defende hys innocency before God agaynst the selauÌ„ders and false reproouinges of hys ennemyes he affyrmeth that in thys case hee had borne hymself purely and vpryghtlye forasmuche as he had enterprysed nothyng farther than God commaunded hym and whatsoeuer conspyracye hys aduersaryes had made agaynste hym yet he kept himself with the bounds of hys calling 107 Math. â— I vvyl not henceforth drink of this frute of the vine vntyll I shall drink it nevv vvyth you in the Kyngdom of my Father Act. 10. VVe ate and drank vvyth hym after that he rose from the dead TRVE it is that Christ after hys resurrection had no neede to eate and drinke he had in dede taken his body agayne but it had such quality that it was no more subiecte eyther to hunger or to thyrst But when it is sayd that after his resurrection hee ate and dranke it is to shewe what care he had to prouide for y e rudenesse of those that were hys abacing hymself so low that albeit he was adorned w t heauenly glory yet hee dyd eate and drynke as if he had bene a mortal man and that was to the ende his resurrection shuld not be darke or doubtful vnto vs. If curious men aske what became of that meate the aunswere is that as it was made of nothing so it was easly brought â—o nothing by the power of the Sonne of God The meate which is taken for the nourishmeÌ„t of the body is digested but we knowe that Christe tooke that meate to nourrish our fayth If a man replye that only he seemed to eate and drynke what had such a semyng prostted It is not theÌ„ nedeful to such scapes or stertyng holes for whan it is sayd y t the sonne of God was not by his owne nede to eate drinke but was willing to helpe the weakenesse of those that were his it is ynough to cutt of all the triflyng gloses of men But when in the other place y e Lorde Iesus speaketh by an Allegorie he warneth his Disciples as well of hys death that was at hand as also of the heauenly life which he calleth newe For how much nerer the death of their Master was so much the more ought they to be confyrmed to the end they should not be altogether dyscouraged Moreouer seing his purpose was to set forth hys death before their eyes in the holy Supper as in a glasse it is not without cause y t he sayth he shall shortlye departe oute of this world Now bicause they wer troublesome newes he addeth strayght after a comfort that they should not be afrayd to dye seing that after death that shall haue a farre better life His death was nigh but from thence he should pas to happy immortality and shuld not liue alone in the Kingdome of God but his faythfull beare hym company in thys heauenly lyfe By thys meane hee leadeth hys faythful as it were by y e hand to the Crosse and from thence he lyfteth theÌ„ vp to y e hope of rysing agayne If a man say that eating and drinking belongeth not to the Kingdom of God it is to no purpose Christ meaneth nothyng but that hys Disciples shalbe very shortly depriued of his presence so that he shal liue no more with them tyll he and they together shal enioy the blessed heauenly lyfe He sayth that then there shalbe a new maner of drink and meate And this is spoken symplye and without a figure in Saint Luke til the Kingdom of God come Lastly thys caÌ„not be vnderstode of the tyme be twyrt hys resurrection and his ascention duryng whiche hee ate and dranke with his Discyples as it hath bene sayed before It was then a state or meane conditioÌ„ betwene the course of the mortal lyfe and the marke of the heauenly life And then the Kingdome of God was not yet opened and therfore he sayd to Mary I am not yet gone vp to my Father And withal the Disciples wer not yet entred into the Kingdome of God to drink of the new wine with y â— SoÌ„ne of God beeing made partakers of one selfe glory Then to take away al shew of contrariety that myght be betwene these two sentences that hee wyll not drink and yet he hath dronken he speaketh not preciselye of eating and drynking but of the conuersation of thys presente Lyfe FINIS ☞ Imprinted at London in Paules Churchyarde at the sygne of the Crane by Lucas Harryson Anno. 1563. Pau. Eph. 4 â–ª Ioan. 16. Math. 28. 〈◊〉 2.
man is marred and corrupted daily in the faithful but they are so farre from losing by that meane any of their true lyfe that rather it is soe encreased by that mean for the inward man is ther by renued as it is said 2. Cor. 3. and which is more Death it self is vnto them a freedome from the bondage of Death 66 He that kepeth Israel vvil not slomber nor sleepe Psal 121. Ryse vp Lord vvhy slepest thou Psal 44. THys Sentence is very worthy to be noted that God is the keeper defender of all his faythful yea so a keper that he will make them whole and safe in al sortes Ther is great talking of the power of God but in the meane tyme how many are there that in al their talk haue this reply in their mouth God can if he wyll but we are vncertayne and in doubte of his intēt So we must not onelie attribute power vnto God but also a fatherly care and continual watchfulnesse And we oughte to haue him before our eies as our cōtinual defender which watcheth at al houres for our saluatiō to the end we might rest vs fafely vpon hys holy prouidence On one syde the Epicures forge y ◠God hath no care at all for the world and so they quench al feare and reuerence of God But on the other syde there is daunger leaste when a man hathe ymagyned that God gouerneth the world it should be a confounded ymagynation by whyche a man were not resolued that God hath care for al his faythfull partycularlye for so oure spirites shoulde hang in doubt shoulde flote in continual vnquietnesse And surely a man can neuer cal vpō God earnestly nor with a good and liuely affection till the certayntye of thys kepyng be well prynted in the heart But now such complayntes are many times in the scriptures chiefly in the Psalmes Lorde ryse or awake whye slepest thou The iudgement of the fleshe maketh vs so to speake and thinke that God is layed down and that he slepeth when he doth not manifestly exercyse hys Iudgements when we are afflicted and that we fele not the remedyes as sone as we haue called vpon God It semeth to vs that he slepeth but it is not so Thys good Lord suffereth vs to lament so and to make hym such complayntes in oure prayers yet it behoueth vs to be certaynly persuaded that he continually and wythoute ceasyng watcheth for our profyte and saluatiō but bycause our spirites be stowe we conceaue not at the fyrst what care h◠hath of vs. The faythful then requyr◠he should shew in effecte y ◠he is neither forgetfull nor a slepe Al must be resolued that God hath hys eyes set on thē though he dyssemble yet notwithstandyng bycause thys persuatiō is of faith not of the fleshe they cast familiarlye into the bosome of God thys contrary iudgement which they haue conceaued of the present syght of y ◠dede by thys meanes they caste out of their heartes these fylthy affections to the end fayth shuld afterward com forth pure clere 67 The iuste shall liue by fayth Abac. 2 Thys do and thou shalt liue Luke 10. THE proud confydence of the flesh is contrary to fayth which y e Prophet sayth the iuste shal liue Whē he hath made mention of the destruction of the proud he addeth also that the lyfe of the meke and iuste consisteth in fayth But there is nothyng that maketh a mā to line before God but righteousnesse It foloweth thē y ◠our righteousnesse also consisteth in fayth and thys lyfe which we haue of fayth is not to dure onely for a whyle but is fyrme for euer For it is sayth by which wee mount a lofte it is fayth by which wee passe ouer al daungers of thys present life ouercōm al myseries troubles fayth is to vs an assured port in y e middest of y ◠stormes and tempestes of this world To be short faith maketh vs to obtayne victorie against al y ◠world as S. Iohn sayth in hys fyrst canonicall Wherfore let vs thus conclude y t they which ar counted iuste with God liue by faith only Then let vs hold this seing no man can be iustifyed otherwise thā by fayth also no mā can liue but by fayth for life can not be but wher righteousnesse is The lawe veryly contayneth perfect Iustice so y t if any coulde accomplyshe a lawe he should obtayne lyfe bicause he should fynde righteousnesse in y e lawe sufficient to make hym liue as also the promyse is made in the lawe that whosoeuer shal do y ◠thinges contayned in it shal lyue And this is y ◠which is here sayd Do this and thou shalt lyue But in the meane season we must see how thys promyse agreeth with the free iustification whiche is by fayth For the reason why God iustifyeth vs freely is not for that the lawe sheweth not perfect righteousnesse but bycause we fayle in kepyng it Wherfore al the scripture pronounceth that there is no man that can obtayne lyfe by it The fault is not in the lawe but in y ◠weaknesse of man and the faulte is in oure fleshe So a mā may say that these two sentences agree well together for the lawe sheweth howe men may obtayne ryghteousnesse by their woorkes and that no man is iustifyed by his works for the lacke is not in the doctryne of the lawe but in men Besyde it was mete that Iesus Christ shoulde cleere hymself of the false accusyng of y e Iewes and of the slaunder which he knew well the rude and ignorante charged hym with as though he had abolyshed the lawe in that it is the continual rule of ryghteousnesse 68 The Lavve administreth death 2. Cor. 5. Hys commaundement is euerlastyng lyfe Ioan. 12. SAINT Paule calleth the lawe not only y e administer of death but also of damnation and that iustly For where men are warned of their duety and they heare that all they that satisfye not the iustice of God are cursed they are constrayned to fynde themself gyltye of synne and death They bring therfore from the lawe nothing els but suche a condemnation forasmuche as God claymeth y ◠to which a man standeth bound to hym And in the meane season he geueth not the power or abilitye to fulfyl it The lawe only geues the rule of wel liuyng but the whilest it reformeth not the heartes to the obedience of iustice and it declareth eternal death to transgressours and therefore it can not but condemne or to say better the offyce of the lawe is to shew the sycknesse but it is in such sort as it geueth no hope of healyng For seyng it leaueth a man to hymself it muste nedes be that it awardeth him to dye Loe howe the lawe is the minister of death But to accorde thys sentence with the fyrste it behoueth to loke vpon the opposition that is beetwene the lawe the Gospel For
be vnable to moue hys little fynger to fulfyll the least iote of it These sentences are very certayn and true that al the thoughts of mans vnderstandyng are peruerse euen frō chyldehode y ◠al the senses of the fleshe are enemies to God that there is none that seketh God and many other lyke which ar often found in the scriptures A man then may conclude that not only mans abilitye is weake and vnperfect touchyng the fulfylling of y e lawe but also y ◠he hath no strength or power at al to accomplishe it What is then to be vnderstode of Saint Iohns wordes who sayth that the commaundements of God are not heauy This is the answere that the hardnesse procedeth not at al from the lawe but from the fault of our fleshe Thys is that whiche was alledged by Saint Paule whoe after he had sayd it was not possible for the lawe to iustifye vs byandby after layeth the fault on our fleshe Saint Paul in these sentences which haue ben here aboue alledged compareth the lawe with the faultie nature of man Dauid in other places which seme to bee very contrary to the fyrst sheweth how they are mynded and affectioned which are regenerate by the holy ghost thei take great pleasure in it And in dede Saint Iohn restraynes thys sentence to the children of God saying that thys commeth of the power of the holy ghost that it is no grefe to the faythfull to obey God Yet hereunto a man may reply that althoughe the faythfull are gouerned and regenerate by the spirite of God yet haue they a harde fyght to sustayne agaynst their own fleshe And let them enforce themselues the most they can yet scarcely shal they do halfe their dutye And besyde there is thys withal that they are oftentime shaken and ar ready almoste to fall downe vnder the burden We see whereabout Saint Paule that greate and excellent Apostle went He complayneth that he was kepte captyne mournes accompting hymself to be in miserable case in that he can not serue God with a franke will But consyder whye the lawe is called softe and easy it is forasmuch as beyng defended with heauenly power we ouercōme the concupiscence of our fleshe For howsoeuer the fleshe stryueth the faythfull see that there is nothyng that maye more delyght them than the seruyng obeying and folowing of God But yet that thys may be better vnderstode it behoueth vs to Ioyne with these commaundementes y e fatherly goodnesse of God by whiche the rigour of the lawe is asswaged So when we knowe that God beareth fauourably with vs although we can not fulfyll the lawe with oure workes yet thys goodnesse maketh vs readyer to obeye hym And thys is that whiche is sayd in the. 130. Psalme Forgeuenesse is with thee O Lorde that thou shouldest bee feared and redoubted So a man maye perceaue hereby y ◠the lawe is softe easy to kepe And if it chaunce y ◠faythful to fal in some sorte yet their heart fayles thē not bycause y ◠pardō holdeth thē vp 71 No man euer hated hys fleshe Ephes 5. They that are of Christ haue crucified their fleshe Gal 5. THese two sentences are altogether different but not contrary at all The Prophet Esay willing to shew what one man oweth to another saith Dispyse not thy flesh we ar bones flesh one of another we ar of one self shape nature We can vse no violence or do wrong to another except we defile our own shape nature whyle wee scorne other the rebuke is on oure selfe Though thys bee spoken of the cōmon nature of al men yet Saint Paule applying thys sentence to the coniunction whiche is betwene a man and his wife passeth farther forth shewing that ther is not betwene them a coniuntion only by likenesse of nature but also y ◠bonde of mariage which maketh thē both one He then formeth hys argument bringing it from nature it self to exhort husbandes to loue their wyues For there is no man but that naturally loueth himself no man can loue hymself vnlesse he loue hys wife also in asmuch as his wife is hys own fleshe What letteth thys but that we may say that they which are of Christ haue crucifyed their fleshe For is not the crucifying of the fleshe a hatyng it or rather tamyng it to the end y ◠it turne not a man awaye from hys saluation And thys is our true Christendome as touching our lyfe that we make not a false profession to be Christians That is to say that thys faulty flesh be mortified which is a worke of the crosse of the Sonne of God for it is not the propre worke of men but by the grace of God we are graffed in the fellowshyp of the death of Christ to the ende wee shoulde lyue no more after our owne appetite So then we enioy the pryuyledge of Gods chyldren when wee are buried with Christe through a true renouncing of our self and abolishing of the olde man not that flesh is altogether destroyed but bicause it may not haue rule but rather must geue place to the spirit What contrariety or dyscorde is there betweene these two sentences 72 They haue not receyued the promises Hebr. 1◠They haue obtayned the promises Hebr. 11 ALTHOVGH god remayn true thoughe we all should be vnfaythful yet our vnfaithfulnes maketh the promises to bee vnto vs vayne and without effect Faith contrarywise maketh men to haue experience of Godds truth in al hys promises So it is sayed that the fathers obtayned the promyses of God But it behoueth vs to adde that which is there also added It is saied in the same Chapiter that Abraham offred hys onely sōne after that he had receaued the promises It seemed that in the deathe of Isaac al the promises shuld ceasse For it was sayd thy seede shalbe called in Isaac Furthermore we must not consider Isaac as som priuate man among other but as hym that had Christ inclosed in hym But Abraham had so receaued the promises by faith that he gaue such honor to god that had made the promise that he was able to rayse his sonne Isaac from the dead Now then he reiecteth not y e promysse that had bene made but he stretcheth the vertue and the truth of it farder thā the lyfe of his sonne for he limiteth not the power of God within so strayght bonds as though it should be tied or buried in y e death of Isaac Loe how he was not afterward disapointed of y e truth of y e promises But now let vs see how the same Apostle saith y t the fathers receaued not the promisses He speaketh not simply but by cōparison sheweth what difference is betweene the fathers of olde tyme and vs where God aboundantly poureth forth hys grace vpon vs he gaue them onely a taste of it wher he sheweth hymselfe as it were presente to oure eyes hee shewed them from a farre in the darke the
him to sinne That is to say it behoueth that babling tonges should be repressed y ◠y ◠elders falsly accused should not be wrongfully blamed defamed Yet if ther be among thē an il lyuer he ought rygrously to be punished corrected And why y ◠whē other see y ◠thei which ar of degre dignity are not for borne they being warned by suche example should be the more in feare For why should a mā geue more libertye to those whose synnes may most hurt thā to those whose faultes shal not be of so great offence By the way thys muste be vnderstode of those synnes faultes whiche geue open occasion of offence For if any of the auncientes or ministers committe any lyght fault and no notable crime he should rather bee rebuked a parte than blamed openly Now thys is so farre from contrarying the sentence of our Sauior Christ that it rather serueth it for an exposition For when by the fyrst sentence we know howe a man should behaue himself in rebuking open synnes we may also vnderstand by the seconde howe a man shoulde vse hymself in reprouing the faultes which as yet are secret and hydde Christ hauyng shewed how we muste beare the weakenesse of other sheweth afterward howe and to what end howe long it behoueth vs to suffer them He geueth vs a meane which is not to offende to muche or to geue occasion of euil to the weake and yet it is fytt their syckenesse shuld be healed He geueth thys cōmaundement to his faythfull so to spare one another that notwithstanding thei endeuour to correctvice And this is worthy diligently to be noted for when we spare or beare with mē it can hardly be but y ◠we shal forbeare to reproue them boldly We do al welnyghe declyne to one syde or to the other eyther we are content to disceaue one another by daungerous deadly flattery eyther ells wee are to sharpe in pursuing faultes and synnes when we should redresse thē He there setteth forth three degrees of brotherly correctiō but hereit shal suffice to shew that as a mā ought to reproue openly those synnes which ar open or knowen of al. So as touchyng y e sinnes y ◠as yet are secret we must proue this remedy beefore wee passe any further namely whether by warnyng geuen a parte to the offender a mā may withturne him from hys offence But if he cannot bee wōne by such a meane other remedies are spoken of also The difference then betwene open faultes and particular synnes taketh away al difficultye 78 I saye not that I praye to my father for you Ioan. 16. He intreateth for you Rom. 1. SAINT Iohn in the seconde Chapter of hys fyrst canonical sayeth if wee haue synned we haue an aduocate namely Iesus Christ y ◠iuste We are yet very farre of from the perfection of righteousnesse besyde we do ordinarilye make our self faultye But herein are we comforted that we haue a ready and souerayne remedye to appeace god by hauing recourse vnto Iesus Christ hys Sonne And thys is a thyng whereon oure consciences may reste thys is that wherein standeth the righteousnesse of men and wherein is grounded the hope of their saluation otherwise our tonges mouthes ar defiled our prayers synne But y e sonne of God is oure mouth oute of whiche we speake things pleasyng vnto God he is our altare wherupō we offer our prayers in a sacrifyce of swere sauour he is our eye with whiche wee beholde God a mercifull God vnto vs. So he speaketh intreateth for vs not that we muste accompt or measure thys increacyng accordyng to our fleshly vnderstandyng For we must not thinke that he is on his knees to make any request or supplicatiō or that he hath his handes ioyned together and lyfted vp to pray but bycause he presenteth himself continually with hys death and resurrection which are in steade of a perpetual intercession and haue the continuall efficacye and strength of a liuely prayer to get vs grace at hys fathers hand and to make hym graunt our requests But he is so our aduocate that we must aske nothing but in his name when we shall aske or make request in hys name then the treasures of heauen must be opened and liberally dealt out For God wil denye nothyng that shalbe asked in y e name of Iesus Christ hys Sonne How sayth he then that it shal be no more nedeful that he should entreate for hys Dysciples And what nede is there to praye in hys name yf he take on him the charge to be our aduocate or intercessour And Saint Paule sayth in thys eyght of y e Epistle to the Romaines that he entreateth for vs. Saint John calleth hym our aduocate For answere It behoueth to vnderstande that Christ sayeth not here symply y t he wil not bee our aduocate he meaneth that hys father shal bee so bent to doe good to hys Disciples that he wil geue them of hys owne accorde without muche a do al that they shal requyre of hym for the great loue that he beareth them He wil preuent the aduocate or intercessour which if thys wer not should speake for them And to conclude he addeth the father hymselfe loueth you bicause you haue louer me and haue beleued y ◠I came forth from God Yet the father can heare graūt no prayer neyther can he receaue any as pleasyng vnto him but through his Sonne So we are taught that when God hath once be gonne to loue vs his loue is so great that he euen preuenteth al that which is necessarye to bring vs vnto hym 79 My God my God vvhye haste thou forsaken me Psalme 22. I am not alone for my father is vvith me Math. 27. THys was the chiefe fyght and the hardest of al y e to 〈◊〉 that our Lord Iesus suffer 〈◊〉 for he was so farre of from ayde or fauour at hys fathers hand to ease hym in hys last dystresse that he rather felt hym somthing remoued and gone from hym For not only thys good Lord offred hys bodye for the ransome of our attonement w t God but also he suffred in hys soule the paynes whiche wee had deserued by thys meane he was truly made the mā of sorrowes as Esay saith Chap. 53. And therfore we must not staye only at the vtter torment for it behoued Christ to present hymselfe bee fore the Iudgement seate of his father bearing vpon hym our condemmatiō to the end he myght make amendes for vs. Now there is nothyng more horrible than to fynde God a Iudge whose wrath surmonnteth al the deathes that a mā can deuyfe Seyng then thys kynde of trial was offred to 〈◊〉 Lorde Iesus y ◠God was agaynst hym that by y ◠meane he was as it wer appoynted to distructiō Feare and honour toke him yea suche as had an hundred tymes six alowed in al the men in the world
myscheuous desyre to slaunder they aske thys question whoe besyde God only can forgeue synnes But although this came out of malicious mouthes yet moste true it is that onely God hath power authoritye to forgeue synnes as he onely can condemne so only he can quyte But whē in thys 20. Chapter of Saint Iohn Christ geueth charge to hys Disciples to forgeue synnes he geueth not ouer vnto them that which is propre to himselfe It is propre vnto him to remytte and forgeue synnes whiche honour he resygneth not to them in asmuch as it belongeth to hym but he wil haue thē beare recorde in hys name of the forgeuenesse of synnes and offences so that it is he y e reconcileth men to God To bee shorte it is he alone to speake fytly that forgeueth synnes by hys Apostles and ministers Howe commeth it then to passe that hee aduaūceth so hyghly their dignitie seing that he appoynteth them only for witnesses and declarers and not for authors of the benefyte Thys is done for the greate establishyng of oure fayth As in dede there is nothyng that more profyteth vs than that we resolue and persuade our self that our synnes cōme not into Iudgement or accompt beefore God Zachary in the first Chapter of Saint Luke calleth thys knowledge of y ◠forgeuenesse and pardon of synnes the knowledge of synnes Nowe seyng the good pleasure of God is such to vse the witnesse of men for to allowe thys forgeuenesse of synnes then wee shall quyet our selues when wee shall knowe that it is God himselfe that speaketh to vs in the person of hys ministers For thys cause Saint Paule saieth we exhorte you to be reconciled to god as if Iesus Christ hymself made obtestation by vs. The faythfull then ought to be so resolued that what they heare touchīg the forgeuenesse if synnes is ratified and ought nolesse to esteme the reconcilyng or attonement whiche is declared vnto them by the voyce and worde of men than if he hymself stretched his hand to them Now marke two things which it behoueth vs to remēber First that a treasure is offred vs but it is in little vessels those are men which are sente vs to offer and open thys treasure vnto vs in the name of another not as theyr owne ryches but as hys that sente them vs. Nexte that we oughte to esteeme thys treasure no whyt the lesse bycause it is in dyspiseable vessells but rather wee haue occasion to geue thankes vnto God in that he hath dealte so fauourably with men that they represente hys person and the person of hys Sonne when they heare wytnesses of the forgeuenesse of synnes so God onely forgeueth synnes yet he confyrmeth that whiche men appoynted by hym declare vnto vs touchyng the forgeuenesse of synnes 99 Call no man on earth your father for ther is but one that is your father vvho is in heauen Mat. 23. Honour thy father thy mother Exod. 20. THe Lord Iesus had shewed before y ◠thys honor belonged to no other to be called Lord but to God only If this seme to hard forasmuche as he himself hath appoynted men to be our Masters teachers y ◠answer is easye True it is y e Christ hymself whē he yet dwelt on the earth chose his Apostles appoynted thē to y ◠offyce of teachyng and if the stryfe be for the title it is very certayn that when Saint Paul named hymself the Master teacher of the Gentils hys mynde was not wickedly to steale from Christ the honour y ◠belonged vnto hym Neyther is Christes meanyng any thyng ells but to bryng euery man vnder hym from the greatest to the smallest to reserue his right wholly to hymselfe He careth not then with what tytle they be adorned which haue the charge of teachyng only hys wil was to kepe al mē w tin these boundes that no mā should vsurpe any rule ouer y e fayth of hys brethren Nowe in the same sense the honour of the name father belongeth to God for men haue not geuen to themselfe that name but it hath bene graunted them of God And it is not ynough to saye that men which haue children are fathers according to the fleshe and that God alone is father of the spirites True it is that sometime a mā shal finde thys distinction in y ◠scriptures as in the. 12. Chapter to the Hebrues But seing Saint Paule calleth hymself very often a spiritual father it behoueth vs to see how this agreeth with y e words of our Lord Iesu loe then what we must say The honour of father is falsely geuen vnto men when by that name the glorye of God is darkened that is when a mortall man seperates hymself from God to be accompted a father seyng that al degrees of kyndred depend of God only by Christ and those degrees are so knytte together y ◠to speake fytly God is alone the father vnto al. The whilest God willeth and commaundeth vs to honour our fathers to reuerence them to obeye them and to loue them and thys commaundement is confyrmed by threates and by promysse The threate is that al stubborne dysobedient children to their fathers should be punyshed by death The promysse is that they that shal honour and obeye their father shal liue long on the earth Yet notwithstandyng we muste haue thys resolution before our eyes that a man neuer ought to turne aside from the will of God Nowe touchyng that the fathers haue rule ouer theyr children it is for thys reason bycause God hath chosen them impartyng to them some parte of hys honour The subiection then that children owe vnto their fathers ought to bee vnto them as a stayre to leade them to the reuerence and obedience of God whoe is the chiefe father But if the fathers wil make their children to withstande God they are nomore theyr fathers but straungers whiche woulde tourne them from thys true obedience which they owe to their true father 100 Abraham beeleued in God and it vvas imputed to him for ryghteousnesse Gene. 5. VVas not Abraham oure Father Iustifyed by hys vvoorkes vvhen he had offered hys sonne Isaac vpon the aulter Rom. 4. SAINT Paule to the Romaynes the. 4. Chapter to shewe that Abraham was not Iustifyed by hys workes maketh thys argument If Abraham were Iustifyed by hys woorkes he maye beaste of hys deserte but so it is that he hath nothyng whereof to boast beefore God It followeth then that he was not Iustifyed by his workes But thys is hys glorye the thing he may boaste of that he embraced the goodnesse of God by fayth Fayth maketh a man to cōme oute of hym and leadeth hym to God So the glorye of Abraham was not in hys woorkes nor in the worthinesse of hys person but in the mere goodnesse and grace of God For when a man will trulye boaste hymselfe he must bryng nothyng of hys owne but the knowledge of hys owne myserye throughe whiche he