light They forsake the light and delight in darkenesse and this is their condemnation They wil not vnderstande nor séeke after God that they may be reformed The Prophet saith Because he loued cursing it shal come vnto him and because he loued not blessing so shal it be farre from him God will strike them with blindenesse They shal be asâ—…onied They shal fall into rebuke and the snares of the Diuell They shal be drowned in perdition and destruction So great shal be the power of errour Men shal not onely be deceiued but shal be deâ—…iued mightilie and stronglie They shal desire to be deceiued and shal beare a deadly hatred against him who so euer shal séeke to reforme them They shal harden their heartes against God and his holy worde they shal stop their eares and not hearken to his counsell they shal not open their eyes to beholde the destruction which is to come vpon them So great and so mightie shal be the delusion So deadly shal be the cloud and blindnesse of their hearts They shal bee giuen ouer into a reprâ—…bate minde They shal be filthie and increase in filthinesse Such shall be the power of Satan such shall be the power of errour and deceitfulnesse They shall despise the glorions Gospell of Christ therefore GOD shall forsake them and giue them ouer to followe Antichrist God hath this daie sent the light and comfort of his holie word into the worlde Manie godlie men haue desired to sée that we sée and to heare that we do heare Blessed be the name of the Lorde which hath in mercie visited vs. We beséeth him to blesse the worke that hée hath begunne Saint Paul saith The grace of God that bringeth saluation to al men hath appeared And to the Colossians he saieth The Gospel is come vnto you euen as it is vnto all the worlde And againe Haue they not heard no doubt their sounde went through all the earth and their wordes into the endes of the worlde The poore receiue the glad tidings of the gosped GOD hath visited and redéemed his people But yet the Apostle saieth They haue not al beleeued our Gospel For Esaâ—…as saieth Lord who shall beleeue our reporte And againe saieth the Prophet Esay I'haue spred out my handes al the daie vnto a rebellious people which walked in a waie that was not good Wisedome crieth in the stréetes 〈◊〉 I haue called and ye refused I haue stretched Prouâ—… out mine hande and none woulde regarde Such is the power of Satan so shall hée stoppe their eares that they shall not vnderstande what is spoken in the name of the Lord. Paul is a true Prophet and foretold long before that which we maie nowe beholde with our eies In the latter times some shall giue heede vnto spirites of errour They shall be as men without sense or féeling they shall forsake the truth and betake themselues to followe lies and fables Euen they shall doe this which shall sitte in the Church of God who shall professe and carrie the name of Christ. Christ ministred his last supper in both kindes Saint Paul telleth the Corinthians As often as yee shall eate this bread and drinke this cup yee shall shew the Lords death till hee come That this institution of Christ should be kept in the Church vntil the ende of the worlde The Apostles receiued this order the holie fathers and martires vsed it But nowe manie euen too too manie wil not so haue it nor so vse it They will not followe the example of the Fathers nor of Martires nor of the Apostles nor kéepe the ordinance of Christ so strong a delusion hath bewitched them The people of God were taught to praie in the vulgare tongue that their heartes might giue consent and their mouth saie Amen This order did Peter and Paul and Iohn and Iames and the godlie fathers kéepe There is not one of them that tooke order for the contrarie but nowe there are some risen vp which in spite of Christ and his Apostles saie praiers shall be made in a strange tongue either Latine or Gréeke The people shall not vnderstand what they heare They shall not knowe what it is which they themselues saie their hearts cannot giue consent thereto their mouths cannot saie Amen The example of the Apostles the commaundement of Christ the comforte of the people the confusion of the Church nothing mooueth them so great and mighty is the power of error The people worshippe a creature in stéede of the creator who is GOD ouer all blessed for euer They sée they doe amisse yet continue in it and finde no faulte They sée wherein their Fathers were deceiued yet they saâ—… they coulde not be deceiued They sée manie and fowle abuses yet séeke not to redresse them For they saie wée will walke in the waies of our forefathers wée will belieue as they beléeued howsoeuer they belieued Wée will doe as they did whatsoeuer they did they will not heare the worde of the Lord. Thus shall they delight in darkenesse and loath the light they wil be deceiued and will not sée the trueth So mightie and so terrible is the power of errour They be learned in Philosophie and in the tongues they be learned in the lawes they be learned in Phisicke learned in the Doctours and learned in stories They are skilfull to buie and sell to purchase land to enrich themselues and to prouide for their children They haue knowledge in al things else But themselues and the trueth of God and the way to saluation they haue not knowne A théese when he is taken blusheth A harlot is ashamed of her filthinesse and a drunkard of his beastlinesse But they that are such haue hardned their faces they cannot blush Whatsoeuer they haue saide or doone either openly or in secret by hipocrisie or crueltie by rauin or treacherie in offering pardons to sale in deceiuing the people of God in accusing the righteous and condemning the innocent they cannot repent they knowe no shame So great is the power of errour Christ saith vnto them The Publicanes and the harlots shall go before you into the kingdome of God They consider that they haue done amisse but you are wilfull in your blindenesse Oh the depth of the wisedome and knowledge of God Who is wise and considereth this They striue against the manifest truth they striue against their owne conscience they striue against the spirite of God This is that sinne which shall neuer be forgiuen neither in this worlde nor in the world to come Therefore saith Paul that al they might be damned which beleeued not the truth Al shal be damned which beléeued not Then let no man saie I will follow the example of my fathers I wil doe as the greater part doth So manie and so manie for so manie yeares in so manie places haue bin on this side The iudgement of God standeth not in the multitude but in the truth Whosoeuer
S. Paul neither to eate flesh nor to drinke wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth or is offended or is made weake Againe he saith Now when ye sin so against the brethren wound their weake consciences ye offende against Christ. Wherefore if meate offende my brother I wil eate no flesh while the worlde standeth least I shoulde offende my brother He that hath once made a shipwracke standeth watchful euer after not onely to escape that rocke or sande whereat he had lost before but al other the like rockes and sandes whatsoeuer Therefore Abstaine from al appearaunce of euil be not like the wicked of this worlde You are the salt of the earth You should not be parteners of their corruption but pouder and season them You are the light of the worlde you may not be parteners of their darkenesse but lighten and guide them Dissemble not Serue God in the simplicitie of your heart and in the sight of al the world Let it be written in your forehead what you think in your heart Why should anie man be ashamed of Gods trueth V. 23. Now the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirite and soule and bodie may bee kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Our God is the God of peace He giueth peace and quiet to his Church He doth mussel the Lion amaze the tyrant make blunt the sworde and quench the fire prepared against his seruantes He giueth his sonnes peace and quietnesse among themselues He abhorreth discorde and malice betwéene brethren God is loue sayth Saint Iohn And he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God and God in him He that loueth not his brother abideth in death God hath made vs al members of one bodie There is no respect of persons with him no difference of learned and vnlearned wise or foolish rich or poore His wil is that wee al shoulde be as one of one minde and that we should al thinke one thing speake one thing that we should be one folde vnder one shepheard and with one month glorifie the father of our Lorde Jesus Christ. For this peace Christ prayed sanctifie them through thy trueth Blesse them take away al â—…itternesse and swelling from among them Make them Citizens of thy heauenly Hierusalem that they may liue in peace and loue one an other and delite one in other That they al may be one as thou ô father art one in me and I in thee God is the God and giuer of peace Whence then commeth diuision dissention of mindes What is the cause that the whole worlde is so shaken with sectes and troubles Al are not the children of peace Christ himselfe y e lambe of God in whose mouth there was no guile came into his owne and his owne receiued him not Cain is alwayes against Abel Esau wil neuer loue Iacob The darkenesse and the light can neuer agrée This is the cause of al vnquietnesse and trouble These thinges sayth Christ to his Disciples haue I spoken vnto you that in mee yee might haue peace in the worlde you shal haue affliction The wicked shal not onely hate but betraie and cause them to die which prosesse the name of Christ. Whosoeuer killeth you will thinke he doth God seruice And these thinges will they doe vnto you because yee haue not knowen the Father nor mee The setting foorth of the Gospel of Christ is that which the worlde can not abide It reuealeth things that were hidden it discloseth the couetousnesse of those who kept the people in ignoraunce to make gaine and marchaundise of their soules it ouerthroweth mightie buildinges and holdes of Merites of pardons of Masses of Purgatorie which by the policie and wisedome and power of this worlde were exalted against God This is the onelie cause of al this strife and trouble We haue néede of peace of the peace of conscience within our selues of peace from the rage and furie of the world and of peace and loue among those that are of Gods honsholde Let vs séeke peace at the handes of God and he wil stablish vs in the peace of his gospel and so giue vs the rest and peace of our soules Sanctifie you throughout The God of peace blesse you kéep you vnoer the shadow of his wings that your whole spirit and soule and bodie maie be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Here marke that the Apostle diuideth man into thrée partes The spirite the soule and the bodie So that hée séemeth to make the spirit one thing and the soule an other Howe is it then that we diuide man into two parts the soule and the bodie and saie that he doth stand but of two parts There is no difference the matter is al one For Paul diuideth the soule into two parts The first is reason and vnderstanding which he calleth the Spirit The other is will affection which he calleth the Soule For as God hath giuen vs reason to sée what is good so hath he giuen vs wil to séeke after that which is good Reason hath eies Wil is blinde and cannot sée the waie Therefore wil must be ledde and guided by Reason Reason must go before Wil must follow after Therfore Reason is compared to the husband and Wil to the wife If Wil take in hand to rule Reason it is no lesse disorder than if the wife will aduenture or take vppon her to rule her husband Therefore in this place Reason which is the principal part of our soule is called the Spirit and Will which is the other part is called the Soule So the spirit is not a seuerall substance but the soule and the spirit are one soule euen as the bodie and the fleshe are one bodie Thus therefore Paule praieth for the Church the God of peace sanctifie you throughout that your spirit your reason and vnderstanding your soule your will and affection your bodie and your flesh may altogither be pure and holie that they may be found innocent and vpright in the daie of the Lord. V. 24. Faithful is hee which calleth you which wil also doe it Hée hath begunne a good worke in you he will finish it He will leade you from vertue to vertue from strength to strength from glorie to glorie Hée hath called you hée wil also kéepe you faithful vntill the daie of the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. You are Christs shéep No man shal take you out of his bands He hath not lost one of al them whome his father had giuen him He knoweth his shéepe None shalbe confounded that put their trust in him There is no condemnation to them that be in Christ Iesus He is faithfull he will performe this vnto you not for your merites but for his owne name and for his mercie sake Bicause he is faithfull he wil not despise the worke of his owne handes V. 25. Brethren praie for
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