regarde of reuerent vnderstanding in his presence but he wyll prepare his heart before he presume to speake vnto god And therefore in our common prayer the minister doth oftentymes say Let vs pray meanyng thereby to admonishe the people that they shoulde prepare their eares to heare what he shoulde craue at Gods hand and their heartes to consent to the same and their tongues to say Amen at the ende thereof On this sort dyd the prophet Dauid prepare his heart when he sayde My heart is redy O God my heart is redy I wyll syng and declare a Psalme The Jewes also when in the tyme of Iudith they dyd with all their heart pray God to visite his people of Israel had so prepared their heartes before they began to pray After this sorte had Manasses prepared his heart before he prayed and sayde And nowe O Lorde do I bow the knees of myne heart asking of thee part of thy mercyful kindnes When the heart is thus prepared the voyce vttred from the heart is harmonious in the eares of god otherwyse he regardeth it not to accept it But forasmuch as the person that so â—ableth his wordes without sense in the presence of God sheweth hymselfe not to regarde the maiestie of hym that he speaketh to He taketh hym as a contemner of his almyghtie maiestie and geueth hym his rewarde among hypocrites whiche make an outwarde she we of holynesse but their heartes are full of abhominable thoughtes euen in the tyme of their prayers For it is the heart that the Lorde looketh vppon as it is wrytten in the historie of kynges If we therefore wyll that our prayers be not abhominable before God let vs so prepare our heartes before we pray and so vnderstande the thynges that we aske when we pray that both our heartes and voyces may together sound in the eares of Gods maiestie and then we shall not fayle to receaue at his hand the thinges that we aske as good men whiche haue ben before vs dyd and so haue from tyme to tyme receaued that whiche for their soules health they dyd at any tyme desyre Saint Augustine seemeth to beare in this matter For he sayth thus of them whiche beyng brought vp in grammer and rhethoricke are conuerted to Christe and so must be instructed in Christian religion Let them know also sayth he that it is not the voyce but the affection of the minde that commeth to the eares of god And so shall it come to passe that if haply they shall marke that some byshoppes or ministers in the Churche do call vppon God eyther with barbarous wordes or with wordes disordered or that they vnderstande not or do disorderly diuide the wordes that they pronounce they shal not laugh them to scorne Hitherto he seemeth to beare with praying in an vnknowne tongue But in the next sentence he openeth his mynde thus Nor for that these thynges ought not to be amended that the people may say Amen to that whiche they do playnely vnderstande But yet these thyngs must be godly borne withal of these catechistes or instructours of the faith that they may learne that as in the common place where matters are pleaded the goodnesse of an oration consisteth in sounde so in the Churche it consisteth in deuotion So that he alloweth not the praying in a tongue not vnderstand of hym that prayeth But he instructeth the skilfull Oratour to beare with the rude tongue of the deuout simple minister To conclude if the lacke of vnderstandyng the wordes that are spoken in the congregation do make them vnfruitfull to the hearers How should not the same make the wordes read vnfruitfull to the reader The mercyfull goodnesse of God graunt vs his grace to call vppon hym as we ought to do to his glory and our endlesse felicitie whiche we shall do if we humble our selues in his sight and in all our prayers both common and priuate haue our myndes fully fixed vpon hym For the prayer of them that humble them selues shall pearse through the doudes and tyll it drawe nygh vnto God it wyl not be aunswered and tyll the moste high do regarde it it wyll not departe And the Lorde wyll not be slacke but he wyll deliuer the iust and execute iudgement To hym therfore be all honour and glory for euer euer Amen An information for them whiche take offence at certayne places of the holy Scripture The first part THe great vtilitie and profite that Christian men and women may take if they wil by hearing and reading the holye scriptures dearely beloued no heart can sufficiently conceaue muche lesse is my tongue able with wordes to expresse Wherefore satan our enemy seing the scriptures to be the very meane and right way to bring the people to the true knowledge of God that Christian religion is greatly furthered by diligent hearing reading of them he also perceauing what an hinderance let they be to him and his kingdome doth what he can to driue the reading of them out of Gods Churche And for that end he hath alwayes stirred vp in one place or other cruel tyrauntes sharpe persecutors and extreame enemies vnto God and his infallible trueth to pull with violence the holy Bibles out of the peoples handes and haue moste spitefully destroyed and consumed the same to ashes in the fyre pretendyng moste vntruely that the muche hearyng and readyng of Gods worde is an occasion of heresie and carnall libertie and the ouerthrowe of all good order in all well ordered common weales If to knowe God aryght be an occasion of euyll then must we needes graunt that the hearyng and readyng of the holy scriptures is the cause of heresie carnall libertie and the subuertion of all good orders But the knowledge of God and of our selues is so farre from beyng an occasion of euill that it is the redyest yea the only meane to brydle carnall libertie and to kyll all our fleshly affections And the ordinarie waye to attayne this knowledge is with diligence to heare and reade the holy scriptures For the whole scriptures sayeth Saint Paule were geuen by the inspiration of god And shall we Christian men thynke to learne the knowledge of God and of our selues in anye earthly mans worke or wrytyng sooner or better then in the holy scriptures wrytten by the inspiration of the holy ghost The scriptures were not brought vnto vs by the wyll of man but holy men of God as witnesseth Saint Peter spake as they were moued by the holye spirite of god The holy ghost is the scholemaister of trueth whiche leadeth his schollers as our Sauiour Christe sayeth of hym into all trueth And who so is not led and taught by this scholemaister can not but fall into deepe errour howe godly soeuer his pretence is what knowledge and learnyng soeuer he hath of all other workes and wrytynges or howe fayre soeuer a shewe or face of trueth he hath in the estimation
the same that they choose continually to abyde and dwell in sinne The thyrde sorte he calleth scorners that is a sorte of men whose heartes are so stuffed with mallyce that they are not contented to dwell in sinne and to leade their lyues in all kynde of wickednesse but also they do contempne and scorne in other all godlinesse true religion all honestie and vertue Of the two first sortes of men I will not say but they may take repentaunce and be conuerted vnto god Of the third sort I thinke I may without daunger of gods iudgement pronounce that neuer anye yet conuerted vnto God by repentaunce but continued on still in their abhominable wyckednesse heaping vp to them selues damnation agaynst the day of Gods ineuitable iudgement Examples of such scorners we reade in the seconde booke of Chronicles When the good kyng Ezechias in the beginnyng of his raygne had destroyed idolatrie purged the temple and refourmed religion in his Realme he sent messengers into euerye Citie to gather the people vnto Hierusalem to solemnize the feast of Easter in such sort as God had appoynted The postes went from citie to citie through the land of Ephraim and Manasses euen vnto Zabulon And what did the people thinke ye Did they laude and prayse the name of the Lorde whiche had geuen them so good a kinge so zelous a Prince to abolish idolatrie and to restore againe Gods true religion No no. The scripture sayeth The people laughed them to scorne and mocked the kynges messengers And in the laste Chapter of the same booke it is written that almyghtie God hauing compassion vppon his people sent his messengers the Prophetes vnto them to call them from their abhominable idolatrie and wicked kinde of liuing But they mocked his messengers they dispised his wordes misused his Prophetes vntill the wrathe of the Lord arose against his people and till there was no remedie For he gaue them vp into the hands of their enemies euen vnto Nabucodonozar kyng of Babilon who spoiled thē of their goods brent their citie and led them their wyues and their children captiues vnto Babylon The wicked people that were in the dayes of Noe made but a mocke at the worde of God when Noe tolde them that God woulde take vengeaunce vppon them for their sinnes The fludde therefore came sodainely vpon them and drowned them with the whole worlde Lot preached to the Sodomites that except they repented both they and their Citie shoulde be destroyed They thought his sayings impossible to be true they scorned and mocked his admonition and reputed him as an olde doting foole But when God by his holy angels had taken Lot his wyfe and two daughters from among them he raigned downe fyre and brymstone from heauen and brent vp those scorners and mockers of his holye worde And what estimation had Christes doctrine among the Scribes and Pharisees What rewarde had he among them The Gospell reporteth thus The Pharisees whiche were couetous did scorne him in his doctrine O then ye see that worldly riche men scorne the doctrine of their saluation The worldly wyse men scorne the doctrine of Christe as foolishenesse to their vnderstanding These scorners haue euer ben and euer shal be to the worldes ende For Saint Peter prophesied that suche scorners shoulde be in the worlde before the latter daye Take heede therefore my brethren take heede be ye not scorners of Gods most holy worde prouoke him not to powre out his wrath now vpon you as he did then vppon those gybers and mockers Be not wilfull murderers of your owne soules Turne vnto God whyle there is yet tyme of mercye ye shall els repent it in the worlde to come when it shal be to late for there shall be iudgement without mercy This might suffise to admonishe vs and cause vs henceforth to reuerence Gods holy scriptures but all men haue not faith This therfore shal not satisfy and content al mens mindes but as some are carnal so they will stil continue abuse the scriptures carnally to their greater dampnation The vnlearned and vnstable saith saint Peter paruerte the holy scriptures to their owne destruction Jesus Christ as saint Paul sayth is to the Jewes an offence to the Gentiles foolishnesse But to Gods children as wel of the Jewes as of the Gentiles he is the power and wisdome of god The holy man Simeon sayeth that he is set foorth for the fall and rysing againe of many in Israel As Christe Jesus is a fall to the reprobate which yet perishe through their owne default So is his worde yea the whole booke of God a cause of dampnation vnto them through their incredulitie And as he is a rysing vp to none other then those whiche are Gods children by adoption So is his worde yea the whole scripture the power of God to saluation to them onelye that do beleue it Christe him selfe the Prophetes before him the apostles after him all the true ministers of Gods holye worde yea euery worde in Gods booke is vnto the reprobate the sauour of death vnto death Christ Jesus the prophetes the apostles and all the true ministers of his worde yea euery iot and title in the holy scripture haue ben is and shal be for euermore the sauour of lyfe vnto eternall lyfe vnto all those whose heartes God hath purified by true fayth Let vs earnestlye take heede that we make no iesting stocke of the bookes of holy scriptures The more obscure and darke the sayinges be to our vnderstanding the further let vs thinke our selues to be from God and his holye spirite who was the aucthour of them Let vs with more reuerence endeuour our selues to searche out the wisdome hidden in the outwarde barke of the scripture If we can not vnderstand the sense and the reason of the saying yet let vs not be scorners iesters and deryders for that is the vttermost token and shewe of a reprobate of a playne enemie to God and his wysdome They be not ydle fables to iest at whiche God doth seriouslye pronounce and for serious matters let vs esteeme them And though in sundrye places of the scriptures be set out diuers rites and ceremonies oblations sacrifices let vs not thynke straunge of them but referre them to the tymes and people for whom they serued although yet to learned men they be not vnprofitable to be cōsydered but to be expounded as figures and shadowes of thinges and persons afterwarde openlye reuealed in the new Testament Though the rehearsall of the genealogies petegrees of the fathers be not to much edification of the playne ignoraunt people yet is there nothyng so impartinently vttered in all the whole booke of the Byble but may serue to spirituall purpose in some respecte to all suche as will bestowe theyr labours to searche out the meanynges These may not be condemned because they serue not to our vnderstandyng nor make not to our edification But let vs turne our labour to
and iudgement of the worlde If some man wyll say I woulde haue a true paterne and a perfect discription of an vpryght lyfe approued in the sight of God can we fynde thinke ye any better or any suche agayne as Christe Jesus is and his doctrine whose vertuous conuersation and godly lyfe the scripture so liuely painteth and setteth foorth before our eyes that we beholding that paterne myght shape and frame our lyues as nigh as may be agreeable to the perfection of the same Folow you me sayth S. Paul as I folowe Christe And saint John in his Epistle sayth Who so abydeth in Christe must walke euen so as he walked before hym And where shall we learne the order of Christes lyfe but in the scripture Another woulde haue a medicine to heale all diseases and maladies of the minde Can this be found or gotten other where then out of Gods owne booke his sacred scriptures Christe taught so muche when he sayde to the obstinate Jewes Search the scriptures for in them ye thynke to haue eternall lyfe If the scriptures conteyne in them euerlastyng lyfe it must nedes folow that they haue also present remedie agaynst all that is an hinderaunce and let vnto eternall lyfe If we desire the knowledge of heauenly wysedome why had we rather learne the same of man then of God hym selfe who as saint James sayth is the geuer of wysedome Yea why wyl we not learne it at Christes owne mouth who promising to be present with his Churche tyll the worldes ende doth perfourme his promise in that he is not only with vs by his grace and tender pitie but also in this that he speaketh presently vnto vs in the holy scriptures to the great and endlesse comfort of all them that haue any feelyng of God at all in them Yea he speaketh nowe in the scriptures more profitably to vs then he dyd by worde of mouth to the carnall Jewes when he liued with them here vpon earth For they I meane the Jewes coulde neyther heare nor see those thynges whiche we may nowe both heare and see if we wyll bryng with vs those eares and eyes that Christe is hearde and seene with that is diligence to heare and reade his holy scriptures and true fayth to beleue his most comfortable promises If one could shewe but the printe of Christes foote a great number I thynke would fal downe and worship it But to the holy scriptures where we may see daily yf we wyll I wyll not say the print of his feete onlye but the whole shape and liuely image of hym alas we geue litle reuerence or none at all If any coulde let vs see Christes coate a sorte of vs woulde make hard shift except we mought come nygh to gase vppon it yea and kysse it to And yet all the clothes that euer he dyd weare can nothyng so truely nor so liuely expresse hym vnto vs as do the scriptures Christes images made in wood stone or mettall some men for the loue they beare to Christe do garnishe and beautifie the same with pearle golde and pretious stone And shoulde we not good brethren muche rather imbrace and reuerence Gods holy bookes the sacred bible whiche do represent Christ vnto vs more truely then can any image The image can but expresse the fourme or shape of his body if it can do so muche But the scripture doth in such sort set foorth Christe that we may see both God and man we may see hym I say speakyng vnto vs healyng our infirmities diyng for our sinnes rysing from death for our iustification And to be short we may in the scriptures so perfectly see whole Christ with the eye of fayth as we lacking fayth coulde not with these bodily eyes see hym though he stoode now present here before vs Let euery man woman and chylde therefore with all their hearte thirst and desyre gods holy scriptures loue them embrace them haue their delight and pleasure in hearing and readyng them so as at length we may be transfourmed and chaunged into them For the holy scriptures are Gods treasure house wherein are found al thynges needefull for vs to see to heare to learne and to beleue necessarie for the attaynyng of eternall lyfe Thus muche is spoken onely to geue you a taste of some of the commodities whiche ye maye take by hearing reading the holy scriptures For as I said in the beginning no tongue is able to declare and vtter all And although it is more cleare then the noone day that to be ignorant of the scriptures is the cause of errour as Christe sayth to the Saducees Ye erre not knowing the scriptures and that errour doth holde backe plucke men away from the knowledge of god And as saint Hierome sayth Not to know the scriptures is to be ignoraunt of christ Yet this notwithstandyng some there be that thynke it not meete for all sortes of men to reade the scriptures because they are as they thynke in sundry places stumblyng blockes to the vnlearned Fyrst for that the phrase of the scriptures is somtyme so homlye grosse and playne that it offendeth the fine and delicate wittes of some courtiers Furthermore for that the scripture also reporteth euen of them that haue their commendation to be the children of God that they did diuers actes wherof some are contrary to the lawe of nature some repugnaunt to the law wrytten and other some seeme to fight manifestly agaynst publique honestie All whiche thynges say they are vnto the simple an occasion of great offence and cause many to thynke euyl of the Scriptures and to discredite their aucthoritie Some are offended at the hearyng and readyng of the diuersitie of the rites and ceremonies of the sacrifices and oblations of the lawe And some worldly witted men thynke it a great decay to the quiet and prudent gouerning of their common weales to geue eare to the simple and plaine rules and preceptes of our sauiour Christe in his Gospell as beyng offended that a man shoulde be redy to turne his right eare to hym that strake hym on the lefte and to hym whiche woulde take away his coate to offer hym also his cloke with suche other sayinges of perfection in Christes meanyng For carnal reason beyng alway an enemie to God and not perceauing the thynges of Gods spirite doth abhorre suche preceptes whiche yet rightly vnderstanded infringeth no iudiciall policies nor Christian mens gouernementes And some there be whiche hearyng the scriptures to bid vs to lyue without 〈◊〉 without studie or forecasting do deride tâ—e 〈…〉 ities of them Therefore to remoue and put away occasions of offence so muche as may be I wyll aunswere orderly to these obiections Firste I shall rehearse some of those places that men are offended at for the homelynes and grossenesse of speach and wil shewe the meanyng of them In the booke of Deuteronomie it is wrytten that almyghtie God made a lawe yf a man dyed without
intent that we should be content with our owne and not contentiously stryue for others to the breache of charitie by any incroching one vppon another or clayming one of the other further then that in auncient ryght and custome our forefathers haue peaceablye layde out vnto vs for our commoditie and comfort Surely a great ouersight it were in vs which be christian men in one profession of faith daylye looking for that heauenlye inheritaunce which is bought for euery one of vs by the blood-shedding of our sauiour Jesus Christe to striue and fall to variaunce for the earthly boundes of our townes to the disâ—uyet of our lyfe betwixte our selues to the wasting of our goods by vaine expences and costes in the lawe We ought to remember that our habitation is but transitorie and short in this mortall lyfe The more shame it were to fall out into immortall hatred among our selues for so brittle possessions and so to loose our eternall inheritaunce in heauen It maye stande well wâ—th charitie for a Christian man quietlye to maynteyne his ryght and iuste title And it is the part of euerye good townes man to preserue as much as lyeth in him the libertyes franchises boundes and limittes of his towne and countrye But yet so to striue for our verye ryghtes and dueties with the breache of loue and charitie whiche is the onelye liuery of a Christian man or with the hurt of godly peace and quyet by the whiche we be knit together in one generall fellowship of Christes familie in one common housholde of God that is vtterly forbidden That doth God abhorre and detest which prouoketh almightie Gods wrath other while to depriue vs quite of our commodities and liberties because we do so abuse them for matters of stryfe discorde and discention Saynt Paule blamed the Corinthians for suche contentious suing among them selues to the slaunder of their profession before the enemies of Christes religioÌ„ saying thus vnto them Now there is vtterly a fault among you because ye go to lawe one with another Why rather suffer ye not wronge Why rather suffer ye not harme If Saint Paule blameth the Christian men whereof some of them for their owne right went conten iouslye so to lawe commending thereby the profession of patience in a Christian man If Christe our Sauiour woulde haue vs rather to suffer wronge and to turne our left cheeke to hym whiche hath smitten the ryght to suffer one wrong after another rather then by breach of charitie to defende our owne In what state be they before God who do the wronge What curses do they fall into which by false witnesse defraude eyther their neyghbour or towneship of his due ryght and iust possession which will not let to take an othe by the holy name of God the aucthour of all trueth to set out a falshoode and a wrong Know ye not sayth saint Paule that the vnryghteous shall not inherite the kyngdom of God What shall we then winne to encrease a little the boundes and possessions of the earth and loose the possession of the inheritaunce euerlastyng Let vs therfore take such heede in mainteyning of our boundes and possessions that we commit not wrong by encroching vppon other Let vs beware of sodayne verdite in thinges of doubt Let vs well aduise our selues to aduouch that certaynly whereof eyther we haue no good knowledge or remembraunce or to claime that we haue no iuste title to Thou shalt not commaundeth almyghtie God in his lawe remoue thy neyghbours marke which they of olde tyme haue set in thine inheritaunce Thou shalt not sayth Salomon remoue the auncient boundes which thy fathers haue layd And lest we should esteeme it to be but a lyght offence so to do we shall vnderstande that it is reckoned among the curses of God pronounced vpon sinners Accursed be he sayth almyghtye God by Moyses who remoueth his neyghboures doles and markes and all the people shall saye aunswering Amen thereto as ratifying that cursse vpon whom it doth lyght They do much prouoke the wrath of God vppon them selues which vse to grynde vp the doles and markes whiche of auncient tyme were layde for diuision of meeres and balkes in the feeldes to bryng the owners to theyr ryght They do wickedlye whiche do turne vp the auncient terries of the feeldes that olde men before tymes with great paynes did treade out whereby the Lordes recordes whiche be the tenauntes euidences be peruerted and translated sometyme to the disheriting of the ryght owner to the oppression of the poore fatherlesse or the poore wyddowe These couetous men know not what inconueniences they be aucthours of Sometyme by suche crafte and deceipt be committed great discordes and ryottes in the challenge of their landes yea sometymes murders and bloodshed whereof thou art gyltye whosoeuer thou be that geuest the occasion thereof This couetous practisyng therefore with thy neyghbours landes and goodes is hatefull to almyghtie god Let no man subtillye compasse or defraude his neyghbour biddeth saint Paul in any manner of cause For God sayth he is a reuenger of all such God is the God of all equitie and ryghteousnesse and therefore forbiddeth all suche deceipt and subtiltie in his lawe by these wordes Ye shall not do vniustlye in iudgement in lyne in wayght or measure You shall haue iuste ballaunces true wayghtes and true measures False ballaunce sayth Salomon are an abomination vnto the lord Remember what Saint Paule sayeth God is the reuenger of all wrong in iustice as we see by dayly experience howe euer it thriueth vngratiouslye whiche is gotten by falshoode and craft We be taught by experience howe almighty God neuer suffereth the thirde heyre to enioy his fathers wrong possessions yea manye a tyme they are taken from him selfe in his owne lyfe tyme God is not bound to defend such possessions as be gotten by the deuill and his counsel God will defende all suche mens goodes and possessions whiche by him are obteyned and possessed and will defend them against the violent oppressour So wytnesseth Salomon The Lorde will destroye the house of the proude man But he will stablishe the borders of the widowe No doubt of it sayth Dauid better is a little truelye gotten to the ryghteous man then the innumerable ryches of the wrongfull man Let vs flee therefore good people all wrong practises in getting mainteining and defending our possessions landes and liueâ—odes our boundes and liberties remembring that such possessions be all vnder Gods reuengeaunce But what do we speake of house and lande Nay it is sayd in scripture that God in his yre doeth roote vp whole kingdomes for wronges and oppressions doth transtate kingdomes from one nation to another for vnryghteous dealing for wronges and ryches gotten by deceite This is the practyse of the holy one saith Daniel to the intent that lyuing men maye know that the most hie hath power on the kingdomes of men and geueth
The second Tome of Homilees of such matters as were promised and intituled in the former part of Homilees Set out by the aucthoritie of the Queenes Maiestie And to be read in euery parishe Church agreeably 1571. The Table of homilees ensuyng 1 OF the ryght vse of the Churche 2 Against peril of Idolatrie iii. partes 3 For repayryng and kepyng cleane the Churche 4 Of good workes And first of fastyng ii partes 5 Agaynst gluttonie and dronkennesse 6 Agaynst excesse of apparrell 7 An Homilee of prayer iii. partes 8 Of the place and time of prayer ii partes 9 Of common prayer and sacramentes 10 An information for them which take offence at certayne places of holye scripture ii partes 11 Of almes deedes iii. partes 12 Of the Natiuitie 13 Of the passion for good Friday ii Homilees 14 Of the Resurrection for Easter day 15 Of the worthy receauing of the sacrament ii partes 16 An Homilee concerning the cōming downe of the holye Ghost for Whitsunday ii partes 17 An Homilee for rogation weeke iiii partes 18 Of the state of matrimonie 19 Agaynst idlenesse 20 Of repentaunce and true reconciliation vnto god iii. partes 21 An Homilee agaynst disobedience and wylfull rebellion vi partes ¶ An admonition to all Ministers ecclesiasticall FOR that the Lorde doth require of his seruaunt whom he hath set ouer his householde to shewe both faythfulnesse and prudence in his office it shal be necessarye that ye aboue al other do behaue your selfe moste faythfully and diligently in your so hygh a function that is aptly playnely and distinctly to reade the sacred scriptures diligently to instruct the youth in their Catechisme grauely and reuerently to minister his most holy Sacramentes prudently also to choose out such Homilees as be most meete for the time for the more agreeable instruction of the people committed to your charge with such discretion that where the Homilee may appeare to long for one readyng to diuide the same to be read part in the fore noone and part in the after noone And where it may so chaunce some one or other chapter of the olde Testament to fal in order to be read vppon the Sundayes or holye dayes whiche were better to be chaunged with some other of the newe Testament of more edification it shal be wel done to spende your tyme to consyder wel of such chapters before hand wherby your prudence and diligence in your office may appeare so that your people may haue cause to glorifie God for you and be the redyer to imbrace your labours to your better commendatiō to the discharge of your cōsciences their owne An Homilee of the ryght vse of the Churche or temple of God and of the reuerence due vnto the same ¶ The first part WHERE there appeareth at these dayes great slacknesse negligence of a great sorte of people in resorting to the Church there to serue God their heauenly father accordyng to their most bounden duetie as also muche vncomely and vnreuerent behauiour of many persons in the same when they be there assembled and thereby maye iust feare aryse of the wrath of GOD and his dreadfull plagues hanging ouer our heades for our greeuous offences in this behalfe amongst other many great sinnes which we dayly and hourely commit before the Lorde Therefore for the discharge of al our consciences and the auoydyng of the common peryl plague hangyng ouer vs let vs consyder what may be sayde out of Gods holy booke concernyng this matter whereunto I pray you geue good audience for that it is of great wayght and concerneth you all Although the eternall and incomprehensible maiestie of God the Lorde of heauen and earth whose seate is heauen the earth his footestole can not be inclosed in temples or houses made with mans hande as in dwelling places able to receaue or conteyne his maiestie accordyng as is euidently declared by the prophete Esaias and by the doctrine of saint Steuen and saint Paul in the Actes of the Apostles And where kyng Salomon who builded vnto the Lorde the most glorious temple that euer was made sayth Who shal be able to buylde a meete or worthye house for hym if heauen and the heauen aboue all heauens can not contayne hym howe muche lesse can that whiche I haue builded And further confesseth What am I that I shoulde be able to buylde thee an house O Lord But yet for this purpose only it is made that thou mayest regarde the prayer of thy seruaunt and his humble supplication Muche lesse then be our Churches meete dwellyng places to receaue the incomprehensible maiestie of god And in deede the cheefe and speciall temples of God wherein he hath greatest pleasure and moste delyghteth to dwell and continue in are the bodyes and myndes of true Christians and the chosen people of GOD accordyng to the doctrine of the holye scripture declared in the firste Epistle to the Corinthians Knowe ye not sayth Saint Paul that ye be the temple of God and that the spirite of God dwelleth in you If any man defyle the temple of God hym wyll God destroye For the temple of God is holy which ye are And agayne in the same Epistle Knowe ye not that your body is the temple of the holye ghost dwellyng in you whom ye haue geuen you of God and that ye be not your owne for ye are dearely bought Glorifie ye nowe therefore God in your body and in your spirite whiche are Gods. And therefore as our sauiour Christe teacheth in the Gospell of saint John they that worshyp God the father in spirite and trueth in what place so euer they do it worshyp hym a ryght for suche worshyppers doth God the father looke for For God is a spirite those that worshyp hym must worship him in spirit and trueth sayth our sauiour Christe Yet all this notwithstandyng the material Church or temple is a place appoynted aswell by the vsage and continuall examples expressed in the olde Testament as in the newe for the people of God to resort together vnto there to heare Gods holy worde to call vpon his holy name to geue hym thankes for his innumerable and vnspeakeable benefites bestowed vppon vs and duely and truely to celebrate his holy sacramentes In the vnfayned doyng and accomplyshyng of the whiche standeth that true and right worshipping of God afore mentioned and the same Churche or temple is by the scriptures both of the olde Testament and the newe called the house and temple of the Lorde for the peculier seruice there done to his maiestie by his people for the effectuous presence of his heauenlye grace where with he by his sayde holye word endueth his people so there assembled And to the sayde house or temple of God at all tymes by common order appoynted are all people that be godly in deede bounde with all diligence to resorte vnlesse by sicknesse or other moste vrgente causes they be letted therefro And
of good reason with all true Christians to be of most wayght and estimation It is written of all the foure Euangelistes as a notable acte and worthy to be testified by many holy witnesses how that our sauiour Jesus Christe that mercifull and mylde Lorde cōpared for his meekenesse to a sheepe suffring with scilence his fleece to be shorne from him and to a lambe led without resistaunce to the slaughter whiche gaue his body to them that dyd smyte hym aunswered not hym that reuiled nor turned away his face from them that dyd reproche hym and spit vpon him and accordyng to his owne example gaue preceptes of mildnes and sufferaunce to his disciples Yet when he seeth the temple and holy house of his heauenly father misordred polluted and prophaned vseth great seueritie and sharpenes ouerturneth the tables of thexchaungers subuerteth the seates of them that solde doues maketh a whip of cordes and scourgeth out those wicked abusers and prophaners of the temple of God saying My house shal be called the house of prayer but ye haue made it a den of theeues And in the. ii of John Do not ye make the house of my father the house of marchaundize For as it is the house of GOD when Gods seruice is duely done in it So whē we wickedly abuse it with wicked talke or couetous bargayning we make it a den of theeues or an house of marchaundize Yea and suche reuerence woulde Christe shoulde be therein that he woulde not suffer any vessell to be caryed through the temple And where as our saniour Christe as is before mentioned out of S. Luke coulde be founde no where when he was sought but only in the temple amongst the doctours and nowe agayne exerciseth his aucthoritie and iurisdiction not in castles and princely palaces amongst souldiers but in the temple Ye may hereby vnderstande in what place his spirituall kyngdome whiche he denyeth to be of this worlde is sonest to be founde and best to be knowen of all places in this worlde And accordyng to this example of our sauiour Christe in the primitiue Churche which was most holy godly and in the which due discipline with seueritie was vsed agaynst the wicked opē offenders were not suffered once to enter into the house of the Lorde nor admitted to common prayer and the vse of the holye Sacramentes with other true Christians vntil they had done open penaunce before the whole Churche And this was practised not only vpon meane persons but also vpon the ryche noble and mightie persons yea vpon Theodosius that puissaunt and mightie Emperour whom for cōmittyng a greeuous and wylfull murther S. Ambrose Byshop of Millayne reproued sharply and did also excommunicate the said Emperour and brought hym to open penaunce And they that were so iustly exempted and banished as it were from the house of the Lorde were taken as they be in deede for men diuided and separated from Christes Churche and in most daungerous estate yea as S. Paul sayeth euen geuen vnto Satan the deuyll for a tyme and theyr company was shunned and auoyded of all godly men and women vntyll suche tyme as they by repentaunce and publique penaunce were reconciled Suche was the honour of the Lordes house in mens heartes and outwarde reuerence also at that tyme and so horrible a thing was it to be shut out of the Churche and house of the Lorde in those dayes when religion was most pure and nothyng so corrupt as it hath ben of late dayes And yet we wyllyngly eyther by absentyng our selues from the house of the Lorde do as it were excommunicate our selues from the Churche and felowshyp of the Saintes of God orels comming thyther by vncomely and vnreuerent behauiour there by hastie rashe yea vncleane and wicked thoughtes and wordes before the Lorde our God horribly dishonour his holy house the Churche of GOD and his holy name and maiestie to the great daunger of our soules yea and certayne damnation also yf we do not spedily and earnestly repent vs of this wickednesse Thus ye haue hearde dearely beloued out of Gods worde what reuerence is due to the holye house of the Lorde how all godly persons ought with diligence at times appoynted thither to repayre howe they ought to behaue them selues there with reuerence and dread before the Lord what plagues and punyshementes as well temporall as eternall the Lorde in his holy worde threatneth aswell to suche as neglect to come to his holy house as also to suche who commyng thither do vnreuerently by iesture or talke there behaue them selues Wherefore if we desyre to haue seasonable weather and thereby to enioye the good fruites of the earth yf we wyll auoyde drought and barrennesse thirste and hunger whiche are plagues threatned vnto suche as make haste to go to their owne houses to alehouses and to tauernes and leaue the house of the Lorde emptie and desolate yf we abhorre to be scourged not with whyppes made of cordes out of the materiall temple only as our sauiour Christe serued the defilers of the house of God in Hierusalem but also to be beaten and dryuen out of the eternall temple and house of the Lorde which is his heauenly kingdome with the iron rodde of euerlastyng damnation and caste into outter darkenes where is weeping and gnashing of teeth if we feare dread and abhorre this I say as we haue most iust cause to do then let vs amende this our negligence and contempt in comming to the house of the Lorde this our vnreuerent behauiour in the house of the Lorde and resortyng thither diligently together let vs there with reuerent hearyng of the Lordes holy worde calling on the Lordes holy name geuing of heartie thankes vnto the Lorde for his manyfolde and inestimable benefites daily and hourly bestowed vpon vs celebrating also reuerently of the Lordes holy Sacramentes serue the Lorde in his holy house as becommeth the seruauntes of the Lorde in holines and righteousnes before him all the dayes of our lyfe and then we shal be assured after this lyfe to rest in his holy hyll and to dwell in his tabernacle there to prayse and magnifie his holy name in the congregation of his saintes in the holy house of his eternal kingdome of heauen which he hath purchased for vs by the death and sheddyng of the pretious blood of his sonne our sauiour Jesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy ghost one immortal maiestie of GOD be all honour glorie prayse and thankesgeuyng worlde without ende Amen An Homilie against perill of idolatrie and superfluous decking of Churches The first part IN what poyntes the true ornamentes of the Church or temple of GOD do consiste and stand hath ben declared in the two last Homilies intreating of the right vse of the temple or house of god of the due reuerence that all true Christian people are bound to geue vnto the same The summe wherof is that the Churche or
dominion After them came Theodosius the third he commaunded the defaced images to be paynted agayne in their places but this Theodosius raigned but one yere Leo the third of that name succeeded him who was a Syrian borne a very wyse godly mercifull valiaunt prince This Leo by proclamation commaunded that al images set vp in churches to be worshipped should be plucked downe and defaced and required specially the bishop of Rome that he should do the same and himselfe in the meane season caused all images that were in the imperial citie Constantinople to be gathered on an heape in the middest of the citie and there publiquely burned them to ashes and whyted ouer and rased out al pictures paynted vpoÌ„ the walles of the temples punished sharplie diuers maynteyners of images And when some did therefore report him to be a tyraunt he aunswered that such of al other were most iustly punished whiche neither worshipped God aryght nor regarded the imperial maiestie and aucthoritie but malicioustie rebelled agaynst holsome and profitable lawes When Gregorius the third of that name bishop of Rome hearde of the Emperours doinges in Grece concerning images he assembled a councell of Italian Byshops agaynst him and there made decrees for Images and that more reuerence and honour shoulde yet be geuen to them then was before and stirred vp the Italians against the Emperour first at Rauenna and moned them to rebellion And as Aspurgensis and Anthonius Bishop of Florence testifie in their Cronicles he caused Rome all Italie at the last to refuse their obedience and the payment of any more tribute to the Emperour and so by treason rebellion maynteyned their idolatrie Whiche example other bishoppes of Rome haue continually folowed and gone through with all most stoutly After this Leo which raigned xxxiiii yeres succeeded his sonne Constantine the fifth who after his fathers example kept images out of the temples And being moued with the councell whiche Gregorie had assembled in Italie for images agaynst his father he also assembled a councell of all the learned men and Bishoppes of Asia Grece although some writers place this councel in Leo Isauricus his fathers latter daies In this great assemble they sate in councel from the fourth of the Idus of Februarye to the sixth of the Idus of August and made concerning the vse of images this decree It is not lawfull for them that beleue in God through Jesus Christ to haue any images neyther of the creatour nor of any creatures set vp in temples to be worshipped but rather that all images by the lawe of God and for the auoyding of offence ought to be taken out of the Churches And this decree was executed in all places where anye images were founde in Asia or Grece And the Emperour sent the determination of this councel holden at Constantinople to Paule then Bishop of Rome and commaunded hym to cast all images out of the Churches whiche he trusting in the frendship of Pipine a mightye prince refused to do And both he and his successour Stephanus the third who assembled another councell in Italie for images condempned the Emperour and the councell of Constantinople of heresie and made a decree that the holye images for so they called them of Christe the blessed Uirgin and other sayntes were in deede worthy honour and worshipping When Constantine was dead Leo the fourth his sonne raigned after him who maried a woman of the citie of Athens named Theodora who also was called Hyrene by whom he had a sonne named Constantine the sixth and dying whylest his sonne was yet young left the regiment of the empyre gouernaunce of his young sonne to his wyfe Hyrene These thynges were done in the Churche about the yere of our Lord 760. Note here I pray you in this processe of the storie that in the Churches of Asia and Grece there were no images publiquely by the space of almost seuen hundred yeares And there is no doubt but the primitiue Churche next the Apostles tyme was most pure Note also that when the contention beganne about images howe of sixe Christian Emperours who were the chiefe magistrates by Gods lawe to be obeyed onelye one whiche was Theodosius who raigned but one yere helde with images All the other Emperours and all the learned men and Bishops of the Easte Churche and that in assembled councels condemned them besydes the two Emperors before mentioned Valenâ— and Theodosius the seconde who were long before these tymes who strayghtly forbad that any Images should be made And vniuersally after this tyme all the emperours of Grece only Theodosius excepted destroyed continually all images Nowe on the contrarie parte note ye that the Byshoppes of Rome beyng no ordinarie magistrates appoynted of God out of their diocesse but vsurpers of princes aucthoritie contrarie to gods word were the mainteyners of images against Gods word and stirrers vp of sedition and rebellion and workers of continuall treason against theyr soueraigne Lords contrary to gods lawe and the ordinaunces of all humane lawes beyng not onely enemies to God but also rebels and traytours against their Princes These be the first bringers in of images openly into Churches these be the mainteiners of them in the Churches and these be the meanes wherby they haue maynteyned them â—to wit conspiracie treason and rebellion agaynst God and their princes Nowe to proceede in the historie most worthye to be knowen In the nonage of Constantine the sixth the Empresse Hyrene his mother in whose handes the regiment of the Empire remayned was gouerned muche by the aduyse of Theodore Byshop and Tharasius patriarche of Constantinople who practised and helde with the Bishop of Rome in mainteining of images most earnestly By whose councell and entreatie the Empresse first most wickedly digged vp the body of her father in lawe Constantine the fifth and commaunded it to be openly burned the ashes to be throwen into the sea Whiche example as the constant report goeth hadde lyke to haue ben put in practise with Princes corses in our dayes had the aucthoritie of the holy father continued but a little longer The cause why the Empresse Hyrene thus vsed her father in lawe was for that he when he was alyue had destroyed images and had taken away the sumptuous ornamentes of Churches saying that Christ whose temples they were allowed pouertie and not pearles and pretious stones Afterward the said Hyrene at the perswasion of Adrian bishop of Rome Paul the patriarch of Constantinople his successour Tharasius assembled a councel of the bishops of Asia and Grece at the citie Nicea where the bishop of Romes legares being presidentes of the councell and ordring all thinges as they listed the counsell which was assembled before vnder the Emperour Constantine the fift and had decreed that all images shoulde be destroyed was condempned as an hereticall councell and assemble And a decree was made that images shoulde be set vp in all the Churches
is flee to this aunswere that Gods worde forbiddeth not absolutely all images to be made but that they shoulde not be made to be worshypped and that therefore we maye haue images so we worshyp them not for that they be thynges indifferent which may be abused or wel vsed Which semeth also to be the iudgement of Damascene and Gregorie the firste as is aboue declared And this is one of their cheefe allegations for the maynteynance of images whiche haue ben alleaged since Gregorie the first his tyme. Well then we be come to their seconde allegation whiche in parte we woulde not sticke to graunte them For we are not so superstitious or scrupulous that we do abhorre eyther flowres wrought in Carpettes hangynges and other arrasse eyther the Images of Princes prynted or stamped in their Coynes whiche when Christe did see in a Romane Coyne we reade not that he reprehended it neyther do we condemne the artes of payntyng and image making as wicked of them selues But we would admit and graunt them that images vsed for no religion or superstition rather we meane images of none worshipped nor in daunger to be worshypped of any may be suffred But images placed publiquely in Temples can not possiblye be without daunger of worshyppyng and idolatrie wherfore they are not publiquely to be had or suffered in Temples and Churches The Jewes to whom this lawe was firste geuen and yet beyng a morall commaundement and not ceremoniall as all Doctours interpret it byndeth vs aswel as them the Jewes I saye who shoulde haue the true sense and meanyng of Gods lawe so peculierly geuen vnto them neyther had in the begynnyng anye images publiquely in their Temple as Origines and Iosephus at large declareth neither after the restitution of the Temple would by any meanes consent to Herode Pilate or Petronius that images shoulde be placed only in the Temple at Hierusalem although no worshyppyng of images was requyred at their handes but rather offered them selues to the death then to assent that images shoulde once be placed in the Temple of God neyther woulde they suffer anye image maker among them And Origene addeth this cause least their myndes shoulde be plucked from God to the contemplation of earthly thynges And they are muche commended for this earnest zeale in maynteyning of Gods honour and true religion And trueth it is that the Jewes and Turkes who abhorre images idols as directly forbiddenby Gods worde wil neuer come to the trueth of our religion whiles these stumbling blockes of images remayne amongest vs and lye in their way If they obiect yet the brasen serpent which Moyses dyd set vp or the images of the Cherubims or anye other Images whiche the Jewes had in their Temple the aunswere is easy We must in religion obey Gods general lawe which bindeth al men not folowe examples of particuler dispensation which be no warrantes for vs els we may by the same reason resume circūcision sacrifising of beastes other rites permitted to the Jewes Neither can those images of cherubim set in secret wher no man might come nor behold be any example for our publique set-vp of images in Churches and Temples But to let the Jewes go Where they say that images so they be not worshypped as thynges indifferent maye be tollerated in Temples and Churches We inferre and say for the aduersatiue that all our images of God our Sauiour Christ and his Saintes publiquely set vp in Churches Temples places peculierlye appoynted to the true worshipping of God be not thynges indifferent nor tollerable but agaynst Gods lawe and commaundement taking their owne interpretation and exposition of it Firste for that all images so set vp publiquely haue ben worshipped of the vnlearned and simple sorte shortly after they haue ben publiquely so set vp and in conclusion of the wyse learned also Secondly for that they are worshypped in sundry places now in our time also And thirdly for that it is impossible that images of God Christe or his Saintes can be suffered specially in Temples and Churches anye while or space without worshipping of them that idolatrie which is most abhominable before God can not possibly be escaped auoyded without the abolishing and destruction of images pictures in Temples and Churches for that idolatrie is to images speciallye in Temples and Churches an inseparable accident as they tearme it so that images in Churches and idolatrie go alwayes both together and that therefore the one can not be auoyded except the other specially in all publique places be destroyed Wherefore to make images and publiquely to set them vp in Temples and Churches places appoynted peculierly to the seruice of God is to make images to the vse of religion and not onlye agaynst this precept Thou shalt make no maner of image but agaynst this also Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them For they beyng set vp haue ben be and euer will be worshipped And the full proofe of that which in the beginning of the first part of this treatie was touched is here to be made perfourmed To wit that our images and idols of the Gentiles be all one aswell in the things them selues as also in that our images haue ben before be now and euer wil be worshypped in like fourme and maner as the idols of the Gentiles were worshipped so long as they be suffered in Churches and temples Whereupon it foloweth that our images in Churches haue ben be and euer wil be none other but abominable idols and be therefore no thynges indifferent And euerye of these partes shal be proued in order as hereafter foloweth And firste that our images and the idols of the Gentiles be all one concernyng themselues is most euident the matter of them beyng golde siluer or other mettall stone wood clay or plaster as were the idols of the Gentiles and so beyng eyther moulten or caste eyther carued grauen hewed or otherwise fourmed and fashioned after the similitude and likenesse of man or woman be dead and dumbe workes of mans handes hauing mouth and speake not eyes and see not handes and feele not feete and go not and so aswell in fourme as matter be altogether like the idols of the Gentiles Insomuch that al the titles which be geuen to the idols in the Scriptures may be verified of our images Wherfore no doubt but the lyke curses whiche are mentioned in the scriptures wyll lyght vppon the makers and worshippers of them both Secondly that they haue ben and be worshypped in our tyme in lyke fourme and maner as were the idols of the Gentiles is nowe to be proued And for that idolatrie standeth cheefely in the minde it shal in this part first be proued that our image maynteyners haue had and haue the same opinions and iudgement of saintes whose images they haue made and worshipped as the Gentiles idolaters had of theyr gods And afterwarde shal be declared that our image
moste worthyly repelled and rebuked at the Lordes hande In lyke maner we reade in the Actes of one Simon Magus a Sorcerer howe that he perceauyng that through laying on of the Apostles handes the holy ghost was geuen offered them money saying Geue me also this power that on whom soeuer I lay my handes he may receaue the holy ghost In makyng this request he sought not the honour and glorye of GOD but his owne priuate gayne and lucre thinking to get great store of money by this feate and therefore it was iustly sayde vnto him Thy money perishe with thee because thou thinkest that the gifte of God maye be obtayned with money By these and suche other examples we are taught whensoeuer we make our prayers vnto God chiefely to respect the honour and glorye of his name Whereof we haue this generall precept in the Apostle Paul Whether ye eate or drinke or whatsoeuer you do looke that you do it to the glory of god Which thing we shal best of all do if we folowe the example of our sauiour Christe who praying that the bitter cuppe of death myght passe from him woulde not therein haue his owne wyll fulfilled but referred the whole matter to the good wyll and pleasure of his father And hytherto concernyng those thinges that we may lawfully and boldly aske of God. Nowe it foloweth that we declare what kinde of persons we are bounde in conscience to praye for Saint Paul wryting to Timothie exhorteth him to make prayers and supplications for all men exempting none of what degree or state soeuer they be In which place he maketh mention by name of Kynges and Rulers whiche are in aucthoritie putting vs thereby to knowledge howe greatlye it concerneth the profite of the common wealth to praye diligentlye for the higher powers Neyther is it without good cause that he doth so often in all his Epistles craue the prayers of Gods people for hym selfe For in so doyng he declareth to the worlde howe expedient and needefull it is dayly to call vppon GOD for the ministers of his holy worde and sacramentes that they may haue the doore of vtteraunce opened vnto them that they may truely vnderstand the scriptures that they may effectually preache the same vnto the people and bring foorth the true fruites thereof to the example of all other After this sorte dyd the congregation continually pray for Peter at Hierusalem and for Paul among the Gentiles to the great encrease and furtherance of Christes Gospell And if we folowyng theyr good example herein wyll studie to do the lyke doubtlesse it can not be expressed howe greatly we shall both helpe our selues and also please God. To discourse and runne through all degrees of persons it were to long Therefore ye shall briefely take this one conclusion for all Whomsoeuer we are bounde by expresse commaundement to loue for those also are we bound in conscience to pray But we are bounde by expresse commaundement to loue all men as our selues therefore we are also bound to pray for all men euen as well as if it were for our selues notwithstandyng we knowe them to be our extreme and deadly enemies For so doth our sauiour Christe plainely teache vs in his Gospell saying Loue your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you praye for them that persecute you that ye may be the children of your father whiche is in heauen And as he taught his disciples so dyd he practise him selfe in his life time praying for his enemies vpon the crosse and desyring his father to forgeue them because they knewe not what they dyd As did also that holy and blessed martyr Stephen when he was cruelly stoned to death of the stubberne and stifnecked Jewes to the example of all them that wyll truely and vnfaignedly folowe their Lorde maister Christe in this miserable mortal life Nowe to entreate of that question whether we ought to pray for them that are departed out of this world or no. Wherein yf we wyll cleaue only vnto the word of God then must we nedes graunt that we haue no commaundement so to do For the scripture doth acknowledge but two places after this life The one proper to the elect and blessed of god the other to the reprobate and dampned soules as may be well gathered by the parable of Lazarus and the riche man whiche place saint Augustine expoundyng sayth in this wyse That which Abraham speaketh vnto the riche man in Lukes Gospel namely that the iust can not go into those places where the wicked are tormented What other thinges doth it signifie but only this that the iust by reason of gods iudgement which may not be reuoked can shewe no deede of mercie in helping them which after this lyfe are cast into prison vntill they pay the vttermost farthyng These wordes as they confounde the opinion of helping the dead by prayer so they do cleane confute and take away the vaine errour of purgatorie which is grounded vpon this saying of the gospell Thou shalt not depart thence vntill thou hast payde the vttermoste farthing Nowe doth saint Augustine say that those men which are cast into prison after this life on that condition may in no wyse be holpen though we woulde helpe them neuer so much And why Because the sentence of God is vnchaungeable can not be reuoked agayne Therfore let vs not deceaue our selues thinking that eyther we maye helpe other or other maye helpe vs by their good and charitable prayers in time to come For as the preacher saith When the tree falleth whether it be toward the South or towarde the North in what place soeuer the tree falleth there it lyeth meanyng thereby that euery mortall man dyeth eyther in the state of saluation or dampnation accordyng as the words of the Euangelist John do also plainely impart saying He that beleueth on the sonne of God hath eternall lyfe But he that beleueth not on the sonne shall neuer see lyfe but the wrath of God abideth vpon him Where is then the thirde place whiche they call purgatorie or where shall our prayers helpe and profite the dead Saint Augustine doth onlye acknowledge two places after this life heauen and hell As for the thirde place he doth plainely denie that there is anye suche to be founde in all scripture Chrisostome likewyse is of this minde that vnlesse we washe away our sinnes in this present worlde we shall finde no comfort afterwarde And saint Ciprian sayth that after death repentaunce and sorowe of paine shal be without fruite weping also shal be in vayne and prayer shal be to no purpose Therefore he counselleth all men to make prouision for them selues whyle they maye because when they are once departed out of this lyfe there is no place for repentaunce nor yet for satisfaction Let these and such other places be sufficient to take away the grosse
muâ—â— be careful to keepe the christian sabbath day which is the sunday not onely for that it is Gods expresse commaundement but also to declare our selues to be louing children in folowing the example of our gratious Lorde and father Thus it may playnely appeare that Gods will and commaundement was to haue a solemne time and standing day in the weke wherin the people shoulde come together and haue in remembraunce his wonderfull benefites and to render him thankes for them as apparteyneth to louing kynd obedient people This example and commaundement of God the godly Christian people began to follow immediately after the ascention of our Lorde Christ and began to chose them a standing daye of the weeke to come together in Yet not the seuenth day which the Jewes kept but the Lordes day the day of the Lordes resurrectioÌ„ the day after the seuenth day which is the first of the weeke Of the which day mention is made of saint Paule on this wyse In the first day of the sabbath let euery man lay vp what he thynketh good meaning for the poore By the first day of the sabbath is meant our Sundaye whiche is the first daye after the Jewes seuenth day And in the Apocalips it is more plaine wher as saint John sayth I was in the spirite vpon the sunday Sithens whiche time Gods people hath alwayes in all ages without any gaynsaying vsed to come together vpon the Sunday to celebrate and honour the Lordes blessed name carefully to kepe that day in holy rest quyetnes both man woman chylde seruaunt and stranger For the trangression and breache of whiche day God hath declared him selfe much to be greued as it may appeare by him who for gathering of sticks on the sabbath day was stoned to death But alas all these notwithstanding it is lamentable to see the wicked boldenes of those that will be counted gods people who passe nothing at al of keeping and halowing the sundaye And these people are of two sortes The one sort if they haue any businesse to do though there be no extreme neede they must not spare for the sunday they must ryde and iourney on the sunday they must dryue carry on the sunday they must row and ferry on the sunday they must buye and sell on the sunday they muste keepe markets and fayres on the sundaye Finallye they vse all dayes alike workdaies and holy daies al are one The other sort is worse For although they wil not trauell nor labour on the sunday as they do on the weke day yet they wil not rest in holines as God commaundeth but they rest in vngodlines filthines prauncing in their pryde prancking and pricking pointing and painting them selues to be gorgeous and gay they rest in exces superfluitie in glutteny and drunkennesse lyke rattes and swyne they rest in brawling and rayling in quarreling and fyghting they reste in wantonnes in toyishe talkyng in filthy fleshlinesse so that it doth to euidentlye appeare that God is more dishonored and the deuill better serued on the sunday then vpon all the dayes in the weeke besyde And I assure you the beastes whiche are commaunded to rest on the sunday honour God better then this kynde of people For they offende not God they breake not their holyday Wherefore O ye people of God lay your handes vpon your heartes repent amend this greeuous and daungerous wickednesse stand in awe of the commaundement of God gladlye folowe the example of God him selfe be not disobedient to the godly order of Christes Churche vsed and kept from the apostles tyme vntill this day Feare the displeasure and iust plagues of almighty God if ye be negligent and forbeare not labouring and trauayling on the sabbath day or sunday and do not resort together to celebrate magnifie Gods blessed name in quiet holinesse and godly reuerence Nowe concerning the place where the people of God ought to resort together and where especially they ought to celebrate and sanctifie the sabbath day that is the sunday the day of holye rest That place is called Goddes Tentple or the churche because the company congregation of Gods people which is properly called the church doth there assemble them selues on the dayes appointed for such assemblies meetinges And sorasmuch as almightie God hath appointed a speciall time to be honored in it is very meete godly and also necessary that there should be a place appoynted where these people should meete and resort to serue their gracious God and mercifull father Trueth it is the holy Patriarches for a great number of yeres had neyther temple nor churche to resort vnto The cause was they were not stayed in any place but were in a continuall perigrination and wandering that they could not conueniently buyld any churche But so soone as God had delyuered his people from their enemies and set them in some libertie in the wildernes he set them vp a costly a curious tabernacle whiche was as it were the paryshe church a place to resort vnto of the whole multitude a place to haue his sacrifices made in and other obseruaunces and rites to be vsed in Furthermore after that God according to the trueth of his promise had placed and quyetlye setled his people in the land of Chanaan now called Jury he commaunded a great and a magnificent temple to be buylded by kyng Salomon as seldome the lyke hath ben seene a temple so decked and adourned so gorgeously garnished as was meete and expedient for people of that tyme whiche would be allured stirred with nothing so much as with suche out warde goodlye gaye thinges This was nowe the temple of God indued also with many gyttes sundry promyses This was the paryshe churche and the mother Churche of all Jury Here was God honoured and serued Hyther was the whole realme of all the Israelites bounde to come at three solempne feastes in the yere to serue their Lord God here But let vs proceede further In the tyme of Christe and his Apostles there was yet no temples nor Churches for Christian men For whye they were alwayes for the moste part in persecution veration and trouble so that there coulde be no libertie nor lycence obteyned for that purpose Yet God delyghted much that they shoulde often resort togyther in a place and therefore after his ascention they remayned togyther in an vpper chamber sometyme they entred into the Temple sometyme into the synagoges sometyme they were in pryson sometymes in theyr houses sometymes in the feeldes c. And this continued so long till the fayth of Chryste Jesus began to multiplye in a great parte of the worlde Nowe when dyuers Realmes were establyshed in gods true religion and God hath geuen them peace and quyetnes then began kynges noble men and the people also stirred vp with a godly zeale and feruentnesse to buylde vp temples and Churches whyther the people might resort the better to do their dutie
vnderstande and to cary away suche sentences and stories as be more fyt for our capacitie and instruction And wheras we reade in diuers Psalmes how Dauid did wyshe to the aduersaries of god sometymes shame rebuke and confusion sometyme the decay of theyr ofspryng and issue sometime that they might peryshe and come sodaynly to destruction as he did wishe to the Captaynes of the Philistians Cast forth sayth he thy lyghtening and teare them shoote out thyne arrowes and consume them with such other maner of imprecations Yet ought we not to be offended at suche prayers of Dauid being a prophete as he was singulerly beloued of God and rapte in spirite with an ardent zeale to gods glorie He spake them not of a priuate hatred and in a stomake against their persons But wyshed spirituallye the destruction of suche corrupt errours and vyces whiche raygned in all diuilishe persons set agaynst god He was of lyke mynd as saint Paule was when he did deliuer Himeneus and Alexander with the notorious fornicatour to Satan to their temporal confusion that their spirite might be saued against the daye of the lord And when Dauid did professe in some places that he hated the wicked yet in other places of his Psalmes he professeth that he hated them with a perfect hate not with a malitious hate to the hurt of the soule Whiche perfection of spirite because it can not be perfourmed in vs so corrupted in affections as we be we ought not to vse in our priuate causes the lyke wordes in fourme for that we cannot fulfil the like wordes in sense Let vs not therefore be offended but searche out the reason of such wordes before we be offended that we may the more reuerentlye iudge of such sayinges though straunge to our carnall vnderstandinges yet to them that be spiritually minded iudged to be zelously and godlye pronounced God therefore for his mercies sake vouchsafe to purifie our myndes through fayth in his sonne Jesus Christ and to instill the heauenly droppes of his grace into our harde stonye heartes to supple the same that we be not contemners deriders of his infallible worde but that with all humblenes of minde and Christian reuerence we may endeuour our selues to heare and to reade his sacred scriptures and inwardly so to digest them as shall be to the comfort of our soules and sanctification of his holye name to whom with the sonne and the holy ghost three persons and one lyuing God be al laude honor and prayse for euer and euer Amen ⧠An Homilee of Almes deedes and mercifulnes towarde the poore and needie AMongst the manifolde dueties that almighti god requireth of his faithful seruants the true Christians by the which he woulde that both his name should be glorified the certaintie of their vocation declared there is none that is either more acceptable vnto him or more profitable for theÌ„ then are the workes of mercye pity shewed vpon the poore which be afflicted with any kinde of misery And yet this not with standing suche is the slouthfull sluggishnesse of our dull nature to that whiche is good and godlye that we are almoste in nothing more negligent and lesse carefull then we are therein It is therfore a very necessary thing that Gods people should awake their sleepie myndes and consyder their duetie on this behalfe And meete it is that all true Christians should desyrously seke and learne what God by his holy word doth herein requyre of them that fyrst knowing their duetie whereof many by their slacknes seeme to be very ignoraunt they maye afterwardes diligentlye endeuour to perfourme the same By the which both the godly charitable persons may be incouraged to go forwardes and continue in their mercifull deedes of almes geuing to the poore and also suche as hytherto haue eyther neglected or contemned it may yet now at the length when they shall heare howe much it apparteyneth to them aduisedly consyder it and vertuously apply them selues therevnto And to the intent that euerye one of you maye the better vnderstande that whiche is taught and also easylier beare awaye and so take more fruite of that shall be sayde when seuerall matters are seuerally handeled I mind particulerly and in this order to speake and intreat of these poyntes Fyrst I will shewe how earnestly almyghtie God in his holye worde doth exact the doyng of almes deedes of vs and how acceptable they be vnto him Secondlye how profitable it is for vs to vse them and what commoditie and fruit they will bring vnto vs. Thyrdly and laste I will shewe out of Gods worde that who so is liberall to the poore releeueth them plenteously shal notwithstanding haue sufficient for himselfe euermore be without daunger of penurie and scarcitie Concerning the first which is the acceptation and dignitie or pryce of almes deedes before God Knowe this that to helpe and succour the poore in their neede and miserie pleaseth God so much that as the holy scripture in sundry places recordeth nothyng can be more thankfullye taken or accepted of god For firste we reade that almightie God doeth accounte that to be geuen and to be bestowed vpon himselfe that is bestowed vppon the poore For so doth the holy ghost testifie vnto vs by the wyse man saying He that hath pitie vpon the poore lendeth vnto the lord him selfe And Christe in the Gospell aduoucheâ—â— and as a moste certayne trueth byndeth it with an othe that the almes bestowed vppon the poore was bestowed vpon him so shall be reckoned at the last daye For thus he saith to the charitable almes geuers when he sitteth as iudge in the doome to geue sentence of euery maÌ„ accordyng to his desartes Uerylye I saye vnto you whatsoeuer good mercifull deede you did vpon any of the least of these my brethren ye did the same vnto me In releeuing their hunger ye releeued mine in quenching their thirst ye quenched mine in clothing them ye clothed me and when ye harboured them ye lodged me also wheÌ„ ye visited them being sicke or in prison ye visited me For as he that receaueth a Princes imbassadours and entertayneth them wel doth honour the Prince from whom those imbassadours do come So he that receaueth the poore and needy and helpeth them in their affliction and distresse doth thereby receaue and honour Christe their maister who as he was poore and needye him selfe whylest he lyued here amongst vs to worke the mysterie of our saluation so at his departure hence he promised in his steede to sende vnto vs those that were poore by whose meanes his absence should be supplied and therfore that we would do vnto him we muste do vnto them And for this cause doth almyghtye God say vnto Moyses The land wherin you dwell shall neuer be without poore men because he woulde haue continual trial of his people whether they loued him or no that in shewing them selues obedient vnto his will they might certaynlye
to be coÌ„dempned vnto death to take vpon him the rewarde of our sinnes and to geue his body to be broken on the crosse for our offences He sayth the prophete Esai meaning Christe hath borne our infirmities hath caried our sorowes the chastisement of our peace was vpoÌ„ him by his stripes are we made whole Saint Paul like wyse sayth God made him a sacrifice for our sinnes whiche knewe not sinne that we should be made the righteousnesse of God by him And saint Peter most agreeably wryting in this behalfe sayth Christe hath once died suffered for our sinnes the iust for the vniust c. To these myght be added an infinite number of other places to the same effect but these fewe shal be sufficient for this tyme Now then as it was said at the beginning let vs ponder weigh the cause of his death that therby we may be the more moued to glorifie him in our whole lyfe Whiche yf you wyll haue comprehended briefelye in one worde it was nothyng els in our parte but onlye the transgression and sinne of mankinde When the angell came to warne Joseph that he should not feare to take Mary to his wife Did he not therefore will the childes name to he called Jesus because he should saue his people from their sinnes When John the Baptist preached Christ and she wed hym to the people with his finger Dyd he not playnely say vnto them Behold the lambe of God whiche taketh away the sinnes of the worlde When the woman of Canaan besought Christ to helpe her daughter which was possest with a deuil did he not openly confesse that he was sent to saue the lost sheepe of the house of Israel by geuing his life for theyr sinnes It was sinne then O man eueÌ„ thy sinne that caused Christe the onlye sonne of God to be crucified in the fleshe and to suffer the most vyle slaunderous death of the crosse If thou haddest kept thy selfe vyryght if thou haddest obserued the commaundementes yf thou haddest not presumed to transgresse the wyll of God in thy fyrst father Adam then Christe being in fourme of God needed not to haue taken vppon him the shape of a seruaunt being immortall in heauen he needed not to become mortal on earth beyng the true bread of the soule he needed not to hunger being the healthfull water of lyfe he needed not to thirst being life it selfe he needed not to haue suffred death But to these and many other suche extremities was he dryuen by thy sinne which was so manifolde great that god could be onlye pleased in hym and none other Canst thou thinke of this O sinful man and not tremble within thy selfe Canst thou heare it quietlye without remorse of conscience and sorowe of heart Did Christ suffer his passion for thee and wylt thou shewe no compassion towardes hym Whyle Christe was yet hangyng on the Crosse and yelding vp the ghost the Scripture witnesseth that the vale of the temple did rent in twaine and the earth dyd quake that the stones claue asunder that the graues dyd open the dead bodyes rise And shall the heart of man be nothyng moued to remember how greeuously and cruelly he was handled of the Jewes for our sinnes Shall man shew himselfe to be more hard hearted then stones to haue lesse compassion theÌ„ dead bodies Call to minde O sinful creature and set before thyne eyes Christe crucified Thinke thou seest his body stretched out in length vppon the crosse his head crowned with sharpe thorne his handes his feete pearsed with nailes his heart opened with a long speare his fleshe rente and torne with whippes his browes sweating water and blood Thinke thou hearest hym nowe crying in an intollerable agonie to his father saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Couldest thou behold this wofull sight or heare this mournefull voyce without teares consydering that he suffered all this not for any desart of his owne but only for the greeuousnes of thy sinnes O that mankinde shoulde put the euerlasting sonne of God to such paines O that we should be the occasion of his death the only cause of his condempnation May we not iustly crye wo worth the time that euer we sinned O my brethren let this image of Christe crucified be alwayes printed in our heartes let it stirre vs vp to the hatred of sinne prouoke our mindes to the earnest loue of almightie god For why Is not sinne thinke you a greuous thing in his sight seing for the transgressing of Gods precept in eating of one apple he condempned all the world to perpetuall death and would not be pacified but only with the blood of his own sonne True yea moste true is that saying of Dauid Thou O Lorde hatest all them that worke iniquitie neyther shall the wicked and euill man dwell with thee By the mouth of his prophete Esai he cryeth mainely out agaynst sinners and sayth â—o be vnto you that draw iniquitie with cordes of vanitie and sinne as it were with cart ropes Dyd not God geue a plaine token howe greatly he hated abhored sinne wheÌ„ he drowned all the world saue only eyght persons when he destroyed Sodome Gomorra with fire and brimstone when in three dayes space he killed with pestilence threescore and ten thousande for Dauids offence when he drowned Pharao and al his hoast in the red sea when he turned Nabuchodonozor the kyng into the fourme of a bruite beast creeping vppon all foure when he suffered Achitophel Iudas to hang them selues vpoÌ„ the remorse of sinne whiche was so terrible to theyr eyes A thousand such examples are to be found in scripture yf a man would stand to seeke them out But what neede we This one example which we haue now in hande is of more force ought more to moue vs then all the rest Christe being the sonne of god and perfect God him self who neuer committed sinne was compelled to come downe from heauen to geue his body to be bruised broken on the crosse for our sinnes Was not this a manifest token of Gods great wrath and displeasure towardes sinne that he could be pacified by no other meanes but onlye by the sweete precious blood of his deare sonne O sinne sinne that euer thou shouldest dryue Christe to suche extremitie Wo worth the tyme that euer thou camest into the world But what booteth it now to bewayle Sinne is come and so come that it can not be auoyded There is no man liuing no not the iustest man on the earth but he falleth seuen times a day as Salomon sayth And our Sauiour Christe although he hath deliuered vs from sinne yet not so that we shal be free from committing sinne But so that it shal not be imputed to our condempnation He hath taken vpon him the iust rewarde of sinne which was death by death
is within vs For it is the holy ghost and no other thyng that doth quicken the mindes of men stirring vp good and godly motions in their heartes which are agreeable to the wil commaundement of God suche as otherwyse of their owne crooked and peruerse nature they shoulde neuer haue That whiche is borne of the fleshe sayth Christe is fleshe and that which is borne of the spirite is spirite As who shoulde saye Man of his owne nature is fleshly and carnal corrupt and nought synnefull and disobedient to God without any sparke of goodnes in hym without any vertuous or godly motion onely geuen to euyl thoughtes and wicked deedes As for the workes of the spirite the fruites of fayth charitable and godly motions if he haue anye at all in hym they proceede only of the holy ghost who is the onlye worker of our sanctification maketh vs newe men in Christ Jesu Dyd not Gods holy spirite miraculously worke in the childe Dauid when of a poore shephearde he became a princelike prophet Dyd not Gods holy spirite miraculously worke in Matthewe sitting at the receipte of custome when of a proude Publicane he became an humble and lowly Euangelist And who can choose but maruayle to consyder that Peter shoulde become of a simple fisher a cheefe and mightie Apostle Paul of a cruell and bloody persecutour a faythful disciple of Christe to teache the Gentiles Suche is the power of the holy ghost to regenerate men and as it were to bryng them foorth a newe so that they shal be nothyng lyke the men that they were before Neyther doth he thynke it sufficient inwardlye to worke the spirituall and newe byrth of man vnlesse he do also dwell and abide in hym Knowe ye not sayth saint Paule that ye are the temple of God and that his spirite dwelleth in you Knowe ye not that your bodies are the temples of the holy ghost which is within you Agayne he sayth You are not in the fleshe but in the spirite For why The spirite of God dwelleth in you To this agreeth the doctrine of saint John wrytyng on this wyse The annoyntyng whiche ye haue receaued he meaneth the holy ghost dwelleth in you And the doctrine of Peter sayth the same who hath these wordes The spirite of glory and of God resteth vppon you O what comfort is this to the hearte of a true Christian to thynke that the holy ghost dwelleth within hym If God be with vs as the Apostle sayth who can be agaynst vs O but howe shall I knowe that the holy ghost is within me some man perchaunce wyll say Forsoth as the tree is knowne by his fruite so is also the holy ghost The fruites of the holy ghost accordyng to the mynde of saint Paule are these Loue ioy peace long sufferyng gentlenes goodnesse faythfulnesse meekenes temperaunce c. Contrarywyse the deedes of the fleshe are these Adultrie fornication vncleannesse wantonnes idolatrie witchcrafte hatred debate emulation wrath contention sedition heresie enuie murther drunkennesse gluttonie and such lyke Here is nowe that glasse wherein thou muste behold thy selfe and discerne whether thou haue the holy ghost within thee or the spirite of the fleshe If thou see that thy workes be vertuous and good consonant to the prescript rule of gods worde sauouring and tastyng not of the fleshe but of the spirite then assure thy selfe that thou art endued with the holy ghoste Otherwyse in thynkyng wel of thy selfe thou doest nothyng els but deceaue thy selfe The holy ghost doth alwayes declare hym selfe by his fruitefull and gratious gyftes namely by the worde of wysedome by the worde of knowledge whiche is the vnderstandyng of the scriptures by fayth in doyng of miracles by healyng them that are diseased by prophesie whiche is the declaration of Gods mysteries by discerning of spirites diuersities of tonges interpretation of tonges and so foorth All whiche gyftes as they proceede from one spirite and are seuerally geuen to man accordyng to the measurable distribution of the holy ghost Euen so do they bryng men and not without good cause into a wonderfull admiration of Gods diuine power Who wyll not marueyle at that whiche is wrytten in the Actes of the Apostles to heare their bolde confession before the counsell at Jerusalem And to consyder that they went away with ioy and gladnesse reioycing that they were counted worthy to suffer rebukes and checkes for the name and fayth of Christe Jesus This was the myghtie worke of the holy ghost who because he geueth patience and ioyfulnesse of heart in temptation and affliction hath therefore worthyly obtayned this name in holye scripture to be called a comforter Who wyl not also marueyle to reade the learned and heauenly sermons of Peter and the disciples consyderyng that they were neuer brought vp in schole of learnyng but called euen from their nettes to supply roomes of Apostles This was lykewyse the mightie worke of the holy ghost who because he doth instruct the hearts of the simple in the true knowledge of God and his holy worde is moste iustly tearmed by this name and title to be the spirite of trueth Eusebius in his ecclesiasticall historie telleth a straunge storie of a certayne learned and subtill Philosopher who beyng an extreame aduersarie to Christ and his doctrine could by no kynd of learnyng be conuerted to the fayth but was able to withstande all the argumentes that coulde be brought agaynst hym with litle or no labour At length there started vp a poore simple man of small wit and lesse knowledge one that was reputed among the learned as an ideote And he on Gods name woulde needes take in hande to dispute with this proude Philosopher The Byshoppes and other learned men standyng by were marueylously abashed at the matter thinking that by his doynges they shoulde be all confounded and put to open shame He notwithstandyng goeth on and begynnyng in the name of the Lorde Jesus brought the Philosopher to suche poynte in the ende contrary to all mens expectation that he coulde not choose but acknowledge the power of God in his wordes and to geue place to the trueth Was not this a miraculous worke that one seely soule of no learnyng shoulde do that whiche many byshops of great knowledge and vnderstanding were neuer able to bryng to passe So true is the saying of Bede Where the holy ghost doth instruct and teache there is no delay at al in learnyng Much more myght here be spoken of the manyfolde gyftes and graces of the holy ghost moste excellent and wonderfull in our eyes But to make a long discourse through all the shortnes of tyme wil not serue And seing ye haue heard the cheefest ye may easily conceaue and iudge of the rest Nowe were it expedient to discusse this question Whether all they whiche boaste and bragge that they haue the holy ghost do truely chalenge this vnto them selues or no Which doubt
token of his due and bounden obedience with denuntiation of death if he dyd transgresse breake the said lawe commaundement And as God would haue man to be his obedient subiect so did he make al earthly creatures subiect vnto man who kept their due obedience vnto man so long as man remayned in his obedience vnto god in the which obedience if man had continued stil there had ben no pouertie no diseases no sicknesse no death nor other miseries wherewith mankynde is nowe infinitely and most miserably afflicted and oppressed So here appeareth the originall kyngdome of God ouer angels and man and vniuersally ouer all thinges and of man ouer earthly creatures whiche God had made subiect vnto him and withall the felicitie and blessed state whiche angels man and all creatures had remayned in had they continued in due obedience vnto GOD theyr kyng For as long as in this fyrst kyngdome the subiectes continued in due obedience to God theyr kyng so long dyd God embrace all his subiectes with his loue fauour and grace whiche to enioy is perfect felicitie whereby it is euident that obedience is the principall vertue of all vertues and in deede the verye roote of all vertues and the cause of all felicitie But as all felicitie and blessednesse shoulde haue continued with the continuaunce of obedience so with the breache of obedience and breaking in of rebellion all vices and miseries dyd withall breake in and ouerwhelme the worlde The first aucthour of which rebellion the roote of all vices and mother of all mischeefes was Lucifer fyrst Gods most excellent creature and moste bounden subiect who by rebelling agaynst the maiestie of God of the bryghtest and most glorious angell is become the blackest and moste foulest feende deuill and from the heyght of heauen is fallen into the pit and bottome of hell Here you may see the first aucthour and founder of rebellion and the rewarde thereof here you maye see the graunde captayne and father of all rebels who perswadyng the folowyng of his rebellion agaynst GOD their creator and Lorde vnto our fyrst parentes Adam and Eue brought them in high displeasure with GOD wrought their exile and vanishment out of paradise a place of all pleasure and goodnesse into this wretched earth and vale of all miserie procured vnto them sorowes of their mindes mischeefes sicknesse diseases death of theyr bodies and whiche is farre more horrible then all worldly and bodyly mischeefes he had wrought thereby theyr eternall and euerlastyng death and dampnation had not GOD by the obedience of his sonne Jesus Christe repayred that whiche man by disobedience and rebellion had destroyed and so of his mercie had pardoned and forgeuen hym of whiche all and singuler the premises the holye scriptures do beare recorde in sundrye places Thus you do see that neither heauen nor paradise coulde suffer anye rebellion in them neyther be places for any rebels to remayne in Thus became rebellion as you see both the first and greatest and the verye roote of all other sinnes and the first and principall cause both of all worldlye and bodyly miseries sorowes diseases sicknesses and deathes and whiche is infinitely worse then all these as is sayde the very cause of death and dampnation eternall also After this breache of obedience to God and rebellion agaynst his maiestie all mischeefes and miseries breaking in therewith and ouerflowyng the worlde lest all thinges shoulde come vnto confusion and vtter ruine GOD foorthwith by lawes geuen vnto mankynde repayred agayne the rule and order of obedience thus by rebellion ouerthrowen and besides the obedience due vnto his maiestie he not onlye ordayned that in families and housholdes the wyfe shoulde be obedient vnto her husbande the chyldren vnto their parentes the seruauntes vnto their maisters but also when mankynde increased and spread it selfe more largely ouer the worlde he by his holye worde dyd constitute and ordayne in Cities and Countreys seuerall and speciall gouernours and rulers vnto whom the residue of his people shoulde be obedient As in readyng of the holye scriptures we shall finde in very many and almoste infinite places aswell of the olde Testament as of the newe that kynges and princes aswell the euill as the good do raigne by Gods ordinaunce and that subiectes are bounden to obey them that God doth geue princes wysdome great power and aucthoritie that God defendeth them agaynst their enemies and destroyeth their enemies horribly that the anger and displeasure of the prince is as the roaring of a Lion and the very messenger of death and that the subiect that prouoketh hym to displeasure sinneth agaynst his owne soule With many other thinges concernyng both the aucihoritie of princes and the duetie of subiectes But here let vs rehearse two speciall places out of the new Testament which may stand in steade of all other The first out of saint Paules Epistle to the Romanes and the. 1◠Chapter where he wryteth thus vnto all subiectes Let euery soule be subiect vnto the hygher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordeyned of god Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God and they that resist shall receaue to them selues dampnation For princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euil Wylt thou then be without feare of the power Do well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of GOD for thy wealth but yf thou do euill feare for he beareth not the sworde for naught for he is the minister of God to take vengeaunce vppon hym that doth euyll Wherefore ye muste be subiect not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake for for this cause ye pay also tribute for they are Gods ministers seruyng for the same purpose Geue to euery man therefore his duetie tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whom feare belongeth honour to whom ye owe honour Thus farre are saint Paules wordes The seconde place is in saint Peters first Epistle and the second chapter whose wordes are these Submit yoūr selues vnto all maner ordinaunce of man for the lordes sake whether it be vnto the kyng as vnto the cheefe head eyther vnto rulers as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punishment of euyll doers but for the cheryshing of them that do well For so is the wyll of GOD that with well doyng ye may stoppe the mouthes of ignoraunt and foolishe men as free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloke of malitiousnesse but euen as the seruauntes of god Honour all men loue brotherly felowship feare GOD honour the kyng Seruauntes obey your maisters with feare not onlye yf they be good and curteous but also though they be frowarde Thus farre out of Saint Peter By these two places of the holy scriptures it is moste euident that Kinges Queenes and other Princes for he speaketh of
of personage neither nobilitie nor fauour of the people no nor the fauour of the king him selfe can saue a rebel from due punishment God the king of al kinges being so offended with him that rather then he should lacke due execution for his treason euery tree by the way wyl be a gallous or gybbet vnto hym and the heere of his owne head wyl be vnto him insteade of an haulter to hang hym vp with rather then he shoulde lacke one A fearefull example of Gods punishment good people to consider Now Achitophel though otherwyse an exceedyng wyse man yet the mischeeuous counseller of Absolon in this wycked rebellion for lacke of an hangman a conuenient seruitour for suche a traytour went and hanged vp hym selfe a worthy end of al false rebelles who rather then they shoulde lacke due execution wyll by Gods iust iudgement become hangmen vnto them selues Thus happened it to the captaynes of that rebellion besyde fourtie thousande of rascall rebelles slayne in the feelde and in the chase Lykewyse is it to be seene in the holy scriptures how that great rebellion which the traytor Seba moued in Israel was sodenly appeased the head of the captayne traytor by the meanes of a seely woman beyng cut of And as the holy scriptures do shewe so doth daily experience proue that the counsels conspiracies and attemptes of rebelles neuer tooke effect neyther came to good but to most horrible ende For though God doth often tymes prosper iust and lawefull enemies which be no subiectes against their forraigne enemies yet dyd he neuer long prosper rebellious subiectes against their prince were they neuer so great in aucthority or so many in number Fiue princes or kynges for so the scripture tearmeth them with all their multitudes coulde not preuayle agaynst Chodorlaomor vnto whom they had promised loyaltie and obedience and had continued in the same certain yeres but they were all ouerthrowen and taken prisoners by him but Abraham with his familie and kynsfolkes an handefull of men in respect owyng no subiection vnto Chodorlaomor ouerthrēwe hym and all his hoast in battell and recouered the prisoners and delyuered them So that though warre be so dreadfull and cruell a thyng as it is yet doth God often prosper a fewe in lawefull warres with forraigne enemies agaynste manye thousandes but neuer yet prospered he subiectes beyng rebelles agaynst their naturall soueraigne were they neuer so great or noble so manye so stout so wittie and politike but alwayes they came by the ouerthrowe and to a shamefull ende so muche doth God abhorre rebellion more then other warres though otherwyse beyng so dreadfull and so great a destruction to mankynde Though not onlye great multitudes of the rude and rascall commons but sometyme also men of great wit nobilitie and aucthoritie haue moued rebellions agaynst their lawefull princes whereas true nobilitie shoulde moste abhorre suche vilanous and true wysedome shoulde moste detest suche frantike rebellion though they would pretende sundry causes as the redresse of the common wealth which rebelliō of all other mischeefes doth most destroy or reformation of religion whereas rebellion is most agaynst all true religion though they haue made a great shewe of holy meanyng by begynnyng their rebellions with a counterfet seruice of God as dyd wycked Absolon begyn his rebellion with sacrificing vnto God though they display and beare about ensignes and banners whiche are acceptable vnto the rude ignoraunt common people great multitudes of whom by such false pretences and shewes they do deceaue and draw vnto them yet were the multitudes of the rebels neuer so huge and great the captaines neuer so noble politike and wittie the pretences faigned to be neuer so good and holye yet the speedie ouerthrowe of all rebelles of what number state or condition so euer they were or what colour or cause soeuer they pretended is and euer hath ben suche that God thereby doth shewe that he alloweth neyther the dignitie of anye person nor the multitude of anye people nor the waight of any cause as sufficient for the whiche the subiectes may moue rebellion agaynste their princes Turne ouer and reade the histories of all nations looke ouer the Chronicles of our owne countrey call to mynde so manye rebellions of olde tyme and some yet freshe in memorie ye shall not fynde that God euer prospered anye rebellion agaynst their naturall and lawefull prince but contrarywyse that the rebelles were ouerthrowen and slayne and such as were taken prisoners dreadfullye executed Consyder the great noble families of Dukes Marquesses Earles and other Lordes whose names ye shall reade in our Chronicles now cleane extinguished and gone seeke out the causes of the decay you shall fynd that not lacke of issue heires male hath so muche wrought that decay and waste of noble blooddes and houses as hath rebellion And for so muche as the redresse of the common wealth hath of olde ben the vsual faigned pretence of rebels and religion nowe of late begynneth to be a colour of rebellion let all godlye and discreete subiectes consyder well of both and fyrste concerning religion If peaceable king Salomon was iudged of God to be more meete to buylde his Temple whereby the orderyng of religion is meant then his father kyng Dauid though otherwyse a moste godlye kyng for that Dauid was a great warryer and had shead muche blood though it were in his warres agaynste the enemies of God of this may all godly and reasonable subiects consyder that a peaceable prince specially our most peaceable and mercyfull Queene who hath hitherto shed no blood at all no not of her most deadly enemies is more lyke and farre meeter eyther to set vp or to mainteyne true religion then are bloody rebels who haue not shead the blood of Gods enemies as kyng Dauid had done but do seeke to shead the blood of Gods freendes of their owne countreymen and of their owne most deare freendes and kynsfolke yea the destruction of their moste gratious prince and naturall countrey for defence of whom they ought to be redy to shedde their blood if need should so requyre What a religion it is that such men and by suche meanes would restore may easily be iudged euen as good a religion surely as rebels be good men and obedient subiectes and as rebellion is a good meane of redresse and reformation beyng it selfe the greatest deformation of all that may possible be But as the trueth of the Gospel of our sauiour Christe beyng quietly and soberly taught though it do coste them their lyues that do teache it is able to maynteyne the true religion so hath a frantike religion neede of such furious maintenances as is rebellion and of suche patrones as are rebels beyng redy not to dye for the true religion but to kyll all that shall or dare speake agaynste their false superstition and wicked idolatrie Now concernyng pretences of any redresse of the common wealth made by rebels
the principall and most vsual causes as specially ambition and ignoraunce By ambition I meane the vnlawful and restles desire in men to be of higher estate then God hath geuen or appoynted vnto them By ignoraunce I meane no vnskilfulnesse in artes or sciences but the lacke of knowledge of Gods blessed wyll declared in his holye worde whiche teacheth both extremely to abhorre all rebellion as the roote of all mischeefe and specially to delyght in obedience as the begynnyng and foundation of all goodnesse as hath ben also before specified And as these are the two cheese causes of rebellion so are there specially two sortes of men in whom these vices do raigne by whom the deuill the aucthour of al euill doth cheefely stirre vp all disobedience and rebellion The restlesse ambitious hauing once determined by one meanes or other to atcheeue to theyr intended purpose when they can not by lawfull and peaceable meanes clime so hygh as they do desyre they attempt the same by force and violence wherein when they can not preuaile agaynst the ordinarie aucthoritie and power of lawfull princes and gouernours them selues alone they do seeke the ayde and helpe of the ignoraunt multitude abusing them to theyr wicked purpose Wherfore seeing a fewe ambitious and malitious are the aucthours heades and multitudes of ignoraunt men are the ministers and furtherers of rebellion the cheefe poynt of this part shal be aswell to notifie to the simple and ignorant men who they be that haue ben and be the vsuall aucthours of rebellion that they may knowe them and also to admonishe them to beware of the subtill suggestions of suche restles ambitious persons and so to flee them that rebellions though attempted by a fewe ambitious through the lack of mayntenaunce by any multitudes maye speedyly and easyly without any great labour daunger or domage be repressed and clearely extinguished It is well knowen as well by all histories as by dayly experience that none haue eyther more ambitiously aspired aboue Emperours Kinges and Princes nor haue more pernitiously moued the ignoraunt people to rebellion agaynst theyr Princes then certayne persons whiche falsely chalenge to them selues to be onlye counted and called spirituall I must therefore heare yet once agayne breefely put you good people in remembraunce out of Gods holye worde howe our Sauiour Jesus Christe and his holy Apostles the heades and cheefe of all true spirituall and ecclesiastical men behaued them selues towards the princes and rulers of their tyme though not the best gouernours that euer were that you be not ignoraunt whether they be the true disciples and folowers of Christe and his Apostles and so true spirituall men that eyther by ambition do so highly aspyre or do most malitiously teach or most pernitiously do execute rebellion agaynst theyr lawfull princes beyng the worst of all carnall workes and mischeuous deedes The holye scriptures do teache most expresly that our sauiour Christe him selfe and his apostle saint Paul saint Peter with others were vnto the magistrates and higher powers which ruled at their beyng vppon the earth both obedâ—â—nt them selues and dyd also diligently and earnestly exhort all other Christians to the lyke obedience vnto their princes and gouernours whereby it is euident that men of the Cleargie and ecclesiasticall ministers as theyr successours ought both them selues specially and before others to be obedient vnto their princes and also to exhort all others vnto the same Our sauiour Christe like wyse teachyng by his doctrine that his kingdome was not of this worlde dyd by his example in fleeing from those that would haue made him kyng confirme the same expresly also forbidding his Apostles and by them the whole Cleargie all princely dominion ouer people and nations and he and his holy Apostles like wyse namely Peter Paul dyd forbid vnto all ecclesiasticall ministers dominion ouer the Churche of Christe And in deede whiles that ecclesiasticall ministers continued in Christes Church in that order that is in Christes worde prescribed vnto them and in Christian kyngdomes kept them selues obedient to their owne princes as the holy scripture do teache them both was Christes Churche more cleare from ambitious emulations and contentions and the state of Christian kyngdomes lesse subiect vnto tumultes and rebellions But after that ambition and desyre of dominion entred once into ecclesiasticall ministers whose greatnes after the doctrine and example of our sauiour shoulde cheefely stande in humbling of them selues and that the Byshop of Rome being by the order of Gods worde none other then the bishop of that one see and diocesse and neuer yet well able to gouerne the same did by intollerable ambition chalenge not only to be the head of all the Churche dispersed throughout the worlde but also to be Lorde of all the kyngdomes of the worlde as is expresly set foorth in the booke of his owne Cannon lawes most contrary to the doctrine and example of our sauiour Christe whose Uicar and of his holy apostles namely Peter whose successour he pretendeth to be after his ambition entred and this chalenge once made by the Byshop of Rome he became at once the spoyler destroyer both of the Church which is the kyngdome of our sauiour Christe and of the Christian Empyre and all Christian kyngdomes as an vniuersall tyraunt ouer all And whereas before that chalenge made there was great amitie and loue amongst the Christians of al countreis herevpon began emulation and much hatred betweene the Bishop of Rome and his Cleargie and freendes on the one part and the Grecian Cleargie and Christians of the East on the other part for that they refused to acknowledge any such supreme aucthoritie of the Bishop of Rome ouer them the Bishop of Rome for this cause amongst other not onlye namyng them and taking them for schismatikes but also neuer ceassing to persecute them and the Emperours who had their see and continuaunce in Grece by stirring of the subiectes to rebellion agaynst their soueraigne lordes and by raysyng deadly hatred and most cruell warres betweene them and other Christian princes And when the Byshops of Rome had translated the title of the Emperour and as much as in them dyd lye the Empyre it selfe from their lorde the Emperour of Grece and of Rome also by ryght vnto the Christian princes of the West they became in short space no better vnto the West Emperours then they were before vnto the Emperours of Grece For the vsuall discharging of subiectes from their othe of fidelitie made vnto the Emperours of the West their soueraigne lordes by the Byshops of Rome the vnnaturall stirring vp of the subiectes vnto rebellion agaynst their princes yea of the sonne agaynst the father by the Byshoppe of Rome the most cruell and blooddy warres raysed amongst Christian princes of all kyngdomes the horrible murder of infinite thousandes of Christian men beyng slayne by Christians and whiche ensued therevpon the pitifull losses of so manye goodlye Cities countreys
Rome toke for a iust cause to rebell agaynst his lawfull prince they myght haue knowen to be a doubling and tripling of his most heynous wickednes heaped with horrible impietie and blasphemie But lest the poore people shoulde knowe to muche he woulde not let them haue as muche of Gods worde as the ten commaundementes wholye and perfectly withdrawyng from them the commaundement that bewrayeth his impietie by a subtill sacrilege Had the Emperours subiectes likewyse knowen and ben of anye vnderstandyng in Gods worde woulde they at other times haue rebelled agaynst their Soueraigne Lorde and by their rebellion haue holpen to depose hym onlye for that the byshop of Rome dyd beare them in hande that it was symonie and heresye to for the Emperour to geue any ecclesiasticall dignities or promotions to his learned Chaplaines or other of his learned cleargie which all Christian Emperours before hym had done without controulement woulde they I say for that the Byshop of Rome bare them so in hande haue rebelled by the space of more then fourtie yeres together agaynst hym with so much shedding of Christian blood and murther of so many thousandes of Christians and finallie haue deposed their Soueraigne Lorde had they knowen and had in Gods worde anye vnderstandyng at all Specially had they knowen that they dyd al this to plucke from their Soueraigne Lorde and his successours for euer theyr auncient right of the Empyre to geue it vnto the Romishe Cleargie and to the Byshop of Rome that he myght for the confirmation of one Archbyshop and for a Romishe ragge whiche he calleth a Paul scarse worth twelue pence receaue many thousande crownes of golde and of other Byshoppes likewyse great summes of money for their bulles whiche is symonie in deede would I say Christian men and subiectes by rebellion haue spent so muche Christian blood and haue deposed their natural most noble and most valiaunt prince to bring the matter finally to this passe had they knowen what they dyd or had any vnderstandyng in Gods word at all And as these ambitious vsurpers the byshops of Rome haue ouerflowed all Italie and Germanie with streames of Christian blood shed by the rebellions of ignoraunt subiectes agayng their naturall lordes the Emperous whom they haue stirred there vnto by such false pretences so is there no countrey in Christendome whiche by theyr lyke meanes and false pretences hath not ben oursprinkled with the blood of subiectes by rebellion agaynst their naturall Soueraignes styrred vp by the same Byshops of Rome And to vse one example of our owne countrey The Byshop of Rome dyd pike a quarell to kyng John of Englande about the election of Steuen Langton to the Byshoprike of Canterburie wherein the kyng had auncient ryght being vsed by his progenitours all Christian Kynges of Englande before hym the Byshops of Rome hauing no ryght but had begun then to vsurpe vpon the kinges of Englande and al other Christian kynges as they had before done agaynst theyr Soueraigne Lordes the Emperours proceeding euen by the same wayes meanes and lyke wyse cursing kyng John discharging his subiectes of their oth of fidelitie vnto theyr soueraigne lord Now had Englishmen at that time knowen their duetie to their prince set foorth in gods word woulde a great many of the nobles other Englishmen naturall subiectes for this forraigne vnnaturall vsurper his vaine curse of the kyng for his fained discharging of them of their othe of fidelitie to their naturall Lorde vpon so sclender or no grounde at all haue rebelled agaynst their soueraigne lord the king Woulde Englishe subiectes haue taken part agaynst the king of Englande against Englishmen with the Frenche king and Frenchmen beyng incensed against this Realme by the Bishop of Rome Would they haue sent for and receaued the Dolphin of Fraunce with a great armie of Frenchmen into the Realme of Englande Would they haue sworne fidelitie to the Dolphin of Fraunce breaking their othe of fidelitie to their naturall Lord the king of Englande and haue stande vnder the Dolphins banner displaied agaynst the kyng of Englande woulde they haue expelled their soueraigne lord the king of England out of London the cheefe citie of Englande and out of the greatest part of England vppon the South-side of Trent euen vnto Lincolne and out of Lincolne it selfe also and haue deliuered the possession thereof vnto the Dolphin of Fraunce whereof he kept the possession a great whyle Would they being Englishmen haue procured so great shedding of English blood other infinite mischeefes miseries vnto England their naturall countrey as dyd folow those cruell warres trayterous rebellion the fruites of the Byshop of Romes blessings would they haue driuen their natural soueraigne lorde the kyng of Englande to suche extremitie that he was inforced to submit hym selfe vnto that forraigne false vsurper the Byshoppe of Rome who compelled hym to surrender vp the crowne of Englande into the handes of his Legate who in token of possession kept it in his handes diuers dayes and then deliuered it agayne to king John vpon that condition that the kyng and his successours kinges of Englande shoulde holde the crowne and kyngdome of Englande of the Byshop of Rome and his successours as the vassalles of the sayde Byshops of Rome for euer in token whereof the kynges of Englande shoulde also paye an yerely tribute to the sayde Byshop of Rome as his vassals and liege men woulde Englishemen haue brought their Soueraigne lorde and naturall countrey into this thraldome and subiection to a false forraigne vsurper had they knowen and had any vnderstandyng in Gods worde at all Out of the which most lamentable case moste miserable tyrannye rauenye and spoyle of the most greedy Romishe wolues ensuing here vppon the kinges and realme of Englande coulde not rid them selues by the space of many yeares after the Bishop of Rome by his ministers continually not only spoling the realme and kyngs of England of infinite treasure but also with the same monye hyring and maynteyning forraigne enemies agaynst the realme and kinges of England to kepe them in such his subiection that they should not refuse to paye whatsoeuer those vnsaciable wolues did greedely gape for and suffer whatsoeuer those moste cruell tyrants would lay vpon them Would Englishmen haue suffered this would they by rebellion haue caused this trowe you and all for the Byshop of Romes causelesse curse had they in those dayes knowen and vnderstanded that God doth curse the blessings and blesse the cursinges of suche wicked vsurping bishops and tyrantes as it appeared afterward in kyng Henrye the eyght his dayes and kyng Edwarde the sixt in our gratious Soueraignes dayes that nowe is where neyther the Popes curses nor Gods manifolde blessinges are wanting But in kyng Johns tyme the Byshop of Rome vnderstandyng the brute blyndnes ignorance of Gods worde and superstition of Englishmen how much they were enclined to worship the
Babilonicall beast of Rome and to feare all his threatnings and causelesse curses he abused them thus by their rebellion brought this noble realme and kings of England vnder his most cruell tyrannie and to be a spoyle of his most vyle and vnsaciable couetousnes and rauenye for a long and a great deale to long a tyme And to ioyne vnto the reportes of Histories matters of latter memorie coulde the Byshop of Rome haue raysed the late rebellions in the North and Weste countries in the tymes of Kyng Henry and Kyng Edwarde our gratious Soueraignes father and brother but by abusing of the ignoraunt people Or is it not most euident that the Byshop of Rome hath of late attempted by his Irish Patriarkes and Bishops sent from Rome with his bulles whereof some were apprehended to breake downe the barres and hedges of the publibue peace in Ireland onely vpon confidence easyly to abuse the ignoraunce of the wilde Irish men Or who seeth not that vppon lyke confidence yet more latelye he hath lykewyse procured the breache of the publique peace in Englande with the long and blessed continuaunce wherof he is sore greeued by the ministery of his disguised Chaplaines creeping in lay mens apparell into the houses and whispering in the eares of certaine Northen borderers being men most ignorant of their duetie to God and their prince of all people of the Realme whom therefore as most meet and redy to execute his intended purpose he hath by the said ignorant masse priestes as blynd guides leading the blynd brought those seely blynde subiectes into the deepe ditche of horrible rebellion damnable to them selues and very daungerous to the state of the Realme had not GOD of his mercye miraculouslye calmed that ragyng tempest not onely without any ship wracke of the common wealth but almost without any shedding of christian and Englishe blood at al. And it is yet muche more to be lamented that not onely cōmon people by some other youthful or vnskilful Princes also suffer them selues to be abused by the byshop of Rome his Cardinalles bishops to oppressing of christian men their faithfull subiectes either them selues or els by procuring the force and strength of christian men to be conueyed out of one country to oppresse true Christians in another countrye and by these meanes open an entrie vnto Moores and Infidels into the possession of christian Realmes and countries other Christian Princes in the meane tyme by the Byshop of Romes procuring also beyng so occupyed in cinill warres or troubled with rebellions that they haue neyther leasure nor habilitie to conferre their common forces to the defence of their felow christians agaynste suche inuasions of the common enemies of Christendome the infidels and miscreantes Woulde to God we myght only reade and heare out of histories of the olde and not also see and feele these newe and present oppressions of Christians rebellions of subiectes effusion of christian blood destruction of christian men decay ruine of Christendom increase of paganitie most lamentable pitifull to beholde being procured in these our dayes aswell as in tymes past by the bishop of Rome and his ministers abusing the ignoraunce of Gods word yet remayning in some Chirstian Princes and people By which so wre and bitter fruites of ignorance all men ought to be moued to geue eare and credite to Gods worde she wing as most truly so most playnly how great a mischiefe ignoraunce is and agayne how great and how good a gyft of God knowledge in Gods worde is And to begin with the romish Cleargie who though they do brag nowe as did sometyme the Jewishe Clergie that they can not lacke knowledge yet doth God by his holy prophets both charge them with ignorance and threaten them also for that they haue repelled the knowledge of Gods word law from them selues from his people that he wil repel them that they shal be no more his priests God like wise chargeth princes aswel as priestes that they should indeuour them selues to get vnderstanding knowledge in his worde threatning his heauy wrath destruction vnto them yf they fayle thereof And the wyse man sayeth to all men vniuersally Princes Priestes and people where is no knowledge there is no good nor health to the soule and that almen be vaine in whom is not the knowledge of God and his holy worde That they who walke in darkenes wot not whyther they go and that the people that will not learne shall fall into great mischeefes as did the people of Israel who for their ignoraunce in Gods worde were firste led into captiuitie and when by ignoraunce afterward they would not know the tyme of their visitation but crucified Christ our sauiour persecuted his holye Apostles and were so ignoraunt and blynde that when they did most wickedlye and cruellye they thought they did God good and acceptable seruice as do manye by ignoraunce thynke euen at this daye finally through theyr ignorance and blyndnes their country townes cities Hierusalem it selfe and the holye temple of God were all moste horiblye destroyed the moste cheefest parte of theyr people slayne and the reste led into moste miserable captiuitie For he that made them had no pitie vppon them neyther would spare them and al for their ignoraunce And the holye scriptures do teache that the people that wyll not see with theyr eyes nor heare with theyr eares to learne and to vnderstande with their heartes can not be conuerted and saued And the wicked them selues beyng damned in hell shal confesse ignorance in Gods word to haue brought them therunto saiyng We haue erred from the way of the trueth and the lyght of ryghteousnesse hath not shyned vnto vs and the sunne of vnderstandyng hath not risen vnto vs we haue weeried our selues in the way of wickednesse and perdition haue walked cumberous and crooked wayes but the way of the Lord haue we not knowen And aswel our sauiour him selfe as his apostle s. Paul do teach that the ignorance of Gods word commeth of the deuill is the cause of all errour and misiudging as falleth out with ignoraunt subiectes who can rather espye a little mote in the eye of the Prince or a coūceller then a great beame in their own vniuersally it is the cause of all euil finally of eternal damnation Gods iudgement beyng seuere towardes those who when the light of Christes Gospell is come into the world do delyght more in darkenes of ignorance then in the lyght of knowledge in Gods worde For al are cōmaunded to reade or heare to fearche and studie the holy scriptures and are promised vnderstanding to be geuen them from God if they so do all are charged not to beleue eyther any dead man nor if an Angell shoulde speake from heauen muche lesse if the Pope do speake from Rome agaynst or contrarye to the worde of GOD from the whiche we may not declyne neyther
all the same so resortyng thyther ought with all quietnesse and reuerence there to behaue them selues in doing their bounden duetie seruice to almightie God in the congregation of his Saintes All which thinges are euident to be prooued by Gods holye worde as hereafter shall playnelye appeare And firste of all I wyll declare by the scriptures that it is called as it is indeede the house of God and temple of the Lorde He that sweareth by the temple sayth our sauiour Christe sweareth by it and hym that dwelleth therein meanyng God the father whiche he also expresseth playnely in the Gospell of Saint John saying Do not make the house of my father the house of marchaundize And in the booke of the Psalmes the Prophete Dauid sayth I wyll enter into thyne house I wyll worshyp in thy holy temple in thy feare And it is in almost infinite places of the scripture specially in the prophetes and booke of psalmes called the house of God or the house of the Lorde Sometyme it is named the tabernacle of the Lord and sometime the sanctuarye that is to say the holy house or place of the Lorde And it is in lykewyse called the house of prayer as Salomon who buylded the temple of the Lorde at Hierusalem doth ofte call it the house of the Lorde in the whiche the Lordes name should be called vpon And Esaias in the. 50. Chapter My house shal be called the house of prayer amongst all nations Which text our sauiour Christ alleageth in the newe Testament as doth appeare in three of the Euangelistes and in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publicane whiche went to pray in which parable our sauiour Christ sayth They went vp into the temple to pray And Anna the holy wydo we and prophetisse serued the Lorde in fastyng and prayer in the temple nyght and day And in the storie of the Actes it is mentioned how that Peter John went vp into the temple at the houre of prayer And saint Paul praying in the temple at Hierusalem was rapte in the spirite and did see Jesus speaking vnto him And as in all conuenient places prayer may be vsed of the godly priuately So it is most certaine that the Churche or temple is the due and appoynted place for common and publique prayer Nowe that it is lykewise the place of thankes geuyng vnto the Lorde for his innumerable and vnspeakeable benefites bestowed vppon vs appeareth notably in the latter ende of the Gospell of saint Luke and the begynnyng of the storie of the Actes where it is written that the Apostles and disciples after the assention of the lord continued with one accorde dayly in the temple alwayes praysyng and blessyng God. And it is lykewyse declared in the first Epistle to the Corinthians that the Churche is the due place appoynted for the reuerent vse of the Sacramentes It remayneth nowe to be declared that the Churche or temple is the place where the lyuely worde of God and not mans inuentions ought to be read taught and that the people are bounde thyther with all diligence to resort and this proofe likewise to be made by the scriptures as hereafter shall appeare In the storie of the actes of the apostles we reade that Paul and Barnabas preached the worde of God in the temples of the Jewes at Salamine And when they came to Antiochia they entred on the Sabbath day into the Synagogue or Churche and sate downe and after the lesson or readyng of the lawe and the prophetes the ruler of the temple sent vnto them saying Ye men and brethren yf anye of you haue any exhortation to make vnto the people saye it And so Paul standyng vp and makyng scilence with his hande sayde Ye men that be Israelites and ye that feare God geue eare and so foorth preachyng to them a sermon out of the scriptures as there at large appeareth And in the same storie of the actes the seuenteenth Chapter is testified howe Paul preached Christ out of the Scriptures at Thessalonica And in the fifteenth Chapter James the apostle in that holy councell and assemblie of his felowe Apostles sayth Moyses of olde tyme hath in euery Citie certayne that preache hym in the Synagogues or temples where he is read euerye Sabbath day By these places ye maye see the vsage of readyng of the Scriptures of the olde Testament among the Jewes in theyr Synagogues euery Sabbath daye and sermons vsually made vpon the same Howe muche more then is it conuenient that the Scriptures of God and specially the Gospell of our sauiour Christ should be read and expounded to vs that be Christians in our Churches speciallye our sauiour Christe and his apostles allowyng this most godly and necessarie vsage and by theyr examples confirming the same It is written in the stories of the Gospels in diuers places that Jesus went rounde about all Galilee teachyng in theyr Synagogues preaching the Gospell of the kyngdome In which places is his great diligence in continuall preachyng and teachyng of the people most euidently set foorth In Luke ye reade howe Jesus accordyng to his accustomed vse came into the temple and howe the booke of Esaias the prophete was deliuered him howe he read a text therein made a sermon vpon the same And in the. xix is expressed howe he taught dayly in the temple And it is thus written in the. viii of John Jesus came agayne earlye in the mornyng into the temple and all the people came vnto hym and he sate downe and taught them And in the. xviii of John our sauiour testifieth before Pilate that he spake openly vnto the world and that he alwayes taught in the Synagogue and in the temple whyther all the Jewes resorted and that secretely he spake nothing And in saint Luke Jesus taught in the temple and all the people came early in the morning vnto hym that they myght heare hym in the temple Here ye see aswell the diligence of our sauiour in teaching the worde of God in the temple dayly and specially on the Sabbath dayes as also the redynesse of the people resortyng altogether and that early in the morning into the Temple to heare hym The same example of diligence in preachyng the worde of God in the Temple shall ye fynde in the Apostles and the people resortyng vnto them Act. the. v. Howe the Apostles although they had ben whypped and scourged the day before and by the hygh priest commaunded that they shoulde preache no more in the name of Jesus yet the day folowyng they entred earlye in the mornyng into the Temple and dyd not ceasse to teache and declare Jesus Christe And in sundrye other places of the storye of the Actes ye shall fynde lyke diligence both in the Apostles in teachyng and in the people in commyng to the temple to heare Gods worde And it is testified in the
them to whom soeuer he will. Furthermore what is the cause of penurie and scarcenesse of dearth and famine any other thing but a token of Gods yre reuengyng our wronges and iniuries one done to another Ye haue sowen muche obraydeth God by his prophete Aggei and yet bryng in little ye eate but ye be not satisfyed ye drynke but ye be not filled ye cloth your selues but ye be not warme and he that earneth his wages putteth it in a bottomlesse purse ye looke for muche encrease but loe it came to little and when ye brought it home into your barnes I did blow it away sayth the Lorde O consyder therefore the yre of God agaynst gleaners gatherers and incrochers vppon other mennes landes and possessions It is lamentable to see in some places howe greedy men vse to plowe and grate vppon their neighbours lande that lyeth next them howe couetous men nowe a dayes plowe vp so nyghe the common balkes and walkes whiche good men before tyme made the greater and broder partlye for the commodious walke of his neyghbour partlye for the better shacke in haruest tyme to the more comfort of his poore neighbours cattell It is a shame to behold the insaciablenes of some couetous personnes in their doynges that where their auncetours left of their lande a broade and sufficient beere balke to cary the corps to the Christian sepulture how men pinche at suche beere balkes which by long vse and custome ought to be inuiolablye kept for that purpose And nowe they eyther quite ere them vp and turne the dead bodye to be borne farther about in the hye streates or els if they leaue anye such meere it is to strayte for two to walke on These straunge encrochementes good neighbours should be loked vpon These should be consydered in these dayes of our perambulations And afterwarde the parties admonished charitablye refourmed who be the doers of such priuate gainyng to the staunder of the towneship and to the hinderaunce of the poore Your hye wayes should be consydered in your walkes to vnderstād where to bestow your daies works accordyng to the good Statutes prouided for the same It is a good deede of mercy to amend the daungerous and noysome wayes whereby thy poore neyghbour sitting on his seely weake beast foundereth not in the deepe thereof and so the market the worse serued for discouraging of poore vittailers to resorte thyther for the same cause If now therfore ye wyl haue your prayers hearde before almyghtie God for the increase of your corne and cattel and for the defence therof from vnseasonable mistes and blastes from haile and other such tempestes loue equity and ryghteousnes ensue mercy and charitie whiche God most requyreth at our handes Which almighty God respected cheefly in making his ciuile lawes for his people the Israelites in chargyng the owners not to gather vp their corne to nye at haruest season nor the Grapes and Oliues in gatheryng tyme but to leaue behynd some eares of corne for the poore gleaners By this he ment to induce them to pitie the poore to releeue the needye to shew mercye and kyndnes It can not be lost whiche for his sake is distributed to the poore For he which ministreth seed to the sower and bread to the hungrye which sendeth down the earely and latter rayne vpon your feeldes so to fill vppe the barnes with corne and the wyne presses with wyne and oyle he I say who recompenseth all kynde of benefites in the resurrection of the iust he will assuredly recompence all mercifull deedes shewed to the needy howsoeuer vnable the poore is vpon whom it is bestowed O sayth Salomon let not mercye and trueth forsake thee Bynde them about thy necke sayth he and write them on the table of thy hart so shalt thou fynde fauour at Gods hand Thus honour thou the Lorde with thy rytches and with the firste fruites of thyne encrease So shall thy barnes be filled with aboundaunce and thy presses shall brust with newe wyne Nay God hath promysed to open the windowes of heauen vppon the liberall ryghteous man that he shall want nothyng He wyll represse the deuouryng Caterpiller which should deuour your fruites He wyll geue you peace and quyete to gather in your prouision that ye may sit euery man vnder his owne vyne quyetly without feare of the forrayne enemyes to inuade you He wyll geue you not onelye foode to feede on but stomackes and good appetites to take comforte of your fruites whereby in all thinges ye may haue sufficiencie Finally he will blesse you with all maner aboundaunce in this transitorye lyfe and endue you with all maner benediction in the nexte worlde in the kyngdome of heauen through the merites of our Lorde and Sauiour to whom with the father and the holy ghost be all honour euerlastyngly Amen ⧠An Homilee of the state of Matrimonie THe worde of almyghtie god doth testify declare whēce the originall beginning of matrimonie commeth and why it is ordeyned It is instituted of God to the intent that man woman should liue lawfully in a perpetuall frendly felowship to bring forth fruit and to auoyde fornication By whiche meanes a good conscience might be preserued on both parties in brideling the corrupt inclinations of the fleshe within the limits of honestie For God hath straitly forbidden all whoredome and vncleannesse hath from tyme to tyme taken greuous punishments of this inordinate lust as al stories ages hath declared Furthermore it is also ordeyned that the church of God his kingdom might by this kinde of lyfe be conserued and enlarged not only in that God geueth children by his blessing but also in that they be brought vp by the parents godly in the knowledge of Gods word that thus the knowledge of God and true religion myght be deliuered by succession from one to another that finally many might enioye that euerlasting immortalitie Wherefore forasmuch as Matrimonie serueth as well to auoyde sinne offence as to encrease the kingdom of God you as al other which enter that state must acknowledge this benefite of God with pure thankeful mindes for that he hath so ruled our heartes that ye folowe not the example of the wicked worlde who set their delyght in filthynesse of sinne where both of you stande in the feare of God and abhorre all filthynesse For that is surelye the singuler gyft of God where the common example of the worlde declareth how the deuill hath their heartes bound and entangled in dyuers snares so that they in their wyuelesse state runne into open abhominations without anye grudge of their conscience Whiche sorte of men that liueth so desperately and filthylye what dampnation taryeth for them saynt Paule descrybeth it to them saying Neither whoremongers neyther adulterers shall inherite the kingdome of God. This horrible iudgement of God ye be escaped through his mercy if so be that ye lyue inseparately accordyng to Gods ordinaunce
dominions and kyngdomes sometime possessed by Christians in Asia Africa and Europa the miserable fall of the Empyre and Church of Grece sometime the moste florishyng part of Christendome into the handes of Turkes the lamentable diminishing decay and ruine of Christian religion the dreadfull encrease of Paganitie and power of the Infidelles and miscreantes and al by the practise and procurement of the Byshop of Rome cheefely is in the histories and chronicles written by the Byshop of Romes owne fauourers and frendes to be seene and is well knowen vnto all suche as are acquainted with the saide histories The ambitious intent and most subtill driftes of the Byshops of Rome in these their practises appeared euidently by their bolde attempt in spoyling and robbing the Emperours of their Townes Cities Dominions kingdomes in Italie Lumbardie Cicilie of auncient right belonging vnto the Empyre by the ioyning of them vnto their Byshoprike of Rome or els geuing them vnto straungers to holde them of the Churche Byshops of Rome as in capite and as of the cheefe lordes thereof in whiche tenure they holde the most part therof euen at this day By these ambitious in deede trayterous meanes and spoylyng of their soueraigne lordes the Byshops of Rome of Priestes and none other by right then the Bishops of one citie and diocesse are by false vsurpation become great lordes of many dominions myghtie Princes yea or Emperours rather as claymyng to haue diuers princes and kinges to their vassals liege men and subiectes as in the same histories written by their owne familiers and courtiers is to be seene And in deede since the tyme that the Byshops of Rome by ambition treason vsurpation atcheued and atteined to this height and greatnesse they behaued them selues more lyke princes kinges Emperours in al things then remained like priestes bishops and ecclesiastical or as they would be called spirituall persons in any one thing at al. For after this rate they haue handled other kings princes of other Realmes throughout Christendome as well as theyr Soueraigne lordes the Emperours vsually dischargyng their subiectes of their othe of fidelitie and so stirring them vp to rebellion against their naturall princes whereof some examples shall in the last part hereof be notified vnto you Wherefore let al good subiectes knowing these the speciall instrumentes and ministers of the deuil to the stirring vp of al rebellions auoyde and flee them the pestilent suggestions of such forraigne vsurpers and their adherentes and embrace al obedience to God and their naturall princes and Soueraignes that they may enioy gods blessinges and their princes fauour in all peace quietnes securitie in this worlde and finally attaine through Christ our sauiour lyfe euerlasting in the world to come which God the father for the same our sauiour Jesus Christ his sake graunt vnto vs al to whō with the holy ghost be al honour glory world without ende Amen Thus haue you heard the sixt part of this Homilee now good people let vs pray The prayer as before The sixt and last part of the Homilee agaynst disobedience and wylfull rebellion NOw whereas the iniuries oppressions rauenie and tyrannie of the bishop of Rome vsurping aswell agaynst their natural lords the Emperours as against al other Christian kinges and kingdomes and their continual stirring of subiectes vnto rebellions agaynst theyr soueraigne lordes whereof I haue partlye admonished you before were intollerable and it may seeme more then maruell that any subiectes woulde after suche sorte holde with vnnaturall forraigne vsurpers agaynst theyr owne soueraigne lordes and naturall countrey It remayneth that I do declare the meane whereby they compassed these matters and so to conclude this whole treatie of due obedience and agaynst disobedience and wylfull rebellion You shall vnderstande that by ignoraunce of Gods worde wherein they kept all men speciallye the common people they wrought brought to passe all these thinges makyng them beleue that all they sayde was true all that they dyd was good and godlye and that to holde with them in all thinges agaynst father mother prince countrey and all men was most meritorious And in deede what mischeefe wyll not blinde ignoraunce leade simple men vnto By ignoraunce the Juishe Cleargie induced the common people to aske the deliuerie of Barabbas the seditious murtherer to sue for the cruell crucifiyng of our sauiour Christe for that he rebuked the ambition suberstion and other vices of the hie priestes and cleargie For as our sauiour Christe testifieth that those who crucified hym wyst not what they dyd so doth the holy apostle saint Paul say If they had knowen yf they had not ben ignoraunt they woulde neuer haue crucified the Lorde of glory but they knew not what they dyd Our sauiour Christ him selfe also foreshewed that it shoulde come to passe by ignoraunce that those who should persecute and murther his true apostles and disciples shoulde thinke they dyd God acceptable sacrifice good seruice as it also is verified euen at this day And in this ignoraunce haue the Byshoppes of Rome kept the people of God specially the common sorte by no meanes so muche as by withdrawyng of the word of God from them and by keping it vnder the vale of an vnknowen straunge tongue For as it serued the ambitious humour of the Byshops of Rome to compell all nations to vse the natural language of the citie of Rome where they were Byshops whiche shewed a certayne acknowledging of subiection vnto them so yet serued it muche more their craftie purpose thereby to keepe all people so blinde that they not knowyng what they prayed what they beleued what they were commaunded by God myght take all their commaundementes for Gods. For as they woulde not suffer the holy scriptures or Churche seruice to be vsed or had in any other language then the latine so were verye fewe euen of the moste simple people taught the Lordes prayer the articles of the fayth and the ten commaundementes otherwyse then in latine whiche they vnsterstoode not by whiche vniuersal ignorance al men were redy to beleue whatsoeuer they sayd to do whatsoeuer they commaunded For to imitate the apostles phrase If the Emperours subiectes had knowen out of Gods worde their duetie to their prince they would not haue suffered the Byshop of Rome to perswade them to forsake their Soueraigne lord the Emperour against their othe of fidelitie and to rebel against him only for that he cast images vnto the which idolatrie was committed out of the Churches which the Byshop of Rome bare them in hande to be heresie If they had knowen of Gods word but asmuch as the ten commaundementes they should haue founde that the Byshop of Rome was not onlye a traytour to the Emperour his liege Lorde but to God also and an horrible blasphemer of his maiestie in calling his holy worde and commaundement heresye and that which the Byshop of