if they bee foule and treade them vnder their feete or if they bee washt and returne backe too their wallowing in the myre But if wee which were swine are by the blood of Christe washed and by the water of regeneration sanctified of swine are made lambes let vs haue that pearl we wil not tread it vnder our feete One Gospell yet diuersly it worketh in diuers mens heartes Water wil harden yron and soften the earth The Sunne drieth clay and melteth waxe the seede in good groūd bringeth forth increase but sowed among stones or thornes it bringeth foorth no fruit The fault is not in the seede but in the soyle the Sunne to vs that haue cleare sight is comfortable to the man that is poreblinde it is hurtfull Blame not the Sunne but the foole that will turne his eyes towardes the Sunne Suger to vs that bee in health is sweete to the sicke of an Ague it is bitter the Suger is not bitter his tast is naught Daintie meates to some stomackes are wholesome to others they are fulsome the fault is not in the meate but in the stomacke Euen so Christe crucified is to the Iewe a stumbling blocke to the Grecian folishnesse but to them that are called he is the power of God and the wisedome of God bee they Iew or Grecian bond or free male or female Wherefore thirdly I answere though drunkardes and tosse pottes abuse wine yet wine is profitable though vsurers and couetous men abuse money yet money is necessary though cutters and swinge-bucklers abuse weapons yet weapons are needfull Right so though the word of God by Heretikes and Athistes bee abused yet it is not to be forbidden Because it giueth wisedome euen vnto the simple because it hath milke for babes and strong meate for men because it is a lanterne to our feet and a light to our pathes because it doth lightē vs that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and doth guide our feet into the way of peace Let them with Otho reason thus absurdly the title set ouer Christs head by pilat was written in Hebrew Greek and Latine therefore the worde muste be read in one of these tongues wee thus affirme that God who did confounde the tongues of all men at the building of Babell they before hauing all one language that God I say at the beginning of the building of his church did giue to his Apostles and seruantes not onely the knowledge of Hebrew Greeke and Latine but of all languages in the worlde that all tongues vnder heauen all nations vnder the Sunne might reade heare and pray in their owne language in their owne mother tongue Wee therefore say with Cyprian Non videndum est quid aliqui ante nos fecerunt sed quid ille qui ante omnes est faciendum mandarit We must not care what they haue doone which were before vs but what hee doeth commaund to be doone which was before all Let vs then remember our miserable estate howe wee sate downe and wept to remember Syon howe we sought the word in strange Countries howe the Gospel was mingled with vanities how it was in a strange language how it was hid from the common people O let vs nowe then bee thankefull vnto the Lorde and that the world may knowe that wee are thankefull let vs labour for that meate whiche indureth vnto euerlasting life As the Philistines coulde not preuaile against Sampson although his heyfer had betraied him and his hayre cut of vntill they had pluckt out his eies so the Papistes could by no means so sone get the vpper hād as by pulling out the eyes of the people by taking from them their light sight knowledge and vnderstanding making them blinde not as whelpes whiche see after ix dayes not as the blinde man who sawe men as trees not as Paule whose eies were open yet sawe nothing by reason of his scales but as blinde as Moles as blinde as beetles as blinde as the men of Sodome who coulde not finde Lots doore as blinde as the king of Arams seruantes who came to bring Elizeus to their maister but were by him not seeing whither they wente brought into Samaria But as the Lorde opened the eyes of Hagar that she sawe the well of water as he opened the eies of Elizeus his man that hee sawe the mountaines full of Chariots and horses of fier as hee opened the eies of Paule that the scales fell from his eies so hath hee nowe opened our eies that wee see the wonderous thinges of his lawe the light of his truth the brightnesse of his woorde the shining beames of his glorious Gospell Noah reioyced when hee sawe the Doue come in with a leafe in her mouth wherby he knew the waters were abated Ioshua reioyced when hee sawe the Sun stand still for a whole day whereby hee knewe his enimies shoulde bee discomfited Israell reioyced when hee sawe the clowde or the piller of fier whereby hee knewe that by the Lord he was guided Elias reioyced when he saw the clowde no bigger then an hande whereby hee knewe the earth should be watered Ezechias reioyced when hee sawe the shadowe goe backe x. degrees whereby hee knewe his dayes were prolonged the wise men reioyced when they sawe the starre whereby they knew that to Iesus they should be conducted The wise men reioyced when they sawe Christe in the manger the shepheardes when they harde the newes Simeon when he imbraced him in his swadling clowtes Thomas when hee felte his woundes Steuen when he saw the heauens open Euen so iust cause haue wee to lift vp our heartes and reioyce For many kinges wise men prophetes fathers haue desired to heare those things which wee heare and coulde not heare them and to see those dayes which wee see but coulde not see them The Lorde graunt that as wee haue eies and see taste and feele this meate So we may haue mindes to desire it and willes to labour for it Againe remember as the Philistines left neuer a whetstone no speare onely two swordes no smith in all the lande of Israell least said they the Hebrwes make them swordes and speares and so preuaile against vs so the vncircumcised Romanes the Popish shauelings the
if a man be content with that hee hath Secondly wee brought nothing into this worlde neither shall wee cary any thing out Thirdly they that wilbe rich fal into temptation snares into many foolish noisome lusts which drown men in perditiō destruction 4. the desire of mony is the roote of al euil which while some lusted after they erred from the faith and pearced themselues thorough with many sorowes But I heare you say we labour for the meate of the soule we heare the word we loue the Gospel we imbrace the preachers thereof we haue forsaken the Popes yoke and cast of the whores marke I woulde to God many did not so euen for the meate that perisheth to keep their lāds houses liuings libertie countenance the Gospell hath peace quietnes fruition of goodes and lands I wil therfore be a Gospeller Satā was deceiued in Iob. I fear that if I shuld say as he saide I should not altogether erre I wold I might lord doth this people feare thee for nought hast not thou made an hedge about them made their house made their substance to increase in the land but stretch forth thine hand and trouble that they haue they will curse thee to thy face A man so God may haue many friends in time of peace prosperitie but in time of aduersitie persecutiō thē is a friend tried Wheat chaff wil go together vntil they come to the flayle golde and drosse will goe together vntill they come to the fire rust and yron will goe together vntill they come to the scourer but then farewell wheate and farewel chaffe farewel gold and farewel drosse farewell rust and farewell yron Are not now many zealous for the Gospell as Demetrius the siluer smith was hot in mainteining Diana was he so zealous because hee loued Diana or her religion No no but because as he confessed he had his liuing by making of shrines for the goddesse The young man wil folow Christ vntill he come to this fell thy goodes then farewell Christ take vp your crosses saieth Christ lay down your purses and folow me Why were the Priests of Babilon marke whether this bee not true in the priests of Rome so furious against Daniell speaking against Bell was it for loue and zeale they bare to Bell no no there was spent vpon Bell euery night 108. gallons of fine flowre 40. sheepe and 60. gallons of wine The Priestes should haue lost this if Bell had gone down This was the cause of their fury zeale They serued God Bell in the day but God belly in the night wee serue God belly day and night they sayde great art thou O Bell and with thee there is no deceite We cry great art thou O belly and with thee there is no deceite thou eatest vp all Philopenus is nowe euery where who desired hee might haue a necke as long as a Cranes necke But where is Peter Andrew Iames Iohn Mathew who forsooke all and followed Christ Yea but Zacheus gaue but halfe his goods to the poore why did he not geue al Because as Chrisostome noteth the other halfe he reserued to render foure folde if hee had defrauded any man as hee himselfe promised Nay Christ shalbee welcome among the Gergesens but if they loose an hogge I pray you sir departe your roome is better than your companie Great was the loue and zeale of Ornam who gaue bullockes to Dauid and made fire with his threshing instrumēts Great was the loue and zeale of Elizeus who when Elias called him slewe oxen did seeth them with the instrumentes of the oxen But we must doe more then this if our right hand or eye offend vs we must cut them off and pull them out What shall I say the end of the world must needs be at hand because that men doe so loue thēselues To heare of warres saith our Sauiour to haue pestilence famine earthquakes these are but the beginnings of sorowe but when besides these iniquitie shal haue the vpper hand and the loue of men shall fayle then behold he is at the doores In that the preachers of gods word are so neglected and so litle prouided for doth proue that the Lord is at hand and wil shortly take vengeance I would all Magistrates and Patrones of benefices would folow the example of good king Ezechias who in the first yeeare yea the first moneth of his reigne did command the people to giue a part to the Priestes Leuites that they might be encouraged in the lawe of the Lorde Liuinges are not geuen they are solde as common as oysters at Byllingesgate This is the cause that Ministers are not nor cannot be so liberal as their predecessors haue been yea this is the cause why doltes ignorant Asses idle idole Shepheardes haue the liuinges I call thē Idols I wil proue it They haue eyes and see not eares and heare not handes and minister not tongues and speake not I was about to say they haue mouthes eate not but then I shoulde haue slaundered them In this I confesse they are not Idols A good scholer and an honest godlie minister will rather beg then buy your liuinges O yee robbe Churches whose portion shalbe fire and brimstone too drinke for you are the causes why many thousands of soules haue perished of you O the benefice mongers shall be required not hand for hand or eye for eye but blood for blood life for life and soule for soule You make the ministers your seruing men you make them iourney men they haue the name you haue the profite they the straw but you haue the corne nay you haue some straw also I could somwhat beare this if here by they for whom Christ died were not famished therefore in bitternesse of spirite in griefe of hearte in vexation of conscience and in torment of my soule I speake it that euen nowe I doe see as it were Pharaoh king of Egypt rising vppe to condemne you Who when hee solde all the lande of Egypt gaue straight commaundement that no one foote of the Priestes landes shoulde bee solde Reade the hystorie Hadd hee suche care for Idolatrous Priestes and haue you no more care for the Ministers of Iesus Christ Are you Protestantes you Gospellers you Christians You are Athistes Epicures that say in your hearts there is no God But perhaps fewe are heere of whom I speake let me vtter a few words to you merchant men whom I see present and so I will end Although Mercurie who was supposed to bee the God of merchants had winges on his feet and had alwayes a cocke by his side to signifie that merchantes shoulde be swift in their businesse should be vigilant as the cock or rise at the cocke crowing yet labour not to greedily to carefully for this meat for as the good hath in one hand a scepter to giue kingdōs wealth riches so he is pictured to
fast in the faith Athistes and Papistes and other heretikes are tripping at your heeles stande fast in the faith it is worth the noting that our Sauiour in the seconde and thirde of the Reuelation doeth seuen times at the least vtter these wordes hee that ouercommeth c. There is life and all blessinges promised onely vnto him that ouercommeth Nowe the heauenly Manna is plentifull in Englande let vs prouide for warre though it bee a time of peace let vs take our cloake though the sunne doeth shine let vs prouide for a deare yeere though the victuall bee plentie I say stande fast and labour for this meate it bringeth therewith well fed thereby fatte and in good liking you may stande fast in the euill day For wee haue deserued that plague wherof the Prophete speaketh I will turne your feastes into mourning and your songes into lamentations I will bring sackcloth on your loynes and baldnes on your heades I will bring a famine in to your land not a famine of bread or thirste for water but a famine of the worde of God For if Paule and Barnabas were heere they might haue iust cause to speake against vs as they spake against the Iewes seeing you put the woorde of GOD from you and iudge your selues vnworthie of euerlasting life Loe we turne to the Gentiles Christ may truly denounce these words against vs if he shoulde deale according to our desertes the kingdome of God shall bee taken from you and shall bee giuen to a nation whiche shall bring foorth the fruites thereof Let vs amende least Christe curse vs as he cursed the figtree when hee came vnto it being hungry and found nothing thereon but leaues onely hee doeth hunger and thirst after our good workes but beholde howe we deceiue him for fruite wee offer him leaues a man came to the dresser of his vineyarde and bid him cut downe his figge tree because he had come three yeeres and founde no fruites thereon cut it downe saith hee why keepeth it also the grounde barren The dresser answered let it a lone this yeere also till I digge rounde about it and doung it The Lorde hath come to his fig tree of England not three but almost xxiii yeeres and beholde yet he findeth litle fruite and hee woulde no doubt cut it downe had not the dresser of this figge tree Iesus Christe entreated him to let it alone that hee by his worde his labourers might digge round about it doung it Behold that hath been doone and yet this figge tree bringeth foorth small fruite wee are like trees that haue their heades in the grounde and sucke all their iuice from the earth wee are like bruite beastes who turne their faces to the grounde wee are not like men who shoulde turne our countenances towardes heauen thence to fet our meate and all good thinges which by promise we may haue for the asking Wee are like the corne growing on the house top which withereth before it bee plucked vp whereof the mower filleth not his hand nor he that bindeth vp the sheues his bosome Our Sauiour Iesus if hee were heere shoulde bee moued to weepe ouer England as hee wept ouer Ierusalem and say O England England if thou hadst euen knowne at the least in this thy day those thinges which belong vnto thy peace but nowe are they hid from thine eyes I speake of many I meane not all O England thou sayest the naturall branches are broken of that I might be graft in through vnbeliefe they were broken of and thou standest by faith bee not high minded but feare For if God did not spare the natural branches take heed least hee will not spare thee O remēber thou man thou doest not beare the roote but the roote doth bare thee By Satā thou didst fall by Christ thou art raised vp ingraffed into the right Oliuetree Qui incitatorem habuit ad malum reparatorem habuit ad bonum sicut hominis peccatum per alium habuit inuitium ita per alium habuit remedium Hee that had a tempter vnto euill had a restorer vnto good as the sinne of man had a beginning by an other so it had also a remedie by an other For very wel saieth Ambrose Non sunt Iudei reprobati a Deo vt gentes entrarent sed seipsos reprobos fecerunt spernētes donum dei vnde occasionem dederunt gentibus ad salutem quam extollentiam reperiri vult vt magis saluti congaudeatur non aegretudini insultetur The Iewes were not reiected of GOD that the Gentiles myght come in but they made themselues reprobates contemning the gift of God wherby they gaue occasion to the Gentiles to saluation the which hautines the apostle wil haue to be beaten down that they mighe the more reioyce at their own saluation and not insulte ouer the Iewes destruction Take heede why were they cast off spernentes donum Dei because they despised the gifte to God For if the word spoken by Angelles was stedfast and euery transgression and disobedience receiued a iust recompence of rewarde how shall we escape if we neglect so great saluation Propterea tantam adiecit quod mortis destructio demonū interitus caelorū imperium cuncta haec exprolatis a deo sermonibus nobis sunt parta Therfore saith Theophilact did the Apostle adde so great saluatiō because the destructiō of death the death of deuilles the kingdome of heauen all these thinges are gotten for vs by the worde which came from GOD Brag not boast not therefore Pride made Herod to haue a fall from his pulpet and to be eaten of wormes Nay beholde a greater fall pride made Nabuchadnezzar to bee a beast nay yet a greater fall pryde did thrust Adam and Eue out of paradise And yet behold I will shew one greater fal pryde did throwe Lucifer and manye Angelles moe out of heauen What shall I say then If GOD did not spare his owne people the Iewes if hee did not spare Adam and Eue in paradise if he did not spare his bright Angelles in heauen will he spare vs if iudgement beginne at the house of GOD what shall the ende of them be that obay not the Gospell If the righteous scarcse be saued where shall the vngodly and sinner appeare did the naturall braunches wither and were cast into fire what shall bee done to the vnnatural Did the green tree suffer what shall be done of the dry Loe I beginne to plague the Citie saieth the Lorde where my name is called vppon and should you escape let vs then be humble and feare Let vs not despise this great gift of GOD. That fire onely was to be vsed in sacrifice which came from heauen Moses must make all things according to the patterne he sawe in the mounte GOD write the lawes with his owne finger that wee should make nothing of our selues our owne braines