of Christ Iesu haue nothing to doe with the decrées of mans inuentions and that they are not bound to obserue mens traditions because they are dead to traditions with Christ that is to say they are by Christ Iesu redéemed and set frée from traditions whiche traditions did in Christe his deathe finishe and come to an ende while hee did make vs his owne and sett vs at libertie Then also hée doth by imitation counterfaite the woordes of them whiche make those decrées saye Oh touch not Taste not Handle not These thrée preceptes stretch very farre and comprehende manye petit decrées All which hee doeth unmediately confute with these probable argumentes First because they appoinct the worshippe of GOD to be in thinges that perish in the vse thereof But the kingdome of God is neither meate nor drincke but doth consiste in spirituall thinges And that whiche entereth in by the mouth doeth not defile the man Secondarilie béecause they are not made of God the authour of all goodnesse but haue their beginning of mans inuentions But in vaine doe they worshippe mée sayeth the Lord in the Gospell teaching doctrines the preceptes of men Neither doeth the holy Apostle saincte Paul wincke at and slylie passe ouer because hée will not aunsweare to the thinges whiche doe most commende these traditions First of all they are commended for the shewe and appearaunce of wisedome that is in them For they séeme to haue béene not without great wisedome ordeined of wise menne in that they doe so fittlie serue to euerye person time and place The earnest defenders of mens traditions crie out and saye Oure auncestours weee no fooles their lawes are full of wisedome But Ieremie cryeth out on the other side saying They haue reiected the woord of GOD therefore what wisedome can bee in them An other cause why traditions are commended is the Gréekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say a chosen kinde of worshippe which wée of our owne braynes haue chosen and taken to oure selues to serue and do God worship with all For men do gladly and willingly receiue the traditions of men because they are agréeable to their inclination Yea Christ in the holie Gospell sayth If ye had beene of the world the world would haue loued her owne Nowe for because I haue chosen you out of the worlde the world doth hate you And againe hée saith That whiche men set great store by is abhominable vnto God. Moreouer mens traditions are commended for humilitie which is vnderstoode in two manners or respectes For first that is said to be humilitie if any man doe readily obey and easilie yéeld to that which is vrged obtruded and thrust vpon him by men of countenaunce and authoritie Secondarilie the lawes of men do séeme to exercise humblenesse and kéepe men in humilitie But such obedience and humilitie may rather bée called sacrilege because it is not ruled and directed by the woord of God as the thinge whereby alone it should be tempered and squared but doth transferre and conueighe ouer the honour of GOD from God to men Last of all mens traditions are commended for the neglectinge of the fleshe For Oh that discipline and chasticemente of the fleashe séemeth to them a goodlye thinge by whiche the wantonnesse of the flesh is somewhat brideled and tamed Finallie the Apostle addeth Not in any honour to the satistyinge of the fleshe that is to say Whiche thinges although they haue a shewe of religion and holinesse haue notwithstanding in verie déede no honour at all considering that those externall things are ordeined of GOD for the ease and reléefe of menns necessities Yea Paul doth flatly finde fault with those decrées because they giue the bodie no honour for the satisfying of the same that is according to the measure of the bodies necessitie For a moderate care and looking to the bodie is not only permitted but also commanded least wée perhapps by too muche lacke and neerenesse do marre the bodie and make it vnapt to doe good woorkes Neither is the care of the flesh in any place forbidden vnlesse it tend to lustes and sensualitie Wherfore the Apostle saith Cherish not the flesh vnto concupiscence Therefore God hath graunted to man for his necessitie the vse of meate drincke sléepe cloathing reste alloweable pleasures and other thinges necessarie In the fourth Chapiter to the Galathians Saincte Paule saith When the fullnesse of the time was come God sent his sonne borne of a womā and made vnder the lawe to redeeme them that were vnder the lawe that wee mighte receiue by adoption the right or inheritaunce of children Nowe because ye are sonnes GOD hath sent the spirite of his sonne into your heartes crying Abba Father Wherfore thou art no more a seruant but a sonne If thou be a sonne thou art also an heire of God thoroughe Christ And immediatly after againe Stand faste in the libertie wherewith Christe hath deliuered vs and bee not againe wrapped in the yoke of bondage In the second to the Hebrues hée saith Christe was made partaker of fleshe and bloud with vs to the ende that throughe death he might expell him that had Lordship ouer death that is the diuell and that hee might deliuer them which through feare of death were all their life time in daunger of bondage Thus I hope these testimonies of Scripture suffice for our purpose These thinges being wel weighed and throughly considered will plainely teache what kinde of libertie they haue whiche are made frée by Christ and what their propertie and inclination is to witt most religious and altogether giuen to holy thinges that is to say in all points addicted to the spirite without whiche there is no libertie and by which al the sonnes of God are alwayes gouerned The Lords frée men doe most diligently beware that they doe vnaduisedly offend no man by their libertie nor vainely abuse their purchased fréedome For they haue continuallie before their minds and eyes the weightie sayings of the holie Apostles of their Lord Christe Iesu Sainct Peter in the second Chapter of his first Epistle saith As free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloake of maliciousnesse but euen as the seruauntes of God. And Paule hath Brethren ye haue beene called vnto libertie onely let not libertie be an occasion to the flesh but by loue serue one an other For I when I am free haue made mee selfe seruaunte to all that I maye winne the more They therefore do specially abuse Christiā libertie who seeking after carnall things vnder the colour and pretence of the spirite and of libertie doe make their bragges that they by the preachinge of the Gospell are set free from all bodily debtes dueties and therefore they do denye to their maisters creditours magistrates and princes the dutie that they owe them by that meanes reuolting and rebelling againste them These fellowes are seditious stirrers and not the reuerencers of the Euangelical doctrin Paule crieth Giue to
elements and all creatures His people the Israelites doth he gratiously deliuer defend with sundry giftes adorne and mightily preserue euen in despight and maugre all the heades of the whole Egyptian kingdome And on the other side he doth by sundry meanes very terribly yet notwithstanding iustly punish the Egyptians and laste of all together with their king he ouerwhelmeth them in the red sea By this one myracle of the Lords the Israelites might haue gathered as God is Almightie and the mightiest of all so also that he would be their God as heretofore he had bene the God of their Fathers For by this wonder he did declare what he was then and of howe great power and goodnesse he is eueÌ„ at this day among vs and also what he will be in all ages euen vnto the end To vs that liue in these dayes the deliueraunce which we haue obtained by Iesus Christ our Lorde is farre more fresh in memorte who hath not deliuered vs from the bondage of any Egyptian kingdome nor from the tyranneus handes of any earthly Phaâ—ao but hath set vs frée from the power of darknesse of sinne death and the deuill Whereby we gather that as the eternall true excellent hyghe and holy God is most mightie so also he is our God that he wisheth well to vs and that he careth for and loueth vs according to that saying of the Apostle Who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all howe can it be but that with him he will giue vs all things Verily the mysterie of our redemption by our Lorde Iesus Christe is very manifestly conteined in the first precept of the tenne Commaundements For it is euident the the Israelites frée departure out of Egypt was a type or figure of the deliuerie of the whole compasse of the earth and of all the kingdomes of the world which shoulde be wrought by Christ our Lorde who hath nowe already set all the worlde frée from the bondage of sinne and hell But if any man dout of this let him diligently consider with him self the meaning of the Ceremonie or Sacrament of that bodily deliuerance I meane the very Passeouer For what is he that knoweth not that the Paschall lamb did in a figure represent Christe our redéemer Are Paules wordes vnknown who sayth Christ our Passeouer is offered vp Haue not all the Apostles and Iohn Baptist called our Lorde the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world The wordes of the prophet Esai also in his 52. Chap. are apparantly knowne where he compareth the deliuerie of Israel out of Egypt with the redemption of all the worlde wrought by Christ from the slauerie of sin Wherfore in this firste precept of the tenne Commaundements is conteined the mysterie of Christ our Lorde and our saluation So that as often as those wordes of God shall be recited in our eares we ought not so much to set our eyes and myndes vpon the anncient deliuerie of Israell out of Egypt as vpon the new and latter redemption which we haue by Christ Iesus therby to quicken our hope and not to despaire but that the most excellent and mightie God both is wil be our God as heretofore he hath ben theirs The latter braunch of this first commaundement flatly forbiddeth vs and euery one of vs to haue any straunge Gods that is it taketh from vs all extraordinarie meanes to séeke the safegarde of our liues wher the working finger of God is not whatsoeuer else maye be either diuelishly deuised or vnaduisedly chosen beside the very word of god And therefore the Lorde vseth a most vehement or earnest kind of speaking For sayth he Thou shalt not haue any other Gods before me Sée he saith Thou shalt not haue thou shalt not haue before me or before my face or with me or by me We Germanes say Zu mir oder nabend mir Oder las michs nit sahen ver minen ougeÌ„ For so do fathers speak in their anger when they do earnestly forbid a wicked hainous thing Sée say thei that thou do it not before mine eies for me to sée it But now God is present euery where God séeth all thinges yea he beholdeth our harts hiddeÌ„ secretes of our hartes We must not therefore in any case either openly or priuily haue any straunge Gods that is none of vs must make account of any creature eyther in heauen or earth as of our God none of vs must attribute gods properties to his creatures nor yet the things which we of duetie do owe to God him selfe The properties of God are these to be all ouer and euery where to sée all to knowe all to be able to do all to giue lyfe to deliuer and cleanse from sinnes to saue preserue to iustifie to sanctifie and what so euer else is like to these On the other side our dutie to him is to reuerence God to call on God to feare God to worship God to hope in God to sticke to God to heare God to beléeue God and to obey God. The straunge God therfore is that which is not God properly and by nature yea it is what so euer we doe make to our selues to be our God beside the very liuing and eternal God wherein we truste wherein we hope whereon we call which we doe loue and feare whereon we scttle and fasten our myndes wherevpon we doe depend whereof we make account as of our treasure helpe and safegarde both in prosperitie and our aduersitie When Rahel asketh children of Iacob she hath this answere at his hand Am I God whiche haue made thee barren And again when Ioram king of Israell had by Naaman receyued letters from Benhadad king of Syria requesting to cleanse the leprosie he rente his cloathes for anger and cryed out saying Am I God that I can kyll and restore to life againe Let God alone therefore be our God that is our life and safegarde our helpe and refuge our protection and deliueraunce our hope and loue our feare our dread our trembling and all These if we doe attribute to others and not to God alone then shall we make other Gods to our selues Moreouer what so euer is not ordeined by God him self that is in the Scriptures many times called straunge or other In that sense it is sayde that straunge fyre was carried into the Labernacle to wit not that fyre which God had coÌ„maunded for to kindle In the Prouerbes she is called a straunge woman whose companie the Lorde hath not allowed thée to vse They therefore are straunge Gods whome we haue made to our selues to hang on and to séeke ayde of when God notwithstanding hath not appointed them to haue the charge ouer vs Wherefore the very Saintes them selues triumphant nowe in heauen with Christ our King shall be reputed for straunge Gods the Saintes them selues I say not in respect of them selues but to vs they shall be straunge Gods in respect of
ignorant in no pointe of those thinges which Adam had taught Noe dyeth which is maruell to be tolde and yet very true in the. 59. yere of Abrahams age Sem the sonne of Noah liued many yeares with his father For he liued in all 600. yeres He was borne to Noah about 96. yeres before the deluge He sawe and heard therfore not onely his father Noe and his grandfather Lamâ—ch but also his great grand siar Methusalem with whome he liued those 96. yeres before the deluge Of him he might be informed of all those thinges whiche Methusalem had hearde and learned of Adam and the other Patriarches Sem dieth after the death of Abraham in the. 52. yeare of Iacob which was 37. yeares after the death of Abraham in the. 112. yeare of Isaac his age So that Iacob the Patriarch might very well learne all the true diuinitie of Sem him self euen as he had heard it of Methusalem who was the thirde witnesse and teacher from Adam Furthermore Iaacob the Patriarch deliuered to his childreÌ„ that which he receiued of God to teach to his posteritie In Mesopotamia there is borne to Iaacob his sonne Leui and to him againe is born Kahad whiche both sawe and hearde Iaacob For Kahad liued no small number of yeares with his grandfather Iaacob For he is rehearsed in the roll of them which went with Iaacob downe into Egypt but Iaacob liued 17. yeares with his children in Egypt This Kahad is the grandfather of Moses the father of Amram from whom Moses did perfectly draw that ful and certain tradition by hand as concerning the will commaundements and iudgements of God euen as Amram his father had learned theÌ„ of his father Kahad Kahad of Iaacob Iaacob of Sem Sem of Methusalem and of Adam the first father of vs all so nowe that Moses is from Adam the seuenth witnesse in the worlde And from the beginning of the worlde to the byrth of Moses are fully complete 2368. yeares of the worlde And who so euer shall diligently reckon the yeres not in vaine set downe by Moses in Genesis and Erodus he shall find this account to be true and right Now also it behoueth vs to know those chiefe principles of that liuely tradition deliuered by the holy fathers at the appointment of God as it were from hande to hande to all the posteritie The fathers taught their children that God of his naturall goodnesse wishing well to mankind woulde haue all men to come to the knowledge of the trueth and to be like in nature to God him selfe holy happie and absolutely blessed And therefore that God in the beginning did create man to his owne similitude and likenesse to the intent that he should be good holy immortal blessed and partaker of all the good gifts of God but that man continued not in that dignitie and happie estate but by the meanes of the deuill and his owne proper faulte fell into sinne miserie and death changing his likenesse to God into the similitude of the deuill Moreouer that God here againe as it were of freshe began the worke of saluation wherby mankind being restored and set free from all euill might once againe be made like vnto God and that he meant to bring this mightie and diuine worke to passe by a certain middle meane that is by the worde incarnate For as by this taking of flesh he ioyned man to God so by dying in the fleshe with sacrifice he cleansed sanctified and deliuered mankinde and by giuing him his holy spirit he made him like againe in nature to God that is immortall and absolutely blessed And last of all he worketh in vs a willing indeuour aptly to resemble the propertie and coÌ„ditions of him to whose likenesse we are created so that we maye be holy bothe body and soule They added moreouer that the word should be incarnate in his due time and appointed age And also that there did remaine a greate daye for iudgement wherein though all men were gathered together yet the rightuous onely shoulde receiue that reward of heauenly immortalitie So theÌ„ this is the brief summe of the holy fathers tradition whiche it is best to vntwist more largely and to speake of it more diligently as it were by parts First therefore the fathers taught that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are one God in the moste reuerend Trinitie the maker and gouernour of heauen and earth and all things whiche are therein by whome man was made and who for man did make all things and put all things vnder mankind to minister vnto him things necessarie as a louing father and most bountiful Lorde Then they taught that man consisted of soule and body and that he in déede was made good according to the image and likenesse of God but that by his owne faulte and egging forwarde of the deuill falling into sinne he brought into the worlde death and damnation together with a webbe of miseries out of whiche it can not ridde it selfe So that nowe all the children of Adam euen from Adam are borne the sonnes of wrath and wretchednesse But that God whose mercy aboundeth according to his incomprehensible goodnesse taking pitie on the miserie of mankinde did euen of his méere grace graunt pardon for the offence and did laye the weight of the punishment vpon his only sonne to the intent that he when his heele was crushed by the Serpent might him self breake the Serpents heade That is to say God doth make a promise of seed that is of a sonne who taking fleshe of a péerelesse woman I meane that Virgine most worthy of commendations should by his death vanquishe death and Sathan the authour of death and shoulde bring the faythfull sonnes of Adam out of bondage yea and that more is shuld by adoption make them the sonnes of God and heires of life euerlasting The holy fathers therefore taught to beléeue in God and in his son the redéemer of the whole world when in their very sacrifices they did represent his death as it were an vnspotted sacrifice wherwith he ment to wipe away and cleanse the sinnes of all the worlde And therefore had they a most diligent eye to the stocke and lineall descent of the Meschias For it is brought down as it were by a line from Adam to Noe and from Noe by Sem euen to Abraham him selfe and to him againe it was sayde In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed in which wordes the promise once made to Adam as touching Christe the redeemer and chaunger of Gods curse into blessing is renewed and repeated againe The same line is brought downe from Abraham by Isaac vnto Iacob and Iacob being ful of the spirit of God pointed out his sonne Iuda to be the roote of the blessed séede as it is to be séene in 49. of Genesis Lastly in the tribe of Iuda the house of Dauid was noted out of which
not absolutely perfect As for those whiche doe earnestly affirme that all pointes of godlynesse were taught by the Apostles to the posteritie by worde of mouth and not by writing their purpose is to set to sale their owne that is mens ordinaunces in steade of the worde of God. But against this poyson my brethren take this vnto you for a medicine to expell it Conferre the things whiche these fellowes set to sale vnder the colour of the Apostles traditions taught by worde of mouthe and not by writing with the manifest writings of the Apostles and if in any place you shall perceiue those traditions to disagrée with the scriptures then gather by and by that it is the forged inuention of men and not the Apostles tradition For they which had one and the same spirite of trueth lefte not vnto vs one thing in writing and taught an other thing by worde of mouthe Furthermore we muste diligently search whether those traditions do set forward the glory of God rather then of men or the safetie of the faythfull rather then the priuate aduauntage of the Priestes And we muste take héede of mens traditions especially since the Lorde sayth In vaine doe they worship me teaching doctrines the precepts of men So that nowe the surest way is to cleaue to the word of the Lorde lefte to vs in the Scriptures whiche teacheth aboundantly all thinges that belong to true godlynesse It remayneth nowe for me to tell in what manner of sorte this perfecte doctrine of godlynesse and saluation I meane the very word of God ought to be hearde of the faythfull to the intent it may be hearde with some fruit to profite them aboundantly I will in fewe wordes containe it Let the worde of God be hearde with greate reuerence whiche of right is due to God him selfe and godly things Let it be hearde very attentiuely with continuall prayers betwéene and earnest requestes Let it be hearde soberly to our profite that by it we may become the better that God by vs maye be gloryfied and not that we go curiously about to search out the hidden counselles of God or desire to be counted skilfull and experte in many matters Let true fayth the glory of God and our saluation be appointed as the measure and certaine ende of oure hearing and reading For In Exodus Moses the holy seruaunt of God is commaunded to sanctifie the people and make them in a readinesse to heare the sacred Sermon whiche God him selfe did mynd to make the next daye after Moses therefore commeth and demaundeth of the whole people due obedience to be shewed as well to God as to his Ministers Then commaundeth he them to washe their garmentes to abstaine from their wiues After that he appointeeh certaine limites beyonde whiche it was not lawful vpon paine of death for them to passe By this we plainely learne that the Lorde doth require suche to be his Disciples to heare him as doe especially shewe obedience and reuerence to God in all thinges For he being God speaketh to vs men all we men owe vnto God honoure and feare A man vnlesse he become lowly humble and obedient to God is altogether godlesse Then is it required at the handes of those whiche are méete hearers of the worde of God that they lay aparte worldly affaires whiche are signified by the garments to treade vnder foote all filthynesse and vncleannesse of soule and bodye to refraine for a season euen from those pleasures whiche are lawfull vnto vs The holy Ghost dothe loue the myndes that are purely cleansed whiche yet notwithstanding are not cleansed but by the spirite of god Néedefull it is to haue a sincere beliefe in God and a ready good will and desire to liue according to that whiche is commaunded in the word of god Moreouer we muste be wise to sobrietie Ouer curious questions must be set aside Let things profitable to saluation only be learned Last of all let especial héede be takeÌ„ in hearing and learning For saythe Solomon If thou wilt seeke after wisdome as after golde thou shalte obteine it Againe he sayth The searcher out of Gods maiestie shall be ouerwhelmed by his wonderfull glory And againe he sayth Seeke not things too highe for thee neyther goe about to searche out things aboue thy strengthe but what God hath commaunded thee that thinke thou always on and be not ouer curious to knowe his infinite workes for it is not expedient for thee to see his hidden secrets with thine eyes Wherevpon the Apostle Paul sayth Let no man thinke arrogantly of him selfe but so thinke that he may be modest and sober according as God to euery one hath giuen the measure of fayth And hereto belongeth that which the same Apostle saythe Knowledge puffeth vp but charitie doth edifie But chiefly we muste beware of those plagues which choake the séede of the worde of God and quenche it without any fruite at all in the hearts of the hearers Those plagues and diseases hath the Lorde rehcarsed or reckoned vp in the parable of the sower For first of all wanton and vaine cogitations whiche alwaies lye wide open to the inspirations of Satan and talke of naughtie men are plagues to the word of god Also voluptuous and deintie louers of this world who can not abide to suffer any affliction for Christ and his Gospell do without any fruite at all heare Gods worde although they seeme to giue eare vnto it very ioyfully Furthermore the care of this worlde and the deceit of riches are moste pestilent diseases in the hearers of the worde of god For they doe not onely hinder the séede that it can not bring soorthe fruite in their heartes but also they doe stirre vp and egge men forwarde to gaynesay the worde of God and to afflict the earnest desirers of Gods worde Here therefore we muste take héede diligently leaste being infected with these diseases we become vaine and vnthankfull hearers of the worde of god We must praye continually that the bountifull and liberall Lorde will vouchsafe to bestowe on vs his spirit that by it the séed of Gods word may be quickned in our heartes and that we as holy and right hearers of his worde may beare fruite aboundantly to the glory of God and the euerlasting saluation of oure owne soules For what will it auayle to heare the worde of God without fayth and without the holy spirite of God to worke or stir inwardly in our hearts The Apostle Paule sayth He whiche watreth is nothing nor he whiche planteth but it is God whiche giueth increase We haue néede therefore of Gods watering that the word of God may growe to a perfect age may receiue increase yea and may come also to the bringing foorthe of ripe fruite within our mindes The same Aposâ—le Paule saythe To vs also is the worde of God declared euen as vnto our fathers But it auayled them nothing to heare the worde bycause it was not ioyned with
vnto saluation For if the wicked do acknowledge his fault repent himself of his ill déede and beléeue in Christ with al his heart his sinne is forgiuen him bée is saued as wée haue an euident example in the thiefe that was crucified whose punishment was an occasion of his saluation But from the other this saluation was farre off because he did not belieue in Christ and would not be warned by the paine y he felt for his offence to repent for his sinnes and to call to God for mercie Furthermore by publique iudgment and open execution all other men may take example to learne to beware of like offences vnlesse they will suffer like horrour of torments But let not the magistrate execute any man vntil he know first perfectly whether hée that is to be punished hath deserued that punishment that the iudges determine and whether God hath commaunded to punish that offence that is whether by Gods lawe that is condemned which is to be punished The trueth therof shal be manifestly knowne either by the proper and frée confession of the man accused or by the probable testimonies broght in and gathered against the deâ—endant or by conferring y lawes with the offences of him that is to be punished So then the magistrate may not punish vertue true religioÌ„ nor good honest godly men For he is ordeyned of God to terrifie not the good but offenders Now touching the maner and facion of punishment I think it not best ouer curiousâ—ie to dispute Let euerie nation or citie reteine stil their penalties and order of punishing vnlesse peraduenture their countrie custome smack somewhat of rigour extreme crueltie For no wise man denieth but that the kinde of punishment must be tempered according to the rule of iustice equitie The kindes of punishment are exile or banishment boÌ„dage losse of goods imprisonment fetters scourges markes with burning iroÌ„s losse of limms lastly death it self by killing w the sword by burning hanging drowning other such meanes as euerie natioÌ„ vseth of custome Neither is the scripture without a pitiful beadrowe of miserable torments For in y booke of Esdras we read And who soeuer wil not do the lawe of thy god Esdras and the lawe of the king let iudgment streightwayes passe vppon him whether it be to death or banishment or losse of goods or imprisonmeÌ„t This do I ad not vnaduisedly because of them the are of opinion y such tormentes ought not so much as once to be named amonge christian people But measure and discretion must be vsed of the iudges in punishing offenders so the heynous faults may be plagued with greuous punishmeÌ„t lesser crimes may be nipped with smaller penalties and the smallest light offences punished more lightly That sentence in Gods law ought to be remeÌ„bred According to the fault so shall the punishment bee Where also the iudge must haue a consideration of his clemencie pitie Oftentimes y kinde and age excuseth the partie accused The circuÌ„stances being rightly weighed do somtime excuse the déedes that otherwise are of themselues not all of the best The iudge also must inquire after diligentlie consider the former life of the man accused for which if it fal out to haue bene good and honest than doth he deserue some fauour and mercie vnlesse the offence for which be is troubled be so heynous y it can admit no sparkle of pitie But godlines or y feare of god with powring out of prayers vnto the Lord and a diligent and lawful examinatioÌ„ of y déede or word that is of the fault committed is the best rule for the iudge to followe in choosing his time when to vse pitie and when to deale with extreme rigour For otherwise decent clemeÌ„cie is most praise worthie before God and men I haue shewed you déerlie beloued that the magistrate both may and of duetie ought to punish offenders then for what causes y Lord wil haue them to be punished and lastlie how when how much they are to be punished It remayneth now for mée to declare wherfore and for what offences they are to be punished Which I meane to lay downe in one word and briefly too All words and déeds which are coÌ„trarie to the lawes of God and the magistrate that is all things that are done mischiefouslie against the lawes are to be punished but lawes are made either for religion or politique gouernment and politique gouernment consisteth in honestie iustice and peace Therfore the magistrate must punish and kéepe vnder al them which do disturbe afflict trouble destroy or ouerthrow honestie iustice publique peace or priuate tranquillite betwixt man man Let him punish dishonestie ribauldrie filthie lust whordome fornication adulterie inceste sodomie riottousnes dronkennesse gluttonie couetousnesse coosening cutting vsurie treason murder slaughter of parents sedition and whatsoeuer is like to these The lawe of the Lord published by the ministerie of Moses doth in the 18. and 20. of Leuiticus reckon vppe a beadrowe long enough of such offences as are to be punished And least perhappes any man may thinke that at this day that which Moses hath rehearsed is vtterly abolished let him giue eare to S. Paul who saith To the iust the lawe is not giuen but to the vniust and to sinners to vnholie and vncleane to murderers of fathers and murtherers of mothers to manslears to whoremongers to them that defile themselues with mankinde to manstealers to lyars to periured men and if there be any other thing contrarie to sounde doctrine But Apostates idolatrers blasphemers here tiques false teachers and mockers at religion doe offend against the lawes of religion and therefore ought they to be punished by the magistrates authoritie But the question hath béene and is yet at this day in controuersie whether it be lawefull sor a magistrate to punish any man in his iurisdiction for the contempt of religion or blaspheming of the same The Maniches and Donatistes were of opinion that no man ought to be compelled much lesse to be killed for any religion but that euerie man ought to bee left to his owne minde and iudgement And yet the Scripture doth expresselie coÌ„maund the magistrate not to spare false Prophetes yea rebells against God are commaunded by holie lawes and iudges to be killed without mercie The places are extant to be séene in the holie Scriptures the one in the 13. of Deut. the other in the 17. of the same booke In Exodus this same is set downe for a rule Whosoeuer sacrificeth to any God but to the Lord alone let him bee rooted out In Leuiticus the blasphemer is slaine euerwhelmed with stones In the booke of Numbers the man is slaine that did vnhallow the Sabboth day And how many I pray you did Gods reuenging sword destroy of that caluish people that did erecte and worship the calfe in the wildernesse Helias at mount Carmel killed whole hundreds of false
meanes gett them whiche are the causes why they be oppressed with penurie and néedinesse it cānot be but profitable and verie necessarie too for euery godly man to knowe out of the worde of God the verie reason and ground of those calamities and of his consolation in his miseries lest being swallowed vp of too great sorrowe and entangled in vtter desperation he giue him selfe ouer to be Satans bondslaue Nowe this treatise serueth for the whole life of man For I meane not to speake of any one calamitie alone as of pouertie or penurie but generally of all the miseries that happen to man Verily since man is borne to griefe and miserie as birdes to flying and fishes to swimming his life can neuer possibly bée either swéete or quiet vnlesse hee knowe the maner and reason of his calamitie And if so be he knowe the reason thereof religiously taken and deriued out of the worde of God then his life cannot choose but be swéete quiet Howsoeuer otherwise it séeme to be moste bitter and intollerable The minde of man verily is sorely afflicted and grieuously tormented with lamentable miseries but the same on the other side is swéetely eased and mightily vpholden by the true knowledge of those miseries holy consolations deriued taken out of the worde of God. First of all it is requisite to lay before our eyes reckon vp the seuerall kindes especiall sortes of mortall mennes calamities The euils verily are innumerable which dayly fall vpon our neckes but those whiche do most vsually happen are the plague or pestilence sundrie infinite diseases death it selfe the feare of death whose terrour to some is farre more grieuous then death can be To these be added the death and destruction of most notable men or such of whome we make moste accompt robberies oppressions endlesse yll chaunces pouertie beggarie lacke of friends infamie banishment persecution imprisonment enforced torments exquisite punishments of sundry sortes and terrible to thinck on vnseasonable tempestuous weather barrennesse dearth froast hayle deluges earthquakes the sinking of cities the spoyling of féelds the burning of houses the ruyne of buyldings hatred factions priuie grudges treasons rebellions warres slaughters captiuitie crueltie of enimies and tyrannie also the lacke of children or troubles cares hellish liues by the matching of vnméete mates in wedlocke by children naughtily disposed malitiously bent disobedient vnthankefull to father mother lastly care continual griefe in sundry sortes for sundrie things which neuer ceasse to vexe our mindes For no man can in neuer so long a beadrowe reckon vp all the euils wherunto miserable mankinde is wofully endaungered euery moment tormented Newe miseries rise vp euery daye of which our elders did neuer heare And they are appointed to be fealt suffered of vs who with our newe neuer heard of sinnes do daily deserue newe and neuer séene punishmēts when as otherwise the miseries which our forefathers fealt had béene ynough and sufficient to haue plagued vs all But now with these euils as wel the good godly worshippers of God as the wicked contemners of his name are troubled and kept in vre yea the Saincts are through al their life time afflicted and vexed when as contrarily the wicked abounde with all kindes of ioy and delightful pleasures whereupon it commeth that great temptations and complaintes arise in the mindes of the godly The wicked do gather by their happy state and pleasant life that God doeth like their religion and accept their maner of dealing whereby they are confirmed and grounded in their errours And on the other side the godly by reason of the miseries whiche they haue long suffered doe reuolt from godlynesse and turne to the vngodly because they think that the state of the wicked is farre better than theirs Nowe it is good to knowe and seuerally to learne al this out of the Scriptures That the godly are haue béene afflicted as well as the wicked since the beginning of the worlde it is manifest to be séene in the example of Abel Came for as the one was pitifully slaine of the other for his sincere worshipping of God so was the other for the murther made a vagabonde not daring for feare to abyde in any place to take his rest in Iacob sirnamed Israel is read to haue béene vexed with many calamities The same is reported also of the Aegyptians while they persecuted y Israelits Saul was vexed and Dauid afflicted The Lord our Sauiour with his disciples bare the crosse of griefe and trouble Againe on the other side the Iewes who cruellie persecuted Christe and his disciples were horriblie destroyed that worthily too for their villanous iniurie Vnspeakeable are the euills which the church of Christ did fuffer in those 10 most bloudie persecutions before the reigne of Constantine the great but Orosius the notable diligent faithful historiographer maketh mencion that due and deserued punishmentes were out of hand layd vpon the necks of those persecuting tyrantes of whō I will speake somewhat in place conuenient And by the testimonies both of god man and also by manifold experience we sée it proued that as well the godly as vngodly are touched with miseries Yea truly the best and holiest men for the most part are troubled afflicted when the wicked and worser sort are frée from calamities leading their liues in ease and pleasures And while the good do suffer persecution iniuries the wicked reioyce thereat For the Lord in the Gospell saith to his disciples Verilie verilie I say vnto you ye shall weepe and lament the world shal be glad but ye shal be sorrowful But now what kind of temtations those bee which arise in the hartes of the godly through their tribulations and what those men which are not altogether godlesse nor the enimies of God do gather of the felicitie wherein the wicked are the scripture in many places teacheth vs and especially in that wōderfull discourse of Iob his friends The Prophet Abacuch cōplayneth and saith O Lord howe long shall I crie and thou not heare how lōg shal I crie out to thee for the violence that I suffer thou not helpe whie am I compelled to se iniquitie spoyling vnrighteousnes against mee whie doest thou regard them that despise thee holdest thy tongue while the wicked treadeth downe the man that is more righteous then himselfe The wicked doth circumuēt the righteous therfore wrong iudgment procedeth In Malachie the hypocrites do crie It is but vaine to serue God and what profite is it that wee haue kept his cōmaundements that we haue walked hūblie before the face of the lord Now therfore we call the proud and arrogant blessed happie for the workers of wickednes liue happilie and are set vp they that tempt God go on in their wickednes and are deliuered The holy prophet Asaph conteyneth al this most fully and
side againe men must reiecte the vnsauerie opinion of the Stoickes touching their Indolentia or lacke of griefe Touching which I will recite vnto you dearly beloued a most excellent discourse of a notable Doctour in the Church of Christ sett downe in these wordes following WE are too vnthanckful towards our God vnlesse we do willingly and chearefully suffer calamities at his hand And yet such chearefulnes is not required of vs as should take away all sense and féeling of griefe and bitternesse Otherwise there should be no patience in the Sainctes suffering of the Cresse of Christe vnlesse they were both pinched by the heart with griefe and vexed in body with outward troubles If in pouertie there were no sharpenesse if in diseases no paine if in infamie no sting in death no horror what fortitude or temperancie were it to make small accompt of and set litle by them But since euerie one of them doeth naturallie nipp the mindes of vs all with a certaine bitternesse ingraffed in them the valiant stomache of a faithfull man doth therein shewe it selfe if he being pricked with the féeling of this bitternesse howsoeuer he is greuously payned therewith doeth notwithstanding by valiaunt resisting continuall struggling worthily vanquish and quite ouercome it Therein doth patience make proofe of it self if when a man is sharpely pricked it doth notwithstaÌ„ding so bridle it selfe with the feare of God that it neuer breaketh forthe to immoderate vnrulynesse Therein doth chearefulnesse clearely appeare if a man once wounded with sorrowe and sadnesse doth quietly staye himselfe vppon the spirituall consolation of his God and creatour This conflicte which the faithfull susteine against the natural feeling of sorrowe and griefe while they studie to exercise patience and temperance the Apostle Paule hath finely described in woordes as followeth We are troubled on euerie side but not made sorrowfull wee are in pouertie but not in extreeme pouertie we suffer persecution but are not forsaken therein we are caste downe but we perishe not Thou séest here that to beare the Crosse patiently is not to be altogether senselesse and vtterly bereft of all kinde of féeling as the Stoicks of old did foolishly describe the valiaunt man to be such an one as laying aside the nature of man should be affected alike in aduersitie and prosperitie in sorrowful matters and ioyfull thinges yea and such an one as should be moued with nothing whatsoeuer And what did they I pray you with this excéeding great patience Forsooth they painted the image of patience which neither euer was nor possiblie caÌ„ be found among men Yea while they went about to haue patience ouer exquisite and too precise they toke away the force therof out of the life of man At this daye also there are amonge vs Christians certaine newly vpstarte Stoickes which thincke it a fault not onely to sigh and wéepe but also to be sad and sorrowfull for any matter And these Paradoxes verilie doe for the most part procéed from idle fellowes whiche exercising themselues rather in contemplation than in working can doe nothing else but daily bréede such nouelties and Paradoxes But wée Christians haue nothing to doe with this yronlike Philosophie since oure Lord and maister hath not in words onely but with his owne example also vtterly coÌ„demned it For he greaned at and wept ouer both his owne and other mens calamities taught his disciples to do the like The world saith hee shal reioyce but ye shal be sorrowful ye shall wéepe And least any man should make that wéeping to be their fault hee pronounceth openly that they are happie which doe mourne And no meruayle For if all teares be misliked off what should we iudge of the Lord himselfe out of whose bodie bloudie teares did trill If all feare be noted to proceede of vnbeleefe what shall we thincke of that horror wherewith we read that the Lord himselfe was stricken If we mislike all sorrowe and sadnesse how shall wee like of that where the Lord confesseth that his soule is heauie vnto the death Thus much did I minde to say to the intent that I might reuoake godly minds from desperation least peraduenture they doe therefore out of hand forsake to seeke after patience because they cannot vtterly shake off the naturall motions of griefe and heauinesse which cannot choose but happen to them which of patience do make a kinde of senselessenes and of a valiaunt and constant man a senselesse blocke or a stone without passions For the Scripture doth praise the Saincts for their patience while they are so afflicted with the sharpenesse of calamities as that thereby their stomaches are not broaken nor their courages vtterly quayled while they are so stounge with the pricke of bitternesse as that yet they are filled with spirituall ioye while they are so oppressed with heauinesse of minde as that yet they be chearefull in Gods conselation And yet is that repugnancie stil in their hearts because the naturall sense doeth flye from and abhorre the thing that it féeleth contrarie to it selfe when as on the other side the motions of godlinesse doth euen thoroughe these difficulties by striuing séeke a way to the obedience of god This repugnancie did the Lord expresse when he said to Peter When thou wast yonger thou girdedst thee selfe wentest whether thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old an other shal gird thee lead thee whether thou wouldest not It is not vnlike verilie that Peter when it was neede to glorifie God by his death was with much adoe against his will drawen vnto it For if it had béene so his martyrdom had deserued litle praise or none But howsoeuer he did with great chéerefulnes of heart obey the ordinaunce of God yet because hée had not layde aside the affections of his flesh his minde was drawne two sundrie waâ—es For while he saw before his eyes the bloudie death which he had to suffer hée was vndoubtedly strucke thorowe with the feare therof and would with al his heart haue escaped it And on the other side when he remembred that he was by Gods commaundement called thereunto ouercomming and treading dewne all feare he did willingly and chearefullie yéeld himselfe vnto it If therfore wee meane to be Christe his disciples our chiefe and especiall studie must be to haue oure mindes indued with so great obedience and loue of God as is able to tame and bring vnder all the ill motions of our mindes to the ordinaunce of his holie will. And so it will come to passe that with what kinde of Crosse soeuer wée be vexed wée may euen in the greatest troubles of oure mindes constantly reteyne quiet sufferaunce and patience For aduersitie will haue a sharpenesse to nippe vs with all likewise being afflicted with sicknesse and diseases wée shall groane and bee disquieted and wishe for health being oppressed wyth pouertie wée shal be pricked wyth the sting of care and heauinesse in like manner wée
vtterly barred from rule and authoritie in the Israelitishe weale publique Deuteronomium 23. All deceipte cousening robberie shiftings and subtile craftes are flatly forbidden in the law vnder the title of theft For in the 19 of Leuit. wée read Ye shall not steale nor deale falsely nor lye one to another And in the ninetéenth of Deuteronomie Thou shalt not remoue thy neighbours meerestone In the 22 of Exodus the Lord doth punishe thefée with foure or fiuefolde double restitution which whosoeuer did not perfourme he was solde and brought into extreme bondage But if the stolen thing were founde with the théefe and recouered againe then did the stealer restore to the owner double the value of that which was stolen To this lawe belonged whatsoeuer was spoken concerninge sacrilege stealing of cattaile robbing of the common treasurie and carrying awaye of other mennes bondslaues of which I spake somewhat a little before And to this doth appertaine that excellent lawe which sayeth Thou shalt not denie nor keepe back the wages of an hyred seruaunt that is poore and needie whether he be of thy brethren or of the straungers that are within thy land Thou shalt giue him his hire the same daye and that before the sunne go downe because he is needie and doeth therewith susteine his life least he crie against thee vnto the Lord and it be sinne vnto thee Concerning doinge and receiuinge damage and the making of full restitution for the harme that is done there are many constitutions in the lawe of the Lorde If any man saith the lawe doth digge a well and do not cause it to be couered so that an Oxe or a sheepe of an other mannes do fall into it then let him that oweth the well take to him selfe the beast that perished and paye the worth of the beast to him that is the owner thereof The like lawe is made in the 21 of Exodus touching an Oxe that pussheth with his hornes In the 22 Cha. is giuen the lawe of restitution in giuing like for like If either one mans pasture be eatē vp by an other mans cattaile or if one man hurte anothers corne or vineyarde For y lawe commaundeth to restore other pasturings other corne ground and other vineyardes not of the worste but of the best to him that had the damage done him Likewise if any man had set thornes on fyre and by his negligence had suffered it to catch holde vpon corne either standing in the fielde vpright or stacked vp in mowes at home then hee by whose negligence the fire began did make amendes for the losse that the other receiued The same lawe is againe repeated in the 24 of Leuiticus In the 22 of Deuteronomie there are many things expressed that must bee referred vnto this title of which sorte is the lawe that biddeth vs to bring backe the Oxe that goeth astraye and to restore the things that are founde to him that lost them to keepe our buyldings in good reparations that by misfortune in the fall of them our brethren be not mischieued And like to these is the lawe also which saith Thou shalt haue a place without the hoast to go forth vnto and shalt beare a paddle sticke at thy girdle wherewith as thou sittest thou shalt digge a hole to hide thy ordure or couer thine excremēts in And in the ciuil law the like mater in effect is handled for verie necessitie doth require y in cōmon weales there should be lawes cōcerning draughts order of buyldinges so y no man by his excrementes or buylding of newe houses shoulde trouble or annoye his neighbours about him To this place also we may add the lawes that were made concerning the separating of leapers frō thē that were cleane lest peraduenture y contagious disease shoulde by little little infect the healthfull The lawes of Lepers and the leprosie are at large set downe in the 13 14 Chapter of Leuiticus Iust weightes and iust measures the Lord commaunded to bee kept in the lawe where he saith Thou shalt not haue in thy bagge two manner of weightes a great and a small neither shalt thou haue in thine house diuers measures a greate and a small But thou shalte haue a right and a iust weight and a perfect and a iuste measure shalt thou haue that thy dayes may be lengthened in the land which the Lorde thy God giueth thee For all that do such thinges and all that deale vnrightly are abhomination vnto the Lord thy God. This lawe is giuen in the 25 of Deuteronomie and is againe repeated in the 19 Chapter of Leuiticus Of publique iudgements of witchcraftes and the punishment of offenders there are many lawes set down in the booke of the lord Thou shalt not saith the Lorde suffer witches to liue Againe The fathers shall not bee killed for the sonnes nor the sonnes for the fathers but euery one shal bee slaine for his owne offence Neither doeth the lawe conceale the manner of killing for it giueth the vse of the swoorde of stones and of fire into the magistrates handes And sometime it is leaft to the Iudges discretion to punish the offendour according to the circumstance of the crime committed either in bodie or goodes in losse of limmes or life in scourging with roddes or selling into bondage In the twentieth Chapter of Leuiticus all the offences are almoste reckoned vp that are to be punished w present death And in like manner the like are repeated in the eyghtéenth twentie one Chap. of the same booke Against witches and soothsayers there is precise charge giuen in the eyghtéenth of Deuteronomie in the ninetéenth of Leuiticus this short precept is giuen Ye shal not seeke after witches nor obserue your dreames ye shal not decline to sorcerers nor inquire of soothsayers to bee defiled by them Against such the lawe doeth expressely giue iudgement of death extreme punishment Leuiticus 20. In the 22 of Exodus this streight sentence is sharpely pronounced Let not a woman liue that is a witche Against heretiques schismatiques apostataes and false prophets the lawe giueth iudgement in the thirtéenth and eightéenth Chap. of Deuteronomium where it doth most plainly teache howe such kinde of people are to be handled And like to this is the lawe for the stoninge of blasphemers which is conteined in the 24 of Leuiticus And also the lawe for the contemners breakers of the Lordes Sabboth Numeri 15. Against seditious rebels and secrete slaunderers there is much to be found in many places of the lawe Chore Dathan and Abyrom were rebelles of whose endes ye may read in the sixtéenth of the booke of Numbers If any man did maliciously bring vp a slaunder vppon his wiues chastitie and was not able to proue it true he was mearced at a sūme of money or punished with stripes as is to be séene in the 22 of Deuteronomie In the 19 of Leuit. this
in danger of the lawe and of the curse thereof For we are the bondslaues of sinne wée are made subiâ—â—te to sundrie calamities by reason of our sinne This therefore is called the spirituall bondage not because it is onely in the minde of man but béecause of the opposition whereby it is opposed to the bodilie bondage For otherwise sinne hath made oure bodie also subiecte to the curse Neither doe wée sinne in minde alone but in the bodie also For euery part and al the members of our bodies are subiecte vnto sinne and infected with iniquitie Therefore we serue in most miserable bondage while beeing vnder the diuels dominion wee doe the thinges that please the fleshe by the egging on of euil affections to the bringing forth of fruite or rather to the making of abortion with perill of oure liues to the diuell our cruell and ouer rigorous maister For this verilie is oure hardest and most lameÌ„table seruitude and bondage Nowe on the other side let vs sée what Christian libertie is that is to say from what and howe farre foorth the Lord hath made vs frée In one word wée doe briefly say that Christe oure Lord hath deliuered vs from a gréeuous bondage to wit that hée hath so farre forth made vs frée as wée by sinne were slaues and bondseruants This we maye more largely expound and say The sonne of God came into this world and hauing first oppressed the tyrannie of Sathan and crusshed his head by his death and passion hee hath traÌ„slated vs into his owne kingdome hath made himselfe oure Lord and king Secondarilie hee hath adopted vs to be the sonnes of GOD and with his blessing tooke awaye the bitter curse of the lawe For he toke awaye all sinnes and purged all the faithfull from their iniquities Thirdly hee did most liberally bestow the frée gift of the holy Ghoste to the end that the sonnes of God should willingly and of their owne accorde submit themselues to the will of God and to doe the thinges that the Lord would haue them For the hatred of the lawe doeth not remaine although the weakenesse of the fleshe abideth still Lastly the same our Lord king hath taken from the shoulders of his electe the burthen of the law the types and figures with all the coste belonging to the same and hath forbidden vs being once set at libertie to entangle our selues againe with any lawes and traditions of men Of all this being layed together we make this definition To deliuer is to make frée and to set at libertie from bondage Hée is frée or manumised that beeing deliuered from bondage doeth enioye his libertie Therefore manumission or libertie is nothing else but the state of him that is made frée the commoditie I saye whiche a frée made man hath receiued and doth enioy by reason of his deliueraunce to witt in that hée being deliuered from the tyrannie of Sathan from sinne from the curse of the lawe and from death is made the sonne of God and heire of euerlasting life and also that he hath receiued the spirite of libertie by whiche hee doeth wholie giue himselfe to bée the seruaunte of God to doe him seruice all his life long and lastly that beeing deliuered from the lawe of Moses and from all lawes of mortall men hée doeth altogether depende vppon the Gospell onely hauing at libertie the frée vse of external thinges as of meate of drincke of cloathing and of such like indifferent thinges And in these thrée last rehearsed points doth ChristiaÌ„ libertie chiefly consiste Nowe to this I will add such testimonies of Scripture as shall both better confirme and more plainely declare my exposition And first of all I will alledge those testimonies which are to be found in the bookes of the holie Euangelistes and then those that are extant in the writinges of the Apostles Zacharias the priest father of Iohn Baptiste in his hymne of thanckesgiuing Luke 1 doeth declare the trueth and goodnesse of God in performing that to vs which hee promised to oure forefathers to witt That wee beeing deliuered out of the handes of oure enimies mighte serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life In this testimonie of his wée haue the true libertie that fréedome I meane wherein wée being by the Lord deliuered from all our enimies both visible and inuisible should no longer serue them with feare but serue oure GOD in ioye and gladnesse There is added also the manner and order howe to serue him In holinesse and righteousnesse Holinesse doeth cutt off and caste awaye all vncleannesse and incontinencie Righteousnesse giueth to euery man that whiche is his due to witt the thinges which wee of duetie doe owe to euerie man and doeth conteyne in it bothe fréedome and beneuolence And in this kinde of seruice doe they whiche are made frée serue the Lord their God not for a day or two or a certeine fewe yeares but all the dayes of their life Therefore true Christian libertie is the perpetuall seruice which wée owe and doe to God. In the eighth Chapiter of Saincte Iohns Gospell to the Iewes whiche made great bragges of the vaine and sillie libertie which they receiued of their auncestours Christe our Lord maketh this obiection Verilie verilie I say vnto you that whosoeuer committeth sinne hee is the seruaunt of sinne And the seruaunt abideth not in the house for euer but the sonne abideth for euer if the sonne therefore shall make you free then are ye free in deede In these woords hée maketh mention both of bondage and of libertie Hée is a bondman to sinne as to a cruell maister or a neuer contented tyrant whosoeuer doeth committ any sinne For he doth obey as one that is bound to sinne Such bondmen are all the sonnes of men whose punishment is to haue none inheritaunce in their fathers house whiche is the heauenly Hierusalem As for those whiche the Sonne of God restoareth to fréedome they are partakers of the heauenly kingdome and fellowe heires with the Sonne of god But Christe maketh none frée but them that are faithfull therefore the sonnes of God and fellowe heires of Christ are for Christ his sake their onely deliuerer made frée and set at libertie Neither is there any other in heauen or in earth beside Christ Iesu which is able to set vs at fréedome and at libertie Paule in the sixte Chapiter to the Romanes sayth Let not sinne reigne in your mortall bodie that ye should therunto obey by the lustes of it neither giue ye your members as instruments of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne but giue your selues vnto god as they that are aliue from the dead and your members as instrumentes of righteousnesse vnto god For sinne shall not haue power ouer you because ye are not vnder the Lawe but vnder Grace In these wordes he exhorteth them that are purged and made frée by Christ to liue holilie in their spirituall bondage Now
he saith not Let not sinne be in you or in your mortall body but he saith Let not sinne reigne in you or in your mortall bodie But when reigneth sinne Forsoothe sinne reigneth then when wée obey it thorough the lusts thereof that is when we resiste not but doe fulfill the lustes of the fleshe Sinne therefore doth not reigne in our mortall bodie so longe as it is but fealt in the bodie and not obeyed or permitted to rule but rather resisted and trode vnder foote This same sentence doth he expound by an other somwhat more easie to be vnderstood I would not haue you to permit your members to sinne as to a tyraunt to vse them as instrumentes to woorke all vnrighteousnesse I rather require you to giue your selues to bée ruled and gouerned by god For since hée hath set you frée from death brought you to life againe it is requisite that ye should giue your members to God as liuely instrumentes to woorke all righteousnesse And that shall ye bée easilie able to doe because ye are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace Vppon this doth all the rest of that Chapiter depend vnto the end What then saith hée shall we sinne because wee are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace God forbidde Knowe ye not how that to whomsoeuer ye commit your selues as seruauntes to obey his seruauntes ye are to whome ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnesse But God be thanked that ye were the seruants of sinne but ye haue obeyed with heart the fourme of doctrine into the which ye are brought vnto Being then made free from sinne ye are become the seruauntes of righteousnesse And yet he sheweth that the fréemen of Christ do not abuse their libertie and giue themselues againe to be gouerned by their old tyrannous maister Sinne. For he maketh Sinne and Righteousnesse to bée as it were two maisters and addeth to eche of them the hire or reward that they giue to their seruauntes the one Life the other Death Lastly he saith generallie that we are his seruaunts to whome wée giue our selues to obey Vppon which hée inferreth Being redeemed by the grace of God from the bondage of sinne and from death whiche is the rewarde of sinne we are translated into the bondage of righteousnesse whose reward is life that thereby we may liue For he doth more significantly expresse his meaning in that which followeth saying I speake after the manner of men because of the infirmitie of your flesh As ye haue giuen your mēbers seruaunts to vncleannesse and iniquitie vnto iniquitie euen so now giue your members seruauntes to righteousnesse vnto holinesse For when ye were the seruauntes of sinne ye were free from righteousnesse What fruite had ye then in those thinges whereof ye are nowe ashamed For the end of those thinges is death But nowe ye being made free from sinne made the seruants of God haue your fruit vnto holinesse and the ende euerlasting life For the reward of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life thoroughe Iesus Christe oure lord All this is so plaine and euident that it néedeth no larger exposition of mine And yet in the seuenth Chapiter next following hee doeth by comparison in a parable more fullie expounde all that hée said before The woman saith hée whiche is in subiection to the man is by the lawe bound to the man as longe as hée liueth If while the man liueth shée goe a side to an other she is counted an adultresse But if the man be dead shée may couple her selfe with an other man Euen so I saye wée are dead to the lawe For Christ died for vs and was in his bodie offered vpp to be a sacrifice or oblation to cleanse and purge oure sinnes that we might thenceforth bée vnited and coupled to him and that wée being conceiued and made with childe with his holy spirite maye trauaile bring foorth and be deliuered of an excellent issue holie fruite of good works euen as while we serued sinne were subiecte vnto it as to oure maister wee brought foorth an ill fauoured babe of death I meane iniquitie and wickednesse for the punishing whereof death is appointed and ordeined But let vs now heare the verie woords of the holie and blessed Apostle saying Euen so my brethren wee also are deade concerning the Lawe by the bodie of Christe that wee should bee coupled to an other who is raysed from the dead that wee should bring forth fruite vnto god For when we were in the flesh the lustes of sinne which were by the lawe wrought in oure members to bring forth fruite vnto death But no we are wee deliuered from the law and dead vnto it wherunto wee were in bondage that wee may serue in newenesse of spirite and not in the oldnesse of the letter That place in the eighth Chapiter to the Romanes is vnknowen to no man where he saith The lawe of the spirite of life thorough Christ Iesus hath made mee free from the lawe of sinne and death The manner of this deliueraunce hée doeth immediately after add saying For what the lawe could not doe that GOD did by sending his owne sonne And so forth as followeth For the woordes are sufficiently plaine and vnderstoode of all men In the seuenth Chapiter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians hee saith Yee are bought with a price doe not ye become the seruauntes of men In these woordes the holy Apostle exhorteth seruauntes vnder the colour or pretence of worldly bondage not to committ anye thinge for their earthly maisters pleasure whiche soundeth against sinceritie and is repugnant to pure religion to witt althoughe they bee called by the name of seruauntes yet that they should not obey the wicked lawes and vngodly ordinaunces of mortall men The cause that oughte to pull and draw vs from it is Because we are redeemed and set at libertie by the price of Christes his bloud It would therefore be to to bad and vnwoorthie a thinge if wée contrarie to the effecte of oure libertie should obey the naughtie lawes and ordinaunces of man. This also is extended stretcheth oute to the lawes of men whiche are made in matters of religion For in the fiftéenth Chapiter of the holy Gospell written by the Euāgelist S. Matthewe the Lord and Sauiour sayeth In vaine doe they worship mee teaching doctrines the precepts of men And Let them alone they are blinde leaders of the blinde And the Apostle S. Paul saith If ye be dead with Christe from the rudimentes of the world why as yet liuing in the world are ye ledd with traditions Touche not Taste not Handle not Which all doe perishe in abusing after the commaundementes and doctrines of men which thinges haue a shewe of wisedome in superstition and humblenesse of minde and in neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh First of all hee sheweth that the faithfull ones
and vnpardonable for which we must not pray that is to saye prayers cannot obteine pardone for it That sinne is contumelious reprochâ— against the holie Ghoste reuolting apostacie and incessant mocking of the Gospell of Christe For in the Gospell after S. Iohn we read Verily verily I saye vnto you if a man keepe my sayings he shall not see death for euer And againe If ye beleeue not that I am ye â—hal dye in your sinnes And apostacie in verie déede is iniquitie and a purposed and perpetuall sinne For what is more sinfull or vniust than to strine against and make a mocke of the knowen veritie The other sinne is veniall not vnto death the which of what sort it is Sainct Iohn declareth when he addeth Wee knowe that euery one which is borne of God sinneth not Nowe that saying must not be so absolutely taken as though hee sinned not at all but wee must vnderstand that hee sinneth not to death For otherwise the verie Sainctes are sinners as it is euident by the first Chapter of this Epistle Furthermore that which doeth immediately followe in Iohn maketh manifest that which went before He that is begotten of God saith he kepeth him selfe that is hee standeth stedfastly in the knowen trueth and taketh heede to him selfe that that euil touch him not that is that he intrap him not stirre him vp against God nor reteine him in rebellion Thus much haue I hitherto saide touching the sinne against the holie Ghoste which Augustine did in one place call finall impenitencie which doth followe vppon Apostacie blasphemie and contempt of the holie Ghost or of the word of trueth reuealed by the holie Ghost And although I haue alreadie in the handling of Originall sinne and sinne against the holie Ghoste partely touched the effectes of sinne yet to coÌ„clude this treatise withall I wil briefly shewe you somewhat touching the iust and assured punishment that shal be layde vppon sinners For in the definition of sinne I sayde that sinne brought vpon vs the wrath of GOD with death and sundrie punishments Of which in this place I meane to speake It is as manifest as what is most manifest by the scriptures that God doeth punishe the sinnes of men yea that he punisheth sinners for their sinnes For many places in the scriptures declare that God is angrie and greeuously offended at the sinnes of mortall men Dauid cryeth The Lorde loueth the iust as for the wicked and violent his soule doeth hate them Vppon the vngodly hee shall rayne snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this shal be their portion to drinke For the righteous Lord loueth righteousnesse with his countenaÌ„ce he doth behold the thing that is iust In like manner Paule saith The wrath of God is reuealed from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vncleanesse of men which withholde the trueth in vnrighteousnesse And what may be thought of the moreouer that the wrath of God for the sinnes of vs men woulde bee by no meanes appeased but by the death of the sonne of God Wherein verily the excellencie of the greate price of our redemption doth argue the greatnesse and filthinesse of our sinne To all which we may adde that the good Lorde who loued mankinde so well woulde not haue ouerwhelmed vs with so many paynes and exceeding calamities had not our sinne béen passing horrible in the sight of his eyes For who can make a full beadrowe of all the calamities of miserable sinners The Lorde for our sinnes absenteth him selfe from vs But if the Sunne be out of the earth howe greate are the mystes and cloudie darkenesse in it If God be awaye from vs how great is the horror in myndes of men Here therefore as punishementes due to sinners are reckoned the tyrannie of Satan a thousande tormentes of conscience the death of the soule dreadfull feare vtter desperation innumerable calamities of bodie and of our other faculties which Moses the seruaunt of God doeth at large rehearse in the 26. of Leuiticus and the 28 Chapter of Deuteronomium And nowe since newe sinnes are daily scourged with newe kindes of punishements what ende I praye is any man able to make if hee shoulde goe about to reckon them all It is not to be doubted verily but that the Lorde doeth punishe sinners iustly For hee is him selfe a most iust Iudge And for because it is a madd mannes parte to doubte of the iustice omnipotencie and wisedome of god it followeth therefore consequently that all religious and godly men doe holde for a certeintie that the punishments which God doeth laye vppon men are laide vppon them by moste iust iudgement But howe greate and what kinde of punishment is due to euery faulte and seuerall transgression belongeth rather to Gods iudgement to determine than for mortall men too curiously to inquire Wherevppon Sainct Augustine Tracta in Ioan. 89 saide There is as greate diuersitie of punishments as of sinnes which howe it is ordeined the wisedome of God doth more deepely declare than mans coniectures can possibly seeke out or vtter in wordes Hee verily which in his lawe giuen to man gaue this for a rule according to the measure of the sinne so shall the measure of the punishement bee beeing him selfe moste equall and iust doeth not in iudgement exceede measure Abraham in the notable communication had with God which is reported in the 18 of Genesis doth amoÌ„g other things say Wâ—lt thou destroye the iust with the wicked that be farr from thee that thou shouldst do such a thing and slaye the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be as the wicked That is not thy parte that iudgest al the earth thou shalt not make suche iudgement Herevnto also belongeth that notable demonstration which the Lorde vseth towarde Ionas beeing angrie with the Lorde because of his iudgements for hee sheweth that hee hath iustly a care of the infants yea and of the cattel in Niniue The place is extant in the fourth Chapter of the prophecie of Ionas Let vs therefore stedfastly holde that the Lord when he punisheth doth iniurie to no creature which hee hath made Here therefore the disputations and questions come to an ende wherein men are wont to demaunde whye the Lorde doeth sometimes vse so sharpe torments towards infants or sucklings or why he rewardeth temporal offences with eternal punishments For the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holie in all his workes As Dauid did most truly witnesse whereas in another place he saith Thou arte iust O Lord and thy iudgement is right Blessed is hee that stumbleth not here and doeth not murmur against the Lorde But if 〈◊〉 so happen that the Lorde at any time do somewhat long deferre the iudgement and punishment wee must not therefore thinke that hee is vniust because he spareth the wicked and sharpely correcteth his friendes their vices Let vs rather laye before our eyes the Euangelicall parable of the riche glutton and
thinges particularly I will vse this course and order First of all I wil out of the lawe and the Prophets recite vnto you some euident promises of Christ made by God vnto the church which shal be those especiallie y the Apostles themselues haue alreadie touched expouÌ„ded SecoÌ„dlie I wil proue vnto you that God hath nowe performed that which hee promised so longe agoe to wit that he hath alreadie exhibited to vs his onely begotten sonne and that hee is that true so long-looked-for Lord and Messiah whiche should come to saue the world Lastly I wil shew you how y in this Sonne the father is pleased and reconciled to the world againe in whome also hee hath fullie giuen vs all thinges requisite to eternall life and absolute felicitie For he for vs and for our saluation was incarnate dead raised to life againe taken vp into heauen there to be our mediatour for euer and aduocate vnto his father And in these points doe lye the liuely veynes of the Gospel which flowe with hoalesome waters vnto eternal life For in them doeth consist the sound consolation of the faithfull and the enduring tranquillitie of a quiet conscience Without them there is no life or quiet rest The promises made by God concerning Christ whiche are vttered in the holy Scriptures are thréefold or of thrée sortes I therefore to make them the playner vnto you doe diuide the promises of one and the same sort according to the times The first promises were made to the patriarchs or auncient fathers before the giuing of the lawe these againe consist of two sortes For one sort of them are plaine vttered euidently in simple woords without all types and â—â—â—uratiue shadowes The other sort â—re figuratiue and couched vnder types The first and most euident promise of all was made by the verie mouth of God vnto our first parentes Adam Euah being oppressed with death calamities the horrible feare of Gods reuenging hand for their transgression which promise is as it were the piller and base of all Christian religion wherevpon the preaching of the Gospell is altogether founded and out of which al the other promises in a maner are deriued That promise is coÌ„teined in these words of the Lord I wil put enimitie betwixt thee meaning the serpent the diuel I say in the serpent and the woman betwixt thy seede and her seede and it shall tread downe thy head and thou shalt tread vppon his heele God in these wordes promiseth séed the séed I say not of man but of woman and that too of the most excellent woman to wit that most holie Virgin Marie the woman that was blessed among all other women For she conceiued not by any man but by the holie Ghost beeing a Virgin still was deliuered of Christ our Lord who by dying and rising againe did not onely vexe or wound but also crush tread downe the head that is the kingdome of Sathan to witt sinne death and damnation taking away and making vtterly void all the power and tyrannie of that our enimie and deceiuer In the meane while sathan troade on Christ his héele that is to say hee by his meÌ„bers Caiaphas Pontius Pilate the Iewes and Gentiles did with exquisite tormentes and death vexe and kill the fleshe which was in Christ the lowest part euen as the héele is to the bodie For the Lord in the Psalmes sayeth I am a worme no man They haue brought my life into the duste But he roase again from the dead For had he not risen againe he had not troden downe the serpentes head But nowe by his rising hée is become the Sauiour of all that doe beléeue in him Out of this promise is deriued that singular and notorious one which the Angel of the Lord reciteth vnto our father Abraham in these words following In thy seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed But Paule in his Epistle to the Galathians doeth in expresse words declare that that blessed séed is ours whiche was promised to Abraham Nowe our Lord is called by the name of Séed because of the first promise made to Adam and Euah because hee was for vs incarnate and made verie man Neither is this promise repugnant to the first For although Christ our Lord be héere called the séed or sonne of Abraham yet is he no other way referred vnto Abraham than by the Virgin whiche was the daughter of Abraham and mother of Christ Now what good doth the sonne of Abraham to vs by his incarnation Forsoth he blesseth vs But a blessing is the contrarie vnto a curse Therefore what cause soeuer wée drue from the sinne of Adam that doeth Christe heale in vs and blesse vs with all spirituall blessing Neither doeth he bestow this benefite vppon a few alone but vppon all the nations of the world that doe beléeue in him The Patriarch Iacob being inspired with the holie Ghost foretold the chaunces that should betide his children and at length when hee came to Iuda amonge the rest he sayeth The Scepter shal not depart from Iuda a lawegiuer from betweene his feete till Schilo come and vnto him shall the gathering of the people be Loe here in these words the Messiah is not onely promised but the verie time also is prescribed when he should be incarnate with a declaration both what howe farre forth he should bée The kingdome sayeth he shall remaine vnder Iuda vntill the comminge of the Sauiour And albeit that the tribe of Iuda shall not alwayes haue kinges to gouerne them yet shall it not lacke nobles capitaines lawegiuers learned men and sages to rule the people And therefore the Euangelicall historie doth faithfully witnesse that Christ came at that time when al power authoritie and rule was translated to the Romanes vnto whose Emperour Octa. Augustus the Iewes were inforced to pay taxes and tribute Now Schilo signifieth felicitie or the author of felicitie it signifieth plentie stoare and abundance of al excellent things For Christ is the treasurie of all good thinges And the Chaldee interpreter where he findeth Schilo translateth it CHRIST Finallie to him as to their Sauiour shall all people bee gathered as the Prophets did afterward most plainely declare Esaie in the second and Micheas in the fourth chapiters of their bookes or prophecies Furthermore the types and figures of Christe are Noah preserued in the arcke For in Christ are the faithfull saued as S. Peter testifieth 1. Pet. 3. Abraham offereth vpp Isaac his onely begotten sonne vppon the topp of the same mountaine where many yeares after the onely begotten sonne of God was offered vppon the Crosse Ioseph is by his brethren sold to the heathen he is cast in prison but being deliuered he doeth become their Sauiour is of all the people called the preseruer of the Aegyptian kingdome In all these thinges was Christ oure Lord prefigured The latter promises also are of two sortes either openly