all the Enemies of God his woorde people Religion to leaue their wickednes and to comforte the good manfully too beare their madnes and patiently to loke for Gods goodnes LIke as in Aggeus my endeuor and purpose was that those that feare the Lorde shoulde be sturred vp to an earnest buyldinge of Gods house louinge of his woorde and maintaininge of true religion so in this shorte Prophete my trauall and meaninge is that the wicked vnderstanding how vainly they stryue with all their witte power policie against the poore simple innocent crucified Christ Iesus the almighti sonne of the liuing God the wisedome and power of God his father might cease their raginge madnes and not onelye that but also howe they shal be ouerthrowen in their owne deuises that they imagine against true Christians the misticall members of his body and churche or againste hys woord and religion as all their fathers haue bene frome the beginninge whose steppes they folow in hating and persecuting gods people Their stomackes be stout theyr pollices great their might is stronge their wittes are wile yea all the worlde is on their side yet in the ende they shall serue dastards ignorant helples witles and misers for as the wise man sais ther is no wisedom politie nor counsell againste the Lorde The more wisdom subtiltie strengthe or power that a man hais the more he hais it to hys owne destruction if he haue it not and vse it too the glory of God and comfort of hys people For as wylde beastes the more fearce and cruel that they be the more it harmes them and causes men to hunt and seke wais how too destroy them so the more that the wicked set vp theÌ„ selfes against the Lorde and oppresse hys people the readyer iâ— God to help and deliuer his and ouerthrowe the other Can they finde any rebels againste God hys woorde and people from the beginninge too thys day that hais preuailed agaynst the Lorde and hys chosen folke If there be none as it is mooste true none to be how can they loke to be the firste Why maye not true Christians boldely saye with Dauid than Why do the Heathen freate and fume and the people imagine vain thinges againste the Lorde and his anointed saying â–ª let vs brust in sunder their bondes and cast their yoke awaye froÌ„ vs. But it folowes he that dwels in the heauens will mocke them and the Lord will laughe them too scorne In the twoo first sinnes of Adam and soo orderly in al ages to these dayes it appeares how the wicked continually malice persecute the good but to the burt of theym selues and the prayse of the godly Cain killed his brother Abel thought he should haue ben blameles but Abels innocent bloude and suche like cried vengeance on Cain hys folowers from that daye to this and the righteous God reuenges it dayly and at length wil coÌ„demne the obstinate vtterly C ham mocked hys father Noe and hys seede the Canaanites persecuted Gods people the Iewes that came of Sem his brother therefore his posteritie was accursed of God to the worlds ende The proude Giants with their captain Nimrod buylding the tower of Babell to get them selues a name in earth were ouerthrowen in their owne deuise by God from heaueÌ„ Carnal Ismael sought to destroy the promysed Isaac but in vain Bloudy EdoÌ„ or Esau whom thys Prophete describes sought the deathe of his brother Iacob but the God of Abraham their father saued them Ioseph was solde into Egipt by hys brether and by the false accusinge of his maysties was wrongefully prysoned yet hee that sittes on hygh looked doune to the lowe dungeon of the pryson and raised Ioseph to be ruler and sauer of the lande The Egiptians oppressed Gods people for a tyme but the Lord of hostes drouned Fharao and hys companye for their crueltye againste them the frowarde people murmuringe often againste their captain Moyses some were swalowed vp with earth quick some burned with fire The Philistians and seuen nations rounde aboute Gods flocke kepte continual warre against them yet they coulde neuer deuoure them but were deuoured at the length Saul and hys flatterers banisshed and pursued poore Dauid whome his God of a shepeherde made a kynge mauger all his foes The ten tribes of Israel with their kyngs were enemies to Iuda Beniamin euermore yet though they were the stroÌ„ger mo in number thei were soner rooted oute The Chaldes Assirians PersiaÌ„s Grecians and Romaines the mightiest princes on the earth oft subdued the Iewes forsakinge theyr God but the Lorde their olde sauiour euer restored them agayne when they fought him vnto thei vtterly refused Christ their sauiour The Iewes crucified Christ Iesus oure Lorde thrust hym to the heart with a speare buried hym and layed a heauy stoone on hym thinkinge he should neuer ryse agayne a conqueror but in vain was all theyr spite and their labor lost Themperour many yeares cruellye tormented all that beleued in the Lord fondly thinkinge to haue by that meaneâ— ouerthrowen them The Pope in processe of time conquered almoste al princes except the Gretians vnto of late the Lord opening the eyes of some brake hys snares and deliuered hys folke MoÌ„kes and Ereres by mans traditions woulde haue ouerwhelmed true religion Papistes of late haue banisshed burned and persecuted many godly men so cruelly as no history speakes of the like thys thousande yeare willing to haue feared all frome euer acknowledging their Lord Christe Many Heretikes haue laboured to haue defaced Goddes truthe but al is in vain God his name bee praysed therefore hais ouerthrowen them in their highest ruffe laughed them to scorne and raised vppe that whiche they would most gladly haue vtterly oppressed â–ª For as death and the graue could not preuaile against Christ our head no more shall it against his bodye and members As Nimrod therefore Pharao Ieroboam Nebucadnezar Darius Alexander with all their kyngdoms and partakers be now vainquished and subdued by the Turke the Sophi and the Souldan priester Iohn other Heathen princes their couÌ„tries made wast strauÌ„gers possesse them their religion altered froÌ„ euill to wors their cytyes townes and temples as the Prophetes did tell afore are made dennes of wilde beastes owles other filthy byrds so sence christ that which Emperors maÌ„fullly coÌ„quered the pope by subtiltie deuoured made him selfe a prince of princes but now by the power of Gods woorde preached he is made a laughing stocke to al thosâ— whose eyes the Lord hais opened to see his abominations and all realmes that afore feared hym â–ª now God visiting hys people fal from hym For as the woodbinde leaning to a tree climbes vp spreades it selfe ouer all the branches vnto it haue ouergrowen and kylled the hole tree as a stroÌ„g â—eady streame vndermining great hygh bankes at length makes all to tumble intoo the water and wasshes it awaye so
goodes whiche shoulde haue necessarely ben bestowed to the buyldinge of gods house we shoulde not haue felt gods rodde so sharpeli but God would haue ben pleased and shewed his glorie amonge vs. But whan men would not geue laÌ„dâ— fast inough to Abbeys than the Pope rather than his chapleÌ„s should want would robbe many Parisshes to fede his moÌ„kes God graunt that the gospell maye restore that iustly whiche the Pope toke wrongfully awaye and gaue them yet a rightâ— name of impropriations because improperly thei be takeÌ„ away properly belong to the parishes The workemaÌ„ is worthy hys byre he that serues the gospel muste lyue of the gospel Therfore those impropriacions whiche take awaye the Preachers liuinge be againste the woorde of God But what doeth this belong to vs or oure time doth goo require of vs to build him Abbeis Nunries Chauntries c. no surely but this was an outwarde exercise for that grosse harde harted people for a time to be excused in that they should not buylde temples to Idols â–ª and teacheth vs to buylde god spirituall house wherin we maye offer spirituall sacrifices prayers to him where in he is well delited will shew his Maiestye This house is nowe for vs to be vnderstande generallye the hole churche and companye of Christians and the bodye and soule the hearte minde or conscience of all ChristiaÌ„s particularly wherein god dwels by his holy spirite as sainct Paule saieth to the Corinthians Do ye not knowe that your bodyes be the temples of the holy ghoste and whiche he hath sanctified to be kept holy for him self alone by Baptisme and for the whiche Christe hath died that we mighte liue by 〈◊〉 whome he hathe redemed with hys 〈◊〉 and wasshed cleane from all sinne 〈◊〉 shoulde liue no more to our owne lustes and desires but to him that hath redemed vs. It is written that God dwels not in Tempels made with handes nor is worshipped with any worke of maÌ„nes haÌ„des but he is a spirite an inuisible substance and wil be worshipped in spirite truthe not in outwarde woordes onely of the lippes but with the depe sighes grâ—ninges of the heart and the hole power of the mynde and earnest hearty callinge on hym in prayer by faithe And therfore he doeth not so muche require of vs to â—uyld him a house of stone and timber but hath willed vs to praye in all places and hath taken awaye that Iewish and Popish holinesse whiche is thoughte too be more in one place than an other All the earthe is the Lordes and he is present in all places â–ª hearinge the peticions of them which call on him in faithe Therfore those Bishops which thinke with their coniured water too make one place more holy than the reste are no better than Iewes deceyuinge the people teachinge that onely to be holy which thei haue censed crossed oyled and breathed vpon For as Christ saide to the womaâ— thinkinge one place to be holier to 〈◊〉 than an other Woman beleue 〈◊〉 time is come whaÌ„ ye shal worship 〈◊〉 â—t Ierusalem nor in this byl but the true worshippers shal worship God in spirite truthe so is it now saide the place makes not the man holy but the man makes the place holy and ye shal doe worship youre Idols stockes stones neither at Walsingham Ipswich CaÌ„terbury nor Shene for God chuses not the people for the place sake but the place for the people sake But if ye be in the middest of the fielde God is as ready to heare youre faithfull prayers as in any Abbey or Nunrye yea a thousand times more for the one place he hates as defiled with Idolatry and the other he loues as vndefiled and cleane If the good man lye in pryson tyed in chaynes or at the stake to be burned for Gods cause that place is holy for the holines of the man the presence of the holy Ghooste in him as Tertullian sayeth Yet there shoulde be common places appointed for the people too assemble and come together in to prayse oure God For where the Apostle rebuked them whiche woulde not resorte with the rest of the Christians to make their common praiers together to hear his woorde and receiue his sacraments it proues they had some common place to resort to And where saincte Paule requires that all thinges should be done in a comely order what can be more comely or agreing to good order then 〈◊〉 haue a time appointed and a place too resorte vnto together to worship oure onely God Nay how shal they come together â—â—cept place and time be appointed Howe shal they know when whither to resort vnappointed How canne the sheepehearde teache his sheepe if he haue not a folde to gather them together in In the Apostles time when the rulers were not christened they resorted into priuate houses and chauÌ„bers by the water side 〈◊〉 worship their God but when princes became christened they had churches appoâ—â—â—ted for them yet all these prayers preachinges that were priuely in parlers and by the waterside were as pleasaunte too God yea better peradueÌ„ture for coÌ„monly they came of a greater and better lâ—ue 〈◊〉 faith as ours be now Those also whiche than were buried in no halowed churche nor churcheyarde nor christeÌ„ moldes as they be called when it is no better then other earth but rather worse for the coÌ„mâ—â—â—â— that Bishops vse about it were no worse then they which were buried with al soleÌ„nitie It appeares in the gospel by the Legion liuing in graues the widdows some going to burial Christ buried withoute 〈◊〉 Citie c. that then thei buried not in halowed Churchyeardes by any Bishops but in a seuerall place appointed for thesame purpose without the Citie which custome remains to this day in many godli places As that theÌ„ was lawful no hurt to the ded so is it nowe one place is as holy as an other to be buried in sauinge that coÌ„ly order requires the bodies not to be cast awai because thei were the temples of the holy ghost shal be glorifed at the last dai again but semely to be buried an honest place to be kept seueral froÌ„ beastes vnreuereÌ„t vsing thesame for thesame vse It is Popish to beleue that which the bishops doe teach that place to be more holi then the rest which thei haue halowed as thei sai with washing it with their coÌ„iured water crossing ceÌ„sings processioÌ„s c. that God wil hear our praiers afore one Idol or Image rather then an other or in one Abbey as pleases theÌ„ to apoint him rather than an other Wher it pleases theÌ„ to grauÌ„t mani daies of pardon ther God must hear their praiers soner work mo miracles so God is become their seruauÌ„t shal be wher thei wil apoint him But blessed be the God our lord which by the
c. and the Lordes daie which I take too be the Sundaie when Ihon sawe his Reuelation Thus superstition crepte intoo the worlde when men began too forgette callinge on the true and onelye God and made them gods of euery deadde sainct as they list What can we saye for oure selfs but that we put greate superstition in dayes when we put openly in KaleÌ„ders and Almanacks and say these dayes be infortunate great matters are not to be taken in hand these dayes as thoughe we were of gods priuie counsell But why are they infortunate Is God a sleepe on those dayes or doeth he not rule the woorlde and all thynges those daies as well as on other dayes Is he weary that he muste reste hym in those daies Or doth he geue the ruling of those daies to some euill spirite or planete if God geue to Starres suche power that things caÌ„ not prosper on those daies than God is the author of euyll If Starres doe rule men those daies than man is their seruaunt But God made man to rule and not be ruled and all creatures should serue him What shall be the cause If Astronomers saye true euery man at his byrthe by his constellation haue diuers things and desires appointed him Why than howe canne soo manye diuers constellations in so many men at your byrth agre â–ª to make one daye vnlucky in your lyfe to all men Eyther let him proue it by learning or for shame and sinne holde yourâ— tounge Starres maye haue some power on the naturall qualities and actions of the bodye and for phisicke But on the Ciuyll voluntarie actions of Christians myndes none Sainct Paule sayes the chyldreÌ„ of god be led with the sprite of god why thaÌ„ not by Starres It is faithles superstitioÌ„ to teache or beleue such things that either at the byrth or after we be ruled by Starres All Astronomers coulde neuer tell why Iacob and Esau brother twynnes borne in one momeÌ„t shoulde haue so contrarie natures What Starre ruled when Sodome and Gomorre were burned and the next townes scaped were all born vnder one starre that then perisshed or all Noes floudde was not thaÌ„ diuers sortes men and womeÌ„ yong and olde good and badde Doeth not the scripture saye that god made seuen dayes and when he had made all thinges he did beholde them all they were very good Why shall we then be holde to call them euill infortunate and dismall dayes If god rule oure doinges continually why shal they not prosper on those dayes as wel as on other God blessed the seuenth daye and yet we dare call that infortunate euil and cursed whiche he blessed Althoughe it be vnpossible to redresse this olde common errour so depely rooted in all tunges and countries yet it is not vnprofitable to note the begiÌ„ning of these thinges that this superstition maye bee some thinge knowen When god made seuen dayes he called them the firste the second thirde fourth c. But the last day he called the Sabboth whiche betokens rest and hath not the name geuen too bee called of any other creature man sainct starre or Idoll but as the name soundes so should we on the seuenth daye reste froÌ„ all bodely labour except nede compel but specially from all filthy sinne This is not the right waye to make holy men too be remembred nor surest to auoyd Idolatrie It were better to be done by writing the Chronicles liues deathes of suche as were godly in dede and not euery Rascall as Legenda aurea the Legend of Lies does Pope Boniface the .viii finding theÌ„ of Farrare worshippinge .xx yeares one Hermanius as a sainct digged him oute of the ground and burned him for an Heretike and authour of the sect called Fratricelli and forbad to worshippe such euyl men So I thinke we scraping together a number of sainctes as we liste worshippe many euill persons What holines was in Thomas Becket whiche had gotten twoo dayes in the Kalender called by his name and Priestes must euermore mumble him one wicked memory in Maâ—tins â— Euensong If papistes rebels and traytours to their kinges as this stout Champion of the Popes was maye be thus rewarded it is no marueyle if many rebell against their kinges as he did In that that he saieth the worde of the Lord was sent by the hand of Aggeus the Prophet it teaches the duety bothe of the hearer and the preacher For neither must we teach any thinge of mans deuises nor the hearer must regard him so muche whiche preaches that for his cause we muste either more or lesse beleue the thinge whiche is taughr for the preacher takes his authoritie of the woorde of God not the woordâ— takes his authoritie of the preacher but onely because it is the woorde of God of whose truth we must not doubt but with obedience receiue it Untoo the preacher saieth sainct Peter he that speakes lette him speake as the woordes of God Aggeus being but a poore Leuite kepinge this rule was not to be despised more theÌ„ the priest And where as preaching beleuing the thinges preached is the hyghest and mooste pleasaunt seruice and worship of god what thinge shoulde bee taughte what punishment is for them whiche doe it not the scripture teaches playne Saint Mathew saieth they worship me in vain teaching learninges whiche are the commaundementes of men And the false Prophet whiche runnes before he be sent and deceiues the people speakinge in the name of God that whiche he was not coÌ„maunded or els speaking in the name of false gods shal be put to death â–ª Therfore let the pratinge pardoner or the Popishe priestes take hede in whose names they speake and what they teache when for the gredy gayning of a litle money they condemne them selues and set out to sell Heauen â–ª Purgatory Hell as thei were al in their power to geue at their pleasur In the Popes name they promise xl.lx an hundreth daies of pardon for a Trental they mai be brought from Hel. The true Prophetes of God as appeareth in theyr writinges alwaies vse to say thus saieth the Lorde the woorde of God was spoken to me c. but the Popes creaturs as Pardoners priestes fryers c. say thus saith Pope Alexander Gregory Ihon ClemeÌ„t or some suche other like and nothing wil they do without money Let the true preacher teache the mercies of god that God hath so loued the world that he gaue hys onely begotten sonne that euery one whiche beleues in him shall not bee damned but haue lyfe euerlasting yet shal the dronken pardoner and sir Ihon Lacklatin bee better beleued then Christe whiche spake these wordes promised it yea rather the people wil â—ye forgeuenes of their sinnes at the Pope and such his messengers haÌ„ds then take it frely at christ paying nothing therfore suche as the brutishe blinde vnthankefulnes of the worlde Come bye
grace strengthâ— and boldnes to offer oure bodies to deathe withoute feare for the buildinge of Gods house rather then to see it lye waste troden vnder fete What greater comfort caÌ„ any Christians haue than in geuing their bodies to death for the buildinge of thys house whan he hears God saye that he is delited in their so doiÌ„g that he wil shew his glorie in them What greater promocion can a maÌ„ come to than to be one such instrumeÌ„t wherin God wil be delited and shew his glorie Death of the body is greuous to the flesh but death of the soule is a thousand times more fearful too a good man the one is a litle painfull for a tyme the other hath grefe without ende Therfore Christ saieth feare not them whiche kyll the bodye and can not hurt the soule but fear him which can cast bothe bodye soule into hel fire Suche an earnest loue shoulde we haue to the buildinge of Gods house bothe the hearers teachers bothe to build be builded by al meanes possible because he is so well delighted in it that we should feare neither losse of goods nor yet death of body no nor displeasur of maÌ„ so that we maye please God haue hym delighted in our doynges To please man is but a smal thinge but to please God is the greatest good thinge that can be he the honours me saieth God I wil glorifi him and he that coÌ„fesseth me before men I wil confesse him before my father and he that is ashamed of me I will bee ashamed of hym and he that denies me before men I wil denie hym before my father in heaueÌ„ verse 9 Ye haue looked for muche beholde it is but litle ye haue brought it into the house and I haue bloweÌ„ on it And why so sayeth the Lord of hostes â–ª because thys is my housâ— whiche lieth waste and 〈◊〉 runne euery one to his owâ—â— house ¶ The chiefest reasons too perswade 〈◊〉 euill man to leaue any wicked wayes 〈◊〉 to set before him and often to put hym 〈◊〉 remembrauÌ„ce howe God hath ben angryâ— with hym when he did such thinges and punished him as long as he laye in suche forgettinge of his Lorde God and also to threaten him with greater plagues if he do continue in them styll Bothe these kyndes of counsayle doeth the Prophete here vse to sturre them vp to buylding of this house of God He bothe sundry 〈◊〉 cals to their remembraunce the great pâ—â—â—ges whiche they suffered ofte and longe afore tyme for not buyldinge Gods house and also biddes them not thinke that all their sorowe was at an ende but more greater scourges was hanging ouer their heads if they would not buylde his house earnestly and if they ceased not to sinne God woulde not cease to punish them and if they continued styll not regardinge the buyldinge of his house God woulde continue still encreasinge his curses on theÌ„ Ye haue ben gredy desiringe muche sayth the prophet ye haue scraped and scratched together all ye could laye your handes on ye haue spent your money and wroughte youre selues weary thinkinge to enriche your selues by suche meanes but beholde and marke it well and it is come but too litle Where the scripture vses to saye beholde there it tels some notable straunge thinge as this is here that their laboure wasted awaye vnprofitably they coulde not tel how That waye wherby all other waxe wealthy hathe done you no good those meanes whiche God vses to woorke by in other and blesse them in you it hath not gone forwardes accordinge to youre expectation and lokinge for yea and that whiche is most merueilous youre corne other fruites hath not onely not encreased in the fielde but wheÌ„ it hath ben brought into the barnes it hath consumed there you coulde not tell how A man woulde thinke his corne were sure inoughe when it is in the barne for whilest it is in the fielde it is subiect to many daungers as blassinge myldews frost byting thunder beating layde with a raine or shakeÌ„ with the wind stoleÌ„ or eaten with beastes c. but euen in youre varnes saieth God I haue blowen on it It is as easye for me saieth God to waste it in the house as in the field For if I but blow on it it is not able to stande in my sight And as afore he saide their money fell out of the purse botome so now in their houses their fruites were not sure No locke vp in stoone houses if ye will it is as easy for God too consume it there as to blow a blast with hys mouth yea nothing shal withstande hym whatsoeuer ye deuise but he will take it froÌ„ you ye shal not haue your pleasure by displeasing God nor any thing shall prosper with you vntil ye build him his house that is to say maintain his pure religioÌ„ defend his honour forsake your vain pleasures refrain your gredy coueteousnes The defeÌ„ding of true religion with a good godly life is nowe the true buyldinge of Gods house nowe commaunded vnto vs and that man Citie or countrye whiche doeth not build this house so hath shall haue the like plages fall on theym vntyll they ernestly build this house of the Lords For as a kinge is stablished in his kingedome whan his godly lawes are taughte kepte and that realme is strongly buylded and blessed of God wher good order is maintained so is Gods church coÌ„gregatioÌ„ wel surely builded where gods word religion is purely taught sin punished vertue embraced God can no more suffer his lawes to be conteÌ„ned or his honor geuen to Idols thaÌ„ kings can suffer their kingdoms to be betraied to their enemies For as in the hole history of the Iewes coÌ„mon welth in the boke of the Iudges and the kings while the people liued in the fear of the Lord kept his religion geuen theÌ„ from God thei were defended by god from all enemies round about theÌ„ were thei neuer so many so stronge But when they would worship God either as thei lust theÌ„ selues or not at al or els as he did not appoint them thaÌ„ they were geuen into the hand of the Philistins Ammonites Chaldees Egiptians c. somtime for the space of .40 yeares sometime .18 sometime 70. and whan they were least three years So shall all they that buylde not or pull doune Gods true religioÌ„ set vp the Popes taughte by manne and not of God lykewise be punished or worse eyther wyth hunger pestilence swoorde or blynde ignoraunce not knowynge God and bee geuen vp too theyr owne lustes without remorse of conscyence or anye feare of God whyche is the greatest plague that can be Marke oute of oure owne Chronicles what was the estate of thâ—â— oure Realme when we were made Tributaries to the Romayns by Iulius Ceasar and so continued .400 yeares more Or