concerning them which are asleepe that yee sorrowe not euen as other which haue no hope 14 For if wee beleeue that Iesus is dead and is risen euen so them that sleepe with Iesus wil God bring with him Herein standeth the comfort of Christian religion Were it not for the hope of the seconde life the godly in this worlde were in worse case than the dumbe and brute beastes When Christ appointed his Disciples to goe and preach hée sayde I sende you as sheepe in the middest of wolues They will scourge you you shall bée hated of al men As the Gospel encreased in any place these words were fulfilled The godly were put to death for the name of Christ. The father did sée his sonne staine before his face and the sonne his father cruelly tormented Hence grewe great mourning heauinesse Oh saide they he was a reuerende sage father oh he was a wise young man learned zealous and a great stay in the Church Why would God take him before his time there is not nowe any one left whom we may beholde or heare or followe We are left comfortlesse and without hope After this sort it is likely the Thessalonians mourned when they behelde the persecution of the Church of God among them Herein they grewe towardes mistrust and to be like the heathen which had no hope Saint Paule thought good to refourme this errour And because this abuse grewe of ignorance for that they knewe not the happie estate of such which die in the Lorde hée sayeth I would not haue you ignoraunt what is become of them and what GOD hath doone for them He hath tryed them as golde and hath made them woorthie for himselfe Therefore you ought rather to reioyce there is no cause at al of mourning When Christ sawe his disciples heauie and sad because of his departure hée sayde If yee loued mee yee woulde verily reioyce because I sayde I goe to the father for my father is greater than I. I shal sit at the right hande of my father in glorie then shal euerie knée bowe vnto mée and enerie tongue shal confesse my greatnesse Therefore if ye loued me you would reioyce in my behalfe It is ignoraunce that maketh you heauie because you knowe not whither I goe When Ioseph was solde into Egypt good father Iacob thought he was dead and therefore mourned day and night Nothing could comfort him Alas sayeth he that I haue liued to sée this day O Ioseph my sonne my sonne Ioseph oh that I might giue my life to redéeme thée Nowe shal my hoarie head goe downe to the graue in heauinesse But when he hearde that Ioseph liued and did sée him with his eyes when he did sée that he was a Prince next in place to the King and had al the Countrey at commaundement then hée knewe he had mourned without a cause Then his heart leapt within him his eyes gusht out with water he wept for ioy Ignoraunce as we sée made him heauie knowledge of the truth as it was reioyced his halt and made him glad There is great errour and darkenesse and ignoraunce in mans life Wee reioyce when wee haue cause to mourne and mourne manie times when wee haue cause to reioyce Therefore he sayeth I would not haue you ignorant Be not deceiued God hath giuen you eyes to sée the right ways God hath giuen you eares to heare counsel and a heart to knowe reason and to vnderstande and iudge God hath giuen you the Scriptures and by them the knowledge of his wil. He hath giuen you a face to looke vp to heauen and the spirit of life hath he poured into you that you should not by anie meanes be deceiued That ye sorrowe not as other that haue no hope He doth not forbidde natural affection Our parentes and our children are deare vn to vs. They are our fleshe and bloude and the chiefe and principal partes of our bodie Anie part of our bodie can not be cut off but wée shal féele it The father if he féele not the death of his sonne or the sonne if he féele not the death of his Father and haue not a déepe féeling of it he is vnnaturall Dauid mourned for Ionathan The whole lande mourned for Iosias Paul sayth God haue mercie vppon Epaphroditus he was sicke verie néere vnto death and not on him onely but on me also least I shoulde haue sorrowe vpon sorrowe If God had taken Epaphroditus out of life no doubt Paul would haue sorrowed What néede more examples Christ mourned for Lazarus and shed teares for him Then saide the Iewes behold he loued him Wée are not therefore forbidden to mourne ouer the dead but to mourne in such sorte as the heathen did we are forbidden They as they did neither beléeue in God nor in Christ so had they no hope of y e life to come When a father saw his sonne dead he thought he had beene dead for euer He became heauie changed his garment delighted in no companie forsooke his meate famished him selfe rent his bodie cursed his fortune cried out of his Gods Oh my deare sonne saith he how beautifull how learned and wise and vertuous wast thou why shouldst thou die so vntimely why haue I offered sacrifice and done seruice to my Gods they haue made me a good recompence I wil trust them no more I wil no more call vpon them Thus they fel into dispaire and spake blasphemies Therefore saith Paul you may mourne as did the holie men of GOD but in such sorte as the vnfaithfull sorrowe for their dead you maie not mourne You are the sonnes of the holie fathers fashion not your selues therefore like to the heathens do not as they did neither in feastes nor in marriages nor in your attire nor in your mourning nor in your pastimes But behaue your selues as becommeth the children of the most highest But why may not Christians mourne and continue in heauinesse because it is no newe thing for a man to die because he goeth the waie of al flesh Againe they that departe this life are not dead they are not gone for euer as the heathen imagined They are laid down to take rest quietly for a time The deth of a godlie man is nothing else but a sléepe So saith our sauiour of Lazarus Our friend Lazarus sleepeth howbeit Iesus spake of his death So it is saide of Steuen And they stoned Steuen who called on God and saide Lord Iesus receiue my spirite And hee kneeled downe and cried with a loud voice Lord laie not this sinne to their charge and when he had thus spoken he slept Whosoeuer dieth in the peace of conscience he may saie I will lie downe and take my rest Thus doeth the man of God repose himselfe For Christ is vnto him both in life and in death aduantage He saith with the Apostle Whether we liue wee liue vnto the Lord or whether wee die we die vnto the Lord whether wee liue
therefore or die we are the Lords He goeth into his graue as into a bed he forsaketh this life as if he lay downe to sléepe he shall shake off his sléepe rouse himselfe and rise againe As we wake out of sléepe we know not howe so shall we rise againe though we knowe not how As we are much refreshed and our bodies strengthened by sléepe so shal we rise againe in much more strength and our corruption shal put on incorruption and our mortalitie immortalitie So often then as we goe to our beddes lette vs thinke of our resurrection from death Who is sorie to goe into his bedde what father lamenteth to sée his childe lie quietly and take his reste why then shoulde he so mourne for his death wherein GOD dealeth mercifully with him and doth translate him to the glorie of the sonnes of God where is no death nor feare but we shal be made like to the Angels of God The bodie rotteth in the grounde yet God preserueth it that it shal not perish His spirite shall returne to it againe and it shal liue God is able to bring this to passe He hath promised so to do He hath done it alreadie and wil doe it againe When Christ came neare to the gate of the Citie of Naim there was a dead man carried out the only begotten sonne of his mother which was a widow and much people of the Citie was with hir and when the Lord saw hir hee had compassion on hir and saide vnto hir weepe not And hee went and touched the coffin and they that bare it stoode still and he saide I saie vnto thee yong man arise And he that was dead sate vp and beganne to speake and hee deliuered him to his mother Lazarus was laide in his graue he had béene foure daies dead his bodie did stincke Yet when Christ cried with a loud voice Lazarus come foorth then he that was dead came foorth bound hand and foote with bandes and his face was bound with a napkin Iesus saide vnto them loose him and let him goe Saint Mathew saith The graues did open them selues and manie bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of the graues after his resurrection and went into the holie Citie and appeared vnto manie These fewe stories witnesse vnto vs the rising againe of our bodies vnto life But what do I speake of the bodies of men they are the houses of GOD the temples of the holie Ghost God hath appointed vnto them a kingdome Who considereth not the swallowes and other birdes they sléepe al the winter long But when the spring commeth they come to life againe and are séene abroad What creature so little so vile and so little worth as the stie Yet by those so base and contemptible things doth God teach vs to know our selues and our estate The greatest part of the winter they are as dead They créepe into chinks and corners as into their graue and lie there without life without féeling Prooue it who list he shall sée it so The bodie is dead the wings moulted Yet the verie same flie so little and so vile shall be refrozed againe at the spring and shall liue in the warme weather and haue the same wings and the same féete and the same bodie If we be hard of beléefe to giue credite to the word of God these are manifest proofes to teach vs the resurrection of our bodies If GOD do so much for the flies which are so vile a creature how much rather wil he quicken vs againe whome hée hath chosen out of this world to liue with him for euer The word of GOD is almightie Hée shall but speake and it shall be done The Trumpet shall sounde and the dead shal return to life I am sure saith Iob that my redeemer liueth and that I shall rise out of the earâ—…h in the latter daie and shall be couered againe with my skinne and shall see God in my flesh Whome I my selfe shall see and mine eies shall behold and none other for me This is my hope laide vp in my bosome Saint Paul willeth Timothie neuer to forget this doctrine Remember that Iesus Christ made of the seede of Dauid was raised againe from the dead according to my Gospell This is the foundation the beginning and the ending of religion If the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you hee that raised vppe Christ from the dead shal also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirite dwelleth in you This is an article of our faith We beleue the resurrection of the bodie euen of this bodie in which we liue and which we carrie about with vs. All flesh shal sée the saluation of our GOD. This is the hope of Christians the resurrection of their fleshe Set your affections on things which are aboue not on things which are on the earth For yee are dead saith the Apostle and your life is hidde with Christ in God When Christ which is our life shall appeare then shal yee appeare with him in glorie Therefore let not your heartes be dull through vnbeliefe As God was able to saue the bodies of his seruantes that they were not hurt in the fire as he was able to kéepe Ionas safe in the whales bellie so can he preserue our bodies safe in the earth Yea much better because the fire naturally consuineth and the fishes bellie destroieth those things which they rauine but the earth naturally preseruoth that which is earthie As our GOD is of power to diuide the waters to make the sea stand like a wall and giue passage to his people as he can chaunge the course of the heauens and make the sunne goe backe as he can drawe water out of the harde rockes so is he of power to raise our dead bodies againe vnto life If he made the earth the water the aire the heauens and all creatures in them of nothing he is much more able to restore againe those bodies which haue beene Wee looke saieth Paule for the sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ who shall change our vile bodie and make it like his glorious bodie according to the working whereby he is able to subdue al things to himselfe The Prophet Esay comforteth the people of GOD in their affliâ—…ions Thy dead men shall liue euen with my bodie shall they rise awake and sing yee that dwell in the dust for thy deawe is as the deawe of hearbes and the earth shall cast out the dead Againe The earth shall disclose her bloud and shal no more hide her slaine Therefore saith our sauiour This is the fathers wil which hath sent me that of al which hee hath giuen mee I should loose nothing but should raise it vp againe at the last daie Againe hée saith The houre shall come in the which al that are in the graues shall heare his voice And they shall come foorth that haue done good
where should the worde of God haue place where should it be hearde but in the Church of God O cursed handes that so dispitefully rent it Woe woorth that vnhappie fire that burnt it As for the Masse woulde God they that so much desire it knewe what it is Woulde God they knewe howe the people of God are mocked by it and howe the precious bloud of our sauiour Jesus Christ is blasphemed by it would God they knewe howe gréeuoustie God is offended with them in this thing wherein they thinke they please him so highlie But the Masse and Gods worde can not dwel in one house together the one is so contrarie to the other God forgiue it them and lay it not to their charge For they knowe not what they doe They are drawn on to work the things which others haue most wickedly deuised There is no doubt but God wil confound their enterprise For this is his owne cause this quarrel is pickt against his Church and against the knowledge and setting foorth of his Gospel and therefore against the setting foorth of his glorie Onely let vs lift vp pure handes into heauen cal for helpe from aboue Let vs say vnto him Rise vp for our succour redeme vs for thy mercie sake Let vs say They haue cast thy sanctuarie into the fire and rased it to the grounde and haue destroyed the dwelling place of thy name Arise oh God maintaine thine owne cause remember thy daily reproch by the foolishe man Let vs say saue oh Lorde Quéene ELIZABETH thy seruaunt establish that good thing which thou hast begunne open the eyes of al people that they may sée thy sauing health and inioy it through hearing thy Gospel which thou hast made knowen vnto vs saue thy people which trusteth in thée and breake the cordes of the wicked in sunder Let vs comfort our selues with these wordes that God hath not appointed vs to wrath but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lorde Jesus Christ. Hée hath ouercome the worlde let vs be of good théere And let vs walke as the children of light let vs walke honestlie as in the day Then whether we wake or sléepe whether wee liue or die we shal liue together with him V. 11. Wherefore exhort one an other and edifie one another euen as ye doe This is the bonde of true loue and Christian friendship that euerie man be careful of his brother as of himselfe that euerie man â—…hort and teach the thinges that are good and rebuke others in il that euerie man séeke to bring home the lost shéepe and to restore him to his maister Therefore Christ sayth If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tel him his faults betweene him and thee alone if he heare thee thou hast wonne thy brother For what knowest thou whether thou shalt saue thy brother Brethren sayth Saint Iames If any of you hath erred from the trueth and some man hath conuerted him let him knowe that he which hath conuerted the sinner from going aftray out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes Therefore sayeth the Apostle Exhort one an other and edifie one an other Let the father exhort his scnne oh son walke vprightly before God liue honestlie and vertuously in the sight of al men doe those thinges that are good thou art the childe of God be holie in spirite and holy in bodie because he is holie Say to the adulterer oh brother bée not deceiued Whosoeuer is an adulterer hath no inheritaunce in the kingdome of Christ and of God God hath sayde of them that are such they shal not enter into my rest Say to the swearer oh take not y e name of God in vaine for GOD wil not holde him giltlesse that taketh his name in vaine He that sweareth and nameth God continually shal not bee faultlesse A man that vseth much swearing shal be silled with wickednesse and the plague shal neuer go from his house nor from his cattel nor from his corne nor from his seruauntes nor from his children nor from himselfe His house shal be ful of plagues Say to the Vsurer oh heare the voyce of the Lord thus sayth the Lord before whom thon shalt stande to giue an account of those things which thou hast done in this life Thou shalt not giue thy money to Vsurie Hee that careth not for these wordes but doeth otherwise shal not scape vnpunished Say to the rich man oh put not your trust in riches Lay vp your treasure in heauen lay it vp in the bosome of the poore and it shal make intercession for thée Put thy trust in the liuing God which giueth vs abundantly all things to inioie Thy house thy lande thy money thy golde and siluer shall not continue thou shalt go the shalt of all flesh and thy riches shall not be able to deliuer thée in the daie of wrath Saie to the learned man to the wise man and to the man whom God hath endued with worldly power what hast thou that thou hast not receiued be not high minded It is the gift of God It is not thine Thou shalt giue a reckoning of all that thou hast receiued Abuse it not to the dishonour of God It is of charitie that I speake vnto thée Thou art my brother God hath a care ouer thée it is his will that one of vs should exhort an other Oh why should thy life giue offence to anie man why shoulde y e name of God be il spoken of through thee He hath made thée to bée a vessell of honour thou belongest to his folde why shouldest thou be lost and perish in thy wilfulnesse V. 12 Nowe wee beseech you brethren that yee knowe them which labour among you and are ouer you in the Lord and admonish you 13 That yee haue them in singular loue for their workes sake be at peace among your selues They which exhort you and warne you and are ouer you in the Lord they be shéepeheards and husbandmen and watchmen for you They féede the Lordes flocke plough the Lordes ground and watch the tower of the God of hosts You are Gods shéepe ye must be fedde else you cannot liue You are a field you must be ploughed else you will be ouergrowen with brambles and stand vnfruitful and lie waste You are the Lordes tower you must be watched else the enimie will breake in vpon you and so you shoulde bée destroyed They labour and trauell in your behalfe they must giue an account for your soules they are ambassadors sent from God they come to tel you the truth they preach not themselues but Christ Jesus they speake to you in the name of the Lord. Although you reckon them fooles vnlearned and simple they are the messengers of the great King euen of him that is Lord ouer all Saint Paul saith It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue The heauenly
me I wrestle not with flesh and bloud but with the prince and power of darkenesse My enimies are strong they are the enimies of the crosse of Christ I am weake and of no resistance Our sufficiencie is of him Without him we can do nothing Praie for me that hée will put his word into my mouth that I may be a vessel of his glorie to preach foorth the glad tydings of his Gospell that I maie be a faithfull minister of the new Testament that I may disclose the mysterie of our redeÌ„ption that his holie spirit will assist me and make my trauels fruitfull V. 26. Greete al the brethren with an holie kisse 27 I charge you in the Lord that this Epistle be read vnto al the brethren the Saints Salute one another in token of true and vnfained loue And withholde not this Epistle from anie of the brethren It is written for their sakes Let them heare it that they maie take comforte by it How agréeth Paul in this charge with them that in no case would haue the people reade the Scriptures That saie Ignorance is the mother of deuotion It is the word of God the father why should not the people of God vnderstand it It is the water that springeth out to euerlasting life why should the people of God be driuen away and not suffered to drinke thereof It is the light of the worlde why should the people be hoodwinckt and kept that they should not looke vp and sée it Why should they sit and perish in the darkenesse of death It is the will of God that al the people should know him from the least to the greatest among them Saint Paule saith Whatsoeuer things are written aforetime are written for our learning that wee through patience and comforte of the Scriptures might haue hope Christ saieth This is life eternall to know thee to be the onelie very God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Let vs not forget these words of Paul I charge you in the Lord by his death by his crosse by his bloud by the daie of his appearance that this epistle be read to the learned and vnlearned to the wise and simple to the Maisters and to the seruants to al our brethren to all the sonnes of God V. 28 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you Amen God open your eies that you maie behold the waie of righteousnesse and direct you that you may walke in it Through his grace you haue receiued the word and it hath bene fruitfull in you and by the same grace you shall continue in it euer His grace and blessing and mercie be with you al. AMEN FINIS ¶ The Second Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Thessalonians CHAP. I. PAule and Syluanus and Timotheus vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our father and in our Lord Iesus Christ. IN the former Epistle hée wrote somewhat touching the latter day and the comming of our Lord to iudgement and saide that that daie shall come as a théefe in the night and therefore arborted them to watch and praie and to prepare themselues to be in a readinesse The false Apostles did fondly and malitiously mistake his wordes and deuised meanes thereby to disquiet the mindes of the faithfull and to trouble the Church of God Thus could the Prince of darkenesse the olde Serpent and deceiuing spirite turne the truth of God into occasion of slander In the meane while the Apostle was farre off from them at Athens But when he heard of their case hée sent vnto them this other Epistle wherein hée declareth more plainely that matter which before séemed doubtfull and séeketh to satisfie their hearts and to remooue them from that errour which they had conceiued In discourse hereof he taketh occasion to speake of Antichrist of whome wée heare much and haue had warning often Hée telleth vs that he shall come in working of signes and wonders that he is the man of sinne which shal thrust himselfe into the place of Christ. Hée sheweth who is Antichrist and how we may know him what things hée shall doe what credite he shall haue in the worlde and by what power hée shall be ouerthrowne and confounded After this he speaketh of idlenesse and of bodily labour and requireth euerie man to liue in the sweate of their browes and in painefull trauel as God hath ordeined Other comfortable and necessarie doctrine is delâ—…uered in this epistle as wil appeare The whole matter of the epistle is so fit for these dayes in which we liue as if it were purposely written for vs. For we liue in the later age of the worlde and it cannot be but the end of al thinges is at hande and that the glorious appearing of our Lorde shal bâ—… shortly Paule and Syluanus and Timotheus This Epistle was sent not onely from Paule but also from Timothie and Syluanus These thrée were al guided by one â—…pirite and had al one like care for the Church of GOD. Therefore he writeth thus Paule and Syluanus and Timotheus the seruauntes of God chosen from our mothers wombe and appointed to publishe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to carie his name before Kinges and Princes and especially I Paule which am your father and hauâ—… begotten you in Christ which was sometimes a blasphemer and did persecute the faithful whom it pleased GOD to make a chosen vessel for himselfe which am also hated of my brethren and kinsmen after the fleshe for the Gospels sake and which am readie to giue my life for your behalfe Vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our father c. You are sayth he the beloued of God you are his people and he hath assured his mercie vnto you you haue the promise and the earnest of the life to come Here let vs marke the state of that countrie as it was then and compare it with it selfe as it is now Then it was the church of God for otherwise S. Paule would not so haue called it according to the grace of God giuen vnto him he layde the foundation he planted and watred their hearts and God gaue the increase So that they receiued the worde in much aâ—…tion and the worde of the Gospel sounded from them not only in Macedonia Achaia but their faith towardes God was spread also abroade in al quarters In such sort were they a Vessel sanoified vnto honour ful of blessing and ful of the mercie and grace of God But what is become of that countrey In what case standeth the church of Thessalonica at this day It is now the Sinagogue of Sathan vnder the tyrannie of the Turke and such as are enemies of the crosse of Christ. Such a change hath the right hande of the Lord wrought in that place which hath sometimes béene his holie Tabernacle I thought good to marke this that we might vnderstand how vaine a thing it is to put confidence in cities or churches or in
they exhort teach and reproue and correct and instruct the people in righteousnesse Antichrist sitteth not in the Church after this sort He teacheth not nor exhorteth the people He maketh that no part of his office How sitteth he then What shal he say what shal he doe The Apostle telleth vs He exalteth himselfe against al that is called God or that is worshipped He shal be honoured with the honour that is due vnto God He shal shine and glitter in gold and precious stones Hee shal be carried vppon the shoulders of men and waited vpon by kings and princes and great estates So shal he bée contrarie to Christ. Christ was humble and lowly The prophet in his owne person speaketh of him I am a worme and not a man a shame of men and the contempt of the people And the Apostle sayth He humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse Beholde his parentes his birth his cradle beholde his life his disciples his doctrine and his death Al were witnesses vnto his humilitie He sayth of himselfe The sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his heade And to his Disciples he sayeth The kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them and they that beare rule ouer them are called gracious Lordes but you shall not be so And againe Learne of me that I am meeke and lowly in heart and yee shall finde rest vnto your soules Nowe on the other parte take viewe of Antichrist Beholde his birth his place his thaire his estate his doctrine his disciples and al his life You shall sée nothing but pomp and glorie Gregorie calleth him the King of pride He is proude in life proude in doâ—…trine proud in worde and proud in déedes Hée is like vnto Lucifer and setteth himselfe before his brethren and ouer nations and kingdomes Hée maketh euerie knée to how downe to him and worship him hée maketh Kings to bring him water to carie his traine to holde his cup to beare his dish to leade his bridle and to holde his stirrup hée claimeth power ouer heauen and earth hée saieth hée is Lorde ouer all the worlde the Lorde of Lordes and the King of Kings that his authoritie reacheth vp into heauen and down into hell that hée can commaund the Angels of GOD that hée condemneth whom hée will condemne that he maketh Saints at his pleasure that whatsoeuer he blesseth is blessed and that it is cursed whatsoeuer he curseth Hée selleth merites the forgiuenesse of sinnes the sacrifice for the quicke and the dead Hée maketh marchandize of the soules of men Hée laieth his filthie handes vppon the Lordes annointed Hée remooueth kings and deposeth the states and Princes of the world This is Antichrist This is his power Thus shal he worke and make himselfe manifest So shall he sit in the temple of God The people shall woonder at him and shall haue him in reuerence They shall say who is like vnto the beast Who is so wise so mightie so godlie so vertuous so holie so like vnto God so intolerable and monstrous shal be his pride It were much for hym to sitte in the seate and to occupie the roome of an earthly King or Emperour But he shall take vppon him the authoritie and the name of GOD the name of the liuing Lorde the name of GOD which hath made heauen and earth euen the name of GOD the father of our Lord Iesus Christ. And in this pride hée shall excéede al others that haue béene wicked The Pharises and the Scribes were wicked yet none of them did sit in the temple of God shewing himselfe that hée was God Arius Nestorius Montanus Valentinus were wicked heretiques yet they neuer â—…ooke vppon them the name of God What shoulde I saie of this blasphemie or in whom may wée find the like Mahomet was a Turke and a false Prophet and a deceiuer of the people yet he tooks not vppon him the name of God This point and reach of vngodlinesse belongeth onelie to Antichrist He shall sit in the place of God in iudgements he shall shewe himselfe out of that place as if he were God Irenaeus saieth Quum sit servus tamen â—…dor ari vultâ—…ut deus Whereas hee is but a serâ—…ant hee will be worshipped as if hee were God But some will saie Antichrist shall be mortall as other men borne of a mortall father and mother hée shall knowe that he shal die and that he is but dust and shal returne againe into dust that hée can not make himselfe no that he can not make the least and â—…ilest of al creatures Howe then will he proclaime himselfe to be an immortall God How wil he cal himselfe God that made heauen and earth or God which had no beginning nor shall haue anie ende no this is not the meaning of these wordes Hée shall not so thinke of himselfe nor so saie I will tell you after what sorte hee shall sitte in the Temple of GOD and howe the worlde shall receiue him and reuerence him as GOD. Hée shall take to himselfe that supreme authoritie and prerogatiue which appertaineth onelie to GOD by nature Although hee be but a man yet in office he will be accounted as GOD. He shall compare his lawes with the lawes of GOD. He shall say his worde is the worde of GOD. Whatsoeuer he saieth he shall saie it is the voice of the spirite of God of the same authoritie that is gospell of Christ no man maie breake it no man may touch the credite thereof if aniâ—… man with stande it hée must thinke he doth sacrilege committeth blasphemie and sinneth against the holie Ghost Againe he shal breake the lawes of God to vphold his owne and shal pul downe GOD to set vp himselfe Such shall be the power and auctoritie of Antichrist so shall he possesse the consciences of the people so shall hée sitte as an Idoll in their hearts so shall he stande in the place of God and shew-himselfe that he is GOD. The people shall receiue his doctrine and beléeue his worde They shall sall downe before him and worship him They shall saie Who is like vnto the beast What creature is so beautifull as he They shall honour him as God But what is hée which hath suffered himselfe to be so called Who is hée which hath béene called by the name of GOD Of all the creatures which haue professed the faith of Christ of al the Kings or Bishops or Priests or laie people that euer were in the Church of GOD who euer required to be called by the holie name of GOD Or who euer liked well of them which so called him Who hath béene so wicked Who hath euer so much forgotten himselfe In what place hath he dwelt Or what hath hée béene Here mée thinketh I sée the secrete motions of your heart You looke that I shoulde name the Bishoppe of Rome that it is hée which hath suffered himselfe to be
and shall shew signes and wonders to deceiue if it were possible the verie elect Againe he saith Manie wil saie to me in that daie Lord Lord haue we not in thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out Diuels and by thy name done manie great workes and then wil I professe to them I neuer knew you depart from me ye that worke iniquitie These things shall Satan bring to passe vnder my name The Apostles wrought miracles thereby to confirme the Gospell which they preached As the Euangelist writeth The Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed And as the Apostle Saluation at the first began to be preached by the Lorde and was confirmed vnto vs by them that heard him God bearing witnesse thereto with signes and wonders and with diuers miracles and gifts of the holie ghost according to his wil. So shal Antichrist worke miracles to ouerthrowe the gospell As Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith But they shall preuaile no longer for their madnesse shall be knowne to all men as theirs also was Aaron cast foorth his rod before Pharao and his seruaÌ„ts and it was turned into a serpent And the charmers of Aegipt did in like maner with their enchauntments Aaron smote the water and al the water that was in the riuer was turned into bloud and the inchaunters of Aegipt did likewise with their sorceries And as Aaron caused frogges to come and couer the land so the sorcerers did likewise with their sorceries But the illusions of the magical Artes came to naught saith Salomon and it was a most shamefull reproch for boasting their knowledge So shall Antichrist come in working signes and lying wonders as did Iannes and Iambres to desace the gospell and glorie of God It is not saide he shal worke wonders but false lying wonders But howe can his myracles be false If false howe be they myracles If myracles how be they false They shal be false after two sortes some are called false myracles bicause they séeme to be myracles and are not Some are called false myracles because they are vsed falsly to mainetaine his falshoode Of the first sorte of false myracles we haue séene an infinite number in the daiâ—…s of our fathers in the kingdom of Antichrist Then was there appearance of spirits and visions of Angels our Ladie came swimming downe from heauen poore soules came créeping and crying out of purgatorie and ietted abroad and kept stations casting stakes of fire and beset highwaies and bemoned their cases the pains and torments were so bitter They sought for helpe and cried for good praiers they cried for Diriges they cried for Masses of Requiem for masses of Scala coeli for trentals of masses Hereof grew portsale of pardoÌ„s hereof grew the prouince of purgatorie the most gainfull countrie that euer was vnder y e citie of Rome But these myracles were no miracles at al. They were deuised by suttle varlets and lazie lordaines for a purpose to get money Oftentimes the spirite hath béene taken and laide in the stockes the Angel hath béene stript good Ladie hath béene caught the conueyance and the miracle hath appeared the engines and sleights and the cause and the manner of the working hath béene confessed In those daies Idols could goe on foote Roodes could speake Belles coulde ring alone Images could come downe and light their owne candles Dead stockes coulde sweat and bestirre themselues they could turne their â—…ies they coulde mooue their hands they coulde open their mouths they could set bones and knit sineâ—…es they coulde heale the sicke and raise vp the dead These myracles were conueyaunces and suttleties and indéed no miracles The trunks by which they did speake the strings and wiâ—…rs with which they mooued their faces and bands al the rest of their treacherie hath béene disclosed These be the miracles of which Paul speaketh Miracles in sight but indéede no miracles The other sort of false miracles is when such things as be in déede wrought and done are vntruelie applied by Antichrist to maintaine his falshoode God giueth recouerie to the diseased the deafe receiue their hearing the blind receiue their sight He asswageth the tempests and staieth the rage of fire that it continue not These things are done by the finger of God Antichrist draweth vs from so thinking of the mercie of God and telleth vs we haue other friends to whom we are beholding which haue done so and so for vs. It was this Saint saith he it was that Saint that tooke pitie of your case and wrought the remedie for you It was Apollonia it was Genouefa it was Sitha it was our Ladie Such a Saint is able to do much such a Saint can worke miracles Hereof grew inâ—…ocation of Saints Hereof it came to passe that ech Saint was assigned allotted to his sundry charge and seueral office apart Saint Blase for the choaking Saint Roch for the pestilence Antonie for the burning Valentine for the falling sickenesse Romane for madnesse Apollonia for the toothach Petronilla for agues and others for other purposes Wherein it was wisely foreseene that they were so limited and ordered least perhaps else any one might be ouer saucie and incroch vppon and trouble his fellowes It was also foreséene that al saintes shoulde not haue power to worke in al places Some wrought at Canterburie some at Walsingham some at Yorke some at Buxton some in one place some in another some in the townes some in the fieldes Euen as Hieremie saide among the Iewes According to the number of thy Cities were thy Gods Hereof grewe Pylgrimages and Worshipping of Images and kissing of Reliques Hereof grewe oblations and enritching of Abbies Euerie man had his peculiar Saint on whome he called Euerie countrey was ful of Chappels euerie Chappel ful of myracles and euerie myracle ful of lies These myracles are wrought by Anti-thriste They are his tooles wherewith he worketh they are his weapons wherewith hée preuayleth They are ful of lying full of deceitfulnesse and ful of wickednesse So shal Antichrist preuaile and rule ouer the worlde By these myracles he shal possesse the eares the eyes and the heartes of manie and shall drawe them after him He shall shadowe the Moone and darken the Sunne and make the thirde part of the starres of heauen to followe him Hée shal chaunge light into darkenesse and darkenesse into light Hée shal worke in al thinges at his pleasure If a man sée wel hee shal make him blinde This is a myracle Such as are whole he shal make sicke he shal infect them with leprosie which before were cleane This is a myracle He shal chaunge the sense and féeling of nature hée shal make the sonne hate the father and shal make the Father hate the sonne yea to séeke the death of his sonne This is a myracle Hee shal make the
the blessing of God offered vnto thée Where there is no prophecie the people perisheth He that despiseth it shall be despised of the Lord he shal be cast into darkenesse because he would not delight in the light V. 21 Trie al things and keepe that which is good Trie al things God hath giuen you the spirite of discretion and of iudgement Be wise and knowe what is that good and acceptable will of God He not deceiued with wordes of mans wisedome Let not the basenesse or simplicitie of anie cause you to refuse the message which he bringeth and carrie not your selues to liking of al that whatsoeuer shall be told you of such as beare great shew and countenance This was it that deceiued the people of GOD they gaue eare to false teachers which lead them to worshippe the workes of their owne hands Therefore they saide vnto the stone thou art our father thou hast deliuered vs they sell downe before it worshipped it beléeued in it they slewe the Prophets of God and stoned to death such as were sent vnto them The Scribes and Pharises séemed so grane and wise that the people thought nothing good but what they allowed They were altogether appliable to beléeue to do to speake and to thinke whatsoeuer the Pharises willed them Christ saith vnto them Beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheepes clothing but inwardly they are rauening wolues S. Iohn therefore saith Dearely beloued beleeue not euerie spirite but trie the spirites whether they are of God for manie false prophets are gone out into the world And further directeth vs howe we should trie them hereby shal ye know the spirit of God euerie spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God Againe hereby may you trie them Whosoeuer transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God Hee that continueth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the father and the sonne If there come anie vnto you and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither bid him God speede Hereby S. Paul required the Galathians to trie betwéene him and the false Apostles If anie man preach vnto you otherwise than that yee haue receiued let him bee accursed For now do I preach mans doctrine or Gods the Saduces erred touching the resurrection because they searched not the scriptures God teacheth vs by the prophet Esay to make triall of teachers and doctrines When they shall saie vnto you enquire of them that haue a spirite of diuination and at the soothsaiers which whisper and murmur shoulde not a people enquire at their God from the liuing to the dead to the law and to the testimonie if they speake not according to this word it is bicause there is no light in them Paule putteth Timothie in mind wherefore he left him at Ephesus to commaund some that they teach none other doctrine And to warne both the teachers and the hearers that they giue no heede to fables and genealogies which are endlesse which breede questions rather than godlie edifying which is by faith Thus are the people of God called to trie the truth to iudge betwéene good and il betwéene light and darknesse God hath made them the promise of his spirit and hath left vnto them his word They of Berea when they heard the preaching of Paule searched the scriptures dailie whether those things were so as he taught them and manie of them beléeued So do you giue héed to instruction and yet receiue not al things without proofe and trial that they are not contrarie to the wholesome doctrine of the word of God Keepe that which is good When you haue tried and found out the truth be constant and setled in it A wauering minded man is vnstable in al his waies Follow the truth and be not carried about with euerie wind of doctrine The diuel wil come in the name of God and change himselfe into an Angel of light Let him not take the loue of the trueth from you let him not remooue you from faith and a good conscience returne not like swine vnto your mire God hath purged your hearts and made them cleane Except they be preserued and kept occupied the vncleane spirite wil returne and enter in and dwell in you so the last state of you shall be worse than the first We haue great cause to harken diligently to the Apostle to keepe that is good We see this daie great confusion in al places Sathan woulde faine entangle vs againe with the errour of the wicked and séeketh to drawe vs from our stedfastnesse Now is the time wherin God maketh some triall of his seruauntes now iniquitie séeketh to haue the vpper hand They seduce the people saie here is Christ there is Christ here is the Church there is the Church God giue vs his holie spirite to guide vs in iudgement that we maie discerne the truth from falshoode and knowe the blessed and gratious will of GOD that wee maie walke in his waies and serue him in reuerence and feare al the daies of our life In this worlde as there is a Iacob so is there an Esau as there are manie that loue Christ with an vnfained hart so are there manie that serue Antichrist and as there be many true professors of the trueth of God so are there manie despisers of the same This wée maie sée here at home within this realme We maie sée it and mourne and lament for it in our hearts Their practises are opened they haue broken out into open rebellion to the breach of the peace both of GOD and man They saie with their lippes GOD saue Quéene Elizabeth yet they holde vppe their sword against her Alas what hath she deserued at their handes she hath alwaies dealt mercifully without crueltie without shedding of bloud God preserue her that she maie long raigne ouer vs and bring al her enimies to confusion What pretence make they for this their doing that hereby they séeke to haue religion refourmed Thankes be to GOD religion is refourmed farre better than our fathers knewe it these many hundred yeares If those which liued before vs might haue séene and heard as we sée heare they would haue reioiced and thought themselues happie But they would haue the Masse What find they or sée they in it wherfore they should so desire it Trie things saith Paul Therefore examine and trie the masse What do we learne by it what doctrine what godlinesse in life what comforte for saluation It is a dumb and deadly seruice The people are forced to be at it it is the verie kay of their religion the people are bound to be present at masse yet they neither receiue anie thing nor eate nor heare nor vnderstand anie thing You are wise you haue reason you are the children of GOD be you iudges herein and iudge vprightly for it is Gods cause Will they call this the Lordes supper Is this
the sacrament of our redemption Is this that which Paule receiued of the Lord and deliuered vnto the Church Is this the shewing foorth of the Lordes death vntill hée come They woulde haue the Popes auctoritie restored What is the Pope they saie hée is the successour of Peter What doth the Pope as Peter did or what did Peter as the Pope doth He is a mortall man And cursed are they of God that put their trust in man He feedeth not the flocke he teacheth not the simple hée strengtheneth not the weake I wil saie no more GOD make him a seruant of Christ and a faithful disposer of the mysteries of God They are offended at the mariage of the ministers of the Church Yet Gratian their great maister sayeth Copula sacerdotalis nec legali nec Euangelica nec Apostolica authoritate prohibetur The marriage of Priestes is not forbidden by any authoritie either of the lawe or of the Gospel or of the Apostles The holie fathers that liued in the Apostles time and shortly after report that Peter and al the other Apostles excepting only Iohn were maried and had wiues the Prophet Esay was married and yet he sawe the Lord sitting vpon an high throne Moses was marryed and yet saw God face to face Wil they reforme the Prophetes and the Apostles Wil they account that to be vnholie which the Apostle calleth honorable in al men Ignatius the scholer of Saint Iohn saide I wish to be found meete for God as was Peter and Paule and the other Apostles that were married They paint their banner with the Crosse and fiue woundes Why bring they those armes against vs Doe not we beleeue the crosse of Christ doe not wée reioyce and comforte our heartes by the remembraunce of his woundes doe not wée reade and she we foorth to the people the storie of his passion GOD knoweth it and you can beare vs witnesse and they can not denie it that we make this worke of our redemption wrought by the passion of our sauiour Christ the chiefe and principall rocke and foundation of our faith Therefore say wee with the Apostle GOD forbidde that we should reioyce in anie thing but in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ. Nay rather they are become our enemies because wée beléeue in Iesus Christ crucified Because we say as Gods worde teacheth that Iesus Christ is the onely aduocate to the Father for our sinnes and that hee hath with one offering consecrated for euer them that are sanctified and that the bloud of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth vs from al sinne For this cause are they become our enemies Let vs nothing feare their treacheries and attemptes let vs kéepe that is good and holde it fast vntil death Nowe we haue tasted the word of God and haue receiued the comfort of the Gospel let vs not despise it nor be wearie of it Let vs pray vnto God that he establish the loue of his trueth in vs and that he wil open the eyes of their heartes and bring them to bee partakers of those mercies which yet through ignoranâ—…ce they haue despised V. 22. Abstaine from al appearaunce of euil Kéepe your selues not onely from doing those thinges which are euil but also from al appearaunce of euil Offende not the conscience of thy brother that he may haue no occasion to thinke euill of thée Commit not adulterie and withdrawe thy selfe from the companie of such vnthriftie and light and suspected persons Bée not like to them that are such Laie not out thy money to Usurie nor doe anie thing whereby others may thinke so of thée Beware of vncharitable conueyaâ—…ce of thy money Be not Idolaters And leaue off to doe anie thing that maie bring you into suspition of Idolatrie Giue not that honour vnto anye creature which is proper to GOD. Haue no felloweshippe with their workes beare no appearaunce of liking their euill Goe not as they goe liue not as they liue Saint Paule reprâ—…ueth the Galathians Yee obserue dayes and monethes and times and yeare I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine So doeth hee the Colossians also If yee bee dead with Christe from the ordinaunces of the worlde why as though yee liued in the worlde are ye burdened with traditions as touch not taste not handle not So doe the Idolaters you shoulde not bee like vnto them They are the children of darkenesse you are the sonnes of light They wil not be like vnto you and forsake their false Gods Why should you become like vnto them and forsake the God that made the heauens and the earth You can not make them ashamed of their errors and imbrace the trueth Why then should you betray the trueth and be partakers with them in error The Christians in olde time beganne to weare Garlandes made of Bay What harme might be in that What is a Garlande but a furniture for the heade What is Bay but a litle trée or bush Yet the Fathers that liued with them to teach them sayde it was not lawful not for y e the thing it self was il of it selfe but for that they would not séeme to followe Idolaters It had some appearance of euill It was a ceremonie and solemne fashion among the heathen they woulde not be imboldened and it would offende the heartes of manie of the faithfull to see Christians followe the fashion of the Heathen When king Antiochus sent vnto Hierusalem and to the Cities of Iuda that they should followe the straunge lawes of the Countrey many chose rather to die than to bee defiled with vncleane thinges and to breake the holie couenaunt which God had giuen them Darius made a decrée whosoeuer should aske a petition of any God or man for thirtie dayes saue of the King he should be cast into the denne of Lions Daniel would not be kept so long from the seruice of God Hee would not dissemble he would not hide his zeale nor shewe anie appearaunce of it He prayed and praysed God as he did before and opened his chamber windowes that it might bée séene Policarpus might haue saued his life if he woulde haue dissembled He would not he coulde not He sawe it woulde haue béene an appearaunce of euil and a discourage vnto the brethren therefore spake boldly Christianus sum I am a Christian. And béeing required to speake il of Christ saide Octoginta sex annos seruio ei nihil me laesit vnquaÌ„ quomodo possum maledicere ei blasphemare regem meum qui salutem mihi dedit I haue serued Christ these fourescore and sixe yeares and he did neuer anie thing hurt mee howe may I speake il and blaspheme my king which hath giuen me saluation This is my faith Christ is my God this is my religion I am not ashamed to suffer death rather than I wil denie him who suffered death in his owne bodie to sauâ—… mée It is good sayth