lyes and yet sheweth that in many things wherin they deceiued it was not easie to conuince them of open falshood for that they would inuolue their aunswers of purpose with such obscurities generalitâ—es equiuocations and doubtâ—ulnâ—sse as alwaies they woulde leaue them selues a corner wherein to saue their credites when the euent shoulde prooue false As for example when Craesus that famous rich Monarch of Lydia consulâ—ed with the Oracle of Apollo whether he should make warre against the Persians therby obtain theyr Empire or no Apollo desirous of bloodshed as all wicâ—ed spirits are gaue his Oracle in these words for deceyuing of Craesus If Craesus without feare shall passe ouer Halys this was a Riuer that lay betweene him and Persia he shal bring tâ— confusion a great riche kingdome Vpon which words Craesus passed ouer his Armie in hope to get Persia but soone after he lost Lydia by euill vnderstanding of this doubtful prophecie This then is the imbecilitie of both humane and angelicall power in pronosticating things to come which are meere contingent In which kinde notwithstanding seeing that the Scriptures haue manie and almost infinite prophecies foretold many yeres somtimes ages before they came to passe set downe in plaine particuler and resolute speech at such tyme as there wâ—s neyther cause to coniecture them nor probabilitie that euer they shold be true deliuered by simple and vnlearned persons that could fore-see nothing by skill or arte and yet that all these by theyr euents haue prooued most true and neuer any one iote in the same haue fayled this I say alone doth conuince most apparently all proofes reasons and other argumeÌ„ts laid aside that these Scriptuâ—es are of God of his eternall and infallible Spirit And therefore of these Prophecies I wil alledg in this place some few examples ¶ The Prophecie to Abraham for his posteritie ABraham the first Father and speciall Patriarch of the Iewes had manie prophecies and predictions made vnto him as of hys issue when he had yet none nor euer like to haue of his inheriting the Land of Canaan and the like But thys which followeth is wonderful of his posterities discent into Egypt of their time of seruitude and manner of deliuerance thence the same being fore told more then foure hundred yeeres before it was fulfilled at that time when no likelyhood thereof in the world appeared The words are these Know thou beâ—oâ—e hande that thy issue shall be a strangeâ— in a forraine Land and they shall subiect them to seruitude and shall afflict them for foure hundred yeeres but yeâ— I will iudge the Nation vnto whom they haue been slaues and aâ—ter that they shall depart thence with great riches This is the Prophecie and how exactlie it was afterward fulfilled by the ruine of the Egyptians and deliuerance of the Israelites euen at that time which is heere appointed not onely the book of Exodus doth declare where the whole storie is laid downe at large but also the consent of Heathen writers as before hath been touched And it is speciallie to be noted that this prophecie was so common and wel known among all the Iewes from Abrahams time down vnto Moses and so deliuered by tradition from fathers vnto their children as it was the onelie comfort and stay not onely of all that â—eople in their seruitude of Egypt but also of Moses others that gouerned the people afterwards for forty yeres together in the desert and was the onely meanâ— indeede whereby to pacifiâ— them in their distresses and miseries and therefore Moses in euery exhortation almost maketh mention of this promise and prophecie as of a thing well known vnto them all and not deuised or inuented by himselfe or any other ¶ The Prophecie for the gouernment of Iuda LOng after this Iacob that was Abrahams Nephewe beeing in Egypt and making his Testament said of his fourth sonne Iuda Iuda thy brother shall praise thee and the children of thy Father shall boowe vnto thee c. The scepter shall not be taken from Iuda vntill hee come that is to â—e sent and he shall be the expectation of Nations Which latter part of the prophecie all Hebrues do expound that it was meant of the comming of Messias which was fulfilled almost two thousand yeeres after at the comming of Christ as shall be shewed in another speciall Chapter For at that time King Herod a stranger put out quite the line of Iuda from the gouernment of Iurie But for the first part touching Iudaes scepter it is wonderfull to consider the circumstances of this prophecie For first when it was spoken and vttered by Iacob there was no probabilitie of any scepter at all to be among the Iewes for that the Israelites or sonnes of Iacob at that day were poore and few in number and neuer like to be a distinct Nation of themselues or to depart foorth of Egypt againe And secondly if any such thing should come to passe as they might be a people and haue a scepter of gouernmeÌ„t of their own yet was it not likelie that Iuda and his posteritie should possesse y e same for that he had three elder Brothers to wit Ruben Simeon and Leui who in all likeli-hoode were to go before him And thirdly when Moses recorded and put in writing thys prophecie which was diuers hundered yeeres after Iacob had spoken it it was much lesse likelie that euer it should be true for that Moses then present in gouernment was of the Tribe of Leui and Iosua designed by God for his successor was of the Tribe of Ephraim and not of Iuda which maketh greatlie for the certaintie of this recorde For that it is most apparant that Moses would neuer haue put such a prophecie in writing to the disgrace of his owne Tribe and to the preiudice and offence of Ruben Simeon Ephraim and other Trybes neyther would they euer haue suffered such a derogation but that it vvas euident to them by tradition that their Grand-sire Iacob had spoken it albeit then presently there was no great likelyhood that euer after it should come to be fulfilled And this was for the time of Moses but yet consider further that from Moses to Samuell that was last of all the Iudges there passed foure hundred yeeres more and yet was there no appearance of fulfilling this prophecie in Israel for that the Tribe of Iuda was not established in that gouernment At length they came to haue Kings to rule and then was there chosen one Saul to that place not of the Tribe of Iuda but of Beniamin and he indued with dyueâ—s chyldren to succeede him And who would then haue thought that this prophecie could euer haue beene fulfilled but yet for that it was Gods word it must needes take place and therefore when no man thought thereof there was a poore Sheepeheard chosen out of the Tribe of Iuda
Father you shall not neede to trouble your selues with too great anxiety in these matters for that a fathers hart cannot but be prouident and carefull for hys chyldren The lyke deduction maketh hee in the same place to the same effect by comparison of the byrdes of the ayre and other irresonable creatures for which if God doe make sayth he so aboundant prouision as all the whole world may witnesse that hee doth much more carefull wil he bâ— to prouide for men that are his own chyldren which are more deere vnto hym then any other terrestiall thing created All which speeches and reasons of our Sauiour are deriued from the nature and property of a Parent which cannot but affect loue his chyldren especially such a Father whom Christ calleth celestiall who in thys perfection of true fatherlie loue so far exceedeth all earthly Parents put together as in power clemencie goodnes almighty God surpasseth the infirmity of hys feeble creatures Such a father as hath not onely gyuen lyfe and beeing vnto hys chyldren but also as S. Paule sayth hath poured into theyr harts the diuine spirit of hys onely eternall Sonne styrring them vp to most assured coÌ„fidence inuincible hope in hys fatherly goodnes protection And vppon assurance of thys hope haue as well sinners as Saints from the beginning fled vnto hym confidently vnder thys title of paternitie and neuer were deceiued So the Prophet Esay as wel in hys own name as in the name of the sinfull people of Israel doubted not to cry Thou art our Father Abraham hath not knowne vs and Israell is ignorant of vs Thou O Lord art our Father thou art our Redeemer And to confirme thys assuraunce vnto vs Christ sent that most sweet comfortable embassage vnto hys Disciples presently vpon his resurrection Goe and tell my bretheren that I doe ascend vnto my Father vnto your Father vnto my God and vnto your God By which words of Father and God the one of loue and the other of power the one of will the other of abilitie hee tooke away al doubt of not speeding froÌ„ each man that should make recourse to this merciful Lord and Father God himselfe also after many threates vsed by the Prophet Ieremie against the people of Israel for theyr sinnes in the end least they should dispaire turneth about hys talke changeth his stile assuring them of many graces fauours if they woulde returne vnto him telling the house of Israel that hee had loued her from the beginningâ— and had sought to drawe her vnto hym by threates to the end he might take mercy vpon her that now he intended to builde her vp againe to adorne her with ioy exultation to gather her children from all corners of the earth to refreshe them with the waters and Riuers of lyfe and all this saith he Quia factus sum Israeli Pater for that I am become now a father to Israel And in the same place to wicked Ephraim the head Citty of the rebellious kingdome of Samaria he sayth Ephraim is becom my honorable sonâ— my delight deerly beloued child therfore my bowels are mooued with compassion vppon him and in aboundance of mercy will I take pittie of him So much attributed God to this respect of beeing a father vnto Israel and Ephraim and of theyr being his children that for thys cause onely notwithstaÌ„ding their infinite enormous sinnes his bowels of endlesse mercy were moued with loue compassion towards them And these are those tender mercifull bowels which holy Zacharie father to S. Iohn Baptist protesteth to be in almighty God towards man kind that had offended hymâ— These are those which were in y t good old father mentioned in the gospel who being not onely offended but also abandoned by his younger sonne yet after he saw him return home again notwithstanding hee had wasted all hys thrift substance had wearied out hys body with wicked lyfe he was so far off from disdaining to receiue hym as hee came foorth to meete with hym fel vpon his necke kissed hym for ioy adorned him with newe apparel and rich Iewels prouided a solemne banquet for himâ— inuited his friends to be merry with hym shewed more exultation tryumph for his return then if he had neuer departed from hym By which parable our Sauiour Christ endeuoured to set â—orth vnto vs the incomprehensible mercy of his heauenly father towards sinners in which respect he is truly called by hys Apostle Pater misericordiarum the father of mercies For that as S. Bernard well noteth this sea Ocean of mercies doth flow peculiarly from the hart of a Father which cannot be sayde so properly of the gulfe and depth of his iudgements For which cause he is called in scripture the God of iustice reâ—enge and not the Father And finally thys blessed name of father in God doth import vnto vs by Gods owne testimony al sweetnes al loue al friendshyp all comfort all fatherly prouidence care protection all certainty of fauour all assuraunce of grace all security of mercy pardon and remission of our sins when soeuer vnfainedly we turne vnto hym And in thys poynt hys diuine Maiestie is so forward and vehement to giue vs assurance that being not coÌ„tent to set foorth hys loue vnto vs by the loue of a fathers hart hee goeth further and protesteth vnto vs that hys hart is more tender towardes vs in thys behalfe then the hart of any mother can be to the onely child infant of her owne wombe For thus he sayth to Sion which for her sins began to doubt least he had forsakeÌ„ her Can the Mother forget her owne infant or can she not be mercifull to the childe of her owne wombe if shee could yet can I not forgette or reiect thee behold I haue written thee in the flesh of mine owne handes And thys for so much as GOD is called our Father There remaineth yet a third consideration which more setteth forth Gods inestimable loue then any of the other demonstrations before handled And that is that he gaue the lyfe and blood of hys onely begotten eternal sonne for purchasing redeeming vs when we were lost a price so infinite and inexpiable as no doubt hys diuine wisedom would neuer haue giuen but for a thing which he had loued aboue all measure Which our Sauiour himselfe that was to make the payment doth plainly signifie and therefore also seemeth as it were to wonder at such a bargaine when he sayth in the Gospel So deerely hath God my Father loued the worlde that he hath giuen for it his onely begotten sonne In which words he ascribeth this most wonderful dealing of hys Father vnto the vehemencie and excâ—eding aboundance of loue as doth also his deerest Disciple and Apostle S. Iohn saying In this appeareth the great loue and charitie of
are full of the lyke and time permitteth me onelie to touch some few of the principall The prophecie for the destruction of Ierusalem Babilon ESay the Prophet is wonderfull in fore-telling the misteries acts of the Messias his natiuitie his lyfe and all the particulers that happened in hys passion In so much that S. Ierom sayth he may seeme rather to write a story of deedes past then a Prophecie of euents to come But yet among other things it is to be noted that he lyuing in a peaceable and prosperous time in Iuda when the Iewes were in amitie and great securitie with the Babilonians hee fore-saw fore-told the destruction of Ierusalem by the sayd Babilonians and the grieuous captiuity of the Iewes vnder theÌ„ as also the destruction of Babilon again by Cyrus King of Persia whose expresse name and greatnes he published in wryting almost two hundred yeeres before he was borne saying in y e person of God First to Ezechias king of Iuda that reioyced in the friendshyp he had with Babilon Behold the dayes shall come when all that thou and thy Fathers haue layde vp shall be carried away to Babilon and thy chyldren shalâ— be Eunuches in the King of Babilons Pallace And next to Babilon he sayd The destruction of Babylon which Esay the sonne of Amos saw c. Howle and cry for that the day of the Lord is at hande c. The wonderfull prophecie for Cyrus King of Persia. THirdly vnto Cyrus not yet born who was preordained to destroy the same and to restore the people of Israell from banishment to rebuild the Temple in Ierusalem hee sayth thus I say to Cyrus thou art my shâ—epe-heard and thou shalt fulfill all my will I say to Ierusalem thou shalt be builded againe I say to the Temple thou shalt be founded againe This sayth the Lord to my annointed Cyrus I will goe before thee and will â—umble the glorious people of the earth in thy presence I will breake theyr brasen gates and crush in peces theyr yron barres for my seruant Iacobs sake haue I called thee by Name and haue armed thee whereas thou knowest not mee Can any thing be more cleerely or miraculously spoken in the world then to name a Heathen not yet borne that shold conquer so strong a Monarchie as Babilon was at thys time and should builde againe the Temple of Ierusalem which others of his owne Religion had destroyed before him What cause what reason whâ—t likeli-hoode could be of thys Yet Esay speaketh it so confidently as he sayth that he saw it and he nameth two witnesses thereof that is Vrias and Zacharias that were not borne in many yeâ—es after saying I tooke vnto me two faithfull witnesses Vrias the Priest and Zacharias the Sonne of Barachias Whereof the first was a Prophet in Ieremies time a hundred yeres after Esay and the second liued fourscore yeeres after that againe in the dayes of Dariâ—s as by the beginning of his prophecie appeareth and yet both as you see were dâ—stinctly named by Esay long tyme before And whereas thys Booke of Esay was pronounced openly to the people as other prophecies weâ—e and published into manie thousande hands before the captiuity of Babylon fell out and then carried also with the people and dyspersed in Chaldea other parts of the world there can be no possible suspition of forgery in thys matter for al that the world both saw it and read it many yeres before the thing came to passe yea when there was no likeli-hood of any such possibility to come The Prophecies and dooings of Ieremie in the siedge of Ierusalem THE same captiuitie destruction of Ierusalem by the Babylonians was prophecied by Ieremie a hundred yeeres after Esay a lyttle before the matter came to passe yea while the Babylonians were about the walles of Ierusalem besiedged the same for two yeres together Ieremie was within and tolde euery man that it was but in vaine to defend the Cittie for that GOD had nowe deliuered it And albeit he were accounted a Traytour for so saying especially when by an Armie of Egipt that came to the ayde of Ierusalem from Pharao the siedge of the Babylonians was raised for a certaine time yet Ieremy continued still in his asseueration said to Zedechias the King Thou shalt bee deliuered into the handes of the King of Babylon And to the people Hae dicit Dominus tradendo tradetur haec Ciuitas c. Thys sayth the Lorde thys Citty most certainly shal be deliuered into the hands of the Babylonians And so he continued notwithstanding he were put in prison and whipt and threatned daily to be hanged vntill indeed the Citty was taken and Zedechias eyes puld out hys chyldren slaine before his face al other things performed which Ieremie had prophecied fore-told them before And which was yet more meruailous Ieremy did not onely fore-tell the particulers of thys captiuitie but also the determinate time how long it should endure saying And all this Land of Iurie shall be into wildernes and astoniednesse and all this people shall serue the King of Babylon for three-score and tenne yeeres when three-score and tenne yeeres shall be complete I will visite vppon the King of Babilon vpon that Nation saith the Lord and I will lay the same into eterâ—all desolation But vppon Iudâ— will I cast my pleasant eyes and will bring them backâ— to this Land again c. In which prophecie is contained first the particuler tyme howe long thys captiuitie should endure Secondly the destruction of Babylon and of that Monarchie by the Persians And thirdly the returning home of the Iewes againe which three things to haue been afterward fulfilled not onely Esdras that liued at that tyme and was an actor in performance of the last but all other Heathen writers besides doe record and testifie And thys prophecie of Ieremie was so famous and certainly belieued amongst all the Iewes in the time of their captiuity as when the day of expiration drew neere Daniell writeth thus of himselfe In the first yeere of Darius I Daniell vnderstood in the scriptures the nuÌ„ber of the seauentie yeeres whereof God spake to Ieremie that they should be fulfilled touching the desolation of Ierusalem I turned my face to my Lord God and besought him in fasting sackcloth c. Neyther onely the Iewes vnderstoode and beleeued thys prophecie but euen Cyrus himselfe that was a Gentile gaue ful credite thervnto and theâ—eby was induced to restore the Iewes as appeareth both by hys own words and Proclamations sette downe by Esdras that executed the same and by hys deedes also in râ—storing home the Iewes rebuilding theyr Temple at his own great chaâ—ges as all Historiographers of the Heathen doe confesse I might heere alledge infinite other examples and make no end if I woulde followe
of life And finally this doctrine tendeth wholy to the true sincere and perfect seruice of GOD thy Lorde that made and redeemed thee to the exaltation of his holy name power goodnesse glory to the depression of mans pryde by dyscouering his misery to the contempt of this world vaine pompe thereof to the mortification and subduing of our sensuall appetite to the true loue and vnfeyned charitie of our neighbour to the styrring vp of our spirit to celestiall cogitations to peace of conscience tranquility of minde purity of bodie consolation of our soule And in one word to reduce mankinde againe to a certaine estate of innocencie simplicitie Angelical sanctitie vppon earth wyth hys eye fixed onely in the eternall inheritaunce of Gods kingdome in heauen Thys was the doctrine deliuered by Iesus which is the same that the Prophets of God fore-tolde shoulde be deliuered by the Messias The life conuersation of Iesus AND as for hys life conuersation by y e testimonie of his greatest aduersaries it was more admirable then his doctrine his lyfe beeing a most liuely Table wherin the perfection of all hys doctrine was expressed A man of such grauitie as neuer in hys lyfe hee was noted to laugh of such humilitie as beeing the sonne of GOD he scarce vsed in thys worlde the dâ—gnity of a seruant of such sweeâ—e and milde behauiour as all the iniuries of hys enemies neuer wrested froÌ„ him one angry word Finally he was such a one as he was described by Esay so many ages before he was borne in these words He shal not cry nor contend nor shal any man heare his voice in the streete he shal not crush a broken reede nor tread out a little â—laxe that â—ieth smoking on the ground c. And another Prophet not long after him brake foorth into thys speech vpon coÌ„sideration of the behauiour that should be in the Messias Reioyce thou daughter of Sion tryumph thou daughter of Ierusalem for behold thy King shal come vnto thee thy iust Sauior he is poore and humble c. And as the Prophets did foretel the vertue sanctitie of the Messias so the deuils theÌ„selues could not but conâ—esse the same to haue beene fulfilled in the person of Iesus as is most euident by the testimonie of Porphiry a professed enemie of the Christian name Who after consideration of diuers Oracles vttered by hys Idols touching Iesus he breaketh forth into this coÌ„fession It is exceeding wonderful what testimonie the Gods do giue of the singuler pietie sanctitie of Iesus for which they auouch him rewarded with immortalitie but yet these Christians are deceiued in calling him GOD. Thus much writeth Porphirie And last of all Iosephus the Iew that was borne immediatly after Iesus writeth of him thus There was at this time one Iesus a wise man if it be lawfull to call him a man a worker of most wonderful miracles a Maister teacher of all such men as willinglie were content to imbrace the truth Of Iesus myracles BY which testimony of Ioâ—ephus we see mention also of Iesus myracles which is the next thing wherof we are to consider And as Iosephus in this place beeing a Iewe beareth witnesse that Iesus performed many strange myracles so most apparently and according to the interpretation of Iosephus in this place were the same miracles foretold by the Prophets of GOD that they should be done by y e true Messias So Esay in his thirty-fiue chapter describeth at large how the Messias at hys comming shall declare hys commission by giuing sight to the blinde hearing to y e deafe speech to the dumbe and agilitie of bodie to the lame and cripple And that which is more God reuealed thys poynt very particulerly to the Gentiles by the Sibyls among whom one of them wrote thus of Christ to come as Lactantius recordeth He shall doe al by his onely word he shall cure all infirmities he shall raise the dead he shall make the lame to run and skip the deafe shall heare the blinde shall see and the dumbe shall speake In fiue loues two fishes fiue thousand persons shall be satisfied and the fragments shal fill twelue baskets to the hope of many He shal coÌ„maund the windes and walke vpon the furious sea with his feete of peace And after diuers other Greek verses to thys purpose shee concludeth in these words Men shall say that I am a mad and lying Prophetesse but when all these thinges shall come to passe then remember mee for then shall no man say more that I was a lyar but rather the Prophet of the great God To these predictions of Prophets in Iurie and among the Gentiles do agree the Doctors of the Iewes theÌ„selues in many places of their Thalmud to wit that the Messias shall be most wonderful in working myracles And in theyr publique Commentary vpon Ecclesiastes they haue these words All the former miracles of Prophets or Saints shal be nothing to the myracles of the Messias when he commeth And thus much of the fore-telling of Christes miracles But now for the fulfilling thereof in Ieâ—us that is howe these predictions were performed in the stupendious workes and actions of our Sauiour Christ there is no difficultie For that besides the former testimony of Iosephus which were sufficient in thys case the Iewes themselues doe graunt and record Iesus miracles in dyuers places of Treatises of theyr Thalmud yea they make mention of many wonderful thinges that Iesus did which are not written by our Euangelists The same doth Mahomet in his Alcoran affirming Iesus the sonne of Mary to haue beene a great Prophet to haue wrought hys myracles by the onely power Spyrite of God and that himselfe was sent to confirme Iesus doctrine sauing onely in the poynt of hys God-head wherein he sayth that Iesus went too-farre had a check for the same at Gods hand when he returned to heauen Thus much do these enemies confesse of Iesus miracles Which as it is much comming from such witnesses so if they would either deny or dissemble the same they myght be prooued against them by most euident reasons especially in tvvo poynts wherin there can be no probability of any deniall The first is the calling and retayning of hys Apostles and other followers whereof Iosephus also in the place before alledged maketh mention as of a great miracle who were of dyuers callings states conditions trades and occupations in the world And yet al vpon the suddaine left both father mother wife children other temporal respects followed him who had nothing to giue or promise theÌ„ in this world A man that neuer spake them faire or vttered doctrine that was not repugnant to the sensuality of this life as may appeare by theyr owne wrytinges and testimonies of hym A man that was accounted by the bâ—tter sort as then it might seeme that is by the Wise
tortures of so great potent and violent persecutions this poore simple and feeble Congregation shoulde pearse through and augment it selfe so strongly Especially if we consider the outward meanes of this increâ—se wherein there was nothing to allure or content mans nature nothing gorgius nothing delectable nothing to please or entertaine sensualitie We reade of an Emperour that taking in hand to coÌ„quer the world made thys Proclamation for winning men vnto hys partie Who soeuer wil come and be my seruaunt if he be a foote-man I will make hym a horse-man if he be a horse-man I will make hym ride wyth Coches if he be a Farmour I will make him a Gentleman if he possesse a cottage I wil giue him a Village if he haue a Village I will gyue him a Citty if he be a Lord of a Citty I will make him Prince of a Region or Countrey And as for gold I wil poure it forth vnto them by heapes and weight and not by number Thys was the Proclamation and Edict of Cyrus to hys followers very glorious as we see in pompe of words and ostentation of style Let vs now compare the Proclamation of Iesus whose enterance and Praeface was PaenitentiaÌ„ agite Repent yee And then it followeth In hoc mundo pressuram habebitis in thys world you shall receyue affliction And then after againe They shall whyp and murder you And yet further You shal be hatefull in the sight of all men for my sake Then is there adioynedâ— He that loueth his life shall lose his soule After that ensueth Hee that will follow mee must beare his Crosse. And finally the conclusion is He that commeth to me and doth not hate his Father his Mother his wife his chyldren his bretheren his sisters and his owne lyfe for my sake he is not worthy to be my seruaunt Thys was the entertainment proposed by Iesus to such as wold come serue vnder hys Banner with expresse prostestation y t hymselfe was sent into the worlde not to bring peace rest ease to flesh blood but rather to be the cause of sword fire trybulation combate and enmitie And yet with these colde offers presented to the world by pore abiect and most contemptible Officers and by this doctrine so crosse and opposite to mans nature inclynation and sensual appetite he gayned more harts vnto him within the space of forty yeeres as hath beene sayde then euer did Monarch in the world possesse louing Subiects by what-soeuer temporall allurement they dyd or might propose Which argueth most euidently the omnipotent puissaunce of hym that contrary to mans reason could bring to passe so miraculous a conquest The second Consideration THere followeth in order the consideration of Christes Aposâ—les which in some respect may be sayde more strange wonderful then the former in that they beeing both rude simple and vnlearned men and for the most part of the baser sort should be chosen assigned to so great a worke as was the conuersion of all Countries Nations and to stande in combate with the power learning and wisedome of all the world Neither only had they to contend and fight against theyâ— enemies but also to direct gouerne and menage all those who shoulde be adioyned to theyr Maisters kingdomâ— To which charge they seemed so vntoward and insufficient in all that tyme wherein they lyued with him heere vppon earth as by theyr questions and demaunds made vnto him a little before his passion they might appeare to haue learned very little in three whole yeeres conueâ—saâ—ion instruction and in verie deede to be incapable of so high mysteries and â—unctions Yet notwiâ—hstanding these men who of themselues were weake and impotent after strength and confirmation receiued by y e descending of Gods holy Spirit into them became so perfect able and most excellent men as they brought the whole world in admiration of them Not onely by the most exquisite perfection of theyr doctrine wherein on a suddaine without study they excelled and conuinced the greatest Phylosophers then lyuing but also and that especially by the rare stupendious myracles which they wrought in the sight of al men The contemplacion whereof as S. Luke reporteth droue the beholders not onelie into great meruaile but also into feare and exceeding terrour And for example he recounteth the restoring of a lame man at y e Temple gate of Ierusalem which had been a Cripple for the space of forty yeeres and more and thys myracle was doone and testified in the presence and knowledge of all the Cittie He recordeth also the dreadfull death of Annanias and Saphira by the onely speech and voyce of S. Peter as in lyke manner the healing of infinite sicke people by the presence and shadowe of the same Apostle He reporteth also the most wonderful deliueraunce of the sayd Saint Peter out of the hands pryson of Herod by the Angel of God The varietie of languages which all the Apostles spake The visible descending of the holy Ghost vppon al such on whom the sayde Apostles dyd but lay theyr hands The miraculous conuersion of S. Paule by Christes appearing vnto him in the way when he went to persecute Of which myracle S. Paul himself protesteth in euery place afterward and once especially in an open audience and iudgement before K. Agrippa and Festus Gouernour of Iurie These miracles many moe are recorded by S. Luke whereof some part were seene by hymselfe and the rest most euident to all the worlde as doone in publique before infinite witnesses Neyther is it possible they could be â—ayned for that as in the like I haue before noted it had been most easie to haue refelled them thereby to haue discredited y e whole proâ—eedinges of Christian Religion in theyr first beginnings As for example if the miracle of Saint Peter beeing deliuered foorth of the hands pryson of Herod Agrippa had any way beene to be touched with falshood howe many would there haue beene of Herodes Officers Courtiers seruants friendes that for defence of their Princes honour so deeply tainted by this narration of Saint Luke published not long after the thing was done how many I say woulde haue offered themselues to refute and disgrace the writer heereof hauing so pregnant meanes by publique recorde to doe the same So again wheras the same S. Luke reporteth of his own knowledge that in a Citty of Macedonie named Philippi Saint Paule and Silas after many myracles doone were whypped and put in pryson with a dilligent guarde in the lowest prison of all theyr feete loâ—ked fast in the stockes of Tymber that at mydnyght when Paule and Silas began to pray the whole pryson was shaken and all the doores throwne open as also the gyues not onely of those two but of all the other prysoners vpon a suddain burst in sunder and that thereupon not onely the Iaylor cast
such as wil truely turne vnto him in what tyme state condition or age soeuer in this lyfe which shal be shewed and sette downe by these four poynts and parts that doe ensue The first part touching the loue that God beareth towards man FIrst of all by the infinite and incomprehensible loue y e almightie God beareth vnto man which loue is alwaies y e Mother of fauor grace and mercy If you demaund of mee in what sorte I doe prooue that the loue of God is so exceeding great towards man I answer as the Cosmographer is wont to doe who by the greatnes multitude of y e streames and Riuers doth frame a coniecture of the Fountaine from which they flowe The proper Riuers which are deriued and doe run forth of loue are good turnes and benefits which seeing they are infinite endlesse and inestimable bestowed by God vpon man as in the place before hath beene declared and the whole vniuersall frame of thys world doth aboundantly beare witnes it foloweth most euidently that the origine fountaine wel-spring of al these fauours graces and good turnes must needes be infinite immeasurable and far surpassing all compasse of mans vnderstanding If you require of me the cause reason why Almighty God should so wonderfully be affected towardes man I can directly yeelde ye none at all but rather meruaile thereat with holy Iob why so soueraigne a Maiestie should set his hart vpon so base a subiect Notwithstanding the holy Scripture seemeth to alledge one principal reason of his loue when it sayth Nâ—hil odâ—sti â—orum que fecisti et parcis omnibus quia tua sunt Demine qui diligis animas That is Thou ô Lord which louest soules canst not hate those thinges which thou hast made but dost vse mercie towardes all men for that they are thyne And the lyke manner of reasoning vseth God himselfe when he sayth by the Prophet Ezechiel Behold all soules are mine and heerevpon he inferreth a little after Numquid voluntatis meâ— est mors impij Can I haue the wil to damne a wicked man seeing y t his soule is mine created redeemed by me as who would say thys were a case against all order and equity And the reason of this maner of speech argument is for that euery man naturallie is inclined to loue the things that be of his own making So we see that if a man haue an Orchard wherein be great varietie of Trees plants yet if there be but one of his own peculier grafting that florisheth prospereth well he taketh more delight therein then in any of the rest for that it is hys owne workmanshyp So in lyke manner if a man haue a Vineyard of his owne planting and trimming For which respect the holie Prophet Dauid finding himselfe and the whole kingdome of Iurie in great affliction calamity thought no other meanes so forcible to draw God to compassion and commiseration of theyr case as to cry out to hym in this maner Thou which gouernest Israel looke towards vs be attent Thou hast brought foorth a Vineyard out of Egipt thou hast purged the same from Gentiles and hast planted it Thou O God of all power turne towards vs looke vpon vs from heauen and visite this thy vineyarde which thine owne right hande hath planted The like maner of perswasion vsed the holy Prophet Esay to moue God when he said Looke vppon vs I beseech thee O Lorde which are the worke of thine owne hands But aboue all other the blessed man Iob standeth as it were in argument and dysputation with God about thys matter saying haue not thy hands made me haue they not framed me of clay and earth hast not thou compacted me as cheese is made of mylke hast not thou knyt my bones and sinewes together and couered my fleshe with skyn hast not thou giuen me lyfe and conserued my Spyrite with thy continuall protection how soeuer y u seeme to dissemble these matters hide theÌ„ in thy hart yet I know that thou remembrest them all and art not vnmindful of them By which wordes thys holy man signified that albeit god suffered him greatly to be tempted and afflicted in thys lyfe so farre foorth as hee might seeme to haue forgotten him yet was he well assured that his diuine Maiestie coulde not of his goodnes forsake or despise him for that he was his creature the proper workmanshyppe of hys own hands In which very name of workmanship holy Dauid tooke such great comfort considering that the workman cannot chuse but be louing and fauourable towardes hys owne worke especially so excellent and bountifull a workman as is almighty God towards a work made as man is to his own shape likenes that in all his necessities yea euen in hys greatest infirmities of fleshe and most grieuous offences committed against hys Maiestie he conceiueth most assured hope of mercy and pardon vpon this consideration that he was his workmanship and consequently wel knowne to his diuine wisedome of how brickle infirme a mettal he was made For thus at one time among other he reasoneth of thys matter Looke how far distant the East is from the West so far off hath God remoued our iniquities from vs. Euen as a father dooth take compassion of hys own chyldren so doth the lord take mercy vpoÌ„ vs for that he wel knoweth the mould wherof we are made and doth remember that we are nothing els but dust In which discourse the holy Prophet maketh mention of two things that did assure hym of Gods mercy the one that God was hys Creator and maker and therby priuie to the frailty of hys constitution nature the other that he was hys Father whose property is to haue compassion on hys chyldren and thys is a second reason more strong forcible perhaps then the former why euery man may be most assured of pardon that hartily turneth vnto almighty GOD considering that it hath pleased his diuine Maiestie not onely to be vnto man a Creator as he is to all other things but also a Father which is the title of the greatest loue and coniunction that nature hath left to things in this world Wherof a certaine Phylosopher sayd well that no man coulde conceiue the loue of a Parents hart but hee only y t had a chyld of hys owne For which respect our Sauiour Christ to put vs in minde of this most feruent loue and thereby as it were by one fire to enkindle another within our harts dyd â—se oftentimes ordinarily to repeate thys sweete name of Father in his speeches to hys followersâ— and thereupon founded dyuers most excellent and comfortable dyscourses as at one time when he exhorted them from ouer-much carâ— and worldly solicitude hee addeth thys reason Your Father in Heaueâ— knoweth that you haue neede of these thinges As who woulde say hee knowing your wants being your
thys is that GOD promiseth to a sinner that faithfully will return vnto him not onely to forgette and vtterly extinguish all memory of hys former iniquities but also to make more ioy and tryumph at hys conuersion and to loue and cherish hym more tenderly at hys returne then if hee had neuer fallen or departed froÌ„ hys seruice This God himselfe signifieth by the Prophet Esay when he sayth Call vnto Ierusalem speake vnto her hart that is comfortably for that her iniquity is forgiuen shee hath receiued double at Gods hands for all her sinnes committed And more plainly in another place by the same Prophet The lyght of the Moone shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shal be as the lyght of seauen dayes seauen times put together when God shall binde vp the wounds of his people and heale theyr sores And to thys purpose doe appertaine directly those most wonderfull Parables of our Sauiour in the Gospell concerning the extraordinary ioy feasting that the carefull Woman made when she had founde againe her grote that was lost the good sheepeheard when he brought back the sheepe that was astray and the mercifull Father when hee receiued home hys sonne that before had abandoned hym And to the same purpose doth it also appertaine that in the Prophet Dauid God glorieth especially in the seruice of those people y t before had not knowne hym And thys shall suffise for thys second poynt to shew what wonderful meanes almighty God doth vse in setting forth his mercy for allurement of sinners vnto repentance The third part what assurance God giueth to them that repent AND so hauing declared what exceeding great loue and mercie God beareth towards man how effectually he expresseth the same by his suing vnto sinners for theyr conuersion it followeth that we shold in thys thyrd place examine somewhat more in particulers what certaine assuraunce his diuine Maiestiâ— gyueth of vndoubted pardon ful remission of theyr sins to all such as vnfainedly shall resolue themselues to make theyr refuge vnto hym Which thing albeit euery man by that which before hath been treated may sufficiently conceiue yet for the importance of the matter it shall not be amisse in thys place also to adde a word or two for more plaine and euident demonstration thereof And thys shall be doone by setting downe both the wordes and deedes that is both the promises performance which almighty GOD hath vsed exercised in this behalf to all such as haue offended hym whatsoeuer And for the first which are hys promises most apparant it is as wel by the thinges which before haue beene discussed as also by the whole course body dryft of holy scripture y t the promises of mercy pardon which hys diuine Maiestie hath made to sinners and wherunto by hys sacred worde he hath in a certaine manner obliged hymselfe are both manifold vehement absolute resolute and vniuersal Whosoeuer shal depart from his wicked waies and turne vnto me sayth Almighty God I will receiue him Beholde the vniuersalitie of all people persons without excluding any And then further At what time soeuer an impious man shall returne vnto me from his impietie his wickednesse shall not hurt him sayth the Lord GOD of hostes See the vniuersality of al times and seasons without exception But yet harkeÌ„ what God addeth besides Leaue off to doe peruersly sayth hee to the Iewes c. and then doe you come and find fault with mee if you can For if your sinnes were as red as skarlet they shall be made as white as snow c. Consider the vniuersality of al kind of sinnes be they neuer so grieuous so horrible or heynous And finally God talking to a soule that hath oftentimes fallen most infinitely offended him hee sayth thus It is a common receiued speech that if a woman depart from her husband and doe ioyne herselfe to another man she may not return to her first husband againe for that shee is defiled and made contaminate And yet where as thou hast departed from mee and hast committed fornication with many other louers doe thou returne vnto mee againe and I will receiue thee sayth Almighty GOD. By which wordes is expressed the fourth vniuersalitie contayning all states qualities and conditions of men how many waies or howe oftentimes or howe contemptuouslie soeuer they haue committed sinnes against hys diuine Maiestie And what may be added now more vnto thys was there euer Prince that made so large an offer to hys Subiects or was there euer Father that gaue so ample vniuersall promise of pardon vnto his chyldren Who can now mistrust himselfe to be excluded from this assurance of mercy wherin all sorts of people all kinde of sinners all tymes and seasons all states qualities of sinners are coÌ„prehended O most miserable and infortunate man that excludeth him selfe whoÌ„ God excludeth not What is there in this general and vniuersall promises whereof any man in the world shold haue pretence to make any least doubt or question Of the meaning perhaps intent of him that promiseth ô deere brother it is onely loue and charitie and consequently cannot deceiue vs. Of the trueth and surety of hys promises It is infallible and more certaine then heauen and earth put together Of the power that hee hath to performe his promises it is infinite and not restrained by anie bounds or limitation wherof then may we doubt or in which of these three poynts may wee not conceiue most singuler consolation Heare the comfortable meditation y t blessed S. Bernard made vpoÌ„ these three particulers which wee haue nowe mentioned Tria considero saith he in quibus tota spes mea consistâ—t charitatem vocationis veritatem promissionis potestatem redditionis c. That is I do consider three things sayth thys holy man wherin al my hope consisteth and whereby it is made inuinsible First the exceeding loue and charity of him that calleth me to him by repentance secondly the infallible trueth and certainty of his promise which he maketh to me of pardon and mercy thirdlie the endlesse power and abilitie hee hath to performe whatsoeuer hee promiseth Thys is that triple or threeâ—fold rope and chayne which holy Scripture sayth is hardly broken for that by thys rope let downe vnto vs from heauen which is our Countrey into this world that is our prison we may ascende and mount vp if we will euen vnto the sight possession of Gods eternal kingdome and heauenly glory Thus far that blessed Father But now to the second poynâ— if we consider how faithfully almightie God hath put in execution those promises of hys from tyme to tyme how no one man vpon earth so many ages as the world hath continued was euer yet frustrate of thys hope in making his conuersion vnto his Maiestie if he made it froÌ„ his