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
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
Who gaue the law of god to the Iewes in tables of stone but could not make his people by the law righteous For he could not giue power strength to do perform the law But our law giuer both teacheth vs what is right holy also giueth vs a new hart his holy spirit as he promiseth by Ezec. The finger of god writeth his law in our harts that we may with ioy and pleasure do the will of the lord He is also our king for he ruleth vs in spirit truth defendeth vs And his holy spirit cōforteth vs as Esa. saith Feare not for thou shalt not be ashamed neither shalt thou be confounded For thou shalt not be put to shame For he that made thee is thy husband vvhose name is the lord of hostes thy redemer the holy one of Israel shall be called the God of the vvhole vvorld He speaketh this of Christ his church Paul saith to the Ephes Christ is the husband of the church And here again he calleth him Iehouah Zebaoth that is God almighty And afterward he calleth him by another of the names of God Elohe which also signifieth god And this prophesy is fulfilled euē frō the apostles time vnto this day is now also daily in fulfilling For al the godly beleuers in Christ Iesu do in one spirit faith confesse through the whole world that Iesus of Nazareth is our lord Christ very true God to be lauded and praised for euer Amen The scripture is full of these testimonies of that name of Iehouah Let vs therfore heare more Esay saith This is our God we haue waited for him he wil saue vs this is the lord Iehouah we haue waited for him we wil reioice and be ioyful in his saluation This prophesy doth properly appertain to Messias He shal destroy death for euer then shal the church in the time of the new testamēt say Iesus of Nazareth is our God who onely wil bring vs helth saluatiō For now this doctrine or preching to wit that Christ Iesus came into the world to saue sinners is spred abrode through the whole world And Pet. saith We beleue through the grace of the lord Iesus Christ to be saued euē as our fathers did beleue And Esa. saith Be ye strong feare not behold your God cōmeth with vēgeance euen God with a recōpence he wil come and saue you This prophesie speaketh also of Christ Wherupō Cypr. citeth it against the Iues. For the prophet by by reciteth those miracles which Messias should work here vpō earth And the holy ghost here cōmandeth al the preachers to cōfort the poore in spirit to wit all those which truly repēt are hartily sory for their sinnes which are amazed striken doun quake at the wrath iudgement of god And he biddeth them preach vnto thē diligently the gospel the glad tidings of the lord saying that god himself doth come to take vengeāce of his enemies to deliuer vs frō the tirāny of our sinnes As it came to passe in the fulnes of tyme when the only begotten sonne of god came into this earth vnto vs in his own person tooke vpon him mans nature suffred death for our sins vpō the crosse rose again frō death and therby satisfied for our trespasses deliuered vs from our sinnes death This was done by none other but by Iesus Christ of Nazareth the true son of God who at the time appointed became man therfore he is called by this most worthy comfortable name by which the prophets called him lōg before And the angel in Math. nameth him Ieschuah or Iesus It is also worthy noting full of comfort that where these prophets speake of the helpe by which we are deliuered frō our sinnes there they vse the very root or Schoresch from whēce this most cōfortable name Iesus is deriued As Esa. in the 25. saith the prophet Ioschienu and in the 35. he saith Ioschaechem And these wordes come of Ioscha and Hoschia which is deliuered to help to redeme Iere. fore-speaketh of Christes kingdom calleth him the true brāch of Dauid And he addeth he shal be called Iehouah of our righteousnes that is the name by which they cal him our iust God. The doctors of the Iewes thēselues as Rabbi Kimchi other confesse that the prophet speaketh here of Christ of his kingdom And Thargū saith Akemle Dauid Meschiah de Zadika ia that is I wil raise vp or bring forth a Messias for Dauid which is Christ the righteous Here God promised to Dauid long after the death of Dauid a stock or branch of righteousnes which shold set vp true rightousnes This branch is Christ And there he telleth what his name should be he calleth him by the name of god For he setteth down that holy name Iehouah This testimony doth conuince the wicked Iues damned Arrians of a diuelish heresy And it soundly declareth that Christ is not onely true man borne of the stock of Dauid after the flesh but also the only true and natural god ¶ An. I remember that you were wont oftentimes to say that amongst the briefe short sentences of the holy scripture you neuer had more redy perfect help comfort by any then by these words Our righteous God or Christ the God of our righteousnes You say that this sentence is your most precious iuel which ye would not change with many millions of worlds if there were so many worldes For you say it is the pith of the whole gospel Wherfore I pray you good husband expound and open me the same with al diligence that I may also be partaker of that rich treasure and precious iuell For all thinges ought to be common betwene vs seing that which is yours is also myne ☞ Vrb. Why might I not say with Paul. Those thinges that were vātage vnto me the same I counted losse for Christes sake yea doubtles I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knovvledge sake of Christ Iesus my lord For vvhō I haue accounted all thinges losse and do iudge thē to be dong that I might vvin Christ might be found in him that is not hauing mine ovvn righteousnes vvhich is of the lavve but that vvhich is thorovv the faith of Christ euen the righteousnes vvhich is of God thorovv faith that I may knovv him the vertue of his resurrection I haue had no afflictiō no grief no wound of hart though it were very bitter in which this saying of Ier. did could not comfort refresh me For what storme of temptation soeuer assaileth me what tēpest of affliction soeuer riseth rageth vpon me when my sins vexe me when the horrors of death shake me and when the paines of the euerlasting lake be present before me appeare in my mind by by I
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
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
with God true peace securitye euerlasting ioy true life and eternall saluatiō For if the sin of the Gentiles should not be taken away then in deede should neither death nor Sathans tyranny and kingdome be taken away neither could they haue any cōfort or hope But seing that Christ is their hope and comfort and that no vaine comfort for God himselfe speaketh it then surely must all heuines calamities and misery be taken away from the gentiles also which is nothing els but sin euill conscience death and euerlasting damnation And therfore must they also of necessitie rise from death and liue for euer with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heauen You see by the Epistle of S. Peter that the prophets haue respect vnto the health of the soules and therfore their whole indeuor is to preach true comfort seing the prophecie of Christ who brought vs from sin to righteousnes and innocencye and from death to life euerlasting as we finde he doth in deed Moreouer he hath deserued for vs the comforter the holy Ghost by whome he helpeth and comforteth vs vnder the crosse vntill we be called out of this fraile and miserable life and receaue the promised crowne of glory which in deede we posses in this earth though it be but yet in fayth and hope ¶ Anna. You alwayes haue sayd that Zachary is a prophet full of notable comforts Let vs therfore here what comfort he geueth vs by his promises ☞ Vrba He is in deede a comfortable prophet and the dayes wherein he liued required the same For he prophecied when the Iewes were euen at the point of returning out of the captiuitie of Babilon and when the Citie with the temple should be builded agayne The people at that time were yet faint harted fearefull and doubted that they should not be safe from their enemies and therfore he comforteth them and setteth Christ before their eyes as a louing Sauiour that so they might be of good cheare saying that Christ should spedely come and helpe his seruantes and spread his kingdome through the whole world and therfore was it needefull that Iuda and Ierusalem should be builded againe to the end they might receaue their owne king And the prophet speaketh as followeth Ierusalem shall be inhabited without the walles for the multitude of men and cattell therein For I sayth the Lord will be vnto her a wall of fire round about and will be the glory in the midest of her Here he prophesieth of the spirituall Ierusalem to wit the church of Christ for the earthly Ierusalem had hir boundes and walles but the heauenly Ierusalem shal be so wide and large that it can not be compassed with any walles yea it shall be as wide as the world For it is the kingdome of Christ which by little and little without ceasing shall be increased vnto the last day and the true children of Abraham are as the God of Abraham promised euen as the sand of the sea and the starre in the firmament and the promised blessing shall come vpon all nations through the whole world that Christ maye be knowen and worshipped euery where for the true Lord god By the cattell vnderstand weakelinges and such as are ignoraunt in the knowledge of the scriptures and fayth these are led and fed in the pastures of Christ by those which are more strong and firme in fayth But he is a merueilous wall which is all fiery truly the Church of Christ in this place hath so great and comfortable a promise of Gods helpe as you shall scarsely finde in any other place of the scriptures For I wil be saith the Lord a wall of fire round about hir the Church of Christ You see that he speaketh here of the heauenly Citye wherein God himselfe will be the watchman keper wall defēder if their God be thus present with vs we haue iust cause to reioyce in the Lord seeing that wheresoeuer God himselfe watcheth defendeth and fighteth for vs there are we safe out of daunger of this world and Sathan and neede not feare them To be breefe the great humilititie of Christ Iesus in that he vouchsafed to become man being the true son of God and the sending of the holy ghost the true teacher of holsome doctrine in the Church of God whereby the church is still houlden and preserued in truth that it may stedfastly cleaue to God where as otherwise the whole world is blinded with errors caried away with lyes and miserably deceaueth it selfe these I say do sufficiētly declare how gloriously the Lord hath shewted himselfe in this spirituall Ierusalem Sathan the world and heretickes do not cease nor sleepe but bend themselues in all they may yea they striue with hand and foote to destroy Christ his church But although according to the flesh it be weake yet neuerthelesse it standeth and getteth the victory ouer all hir enemies So plentifully doth the Lord declare his glory in his spirituall citye the Church In the wordes following he setteth forth the helpe and comfort which we shall haue in Christ his kingdome saying He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye How I pray you could a most louing and tender father speak more louingly or sweetely euen to his darling and derely beloued son if the Lord looke carefully to vs as men vse to looke to the apple of their eyes then surely can no hurt happen vnto vs in the kingdome of Christe neither neede we to feare any daunger A little after Zachary comforteth such Christiās as are vnder the crosse and by reason of the weakenes of the flesh are in feare and trouble euen as the Iewes were at that time saying Reioyce and be glad O daughter Sion for I come and will dwell in the middest of thee sayth the Lord and many nations shall be ioyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will dwell in the middest of thee and thou shalt know the Lord of hostes hath sent me vnto the. And the Lord shall inherit Iuda his portiō in the holy land and shall chuse Ierusalem agayne Let all flesh be still before the Lord for he is raised vp out of his holy place That is to say O Sion although thou be afflicted here in the earth yet be of good chere because thou shalt cōtinew For I my selfe do come and abide with thee Was not this fulfilled when god became man and at this day wheresoeuer Gods word is receaued there doth God dwell and that is the true Sion as Christ sayth in Iohn He that loueth mee keepeth my commaundementes and my Father will loue him and we will come vnto him and will dwell with him Surely this is the spirituall kingdome wherein god dwelleth with vs by the gospel and by fayth which the holy ghost worketh in vs as S. Paul sayth to the Ephe Christ dwelleth in our hartes by fayth And Esay telleth vs where God
though the Deuill torment them with griefes and feare them with death hell and Gods iudgementes yet shall they finde in this sermon such so great and so sweete promises of god in christ that there is no soul so fearefull though most fearful no fayth so weake though most weake nor any man so ignorant doubtfull and hartlesse though he be most ignorant doubtfull hartlesse but that he may in this sermō gather such hart receaue such hope and growe vnto such knowledge strength and stabilitie that if he will but come and either heare it or reade it he shall returne as did Cleophas leape lyke an hart walke lyke a Lyon stand lyke a rocke which cannot be moued with any surging sea of temptatiō For that learned byshop of Germany doctor Vrbane Regius hath here so displayed Christ with the kingdome of Christ the mercies of god in christ that if any sad Cleophas doe but couet to come to Emaus the bright morning of the knowledge of Christ his kingdome and will bring but so much good seede with him by gods grace as that he hath a desire to know Christ to heare Christ to enioy Christ and to reason and reade of Christ for this is fayth yea though he be heauy and sorrowfull and come weeping yet shall he in this booke so meete with Christ and heare such a sermon of Christ that it will last him and not leaue him vntill he come to the trew Emaus in deede the bright knowledge of Christ and there shall his blind eyes be opened and he shall see know acknowledge Christ to be his sauiour and shall returne a right Cleophas in deede and bring such showes of fayth hope and peace of conscience with him that Nimrods net shall be broken the pray mans soule shall be deliuered the feare of death and desperation shal be abandoned And of this you may fetch if you will aprobatum est out of the gospell of Saint Luke For he maketh mention of this sermon and sheweth both when where why to whome out of what Christ made it what effect it had in it Thirdly whereas I sayd we are by nature vnperceiuing Ethiopians which reading the Prophets vnderstād not the Prophets this little booke wil well serue vs for a Phillip a sound interpreter of the prophets For it doth so drawe the vale and curtayne of the letter that it manifestly sheweth the precious perle Christ hidden vnder the letter and it so plainely discouereth the field of the olde testamēt that it leadeth vs by the hand to our Iesus that great treasure hidden in the law and the prophets Yea it doth so playnly proue Christ to be Christ that both the ignorant Gentiles and obstinate Iewes may know and acknowledge Christ to be Iesus the sauiour of the world But because we are subiect to many enymies crosses and temptations and so haue neede of comfort and because also when we both haue heare and reade of comfort we be as Thomas was hard receauers of Comfort I thinke it needefull that for the better obtayning of comfort we vse two thinges in the reading of good bookes and the holy scriptures the cornu copia of all comfort The first is that before we read we pray For as of ourselues we are haue nothing so to faythfull prayers is made a promise of all thinges The second is that in all our priuate reading we apply the worde to our selues take that which is there spoken and reade to be spoken to vs or him that readeth it for els shall we neither haue our lyues mended nor our soules comforted by the worde and then the word leeseth his fruitfull effect But if when wee see and heare Ephraim Ierusalē Iuda or the scribes pharises threatened reproued for their sinnes we will in place of them put in our owne selues and names and know it to be spoken to vs as it is in deed if we be lyke thē then no doubt we shall read to our amendement Againe if when we see promises made and comfort geuen and forgeuenes graunted to Iuda Ierusalem and Sion or the Church we will in place of them suppose or put in our owne names and persons and both beleue and know that those promises forgeuenes and those comforts are made set downe and geuen vs and euery one of vs that heare or read them as they are in deede yf we beleue them then shall we finde in this sermon and other holy scriptures such salue for our sores and such comfort for our hartes that sinne shall be subdued dispayre shall be remoued and our heauy hartes shall be comforted And here I will passe ouer the iust prayses which this booke deserueth both in excellēcy of the matter as god hath geuen it in laudablenes of the maner as Vrbane hath hādled it For in that it containeth the prophecyes of Christ and the promises of God true saluatiō vnto all that beleue a wine a man would thinke vēdible enough amongest the depraued and dead sonnes of Adam it doth sufficiently approue and promote it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onely this I thinke meete that before I end I put you in remembraunce that we are all by nature wicked and the childrē of wrath and death and must without the knowledge of those thinges which are set downe in this booke dye as we be and be as we dye euen without Christ firebrandes of hell But now to returne where I began I beseech you honorable and worshipfull Citizens that as you haue heard my dedication was not without cause so now ye will graunt me a petition or two which doe not exceede reason The first is that God hauing his dew prayse for all his goodnes ye would both pardon this my bouldnes and also vouchsafe my simple labors about the heauenly worde no worse entertainement and protection then ye vse to shew to your earthly peuples Secōdly that if ye reape any profit by this worke ye would geue deserued prayse to two learned and well lyued doctors of this church namely M. Barnard Gilpin of the North and M. Iohn Fox of the South Whereof this godly and painefull father moued me to translate it and the other great Moecenas hath brought vp me poore sinner to this little I haue and many other learned men to the Churches commoditye And lastly I beseech you in the Lord that you will take pity vpon your wiues your children your selues and your soules to wit that you will by hearing beleuing practising the word seeke to be safe from Sathan that seeketh to sifte you Furnish your selues and your familyes I pray you with spirituall armour Geue your inward man but euery moneth one of these articles for his repast and let it be well digested Let the spirite once rule ouer the flesh and let Christes spouse the soule now at the last be as well bewtified as the Deuills cōcubine
he might by his death take away our sinnes and he rose again from the dead and threw Sathan all conquered and ouercome vnderfoote and bereued him of the spoyle and pray which through his false lye he had brought into the bondage of sinne death and damnation that is to say he brought mankind again into the kingdome of God which is the kingdom of health and euerlasting life This is the first promise of grace I wil put enmity betwixt thee and the woman betwixt thy seede and her seede He that is to say the seed of the woman for so is the Hebrue text shal break thy head and thou shalt bruse his heele In these words God promysed his Sonne to the world And this promise is the Gospel it self that is to say most mery and pleasant tidings of Christ Adam being now drowned in sinne and the child of wrath and being both in body and soule subiect to the curse saw nothing but euerlasting damnation and therefore his conscience was miserably trobled vexed and tormented so that in this his agony he was almost come euen to desperations dore For he felt no kind of comfort but the horrible torment of euerlasting death and bitter greef of hart For he had cast him self by disobedyence into the tiranny of Sathan and was now become his prisoner and seruant through sinne But as soon as God had promysed to him the seed of the woman straight way he conceaued hope of life and beleeued that god of his grace and mercy would by that promised seed saue him and delyuer him out of Sathans tyrannye The Gospell therfore is the promise of lyfe in this seede of the woman or through this seede Thus then God promised his naturall sone which should be born of a woman but without sinne that he might tread down and breake Sathans head that is to say that he might ouerthrow Sathans power and kingdome which is the kingdome of sinne and death and that he might tread vnderfoote ouercome and destroy sinne death and hel This promised seede is Christ as Paule sayth The wordes of this promise be but fewe but they contayne many and great misteries First they shew vs that God should take vppon him mans flesh For if that seede had bene nothing els but man he could neuer haue broken the head of Sathan that is haue abolished sinne and death and haue subdued and destroyed Sathan him selfe Furthermore these wordes import that this seede should not be subiect to any sinne neither be naturally conceiued after the manner of man and of mans seede but by the holy ghost and that this seede should not be born as al other mankinde is of a woman that had known a man but of a pure virgin Therfore is he not here called the seed of man but onely of woman Also seing he would deliuer and make mankind free from the tyranny of Sathā sinne being taken away it was needefull that all sinnes should first be purged and that he should first satisfie the high and seuere iustice of God and so this seede or this sonne of this woman is set in the place of a captiue man seing all mankinde for sinne was appointed to dye it was determined that he to wit this seed of the womā should suffer death that by his death he might pay and discharge the sinnes of mankinde That we being deliuered from the power and tyrannie of Sathan might be reconciled to our God by a sufficient purgation and satisfaction Now then if he ought thus to tread downe the head of Sathā to wit abolish death it could in no wise be that he should still abide in the graue but seing he should dye for out offences leauing this fraile and temporall life it was very necessary that he should rise againe from death and begin and posses another euerlasting life Otherwise he could neuer haue delyuered man from so great and horrible a calamity wherin he was Neither could man haue been saued vnles satisfaction had been made for his sinnes and vnles death had bin ouercome and eternal life so obteyned and geuen that neither sinne death nor Satan could further hurt vs Furthermore as the Text here maketh mention there is enmity betwixt Christ and that Serpent the Deuil And by this same Text we know which of them should get the victory to wit the seed Christ with his seruants he shal ouercome and tread down Sathan that venemous Serpent And although that Serpent doe neuer so deadly sting the heele of Christ and the true Church that is persecute and tempt them yet Christ being both far greater mightyer and stronger then he doth return Conqueror from the bataile and caryeth away the victory and in the end tryumpheth with the whol Church that is with the true godly beleeuing which shal raign and liue with Christ foreuer And thus in this promise is foretold as you see the birth passion and resurrection of Christ together with the victory wherin Christ broke the force of Sathan sinne death and hel And though in hid and figuratiue words yet such as admit no other sence but truely and plainly import that which we haue sayd Christ is prefigured prophesied of in the Scripture two wayes Sometime in darck figuratiue and hidden promises and types Other sometimes in manyfest promises and expres and playn words Therfore all promises which followed this in the Byble did betoken this seed and are to be applyed to this seed and are made more manifest and known vntil Christ put on our flesh fulfilled them Some Latin Bibles in this Text of Genesis haue it She shall tread down the head of the Serpent not he nor it Wherupon it grue that this promise was taken to be spoken of Mary as if she had troden down the Serpents head But this promis can in no wise be referred to Mary The Hebrue tongue saith not She but It doth perform this work And the same Text doth vnderstand the seed of the woman For thus saith the holy Ghost in that Sacred tongue wherein the Prophesies were writtē Vben sarecha Vben sarach hu ieschupcha rosch That is I wil put enmity betwixt thy Seed and the Seed of her that is to say euen the seed of the woman shall tread down thy head For it is euident that Hen doth not signifie her but Him or It and this is the proper and right signification of this word * Thargum hath it thus betweene thy Sonne and her Sonne which wordes doe expresse and declare the meaning of this Text more plainly and perfectly For it is ment only of Christ by him alone and by no other Seed nor man is Sathan ouercome sinne abolished and remission of sinnes and life recouered and freely geuen Adam and all Adams childrē that is to say all mankind had been damned and subiect to Sathans tyranny and had perished eternally in hell vnles that seed had bin promysed and geuen vs. He which reiecteth this
that their kinges should alwayes be of the tribe of Iuda And beside this worldly authoritie or pollitick gouernment the Iewes had an other spirituall authoritie or ecclesiasticall gouernment which was of the tribe of Leui. These were priests in the law and prophets and doctors But as some suppose Sanhedrim those 70. Elders in Israell which Moyses doth chuse in the xi of Numbers The Iewes by these 2. Magistrats were gouerned But this office of kings priestes or elders was not of any longer continuance but till Christ the trew king priest and doctor of the Iewes should come Heare the Patriark Iacob prophesying of the firster cōming of Christ Iesu our Lord sayth Iuda or the people of the Iewes shall haue kinges or gouernours of the tribe of Iuda whiche shall gouerne them and they shall haue doctors till Christ himselfe come their trew king and doctor And so the Iewes had Kinges Iudges or Princes and doctors of the tribe of Iuda almost euen vnto the birth of Christ But when he was borne it must needes folow according to this prophesie that this princely dignitye of the tribe of Iuda and office of the priesthood should end ¶ Anna. Was not this princely dignitie taken from the Iewes long before Christes birth when for 60. yeares long they were prisoners at Babilon vnder a king of the Gentiles for Christ as thē was not come And if I be not deceaued the Iewes in disputations with vs Christians make a iest at this prophesie of Iacob obiecting that captiuitie ☞ Vrb. The Iewes in this place as in many other are deceaued For in all the time of the captiuitie the kinges stock neuerthelesse remained in Iechania who being deliuered from captiuitie was with great power honored as a king after the captiuitie of Babilon all these princes of the tribe of Iuda did raigne rule Zerubabel Ioanna the son of Resa Abner Semei Nagid Artaxat Amos Scyrath Arses Resa Iudas Hercanus Eli Mattathias Agai Hesli Mattathias Siloia Ianus the 2. Hercanus Misciola Iosephus the 1. Asar Maath Massoth Naum Iosephus Minor. After these did raigne but not of any continuance the Afmonites or Machabies Iudas and Ionathas his brother Simon Iohn Hircanus Priscus Aristobulus Iohn Alexander and Alexandra his wife and Hercanus whome Herod slew and by violence vsurped the kingdome This Herod was not a Iewe borne but an Aliant an Edomite sonne to Antipater of the Citie Ascalon Hee obtained at Rome of Octauian Anthony that by the authoritie helpe of the senate he might be king of the Iewes but with much adoe he hardely subdued them and brought them to acknowledge him for their king Thei rebelled diuers times conspired his death that so they might shake of the yoke of a gentle king But when he had sore weried them and greuously oppressed thē about thirty yeares still wrastling with him at last after many bickeringes and conflictes he hardly begā quietly to rule haue ful princely gouerment without any rebellion of the Iewes who by extreme force were compelled to acknowledge him their king At the same time when Herod was kyng and had taken the scepter from the Iewes and when all their power was dawnted then came this Siloh or Christ and was borne at Bethleem as Mathew the Euangelist sayth who alledgeth the testimony of Micheas the prophet Wherfore the true Lord and king now being come the Iewes kingdome had an end But here must we diligently marke what kinde of kingdom Christs should be and how great his power should be which thing the Patriark doth herin set forth when he geueth him so royall holy famous a name calling him Siloh For Siloh doth signifye rich happy fortunate and one which in all thinges he taketh in hand hath good successe and to whome all thinges fall out as he wisheth and desireth ¶ Anna. There is one thing that troubleth me much wherin I cannot resolue my selfe I doubt not at all but that the promise in Genesis 49. was fully performed so that there is not a letter or titell of it left vnfulfilled For whatsoeuer God promiseth that must needes be performed For who can let it But seing that prophesie of Iacob sayth that the princely power should continue with the tribe of Iudah euen vntil the tyme that Siloh should come and seeing you a little before sayd that this princely dignity after the death of Ianus Hircanus came to the Machabies afterward to Herod I would know why the scepter did not tary with the posteritie of Nathan vntill Hely Were not the Machabees of the tribe of Leuy and not of the tribe of Iuda How therefore came Schebeth into their hands by what right got they the kingdome and held it ☞ Vrb. Seing we certaynely know and beleeue that this prophesy which the Patriarke vttered by the instinct of the holy Ghost is performed so that no one title therof is left vnfulfilled lyke as both the tyme of Christes natiuitie and also Herods regement doetruly agree and iumpe vpon I trust wee may without daunger reuerently reason of this matter in the fayth and feare of God. It was meete that this prophesy should be so fulfilled that it might agre with this Siloh Christ according to his firster comming into the world that it might not disagre with other prophesies of Christ and of his estate or kingdome But the Prophet Zachary sayth the firster cōming of Christ shal be Eni that is to say poore needy base contemned and despised Now then if Christ had bene borne at such tyme as some of king Dauids stock had yet set on the princes throne and so Ioachim Mary and Ioseph had bene in authoritie come to the kingdome with full sayle of worldly pomp where should that base and beggerly maunger in Bethleem haue bin found where should his flight into Egipt haue bene sene and where should other notes and tokens of Christes humility and of his wretched and miserable state in the time of his ministration wherof the prophets foretold haue appeared Wherfore that short authoritie or gouernment which the Machabees had in the kingdome of the Iewes doth not hinder the performaunce of this prophesie Gods prouidēce perchaūce would haue it so for certayne causes first it was meet cōueniēt that this tribe a few yeares before Christes birth should lese most of his dignitie and that it should become base vile despised as it were faline not esteemed of the world that Christ might be borne as a spirituall king of the tribe of Iuda and stock of Dauid poorely without great sterre and worldly pomp as it is signified in Esay where he sayth There shal come forth a rod of Iesse and a graffe shall grow out of his rotes The Ebrew text vseth the word Gesa which Aquila Symmachus and Theodotio translated into greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a stock a bole a dried tree or a staffe To the intent they might
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
certainly know the meaning of this prophesy ¶ Anna. When then doe these 70. weekes begin ☞ Vrb. Marke diligently the words of the Angell Gabryel he sayth thus from the going forth of the commaundemēt that Ierusalē should be builded again That is from that time that they were commaunded to repayr and restore Ierusalem The Angel himself doth plainly expound it and he beginneth at that yeare wherein it was decreed that Ierusalem should be restored Now must we search the raignes and the successions of kings and kingdomes out of Historiographers and out of them the number of yeres wil plainly appeare We will therfore take these 70. yeares to begin at the second yeare of king Darius which was called Long-hand For that yere the Lord spake by the Prophets Haggeus and Zacharyas and commaunded that Zerobabel should builde the Temple as we read in the first chapter of both the prophets The same commaundement also did this king Daryus geue that we spake of and then went forth also his Edict for the reedifying of the Temple And the account doth well and iustly agree if we begin our computation there For from that time in which that prophesy was vttered by Haggeus vnto the baptisme of Christ when he tooke vpon him his ministery and began the regyment of his kingdome or new Testament for this Angel here describeth him to be a king whose youth and childhood being past and now alredy come to mannes state might as a king take into his own hands the rule of his kingdome from that tyme I say vnto Christs baptisme were almost 483. yeares Out of which yeares we may make 69. of these yearly weekes and euery one of them shall contayne 7. yeares of which Gabryel here speaketh saying Vntil our Lord Christ come there are seuen weekes and 62. weekes that is 69. weekes Thus therfore must we recken From the 2. yere of king Darius vnto Alexander the great are 145. yeres by that account of Metastenes From Alexander the great vnto the natiuity of Christ are 311. yeares From the birth of Christ vnto his baptism wer 30. yeres These yeres by additiō gathered vp make these 486. yere which are cōtained in 69. wekes ¶ Anna. As far now as I vnderstand this reckning and account there are three yeares remayning which I pray you tel me how they must be accounted Doe not these yeares make your account vnperfect ☞ Vrb. In such kind of reckning euery day and houre cannot be so exactly numbred It cannot be but that in such computations there wil be some od dayes more or les For it happeneth oftentimes in histories that halfe a yeare is taken for a wholl yeare The time therfore which remayneth is to be included in the other yeres yet no inconuenience shal happen in our prophesie of Messias seing that we haue so sure testimonies good ground of scripture for the principal matter Some men count these 70. weekes from the 20 and last yeare of Cambises father vnto Daryus who suffered Nehemias to come to Ierusalem to reedefy the Citie And there was two yeares between the 20. of Cambyses and the 2. of Darius For when any great or worthy thing is done in three yeares or is a good long time in doing we vse often to containe and set it forth as done in one of the three yeares or at one time saying such a thing was done this or that time And so must we say here God commaūded the second yere of Daryus that Ierusalem should be reedefyed that is at or about those times when Nehemias was sent back by Cambises and began to reedefy Ierusalem For it was a worthy work nay a wonderfull worthy work and many there were which began it yea the Angels them selues vrged and furthered the work But they did not all begin it at one time and houre The Angel Gabryell deuided these 70. weekes into three parts in euery one of which three was some notable thing done In the first seuen weekes saith Gabryel that is in 49 yeares the walles and streetes of Ierusalem shal be builded but in a troublesome time For the Samaritans Saneballat Tobias and others there abouts stayd and hindered the building all they could Wherupon the Iewes were put to great trouble and care and brought in great danger and distres You know how the Iewes said vnto Christ in Iohn Forty sixe yeares was this temple a building and wilt thou reare it vp in three dayes Then Danyel saith after 62. weekes shall Messias or Christ suffer death Plainly geuing vs to vnderstand what should happen when these 69. weekes were ended and when Christ had begun his raign to wit a great and wonderful thing shal then chaunce Christ shall then be crucifyed as it came to pas in deed in the 4. yeare after the 69. weekes and after he began to preach Wherfore Ierusalē shal at last come to naught and be wasted and vtterly destroyed and the people of the Iewes shal be cut of These things were all fulfilled 40. yeares after the ascention of Christ when Titus the Romane Emperor Sonne to Vespasyan after long beseeging Ierusalem at the last ouercame it and miserably destroyed it As Christ had told them before with bitter teares weeping for the miserable and horrible calamity and ouerthrow which he saw hang ouer the Citie because she knew not the time of her visitation For Christ sayth in Luke the dayes shal come vpon thee that thine enemies shal cast a trench about thee and compas thee round and keep thee in on euery side and shall make thee euen with the ground and thy children which are in thee and they shall not leaue in thee a stone vpon a stone because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation And Titus did this same which Christ foretold as we read in Iosephus which saw all the doyngs with his eyes For Titus beseeged the Citie so that no Iew could escape The circuit of the wall was thirty and nine furlongs and when he had entrenched them he handeled them so miserably that with hunger they were constrayned to eat beasts dung dryed girdles shoes and skincouerings of shields yea they sought their foode in Iakeses And one woman rosted and eate her own child for extreem hunger Many also in that Citie flew and butchered one another Besides this the plague also was so whot amongst them that lodgings houses and all the streetes were filled with dead bodyes To be short this vnthankfull City tasted so much of Gods wrath for their forsaking of Christ our Sauyour that we haue no example like it Those that dyed and those that were murthered in the Citie in that war were ten hundreth thousand beside seuenty thousand more which were sent bondslaues into Egipt there to moyle all their liues in intollerable toyle like beastes They which were vnder sixteen yeares old were sold more cheape then dogs and as Egesippus witnesseth thirtye Iewes were sold for
this child had not bene borne for vs we had all vtterly perished for he was borne for the helpe helth and deliuerance of vs all Wherefore most swete Iesu Christ our child most comfortable which for our sakes humbled thy selfe vouchsafed to be made man we beseech thee to deliuer and defend vs from the tiranny of the deuill This is the meaning of this Germains song which I here recite because it containeth expresseth the effect of this prophesie in ful graue and plaine words because it sheweth the piety of our forefathers and their true faith in Christ First here the holy church saith that a child was borne for a special comfort for all mortal mē And furthermore it saith that for vs and for our sakes he was borne For he had no neede neither was there any cause why he should be born for himself For what nede standeth god of any creature Secondly the church here declareth setteth forth the fruit vse of Christes natiuity to wit our saluation For vnles this child had bene borne for vs we had abidden still in our sinnes neither could we haue deliuered our selues but had all died eternally Thirdly the church confesseth that this sauior or saluation happened to all which thing Simeon confesseth in Luke saying Mine eyes haue seene thy saluation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people to be a light to lightē the Gentils to be the glory of thy people Israel And Paul saith Christ Iesus gaue himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransome for all men Fourthly the church speaking of the kingdom and power of Christ confesseth the true manhood and godhead of the child Iesus beseching him and desiring him for his names sake which is Iesus that is our sauiour or deliuerer that he would preserue and kepe vs from eternal deth By which song the church confesseth this childe to be king and most mighty lord ouer sinne death and hell Which seing it is true it must needes follow that he is true God and that our health and saluation is in his hand and power and that he onely can and will saue deliuer vs from hell fire ¶ Anna. What meaneth this which this prophet Esay sayth his gouernement or kingdome is on his shoulders ☞ Vrb. Did you neuer see the image of the child Iesus painted as if he went downe from heauen vnto Mary bearing the crosse vpon his shoulders ¶ Anna. I haue seene it often but that signifieth his passion What other thing did he beare in his crosse but vs miserable and wretched sinners the heuy burthen of our sinnes Iohn saith This is the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world He is the good shepeherd which sought the lost and wandring shepe and hauing found it caried it home vpō his shoulders We also are the kingdom or principalitie of Christ For Peter calleth vs a royal priesthood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a people redemed or peculiar vnto Christ Christ is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe corner stone or to be placed in the chiefe corner vpon whom all the other stones the spirituall building to wit the whole church standeth leaneth For the church is builded on Christ as on a most soūd and sure rocke The Calde text is in this place of Esay thus Hee that is this child shall take vpon him the law that he may fulfill and kepe it This text out of doubt hath in it notable comfort For our corrupt and sinfull nature could not with all her strength keepe the law of god For it is a law that cōmaundeth such high great things as homo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the natural man cannot perform And therfore God sent his derely beloued sonne Christ Iesus that he might fulfil the law be the fulfilling thereof to all that truly beleue in him who although they should be most miserable sinners yet for Christes sake should they be accounted as righteous before God as if they themselues by their own righteousnes had fulfilled it and that he might deserue for vs and geue vs the holy ghost which might heale reforme restore our wounded decaied and corrupted nature so that euen our nature also might by the spirit of Christ keep the law without which it could neuer haue done it Now followeth vi most notable worthy names or titles of the child Iesus vsed in this prophesie First he is called Pele that is admirable wōderfull merueilous or doing merueilous things he is in deed marueilous in hys person merueilous in hys doyngs and his kingdom is merueilous and he defendeth and gouerneth it merueilously His person is meruelous because he is true man and yet neuertheles holy euerlasting God borne after a strange maner to wit of that virgin without mans seed all hys works are merueilous for being a child of xij yeres old he disputed with the learned and great doctors in the temple at Ierusalem But after when he came to mans state he wrought such wonders strange things as no other man could euer do as Nichodemus witnesseth in the iij. of Iohn Hee gaue sight to the blind and made the deafe to heare he droue wicked spirits out of the possessed he clensed the leprous he healed all maner of sicknes and diseases he raised the dead to lyfe he fed many thousandes with a few loues hee commaunded the sea to be quiet and straight way it waxed calm he forgaue sins he restored men both body and soule to lyfe and health and whē of his own free will he had for our sakes suffered death he by his own power rose agayn from death But look I pray you by how strāge a way it pleased hym to deliuer vs from Sathan and to bring vs into hys kingdom When he would deliuer man from death geue hym euerlasting lyfe he became man hymselfe he yelded himself to death and was buried and taryed in the graue vnto the third day Was not this a very marueilous thing what can bee more marueilous it is hee thorough whom we shall haue euerlasting life whereunto the Prophetes and the Gospell beare witnesse And Paule calleth the Gospell the promise of lyfe in Christ Now consider with your selfe how wonderfull all things be whether it is merueilous or no that our King about to erect hys kingdome redeme hys seruants deliuer vs from all euill casteth hymselfe into extreme misery yeldeth himself to be crossed afflicted reuiled and opprobriously killed He becommeth poore to enrich vs he becommeth shamefull ignominious and suffreth vpon the crosse to exalt vs to honor glory And he promiseth to giue vs power and strength against our enemies where he himselfe vsed no power nor force against his foes but was of thē taken bound whipped crouned with thornes crucified and killed To be briefe he promised to helpe vs when he himself vpon the crosse
calling for helpe cryeth as one helpeles My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And where as he had sayd that who so beleued in him should not see death for euer yet he himself both suffered death and was buryed in the sepulcher Here if we were led by humayne reason we should with Cleophas and his companion say Wee hoped that he had bene the redemer of Israell whiche should haue saued vs all but now he himself is dead Howe shal a dead man saue vs and how can he which is slain haue an euerlasting kingdom You see howe this name Pele was not without special cause geuen to this child whō it doth by that name of sauiour represēt For so he is in deed the true sauior redemer which deliuereth vs from all our sinnes and miseries And so it pleased him by hys pouerty to blesse vs with spirituall riches by the tauntes and checkes which he suffred to deliuer vs from euerlasting shame by his crosse to bring vs to eternall honour and glory by his weaknesse to giue vs eternall strength and by his death to giue vs a flourishyng lyfe and to abolish our death by dying hymselfe All these he hath done and daily doth in vs when he maketh vs like himself that is to say weake in body but strong in spirite base lowe and contemptible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very ofscouringes before the world but the vessels and instruments of glory in the sight of god And thus he suffereth vs to dye that the Infidels may thinke there is no difference betwene a Christian and no Christian as Turke or iewe But yet our death is precious in the sight of the lord neither doth he suffer vs to abide in death All these things are great meruelous wonderful and far passing our reason and vnderstāding yea far exceding all the strength power effect working of our nature An other name is Ioetz that is councel For though this Pele doth lead and gouerne vs thus wonderfully by his crosse ignominy maketh vs glorious yet are we ignorant rude fayntharted fearfull and therfore is it necessary that he merueilously prouide for coūsail and help vs For it is not in our power and strēgth to endure and stand in trouble and persecutiō But what counsel geueth he verely cleane contrary to the world The world willeth vs to beware flie and eschue the cros affliction to reuenge our selues But Christ casteth hys seruantes into trouble and vexations and therein trieth them as gold is tryed in the fire furnace But yet so that he comforteth them alwayes most louingly as it appereth in Ioh. where he saith vnto the Apostles Be of good chere I haue ouercome the world And a little before he sayth Ye shall weep and lament the world shall reioyce ye shall sorrow but your sorrow shal be turned to ioy and your ioy shal no man take from you What els I pray you is the whole sacred scripture but a plentifull and rich Pharmacopole whence wee may fetch present help and most fruitfull and sound comfort for all sicknes calamities and euils as Paule witnesseth saying what soeuer things be writtē afore tyme are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might haue hope For hee whiche speaketh in the scriptures is almighty and both can will help vs alway His word is not spoke in vayne but al things are done which he hath promised Yea the holy ghost himselfe whiche is the spirit of truth is our comfort and help For thus we read in the book of wisdome O Lord neyther herbe nor plaister healed thē but thy word which healeth all things hath made vs safe And Ionathas the high priest saith vnto the Spartanes We Iewes stand no nede of the societie and friendship of the Gentiles hauing the holy bookes which are in our hands for our cōfort And now I pray you what trouble what affliction what calamity or what dāger in al this world cā be so great how great so euer it be against which the word of god that most holesome and holy gospel cannot minister giue most holesom plētiful perfect sound consolation and comfort seeyng that it promiseth not only corporal but heauenly help And the promises therof are by Christ confirmed established and sure yea and Amen If you read better read all the workes of the Heathen philosophers you shal find nothing in them and yet their whole study trauel was to find some comfort against death wherin you may take true cōfort All their arte al their knowledge all their wisdom and all the remedies that euer they found are nothing if thei be compared but with these two comfortable sentences in Mat. The first is Feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule Here you see the immortalitie of the soule of which the Ethnikes speake euen as blynde men of coulors But the words folowing which is the second are not vttred by any philosopher but by Christ himself the euerlasting truth and very true lyfe Euery one sayth he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath euerlastyng lyfe and I wil raise him vp in the last day Here you haue the resurrection or rising againe of the flesh of which the Gentils and the whole world with all their wisdome had no knowledge Go to then if any be in the agony of death or assailed with the tempests of persecution afflictiō either els vexed pinched with the bitter dolors terrors of conscience for his sinnes as soone as he shal lay hold on these two sentences by faith lay them vp in his hart he shall find comfort haue true and plenteous consolation For he hath forgiuenes of his sins sure hope of euerlasting life nay rather he hath life alredy because he is in Christ Christ in hym This in dede is true counsell For all mens counsels consolations are vaine momentany cannot help deliuer vs in extremity peril danger but the counsel of the lord doth abide continue for euer God the father commaunds vs to heare this counsailor saying Heare him The 70. interpreters haue expounded this word Ioetz the angel of the great counsail beautifiyng Christ with the notable and apt epitheton giuing him the proper title For Christ is the legate angel of the great counsail of the triple vnitie and most holy trinity and is also the eternal wisdom of the father The third epitheton or name of the child is El it signifieth strēgth fortitude or God as the 70. interpreters haue translated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the mighty god This name conteineth a singuler cōfort For it telleth vs that Christ doth not only prouide for vs by the word of his gospel but also is presēt with vs doth mightily help vs faithfully perform to vs those
lyue and are remaining in the comming of the Lord shal not preuent them which sleepe For the Lord himselfe shal descend from heauen with a shout and with the voice of the Archangel with the trump of God the dead in Christ shal rise first Thē shal we which liue and remain be caught vp with them al in the clouds to mete the Lord in the ayre and so shall we euer be with the Lord wherfore comfort your selues one another with these wordes An. I haue oftentimes bene tēpted about our resurrectiō these cogitatiōs greuously vexe me Christ did rise in his owne power strength as true God but how shal we poore wretches rise which cannot remooue or driue away from vs euen the lest sicknes that hapneth to vs wherfore I besech you tell me how Christes resurrection maketh vs to rise Vrb. Whose sinnes were they which Christ did beare An. It is manifest certain that he bare our sinnes Vrb. What maner of nature was it which Christ tooke vpon him An. It was our nature For we beleue that he toke vpon him our very humaine nature Vrb. Wherfore did the son of God take vpon hym our nature in the vniō of his deuine euerlasting person why did he take vpon him our sinnes An. He became true man for our sakes toke vpō him our sins that he might be a true oblation and sacrifice for them on the crosse and wipe them away and reconcile God the father vnto vs. Vrb. I heare you say that our sinnes were the cause of Christes death but what hurt did sinne vnto vs men An. It brought vpon vs an horrible destruction decay of al mans strength as wel of body as soule together with euerlasting death and condemnation Vrb. Seyng then that Christ by his death satisfied for our sinnes and suffered death for them that he might put them away it is not to be doubted but that he also abolished and destroyed death which had rule dominion ouer vs But if he destroyed death in vs as I say he did it followeth well that we shall rise agayne to lyfe For he did not these most worthy workes to wit that he suffred that he dyed that he rose again for himself or for his own cause for he is innocent free frō all sin so that he had no nede to do any of al these for himself nay there was no cause why he should do these things in respect of himself or in his owne behalfe but for vs Yea whatsoeuer he did or suffred he did it suffred it al for our sakes profit he gaue vs that his victory ouer deth This therfore is a good consequēt Christ died for our sins rose again for our iustificatiō Therfore shal we also rise in our flesh otherwise should we deny the vertue operation of Christs passion resurrection in our nature and be worse and more wicked thē Turks or Ethnikes which deny Christ An. Now you bring into my remembrance the 15. cha of the first to the Corrinthians which you do so highly and often commend vnto me wherin you say that Paule hath so coupled and ioyned Christes and our resurrection together that they can in no wise be seperated ☞ Vrb. That chap. hath such and so much sweete and sound comfort in it that I wish all christians in the worlde would wel faithfully remember it Paul in that cha reasoneth thus Christ is risen from the dead therefore shal we also rise againe from the dead because he dyed and rose againe only for our sakes for our saluation If we should stil abide in death then the death and resurrection of Christ had nothing profited vs neyther had they wrought any alteration in our nature but we had still bene should so haue continued in death euen as in our earthly father Adam we were borne to die But god forbid it were so our hope is sure For as it is certaine that Christ rose from death sitteth at the right hand of God so certain is it that we shal rise again because Christ is our head our bridegrome our redeemer our life And therfore wheresoeuer Christ remaineth and is there must nedes we also be abide for euer There is no cause why you should dout left Christ our head should leaue vs his beloued members spirituall body here behynde him in earth Marke what Paul teacheth vs in the 5. to the Eph. Note how he bindeth vs tieth vs to Christ We are saith he the members of his body of his flesh and of his bones ¶ Anna. Blessed be God our louing fauorable and heauenly father for euer euer for these infinite riches of his grace These wordes of Paul do greatly comfort ioy vs for if we be the members of Christ of his flesh surely there is no doubt but as Christ did rise again in his owne body euen so shal we also rise agayne in our bodies vnto euerlasting life by the power of the glorious resurrection of Christ Vrb. This is as certaine as you see now your selfe and heare your selfe speake ¶ Anna. But the condicion state of our bodies shal not then be such as they be now for now our bodies eate drinke slepe are subiect to wearines We eate disgest and waxe hungry and they that do not eate and drink must nedes decay and die But though we do eate and drinke yet can not these earthly meates or drinkes maintayne our lyfe here for euer For when we be olde and sickly and when our stomacks leese their naturall heate and disgesture then can neither meat nor drinke help preserue or prolong our life But when the natural helth strength is gone we end our dayes and die It must nedes therfore be a strange kinde of meate which we shal eate in the world to come which maketh vs liue for euer And the condicion and state of our body which shal be then must nedes be far differing from this and much better more excellent happy and blessed thē either hart can thinke or we desire ☞ Vrb. Paul hath taught this euidently plainly manifestly in his epistle to the Phil. where he saith Christ in the last day shal change our vile body that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious bodye according to the working wherby he is able euen to subdue al things vnto himself Lo both in this place to the Cor. he saith the our bodies in the last resurrection shal be pure cleare and vnspotted like the stars of the firmament and lyke the sunne moone And among other things he saith that this body of ours is as a graine of corne sowen in the earth in corruption and is raised in incorruption it is sowne in dishonour and raysed in glory it is sowen in weaknes and is raised in power it is sowen a natural body is raised a spiritual body that is to say
our body here is a natural body and to the fustentation therof we must if we wil liue eate drinke slepe disgest purge And the same body is weried and in the ende corrupteth and fadeth And therfore as sone as that soule departeth frō the body the corps beginneth to smell putrify so that no man can abide the stinke therof This is the dishonor which for sinne is laid vpon the body But in the last day the lord wil trāsfigure our body into such brightnes make it so beautiful that it shal be like the sunne so shal alway abide continue a firm sound immortal body without bodily meat fed of god for euer And therfore saith Paul pointing as it were to his body with his finger this corruptible body wherin I now stād sit walke speake this same body I say must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortalitie When this corruptible body hath put on incorruption this mortal hath put on immortalitie then shall bee brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swalowed vp into victory ¶ Anna. Now I haue heard the fruit of Christes passion resurrection which I take to be this That what Satan in Adam our nature by sin had corrupted destroyed the Christ by his death resurrection hath recouered restored to wit he hath destroyed sin ouercome death giuen life that we which beleue in Christ may be deliuered from our sins freed from the tiranny of deth the diuel be made heires of euerlasting life Now shew me what maner of kingdom Christs kingdom is which is so magnifically set forth promised vnto vs in the law prophets and euangelists ☞ Vrb. The kingdom of Christ which is promised in the prophets is a spirituall kingdom not of this world it is a kingdom of euerlasting blessednes mercy truth righteousnes peace life wisdom light ioy security liberty euerlasting saluatiō in which Christ the king of glory being taken vp into heauen exalted at the right hand of god doth by the gospel the holy ghost in fayth raigne inuisibly gouern defend al that beleue in him euen in the midst of their cruel deadly enemies to wit the world Satan heretikes persecuters of the church sin death Moreouer he is our intercessor in heauen to god the father he forgiueth vs our sinnes he sēdeth his holy spirit into our hartes he renueth repayreth our corrupted depraued decaied nature and he restoreth in vs the most beutiful image of god which through sinne was blotted out destroyed in vs To be briefe he sanctifieth vs defendeth vs preserueth vs in all dangers euils and so he in this life euen vnto the day of iudgement gathereth vp into his kingdom which is the true catholike church of the godly the children of God dispersed throughout the whole world He ouercōmeth in them sinne death the prince of this world by this means he prepareth maketh thē redy for that great glorious day of our full perfect redemption And although the godly die in the mortal body yet will he raise thē all again at the last day and they shall liue with Christ for euer But vntil the day both the euil and the good the godly the vngodly shal be mixt dwel together and the vngodly wil colourably seeke to beare a face and outward shew of godlines wil also be taken in place for godly nay they will be the chiefe in this earth and sit as magistrates vaunt themselues to be the heads of the church as Annas and Caiphas did in Christes tyme yea they wil root out curse and vehemētly persecute the true godly to the vttermost For in deede the true church is so hidden in this world the some times in great temptations it cannot for a space see it selfe ¶ Anna. What meaneth the miserable people the Anabaptists what madnes moueth them to seeke to cōgregate a church heare in this world which shold be pure vnspotted vndefiled and without all blot and where in they wil haue no sinner seing that euē the godly offend fal in many things the greatest part of those which are called christiās are mere hypocrits very wicked mē ☞ Vrb. These miserable mē vnderstand not the scriptures And therefore they know not what is the true church what maner of church it is or what the state of the true church is in this world Christ only is he which at the last day shal purge the chaffe that is the vngodly frō the good wheat which is the godly christians In the meane time that godly are compelled here to dwel liue among the vngodly And yet shall they not haue any discōmōditie or losse therby if they learne not at thē to liue be vngodly The godly may bear publik offices haue such politike functions as the ciuile magistrate doth ordain so long as they be not cōmaunded compelled to do that that is contrary to the commaundement of God and his holy word yea they both may with a safe conscience also ought as far as belōgeth to the body tēporal goods vse al humane publike ordināces and cōtracts which make for that maintenāce of this life society If so be they may be suffred to kepe retaine the true doctrine of the sauing gospel liue as it cōmādeth ¶ Anna. Seing you haue alredy described the kingdom of Christ I pray you discouer me the kingdō of Satan ☞ Vrb. Sathans kingdom is quite contrary vnto the kingdom of Christ it is a kingdom of euerlasting perdicion of lies of death of sinne of ignorance of blindnes of darkenes of heauines of affliction of sorrowe and of continuall captiuity and damnation And this kingdom of condemnation beginneth in this worlde and hath in it all the vngodly which will not beleue and obey the Gospell in whom the euill spirit worketh and is effectual And therupon is called in Iohn the prince of this world the god of this world This spirit blindeth the mynds of that vnbeleuers so that they see not the most cleare light of the gospel of the clearenes of Iesus Christ which is the image and caracter of God. ¶ Anna. How doth Sathan raigne in this world ☞ Vrb He is the strong man armed in his house of whō Luke speaketh who kepeth the wicked in his hande and hath thē in his power driueth thē whether he will at his pleasure Paul saith he bindeth thē holdeth thē in strōg lies errors darknes bewitcheth their harts and casteth thē hedlong into al wickednes filthines vncleannes and moueth and inflameth thē to all vngodlines Satan is alwais an enemy and an aduersary vnto true christians in all their godly enterprises procedings He stirreth vp fals teachers and draweth many into horrible heresies He alwais maketh
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
dye and be buried but not corrupt and rotte as our sinfull flesh doth and that his blessed deuine soule should not be cast in hell or graue but be vnited againe to the body that he should rise agayne from death sit at the right hand of God giue vs euerlasting lyfe It was meet that he should be the first fruites of thē which were dead that by his glorious resurrection he might open vs the true gate vnto lyfe and make the way for vs by which we also must go to him But Peter and Iohn the other Apostles before Christs rising againe vnderstood not this although they had heard it oftentymes vntill they saw the lord aliue agayne Wherfore it is no wonder though Cleophas and his companion vnderstood it not Dauid saith O lord my God I cryed vnto thee and thou hast restored me O lord thou hast broght vp my soul out of the graue Thou hast reuiued me from them that go downe into the pitte Arnobius and Augustine vnderstande this prophesie of the death and resurrection of Christ And againe he sayth God shall deliuer my soule from the power of the graue for he will receiue me Selah The church vnderstādeth these wordes also to be ment of the death descending into hell and risyng agayne of Iesus Christ And in another place he sayeth Thou hast shewed me great troubles and aduersities but thou wilt returne reuiue me And wil come again take me vp frō the depth of the earth These wordes also doth Arnobius expound of the death of Christ of his descendyng into hel and of his resurrection And againe in the 86. Psal. Christ saith to God the father Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue S. Augustine and with him the whole church of Affrica vnderstand this to bee vndoubtedly ment of the descending of Christ into hell of his rising againe The 22. psalm doth more fully and plainly then any other describe the passion resurrectiō and euerlasting kingdom of Christ And there are the very same wordes in which Christ in his great agony his extreme necessitie called vnto his father vpon the crosse And that psalm describeth Christ his passion also setteth forth the fruite of his death resurrection saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All they which see me haue me in derision they make a mo nod their hed saying He trusted in the lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seyng he loueth him They perced my handes and my feet I may tel al my bones yet they behold and looke vpon me They part my garments amōg them and cast lottes vpon my vesture Behold how exactly how liuely how truly and how excellently the holy ghost foretold Christes passion vsing the very same wordes which the Iewes vsed when they mocked Christ hanging on the crosse And the Euangelists are witnesses that al these things happened in his passion which were fore told of it And they recite the very same words to the end they may proue that it was the good will both of God the father and the son that Christ suffered seing the holy ghost prophesied many yeres before that all these things should happen vnto Christ Yea the spirite foreshewed also that Christ by this his passion should enter into his glory be lord ouer al things As before ye haue heard in the 8. psalm But in this 22. psal he saith I will declare thy name vnto my brethren and in the middest of the congregation will I praise thee Do you see he shal first suffer his passiō but he shall not bide in his passion and death For euen thē shal he magnify his fathers name and make it famous and wel known through the whole world by this glorious and famous preaching of Gods mercies in that he spared not his owne onely sonne but gaue him for our sakes to the death of the crosse that we might therby obtaine the benefite of euerlasting lyfe For so it followeth in the psalm The poore shal eate and be satisfied they that seeke after the lord shal prayse him their harts shall liue for euer This eating and satisfieng of the poore is a spiritual satisfieng when the poore sinners eate the true bread of heauen that is when they heare the gospel of Christes humanity passion and resurrection and kepe it in their hartes by fayth For then are they fed by it vnto euerlasting life according to that of Iohn I am the liuing bread which came down from heauen if any man eate of this bread hee shall liue for euer Neither can mans cōscience be otherwise satisfied and set at quiet that it be not vexed and troubled by any other thing but onely by Christ apprehended by fayth It followeth All the endes of the world shall remember themselues and turne to the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee For the kingdome is the lordes and he ruleth among the nations This is when men by the preaching and doctrine of the Gospell are put in mynd of gods great benefites and are constrayned to acknowledge worship confesse glorify and call vpon Christ their lord who is appointed of God the father to be the head of all things and king ouer all nations of the whole world Here haue ye the kingdome of Christ which is the holy catholike church spread ouer the face of the whole earth And now in all things and places where that euill spirit the deuill before ruled by lying hauing seduced all people and led them into all kindes of errors and idolatry that they might be as Paul sayth without Christ without the worde without hope and without God in the world there I say in those partes shall Christ now be heard It followeth their seede shall serue him and the lord shal be preached from age to age But if Christ shal haue seede that is to say spirituall children borne by the gospell as well of the Iewes as Gentiles as you see by this text he must then can he not be ouercome by deth nor abide in the graue For how could he then regenerate and congregate the Gentiles together into the catholike fayth and rule such an empire which should fill the whole world whose dominion should not extende through one piece of the earth onely but thorough the whole circuit of the wide world and so cōtinue for euer world without end For whosoeuer beleueth in Christ shal be partaker of euerlasting lyfe Wheresoeuer therfore the prophets set down the kingdom of Christ saying that it shall haue continual peace health and felicitye there is set downe and in dede declared the deth and resurrection of Christ and all christian men For if Christ shal be a king and set vp and haue an heauenly and euerlasting kingdome it must needes follow that he should leaue this temporall mortall lyfe by death
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
pure free frō al sinne All mankind in deed is subiect to it But Christ paied the price of all our sinnes and in his owne person ouercame death and so destroyed it that henceforth it cannot vtterly vndo vs and deuour vs Because all we which beleue in Christ shall rise again by the vertue of Christes resurrectiō This also might haue comforted Cleophas and his companion haue certified them that Christ was a spirituall king which should not restore that corporall kingdome of Israel but redeme the true Israelites to wit the children of promise through the whole world from the kingdome of Satan and bring them into the heauenly and spiritual kingdom of euerlasting lyfe and immortalitie Esay in his 26. chapter hath a notable song of the kingdom of Christ of the church of the faithfull and of the fortitude and security therof where he sayth We haue a strong city saluation shall God set for walles bulwarks That is to say the walles and armour of it are the sauing helth and victory of Christ which are sure and inuincible fortresses Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which kepe the truth may enter in Here are the citizens of this city described to wit the righteous which beleue in Iesus Christ It followeth By assured purpose wilt thou preserue perfect peace because they trusted in thee This is spokē of the king which ruleth this heauenly city because he doth alwayes and in all places giue and maintayne true pleasant and perpetuall peace against Satan the world and the flesh This peace is in consciēce through faith in Iesus Christ A little after Esay doth prophesie of the resurrection of those dead which shal haue beleued in Messias and are citizens of that heauenly Ierusalem saying Thy dead men shall liue euen with my body shall they rise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust For thy dew is as the dew of herbes and the earth shal cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into my chambers and shut thy dores after thee Hide thy selfe for a very litle while vntill the indignation passe ouer for loe the Lord commeth out of his place to visite the iniquity of the inhabitauntes of the earth vpon them and the earth shall disclose her bloud and shall no more hide her slaine Now if the righteous which yet lye in the earth shall rise in theyr owne bodies then must it needes be that Christ should rise before who is the head kyng by whome they are iustified and deliuered from theyr sinnes and by whom they shall rise agayne The prophet therefore vndoubtedly speaketh here of the resurrection of Christ and christians and calleth the faythfull of Christ the lordes dead that is pertayning vnto the lord or which are the lordes of whome God will take an accompt and whome he will preserue and not leaue them in death but bring them to euerlasting lyfe For if God be theyrs and they Gods then out of all doubt can not they continue in death neither hath death totally swallowed them vp and cōsumed them but it hath for a short tyme separated their body and soule For God is not the God of the dead but of the liuyng The soule is with Christ and the body in the ground But at the last day the lord will purge and purifie theyr bodies and adorne them with infinit and vnspeakable glory Esay teacheth vs what maner of lyfe we shall haue after our death when he sayeth Awake and sing If the godly must sing and vndoubtedly they shall syng that euerlastyng Alleluya that is a thankesgiuyng because death is swalowed vp in the victory of Christ then out of doubt shall our lyfe after this temporall lyfe be a most happy and blessed lyfe and we shall haue continuall ioyes without any tast of payne or sorrowes perpetuall health without sickenesse eternall and true pleasures delightes and comfortes without any wearisomnesse or molestations After that day sicknesses shall trouble our bodies no more neyther shall olde age wither our bodies or decrease our strength but we shal alwayes haue a continual spring euerlasting pleasure and perpetuall beauty Therefore sayth the prophet Thy dewe shall be as the dewe of a greene medowe That is after your resurrection you shall not fade or decay but flourish alwayes and for euer and be as a fayre medow and greene garden which by her sweete dew comfortable buddes and pleasaunt delectation feedeth the eyes of all men But before this most ioyfull day of the resurrection of the faythfull we must suffer much affliction and heauinesse as Christ warneth vs in Iohn saying In the world ye shall haue affliction and bee made conformable vnto hys death This must be suffered paciently and moderately that be suffering we may be made lyke vnto Christ and so according to our portion be partakers of glory And so Paul sayth to the Philippians The thinges which were vauntage to me the same I counted losse for Christes sake that I might winne Christ and that I might knowe hym and the vertue of hys resurrection and the fellowship of his affliction and bee made conformable vnto his death if by any meanes I might attayne vnto the resurrection of the dead In the meane while we sit as it were shut vp vnknowen to the world in our parlor or closset of the holy church beleuing the doctrine of the sacred Gospell and confirmyng our fayth and hartes with the sweete promise of GOD in hys worde euen vnto the last iudgement that the wrath of GOD may passe ouer and that which ought to be iudged receiue iudgement Our afflictions here are not continuall but for a short tyme which compared vnto eternitie is not the twinckling of an eye And this tyme once finished the Lord will come to iudgement and giue vnto euery one accordyng to his workes Then shall the godly and guiltlesse Abel ryse from the dust of the earth and then shall not the earth any longer couer the bodye of the righteous but it shall giue them vp that together with their soules they may be glorified And the Prophet in his 27. chapiter prophesieng of Christes kingdome and the catholike church calleth it a vineyarde saying In that day sing of the vineyarde to wit the church of red wyne I the Lorde do keepe it and will water it euery moment least any assaile it I will keepe it day and night Hereafter Iacob shall take roote Israel shall flourish and growe and the worlde shall bee filled with fruite And in that day also shall the great trumpet be blowen and they shall come which perished in the land of Ashur and they which were chased into the land of Egypt and they shall worship the lord in the holy mount at Ierusalem This vineyarde is the church of the faythfull which is enclosed and hedged about with the worde of God adourned with the holy spirite and moystened and watered with the
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
mother such fauour towarde the fruite of her womb that she wil rather dye then suffer her children to take wrong or iniury But if any mother could so forget her selfe as not to be touched with the feeling of her childrens harmes yet ought al christians to beleue that god neither wil nor can forget his loue and mercy towards vs His faith loue surpasseth the loue of all creatures as Christ himself sufficiently sheweth in mathew by the example of the father which geueth not a stone to his sonne in stead of bread which he required If we therfore which are euil cā geue our childrē good things dayly protect them and that with al care and diligence how much more carefully firmely and constantly shal god loue vs and faithfully defend vs his poore children This is a notable and worthy saying but only here apprehended by faith otherwise we vnderstand it not Furthermore the prophet declareth how the lord loueth his church where he saith that he hath grauen it on the palme of his hand or he holdeth it in his hand By which he geueth vs to vnderstand that he diligently careth prouideth for the church that he cā no more forget it thē I cā forget that which I haue alwayes before mine eyes and in my hand And seeing the Lord alwaies beholdeth the walles of this spirituall citie to wit vs that vpon purpose to preserue vs care for vs watch ouer vs and look to vs surely none can so assault vs or besiege vs our city but the lord wil see it although for a time he suffer vs to be tempted or afflicted yet wil he not see vs ouerwhelmed or deuoured This city hath also skilfull builders or carpentars to wit sincere godly teachers which daily enlarge and fortefy it And though tirants hereticks assail it and goe about to ouerthrow it yet haue they no succes in their doings but by their attempt reape perpetuall shame for it is builded vpon a sure and strong rock against which the gates of hel shal not preuail The prophet in the words following saith that a great and infinite number of people shall come together out of all places and shal beleeue the gospel be gathered into the church God also swereth by his holines that many euen of those which in the beginning stode against the church shal afterward come into it and be such ornaments to it that it may glory in them which came to pas in Paul many others And it shal be daily more and more inlarged by the great multitude of people which dayly run thus vnto it At the beginning it was but litle and had but a small company and was like a barrayn woman which is solitary in her house but these faithfull christians whereof the number was at the first so small shall wonder to see themselues made so great a multitude and to be so increased And they shall maruaile whence such a great people can come Vnto this the holy Ghost maketh answere and saith I will bring them behold I wil open or lift vp my hand and I will hold vp the signe that is the cros of Christ whereunto I will make thy disparsed children assemble and that shal be done by a singular and notable way of mildnes and lenity For the Gospell is a sweete gentle faire and fatherlye kinde of speech which draweth such as be children by most comfortable and sweet promyses of help and comfort And by this Gospel the most mighty potentates and puissaunt kinges of this world are drawen and allured into the Church that they may beleue the gospel and be a helpe and protection vnto the Church Yea they shall reuerence honour and highly esteeme the church for they shall worship it with their faces towards the earth That is they shal fal prostrate before the church This is the promise of the lord it must nedes be fulfilled though oftentimes in the eyes of the world it seemed impossible to be brought to pas and cleane contrarye to reason But wee must expect the Lords leasure and liue in hope For the Lord will performe what so euer he hath promised Which when he shall doe then are we deliuered and most happy For whosoeuer beleeueth in the Lord and paciently watcheth for his helpe and beleeueth his word shall not be confounded but haue and see his hope fulfilled But now if the church in her weakenes and infirmity say O god how shall this be that thou sayest I shall haue so many children which shall come vnto the Gospell seeing they are so subiect vnto cruell tirants that they cannot get from them and come vnto me For sinne is a cruell tirant and by it they are sore blinded yea death and hell also keepeth them close prisoners and by good right for their harts are hardened which thing these words folowing import where the Prophet saith Shall the pray be taken from the mighty to which God maketh answere saying the church shall be great ample and famous and those which are now in bondage shall haue their freedome whether those tirantes will or not for God will destroy those tirants and will bring forth his people and deliuer the church and the very tirants themselues shall be their own destruction And where he sayth Shall that which is in bondage by the iust man be brought to freedome this is the meaning The law sinne death had duly brought vs into bondage for in that we were bond and captiues to sinne we were seruants and bondslaues to the law sinne and death But there is a stronger Lord whose name is Iesus he by good right hath made vs free and that by his most pretious inestimable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 redemption to wit he by him self hath redeemed vs so that we are not onely by might but also by right freed from the power of Sathā Esay hath excellently described the state and condition of Christes kingdome Least Afterwarde any man should looke for an earthly kyngdome of Christ as the Anabaptistes and Iewes do Esay in his 50. chap. doth plainly prophecy of the passiō of Christ and he speaketh thus in his person I gaue my back vnto the smiters my cheekes vnto the nippers I hid not my face frō shame and spitting for the Lord god wil help me therfore shal I not be confounded therefore haue I set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be ashamed These two disciples thought that Christ had bin cleane confounded and extinguished but the thyrd day they saw it hapned far otherwise to wit Christes enemies were subdued and Christ himself exalted And Esay in his 51. chapter doth comfort the church congregated of the Iewes and Gentils The church in this world hath affliction and tribulation and therfore he comforteth it with the example of Abrahā and Sara Abraham and Sara were by reason of their old age past all hope of
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
copy of this fayned angry countenance lyeth hid a fatherly grace and great good wil as if he should say I will not kill thee but I will smite thee and chastice thee that thou maiest liue It followeth Therfore thy gates shal be open continually neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring vnto thee the riches of the gentils and that their kings may be brought For the nation and kingdome that wil not serue thee shal perish and those nations shal be vtterly destroyed That is although thou be enuyroned with many enemies which all seek thy life and threaten thy death yet shalt thou be safe and without danger euen as a fortifyed and wel defenced citie which shutteth not her gates and feareth not her enemie This is our security that we haue in the spirite Neither can all the enemies of christ though they ioyne hands lay their heads together subuert or destroy the church of the godly though they neuer so sore afflict their bodyes and take away their goods The church is as a city that lyeth alway open For it euer and at all times receiueth and wayteth for all that repent and geue their names to Christ come into this citie for it hath this promise that it shall increase euen vnto the last day The word and the Sacraments be and are euer to be found in the church by which if we conuert we haue remission of sinnes neither be these truly found in any place but in the church He that is not a christian or a citizen of this citie is flatly condemned It followeth in the text The glory of Lybanus shall come to thee the Firre tree the Elme and the Box tree together to beutefie the place of my Sanctuary For I will glorifie the place of my seate That is in whatsoeuer excellent and famous thing the Sinagoge of the Iewes hath before time excelled other nations as in the sacred Scripture the knowledge of god the promise of grace Christ righteousnes and true hope of saluation With all those will I now bles Christs church It followeth The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow vnto thee and all they that despyse thee shall fall down at the soules of thy feet and they shal cal thee the Citie of the Lord Syon of the holy one of Israell Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went by thee I will make thee an eternall glory and a ioy from generation to generation Thou shalt also suck the milk of the gentils and shalt suck the brests of kings thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Sauyour and thy Redeemer the mighty one of Iacob That is Harken my church Those which now persecute thee and so bitterly reuile thee shal once be conuerted to the catholick faith and shal wel know that thou euen thou art the city of god and the true Syon And look how desolate thou wast as forsaken for a litle time so shalt thou now be highly exalted to great glory And where he figuratiuely speaketh of milk thereby he geueth vs to vnderstand that euen as mothers doe wish wel to their deerly beloued babes cherish them softer them and nourish them euen so shall the Gentils shew exceeding great curtesy and kindnes to the church and by all meanes study to profite further it Here now must you note that though the church outwardly appeare despysed and fouly deformed yet wil God preserue it and defend it that he may highly magnify exalt it and glorify it But this is chiefly done in spirite and this Spirituall glory of the church doth very far excell all the beuty of the world Furthermore those shal be highly honored which in this world were despised persecuted Were not the Apostles and Martirs I pray you vtterly contemned and yet the remembrance of them is now yearely celebrated with all solemnity and ioy And they are called as in deed they are the deer frends of God and most holy and happy soules And whence haue we this estimatiō verely because God himself is our sauiour that strōg almighty one our redeemer How now cā we miscary hauing this sauiour redeemer alwaies with vs on our side It followeth For bras wil I bring gold and for Iron wil I bring siluer and for wood bras for stones Iron I will also make thy gouernment peace and thine exactors righteousnes Violence shall no more be heard of in thy land neyther desolation nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call saluation thy wales and prayse thy gates Thou shalt haue no more son to shyne by day neyther shall the brightnes of the Moone shine vnto thee For the Lord shal be thine euerlasting light thy god thy glory Thy sonne shal neuer goe down neyther shall thy moone be hid For the Lord shall be thy euerlasting light and the dayes of thy sorrow shal be ended Thy people also shal be all righteous They shal posses the land for euer The graffe of my planting shall be the work of my handes that I may be glorified A litle one shall become as a thousand and a small one as a stronge nation I the Lord wil hasten it in due time That is to say Geue eare my church if for my sake thou lose any thing or be despised it shal be manifoldely and aboundantly restored thee and thou shalt be recompenced with heauenly treasures Thou shalt become mighty and gloryous thou shalt haue faithfull bishops and doctors which shal godly and diligently teach both spirituall and temporall peace so that the godly may liue and be at rest and peace both inwardly in their harts with God and outwardly with their neighbours The Lord shall so marueylously defend thee that thy Inhabitants and Citizens may for euer sit secure and safe But this must be vnderstood in this life of the spirituall security and peace Thou shalt call thy walles saluation Seeing thou hast within thee this so sure and certain an ayd and defence against all assaults of the enemyes a defence I say much surer then the world either hath or can geue And thou shalt call thy gates prayse because the true and marueilous great riches of gods graces shall be so plainely taught and vnderstood in thee that by them al christian men may be moued to laude and prayse the Lord without ceasing for all his gifts both temporall and spirituall which this wicked and vngodly world doth not so much as acknowledge so far is it from geuing God thanks and prayse for them Only the faithfull in Christe be they that doe this and they sing both in spirite and mouth and desire alwayes so to sing as witnesseth the Psalmist saying Blessed are they that dwel in thine house O Lord for they will euer prayse thee Selah And least we should look for a corporal Citie and an earthly kingdome at Christs hands as doe
glad of the bride so shall thy God reioyce ouer thee Here the prophet sayth a great part of men regard neither God nor Christ and yet shall the elect seeke for the spirituall and true Sion and waight for Christ their onely Sauiour But seing the Church lyeth open to Sathans persecutions and of him is afflicted and wasted it hath great neede to be comforted Therefore he sayth I will not keepe silence but I will teach Christ cōtinually vntill he come For Christ as Paule witnesseth is the onely righteousnes of Sion or of the spirituall Hierusalem And he is the onely saluation of the Church as the Euangelists and Apostls teach in euery place Esay therfore teacheth of none but Christ Iesus whome God sent vs to be our Sauiour that both Iewes and Gentiles might enioy and be partakers of this his benefite as it hath ben fulfilled in all places euer since thapostles tyme And this new name here spokē of is nothing els but that Gos people is now called the Church of the sonne of God and the true and heauenly Hierusalem which is the mother of all the elected saintes And heare behold how precious and deare a darling the Church is to God our good and faithfull father For the prophet calleth it a crowne of glory the worlde counted the godly as vngodly as fooles as doultes as outcasts and as of scouringes of all thinges euery man did scoffe mocke scorne and iniury thē at their pleasure But the Church hath here an other manner of name for it is called a beloued precious glorious crowne my delight is in her and a people that hath a god that will not forget them These be most cōfortable promises when we be vnder the crosse But they must be stedfastly beleued or els they little auailed For it is most certaine although in this world we be contemned and afflicted that God yet loueth vs so derely and wel that al the creatures of the world are compelled to serue helpe vs euen then when the world supposeth they must torment vs Yea the Angels in heauen care for cherish and defend vs and God himselfe beareth vs in his armes as doth the louing Father his onely beloued childe But now consider this great worke of the loue of God I meane the passion of Christ and that God became man for vs All these thinges he did for the Church to the end that hauing deliuered them by this meanes from all euills he might bring them to health lyfe euerlasting How could he declare and shew a more fatherly loue and good will to his Church thē he hath done in deliuering his onely begotten sonne vp vnto death for it that he might deliuer it when as yet it was his enemy Though this infirmitie sore temptation and cros of ours in this world appeare outwardly horrible and detestable yet in deede thy are nothing els but a Fatherly rod wherewith he correcteth amendeth and reformeth his derely beloued children As for the glory which in the day of redemption shall be reuealed vnto vs I wil now say nothing of it but thē it shal appeare how dearely God loueth his church And then shall it be seene that this temporall trouble which we Christians haue heare is a certaine signe of Gods great good will and true fatherly loue towardes vs Esay his wordes seeme to sound as though he spak of that earthly Ierusalem in the land of Canaā And the prophet beholding the Church with spirituall eyes is cōpelled to speake as if he spake of these earthly thinges because they were figures of the true and heauēly Ierusalem and land of righteousnes As Peter and Paul doe sufficiently witnesse prescribing vs a sure rule how to vnderstād the prophets aright when they speake of Christ and his kingdome the church Note also that Esay calleth the church such a crowne as is in the hand of the Lord or which is caried in the Lordes hand Whiche is as much to say as the Church is a spirituall kingdome which God himselfe doth gouerne and rule It is also a crowne of glory or a glorious crowne in the hand of the Lord because it doth not appeare glorious in the eyes of the world And wheras the prophet taketh his similitude of a mariage and of fayth geuen betwene man wife that is very comfortable For hereby we learne how dearely tenderly and inwardly God loueth vs what infinite treasures we shall receaue of him For we know that the bridgrome makes his bride partaker of all he hath It followeth I haue set watch men vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which all the day and all the night continually shall not cease Ye that are mindful of the Lord keep ye silēce geue him no rest till he repare and set vp Hierusalem the prayse of the world The watchmen are the faythfull preachers of Gods word which watch and take paines in the Church in prayer doctrine least Sathan that deadly enemy by his false prophets should deceaue ouercome thē And these prechers alwayes preach true repentaunce and the grace of God in Christ and they diligently by their exhortations and sermons teach vs the knowledge of god and our selues and to geue God thankes for all his vnspeakeable benefits It followeth The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme surely I will no more geue thy corne to be meate to thine enemies and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine for the which thou hast labored But they that haue gathered it shall eate it and prayse the Lord and the gatherers therof shal drinke it in the courtes of my sanctuary This is spoken and ment of the spirituall corne and wine And this is the meaning therof It cannot be but the worde which these preachers teach should take place after it shall follow and rise the fruite of fayth which appeareth not at all in the vngodly These courtes that he speaketh of is the congregatiō or Church of Christiās or the godly amongest whome the gospell is purely taught where mens consciences were pacified quieted mery and pleasaunt in the Lord when the inward man feeleth peace tranquilitie quietnes securitye felicity perfect pleasure in the worde of god None of the vngodly either feele or haue taste of this pleasure And least we should any thing doubt of this promise he bindeth it with an oth that we shall haue those things which he promiseth It foloweth in the text Go through go through the gates prepare you the way for the people Cast vp cast vp the way and gather out the stones and set vp a standerd for the people Behold the Lord hath proclaimed vnto the endes of the world Tell the daughter Sion Behold thy Sauiour commeth Behold his wagis is with him and his worke is before him and they shall call them the holy people the redeemer of the Lord And thou shalt
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
haue troaden down the hugest and most deadly enemies of man I haue ouercome them and destroyed them and I haue vanquyshed Sathan with all his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his false deceate malice and trouble which he hath brought into the world for the destroying of man And whereas the vnbeleeuing sinagogue reiected me and could not abide to acknowledge me for their Lord I haue ouercome Sathan which blinded the Iewes And I am placed in heauen Lord of all creatures in heauen and in earth to take iust vēgeance vpon those that wil not beleue And now haue I won vnto me the Gentils to be mine own peculiar people This haue I done onely by mine own strength and power as Paul witnesseth to the Colossyans And in mine anger haue I duely punished mine enemies because I haue with zeale taken vpon me and fulfilled the ministery which my father hath committed vnto me and haue so confounded the Iewes that they haue lost all the dignitie priuiledge and prerogatiue that before they had This day of reuenge and deliuerance is the time when Christ suffered the Iewes to be blinded and dispersed and receued the gentils to fauor in their place by the doctrine of the gospel whereby he brake the head of the old serpent and bestowed the victory that he had gotten vpon the gentils and tooke away from the sinagogue all the knowledge and vnderstanding of the scriptures Now he holdeth on to speake of his passion and agony which he suffered for our sakes saying I looked about me to wit in the time of his passion and weakenes and there was none to help me there was not one that either would or could help me I had none on my side no man helped me yet I helped my self No mans strength could doe me good but mine own I held me by mine own arme In mine own zeale did I preserue deliuer and rayse vp my selfe now I am king and now doe I punish them that despysed me and I take from them their strength ability and els whatsoeuer I had geuen them as the scriptures and euery other excellent and great gift wherein they excelled other nations This prophecy is now manifestly fulfilled in our sight Behold the Iewes in these our dayes how ignorant they are of the scriptures and how far from the vndrstanding of the law and promises in Christ They vnderstand the law carnally and they presume but in vayn that they are able without the help of Christ to fulfill the law not knowing like blind men as they be that they cannot doe it without the helpe of Christes spirite They see not that the promises of Christ speake of the spirituall kingdome and that the Law is but a scholemaster vnto Christ in whom we are only blessed iustifyed and the law fulfilled Thus these two discyples Cleophas and his companion should in this case haue thought with them selues It pleased Messias once willingly to dy and to suffer the sinagogue to kil him for so is Gods ordynance and Christs wil and the prophets fortold it and Christ also to his discyples long before his death how he determyned to delyuer his children from death by this kind of death and he also told them that he would rise agayn the third day from death But now let vs see what shall become of the pharysees and proud prelates and let vs see how this their detestable deed shall in them be punished Their ioy shall not continue long no not three dayes For after three dayes Christ shall rise agayn to life and shake of death and in his fury tread down ouerthrow and destroy these bloudsuccors and spoyl them of their victory which they thought but falsly they had gotten of him And when they count themselues sure and thinke themselues conquerors then without any hope of recouery shall they vtterly lose all they haue both law prophets lands city temple and they shall be punished with continall calamity horible destruction and vtter subuertion of all their Iudaisme and so pay for the bloudy coate of Christ The pharisees and Christs killers haue good cause to sorrow seeing they haue brought vpon their own heads such horrible punishment and greeuous wrath and yet haue done Christ no harme But we in so much as he is risen again may wel reioyce be glad sing and comfort our selues in his resurrection For Christ hath by his death destroyed death and redeemed Israel But the natural man doth not vnderstand these supernaturall things The spirite of Christ must in these matters be our Master and Instructor Esay also in his 65. chapter prophesyeth of the receiuing of the Gentils and of the backslyding and refusing of the Iewes The same prophecy doth S. Paule recyte in the tenth to the Rom. And thus doth Christ speak in that prophecy I haue bin sought of them which asked not I was foūd of them which sought me not I said Behold me behold me vnto a nation that calleth not vpon my name I haue spread out my hands all the day vnto a rebellious people which walked in away that was not good euen after their own imaginations But least any should thinke now when he had thretened vnto the Iewes their destruction and punishment which should come vpon them that Christ had vtterly cast them of so that not one of them should euer obtain mercy He promysed that he would be gracious vnto some of that huge multitude which he wold take agayn to mercy for thus he sayth As the wine is found in the cluster and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it so wil I doe for my seruants sake that I may not destroy them wholl But I will bring a seed out of Iacob and a roote of Iuda that shall inherit my mountayn and mine elect shal inherit it and my seruants shal dwel there This was fulfilled in the Apostles and in them of the Iewes which beleeued the Apostles These are the kirnell of Iuda the elected seed and the childrē of promise which the father drew that they might come to Christ these be they that posses the mountaynes to wit the spirituall Syon of the church ¶ Anna. Cleophas his companyon might in this prophecy also haue seen that at Christes comming the Iewes religion should come to an end and the gentils should beleeue and that the Iewes through their incredulity should perish and fall away from their Messyas though yet some of them should be saued and delyuered Vndoubtedly this is the spirituall delyuerance of Israell And here must we marke that not all Israell according to the flesh should imbrace Christ and that this promysed deliuerance of Israell by messyas which the prophet spake of should not so come to pas that all the twelue trybes of Israell should be deliuered bodely from the violence iniuryes of the gentils and so haue vnder Messyas in the land of Canaan an earthly kingdome in which according to the
been before him and raigned in the seat of Dauid For Ieremy saith that he shall execute iustice and iudgement in the earth through the whol world cōdemne destroy the wicked make them which were vniust and sinful very pure righteous For his kingdome is a kingdome of true iustice and innocency And Iuda Israel that is both those people shall haue help of him not that the x. tribes shold returne out of Assiria into Samaria and there haue a king of their own and set vp a corporall kingdome as Iudah had before time in Ierusalem when they liued vnder Dauid and Salomon with peace and quyetnes but that they shold haue a spiritual help through Christ who should deliuer them from sinne and death that so they might dwel boldly and safely that is that they might haue their consciences quyeted appeased and mery as men which now by faith in Christ haue their sinnes forgeuen are at peace with God through Christ So that they need not dread nor feare death or any other euill because that this wise king the most pure and florishing blossome of righteousnes is made the righteousnes of all Christians that all faithfull beleeuers the spirituall Israell consisting both of the Iewes and Gentils may through faith receiue the holy Ghost which testifyeth in their harts that they are the children of God heyres of God and coheires with Iesus Christ and so with bouldnes of siprite say with Paul We are perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Is not this a famous help and a strong and firme fortresse for the godly that they can say we know that we are translated from death vnto life That is the holy spirite hath taught vs by the word and heauenly vnction that Christ hath freed vs both from sinne and death and that we by him after death shall rise from death and liue for euer This is that hope of Israell which neither Gentil nor Infidel hath Now marke what noble and miraculous works of diuinity which none could doe but very God him selfe the prophet ascrybeth to this sonne of Dauid He sayth He shall execute and set vp iustice and iudgement in the earth And he shall iustify others Ergo he must not only outwardly but also inwardly purge the hart and forgeue sinne And this is only the worke of god For it is he onely that can change a wicked and malicious hart and it is he which can illuminate and regenerate vs and none but he And agayn if he can forgeue sinnes he can also abolish death which is the reward or stipend of sinne and the sting of death If then he could ouercom death and make vs righteous and geue vs euerlasting life he is true God which can only in deed deliuer vs from our sinnes and eternall death and geue and preserue true tranquility and peace If then Iudah and Israell that is the hole church of the godly shall be delyuered from their sinne and death then must it needes follow that they shall liue with Christ for euer Here then in this prophecy if we marke it wel we may see that Christ should dye as the naturall sonne of Dauid but not abide in death but that he should iustify and saue Iudah and Israel that is to say his people the godly and faithful And for this cause should he first rise again from death that he might rayse his Israelites that is his faithful from death and that he might purchase for them and geue them eternal life securitie for euer For if he should haue geuē them peace but for a time he should not truely and in deede haue delyuered them neither were it a true tranquility and peace Wherfore it was necessary that that peace and saluation which he should geue his elect should continue for euer and euer Thus then in this short prophecy haue we this eternall king together with his death resurrection and euerlasting kingdome expresly and soundly descrybed And so doth Ieremy again teach vs in the 33. chapter calling the gospel the voyce of ioy which God speaketh to Israel and Iuda For the law only sheweth Gods wrath and punishment but the gospel that new couenant promyseth meere grace and redemption And then he prophesieth how the helpe and redēption which this king bringeth shal extend it selfe to all people farre and nere The people of God in tyme past soong and spake of the great benefits of god how he brought them forth out of the land of Egipt and deliuered them by many marueilous miracles but when Christ that sonne of Dauid shall come then shall they gloriously triumph and tell of farre greater good gifts of God to wit how Christ hath brought and deliuered vs out of the hellish black Egipt and kingdome of sin death and euerlasting damnation and gathered not onely the Israelites after the flesh but all his elected children in all the world out of all nations into this Church of the godly which thing hath ben done euer since the Apostles time euen to this daye For wee which beleue in Christ haue a more excellent and notable captaine then Moses and Iosua Wee haue Iesus Christ for our captayn who hath deliuered vs out of the bondage and howse of the spirituall Pharao to wit from the captiuitie of Sathan This eternall redemption doth euery day renew in vs the remembraunce of our god so that we say the Lord liueth who hath deliuered vs from sin death and Sathan hath brought vs from all errors to the true knowledge of the Gospell This is a spirituall deliueraunce and bringing out of Egipt and a spirituall kingdome where in wee see Iudaisme should once cease Christianisme by Christ our king be set vp through all the world and therefore it was conuenient that he should rise agayne that he might erect this kingdome vpon earth and conserue it for euer To which sence the prophet speaketh saying Therfore behold the day is come sayth the Lord that they shall no more say the Lord liueth which brought vp the children of Israell out of the land of Egipt but the Lord liueth which brought vp and led the seed of the house of Israell out of the north country and from all countryes where I had scattered them and they shall dwell in their owne land Here we must note that all temporall deliuerances which the Iewes had here vpon earth from the hands of earthly tyrants and the gentiles were but figurs of the true and euerlasting deliuerance which we haue by our Messias Christ of which in this place to speake is not to our purpose The prophets for most part set downe such circumstances in their writings that we may well gather they had a farther respect then
the length the Lord will take compassion vpon them and call and conuert so many amongst them by the gospel as appartayn to the kingdome of Christ which knoweth who be his sheep and his sheep shall know their shepheard This prophecy is so playn that it needeth no long exposition The Iewes haue now these 1560. yeares since the comming of Iesus of Nazareth which time is those many dayes which the prophet speketh of bin dispersed abroad throughout the whol world and haue neither king nor prince of their own neither yet vntil this day know they Christ the true Messias or king And they are constrayned as afflicted and abiects and miserable men to liue here and there vnder straunge kings throughout the whol world Their temple and altar with their place of sacrifice are destroyed and so continue And they haue neither priest nor true diuine seruice God graunt that they may shortly be plentifully conuerted Amen The word of God can not lye or deceiue vs They shall seek the true God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob the father of our Lord Iesus Christ by Iesus of Nazareth the true Messias And after their long error at the last they shall be conuerted and brought into the way and shall seek after Iesus Christ the true king promised in Moyses and the prophets who was sent at the fulnes of time born of the house of Dauid and is placed at the right hand of the father and equall with him in power They shal also preach and set forth with vs his bounteous grace and liberality which he offereth and geueth vs in the gospel Anna. Hoseas saith that they shall come vnto Dauid in the last day Shall Dauid then rise again before the last day to be king ☞ Vrb. No forsoth You haue heard before in Ezechiel and in the psalme that Christ is called Dauid because he was born of Dauids stocke according to the flesh And he is in deed true Dauid as in this place S. Hierome noteth that is strong of hand For he onely by his own power vertue and strength delyuered his people frō the captiuity of the deuil and so the Iewes themselues vnderstood this prophecy to be meant of Christ the seed of Dauid of which thing their Thargum is witnes in which this text is read thus After this shall the children of Israell be conuerted and seeke the glory of their God and be obedient to Messias the sonne of Dauid that is to Christ their king ¶ Anna. If the matter stand so then truely are not the Iewes quite to be condemned and reiected seeing God hath promysed that he will be so gracious vnto them and conuert so great a number of them ☞ Vrb. I often speake and geue warning of this that christians doe not with such despight vpbrayd despice or spite so proudlye and contemptuouslye at the Iewes but let them call to minde and wey well the warning which S. Paul geueth to the Rom. Hose doth prophecy more of our resurrectiō by messias saying In their affliction they will seek me diligently saying Come and let vs returne to the Lord for he hath spoyled and he will heale vs He hath wounded vs and he will binde vs vp After two dayes will he reuiue vs and in the third day he will rayse vs vp and we shall liue in his sight Then shall we haue knowledge and indeuour our selues to know the lord His going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come vnto vs as the rayn and as the latter rayn vnto the earth which maketh it fruitfull S. Ambrose and other holy doctor of the church doe vnderstand this prophecy to be meant of the resurrection of Christ and of our rising agayne For Messyas rose agayn frō death the third day And whē we haue borne our cros in this frayl and mortall life and are fully mortefyed vnto the world then will he rayse vs vp againe in the day of redemption and we shall euer be and liue with him as Paul saith to the Thessalonians For he is rysen again and hath appeared with the bright morning star as the true sonne of righteousnes which doth illuminate vs and make vs fruitfull with the ferrill rayn of his grace that we may bring forth the fruit of true repentance And Hoseas in his 13. chap prophesyeth very plainly of Christ his victory how that for our sakes profit he hath ouercome sinne death and hel saying I will redeeme thē frō the power of the graue I will delyuer thē from death O death I will be thy death O graue or hell I will be thy destruction This thing Christ fulfilled when for our sakes he died vpon the crosse and gloriously rose againe the 3. day by which he satisfied for our sinnes and ouercame death which had ouerthrowne vs redeemed vs frō the damnation of hel The sin with which mans nature was infected euen vnto euerlasting death was deadly or present poysō but now Christ by his death destroyeth sin and killeth death in which of right we should haue taried for euer Hose also in his 14. chapiter doth very cōfortably prophesy of Christ and his kingdome and telleth vs that in him is grace and forgeuenes of sinns in him is mere loue and fayth in him are true good workes and securitye and in him is great good will toward vs and the bud of God in vs For Iesus Christ is God in deede and our defender saying O Israell returne vnto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquitie Take vnto you wordes and turne to the Lord and say vnto him take away all iniquitie and receaue vs gratiously so will we render the calues of our lips Asshur shall not saue vs neither will we ride vpon horses neither will we say any more to the worke of our hands ye are our Gods for in thee the fatherles findeth mercy I will heare their rebellion I will loue them freely for my anger is turned away from him I will be as the dew vnto Israell he shall grow as the lily and fasten the rootes as the trees of Libanon His braunches shall spread and his beuty shall be as the olyue tree and his smell as Libanon They that dwell vnder his shadow shall returne they shall reuiue as the corne and florish as the vine the sent therof shall be as the wine of Libanon Ephraim shall say what haue I to do any more with Idolls I haue heard him and looked vpon him I am lyke a greene fir tree vpon me is thy fruite found In the beginning of the 14. chapiter Hoseas moneth the Israelites to repētaunce But seing that true repentaunce is the worke of the holy ghost in vs and not of the naturall man the holy ghost at the end addeth these notable promises that Israell by them might be stirred vp to beleue the grace which god promised so receaue the power of the holy ghost that he might obay the
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
liuely word where Christ is called a father for euer so depely and thorowly sinke into our harts and because we do not meditate so of it do not so wel vnderstand it nor so stedfastly beleue it as Paul did For our harts would not so faile vs as they do if we beleued and certainly knew what a God what a King what a lyfe and what a father Christ is vnto all those that faithfully beleue The name is Sarscholam that is a prince of peace Christ hath a kingdom wherin is peace security safety freedome from death Satan and all other dangers But here is all the labor and trauel to come vnto to attaine to dwel in that euerlasting kingdom If we be once there then are we safe without gunshot then are we sure then are we in a most happy state If sinne pricke vs in our consciences Christ is by by at hand defendeth vs He toke our sinnes vpon him and satisfied for them and became our righteousnes He put out as Paule saith the hand writing of ordinances that was against vs which was contrary to vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vpon the crosse Of this true heauenly peace the scripture speaketh in many places As to the Rom. where Paule sayth We haue peace toward God through our lord Iesus Christ Sinne had made vs the enemies of God as Paul calleth vs in the same place But Christ himself wiped away our sinnes and reconciled vs vnto God so that now he is not an enemy or iudge vnto vs but a welbeloued father For if when we were his enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his lyfe And not onely so but also reioycing in god through our lord Iesus Christ by whom we haue receiued the atonement And nowe in Christ Iesus we which once were farre of are made neere by the bloud of Christ for he is our peace This therefore is true peace when we haue peace with God through our mediator peacemaker Christ For what would the peace and friendship of all the world and worldly creatures auaile profit vs if God were our enemy and angry with vs but if God who taketh more care for vs and loueth vs better then any father doth hys children fight for vs if we be at one with him if he wish vs wel and if he profit vs what can now hurt vs how can the earth with all the creatures therein euen once touch vs Thus you heare that when we beleue in Christ we haue this peace with God thorough Christ so that we may now say If God be on our side who can be against vs and he that kepeth Israel will neither slumber nor slepe Wherefore although we haue affliction in this world yet haue we perfect peace in Christ our peace-maker 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Sarscholam that is the prince of peace or peacemaker He obtained merited peace for vs with God the father giueth vs his spirite the spirit of peace that we may also haue peace with our neighbour He wisheth vs this peace saying Peace I leaue with you my peace I giue you not as the world giueth it c. He also preserueth vs that we be not hurt of our enemies that we may be safe from all dangers By these epithetons names of Christ many mysteries are to be noted as that he is true God that he shold die because he was borne a mā but that he should not abide in deth because he was to raign eternally Wherby is plainly truly proued that both Christ we shal rise againe For we which beleue in Christ both are his members enheritance and kingdom shal be for euer The sonne hath prayed for vs his praiers are heard The father hath giuen vs his sonne with him shall we dwel for euer Our mansion house our lodging our abiding place is already prepared And Christ saith in Ioh. Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am In the wordes following the prophet Esay prophecieth of the euerlasting kyngdome of Christ how it should be great seyng he was to be king not only of the Iewes but euen of the Gentils also dispersed through the whole world how he should daily increase and inlarge his dominion euen to the last day and how he should execute confirme establish and for euer preserue and gouerne the same by iustice and iudgement but of this part of the prophesie I will speake more by Gods grace in the title of the kingdome of Christ You haue heard before where I expoūded the 5. of Micheas and the 2. of Luke where and how the child Christ should be borne Well then Christ was borne at Bethelem Iuda in December in the midst of Winter and was swadled layd in a manger For Ioseph and Mary could not be lodged in any Inne for there was no roume for them The holy prophet foretold this sacred and blessed birth of Christ as you haue heard And the angels from heauen afterward did declare it vnto the shepeheardes in Luke where the angel saith Be not afraid for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shal be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne this day a sauiour in the city of Dauid which is Christ the lord And straight way ther was with the Aungell a multitude of heauenly souldiours praysing God and saying glory be to God in the heauens and peace in earth towards men good wil. The shepeherdes which saw this birth of Christ published and shewed it abroade The starre also in the East and the wisemen which came thēce vnto Bethelem were witnesses of the birth of Christ Simeon also Anna in the temple saw this childe who was the promised author of our saluation and they bare witnes that Messias was present And this doth the whole church of Christ beleue confesse preach and declare through all the world and the name of God is preached and praised in euery place And these glad tidings to wit that Iesus Christ our saluation is borne in Bethelem is preached in euery place And Ierusalem that is the catholike church doth reioyce and skippe for ioy for this natiuity bringeth vnto vs all felicity saluation and consolation ⧠Of Christes flying into Egypt ¶ Anna. WHat say the Prophetes of Christes flying into Egypt ☞ Vrb. Mathew saith in his 2. chap. when the wise men of the East returned from India they returned into their own country an other way and went not to Herode After their departure the angel of the lord appeared vnto Ioseph in a dreame saying arise and take the babe his mother flie into Egypt there lie vntil I bring thee word for Herod wil seke
to destroy him So Ioseph rose toke the babe and his mother by night and departed into Egypt was there vnto the death of Herode that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the lord by his prophet saying Out of Egypt haue I called my sonne This prophesie is thus set down in Hosea When Israel was a child then I loued him and called my sonne out of Egypt Here the prophet speaketh of Israel that is the Iewes and of his sonne Iesus Christ He sayth that God loued the Israelites Which thing he sufficiently declared by many and wonderfull benefits He brought thē vp nourished them always cared for them euen as a father careth for his chylde He made them a great mighty famous people And although their vnkindnes deserued farre otherwise yet notwithstanding he faithfully performed alwayes the promises which he had made vnto thē All these things were done for Christes sake that most blessed seed which he had promised vnto Abrahā This Christ this seed according to the flesh was to be borne of the tribe of Iuda And therfore he brought his people Israel by Moses Iosua out of Egipt the house of bondage into the lād of Canaan with a strong hand mightypower For it was his good pleasure that of this people Christ the sauiour of the whole world should be born as he promised before by his prophets But now after that when Christ our sauiour in the fulnes of tyme was borne had for a tyme by flying into Egypt shrouded himself from the wrath of Herode who had commaunded all the infants to be slain God brought him thence againe into the land of Israel Of which Math. sayeth But when Herod was dead behold the angell of the lord appeared in a dream to Ioseph in Egypt saying arise take the babe his mother and go into the land of Israel for thei are dead which soght the babes life Then he arose toke the babe his mother came into the land of Israel But when he heard that Archelaus did raigne in Iuda in stead of his father Herod he was afraid to go thither yet after he was warned of God in a dreame he turned aside into the parties of Galile wēt and dwelled in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet which was that he should be called a Nazarite ¶ Anna. What speaketh the prophets of the ministery of Christ Of the ministery of Christ how he should be a king a priest a doctor a peacemaker a mediator a shepeheard our redemer and iudge of the world Vrbanus THe prophets witnes that Christ is our king priest teacher maister peacemaker redeemer mediator high iudge God saith by Dauid I wil declare the decree that is the Lord hath said vnto me thou art my sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of me and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance the endes of the earth for thy possession Here god the father saith that he had ordained his sonne Christ to be king in Zion that is in the whole catholike church For Zion was a hill in Ierusalem wheron king Dauids pallace stoode It is also a figure of the whole catholike church through out the world The sonne maketh mention of his preaching doctrine saying that he would preach declare him self to be the son of god vnto the whole world and that he had all power geuen him not onely to be Lord and king ouer the Iewes but also ouer the gentils that is of all the Christians in the world that all they which beleued hys preaching should bee hys peculiar people ouer whom he would raigne for euer And agayn Dauid sayth Geue thy iudgments vnto the king O Lord and thy righteousnes to the kinges sonne yea all kinges shall honor him and all nations shal serue him This Psalme speaketh of the true Solomon Christ that he should be the greatest and most mighty in the earth before whom all other kinges should do homage So Christ also is called a kyng in the 89. Psalme But we will speake more of these in the title of Christs kingdom I wil make him my first borne higher then the kings of the earth Esa. saith The Lord is our iudge the lord is our lawgiuer the lord is our king he wil saue vs. We read the like in Eze. Zach. And Ioel also saith Be glad then ye children of Zion reioyce in the lord our God for he hath giuen you a raigne or teacher of righteousnes This raigne or teacher is Christ Iesus our only maister doctor as it is sayd in Math. One is your doctor to wit Christ and all ye are bretheren He is not such a teacher or such a maister as Moses or we are For he preacheth not the gospel to the outward eare onely but he giueth vs by the holy ghost the true holines in our hartes spiritually which before god is auailable to wit faith in him Which Paul calleth the righteousnes of God. For faith in Christ is the worke and gift of god in vs which is imputed to vs for righteousnes Againe Dauid saith our instructer shall be adorned with many blessings This instructer is Christ who in dede is truely blessed For all that beleue his doctrine by him are deliuered frō the curse are made the childrē of god for euer He washeth vs with the gratious welsprings of his gifts teacheth vs in our harts that we may be taught of god know the father by the sonne in whō consist true blessings and euerlasting life You haue heard before out of the 61. of Esay that Christ was sent by the father to preach the gospel to the poore afflicted As he confesseth in Luke saying that he should preach the kingdome of God to other cities for therfore was he sent Wherfore Esay calleth him the light of the Gentils the gospel the light of the world because he illuminateth vs which sit in the depe darknes of folly ignorāce with true knowledge the holy ghost For naturally of our own strēgth we neither know god nor our selues The womā of Samaria saith in Ioh. I know well that Messias shal come which is called Christ when he is come he wil tel vs al things And therfore Moses calleth him a prophet because he should teach the worde of God vnto his people Christ also saith in Esay He hath made my mouth like a sharpe sword that is I wil execute my ministery by the word which shal be effectual pierce lyke a sharp sword And he saith to Pilate that for this cause he was borne and for this cause he came into this world that he should beare witnes vnto the truth And he addeth euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce He wil speake peace vnto the heathen To be brief al