Countie addressed himselfe to this last course which indeede was the last course of that daie and for cuer to the king for the staues beeing broken and the King his vizzard suddenly falling off so doth the Lord worke to bring his iudgements to pasle one of the shiuers pearsed his head vnto the braines and suddenly so festered that no surgeons could cure the same Thus the King lost one of those eyes where with he threatned to haue seene the burning of those persoÌ„s died also of that hurt 8 Neither may we here well omit the death of Charles the ninth of that name King of France in whose time by whose meanes that bloodie massacre before mentioned was done in Paris and in many other cities of France For as the King had delighted himselfe in the blood of his Saints so himselfe also in his youth at the age of 25. yeares died of a most grieuous bleeding Many other the like examples are recorded by M. Fox both of our owne countrie and also of other nations of some that were stricken with madnes of some that did hang or drowne themselues and of other that died in despaire most fearefully and that in such manner as that all the world might see the iust iudgement of God against them both for their religion and also their malicious persecuting of such as were of our religion 9 To these will I adde an other example not yet written by any but yet as trew as any of the former whereof not with standing some are knowne to all the world and also no lesse worthie the writing then the former At great Wenham in Suffolke in the daies of King Henrie the eight there dwelt one M. Cardinal whose wife hauing heard one M. Worthe a godly man good preacher preach at Hadley about some three myles from thence at her returne home entreated her husbande one daie to request M. Worthe to come and preach with them Master Cardinall though at the first fearing some danger of law yet at the last yeelded and indeede proceeded and procured M. Worth to come thither The parson of the saide Wenham beeing popish withstood M. VVorth beeing come saying that no such should preach there M. Cardinal intreated but the parson denied beeing like â—o the dogge in the manger that wil neither eate â—aie himselfe nor suffer the horse at the racke to eate any So I saie this parson as some also doe â—n these daies neither would nor could doe good himselfe neither would suffer any other â—o doe any At length M. Cardinall seeing the parson so wilfull and obstinate saide that M. VVorth should preach doe the parson what he could to the contrarie and come what daunger would come In fine they went all to Church and many other vpon knowledge of M. VVorth his preaching were assembled Now when M. VVorth should begin his sermon the parson according to his froward word for the disturbing of him went toward the high altar to saie masle VVhat followed a most worthie example of God his iustice For presently before all the people assembled the Lord smote this popish parson for dead for the time drawing his mouth vp to his eare and so made him past saying of masse Notwithstanding beeing carried out of the church for auoiding further trouble of the congregation he was within little time recouered of his life yet neuer recouered his witts and senses but liuing long after continued a foole all the daies of his life and turned the spit 〈◊〉 was imploied vpon some other seruice in the saide M. Cardinall his house euer after I haue heard this of many very credible persons who had often heard it from M. VVorth long time after euen in this Queenes daies viccar of Dedham in Essex and of many other that were present at that sermon and were eye witnesses of the iudgement Some also are yet liuing about VVenham aforesaid that knew it 10 I might adde many other examples of God his iudgements against like persons for like cause but these shall be sufficient For by these who seeth not that hath any eyes at all to see in what account poperie is with the Lord Let all men therefore by these examples take heede that they deceiue not themselues Let not them blindfold their owne eyes that they may not see the things thus manifest Let them not disgrace the reports of M. Fox sith many things written by him are also written by other before him from whome he borrowed that which he did write Some things of his are samous and knowne to all men I am not ignorant that M. Fox in writing some things vpon the report of others might sometime erre And although his slippe in such things be taken great hold of by the Papists who there by take occasion to disgrace all the truth he hath written to couer their owne crueltie to conceale God his iudgements to harden themselues in poperie and the more easily to draw other to be of this minde yet let the wise and true Christian consider that it was by the deuills great policie to mooue some no doubt in colour of synceritie and pretending a minde of helping M. Fox in that worthie worke to informe him with some vntruths that by his writing of them vpon such information all the rest of his writing might be in disgrace as being in like manner vntrue This no doubt was the subtiltie of the old serpent and of his viperous litter so to disgrace that noble worke and so to obscure those euident examples of Gods disalowance of their religion as though he had written no truth when the most of the things by him chronicled are as cleare as the sunne is in the midst of the brightest sommer day But albeit some be giuen ouer in the iust iudgement of God to beleeue truthes to be lies because they haue embraced lies for truthes yet I hope that such as belong vnto the Lord though perhaps by such deuises they haue beene abused will now make better vse of these examples that I haue set downe and the like Thus much for those works of God against poperie and Papists whereby he hath as it were immediately testified his dislike of both THE FOVRTH BRANCH OF the tenth argument touching the workes of God for our religion NOwe although by the former workes God hath also testified his approbation of our religion yet let vs nowe further consider and marke diligently what he hath directly done for our religion the professours thereof Truly such haue beene the great and mightie works of God for our religion that as the Prophet saith God is knowne in Iudah his name is great in Israel psal 76. And againe The Lord loueth the gates of Sion aboue all the habitation of Iacob glorious things are spoken of the citi of God psal 87. 2 3. So also it may be said of many particular persons that haue boldly professed and stoutly maintained our religion and chiefly of those cities countries and kingdoms
Princes as haue done and doe daily speake and doe so much for Christ in his gospel and in his members that they giue great incouragement to all persons of place fitte to haue accesse vnto them without feare to put them in continuall remembrance of further honouring of Christ If he were so bold for Christ Iesus beeing deade how much bolder ought all men to be for Christ Iesus raised vp from the dead yea verily he is twise risen againe once touching his bodie out of the sepulchre into which the same Ioseph did honourably lay him and againe touching his gospel out of the graue of poperie wherein it had lien twise so many hundred yeares at the least as his bodie had lien daies and nights in the former sepulchre How zealous therefore ought men to be for the honouring of the gospel of Christ Iesus with true honour wherein Christ Iesus himselfe thus raised vp and glorified cannot but be likewise honoured As such men ought to be thus zealous in speaking for Christ and his gospel at all times so especially then ought they to be most zealous when any speciall occasion requireth the same or when any speciall opportunitie is offered thereunto Salomon saith How good is a word spoken in due season Prov. 5. 25. He speaketh this by question and admiration and thereby teacheth that he himselfe the wisest that euer was Christ onely excepted could not well expresse how good a word was spoken in due season Therefore he saith againe A word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer Prov. 25. 11. Such therefore as the Lord hath aduaunced to such place either in Church or in commonwealth as wherein at any time by word or deede they may further this religion in this booke thus cōmended I wish to watch all opportunitie of doing further good and any beeing offered not to neglect the same but wisely to take and follow it to the vtmost of their power Where any noble honourable or other great person seeth any conuenient time where his word may doe good to further religion thereby to aduance God his glorie let him thinke with himselfe as Mordecaie spake vnto Ester Ester 4. 14. who knoweth whither the Lord hath thus aduanced me for this time 2 Neither let any such person feare the losse of their labour touching themselues in speaking in such causes God whose religion ours is hath saide by his Prophet 1. Sam. 2. 30. Them that honour me I will honour and he is faithfull that hath promised Hebr. 10. 23. This is manifest by many of the examples before mentioned The fruit indeede of such labour doth not alwaies appeare presently yet God is not vnrighteous that he should forget the worke and labour of such loue towardes his name c. Hebr. 6. 10. but he taketh such a note thereof yea of the least word spoken this waie that it shall most certenly be remembred to such persons themselues or to their posteritie euen in this life and touching the benefites thereof when all the world shall thinke it buried and euen as it were wholly consumed to ashes in the graue of obliuion It was not much that Iethro the father in law of Moses did called also Keni Iudg. 1. 16. and of whome descended the Kenites it was not much I say that this Iethro or Keni did for the Israelites For he did but onely giue counsaile to Moses his sonne in law for the better gouernement of the Israelites Exod. 18. 19. yet note what note the Lord kept of this small matter After the death of Moses after the death of Ioshua and the elders that ouerliued Ioshua after the death of Othniel Ehud Shamgar Debora Gedeon and the rest of the Iudges that iudged Israel mentioned in the whole booke of Iudges after the death of Eli and his sonnes after the gouernment of Samuel resigned into the hands of Saul after all this euen foure hundred yeares after the former counsell giuen by Iethro to Moses did the Lord thinke vpon this kindnes and recompenced it tenne fold to the Kenites the posteritie of Iethro Yea rather then it should not be recompenced he raised vp Saul to recompence the same euen vnnaturall vnthankfull and most cruell Saul that had sworne the death of his owne sonne Ionathan 1. Sam. 14. 44. who had saued Israel and would indeede haue killed him had not the people rescued him that afterward did daily hunt for the life of Dauid as for a partridge in the mountaines 1. Sam. 26. 20. who had notwithstanding killed the great Goliah whome all Israel durst not looke in the face 1. Sam. 17. 24. and gotten many other victories of the Philistims and married Saul his owne daughter that also killed all the Lord his priests at once 1. Sam 22. 18. euen this bloodie man did the Lord raise vp to recompense the kindnes of Iethro and to saue the liues of all the Kenites Yea though this Saul were a man most vnmercifull vnto them to whome he owed much mercie and other loue yet the Lord so wrought his heart for the recompencing of that that Iethro had done to Moses and for Israel that he was very earnest with the Kenites for the withdrawing themselues from the Amalakites that he might not destroy them with the Amalakites Therefore he saith not onely Goe but also depart yea also he addeth Get ye downe from among the Amalakites least I destroy you with them And why is he thus mercifull vnto them for saith he ye shewed mercy to all the children of Israel when they came vp from Egypt 1. Sam. 15. 6. Certenly this mercie whereof such a streame did flow from Saul towards the Kenites was onely of the Lord not of Saul himselfe Saul of himselfe as we haue heard was as the stonie rocke in the wildernes which notwithstanding the Lord made to giue drinke plētifully to the Israelites and their cattell Numb 20. 8. Saul of himselfe had neither the religion nor the manners to consider greater things done by those that were of his owne blood for himselfe and for the present generation of the Israelites Shall we then thinke that he had religion or manners to remember such olde good turnes done so many yeares before for the old forefathers of the Israelites Nowe what doth this example teach vs but that the Lord is iust to remember the like kindnes when all men shall thinke it vtterly forgotten yea to make such to consider the same as from whome in respect of their contrarie disposition no such matter can in reason be hoped for but rather the contrarie feared 3 But what shall I neede to call as it were so loud vnto antiquitie so farre off for an example whereby to iustifie the righteousnesse of God in honouring them that honour him Is not Queene Elizabeth yet liuing and many yeares more O blessed God may shee liue and raigne to thy glorie is not is not this our most noble gracious and Christian
God I answer with S. Iohn They went our from vs but they were not of vs 1. Ioh. 2. 19. They professed our religion but they neuer truly embraced the same neither did euer truly feele the power of godlines in their soules yea though it may be that they had some ioy in our religion yet it was but the ioy of the stony ground wherin the seede of the word hath no sound rooting Math. 13. 20. and like vnto the ioy of Herod at the preaching of Iohn Baptist Mark 6. 20. Yea but some perhaps will obiect further that many of the best of our religion are often in great heauines of minde and doe much doubt of God his fauour c. yea that most part of their life they continue in this pensiuenes To this I answer that although this fruit of ioy and sound comfort do alwaies grow vpon the tree of our religion yet sometime the twigges of our olde crabstocke into which this religion is grafted doe grow out so farre through our euill husbandrie and not pruning them in time that the leaues thereof beeing very thicke according to the nature of the crabbe doe so shadowe this fruit that euen he that is grafted with the impes and sciences of our religion can hardly finde this fruit without narow search and diligent turning ouer and remoouing the leaues as it were one by one with his hand As also we read that although Christ were in the presence of the two disciples that were going to Emaus and talked with them and yet was not discerned by them because their eyes were holden that they could not know him Luk. 24. 16. as also that Marie Magdalene saw Iesus and talked with him but yet knew him not Ioh. 20. 14. So also the children of God that by a true and liuely faith are partakers of Christ do not yet see Christ nor the great comfort which they haue by Christ because their eyes are holden that is their sight is dimmed by the sight of sinne partly and partly also by the sleights of Satan that they can neither see nor feele that matter of ioy and comfort which they haue and carrie daily about within their breasts 8 Finally touching this comfort it is with the children of God and such as are truly of our religion as it is with many simple men in the world touching their earthly possessions and inheritances For although they haue neuer so good right vnto them and neuer so good assurance of them euen as good as possibly they can haue and as all the lawyers by all the law in the world can make them yet for all that they oftentimes meete with some pettifogger and cousening mate that telleth them their title is naught and not worth a straw so forth Now by such wordes the simple man is halfe perswaded and beginneth something to doubt yea sometime almost to feare and thus he continueth till he meete with his learned counsaile that doe againe declare vnto him and assure him of the contrarie so Isaie is it with the children of God and such as are truly seasoned with our religion By Christ Iesus they haue as good right to the kingdome of heauen as is possible and their estate is so good as that all the enemies they haue either carnal or spirituall cannot possibly defeat them thereof notwithstanding such is their simplicitie in heauenly things as oftentimes it is greater in earthly things that their enemie and the enemie of God meeting with them and reasoning the case either by his outward instruments or by those secret friends which he hath in a man his owne heart doth at the last by his subtiltie make them to doubt and filleth them with feare till they meete againe with their old counseller the spirit of God who sometime keepeth himselfe close and for a time will not as it were be spoken withall to trie what his clyents will or can doe without him but when they meete and conferre with him by the time that he hath a little repeated their assurance and declared their right from point to point by his seuerall effects in their hearts and how also Christ Iesus purchased saluation for them and bestowed it vpon them and therefore also gaue him vnto them as an earnest pennie thereof to seale and confirme the whole gift then doe they cast away their former feare and recouer their ancient comfort So is it from time to time with them whilst Satan talketh with them and the spirit of God hideth himselfe they doubt but when the spirit of God talketh with them by his liuely and sensible operation in their hearts then are they of good cheere and comfort yet euen whilst they feare they haue no cause of feare but their right is alwaies one and the same onely sometime by their simplicitie they see not their right This shall suffice to haue spoken both of the abundance of all heauenly comfort in our religion and also of the want thereof in poperie Wherefore I doe againe conclude both that our religion is most pleasant and acceptable vnto the God of all comfort and also that poperie is altogether abominable in his sight THE EIGHT ARGVMENT touching the wisdome of true religion an infallible note and signe thereof I May here also not vnfitly nor out of place adde the foolishnes of poperie For what can be more foolish or ridiculous then the worship of such reliques as they doe both worship and also take great paines and trauaile many myles defray great charges for the worship of theÌ„ especially most foolish absurd and grosse is it to worship such as before haue beene named as the verie â—ayle of the asse wheron Christ rode such like I aske here no pardoÌ„ as speaking grossely the holines of the thing must take away the homelines of the word But I maruaile they could get nâ— better and sweeter morsell then the taile it may be they came too late to market and so all the better peeces being taken vp before by dogges kytes ravens and such other customers as doe vse to resort to such markets this onely was left and so it was bought for the Pope his owne tooth but he of his meere holie conscience would not eate meate of so great a price and of his great liberalitie bestowed it vpon the church for euer If they make so much account of the taile they would much more haue honoured the head if they had come time enough to the market what then would they haue done with the whole bodie if they could haue gotten it and if they make such reckoning of a peece of a dead asse I suppose that if they had the liuing asse and could keepe him aliue and yet what a foole am I to make a question of their power in such a thing when as euerie man knoweth that their Pope and euery Priest of his begetting can make God himselfe and we heard also before that the Pope himselfe can make something of nothing
owne knowledge who both heard him sweare that he would cut his owne throat and also knew how he brake promise by hanging himselfe In the same yeare also that is 1533 one Doctour Foxford chancelour to the Bishop of London and a cruell persecutor and butcher of God his Saints vnder Bishop Stokesly died suddenly and fearefully 〈◊〉 in his chaire his bellie breaking and his guttes falling out before his owne eyes 3 Next to these let be considered that of William Gardiner an English marchant most cruelly martyred at Lishbone in Portugal for snarching the host with one hand and beating the chalice with the other out of both the hands of a Cardinoll before the King and all his nobles the Lords daie after a solemne marriage of the saide King his sonne with the daughter of the King of Spayne anno Dom. 1552. and in the raigne of King Edward the sixt of most blessed memorie Let I say be here also remembered the iudgement of God following the execution of that most holy martyr by the Portugalls at Lishbone for the cause before mentioned For how did they by whose authoritie he was so executed escape The same night he was burned one of the sparkes of the fire where with he was burned by God his prouidence beeing conueied amongst the King his shippes lying in the hauen fired one of them and burned itâ— within halfe a yeare after the young Prince then married died and the King himselfe also within another halfe yeare after that and so within one yeare both the king and his sonne died 4 An other example we haue of one Alexander the keeper of Newgate not much vnlike to Alexander the coppersmith of whoÌ„ the Apostle complaineth this Alexander dealt most cruelly with those that were committed to his custodie in new gate for the gospel But what became of him he died most miserably being both swolne more like a monster then a man so eaten also within that no man could abide the smell of him Yea further the Lord his wrath was kindled also against his sonne for he being left very rich was giuen ouer to such a â—iotous mind that he wasted all within three yeares and beeing sometime asked how he could spend so much in so little time he would answer that euill gotten must be as euill spent Shortly after also as he walked in newgate market he fell downe suddenly and so died fearefully 5 Another example there is also registred of a Sheriffe of Suffolke his man that attending vpon his master at the martyrdome of one Iames Abbes at S. Edmonds Burie and hearing the fald Iames Abbes exhort the people to stande in the gospell which he would in their presence seale with his blood bad the people not beleeue him because he was a madde man spake he knew not what But marke good reader This rayling and rauing Papist as soone as fire was put to Iames Abbes was immediately before all the people stricken with madnes so that he cried out as much in commendation of Iames Abbes as before he railed on him condemning also himselfe and saying Iames Abbes is a good seruant of God and saued but I am damned This note he sung vntill his dying daie railing also on the priest that his master sent for to housle him a little before his ende yea not onely railing on the priest but also on papists and poperic charging them to be the cause of his damnation Another example we haue of God his iudgement vpon Fisher Bishop of Rochester and Syr Thomas More knight these had beene persecutors of the Protestants especially they had procured the death of Iohn Frith Bayfield and Baynham Therefore the Lord cried also quit with them for themselues also were publikely executed at Tower hill 6 Worthie also of remembrance is that which M. Fox likewise writeth of one Vanderwarfe of Antwerp who as he was of great place and authoritie in that citie so also was he of great malice against the Protestants most cruelly persecuting all and drowning many men and women to his great praise among other of that cruell generation For this also he was called a blood-hound or bloodie dogge But God in whose eyes the death of all his Saints is alwaies right pretious forgot not his crueltie for this Vanderwarfe hauing gotten great riches and therefore left Antwerp liuing in the countrey at his case at a certaine time came in a waggon with his wife and some other to make merrie at Antwerp where hauing recreated himselfe he returned againe towarde the countrie As soone as he was out of the citie beeing to goe ouer a wooden bridge built as should seeme but for a shift and for a time hauing barres and rayles on both sides the horse in the waggon stoode still and would not goe forwarde by any meanes of the waggoner Vanderwarfe his bloode beeing vp and prouoked against the waggoner bad him driue forward in a thousand deuills names Immediately vpon this there arose suddenly a mightie whirle winde all being calme before which tost the waggon with this gentleman other passengers ouer the bridge and so they fell into the water The rest beeing saued and takeÌ„ vp aliue for the present though his wife died within three daies after himselfe onely was drowned as he had drowned many before What also shall I say of the miserable desperate death of Steuen Gardiner the great blood-sucker of this land for at his death another Bishop coÌ„ming vnto him as it seemeth finding him in a desperate minde put him in remembrance of Peter his denying Christ But he sauouring no comfort therein answered that he had denied Christ with Peter but neuer repented with Peter 7 What also shal I saie of Henrie the second of that name King of France had he not committed certaine great persons to prison for religion and threatned one of them to see him burnt with his owne eyes yet behold the worke of God herein Shortly after he had not eyes to see it for the very same daie that the King was in the greatest rage against the foresaide prisoners and had examined the Presidents counsellers of the Parliament against them after dinner addressing himselfe to runne at the tilt and indeede performing that acte very honourably with the breaking of many staues to his great commendation by all the beholders He not satisfied with that which he had done but tickled with the former commendation and desirous of more according to the nature of ambition which thinketh no praise sufficient vrged the Countie of Mountgommer to runne an other course with him This Countie had before receiued the former prisoners from the Constable of France vpon the Kings commandement and carried them to prison Notwithstanding now when the King vrged him to runne an other course he kneeled downe and craue pardon as thinking the king to haue done inough for one daie but the King preuailing more by commanding then the other could doe by intreating at the last this
adder that stoppeth his eares refusing to heare the voice of the charmer charme he neuer so wisely Be ye not vnlike vnto the first world that seeing how miraculously and contrarie to nature the lyons beares woolfes tygers elephants vnicomes hares conies and such like cruell and wilde beasts the swallows also kytes rauens ostriches eagles and many other the like wilde and rauening birdes came willingly and gently without any outwarde force compelling them to Noah to goe into the arke with him and with his familie Gen. chap. 7 vers 7. would not yet beleeue and therefore were drowned in the waters Be ye not like the Egyptians and many also of the Israelites that seeing the great works of God against Egypt and for the land of Zoan would not yet beleeue and therefore perished the one in the redde sea the other in the wildernes Be ye not like the Iewes that did see the great and mightie workes done by our Sauiour and his Apostles for commending his gospell and yet would not beleeue and are therefore scattered vpon the face of the earth out of their owne countrey vnto this day and that which is worse are giueÌ„ ouer also to hardnes of heart wil not yet beleeue that the Christ and Messias is come 6 Verily God hath commended our religion as we haue before shewed to your eares to your eies to your vnderstaÌ„ding to your inward to your outward to your whole man Take heed take heede therefore that ye harden your hearts no longer Ye haue heard many arguments drawne from the word of God ye haue seene and doe daily see his workes against your owne religion and for ours O therefore stop not your eares shut not your eyes Yea ye your selues O ye that will be called Catholiques haue fared and doe fare the better for our religion in England Ye your selues are partakers of the benefites whereby the Lord hath graced it and doth grace it ye liue in much peace for our religions sake ye enioy your honours and dignities by our religion yea ye keepe and encrease your liuings the better for our religion For though some of you perhaps will say that ye pay two hundred and fourtie pound a yeare for your religion yet if ye were throughly examined and would truly answer ye could not denie but that vnder pretense of this payment ye saue twise so much an other waie For this is certen that none doe purchase more lands build goodlier houses and hoard vp more money then some of them that paie the foresaid summe yearely Thinke not that it should be better with you if the Spanyard might here preuaile ye are wise enough to see how vaine such thoughts are by his dealing in other places where he hath wonne the goale Doe ye also hope of some better estate if poperie were againe here reuiued without the Spanyard perhaps ye should be deceiued partly by the old greedines of the Pope the rather beeing now like an hungerstarued curre that for his long want of the crummes bones yea and good gobbets of meat that were wont to fall from the tables of England to his share would now be insatiable partly and especially by some other iudgements of God that would follow poperie Sith therefore ye enioy such benefits by vs and our religion as Laban fared the better for Iacob Gen. 30 30. and Potiphar for Ioseph Gen. 39. 5. be not so vnrighteous as any longer to condemne that which God doth iustifie Be not so vnthankfull as any longer to refuse his great mercie in calling you by such commendations of our religion to the embracing thereof Now I say vnto you as Paul saith vnto Timothie 2. Tim. 2. 7. Consider what I say and the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all things Yea such vnderstanding as that I and all other that desire your saluation may reioyce that the angels in heauen may reioyce and especially that your selues may reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious THE SIXT VSE CONCERNING obstinate and wilfull Papists TOuching those that be obstinate whither they be Papists or Atheists professed or not professed but rather according to Machiuel his counsell too much now esteemed and followed making a shew for the present time towards our religion to such I saie as will not be reclaimed and called backe from their poperie or profanenes I giue this counsell that although they will not ioyne handes with vs in the true embracing and profession of our religion yet they take heede alwaies that they neither speak nor doe any thing against our religion or the professours thereof This counsell I giue them in regard of themselues because certenly the Lord will not forget the least opposition vnto his name or iniurie vnto his seruaâ—â—s Though many times he let theÌ„ runne their race a while so as they thinke all is forgotten yet as I haue said before of recompensing any kindnesse in word or deede shewed to his people at the last though it seeme to belong certenly the Lord euen in this life will meete with them or theirs for their sinne against his name and wrong against any of his seruants In the 8. of Amos v. 7. the Prophet telleth them that had deuoured and swallowed the poore by their extreame dealing with them in selling their corne at an vnreasonable price vnto them as too too many doe in this time of dearth amongst vs that the Lord had sworne by the excellencie of Jaacob that is euen by himselfe that he would neuer forget that crueltie Obserue good reader orrather let such obserue as of whome I speake that he saith not that the Lord had said onely he would not forget but that the Lord had sworne it by himselfe teaching therby that except they did speedily repent the Lord would most certenly punish that their great sinne because euery word of God is certen much more that word the which he confirmeth by an oath If the Lord did threaten and sweare the punishment of hard dealing with the common sort of the people that for the most part are as poore in heauenly things as in earthly that is whose wickednes is as great as their pouertie can any man hope of immunitie and to goe free that speaketh or doth any thing directly or indirectly against that religion which he seeth to be acceptable vnto God or against those persons that professe the same both which are as deare vnto God as the apple of his eye 2 Neither let this be vnderstood onely of religion and the professours thereof generally but also more particularly of euery branch of religion of euery good cause and of euery one dealing in such causes The example of God his iudgements vpon diuers malicious Papists before mentioned doe testifie the same So also doe many examples in the scriptures Though the sinnes generally of Ahab and Iezebel his wife were many yet the Lord threatned ruine vnto them both and to all their posteritie chiefly for their sinne against righteous Naboth 1. King 21.