and grace and euen then by and by after shall follow the iudgement Lumnius devicinitate extremi iudicii lib. 1. cap. 15. Lumnius a Papist concerning the comming of Elias Enoch writes thus That although they shall preach but three yeeres and a halfe yet that the day of iudgement shall be neuerthelesse vncertaine to the world Although saith he we beleeue that Elias shall come and although the remnant of the Iewes be said to be conuerted when as the fulnes of the Gentiles shall haue entred in yet we must thinke that this must be done secretly and by little and little So that all the world shall stand in doubt of the person of Elias and of the time of the conuersion of the Iewes euen as the world stood in doubt of the persons of Iohn and of our Sauiour Iesus Thus farre Lumnius But this his exposition agrées not with the rest of the papists Reu. 11.6 for they expound those two witnesses in the Reuelation literally to be meant of the persons of Elias and Enoch And that they shall haue power in the daies of their prophecies to open and shut heauen and to turne water into bloud If they shall do these euident signes surely no man can say that they shall come secretly These signes also are so manifest that no man can doubt of their persons Nay Saint Iohn there saith Vers 9. that all people and nations shall see their bodies lie dead in the citie that spiritually is called Sodome and Egypt and that they shall be glad of their deaths and shall send presents one to another because they were slaine For they shall vexe the people of the earth and not conuert the Iewes as they imagine These prophets then shall not come secretly when they come as Lumnius imagineth but all the world shall heare of them and hate them They shall be enemies to their carnall mirth and spirituall fornication How angrie will the adulterer be to be depriued of his pleasure so pleasant also is spirituall fornication to flesh and bloud These two witnesses then are the preachers of the gospell Mat. 24.12 which shall preach the gospell to all nations In testimonium and not in patrocinium for a testimonie of their condemnation not for a helpe of their saluation as the same Lumnius alleageth out of Hilarie Lum ca. 14. Reue. 10.11 Which vnder the type of Iohn in the chapter going before haue receiued the little booke yea from the hand of the Lord to preach againe to nations peoples tongues and many kings not Elias and Enoch Ferus also of the vncertaintie of the day of iudgement writes thus If you enquire of me the daie and howre I will not tell you In 24. ca. Mat. but if you will know the seasons and beginnings I will hide nothing from you I haue shewed you in many words how that that day is not vnknowen vnto me But I haue brought you to the gates onely thereof for he had said before know ye then that it is euen in the verie gates But it is for your profit that I will not open the gates vnto you least you should waxe carelesse For so it is written of me I am thy God teaching thee profitable things onely as much as might profit you I haue taught but that which might engender in you a false securitie I conceale from you Here therefore thou seest the cause why he would haue both the day of our death and of iudgement vnknowne vnto vs least we should be more slouthfull but being alwaies vncertain of this we should euer liue in feare should euer watch being careful as though we should be iudged the next day and that we should looke for him euerie day whō we know not when he wil come Thus far Ferus Here is then a Christians life euerie day to looke and waite for Christ and so to liue as though he should not liue til to morrow according to that saying of the heathen Philosopher Who being bidden to a feast against to morrow Surely said he I neuer thought that I should liue til to morrow these many yeeres And it is reported that Saint Ierome that in all his doings he thought he heard that last trumpet sounding in his eares Then Elias comming shall not giue Christians warning thereof thrée yéeres an halfe before it come as the Papists do teach In ca. 11. Mat. Ferus also writing vpon these wordes And if ye will receiue him he is Elias which is to come saith thus As though he should say that you may plainly see that there is no other prophet to be looked for of you who should shew you that Messias should come Iohn is that verie same Elias which Malachie promised vnder the name of Elias And in these words he makes answere to a question couertly all men were perswaded that Elias should come before Messias came whom because they saw not they doubted of Christ And therefore the Apostles when they saw the Lord transfigured said Wherefore do the Pharisees say that Elias must first come To whom he answered Elias is come alreadie But who this Elias was here he signifieth Iohn himselfe is Elias not in person but in spirit and power For as Elias with great zeale was zealous that he might bring the people of Israel to the true God and for this cause he spared not kings so Iohn by the same zeale endeuoured to bring the people vnto Christ After Iohn therfore no other thing is to be looked for but that great terrible day of the Lord. The which also followes in the same prophet Thus farre Ferus If after Iohn nothing is to be looked for but that terrible day of the Lord then not Elias and Enoch according to master Bellarmines assertion Cuthbert Tunstall Bishop of Duresme thus writes in a Sermon put in print which he preached before king Henry the eight on Palme sunday vpon this text Let the same mind be in you that was in Iesus Christ These many yeeres past saith he little warre hath beene in these parts of Christendome but the Bishop of Rome either hath beene a stirrer of it or a nourisher of it and seldome any compounder of it vnlesse it were for his ambition and profit Wherfore seeing as Saint Paul saith in the four 10. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthiās That God is not the God of dissension but of peace who commaundeth by his word alwaies peace to be kept we are sure that all those that go about to breake peace betweene Realmes and to bring them to warre are the children of the diuell what holy names soeuer they pretend to cloake their pestilent malice withall which cloaking vnder hypocrisie is double diuellishnes and of Christ most detested because vnder his blessed name they do play the diuels part And therefore since Christ is on our side let vs not feare thē at al but putting our confidence in Almightie God let vs
would be content to release vs such a great debt for doing him some such light seruice for such a small trifle howe glad would we be how would we thanke him and shall we not doe the like to God In as much as ye are able saith Saint Paul liue peaceably with all men Rom. 12.18 not reuenging your selues my beloued but giue place to anger Shall I suffer the wicked to escape vnpunished then saith the malicious person Yea for though thou forgiue him yet shall he not escape vnpunished For it is written saith the Apostle vengeance is mine and I will reuenge saieth the Lord. If thou shalt seeke reuenge then God will not reuenge but if thou forgiue with Iesus Christ and commit thy cause to God then God will reuenge thy cause as he did his cause euen fortie yéeres after by ouerthrowing the common wealth of the Iewes and at their solemne feast of their passeouer besieging them euen as they then apprehended Christ and by selling them euen thirtie for a penie as they solde him for thirtie pence So Amalecke pursued Israell when they came out of Egypt Exod. 17 18. nowe being wearie and wanting water and faint but in the daies of king Saul a great while after 1. Sam. 15.2 God remembred what Amalecke had done to Israell and when as no doubt both the Israelites and the Amalekites had forgotten it euen then he remembred it and reuenged it Sufferest thou wrong then haue thou patience forgiue thy brother fréelie commit thy cause to God neither craue the magistrates sword for what is that but to seeke reuenge and in the end God shall reuenge thy cause as he did Christs as he did Israels And therefore to this purpose also Ecclesiastes saieth If in a countrie thou seest the oppression of the poore and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice bee not astonied at the matter either at the will of God which suffers it or at the frowarde will of the man that dare doe it Eccl. 5.7 For hee that is higher then the highest of them that doe this iniurie bee they neuer so high marks it and regards it and there be higher then they Do not thou so much as maruell at it be not grieued there at in thy mind let it neuer trouble thee for be sure God marks it and if he marke it he will also surelie reuenge it And also Dauid in the Psalmes saieth thus to the same effect Psal 10.14 Thou hast seene O Lord this oppression and the sorrowe of the poore mans heart thou respectest to put the matter into thy hands the poore will leaue it vnto thee thou hast euer beene a helper to the fatherlesse God seeth all wrongs and he seeth also the sorrowes of poore mens harts which no mortall iudge can see therfore commit thy cause into his hands he will giue right iudgement So we read that Ieremy did when the Iewes sought his life But thou O Lord of Sabboth saith he who iudgest iustly triest the raines and hearts Ier. 11.20.21 Let me see thy reuenge vpon them for I haue reuealed my cause to thee But thou wilt saie I forgiue my brother fréelie but yet I will goe to law with him Is this to forgiue thy brother fréelie This is as Ioab did 2. Sam. 20.9.10 to embrace and kisse Amasa friendlie with thy mouth and to kill him with thy handes Is this to forgiue as thou wouldest haue God to forgiue thee Wouldest thou haue God enter into iudgement and goe to law with thée Euen as thou wouldest haue God forgiue thee so fréelie oughtest thou to forgiue thy brother As Saint Paul teacheth Coloss 3. Cap. ver 13. Forbearing one another and forgiuing one another if any man haue a quarrell to another euen as Christ forgaue you euen so doe ye Lastlie if so be thou wilt needes goe to law be sure that thou haue euer charitie in thy heart Ephes 4 26. For if the sunne set on thine anger thou giuest place to the diuell as Saint Paul teacheth thee Oh that our quarrellers and contentious persons which delight in nothing but in going to law would remember this and beleeue it I thinke it would make them make hast to be friendes with their brethren Who would set open the doores of his house but one night for feare of robbing And shall we haue lesse care of our soules by our sléeping in malice or anger we set open the doore of our soules to the diuell to enter into it and to spoile it of all heauenlie vertues There is no theefe so watchfull as he is nor so bloodthirstie as saint Peter telleth vs 1. Pet. 5.8 He is like a roaring and raging lion walking about continually to seeke whom he may deuour Hée will not onelie robbe but kill And dost thou not feare him Darest thou through thine anger towardes thy brother leaue the doore of thy soule open vnto him Mat. 5.40 see that according to thy sauiours counsell rather then thou wouldest loose this rich iewell of Christian charitie thou wouldest loose both coat and cloake and lands and all Againe by this petition we maie learne that wee all are sinners If wee euen the Apostles of Christ saieth Saint Iohn whome Iesus loued shall say Ioh. 13.23 1. Io. 1 8. that we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no trueth in vs And who is there then else that must not saie so This lesson must humble vs it must stop our mouthes it is like the Peacockes deformed feet which when shée beholdes shée pluckes in her proude taile This will make vs pure in spirit Mat. 5.3 And lead vs not into temptation Gods grace is as it were a bridle to vs without which we should stumble and fall continuallie euen to the bottomlesse pitte of hell without it we cannot so much as thinke a good thought nor speake a good worde nor doe a good worke It is like to the Oare of a boate without it the boate wanders vp and downe the streame it is caried hither and thither so vaine and foolish likewise are all mens deuises if God guide them not And therefore we praie here that God will not leade vs into temptation that he will not take his grace from vs that he will not giue vs ouer vnto ouer selues that hee will not take this his bridle Rom. 1.24 this his heauenlie Oare from vs that he will guide vs euer with his heauenlie grace Rom. 8.1.4 and leade vs with his holie spirit least we incline our heartes and eares vnto vanitie Psal 119 37.52.11 And this is that which Dauid praieth O forsake me not O Lord my God be not farre from me And againe Cast mee not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me And againe Teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God Let thy good spirit leade me into the land of righteousnes Psal 143.10 King Saul maie teach
disquieted within me O put thy trust in God For I will yet giue him thankes which is the helpe of my countenance and my God The ioy of the Lord is your strength Nehe. 8.10 Rom. 15.13 O Lord of hope fill vs with all ioy and peace through faith that we may abound in hope through the power of the holie Ghost When we shall heare the clocke strike let vs say Blessed be the houre wherein our Lord Iesus Christ was borne and died for vs. When as we shall haue done any thing well let vs say Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs Psal 115.1 but vnto thy name giue the glorie For thy louing mercie and for thy truths sake When we shall take a iourney I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God Psal 71.16 and I wil make mention of thy righteousnes only In a doubtfull matter let vs pray thus In silence and confidence is our strength Esa 30.15 In dangers let vs pray thus Our helpe standeth in the name of the Lord Psal 124.8 who hath made heauen and earth For Faith let vs pray thus with the Apostles O Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 For the loue of God O Lord poure thy loue abundantly into our hearts Rom. 5.5 by thy holy Spirit For remission of sinnes Haue mercie vpon me O God after thy great goodnesse Psal 51.1 according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences Psal 19.13 Who can tell how oft he offendeth O cleanse thou mee from my secret sinnes Psal 25.7 O remember not the sinnes and offences of my youth but according to thy mercie thinke vpon me O Lord for thy goodnes For good thoughts Psal 19.14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord God my strength and my redeemer For good workes Psal 119.122 Make thy seruant delight in that which is good that the proud do me no wrong At the houre of death Psal 31.5 Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth For the Church pray thus Psal 28.10 O saue thy people giue thy blessing vnto thine inheritance feede them and set them vp for euer Psal 80.7 Turne vs againe thou God of hosts shewe the light of thy countenance and we shall be saued Psal 85.4 Turne vs O God our Sauiour let thine anger cease from vs. In the afflictions of the Church Amos 7.2 O Lord God spare vs I beseech thee who will raise vp Iacob for he is small Psal 51.18 O be fauourable and gracious vnto Sion build thou the wals of Ierusalem Psal 122.6 7 8 O pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that loue thee Peace be within thy walles and plenteousnesse within thy pallaces for my brethrens and companions sake I will wish thee prosperitie Saint Gregorie his Prayer Greg. post Psalmos poenitent O good Iesu the word of the Father the brightnesse of the Fathers glorie on whom the Angels do desire to looke teach me to doe thy will that being led by thy good Spirit I may come to that blessed Citie where is an euerlasting day and one spirit of all men where is certaine securitie and secure eternitie and eternall tranquilitie and quiet felicitie and happie pleasure and pleasant ioy where thou God liuest with the Father and the holie Ghost for euer and euer Amen He that shall vse these short prayers no doubt as arrowes they shall mount vnto the skies and enter euen into the eares of God A View of Gods houshold and of all his Seruants THis is set downe by king Dauid very excellently in the Psalme They haue seene O Lord Psal 68.25 thy goings how thou my God and king hast walked in the Sanctuarie Here Dauid teacheth vs that the Lord God as a mightie Prince sometimes as it were euen walketh in his Sanctuarie and among the faithfull in the congregation Now followeth his traine The singers Sharim go before the Musitians Nogenim they which play with the hand on instruments of musicke follow after in the middest are virgins playing on timbrels or drummes Here is Gods traine first singers then virgins and lastly they which plaie with the hand And these may signifie vnto vs thrée sorts of men in Gods Church Singers maie represent Martyrs or Confessors of the faith Virgins those that next to them though they haue not shed their bloud for the loue of Christ yet for his sake they haue abandoned all the vaine and fleshly delights and pleasures of this world and therefore by good right they challenge to themselues the middle or second place And lastly are those cunning Musitians which play with the hand Gal. 5.6 these are those Christians whose faith worketh through charitie Who haue sowne plentifully with their handes the Lords talents that he hath blessed them withall 2. Cor. 9.6 as Saint Paul exhorteth them to doe And they which haue done so do receiue plentifully againe as our Sauiour witnesseth Matt. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world for I was an hungrie and ye gaue me meate c. And how fitly agrées all these together Martyrs may bée rightly called Singers for as Prudentius writeth of Romanus the martyr when as the cruell persecutor had bored through his chéekes he spake thus to him Prudent in Rom. mart O Ruler fierce I yeeld thee thanks that for one mouth too straite Now manie mouthes thou hast me made my Christ his praise to speake Virgins may bee said to play with Drummes For their praise soundeth farre and wide Matth. 19.12 Of virginitie Christ said He that can comprehend it let them comprehend it As though hée should say it is a price propounded of me to all my disciples to runne for 1. Cor. 7.32 Happie is he that can attaine it And S. Paul erhorting all men to virginitie I would haue you without care saith he But this thing can only virginitie afford you The vnmaried man careth for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord But hee that is maried careth for the things of the world how he may please his wife Yea there is difference betweene a virgin and a wife They are not all one the one farre excelleth the other The vnmaried woman careth for the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in body and spirit but she that is maried careth for the things of the world how shee may please her husband Here is the excellencie of virginitie put downe weighed as it were in a paire of ballance and compared with mariage that euerie one maie sée the excellency and difference of the one before the other The virgin careth only for the Lord the maried person for the world The virgin
is holy in body and soule And so is not the maried And for this cause S Paul addeth generally to all Christian parents That he that giues his daughter to mariage doth wel but he that giueth her not to mariage doth better Besides the excellencie of the gift of virginitie it selfe which the virgin shall enioie yea euen the father the author therof deserueth commendation of God And so no doubt Philip the Euangelist had foure daughters that were virgins Act. 21.9 Hée followed here the Apostles counsell And therefore Ambrose on this place writes thus To diuers vertues diuers wages are appointed Amb. lib. 1. de vid. Neither do we finde fault with the one that wee might commend the other but all are commended that those that are more excellent may be preferred Mariage therefore is honorable but virginitie is more honorable For he that ioynes his virgin in mariage doth well and he that couples her not in mariage doth better Therefore that which is good is not to be eschewed And Saint Augustine writeth also thus It is good to marie Aug. de bono coniug cap. 9. 10. because it is good to beget children and to be a housekeeper but it is better not to marie because it is better for humane societie not to stand in neede of this worke But I know some that murmure What say they if all men should abstaine from mariage how then should mankind be maintained I would to God saith Augustine all men would do this onely in charitie and from a pure heart and from a good conscience and not from a fained faith for then a great deale sooner Gods citie should be filled and the end of the world should be hastened For what other thing seems the Apostle to meane when as he saith speaking thereof I would to God that all men were as I am or in that place This I say brethren because the time is short it remaineth that they also which haue wiues be as though they had none and they that weepe as though they wept not and they that reioyce as though they reioyced not they that buy as though they possessed not they that vse this world as though they vsed it not for the fashion of this world goeth away I would haue you without care And after he addeth He that is vnmaried careth for the things that belong to the Lord how hee may please the Lord but he that is maried thinketh on the things that are of the world how he may please his wife Thus farre out of Saint Augustine And no doubt as should séeme the same Apostle Saint Paul hauing respect to this doctrine he exhorteth Timothie and in him all other ministers to labour to obtaine this great gift of virginitie No man that warreth saith he entangleth himselfe with the affaires of this life 2. Tim. 2.4 because he would please him that hath chosen him to be a souldiour And in the verse going before he calleth Timothie a Souldier So that if Ministers be the Lords souldiers by S. Paules counsell here they ought not to entangle themselues with the cares of this life vers 3. But those cares follow them that be maried as necessarily as the shadowe doth the bodie as before he hath taught the Corinthians Therefore a Minister that will be a good Souldiour of Iesus Christ should striue to comprehend that notable gift of virginitie The Apostle here doth teach Timothie and all other mystically this lesson for hee addeth Consider what I say The Lord giue thee vnderstanding in all things Vers 7. And in another place he saith Not onely pursue loue but with all force and zeale striue for the greatest gifts 1. Cor. 14.1 Euerie Christian but especiallie those that haue giuen their names to fight vnder the Lords banner should striue to obtaine the excellentest giftes As God himselfe is the chiefest good thing in the world so he will haue all his seruants as much as is possible to come néere to him and to bée singular in all vertues Matth. 5.48 Chastitie is a gift of God but such a gift is not giuen to the slouthfull and sluggish but to those that knocke and praie to God for it No doubt that gift is compreded vnder that ample and large promise of our Sauiour What soeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name he will giue it you Euen Chastitie if it be expedient for them that pray for it Ioh 16.23 And surely I thinke I may saie of this excellent vertue as Saint Iames saith Iam. 4.2 You haue not because ye aske not I thinke there be few at this daie that once thinke on it or once open their mouthes to pray to God for it Againe this most excellent gift is not giuen as I said before to the idle or slouthfull but to those which vse the meanes to obtaine it which Gods word teacheth vs to vse that is fasting and mortification of the flesh Ministers saie not with Paule I tame my bodie and bring it in subiection 1. Cor. 9.27 lest that when as I haue preached to others I should be reproued my selfe 1. Cor. 7.7 And therefore they are not such as he was and as he wisheth not onely them but all men Widowes follow not Anna her steppes Luke 2.37 they frequent not the Temple they are not euer present at prayer they serue not God with fasting and prayers day and night and therefore in our Church wee haue so few continue widowes and so fewe follow S. Paules counsell but all will marie againe They respect not that blessednesse which he promiseth them 1. Cor. 7.40 Young maides saie not with that blessed virgin Marie Hee filleth the hungrie with good things Luke 1.53 but the rich he sendeth emptie away They will haue their bellies full they will not fast and therefore wee haue so few virgins Matth. 19.12 Yet our Sauiour himselfe said He that can comprehend it let him comprehend it Euerie one is to shew his force and courage herein and if infirmitie will not suffer him to obtaine the principall or best game then let necessitie make him bold to vse the remedie 1. Cor. 7.36 as Saint Paule counsels fathers do with their daughters whom he would wish to kéepe virgins But to conclude as none of our works no not our knowledge 1. Cor. 1◠9 so is not our virginitie perfect in this life What Saint hath a cleane heart or what virgin a chaste eye Pro. 20.9 Matth. 5.28 Psal 119.37 2. Cor. 12.7 Greg. in glossa that hath not beheld vanitie or what flesh so tamed that hath not felt that pricke which Saint Paul felt Gregorie writes verie excellently concerning virginitie and mariage vpon that place of Genesis Saue thy selfe in the mountaine Virginitie is that high hill which the Angell exhorts him to flie vnto and saue himselfe but he that feeles himself that he cannot ascend thither let him