children neither could it be thought that of them should come such a famous people Notwithstanding it came so to pas that this seed was so multiplyed that it was like the sand of the sea according to the promise of the lord And so though the litle flock of Gods people in this world be as a desolate barrain and only widow in comparison of the great number of the vngodly yet shall it come to pas that thou shalt increase grow and be exceeding famous For although thou hast in this world many enemies which do all they can and imploy themselues totally to subuert thee to root thee out and to ouerthrow thee yet can they not hurt thee Their councels and deuises shall all be frustrate yea they them selues how great soeuer they be are nothing nay much les then nothing For the moth shall eat them as a garment and the worme shall consume them like a vesture but my righteousnes remayneth and abideth for euer from generation to generation Yea and he addeth a saying that is ful of comfort The Lord shal comfort Syon he shall comfort all her desolations and he shall make her desert like Eden and her wildernes like the garden of the lord Ioy and gladnes shall be found therin praise and the voyce of singing Which is to say although the church be like vnto Abraham solitary and forsaken yet shall she be blesssed and florish like as a most pleasaunt garden And therfore we ought in no wise to be offended at the base estate of Christ and his former comming or at the homely state of the church while she walketh in this crooked world like to a pilgrim And a litle after in the same chap. the Lord speaketh to his people I euen I am he that comforteth you This is a greate and worthy mistery for we vnderstand here Christes humanitye as if he should say my seruants the prophets haue much and diuersly hetherto comforted you but yet came not that true comfort of Israell Now therfore will I far otherwise comfort you and that much more liuely and in greater aboundance then before For now euen I my selfe will come in mine own person and comfort Sion This came to pas when Christ was made man and liued among men For he sent not a Prophet or an Angel but he himself at the fulnes of time came in the flesh that he might comfort vs in the flesh Those two discyples plainly felt that comfort on Easter day when God him selfe in mans nature glorifyed and reuiued them and cheered vp their heuy harts by the scriptures And Esay saith further Arise put on thy strength O Syon c. And here again doth the prophet comfort gods people making them promise of Christ their redeemer as if he should say goe to Sion thou which art so often afflicted and troubled thou which art now prisoner vnto thy enemies and now again set free and yet afterward captiue and laid wast so that thou maist truely be called most miserable and wretched Now reioyce Now be glad and leap for ioy for thy miseries shal once haue end For I promise thee a better and more blessed state in time to come Hethertowards thou hast bene for a time redeemed from thy enemies and for a tyme thou hadst tranquility and wast afterward afflicted agayn But now thou shalt enioy at last sound consolation which shall neuer decay after which no captiuity or destructiō shal follow Wherfore put all heauines from thy hart be of good courage and awake for the time wil once come wherin thou shalt truly be set at fredome And thus the prophet speaketh of that euerlasting deliueraunce which we haue in Christ who hath vanquished our enemies by whom we were afflicted and vexed in captiuity and hath deliuered vs from them and restored vs to our old fredome and all this he did of his own mere grace cleane without our desert though it cost him euen the best chiefest and most precious humain thing he had For he offered vp his body for a sacrifice and shed his most precious bloud for our redemption that thereby he might put away our sinnes ouercome death and vanquish and destroy hel And by these works of his euerlasting and infinite person he obtayned for vs euerlasting redemption Sion the spirituall citie is vexed and troubled because it is constrayned to harborow and beare the vngodly It can in no wise paciently suffer such griefe and blasphemies against god and his name Therfore God by the prophet promiseth that the vncircumcised and vnclean that is the vnbeleuers whose hartes in Christ Iesus are not purified nor cleansed but hate the church of God shall not haue their habitation there But this thing in this world is done spiritually For whosoeuer beleeueth not in Christ yea though he sit in Peters chaire or were head of the church as Annas and Caiphas were in the Sinagogue and other many wicked Iewes which would be counted righteous yet is he no member of true Syon that is of the Church for he hath not the spirite of Christ and how then can Christ be hys head or he his member for such a one is without the communion of saynts But at the day of redemption when Christ shal come to geue sentence then at the last shall all the wicked infidels and false Christians be euen corporally seperated from the faythfull Then shall Sion be most beautifull and delectable when all which shall dwell in her shall put on their wedding garments then shall the Church be clean without blot or wrinkle and then he which hath not on his wedding garment shall with his hands and feet fast bound be cast into vtter darcknes In the meane tyme Sion in outward apparance hath a heuy countenance because we wander yet in this flesh and because the old man is not yet mortifyed and because sathan and the world doe iniury vs persecute vs and torment vs and because tirants vexe and trouble vs with the doctrine and traditions of men But we must not sleep in security we must rise and lift vp our selues and shake of slouthfulnes And although with our body we cannot come vnto that wished marke and full perfection yet in hart we must aspire fly vp to Christ our redeemer as Paule teacheth to the Philip. saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our conuersation is in heauen Moreouer we must still stand in our freedome which Christ by his pretious and inestimable price wrought for vs And we must by pure and vnspotted faith cleaue closely in all we can to Christ and cast the bonds of humain traditions quite and clean out of our consciences that so Christ may rule in our harts otherwise we shall neuer be able to stand And then the prophet speaketh of a twofold captiuity and transmigration The first is corporall when as they were most miserable captiues in Egipt and afterward amongst the Assirians and Caldeans who at that time
is to come hath made al thinges subiect vnder his feet hath appointed him ouer all thinges to be the head to the church which is hys body euen the fulnes of him that filleth al in al things Many mysteries of our faith are contained in this Psalm to wit Christes passion resurrection and dominion which he hath ouer al creatures both in heauen earth and what the fruite of Christes workes to wit of his passiō is For he was by his passion to deserue and giue vs infinite benefits that all which beleue the gospel might be deliuered frō Satans kingdom haue place with God in heauē and be ruled and saued by Christ for euer But yet here in this world by faith vnder the crosse but after this fraile and miserable life opēly in glory The kings of this world do get gouerne kepe establish their kingdomes by the sword force of armes ouercomming vanquishing their enemies but this king after a new strāge proper and cleane contrary maner beginneth gouerneth and fortifieth his kingdom to wit by suffering dying on the crosse For in that he was killed he killeth ouercommeth his enemies This passing and exceeding great submission and lowly humbling of himselfe euen to the death of the crosse doth preuayleth more then the force sufferings strength might of all creatures could haue done For it ouercame Satan it swalowed vp death obtayned worthy honor glory As Paul saith to the Phil. Christ humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto death euen the death of the crosse wherfore God hath also highly exalted him giuen him a name aboue euery name that at the name of Iesus shold euery knee bow both of things in heauen and thinges in earth and things vnder earth and that euery tong should confesse that Iesus Christ is the lord vnto the glory of god the father ¶ Anna. Seyng the scriptures set down so many mysteries of our faith briefly and in one place for now I heare in this 8. Psal. the passion resurrection ascension and kingdom of Christ all in one the selfe same place comprehended and fully touched I would haue you expound and teach the vse of the death and resurrection of Christ what his kingdome is briefly And thus in reciting the prophesies concerning these articles as they offer themselues you shal find an indifferent easy way so that you need not ouer labor and wery yourselfe as of late you haue done ☞ Vrb. The fruit and commoditie of this most precious death and glorious resurrection of Christ is the redemption of mankind from al euils and calamities and mans victory ouer death the deuil damnation So that now by Christes infinite and great merites by his deserts and not by ours we obtayne forgiuenes of our sinnes grace peace with God perfect holines the holy ghost with his giftes and that blessed adoption by which we are the children of god and he our father and that after this short life we looke for the resurrection of our flesh in which we shall receiue both in body and soule and immortal incorruptible inheritance an inheritance that shal not fade euen life euerlastyng and the eternall kingdom of Christ which was promised vs in the law and prophets But al this we receiue onely in Iesus Christ the seede of Abraham and Dauid according to the flesh who purchased and deserued all these things for vs This is daily preached to vs in the gospel and all mē are called vnto this grace none is excluded none refused The Euangelists and Apostles as the true expounders of the Prophets do worthely in all places of the new testament preach and declare out of the prophets this fruit of Christes passion Paul to the Rom. sayth Christ was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen agayne for our iustification And agayne in the same epistle God setteth out his loue toward vs seing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs Much more then being now iustified by his bloud we shall bee saued from wrath thorough him For if whē we were his enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his life And to the Cor. he sayth Christ is made of God vnto vs wisdom and righteousnes and sanctification and redemption In these few wordes he openeth and declareth all those things which Moses and the prophets wrote before of the offerings sacrifices oblations which were offred for the peoples sinnes and offences These sacrifices oblations could reconcile none vnto GOD neyther clense any man from sinne but were onely figures of that most precious sacrifice the bloud of Christ It was he that should recōcile his father to vs and by his precious bloud clense vs from all our sinnes Paule to the Corrinthians sayeth Christ dyed for all that they which liue should not henceforth lyue vnto themselues but vnto him which died for them and rose agayn God made hym which knew no sinne to be sinne for vs that we might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him And to the Gallathians he sayth Christ Iesus our Lorde gaue himself for our sinnes that he might deliuer vs from this present euill world according to the will of God euen our father to whom be glory for euer and euer Amen And agayne Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law while he was made a curse for vs for it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on tree And to the Ephesians he sayeth By Christ we haue redemption thorough his bloud euen the forgiuenesse of sinnes according to his rich grace And agayne he sayth But now in Christ Iesus ye which once were farre of are made nere by the bloud of Christ for he is our peace which reconciled both vnto god in one body by his crosse And agayne Christ hath loued vs and hath giuen himself for vs to be an offring and a sacrifice of a sweete smellyng sauour to God. And to the Collos he sayth God by Christ reconcileth al things to himselfe and setteth at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the thinges in heauen and the things in earth And agayne God raysed Christ from the dead and you which were dead in sinnes and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him forgiuing vs all our trespasses and putting out the hand writing of ordinaunces that was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vppon the crosse triumphing in himselfe ouer all principalities and powers in the same crosse And to the Thessal he sayth I would not brethren haue you ignorant concernyng them which are a sleepe that ye sorrow not euen as they which haue no hope For if we beleue that Iesus is dead and risen agayne euen so them which
Psalme the holy ghost very sweetly and comfortably setteth forth Christes ascension glorification and ample kingdome saying thus All people clap your handes sing loud vnto God with a ioyful voice for the lord is high and terrible a great king ouer all the earth God is gone vp with triumph euen the Lord with the soundes of the trumpet Sing prayses to God sing praises sing praises to our king sing praises For god is the king of all the earth Sing prayses euery one that hath vnderstāding God raigneth ouer the heathen God sitteth vpō his holy throne In this Psalme all nations are stirred vp to laud and prayse the Lord who in Christ raigneth now ouer all the world If then all these thinges ought to be accomplished through the whole earth it could not be that Christ should continue in death especially seing it was prophesied that Christ should deliuer the world out of the bandes of death himself be exalted placed in the highest type of honor glory The prophet Dauid also speaketh of the battail victory of Christ in the 68. psal telling how he ouercame death and Satan and by his mighty deuine power deliuered al thē from Satans tiranny which were his captiues ascended into heauen And this psal Paul citeth to the Ephes saying He ascended vp on high he led captiuity captiue S. Augustine here vnderstandeth by captiuity captiue euen death it selfe which held al the children of Adam as sinners in captiuity and mightily ruled ouer them yea euen ouer good christiās which lay bound and captiue vnder the yoke and captiuity of Satan but by Christs death and resurrection are deliuered and redemed Dauid saith The lord raigneth and is clothed with maiesty the lord is clothed and girded with power The world also shal be established that it cānot be moued Thy throne is established of old thou art from euerlasting the floudes haue lifted vp O lord the flouds haue lifted vp their voice the floods haue lifted vp their waues The waues of the sea are maruelous through the noise of many waters yet the lord on hie is more mighty Thy testimonies are very sure holines becommeth thy house O lord for euer Here God the holy ghost prophecieth of the kingdome of Christ to wit how Christ the king of all glory so wonderfully kepeth surely establisheth strōgly fortifieth his kingdom that it cannot fall and be ouerthrown although the sea of this world by violence and huge stormes inuade it set vpon it and seke cleane to subuert it The Iewes did all they could vpō good Friday quite to extinguish this king And now that he is risen again from the dead both Iewes Gentiles Turkes heretikes and false christians with the world and Satan al their power resist him and his kingdom They forge most impudēt and shameful lies against him they lay snares by subtleties to intrap him they fill all places with slaughter of him they assay euery way to hurt him and they doe the worst they can both by force and cunning agaynst him But though they try euery thing they shall preuayle nothing Al their deuises shal be frustrate al their trauaile shal not preuaile yea all their power shall not profite them for he died once and henceforth dieth no more Now he sitteth at the right hand of God aboue the heauens and is the euerlasting and eternall God himselfe whose throne is builded and standeth on so sure a foundation and ground worke that it cannot be moued or ouerthrown Yea the very gates of hell cannot preuail against the poore church in as much it only dependeth vpon this head Christ that glorious kyng of heauen that most sure and vnmouable rocke He which falleth on this stone shal be broken but on whomsoeuer it shall fall it will grind him to pouder Seing then the habitatiō of this king shal endure for euer it must nedes follow that he shal both liue for euer and also giue euerlasting lyfe vnto vs. Againe Dauid saith The lord raigneth let the people tremble he sitteth betwene the Cherubins let the earth be moued The Lord is great in Sion and he is high aboue all people They shall prayse thy great and fearefull name for it is holy and the kings power that loueth iudgement for thou hast prepared equitie thou hast executed iudgement and iustice in Iacob exalt the lord our God and fall downe before his footestoole for he is holy This king is Christ who ruleth the church which is the spirituall Sion thorough the whole world He hath placed his throne in a high place euen in the very heauens and all the earth is his footestoole and he ruleth for euer But Sathan and the world beyng set on euill cannot abide this And when they are not able to throwe downe Christ from the seat of his maiesty they fret and fume agaynst the godly and cruelly persecute them But for all that they cannot take away their saluation although they indeuour it neuer so much For where this king is there shall all those be also which beleue in him Therefore the vngodly cannot hurt the righteous so as may truely bee called hurting For when they kill them and take their lyues from them which to the world seemeth the greatest hurt that can be then do they most profite them For death is vnto them the gate and redy way to lyfe but the enemies of Christ and his church shal in the end be thrown vnder foote troden downe and be more vile and filthy then any rubbish dirt or dung And agayne Dauid sayth Thou wilt arise and haue mercy vpon Sion for the tyme to haue mercy theron for the appoynted tyme is come For thy seruantes delight in the stones therof and haue pity on the dust thereof Then the heathen shall feare the name of the Lord and all the kinges of the earth thy glory when the Lord shall builde vp Sion and shall appeare in his glory and shall turne vnto the prayer of the desolate and not despise their prayer This shall be written for the generation to come and the people which shal be created shall prayse the Lord for he hath looked downe from the height of his sanctuary out of the heauen did the lord behold the earth that he might heare the mourning of the prisoner and deliuer the children of death In this Psalme we see how earnestly the godly Christians which were before Christes natiuitie did in feruency of prayers looke for his kingdome wherin onely or els not sinnes are pardoned and death is vanquished These true Christians desire and praye that Zion that is the church may be builded euery where and the glory of Christ seene and propagated through all the world as did Dauid Samuel and the rest of the Prophetes who with spirituall eyes saw long before that Messias should first be debased but afterward exalted and glorified through the whole world Neither were they offended at
briefe they are true Israelites in whō there is no deceit or fraude because Christ their king blesseth and gouerneth them by his holy spirite and renueth regenerateth them maketh them which were bloud-thirsty and enuious very myld men and patient sufferers of all harmes that happen so that beyng hurt they hurt not agayne nay they wish well vnto their enemies they blesse them that curse them and doe good to them that hurt them Forasmuch then as appertayneth vnto themselues they neede no swords but only for the infidels and wicked which must be ruled restrayned by the sword and by force least that the godly and good liuers be oppressed hurt by them As Esay sayth of the kingdom of Christ They shall do no hurt neither do any iniury in my holy hill because the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of God euen as the sea with flowing waters And Micheas prophecieth of the peace which shall be in the kingdom of Christ saying But they shall sit euery man vnder his vine and vnder his fig tree and none shall make them afrayde And Hose sayth I will make a couenaunt for them in that day that is when Messias shall rule with the wild beastes and with the foules of the heauen and with that that creepeth vpon the earth and I will breake the bow and the sword and the battail out of the earth and will make thē to sleep safely And Zachary saith I will cut of the chariots from Ephraim and the horse from Ierusalem the bowe of the battail shall be broken and he shall speake peace vnto the heathen These things are not to be vnderstood corporally and grosly as the blinded Iewes and Chiliastes did dreame but spiritually of the heauenly peace in the spirituall kingdom of Christ If therfore the Gentiles through all the world according to this prophesie ought to run vnto the Lord into the church or christian religion and receiue the doctrine therof and be partakers of that true peace it was needefull that Christ should rise agayne that he might erect restore and establish that great kingdom which consisteth of the Iewes and Gentils For as yet the Gentils when he dyed knew not who he was Nay the very Iewes themselues could not abide this their king wherupon the prophet warneth euen the Iewes in the ende of his prophesie saying O house of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of the lord that is in his gospell in the fayth of Christ And Esay comforteth the people of the Iewes prophesieng vnto them that although the Iewes should suffer a great destruction and haue a miserable fall yet many of the Israelites should escape all those euils obtaine that euerlasting ioy and incomparable comfort which God promised saying In that day shall the bud of the Lord be beautifull and glorious and the fruite of the earth shall be excellent and pleasaunt for them that are escaped of Israel Then he that shal be lost in Sion and he that shall remayne in Ierusalem shal be called holy and euery one shall be written among the liuyng in Ierusalem when the Lord shall wash the filthines of the daughter of Sion and purge the bloud of Ierusalem out of the midst therof by the spirit of burning In these wordes the prophet foretelleth how glorious and honorable this kingdome of Messias should be And he speaketh properly of the tymes of the new Testament wherein Christ adourned hys kyngdome his Church with beauty aboue measure and with all the giftes of the holy ghost For he washeth cleanseth and sanctifieth his daughter Sion that is the church with holy baptisme by his bloude Hee mortifieth the olde Adam by the spirite of iudgement and of fire And seeing that the churche her selfe must fight here in the fleshe against most wicked and vile enemies and seing that she is here on earth in great daunger Christ her almighty king doth promise her comfort defence ayde and helpe in all aduersities and calamities that she may bee safe vnder the protection of the most high For hee shall be a cloude for his church in the day tyme and a fire lightnyng it in the night as hee visibly deliuered his people out of the house of bondage as we read in Exodus where it is sayd And the Lord went before them by day in a piller of a cloude to leade them the way and by night in a piller of fire to geue them light that they might goe both by day and by night hee tooke not away the piller of the cloud by day nor the piller of fire by night frō before the people Note here that the prophet calleth our Lord Christ the budde or blossom of God and the fruit of the earth because Christ is the sonne of God naturally and also the true sonne of man to wit of the perpetuall and pure Virgin Mary of the tribe of Dauid He is called the fruite of the earth because he tooke his holy humanitie of the daughter of Adam which Adam was made of earth This prophesie the Iewes vnderstood both in Babilon and afterward also of Christ For Thargum Ionathan sayth At this tyme the Messias of the lord shal be our ioy and glory ¶ Anna. Cleophas and his companion by this prophesie might easily haue vnderstood that Israel should not quite perish because Christ died For if it was meet that he should bee the fruite of the earth that is to say naturall man what meruaile is it then if he died But in that he was the budde of the Lord it was not possible that he should abide in death For then should God himselfe haue remayned in death which thing is vnpossible Wherfore he was able both to raise vp and deliuer hymself and other from death Moreouer seyng that not all which were in Ierusalem and in Sion but the remnant only should be holy and numbred amongest the elect it must needes be that there were some wicked men in Ierusalem and so consequently enemies to Christ For holines and wickednes cannot agree What maruayle was it then that these prophayne and wicked bishops and princes deliuered Christ to death But yet for all that he was able to deliuer Israell yea death it selfe was the way and meane whereby God had determined to saue Israel as the Prophetes haue sayde and yet not by force armour and the sworde as the Iewes dreamed but euen by his holinesse as it seemed good vnto the Lorde But it appeareth in Luke that those good disciples as then neither knew nor vnderstood the person and ministery of Messias to wit that he both could and should by death destroy death ☞ Vrbanus You say well and therfore doth Christ call them fooles and slow of hart to beleue and vnderstand all thinges which the prophet spake of Messias But marke what Esay sayth of Christ First he giueth Christ this worthy warriours name calling him Maher
Christ when the welsprings of liuyng water shall flowe from place to place in the desert where God before was not knowen nor heard of because that out of one church or congregation of the godly the gospell shall flowe and spread abroade into other places that there they may learne to know Christ And where the serpentes before spewed out theyr poyson of false doctrine superstition and idolatry thither shall the sounde doctrine of the truth now bee brought and there shall it bring forth most plentifull fruites ¶ Anna. What way and holy pathe is that which is here spoken of in this prophesie by which he sayth no sinner goeth ☞ Vrbanus Hee speaketh in this prophesie of the Gospell of Christ and of hys Church The holy way therefore whereof he speaketh here is fayth in Iesus Christ true God and perfect man borne here of the seede of Abraham and Dauid In this way walked Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid Mary and the Apostles neyther is there any other way but this vnto the liuyng God as Christ sayth I am the way and the truth and the lyfe no man commeth vnto the father but by me There is no other true faith but the christian and catholike fayth All other sectes though they seeme neuer so holy are nothing els but errours and Satanicall superstitions No man was euer saued vnlesse he beleued in Christ And therfore this Christian fayth is called the true right onely and holy way vnto euerlasting saluation He that walketh this way whosoeuer he be though he be a very foole in worldly matters yea a most simple ideot or vilest sinner hee can not but must needes be pertaker of euerlasting lyfe But whosoeuer goeth any other way although he seeme to the worlde learned holy wyse and of great experience yet he wandereth all wyde and goeth astray nay he hasteth hedlong vnto hell Furthermore this way onely is most sure and safe In this way Lions and wylde beastes can not hurt vs For neither tirantes nor false teachers can hurt them whosoeuer they be that abide in this way and goe not out thereof For though they take from them both their goodes and lyues yet shall they haue no losse but gayne thereby For all thinges happen vnto their health so long as they are kept of Christ who hath such care ouer them and so preserueth them that he suffereth not the least haire of theyr heade to perishe ¶ Anna. But who are these redemed of the Lord ☞ Vrban Euen both Iewes and Gentils which beleue in Iesus Christ namely all true Christians These were once seduced by Sathan and brought into the horrible captiuity of sinne and death and therin had remayned for euer if the lord had not himself come and by his precious bloud deliuered thē But the Lord himselfe came and vanquished and spoiled Satan And so these redemed turned to Sion that is into the holy catholike church by faith and the sacraments and they come with prayse ioy and exultation For the more vile and horrible the captiuity was so much greater is the ioy of the prisoners which are redeemed But this was a most vile and horrible continuall captiuity wherin we should haue bene for euer most miserably tormēted both in body and soule with al kind of calamities tortors I say which are such that they passe all our sences and capacity And therfore this our ioy in the Lord in Sion is and that by right infinit incomprehensble and more then hart can conceiue The world also hath his ioy but the ioy therof is momentany and very short for it hath his ende and continueth not But the ioy of the faythfull christians is eternall It beginneth here in fayth but afterward whē our last enemy death shal be swalowed vp and Satan with the wicked and deceitfull world cast downe into the pit of hell there to bee tormented for euer then at the last it shall burst forth and shew it selfe And all they that beleued in Christ to wit his whole kingdom shal frō that tyme forth be no more afflicted with enemies Then shall the true and euerlasting ioy of the faithfull christians begin heauines sorow and griefe shal then haue an ende For that kingdom when the glory therof shall be made manifest shall then at the last haue no more sinne nor feele death sickenes persecution calamity troubles or aduersitie for all causes of sorrows and sadnes are then through Christ taken away As Christ witnesseth in Iohn I wil see you againe and your hartes shall reioyce and your ioy shall no man take from you And in the Apocalips the voyce saith That GOD shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorow neither crying neither shal there be any more payne ¶ Anna. Seyng that we through our Messias should haue such full and perfect redemption from all our sinnes death and damnation and enioy euerlasting lyfe felicity out of doubt he neither could nor should remayne in death And would to God we could beleue this and alwayes reioyce in the Lord. Vrban Truely so we should in deede alwayes beleue and reioyce But that euill spirit through his wicked temptations oftentymes doth so with thick clouds darcken this cleare sonne of ioy and fayth in vs that sometymes we cannot see it Yea he maketh vs sometymes so heauy that we either altogether forget this great and iuestimable promise of euerlasting life or els waigh it not so diligently nor print it so deeply in our harts as we ought But let vs alwayes keep in our hands the sword of the spirite that is the gospell and therewithall defend our selues from the fiery dartes of our enemies We must stir vp and exercise our faith by diligent vsing reading hearing and handling the scripture least we sleep in carnal security Yea we must say euery foot with the holy prophet Dauid Behold heare me O Lord my God lighten mine eyes that I sleepe not in death lest mine enemy say I haue preuayled against him and they that afflict me reioyce when I slide Esay prophesyeth again of Christ O Syon that bringest good tidings get thee vp into the high mountaynes O Ierusalem that bringest good tidings lift vp thy voice with strength lift it vp be not afrayd say to the Cities of Iuda Behold your God behold the Lord God will come with power and his arme shall rule for him Behold his wages is with him and his worke before him Here Syon and Ierusalem are warned that they preach the comming grace power of God in Christ As if he should say to other cities in Iuda ye haue looked long for Messias which was promysed in the law and prophets now looke vp now lift vp your eares and harts behold here is your God Messias the most mighty Lord who hath shewed his power in that he hath redeemed you from those mighty and cruell
of Israell should come after the captiuity of Babylon as we haue sayd before out of the 9. chap. of Danyel And that your Iudaisme should then haue an end and that that earthly kingdome of Iuda should be an eternal and heauēly kingdome Goim that is the Gentils should also come out of all the parts of the earth and be partakers with true Israell of all Gods blessings promised in Messias Wherfore Abdias must be vnderstood here to speak of this spirituall possession which is that Messias And the Apostles and true beleeuers shal through the gospel bring all nations vnder the sweet yoke and obedience of the christen faith that they may acknowledge Christ for their only and euerlasting king and confes the Apostles of Christ with all faithfull Christians conuerted by the Apostles to be the Church their spiritual mother and glorious Citie of God to whom they doe readely and willingly yeeld them selues and obay as you haue heard out of Amos. Now I will expound the prophesy and then shall you more easely vnderstand it Mount Siō you know is the Church of Christ it is also a holy hill because the Lord dwelleth in it and Christ the holyest of all holy consecrateth and sanctifieth it by his word and spirite to be his holy habitatiō for euer as Esay sayth when you reade this hebrew word Kodesch it signifieth the holynes For true holines righteousnes is no where but in this holy mount the Church of Christ Many do reade Kodosch and then it signifieth holy as we haue spoke before The house of Iacob is called the scripture the house of Dauid the tribe of Iuda which alwayes taryed with the house of Dauid And when it is called Iudah and the house of Iacob and Ierusalem and the house of Dauid it is for the most part all one And this was a figure of the great kingdome of Christ Iesus And therefore the Archangell Gabryell in Luke calleth Christes kingdome the house of Iacob the trone of Dauid in which Christ shall rule for euer For the spirituall kingdome of Christ begun in Sion the earthly kingdome of Dauid and from thence spred it selfe through out the whole world when the Apostles according to Gods commandement begun to preach the gospel of christ to all creatures and in the name of Christ preached repentaunce and remission of sinns amongest all nations beginning at Ierusalē as Luke witnesseth Note also how God promised the Patriarkes Abraham Isaac and Iacob seed of their owne flesh and bloud in which all the earth should be blessed that is should be freed and deliuered from the euerlasting cursse of sinn from death and from the bondes o Sathan and be made the children of God who should raigne together with the same seede Christ in the kingdome of innocēcy lyfe and saluation for euer and euer This was a great promise and therefore doth the scripture in euery place make mention of these patriarkes For when this seed was promised them and whē god promised that their childrē should be in number as the sand of the sea then was Christ the eternall king and his eternall kingdome promised them and vs And therfore is this kingdome of Christs also called the house of Iacob the seate or trone of Dauid that is the Church of Christ The house of Ioseph in the scriptures is the very same that the other 10. tribes of Israell be which fell away from the house of Dauid and chose vnto themselues a king of their owne This kingdome seperated by it selfe is called Samaria of that head and Metrapolitaine citie It is called also Ephraim because of Ieroboham which was of the tribe of Ephraim and it is also called Ioseph or the house of Ioseph because Ioseph was the father of Ephraim The house of Esau is the kingdome of the Edomits which tooke their beginning of Esau and had their dwelling in mount Seiar ny to the great desart which lyeth from Ierusalem Southwardes The Southrē menare they which dwelt in the tribe of Iuda Those which dwelt in the champion coūtries are Lidda Emaus as Saint Heirome saith Those v. Citties Gaza Ascalon Azotus Accaron and Geth which lye westward be the Phelistians Ephraim is a country of Samaria wherin dwelt the tribe of Ephraim who was the son of Ioseph Beniamin is a peculier and propper tribe of the Iews but it is counted in the kingdome of Iudah Saint Herome sayth that Gallaad is Arabia The citye Zarphad was betwen Tier and Sidon wherof Iosephus speaketh Siphrad was a citye in the land of Babilon This therefore is the meaning of the prophets he prophecied of the captiuitie of his people and how Edome should be layed wast but now he comforteth the Iewes least they should haue ben discouraged as if therehad bin no hope for Siō in the captiuitie of Babilon as if Messias should not haue come And he promiseth also vnto the Iewes deliueraunce that they should come agayne into Sion though they yet layed wasted by the Babilonians and Edomits For he saith the Lord will bring deliuerance helpe and redemption vnto Sion which came so to pas in deed For hard after that the Iewes came from Babilon and that the citie of Ierusalem with the temple and deuine seruice was restored came Messias our true Sauiour and deliuerer into Sion The Lorde had often times before helped the mount Sion and the Citye Ierusalem but they were not the true helpe or sure saluation which Messias in his owne person should bring But when the king of Israell borne of the tribe of Dauid was come into Sion thē came there also with him all felicitye saluation and aboundance of all good thinges For he began by his word and spirite to call back and redeeme his people from that spirituall captiuity which they suffered vnder Sathan and other false teachers He fulfilled the prophets and obtained a true and euerlasting deliuerance vnto his people by his blessed death and glorious resurrection This was that true Pletho that is redemptiō all other deliuerāces were but only figures of this deliueraunce Reade the acts of the Apostles and note how saluation by the gospell begunne in Sion and thus spread forth it selfe through the whole world Peter redeemed and conuerted 3000. men at on sermon and from that time forth the Lorde mightely increased the kingdome of Christ as luke witnesseth saying the Lord added daily to the congregation such as should be saued This saluation was shewed forth with such powre of the holy spirite that the remnant of Israell the Apostles and their fellow laborers being the true house of Iacob and Ioseph were a flame of fier which lyke straw burnt and consumed the house of Esau that is the Edomits who before were mortall enemies to the house of Iacob Ioseph so that many of the Edomits were in deed won to the gospell and the wickednes and hatred of their Father
and haue esteemed him aboue Moyses But when Christ was come they would be Moyses discyples although the terme of his time was ended For Moyses was but only a seruant in the house of the lord And when the Lord Christ himselfe came then ought the seruaunt to geue place and all men ought to heare the word which Christ did speak by the word of his father The righteousnes of faith had also her testimonies in the law in Moyses and in the prophets But when Christ and the Apostles taught it saying Repent and beleeue the gospel the Iewes refused their doctrine and would be iustified by Moyses and his law and vsed not the true mediator and sauyour Christ in the work of their iustificatiō but refused that most precious corner stone and could not abide to vse and admit it in their building of iustification And therfore they became abominable and perished they and their building And least the day of Christs former comming should be vnknown vnto them he geueth thē a notable signe wherby they might haue learned that the day of Messias was now at hand for he promiseth that he would send them that former Iohn the Baptist before that great day he calleth him Elias because he should go before Christ and prepare the way for him in the spirite and strength of Elias as the Angel of the Lord expoundeth this prophesy of Elias to be ment of Iohn the Baptist And Christ himself applieth this prophesy in Mathew vnto Iohn Baptist saying that Iohn is that Elias which was to come that is of whom Mala. the last prophet did prophesy Let him which hath eares to heare heare But their harts was blinded their eares stopped vp that they could not vnderstand He calleth that day of Christs former comming fearfull or horrible beames of the falling away blindnes of the Iewes For before they were the welbeloued children of God and the inheritance of the lord But whē they killed the true Messas the son of god and preferred that wicked offender Barabas before him and wished that his innocent bloud might be vpō them and their children then they were reiected and blinded and the kingdome of God was taken from them and they lost both the City and the temple and the whole land and they are afflicted as well with spirituall as corporall captiuity vnto this day and the Gentiles are receaued and adopted as children This is that Heren or cursse wherewith the earth was smitten But they which at the beginning beleued Iohn and took Christ to be their sauior and forsaked Moyses they escaped the cursse And such as were the apostles and those of the Iewes which beleeued christ and his apostles And these in the prophets are called the remnant of Iacob Malachy therfore which concludeth the old testament doth tell vs that Moyses with the law and the prophets doe all with one consent beare witnes of Christ that he is the true deliuerer of Israell As if he had sayd Moyses serued in the house of the Lord vnto his appointed terme of time was expired prophesying in all his figures external sacrifices oblations and plaine promises of Christ and he referred all his doctrine vnto Christ And this is that seede of Abraham by which all nations are blessed This is that true high priest propiciation and sacrifice which reconcileth vs vnto God. This is that true Melchisedech and that serpent in the wildernes and that great prophet whom Moyses commaundeth all them to heare which will not incur the wrath of the lord And this is the sonne of Dauid to whom the Lord had promised an eternal kingdome Beware therfore that when he commeth you take not the seruant for the master and a figure and shadow for the light and truth For it is he in deede of whom the law and all the prophets with one consent doe prophecye If you refuse him thē geue you not credite to moyses and the prophets and the Lord wil smite you with a curse Beware therfore for I haue now geuen you warning before All laud and honor be vnto our good and most faithfull God for euer and euer for the gift of all prophesies through our Lord Iesus Christ of Nazareth the true and only Messias promised in the law and the prophets whom God sent into the world at the fulnes of time To wit 1576. yeares agoe And who perfectly and thorowly fulfilled all things which were necessary for the repayring and absolute redemption of mankind And now sitteth at the right hand of God our Bishop and King omnipotent for euer And here now good wife you haue almost all the chief prophesies of Iesus Christ expounded and gathered out of all the prophets as diligently as I could by which you now know what Christ preached vnto his disciples on the way from Ierusalem to Emaus Anna. Seeing that Emaus is but onely 60. furlongs frō Ierusalem it seemeth to me that Christ did not recite all these prophecies which you haue beene this 2. or 3. weekes in expounding to me ☞ Vrb. Verely S. Luke sayth that Christ begon at Moyses and expounded vnto them all the prophesies in the scripture which were spoken of hym wherby it may be gathered that it was a famous and good louing sermon in which he proued and confirmed vnto them that he must by the cros enter into his glory But it is lyke that Christ expounded vnto his disciples the most chiefe prophecies which speake of his passion resurrection and euerlasting kingdome that thereby they might learne that it was the good wil of God the father that his well beloued son Iesus Christ should redeeme the true Israell not with gould or siluer nor by any worldly pompe or power but in the weakenes of his crosse by his most precious bloud which he shed to deliuer vs from all our enemies from the wicked world from poysenfull sinne from horrible death and from our perpetuall and cruell enemy Sathan with whome all his members we haue bellum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a continuall warre I haue bene louing in citing the scriptures that I might the better set downe and more plainely expound the whole sermon of Christ as farre as appertained to the witnesses of the prophets as I haue sayd before But how saye you is it not a great ioy and a very paradise to a godly hart by fayth to search and learne the comfortable misteries of Christ cōtained in the prophets as the Thes the valiant sowldiers of Christ often times did because this kinde of exercise auaileth much to the confirmatiō and establishing of our Christian fayth For which our Lord God hath layde a perfite sure foundation euen from the beginning of the world by his holy prophets his seruauntes which are the most auncient doctors in the earth and also by the gospel of Iesus Christ which is a doctrine of great antiquitie in the world and hath alwayes bin most vehemently assailed by Sathan and his
the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eschew euill and doe good Recte iudicate qui iudicatis terram Iudge and gouerne well and rightly ye that be magistrats least the Lord remoue your candlestick Hādle not O ye rich men those that falle into your lappes with rigor and extremitye and geue not your selues ye poore men to sinister double dealing Delight not I beseech you ye mē in the multitude of your riches nor ye women in the furniture of your houses watch ye which haue charge in your callinges and keepe your selues cleare from the bloud of your families Let not your wyues children and bodyes so haue their willes and pleasure that your soules which must aunswere for it suffer woe and payne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O laye hould lay hold vpō discipline and put away pride couetousnes lying swearing and cursed dealing from among you And all these shall you quickely and easely doe if you will pray hartely if you will reade the word diligently and if you will apply it wisely Which the Lord Iesus that dyed for you worke in you And the blessed Lord God which hath caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning graunt that we may all in such wise heare thē read marke learne and inwardly disgest them that sinne and distrust may be remoued from vs and we may in all our extremities be comforted and euer hold fast the blessed hope of euerlasting lyfe which he hath geuē vs in our Sauiour Iesus Christ who euer preserue you and his whole Church Amen Your honors in the Lord W. Hilton Scholemaister at S. Anthonyes ⧠A briefe ingresse to the Christian Reader AMongst all sortes of studies and labors belonging to the lyfe of man as there is none comparable to the searching of holy scriptures so in reading thereof diligent regard ought to be had First with what minde and to what end a man readeth them Secondly in what sence and after what meaning he vnderstandeth them Touching the first as the scriptures and word of God of his nature is holy so is it requisite no man to resort thereunto otherwise then with an holy minde nor to read them but to a blessed purpose That is to profite in a spirituall intelligence to learne the true will and worshippe of God in his word to encrease in fayth and to search out the kingdome of lyfe This done the second consideration is to be had for the true sence and right vnderstāding of the same Some there be and that not a few who entering the studye of the sacred scriptures haue not all peraduēture the right meaning of the holy ghost therein conteined The good Enuch in the Actes of the Apostles was well occupied in his kouche reading the propheticall scriptures yet he vnderstode not what he red before an expositor was sent him Thapostles themselues had the scriptures and red them yet how farre from the meaning thereof were they before their senses were opened So the Iewes and Saracens to this day doe haunt the scriptures but for lacke of trew vnderstanding in what blindenes do they yet remaine They which in reading the misticall scriptures do see nothing els but the literall sence and outward history therof though they thinke to see something yet in very deed see nothing Albeit I denay not but in the externe letter and historye of the ould testament there is a certen veritie of thinges so doon as in the letter is specified yet vnder the same letter and historicall truth lyeth an other more secret and misticall truth which must be opened For as the scriptures of the former testament were written most by the prophets so haue they no doubt a propheticall meaning And as all the scriptures were inspired by the holy spirite of God so carye they a spirituall vnderstanding secretly couered vnder the visible letter As for example the eating of the Apple and casting out of paradise the slaughter of Abell by his brother Caine The floud and Arke of Noah the promised blessing in the seede of Abraham The vnknowen generation of Melchisddech both king and priest The sonne of Abraham geuen and borne by promise with the inheritaunce cast vpon him The whole discourse story of Ioseph The tipicall lambe with his bloud sprinckled and bones vnbroken The passage through the red sea The hard rocke gushing out in water springes Manna The brasen serpent The whole course and lyfe of Moses The land of promise The workes and death of Sampson The victorie of Gedeon The kingdome of Dauid The tabernacle and temple of Salomon with the propitiatory and the Arke The rapting vp of Elias The casting vp of Ionas Yea the geuing also of the lawe it selfe in outward tables vpon the penticoste day that is fifty dayes after the deliueraunce These I say with a number such other thinges moe which from time to time happened amongest that people although in fact and historye they beare a truth in deed yet notwithstanding vnder the same historicall truth as vnder a vaile or curten lyeth hid other matter of higher misteries and greater priuities which if they be well discussed shal rapt a mans minde into more perfect knowledge of spirituall contemplation According as we read to happen to S. Austen by hearing Ambrose expounding the miseries conteined in the oulde testament So that the propheticall Scriptures may well be resembled in a maner to the person of their owne maister that is to Christ himselfe Who being here in earth if a man looke onely vpon his outward shape his humble poore estate in this world his quiet and simple demaynour his paynefull trauailes the manifold afflictions and tentations of his werisome lyfe his sharpe crosse and reprochfull death and looke no further he shall see no great matte in him But draw this curtaine of flesh a little and with a further insight vew well what lyeth within and ther shall appeare an other manner of matter There shalt thou behold the glory of the kingdome of God the admirable wisedome and omnipotent power of the Father the conquest of Sathā hell and the whole world with all the pride thereof and the fulnes of the deitie there corporally dwelling as S. Paul himselfe both did see and testifie In much lyke sort the scriptures writtē and inspired by God if they be sought for no further but for the literall meaning only or outward precepts of lyfe they little auaile to saluation But if the misticall tipes and manifest oracles of the law Psalmes and prophets be thorowly opened what light what lyfe what knowledge geue they without which I see not how the fayth of a Christian man can stand sound and sure And therfore the Lord himselfe whē he would geue fayth to his disciples either opened the scriptures vnto thē or els opened their eyes to vnderstand the scriptures And therefore Doct. Vrbanus Regius thauthor of this treatise is well worthy of thankes and commendation for this his labor in opening to vs such
Christ and being sent vnto thē on whitsōday taught thē put them in remembrance of all thinges which were written of Christ which Christ before his death with his own tongue had taught them And looke what soeuer the Holy Ghost taught them it tended only to this end That they might know Christ and by Christ know the Father and through this knowledge be iustifyed and saued ¶ Anna. It is possible then as far as I perceiue to know what that Sermon was which Christ made to those two Discyples as they went to Emaus wherewith he made their harts so burne within them But if I also might come to the hearing of that Sermon Oh I would desire nothing in comparyson of it nay I had rather heare that sweet Sermon then haue all the pleasures in the earth and ioyes of the world ☞ Vrb. You may easily coniecture what that Sermon was seeing he expounded all the Prophets beginning at Moyses Doth not Luke I pray you eloquently and plainly testifie that he expounded to thē all that is writen of him in the wholl Scripture It was the Prophesies therfore which are writen in the Scripture of Christ which he interpreted vnto them which is nothing els but euen the very Gospel it self which he commaunded his Discyples to preach and spread euen to the worlds end For this Gospel is the doctrine of Christ the Sonne of God which telleth why he was made man and declareth to vs the eternall counsell of God the Father and his great good wil to vs in promising so redely that he wil be our Father and in imbrasing vs with more then a Fatherly affection and in vouchsafeing to knowledge vs for his deere Sonnes but onlye through his onlye begotten Sonne Christ This Gospel teacheth vs also that the Father so ordained that when the fulnes of time was come Christ should be born true man of the seed of Dauid and that he should dye on the Crosse and rise againe from the dead to the end he might purge mannes sinnes pay the raunsom for them destroy and take away death bring vs to euerlasting life reconcile his Father to vs and ascend into heauen and sitting there at the right hand of his Father begin his true and euerlasting kingdome where we shal raign and reioyce with him for euer Into this glory would his father haue him to enter by his own payn passion and opprobrious death of the Crosse That by this meanes he might deserue the same glory for vs This was done at Ierusalem vnder Herod Pontius Pilat and Caiphas when Tiberius Caesar was Emperor and so were the Prophesies fulfilled which are written of him Now he sitteth at the right hand of Gods Maiesty and being Lord of all he defendeth and gouerneth his Church that is to say all godly and truely beleeuing men by the holy Ghost and in the last day he shall come in his Maiesty to iudge the quick and the dead and shall geue euerlasting Life to those that beleeue But he shall throw hedlong down into hel amongst the multitude of Deuils all those that at that day shall not haue beleeued the Gospell And he doth by his Ministers dayly declare vnto vs these his Merits Works precious Passion Resurrection and Ascention into Heauen That those which beleeue of Christ the sonne of God as the scriptures do speake of him might be deliuered from the burthen of their sinnes be reconcyled to God the Father and liue with him for euer in the glory of Christ And for this cause especially doth the gospel moue vs and cal vs to repentaunce to the end that we may be hartely sory for our sinnes that we may abhor and detest our sinnes and with al our indeuour fly al things that might moue vs to sinne seeing our sinnes could be taken away by no other Sacrifice but only by the most precious bloud of Christ which he shed for vs that he might cleanse vs and delyuer vs from sinne death and hel And furthermore the Gospel promiseth remission of sinnes and euerlasting life to all that beleeue in Christ and refuse not this Gospel but with all their hart faithfully receiue the same vsing it reuerently and holyly And thus of meere grace without all our deserts only for the works and merits of Christ if we beleeue in him are we washed from our sinne beutefyed with the holy Ghost and are iustifyed sanctifyed saued and made heyres with God and coheyres with Christ in his kingdome and liue for euer We also heare the Gospell with a godly deuotion we trust in Christ and we beleeue him to be the only Sauyour of the world And then also are we angry with our sinnes and detest and abhor them we repent vs and are sory that through our sinnes we haue offended God we begin better to frame our liues and we loue God with all our harts which hath bestowed his great and wonderful mercy and his vnspeakable and infinite goodnes in Christ Iesu his Sonne vpon vs we loue also our neighbours euen as Christ loued vs and we doe our diligence that we may as becometh holy children lead a chast holy modest sober and innocent life after Christes example and so for the loue of righteousnes and godlynes we doe all good works sauing that while we are in this flesh we haue not the full feeling of our frailtye and sinne and that our faith and knowledge of Christ that is of the great and incomprehensible mercy loue care grace and benefits which in Christ and for Christ are freely geuen and bestowed vpon vs is not full perfect and pure in this life but while we liue doth stil grow and increase And we must also fight and striue continually while we liue with the flesh and mortefie renue and reforme our old Adam vntil the Image of God be renued again in vs and vntil we shall haue put on that most beutiful and holy Image of Christ like as before our receiuing of faith and regeneration we did beare that euil fauoured and horrible Image of the old Adam Now you haue heard what Christ taught his two Disciples And without doubt the Apostls afterward taught the same things which Christ did teach and confirmed the doctrine of Christ after the same sort by the Prophets wrytings For the holy Ghost had sufficyently instructed them therto as plainly appeareth in the Actes of the Apostles ¶ Anna. As far then as I perceiue Christ preached nothing to those two Discyples out of the prophesies but the very pure doctrine of the Gospel wherby they might learn what Christ was for what cause he was sent into this world what he did what he suffered what he meryted by his suffering and how we might haue benefit by his Merits and what was to be hoped and looked for of him This then no doubt was it that comforted them so made their harts so glad ☞ Vrb. And haue not these thinges I pray you sufficient matter inough to make
seed and trusteth not in him with all his hart he perysheth he is vndone he is ordayned to damnation he is the bondslaue of Sathan how great so euer he be both in body and soule But he that layth hold of this seed here promised by faith he escapeth the tyranny of Sathan and is delyuered from death and eternal damnatiō with him al things go wel because he shal be the Sonne of God partaker of euerlasting saluation and heir of life which lasteth for euer Here must we diligently mark that God doth promise help deliueraunce and sure victory of Sathan death and sinne but not without our Mediator not for our own sakes not by our own strength not for our own vertues not by our own wisdom not by our own skil not for our deserts or worthines By or for what then Not by or for any other thing but only this seed of the womā that is Christ alone our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mediator To this word or holy promise must we trust which if we doe there is no doubt but that God by Christ wil delyuer vs out of the power of Sathan Which thing the holy Ghost doth fully witnes by many testimonies in the new Testament where he saith that Christ is our Priest our high Priest our Righteousnes our Mediator our Redeemer our Life our way our Light our Truth our Sauyour and the Conqueror of the Prince of the world And one that hath geuen vs again a great deal more fully and absolutely those thinges which we lost in Adam then before we had them And this doth Paul very notably set forth to the Romans where making an Antithesis betwixt Adam Christ Sinne and Grace he saith But yet the gift is not so as is the offence for if by one mannes offence many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath aboūded to many The Latine text hath Insidiaberis calcaneo eius that is Thou shalt lay wayt to sting his heele as the seuenty Translators did translate it But the Hebrue text hath it Veathath teschu phennu akeb that is Thou shalt rent or bruise his heele The holy Ghost doth vse in both the places in the Hebrue tongue only this word scoph But Rabbi Salomon geueth this note In as much saith he as this word which is here vsed is twise set down in this promise it is as much to say as with hissing to assail or to hisse as doth an Adder which hissingly assayleth a man and puffingly bloweth vpon him and hath not yet stinged him And this interpretation hath a very good sence here very fit and agreeing with this place For although that old Serpent be most cruel and enuyous against vs and although he hate vs stil most deadly and striue against vs and tempt vs euery way yet hath he not power at his plesure to hurt vs as he would For it is but only with vain hissing that he assayleth Christ and his Church And the enmity which is betwixt that old Serpent that vnclean Spirit and Christ and Christians both hath and will shew it self by many and plain signes and persecutions For that sinful Serpent hissed vpon Christ when he was made man very bitterly and enuiously and he prickt and hurt his heel greeuously at what time the Iewes being set on fire with a most deuilish enuy hatred cruelty and spitefulnes rushed like mad men vpō Christ and first horribly and intollerably beat him and then nayled him to the crosse and lastly most shamefully killed him Yet was this foul Serpent so far from extinguishing and ouercomming Christ that by that very means wherby he wēt about to hurt him he ouerthrew him self and destroyed his own kingdome and power For then he lost all the right and abilitie which he had either to trouble appeach or accuse the true beleeuers in Christ And though he as his nature is sting and hisse at all the Children of Adam and miserably vexe greeue and torment them with temptations lyes heresies persecutions sinnes and death it self Yet all that he can doe against the godly though he be neuer so enuyous and wicked is nothing els but hissing yea he is so far from hurting or harming them that he greatly euen profiteth them when he killeth them and thinketh to hurt them For by that hissing wherwith he assayled the Seed of the woman he bringeth mankind out of this miserable and wretched world into most happy and euerlasting blessednes And the womans Seed that is to say Christ who himself also vnder the shape of a Serpent was lifted vp in the wildernes doth in the mean time break his head beat it all to pouder Who so euer doth behold this Christ with holy eyes putteth all his hope trust in him Sathan with all his poysened hissing and byting can neuer a whit hurt him in that appertayneth to the health of his soule He may in deed tosse vs with temptations and puffe vpon vs with his poisonful hissing and throw vs into the puddle of sinne But Christ is redy at hand to help vs and to heale the wounds which we receue of the Serpents biting He forgeueth vs our sinnes and strengthneth vs with his holy spirit that Sinne hath not henceforth dominion ouer vs and he restoreth vs again to life that by this temporall death we enter not into euerlasting death but sleep in Christ which is our life in whom both in body and soul we shal liue for euer So that both truely and godly it may and ought be sayd that the Gentils and the vnbeleeuing only be they that dye and not the faithful in Christ This is most certain and sure Christ by his desert hath wrought this thing in vs and is the Author of this great and wonderfull benefit Sathan can doe vs no harme he cannot any way hurt our soules but shal be thrown as subiect vnder our feet For Christ hath ouercome that our enemie bereft him of his pray and daunted all his force This victory which Christ hath got of Sathā and obtayned in his manhode for mannes saluation doth Paul set forth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where he saith For asmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud that is for asmuch as men did spring of Adam He that is Christ also himself likewise toke part with them that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the Deuil and that he might delyuer all them which for feare of death were all their life time subiect to bondage For he in no sort toke the Angels but he took the seed of Abraham And thus that cōfortable promise which was made to Adam was the Gospell and onely comfort of Adā and all the holy Fathers vnto Noe and Abrahā This promise the Fathers beleued and by this promise were they iustified saued For all their trust
Christ in earth hath no father and in heauen no mother he is euerlasting God and also immortall man And in this order neither went any before him nor shall come after him He was not made priest according to the law of the carnall cōmandement but after the power of euerlasting life who truly blesseth vs and deliuereth vs from our sinnes from eternall death and giueth vs euerlasting life He is Malchizedek Malchischolam that is a king of righteousnes who is our righteousnes and doth iustify vs before god He is also a king of peace because by him only we haue peace with god As Paule sayth to the Rom. and the Eph. ¶ Anna. Vndoubtedly in this mysterie as in the other before is to be vnderstoode that Christ should first die seing Paul to the Hebr. sayth that this true Melchisedech Christ of the tribe of Iuda should be borne a very true man and yet neuertheles immortal who should liue eternally that he might helpe vs euerlastingly But Cleophas and his companiō did not vnderstand nor beleue this For if they had they would neuer haue bene so pensife nor offended at Christes death ☞ Vrb. In deed they had prophesies figures and testimonies enow of the scriptures out of which they might haue gathered that Christ should first dye And they had but euen three dayes before eaten the Paschal lambe which by Gods commaundement they ought to kill eate without leuen They tooke also the bloud of the lamb and therwith they oynted and sprinckled the two side postes the vpper post of the dores of their houses which was a tokē of grace For whē God killed all the first borne thorow all the land of Egypt the Iewes were safe in their houses For vpon what dore so euer the Angel saw the bloud of the lamb sprinckled he past it ouer This lambe with his bloud was a figure of the immaculat lamb Christ which was slayne and offered for vs by whose bloud we be deliuered from death S. Paule fitly and aptly expounded this figure saying Christ our passouer is sacrificed for vs Therfore let vs keepe the feast not with old leuen nether in the leuen of malitiousnes and wickednes but with the vnleuened bread of sincerity and truth ¶ Anna. It might manifestly and easely by this figure appeare that our passouer or pascal lambe Christ should be slayne and that his bloud should be shed ☞ Vrb. They might haue learned out of the 23. of Esay who was the trew lambe but their eies were holden neither could they vnderstand the scriptures till Christ him selfe opened their hartes ¶ Anna. Hath Moyses any more tipes or figures of Christ in his bookes ☞ Vrb. He hath and that a great many but I will onely expound those that be most principall as they stand in order In the 25. of Exo. there is a notable delectable and beutifull tipe of Christ in Caporeth God commaunded Moses that he should cause the arke to be made and be couered within without with gold and that vppon the vpper part aboue he should put the mercy seat made of pure gold You know that this word Caporeth is deriued of Ciper and signifieth a peace offering a reconciliation or the place of mercy This is a worthy mistery For God promised to the children of Israell that he himselfe would dwell in that mercy seat and that he would make answere and say his minde to the people out of it This same mercy seate both is and signifieth Christ Iesus our Sauiour ¶ Anna. How may we know that Christ is ment by that Caporeth or mercy seate ☞ Vrb. The holy Ghost by Paule doth so expound this figure to the Roma where he sayth All haue sinned and are depriued of the glory of God but are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Iesu whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation or a peace offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the mercy seat thorow fayth in his bloud And to the Ebrews where he speaketh of the hye priest Christ which is moued with the feeling of our infirmities he sayth Let vs go boldly to the throne of grace that we may receaue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of neede And so did Moses in his mercy seate liuely and plainly paint forth Christ in his humanity in whome alone all wee finde both mercy and God him selfe as Paul sayth to the Colos In Christ dwelleth all fulnes of the Godhead bodily Of this Caporeth Christ God himselfe talketh with vs as Christ in Iohn sayth My doctrine is not myne but his that sent me Christ is the euerlasting word of the father and his onely begotten sonne true god If we see and heare Christ we heare also the father as Christ witnesseth in Iohn saying f. Phillip he that hath sene me hath sene my father also doest thou not beleue that I am in the father and the father in mee We haue here large scope and matter ministred to speake of this Caporeth but I may not tary in figures because I would come to the manifest and playne prophesies of Christ and especially to those which speake of his death and resurrection Let this therfore suffice concerning Caporeth For by Christ we be reconciled and at one with God and by him we receiue forgiuenes of our sinnes to be short in Christ we finde and obtayne God himselfe as we reade in the new testament for there is no other God but Iesus Christ ¶ Anna. What is writt of Christ in the third booke of Moses ☞ Vrb. Whatsoeuer is spoken in Leuiticus of the outward priesthood of Aaron and of all kynd of sacrifices of the sheding of blood and of forgeuing of sinnes all these were nothing els but figures of Christ our true priest which by his true sacrifice offred vpō the crosse hath redemed vs and purged vs from oursinnes ¶ Anna. How may we know that ☞ Vrb. The new Testament doth well interprete and expound these figures to vs and it applieth them all to Christ but aboue the rest the epistle to the Hebrues in which Paule plainly declareth and teacheth that Aaron the priest and the whole priesthood in the law with all the rites sacrifices offrings clensings orisons doctrines reconciliatiōs propitiatiōs sprinklings of bloud and other fit figures for that purpose do plainly set forth and prefigure vnto vs Christ For what things soeuer were then done they were onely shadowes and types of the new testamēt of Christ because that then there was no true reconciliatiō forgiuenes of sinnes or righteousnes in that outward priesthood and sacrifices Dumbe and brute beastes were then offred whose bloud as Paul sayth cannot take away sinne There were many sacrifices effutiōs of bloud washings in the law which were but tipes shadowes and could make no man perfect within in conscience They were onely figures and memorials of sinnes
and of the forgiuenes of sinnes which we haue onely by the bloud of Iesus Christ as it is written to the Hebrues They were only exercises of outward discipline holines and iustification of the flesh which beyng but giuen vntil the tyme of reformation were then to haue the full end when he should come which by these types and figures was prefigured ¶ Anna. I would gladly heare how Aaron with his priesthood and sacrifices do signify prefigure Christ And I pray you expoūd me euery parcell of it orderly ☞ Vrb. I wil. But that you may as in a table plainly see it and that the matter may the better be vnderstood and perceiued I haue here vnder set downe the figures of the old testamēt with the fulfilling of them the truth of the new testament set ouer against them ¶ A Table conteyning the figures of the old law and things in deede figured therby The Figure The things figured 1. AARON with his priesthood in Leuiticus 1. CHrist and his euerlasting priesthood in the whole epistle to the Hebrues 2. Aaron the hie Priest in the law 2. Christ a high priest in the whole epistle to the Hebrues 3. Aarō teacheth the law giuē by Moses which accuseth vs and worketh wrath Iohn 5. Rom. 4. 3. Christ teacheth the Gospell which excuseth and defendeth al true Christians giueth thē mere grace Ioh. 1. Grace truth by Christ 4. Aarons doctrine was the letter writtē with the finger of God in tables of stone 4. Christes doctrine is spirite and lyfe the christian faith written in the fleshly tables of the harte by the holy ghost Iohn 6. Iere. 31. 2. Cor. 3. 5. Aaron praieth for the people 5. Christ is our Mediator aduocat praieth for vs Ro. 8.1 Tim. 2. 6. Aaron beareth the sinnes of the people the 3. booke of Moses 6. Christ is the true lamb of God which beareth the sinnes of the world and paieth the raunsome for them Ioh. 1. 7. Aarō offred vp beasts and bloud of beastes for the sinnes of the people 7. Christ offred vp him selfe for the sinnes of the world and shed his owne bloud for them Ebr. 9. There be fiue kind of sacrifices in the law All kindes of sacrifices were fulfilled in Christ 1. The Holocaustum was consumed with fire Leui. 1. 1. Christ is our true burnt offering burning in the feruēt fire of loue towardes vs and geueth himselfe wholy for vs that he may thereby deliuer man holily 2. The offering vp of sacrifice in Leuit. 2. 2. Isichius vnderstādeth by the offering of the sacrifice the manhood of Christ Ierome also vnderstandeth Christ who is the bread of life Ioh. 6. 3. The peace offering Leuit. 3. 3. Christ is our true peace offring Rom. 5. 2. Cor. 5. by the death of the sonne we are reconciled to god Col. 1. he hath set at peace by the bloud of his crosse all thinges c. 4. The offring for sinnes Leu. 1. 4. Christ is our true offering for sinnes committed and duety omitted 2. Cor. 5. Ro. 8. 5 The offring for transgression Leui. 6.7 5. For our sinnes he laid downe his lyfe the Lord layed vpon him the iniquity of vs all Esay 53. Figures The truth and the thing figured 1. The bloud of beastes was shed in the law to purifie sinnes Heb. 9. Leui. 9. 1. Onely the bloud of Christ Iesu the sonne of god which he shed on the crosse doth purge vs from all our sinne 1. Ioh. 1. Heb. 9 2. The high priest once and no more euery yere entred alone into the holy of holiest or into the second tabernacle Leui. 16. Exod 30. by the bloud of beasts with which yet notwithstanding he could not eyther iustifie or purifie any man. 2. But Christ an high priest of good thinges to come once entred not into a tabernacle made with handes but euē into the very heauens into the presence of God by his owne bloud wherby he reconciled vs purified vs and obtayned for vs euerlasting lyfe Heb. 9. 3. Aarons sacrifices of necessitie ought to be most pure cleane and perfect without eyther blot or spot 3. Christ of al the sonnes of men had neyther spot blotte nor blemish beyng conceyued of the holy gost and borne of the pure virgin Mary Esay 53. These sacrifices shedings of the bloud of beastes in the lawe signified the precious and incomparable death of Messias because he in the nature shape and state of man would once be slayne and offered vp to wash away our sinnes Here must we first well diligently obserue that the sacrifices of the law with the bloud therof cannot in deede purge or take away any sinne neither reconcile any man to god They were onely figures ordeyned and instituted of God that they might represent vnto vs that only and true sacrifice and reconciliatiō of the new testament that is to say Christ on his crosse by whose only sacrifice sinne was truly and verily purged clensed and washed away certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is redemptiō is obtained Secondly that if only by the death of Christ sinn be truly purged and washed away then by it alone shal death be vanquished and extinguished in as much as death is the rewarde of sinne and where no sinne is there death can haue no power Thirdly this also doth follow by a firme and inuincible consequence that Christian beleuers who haue part of this sacrifice are truly deliuered from their sinnes and shal by it also though in body they dye yet be restored againe to lyfe All the priestes of the law died successiuely neither could they deliuer themselues nor others from sinne and death but Christ hath no successor because he is alway one and bides for euer a priest of the euerlasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 priesthood by which he both can and will saue vs for euer and by which he purchaseth for vs euerlasting redemption Heb. 7. and 9. Wherfore all which are his that is which beleue in him shal be fellow heyres with him of euerlasting lyfe He is not God of the dead but of the liuing And therefore they also must needes by Christ rise againe frō death but if we should rise again frō death enioy euerlasting life it was needefull that he should first rise again frō death and be the Lord of life as Esay sayth When he shall make his soule an offring for sinne he shall see his seede shall prolong his dayes Here the Prophet teacheth that Christ after he had finished his sacrifice on the crosse should liue and raigne with his church for euer and neuer die as other priestes kinges and lordes did Must not a godly hart of necessity here conceyue much ioy when he seeth and considereth how plainely how clerely and how directly vnder the shadowe of these figures both the death and the resurrection of Christ and all faythfull christians are signified and set forth and also when we see
most happy peace saying How beautifull vppon the mountaines are the feete of him that declareth and publisheth peace that declareth good tidinges and publisheth saluation saying vnto Sion thy God raigneth The Apostles declare the true peace they tell vnto vs out of the Gospell most ioyfull and good tidings to wit that God will be no more angry with vs but will be our mercifull father through his sonne Christ who hath pacified and mitigated his wrath and brought vs peace as Paul sayth It pleased the father by his sonne Christ to reconcile all things to himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his crosse both the things in earth the things in heauen This comfort doth God in his gospell giue vs by the apostles and ministers of his church And of this peace the scripture in sundry places maketh mencion as in Esay where it is sayd The encrease of his gouernment and peace shall haue no ende And Christ in Iohn saith vnto his disciples Peace I leaue with you my peace I geue vnto you And because they should not dreame of a carnall peace he by and by addeth Not such peace as the world giueth giue I vnto you In the world you shall haue affliction but be of good comfort I haue ouercome the world It followeth and his dominion shall be from sea to sea Here he describeth how farre the bondes of Christes kingdom should reach what limits it should haue and how great it should be to wit he shall not only be lord and king of the Iewes but also of the Gētiles so of the whole world according to the Psalme The earth is the lordes and all that therein is the rounde world and they that dwel therin And Abdias witnesseth that Christes kingdom extendeth it selfe ouer all that dwell vpon the earth according to the exposition of Thargum which sayth from the waters vnto the ende of the earth In which text by waters we vnderstand Iordan which is a worthy and famous riuer in Canaan It followeth Thou also by the bloud of thy couenant hast deliuered the prisoners out of the pitte wherein is no water The prophet in the former wordes said that the kingdom of Christ should be spirituall vile poore miserable and of no beauty in the eyes of the world and yet for all that the king of this kingdom should iustifie saue his people And his helpe should be so great and auailable that both the Iewes and Gentiles in all the world should feele the sweetnes of his grace and that this king should make them be at peace one with an other nay which is more he saith that for this kings sake they should haue peace with god These be excellent things and such as passe all other But now seyng the kingdom of Christ is spirituall and doth not stand on worldly power vaine glory or any other earthly thing Perhaps some may thinke and aske how by what meanes and way then did he meane to worke such wonderfull things The Prophet answereth this obiectiō saying It shal be wrought by bloud Our redemption shal cost this king much for he shal be constrayned for payment thereof to shed that which is most precious and best beloued vnto him euē his most holy precious bloud by which only he deliuereth cleanseth vs from all our sinnes and so redemed vs. And where he sayth thou hast deliuered thy prisoners by bloud c. He doth allude and hath respect to Moses who after the same sort in the olde testament sacrificed with blood and by the bloud of the old testament brought Israel out of Egypt And it is as much as if he should say thou bringest thy people out of bondage euen as Moses brought the people of Israel which was a figure of the church out of Egypt But thou doest it more mightily royally and maruelously then Moses did For that bloud in the old testament was nothyng but a figure of thy bloud But thou madest a new testament and thou diddest make and confirme a newe graunt of grace not by the bloud of beasts but euen by thine owne blood by which thou didst not deliuer a few or certaine number of men as Moses did but an innumerable people to wit all that beleue in Christ through out the whole world and thou bringest them out of that most darke and dangerous Egypt the tiranny of Sathan and euerlasting damnation which in deed is a place without water that is in which is no recreation no refreshing no comfort no rest For when the sinner beyng in the bondes and chaynes of sinne vnder the law is in state of damnation then feeleth he nothing but feare terror trembling dread horror anxiety abashment of hart desperation and death it selfe gnawing vpon him Neither findeth he any helpe counsell comfort or remedy either in the world or worldly creatures vnlesse he be sprinckled with the bloud of this new testament that is vnlesse he beleue that Christ as the Gospell teacheth hath shed his bloud to pacify Gods anger for his sinnes and wash them away This if the sinner beleue then is he thorow that fayth by which he beleueth that Christ shed his bloud for his sinnes deliuered out of that lake to wit his conscience and he hath comfort and reioyceth in the lord This prophesie doth also plainely tell vs that Christ our king should suffer death because he could by no other meanes but through his bloud deliuer iustifie bring his captiue people into euerlasting lyfe But he could not haue deliuered his seruantes from death if he had continued still in death And therefore it was needfull that he should rise agayne from death and vāquish and ouercome death This knew not these two disciples going to Emaus and therfore they were as you heare offended at Christes death and they supposed that all their hope which they had conceiued of Christ for the deliuerance of Israel had bene quite frustrate Now then you see in this prophesie that Christes conuersation at his former comming should not bee stately or lofty but lowly contemptible humble and modest For there was nothing to be seen in him but gentlenes towards poore sinners with much misery grieuous calamitie great stormes and heauy burdens of persecutions afflictions tribulations yea at the last death it self all which he suffred for our sakes But you shall heare of this Christ more out of the same prophet who sayth u. And the Lord shewed me Iehoschua the high priest standing before the Angell of the Lord Sathan stood at his right hand to resist him and the Lord said vnto Sathan the Lord reproue thee O Sathan Now Iesus or Iehoschua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the Angell and he answered and spake vnto those that stood before him saying take away the filthy garmēts from him In this prophesie the high priest in the law who was
slepe in Iesus will God bring with him And to Tim. he sayth Christ came into this worlde to saue sinners And againe There is one God and one mediator betwene GOD and man which is the man Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for a ransome for all men And againe God saued vs and called vs with an holy callyng not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs through Christ Iesus before the world was but is now made manifest by the appearing of our sauiour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality vnto lyght through the gospel And to Titus he saith For the grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that we should deny vngodlinesse worldly lustes that we should liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present world loking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God of our sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue himselfe for vs that he might redeme vs from all iniquity and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zelous of good works And to the Hebr. he sayeth Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and bloud he also himself likewise tooke part with thē that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuil and that he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life tyme subiect to bondage For he in no sort tooke the angels but he tooke the seed of Abraham Wherfore in all things it became him to be made like vnto his brethren that he might be mercifull and a faythfull high priest in things concerning God that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted he is able to succour all them that be tempted In the same place the Apostle sayth that Christ by the grace of God tasted of death for all men Read the whole epistle to the Hebr. but especially the 5. 7. 8. 9. 10. chap. concerning Christes priesthood and sacrifice for it is in deede a most worthy and precious treasure Peter sayth Blessed be God euen the father of our lord Iesus Christ which according to his aboundaunt mercy hath begotten vs agayne vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead And it followeth You are not redemed with corruptible things as with siluer and gold from your vayne conuersation receiued by the traditions of the fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lambe vndefiled and without spot which was lord before the foundation of the world but was declared in the last tymes for your sakes which by his meanes doe beleue in God that raysed him from the dead and gaue him glory that your faith hope might be in God. And agayne Christ himselfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse Christ also hath once suffred for sins the iust for the vniust that he might bring vs to god And Ioh. saith The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God clenseth vs from all sinne And againe We haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconciliatiō for our sinnes ▪ and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world It followeth Your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake And againe For this purpose appeared the sonne of God that he might loose the workes of the deuill And again In this appeared the loue of God toward vs because God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that we might liue through him Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a recōciliation for our sinnes To be briefe this is the pithe of all the Apostles preaching And this is the summe of their doctrine that we obtaine forgiuenesse of all our sinnes and euerlasting lyfe by none other but only by Iesus Christ and by no other worke but by his most precious death and victorious resurrection Therfore Peter with great boldnes instructing the Iewes concerning Christ comprehendeth all the whole matter briefly in few wordes in the 4. chap. of the Acts where he sayth You haue crucified Christ whom God raysed frō the dead This is the stone which was cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other For among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued And Paul to the Cor. saith Christ died for our sinnes according to the scripture and was buried and rose agayne the third day according to the scriptures And if Christ be not raised agayne then is our preaching vayne and your fayth vayne Ye are yet in your sinnes and so they which are a sleepe in Christ are perished If in this life onely we haue hope in Christ we are of all men the most miserable But now is Christ risen from the dead and was made the first fruits of them that slept For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all be made alyue S. Augustine hath a learned and worthy saying namely that one resurrection of Iesus Christ saith he hath giuen vs two resurrections to wit one spiritual from our sinnes and the other corporal For when as Christ rayseth vs vp from the spirituall death of sinne by his holy Gospell and lighteneth our hartes with the knowledge of Gods grace and our sinnes When he pardoneth our sinnes and whē he giueth vs the holy ghost then do we rise from our wickednesse and are counted righteous in the sight of god This resurrection is here in earth by fayth in Christ which we receyue whē we heare his word in the holy gospell As Christ sayth in Iohn Verily verily I say vnto you the houre shal come and now is when the deade shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and they that heare shal liue Which words are spoken of the rising from our sinnes as S. Augustine expoundeth them The other resurrection which Christ hath deserued wrought or obtayned for vs by his resurrection is that resurrection of the body which shal be in the last day Of which Iohn sayth thus The houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voyce And they shall come forth that haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation And Paul saith to the Thes If we beleue that Iesus is dead is risen euen so them which slepe in Iesus will God bring with hym For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord that we which
moueth sedition bloudshed warre strife brauling grudging debate hatred He neuer slepeth he is alwayes watching he daily traueleth laboureth very sedulously and all to this ende that he may hurt man bryng him into some misery destructiō of body soul name goods He stirreth vp most cruel persecutiōs sharp stormes and poisonfull hatred against the godly To be short what euil calamity wickednes abhominations diuelishnes is done in al the earth he is the causer therof and to speake at a word he hindereth as much as in him lieth the gospel kingdom of Christ and laboreth both day night with all his might with hand and foote with tooth nayle that the territories therof be not augmēted enlarged But al his force studies and practises shall be frustrate For we haue on our side with vs the angels the good spirits of god which repugn and resist Satan Yea we haue Christ himself with vs who is a fiery brasen wall about al that faithful that the euil spirits do thē no harme nor iniury but that they may be in safety and with out danger Satan is an horrible enemy in deede so forceable that vnles god by his holy angels hindered and destroied his deuises withstood and resisted his assaults there should be no family in the whole world in which he should not euery day cause worke wickednes slaughter calamity tumultes sorrow debates mourning all kind of mischief nay rather he would disturbe destroy dissolue ouerthrow and make a confusion hauocke of the whole world he is an euerlasting irreconcilible bloudy deadly sworn enemy to al the godly And he maketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bellum continual war without any truce vpon the godly euen to the last day And therfore we must both morning euening euery day giue thanks to God because that of his fatherly mercy towards vs he doth so wondrously so mightily and so gloriously defend and kepe vs from so cruell horrible mischieuous mighty and noisome enemies ¶ Anna. We ought so to do in dede And I wil do it with all my hart with all diligence as my duty is For we are bound to be thankfull to our good father God almighty because he hath in such great dangers so carefully prouided for vs preserued vs from all enemies and euils For we haue often seene how these wicked sprites lay wait for vs and seke by al meanes to endamage vndo and destroy vs But God hath opēly frustrated all their assaults And now I pray you recite expound the prophesies of the mystery of our fayth to wit of the death resurrection and kingdome of Christ which we haue now in hand ☞ Vrb. I wil first begin to recite the testimonies of the Psalmes as I haue done before For of al the prophets Dauid is the floure for he prophesieth much plainly euidently of Christ who should be born of his familie or tribe according to his humanity of all his workes mysteries You haue heard before how the kingdom of Christ was described in the 2. Psal. where God the father did not onely constitute his sonne king ouer the Iewes but also gaue him the Gentils of the whole world for his inheritance Wherupon it followeth that Christ should not abide in death although he died as true mā of the seed of Dauid For it was requisite that accordyng to the decree and statute of God the father he should be king ouer the whole world Which thing could not haue bene in any corporall worldly maner as the Iewes dreamed that Messias should rule haue in this world a great corporall kingdom And therfore it was necessary that the state and condicion of Christes kingdome should be altogether of another sort then the kingdomes of this brickle frail life are Christs kingdom was to be euerlasting he which is in that kingdō shal for euer haue euerlasting righteousnes peace safety life felicity eternal saluation And therfore he endeth the psal with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conclusiue exclamation Blessed are all they which trust in the lord But he speaketh not of a tēporal blessing here in this world For the king himself and his chief nobles his welbeloued prophets and apostles had no great plenty here of worldly welth and pleasure of this life but were miserably afflicted and always subiect to many grieuous perils calamities In the 3. Psal. Dauid saith I take my rest and sleepe I rise agayne for the lord sustaineth me The old church a thousand yeres ago vnderstood this prophesie of the true death and resurrection of Christ as appeareth by Arnobius And againe Dauid saith O giue saluatiō vnto Israel out of Sion when the lord turneth the captiuitie of his people then Iacob shal reioyce and Israel shal be glad Here Dauid in sprite desireth and godly and feruently prayeth Messias who onely is called in the holy scriptures the true sauiour and redeemer seeing both the Iewes and Gentiles by him are deliuered from all euils and perils that they may through him and in him enioy euerlasting blessednes S. Augustine also taketh these wordes to bee ment of Christ And take this wife for an infallible rule for you in the scripture that in so much as there is but one onely deliuerer giuen of God vnto men by whom they may be iustified and saued that Christ is truely properly certainly ment signified and vnderstood in all those and such places where there is mention made eyther of saluation sauiour redeemer or deliuerer whether it be spoken in figures or playne and manifest wordes For seyng Israel and Iacob that is the catholike church beyng congregated of the Iewes Gentils should be glad reioyce in Christ they must liue in peace and security That cannot be vnles such troubles be taken away the conscience be comforted death abolished These words therfore importe and plainly shew that our redemer out of Sion or as it is in Thargum our redemption saluation which is Christ himself shal take away destroy all those things that trouble afflict that godly to wit an euil conscience tribulation sinne persecution and all kind of vexation death it self c. For of necessity he must lead captiuity captiue that is he must ouercome Satan who hath vs in captiuity and he must deliuer vs from his tiranny Christ in the Psalmes sayth My flesh also doth rest in hope For thou wilt not leaue my soule in hel or in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruptō Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnes of ioy at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore We can haue no surer nor better expounders of the prophets then the Apostles and Euangelistes And Peter and Paul haue expounded this prophesie to be ment of Christ saying that he should
deadly sicknes of sinne and ouercome the power of darknes thorough the might and power of this signe Christ crucified But it is especially to be marked that the prophet saith All nations shal seke vnto him The 70. translaters haue interpreted these wordes thus Which shall rise again to be the king of the Gentiles that is of all people in the earth in him shal the Gentils trust Like as the patriarke Iacob said according to the exposition of the 70. translaters in these wordes Siloh shall be the hope or expectation of the Gentils Here haue we a plaine euident testimony of the calling of the Gentiles to the grace of the gospell For they shal enquire after Christ or seeke him as their only sauiour put all their hope trust in him What els is this but that they shall acknowledge Christ to bee true GOD and true man of the stocke of Dauid For hope in the first commaundement is the honour due onely and soly vnto the true and liuing god And thus the kingdome of Christ according to this prophesy shall be as wide and large as the whole worlde so that the Iewes shall bee the least and smallest parte of Christes kingdome And euen all the Iewes vnderstande this chapter of Messias who should recouer and restore the kingdome of Israel And where as the Prophet sayth His rest shall be glorious that is his death and buriall shall be glorious for his body is neither corrupt nor rotten He died an innocent whose death brought all vs the childrē of Adam out of eternall death and shame into euerlasting honour and glory For Christ by this his most holy and sacred death entred into his glorious and euerlasting kingdome and so after his death began his raigne in lyfe And when as the Iewes supposed that hee was dead in deede and quite extinguished al those things which he had promised and spoken to be vaine and of none effect as Cleophas also and his companions supposed then beeing risen from death to life came forth and ouercame and quite destroyed and killed death and became glorious and was made kyng both of the Iewes and Gentiles and raigneth for euer throwyng downe his enemies with euerlastyng shame First therfore in these wordes is contained the deth of Christ for the prophet sayth his rest And afterward is noted his glorious victorious resurrection For the prophet saith that his rest shal be glorious but his rest or death could not haue bene glory or glorious or honorable if he had abiden still in death wrought done nothing by it In Exodus it is written that the lord stretched out his hande and by his great miracles declared his power that he might deliuer his captiue afflicted and oppressed people out of Egypt and bring them vnto the promised land of Canaan And here the Prophet doth agayne promise such a deliueraunce but a much more glorious and meruailous deliueraunce then that was when hee drowned Pharao with all his hoste in the red sea and brought his people out of all danger into the land of promise without hurt and harme The deliuerance out of Egypt was but onely a figure of this deliueraunce of which the prophet speaketh here For God wil deliuer the remnant of the Iewes and Gentiles out of the eternall captiuity of Satan by Iesus Christ and gather them all together into the kingdom of heauen where they shall neuer suffer eyther damage detriment or losse And he calleth all nations throughout all the whole worlde For saluation hath extended it selfe to all the world that the dispersed and wandring children of god might be gathered together out of all quarters of the earth as Christ himselfe saith in Iohn And I if I were lift vp from the earth will draw all men vnto me And agayne Christ should dye for the nations not for the nations onely but that he should gather together in one the children of God which were scattred abroade The prophet Esay singeth a notable Psalme of this great and inexplicable benefite of the true and spirituall redemption in Christ wherby we be deliuered from euerlasting damnation And in that Psalme he meruailously setteth forth the goodnes of god in Christ saying Behold God is my saluation I will trust and wil not feare for the lord God is my strength and song he also is become my saluation If Cleophas and his companion had known him to be the sauiour and deliuerer of Israel as well as Esay did they had neuer bene in harte so heauy as they were It followeth in the prophet Esay Therefore with ioye shall ye drawe waters out of the welles of saluation And yee shall say in that daye prayse the Lorde call vppon his name declare his workes among the people make mention of them For hys name is exalted Syng vnto the Lorde for he hath done excellent thinges This is known in all the world Cry out and shoute O inhabitant of Sion for great is the holy one of Israel in the midst of thee Note here how greatly and aboundantly the prophet reioiceth in spirit or the bountiful grace of god offred in Christ our only sauiour and deliuerer When the gospel of God is taught vnto vs then is the holy ghost with all his graces giuen vnto vs to wit remission of sinnes peace of conscience true ioy He is the true fountain spring of the liuing water of which Christ speaketh in Iohn saying The water that I shall giue him shall be in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life And againe Christ sayth If any mā thirst let him come to me drinke he that beleueth in me as saith the scripture out of his belly shal flow riuers of water of life He spake this of the spirit which they that beleue in him should receiue For he obtained this holy ghost by his deth for vs and he mightily shewed forth to vs how that by his death the victory of his resurrection he ouercame sinne death and Satan The true Sion that is the catholike church of the faithfull doth in dede and not without good occasion reioice shout for ioy yea she may well and worthily glory For she hath gotten forgiuenes of sinnes righteousnes the holy ghost peace of conscience and euerlasting saluation For Paul sayth to the Corinthiās That God hath giuen vs a glorious victory triumph ouer the law sin death hel through our lord Iesus Christ Esay prophesieth in like maner in his 25. chapter of the victory of Christ saying God Messias will destroy death for euer and the Lord God will wipe away the teares from all faces and the rebuke of his people wil he take away out of all the earth For the lord hath spoken it Now then if Christ hath swallowed vp death then are we surely deliuered from it For death neither hath nor euer had power ouer Christ because he was
precious bloude of Christ Although many hurtfull beastes inuirone it and goe about by craft to burst into it and vtterly to destroy it yet shall it growe and be fruitfull because the lord him selfe keepeth it and is a watchman and keper thereof which keepeth it with all care and diligence And the new testament in Mathew speaketh of the church after the same sort Although this vineyard abide great tempests violent assaults and grieuous stormes yet is it not torne in pieces broken downe lesned or cutte shorter and made straighter but euery day becommeth more flourishing greater and greener For the church encreaseth and is dilated and spred into the foure quarters of the whole world The Apostles which were to spring of the seede of Iacob and Israel according to the flesh propagated and spread the Gospell abroade through all the world And the Lord by their planting and wateryng gaue such encrease that throughout the whole world there sprong vp of the Gentils spirituall Iacobites and Israelites which haue the fayth of their heauenly father Iacob and by their lyfe professe and witnes that they are endued with the fayth of the Patriarkes and are their children by fayth And thus the true Iacob or Israel that is the true church spreadeth it selfe through the whole world which before was onely in Iudea For many shall come from the East and West and shall sitte downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen And it was conuenient that the trumpe of the gospel should at the same tyme of grace be blown through the whole worlde that the grace of Christ myght appeare and be opened and offered to all men And that both the Iewes and Gentiles might be gathered out of the whole earth into one church and worship the lord Iesus Christ in hys holy hyll Ierusalem to wit the catholike church which is the hill of the Lord and the heauenly Ierusalem For the earthly Ierusalem hath now hys ende and lyeth wasted and destroyed and was but onely a type of the heauenly Ierusalem And now that the truth it selfe and the thyng figured is come and is present there needeth not any more figures In vayne therfore and frustrate is the expectation and hope of the Iewes which vnderstande these prophesies of the earthly Ierusalem which shal neuer be restored to his former state and dignity as Daniel prophesieth in his 9. chapter ¶ Anna. If this vineyard or catholike church that is christian religion should flourish thorough the whole world If also the Gentils should worship Christ and if they should become true Israelites and by the helpe and ayde of Christ flourish and waxe greene then surely was it conuenient that Christ should rise from the dead to plant and kepe the great and ample vineyarde and so saue and deliuer not only Israel according to the flesh but euen vs Gentiles which be the spirituall Israelites But these two disciples considered not this ☞ Vrb. If these prophesies be well and diligently waied and considered we may plainely see and gather out of euery one of them the resurrection of Christ true christians This is the true deliueraunce of Israel not only from the king of Assiria or Babilon but from that great and horrible tirant of hel Satan and euerlasting death Esay prophesieth in other places also of that gracious tyme of the new testament wherin Christ came and the holy ghost was sent into the Apostles by whō the chiefe and true quietnes and peace of consciēce was giuen in the kingdom of Christ And thus he prophesieth in the 32. The pallace shal be forsaken c. vntill the spirit be powred vpon vs from aboue and the wildernesse become a fruitfull field and the plenteous field bee counted as a forest And iudgement shall dwel in the desert iustice shal remaine in the fruitful fields And the worke of iustice shall be peace euen the worke of iustice and quietnes and assuraunce for euer And my people shall dwell in the tabernacle of peace and in sure dwellings and in safe resting places Esay had tolde the Iewes that both their city and kingdome should bee destroyed as it came to passe afterwarde by the Chaldes And so it ought to bee before the commyng of Messias who should ende all calamities and before the holy spirit of Christ should be poured vpon thē from heauen which was fulfilled in Ierusalem on Whitsonday whē Christ sent his spirit visibly vnto his Apostles Then at the last was the true Ierusalem builded by the Apostles on Christ the head corner stone Then the desert that is the remnant of the Iewes and Gentiles shall be as a field well tilled and they shall bring forth aboundance of fruite in the fayth of Christ And the fielde which before flourished to wit the Sinagoge shall be made a forrest and wildernes Then shall true righteousnes dwell in this kingdome of Christ to wit fayth in Christ which bringeth forth most pleasaunt and delectable fruites namely peace euen true peace in the lord peace of conscience with true and euerlasting security He calleth the church of Christ also the habitation of peace the tabernacle of trust or most sure habitation because we can fynde peace and safety from the tiranny of the wicked spirite from sinne and from death in no other place but onely in the churche of Christ For he which kepeth and defendeth the church is the Lord of hostes himselfe which hath ouercome Sathan and established Sion that is the churche on a strong and sure foundation and in all places strongly defendeth it from all euils that hang ouer it He onely deserued and made our reconciliation The church is his heauenly body the church is his temple the church is his kyngdome wherein he dwelleth And therefore there can bee no true peace at all any where but onely in the church in which we haue true peace with GOD thorough our mediator and reconciler Iesus Christ Without this dwelling place of God is very whote indignation wrath and wretchednesse For in hym which beleeueth not in Christ dwelleth the wrath of God therefore he must needes perish But the true peace and securitie which we haue here but in fayth by the holy ghost the earnest peny of our inheritaunce shall then in deede at the last in the lyfe to come haue his beginnyng when our last enemy death shal be vtterly abolished There is also in the 35. of Esay a comfortable prophesie of Christ and of the kingdome of hys church of the doctrine of his Gospell of the miracles and signes of Christ and of our true deliuerance through Christ and of the eternall ioy of faythfull Christians The wordes are these The deserte and the wildernesse shall reioyce and the waste grounde shall bee glad and flourish as the rose it shall flourish aboundantly and shall greatly reioyce also and ioy The glory of Libanus shall be geuen vnto it the beauty of
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
conscience and acknowledge God our Father by Iesus Christ the mediator of the new testament And therefore did they so earnestly looke for him as Christ sayth Abraham in spirite saw this day of the new testament in which Christ should by the Gospel and the holy ghost be manifested and declared vnto the world and he was glad The ould testament was a preparatiue of the new testamēt into Christ in which the outward letter doth not onely sownd into the eares but the spirit also doth inwardly quicken illuminate the hart but these thinges were hid and few did knowe it But in the the new testament these are plaine and manifest whereupon Paule calleth the Corrinthians his Epistle written not with ink but by the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but euen in the fleshly tables of the hart The Iewes receaued the law from God who promised them temporall goodes and blessinges and they on the other side againe promised vnto the Lord that they would keepe it but they performed not their promise neither fulfilled they those thinges which the Lord in his law required at their hāds For they assayd indeuored to keepe it of them selues without the help of Messias but it was vnpossible And then the Lorde made a better testament or a new couenaunt with his people which dependeth not of our workes or worthines which are vncertaine wauering weake vncōstant and vnstable but euen of his owne promise of Christ which is most sure and vnfaileable and without our desert This couenaunt was a couenant of grace a sure couenaunt a continuall and firme couenaunt for it is grounded on Gods mercye in our Messias For the truth and mercy of God abideth for euer and the giftes and calling of God are without repentaunce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore first he sendeth Moyses to teach them the law and to shew the world their sinnes and the curse dew for their sinnes that so he might make them come and cōfesse their faultes and humble them selues before god aske his pardon The Lord had promised from the beginning his grace and blessing in Messias the seede of Abraham and Dauid This promise is the gospell or new testament instituted confirmed at the fulnes of tyme by the bloud of Iesus Christ and therfore was it needefull that Christ should come vnto whome the law sendeth and turneth all men that they may haue grace and truth graunted by Iesus Christ ¶ Anna. Cleophas and his companion vnderstoode not this For if they had they would neuer haue been so heauy but haue thought this with them selues The time is now come wherin our Iudaisme with our ceremonies shall haue an end and Iesus of Nazareth by his wonders hath declared him self to be the true Messias Surely Ieremy prophesyeth that the old Testament when the fulnes of time should come should be abrogated and the new couenant of grace should take place And this must be confirmed by bloud but not by the bloud of sheep and calues but by the death of Messias as Esay and Danyel witnes And this couenant which God made with the people of God shall contynue for euer This is that true delyuerance of Israell And now at the last shall the kingdome of Israell in deed be rightly restored erected establisted for euer God wil not recant this and therfore must it needes be done because God hath spokē it And as he hath not hetherto altered the course of the day and night euen so wil he not change this his promise To be short the hope of Israell shall not be frustered but as we trust so according to the promise of God shall it come to pas For God cānot lye neither did he make this promise vpon any such condition that our saluation shold consist vpon our works and therfore it is sound perfect and sure And therefore must Israell and Iuda needes be saued and Christ aryse again from the dead that he might preach and publish the new couenant ☞ Vrb. You say wel And seeing that the circumcision and other rites were to be abrogated they might easely haue coniectured that the kingdome of Israell could no more stand or tary then the externall priesthoode with his outward and figuratiue ceremonies Wherupon it may wel follow that the Gentiles also should haue accesse vnto Messias be receaued into his spirituall kingdome For seeing the externall circumcisiō with the priesthood sacrifices and genealogies which were drawen from Abraham did cease and were no more esteemed and neither ought nor could doe any thing to the iustifying of sinners but the harts were to be circumcised and the law of God by the holy Ghost to be written in mennes minds what differences I pray you is there now between the iustification of the Iewes and Gentils Anna. None in deed at all but as Peter saith God ordayned from the beginninning that the gospel shold be preached euen to the gentils and that they should become as faithfull christians as Abraham Isaac Iacob and the Patriarches Apostles were For God promysed that he would receaue them into his kingdome for he bestowed on them the holy Ghost as wel as on the Iewes Neither did he after make any difference betwen the Iewes and Gentils The stop of the partision wal is broken down and the Lord hath clensed the harts of the gentils through faith so that now Christians or the church of the faithful are onely the people of God without any further differēce and they are as Christ saith faithful only saued Neither can any man be saued any other way but only by the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ ☞ Vrb. This is the foundation of our faith And wheras Ieremy promysed afterward that al from the least vnto the greatest should know the Lord in his new testament you must vnderstand it of all the Isralites which are the children of promise For to them the Lord geueth the catholick faith and the holy spirite by his gospel and he draweth them that they may come vnto Christ and that his spirite may teach them and they know the voice of their shepheard and follow not any strange teacher Now harken how Ezechiel prophesieth of the time of the office and of the kingdome of Messias in his 11. chapter where he hath these words Thus saith the lord God I wil gather you again from the people and assemble you out of the countreis where you haue been scattered and I wil geue you the land of Israel and they shall come thether and they shall take away all the Idols thereof and all the abhominations therof from thence And I wil geue them one hart and wil put a new spirite within their bowels and I wil take the stony hart out of their bodies and wil geue them a hart of flesh that they may walke in my statutes and keep my iudgements and execute them and they shall be my people and I wil
wrought by corporall and earthly armour as bowes swords and such like but euen by the Lord their god What other thing is this but that God would after another way and meane bles and help Iuda that is Dauids kingdome and all other Israelites and confessors of God then worldly princes vse to helpe their subiects The Lord will haue mercy on them That is wil pardon them iustify them and saue them and so bring and delyuer them out of Sathans kingdome of which the Psalmist speaketh thus The Lord wil redeem Israell from all his iniquities This is the sole hope and redemption of Israel from his iniquity and consequently from all his euils which cursed sin had brought vpon man and all mankind that is from that horryble death and captiuity wherein the faithles reuolting murdering and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frauduler spirit did holde vs as Paul briefly expoūdeth this prophecye to the Eph. saying we haue in Iesus Christ the sonne of God redēption through his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sinnes according to his rich grace And although we vnderstand that temporall help by which God delyuered Iuda from Senachari◠and brought the Iewes from Babylon to Ierusalem yet was that temporal deliuerance angore of the true and euerlasting saluation by which Christ hath delyuered all true Iewes that is his elect from sinne death and the tyranny of hel by his crosse without all externall force But now see how the lord wil at the last forsake and abolish Iudaisme all their earthly and figuratiue priesthood The priests wife brought out a sonne whō the Lord called Loam that is not my people and he addeth the cause Because sayd he you are not my children neither will I be your God Hereby might the Iewes haue seen that there was a notable change to come And they ought thus seriously to haue reasoned the matter with them selues How shall we I pray you vnderstand the word of God He promiseth vnto Israel and Iuda great and infinite treasures in all the prophets he sayth he will be their king and they shall be his people and that he wil haue mercy on them and geue them on euerlasting kingdome and he made an eternall couenant of grace with them How then agree these thinges with this prophecye wherin it is prophesyed that Israel shall be captiue God wil forget them and neuer after haue compassion vpon them Are we the true Israelites or no truely it is like and must nedes be ment of vs And in the 6. chapter the Lord sayth For I desired mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge in God more then burnt offerings By these words of Hose they might easely haue vnderstood that the foundation of true religion consisted not of ceremonies but that God requyred faith that worketh by loue and is ready to doe good for which Abraham Isaac and Iacob were cōmended and called the seruants of God rather then for their corporall circumsition Here might the Iewes haue seene what was the matter and cause that the Lord denyed them to be his people Anna. I would heare the cause and see this question answered For I doubt not but as all thinges are come vpon the vnbeleeuing Iewes which God thretned so all things shall be performed which he promysed I pray you confer these places and reconcile them ☞ Vrb. God sayth in deed in the psalmes that he wil not reiect or cast of his people and forsake his inherytance And Paul saith That God hath not cast away his people And the Psalmist sayth The Lord hath remembred his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israell Like as also Mary the blessed mother of Christ sayth in her psalme of thankesgeuing And Zacharye sayth that God will not forget his mercy which he promysed to his people Israell Know you therfore that God is true and constant in all his promyses and that he perfourmed vnto the Iewes all thinges which he promysed them But the maner of Gods promyses must be marked for they are of two sorts Some of them are temporal or corporall and are made vpon condition As when God promysed that the land of Canaan and the materiall temple should contynue and such like These promises pertain to Iudaisme and haue this condition annexed If the Iewes would keep the law of God as it was to be kept then that promise should be fulfilled but they kept not the law and yet notwithstanding being blindly bewitched they looked for the fulfilling of those promises The Lord in deed performed those promises rightly as they were to be performed But figures ought of right to geue place when the truth commeth God sent also his sonne the Messias vnto thē that he might be born a Iew of the Iewish family of Abraham Dauid And for this his sōnes sake he brought them out of the land of Egipt and gaue them the land of Cannan for their inheritance and he separated them from all the people of the world by an earthly kingdome by an outward priesthood by an holy worship and by a propper forme in religion to be a people vnto himself and he preserued and defended thē afterward by great wonderfull miracles yea he brought them out of the captiuity of Babilon To be breef he preserued their law religion temple citie and politicall gouernment by a singular care and marueilous zeale euen vntil the promised Messias the true and eternal king of Israel was come of them Wherby in deed they receiued a great glory and prerogatiue aboue all the world and many of them by Messias were deliuered from sinne death and damnation and so at the last were brought into that true Ierusalem and Syon And these are called in the prophet the remnant of his people the remnant of Iacob and Israell whom God amongst others had chosen to himselfe and predestinated to saluation in Christ of which sort there be many But if they be cōpared to the great number of the vnbeleeuers they are but a few There are other free promises of the meere grace and mercy of God without all mans desart and worthynes These doe appertayn to the new testament and consist in the merits and worthynes of Messias These haue a firme sound and vnshaken foundation to wit the great and wonderfull mercy of God and his fatherly goodnes and truth and they depend not of our worthynes at all Wherfore they are firme and certayn and cannot be called back agayn And they are promises of the spirituall and euerlasting treasures to wit of the victory by which sinne death and Sathan were extinguished of the forgeuenes of sinnes of the true and euerlasting righteousnes and of life and saluation in Christ These kind of promyses doe not only appertayn to Israelites Iudaisme and the Iewes according to the flesh but all respect set aside without difference not regarding whether they be Iewes or Gentils to the true Iewes Israelites according to the spirit
church to wit that she should reioyce in the Lord for hir deliueraunce because she is freed from Sathans assaultes from his tyranny from sin from death and from hell O happy Iudah O happy church O happy congregation of the faythfull which doest acknowledge confesse and beleue in thy god Thy Sanherib Sathan with all his host and members as the foolish worlde c who hath so hardly handled pinched and oppressed thee that thou couldest in no wise reioyce is now by Christ ouercome Be therfore of good cheare Thou shalt heare ioyfull tidinges to wit that thou shalt not be in danger neyther that any euill shall happen to thee The Lorde himselfe shall defend and deliuer thee and thou shalt haue true ioy and peace Wherefore yet againe keepe holy thy feastes and dayes of ioye celebrat thy passouer in vnleuened bread that is in truth and holynes be mery and reioyce alwayes in the lord For Beliall Sathan is conquered by the crosse of Christ Thou needest not therfore hereafter feare him he can not now hurt thee For he lyeth now prostrate in the dust that valiant conquerour Christ Iesus thy hed and husband hath entered into his pallace and ouercome him and taken his armour from him and hath triumphed ouer him and hath geuen his victory to thee Wherfore thou maist well and rightly celebrate these feastes of ioy in sacrifices of prayse and thankes geuing for these benifits geuen vnto thee by Christ Iesus This out of doubt is a most plentifull ioyful consolation that the gospel of our eternall deliuerance together with peace ioy and securitie by fayth in Christ shall remayne for euer in Iuda that is in the Church For Sathan is cōquered and ouercome that is all his power against the congregation of the faythfull is taken from him sin by that bloud of Christ is washed away death is destroyed and so all the accusations that this Bellial can lay agaynst vs For sin is clensed and taken awaye and therfore it followeth that we shall be iustified and saued in Christ Iesus for euer And this truly is a great and chiefe principall cause why we for such our deliuerance should celebrate our spirituall feastes of gladnes in prayse and thankes geuing to God our good father vncessantly for euer ¶ Anna. The prophets are briefe in their writings but they containe very waighty and worthy matters in few wordes let me heare now what Habacuk prophecieth ☞ Vrba Habacuk signifieth an imbraser who in imbrasing taketh one by the middle in his armes euen as a mother imbraseth and kisseth hir crying childrē For he cōforted the heauy wreatched people at the hart that they should not dispaire because of the captiuitie of Babilon as if God had quite forsaken his people and as if the promise of sending of Christ of the house of Dauid to be the true deliuerer had bene vtterly frustrat And he louingly imbraseth the people he sparing no paines that might make the Iewes stedfastly beleue that their cōfort Messias should come And he signifieth vnto them that though the Iewes for their sins were banished and Ierusalem destroyed yet all the promises of God in the prophets made concerning our Sauiour should neuer thelesse be fulfilled and that Babilonicall tirant punished These are his wordes in the 2. chapiter I will stand vpon my watch and set me vpon the tower and will looke and see what he will say vnto me and what I shall answere him that rebuketh me And the Lord aunswered me sayd write the visiō make it plaine vpō tables that he may run that readeth it For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the last it shall speake notly though it tary waite for it shall surely come and shall not stay Behold he that lifteth vp himselfe his minde is not vpright in him but the iust shall liue by his fayth Abacuk was commaunded to wright these wordes in a table and so set them vp in publick places as in the Church or market place that all men might reade thē and vnderstand them and that euery one passing by might esely spie and vnderstand it You shall vnderstand this prophecy thus The vision signifieth a prophecy the prophets are called seers because they see the misteries of the gospel concerning Christ a far of with their spirituall eyes This therfore is the sense of his wordes Wright this vision in a table that is wright vp the confirmation of all the prophets in christ that the faint harted Iewes when they begin to dispaire may see what they ought to ground in their hartes thinke with their selfe of the fulfilling of all these prophecies which haue ben foretold of Christ and his kingdome Let the wordes be written in the table to signifie thus though ye be now captiues your land destroyed yet all the prophecies which are spoken of Messias of his euerlasting kingdome and of your saluation wrought by Messias and what thing else soeuer the prophets haue written of Christ of his miracles and of his ministery are sure and must be fulfilled What the lord promiseth in word that he performeth in deed neither can any tirant or Sathā himselfe hinder it But that is fulfilled at the time in which the Lord apointed it should be fulfilled The prophet then sayth thus in effect Ye shall be wearied by the tediousnes of time and many heauy cogitations shall rise in your hartes so that ye shall almost dispayre of his comming being so long driuen of from day to day euen vnto the end of your captiuitie and yet must ye not therefore doubt of the word of God but patiently waight for the Lordes comming For what the Lord hath promised that is certaine and sure verely it is not lawfull to doubt of the Lordes wordes But if any man vpon contention will not beleue this prophecye of Christ he destroyeth his owne soule But gods promise shall be neuerthelesse fulfilled whether the contentious caitiue beleeue it or no. Marry he for his incredulitie shall haue no part therof fayth is all in all He which beleueth the promise enioyeth it he that doth thus honor god that he beleueth and iudgeth him to be a true sayer and a mercifull God him lykwise doth God honor and accoūteth and calleth him righteous and pardoneth his offences and maketh him partaker of all his goodnes in Christ Iesus For the righteous liueth by fayth that is if any man will liue and be righteous before God it is required of necessitie that he beleue the Lords promises Here you see the way to come to righteousnes and saluatiō to wit if you desire to be iustified and saued then must you beleue the gospel of Christ for by that must we receaue righteousnes life and saluatiō There is no other meane nor other way by which we can be iustified and saued S. Paule in his epistles to the Rom. Galla. and the Hebre alledgeth this notable and
therfore there are not eares in the stone but eyes onely are grauen therein They therfore which imbrace the gospell by the holy ghost that they may beleue in Christ and know the vnsearchable riches of his grace and bring others to the knowledge therof they are the 7. eyes The Apostles truely were sharpe and quicke eyes and also the godly which do yet to this day learne to know Christ Wherfore where Christ by the Gospell is not yet knowen there is black and thicke darknes and neuer one eye at all And the eyes are onely in the stone The faythfull Christians be onely they which see know all thinges as namely what God is what Christ is what the spirite is and what life righteousnes sin hel and Angels be and what the deuill the world the lyfe present and the lyfe to come be Of all which the wise of the world can not so well iudge as the blind man doth of colors And where he sayth that he will cut out the grauing of that stone that is meant of the passion of Christ because that by his crosse and passion he was as it were pollished grauen that he might be the corner stone of the church he was also formed and pollished to his glory euen as a stone is cut and pollished for the building as he himselfe also sayth vnto these 2. his disciples Was it not meete that Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory And Paule sayth That he by afflictions should confecrate the prince of their saluation The instrumentes for this ingrauing were they which martired Christ as the souldier which perced the holy side of Christ and other tormenters Iohn 19. And this stone with his afflictions is the foundation of this new and heauenly temple vpon whome all the other building doth safely stand All faythfull Christians are builded vpon this stone and haue all their righteousnes strength life by Christes passiō And he himselfe now plainely declareth what profit the grauing or pollishing of this stone or the passion of Christ bringeth vnto mankinde Saying I will take away the iniquitie of this land in one day As if he should say in the leuiticall priesthood were diuers sacrifices for sin but those sacrifices could not in deed take away any sin by their bloud they weare only figures betokening Messias to come he only alone both can must by his ingrauing death in one day that is to say on good friday offer vp such a sacrifice and make such a reconciliation for sin as may be sufficient for all the sins which haue ben committed from the beginning of the world and shall be vnto the end thereof Hereby also you may gather his resurrection For if he must be cut of that is put to death and so take away all sin and consequently abolish death it selfe it must needes that he must rise agayne and raise vs vp also at the last day And seeing that the truth it selfe that is Messias should not long after the captiuity of Babilon come to beutify and set vp a true omnisufficient priesthood and kingdome therfore that tipicall priesthood of the Iewes and the earthly kingdome had their end as sone as that true and perpetual kingdome of Christ came in which in one day because of the sacrifice that then was offered is perpetuall remission of sinnes and reconciliation with god But seing sin is purged for which there was perpetuall enmity betwixt god and man seing the wrath of God is pacified seing we are reconciled vnto our God by the death of Messias we haue true peace and tranquilitie in Christ his kingdome need not feare our enemies sin death and sathan For Christ hath vanquished them al for vs which thinge the prophet meaneth by the wordes following In that day that is in the day of Messias shall ye call euery man his neighbor vnder the vine and vnder the figg tree In these similitudes and figuratiue words he speaketh of the spirituall peace of God which is in the Church And in his 6. chap. he sayth Behold the man whose name is Zemath that is the braunch he shall grow vp out of his place and he shall build the temple of the Lord and he shall beare the glory and shall sit and rule vpon his throne and he shall be a priest vpon his throne and the counsell of peace shal be betwene them both In this prophecy is Christ with his double kingdome promised to wit his kingdome priesthode for the prophet was made to set 2. crownes vpon the head of the hye priest Whereby it was signified that Messias should be the true king and priest in Israell And it is meete that these two kingdomes the priesthood and princely power should both be found in one person Christ For he putteth the crown onely vpon the head of him that was then the hye priest but he did not put it vpon the leuitical magistrate Zerubabell And againe he calleth Messias Zemath he sheweth the cause why he calleth him so For this king and priest shall haue so great felicitie and prosperitie in his kingdome that all thinges shall haue prosperous successe and shall fall forth happely and according to his minde and desire And Esay sayth The will of the Lord shall prosper in the hande of Messias As a fine bow or braunch at the first is small and tender but after groweth hyer and hyer and doth shute forth vntill at the last it become a faire pleasant and hye tree full of faire and bewtifull braunches so that it delighteth the eyes of all men and is also very pleasaunt by reason of the shadowe therof euen so Christ although he was in the beginning but small and vnknowen when his name was yet but onely knowen in Iudea in the land of Israell and was dispised of the most part of men yet did he grow so mightely and shute vp so hy and spread so broad that he filleth the whole world with his bowes and braunches as Esay sayth that he may confirme and strengthen it c. And Daniell sayth that the stone which is taken out of the mountaine without handes becommeth a great mountaine and filleth the whole earth This Zemah is not tied vnto a certaine place where he should be king as Dauid was vnto Ierusalem but he is king in al the world and raygneth in all places by the gospel the holy ghost Sathan with this his world goeth about to hinder destroy cut downe and pluck vp blossomes while it be young that it grow not but the more they hinder it the better it prospereth and groweth and buildeth Gods temple that is the church of Christ with pretious and liuely stones of which Peter speaketh But this is a far greater temple then that which Iehoschua and Zerubabell builded at Ierusalem It is a temple which no Nebucadnezer no Antiochus nor Tytus can burne and destroy This temple is the spirituall
fier Note that Malla sayth that the Lord that is Christ shall come to his temple Pithom that is by and by vnloked for For when the people came on heapes and flocked vnto Iohn where he preached sodainely Christ came and commaunded Iohn to baptise him and began to teach and went in to the temple at Ierusalem And Mala. sayth whome seeke you for Christ was in the law and prophets promised as the true deliuerer of Israell And therfore all the godly gredely earnestly looked for him And Malla calleth Christ the Angell of the new testament or couenaunt For he was sent from the father as the messenger of the great message that he might be the mediator of the new testament or of the eternall couenaunt of grace which was made and confirmed by the precious bloud and death of Christ Yf this messenger had not ben sent and stroken this couenaunt of grace betwixt God the Father and vs and if he had not recōciled vs and in his owne person wiped away our sinnes we had taried and perished in our sinnes in death and in the wrath of God for euer But seeing that Christ is come and hath made and confirmed this testament or league by so great a price wee which beleue in Christ haue in Christ the messenger of the new testament remission of our sinnes euerlasting righteousnes reconciliation with God and lyfe and saluation He which first promised this testament is god the truth it selfe he which confirmed and approued it is the naturall son of god our sauiour in whom the father is well pleased and he which teacheth vs to vnderstand this couenaunt and to beleue it who also witnesseth vnto vs that the couenaunt is firme and stable and that we are the children of God is the holy Ghost Loe these are the vnsearchable riches of Christ which Paule euery where did magnifically preach And therefore very well sayth the prophet Escher athem hephezim that is whome doe you so carefully greedely and hartely desires You know that Hopheptz in the holy toung doth signifie to be rauished with a singular and harty desire of any thing as when we couet to haue any thing with a harty desire with a good will and with a great and ardēt appetite And thus did the true Israelites with all their hartes earnestly looke for the comming of Christ because they knew that we through Christes merits onely should obtaine all true felicitye with God that is full deliueraunce frō all euils They did know that which the new testament euery where now witnesseth to wit the man of himselfe without the spirite power hope of Messias could not performe the law and that none could obtaine righteousnes and saluation but by Christ And therefore did they looke for him as the onely reconciler and Sauiour and as that true and onely fulfiller of all thinges or as Paule calleth him the fulfilling of the law in whome they put all their confidence For wheresoeuer they desire preach the mercy and deliueraunce of God there also do they desire and glorify Christ who onely and no other in the whole world hath obtained and deserued the mercye of God and hath brought vs true and euerlasting redētion Wherefore Augustine that worthy Doctor of the Church sayth well and godly after this sort For his sake the testament is in him the testament is decided he is the mediator of the testament he sealed the testament he is surety for the testament he is witnes of the testamēt he is the inheritance of the testament and he is fellow heire of the testament ¶ Anna. Whether of Christes comming is it that Mala sayth shall be so heauy and intollerable ☞ Vrba He speaketh of his former comming which although vnto the true Israelites and children of promise it was a singular comfort and great ioy and a thing especially desired as appeareth in Simeon and Anna the prophets and such lyke yet was it a horrible and feareful comming to the rest of the vnbeleuing Iewes Pharises Saduces other deceauers of which they did reape no ioy or profite but were offended in Christ could not stād in his sight Their doctrine had daiseled the eyes of the cōmon sort with a great shew of holynes whereas it was nothing els in deed but horrible errors hipocrisye and deceite When Christ Iesus came the true light of the world and the truth it selfe by whome came grace and truth then all the errors simulations and deceites craftes and hipocrisie of those deceiuers were manifested and they thēselues destroyed For he did openly reproue and accuse their lyfe and doctrine and he so confounded them which before were accounted most godly and learned in Iudaisme that it might easely appeare vnto all men that they were blind guids of the blinde and meere deceiuers For when the gospell was mightely truely taught then could no error or hipocrisie lurke and be vnknowen so forceable was the truth Nay the word is so pure and perfect that euen the most holy are accused by it because no man in this flesh is free from sin To be short for this cause was Christ borne and for this cause came he into the world that he should bere witnes vnto the truth and he that is of truth heareth his voyce Sathan had sowen and spread marueilous hipocrisies and lyes in the world but Christ came that he might confound the lyes and teach the truth And therfore his first comming of Christ because his doctrine was vnpleasāt and sharpe vnto the world and because he accused them of sin was as a fier which purifieth and clenseth all filth and drosse from gould maketh a strange seperatiō of the euill from the good Whē he teacheth he doth seperate gould and siluer that is good men from copper and drosse to wit from the hard harted hipocrites For he which was of God heard the word of Christ and left all his errors and cast all his hipocrisie a side and became a faythfull or true Israelite in whome was no deceite By the crosse also they were purged and tryed as gould in the fier This tribulation and crosse alway waiteth vpon the word and alwayes commeth with the word And Christ at his first comming hath true Leuites spirituall priestes which are consecrated and clensed These are as Peter sayth all that truly beleue in christ but especially they which faythfully teach the word by which the righteousnes of fayth doth enter into the hart These offer true acceptable sacrifices in righteousnes that is in the fayth of Christ which before God is true righteousnes They offer themselues in fayth they offer an humble and penitent hart and they offer prayses and thankesgeuing for their redemption in Christ The holy doctors as often as they do conuert the people by the gospell from darcknes of vnbelefe vnto the light and from the power of Sathan vnto God so often do they offer an acceptable sacrifice vnto the