as did vpoÌ„ Vzzah discouraged manie weakned their hands So by their vntowardnes they caused the sauour of the Lords work to stink in the nostrels of the people And of late an other attempt haue bene giuen that waie by one of whom I must needs saie that the Lord vsed him as a meanes to bringe the trueth to light in manie points concerning the true gouernement of the Churche who I wish for the glorie of God if it had ben his good pleasure that he had stoode in integrity without swaruing and leaninge to Antichristian pride and bitternes And for me to make mention thereof may seme very hard which am not so able therin to saue my self froÌ„ the reproch of manie tongues as I am to cleare my selfe of the deseruing the same Yet notwithstanding a wound being made in the brethrens minds I haue thought it my duetie rather to labour to heale it theÌ„ to faine my selfe not to see it True it is at all times that iniquitie preuailinge causethe the loue of manie to abate For euerie iniquitie committed especiallie in those enterprises which beare the cheefest shewe of holines before the Lord and draw nearest his work procure a more greuous and speedie iudgement to cause a lamentable successe therein For as I haue alledged The ieleous God will be sanctified of those which come neare him and he cause his iudgment to beginne euen at his owne house This iudgment being beholden causeth feare and daunteth the courage of many which had begonne to steppe in the waie Euen as if two men riding through a water the former slipp into some groope and perish the other had rather turne backe and loose his iournie then to goe forward though there be space enough to goe by and auoyd that daunger At the least with feare and trembling hee seeketh out his waie And no maruell it is though the beholding of such iudgement because of iniquitie preuailinge cooleth greatlye the heat of loue and dulleth the edge of courage for a time For euen valiant Iosua thereby was striken full sore For he rent his clothes and fell to the earth at the euill sucâ—esse in the battle at Ay. And he cried Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou broughte this people ouer Iorden to deliuer vs into the hands of the Amorits to destroie vs Would God we had bene content to dwell on the other side Iorden Oh Lord what shall I saie when Israel turne their backes before their enemies Thus he seemed to repent his coming ouer Iorden As though that iournie had not bene taken in hande in the Lorde and by him furthered and the furtheraunce thereof confirmed and honoured by a great miracle of the Lords mightie hand But the Lorde raised him vp and tolde him that iniquitie committed in Israel had caused the reproche of that vnspeedie daie Also Aaron Eleazar and Ithamar were so daseled with the iudgement which fell on Nadab and Abihu that they did not eate the Goat in the holie place as they shoulde haue done Moses was so greued at the euill successe of the children of Israel not being able to come to their rest because of their iniquitie that he chose rather to be rased out of the booke of life then to heare and see that reproche which shoulde come vnto that people and to the name of God Ieremiah wished that he had neuer bene borne because Israel in steade of a blessing had rewarded euill vnto their owne soules Rebekah when the children stroue in her wombe thought it had bene better not to haue conceyued And Dauid when he sawe the deathe of Vzzah brought not home the Arke at that time but feared and lamented saying Howe shall the Arke of God come vnto mee Great feare came on the church of Ierusalem at the terrible iudgement of Ananias and Saphira Most of these haue bene partly afraide and discouraged as though their interprise and work which was of the Lorde had in it selfe obtayned that harde happe and vnprosperous euent which proceeded of some other euill comming in by the waye But as Iosua when he had founde out the faulte and purged it renewed battell agayne and sawe the mightie power and great saluation of the Lorde for them with comfort and gladnes and as Dauid when he also had espied the faulte and redressed it renewed his indeuour and brought home the Arke with more ioye and chearefulnes and as the Disciples of Ierusalem ceassed not from giuing almes but their feare tended to this that they shoulde do it with more singlenes of hart So let not vs be offended and stumble at the sinne of anie man to giue ouer our zeale and loue vnto the Lordes cause y e trueth whereof his worde hath coÌ„firmed vnto vs. But rather let vs search out where the iniquitie is and let the offender beare his shame and rebuke howe excellent a personage soeuer he haue bene for turninge the trueth of God into a lye and let the Lord haue his glorie who is alwayes founde true when euerie manne is founde a liar And his trueth abounde the more through the lie of man vnto his glorie The children of Israel which came out of Egypt to goe into the lande of Canaan coulde not atteyne thither but their carkases fell in the wildernesse Might one haue saide therefore that they came not out by the Lords commaundement and his conduct Yes and greater was the glorie of GOD who was not hindered from performinge his promise by the vnbeleefe of that people but their vnbeleefe made his faithefulnes more appeare And their vnrighteousnes commended the Lordes righteousenesse whiche recompensed them their iust deserte and yet raysed vppe a better generation to enter into his resting place So will the Lorde euermore make his cause to stande though they whiche handle it amisse shall fall before it in the waye And as for men of greate credit and estimation the Lorde often times will make theyr weakenesse and vanitie to appeare that no glorie might bee transferred from him self to mortall men and that we should neuer make fleshe and bloud our arme neyther trust in manne in whose nostrels is breath for what is he to be esteemed Salomon the glorie of the Kings of the earth called also the Lordes beloued a spectacle for wisedome whom the Lorde vsed also for a speciall instrument vnto manie thinges yet did not hee perseuere in wisedome but became a foole in committing wickednes against the Lord. Iehu whiche valiauntlie wrought the Lordes worke at the first turned also to idolatrie and forsooke the Lorde And Gedeon a worthie instrument which the Lorde chose for his worke made the Ephod which was an instrument of euill These and manie more examples there be which teach vs that althogh we see before our eyes neuer so manie which begin in the spirite and ende in the fleshe that we condemne not their beginning neyther feare to enter
sleepe nor mine eye-liddes to slumber vntill I haue found out a place for the Lorde an habitation for the mightie God of Iacob Now although it be my purpose and order requireth to hasten to the cause of Dauids ioye which he heare mentioneth yet it standeth with dewe order in this place as it doeth with edifying to stande vppon his great care in wayting for that thing whiche being obteyned this his ioye succeeded For liuelie and sounde is that ioye which the harte feeleth when it is refreshed frō care griefe going before When the Lorde had deliuered his soule out of all aduersities which hee susteyned in the dayes of Saul and had brought him to the glorie of his kinglie Throne herein he shewed the simplicitie of a true harte in that hee was not chaunged by the suddain alteratiō nor his hart beguyled by those pleasures to cause him to forget God He was not highe minded hee had no proude lookes But he kept his soule as a childe that is weyned frō his mothers brest Yea at this time he throughlie weined him self frō taking pleasure in anie thing vntill the Arke of God should be brought home placed in Israel which hee calleth by y e name of the Lorde and the mightie God of Iacob Therevnto doth he sweare and vow not to haue regard vnto his own tabernacle nor house not to coūt it his home or settle him selfe therein neyther to take any sound rest vntil he had seene this busines of the Lord in dew forwardnes Thus was hee thankfull vnto the Lorde whiche had remēbred him and all his afflictions Let vs examine our selues call to minde the yeeres that are past when the fyrie sworde did hange ouer oure heades in the dayes of Queene Marie that by so weake a threede that we looked euerie houre when it should fall vpon vs whē we being straungers frō our own houses walked frō house to house at suche time as the Owles and Backes looke foorth and flye And thought it well if wee might liue so without house or land or ought else saue bare breade for the life We were as the Iewes which by Hamans meanes were solde to bee slaine and destinate to a day of death And we were as humble Hester whiche would make no request but for life onelie Nowe when wee sighed and cried for the bondage and the crie for our bondage came vp vnto God and God hearde our mone remembred his couenant Then hee brought agayne our captiuitie as hee did of Iacob then were we like vnto them that dreamed Euen for sodeine ioye doubting whither we dremed those happie tydinges or no. Then was our mouth filled w t laughter our tongue w t ioy Thē the Nations about vs said that y e lord had don great things for vs. And we sang thervnto the Lord haue done great things for vs whereof wee reioyce Christ Iesus seemed then to vs as a shining and burning Lampe and we seemed for that time to reioyce in the light thereof But our giuinge of thankes and singing prayse vnto god was skarse so good as that of the people of Israel mentioned in the fourth Chapter of Exodus who when they hearde that the Lord had visited them and had looked vpon their tribulatiō they bowed downe and worshipped But when tribulation was increased vppon them they murmured against God and his seruaunt Moyses So could we bowe downe and worshippe in the day of our deliuerance but since that time not through bitter afflictiō as did they but through too much pāpering with more fleshe then y e pottes of Egypt haue we haue waxen fatte and haue forgotten the day of our penurie and hunger Yea wee haue forgotten and forsaken the Lorde the holie one of Israel in that wee are gone backewarde And better hath the Oxe knowne his owner and the Asse his maisters cribbe then we haue known him that saued vs. For if wee knewe him we would also surelie know that he redeemed vs from that firie fornace that we should burne with more zeale of furthering his kingdome vpō earth to the aduauncing of his glorie But the people of Englande in that daye whē the Lorde did lift vp their heads were farre from the zeale and practise of Dauid who beinge aduaunced to his kingdome had not yet the thinge he would haue and gaue him selfe no rest vntill he had done dewe homage vnto the Lordes kingdome by furthering procuring and labouringe about those things whiche appertayned vnto the true worshippe of God vntill he did see them at a good staye But our Cleargie firste which should with great affliction haue laboured about the Lords worke to haue seene that firste finished before they hadde instauled them selues into their owne rowmes they contrariewise layde holde on the great liuings catch who catche might the riche Bishoprikes and fatte Benefices And as Achsaph the daughter of Caleb when her father hadde giuen her a portion of highe grounde desired still more namelie places with springes of water so was their desiring and desiring agayne For those whiche were serued with Benefices where corne grounde was most they must haue an other wher good store of pasture lie And whē they were serued w t that they muste long for one where store of sheepe are kept and then they thinke they should be well But would to god it had bin no worse affection desire then y t of Achsaph which desired the increase of her portion of that lande which the Lorde had giuen and blessed vnto her people but these men haue bene greedie of the fatte spoyle and haue not bene aware that it was the spoyle of Iericho which ought not to haue bene medled withall but to haue bene execrable thinges vnto vs. I meane not as though that wealthful spoile might not haue bin takē vse of by conuerting it another waye But those things holding still their nature strēgth which thei receiued of y e Cananitish Roman ought to haue bin to vs execrable things And euen as the lord gaue vnto y e children of Israel the first cōquest in y e land of Canaan namely ouer Iericho without bowe or sword horse horseman or anie battle or anie hande mouing of theirs in token that he would alwayes stande on their right hand and their victories should proceede from him if they would goe forwarde to fight the Lordes battell so the Lorde gaue vs this victorie not with noise of battle or tumblinge of garmentes in bloude but by his own hande alone from heauen the thing to vs vnlooked for thereby incouraging vs to marche forwarde vnder his banner and vnder the good lucke of this watcheword The Lord liueth which brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and out of Babel the Lorde liueth which haue brought agayne the captiuitie of his poore suppliantes from the yron yoke of Antichrist and the Lorde also giuing vs the earnest of assured victorie
downegate thinge though it want roufe though some walles though it want this and that Manie such songes the babes in the cradle heare to rocke theÌ„ a sleape But by their own words I will iudge them For suppose that some noble man mindeth to builde a house he hireth workmen and manie seruauntes part of their wages he paieth for the rest hee appointeth dewe order and make with his workemen streight couenaunt in all thinges hastening the worke Since he goeth into an other countrie and returne fiue and twentie yeeres after if he then finde his house halfe vnbuilded and the tymber which is layde rotten for default of couering in dewe time and likewise the morter crumbled away the stones some fallen and some readie to fall the workemen they take their wages and spende it euerie daye at the alehouses and tauernes eating drinking and playing when they shoulde be at worke will not that Noble man at his comming cast in prison those workemen and seruauntes and giue his stewarde also a great rebuke and put out his house to other workemen And yet these chief builders of whom I haue spoken manie of them yea most of them haue confessed and doo confesse vntill this daye that manie thinges are amisse in the Church and yet we must be content and beare theÌ„ And in deede are there manie thinges wanting and missing to the finishing of the Lordes house and can they sitt still and eate and drinke and not buckle them selues to their busines Or may the Lordes worke aboue other things suffer delaye and waite oure good leysure Or are they the Lords remembrauncers which can giue him rest and them selues also before they see Ierusalem the prayse of y e worlde redeemed and reedified from the ruin therof Can they so long time vse the tabernacles of their houses hanged decked with Arres and Tapestrie and fare deliciouslie euerie daye Can they so long goe to their palet bedd and suffer their eyes to slumber and sleepe before they haue founde out a place for the Scepter of Christe his lawful gouernement and made readie a Throne for him to sitte and rule and treade Antichriste vnder foote This is counted but a small want O deepe securitie This wee must beare and we are content so to doo as longe as the Lorde hath made anie promise to beare with wickednes But he is mercifull and long sufferinge but so as he will not holde the sinner innocent And if he spake by his Prophete saying that the Sabothes and solemne feastes of the Iewes which notwithstanding were after his lawe were a burden vnto him and hee was wearie to heare them Howe thinke we is he wearie to beare so manie Sabothes which hee neuer made and so manie ceremonies other deuises strange Church gouuernement which neuer entred into his minde whither are these thinges a burden or no vnto him thinke we Yea such a burden that as he hath spoken concerninge them so hath he concerning vs also Ah I will ease me of mine aduersaries Yea hee must needes skoure our drosse For in deede our siluer is become drosse and our wine is mixt with water farre otherwise theÌ„ it was among them But they saye wee must beare nowe for the time is past when the matters of reforminge the Churches were chieflie handled and we must tarie vntill a fitte time come agayne In deede there was a time careleslie slipped at the beginninge when the yron was whote but the workemen were lasie and neglected to frame and fashion the work before the yron was colde What gracious libertie might not haue bin obteyned if they of whoÌ„ I haue spoken had bin as carefull and sorowfull for these things as Nehemiah who fasted and prayed certayn dayes and mourned so much because the Wall of Ierusalem was not yet builded that the King coulde easelie discerne his sorow by his countenaÌ„ce and was moued with compassion to bidde him aske what hee would haue before Nehemiah durst mention his sute vnto him And there is no doubt but like sorowe and care shoulde haue founde like compassion to haue bin refreshed with and no lesse furtherance to euerie godlie enterprise For the Lorde would surelie haue done it who haue the hartes of Kinges and Princes in his hande And as wee haue hearde there wanted not some gracious offer concerning these thinges But the Lorde lay not to our charge that which is past If occasion offered by him be not taken our care feare and griefe in repenting ought to bee the greater our indeuour the more behement to recouer our losses Seeke the Lord then whyle he may be fouÌ„d Labour better then before Disburden you of al either offices or liuings which hange on and presse downe to hinder you in the worke Giue glorie to God and his sonne Christ Iesus by setting vp his royall Throne amonge vs which is that you call Church gouernement whiche many thousande tongues haue confessed and complayned to be wanting Once agayne remember I saye the Lordes deliuerance hâ—we he saued vs as hee did Israel from Pharao in the redde Sea Lette vs singe as Moses did at the shoare He is my God and I will prepare him a Tabernacle Therefore are we escaped the drowning that we should make the Lorde a Tabernacle Lette vs not onelie promise it in singing or sayinge but perfourme oure vowes vnto the Lorde whiche wee made in the daye of our distresse and let this Tabernacle be so made that being viewed in the ende by our Moyses Christe Iesus the worke and the workemen may receyue a blessinge This let vs doe and goe on and prosper and liue in the Lorde if not lette vs be sure the consumption plague determined shal ouerspread and ouerwhelme vs by gods righteous iudgement who haue vengeance readie for all disobedience Thus haue I shewed howe especiallie the Cleargie haue acquite themselues in the day of the Lords visiting of vs if it had not ben hidden from our eyes And now concerning the rest of the people I meane those which had som knowledge and zeale they also haue bene well agreed with their guids in their necligeÌ„ce For they hauing once obtained a seruice in the English tongue thought it so great a matter that they myght lawfullie be holden excused though they sought no further and hauing gotten a shadow wherein they might coole theÌ„ selues in y e heat of the daie and rest a litle from their wearines They haue giuen them selues to eating drinking and sleaping vnder that shadowe and forgett the rest of their iournie vntil darcke night come wherein no man can walke Neyther haue they knowne that as the Lorde gaue to the children of Israel a clowde by day to shadow them from the heat to this ende that they should iournie forward to their resting place So also y e Lord gaue them a defence from that present heate to the intent that they goinge throughe the vallie of
sheaues with him when as by fayth hee had gotten accesse vnto y e grace wherin he stoode and reioiced vnder the hope of the glorie of God wherein hee sawe a liuelie image in his holie Arke with an vndoubted pledge of loue and fauour towardes him Thus hee fayleth not of that wherewith hee strengthened his soule in the time of weaknes temptation sayinge Why art thou caste down O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me wayt on god for I shall yet see the time to giue him thankes for the helpe of his presence He is my present helpe and my God Thus he wayted with patieÌ„ce which taught him experience which experience brought forth the increase of his hope and his hope made him not ashamed seeing hee was not disappointed of that he hoped for but sawe the greater saluation of the Lorde in the daye of his reioycing to the further sustayning of his hope to wayte for greater things also at the Lordes hande So we see that which I haue spoken that by faith he entred into the Lords rest when as the Lorde vouchsafed to haue his resting place and holy habitation with him and by fayth he reioysed in this esteeming it aboue all other causes of ioye because he looked to those inuisibe ioyes whiche hereby were promised and sealed vnto him And nowe to applie this vnto our selues This also is a glasse which we haue not dressed our selues by for verie manie can saye Waite and tarie But whither doo we thinke that they meane vntill the Lorde helpe and further their paynefull indeuour whiche is neuer a whit or vntill they haue filled their insatiable and bottomlesse Coffers with vncontrouled traphiking For where is the disquiet and casting downe of the Soule Where are the afflictions whiche the Lorde shoulde remember as he did Dauids Which shoulde whett the edge of patience that patience might haue her perfect worke that they might be intire wanting nothing But aboue all thinges where is faith without the which it is impossible to please God And without the whiche God will not shewe his glorie before anie people to their saluation but to their confusion for want of which our Sauior Christ wrought not those miracles in some places whiche otherwise hee woulde haue done Where is this faith I saye when those which are the chiefe and principall leaders of the people which shoulde beare the Arke vppon their shoulders they saye and haue taught the people to say It is not possible it should come home and why For not only the chiefe of the Clergie but also the chief which haue y e reynes of the ciuile regiment are against the establishing of church gouernement I demaund whither it be from heaueÌ„ or from men If froÌ„ heauen with god all things are possible hee will then further his cause in our hand when we beleeue And when it shall please the Lorde to further his cause who can resist his will For theÌ„ euerie Ualley shall be exalted and euerie Hill shall be brought lowe for the loftines of menne shall be abased and the Lorde GOD onelie shall bee exalted in that daye The roughe waye shall bee made playne This will the ielousie of the Lord of hostes performe his owne arme shal susteine him to do the worke if we could beleeue yet we say it can not bee Where is that fayth whereby our Fathers subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtayned the promises stopped y e mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of the fire escaped the edge of the sworde of weake were made strong waxed valiaunt in battaill turned to flighte the armies of the aliauntes Let vs feare for the greeuous iudgement of God which befell to the children of Israell in the wildernes whiche were readie to haue entred into the Lordes rest but sodainlie thorough vnbeleefe conceyued of the euill tidinges which the spies brought they did shutt the dore against them selues And what was the matter The walles were so high and the people were so stronge But the height and strength of the Lordes arme was forgotten whiche had bene stretched out vpon Pharao and Egypt vnto destruction But vpon them vnto deliuerance Euen so wee for wee woulde fayne enter into the Lordes Sion a true reformed Churche but some body is against it I knowe whereof you meane A Lyon is in the waye but Salomon saye that that is but the excuse of a â—â—uggarde Those spies were euill ynough whiche went into Canaan and brought home an euill answere But what shall we saye to those spies whiche tell an euill answere before they will steppe one foot out of the doore We haue high walls against vs also and strong Prelates whose bodyes if they were growne as farre out of square as their pompe authoritie is growne from the lines of their calling they shuld not be like the Anakims in Canaan but rather like vnto the Giaunt which the Poets haue fayned to haue stoode but vpp to the knees in the Sea where it is at y e deepest But for a meane to plucke downe this height and weaken this strength the hande of the Lord is forgotten which was stretched out euen within this generation vpon the high walles and swelling Babilonishe buildings of the Abbies and Monasteries Euen when there was no hope or likelihoode of any such thing by mans reason Then came a daie from the Lorde vppon euerie high tower and vppon euerie stronge wall to make those places voide dennes For thistles and nettles growe in their highe halles and priuie chambers and the owles shrike there and the crowes the rauens gaile there by Gods iust iudgement There came a daie also vppon all their pleasant pictures and all their galaunt images whereof they were gladd to cast some into hooles to the moules and the backes to keepe them from the fire The daie of the Lorde came also vpon the Cedars of Lebanon the Okes of Bashan euen the great mightie Cardinals Abbots Monkes and Friars and the rest of the Prelats whiche bare the sway in the land These wanted not strengthe For they were like horses prepared to battle they were cladd with iron habargions they had Lions teeth They had also crownes on their heads and stinges in their tailes For there was not one of them in whose presence to speake any thing against their idolatrie but that it was as muche as a mans life was worth These also haue the breathe of the Lords mouthe sent into the bottomlesse smoking Lake from whence they came These thinges haue the Lord done for vs euen in our fresh remembrance to beat downe the hilles and make the waie smother to the residue of our iournie He hath opened a wide dore vnto vs But we being druÌ„cken with the ease of this world haue reeled against the posts thereof fallen backwarde and lie sleaping Let vs take heede lest we sleape so longe vntill the Lorde shutte