to lighten the Gentyles and to be the glory of thy people Israel THE Euangelist Saint Luke after he hath by sundry approoued Testimonies wytnessed to Gods holy Church the order and byrth of Iesus Christ borne of his mother the most holye Virgin Mary doth purpose the description of Christ hys Office and Function In cause wherof he first cyteth the gratulatory Song of olde Father Symeon who doth most pythely set downe the parts of Christes office and valour of his nature to his Godhead annexed Namely giuen of his Father to be our onely sufficient and Omnipotent Messiah gyuen and not solde prepared of the Father not at all purchased by man or Angell to be the Saluation alone of Iewe and Gentyle To the Heathen that laye in darknesse Gods lanterne and light and to his kinsmen the Iewes their greatest cause of glorye But onely Symeon thus fayth And what is he and his authoritie that we should buylde our Fayth on his warraunt For aunswere I say Giue eare to our Euangelist who by the spirite of God wryteth and thy Question shall fullye be answered For thus wryteth Saint Luke Behold there was a man in Ierusalem whose name was Symeon Luc. 2.25 Thys man was iuste and feared God and wayted for the consolation of Israel And the holye Gstost was vpon him and it was declared to him from God by the holy ghost that he should not see death before hee had seene that Annoynted of the Lorde And he came into the Temple by the motion of the holy Ghost when the Parents brought in the Babe Iesus to doe for him after the custome of the Lawe then tooke he hym vp in his armes and praysed God and sayde Lorde nowe lettest thou thy seruant departe in peace according to thy worde c. Symeon I graunt is not here adorned of the Euangelist with Princely style Honorable tytle or sayde to descend of Noble parentage Happely he was of baser byrth and meane estate of the vulgare sorte not exalted to office place of credite in the Common wealths Regiment or to worldly riches And here in doth Gods spirite continue his well be gonne course in the byrthe of thys Babe Christ Who hymselfe though king and Lorde ouer all yet in earth borne is wrapped in sorye clowtes layde in a Manger whose Pallace was the horses stable and his shrowde against the extreame wynters weather was the breathe which the Oxe and Asse naturally breathed A poore beginning yea but gloryous thoughe to the worlde ignomious and in the accompts of the Atheists of our dayes ridiculous But so also to poore Shepheards watching their Flockes by night not to pompous Princes to the learned godly Magi not to the prowde contentious Phariseis did the same spirite manifest our Christs Natiuitie the Gentyls light and Israels glorye So likewise brought to the Temple he is not pompously receyued of the highe Byshop but louingly imbraced by his pore Prophet Symeon vpon whome the spirite of prophecie Luc. 2.36 in steade of worldly pompe at this instant was restant By an olde and poore Wydowe also but a Prophetisse the daughter of Phanuel of the Tribe of Aser the lowest amongst the twelue Trybes of Israell This is not done to the contempt of the mightie Monarks and Noble persons of the earth fearing God but to the glory of his holy name and the comforte of the poore despised Christians in the worlde that fleshe and bloud should not haue else where to reioyce but in the Lorde ◠Cor. 1.26 27.28 Againe that the eyes of men being opened may sée that not by many mightie many ritche many wise and Potentates of this world but by himself in his owne power and wisedome he vseth the base beggerly things of this lyfe to be his preaching Prophetes and faythfull wytnesses by them to bring to confusion the glorious wisdome of the world and the pryde therof This poore man tho is enobled with most honorable tytles as to be Iuste Symeon◠style and dygnitie godly and religious wayting for the consolation of Israel and to haue the spirite of God vpon him all which words as they set forth the excellency of this holye Symeon So are they of vs further to be considered for as much as they be to vs the very assured markes infallible by which we may certainely knowe the faythfull adopted sonnes and trusty seruants of the lyuing God from the counterfeyte Christian and vngodly Atheist But he is called Iust and that of Gods spirite which cannot lye First Symeon is iuste in Gods sight by the will and grace of God Secondly he is iuste in lyfe amongst the sonnes of men But what shall we saye Was Symeon so iuste in the eyes of the Lord that in him could no vnrighteousnesse be found Or was he called iuste for that he iustly fulfilled the commaundements of God Or else was he iuste by imputation bycause his sinnes were not layde to his charge I answere this demaunde Symeon is not so iust in the sight of God that in him can no vnrighteousnesse be found for no man is frée from synne as Salomon sayth Pro. 20.9 Who can say my harte is cleane from sinne If the Fountayne which is the harte of man be corrupted the conductes his members and actions must néeds be infected therwith Truely in Gods syght neyther are the Starres cléere wythout shadowe or the Angels iust in this respect Iob. 15.14 Where shall we finde then an earthly man that can stande in and by himselfe thus iuste before the Lorde Nay the best regenerate person is manye wayes corrupte No man iust before God and his actions full of synfulnesse yea his best works are impure farre shorte of that they should vnworthy Gods sight muche more his louing acceptation but most vnworthy the accompts of righteousnesse In one worde we our workes alwayes our selues and valour respected are though regenerate children as menstruous clothes in Gods eyes Esa 66. 2. Luk. 17.10 and our selues verye vnprofitable seruauntes Neyther was Symeon iuste as fulfylling iustly all the commaundements of God For that neyther could he nor any other before him or since his tyme to the ende of the worlde can there be any Christ Iesus excepted which shall or may doe in perfection the commaundements of GOD And therfore Symeon nor any other man can chalenge to him or them in truth and déede as hauing wonne the same the tytle of righteousnesse But on the other side they are all founde Transgressors Rom. 3.10 and accused of guyltinesse when as in their best workes they are faultie and not able to do all but offending in euerye one they are worthyly pronounced guyltie of the whole No not Abraham in that best approoued worke when he wyllinglye in Spirite though not without sharpe conflicts in bodye and minde offered vp his sonne as the worde of the Lorde commanded him hath warrante to vaunte of righteousnesse before God or was thereby iustifyed
teache hymselfe that he is to the hartes of men When he was at Iacobs Well with the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4.10 he tooke occasion by the Metaphor of water to teache her the lycour of lyfe By the desyre the Iewes had to earthy bread therfore followed him Ioh. 6.15 Luc. 5.3 he began to teach himself to be the bread of lyfe And teaching in the shyp by that myracle of Fishes he taught the Apostles the waye to catch men The same thing he vseth in these wordes I am the lyght c. For teaching in the morning in the Temple the Sunne nowe shyning moste brightly bewtifying the place to the great delight of the beholders he calleth them from the terrestriall to the sonne of righteousnesse affirming in him to finde the true properties of the glorious sonne in déede First as the Sunne is a most pure Planet most bryght and cléere defyled with nothing wheresoeuer it shyneth but maketh the darke and fylthy places more open to the eyes of men So Iesus Christ the brightnesse of his fathers glory Col. 1.15 is of nature most pure and holye and albeit he hath taken oure nature vpon him lyued amongst vs did accompany wyth synners to their good and abhorred not to eate with Publicans yet was he nothing defyled therby but by him these fylthy persons made wholy to know themselues through him were illuminated and fully sanctifyed The Sunne that is to say the light doth so shyne that himselfe may be séene of vs and doth make all other lyuing creatures to sée by him So Iesus Christ our light doth so manifestly in his nature appeare that the insensible heauens and earth do know him he doth so powre by his spirite the beames of his brightnesse into the hartes of hys beloued that they by his spirite and resplendishing Scriptures both perfitly as fleshe may know God the Father and his Christ and all things else which be eyther necessary or expedient to their saluation in him besydes whom there is none other Act. 4.12 Psal 36.9 Thys compelled Dauid to say With thee O Lord is the Well of lyfe and in thy lyght shal we see lyght Through christs light we see God to be our father hym the lord to be our Sauior And as the lyght discouereth darkenesse and refresheth the toyled bodyes in former obscuritie Euen so Christ remouing the former ignorance of God in vs banyshing the terror of cōscience doth most magnificently recreate our sences and refreshe our spirites renouate our conscience quyet oure soule and replenishe vs with ioye And lyke as the lyghte doth not onely in darknesse of night guyde our footesteps but helpeth vs aright to our whole businesse So Christe that eternall worde of God is the Lanterne to our feete and the light to our labours Psal 119. in that the doctrine and preceptes thence shyning to vs doe direct our darke soules into the paths of righteousnesse and that for his owne names sake And as light banyshing darknesse openeth to mans eye many things which in mircke midnight were not onely shadowed The commodities of light but also sheltered and so vnknowne that many adulters théeues murtherers and wicked persons by her were couered Iohn 3.19 and nowe by light disclosed for which cause naturally they loue darknesse hate the lyght So Christ hauing by his worde of most cléerenesse and heauenly power banyshed from Realmes Familyes and persons the darknes of ignorance maketh knowne to them their syns and reproueth their errors accuseth the corruptiō of mans nature and playnely maketh vs sée that all those things which without him we most imbraced are most fylthye and horrible And this is the cause why all such as wallow in wicked lyfe and false Religion doe hate Christ in hys Gospell to this present daye Ioh. 3.19 but to their vtter ruine and selfe condemnation Lastly as one shyning Sunne serueth the vniuersall worlde and is the onely Fountayne of light to all lightes in the same So the bright sonne of God our righteousnesse Christ is the onely author of spirituall light whome the Father of lights hath onely giuen to the whole worlde And he doth lighten euerye man that commeth into the worlde Ioh. 1.9 neyther will he admit any copemate to be ioyned with him What church is not guyded by our lyght Christ onely is eclypsed and bloudy to Christ and his members but kéepeth the whole Regimente in and to himselfe For as the Moone the figure of Gods Church receyueth at the handes of the Sunne her lighte and is so much darkned as she wanteth of his brightnesse So the Churche of God not kept with the countenance of Christs shyning face and Gospell is wrapped in the wayne of darknesse but lightned by his truth she is most gloryous and her naturall spottes shall not deface her yet both Moone and Church remayne to be light by hym else as opposite to him they are eyther darke or bloody or one or bothe Let no man obiect to me Lightened by Christe her spots do not hurt her that the Apostles are called also lightes of the worlde for that hath the true light imported in mercye to them by borrowed spéeche as we may call the Lanterne a light Eph. 5.25.26.27 bicause the light shyneth by and through it vnto the whole housholde And so are the Apostles called lights not bicause they are the light Christ How the Apostles and preachers of the worde are called lighte but bicause they bring vnto vs the true light that dwelleth in them which doth also by them and their labours preaching and wryting shine into the vtmost partes of the earth to the great comforte of all those that loue the same To conclude great is the mercye of our good God séeing the darknesse of the world so greate that no otherwise it could be discouered remoued gaue vnto vs this his owne son whome he hath made to vs the onely light of God to Iew and Gentyle that we should not for wante of safe conduction perishe in our wandring passage Now the vse of thys light and wherto he is giuen vs of God Symeon doth tell vs and sayth it is that he should be reuealed vnto the Gentyls and to be the glory of the people Israel Two things also the good father telleth vs in these words Fyrst that the ages from tyme to tyme should knowe that this one Christ is to all them and people in them the one and onely saluation light guyde and delyuerer Christ is to all ages the the one and onely lyght to lyfe sygnified by the two Nations by him named Iewe Gentyle The lyke doth Esay before naming the Gentyls and addeth and health to the vtmost partes of the world So Christ himselfe concludeth saying as before is saide I am the lighte of the worlde that is to saye of euerye place in the worlde of all sortes of men women and chyldren
therin and whosoeuer of these do desyre and séeke at me aright for health and lyfe But sayth Symeon this light is sent to be reuealed made knowne to thys worlde For the same cause Christ fyrst preached it Iohn Baptist and the Apostles were sent to manifest him thereto that as saluation was wrought by him so they by fayth which commeth by hearing the worde reuealed might apprehend it in him Of which more a little after God so wylling But possibly some man would aske me if Christ be the light and Sauiour of the whole worlde The cause of our great blindnesse in so clere light howe it is that so manye therein are notwithstanding still blynded and so condemned Christ aunswereth drawing his generall spéeche to a speciall which onely receyue health by him in the eyght of Iohn Ioh. 8.12 He that followeth mee walketh not in darknesse It is not ynnough that God hath made his sonne our light vnlesse we embrace and walke therein And this is the condemnation of the worlde sayth Christ hymselfe that light came into the worlde Ioh. 3.19 and men loued darkenesse rather then the light The nature of these men is to hate the light and to absent themselues from it least their déedes should be made manifest thereby Loe it is not that these wante in the world that they hate it but for that they lust after their owne wyll to lyue wickedly still therfore they refrayne it yea and to their power restrayne it also But here they are conuinced in conscience that the gospel is light and they are the sonnes of darknesse drawing to themselues damnation I aske againe and if Christ be the light of the worlde The worlds darkenesse what it is what is the darknesse then of the same It is a profitable question and it may be aunswered thus The darknesse of the worlde reprehended by Christ walloweth in two myrie dangerous doungeons that is to say in false Religion and fylthye conuersation bothe which Christ the lyght calleth darknesse in that he sayth Lighte came into the worlde and men loued darknesse more then lyghte Iohn 3.19 That a Religion or worship of God deuised of mans brayne wythout warrante of Gods worde is darknesse and the author and fautors blynde it is more then apparente to him that hath but halfe an eye Therfore the teachers therof be called blynde guydes Math. 23.24 Eph. 4.17.18 the hartes imbracing it blynded and the whole which follow it in much paine to themselues walkers in the vanity of their darkned minds to their owne damnation what intent purpose or séeking soeuer they haue to serue God But amongst manye the former false Religions the Romishe is not the least Romishe Fayth the roote bottomlesse pyt of darknesse from whose Pope and Clergy hath come the Cup of fornication whereof all Princes haue dronke not as the saying is till they stare but that which more is vntyll they became starke blynd through that gréedy draught of excecating ignorance Apo. 17.4 And to proue the Religion of Rome a false corrupte and humane blynde Religion First I say I speake of the latter Rome who hath as an Apostata and fylthy strumpet runne farre awaye from her fyrst fayth and faythfull husbande Iesus Christ and his couenant the gospell of God Rome is runne from God That the Church of Rome nowe is become an Apostata from her former fayth it shall appeare to all that measure hir Religion with that fayth delyuered to that Churche and of them receyued by the pen of Paule in his Epistle sente to Rome extante in the Lordes Testament Paule teacheth it folly and wickednesse Rom. 1.23 To serue the immortal God by the ymage of a mortal man Is not the Church of Rome fallen from this fayth now Doth not her chiefe ioy consist in Images of mortall men and séeketh and commaundeth men to serue God and saints by before them neyther fearing Gods prohibiting lawe or Paule theyr chiefe Doctors proclamation from his mayster Christ Paule and Rome then beléeued Rom. 5.28 that man was iustifyed by fayth in Christ and not by the works of the Lawe But the Church of Rome nowe denyeth it flatly and condemneth them for Heritiques which be of that iudgement Rome did then as Tertullian sayth acknowledge one God the Creator of all things Tertul. de prescript Hereticorum and Christ Iesus the sonne of the Virgin Mary to be the sonne of God to haue suffred death and to arise againe She did ioyne the lawe and the Prophets the Gospell and the Apostolicall Epistles together and from that Fountayne she did drinke her fayth she baptized wyth symple water she was adorned with the giftes of Gods spirite she fedde her people with the Euchariste note he sayth not Rome offred vp the sacramēt of Christs bodye for the synnes of the people But Rome receyueth it of the Lords institution and fed hir people therewith she exhorted her flocke to the fayth by the constancie of Martyrdome in her example and against his order and institution she admitted no man But what doth Rome nowe Euen as the Samaritans The Papistes beleue with vs as the Samaritans dyd with the Iewes ioyned with the Iewes in some and sundry poyntes but varyed from them in many most wickedly So doth newe Rome with Gods Churche in olde Rome and ours nowe they ioyne in some principall poyntes of our Religion as in the Trinitie and vnitie of persons of the profession of the holye ghost c. But if ye once come to the office of Christ the fruite of his death the valour of his Sacrifice the authority of hys worde the contynuance of hys sole priesthoode and the truth of his sacraments they flée from you as farre as East from weast and vtterly denie the auncient fayth and moste fylthylye corrupt the true administration of Gods mysteries as men that neuer had heard of such matters Charge them with the scriptures and they would compell them to stoope to the false gloses Offer them the name of Paule and he is as odious in harte to them as a venemous Serpent to a woman Gen. 3. betwixt whom God hath for euer set a perfite hatred Notable is that saying of the learned Lodouicus agaynst the blyndnesse of his tyme in the latyn Church Lodo. viues in li. 13 de ciuit Dei cap. 2. Augustinum vetustas tuetur c. Augustine is safe for his age But if he and Paule were aliue agayne he should be shaken of as a badde Rethoritian or a poore Gramarian But saint Paule should be taken for a mad man The Romans nowe would call Paule an Heretique were he alyue or else for an Heretique Thys learned man approoued by them thus openly conuinceth them of flatte Apostasye and horrible blasphemy Neyther let anye man obiect to me that thys Church of Rome could possibly neuer erre so wickedly for thou seest by comparing