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
of perles Iemms and pretious stones and they expound this promise carnally of an earthly building but Esay speaketh in this place of a spiritual building and spirituall stones When we heare and belieue the Gospell then are we by the word and faith builded vpon that our precious corner stone rock Christ that we may be the holy Citie of God which he him selfe doth build and in in which he doth dwell He that is a stone and Citizen of this Citie he is in safety sin death and Sathan can not hurt him for God himselfe is there the ouerseer and maister mason Esay in many chapiters hath plainely set downe what Christ is and what his ministery is and sayth that Christs Church or kingdome is not an earthlye kingdome but a congregatiō of the faythfull in spirite which beleue the Gospell and hold and depend in this life of the word of God and not of the visible thinges of this world For ther is an other world and an other earth prepared for the Childrē of God wherin nothing dwelleth but righteousnes it selfe They seeke a city to come because in this world they haue no place of cōtinuaūce And least they should be offēded at the crose or faint in so great afflictiō and least in the heat of persecution and in the tossing tempests of temtation they should say with them selues we shall perish and be vndon he comforteth them with most sweete and fatherly promises saying that he will be with them in all their daungers and readely helpe them in all their miseries Seing then the kingdome of Christ is a hiddē kingdome of fayth vnder the crosse it is needfull that we lay good handfast hold of the word of God and with And therefore Esay doth counsayle and exhorte the Church of Christe that it should diligētly heare and in hart lay vp the worde of God in which great and infinite treasures to wit euerlasting righteousnes peace ioy health and lyfe are offered and freely geuen vs without our desert And these be his wordes O euery one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that haue no siluer come bye and eate come I say bye wine milke without monye and siluer wherfore doe you lay out siluer and not for bread and yet labor without being satisfied Loe heare how sweetely God allureth and draweth vs to his word and heauenly treasures He calleth his word water euen water of that euerlasting and liuely fountaine of which Iohn speaking sayth that it quencheth eternall thirst and that it refresheth recreateth vs in all our drought and heate of persecution and affliction which is the true water of comfort and lyfe wherwith we repare and refresh our selues in all distresse both of body and soule He calleth it wine and also milke for that it giueth cōfort consolation as well to the old as to the yong to the weake as to the strong because it quickneth and refresheth the troubled conscience and because it nourisheth vs to euerlasting life and feedeth vs with liuely food Here he excludeth no man he sayth Whosoeuer hungreth and thirsteth for true righteousnes onely let him come as for mony and mony worth he hath no neede onely let him come This water this wine and this milke are most pleasaunt to all the poore in spirite as Christ sayth in Mathew The pharises and Iusticiaries sell righteousnes workes and spirituall comfort very deere But here in the word of God they are all geuen gratis Whosoeuer seeketh peace of conscience righteousnes other were then in the gospell they lay out their monye where there is no bread because gods promise is the bread by which we liue before god It followeth in the prophet Harken diligently vnto me and eate that which is good and let your soule delight in fatnes Encline your eares and come vnto me Here and your soule shall lyue and I will make an euerlasting couenaunt with you euen the sure mercies of Dauid Behold I gaue him for a witnes to the people for a prince and a Maister vnto the people Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not and a nation that knew not thee shall run vnto thee because of the Lord thy God and the holy one of Israell For he hath glorified thee In these wordes Esayas doth teach what great and infinite fruite we reape of the word of God to wit euen lyfe it selfe In the word of God is contayned the pleasaunt consolation meate and drinke of the soule he that beleueth it hath lyfe and doth not tast of the eternall death It is the word of grace and truth whatsoeuer it promiseth is firme certaine and sure must needes come to pas And that he may better stirre vp our mindes and strengthen vs with greater comfort he calleth it the promise of grace in Christ and couenaunt with Dauid wherof you haue heard in the Psalmes This is that new testament the couenaunt of grace betwene God and all the faythfull which in true fayth apprehend and take hold of Christ the true Dauid frō which God shall neuer turne his face and mercye And although yea euen the true godly them selues be heare weake not altogether perfect yet for Christes sake into whome they are ingrafted in fayth there is no dānation to them If this couenaunt depended vpon our good workes so that onely we should thinke God to be attone with vs so long as we are iust and without sin before him then in deed the whole state of our saluation were vncertaine For no man at all in this flesh doth liue without sinn But our saluation hath a more sound and firme foundation euen the grace and truth of god Heare he promiseth forgeuenes of sinns of his meere grace and what of his grace he promiseth in faythfulnes he performeth Wherfore Paule hath a noble saying Righteousnes is by fayth that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede not to that only which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham who is the Father of vs all It followeth in the prophet that he hath geuen the true Dauid euen Christ the sonne of Dauid for a witnes For he teacheth and preacheth the Gospell The prophet also sayth that God gaue him to be a Captayne Maister Emperor or law geuer to the gentiles which is is as much to say as Christ should be the Doctor and king of the gentiles which gentiles as the Gospell witnesseth shall see how obstinate rebellious and vnbeleuing a kinde of people the Iewes be which obstinatly refused their owne flesh bloud Iesus Christ the true Messias and vtterly and contemptiously reiected him whome aboue all men they ought to haue receaued and honored Paule sayth to the blinded Iewes It was necessary that the word of god should first haue bene spoken vnto you but seing ye put it
be named a Citye sought out and nōt forsaken In these wordes the prophet commaundeth that the word of the Gospell should be diligently painefully and continually tought in all places where men be to heare it The gates of the Church doe stand alway open all thinges are now ready there lacketh nothing but that you diligently vrge and beleue the doctrine of the word and that ye remoue take vp and sweepe away all thinges whatsoeuer hinder the crosse and increase of the Gospell that it may haue better successe Preach you Christ crucified and he shall by his spirite gather and draw all men vnto him To be short the Gospell ought to be published and preached through all the world Tell the daughter Sion that is you must declare to all the electe both Iewes and Gentiles that their Sauiour Christ Iesus is at hand and whatsoeuer he promiseth or enterpriseth for the sauing of his people that is to say the spiritual Sion the same he mightely performeth For the captiuitye wherein he was and the passion which he suffered is our redemption and saluation and his death is our lyfe And though Sion that is the Church be counted but base and vile in the eyes of the world yet shall it be glorious famous of great dignity before God and it shall haue this worthy name and title to be called the holy people of God whom God himself in mannes nature which hee tooke vpon him hath redeemed And although the world supposeth that God hath reiected and forsaken the church and that God himself is sore displeased with it because they see it in misery calamity and vnder the cros yet neuertheles shall it both be called and in deed be found that perfect citye of God which God in no case can forsake And here you see the articles of the creed I beleeue the holy Catholick church the communyon of saints For he that beleeueth in Christ is a citizen in this Citie and a saint in Christ which forgeueth our sinnes and sanctyfieth the church by his word and holy spirit Now then if you wil not haue this work of Christ our Sauiour to be fruitles it is necessary that the gospel should be preached in all the world and that there should be in all places faithful beleeuers in Christ and that the same beleeuers be delyuered from death to the end the church may be made this beutifull citie fayre dwelling or house of god which he cānot forsake Here also it is euydent that it behoued Christ to rise again from death to the end this citie might be builded in all the world and that the faithfull in Christ may be delyuered from all their calamities sinne death and damnation This did not Cleophas and his companion while they were on their way to Emaus vnderstād and that was the cause that they were so sad But let vs now goe to the 63. chapter of Esay in which the magnificall and glorious tryumph of Christ is descrybed to wit how by his cros bloudsheding he marueilously ouercame his and the churches enemies namely sinne death Sathan and the sinagogue of the vnbeleeuing Iewes and valiantly vanquished them by his own strength and vertue Esay in this chapter also vseth after his maner a figuratiue speech saying Who is this that commeth from Edom with red garments from Bosrah He is glorious in his apparrell and walketh in his great strength Here the prophet wondering at the passion of christ vseth an interrogatiue speech Edom signifyeth red ruddy or redly colored Bosrah signifyeth a vine branch from whence the clusters of grapes be gathered which are troaden and prest in the wine pres He calleth the Sinagogue of the Iewes Edom or red because they all bestayned and defyled them selues with the bloud of the prophets and Christ when they sayd his bloud be vpon vs and our children The prophet therfore saw in the spirite how that bloudy Sinagogue tormented afflicted Christ all be slubbered and berayd him in blod as we see the grape treders are besprinkled bestaind with the wine in the vintage He saw also in the same place by the spirit what Christ by his blodsheding hath wrought and done to wit how he hath by his own strength and vertue without the help and ayd of any other ouercome and vanquyshed his enemyes admirably tryumphed as a most fortunat and worthy warryar in his triumphes conquest and signes of victory worthy to be beholden of all men For when the Iewes thought verely he had been dispatched and deead in deed then rose he again from death and began his kingdome and declared him selfe to be a valyaunt vanquisher of sinne death and all the kingdome of darcknes and punished with the horrible plague of captiuity hardnes of hart and apostacy the Iewes in all the world whersoeuer they be for this horrible and cruel fact of sheding of innocent bloud Vnto this interrogatiō of the prophet doth the Messias answere saying I speake in righteousnes and am mighty to saue That is to say why marueilest thou what I am I am he whom God hath sent to teache righteousnes nay euen to help that is to say iustifye and saue of mine own hability But by and by the prophet addeth another interrogation If thou be the true Sauyour which shalt help and geue life in deede wherfore then is thy apparrell red and thy garmentes like his that treadeth in the wine pres How doth this agree and stand with thy promyses wherin thou takest vpon thee to help and saue vs To this Christ answereth I haue troaden the wine pres alone and of all people there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and tread them vnder foot in my wrath and their bloud shal be sprinkled vpon my garments and I wil stayn all my rayment For the day of vengeance is in my hart and the yeare of my redeemed is come and I looked and there was none to help and I wondered that there was none to vphold Therefore mine own harme helped me and my wrath it self sustayned me Therfore I wil tread down the people in my wrath and make them dronken in mine indignation and will bring down their strength to the earth In this answere of Christ we see how he would by his passion enter into his glory and thorowly delyuer vs for euer He sayth thou shalt not maruail to see my rayment red For this is the true and redyest way and meanes to saue the world God hath so ordayned it I haue troadē the wine pres alone that is to say I alone haue born the sinnes of the world vpon the crosse No man els was able to satisfy God for the sinnes of the world but I alone It was my bloud only that both could and ought to doe it and nothing els There was no other meanes nor way to saue you from your sins And in that my infirmity I shewed great strength and I
prophet Nathan that of his seed should Messias come saing When thy dayes be fulfilled thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers and I will set vp thy seed after the which shall proceed out of thy body and will stablish his kingdome he shall build a house for my name and I will stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer and I will be his father and he shal be my sonne Also in the psalmes it is sayd The Lord hath sworne in truth vnto Dauid and he will not shrinke from it saying Of the fruit of thy body I will set vpon thy throne This same promise is also extant in the 89. Psal. And tolled magnified and exalted for the wonderfull marueilous holy and deuine natiuitie of the noble maiesticall sonne of God Iesu Christ by whose meanes this poore village obtayned got this worthy name and great honour For what I pray you be walles though high and faire towred what be bulwarkes though great and strong what is circuit though most ample and large what is popularitie or what is the brauery and glistering bewty of building and workemanship of any Citie to the glory prerogatiue and priuiledge of that poore towne Bethleem only in that it was the bringer forth and natiue soile according to the flesh and humayne nature of the most mightye magnificent and omnipotent God our Messias And therfore S. Mathew inspired with the holy Ghost iustly preferreth it before other Cities saying Thou Bethleem in the land of Iudea art not the least among the princes of Iuda And the 70. translators also as Hierome witnesseth red this place thus And thou Bethleem the house of Ephrata art not the least that thou shouldest be amongest the thousandes of Iuda The Calde text saith thus Thou Bethleem Ephrata art not much behynd and but little inferior but that thou mayest be reckoned amongest the thousand houses of Iuda Bethleem in deed was a little towne in the tribe of Iuda once called Ephrata as it appeareth in Genesis But if we will diligently throughly and truely ponder the Ebrew text or true sence we shal see in my iudgement that the prophet Micheas and the Euangelist Mathew plainly and throughly agree in one sence without any differing or iarring at all S. Hierome interpreteth this Hebrue word Zagir Thou art a little one But these wordes of the Prophet Zagir liheioth may bee translated also thus It is but a trifle a small thing a thing of nothing and a thing to to badde base that thou shouldst be counted amōgst thousands of Iuda And this is the true and natural sence of these wordes Thou Bethleem Ephrata art farre greater and excellenter yea better and of more fame then that thou shouldst be reckoned or numbred amongst thousands or princes of Iuda Such honour as the other cities haue is to base and vile for thee nothing correspondent to thy dignitie thy renowne and maiesty is of more glory then that the princely prayses of these cities can sufficiently set it forth nay no tongue can speake nor penne expresse the prayses that are due to thee If you will thus construe the Prophets wordes you shall finde that the Euangelist spake the selfe same thing which the prophet ment for it is all one in sence to say Thou art not lest amongst the princes of Iuda And to say it is a very base and small prayse to value thee with the commō princes and thousands in Iuda And the cause why is shewed immediately after in these wordes For out of thee shal Messias come And this glory and honour of this little towne was no small glory but a most splendent and famous glory yea it is such that it is not lightly to be estemed but before al other to be praysed and preferred And where the prophet hath these wordes In thousandes of Iuda it must be thus vnderstood Moyses in Exodus maketh a law that one tribe or prince should be hed ouer a thousand for he diuided the people into hundreds and thousandes The prophet then sayth thus much in effect Thou Bethleem Ephrata which hast scarcely on thousandes of men in thee for it was but a little Citie and not populous nor much replenished shalt neuerthelesse for all thy basenes yeld and bring forth vs as a prince or Lord which shall gouern all Israel For in thee shal be borne c. Furthermore in this prophesie is to be noted that by this word Moschel or prince no other can be ment but only Christ or the promised Messias whom the Iewes alwayes vnderstood in this place For in the second of Mathew whē Herod ernestly enquired of the Scribes where Christ should be borne they answered him out of this prophesie that Bethleem in Iuda should be the place of his birth And they recited this text for autoritie But where the Hebrue word is Moschel that is lord or prince there the Calde Bible hath Meschihah which is to say Christ and Rabbi Salomō doth thus interprete it Out of thee shall come to me Messiah the sonne of Dauid And this I thought good to put in here as an addiphet prophesieth that Christ should be born of the tribe of Dauid for Iesse or Ishai as the Ebrew worde is was Dauids father All these thinges were fulfilled and then the Angel Gabriel hauing saluted the virgin sayd To him that is Christ shal God giue the throne of his father Dauid And Paul to the Rom. sayth Christ according to the flesh was borne of the seede of Dauid And againe Remember that Iesus Christ made of the seede of Dauid was raysed agayne frō the dead according to my gospel And the woman of Canaan in Mat. cōfesseth the same crying O lord thou son of Dauid haue mercy on me Also those two blind men sitting by the high way side when they heard that Iesus passed by cried aloude saying O Lord the sonne of Dauid haue mercy on vs. In like maner on Palme sonday the multitude cried saying Hosanna the sonne of Dauid Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. And in Mathew the Pharises confesse that Christ is the sonne of Dauid ¶ Anna. I thanke God I am as sufficiently satisfied in this point as harte can wishe wherefore now I pray you recite some places which make mention of the city in which Christ vouchsafed to be borne here in earth ¶ Of the Citie wherein Christ should be borne Vrbanus MIcheas the Prophet in that prophesie which he hath of Christ nameth the citie saying And thou Bethleem Ephrata art little to be amongst the thousandes of Iuda yet out of thee shall he come forth vnto me that shal be ruler in Israel whose goings forth hath bene from the beginning and from euerlasting Here you first see the Bethleem in Iuda was the place where Christ should be borne As in Mathew the Scribes at Ierusalem declared to Herode out of this chap. of
error but euē some also at this day which in name are called christians but not Christiās in dede are deceued with this fāsy For now that Christ is brought to light the doctrine of the gospell euery where known many are found yet so fleshly harted that they seeke and looke for nothyng els in Christ and the gospel but worldly wealth security ease quietnes dignities honours and abundance of all things And so playing the Iewes deuise vnto themselues a Iewish and carnall Christ which should here in earth only giue them pleasures and worldly wealth as the Capernites did in Iohn which followed Christ only for the feding and filling of their bellies They regarded not fayth nor heauenly riches which are the giftes that Christ specially doth giue And so do our vagabonds now a dayes with vs which onely gape and hunt for other mens meat and seke nothing but ease As for the grace of God true righteousnesse godlines and a good and sound conscience they neyther at all know thē neyther are they desirous to haue thē But if they know any fautors louers of the gospell to thē they hast them saying thus with thēselues We shall now be well here shall we get both ease and maintenaunce here shall we scrape vp so much mony as will find vs that we need not labour we wil desire these godly mens ayde and almes We shall not surely say they want their helpe they wil bestow their liberalitie vpon vs For the gospel teacheth loue which is liberall and bountifull and always ready and bent to helpe and support euery man There are at this day many such euil men and beggers which seeke not the setting forth of the gospel but their own ease and how to liue idlely and so get themselues to good protestants to whom they vaunt and set forth themselues vnder the name of the gospell falsly pretending religion and say that for professing of the Gospell they are fallen into those perils and pouerty and they fayne themselues to be for the words sake spoiled of their goods And thus vnder the pretence of religion they deceiue many good men which thinke themselues of duety bound to helpe them both with their goods and bodies and all that they can ministring vnto them both meat mony and apparell This kinde of people creepe into all places where the gospell is taught and they loue it for none other cause but only for the maintenance of theyr idle lyfe If it were not that vnder pretence of the Gospel they can fill their bellies they would vtterly despise it and spit at it And here I speake no vntruth I knowe what I writ I haue knowen many which haue bene robbed of much mony by these smelfeasts gredy gospellers which vnder pretence of the gospel onely for the belly sake and ease falsly professe themselues to be religious Wherfore seyng that Sathan ceaseth not by his members thus to slaunder the gospell and in this behalfe to deface it We must as we can cure this sore and bewray and discouer these circumcilians and detect their subtleties and deceites that euery man may take hede to himselfe and trust not to his great hinderance euery one that falsly professeth the gospel goeth a begging vnder the colour of religion We see it often that these vagabonds come crouching whining and weping to the fauourers of the gospell and complaine that for profession of the worde they are driuen out of their cities and houses spoyled of their lands and substance c. And so cloking their lend wicked life with the name of the gospell abuse it to the satisfying of their bellies and gredy appetites craue helpe for Christes sake for the gospels sake and for brotherly loue charities sake And yet wil they not be pleased with an indifferent good almes but craue as it were of due sometyme mony sometyme victuals and sometyme one thing and sometyme an other and by this their importunate begging fill their bagges And when we haue helped them with our liberalitie cherished and fed them long at the last we finde them to be runnagates deep dissemblers and vile wicked persons and nothing lesse in deed then that which they do pretend Euery place is now full of such idle vagabōds and naughty felowes Some of them also be so impudent that they go euen to the preachers and creeping into their bosomes make them by their importunate begging not onely giue them and helpe them of theyr owne charge but also in Christes name gather for them the almes of other citizens yea euen the beneuolence of the whole congregation with which those that be poore in deede should be relieued There is almost no culion no varlet no pedler no aleknight no glutton or gredy fellow which cannot brag set forth and helpe himselfe vnder a false colour and name of the gospel And which is strange The Carolostadians Anabaptists who professe a wonderfull kinde of modesty moderation straightnes of lyfe temperancy and holynesse when as they are for herisie driuen out of their own country come to vs and are neuer satisfied Nay they are neuer pleased if you giue them neuer so much There is no Inne that they can or will take in good part And as for meat these delicate and disdainfull fellowes will haue none set before them but that is of the best and finest This kinde of men is most mischieuous and wicked of all men For they bee most dangerously corrupted in opinion and erre shamefully in the article of fayth and very impudently and obstinately either hold openly or nourish priuily most seditious and pestilēt opiniōs But besides this their life maners are so ill so dishonest so folish so without grace so clounish and so rude that the most barbarous people of the Turkes and Iewes are in life and maners to be preferred before them And such though they be yet neuerthelesse so great is their impudency dishonesty impietie wickednes that vnder the name of christianitie and the gospell they desire also looke that men should feed cherish and clothe them giue them entertainment with the best And thus they require and seeke nothing els in Christ but these temporall goodes commodities and pleasures of this life euen as did the commō people of the Iewes As for the gospell they neither care for it seke it nor loue it as by many vnfallible argumēts appeareth in the most of thē ¶ Anna. Wheresoeuer Christ is conuersant taught there must needes Iudas be also who regardeth nothing but the bag thinketh of nothing but how to fil his purse his belly seeketh nothing but meanes how by fraud shiftes wiles and guiles he may enrich himselfe with his thirty pence and betray innocent Christ And so now a dayes do these brainsike foolish and mad heds And yet they be not alone for in the same number with them may we put also the papistes For
God hath shewed the king what shall come to passe hereafter In this prophesie is the tyme prefigured in which Messias would come and begin his kingdome by his Gospell and holy spirit First in an humble base habite but afterward at his latter comming in glory and power S. Hierome vpon this text sayth that in the end of these kingdomes a stone that is our lord and sauiour Christ was cut frō the mountaine without hands that is he was borne of the virgin Mary without the seed of man Wherefore it is manifest that Messias in his former comming in great humilitie would not come in the flesh and begin his kingdome before the last Monarchy which is the Romains Empery For Daniel sayth in the dayes of those kingdoms that is whē the three first Monarchies be ended and the fourth last that is the Romaine Monarchy doth florish and rule the roste and when it is tossed and troubled with tumults then shall the kingdome of Christ be erected and begunne and it shall destroy the Romish empire But it is to wit Christes kingdom shal abide for euer All other kingdomes of the world haue their borders limited and their dayes numbred which beyng expired the kingdoms decay and come to naught But that great and mighty kingdome of Christ shall haue no end it shall neuer be dissolued but shall abide for euer and euer neither shall it be in a part or corner of the world as in Europe Affrike or Asia but in the whole world As Daniel witnesseth where he speaketh of the image that Nabuchadonizer saw saying Thou beheldest it till a stone was cutte of the mountayne without handes which smote the Image vpon his feete that were of iron and clay and brake them to pieces Then was the iron the clay the brasse the siluer and the gold broken altogether and became like the chaffe of the sommer flowers and the wynde caried them away that no place was found for them and the stone that smote the Image became a great mountayne and filled the whole earth This stone is Christ to whom is giuen all power as wel in heauen as in earth that he may rule with power in euery place And Daniel saith agayne in the 7. chapiter where the foure Monarchies are vnderstood by foure beasts that Christ should come and beare rule in the tyme of the fourth Monarchy that is when the Romaynes should rule Let vs now gather by the seuenty wekes in the 9. chapter whē the tyme should come and how long they had to looke for Messias and whē he should begin to rule By this reuelation of Daniel the Iewes are plainly and mightely conuinced that Christ according to the Prophets foretelling is alredy come on thousand and fiue hundred yeres ago For first the angel sayth in the 9. chapter out of which I recited the wordes of the prophesie before that there were seuenty wekes determined and appointed for the people of the Iewes and the holy city Ierusalem after which 70. wekes the people and priesthood of the Iewes should cease And the whole state of the kingdō should be destroyed For after that time appointed God determined that al Ierusalem shold be ouerthrown that the Iewes shold be partly blinded and partly destroyed We must also vnderstād that the angel speaketh not here of such wekes as consisteth on seuen dayes For so seuenty wekes woulde scarce make two yere But he speaketh of such wekes as seuen yeare do make but one weke and so seuentie wekes do make foure hundreth and ninety yeres For so the scripture speaketh in other places And the same phrase and maner of speaking is vsed in Leuiticus And so also al men indued with the spirit of prophesiyng haue hitherto continually vnderstood it Note diligently by the wordes of the prophet how great things should happen in the dayes of Messias how wonderful the power of his kingdom should be These are the wordes of the prophet To finish the wickednes and to seale vp the sinnes and to reconcile the iniquity and to bring in euerlasting righteousnes and to seale vp the visiō and prophesie There had bene Moses and many other doctors of the law who had taught commaunded them to do thinges honest godly and forbiddē things that were euill and wicked but none of them all did any thing preuaile For sinne once reueiled by the law became greater and more sinfull For nature without grace though she be neuer so much admonished or instructed vnto honesty and godlines though she be neuer so much moued pricked forward vnto pietie and obedience towards God will yet for all that play her wonted prankes and run her old race followyng her fansie goyng on as she was wont Nay thenceforth after such admonition she becommeth worse and worse more vnhappy wicked more inflamed by heat of lust to offend So then sinne remayned and could not be taken away but as Paule witnesseth to the Galathians our offences afterward became greater heauier and more more without ceasing And therfore was it nedefull that Messias him selfe should come and mend this matter bring helpe with him otherwise our case had bene worse worse and we had fallen into greater and greater euils As Paul preached in the Actes saying Be it knowen vnto you therfore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sinnes And from all things from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moyses by him euery one that beleueth is iustified For Christ was therfore sent from the father made man that he might satisfy for the sinnes of all men obtain for vs the holy ghost and eternall lyfe and so indue vs with perfect righteousnes which before God is auaylable to wit with the christian fayth of which the law and the prophetes foretold many thinges And so it was meete that the visions and prophesies should be fulfilled that is it was conuenient that those things should come to passe which the Sears or Prophetes which were inspyred and illuminated by the holy Ghost had seen and foretold of Messias For all the Prophets and euen the law it self prophesied vntil Iohn And the holyest of holy or most holy shal be annoynted at that tyme This is Christ the Lord and king of all holynes who was sanctyfied by the holy Spirit far aboue his fellowes and was called by God his heauēly father in his baptisme his wel beloued sonne He onely is to be heard as the true Preacher Lord Master of all the Prophets His word is to be imbrased To him only with tooth and nayl must we cleaue And vpon him only must we beleeue Seing then Christ was to be looked for within seuenty weekes that is within 490. yeares at which time he should begin his kingdome We must here search where and when these seuenty weekes should begin and then we may
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
copy of this fayned angry countenance lyeth hid a fatherly grace and great good wil as if he should say I will not kill thee but I will smite thee and chastice thee that thou maiest liue It followeth Therfore thy gates shal be open continually neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring vnto thee the riches of the gentils and that their kings may be brought For the nation and kingdome that wil not serue thee shal perish and those nations shal be vtterly destroyed That is although thou be enuyroned with many enemies which all seek thy life and threaten thy death yet shalt thou be safe and without danger euen as a fortifyed and wel defenced citie which shutteth not her gates and feareth not her enemie This is our security that we haue in the spirite Neither can all the enemies of christ though they ioyne hands lay their heads together subuert or destroy the church of the godly though they neuer so sore afflict their bodyes and take away their goods The church is as a city that lyeth alway open For it euer and at all times receiueth and wayteth for all that repent and geue their names to Christ come into this citie for it hath this promise that it shall increase euen vnto the last day The word and the Sacraments be and are euer to be found in the church by which if we conuert we haue remission of sinnes neither be these truly found in any place but in the church He that is not a christian or a citizen of this citie is flatly condemned It followeth in the text The glory of Lybanus shall come to thee the Firre tree the Elme and the Box tree together to beutefie the place of my Sanctuary For I will glorifie the place of my seate That is in whatsoeuer excellent and famous thing the Sinagoge of the Iewes hath before time excelled other nations as in the sacred Scripture the knowledge of god the promise of grace Christ righteousnes and true hope of saluation With all those will I now bles Christs church It followeth The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow vnto thee and all they that despyse thee shall fall down at the soules of thy feet and they shal cal thee the Citie of the Lord Syon of the holy one of Israell Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went by thee I will make thee an eternall glory and a ioy from generation to generation Thou shalt also suck the milk of the gentils and shalt suck the brests of kings thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Sauyour and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Iacob That is Harken my church Those which now persecute thee and so bitterly reuile thee shal once be conuerted to the catholick faith and shal wel know that thou euen thou art the city of god and the true Syon And look how desolate thou wast as forsaken for a litle time so shalt thou now be highly exalted to great glory And where he figuratiuely speaketh of milk thereby he geueth vs to vnderstand that euen as mothers doe wish wel to their deerly beloued babes cherish them softer them and nourish them euen so shall the Gentils shew exceeding great curtesy and kindnes to the church and by all meanes study to profite further it Here now must you note that though the church outwardly appeare despysed and fouly deformed yet wil God preserue it and defend it that he may highly magnify exalt it and glorify it But this is chiefly done in spirite and this Spirituall glory of the church doth very far excell all the beuty of the world Furthermore those shal be highly honored which in this world were despised persecuted Were not the Apostles and Martirs I pray you vtterly contemned and yet the remembrance of them is now yearely celebrated with all solemnity and ioy And they are called as in deed they are the deer frends of God and most holy and happy soules And whence haue we this estimatiō verely because God himself is our sauiour that strōg almighty one our redeemer How now cā we miscary hauing this sauiour redeemer alwaies with vs on our side It followeth For bras wil I bring gold and for Iron wil I bring siluer and for wood bras for stones Iron I will also make thy gouernment peace and thine exactors righteousnes Violence shall no more be heard of in thy land neyther desolation nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call saluation thy wales and prayse thy gates Thou shalt haue no more son to shyne by day neyther shall the brightnes of the Moone shine vnto thee For the Lord shal be thine euerlasting light thy god thy glory Thy sonne shal neuer goe down neyther shall thy moone be hid For the Lord shall be thy euerlasting light and the dayes of thy sorrow shal be ended Thy people also shal be all righteous They shal posses the land for euer The graffe of my planting shall be the work of my handes that I may be glorified A litle one shall become as a thousand and a small one as a stronge nation I the Lord wil hasten it in due time That is to say Geue eare my church if for my sake thou lose any thing or be despised it shal be manifoldely and aboundantly restored thee and thou shalt be recompenced with heauenly treasures Thou shalt become mighty and gloryous thou shalt haue faithfull bishops and doctors which shal godly and diligently teach both spirituall and temporall peace so that the godly may liue and be at rest and peace both inwardly in their harts with God and outwardly with their neighbours The Lord shall so marueylously defend thee that thy Inhabitants and Citizens may for euer sit secure and safe But this must be vnderstood in this life of the spirituall security and peace Thou shalt call thy walles saluation Seeing thou hast within thee this so sure and certain an ayd and defence against all assaults of the enemyes a defence I say much surer then the world either hath or can geue And thou shalt call thy gates prayse because the true and marueilous great riches of gods graces shall be so plainely taught and vnderstood in thee that by them al christian men may be moued to laude and prayse the Lord without ceasing for all his gifts both temporall and spirituall which this wicked and vngodly world doth not so much as acknowledge so far is it from geuing God thanks and prayse for them Only the faithfull in Christe be they that doe this and they sing both in spirite and mouth and desire alwayes so to sing as witnesseth the Psalmist saying Blessed are they that dwel in thine house O Lord for they will euer prayse thee Selah And least we should look for a corporal Citie and an earthly kingdome at Christs hands as doe
the blinded Iewes and foolish Cheliasts the prophet saith in the words following that this corporall and visible sun shal not make the gates and walles of this Citie visibly to be seen with bodely eyes in the brightnes and light of the sonne There must be a much cleerer light for the beholding of this Citie God himselfe shal shine in this citie as the visible sun and shall lighten our harts with the gospel And by this light may we see all those great things and excellent benefits which God hath promysed to his church Hereby also know we that the catholick church and the kingdome of Christ is not a visible kingdome For these worldly kingdomes dominions or politik powers may be beholden in all their regal pomp with corporall eyes But the church and the beuty thereof cannot be seene but with spirituall eyes for an other kind of sun must shine in it then doth in this world But now mark what excellent and comfortable promyses we haue in Christ The sun of Christes kingdome shal not goe down This visible sun on the day time hauing runne his course doth euery day goe down and bydes himself til the next morning But our sun and our moone tary with vs for euer For Christ the sun of righteousnes ryseth and shineth to vs by his gospel and shall neuer goe down from his elected For though neuer so great a cloud of temtation darken this sun yet shall it not vtterly goe from vs but at the last day of redemption it shal apeare and shine vnto vs most cleere where neither cloud of affliction ignorance or incredulity can couer hinder or blemish his brightnes Then at the last shall be seen the fulfulling of the great promises of the peace helth and ioy of the church Whē Christ our euerlasting light shal be made many fest then shall we see him face to face then shall our afflictions end and then shall the day of eternall glory appeare to the children of God. Note also here that in the church or kingdome of Christ there shall be none but iust men Here in the world godly vngodly dwel and are mixt together but in the true church the congregation of Christians in the spirit is such that there is not one vngodly person For in the last day the vngodly faithles shall be euen corporally seperated for euer from the godly The fantasticall and mad rable of Anabaptists suppose that they can gather together all the godly into some one erthly city and that they should so corporally fulfil this promise But their conate shall be frustrate they shall labour in vaine it cannot be so in this earth while this life lasteth At the last day the Tares shall be seperated from the Wheate But here in this church the vngodly as theeues and robbers in a kingdome which abuse all Creatures and with violence and iniurye possesse and cease all things into their hands are mixed with the godly vntil the last day But the godly shall raign with Christ in heauen and earth God shall excellently and brauely burnish the earth and visible creature and shall geue it a new shape and marueilously beutefy it that the childrē of God may inioy it And thus shall the godly inherite and posses a new heauen and a new earth in which righteousnes shal dwell as Peter saith But how shall they come to so great a glory And why shal they haue it Euen therfore shal they haue it as Esay sayth because they are the bud or bowes or young plant which the lord himself hath planted with his own hand because he hath renued in vs the Image of God by his word and his spirite and hath made vs new men and a new creature in Christ In the end of this chap. Esay promyseth it shall come to passe that though the church be small and rare yet shall it so increase that an innumerable and infinite number of people shall receaue the faith of Christ And least when we see the true godly persecuted and slayn on heapes and the world swarme with a great multitude of vngodly and worldlings and the church in comparyson of the world but litle and straight wee should something doubt how this should come to pas In his conclusion he saith that it is not mannes deed thus gloryously to exalt the kingdome of Christ but God himself shal doe it in his due time For to see the gospel taught men beleue such hidden misteries beleeuers of Gods promyses to relinquish and contemne this world and valyantly by death to confes Christ passeth al mannes reson wisdome and worldly power These must nedes be the works of the mighty God which by his power and spirit doth work them preserue them and increase them in vs. Agayn you may gather out of this prophecy that the kingdome of Christ is spirituall and eternall and that it behoued him to rise again from death if he shold be the sonne and euerlasting light of the godly that we also shal rise again that we may in the life to come receue and for euer enioy al these great promises made in the prophets Whosoeuer beleeueth this sorroweth not as did Cleophas his cōpanion For he knoweth that Christ shal come to delyuer Israel and aduaunce it to glory But this glory is not seen in this frail life it is here but in hope but after this life we shall see and haue it in eternall and perfect possession Now shall you heare what Esay prophesyeth of the church of vs christians and of Christ the Sauyour of the church how that he shall come in Syon and iustify the gentils How euen the very gentils shall receiue Messias how he shal geue this church faithful bishops and pastors and how he shall gloriously beutefy it and diligently cōserue it as his only beloued spouse Wherby all men may plainly see that though the church be here crossed to the end it may be made like her Lord king yet is she not forsaken of God. And thus he sayth in the 62. chapiter For Sions sake I will not hold my tongue and for Hierusalems sake I will not rest vntill the righteousnes thereof breake forth as the light and the saluation therof as a burning lampe And the gentiles shall see thy righteousnes and all kinges thy glory and thou shalt be cald by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Thou shalt also be a croun of glory in the hand of the Lord and a roiall diadē in the hand of thy god It shall no more be sayd vnto thee forsaken neither shall it be sayd any more to thy land desolat But thou shalt be called Hephzibah That is to say my delight in her and thy land Beulah That is to say inhabited For the Lord delighteth in thee and thy land shall haue a husband For as a young man marieth a virgine so shall thy sons mary thee and as a bridgrome is