an habitation not made with handes but eternall in heauen And herefore sigh we desiring to be clothed with our mansion which is from heauen And although that that hope bée sufficient for to assure the true christians and faithfull of the goodnesse promised in that Citie Ierusalem celestiall yet truely they ought to beléeue also that the Lord Iesus Christ by such meanes and afflictions did prouide a certaine better thing for his in this world to the ende that they be not swallowed vp with too great sorrowe or heauinesse In the same respect and consideration the Lorde did retire and draw away Lot his faithfull seruant from the citie of Sodome to the ende hée should not perish with the vnfaithfull And in like maner the Lorde made Abraham to goe out of his owne countrey for to assure him more and more of his holy promises blessings in a straunge countrey Insomuch that although that the faithfull are troubled on euery side yet they are not without shift they béeing in pouertie are not vtterly destitute or without somewhat béeing persecuted but not forsaken being cast down perish not Iacob shall be witnesse who flying by the commaundement of his father did laye him downe to sléepe vpon the earth in the middest of an open féelde and he dreamed and did sée a ladder vppon the earth whose toppe did reach vp to heauen and the Angelles of GOD went vp and downe vppon it yea and the Lorde stoode vppon it and saide the lande which thou sléepest vppon will I giue thée and thy séede For more greater witnesse I will rehearse Ioseph who béeing fledde into Aegypt for the persecution of his brethren is so kept of the Lorde that he is exalted yea aboue all others to the gouerning and ruling of all the countrey of Aegypt and made as a father norisher of the house of his father vnto this I will adde the example of the people of Israell who béeing strayed and scattered abroade in the wildernesse were fed with the celestial Manna and conducted and lead in the night by a piller of fire and by day in a Cloude Furthermore I will ioyne vnto this that good prophet of GOD Elias who flying into the wildernesse of Bersabe from the persecution of kinge Achab and his wife Iesabel did receiue daily the meates that were necessarie for him by the Angell of the Lorde I will conclude with that disciple of the Lorde who béeing banished in the Isle of Pathmos and depriued from all the commodities and pleasures of the worlde Is comforted of the Lorde by so many heauenly visions and creaping yet on the earth is made as a bourgesse and Citizen of Heauen The same doth sufficiently declare that we béeing depriued from our goodes are not therefore destitute of all mannes ayde and succour for as of late the Lorde did stirre vp those good patriarckes Abraham and Lot for to ayde and succour the néede of the poore trauailers and wayfaring men and did ordeine places of refuge vnto those which were not culpable of the faultes laide vnto their charge Or as we doe reade that the Lord by a diuine prouidence did moue and stirre vp the spirite of Rahab the harlot for to hide the spies of Israel sent into Iericho A widowe of Sareptha for to assist and ayde Elyas béeing in extreme oppression of hunger One Abdias for to hide an hundreth Prophets â—ead theÌ„ An Ethiopian béeing an Eunuch for to moue and intreate the king for the deliueraunce of the Prophet Ieremy beeing in prison A Daniell for to adnull and call backe againe the arest giuen against that chaste Susanna being accused of adulterie A Martha for to receiue Iesus Christ To conclude an Onesiphorus for to assist and helpe Sanct Paule in his chaynes and bandes euen so the Lorde in what part so euer that it be doth reserue alwaies certeine places of sure refuge for his to the ende that they may not be altogether desolate and comfortlesse And although that the people doe rise vp and doe murmure in vaine and the kinges of the earth doe aduaunce themselues and stande vp and the Princes do consulte together against the Lorde and against his sonne Christe yet truely our God doth suscitate stirre vp alwayes some Dauyd for to offer himselfe against a Goliath Some Gedeon for to withstand the pretence of the Madianites Some Ezechiah for to represse the wickednesse and blasphemies of a Sennacherib Some Iosophat for to repulse the forces strengthes embushments of the Ammonits Mohabits Assirians Some Iudith for to confute the audacitie boldnesse of an Holophernes To conclude to drawe as from the midst of the flame of fier a certeine number of his for to repaire and amend the ruines and decayed places of his temple As in the time of the subuersion and destruction of Ierusalem hée did raise and stirre vp Daniel Ezechiel Aggeus Zacharie Esdras It shal suffice me besides that which is before to rehearse two or iii. examples The first is of Pharao who thincking altogether to put out of the lande the memorie and posteritie of the Hebrewes coulde not doe so much by his trauailes but that Moyses was saued from the middest of the waters for to magnifie and praise the name of the Lorde and to encrease the posteritie of the Hebrewes The second is of the Quéene Athalia who hauing ruled the kingdome by force and violence caused to be slayne al those which of the linage and séede roial did then offer could not watch so narowly but that Ioas was stolen froÌ„ among the midst of theÌ„ that were slaine and afterwarde established king for to repaire builde vp the Temple and to ordeine diuine seruice The last is of Herode who purposing to kill all the childreÌ„ which were in Bethelem and in all the couÌ„trey round about as many as were two yéere olde and vnder to the ende to abolish the name of the true Messias our sauiour could not hinder nor let that Iesus Christ should not accoÌ„plish fulfill the course preordeined of God his father for the health and saluation of his And therefore it is sayd in Daniel that the great Prince Michaell which standeth on thy peoples side shall arise vp for there shall come a time of trouble in that time the people of God shall escape yea all those which are found written in the booke of life The which is figured vnto vs in Iosua where Iosua béeing come to the citie of Iericho did lift vp his eyes and looked and beholde there stoode a man before him with his swerde drawen in his hande And Iosua went vnto him and sayd vnto him art thou on our side or on our aduersaries And he aunswered nay but I am the Captaine of the hoast of the Lord am nowe come for to succour helpe it Beholde howe the Lord
matter what it is to let the true Christian religion I do meane those which are confirmable and agreable to the Christian rule and good manners On the contrarie I beséech them to remember a lawe of the Aegyptians by the which the kings of the countrie did adiure and sweare the iudges not to iudge any thing wrongfully yea when the king hath commaunded them expresly and if they do disalowe me in this matter I wil put before their eyes the exhortation which Iehosaphat made vnto the Iudges of Iuda admonishing and warning them to consider that they doe not exercise the iudgment of men but of GOD and that it shall be with them according to the thing iudged to haue the feare of the Lorde before their eyes to know that there is no vnrighteousnes in the Lord your god nor the regarding of persons nor taking of rewardes They haue written this lawe not with ynke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of their heartes To the end that by their arrestes and Edictes they haue moued by that afore the people vnto a rage and furie more then barbarous and Scythian they may be also an occasion that hereafter the Christian people doe breake their swordes and speares to make sithes sickles and sawes thereof From that time foorth shall not one people lift vp weapon against another neither shall they learne to fight from thencefoorth but as the prophet Iob saith that we may all walke in the feare of the Lord let vs acknowledge also on our parte that God hath ben prouoked iustly against vs for our demerites and transgressions according as he doth menace and threaten some time his people by the Prophet that he wil take from them the Captein the Souldier the Iudge and the Prophet the wise and the aged man the worshipfull of fiftie yeare olde and the honourable the Senatours and men of vnderstanding the maisters of craftes and Oratoures and shall giue vnto them to be their Princes children and babes shall haue the rule ouer them The people shal be pilled and polled one shall euer be doing violence and wronge to an other The boye shall presume against the elder and the vile person against the honourable Bicause saith the Prophet that both their wordes and counseils are against the Lorde they prouoke the presence of his maiestie vnto anger Wherefore O Christian and faithfull people let vs consider our wayes and search them and let vs returne vnto the Lorde and bewaile vs for our sinnes Let vs lift vp our heartes with our handes vnto the Lorde that is in heauen saying We haue bene dissemblers and haue offended wilt thou therefore not be intreated thou hast conuerted vs in thy wrath and persecuted vs thou hast slaine vs without any fauour thou hast hidde thy selfe in a cloude that our prayers shoulde not goe thorowe thou hast made vs outcastes and to be dispised among the heathen All our enimies gape vppon vs feare and snare is come vpon vs yea dispite and destruction O Lorde be not so sore displeased and kéepe not our offences too long in thy remembrance but consider that we are all thy people The cities of thy Sanctuarie lie wast Syon is a wildernesse Ierusalem a desert Our holy house which is our beautie where our fathers praised thée is brent vp yea all our pleasures and commodities are wasted away remember not Lorde our offences but finish the worke which thou hast begunne in vs in this meane libertie of the religion that we may all sing in great hope and assurance with the Prophet Dauid mercie and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace kisse each other truth shal rise out of the earth and righteousnesse shall looke downe from heauen Graunt vs O Lorde that grace in the name and fauour of thy welbeloued sonne our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen ESAY 11. c. The Lord shall set vp a token among the Gentils and gather together the dispersed of Israel yea and of the outcastes of Iuda from the foure corners of the worlde A prayer O Lord which doest disperse and breake the counsells of the nations dost bring too nothing the enterprises of the people shed out the bowels of thy mercies vpon those which do fight daily against thée as their forefathers and woulde chase and driue thée from thy celestiall throne as the king of Babilon To conclude doe put and set them selues against thy sonne Christe teachers and liers as that sonne of perdition for to pull vp by the roote that which thou hast planted to destroy to ruinate that which thou hast builded to hinder and stop that which thou hast shed out euen vnto the vttermost ends of the earth yea do go about by all meanes to marre and to spill that which thou hast tried in the furnesse of the earth and purified seuen times in the fier to ad vnto that which thou hast ordeined in all integrie perfection To cōclud would suppresse abolish by force that which thou hast established for euer O Lord giue thē feare that they may acknowledg confesse him whom thou hast raised vp to set vp the kinreds of Iacob to restore the destruction of Israel and whom thou hast giuen for to lighten the Gentiles that he may be thy health vnto the end of the worlde our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen AN ADVERTISEMENT VNto these which doe crie dayly that wee must not suffer two religions Cap. 4. 1. TIMOTH 4. ¶ Therfore we labour and suffer rebuke bicause we beleeue in the liuing God which is the sauiour of all men but especially of all those that beleeue IT is most euident and knowen by the discourse of the holy scripture that as the Lord is true entire perfect so doth hée require of vs an acknowledging of him neither fained nor cloked That is the cause wherfore he did regard rather the sacrifice of Abel then of Cain did commaunde in the lawe that is written that wée must haue a perfecte and a iust measure and weightes and not to haue two manner of weightes he did rebuke Saul because that he did not wholy and fully accomplish his will and desire inasmuch as he did reserue some of the spoiles which they had gotten against the king of Amalech And in the Gospell is more praised the prayer of the Publican then that of the Pharisie To conclude in the booke of the Actes of the Apostles Ananias is punished bicause he deceiued the Apostles of the price of his possession In the same respect also we do greatly abhorre those which do mingle the sacrifice of the liuing God with that of Baal the doings of the Iewes with the fame of the Samaritans the baptisme with the circumcision the Christian lawe with that of Antichrist And yet
hée doth giue power and strength vnto his in the vertue and power of his woord to roote out breake off destroy and make wast to build vp and plant as he promised in Ieremy and afterward confirmed by the mouth of his sonne sending his Apostles through out the whole world Then let all those bée confounded and put to shame which doe thincke to abolish the true christian religion by force of armes or with a great companie of people or by threateninges For as an auncient author hath very wel written that it is no religion to constraine the religiō the which men ought to receiue with a willing heart our religion cannot be forced and constrayned by force of armes but by woordes As for vs bicause that the Gospell hath bene preached throughout the whole worlde amonge the horrible persecutions of the martyres and that the bloode of them hath bene the séede of the Church yea that the Church is come to her perfection and greatnesse by those persecutions and hath ben crowned by the punishments and witnesses of the true faythfull christians we do make it no doubt to mainteine and defende our religion by the same meanes by the which she hath bene established I doe meane by patience and gentlenesse in such sort that although that our enimies doe yet murmure yet we are assured that the gates of hell shall not ouercome vs forasmuch as the church is the house of God the pyller and ground of truth We doe beléeue also that the persecutions which we do suffer doe not serue for any other thing then to witnesse the tyrannie and crueltie of our enimies and to assure more and more the veritie of our doctrine in our constantnesse and patience Euen as the persecution of Lot did figure none other thing but the vtter subuersion of the Citie of Sodome The affliction of the Israelites did declare and teach none other thing but the wast and destruction of the people of Aegypt to be nigh at hand To conclude the blood of the prophets did demonstrate declare the vengeaunce of God vpon that citie of Ierusalem so goodly and excelent According to that which is saide in Iesus the sonne of Siraach that bicause of vnrighteous dealing wrong blasphemies and diuers deceites a realme shal be translated from one people to an other And sainct Paule doth shewe and declare that the thinges which haue happened vnto him are tourned to the great furthering of the Gospell So that his bands in Christ were famous through out all the iudgement hall and in al other places Insomuch that many of the brethren in the Lord were boldened through his bands and dare more franckly speake the word I do speake vnto those which doe thincke to abolysh the true christian religion by the bloode of the faithfull as some which are so madde and senselesse willing to quench the fire doe put into it oyle For the Lord is come to sende fire on the earth And what desireth he more but that it be kindled If he himselfe hath embraced it in the heartes of the faithful who shall quench it Finally who shall seperate them from the loue of Christ shal tribulation or anguish or persecution either hunger either nakednesse either perill either swoord God forbid for in the same they are more thē vanquished by him which hath loued them Wherefore those are to much deceiued which doe thinck by some meanes whatsoeuer it bée to put out and quench in vs that lyght knowledg of Christ and celestiall veritie and doe not consider that sure loue is mightie as the death and gelousie as the hell her coales are of fire and a very flame of the Lord so that many waters are not able to quench loue neither may the streames drowne it Héere some will saye vnto me that the dooing of the religion ought to mainteine it selfe not by force of armes but by patience and méekenesse who haue moued and stirred vp those of the reformed religion to put themselues with force armes against the tyrannie of their enimies I doe aunswere that as it was lawefull by the olde lawe for the people of God to take weapons against the Philistians Moabites Madianites and other nations contrarie vnto the people of the Iewes then for that they were forced and constrained of them in their religion personnes or goodes Also it hath not bene lesse lawfull vnto those of the reformed religion hauing expresse commaundement of the king to kéepe defend by weapons that which hath bene concluded and determined so holily by the priuie counsayle for the dooing of the religion and the ecclesiasticall pollicie Inasmuch as all was confirmable and agreeing to gods lawe and expresse commaundement of the king who dyd aduowe them to doe the same by many letters and writings Euen as Dauid did take the weapons against Goliath forcing and troubling the people of God. And Gedeon did rise vp against the Madianites for to deliuer his people Iudith against Holophernes willing altogether to destroy and exterminate the Iewes Furthermore if the warre bée lawefull as it appeareth that the LORD did alowe so many warres of the Israelites And our LORD Iesus Christ dyd not despise the estate of the souldiers and of the Centurian In the Gospell chiefly and principally in two thinges weapons may be lawefull As king Alphonsus doth very well declare that is to say for the lawe and for the flocke I doe meane for the religion and the tuition of his person and of hys subiectes and for that the consciences the bodyes and the goodes haue bene forced and compelled euery where and that there was no more redyer helpe for to remedy that disease then to take weapons Not without cause then wée following the expresse commaundement of the king the aduise of the best reformed Churches together wyth the counsell of the most learned straungers of the realme haue taken the weapons for to withstand such iniuries and violences pretending none other thinge but the honoure of GOD the aduauncement of his kingdome and the health of his with the preseruation of the scepter of our king Which if the Painim or Heathen man hath wrytten that men ought to take weapons to the ende that without wrong they maye liue in peace In such sorte that the intente of those whyche doe carie them is none other thing but to séeke peace Who shall bée so shamelesse or madde that dare say that it is euill done to haue vpholden and mainteined by weapons the assaultes and force of our enimies for to liue in rest both of our goodes and of our consciences Furthermore if those children of the Machabeans are praised to haue constantly suffred death for to mainteine the lawes of their countrey shal it be compted vnto vs dishonoure shame to haue bestowed our life and our goodes for to mainteine the lawefull christian lawes of the king Without the
Israel as it is written in Deuteronomium not to bring into the house of the Lorde in no maner of vowe the hyer of an whore On the other side we desire that he that stole let him steale no more but let him rather labour and worke with his hands the thinges which are good that he may haue to giue vnto him that néedeth For as Cicero saith many and those which are desirous of renowne and glorie doe steale from one to giue it vnto others and they thinke that they shal be estéemed gratious and liberall if by any meanes they enrich hem selues but the same is as contrarie to the true office that there is nothing more contrarie to the same We must then vse such liberalitie that it may profite one and not to offende an other Furthermore let vs here obserue that we take not this charitie simplie as the painimes doe for a mutuall amitie or affection the whiche is borne groweth of the conformitie of maners and good conuersation of life which is conioyned to a prompte and readie will to helpe and succoure the one the other of which concord amitie that great Orator of the latins Cicero speaketh off whē he said The worde of loue is verie déere whereof the name of amitie doth spring the which if we apply to our owne priuate profite not to the vtilitie profite of him whome we loue that shall not hee called amitie but rather a merchaundise Euen so doe we loue our medowes landes and our cattell because that of them wee receiue profite But the charitie and loue of men is thankeful The which is yet better confirmed by the same Aucthour by the example of Scipio saying hath Affricane to do with me no nor I with him But I hauing in admiration his vertue and hée hauing in opinion my manners hee hath loued me The great conuersation whiche we haue had together hath augmented greatly the amitie Nowe the Christian charitie hath regarde more further for she considereth a coniunction and alliance of members vnder one heade whiche is our Lorde Iesus Christe participating to one faith and one baptisme the vse of the sacraments established in the Church of Iesus Christ loking for the hope of the blessed the comming of the sonne of God of the which the Apostle sainct Paul speaketh off saying forbeare one another through loue endeuouring to kéepe the vnitie of the spirite in the bonde of peace There is but one body and one spirite euen as ye are called in one hope of your calling There is but one Lorde one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all thinges and through all things and in you all That same aliaunce is also taught vs by the sacrament of the holy supper Is not the cuppe of blessing whiche we blesse the communion of the bloude of Christ Is not the breade which we breake the communion of the body of Christ bicause that we which are many are one breade and one body inasmuch as we are al partakers of one bread And as we sée that the amitie and charitie of the panimes for euerie light or small occasion chaungeth often times to a great enmitie and hatred inasmuch as it is not founded but vppon a blinde and bryttle thing so the Christians regarding not the true vse of that loue and charitie doe norish vp among them infinite debates and greate enmities and hatreds And doe not consider that our God is not the God of confusion as the Gods of the Gentils are but is the God of peace That is the cause wherfore the panimes so oftentimes demaunde vengeaunce of their enimies and being afflicted and punished of their neighbours and kinsmen doe fall into impatience and dispaire Where as the true children of God doe take all thinges in good parte as come of Gods handes Euen so the kingly prophet Dauid being wronged and cursed of Semei woulde not take any vengeaunce although that Abisai and his seruauntes were importunate vpon him but he saide vnto them behold my son which came out of mine owne bowells séeketh my life how much more then may this son of Iemini do it suffer him therfore to curse for the Lorde hath bidden him happily the Lorde will looke on my wéeping eyes wretchednesse and do me good for his cursing this day Euen so Iob being perswaded by his wife to forsake God for the afflictions that he suffered saide vnto her thou speakest like a foolishe woman Séeing we haue receiued prosperitie at the hand of God wherefore should we not be content with aduersitie also Those holy men knew assuredly that ther commeth no plague into a citie without it be the Lordes doing and also that we ought not to be ouercome of that which is euill but we must ouercome euill with goodnesse in fuffering patiently him which woulde force and compell vs If thou demaunde of me wherein the true Christian charitie and the vse of the same doth consist I do aunswere thée that it consisteth principally and chiefly the one to helpe and cherish an other in perilous thinges According to that which Salomon dofh speak of in his prouerbes saying that he is a friend that alway loueth in aduersitie a man shall know who is his brother The which Iesus Christ witnesseth when he rebuked the wicked that he was an hongred they gaue him no meat he thirsted they gaue him no drincke was herbourlesse and they lodged him not naked and they clothed him not sicke and in prison and they visited him not By this a man may plainely sée percieue the ingratitude of those who in stéede to helpe assist the necessities of their neighbours parents and friends do rebuke and checke them in their afflictions and calamities Such people doe make mée to remember the friendes of Iob who rebuked and checked him that hée hath well deserued and merited the double of that that he doth suffer by right and that GOD hath forgotten him bicause of his sinnes The like iniuries of late the Barbarians obiected vnto Sainct Paul. For they séeing that a viper which leapt out of the fire to hange on his hande they sayd amonge themselues truely this man must néedes be a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the sea yet vengeaunce hath not suffered him to liue The like wronges they that passed by vsed to our Lord Iesus Christ as he hanged on the crosse wagging their heades and saying Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in thrée dayes saue thy selfe if thou bée the sonne of God come downe from the crosse I doe speake vnto those who doe not consider that the afflictions are common as well to the good as to the euill and are nothing ashamed to attribute them to the true Christian religion although that they know not in them whom they doe accuse any other thing then a pure and true christian