glad of the bride so shall thy God reioyce ouer thee Here the prophet sayth a great part of men regard neither God nor Christ and yet shall the elect seeke for the spirituall and true Sion and waight for Christ their onely Sauiour But seing the Church lyeth open to Sathans persecutions and of him is afflicted and wasted it hath great neede to be comforted Therefore he sayth I will not keepe silence but I will teach Christ cōtinually vntill he come For Christ as Paule witnesseth is the onely righteousnes of Sion or of the spirituall Hierusalem And he is the onely saluation of the Church as the Euangelists and Apostls teach in euery place Esay therfore teacheth of none but Christ Iesus whome God sent vs to be our Sauiour that both Iewes and Gentiles might enioy and be partakers of this his benefite as it hath ben fulfilled in all places euer since thapostles tyme And this new name here spokē of is nothing els but that Gos people is now called the Church of the sonne of God and the true and heauenly Hierusalem which is the mother of all the elected saintes And heare behold how precious and deare a darling the Church is to God our good and faithfull father For the prophet calleth it a crowne of glory the worlde counted the godly as vngodly as fooles as doultes as outcasts and as of scouringes of all thinges euery man did scoffe mocke scorne and iniury thē at their pleasure But the Church hath here an other manner of name for it is called a beloued precious glorious crowne my delight is in her and a people that hath a god that will not forget them These be most cōfortable promises when we be vnder the crosse But they must be stedfastly beleued or els they little auailed For it is most certaine although in this world we be contemned and afflicted that God yet loueth vs so derely and wel that al the creatures of the world are compelled to serue helpe vs euen then when the world supposeth they must torment vs Yea the Angels in heauen care for cherish and defend vs and God himselfe beareth vs in his armes as doth the louing Father his onely beloued childe But now consider this great worke of the loue of God I meane the passion of Christ and that God became man for vs All these thinges he did for the Church to the end that hauing deliuered them by this meanes from all euills he might bring them to health lyfe euerlasting How could he declare and shew a more fatherly loue and good will to his Church thē he hath done in deliuering his onely begotten sonne vp vnto death for it that he might deliuer it when as yet it was his enemy Though this infirmitie sore temptation and cros of ours in this world appeare outwardly horrible and detestable yet in deede thy are nothing els but a Fatherly rod wherewith he correcteth amendeth and reformeth his derely beloued children As for the glory which in the day of redemption shall be reuealed vnto vs I wil now say nothing of it but thē it shal appeare how dearely God loueth his church And then shall it be seene that this temporall trouble which we Christians haue heare is a certaine signe of Gods great good will and true fatherly loue towardes vs Esay his wordes seeme to sound as though he spak of that earthly Ierusalem in the land of Canaā And the prophet beholding the Church with spirituall eyes is cōpelled to speake as if he spake of these earthly thinges because they were figures of the true and heauēly Ierusalem and land of righteousnes As Peter and Paul doe sufficiently witnesse prescribing vs a sure rule how to vnderstād the prophets aright when they speake of Christ and his kingdome the church Note also that Esay calleth the church such a crowne as is in the hand of the Lord or which is caried in the Lordes hand Whiche is as much to say as the Church is a spirituall kingdome which God himselfe doth gouerne and rule It is also a crowne of glory or a glorious crowne in the hand of the Lord because it doth not appeare glorious in the eyes of the world And wheras the prophet taketh his similitude of a mariage and of fayth geuen betwene man wife that is very comfortable For hereby we learne how dearely tenderly and inwardly God loueth vs what infinite treasures we shall receaue of him For we know that the bridgrome makes his bride partaker of all he hath It followeth I haue set watch men vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease Ye that are mindful of the Lord keep ye silēce geue him no rest till he repare and set vp Hierusalem the prayse of the world The watchmen are the faythfull preachers of Gods word which watch and take paines in the Church in prayer doctrine least Sathan that deadly enemy by his false prophets should deceaue ouercome thē And these prechers alwayes preach true repentaunce and the grace of God in Christ and they diligently by their exhortations and sermons teach vs the knowledge of god and our selues and to geue God thankes for all his vnspeakeable benefits It followeth The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme surely I will no more geue thy corne to be meate to thine enemies and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine for the which thou hast labored But they that haue gathered it shall eate it and prayse the Lord and the gatherers therof shal drinke it in the courtes of my sanctuary This is spoken and ment of the spirituall corne and wine And this is the meaning therof It cannot be but the worde which these preachers teach should take place after it shall follow and rise the fruite of fayth which appeareth not at all in the vngodly These courtes that he speaketh of is the congregatiō or Church of Christiās or the godly amongest whome the gospell is purely taught where mens consciences were pacified quieted mery and pleasaunt in the Lord when the inward man feeleth peace tranquilitie quietnes securitye felicity perfect pleasure in the worde of god None of the vngodly either feele or haue taste of this pleasure And least we should any thing doubt of this promise he bindeth it with an oth that we shall haue those things which he promiseth It foloweth in the text Go through go through the gates prepare you the way for the people Cast vp cast vp the way and gather out the stones and set vp a standerd for the people Behold the Lord hath proclaimed vnto the endes of the world Tell the daughter Sion Behold thy Sauiour commeth Behold his wagis is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them the holy people the redeemer of the Lord And thou shalt
dispaire not and fly and fall away in persecution He reproued the corporall Israell the Iewes before in the 11. chap. somewhat sharply where he sayd I wil not feed you But vnto some that is vnto the remnant he made promise to keep them saying The poore of the sheep that wayted vpon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. These remnantes and afflicted sheepe are now that true Israel vnto whome the Lordes promises of comfort are auaileable These are they which in this world are tossed with many and strange afflictions and yet are not ouercome or ouerwhelmed of euil but are deliuered from all their misery and are made euen stronger in persecution vnder the crosse That burden doth signify a prophesie which prophecieth of some greuous burdenous and heauy thing as is the crosse and persecution comming vpon the godly which to the weake flesh is burdensome and heauy And the prophet to the end he may better and liuelyer comfort them sendes his auditors vnto the first article of fayth to wit creation geuing vnto the Lord a notable and worthy title to the end the godly may in their trouble be strengthened in fayth and thinke thus truely the Lord in whose hands the hole world is who is most mighty in all necessitie and a deliuerer out of all dangers is with vs. He hath created all thinges and he feedeth and cherisheth all thinges Wherefore no creature can do any more vnto vs then that omnipotēt Lord and creator of all thinges geueth them leaue He calleth Ierusalem the cup of poyson Meaning the Apostles and primatiue church gathered together by the Apostles These were of no account so that the Iewes and Gentiles which were their enemies thought that they might easely destroy such a pore companye and thought that they were scarse an euening draught But what doth the Lord he putteth that small company into a cup which maketh these their persecutors stumble and when they thinke that they can drinke thē vp at one draught they are made so mad and foolish that they stumble fall lyke drunken men This thing was fulfilled when the Iewes and gentiles set themselues so ragingly agaynst the Apostles and their scollers that at the last they perished fell whereof some were conuerted by the gospell and of enemies became frendes fell to their saluation but some fell vtterly to their euerlasting destruction for their hatred and malice conceaued against the godly By and by after He calleth Ierusalem the heauy stone vnto all people For Ierusalem that is the Apostles and faythfull Christiās shall not be suppressed but their persecutors shall fall from me in grace that they also may become faythful Christiās and some in indignation that they may remaine obdurat work their owne destruction For how soeuer they afflict or destroy the Church of God casting it wittingly and willingly aside as an vnprofitable stone out of this world yet can they not take that cleane away but kill and destroy themselues while they go about to remoue that stone And these wordes following do witnes that he speaketh of afflictiō All the people of the earth shall be gathered together agaynst it Christ himselfe told this to his disciples before in Iohn saying The world hateth you if they haue persecuted me they will persecute you also And agayne Whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that he doth God seruice You shall weepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and in the world ye shall haue affliction But the Lord hath promised your deliueraunce saying Be of good cheare I haue ouercome the world In me ye shall haue peace and yoer sorrow shall be turned into ioy And in Iohn it is sayd My sheepe shall neuer perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hand my Father which gaue thē me is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my fathers handes I and my Father are one The same thing also doth Zach. here promise In that day sayth the Lord I will smite euery horse with stunishmēt that is all strength and power which riseth agaynst the Church of Christ shall be able to do nothing but they shall be confounded The world is still in armour agaynst the Church and they do all they can agaynst it and they haue bent all their force against it but all in vaine For where are now Nero and Domitian those mighty outragious enemies of the Church those gentiles which haue persecuted so many of the godly you see that which Zac. sayth here is and shall be daly fulfilled And note that the prophet here describeth the kingdome of Christ to be a kingdome which lyeth in this worlde vnder the crosse It is not therefore a worldly kingdome for then should it in the world be magnified and haue great wealth pompe power and maiestie and defend it selfe with strength of arme and armour as others do but the lord only is her fortitude tower fortresse and bulwarkes as it followeth I will open or set my eyes vpon Ierusalem that is I will keepe the Apostles and faythfull Christiās which shall be after them euen as a father still in my sight will I keepe them and I will be with them in all necessities I wil blind fatuate their persecutors so that all their coūsels agaynst the godly shall be quite frustrate The world shall shew all hir suttilty and power against the poore church of Christ but faythful Christians shal not take vp to thē corporal armour against their enemies but the Apostles and doctors shall cōfort thēselues and others vnder the crosse with the word of God and sweete promises of Christ Iesus our lord For Christ sake they shall both willingly and cherefully beare the crosse and they shall be content with it For the comforter the holy ghost doth conserue and comfort them by his word And this consolation of the Princes of Iuda that is of the doctors and teachers shall be of such effect that euen lyke vnto fier they shall with the wood burne and deuoure many which be about them and they shall conuert many persecutors and gentiles and bring them to the kingdome of Christ And although all nations set themselues against Ierusalem yet shall that heauenly Ierusalem the Church still abide where it is become most populous but he sayth in his place to signifie therby that he speaketh not of the corporall Ierusalem but of the Church which shall abide there where it is or wheresoeuer els it shall be in the whole world ¶ Anna. Wherefore doth Zach. make a difference in the wordes following betwixt Iudah and the house of Dauid and Ierusalem seeing they are the onely people of God to wit faythfull Christians ☞ Vrba He will there by teach vs that there is no difference nor respect of persons in the church but that all the faythfull Christians are all one in Christ Iesus as
he was crucified But at the last day shall his true humain nature wherin he was crucified and woūded in deed be seen He kept the print of his wounds in his body after his resurrection Moreouer Christes frēds and Christifidelians mourned and lamēted for Christ But especially and properly the godly mourn when by faith they apprehend and deeply ponder the passiō and death of Christ when they imitate Christ in suffering and when euery one beareth his own cros and suffreth with Christ to the mortification of the old man. And Zachery in chap. 13. prophesyeth of the fruites of Christes passion of the forgeuenes of sinnes of the holy ghost of baptisme in the house of Dauid and of the church which should be saying in that day there shall be a fountayn opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannes Messias shall make this fountaine to flow in his kingdome of which Iohn speaketh If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke He that beleeueth in me as the scripture saith out of his belly shall flow riuers of water of life He spake this of the spirite which true beleeuers in him should receaue This holy ghost is plentifully poured vpon vs in baptisme by the washing of the new birth And this holy fountain standeth alway open in the house of Dauid that all men may come drinke For the church receaueth both Iewes and gentils into the kingdome of Christ by baptisme which purgeth away the vncleannes and filth of originall sin by which the holy nature of man in his first natiuity is stayned and spotted euen as with poyson It taketh away also that sinne which we our selues commit that is to say al sinnes are by baptisme pardoned in the house of Dauid the new Ierusalem the kingdome of Christ There were in the old testament many washings and cleansings but none could be deliuered by them from sinne but this spring of the new testament hallowed by the precious bloud of Iesus Christ floweth alwayes full of meer grace and this welspring cleanseth and drowneth all the filthynes and vncleanlynes of all sinnes And all these things rise and come to vs vpon this that Christ was crucified and pearced blod and water flowed out of his side and out of doubt it was for the washing away of all our sinnes And Zachary prophesyeth again a litle after of the passion of Iesus Christ our true shepheard saying Arise O sword vpon my shepheard and the man that is my felsaith the Lord of hostes smite the shepheard and the sheep shal be scattered and I will turne my hand vpon the litle ones And in all the land saith the Lord two parts therein shall be cut of and dye but the third part shall be left therin And I will bring that third part through the fire and wil fine them as the siluer is fined and wil try them as gold is tryed They shall call on my name and I wil heare them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God. This sword at that time was the power of darcknes For Pilate and the hard harted Iewes bare the sword and authority at that time in the earth but notwithstanding they could not haue hurt Christ vnlesse God had suffered them and ordayned the same before as Christ saith Pilat had his power from aboue This shepheard is Christ the sheep are the Apostles which fled when Christ was taken and suffered Christ himselfe alleadgeth this prophecy in Mat. 26. Furthermore the Lord calleth Christ the man that is his fellow For Christ is the true and onely shepheard in the church and is also with the father for euer as Iohn saith The sonne is in the bosome of his father Marke also how the kingdome of this world hath no beauty but appeareth oftentimes miserable and therefore can it in no wise be earthly and of this world The shepheard him selfe was smitten by the earthly magistrates and his sheep were terrified and disparsed and the disciples them selues were offended in Christ as you haue heard in Cleophas and his companiō They supposed that he would haue smitten others and that he would haue deliuered the Iewes from all tiranny of the gentils neither did they yet see how that they should in Messias haue a spirituall deliuerance from their sinnes and death But those litle ones vnto whō Christ turned him selfe are the afflicted and poore christians which are dispysed in this world but deerely beloued children before God. ¶ Anna. What are these three parts of which the third part only remayneth ☞ Vrb. Two parts is that great multitude of the vngodly in the earth which are offended in Christ of which one part cannot abide the cros and tribulation but turneth back vnto the world and stifly cleaueth vnto it Another part suffereth them selues to be seduced frō the way of truth by false teachers to perish in their errors But the third part are the true godly which stedfastly stand to the gospel and become like vnto gold finely tryed and purifyed in the fire of temptation and persecution These are those true Christians who only doe obtain saluation because they abyde in the true fayth euen vnto the end and suffer not them selues by any meanes to be called or drawne from Christ Their fayth is tryed in tribulation by which they cal vpon the name of god in spirit and truth without hipocrisy and alwaies glorifie God and are hard of god God acknowledgeth them for his dearly beloued sōnes and they also confes god to be their most louing father Seeing then that the Prophets haue so often in time past prophesied that Christ and hys people should be persecuted and afflicted but yet that all crosses and tribulation should not either let or hinder Christ nor his church to attain vnto the ioy promised those two disciples ought not to haue been so offended at the death of Christ And he prophesyeth again of Christes kingdome saying The Lord shall be king ouer all the earth And here agayn Christ is called true god In that day shall there be one God and his name shall be one This is spoken of the vnity of the Christian fayth Before that time there were many fayned Gods but in the day of Messias shall the only true God alone be called vpon in Christ And who so will not come vp of all the families of the earth vnto Ierusalem to worship the king the Lord of hostes euen vpon them shal come no raine That is those which come not into the church of Christ and doe not with one consent together with all the faithfull adore Christ and acknowledge him to be the king of glory they shall be a cursed people vpon whom no rayne of the spirituall benediction shall fall For they which are not in the church of Christ haue neither the word of god nor faith nor mercy
most happy peace saying How beautifull vppon the mountaines are the feete of him that declareth and publisheth peace that declareth good tidinges and publisheth saluation saying vnto Sion thy God raigneth The Apostles declare the true peace they tell vnto vs out of the Gospell most ioyfull and good tidings to wit that God will be no more angry with vs but will be our mercifull father through his sonne Christ who hath pacified and mitigated his wrath and brought vs peace as Paul sayth It pleased the father by his sonne Christ to reconcile all things to himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the things in earth the things in heauen This comfort doth God in his gospell giue vs by the apostles and ministers of his church And of this peace the scripture in sundry places maketh mencion as in Esay where it is sayd The encrease of his gouernment and peace shall haue no ende And Christ in Iohn saith vnto his disciples Peace I leaue with you my peace I geue vnto you And because they should not dreame of a carnall peace he by and by addeth Not such peace as the world giueth giue I vnto you In the world you shall haue affliction but be of good comfort I haue ouercome the world It followeth and his dominion shall be from sea to sea Here he describeth how farre the bondes of Christes kingdom should reach what limits it should haue and how great it should be to wit he shall not only be lord and king of the Iewes but also of the Gētiles so of the whole world according to the Psalme The earth is the lordes and all that therein is the rounde world and they that dwel therin And Abdias witnesseth that Christes kingdom extendeth it selfe ouer all that dwell vpon the earth according to the exposition of Thargum which sayth from the waters vnto the ende of the earth In which text by waters we vnderstand Iordan which is a worthy and famous riuer in Canaan It followeth Thou also by the bloud of thy couenant hast deliuered the prisoners out of the pitte wherein is no water The prophet in the former wordes said that the kingdom of Christ should be spirituall vile poore miserable and of no beauty in the eyes of the world and yet for all that the king of this kingdom should iustifie saue his people And his helpe should be so great and auailable that both the Iewes and Gentiles in all the world should feele the sweetnes of his grace and that this king should make them be at peace one with an other nay which is more he saith that for this kings sake they should haue peace with god These be excellent things and such as passe all other But now seyng the kingdom of Christ is spirituall and doth not stand on worldly power vaine glory or any other earthly thing Perhaps some may thinke and aske how by what meanes and way then did he meane to worke such wonderfull things The Prophet answereth this obiectiō saying It shal be wrought by bloud Our redemption shal cost this king much for he shal be constrayned for payment thereof to shed that which is most precious and best beloued vnto him euē his most holy precious bloud by which only he deliuereth cleanseth vs from all our sinnes and so redemed vs. And where he sayth thou hast deliuered thy prisoners by bloud c. He doth allude and hath respect to Moses who after the same sort in the olde testament sacrificed with blood and by the bloud of the old testament brought Israel out of Egypt And it is as much as if he should say thou bringest thy people out of bondage euen as Moses brought the people of Israel which was a figure of the church out of Egypt But thou doest it more mightily royally and maruelously then Moses did For that bloud in the old testament was nothyng but a figure of thy bloud But thou madest a new testament and thou diddest make and confirme a newe graunt of grace not by the bloud of beasts but euen by thine owne blood by which thou didst not deliuer a few or certaine number of men as Moses did but an innumerable people to wit all that beleue in Christ through out the whole world and thou bringest them out of that most darke and dangerous Egypt the tiranny of Sathan and euerlasting damnation which in deed is a place without water that is in which is no recreation no refreshing no comfort no rest For when the sinner beyng in the bondes and chaynes of sinne vnder the law is in state of damnation then feeleth he nothing but feare terror trembling dread horror anxiety abashment of hart desperation and death it selfe gnawing vpon him Neither findeth he any helpe counsell comfort or remedy either in the world or worldly creatures vnlesse he be sprinckled with the bloud of this new testament that is vnlesse he beleue that Christ as the Gospell teacheth hath shed his bloud to pacify Gods anger for his sinnes and wash them away This if the sinner beleue then is he thorow that fayth by which he beleueth that Christ shed his bloud for his sinnes deliuered out of that lake to wit his conscience and he hath comfort and reioyceth in the lord This prophesie doth also plainely tell vs that Christ our king should suffer death because he could by no other meanes but through his bloud deliuer iustifie bring his captiue people into euerlasting lyfe But he could not haue deliuered his seruantes from death if he had continued still in death And therefore it was needfull that he should rise agayne from death and vāquish and ouercome death This knew not these two disciples going to Emaus and therfore they were as you heare offended at Christes death and they supposed that all their hope which they had conceiued of Christ for the deliuerance of Israel had bene quite frustrate Now then you see in this prophesie that Christes conuersation at his former comming should not bee stately or lofty but lowly contemptible humble and modest For there was nothing to be seen in him but gentlenes towards poore sinners with much misery grieuous calamitie great stormes and heauy burdens of persecutions afflictions tribulations yea at the last death it self all which he suffred for our sakes But you shall heare of this Christ more out of the same prophet who sayth u. And the Lord shewed me Iehoschua the high priest standing before the Angell of the Lord Sathan stood at his right hand to resist him and the Lord said vnto Sathan the Lord reproue thee O Sathan Now Iesus or Iehoschua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the Angell and he answered and spake vnto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garmēts from him In this prophesie the high priest in the law who was
moueth sedition bloudshed warre strife brauling grudging debate hatred He neuer slepeth he is alwayes watching he daily traueleth laboureth very sedulously and all to this ende that he may hurt man bryng him into some misery destructiō of body soul name goods He stirreth vp most cruel persecutiōs sharp stormes and poisonfull hatred against the godly To be short what euil calamity wickednes abhominations diuelishnes is done in al the earth he is the causer therof and to speake at a word he hindereth as much as in him lieth the gospel kingdom of Christ and laboreth both day night with all his might with hand and foote with tooth nayle that the territories therof be not augmēted enlarged But al his force studies and practises shall be frustrate For we haue on our side with vs the angels the good spirits of god which repugn and resist Satan Yea we haue Christ himself with vs who is a fiery brasen wall about al that faithful that the euil spirits do thē no harme nor iniury but that they may be in safety and with out danger Satan is an horrible enemy in deede so forceable that vnles god by his holy angels hindered and destroied his deuises withstood and resisted his assaults there should be no family in the whole world in which he should not euery day cause worke wickednes slaughter calamity tumultes sorrow debates mourning all kind of mischief nay rather he would disturbe destroy dissolue ouerthrow and make a confusion hauocke of the whole world he is an euerlasting irreconcilible bloudy deadly sworn enemy to al the godly And he maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bellum continual war without any truce vpon the godly euen to the last day And therfore we must both morning euening euery day giue thanks to God because that of his fatherly mercy towards vs he doth so wondrously so mightily and so gloriously defend and kepe vs from so cruell horrible mischieuous mighty and noisome enemies ¶ Anna. We ought so to do in dede And I wil do it with all my hart with all diligence as my duty is For we are bound to be thankfull to our good father God almighty because he hath in such great dangers so carefully prouided for vs preserued vs from all enemies and euils For we haue often seene how these wicked sprites lay wait for vs and seke by al meanes to endamage vndo and destroy vs But God hath opēly frustrated all their assaults And now I pray you recite expound the prophesies of the mystery of our fayth to wit of the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ which we haue now in hand ☞ Vrb. I wil first begin to recite the testimonies of the Psalmes as I haue done before For of al the prophets Dauid is the floure for he prophesieth much plainly euidently of Christ who should be born of his familie or tribe according to his humanity of all his workes mysteries You haue heard before how the kingdom of Christ was described in the 2. Psal. where God the father did not onely constitute his sonne king ouer the Iewes but also gaue him the Gentils of the whole world for his inheritance Wherupon it followeth that Christ should not abide in death although he died as true mā of the seed of Dauid For it was requisite that accordyng to the decree and statute of God the father he should be king ouer the whole world Which thing could not haue bene in any corporall worldly maner as the Iewes dreamed that Messias should rule haue in this world a great corporall kingdom And therfore it was necessary that the state and condicion of Christes kingdome should be altogether of another sort then the kingdomes of this brickle frail life are Christs kingdom was to be euerlasting he which is in that kingdō shal for euer haue euerlasting righteousnes peace safety life felicity eternal saluation And therfore he endeth the psal with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conclusiue exclamation Blessed are all they which trust in the lord But he speaketh not of a tēporal blessing here in this world For the king himself and his chief nobles his welbeloued prophets and apostles had no great plenty here of worldly welth and pleasure of this life but were miserably afflicted and always subiect to many grieuous perils calamities In the 3. Psal. Dauid saith I take my rest and sleepe I rise agayne for the lord sustaineth me The old church a thousand yeres ago vnderstood this prophesie of the true death and resurrection of Christ as appeareth by Arnobius And againe Dauid saith O giue saluatiō vnto Israel out of Sion when the lord turneth the captiuitie of his people then Iacob shal reioyce and Israel shal be glad Here Dauid in sprite desireth and godly and feruently prayeth Messias who onely is called in the holy scriptures the true sauiour and redeemer seeing both the Iewes and Gentiles by him are deliuered from all euils and perils that they may through him and in him enioy euerlasting blessednes S. Augustine also taketh these wordes to bee ment of Christ And take this wife for an infallible rule for you in the scripture that in so much as there is but one onely deliuerer giuen of God vnto men by whom they may be iustified and saued that Christ is truely properly certainly ment signified and vnderstood in all those and such places where there is mention made eyther of saluation sauiour redeemer or deliuerer whether it be spoken in figures or playne and manifest wordes For seyng Israel and Iacob that is the catholike church beyng congregated of the Iewes Gentils should be glad reioyce in Christ they must liue in peace and security That cannot be vnles such troubles be taken away the conscience be comforted death abolished These words therfore importe and plainly shew that our redemer out of Sion or as it is in Thargum our redemption saluation which is Christ himself shal take away destroy all those things that trouble afflict that godly to wit an euil conscience tribulation sinne persecution and all kind of vexation death it self c. For of necessity he must lead captiuity captiue that is he must ouercome Satan who hath vs in captiuity and he must deliuer vs from his tiranny Christ in the Psalmes sayth My flesh also doth rest in hope For thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel or in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruptō Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnes of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore We can haue no surer nor better expounders of the prophets then the Apostles and Euangelistes And Peter and Paul haue expounded this prophesie to be ment of Christ saying that he should
and ascend into that euerlasting and glorious kingdō of heauen and so could not be kept in death He must also of necessity haue some people ouer whō he myght be Lord and king and whom he might rule gouern Wherefore his people also can not abide in death but must with their eternall king liue for euer I would haue you make much of this Psalme For I tell you this is a notable Psalm and most comfortable of al other psalmes Agayne in the 69. psalme the prophet doth plainly and manifestly speake of Christes passion the fruit therof saying thus in the person of Christ They haue hated me without a cause I restored that which I toke not The rebukes of them that rebuked thee are fallen vpon me They gaue me gall in my meate and in my thirst they gaue me vineger to drinke Here is set downe the ende of Christes passion and cause why he would suffer to wit that he might paye our debtes and beare our sinnes vpon the crosse He was our pledge and surety and when we coulde not performe and pay that which we ought he payed our debtes for vs If we should haue paid our debtes our selues that is if we should haue borne our owne sins we should al haue bene cast downe into the depe pit of hel and perished euerlastingly You heare it also in this place foretold how the tormentors should crucifie and handle him and how they should giue him gall and vineger to hasten his death or rather to increase his payne and tormentes Which thing plainely appeareth in the Gospell in Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn And Dauid prophesieth in the 41. psalme how Iudas should betray Christ saying My familiar frend whō I trusted which did eate of my bread hath lifted vp hys heele against me And Iohn citeth this prophesie where he speaketh of Iudas his treasō And in the same psalm hard after Christ requireth of his heauenly father that he might rise agayne and ascend into heauen and that after his resurrection he might be exalted vnto the right hand of his father saying Therfore lord haue mercy vpō me and raise me vp so shal I reward them Place me in thy sight for euer And in the 40. Psalme Dauid prophesieth of the destroying and abrogating of the Iewes sacrifice and he speaketh of the true sacrifice of Christ by which he reconciled God vnto vs and fulfilled all his fathers will and satisfied the law These are the wordes of the prophet in Christes person Sacrifices and burnt offrings thou didst not desire for thou hast prepared myne eares burnt offerings and sinne offrings hast thou not required Then said I that is Christ Loe I come For in the rolle of the booke that is in Moses and the prophetes It is writen of me I desired to do thy good wil O my god Yea thy law is within my hart I haue declared thy righteousnes in the great congregation And afterward he prayeth his father that he would not forsake hym in his crosse affliction saying Withdraw not thou thy tender mercy from me O Lord let thy mercy and thy truth alway preserue me for innumerable troubles haue compassed me And a little after he calleth our sinnes his sinnes Not for that he did euer sinne but because he tooke our offences vpon him that hee might purge them and suffer for them euen as if they had bene his owne And this verily is a wonderfull and vnspeakeable kind of mercy and goodnes These are his words My sinnes haue taken such hold me that I am not able to loke vp yea they are more in number then the heares of my head Therefore my harte hath fayled me O GOD let it please thee to deliuer me O Lorde make haste to helpe me And in the 118. Psalme Dauid prophecieth excellently and notably of Christ telling vs how the Iewes should reiect him and especially those amongest them which would be counted most lerned and holy to wit the Scribes and Pharises And yet neuertheles should he attaine to excellent honor and gather together both the Iewes and Gentiles into one spirituall building of the catholike church These be the wordes The stone which the builders refused is the head of the corner This was the lordes doyng and it is meruailous in our eyes this is the day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce and be glad in it The Apostles and Euangelists do diligētly expound this prophesie and they cite it of Christ in many places saying that Christ alone is the rocke and corner stone on whom when we are builded by fayth we may strongly stande against all euils stormes and tempests that rise against vs The Iewes when they had sealed vp the graue stone thought that Christ had bene vtterly extinguished and the two disciples also which went to Emaus doubted the same but Peter thinketh and preacheth farre otherwise saying Let therfore the whole house of Israel know for a surety that God hath made him both Lord Christ This Iesus I say whom you haue crucified Agayne he sayth to these folish builders The God of our fathers hath raised vp Iesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree him hath God lift vp with his right hand to be a prince and a sauiour c. But now ye shall heare what worthy and notable things Dauid prophesieth of Christes glory in the 18. Psalme where Christ sayth Thou hast deliuered me frō the contentions of the people Thou hast made mee the head of the heathen A people whom I haue not knowen shall serue me Out of all doubt the spirit of God speaketh here especially of Christ against whom his owne proper people did kicke in that they would not haue hym to be their king And therfore are they forsaken and Christ is made the king and head of all nations in the world Which came to passe after the resurrection ascension of Christ where he was by the preaching teaching of the gospel published and preached through the whole worlde and became famous and was acknowledged for a king Dauid in the 21. psalme speaketh of the eternall and spirituall kingdom of Christ and of his great princely honour telleth how miserably his enemies should ende saying The king shall reioyce in thy strength O Lord yea how greatly shall he reioyce in thy saluation Thou hast giuen him his hartes desire and hast not denied hym the request of his lippes Selah For thou didst preuent him with liberall blessings and didst set a crowne of pure gold on his hed He asked life of thee and thou gauest him a long lyfe for euer and euer His glory is great in thy saluation dignity and honour hast thou layd vpon him For thou hast set him as blessinges for euer Thou hast made him glad with the ioy of thy countenaunce because the king trusted in the Lord in the mercy of the most high he shall
the light of the Lord. ¶ Anna. The prophets vse a straunge kinde of speakyng when they prophesie of Christes kingdome for they speake of some temporall or politike kingdom here in this earth For Esay saith that the whole world shall run together to the hill Sion in Ierusalem and there shall all the world heare the worde of God and there shal be no more warre in the earth but true perfect and euerlasting peace amongst all men yet this is impossible and vncredible ☞ Vrbanus The prophets haue their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and peculiar maner of speaking but when they prophesie of the kingdome of Christ thē especially they vse strāge and figuratiue wordes and rare speches which are full of figures and similitudes as if they should speake of corporall kingdoms on earth and of the great mighty potentates of this world But I told you in the beginning of this our talke out of the first of Peter that the Prophets speake of a much more excellent thing then at the first sight their wordes seeme to import vnto men which are not well seene in scriptures to wit they speake of eternall saluation and of Iesus Christ the sonne of God how he should come into the world and be borne of the virgin Mary true man of the stocke of Abraham and Dauid and how he should beare the sinnes of the world and by his death take away our death with all our iniquities and sinnes and how he should rise agayne from death and receiue all power in heauen and on earth and giue vnto all faithful christiās his eternall kingdom with life euerlasting which kingdome of his shall containe such glory as eies haue not sene eares haue not heard neither hath entred into the hart of man as Esay saith In so much that all maiesty might magnificence brightnesse beauty power riches glory dignitye honours worshippes pleasures ioy peace tranquillitie comforte fortitude strength and vigour yea life in this worlde And to be short what pleasure or happinesse so euer this visible and frayle worlde contayneth are not all so much as a shadowe in comparison of the glorye to come in the kingdome of Christ Wherfore seyng the Prophets speake of such great and meruailous thinges promised vs in Christ as farre passe all our vnderstanding and capacitie and are so wonderfull that euen the Angels in heauen are glad and reioyce at them they are constrayned to vse similitudes and comparisons and to speak as if they spake of corporal states and earthly things of worldly kingdomes and of corporall honour peace glory and such other that by the visible temporall known things which are set forth to our eyes and senses they might moue and draw vs to consider and with harty praiers to desire those spirituall inuisible and eternall things for the possession and enioying of which we together with the angels are ordained For we must wander here a tyme as strangers or pilgrimes in this visible world but at the last we shall be made lyke to the angels and be placed in the spiritual and heauenly kingdom of Christ in the fellowship of Angels And here if we well consider the prophesies of the Prophetes we may easily vnderstand and iudge by the circumstances of these writings that they speake of the spirituall and heauenly kingdome For they attribute such great thinges vnto the kingdome of Christ as are not to be found in any earthly kingdome As in that they say that the king of this kingdome shall be poore and contemned in this worlde and shall teache suffer dye and be buried and yet for all that by this meanes become a great and victorious prince ouer sinne death and Sathan and raigne a king for euer But what a happy thing is it that we haue the newe testament the writings of the Apostles and Euangelistes which are the most sure and true interpreters of the Prophetes But now when we heare in the new Testament that the kingdome of Christ is not of this world but spirituall heauenly and eternall we must needes vnderstand the Prophets according to the exposition thereof which if we do we can neuer erre nor be deceyued ¶ Anna. I pray you tell me what Esay meaneth by these his figuratiue wordes what is that of which he speaketh which is that house of God whether run the Gentils ☞ Vrb. I neede not expound it for Paule expoundeth it to the Hebrues where he sayeth You are come to the mount Sion and to the city of the liuing GOD the celestiall Ierusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen Here we see that the earthly mount Sion the house of Dauid and the earthly Ierusalem is nothyng els but a figure of the spirituall mount Sion and the heauenly Ierusalem that is of the catholike church of all the elect Into this mount and to this true Ierusalem which is the house of the liuyng God all nations come on heapes The holy ghost was sent from heauen in mās sight manifestly into this earthly Sion and Ierusalem In it also was the gospell preached by Christ and his Apostles There also began the church by the reuelation of the new testament so the doctrine of Christ went out of Sion and taried not only there but was published through all the whole world that the heauenly Ierusalem beyng spred through all nations myght be builded agayn as Christ witnesseth in Luke where he sayth It behoueth Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day and that repentaunce and remission of sinnes should be preached in his name among all nations This should begin first at Ierusalem whether all nations come on heapes to heare the gospell preached How far and wide did euē Paul himselfe by preaching spred the Gospell how many people leauing the erronious and idolatrous race of their vngodly lyfe run then into the mount of the lord that they might learne his law and gospell For the lord iudged among the nations when by the spirit and gospell he reprehended the world of sinne that they might acknowlege their wickednes and repent and desire the grace of Christ and so be made faithfull christians by faith haue inwarde peace with god Swordes among christians are turned into shares when they enioy through the gospell celestiall peace when their hartes conceiue true perfect peace with God and when they liue peaceably with their neighbors and alway study peace Christes kingdome is thus at peace Mē are humble and submit thēselues one to another they do not braule and striue bitterly enuiously about trifles but are merciful towards their neighbors oppressed with calamity and they shew thē selues gentle pitifull lowly and humble vnto al men and redy to maintaine iustice equity and vpright dealing they know not how to faine or dissemble but are plaine simple and mercifull dealers with all men c. And to be
haue troaden down the hugest and most deadly enemies of man I haue ouercome them and destroyed them and I haue vanquyshed Sathan with all his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his false deceate malice and trouble which he hath brought into the world for the destroying of man And whereas the vnbeleeuing sinagogue reiected me and could not abide to acknowledge me for their Lord I haue ouercome Sathan which blinded the Iewes And I am placed in heauen Lord of all creatures in heauen and in earth to take iust vēgeance vpon those that wil not beleue And now haue I won vnto me the Gentils to be mine own peculiar people This haue I done onely by mine own strength and power as Paul witnesseth to the Colossyans And in mine anger haue I duely punished mine enemies because I haue with zeale taken vpon me and fulfilled the ministery which my father hath committed vnto me and haue so confounded the Iewes that they haue lost all the dignitie priuiledge and prerogatiue that before they had This day of reuenge and deliuerance is the time when Christ suffered the Iewes to be blinded and dispersed and receued the gentils to fauor in their place by the doctrine of the gospel whereby he brake the head of the old serpent and bestowed the victory that he had gotten vpon the gentils and tooke away from the sinagogue all the knowledge and vnderstanding of the scriptures Now he holdeth on to speake of his passion and agony which he suffered for our sakes saying I looked about me to wit in the time of his passion and weakenes and there was none to help me there was not one that either would or could help me I had none on my side no man helped me yet I helped my self No mans strength could doe me good but mine own I held me by mine own arme In mine own zeale did I preserue deliuer and rayse vp my selfe now I am king and now doe I punish them that despysed me and I take from them their strength ability and els whatsoeuer I had geuen them as the scriptures and euery other excellent and great gift wherein they excelled other nations This prophecy is now manifestly fulfilled in our sight Behold the Iewes in these our dayes how ignorant they are of the scriptures and how far from the vndrstanding of the law and promises in Christ They vnderstand the law carnally and they presume but in vayn that they are able without the help of Christ to fulfill the law not knowing like blind men as they be that they cannot doe it without the helpe of Christes spirite They see not that the promises of Christ speake of the spirituall kingdome and that the Law is but a scholemaster vnto Christ in whom we are only blessed iustifyed and the law fulfilled Thus these two discyples Cleophas and his companion should in this case haue thought with them selues It pleased Messias once willingly to dy and to suffer the sinagogue to kil him for so is Gods ordynance and Christs wil and the prophets fortold it and Christ also to his discyples long before his death how he determyned to delyuer his children from death by this kind of death and he also told them that he would rise agayn the third day from death But now let vs see what shall become of the pharysees and proud prelates and let vs see how this their detestable deed shall in them be punished Their ioy shall not continue long no not three dayes For after three dayes Christ shall rise agayn to life and shake of death and in his fury tread down ouerthrow and destroy these bloudsuccors and spoyl them of their victory which they thought but falsly they had gotten of him And when they count themselues sure and thinke themselues conquerors then without any hope of recouery shall they vtterly lose all they haue both law prophets lands city temple and they shall be punished with continall calamity horible destruction and vtter subuertion of all their Iudaisme and so pay for the bloudy coate of Christ The pharisees and Christs killers haue good cause to sorrow seeing they haue brought vpon their own heads such horrible punishment and greeuous wrath and yet haue done Christ no harme But we in so much as he is risen again may wel reioyce be glad sing and comfort our selues in his resurrection For Christ hath by his death destroyed death and redeemed Israel But the natural man doth not vnderstand these supernaturall things The spirite of Christ must in these matters be our Master and Instructor Esay also in his 65. chapter prophesyeth of the receiuing of the Gentils and of the backslyding and refusing of the Iewes The same prophecy doth S. Paule recyte in the tenth to the Rom. And thus doth Christ speak in that prophecy I haue bin sought of them which asked not I was foūd of them which sought me not I said Behold me behold me vnto a nation that calleth not vpon my name I haue spread out my hands all the day vnto a rebellious people which walked in away that was not good euen after their own imaginations But least any should thinke now when he had thretened vnto the Iewes their destruction and punishment which should come vpon them that Christ had vtterly cast them of so that not one of them should euer obtain mercy He promysed that he would be gracious vnto some of that huge multitude which he wold take agayn to mercy for thus he sayth As the wine is found in the cluster and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it so wil I doe for my seruants sake that I may not destroy them wholl But I will bring a seed out of Iacob and a roote of Iuda that shall inherit my mountayn and mine elect shal inherit it and my seruants shal dwel there This was fulfilled in the Apostles and in them of the Iewes which beleeued the Apostles These are the kirnell of Iuda the elected seed and the childrē of promise which the father drew that they might come to Christ these be they that posses the mountaynes to wit the spirituall Syon of the church ¶ Anna. Cleophas his companyon might in this prophecy also haue seen that at Christes comming the Iewes religion should come to an end and the gentils should beleeue and that the Iewes through their incredulity should perish and fall away from their Messyas though yet some of them should be saued and delyuered Vndoubtedly this is the spirituall delyuerance of Israell And here must we marke that not all Israell according to the flesh should imbrace Christ and that this promysed deliuerance of Israell by messyas which the prophet spake of should not so come to pas that all the twelue trybes of Israell should be deliuered bodely from the violence iniuryes of the gentils and so haue vnder Messyas in the land of Canaan an earthly kingdome in which according to the
through al the world how the Apostles should gather together by the preaching of the gospel all such of the gentils as be elect and should bring them into heauenly Ierusalem the catholicke church as a sacrifice and oblation vnto the lord These be his words For it shal come that I wil gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory and I will set a signe among them and will send those that escape of thē vnto the nations of Tarshish Pul and Lud and to them that draw the bow To Tuball and Iauan Iles a far of that haue not heard my fame netther haue seene my glory and they shall declare my glory among the gentils and they shall bring all your bretheren for an offering vnto the Lord out of all nations vpon horses and in charyots in horselitters and vpon mules and swift beastes to Ierusalem my holy mountaine saith the Lord as the children of Israell offer in a clean vessell in the house of the Lord. Doe you heare God by the preaching of the gospel wil iudge all the works both of the Iewes and the gentils and will gather them together that they may see the glory of God how that all our hability and strength is nothing but that only his grace obtayned by Christ is al in al. This Christ only forgeueth our sins iustifyeth vs saueth vs and he only destroyeth and ouercommeth death and the deuil and delyuereth all his out of all misery and calamity And this deliuerāce doth he declare by the preaching of the gospell in all parts of the world and he calleth certayn parts of the earth which lye East and West North and South which lye to the foure parts of the world And that rēnant of Iewes which he speaketh of here which escape and are delyuered out of blindnes are the Apostles them doth he send to all the world Wherefore you may well see that there he doth not speake of a worldely kingdome Iesus Christ crucyfied is the signe he is preached to be the only sauyour of the world and the true glory of God which glory that is to say truth mercy power which God hath geuen vs in Christ shall be preached and shewed to the Gentils and by that preaching shal the Gentils be brought to God as it were a gift or oblation purifyed and made acceptable by the gospell as Paul witnesseth to the Rom. saying I put you in remembrance through the grace that is geuen me of God that I should be the minister of Iesus Christ towards the Gentils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is ministring the gospel of god that the offering vp of the gentils might be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an oblation acceptable being sanctified by the holy ghost You see then that the Iewes sacrifice should haue an end and that liuely men not bruit beastes must be offered vnto the Lord in all lands The true delyueranee of Israell by Messias is this that he saueth all his that be in the world as wel Iewes as Gentils which are conuerted and illuminated by the word and his holy spirite and maketh thē partakers of eternall life And these thus delyuered and saued by Christ are that heauenly Ierusalem the holy mountaine and the congregation of the faithfull in Christ into the which there is euery day some brought out of all places and offered vnto the Lord as a pure oblation By these horses chariots horslitters and such other that the prophet here speaketh of must be vnderstoode that sweet faire gentle milde and pleasant preaching of the gospel in which the consciences of men be caryed very easely And by these things as S. Augustine saith may be vnderstood all the help we haue either by God himself or by his angels or men wherby the bretheren of the elected Israelits be drawen into the church as bretheren into the catholick faith And thus do you heare how that the spiritual kingdome of Christ the church consisteth both of the Iewes and gentils and how that in all parts of the world she is gouerned by the preaching of the gospel and is subiect in this life to the cros that she may be made lyke to Christ her king and yet notwithstanding she hath passing fayr great and comfortable promises in which she reposeth her hope and hath her comfort and consolation til such time as Christ the king of glory appeare from heauen in his maiesty with the angels of his power that he may be glorifyed in his saints and praysed in all his faithfull Thē at that day shall it wel appeare how great excellent and infinite the glory of the eternall king and of his kingdome and the holy church is whereof the prophets haue spoken euen from the beginning ¶ Anna. What prophesyeth Ieremy of Christ and his church ☞ Vrb. Ieremy in his 11. chap. prophesyeth of the willing redynes of Christ in suffering his passion he sayth thus The Lord hath taught me and I know it euen then thou shewedst me their practises but I was like a lambe or a bullock that is brought to the slaughter and I knew not that they had deuysed this against me saying let vs destroy the tree with the fruit therof and cut him out of the land of the liuing that his name may be no more in memory But O Lord of hostes that iudgest righteously and tryest the raynes and the hart let me see thy vēgeance on them for vnto thee haue I opened my cause Here in this prophecy Ieremy is a figure of Christ and the church hath 1000. yeares and moe so expounded this text to wit that God the father doth here reuele to his sonne Christ the wicked counsels hatred despite and bitternes of the Iewes and how that they would kil him as a sheep and lambe By the which name Esay also calleth Christ For it was very requisite that he should be that lambe without spot which by his only sacrifice should purge the sinnes of the wholl world euen as the figures in Moyses law fore shewed ¶ Anna. Why doth Christ here say that he perceiued not or knew not their wicked and malicious pretences seeing he him self told his disciples lōg before his passion that he must suffer at Ierusalem and knew euery thing the Iewes ment and deuised against him ☞ Vrb. S. Hierō taketh the meaning of this text thus that Christ saw in him self no sinn or knew him self to be gilty of no sin as Esay saith But although this may be so read and vnderstood yet do I take it to be meant of Ieremy him self against whom the Iewes at Anathoth toke such diuelish deadly and priuy counsell as he had not vnderstoode of if God had not reuealed it to him It is sufficiēt that Ieremy be a figure of Christ in the chief point that is to say in his passion for it is not needful that he should in euery word beare the figure of Christ
of Israell should come after the captiuity of Babylon as we haue sayd before out of the 9. chap. of Danyel And that your Iudaisme should then haue an end and that that earthly kingdome of Iuda should be an eternal and heauēly kingdome Goim that is the Gentils should also come out of all the parts of the earth and be partakers with true Israell of all Gods blessings promised in Messias Wherfore Abdias must be vnderstood here to speak of this spirituall possession which is that Messias And the Apostles and true beleeuers shal through the gospel bring all nations vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of the christen faith that they may acknowledge Christ for their only and euerlasting king and confes the Apostles of Christ with all faithfull Christians conuerted by the Apostles to be the Church their spiritual mother and glorious Citie of God to whom they doe readely and willingly yeeld them selues and obay as you haue heard out of Amos. Now I will expound the prophesy and then shall you more easely vnderstand it Mount Siō you know is the Church of Christ it is also a holy hill because the Lord dwelleth in it and Christ the holyest of all holy consecrateth and sanctifieth it by his word and spirite to be his holy habitatiō for euer as Esay sayth when you reade this hebrew word Kodesch it signifieth the holynes For true holines righteousnes is no where but in this holy mount the Church of Christ Many do reade Kodosch and then it signifieth holy as we haue spoke before The house of Iacob is called the scripture the house of Dauid the tribe of Iuda which alwayes taryed with the house of Dauid And when it is called Iudah and the house of Iacob and Ierusalem and the house of Dauid it is for the most part all one And this was a figure of the great kingdome of Christ Iesus And therefore the Archangell Gabryell in Luke calleth Christes kingdome the house of Iacob the trone of Dauid in which Christ shall rule for euer For the spirituall kingdome of Christ begun in Sion the earthly kingdome of Dauid and from thence spred it selfe through out the whole world when the Apostles according to Gods commandement begun to preach the gospel of christ to all creatures and in the name of Christ preached repentaunce and remission of sinns amongest all nations beginning at Ierusalē as Luke witnesseth Note also how God promised the Patriarkes Abraham Isaac and Iacob seed of their owne flesh and bloud in which all the earth should be blessed that is should be freed and deliuered from the euerlasting cursse of sinn from death and from the bondes o Sathan and be made the children of God who should raigne together with the same seede Christ in the kingdome of innocēcy lyfe and saluation for euer and euer This was a great promise and therefore doth the scripture in euery place make mention of these patriarkes For when this seed was promised them and whē god promised that their childrē should be in number as the sand of the sea then was Christ the eternall king and his eternall kingdome promised them and vs And therfore is this kingdome of Christs also called the house of Iacob the seate or trone of Dauid that is the Church of Christ The house of Ioseph in the scriptures is the very same that the other 10. tribes of Israell be which fell away from the house of Dauid and chose vnto themselues a king of their owne This kingdome seperated by it selfe is called Samaria of that head and Metrapolitaine citie It is called also Ephraim because of Ieroboham which was of the tribe of Ephraim and it is also called Ioseph or the house of Ioseph because Ioseph was the father of Ephraim The house of Esau is the kingdome of the Edomits which tooke their beginning of Esau and had their dwelling in mount Seiar ny to the great desart which lyeth from Ierusalem Southwardes The Southrē menare they which dwelt in the tribe of Iuda Those which dwelt in the champion coūtries are Lidda Emaus as Saint Heirome saith Those v. Citties Gaza Ascalon Azotus Accaron and Geth which lye westward be the Phelistians Ephraim is a country of Samaria wherin dwelt the tribe of Ephraim who was the son of Ioseph Beniamin is a peculier and propper tribe of the Iews but it is counted in the kingdome of Iudah Saint Herome sayth that Gallaad is Arabia The citye Zarphad was betwen Tier and Sidon wherof Iosephus speaketh Siphrad was a citye in the land of Babilon This therefore is the meaning of the prophets he prophecied of the captiuitie of his people and how Edome should be layed wast but now he comforteth the Iewes least they should haue ben discouraged as if therehad bin no hope for Siō in the captiuitie of Babilon as if Messias should not haue come And he promiseth also vnto the Iewes deliueraunce that they should come agayne into Sion though they yet layed wasted by the Babilonians and Edomits For he saith the Lord will bring deliuerance helpe and redemption vnto Sion which came so to pas in deed For hard after that the Iewes came from Babilon and that the citie of Ierusalem with the temple and deuine seruice was restored came Messias our true Sauiour and deliuerer into Sion The Lorde had often times before helped the mount Sion and the Citye Ierusalem but they were not the true helpe or sure saluation which Messias in his owne person should bring But when the king of Israell borne of the tribe of Dauid was come into Sion thē came there also with him all felicitye saluation and aboundance of all good thinges For he began by his word and spirite to call back and redeeme his people from that spirituall captiuity which they suffered vnder Sathan and other false teachers He fulfilled the prophets and obtained a true and euerlasting deliuerance vnto his people by his blessed death and glorious resurrection This was that true Pletho that is redemptiō all other deliuerāces were but only figures of this deliueraunce Reade the acts of the Apostles and note how saluation by the gospell begunne in Sion and thus spread forth it selfe through the whole world Peter redeemed and conuerted 3000. men at on sermon and from that time forth the Lorde mightely increased the kingdome of Christ as luke witnesseth saying the Lord added daily to the congregation such as should be saued This saluation was shewed forth with such powre of the holy spirite that the remnant of Israell the Apostles and their fellow laborers being the true house of Iacob and Ioseph were a flame of fier which lyke straw burnt and consumed the house of Esau that is the Edomits who before were mortall enemies to the house of Iacob Ioseph so that many of the Edomits were in deed won to the gospell and the wickednes and hatred of their Father
the 7. chapiter he doth wonderfully and aboue measure land and extoll the great and inestimable riches of Gods mercies which were promised vnto vs in Christ and which were promised vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob of whose stock Christ the king of glory should come according to his humanitye These are the wordes of the prophecie Who is a god like vnto thee that taketh away iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage He retaineth not his wrath for euer because mercy pleaseth him he will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs he will subdue our iniquities and cast al their sins in the bottom of the sea Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob and mercy to Abrahā as thou hast sworne vnto our Fathers in ould time This was a very necessary comfort in the captiuitie of Babilon vnto the Iewes least they should haue fallen into dispaire and doubt of the mercy of God as if the Lord would altogether haue forsakē his people and reuoke his promises of grace in Messias for the sinnes of the people For it is as if he should haue sayd go to we shall be led into captiuitie but it is the iudgement of the Lord and his will. We haue in deede aboundantly deserued all kinde of calamities yet must we not therfore doubt of the mercy of god For his grace in Christ Iesus is very great deepe and a bottomlesse sea wherein all our sins may be drowned and swallowed vp The Lord hath made a couenāt of grace with our fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob that in their seede Messias all nations of the earth should be blessed that is receaue forgeuenes of their sins be deliuered from death and be saued from euerlasting damnation and receaue the free gift of innocensie and euerlasting life This promise will neuer deceaue vs For the Lord sware vnto vs by a holy and faythfull oth that so the rather he might confirme vs in fayth and make vs the lesse doubt that all those thinges should come to passe which he had promised and that for Messias his sake he would helpe vs be gratious vnto vs and deliuer vs from all our calamities This grace and truth can not be called backe but as sure as god is good so sure is it that we shall be partakers of his grace if we beleue his promises Wherfore let vs be of good chere Our sins shall not nor cannot hinder nor make frustrate those thinges which God promised to our forefathers He hath promised Christ therfore out of doubt he will send Christ for our deliueraunce And this was the hope of Israell to wit of all faythfull Christians from the beginning of the worlde euen vnto this day And this in deed is the true Gospell which Messias by his death and bloudshedding confirmed namely that the sonne of God should be made man and borne of Abrahams seede that he might geue vs the heauenly benediction that is righteousnes life and health that we might by him be freed from our sinnes and deliuered frō death and be raysed vnto euerlasting life and raigne with him for euer in euerlasting glory And this is the chiefe summe of all the prophets touching Christ and his kingdome according as God after the captiuitie of Babilon fulfilled them and sent Iesus Christ our true king and deliuerer vnto the world ¶ Anna. What sayth that comforter Nahum of Christ For he may well be called Nahum that is cōforter ☞ Vrba He agreeth with the 52. of Esay vpon the gospell saying Behold vpon the mountaine the feete of him that declareth and publisheth peace O Iuda keepe thy solemn feastes performe thy vowes for the wicked shal no more passe through thee he is vtterly cut of That you may more easly vnderstand what Nahū prophecieth note first he prophesieth against the Monarchy or kingdome of Assiria especially against Niniue the great citie of Assiria which the prophet Ionas conuerted afore that. These thinges therfore was their comfort namely the the enemies of Iuda to wit Sanherib his kingdome who before had proudly and cruelly triumphed ouer Israell and conceaued an opinion of them selues that they could deuour Iuda should be wasted destroyed as Esay in 36.37 comforteth Ierusalem and the king Hischia by the commaundement of God in his 36. and 37. chapiter saying And he will cast vnto it that which shall be escaped of the house of Iuda and that which shall remaine to plant and he will make it to take roote downward and beare fruite vpward For out of Ierusalem shall a remnaunt go and they that escape out of mount Sion the zeale of the Lord of hostes shall doe this Therefore thus sayth the Lord concerning the king of Ashur He shall not enter into this citie nor shoote an arrow there nor come before it with shield nor cast a moūt agaynst it By the same way that he came he shall returne and not come into this citie sayth the lord For I will defend this Citie to saue it for mine owne sake and for my seruaunt Dauids sake Then the Angel of the Lord went out smote in the campe of Asshur an hūdreth foure score and fiue thousand So whē they arose early in the morning behold they were all dead corpses So Sanherib king of Asshur departed and went away and returned and dwelt at Niniueh And as he was in the temple worshipping of Nisroch his god Adramelech and Sharezer his sonnes slew him with the sworde and they escaped into the land of Ararat and Esarhaddon his sonne raigned in his stead You haue heard the history note therefore this also that Nahum comforteth Gods people in this his prophesy bydding them be of good cheare and dispayre not For although the king Asshur will besiege and afflict Ierusalem yet shall there be no danger For God will helpe them they shall heare ioyfull tidings to wit that the enemy shall not hurt their citye but dye miserably that they may yet againe celebrate their feastes merely reioyce in quiet peace And this was fulfilled as you heard of late out of Esay But you must know that this temporall deliueraunce in which earthly Ierusalē was deliuered was onely a figure of the true and euerlasting deliueraunce which we haue in Christ The Angel of the great counsell which was sent to prostrate and destroy the enimies of the spiritual Ierusalem that is of the catholick church and to ouerthrow and abolish that wicked spirite or Sanherib that very Belliall with all his hellish hoste and to deliuer vs from him which thing he performed and by his owne power ouercame those enemies The euangelists and the preachers of the new testament bringe vnto vs this ioyfull and gratious tidings to wit that Sathan is conquered and we beleuers truely deliuered These preach in all congregations perpetuall and euerlasting peace and saluatiō by Christ Iesus And this is the meaning of this prophecye and of Christ and his
temple of the Lorde builded by the gospell through the whole world and consecrated by the holy spirite This tēple shall stand for euer against the gates of hell The priest of this temple is an euerlasting priest and therefore the temple must needes be euerlasting This priest hath those true ornamentes prayses and honor which were signified by Arons ornamēts And this priest raigneth stil in his throne and hath both the functions to wit the euerlasting priesthood and the eternal kingdome But note that he sayth vpon his seate by which wordes he signifieth that this priest is the true priest king that all other tipicall priests and kinges were but seruauntes or ministers to this priest and that they in ther ministerie did but onely seruice vnto this true king and priest But Christ the true blossome of Dauid is the true king and priest and the true and naturall Lord of the throne and eternall kingdome He only shall beare rule in this throne This eternall throne is onely his seate and shall so cōtinue for euer Neither shall there euer hereafter be any contention or dissentiō betwene these two kingdomes to wit the spirituall priesthood and kingdome as before times there hath ben betwene the externall priesthoode and terrestriall kingdome For these two functions are both now turned to one person which both can make intercession for vs in heauen before the father as our priest and defend and gouerne vs here in earth as an omnipotent king Ionathan the Caldean confirmeth this exposition who hath translated this text of Zach. thus in the caldean tongue Behold for here is the man whose name is Moschiah which shall come to be made manifest famous and glorious And he himselfe shall build the temple of the lord But you may not heare vnderstand an earthly temple For like as the priest is spiriturall so doth he build vnto the Lord a spirituall temple wherein he himselfe alone doth execute the function both of the priest and king Zach in his 8. chap. prophecieth that the kingdome of Christ shall be very ample and glorious in all the world And that not the Iewes alone should reape profite by Messias but that the Gentiles also shall be ioyned vnto the Iewes and acknowledge and call vppon Christ their Lord his wordes be these Thus sayth the Lord of hostes that there shall yet come people and inhabitantes of great cities and they that dwell in one citie shall go vnto an other saying vp let vs go and pray before the Lord and seeke the Lord of hostes I will goe also yea great people and mighty nations shall come to seeke the Lord of hostes in Ierusalem and to pray before the lord Thus sayth the Lord of hostes in those dayes shall ten men take hould out of all languages of the nations euen take hould of the skirt of him that is a Iew and say we will goe with you for we haue heard that God is with you Although this prophecy was also fulfilled in earthly Ierusalem after the captiuity of Babylō in so much that the city became famous and the name of the temple which was more gloriously and princely builded then the other hefore became so notable in all places that many famous men came thether to worship and many of the Iewes which had been disparsed drew by this occasion many nations to their religiō brought them with them to worship God at Ierusalem Yet this was more gloriously fulfilled in the Apostles dayes at what time many gentils followed one Apostle that they might know the Lord Christ and beleeue in him and so come vnto the spirituall Ierusalem the church of God the true and liuely temple to honour the lyuing God. And in his 11. chap. Zache prophesyeth how Christ should be sold for 30. pence saying And I sayd vnto thē if you think it good geue me my wages and if no leaue of so they wayed for my wages 30. peeces of siluer And the Lord sayd vnto me cast it vnto the potter a goodly price that I was valued at of them And I toke the 30. peeces of siluer and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. This prophecy was fulfilled when the traytor Iudas sold Christ for 30. pence with which the Iewes bought the potters field This was the potter to whom 30. pence were geuen for Iudas Iscarioth cast them down in the temple and then they caryed them to the potter For the high priest said it is not lawful to put them into the treasury because it is the price of bloud And so when they had cast their heads together they bought with them the potters field to be a burying place for strangers The prophet prophesyeth in his 12. chap. how true Israell the kingdome of Christ should be vnder the cros here in this earth for the profession of the gospell saying The burden of the word of the Lord vpon Israell saith the Lord which spread the heauens and layd the foūdation of the earth and formed the spirite of man within him Behold I will make Ierusalem a cup of poyson vnto all the people round about and also with Iuda I will be in the seege against Ierusalem And in that day will I make Ierusalem an heauy stone for all people all that lift it vp shall be torne though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it In that day saith the Lord I will smite euery horse with stonishment and his ryder with madnes and I wil open my eyes vpon the house of Iuda and will smite euery horse of the people with blindnes And the princes of Iuda shall say in their hartes the inhabitants of Ierusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hostes their god In that day will I make the princes of Iuda like coales of fire among the wood and like a firebrād in the sheaf and they shall deuour all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Ierusalē shall be inhabited again in her own place euen in Ierusalem The Lord also shall preserue the tents of Iuda as aforetime Therfore the glory of the house of Dauid shall not boast nor the glory of the inhabitants of Ierusalem against Iuda In that day shal the Lord defend the inhabitants of Ierusalem and he that is feeble among them in that day shal be as Dauid and the house of Dauid shall be as Gods house and as the angel of the Lord before them And in that day will I seek to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem And I wil poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirite of grace and of cōpassion And they shall looke vpon me whom they haue pearced and they shall lament for him as one that mourneth for his only sonne and be sory for him as one is sory for his first borne This prophecy is a consolation for the apostles and christians that they