instructions also gaue he him when he was at the point of deathe Beholde saieth he I muste walk by the way of all the worlde neuerthelesse be strong and quite thy sel◅ manfully and se thou kepe the appointment of the Lorde thy god that y ◠walke in his wayes ▪ and kepe his commaundement ordinaunces lawes and testimonies as it is written in the law of Moyses c. Likewise rede we of the auncient Father Toby which taught his young Sonne Toby to f◅are god from his infancye and to abstaine from all sinne His exhortations are to godly and so meete for all persons to learne that I think it not conuenient to passe them ouer with silence His wordes are these Herken my Sonne what I wil say and lay my wordes in thy harte as a foundation My Sonne when I am dead bury me and after despise not thy Mother but honoure her all the dayes of her lyfe and do to please her and not to displease her My Sonne remember howe greate perill she suffered bearing thee in her wombe and when she is deade bury her in the same graue by me Sonne reuerēce our Lord God at all times sinne not nor break not his commaundements ▪ but loue vertue all the dates of thy life and walk not in the waies of wickednes For while thou studiest for vertue thou shalt haue good successe in all thinges that thou goest aboute and so shall all they that loue goodnes Do almes of thy substance and be no ◅igard in doing of it Turne not thy face awaye from any poort man as thou wouldest that God should not turne away his face from thee Geue as thou shalt be able if y ◠haue much geue much and if thou haue little geue of that little For thou shalt lay vp for thee a good treasure against the daye of necessitie For almes deliuereth from death and suffreth not the soule to come into darknes Alms is a great comfort before the highest to all that vse it My Sonne beware kepe thee from all whordom and vse no euil company besides thy wife Suffer pride neuer to ryse in thy minde no not in word for death is ioyned to pride and muche trouble and to hautines is ioyned displeasure and great pouertye and she is mother of honger Let no mans hire remaine with thee whose seruice thou hast had but forthewith pay his wages for vnto thee also seruing God reward shal be geuen Sonne be circumfpect and ware in all thy deedes and in all that thou doost while thou liuest be wise and do not to any man that thou wouldest not to be done vnto thee Drink not wine vntil thou be drōk nor cary it not with thee by the way geue thy bred to the hungry and with thy clothes couer the naked What soeuer thou hast more then is sufficient geue it to the poore and neuer grudg to be liberall set thy bread vpon the Sepulcres of the iuste ▪ and bestow it not vpon the noughty Aske councel alwayes of the wise and despise no good councel Be alwayes praying vnto the Lord and beseeche hym that he willorder thy footesteppes and wayes and prosper thy deuises for no people are wise but the Lord him selfe is the geuer of all good thinges and thrusteth down whome and who hee listeth My Sonne be not afrayde we leade a poore life in this world notwithstanding if thou feare god and studye to please him thou shalt haue goodes inoughe Therefore my sonne remember my preceptes and put them not out of thy minde Againe being redye to dye he called vnto him his sonne and his sonnes Children and among all other things he spake vnto him on this wise kepe thou the law and cōm◅un dements and shew thy selfe merciful and iust that thou mayest prosper Haue god euer in thy remembrance and praise him at all times w t all thy might In like maner reade we of the Parentes of that most godly and chast woman Susanna whiche be ing righteous thē selues taught their yong daugh ter to feare the Lord her god euen from her verye cradle and diligently brought her vp according to the law of Moyses Luke also in his boke of the Apostles maketh mē cion of the foure daughters of Phillip the euangelist whiche did Prophecy that is to saye were so godly brought vp in the knowledge of gods moste blessed lawe that they were able to declare and expounde the holy Scriptures and misteries of God according to this prophecy I wil poure out of my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes your daugh ters shall prophecye Dooth not blessed Paule also commende Timothe because he had knowen the holy scriptures euen of a childe Diuers histories mo mighte be alledged out of the holy Scriptures to declare the carefull studies and earnest labours which the holyfathers in time past tooke for the godly and vertuous bringing vp of theyr younglinges that they mighte be fathers not onely of the bodye but also of the minde and for theyr power satisfy the good will of God which re quireth of all parents an earnest diligence a watching ye in bringing vp theyr children in his nou◅ ture and feare in his word and doctrine but these for this present may seme aboundauntlye to suffice Furthermore as touchinge the heathen whiche of them all euen from the lowest both amongest the Romaines and the Greekes with diuers other na tions although hauing respecte not vnto the glorye of God wherunto the end of all studies oughte to be directed but only vnto the auauncement of thēselues vnto the maintenaunce of good politique ciuill and honest orders vnto the hability of rulinge in a comom weal vnto the polishing of their wit vn to eloquence vnto immortality of their name Enforced not both them selues to bee learned but also soughte all meanes possible to haue their children brought vp in good letters That their yonglings might become learned what paynes or costes refu sed the parentes They sente theyr children from country to country from one learned man to an other Many of them called learned men home vnto theyr houses gaue them honorable intertainmente great giftes and large stipendes for teaching theyr children There was no burthen to heauy no laboure to paineful no cost to charge able for them so that theyr children might proue learned If they obtayned that they thoughte themselues worthye and righteous parents and to deserue well both of theyr children and of the publike weale And as euery one of them excelled in worthines and auctority so laboured they that both themselues their children should excell and passe the baser sort in lear ninge iin knowledge in vertue honest behauiour in so much that if any wer vnlearned and wanted the godlye qualities of the minde albeit he wer of an honourable parentage he was counted of no re putation called a stone a blocke a beast a golden slaue a sheepe with a golden Flcese an horse trapped with
and be not able to kill the soule But rather feare him which is able to destroye both soule and body in hell Are not two sparowes solde for a farthing And none of them fall on the ground without the will of your father Yea all the hayres of your head are numbred Feare not therfore ye are of more value than manye sparowes Ye be come out as vnto a theefe with swordes and staues When I was daylye with you in the temple ye layd no hand vppon me but this is your houre and the power of darkenesse Thou couldest haue no power at all against mee sayd Christ vnto Pilate except it were geuen thee from aboue All thinges are of him by hym and in hym If we liue we liue to be at the Lordes will And if we die we die at the Lordes will Whether we liue therfore or die we are in the Lordes hand Beholde I am aliue sayth Christ for euermore and haue the keyes of death â—…nd hell ☞ Examples out of the new Testament THe ship wherin Christ and his Disciples were was greuouslye tossed with the waues of the sea through y â— winde and the tempest that arose in so muche that it was at the point of drowning Notwithstanding neither water winde nor tempest did once hurte it The deuills had no power to enter into swine till Christ gaue them leaue If thou cast vs forth sayd they suffer vs to enter into the herd of swine Christ aunswered goe ye and they went The Iewes did seke to kill Christ but hys tyme was not then come No man dyd set hys handes on hym because hys houre was not yet come They went aboute to take Christ but he escaped from the midst of their hands There came certain of y e Pharisees and said vnto Christ get thee out of the waye depart bence For Herode will kill thee And he said vnto theÌ„ go tell that Fore behold I cast out deuills and heale y â— people to day and to morow and the iii. day I make an end Neuertheles I must walke to day and to morow and the day following for it can not be that a prophet perish any other where then at Ierusalem Herode threwe Peter in prison bound him faste with chaines and set certaine souldiours for the more assurance to kepe him purposing after Easter to bring him forth vnto the people and so to haue slaine him But God being mightier then all the tirannie and power of the world sent his Aungell and deliuered Peter out of prison Paule being at Milete gathered a bundel of stickes and put them in the fire and sodenlye there came a venemous adder otherwise called a Uiper out of the heate and lepte on his hande The men The men that were present and sawe this thinge waited when he shoulde haue swollen or fallen down dead sodynly But Paule shoke of the vermine into the fier and felt no harme Against hunger pouertie or carefulnes of liuing IF at anye time thou be tempted with the carefulnes of liuing comfort thy self with these holy scriptures Sentences out of the olde Testament THey that feare the Lord shall haue no scarcenesse They which seke the Lord shall want no good thing Beholde the eyes of the Lord are vpon them that feare him and vpon them that trust in his mercy y â— he maye deliuer their liues from deathe and norishe them in the time of honger I haue bene young and am waxeÌ„ old and I haue not seene the righteous forsaken nor his children begging their bread on the earth Lay thy care on the Lord and he shal norishe thee All creatures depende vpon thee O Lord that thou shouldest geue them meat in due time For thou geuing it them they take it and thou opening thy hande they are well satisfied But thou hidinge thy face they are sorowful thou taking away their breath they are but dead and turned into y â— earth that they came of The eyes of all things loke vpon thee O Lorde and thou geuest them meate in due time Thou openest thy hande and replenishest all thinges liuing with thy bles singe The Lord geueth meat to the hungry The blessing of the Lord maketh men riche and there shall no greife accompany them The Lord wil not let the soule of the righteous suffer hunger but hee putteth the vngodly from his desire He that tilleth his land shall haue pleÌ„ teousnes of bread but he that foloweth idlenes is a very foole Good and euil life and death pouerty and riches are of God Trust in god abide in thy place For it is an easy thing in the sight of God quickly to enrich a pore maÌ„ Feare not my sonne we leade a pore life notwithstanding we shall haue plenty of all good things if we feare the Lord depart from all sinne and do wel Examples out of the olde Testament GOd fed the people of Israel with meat from heauen and gaue them drinke out of the rock God sent meate by the Rauens to Helias The Aungell of god tooke Abacuk by the top and bare him by the heare of the head and thorow a mighty winde set him vpon the den wher Daniel was prisoner and gaue him that meat whiche the Prophet had prepared for his reapers Sentences out of the new Testament MAn shall not liue with breade alone but with euery word that coÌ„ meth out of the mouth of god Take no thought sayinge what shall we eat or what shal we driÌ„k or wherwith shall we be clothed after these things seke y â— heathen For your heauenly father know eth y â— ye haue nede of all these things But seke ye first the kingdom of god the righ teousnesse thereof and all these thinges shal be caste vnto you God geueth vs abundantly all things to enioy them I wil not fail thee nor yet forsake thee Examples out of the new Testament CHriste at the mariage turned water in to wine Christe with fiue barlye loues and two fisshes fed fiue thousande people and yet remained xii baskets ful of fragmentes Against keping of euil companye When the Deuil the Fleshe or the worlde moue thee to resorte vnto any euill company defende the selfe from it with remembring these scriptures Sentences out of the olde Testament HE shall dwel in the Lords tabernacle and rest vpon his â—…oly hil whiche setteth not by the vngodly but maketh much of them that feare the Lord. With the holy shalt thou be holye and with the innocent thou shalt be innocent With the cleane thou shalt be cleane and with the frowarde thou shalt be froward A froward hart shall depart from me I wil not know a wicked person Who so hath a proud loke and an high sto make I may not awaye with him Mine eyes shall looke for suche as be
of Abraham that is to say was made and became ve ry true and naturall man of the kinrede of Abra hā accordyng to Gods promise So that all that euer he had concerning his humanitie he had it of the blessed Uirgine which came of y ◠stocke of Abraham ☞ Agayne he saith in all things it became hym to be made lyke vnto hys bretherne Here saint Paule confesseth that Christ was made like vn to vs in all thynges which thyng by no meanes could be true yf he had not taken vpon him our nature and substaunce If he belyke vnto vs in all thynges sinne alone excepte so followeth it that he is of the same nature of the same fleshe and bloud that we are or els could not he be like vnto vs in all thynges And so should thys holy apostle and al other godly writers and teachers haue brought vs in errour But let god be true and all heretikes lyers ☞ Now haue we learned both truly and fullye of the holy scriptures which are infallible verities that Christ was cōceiued by the holy ghost and borne of the Uirgine Mary By the which worde of we beleue that he toke his humanity of her substaunce and had none other begynnyng as touching his humanity than in her and of her by the operation of the holy ghost so that we may truely conclude that as Christ is very God of God the father wythout a mother so is he very man of Mary his mother wythout any Father Therfore may hys God head be as iustly denied as hys manhode and flesh takyng of the blessed virgine Mary But Christ abydeth very god and very man whatsoeuer the wicked hiretikes hable Cursed therefore bee Cerdo Marcian and Manes which taught that christ appeared as man and yet had no parte of true manhoode in hym but onelye had a fantasticall bodye ☞ Cursed be Cerinthus which taught that Iesus was begotten of Ioseph and Mary after y ◠maner of other men and that Christ came down from aboue vnto Iesus ▪ Cursed bee the Ebionites the Theodosians the Antimonians and the Photinians which affirmed that Christe was borne of the virgine onely man not God Cursed be Appelles which taught that Christ had his body of the elements in the ayre Cursed be Ualentinus which sayd that Christ brought his body wyth him from heauen and tooke no fleshe of the Uirgine Mary but passed through her as water through the pype Cursed be hys Apes the Anabaptistes ▪ which in these our dais haue raysed vp that most detestable and horryble heresie Cursed and confounded be all they which wyth theyr hartes do not beleue wyth their mouthes vnfainedly confesse that Iesus Christ is both God and man to whom be glory for euer Amen Against the grosse and fantasticall opinion of the papistes which affirme that Christes naturall body and bloud is carnally eaten and dronken in the lordes supper IF the deuill or the pope or any of their impes go about with sophisticall reasons to persuade thee that Christ is naturall in the sacramentall bread and wyne or that the bread and wine is turned vnto the reall and naturall body bloud of Christ euen as he receaued it of the blessed Uirgine suffer not thy selfe to bee beguiled and mocked but valiauntly resiste them wyth these sentences and histories of Gods moste holye worde ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament THe Lord is in his holye temple the Lordes seat is in heauen The Lord lord looked downe from heauen vpon the children of men to see if there were any that would vnderstād and seeke after god God is gone vp wyth a mery noyse and the Lorde wyth the sounde of the trompet God sitteth vpon his holy seate Thou art gone vpon hie O Christ thou hast led captiuitie captiue receiued giftes for men Syng vnto God O ye kingdomes of the earth O sing praises vnto the lord which sitteth in the heauens ouer all He looked downe from his sanctuarye euen out of heauen did the Lord behold the earth that he might heare the mourninges of such as be in captiuitie and deliuer the children appointed vnto death The Lord hath prepared hys seat in heauē and his kingdom ruleth ouer al. O Lord my god thou art become excedyng glorious thou art clothed wyth maiesty and honor thou deckest thy self with light as it were with a garment and spreadest oute the heauens lyke a curtayne Thou layest the beames of thy chambers in the waters makest the cloudes thy charets and walkest vpon the winges of the winde The Lorde sayd vnto my Lorde sit thou on my right hand vntill I make thyne enemies thy footestole The Lorde is hie aboue all heathen and his glory aboue the heauens Who is like vnto the lord our God that hath his dwellyng so hie and yet humbleth himselfe to behold the things that are in heauen and earth Wherefore shall the heathen saye where is now their god As for our god he is in heauen he hath done what so euer pleased hym Unto thee O Lord lift I vp my eies which dwellest in the heauens Whither shal I go from thy spirit or whether shal I flee from thy presēce If I clime vp into heauē thou art there c Wil god dwel on the earth Behold the heauens and heauens of all heauēs are not able to contayne thee And how should then this house do it that I haue builded The house which I build shal be great for great is our god aboue al gods But who is able to build hym an house whē that heauen and heauen aboue all heauens is not hable to receiue him God is hyer then heauen what arte thou able to do Deper then hell howe wilt thou then know hym His length excedeth the length of the earth and hys breadth the breadth of the sea Thus saith the Lord heauen is my seate and the earthe is my footestoole where shall now the house stand that ye will build vnto me And where shall be the place that I will dwell in Sentences out of the new Testament IF any man say vnto you Loe here is Christe or there is Christe beleue it not For there shall arise false annoynted and false teachers and shall shewe greate myracles and wonders in so muche that yf it were possible the verye electe should be deceaued Beholde I haue tolde you afore Wherfore if thei say vnto you behold he is in the desert goe not ye forth behold he is in y ◠secret places beleue it not For as the lightnyng commeth out of the east and appeareth into the West so shall the commyng of the sonne of man be Ye haue the power alwayes w t you but me shall ye not haue alwayes And when the Lord had spoken vnto them he was receiued into heauen and is set downe on the right hand of god It came to passe as Christ
time of your pilgrimage in feare for as much as ye know how that ye were not redemed with corruptible siluer and golde from your vaine conuersation which ye receaued by y â— traditions of the forefathers but with the precious bloude of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot Examples out of the new Testament THe Pharisies and the Scribes following their vngodlye forefathers obserued the traditions of their elders and neglected the commaundementes of God The Iewes fulfilling the measure of their forefathers whiche slewe the Prophets that were sent vnto them froÌ„ God killed Christ and his blessed Apostles Paule before his conuersion following his wicked forefathers the Iewes persecuted the congregation of Christ euen as hys elders persecuted Christ and the Prophets Agaynst the wicked olde customes and long vsages IF Sathan or any of his members labour to plucke thee from gods word vnto wicked olde customes and longe vsages auoyde him with these scriptures following Sentences out of the olde Testament ACcording to the custome of the land of Egipt wherin ye dwelt shall ye not do and after the manner of the land of Canaan whether I wil bring you shall ye not doe neither walke in their ordinaunces but do after my iudgements keepe my ceremonies to walke therin I am the lord your God Ye shall keepe therfore mine ordinaunces my iudgements which if a man do he shall liue in them I am the lorde Take heede that ye commit not one of these abhominable customes which were committed before you and loke that ye defyle not your selfe therin I am the Lorde your God An example out of the olde Testament EUen vnto this present day do they still followe their olde customes They feare not the Lord neither kepe they his ceremonies his lawes and commaundements The Prophets cried worship no straunge Gods but feare the Lord your God and he shall deliuer you from the power of all your enemies But they would not heare but still committed wickednes according to their olde custome They pretended as though they serued the Lorde and yet neuerthelesse did they also seruice to their idoles For as their forefathers did so do their sonnes neuewes vnto this present day â–ª Against such as sclaunder Christes Gospell by calling it new learning IF the aduersarye of true godlinesse goe about to perswade thee that Christes gospel is new learning and that therefore thou oughtest to geuâ—… no care vnto it nor beleue it looke that thou by nâ—… meanes consent vnto them but rather remember that thys is no newe blasphemie but vsed manye yeares before of wicked hipocrites as thou shalte perceaue by these examples following ¶ Examples out of the new Testament WHen Christ preached in the Sinagoge at Capernaum and healed the man that was possessed with an vncleane spirit the people cryed out and sayd what newe learning is this When Paule preached at Athens the resurrection of the dead certayne bellye gods as the Epicures Stoikes straue with him and sayd what meaneth thys pratler Other sayd he semed to be a preacher of new deuills An other companye sayd maye we not know what new learning this is that thou shewest Thou bringest in new things in deede vnto our eares Our olde fathers neuer taught vs any such geare We will knowe what these thinges meane Agaynst pensiuenesse and thought taking for the life IF thou be troubled for the preseruacion of thy life eyther in sickenesse trouble persecution emprisonment or otherwyse comfort thy selfe with these scriptures Sentences out of the olde Testament THe Lorde killeth and geueth life agayne He bringeth euen to hell and backe agayne The Lorde is my light and my health whom then should I feare The Lorde is the strength of my life of whom then should I be afrayd though an host of men were layde agaynst me yet shall not my harte be afrayde And though there arose vp war against me yet wil I put my trust in him He hath geuen his Aungells charge of thee to kepe thee in all thy wayes The Aungell of the Lord shall be sent among all them that feare him and shall deliuer them The sourges of the sea are maruelous yea the lord on high is rather maruelous They consented all against me they coÌ„spired to take away my life but in thee O Lord haue I trusted and I sayd thou art my God In thy hand are my destenies Many tribulations fall on y â— righteous but from them all the lord deliuereth theÌ„ The Lorde kepeth all their bones so that not one of them shall be broken The health of the righteous is of the Lord and he defendeth them in the tyme of their trouble Yea the lorde will helpe them and deliuer them and set theÌ„ harmeles from the vngodlye and saue them because they haue trusted in them Thou haste limitted the waters these bounds which they may not passe The Lord is my helper I will not feare what man doe vnto me The Lord is my deliuerer therefore will I set nought by mine enemies The Lord hath geuen a coÌ„maundemeÌ„t and none shall go beyond it Fyre Hayle Snow Ise and vapours stormie windes accomplishe his worde Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh for to sinne neyther saye thou before the Aungell there is no prouidence least peraduenture the Lord being angry against thy wordes do destroye all the workes of thy handes Life and death are of God Thy prouidence O father gouerneth all thinges froÌ„ the beginning Thou O Lord art he which hast power of life and death Who can say that any thing can be done without the Lordes coÌ„maundement From the mouth of the highest goeth there not good and ill ☞ Examples out of the olde Testament ESau burned with an immortall hatred against his brother Iacob because of the blessing wherwith his father had blessed him and purposed fully in his hart to kill his brother But Iacob prayed vnto the Lord and he mollifyed Esaus hart in so much that whan Iacob thought that both he and his shoulde be slaine his brother Esau came gently vnto him louinglye embraced him kissed him frendly and for very ioye wept so mightie is God to mollifie tiraâ—…ntes hartes whan it pleaseth him and to make them gracious and fauourable to his seruauntes Saule persecuted Dauid cruelly purposing to kill him but his labor was in vain Iezabel threatned and sware to sley Helias but the Lorde preserued him Sathan coulde doe nothing to Iob till God suffered him neither exercised he hys cruelnes any further against Iob than he was appointed of God The godly woman Susan through the false accusations of y e two wicked iudges was at y â— point to be stoned vnto death but God wonderfully deliuered her from the handes of her enemies ☞ Examples out of the new Testament FEare not them which kill the body
in Paradise Against sinne death and hell IF Sathan in the time of sicknes or els whaÌ„ goe about to fray thee to quenche thy spirit either with the greatnes of thy sinnes or els with the error and fearcenes of death and hell be not dismayd but with a lustye courage resiste his temptations with these most swete and comfortable scriptures Sentences out of the olde Testament I am he indede sayth god he which puteth away thy sinnes yea that for myne own sake will remeÌ„ber them no more As for thine offeÌ„ces I haue driuen theÌ„ away like the cloudes and thy sinnes as the miste Turne thee againe vnto me for I haue redemed thee Where is ther such a god as thou artâ—… that pardonest wickednes and forgeuest the offences of the remnaunt of thine heritage He keepeth not his wrathe for euer And why for his delighte is to haue compassion He shall turne againe and be mercifull to vs hee shall putte downe our wickednes and caste al our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Out of the power of death sayth the lord wil I deliuer them yea from the death it self wil I redeme them O death I will be thy death O hel I wil swallow thee vp Examples out of the olde Testament That holy king and prophet Dauid being fully perswaded that by Christ which was to come Sathans head was broken a sunder sinne was vanquished death was ouercome hell was swalowed vp that they could nothinge hurt that faythful man lamented sorowed that he continued so long in this vale of misery and moste hartelye wished to be deliuered out of thys prison and to goe vnto the Lord his God That godly and aunciente father Toby knowing that neither sinne death nor hell can do any thing against gods choseÌ„ people which in Christe haue gotten the victory ouer them al so that they nede not to feare death nor anye thing to come after this life praied to god on this maner Nowe O lord drale with me according to thy wyl and commauÌ„d my spirite to be receiued in peace for more expedient were it for me to dye than to liue Sentences out of the new Testament CHriste shall saue hys people from their sinnes Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world There is no damnation to theÌ„ that are graft in Christ Iesu. Christe came into the worlde to saue sinners The bloud of Iesu Christe maketh vs cleane from all synne Thorow the name of Christ al Prophets beare witnes that so many as beleue in him shal receiue remissioÌ„ of their sinnes Death is swalowed vp into victory Wher is thy sting O death Wher is thy victory O hell The sting of deathe is sinne and the power of sin is the lawe But thankes bee to God which hath geuen vs the victory thorow our Lord Iesus Christ. By death hath Christ put him to flight that had lordshippe ouer deathe that is to saye the Deuill that he myght delyuer them which thorow the fear of death were all theyr lyfe tyme in daunger of bondage Examples out of the new Testament SO sone as the auncient father Simeon had seene and receiued Christe into his armes he fering neither sin death nor hel shewed himselfe redy to depart out of this world and spake with a ioyful voice O Lord now lettest thou thy seruaunte depart in peace c. Blessed Paule knowing that thorowe Christ the power of synne death and hel is so altogether weekened that they can do the faithful no harme wished to be losoned out of this world and to be with Christ. ¶ Against them that deny the resurrection of the body IF that olde enemy Sathan labour to perswade thee that there is no resurrection of the dead but as the bodye returneth to death so shall it for euer continue in the earth neuer receiue lyfe again nor line either in glory or in peace after this present life that therfore thou maiest liue as thou iust defende thy selfe against his cruel assaults 〈◊〉 these senteÌ„ces exaÌ„ples of the holy scripture Sentences out of the olde Testament The Lorde killeth and maketh alyue againe bringeth downe to the graue and stretchetâ—… vp againe I am sure that my redemer liueth and that I shall rise out of the earth in the latter day and that I shall be clothed againe with this skinne and see god in my flesh yea I my self shall beholde him not wyth other but with these same eyes These that be deade will I raise vp againe from their places and bringe them out of the graues Thy dead shall liue euen with my body shall they rise againe Awake and singe ye that dwel in the dust For thy dew is euen as the dew of hearbes and the earthe shall cast out of her them that be vnder her the earth shall disclose her own bloud and shal no more hide â—…em that are slaine in her Your bones shall florish like an herbe Beholde saith god I wil put breath in to you that ye may liue I wil geue you sinowes and make fleshe growe vpon you and couer you ouer with skin and so geue you breath that ye may liue knowe that I am the Lord. Thus saith the Lord god behold I wil open your graues O my peo ple and take you out of your Sepulchres Many of them that slepe in the duste of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life some to perpetuall shame and reproofe Examples out of the olde Mestament THe Prophet Helias raised vp froÌ„ death vnto life the Sonne of the widdow of Sarepta which is in Sidon Helizeus obtained of God a Childe for his Hostesse which dyed and as afterward by the prayer of Helizeus raysed vnto life Read and mark diligently the 37. Chapiter of Ezechiel A certaine woman with her 7. Children were cruellye put to death because they would not eate swines flesh contrary to gods worde at the commaundement of the kinge The seconde of the brethren saide vnto the kinge thou moste vngracious person puttest vs now to deathe but the kinge of the worlde shall raise vs vp which dy for his lawes into resurrection of euerlasting life The mother of the 7. Children sayde thus vnto them I cannot tel how ye â—…am in my woÌ„be for I neither gaue you breath nor soule no nor life It is not I that ioyned the members of youre bodyes together but the maker of the worlde whiche fashioned the birth of man and began all thinges Euen he also of his owne mercye shall geue you breath and life againe like as ye now regard not your own selues for his lawes sake ☞ Sentences out of the newe Testament AS touching the resurrection of y â— dead haue ye not reade what is said vnto you of god which saieth I am Abrahams god and Isaackes god and god is not the god of
and likenes in righteousnes true holines Suffer vs not to geue ouer our selues againe vnto our olde lusts and concâ—…piscences where with we were led when we knewe not thee nor thy Soâ—… Christe but eueÌ„ as thou whiche hast called vs art holy so likewise graunt y t we mayâ—… be holy in all our conuersation O mercyful god not the hearers of thy law but thâ—… fulâ—…llers of it shal be iustified Neither shaâ—… euery one that saith vnto thee Lord Lord enter into the kingdom of heaueÌ„ but the that do the wil of thee our Father which art in Heauen To confes thee with our mouth and to deny thee with our deedes worketh rather our damnation then saluation For the true knowledge of thee consisteth not in talking but in working not in fauouringe but in folowinge not in louinge but in liuinge To promise thee by mouth that we wil worke in thy vineyarde and yet worke nothing at all declareth not vs to bee thy sonnes but rather bastardes To bragge of the iustification of faith and not to bringe forthe the fruites therof to glorye in the merites of thy sonne Christe in his bloude death and passion and not to liue worthy in his kind nesse to profes thy holy gospel and not to walk according to the doctrine thereof to be baptised in thy name and not to mortiâ—…y our members which are of the earth nor to walke in a new life to be partakers of the deuine misteries and not to bee made one spyryte wyth thee what auayleth it Wee are thy freendes if wee doo those thinges that thou commaundest vs. We are thy seruauntes if we be obediente to thy will Wee are thy Sonnes if we honour and reuerence thee according to thy woord We seeke thy glory if we attempt nothing whereof thou shouldest be dyshonoured Leadinge a life confirmable to thy blessed will wee shall prouoke the ve ry enemies of thy truth to prayse thee but coÌ„trariwise thou shalt be euel spoken of Graunt therfore we beseech thee that our life may answer to our professioÌ„ and that the light of our good workes may so shine before men that they seinge our godly coÌ„uersation may gloryfye thee our heauenly father Amen ¶ A short praier to be sayd at the receiuing of the mystery of Christes bodye at the holy communnion O Heauenly and blessed father I render vnto thee most harty thanks for all thy benefites which thou hast shewed vnto me most wretched sinner but specially for y â— most swete smeling sacrifice which thy only begotten son offred vnto thee on the aulter of the crosse by geuing his most pure and vndefiled body vnto the deth for the redemption of mankind in the remenbraunce wherof according to thy welbeloned sonnes ordinance I now receiue this holy bread most entierly beseching thee y e I may both be partaker of the merites of thy deare sonnes body breaking and also lead a life worthy of so great a benefit vnto the glorye of thy name Amen A Prayer to be sayd at the receyuing of the mistery of Christs bloud in the holy communion O Blessed and merciful Father thy loue toward me sinful creature is so exceading great and vnspeakeable that I cannot but geue vnto thee most huÌ„ble thaÌ„ks â–ª namely for the sheding of the moste precious bloud of thy dear Sonne Iesu Christ by the vertue wherof thy wrath stirred vp against mee wretched sinner is pacified My raunsome is payed the lawe is fulfilled my enemies are ouercome and put to flight In remembraunce of this so noble a victorye and of so great a benefite I am come to this thy table O mercifull father to drink of this cup. Desiring thee that as my outward man is comforted by the drinking of this wine so likewise my inward man may be comforted and made stronge by true faith in the precious bloude of thy moste deare son O Lord my heauenly father geue me thy holy spirit which may so rule and gouerne my hart that I neuer be vnthankful nor forgetful of this thine exceading great kindnesse But so traine my life according to thy blessed wil that what soeuer I do speake or thinke may be vnto the glory of thy blessed name and the helth of my soule thorowe Iesu Christe oure Lord. Amen For all them whiche lye in the extreme panges of death or otherwise O Pitiful Phisicion and healer bothe of soul and body Christ Iesu Uouch safe to cast thine eyes vpon this poore sinfull creature Nâ—… who lyeth heere captiue and bouÌ„d with sicknes turning his weaknes to thy glory and to his helth And bout safe good Lorde to send him pacience and sufferance that he maye with a true and perfect faith fight manfully against all teÌ„tations of the Deuil that he maye no longer continue So be it ☞ A confession for all people to be sayd in the morning O Merciful and most louing father whose loue is infinite whose mercy endurethe for euer We sinful creatures trustinge in thine vnspeakable goodnes and loue towards vs do appeare this morninge before thy deuine maiesty most lowlye confessing our manifolde sinnes and in innumerable transgressions of thy commaundements and fatherly wil. Against thee onlye against thee O Lorde haue we sinned therfore we confesse our sinnes we knowledge our offences we accuse our selues vnto the O mercifull Lord and wil not hied our vnrighteousnes We find in our selues nothing but ignoraunce of thy wil disobedience mistrust doubtfulnes in thy goodnes incredulitie hatred and con tempt of al spiritual thinges selfloue con fidence in our selues and fâ—…ruent lustinge after carnal thinges of this worlde And this tree of our corrupt nature bringethe forthe continually in vs none other fruit but rotten and vnsauery workes of the flesh in thoughtes wordes â–ª and doinges vnto condemnation Wherfore we humbly besech thy fatherly goodnes euen for thy sonne Iesus christes sake whom thou hast set forth for a purchaser toÌ„wardes vs of mercy throughe faithe in his bloude to make our hearts cleane Take away our stony hartes and geue vnto vs a true and a liuelye taith whichshal worke continually by loue through Christe Haue mercy vpon vs forgeue vs our sins for thy sons sake Certefy our coÌ„science of remission of the same by thy holy spirit by whose operation we maye so mortefye in vs our old man the whole body of sinne that we continually dyinge vnto sinne may walke in newnes of life to the glory of thy name through Iesus Christ our lorde So be it Then say this 86. Psalme treatably BOw downe thyne eare O Lord and heare me for I am pore and in misery O preserue my soule for I am holye my God saue thy seruant that putteth his trust in thee Be mercifull vnto me O Lorde for I will call dayly vpon thee Comforte the soule of thy seruaunt vnto thee O lord do I lift vp my soule For thou lord art good and gracious and of great mercy vnto all them that cal vpon thee
¶ The Gouernaunce of Uertue teaching all faythful christiaÌ„s how they oughte daily to leade their lyfe fruitfully to spend their time vnto the glorye of God the health of their owne soules Newlye corrected augmeÌ„ted by Thomas Becon 1566 ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Day ⧠CVM PRIVILEGIO Regie Maiestatis THOMAS BECONVS SACROSAÌ„CTAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR AETATIS SVAE 41 AN o. DNÌ„I 1553. Ora expressa vides viuos immitantia vultus Quod potuit calamo pictor arte vides Mentis quam Nullus potuit tibi redere pictor Effigiem scriptis prebuit ipse suis To the Godly Reader GRace groweth after gouernaunce Is an olde saide saw in eche place If gouernaunce hath good resemblance Grace delighteth to folow the trace Grace glorieth in godly gouernance Grace hasteth â—…o her haule and palace Grace doth godly gouernaunce auaunce And cause it to excel in eche place Where gouernaunce is godly wise Sage Sober Honest and Prudent There doth grace gloriously deuise To haue her seate aye permanent But if gouernaunce be wicked Idle wanton vndiscrete and vaine Grace whiche is godly disposed With such gouernaunce can not remaine This boke shall thee instruct therfore Thy life vertuously to leave That grace with thee may euermore Remaine as Gods moste blessed seede To fight against Sathan and sinnes To represse errours and heresies To pray to God his grace to winne In this boke to learne thou maiest deuise Take thou it therfore in good part As a ioyful Iewel for thy welth And geue God thankes withall thy hart Which by his worde worketh thy helth As for my trauaile and paine I craue none other recompence But thy life vertuously to traine That thou maiest enioy gods presence â–ª FINIS 3. Regum 1. If a man be vertuous ther shal not an heare of his fal to the ground But if wickednesse shal be found in him he shall dye for it Tobi. 4. Loue vertue all the dayes of thy life and walk not in the wayes of wickednes For while thou studiest for vertues thou shalt haue good successe in al thinges that thou goest about and so shall all they that loue goodnesse A Table to fynde the principall matters contayned in this booke AN exhortacion to the Reader The Epistle dedicatory How a man should be haue himself in the morning when he riseth A prayer in the morning A confession of our sinnes vnto God the father How thou shouldst behaue thy selfe before thou go to dinner A prayer before dinner Of the behauiour at the Table in dinner time A thankes geuinge after dinner What is to be done after dinner Of Supper A prayer before Supper Of the behauiour at the table in supper time A thankes geuing after supper Of going to bed A prayer to be sayd when we goe to bed A prayer to be sayd â–ª when thou art in bed Remedies against all kindes of temptacions Against Idolatry Against infidelity or misbeliefe Against the heresy of such as deny Iesus Christâ—… to be god Against the heresy of them which holde that Iesus Christe the sonne of God tooke no fleshe of Mary his Mother Againste the grosse and fantasticall opinion of the Papistes which affirm that Christes naturall body and bloud is carnally eaten and dronken in the Lords supper Against the plucking away of thy trust and confidence from Christ and his merites to put in the merites of other creatures or in thine own good workes or in the intercession of Saintes or in sacrifice of the popish Masse Against such as go about to diswadâ—… the christian people from the studiing reading or hearinge of Goddes woorde Against strange religion or newe found woorshipping of God Against mens traditions and vnwritten verities Against the folowing of vngodly forefathers Against the wicked olde customes longe vsages Againste suche as slaunder Christes gospell by cal linge it newe learninge Against pensiuenes and thought taking for the life Against hunger pouerty or carefulnes of liuing Against keping of euill company Against idlenes Against swearing Against lying slaundering â–ª and filthy or vncleane talke Against pride or vayneglory Against feasting glotony and dronkennes Against fornication and adultery Against couetousnes Against rebellion and disobedience Against malice grudge enuy hatred and anger Against the temptation of the faythfull in consideringe their owne miserye and contrarywise the wealth of the wicked Against the most horrible and dampnable sinne the sinne against the holy Ghost Against the despising of gods word and of the plagues that folow the same Against carnall security and fleshly liuing without the feare of God Against the flacknes of doing good workes Against the troublous tempestes of sicknes of losse of goods or any other kind of aduersity Against the temptation of the Deuill for noâ—…t satis fieng the lawe of God and for thy sinfull liuing â–ª Against desperation for thy late conuersion and tur ning vnto God Against sinne death and helâ—… To the right honorable and moste vertuous young Lady Iane Semer daughter to the highe and mightie Prince Edward Duke of Somerset his grace Thomas Becon wisheth increase of godlye knowledge in Christe Iesu our Lord. THere are no Parents most godlye Ladye that deserue better of the Christen publique weale then they whiche thorow gods gift hauing Children employ all their endeuours to traine them vp euen from theire verye cradels in good letters in the knowledge of gods moste blessed wil that with their young yeres learning vertue and godlines may grow and encrease and the younglinges by this meanes be made at the last auncient and perfect schollers in the mistery of Christes schole This careful study and studyous care for the vertuous bringing vp of youth god in time paste earnestlye required of all Fathers and Mothers in the common weale of hys people the Israelites and according to gods holy commaundement suche as vnfainedlye feared the Lorde their God and wished wel to their countrey refused no laboure no paine nor cost that their children might be made profitable members of the publique weale As I may pas ouer the auncient and holye Patriarches whiche were before the law of Moyses of whose diligeÌ„ce in the vertuous bringing vp of their yonglinges it is more than double wickednesse to doubt seing we haue this euident testimony of Abraham euen of gods own mouth Shall I hide froÌ„ Abraham saith god that thinge which I entend to do Seing that Araham shal be a great and a mighâ—…ye people and all the nations of the earth shal be blessed in him I know this also that he wil commaund his Children and his housholde after him that they keepe the way of the Lorde and do after righte and conscience What earnest diligence did the moste noble and vertuous King Dauid shew in the godly bringing vp of his Children speciallye of Salomon that he might become a Prince worthye both for his godlynes learning wisedome and pollicye to rule in the common weale after him What godly
and made bounde vnto the lawe to redeme them which were vnder the law that we thorow election myght receiue the inheritaunce that beloÌ„geth vnto the naturall sonne Christ beyng in the shape of GOD and thynkyng it no robbery to equall with God neuerthelesse made him selfe of no reputaâ—…ion toke on hym y â— shape of a seruaunt became like vnto men was found in his apparell as a man Without doubt great is thys mystery of godlynesse God was shewed in the fleshe was iustified in the spirite was sene of aungels was preached vnto the gentils was beleued on in earth and receyued vp in glory Remember that Iesus Christ beyng of the seede of Dauid rose agayne from death accordyng to my gospell He that sanctifieth and they whiche are sanctified are all of one For whiche causes sake he is not ashamed to cal theÌ„ brethreÌ„ saying I wil declare thy name to my brethreÌ„ and in the myddes of the congregation wil I prayse thee And againe I will put my trust in hym And againe behold here am I the children which god hath geueÌ„ me For as much then as the children were partakers of flesh bloud he also hym selfe likewise tooke part with them for to put downe thorowe death hym that had Lorshyp ouer death that is to say the deuill and that he myght deliuer them which thorowe feare of death were all their lyfe time in dauÌ„ger of boÌ„dage For he in no condicion taketh on him the auÌ„gels but the sede of Abraham taketh he on hym Wherfore in all thinges it became him to be made like vnto his brethreÌ„ that he myght be mercifull and a faithfull hys priest in thinges concerning god for to purge y â— peoples sinnes For that it fortuned him selfe to be teÌ„pted he is hable to succour them also that are tempted Dearely beloued beleue not euery spi rit but proue the spirites whether they are of God or not For many false Pro phetes are gone out into the worlde Hereby shall ye know the spirit of god Euery spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in y â— flesh is of god And euery spirit which coÌ„fesseth not y â— Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of god And this is the spirite of Antichrist of whoÌ„ ye haue hard how y â— â—…e shuld come euen now already is he in the world Many deceyuers are entred into the world whiche confesse not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh This is a deceiuer and an Antichrist ☞ Examples out of the new Testament WHen the tyme was come y â— the blessed promised sede should be borne God sent his messenger Gabriell vntâ—… that holy Uirgine Marye whiche was of the house of Dauid which among ma ny other thinges sayd vnto her feare not mary For thou hast founde grace with God Behold thou shalt conceyue in thy wombe and beare a Sonne c. ☞ Note that the aungell sayth thou shalt conceyue He sayth not heauen shall conceyue And the aungell like as the Prophet vsed this word conceiue to declare that the flesh whiche Christ had was truly and naturally taken of the substaunce of his mother Mary the virgine For to conceiue is none other thyng than a woman to be a very true naturall mother by ministryng parte of her corporall substaunce to her childe wherof also the child is formed and made Now on this maner by the workyng of the holy ghost without the sede of man did this blessed virgine conceyue Christ it therfore truly foloweth that Christe brought not hys body with hym from heauen but receyued it of the naturall substaunce of his mother Mary And because we should not doubt of this thyng the aungell calleth Iesus Maries sonne If Christ had not ta ken his humanitie of the blessed Uirgine of her nature and substaunce and so be made very true and perfect man the aungell had not sayd truth when he called Christ her sonne For neyther should Mary haue bene Christes mother nor Christ Maries sonne And so should the aungell haue brought a false and a lying message from God whiche is the selfe truth But let God be true and all heretikes lyers ☞ The godly and vertuous womaÌ„ Elizabeth wife to â—…acharie the priest said to Mary her Co sen beyng newly conceiued with childe thorow the operacion of the holy ghost blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe And whence happeneth thys vnto me y â— the mother of my lord shoulde come vnto me what soeuer thys holy woman sayth here it muste nedes bee beleued as an infallible truth For she speaketh not of her owne head but as she was filled w t the holy ghost In this her salutacion she calleth Christe the fruite of Maries wombe If Christe bee the fruite of Maryes wombe as vndobutedlye hee is then is Christ made of the substaunce of Mary and is her true and naturall sonne or els were it a manifest lye to call Christ the fruite of her wombe Who is so madde to call a thyng the fruite of a tree that neuer had the nature of a tree Were it not double madnes to call a peare the fruite of a chery tree so greate a fondnes and a greater lye had it bene to call Christ the fruite of Maries wombe if he had brought his body with hym from heauen or from any other place But as it is truly sayd thys peare is the fruite of a peare tree because it had hys beyng and naturall substaunce of the nature and substaunce of a peare tree so likewise is it truly said Christ is the fruite of Maries wombe because he had hys beyng and naturall substaunce as concernyng hys humanitie of the nature and substaÌ„ce of Mary Let God therefore be true and all heretikes lyers IEsus sayth Luke grew in wisedome and age thys also declareth Christ to to be true man seyng he grew in age and strength of bodye yea and also in wisedome after the maner of other children all though in the gyftes of the mynde he farre excelled all other men as the Scriptures testifie God sayth Dauid euen thy God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes S. Ihon Baptist also spea keth of Christ on this manner God geueth not the spirit by me sure vnto him ☞ If Christ had brought hys body with hym â—…oÌ„ heauen so could not Christes body haue ben a naturall body nor haue growen after the man ner of other chyldren but should haue bene as bygge when it came from heauen into the Uirgines wombe as it was on the same day that it was put to death But the holy Scriptures teache vs that Christ is the fruite of Maryes wombe that he is her sonne that he was borne a litle childe and grewe in age after the manner of other children vntill he became a perfect man It therefore truly followeth that he brought not his body with him
is the defeÌ„ der 〈◊〉 our life of whome then shall we â—…e afrayed Christe is the strength of his people and the defender of the health of his annointed Christ is our refuge in all tribulatioÌ„s that assaile vs. Christes eyes are vpon them that fear hym and vpon them that trust in hys mercy he may deliuer their souls from deathe â–ª norishe them in the time of hunger Christ is gentle blessed is that man that trusteth in him Christ beholdeth the righteous and heareth their prayer Christ is at hand for them that are troubled in hart he shall saue the hum ble and meke spirited Christe geueth saluation to the righte ous and he is the defeÌ„der in the tyme of trouble He helpeth theÌ„ and deliuereth them and maketh them free from finners and saueth them because they trust in hym Christ pardoneth all our iniquities and healeth all our dyseases he delyuereth our lyues from destruction and crowneth vs in iuercye and louynge kindnes Christ is righte mylde and mercyfull flow vnto wrath but ready to forgenenes He chydeth not euer neither is he angrye alwayes he dealeth not with vs after our sinnes nor rewardeth vs accordyng to our wickednesse The height of the heauens is not so present ouer the earth as is his merciable goodnes ouer them that worship him He setteth our sinnes as far from vs as is the East froÌ„ the West Neuer was there any father so tender vnto his chyldren as is the Lorde vnto them that worshippe hym For it is he that knoweth our making he remembreth that we are but of dust That the age of man mortall is lyke grasse that he florisheth lyke a flowre of the fielde Whiche as soone as anye sharp wind toucheth it it is gone being no more founde in hys place But the merciable goodnes of the Lord is for euer and euer preseruyng hys worshippers and the form of his rightwise mâ—… kyng is presente with theyr chylders chyldren so long as they kepe his couenaunt and hold his commaundementes inmynd to do them Christ is the Lorde with whome there is both infinite mercy plenteous redeÌ„tion For he it is that redeemeth Israel from al their sinnes Christ is that Lord yea Christ is that Lord in deede which putteth awaye our iniquities for his owne sake and will remember them no more Neither haue we anye thyng wherby we may be iusti fied in his sight Christ alone is that sauiour in whom Israel is saued with an euerlasting health Christ can no more forget vs then a mother can forgette the chylde of her wombe And thoughe she forgetteth her childe yet cannot he forget vs For he hath written vp vs in his hands so that we are alway in his sight Christ hath taken vpon him our dyseases and borne awaye oure sorowes Christ was wounded for our iniquities and brused for our sinnes Christ was offerd for vs because it was his pleasure Christe alone hath troden downe the vynepresse neither was there any at al that helped him Examples out of the old Testament When God determined to slea all the first borne in the land of Egipt bothe of man and beaste hee commaunded his people euery man in hys house to slea a Lambe of a yere olde and without spot and with the bloud therof to annoynte the vpper doore post and the two syde postes that whan the Aungell whiche smote the land of Egipt should see the bloud he mighte passe ouer them not destroy them This pascal Lambe of the Iewes is a figure of the true Pascall lambe Iesus Christ the Lorde whiche is the pure and vndefiled lambe of God whiche offered him selfe a sweete smellynge sacryfice vnto God for vs which neuer committed synne and in hys mouth no gyle was founde For as the bloude of the Lambe sprynckled on the doore postes of the Israelites dydde dryue awaye the auenger and kepte harmles the fyrst begotten of the Israelites so lykewyse the bloude of Christ sprinckeled in the heartes of men by â—…aythe dryueth Sathan synne death desperation and hell from them puryfieth their consciences maketh their hear tes merye setteth them at one wyth God and bringeth ouerlastyng lyfe as Sainct Iohn saith Behold that lambe of god which taketh away the sinne of the world Hereto agreeth the saying of S. Paule christ our passeouer is offred vp for vs. Christ was figured by Manna which God gaue from heauen vnto the Israelites to eate in the desart For as that breade was very plesaunte and good of taste and had in it the sauour of all sweete and deintye meates so that they whiche dyd eate of that neded none other meate Euen so lykewyse is Christ the moste sweete and pleasaunte breade that came downe from heauen He that eateth of thys bread shal lyue for euer neyther nedeth he to folow ani other straung repast For in Christe the soule of a christen man through fayth findeth enough to fede vpon The rock out of the whiche plenty of swete waters gushed out for the coÌ„fort of the thirstye Israelites in the wildernes signifyed Christe also as Sainte Paule dothe declare For as that rocke gaue out abdundance of swete and plea sant waters to the great comfort of the peple of Israel which otherwise should haue pearished so likewise is Christe y â— rock out of the which floweth plenty of heauenlye waters comfortable for the thirsty soule whiche otherwise can not be succoured but muste needes pearish And he that drinketh of those heauenly waters whiche come out of the rocke Christ shall not nede to seeke after the â—…inking dirtie puddles of other For in this Christe he shall finde plentye of waters to drinke yea and that vnto the vttermost for his soules helth as Christ him self sayeth Whosoeuer shall drink of the water that I shall geue him shall neuer more be a thirste but the water that I shall geue him shall be in him a wel of water springing vp into euerlasting life The brasen serpent in the olde lawe was a figure also of Christ. For as those whiche were striken of y â— fyry serpentes were made whole wheÌ„ they loked vppon the brasen Serpent for their faithes sake which they had in the promise of god annexed vnto the ser pent so likewise they that are wounded with the firie darts of Sathan are made whole when so euer they beholde with the eyes of the inward man by fayth Iesus Christe whiche was crucified for our synne as Christ himselfe testifieth sayinge As Moises lyfted vp the Serpent in the wildernesse euen so must the Son of man be lyfted vp that none that beleueth in him peryshe but haue euer â—…astyng life Sentences out of the newe Testament Christ is so called a Sauiour for hee it is that saueth hys people from theire synnes Christe came not to call the iusticiaries but sinners to repentaunce Christ calleth al them that labour and
are laden and he promiseth that he wil refresh them Christ is that true lyghte which light neth euery man that commeth into this worlde Christ is our Lord of whose fulnes al we haue receyued euen grace for grace For the lawe was geuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christe Christ is that lambe of god whiche taketh away the synnes of the world As Moses lyfted vp the Serpent in wildernesse so must the Sonne of man be lyfted vp that euery on that beleueth in him may not perishe but haue euerlasting lyfe For God loueth the world so feruently that he gaue his only begot ten sonne that euery one that beleueth in hym may not pearish but haue euerlasting lyfe For god sent not hys sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world should be saued by hym He that beleueth in the sonne hath euerlasting lyfe but he that beleueth not in the son shall not se lyfe but the wrath of God abydeth vpon him Christe geuethe that lyuynge water whereof whosoeuer drinketh shal neuermore thirste but that water shal bee vnto hym a fountayne of water that springeth vp into eternal lyfe Christ is that bread of life whiche came down from heauen If any man eate of that bread he shall liue for euer Christe alone the Sonne of God maketh vs free Christe is the dore If any man enter in by him he shall be safe For he shall go in and come oute and â—…nde pasture Christ is that good shepeheard which gaue his life for his shepe Christ is the resurrection and life he that beleueth in him althoughe he were dead shal liue and euery one that liueth and beleueth in him shall neuer dye Christe is the light of the worlde and came into the worlde for this purpose y â— euery one that beleueth in him shoulde not abide in darknes Christe is the waye truthe and life No man commeth vnto the Father but by him Christe is that mighty prince whiche hath ouercome the world There is none other name geuen vnto men vnder heauen where in they muste be saued but onely that name of Christ. Neither is ther any saluation in any other but in him alone Christe is ordained of God a iudge of quick and dead To him geue all the pro phets witnesse that thorowe his name all that beleue in him shal receiue remis sion of sinnes Thorow Christ is preached vnto vs the forgeuenes of sinnes so that by him all y â— beleue are iustified from all things from whiche we coulde not be iustified by the law of Moyses The righteousnes no doubt whiche is good before God commeth by y e faith of Iesus Christe vnto all and vpon all that beleue There is no difference for all haue sinned and want the glorye of God but are iustified freely by his grace thorow the redemption that is in Christ Iesu to whom God hath made a â—…eat of mercy thorow faith in his blud to shew the righteousnesse whiche before him is of valoure Christ died for our sinnes and rose â—… gaine for our iustification We beinge iustified by faithe are at peace with god thorow our Lord Iesus Christe by whom we haue awaye in thorowe fayth vnto thys grace wherein we stande and reioyce in hope of the prayse that shal be geuen of God God setteth out hys loue that he hath to vs forasmuche as while we were yet sinners Christe died for vs. Muche more then nowe being iustified in his bloude shall wee be saued from wrath thorowe hym For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the deathe of hys sonne muche more seinge we are re conciled we shal be preserued by his lyfe Not onelye so but we also ioye in God by our Lord Iesus Christe by whom we haue receaued the attonement ☞ Rede the whole Chapter Euerlastinge life is the gifte of God thorow Iesus Christ our Lord. There is no dampnation to them which are in Christe Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit For the law of the spirite that bringeth life thorow Iesus Christe hath made vs fre froÌ„ the lawe of sinne and death We know that al things worke for the best vnto them that loue god whiche also are called of purpose For those which he knew before he also ordayned before that they should be a like fashioned to the shape of his sonne that he might bee the first begotten sonne among many brethren And whom he appointed before them also he called And which he called them also he iustifyed which he iustifyed them also he glorifyed What shall we theÌ„ say to these things If God be on our side who can be against vs which spared not hys owne sonne but gaue him for vs all how shall he not with him geue vs all thinges also Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that iustifyeth who then shall coÌ„demne It is Christ which is dead yea rather which is rysen agayne which is also on the ryght hand of God and maketh intercession for vs. Christ is the end of the lawe to iustifye all that beleue Whosoeuer beleueth on Christ shall not be ashamed There is no difference betwene y e Iewe and the Gentile For one is Lorde ouer all that cal on hym for whosoeuer shall call on the name of the Lord shal be safe Christ is made of God our wysedome our righteousnes our sanctification and redemption Christ our Easter Lambe is offered vp for vs. We are washed we are sanctified yea we are iustifyed by the name of the Lorde Iesu and by the spirite of our God The liberalitie of our lord Iesus Christ is greate which though he were riche yet for oure sakes he became poore that we through hys pouertie myght be made rich If righteousnes come of the lawe then died Christ in vayne Christ hath deliuered vs froÌ„ y e curse of the law and was made accursed for vs. Sâ—…ande faste in the libertie wherwith Christ hath made vs free and wrappe not your selues again in the yoke of bondage Ye are gone quite froÌ„ Christ as many as are iustifyed by the law and are fallen from grace For we looke in spirite to be iustifyed thorow faith For in Iesu Christ neither is circumcision any thing worth neither vncircumcision but fayth which by loue is mightie in operation God forbyd y â— I shoulde reioyce in any thing but onely in y â— crosse death passioÌ„ of our Lord Iesus Christ. Blessed be god the father of oure Lorde Iesu Christe whiche hath blessed vs with all manner of spirituall blessings in heauenly things by Christ. By christ we haue redemption thorow his bloud euen the forgeuenes of sins according to the ritches of hys grace which he shed on vs aboundauntlye in all wisedome and prudence God whiche is
riche in mercy thorow his great loue wherewith he loued vs euen when we were dead in sin hath quic kened vs to gether in Christ for by grace are ye saued and hath raysed vs vp together and made vs sit together in heauenly thinges thorow Christ Iesus By grace are ye made safe thorow faith and that not of your selues For it is the gift of God and commeth not of works least any man should boast himself We were straungers and farre of but nowe we are made nigh by thy bloude of Christe Christ is our peace By Christ Iesu our Lord are we bound to draw nighe in the trust which we haue by fayth on him Christ is ascended vp on high and hath led captiuity captiue and hath geueÌ„ gifts vnto men In Christ haue we redemption thorow his bloude that is to saye forgeuenes of sinnes By Christ thorowe the bloude of hyscrosse are all things reconciled to God the father and set at peace both in heauen and in earth This is a true saying and by all means worthy to be receiued that Christe Iesus came into this world to saue sinners There is one God and one Mediatour betwene God and man which is the man Christ Iesus which gaue himselfe a raunsome for all men God hath not saued vs for the dedes of rightousnes which we haue wrought but of his mercy hath he saued vs. We are not redemed with corruptible siluer and gold from our vayne conuer sation which we receiued by the tradicions of the fathers but by the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spotte Christe is the shephearde and bishop of our soules The bloud of Iesus Christ Gods soÌ„ne maketh vs cleane from all sinne If any maÌ„ sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ that ryghteous one and he is a mercye stocke for our sinnes not for our sinnes onely but also for the sinnes of all the world Our sinnes are forgeuen vs in y e name of Christ. For thys purpose appeared the sonne of God to loose the workes of the deuill In thys appeareth the loue of God towardes vs because that God sent his onely begotten Sonne into the worlde that we myght liue thorowe him Herein is loue not that we loue God but that he loued vs and sent his sonne to be a sacrifice for our sinnes Christ in hys owne person hath purged our sinnes Christ thorow death put down him that had rule ouer death that is to say the deuill and hath made vs free from the daunger of bondage In that Christ himself suffred and was tempted he is able to succor them that are tempted We haue not an high priest which can not haue compassion on oure infyrmities but was in all poyntes tempted lyke as we are but yet without sinne Let vs therefore goe boldelye vnto the seate of grace that we may receaue mercye and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of neede Christ hath an euerlasting priesthoode Wherefore he is able also euer to saue them that come vnto God by hym forasmuch as he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. Christ being Byshop of good thinges to come came by a greater and a more perfecte tabernacle not made wyth handes that is to saye not of thys manner buildyng neyther by the bloude of Goates and Calues but by hys owne bloude he entred in once for all into the holy place and founde eternall redemption For if the bloud of Oxen and Goates and the ashes of an Heyfer when it was sprinckled purifyed the vncleane as touchyng the purifyeng of the fleshe howe muche more shall the bloude of Christ which thorowe the eternall spirite offered himselfe without spotte to God purge your consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing god And for this cause is he the mediator toure of the newe Testamente that thorow death which chaunced for the redeÌ„tion of these transgressions that were in the first Testament they which were called might receiue the promise of eternall inheritaunce Christ now in the end of the world hath appeared once for al to put sinne to flight by the offering vp of him selfe We are sanctified by the offeringe of the body of Iesu Christ once for all With one offring hath Christ made perfect for euer them that are sanctifyed Christe loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in hys owne bloud and made vs kings and priests vnto god his father Christe liueth for euermore and hath the keyes of hell and death Christ is Lord of Lordes and king of kings and they that are on his side are cal led and chosen and faithful ☞ Examples out of the new Testament Christ is that welbeloued Sonne of god for whose sake the heauenly father is well pleased with man Christ is that kyng which forgaue the seruaunt the ten thousande talentes that be oughte Christ is that moste louyng Samaritane which healed the wounded man that was halfe dead Christ is that tender shepeheard which fetched home vnto the shepefolde euen vpon hys shoulders the lost shepe Christ is that most gentle father which wyth so great ioy and with embracinge armes receiued home againe the lost son Against suche as go about to disswade the christen people from the studying readyng or hearing of gods worde IF Sathan or any of his impes goe about to disswade thee and to plucke thy minde from studying readyng or hearyng gods woorde that thou mayest walke in darkenes and neuer come to the knowledge of the truth least by this meanes thou shouldest be saued leane not vnto hym but enarm thy selfe against his wicked teÌ„ptations with these scriptures followyng ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament THou shalte tell thy sonne at the same dai say because of that which the lord dyd for me wheÌ„ I departed out of Egipt Therfore shall it bee a signe vnto thee in thyne hand and a token of remembrance before thine eyes that the law of the lord may be in thy mouth how that the Lord broughte thee out of Egipt with a mightye hande Speake to the children of Israell and say vnto them that they make theÌ„ gardes vpon the quarters of their garmentes amongst all your posterities and put yellow râ—…handes vpon the gardes in y e quarters And the gardes shall serue you that ye may looke vppon them and remember all the commaundements of the lord and do them y â— ye order not your selues after the meanyng yf your owne harte nor go a whoryng after your owne eyes Therefore shall ye remeÌ„ber do all my coÌ„maun dements and be holy vnto your God Take heede to thy selfe now and kepe well thy soule that thou forgette not the thynges which thine eyes haue seene and that they depart not out of thy harte all the dayes of thy lyfe And thou shalte teach them thy children and thy childers children Heare O Israell the
man that speaketh froward thinges from such as leaue the high streat walk in the way of darknes which reioyce in doing euill and delite in wicked thinges whose wayes are crooked and their pathes slaunderous That thou maiest be delited also from the straunge woman and frō her that is not thine owne which geueth sweet wordes forsaketh the husbande of her youth and forgetteth the couenaunte of her God For her house is enclined vnto death and her pathes vnto Hell All they that go in vnto her come not againe neither take they holde of the waye of life That thou walk in the good way and keepe y ◠pathes of the righteous For the iust shall dwell in the lande and the innocentes shall remaine in it but the vngodly shall be rooted out of the lande and the wicked doers shal be taken out of it Blessed is the man that findeth wisedome and obtaineth vnderstanding for y e getting of it is better then any m◅rchandise of siluer and the profit of it is better then gold Wisdom is more worth then precious stones and all the thinges that thou canst desire are not to be compared vnto her Upon her ryght hand is long life and vppon her lefte hande is ryches and honor Her wayes are pleasaunt waies and al her pathes ar peaceable She is a tree of life to them that lay hold vpon her and blessed are thei that kepe her fast My son let not these thinges depart frō thine eies but kepe my law and counsail so shall it be life vnto thy soule and grace vnto thy mouthe Then shalte thou walke safely in thy waye and thy foote shall not stumble If thou slepest thou shalt not be afrayed but shalt take thy rest and slepe swetely Thou shalte not nede to be afrayed of any soden feare neither for the violent rushing in of the vngodly whē it commeth For the lord shall be beside thee and kepe thy fote that thou be not taken Let thine heart receiue my words kepe my commaundementes and thou shalt◅ lyue Get the◅ wisdome get thee vnderstandinge forget not the wordes of my mouth and shrink not from thē Forsake her not and shee shall preserue thee loue her and she shal kepe thee The chief point of wisedome is that thou willingly to obtaine wisedome and before all thy goods to get vnderstandinge Make much of her and she shall promote thee yea if thou embracest her she shall bringe thee vnto honour She shall make thee a gracious head garnishe thee with the crowne of glory Heare my son receiue my wordes that the yeres of thy life may be manye I will shew the way of wisdome and lead thee in the righte pathes So that if thou goest therin there shal no straitnes hinder thee and when thou runnest thou shalt not fall Take faste holde of doctrine let her not go kepe her for she is thy life The commaundement is a lantern and the law is a light and the way of life Wher no knowlege of gods word is the soule is not wel Apply thy heart vnto learning and thine eare to the wordes of knowledge Hee that turneth away his eare from hearing the lawe his prayer shal be abhorred When the preachinge of Gods worde faileth then perisheth the people Euerye worde of GOD is pure and cleane yea it is a shield to them that trust in it Uaine are all those men in whom no knowledge of god is Neither hearbe nor emplasture hathe healed thē but thy worde O Lord which healeth all thinges The fountaine of wisedome is the the word of god Be make and lowly to heare the word of god that thou mayest vnderstand and bring forth a wise and true answer Haue all thy pleasure in the commaun dements of god and in his lawes be thou most of al occupied and he shall geue thee an hart and a desire of wisdome shal be ge uen thee Be not slacke to beleue the worde of God Learnig is a precious iewel to a wisemā Nothing is better then the feare of god and nothing is sweter then to haue a respect to the commaundements of the Lord My people is led captiue because they haue no knowledge They haue caste away the lawe of the Lorde of hostes and the worde of the holy one of Israell haue they blasphemed Therfore is the wrath of the lord who◅ agaynst his people and he wyl stretche oute his hande and destroye them Make hast vnto the law and witnesse If they speake not according to this word they shall not haue the morning light All ye that are a thirst come vnto the waters and ye that haue no mony make haste by and eat Come I say by without mony and without any ◅xchaunge wyne and milke Why lay ye out your monye for that that is not breade in deede and spend your labor about that that shall neuer satisfye you Heare me heare I saye and eate that which is good that ye may be well liking Geue eare and come vnto me heare me I say and your soule shall liue As raine and snowe commeth downe ◅rom heauen and returneth not th◅ther agayne but watereth the earth and maketh it to bud and bring forth the fruit so that it geueth sede to the sower breade to the eater so shall my word be that shal come out of my mouth It shall not returne vnto me boyde but shall do what soeuer I wil and prosper in them to whom I send it Let not the wise man reioyce in his wysedome nor the stronge man in hys strength nor yet let the riche man glorye in his riches but let him that reioyseth reioyce in this thing that he know me that I am y e Lord which doth mercy iudgemēt and righteousnes in the earth Withdrawe not the woorde from the people if peraduenture they heare turne from their wicked way so that it may repent me of the euil which I haue determi ned to do vnto them for the maliciousnes of their councels Heare Israel the commaundements of life geue eare that thou maiest become wise Howe chaunced it O Israell that thou arte in the lande of thine enemies Thou art worne out in a straunge lande thou art defiled with the dead Thou art◅ reputed with them that go down to Hell Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisedome For if thou haddest walked in the way of god vndoubtedlye thou haddest dwelt in rest vpon the earth Learne therfore where wisedome is and vnderstanding is that thou maiest also know where continuance of life is and all thinges necessary for to maintaine the same agayne where the light of the eyes and peace is This is the booke of the commaundementes and the lawe whyche abideth for euer All that keepe it shall come vnto life but they that forsake it shall come vnto death Behold the day is come sayth y ◠Lord that I
wyll caste an hunger vppon the earth not the hunger of breade nor the thirst of water but of bearing the word of the Lord. And they shal go from sea to sea and walke aboute from the South to the East sekinge the worde of the Lorde and yet shall they not finde it ☞ Examples out of the 〈◊〉 Testament GOd the Father wrote the law of the ten coÌ„maundements in tables of stone with his finger and commaunded Moyses to declare them vnto the people The people are commaunded of God not only to rede his holy law but also diligently to exercise them selues in the me ditation therof so long as they liue and to teach it their childreÌ„ yea to talk of it both in their house and when they go abroad and to write it vpon tâ—…e thresholds dores and postes of their houses that it may bee â—…er in their sight For man shall not liue with breade alone but with euery worde that procedeth from the mouth of God A kinge is commaunded to reade the boke of the law of the Lorde all the dayes of his life that he may feare the Lorde his God Iosua was commaunded that the boke of the Lordes law should not depart from his mouth but that he shoulde study in it day and night that he might kepe and do all thinges that are written in that boke King Saul was cast down from his roy all estate because he was negligente and disobedient to the law of God When Dauid lay on his deathe bed he saide to Sallomon thou shalt prosper and come to great renoume if thou kepest the commaundementes and ordinaunces which the Lord commaunded Moses Ioas when he was crowned in y â— temple had the law of the Lord deliuered vnto his handes that he shoulde keepe and maintaine the same Iosaphat that walked in the commaundementes of the Lord loued Gods word so entierly that he sent hys princes Leuites and priestes to teach in all partes of Iuda which had the booke of the Lordes law with them and went about in all the cities of Iuda and taught the people Ezechias diligently walked in the law of the Lord purged his realme of all idolatry set vp againe the true worshipping of God exhorted all his subiectes to followe the lawe of their Lord God Iossas that most godly king which walked so purely in the waies of the lord that he declined neither on the ryght hand nor on the left when the boke of the law was deliuered vnto him did not only cause the booke to be red before hym but he himself also red it before all his people both small and great and all idolatry destroyed restored the true religion to hys kingdome Esdras red the law of the Lord plainly and distinctly to the people they gaue very earnest and diligent attendaunce to the bearing of it Susan from her infanciâ—… was so diligentlye brought vp of her parentes in the lawe of God that she did not onely feare god but also chused rather to be stoned vn to death then she would once transgresse the law of god by committing adultery Sentences out of the newe Testament Man shall not liue with breade alone but with euery worde that commeth out of the mouth of God Uerely verely I say vnto you this age shal not passe till all these things be done Heauen and earth shall passe awaye but my wordes shall not passe away Blessed are they that heare the word of god and kepe it Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdome of God They haue Moyses and the Prophets let them heare them If they heare not Moyses and the Prophets neither will they beleue though one shoulde rise from the dead Thys is condemnation that lyghte is come into the world and that men loued darkenes more then lyght because theyr workes were euill For euery man that doth euill hateth the lyght neyther commeth he to y â— light least his workes should be reproued but he that doth truth commeth to light that his deedes myghte bee known how they are wrought in god Search the scriptures for ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe in them and these are they which testifie of me neyther will ye come vnto me that ye may haue life The wordes that I speake to you are spirite and life Lord to whom shal we go Thou hast the wordes of euerlasting lyfe He that is of god heareth the wordes of god But ye heare not bicause ye are not of god If a man kepeth my worde he shal neuer see death My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and thei folow me and I geue them euerlasting lyfe Walke while ye haue light least darknes ouerwhelme you He that walketh in darknes knoweth not whether he goeth While ye haue light beleue in the lyghte that ye may be the children of lyght He that hath my preceptes and keepeth them he it is that loueth me If any man loueth me he will kepe my word and my father will loue him and we shall come to him and dwell with hym This is euerlasting life euen to knowe thee the alone true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Euery one that is of the truth heareth my voyce The gospell of Christ is the power of god vnto saluation for so many as beleue Except the Lorde of bostes had left vnto vs sede that is hys most blessed word we had bene as Sodom and might well haue bene likened to Gomorra Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Whatsoeuer thyngs are written afore time are writteÌ„ for our learning that we thorowe pacience comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope The word of the crosse is to them that perishe folishnesse but to vs â–ª that obtaine saluation it is the power of God If the gospell of Christ be yet byd it is byd among them that are loste in whom y â— god of this world hath blinded y â— minds of them which beleue not least the light of the glorious gospel of Christ which is the image of God should not shyne vnto theÌ„ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wysedome Teach and monish one an other Quench not the spirite Despise not the studies and preachinges of the holy Scripture Proue all thinges and that is good holde faste God will all men to be saued and come vnto the knowledge of the truth Geue thy minde to reading exhortation and doctrine continue in these things Continue in reading the holy scripture which is able to make thee wyse vnto saluatioÌ„ thorow the fayth which is in Christ Iesus For all Scripture geueÌ„ by inspiration of God is profitable to teache to improue to amend and to instructe in ryghteousnes that the man of god may be perfecte and prepared to all good workes The word of God is
of the world and yet suffer themselues still to be led with traditions as these for an example touch not tast not handle not c. Which all perish through the verye abuse after the commaundements and doctrins of men which thinges outwardly haue the similytude of wisdome by superstition and humblenes of minde c. Thapostles of Christ would not burden the christen congregations with new and superfluous tradicions but only charged them with such thinges as were necessary Sainct Paule in his Epistle vnto the Galathians inueieth against them which after they haue known god turne agayn vnto nedie and beggerlye ceremonyes traditions or ordinaunces obseruing dais monethes times and yeares Against the folowing of vngodly forefathers If thou through temptation of the Deuil or the â—…alse perswasions of Antichrists Prophets be mâ—… â—…ed at any time to doubt of the truth of gods word which the papistes at this daye cal seditious doctrine new learning and heresy because thy forefathers haue both beloued and done the contrary â–ª call these scriptures to thy remembraunce Sentences out of the olde Testament Folow not the multitude to do euill Doo not you these thinges that they haue done which were before you neither be ye defiled in them I am the Lord your God kepe my commaundements The Lord sent his prophets to his people saying returne from your vnrighteous wayes and keepe my preceptes and ceremonies according to all the lawe that I commaunded your fathers But they would not heare but became stifnecked euen as their forefathers were stifnecked whiche would not obey the Lord God Let them put their hope in God not forget the works of the Lord but seke after his commaundementes Let them not be like their forefathers whiche were a frowarde and a spitefull nation a nation that would neuer be true harted nor bear an vpright mind toward God Be not hard harted as your forefathers were saith the Lord whiche chyde and rebelled against me We haue sinned with oure forefathers we haue done vniustly and commited iniquitie Trust not in rulers nor in the sonnes of men in whome is no health For wheÌ„ theyr breath goeth away they return vn to their earth In y â— day shall al their thou â—…hts counsels deuises and imaginations come to naught I haue alway sayd vnto your forefathers synce I brought them out of the land of Egipt euen vnto thys daye heare my voice but they would not hear nor once bow their eare vnto it But euery one of them is gone astray in the frâ—… wardnes of his wicked harte ye the people of Iuda and the men of Ierusalem are also falleÌ„ vnto the wickednes of their fore fathers which would not hear my words Insomuch that thei ar alredy gone away after straunge Gods and serue them The house of Israel the house of Iuda haue brokeÌ„ y e couenaunt which I made w t their fathers Therfore thus saith the lord Beholde I wil bring in extreme punishments vpon theÌ„ so y â— they shal not escap froÌ„ theÌ„ They shall crye vâ—…to me but I will not heare them The cityes of Iuda and thâ—… inhabiters of Hierusalem shall goe crye vnto them to whom they offered sacrifice and yet shall they not saue theÌ„ in the time of their trouble According to the number of thy cities were thy Gods O Iuda and after the number of thy waies O Hierusalem haste thou set vp altars of abhomination to do sacrifice vnto Baalim Your forefathers haue forsaken me sayth the Lorde and they are gone awaye after straunge Gods and haue serued theÌ„ and worshipped them yea they haue vtterlye geuen me ouer and haue not kept my lawe But you haue wrought more abhomination than all your forefathers haue done For behold euery one of you walke after the leudnesse of his own wicked harte and will not heare me Their forefathers haue broken my couenaunt euen vnto thys day and they to whom I send thee are children without all shame and of such an harte as can not be reclaimed Walke not in the commaundementes of your fathers nor keepe not their ordinaunces neither pollute your selues with their idoles For I am the lord your God Therefore walke in my preceptes and kepe my iudgementes and do them Confusion of face and vtter shame be vnto vs vnto our kings vnto our rulers to our forefathers which haue sinned Be not like your forefathers vnto whoÌ„ the Prophets in tymes past cryed saying thus sayth the Lorde of hostes turne from your euill waies and from your abhominable thoughtes but they would not harken nor geue any attendaunce vnto me sayth the Lord. Our forefathers haue sinned and haue done euill in the sight of the Lord our god For they haue forsaken him and turned awaye their faces from the tabernacles of the Lord our God Be not lyke your forefathers and brethren which rebelled against the Lorde God of their fathers and he gaue them ouer into desolation as ye see your selues Be not ye hardnecked now as were your forefathers but offer your hande vnto the Lorde and come to his sanctuarie which he hath sanctifyed for euer and serue the Lorde your God so shall the indignation of his wrath turne away from you Examples out of the olde Testament CAin â—…lewe his brother Abel and followed his forefather the deuill which was a mansleyer from the beginning Nadab king of Israell folowed his forefather Hieroboam coÌ„mitting idolatrie against the lord his God Therfore Baasa destroyed him and his kingdome all the house of Hieroboam so that one of the stocke remained not aliue Ozochias king of Israell followed hys wicked forefather Achab greuously sinned against the lord his God He therfore reigned but a litle time and also died a miserable death Amon king of Iuda followed hys Idolatrous forefather Manasses and dyd that whiche was euill in the sight of the Lord his God He reigned but two yeres and was slaine of his seruauntes in hys own house Ioakim kyng of Iuda forâ—…oke the godlye waies of his moste vertuous father king Iosias and followed the steppes of his wicked forefathers The Lorde therefore suffered him to raigne but three monethes in Ierusalem and gaue him ouer into the handes of his enemies Sedechias king of Iuda followed hys wicked forefathers and prouoked y â— lord his God vnto anger He therfore was depriued of his kingdome sawe his children slaine before his eyes and afterward he hauing his eyes plucked out of his head was bound in chaines and miserably caryed away into Babilon ¶ Sentences out of the neâ—… Testament All that come before me are theeues and robbers but my sheepe haue not heard them O ye stifnecked and vncircumcised of hartes and eares ye haue alwayes resisted the holy ghost â–ª as your forefathers did so do ye Which of the Prophets haue not your forefathers persecuted See that ye passe the
faithful in the lande that they maye dwell with me and who so leadeth a godly life shal be my seruaunt There shall no deceitful person dwel in my house He that telleth lyes shall not tarye in my sight I hate the vngodlye but thy lawe O Lord do I loue My Sonne if sinners entice thee vnto wickednes leane not vnto them If they say come go with vs let vs lay awaite for bloude and conuey our selues priuely to trap the innocent Let vs swalow them vp quickly like hel and deuour the perfect like a whirle pit For thus shal we finde great ritches and garnishe oure houses with oyle Cast in thy foote among vs and let vs make a common purse My sonne walk not with them but refraine thy feete from their wayes for their feet run vnto mischiefe In vaine are nets spread abrode for birdes before their eyes For euen these men lay awaite amonge them selues one to shed anothers bloud Neither are their owne liues in sauegard amoÌ„g theÌ„ selues These are y â— pathes of couetous men amonge whome one spareth not the life of another Come not in the path of the vngodly and walk not in the waye of the wicked Eschue it and go not therin depart aside and passe ouer by it For they cannot slepe except they haue first done some mischiefe For they eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the wine of robbery The path of the righteous shineth as the light and is euer brighter and brighter vnto the perfect day But the way of the vngodly is as y â— darknes wherin men fall or they be aware Who so accompanieth the wise shall haue wisedome but he that is a companion of foles shall proue like them Trauail not by the way with him that is brainles least he doo thee euill For he foloweth his owne wilfulnes and so shalt thou pearish thorow his foly Striue not with him that is angrye and cruel go not with hiÌ„ into the wildernes for bloud is nothing in his sight and where there is no helpe hee shall murther thee Loke not vpon a woman that is desirous of many men least thou fall into her snares Use not the company of a woman that is a player and a daunser and heare her not least thou perish through her entising Beholde not a maiden that thou be not hurt in her beauty Bring not euery maÌ„ into thine house for the disceitfull layeth wait diuersly Who will haue pitie on the charmer that is stinged of the serpent or of all such as come nie the beastes Euen so is it with him that kepeth companye with a wicked man and lappeth him self in his sinnes He that toucheth pitche shal be defiled of it and he that kepeth companye with a proud person shall also become proud and stately Examples out of the olde Testament ABraham because he woulde not be partaker of their Idolatry fled from the â–ª people of Chaldea beinge his natiue country Lot at the commaundement of the An gels departed out of Sodome least he tari yng with y â— Sodomites shoulde haue ben consumed with them Sara would not suffer Ismael which was geuen to mocking to kepe company with her Sonne Isaac least he also should become a mocker Iacob would not kepe coÌ„pany with his Brother Esau althoughe greatly entreated least some wickednes shoulde thereof haue happened Moyses at Gods appointment commaunded the people to departe from the dwellinge places of Chore Dathan and Abiron least they also be wrapped in their sinnes and so pearishe among them Iosaphat king of Iuda was almost slain in the bartail because he kept company weÌ„t vnto the wars w e wicked king Achab. After his returne also he was greatlye rebuked of Iehu for so doing When all the people went to worship the Golden calues whiche Ieroboam had made Tobias onely fled awaye from the company of them all and went to Ierusalem vnto the Lordes temple and there worshipped the Lord God of Israel So long as Iudas Machabeus did put his trust in the Lord all thinges prospered wel with him but when he begaÌ„ to ioyne frendship and to kepe coÌ„pany with the hea theÌ„ the Romaines shortly after he was ouercome and slaine in battel The like thing chaunced to Ionathas ☞ Sentences out of the new Testament GO not into the wayes that lead vnto the hethen and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not I beseeche you brethern marke them whiche cause deuision and geue occasions of euil contrary to the doctrine whiche ye haue learned and auoide them Do ye not know that a litle leueÌ„ sow reth the whole lump of dow Purge therfore the olde leauen that ye may be newe dow â—…s ye are swete bread I wrote vnto you that ye should not kepe company with whoremongers If any that is called a brother that is to say a Christen man bee a whoremonger or a couetouse person or a worshipper of images eyther a rayler or a dronkarde or an extorcioner with him that is suche se ye neither eat nor yet kepe company Put away from among you that euill person We require you brethern in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe that ye withdraw your selues from euery brother that walketh inordinatlye and not after the institution which ye receiued of vs. If any teach otherwise and is not content with the wholsome words of our lord Iesu Christ with y â— doctrine of godlines he is puft vp and knoweth nothing but wasteth his braines about questions and strife of words wher of spring enuy strife railings euil surmisinges and vayne disputations of men with corrupt myndes and destitute of the truth which thinke that lucre is Godlynesse From such seperate thy selfe A man that is geuen to heresy after the fyrst and seconde admonicion auoyde Remembring that he that is such is peruerted and sinneth euen dampned by hys owne iudgement If there come any vnto you and bring not this learning hiÌ„ receaue notto house neyther byd him GOD speede For he that byddeth hym god speede is partaker of his ill dedes Examples out of the newe Testament Peter so long as he kept company with Christ and Christs disciples he concinued in the truth preached the truth confessed openly Christ to be the sonne of the liuing god and promised that he would not onely goe into prison but also vnto the verye death with Christ but when he once came into the courte into the Byshoppes house he straight wayes was striken with suche feare that a poore mayde and a symple Simme Shakebuckler made hym both to denye and also to forsweare Iesus Christ his Lord and maister whome before he had boldly so oft confessed before the worlde Saint Peter preaching to the beleuing repentaunt Iewes among other his godly exhortations commaunded them to saue themselues from the vntowarde generation of the vnfaithfull and to
yet if I haue no loue it profiteth me nothing at all Brethren if any mā be fallen by chance into any fault ye which are spiritual helpe to amende him in the spirite of mekenes consideringe thy selfe least thou also be attempted Beare ye one an others burden and so fulfill ye the law of Christ. Let not the sunne go downe vpon your wrath Be gentle one to another mercifull forgeuing one another euen as GOD for Christes sake hath forgeuen you Let euery man be slow vnto anger For the wrath of man worketh not that which is righteous before God Aboue all thinges haue feruent loue among you For loue shall couer the multitude of sinnes If anye man saye I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyer For he that lo ueth not his brother whom he hath seene god whome he hathe not seene how can he loue And this commaundement haue we of him that he that loueth god shoulde al so loue his neighbour He that loueth not his brother a◅ideth in death Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a murtherer And ye know that no murthe rer hathe euerlasting life abidinge in him ▪ My babes let vs not loue in worde nor in tongue but in worke and truthe Examples out of the new◅ Testament Christ so dearly loued vs yea and that when we◅ were yet his enemies that hee gaue him self euen vnto the death for our sake Yea he hanginge on the cros prayed for his very◅ enemies vnto his heauenly◅ Father Blessed Stephen in the middest of his tormentes prayed for his enemies S. Paule wished him self to be cursed from Christ◅ so that his kinsmen might◅ be saued Against the bitter stormes of persecution of Gods worde IF at a◅y time thorow the frailti of nature thou be troubled in thy minde when the cros ◅f persecution is laid vpon thee for the word of God looke that thou shrinke not backe from the truthe nor discourage thy selfe but think thy selfe blessed of G◅d call these scriptures that follow vnto rei membrance for thy comfort Sentences out of the old Testament THe Lorde killeth and geeueth life again◅ hee bringeth euen to Hell and back agayne The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and deliuereth them out of all their troubles The Lord is nigh vnto them that ar of a troubled heart and wil saue such as be of an humble spirite Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord deliuereth him out of thē all He kepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken But misfortune shall flea the vngodly and they that hate the righteous shal be desolate The Lorde deliuereth the soules of his seruauntes and all they that put theyr trust in him shall not be comfortles For thy sake O Lord are we killed all the day long and are counted as shepe ap pointed to be slaine Up Lord why sleepest thou awake and be not absent from vs for euer Wherfore hidest thou thy face and for gettest our misery and trouble For oure soule is brought low euen vnto the duste our belly cleaueth vnto the ground Arise and helpe vs and deliuer vs for thy mercies sake Thou O god hast proued vs thou also hast tryed vs like as siluer is tryed Thou broughtest vs into the snare and laydest trouble vpon our loynes Thou suffredest men to ride ouer our heades we went thorow fire and water and thou broughtest vs out into a comfortable place I beleued and therefore haue I spoken but I was sore troubled Righte deare in the sighte of the Lorde is the death of his saintes The way of the righteous is iudged to be vtter destruction but they are in rest Althoughe they suffer paine before men yet is their hope ful of immortality They are punished but in few things neuertheles in many thinges shall they be well rewarded For God proueth them and findeth thē mete for hym selfe yea as the golde in the furnace dooth ◅e try them and receyueth them as a burnt offring and when y e time commeth they shal be loked vpon My sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of god stand fast in righteousnes and feare and arme thy soule to temptation Setle thine heart be patient ◅ow down thine eare receiue the wordes of vnderstāding and shrink not away when thou art entised Holde thee faste vpon god ioyne thy selfe vnto him and suffer that thy life may encrease at the last Whatsoeuer happeneth vnto thee receyue it suffer in heauines and be paciēt in thy trouble For like as gold and siluer are tried in fire euen so are acceptable mē in the fornace of aduersity Beleue in God and he shal helpe thee For righteousnesse take payne with all thy soule and for the truth striue thou vnto death and God shall fyghte for thee against thy enemies Examples out of the olde Testament Abell was cruelly slaine of his brother Cayne whome he neuer offended Ioseph was cast into prison because he woulde not leane to the fy◅thy requeste of his lordes wyfe Moses Aaron and the Israelites were greuously entreated persecuted of King Pharao Saule with great diligence soughte to destroy Dauid Quene Iezabel pursued the Prophete Helias Zachary the sonne of Barachias was stoned to death for telling the king truth Achymeleche with certayne other holy men of god was slaine at king Saules commaundement because he shewed kind nes to Dauid the harty beloued seruant of God Sydrac Misac and Abdenago were cast into a firye fornace because they wouldnot worship the golden Image that king Nabuchodonosor had made but only the God of Israell Daniel was cast into the den of Lions because that contrary to king Darius commaundement he had prayed vnto his Lord God the God of Israel At an other time also he was caste into the den of Lions because he sayde that Bell and the Dragon were no Gods The vertuous and chast woman Susan was at the point to be stoned vnto death because she woulde not breake the commaundement of god and consent to the vn lawfull and filthy requests of the two Elders Eleazarus was miserably put to death because at the kinges commaundemente he woulde not eate swines flesh contrary to the lawe of god A certaine woman also with her vii sonnes were with moste extreme cruelty put to death because they would not obey the wicked precepte of the moste wicked kyng The prophets were vnmercifullye slain because they rebuked synne and taught◅ the wyll of God The most excellent Prophet Esay for his libertye of speach in re◅uking the sins of the princes and of the people and prophe◅iyng of Gods vengeaunce to fall vpō the countrye and people was cut in two partes asunder with a saw and buried vn der an Oke Ieremy after much enprisonment was stoned onto death of his people at Taphu as in Egipc◅ because he warned them of
end Sentences out of the olde Testament CAine the figure of all wicked and blou dy Tirantes slew his brother Abel while he liued he was a runnagate and a vagabound hauing an vnquiet conscience and now being dead he is a dampned soul in Hel. The Tirauntes and mighty Giaunts with all the world besides 8. persons were drowned after they had liued long in plea sure and in all the filthy desires of the wic ked flesh without repentaunce The filthy Sodomites liued in all kind of voluptuous abhominacion the conclusion was that they were consumed with fire and brimstone from heauen Pharao handled the people of God very cruelly entending vtterly to destroy thē all but the ende was that bothe he and all his army were drowned in the sea and the people of Israel harmeles preserued Sisar and Abimelech beinge greuous enemies of gods people were slayne of wo men Holophernes for all his proud lokes en tending to destroy the Israelits was slain him self of a woman Saule persecuted Dauid the seruant of God entending to slea him but Dauid escaped Saule was slaine with the sword Achitophel remembringe what wicked councel he had genen Absalon against his Father Dauid perceiuing that it wold not come to passe so mighty is God to destroye the wicked councels of the vngodly he went home and hanged him self ◅bsolon pursuing and sekinge his Fathers death in the midst of his furye was hanged by the heare of his head on a tree and so dyed Ioab was slaine because he killed two good men euen Abner and Amasa The house of Hieroboam because hee made Israell to sin was destroyed by the sword of Baasa king of Israel Quene Iesabel that great enemy to the seruantes and Prophets of the Lorde was throwne downe hedlonge out of an highe windewe and troden downe with horses feet and at the last deuoured and eaten vp of dogs Iehu slew the house of Achab for the Prophets that were slaine King Ioas was slaine of his owne seruauntes because he slewe Zachary the sō of the hyghe Priest Ioiada wythoute a cause The wicked king Sedechias whiche so cruelly handled the Prophet Ieremy had both his eyes put out and being fettered with chaines of Iron he was caryed priso ner into Babilon where hee miserablye died Amon that most proud accuser and inuentour of mischiefes against the Iewes preparing a paire of galows for good Mar docheous that faithful Israelite was han ged vpon them him self They that accused Daniell to y ◠kinge and sought his death were caste into the dongeon and deuoured of the Lions The vngracious and wicked Iudges which sought the deathe of that godly woman Susan were slayne them selues Andronicus which s◅ew that good man Onias was slayne him selfe Sentences out of the new Testament WO be to you that are rich that haue therin your consolation Wo bee to you that are full for ye shall honger Wo be to you that now laugh for ye shal wail and wepe Wo bee to you when all men shall prayse you for so dyd their fathers to the false Prophetes Many walk of whome I haue told you often and now I tel you wepyng that they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ who se ende is damnation whose God is their belly and whose glory is their shame whiche are worldly mynded Go to now ye rich men wepe and houle one your wretchednesse that shall come vp on you Your riches is corrupte your garmentes are motheaten your golde and siluer is cankered and the ruste of the◅ shal be a witnesse vnto you and shall eate your flesh as it were fyre c. I heard a voyce from heauen sayinge◅ O my people come awaye from Babilon that greate whore and mighty strompet the mother of the abhominacions of the whole earth Come away I say from her that ye be not pertakers of her sinnes that ye receaue not of her plages for her sinnes are gone vp to heauen and god hath remēbred her wickednes ▪ Reward her as she re warded you and geue her double accor◅dinge to her woorke And pooer in double to her in the same cuppe whiche she filled vnto you And asmuch as she glorifyed her selfe and liued wantonly so muche poure ye in for her of punishmente and sorowe For she sayd in her selfe I sitte beinge a Queene and am no widow and shal see no sorow Therfore shal her plagues come at one day death and sorow and hunger and shal be brent wyth fyre For stronge is the Lord god which iudgeth her Examples out of the new Testament The riche and proud glutton which was gorgeously apparelled and fared daintely euery day and yet woulde haue no pity on the poore Lazare dyed and was caryed in to hell Iudas that betrayed Christ hanged him selfe Herode which greatly vexed the congregation of Christ and slew Iames the brother of Iohn euen in the middes of his pomp and glory was smitten down of the Lords angel and was eatē with wormes and so miserably perished Elimas the sorcerer and false Prophete resisted Paules preaching but he therfore was stretght wayes striken blynd thorow the mightye power of God Against the most horible and damnable sinne the synne against the holy ghost IF the Deuill which seketh nothing but thy des◅ruction labour so to harden thy harte that thou contrary to thy knowledge euen of a pretensed wilful malice shouldst impugn the truth of Christs gospel and persecute the same in his menbers and so sinne against the holye ghost and blaspheme the Lorde thy God vnto the damnation both of thy bodye and soule loke that aboue al thinges in this be halfe thou leauest not vnto his wicked temtations if thou ◅enderest thyne owne saluation but rather withal thy power resist him by calling these holye scriptures vnto thy remembraunce Examples out of the olde Testament I will put him oute of the booke that sinneth against me A man that speaketh euill of his God shall beare his sinne and he that blasphemeth the name of the Lorde◅ let him dy◅ the death All the people shall stone him whether he be a citezen or a straūger what soeuer he be that blasphemeth the name of the lord let him dye the death If one man sinneth against another God maye be mercifull vnto him but if a ny manne sinne againste God who shall pray for him The soule that dothe oughte presumt◅ ously whether he be an Israelite or a straū ger the same blasphemeth the lord And that soule shal be rooted out from amonge his people because he hath despised the worde of the Lorde and hath broken his cōmaundemente That soule therfore shal perish and hys sinne shal be vpon him They reioyce in doyng euil and delight in wicked thinges They make boast of theyr sinnes them selues as the Sodomites did and hide thēnot Wo
had lost his sight grudged not aginst god that the plage of blindnes chaunsed vnto him but remained stedfast in the feare of god and thanked God â—…l the dayes of his life Ezechias being warned of God by the Prophet to prepare himselfe vnto deathâ—… death prayed vnto god in the time of hys sicknes and obtained fifteene yeres longer to liue Manasses being afore an Idolatour a maintayner of Idolatry after that god had plagued â—…i euen wheÌ„ he was in tribulatioÌ„ He besoght y e Lord his god humbled him self excedingly before y â— god of his fathers made intercessioÌ„ to him He hard his pray er brought him againe to Ierusalem into hys kingdome Examples out of the new Testament IF any man wil come after me let hi for sake him self take his cros folow me By manye tribulations must we enter into the kingdome of heauen â–ª We reioyce in tribulatioÌ„ for we know that tribulation bringeth experience experience bringeth hope and hope maketh not ashamed If we suffer together we shal be gloryfied together For I suppose that the afflictions of this life ar not worthy of y â— glory which shal be shewed vpon vs. Be patient in tribulation If we liue we liue to be at the lords wil And if we dye we dy at y â— Lords wil whether we liue therfore or dy we are y â— lords While we are punished we are corrected of the Lord lest we shuld with this world be condemned We are not weried but though our ont warde man perishe yet the inwarde man is renewed day by day For our exceading tribulation whiche is shorte and lyghte prepareth an excedinge and euerlastinge weyght of glory vnto vs while we loke not on the thinges whiche are seene but on the thynges that are not seenne For thinges whiche are seene are temporall but things which are not seÌ„e are eternall Reade the fist Chapter of the seconde to the Corinth My strength is made perfect thorowe weaknesse Uery gladlye therfore will I reioyce of my weakenes that the strength of Christe maye dwell in me c. Reade the. 12. chapter to the Hebrues Be pacient aud settle your hartes for the commyng of the Lord draweth nye Take the Prophetes for an example of suffring aduersitie and of long patience whiche spake in the name of the Lorde Be hold we count them happy which endure â—…e haue heard of the patience of Iob and haue knowne what end the Lorde made for the Lord is very pitiful and mercifull The Lord knoweth how to deliuer the godly out of temptacion Examples out of the newe Testament The prodigall sonne before hee was plagued gaue his mind to all kind of riot and vnthriftye rule but after that he was striken with pouertye he knowledged his faulte he submited himself to his fathers wil pleasure and so was receued again into fauour A certayne man after he had bene punished with sicknes for his sin by the space of thirty eight yeares was made whole of Christe There haue bene many good men both in the olde new testament of whom som were racked and woulde not be deliuered that that they might receiue a better resurrection some tasted of mockinges and scourgings some of bondes and emprisonmente some were hewen a sunder were tempted were slayne wyth swoordes walked vp and down in sheues skinnes in goates skins in neede in tribulation and vexatioÌ„ which the world was not worthy of they wandred in wildernes in mountaynes in dens in caues of the earth c. ☞ Against the temptation of the deuel for not satisfiing the lawe of god and for nby sinfull liuinge If Sathan at the houre of death or any other timet would pluck the from thine assuered stedfast faith in Christs bloud and perswade thee that thou art but a dampned wretch forasmuch as thou hast not so trayned thy life that thou hast satisfied the law of God but rather liued wiakedly and therfore deserued euerlasting damnation be on good comfort desâ—… paire not harken not to this wicked suggestions neither haue thou respecte to thy workes deedes which whan they be moste righteous and pure ax as the Prophet saith like a cloth polluted with mâ—… strue if they be coÌ„pared to that puritye and cleanes whiche the law requireth and shoulde be iudged of Gods righteousnes according to their desarts but settle thine eyes stedfast on Christ and his merites consideringe not what thou haste doone but what Christ hath done for thee if thou repent and beleuâ—… and alwayes haue these moste comfortable Scriptures in thy remembrance Sentences out of the olde Testament AL they that put their trust in thee shall not be put io confusion Call to remem braÌ„ce O Lord thy tender mercies and thy louing kindnes which haue bene euer of olde Oh remember not the sins offences of my youth but accordinge vnto thy mercy thincke thou vpon me O Lord for thy goodnes sake Mine eyes are euer looking vnto the Lord for he shal plucke my feete out of the net Because he hath put his trust in me I wil deliuer him I wil defeÌ„d him because he hath knowne my name Reade the. 104. Psalme I know that thou wouldst maliciously offend sayth God Therfore haue I called thee a transgressoure euen from my mothers womb Neuertheles for my names sake I will withdrawe my wrath and it shal be for my honours sake if I patiently forbeare thee and roote thee not out By the knowledge of him whiche is my righteous seruaunte sayth God the father of christ He shal iustefy the multitude forasmuch as he hath borne away theyr sins To know thee O Lord is perfect righte ousnes yea to know thy righteousnes and power is the roote of immortality Examples out of the olde Testament Adam transgressed theÌ„ commaundement of God in Paradise and by his transgression made both hymselfe and all vs bound to eternall dampnation Nohe fell into the sinne of dronkennes Lot was not onelye dronken but also lay with his owne daughters and so committed the greuous sinne of incest Abraham denied his wife Moses committed manslaughter Dauid committed both manslaughter and whoredome Salomon was an idolator All these wyth manye other of the olde Testament were sinners and offended the Lord their God by breaking of his lawes yet for theyr fayth whiche they had in that blessed seede which was so oft promised of God the father euen Iesus Christe they were saued Sentences out of the newe Testament We are not vnder the law but vnder grace The law of the spirite that bringeth life thorow Iesu Christ hath made me free froÌ„ the law of sinne and death Christ is the perfect fulfilling of the lawe to iustefy all that beleue No man is iustefied by the law in the sight of god The iust that is the faithful christian shall
liue by faithe Christ hath deliuered vs from the curse of the lawe whyle he was made accursed for vs. As manye of you as are iustified by the lawe are fallen from grace We loke for and hope in the spirite to be iukified thorowe fayth Christ is our peace he hath broken down the walle that was a stop betwene vs he hath also put awaye thorow his fleshe the cause of hatred that is to say the lawe of commaundementes contained in the lawe written be so making peace hath reconciled vs to God thorow his crosse Christe hath put oute the band wrighting that was agaynst vs contained in the lawe written and that hath he taken out of the way and hath fastned it to his crosse and hathe spoyled rule power and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouor them in his owne person Be it knowne to you ye men and brethren that thorowe this manne Christ Is preached vnto you the forgeuenes of sinnes and that by him all that beleue at iustified from al things from the whiche â—… could not be iustified by the law of Moses Examples out of the new Testament MAthew was a tol gatherer The Apostles were ambicious and did striue amoÌ„g them who should be highest and of greatest authoritye Mary Magdalen was a greuouse sinner Peter denied and forsoke Christ thrise Paule persecuted the congregation of Christe Al these yea and why not transgressed the lawe of God for as Christ sayth Moses hath geuen you a law and yet none of you do fulfil it not with standing for theyr repentance and fayth in Christes bloud they obteyned remission for their sinnes and are made the sonnes of God heires of God felow heyres with christe of euerlastinge glory For if righteousnes come by the lawe then died Christ in vayne but euerlâ—…sting life is y â— gieft of God thorow Iesus Christ our Lord. Against disperation for thy late conuersion and turning vnto God IF Sathan lay to thy charge that thou commest very late and turneste vnto God out of tyme and therefore there is no hope to bee looked 〈◊〉 set these scriptures before thine eyes and euer remember that there is no conuersion vnto God to late in this life â—…f it come of faith but at whatsoeuer houre a sinneâ—… repenteth beleueth and turneth vnto God he is well accepted and freely receiueth remission of all his sinnes ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament Let the vngodly man forsake hys owne wayes and the vnrighteous his owne imaginat ions and turne againe vnto the Lord so shal he be merciful vnto him to our God for he is very ready to forgeue Returne O thou rebel Israel saith the lord and I wil not turne awaye my face from you For I am holy sayth the lord I wil not turne away my face from you For I am holy saith the Lorde and I wyll not be angry for euermore As truely as I liue saith the Lord god I haue no pleasure in the death of the wic ked but much rather that the wicked turne from his way and liue Turne you turne you from youre vngodlye waies O ye of the house of Israell Oh wherefore will ye die The wickednes of the wicked shal not hurt him whensoeuer hee conuerteth from his vngodlines If the wicked shal repente him and turn from al his sins which he hath wroughte and shal kepe all my precepts and do iudg ment and righteousnes he shall liue and shall not dye I will not remember all his iniquities which he hath wronght In his righteousnes which he hath wroght shall he liue It is not my will saith the lorde that the wicked should dye and not rather that he shoulde turne from hys wayes and liue Turne and repent ye from al your iniquities and your iniquityes shall work you no displeasure Cast away from you all youre wickednesse wherein ye haue offended make you a newe hearte and new spirite And wherfore wyl ye die O ye house of Israell For I wyll not that any man should dye sayeth the Lord. Returne therfore and liue Turne to the Lord youre God for he is great and merciful pacient and of much kindnes and redye at all tymes to forgeue yea eueÌ„ wheÌ„ he is at the point to punish At all tymes when a sinner turneth vnto me sayth the lord I wyll no more beare hys iniquityes in my mynde but freely forgeue them God appointeth here no time of our coÌ„ uersion but whensoeuer we turne he pro miseth vs fauour life mercy and forgeuenes of sinne Examples out of the olde Testament After that the Prophete Nathan at the coÌ„maundement of god had rebuked kinge Dauid for his dissolute manner of liuing Dauid strait waies with a sorowful repen taunt hart turned vnto the Lord and huÌ„bly confessed his sinnes saying I haue offended the Lord. The Prophet immediatly answered the Lord also hath put away thy sinne Dauid did not so sone conuerte but that he was as sone forgeuen to signifie vnto vs that at what so euer time wee vnfainedly turne vnto the Lorde our god he will haue mercy on vs and forgeue vs. The Niniuites for theire abhominable liuyng were thretned vtterly to be destroi ed within forty dayes but they falling vnto repentaunce and turning vnto the lord theire GOD were forgeuen spared and not destroyed Sentences out of the new Testament They that are whole haue no nede of a Phisicion but they that are sicke I came not to call the righteous but sinners vnto repentaunce Come vnto me all ye that laboure and are laden and I shall refreshe you Heere Christ prescribeth no time he only biddeth vs come and be the burthens of our sinnes neuer so greuous and heauy yet wyll be ease vs of them The Sonne of man came to seeke and saue that which was lost God wil haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truthe If any man sinneth we haue an aduocate with god the father Iesus Christ y e righte ous one And he it is that obtaineth mercy for our sinnes not for our sinnes onely but for all the worldes Examples out of the new Testament The labourers in the Lordes vineyarde that came last of all receiued their peny sâ—…wel as they that came in the morning nei ther had one more then another The history of the thefe which was ful of wicked deedes and neuer turned vnto God vntil the very houre of his deathe declareth manifestlye that there is no con uersion in this life to late if it be accompanied with true repentaunce and vnfained fayth The thief hanging on the crosse and at the poynt of death onlye sayd to Christ Lorde remenber me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome And Christ wel acceptiÌ„g his conuersion sayd vnto him truly I say vnto thee this day shalt thou be with me
the dead but of the liuing The houre shall come in the whiche all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and shall come forthe they that haue done good vnto y e resurectioÌ„ of life thei y e haue done euel vnto y e resurrectioÌ„ of damnatioÌ„ I know that my brother shall rise again at the latter day God hath raised vp y e Lord and shall raisâ—… vs vp by his power If there be no risinge again from death then is Christ not risen If Christ is not risen then is our preaching vaine your faith is also vaine Read and commend to memory the xv Chapiter of the first to the Corinth The Lord Iesus shall chaunge our vlle bodies that they may be fashioned like vn to his glorious body c. I would not brethern haue yon ignoraÌ„t concerning them which are fallen a slepe that ye sorow not as other do which haue no hope For if we beleue y â— Iesus Christe died rose againe euen so they also which slepe by Iesus wil god bring againe with him Read forth ☞ Examples out of the new Testament CHrist raised from death the daughter of y â— Rular the Son of a certaine widow and Lazarus with many other These are euident examples of our resurrection After Christ had geuen vp the ghoste the graues did open and the bodyes of ma ny Saintes whiche slept arose and came out of y â— graues after his resurrectioÌ„ caÌ„e into the holy citie appeared vnto many Christ rose againe from death the third day accordinge to the scriptures and was sene of Cephas then of the twelue After that he was sene of mo then fiue hundreth brethern at once c S. Peter raised Tabitha from death S. Paule restored vnto life a certaine yong man named Euticus Christe rebuked the Saduces because they beleued not the resurrection of y e ded The Epicures and Stoykes laughed S Paule to scorne when as he at Athens taught the resurrection of the dead But he defended the doctrine Against them that deny the immortalitie of the soule IF Sathan or any of his tempte thee to liue at thy pleasure labouring to perswade the â—…y sophi sticall reasons of carnal imaginations y â— the soul of man is but as the breath of other beastes that after the dissolutioÌ„ of the body it is nothing nether liueth afterward but hath an end with the bodye take hede that thou geuest no place to such wicked and most damnable doctrine but enarme thy selfe a gainst it w t these authorities of the holy Scripture ☞ Sentences out of the olde Testament GOd created man in his owne image in y e image of god created he him male and female created he them The Lord god shope man euen dust froÌ„ the ground and breathed in his nostrels the breathe of life and Adam was made a liuing soule I should vtterly haue fainted but that I beleue verely to sâ—… the goodnes of y e lord in the land of the liuing Like as the harte desireth the water brookes so longeth my soule after thee O god My soule is a thirste for god yea euen for the liuing god when shal I come to ap peare before the presence of god The bodye shal be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came and the spirit that is the soule shall returne vnto God whiche gaue it God made man to be vndestroyed that is to say immortall yea after the image of his own likenes made be him The soules of the righteous are in the hand of God and the pain of death shall not hurt them In the sight of the vnwisethey seme to dy and their end is taken for very destructioÌ„ but they are in rest The hope of the faithful is ful of immortalitie The righteous shall liue for euermore their reward also is w t the Lord and their remembrance with the highest Therfore shall they receiue a glorious kingdome a bewtiful crowne of the Lordes hand Read the third fourth and fift Chapiters of the boke of Wisedome We are the children of holy men and looke for the life whiche God shall geue vnto them that neuer turne their faythe from him Examples out of the olde Testament THe holy scriptur testifieth that Ehore and his complices went downe quicke vnto Hel and the earthe couered them so that they perished By this it is euident that the soules of the wicked are immortall and liue in the paines of hel fire If Saule had not beleued bothe the resurrection of the body and immortalitie of the soule he wold neuer haue gone about to haue had Samuel raised vp When Dauid saw that his childe was dead he wept no more but said I shall go vnto him he shal not come again vnto me Helias prayed for the rasing vp againe vnto life of his hostes Sonne sayinge O Lord my God I beseche thee let the soule of this Childe come into him againe And he reuiued When Tobias was laughed to scorne of his elders and kinssolkes which said vn to him here is thy hope for the which thou hast done almose and buried the dead He rebuked them and sayde say not so for we are the children of holy men and looke for the life which god shall geue vnto theÌ„ that neuer turne their faith from him Againe he prayed vnto god on this ma ner Now O Lorde deale with me according to thy wil and commaund my spirite to be receiued in peace For more expedieÌ„t were it for me to dye than to liue Sentences out of the new Testament FEare not them whiche kil the bodye but are not able to kil the soule But rather feare him whiche is able to destroy both soule and body in hel Ther is no man that hath forsakeÌ„ house eyther father or mother either brethren or wyfe or children for the kingdom of Gods sake which shall not receiue muche more in thys worlde and in the worlde to come lyfe euerlasting Thys is the wyll of hym that sent me that euery one which seeth the sonne and beleueth on him haue euerlasting life and I wyll raise him vp at the last day My shepe heare my voyce and I knowe them and they followe me and I geue vn to them euerlasting lyfe and they shal neuer peryshe neyther shall anye man pluck them oute of my hand I am the resurrection and the lyfe He that beleueth on me yea though he were dead yet shal he liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleueth on me shal neuer dye Let not your hart be troubled Ye beleue in God beleue olso in me In my fathers house are many mansions If it were not so I would haue told you I go to prepare a place for you And if I goe to prepare a place for you I will come agayne and receiue you euen vnto my selfe that where I am
there may ye be also Father I wyl that they which thou hast geuen me be with me where I am that they maye see my glory whiche thou hast geuen me We knowe that if our earthy mansâ—…on of this dwelling were destroyed we haue a building of God an habitation nâ—…t made with handes but euerlasting in heauen Reade forth the Chapter When soeuer Christe our lyfe shall appeare then shall you also appeare with him in glory The lorde hymselfe shall come downe from heauen wyth a shoote and the voyce of the Archaungel and tromp of God And the dead in Christ shall arise first then we whiche shall lyue euen we which shall remayne shal be caught vppe with them also in the clouds to mete y e Lord in the ayre so shal we euer be with the lorde Therefore comfort your selues one another with these wordes The spirite or soule is before God a precious thinge and much set by Christ was killed as pertaning to the flesh but was quickened in the spirit In which spirite he also went and preached vnto the spirites that were in prison c. Here it is manifest that the spirites or soules of men are immortal and liue either in glory or in payne after they be losoned from the body Examples out of the new Testament WHen the Sadâ—…ces denied the resurrec tion of the body and the immortaliti of the soule Christe aunswered theÌ„ saying haue ye not reade what is wrytten I am the God of AbrahaÌ„ the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob He is not the God of the dead but of the liuing By this testimony of the holy scripture Christ declareth that though Abraham Isaac Iacob and al other of the faithful be dead as concerning theyr bodyes yet their soules liue with God and are immortall The history of the pore maÌ„ Lazarus of the rich vnmercifull gloton proueth euidentlye that the soules dye not with the body nor yet slepe vntil the day of iudgement as the vngodly Anabaptists dream nether are they cast into purgatory as the papistes teach but that the soules of the faythfull goe immediatly after their departure from the body vnto eternal glory and the soules of the vnfaythfull vnto euerlasting damnation so that the soules of al men are immortall and liue for euer either in heauen or in hel in glory or in payne The parable of the vnrighteous steward setteth forthe also the immortality of the soule as these words of Christ do declare Make you frends sayth he of the wicked Mammon that when ye shal depart hence they may receiue you into euerlastig dwel ling places The soule came agayne to the widowes son to the rulers doughter to Lazarus to them that after Christes resurrection came out of their graues to Dorâ—…s to Eu tichus c. Which thing declareth maâ—…festlye that the soule dyeth not with the bo dy but stil liued and remayned immortall The thiefe that hanged one the crosse with Christ sayde vnto him Lord remember me when thou shalte come into thy kingdome Christe aunswered verelye I saye vnto thee this daye shalt thou be with me in paradise The body of the thiefe dyed shortly after and was committed to the earth The soule of the thiefe was in paradise with Christ. The soule therfore liueth and remaineth immortall or els muste Christ be a liar But let God be true and all heretikes liars Sainct Stephen being at the pointe of death prayed saying lorde Iesu take my spirite Sainct Paule wisshed to be losoned out of his bodye and to bee with Christ. I saw vnder the aulter saith Sainct Iohn the souls of them that wer killed for the word of God and for the testimony whiche they had and they cried with a loude voyce saiing howe long tariest thou O lord bolye and true to iudg and to auenge our bloud on them that dwel on the earth and longe white garmentes were geuen vnto euery one of them And it was sayde vnto them that they should rest for a little season vntyll the number of their felowes and brethren and of them that should be killed as they were were fulfilled ¶ Of the glory of heauen and of euerlasting lyfe IF Sathan go forth to tempt thee that thou mightest lose the inheritance of the kingdome of god and say vnto thee that thou art a sinner an abhominable liuer and therfore thy faith is frustrate and thy hope vain in loking for the glory of heauen for God is a righteous Iudge and rewardeth euery man according to his deedes and merites let all these his craftyâ—… assaultes nothinge moue or abashe thee but call to thy remembraunce and beleeue stedfastlye that the heauenlye kingdome is not geuen thee for thy merites and desartes for so shouldest thou receiue nothing but eternal dampnation but for the promises which god the father hath made thee in Christes bloud if thou repent beleue Therfore cast away that rightousnes which the hypocrites chalenge by their good works and lay handes on that which commeth by faith of Iesus Christe so canst thou not be deceiued so can sathan win nothyng at thy hande so can it not but come to pas that thou shalt enioy the glory of heauen thorowe Christe Iesu. And that thou mayest doubt nothinge in this behalfe imprint these sentences and examples of the holy â—… scripture diligeÌ„tly and earnestly in thy minde ☞ Examples out of the olde Testament THe Lord hath saued me because it was his pleasure Prayse the Lorde O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy name Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefites which forgeueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities which saueth thy life from destructioÌ„ and crowneth the with mercy and louing kindnesse They that put their trust in me shall inherite the land and possesse my holy hil Thy damnation O Israel came of thy selfe but thy saluation commeth of me Examples out of the olde Testament That princelye Prophet Dauid being thorowly perswaded that the inheritance of the glory of heauen and the possession of euerlasting life is the free gift of god thorow Iesus Christe and is denied to none although neuer so sinful and wretched if they repent being nothing appalled with his former sinful liuig as though y â— shuld pluck him from the inheritaunce of the heuenly kingdome knew what blessed felicitie and ioyful quietnes the soules of the faithful do enioy after their departure froÌ„ the bodyes lamented he caried so longe in this vale of misery and no lesse feruently desired to come and appeare before the face of god than the thirstye harte desireth to come to the water brookes The godly auncient Tobye knowinge gods exceeding great liberalitie in the gift of euerlastinge quietnes after the humble submission of him self vnto the Lorde hys god wyshed rather to dy than to lyue and beseched god that hys spyryte might be receiued in