bee entertained said their Friar yet shaking off those virulences as Paul did the Viper After the way which they call Heresie will they tell the Truth remembring that terrible speech of Austins Quicunque metu c. that whosoever for feare of any power hides Truth provokes Gods wrath against himselfe as one that feareth man more than God It was Ieremies complaint in his time that people then bent their tongues like bowes for lies but had no courage for the truth upon the earth not valiant for the truth upon the earth as now we reade it nor want their iust complaints in that key The world-through diminutae sunt veritates à filijs hominam complained David And the tale goes of Truth lying sicke and like to die without confession because no man could bee found that would be her Confessour too too many indeede every where slighting Truth setting at nought so great salvation Yet not after the wont of way-ward men so to bemoane what wee want as not to blesse God for what wee have chuse I rather hence to cheare up Truth with the courage of her tellers now and cannot but say much like as Christ of the woman that powred the ointment on his head Verily wheresoever Truth shall be preached the truth of many of this meridian to the Truth is worthy to bee told for a memoriall of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Iohn speakes how they have beene fellow-helpers to the Truth as in Athenagoras both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de veritate by speaking of the truth unto the religious and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro veritate for the truth against the erroneous And good luck have they with their glory and ride on prosperously because of Truth and let it never bee said that the adversaries those pioners whose occupation is onely to undermine the truth like these Galatians here bewitched them that they should not obey the Truth Shall any of them bee stouter for fraudulent equivocations lying miracles false doctrines than we for Gods Truth as Tertullian spake of Heretiques then Apostatas postatas nostros gloriâ obligant quia veritate non possunt Shall they prevaile more over ours with trickes than we over theirs with Truth It hath beene said that our word True comes ab Hetrusco and Hetruria fondly hath been termed regio veritatis And O that this region might not onely so be said but ever be the region of Truth and as it was the first kingdome that universally embraced the truth of the Gospell so to the last it may continue constant for the Truth Never was there in the world title of more honour than when God in the 8. of Zachary said Ierusalem shall bee called a city of truth No nor of more profit neither for when Meroz shall be cursed the inhabitants thereof bitterly cursed because they came not to helpe the Lord blessed shall yee all yee be that come to the help of Truth against the malignant for doe not yee misdeeme your selves as though there were no other place for this telling truth but the Pulpit no other helpers of truth besides the Preachers no other partakers of truth besides Prophets and Prophets sonnes As God said of Corinth I have much people in this citie Truth hath much people many friends in City Court Country yea even out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hath it strength to silence the enemy Then what though you or you cannot do much for Truth doe your best for it and if there be a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that hee hath not as Paul speaketh And O how learned Fulgentius praises yongue Donatus that being set upon by the Arrians though hee had not the skil to defend the Truth with his tongue had yet a will to maintaine the Truth in his heart though he could not unloose all their cunning trickes he could yet hold fast the conclusion Truth and hee that for hee could neither write nor reade could not Clerkly subscribe his name to Truths confession could yet manly draw bloud of himselfe wherewith to set his maâ—kâ— do it And shee that for want of learning could not dispute Christs cause could yee bee content to die for it and Were every haire of my head a man I would burne them all said a third rather than goâ— from Truth Nor conceive I any either more powerfull opposition against the enemy to withstand him or probable perswasion with the adversary to win him than such undaunted resolution for the Truth When Iustin Martyr then a Platonist heard the Christians ill spoken of and yet saw them so constantly bent to endure any hardship for the truth of their cause hee concluded with himselfe that sure they could be no vicious voluptuous men And who knoweth whether the constant keennesse of the professors of Truth may gaine a good report to the Truth even of them which yet are without the Truth or if not as he that was to be burned with the booke of the Revelation by him held himselfe happy to suffer martyrdome with such a marrow happinesse will it be thus to suffer enmity for such a friend as Truth Truth which is to be preferr'd even before friendship as the very Heathen man could say being never to be preiudiced by any such Enmity but to continue Truths friends who ever therefore become our enemies Am I therefore become your enemy c. Now the God of Truth c. Laus Deo Acts 19. vers 28. the latter part And cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians SEcurus licet Aeneam Rutulúmque as he said A man may safely speake of Aeneas and Rutulus Nulli gravis est percussus Achilles To heare of wounded Achilles galls no man now and a tale of Troy troubles no man here The Priest of Bethel though he could not abide that Amos in his Prophecie should grate upon the house of Israel yet if hee would flye away into the land of Iudah and prophecie there he was not against it Though the Iewes could not endure that Ieremy should meddle with the burden of Iudah and Ierusalem yet if hee would prophecie against Edom and Moab and Ammon and them a farre off hee might for all them they felt no smart no hurt done According to which reckoning this Text here may now at manie hands probably promise it selfe a freer passage a friendlier welcome as medling not you see with matters present now or neerer home but past and far off matters of another Meridian not only strictly Geometrically but very sensibly aloofe from us as farre as Asia nighing not Europaeans but Ephesians not mentioning any our defects but only their Diana how they cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians Howbeit amidst such diversitie and indeed daintinesse of hearers lest that rellishing so with some prove so distastefull to others that as dealt the Tribes with Rehoboam What portion have we in David wee have
and but summe up with Bishop Iewell the heavie multitude of payments and perquisites the Pope heretofore had out of this Land the Proverbe will be easily beleeved their keennesse for that cause then notoriously manifested the very Geese for the Capitoll not more vigilant more vocall If we list not to look backward on others looke we but downe now upon our selves present how carefull and crying and keene wee are in worldly occurrences If but a house bee on fire there 's crying out Stentor cry'd no louder if but our childe or brother or friend miscarrie there 's bleating crying upon crying Clamassent ut littus Hyla Hyla omne sonaret As the sonne of Croesus though formerly dumbe is said yet to have cry'd out in his fathers danger we are not so dumbe but that wee can finde tongue enough to cry out in many cases of our owne causes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he spake boystrous and swelling passions impetuous enough obstreperous enough loude enough in secular passages And shall then only we and we onely in spirituall affaires the matters of our God even languish be feeble flaging often Ferventissimi in terrenis frigidissimi in coelestibus Shal many of us as in Ieremy have tongues bent like Bowes for lyes but not be valiant for the truth Shall false weights set the wheeles of so manie other tongues a going and we not be readie to utter a word in due season for the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Epiphanius phraseth it free-mouth'd for the truth of the Gospell Shall others drive like Iehu earnestly and we like the Egyptians with their wheeles off heavily As t is observed of Iob and his friends that they had an ill cause in hand but defended it craftily and Iob a good cause to defend but handled it unadvisedly Shall Turkes shall Papists shall Idolaters shall Heathen sollicite their bad cause so earnestly and wee our good cause our Gods cause so faintly Acriùs ad perniciem quà m nos ad salutem As in that sea-tempest the prophane Mariners cry'd every man unto his God whilst Ionah the Lords Prophet was gone downe into the sides of the ship and lay fast asleepe Shall prophane men shall Papisticall men clamour so for their woodden or breaden gods and shall any of the houshold of Faith by any sluggishnesse seeme to preiudice and betray the cause of their great and glorious God As when Callidus once declared against Gallus with a faint and languishing voice O saies Tullie Tu nisi fingeres sic ageres Wouldst thou utter it so feebly if thou werst in earnest Mens faint appearing for Gods cause gives shrewd suspition that many do but feine their coldnesse for religion probably concludes they doe but counterfeit that being in tongue such mutes for the true they are many in heart consonants to the false hardly would hee lend religion his bloud who list not spare it so much as his breath hardly would he die for it who will not so much as cry for it For what though there bee a time an evill time when the prudent man shall keep silence as in Amos yet even in those worst times that time of great and universall corruption They that feared the Lord spake then every one to his neighbour spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it Malach. 3. And even when the iniquity of the house of Israel and Iudah was so exceeding great that the land was full of bloud and the city of corrupt iudgement yet even then Gods children mourn'd and cry'd for the abominations done in the midst thereof Ezek. 9. and their sighes were then sollicitors for their affections That what though such turbulent crying beseeme not true Christians have they not in secret the voice of weeping with David Have they not cry for cry the cry of praier which goeth through the clouds and ceaseth not till it come nigh and will not depart untill the most High have respect unto it even wrastling with God and will not let him goe untill hee blesse his Church his Cause Religion That as when Hannah powring out her soule before the Lord spake in her heart even when her voice was not heard and when Moses spake not a word vocally yet said the Lord unto him Wherefore cryest thou unto mee Wee may cry and out-cry these even without crying out it being not with the true God as hee said of the false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee was to bee wooed and wrought upon with noise clamour but even without this strong winde wee may appeare before God as God himselfe appeared in the soft and still voice humbly begging a blessing upon religion As Bodin spake well of obtaining so for retaining religion Non disputationibus sed rogationibus not so much by disputation as devotion not by vociferation but praier as I heard of a good Bishop to spend foure houres a day in prayer to that purpose I would we were all such cryers out otherwise be it never so true which is commented here and wherewith cold professors are ready ever and anon to cloake themselves That great is the difference betweene the distempered passion of some phantastique men and the discreet zeale of sober men between turbulent fancy and true sanctity betweene the winde of giddinesse and the spirit of holinesse between the busling and noyse of those who are yet but about the doore of religion and the moderation and stilnesse of those who are got within as Plutarch wittily spake of Philosophy And many of the same Cryers out like Cyclops roring without his eye attempting things with great tumult and no iudgement and many hot blouds having but cold discretion and all that other for all that bosome idoll of discretion unlesse our earnestnesse equalize nay as Christ said Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees except our earnestnesse this way exceed the earnestnesse of these and those other like men Si non praestet fides quod exhibuit infidelitas as Ierom said If faith make not us at least as forward and keen for Gods cause as infidelitie here made them for theirs Haec in sugillationem nostri dicta sint as he spake to our utter discredite and infamy be it said They cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians So have yee the second particular their Earnestnesse Nor was this crying out here the monology of some one odde one no nor the impetuous passion the furious salley of some few hot spurs amongst them but the cry of them all none here excepted a common crying out as for a common cause that their keennesse backt with consent Their Ioyntnesse that 's now in this first part the third and last particular As all of them were called together about the danger so all of them cryed together in the defence the following verse seeming to second this observation of consent where it saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that for all the
citie was then full of confusion yet rush'd they into the common place with one assent Vno animo and though in the assembly out of order some cry'd one thing some another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet to this point about Diana's defence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies the 34. verse Vox vna omnium they cry'd all with one voyce all in a tune especially these companions here in the Text Clamaverunt vnanimiter saies Comestor A ioynt cry of the whole croud of them Socios artis assumit socios tumultus so Chrysostome As many as were fellowes of that company were also ioynt fellowes of that crying out A frequent coniunction as in these so in other like people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as David speakes in the 83. Psalme vnanimiter simul With one consent to consult together and bee confederate as in the seventh of this Booke to run upon Steven with one assent as in the Chapter before this to rise against Paul with one accord to say as in Salomon Come with us cast in thy lot amongst us we will all have one purse agreeing like theeves in a Faire all sharers the congregation of the wicked like towe wrap'd together saies Ecclesiasticus compact and sealed like the Leviathans scales in Iob as they are resembled As the Prophet Micah likens the wicked to briers and Nahum to thornes folded one in another they clap and twine and enterweave themselves as birds of a feather they frequently fly together and as in consort of communion ioyntly here cryed out And shall such brethren in evill tune so like bells and want but hanging as he said shall Sathans kingdome be at such agreement within it selfe that it may endure shall Christians that professe one Lord one Fath one Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in Paul a threefold cord which a man would thinke could not easily bee broken wee that have one word as one breath from one spirit as Dionysius speakes wee that have the same temples and sacrifices as the Athenians alledged wee that are espoused to one husband as Paul spake of the Corinthians shall wee be so carnall as to have amongst us envying and strife and division and one to say I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo and like the divisions of Reuben cause great thought of heart Shall these here have vnitatem contra vnitatem shall there be such conspiracy in error and shal there not be unitie in truth If ye eye and observe but this Booke of the Acts yee shall finde the veine of those primitive Christians to run all along 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chap. 1. 2. 4. ever and anon one accord one assent to be specified in them and shal we risen up in their stead a worse generation so run after the apple of discord the ball of contention and so agree like the Bricklayers at Babell that as division of tongues hindred the building then so division of hearts hinder the building of Christianitie now For conferre with the Iew one of the maine scandals the Iewes take from Protestants is their mutuall dissention which they interprete to proceed from want of unitie of truth in their foundation and so they thereby are startled and scared from the Gospell Come neerer what sayes the Papist to like purpose heare but one for all one of them is enough unlesse they were better heare but their Bartholdus What one of the Heretickes sayes hee preaches in the morning another of them denies after dinner and what peace what accord in that house sayes hee where the husband is a Calvinist the wife a Lutheran the serving-man an Oecolampadian the maid Pittardicall and the rest of the family Diabolicall So charitably their Bartholdus Pontanus We could pay them in their owne coyne by telling them and that truely that their white and blacke Friars differ as much in opinion as colour and Harpe and Harrow as consonant as many of them But I shall never hold recrimination for a remedie this must I hold as they say of Bees that stirre and strife among them is a signe their King is about to remove to leave the Hive and to be gone somewhere else so strife and schisme in religion to be a signe God eyther hath or is about to leave that people Boords ioyned make a Ship dis-ioyned they cause shipwracke connexion of stones make a house dissipation of them a ruine agreement of Christians builds up the spiritual Ierusalem dissention of them puls it downe The daughter of dissention is dissolution said divine Nazianzene and that which is divisible is corruptible even Nature dictates and every subdivision in cause of Religion is a strong weapon in the hand of the contrary partie as hee upon the Councell of Trent wisely observed The wisedome of Solon when Athens was distracted into three factions Diacriorum Pedeorum Paralorum his civill wisedome could dictate unto him to mingle himselfe with none of the sides but to direct all his sayings and doings towards common concord O that there were in Christian people such a wisedome such a heart as without siding to apply all their words and workes to the common good of Gods cause Religion As the Scripture speakes of David that hee bowed the hearts of all the men of Iudah even as the heart of one man that under our David all our hearts as of one man were bent and ioyned for Gods cause for the Gospell Then as hee said that shield ioyning to shield helmet to helmet man to man was a sufficient wall For to him that demanded why Sparta had no wals the King shewed Citizens well armed and unanimous in such unanimitie religion would both be impregnably wall'd on earth and as the petition of a whole Corporation ioyntly uses to be more availeable our prayer our crying for it would be more effectuall in heaven and when all is said and done as the learned Papinian said Summa ratio est quae pro Religione facit That that was the best reason which made most for Religion our sweetest harmony would bee consent in Gods cause our truest valour courage for the truth our best constitution tendernesse over religion That as Master Latimer in a Sermon before King Edward made supplication that they would contribute as bountifully towards the finding of schollers to exercise the office of salvation as they wont to bestow in pilgrimage trentals masses pardons purgatory matters as he there expounds himselfe he desired no more but that they would bestow so much godly as they were wont to bestow ungodly a reasonable petition as he then call'd it so mee thinks no reasonable man now can refuse to be intreated to be once at least as tender as earnest as united for the holy cause as these here were for the heathenish at the cheapest to hold God as deare as they did Diana Otherwise as God in Esay rebukes Israel even from the verie oxe and asse and in Ieremie Iudah from the storke and turtle and crane and