if a man be content with that hee hath Secondly wee brought nothing into this worlde neither shall wee cary any thing out Thirdly they that wilbe rich fal into temptation snares into many foolish noisome lusts which drown men in perditiō destruction 4. the desire of mony is the roote of al euil which while some lusted after they erred from the faith and pearced themselues thorough with many sorowes But I heare you say we labour for the meate of the soule we heare the word we loue the Gospel we imbrace the preachers thereof we haue forsaken the Popes yoke and cast of the whores marke I woulde to God many did not so euen for the meate that perisheth to keep their lāds houses liuings libertie countenance the Gospell hath peace quietnes fruition of goodes and lands I wil therfore be a Gospeller Satā was deceiued in Iob. I fear that if I shuld say as he saide I should not altogether erre I wold I might lord doth this people feare thee for nought hast not thou made an hedge about them made their house made their substance to increase in the land but stretch forth thine hand and trouble that they haue they will curse thee to thy face A man so God may haue many friends in time of peace prosperitie but in time of aduersitie persecutiō thē is a friend tried Wheat chaff wil go together vntil they come to the flayle golde and drosse will goe together vntill they come to the fire rust and yron will goe together vntill they come to the scourer but then farewell wheate and farewel chaffe farewel gold and farewel drosse farewell rust and farewell yron Are not now many zealous for the Gospell as Demetrius the siluer smith was hot in mainteining Diana was he so zealous because hee loued Diana or her religion No no but because as he confessed he had his liuing by making of shrines for the goddesse The young man wil folow Christ vntill he come to this fell thy goodes then farewell Christ take vp your crosses saieth Christ lay down your purses and folow me Why were the Priests of Babilon marke whether this bee not true in the priests of Rome so furious against Daniell speaking against Bell was it for loue and zeale they bare to Bell no no there was spent vpon Bell euery night 108. gallons of fine flowre 40. sheepe and 60. gallons of wine The Priestes should haue lost this if Bell had gone down This was the cause of their fury zeale They serued God Bell in the day but God belly in the night wee serue God belly day and night they sayde great art thou O Bell and with thee there is no deceite We cry great art thou O belly and with thee there is no deceite thou eatest vp all Philopenus is nowe euery where who desired hee might haue a necke as long as a Cranes necke But where is Peter Andrew Iames Iohn Mathew who forsooke all and followed Christ Yea but Zacheus gaue but halfe his goods to the poore why did he not geue al Because as Chrisostome noteth the other halfe he reserued to render foure folde if hee had defrauded any man as hee himselfe promised Nay Christ shalbee welcome among the Gergesens but if they loose an hogge I pray you sir departe your roome is better than your companie Great was the loue and zeale of Ornam who gaue bullockes to Dauid and made fire with his threshing instrumēts Great was the loue and zeale of Elizeus who when Elias called him slewe oxen did seeth them with the instrumentes of the oxen But we must doe more then this if our right hand or eye offend vs we must cut them off and pull them out What shall I say the end of the world must needs be at hand because that men doe so loue thēselues To heare of warres saith our Sauiour to haue pestilence famine earthquakes these are but the beginnings of sorowe but when besides these iniquitie shal haue the vpper hand and the loue of men shall fayle then behold he is at the doores In that the preachers of gods word are so neglected and so litle prouided for doth proue that the Lord is at hand and wil shortly take vengeance I would all Magistrates and Patrones of benefices would folow the example of good king Ezechias who in the first yeeare yea the first moneth of his reigne did command the people to giue a part to the Priestes Leuites that they might be encouraged in the lawe of the Lorde Liuinges are not geuen they are solde as common as oysters at Byllingesgate This is the cause that Ministers are not nor cannot be so liberal as their predecessors haue been yea this is the cause why doltes ignorant Asses idle idole Shepheardes haue the liuinges I call thē Idols I wil proue it They haue eyes and see not eares and heare not handes and minister not tongues and speake not I was about to say they haue mouthes eate not but then I shoulde haue slaundered them In this I confesse they are not Idols A good scholer and an honest godlie minister will rather beg then buy your liuinges O yee robbe Churches whose portion shalbe fire and brimstone too drinke for you are the causes why many thousands of soules haue perished of you O the benefice mongers shall be required not hand for hand or eye for eye but blood for blood life for life and soule for soule You make the ministers your seruing men you make them iourney men they haue the name you haue the profite they the straw but you haue the corne nay you haue some straw also I could somwhat beare this if here by they for whom Christ died were not famished therefore in bitternesse of spirite in griefe of hearte in vexation of conscience and in torment of my soule I speake it that euen nowe I doe see as it were Pharaoh king of Egypt rising vppe to condemne you Who when hee solde all the lande of Egypt gaue straight commaundement that no one foote of the Priestes landes shoulde bee solde Reade the hystorie Hadd hee suche care for Idolatrous Priestes and haue you no more care for the Ministers of Iesus Christ Are you Protestantes you Gospellers you Christians You are Athistes Epicures that say in your hearts there is no God But perhaps fewe are heere of whom I speake let me vtter a few words to you merchant men whom I see present and so I will end Although Mercurie who was supposed to bee the God of merchants had winges on his feet and had alwayes a cocke by his side to signifie that merchantes shoulde be swift in their businesse should be vigilant as the cock or rise at the cocke crowing yet labour not to greedily to carefully for this meat for as the good hath in one hand a scepter to giue kingdōs wealth riches so he is pictured to
eie to be a byshop euery man cānot be a leg to be a piller in gods church yet euery one may be a hād to giue sōwhat to the building therof euery one may be an eare to heare the word a tongue to prayse the Lord and a mouth to receiue this meat which endureth vnto euerlasting life whē the people came home from Babila they buylded the temple of the Lorde before they builded eyther their own houses or the walles of the citie they builded with one hand hauing weapons in the other All the people followed Dauid to seek the Arke of God and all went with Solomon to builde a temple vnto the Lord. How did the Iewes desire and loue this meate when they heard Esdras read the law from morning to noone and wept bitterly How did the people of Antioch labour when the rulers of the sinagogue an example for officers to folow came to Paule and his companions and said Men and brethren if ye haue any word of exhortation to the people say on When they besought Paule to preache the same sermon the next sabboth day the nexte sabboth daye the whole citie came together to heare the worde of God How did Cornelius labour when he wayted for Peters comming he called his friends and kinred into his house to heare him for we haue not done our dutie if we our selues onely eate of this meate vnlesse we cause them also to eat that belong vnto vs as Cornelius brought his friendes to heare Peter preach as Andrew brought his brother Simon as Philip brought Nathanael as Iohn Baptist brought his Disciples to christ I was glad saith Dauid when they said to me we will goe into the house of the lord If we thus labour the lord God wil raise vp cunning workmen for his tēple painfull labourers in his vineyard faithful pastors of his flock good teachers of his people as when Moses made the Arke he called Bezaleel by name and when Soloman built the temple he raysed vp Hyram of Tyrus whome he filled with his spirit to work in timber siluer brasse and golde But it is not vnknown to vs how the Popes shauelings and that fat Priest of Rome himselfe do mocke vs while we are building as Sauballat mocked the Iewes saying what doe these weake Iewes will they fortifie themselues will they sacrifice will they finish it in a day wil they make the stones whole again out of the heapes of dust seing they are burnt sōe deride vs as Tobiah the Ammonite did mock thē saying although they builde yet if a fox go vp he wil break down the stony wal Some come to vs as the men of Samaria came to Zerubbabel we wil build with you for we seeke the Lord your God as you do But he answered so doe we it is not for you it is for vs to builde the house vnto our God Ye hypocrites you speake good wordes to the people but as Absolon to steale away the hartes of the people from Dauid his father you will proclaime a fast but as Iezabell to kill Nabot you will worshippe Christ but as Herod to murther him you wil kisse Christ but like Iudas you will kill Christ You are knowne to the worlde O ye Gibeanits which fain your selues Ambassadours to Ioshua bringing old sacks vpon your Asses old bottelles for wine olde shooes and clouted on your feete olde rayment dryed and mouled bread Doe you not knowe that for all their old stuf they were knowen at three dayes end Ieroboams wife disguised her selfe and went to Ahiiah for her sonne she caried ten loaues and cracknels and a bottell of hony though Ahiiah were blinde yet he sayd come in thou wife of Ieroboam So you disguise your selues you bring hony in your mouths there is none so blind but he can say come in or rather come out thou sonne of Antichrist You vsed vs and so you hope to doe again as the Philistines vsed Isaac when they stopped and filled vp with earth all the welles which Abraham his Fathers seruantes had digged for him The water for a time with earth may be stopped fire for a time with ashes may be couered the sonne for a time with clowdes may be shadowed but now the Lord be thanked the erth is remoued and the water doeth runne the ashes are consumed and the fire doeth burne the clowdes are dispersed the sun doth shine Now that we may long enioy these benefits the Lord continue encrease the zeale of our soureigne that shee neuer set her minde on that meat which perisheth not on any erthly thing as did good king Dauid when hee numbred the people as did good king Ezechias when he bragged of his treasure to the Ambassadours of the king of Babell but to continue in maintaining the Lordes cause not like Ioash who did well all the dayes of Iehoida the Priest and afterwarde fell from the Lorde nor like Vzziah who sought God as long as Zachariah the Prophet liued and afterward forsooke God but that as her dayes may be as the dayes of heauen so to her liues ende shee may labour for to keep among vs this meat of our soules for this meat hath no end but endureth vnto euerlasting life That she may still haue before her eies the example of Dauid who before all thinges did seeke the Arke of the Lord would haue builte an house for his God and though he were forbidden because hee was a man of blood yet hee prouided timber and stone and commaunded Solomon his sonne to builde it That Solomon may bee in her remembraunce who builte the house of God before he built his owne courte The house of God was 7. yeeres in buylding but his owne was thirteene yeeres not that he bestowed more charges on his owne house but with more hast and speede he did builde a temple vnto the Lord. That she neuer cease to follow Ezechias who first of all brake the Images cut downe the groues and brake in peeces the brasen serpent that Moses had set vp that she thinke alwayes on Iosiah who being a childe beganne to seeke after the God of Dauid his father and did purge Ierusalem and Iudah that she may alwayes thinke on the commaundement of the Lorde when the kinge shall sitte in the throne of his kingdome then he shall write him this lawe in a booke repeated by the priestes it shalbe with him and he shall reade therein al the dayes of his life that he may learn to feare the Lord his god keep al the words of this law and these ordinaunces for to doe them Now for as much as meat doeth not nourish vnles it be receiued by fayth we receiue it it cannot cherish vs vnlesse it be digested and by the heate of fayth it is concocted it cannot profit vs vnlesse it be kept in our hearts and by fayth we retaine it
saieth Paule is the misterie hid since the world began and from all ages but nowe is made manifest to the Saintes of God to whom GOD would make knowne what is the riches of his glorious misterie among the gentiles Dogs must not haue that which is holy There is a dogge which turneth about and teareth them that doe offer holy thinges Let not this dogge receiue that holy thing There is a dogge that cryeth with the woeman of Canaan trueth Lord I confesse that I am a dog yet the whelps may gather vp the crums that fal frō the childrēs table Christ wil haue that holy thing to be giuen to this dog Cast not pearls before swin Truth if they bee foule and treade them vnder their feete or if they bee washt and returne backe too their wallowing in the myre But if wee which were swine are by the blood of Christe washed and by the water of regeneration sanctified of swine are made lambes let vs haue that pearl we wil not tread it vnder our feete One Gospell yet diuersly it worketh in diuers mens heartes Water wil harden yron and soften the earth The Sunne drieth clay and melteth waxe the seede in good groūd bringeth forth increase but sowed among stones or thornes it bringeth foorth no fruit The fault is not in the seede but in the soyle the Sunne to vs that haue cleare sight is comfortable to the man that is poreblinde it is hurtfull Blame not the Sunne but the foole that will turne his eyes towardes the Sunne Suger to vs that bee in health is sweete to the sicke of an Ague it is bitter the Suger is not bitter his tast is naught Daintie meates to some stomackes are wholesome to others they are fulsome the fault is not in the meate but in the stomacke Euen so Christe crucified is to the Iewe a stumbling blocke to the Grecian folishnesse but to them that are called he is the power of God and the wisedome of God bee they Iew or Grecian bond or free male or female Wherefore thirdly I answere though drunkardes and tosse pottes abuse wine yet wine is profitable though vsurers and couetous men abuse money yet money is necessary though cutters and swinge-bucklers abuse weapons yet weapons are needfull Right so though the word of God by Heretikes and Athistes bee abused yet it is not to be forbidden Because it giueth wisedome euen vnto the simple because it hath milke for babes and strong meate for men because it is a lanterne to our feet and a light to our pathes because it doth lightē vs that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and doth guide our feet into the way of peace Let them with Otho reason thus absurdly the title set ouer Christs head by pilat was written in Hebrew Greek and Latine therefore the worde muste be read in one of these tongues wee thus affirme that God who did confounde the tongues of all men at the building of Babell they before hauing all one language that God I say at the beginning of the building of his church did giue to his Apostles and seruantes not onely the knowledge of Hebrew Greeke and Latine but of all languages in the worlde that all tongues vnder heauen all nations vnder the Sunne might reade heare and pray in their owne language in their owne mother tongue Wee therefore say with Cyprian Non videndum est quid aliqui ante nos fecerunt sed quid ille qui ante omnes est faciendum mandarit We must not care what they haue doone which were before vs but what hee doeth commaund to be doone which was before all Let vs then remember our miserable estate howe wee sate downe and wept to remember Syon howe we sought the word in strange Countries howe the Gospel was mingled with vanities how it was in a strange language how it was hid from the common people O let vs nowe then bee thankefull vnto the Lorde and that the world may knowe that wee are thankefull let vs labour for that meate whiche indureth vnto euerlasting life As the Philistines coulde not preuaile against Sampson although his heyfer had betraied him and his hayre cut of vntill they had pluckt out his eies so the Papistes could by no means so sone get the vpper hād as by pulling out the eyes of the people by taking from them their light sight knowledge and vnderstanding making them blinde not as whelpes whiche see after ix dayes not as the blinde man who sawe men as trees not as Paule whose eies were open yet sawe nothing by reason of his scales but as blinde as Moles as blinde as beetles as blinde as the men of Sodome who coulde not finde Lots doore as blinde as the king of Arams seruantes who came to bring Elizeus to their maister but were by him not seeing whither they wente brought into Samaria But as the Lorde opened the eyes of Hagar that she sawe the well of water as he opened the eies of Elizeus his man that hee sawe the mountaines full of Chariots and horses of fier as hee opened the eies of Paule that the scales fell from his eies so hath hee nowe opened our eies that wee see the wonderous thinges of his lawe the light of his truth the brightnesse of his woorde the shining beames of his glorious Gospell Noah reioyced when hee sawe the Doue come in with a leafe in her mouth wherby he knew the waters were abated Ioshua reioyced when hee sawe the Sun stand still for a whole day whereby hee knewe his enimies shoulde bee discomfited Israell reioyced when hee sawe the clowde or the piller of fier whereby hee knewe that by the Lord he was guided Elias reioyced when he saw the clowde no bigger then an hande whereby hee knewe the earth should be watered Ezechias reioyced when hee sawe the shadowe goe backe x. degrees whereby hee knewe his dayes were prolonged the wise men reioyced when they sawe the starre whereby they knew that to Iesus they should be conducted The wise men reioyced when they sawe Christe in the manger the shepheardes when they harde the newes Simeon when he imbraced him in his swadling clowtes Thomas when hee felte his woundes Steuen when he saw the heauens open Euen so iust cause haue wee to lift vp our heartes and reioyce For many kinges wise men prophetes fathers haue desired to heare those things which wee heare and coulde not heare them and to see those dayes which wee see but coulde not see them The Lorde graunt that as wee haue eies and see taste and feele this meate So we may haue mindes to desire it and willes to labour for it Againe remember as the Philistines left neuer a whetstone no speare onely two swordes no smith in all the lande of Israell least said they the Hebrwes make them swordes and speares and so preuaile against vs so the vncircumcised Romanes the Popish shauelings the