ignorant in no pointe of those thinges which Adam had taught Noe dyeth which is maruell to be tolde and yet very true in the. 59. yere of Abrahams age Sem the sonne of Noah liued many yeares with his father For he liued in all 600. yeres He was borne to Noah about 96. yeres before the deluge He sawe and heard therfore not onely his father Noe and his grandfather Lamâ—ch but also his great grand siar Methusalem with whome he liued those 96. yeres before the deluge Of him he might be informed of all those thinges whiche Methusalem had hearde and learned of Adam and the other Patriarches Sem dieth after the death of Abraham in the. 52. yeare of Iacob which was 37. yeares after the death of Abraham in the. 112. yeare of Isaac his age So that Iacob the Patriarch might very well learne all the true diuinitie of Sem him self euen as he had heard it of Methusalem who was the thirde witnesse and teacher from Adam Furthermore Iaacob the Patriarch deliuered to his childreÌ„ that which he receiued of God to teach to his posteritie In Mesopotamia there is borne to Iaacob his sonne Leui and to him againe is born Kahad whiche both sawe and hearde Iaacob For Kahad liued no small number of yeares with his grandfather Iaacob For he is rehearsed in the roll of them which went with Iaacob downe into Egypt but Iaacob liued 17. yeares with his children in Egypt This Kahad is the grandfather of Moses the father of Amram from whom Moses did perfectly draw that ful and certain tradition by hand as concerning the will commaundements and iudgements of God euen as Amram his father had learned theÌ„ of his father Kahad Kahad of Iaacob Iaacob of Sem Sem of Methusalem and of Adam the first father of vs all so nowe that Moses is from Adam the seuenth witnesse in the worlde And from the beginning of the worlde to the byrth of Moses are fully complete 2368. yeares of the worlde And who so euer shall diligently reckon the yeres not in vaine set downe by Moses in Genesis and Erodus he shall find this account to be true and right Now also it behoueth vs to know those chiefe principles of that liuely tradition deliuered by the holy fathers at the appointment of God as it were from hande to hande to all the posteritie The fathers taught their children that God of his naturall goodnesse wishing well to mankind woulde haue all men to come to the knowledge of the trueth and to be like in nature to God him selfe holy happie and absolutely blessed And therefore that God in the beginning did create man to his owne similitude and likenesse to the intent that he should be good holy immortal blessed and partaker of all the good gifts of God but that man continued not in that dignitie and happie estate but by the meanes of the deuill and his owne proper faulte fell into sinne miserie and death changing his likenesse to God into the similitude of the deuill Moreouer that God here againe as it were of freshe began the worke of saluation wherby mankind being restored and set free from all euill might once againe be made like vnto God and that he meant to bring this mightie and diuine worke to passe by a certain middle meane that is by the worde incarnate For as by this taking of flesh he ioyned man to God so by dying in the fleshe with sacrifice he cleansed sanctified and deliuered mankinde and by giuing him his holy spirit he made him like againe in nature to God that is immortall and absolutely blessed And last of all he worketh in vs a willing indeuour aptly to resemble the propertie and coÌ„ditions of him to whose likenesse we are created so that we maye be holy bothe body and soule They added moreouer that the word should be incarnate in his due time and appointed age And also that there did remaine a greate daye for iudgement wherein though all men were gathered together yet the rightuous onely shoulde receiue that reward of heauenly immortalitie So theÌ„ this is the brief summe of the holy fathers tradition whiche it is best to vntwist more largely and to speake of it more diligently as it were by parts First therefore the fathers taught that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are one God in the moste reuerend Trinitie the maker and gouernour of heauen and earth and all things whiche are therein by whome man was made and who for man did make all things and put all things vnder mankind to minister vnto him things necessarie as a louing father and most bountiful Lorde Then they taught that man consisted of soule and body and that he in déede was made good according to the image and likenesse of God but that by his owne faulte and egging forwarde of the deuill falling into sinne he brought into the worlde death and damnation together with a webbe of miseries out of whiche it can not ridde it selfe So that nowe all the children of Adam euen from Adam are borne the sonnes of wrath and wretchednesse But that God whose mercy aboundeth according to his incomprehensible goodnesse taking pitie on the miserie of mankinde did euen of his méere grace graunt pardon for the offence and did laye the weight of the punishment vpon his only sonne to the intent that he when his heele was crushed by the Serpent might him self breake the Serpents heade That is to say God doth make a promise of seed that is of a sonne who taking fleshe of a péerelesse woman I meane that Virgine most worthy of commendations should by his death vanquishe death and Sathan the authour of death and shoulde bring the faythfull sonnes of Adam out of bondage yea and that more is shuld by adoption make them the sonnes of God and heires of life euerlasting The holy fathers therefore taught to beléeue in God and in his son the redéemer of the whole world when in their very sacrifices they did represent his death as it were an vnspotted sacrifice wherwith he ment to wipe away and cleanse the sinnes of all the worlde And therefore had they a most diligent eye to the stocke and lineall descent of the Meschias For it is brought down as it were by a line from Adam to Noe and from Noe by Sem euen to Abraham him selfe and to him againe it was sayde In thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed in which wordes the promise once made to Adam as touching Christe the redeemer and chaunger of Gods curse into blessing is renewed and repeated againe The same line is brought downe from Abraham by Isaac vnto Iacob and Iacob being ful of the spirit of God pointed out his sonne Iuda to be the roote of the blessed séede as it is to be séene in 49. of Genesis Lastly in the tribe of Iuda the house of Dauid was noted out of which
that thing that pleaseth God the loue I meane of true religion and the vtter detesting of idolatrie that they are madde vpon and persecute it with swoorde fire and vnspeakable torments To this therefore doeth that saying of Sainct Peter belong See that none of you be punished as a murtherer or as a theefe or as an euill doer or as a busie bodie in other mennes matters but if any man suffer as a Christian man let him not be ashamed but rather glorifie God on this behalfe Yet for all this I would not that heynous offendours should any whit despaire They haue the example of the théefe that was crucified with Christ that let them follow let them I saye confesse their faultes beléeue in Christ commit themselues wholie to his grace mercie and lastly suffer patiently the paine of their punishment and in so doing there is no doubt but they shal be receyued of Christe into Paradise and liue there for euer as the théefe doth with Christ And although the godly be slame amonge transgressours yet is â—ée no more defiled by suffeâ—ing with them than Christ ouâ— Lord was being hanged amonge theeues For though the godly and vngodly be wrapped and coupled together in one kinde of punishment yet are they seuered by their vnlike ending while the wicked after this bodily death is carried to hell there to burne without intermission and the godly taken immediately into heauen to liue with Christe his Lord to whom he committed and commended himselfe Touching this matter and the causes of the afflictions of the holy men of God I wil not be agreeued to recite vnto you dearely beloued a notable place of S. Augustine out of his first booke de ciuitate Dei. Wheresoeuer sayth hée good men doe suffer the same and like punishment that the euil sort do it is to be marked that there is not therefore no difference betwixt them because there is no diuersitie in the thing that they suffer For as in one and that same fire gold doth shine and chaffe doeth smoke and vnder one flayle the huske is broken and the corne purged and as the scummy froath is not mixed with the oyle althoughe one weight of the same presse doth crush both out at once euen so one and the selfe same miserie falling vppon the good and the badd doth trie fine and melt the good and on that otherside condemne wast consume the euill sort Whereupon it commeth to passe that in one and the same affliction the euill doe detest and blaspheme the Lord when contrarily the good doe praye vnto and praise his name for all that he layeth vpon them So much matter maketh it in afflictions to mark not what but with what minde euery man doeth suffer For stirre vp durt and sweete oyntments alike you shall haue the one stincke filthily and the other cast forth a swéete smelling sauour Therfore in that hurlie burlie and irruption made by the barbarous people what did the Christians suffer which was not rather to their profite while they did faithfully coÌ„sider those troubles especially because they humbly considering the sinnes for which God being wroth did fil the world with so many and great calamities although they be farre from committing heynous gréeuous and outragious offences doe yet neuerthelesse not repute themselues so cleare of all faultes as that they iudge not themselues worthie to suffer temporal calamities for the crimes they commit euery houre and moment For ouer and besides that euery man which liueth peraduenture laudably enoughe doeth in some pointes yéeld a little to carnall concupiscence although not to y outragiousnes of horrible sinnes to the goulfe of heynous offences and abhominable iniquities yet notwithstanding he yéeldeth to some sinnes which eyther he haunteth verie séeldomely or else committeth so much the oftener as they are the lesser Ouer and besides this therefore I say what man is there which when hée séeth and knoweth very well the men for whose pride lasciuious liues couetousnes and damnable iniquitie God as he hath threatened doeth plague the earth doeth so estéeme them as they are to be thought of and liue so with them as he ought to liue wyth such kinde of people For often times many thinges are wickedly dissembled while wicked doers are not taught corrected chidden and admonished of their euil behauiours either because we thinke the paine to much to tell them their faults or while we are afrayd to haue the heauie lookes of them with whom we liue or else auoyde their displeasure least peraduenture they should hinder or hurte vs in temporall matters when as either our gréedinesse desireth to haue somewhat more or oure infirmitie feareth to lose y things which it hath alreadie in hold and possession so that althoughe the life of the wicked displease the good for which cause they fall not into the same damnation which is after this life prepared for the euill yet since they doe therefore beare with and forbeare their damnable sinnes because they feare them in lighter and smaller trisâ—es they are iustly scourged wyth them in this temporall life albeit they be not punished with them eternallie While they bee punished by God with the wicked they doe iustly féele the bitternesse of this life for the loue of whose swéetenesse they would not be bitter in telling the wicked of their offences This therfore séemeth to me to be no smal cause why the good are whipped wyth the euill when it pleaseth God to punish the naughtie manners of men with the affliction of temporal paynes For they are scourged together not forbecause they lead an euil life together but because they loue this temporall life together I doe not say alike but together when the better sort ought to despise it that the euill being rebuked and corrected might obteyne the eternall life to the getting wherof if they would not be oure fellowes and parteners they should be caried louingly drawne euen while they be oure enimies because so longe as they liue it is alwayes vncertaine whether their minds shal be changed to bee better or no. Wherfore they haue not the like but a farre greater cause to admonishe men of their faultes to whome the Lord sayth by the mouth of the Prophete He verilie shall die in his sinne but his bloud will I require at the hand of the watchman For to this ende are the watchmen that is the guides of the people ordeyned in the Churches that they should not forbeare to rebuke sinne and wickednesse And yet for all this that man is not altogether excusable of this fault which although hée be no guide or ouerseeâ— of the people deeth notwithstanding knowe many thinges worthie controllment yet winck at them in those with whome he lyueth and is coÌ„uersant because he will giue them none offence for feare least hée loose those thinges which in this world hée vseth as hée ought not or is delighted in so as hee should not And so forth For
many peculiar things done in the scripture out of which if any man shal go about to draw general things coÌ„moÌ„ laws he shal bring in absurdities innumerable What if Moses in the same place doeth only describe the déed of his wife moued there vnto by anger and displeasure not for religions sake to performe the ministerie vnto God For she grudging against her husbaÌ„d yea against God tooke the foreskin of her sonne which was cut away caste it at his Father her husbandes féete not without reproche saying A bloudy husband art thou vnto me As if you should say Ich habb woll ein bluotigmann an dirr And though the Angel was appeased with Moses because he séemed to allow the déed of the woman as wel pleasing God yet that is more to bee imputed to the mercie of god rather thaÌ„ to the righteousnes of the womans déede It did grieuously displease God that Dauid had staine Vrias moreouer had taken Béersabe to him selfe to wife yet of his goodnesse and singular mercie hee vouchsafed to call Solomon who was born of Beersabe by this name Iedidia because the Lord loued him so the gratious Lord is also reconciled with Moses who either by his owne negligence or through the fault of his Madianitish wife lingered circumcisioÌ„ in the bodie â—f their sonne against the law longer than was méet is coÌ„tent with taketh in good part the circumcision which the womaÌ„ performed rather of indignatioÌ„ thaÌ„ for religion yet he wil not that after her as a perfect example other women shuld circuÌ„cise But you say by baptisme ministred by a woman the perill of death or eternal daÌ„nation was to be preuented into which the infant falleth if he depart this world without babtisme My answer is When thâ— infant being newly deliuered out of his mothers wombe departeth with too too spéedie deathe so that the Parentes can not thoughe they would neuer so feigne bring him to bee baptised of the minister of the Churche this pinche of necessitie truely is not to the damnation or death of the Infante because hee being receiued into the couenant by the grace of God is deliuered from death through the bloud of the sonne of god We are not destitute of testimonies of scripture duly seruing in this behalfe In the lawe it was not lawfull to circumcise an Infante before the eighth day but it is certeine that verie many departed out of this worlde before the eighth day yet in the meane while if any manchilde had departed the thirde or fourth day after his birthe no condemnation was imputed vnto him For otherwise Dauid a verie sound man in religion and one that loued his children déerely and one verie desirous of the saluation of his housholde when his childe was dead whiche was begotten and borne vnto him of Beersabe coulde not haue shewed himselfe so cherefull to his courtiers to whome among other thinges he said that he shoulde goe vnto the dead childe to witte into the land of the liuing If it were no danger vnto women children to die vncircumcised for they without circumcision were saued neither verily shall it be damnable for men children being not baptised to die at the point of necessitie For we haue otentimes saide the holy baptisme entred tooke the place of circumcision Hitherto perteine the testimonies out of the law the prophetes In the law the Lord protesteth more than once that he hath a moste certeine care regarde of infants In Ionas he expressely professeth that he hath a consideration and a respect of those that are not yet come to the yeares of discretion For the Lorde spared the most famous citie of Niniue partely for their sakes Thou saist These testimonies of the olde testament perteine nothing to vs which liue vnder the new testament I aunswer That God after the comming of Christe in the fleash is not more rigorous vnto vs than he was before Christes comming For if it were so what should we say else but that Christe came not to fulfill but to weaken and abolishe the promises of GOD since that in times past amonge them of olde the grace and the promise were effectuall in necessitie withoute the signe but now among vs béeing without the signe they begin to be voide of no force Wherefore I trusting to Gods mercie and his true and vndoubted promise beléeue that infants departing out of this world by too tâ—â— timely death before they can be baâ—â—â—sed are saued by the méere mercie of God in the power of his trueth and promise through Christe who saieth in the Gospel Suffer little ones to come vnto me for of suche is the kingdome of God. Againe It is not the will of my father whiche is in Heauen that one of these little ones should perish For verily GOD who cannot lye hath said I am thy God and the God of thy seede after thee Wherevpon Sainte Paule also affirmeth that they are borne holy which are begotten of holie parents not that of flesh and bloud any holie thing is borne For that which is borne of the fleash is fleashe but because that holinesse and separation from the coÌ„mon seed of men is of promise and by the right of the couenaunt For we are all by nature and naturall birth borne the sonnes of wrathe death and damnation But Paul attributeth a speciall priuiledge to the children of the faithfull wherewith by the grace of God they which by nature were vncleane are purified So the same Apostle in an other place doeth gather holy braunches of an holy roote And againe elsewhere sayeth If by the sinne of one many be deade much more the grace of God and the gyft of Grace whiche is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many And therefore Augustine doubted not to say As all which die die no otherwise but in Adam euen so all that are made aliue are not made aliue but in Christe And vpon this whosoeuer shal say vnto vs that any in the resurrection of the dead can be made aliue otherwise than in christ he is to be abhorred detested as a coÌ„mon plague of Christian faith Ad Hiero. epi. 28. They obiecte By this meanes the vse of baptisme is made void quite taken away Yea Pelagianisme is sprung vp againe which with so greate trauell S. Aug. with many other learned and holie men beate downe kept vnder He falsely spake that said The soule whose fore-skin is not circumcised shal be cut off froÌ„ his people because he hath brokeÌ„ my couenant He falsely spake that said Verily verily I say vnto you Except a man be borne of water and of the spirite he cannot enter into the kingdome of God. For if these sayinges be true children not baptised truly the sequele is that they dying without baptisme are not saued I aunswere that I weaken holy baptisme by no meanes muche lesse take it quite away when I
men that wittingly and willingly without all shame commit adulterie To Abimelech king of the Philiftines the Lord doth saye Loe thou shalt die because of the woman which thou hast taken away from hir husband And yet this king also had taken away Sara not knowing that shée was Abrahams wife Ioseph being prouoked to adulterie by his maisters wife doth simplie saye How should I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Euery word here doth beare some weight For adulterie is an heynous sinne Wherevpon in the booke of Iob we find these woords of Iob himselfe If mine heart haue bene deceiued by a woman or if I haue layde waite at my neighbours doore then let my wife bee an other mans harlot and let other men haue to doe with her For this is a wickednesse and sinne that is worthie to bee iudged to death Yea it is a fire that vtterlie should consume and roote oute all mine increase Iob sayth that hée hath not onely not committed adulterie but that hée hath not so much at any time as once giuen the attempt to defile an other mans wife Hée confesseth that adulterie is a sinne and so greeuous an offence that it doth deserue to haue the adulterers wife to be defiled with adulterie He addeth that adulterie is a fire that vtterly consumeth and deuoureth all thinges and lastly that it is a sinne to bée iudged and punished by death Moreouer Solomon the wisest of all men saith May a man take fire in his bosome and his cloathes not be brent Or can one go vppon hoat coales and his feete not be brent Euen so he that goeth in to his neighbours wife and toucheth hir cannot be vnguiltie Men doe not vtterly despise a theefe that stealeth to satisfie his soule when hee is hungrie But if he may be gotten hee restoreth againe seuen times as much or else he maketh recompence with all the substaunce of his house But whoso committeth adulterie with a woman hee lacketh vnderstanding and hee that doth it destroyeth his owne soule He getteth himselfe a plague and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer bee put out For the iealosie and wrath of the man will not be intreated neither accepteth he the person of any mediatour nor receiueth any giftes howe great soeuer they bee In these words of Solomon many thinges are to bée noted First as it cannot otherwyse bée but that fire must burne the garment wherein it is carried so no man can cōmit adulterie without damage and daunger of further punishmente Secondarilie comparison is made betwirte a théefe and an adulterer not that theft is thereby defended but because théeues although they be infamous doe seeme yet to sinne a greate deale lesse than adulterers doe For a théefe may make satisfaction by restoring the worth of the thing that hée stoale to him from whole hée stoale it away but for adulterie no amendes can bee made And what is hée that would not rather wish to haue théeues ransacke his chest and take away his substaunce than to haue his wife his dearling defiled with adulterie Moreouer Solomon calleth the adulterer madde and without vnderstanding Adulterie is iudged to be a sinne worthie of death endlesse infamie For the Lord in the lawe doth not say onely Thou shalt not commit adulterie But in an other place also goeth on addeth And he that cōmitteth adulterie with an other mans wife euē hee that cōmitteth adulterie with his neighbours wife let both the adulterer and the adultresse bee slaine Leuit 20. And this punishment of adulterie by death was not abrogated or chaunged by the very Gentiles For the Romane lawe called Lex Iulia is very well knowne how it commaunded adulterers to bee put to death Which lawe was of force in the time of S. Hierome as wée may gather by the Historie which hée wrate of an adultresse at the chopping off of whose head seuen stroakes were giuē Neither is it meruaile vndoubtedly that adulterie was amonge them of olde and is yet at this day according to the lawes to be punished by death For vppon that one many sinnes do depēd First of al the adulterer is a periured man For hée hath broaken and violated the faith which he gaue openly before God and the face of the congregation by calling to witnesse the most holie and reuerend Trinitie when the minister of Christe did solemnise the marriage and couple him to his wife by geuing hand in hand Secondarily the adulterer hath committed thefte and robberie For whē the adultresse doth make her body common to an other man then doth shée set to sale defile and marre not her owne but her husbandes body Thirdly bastardes borne in adulterie doe often times enioy an equall parte of inheritaunce with that right begottē children Which cannot be without great wrong done to the lawfull heyres and legitimate ofspring For they are against al right robbed of their due inheritance wher of an equall portion is giuen to him to whom by lawe no parcel is due Lastly beside all these innumerable mischiefes doe spring of adulterie Since therefore that it is a serpente with so many heades both the lawes of God and men do rightly punish adulterers with losse of life But some iollie fellowes there are forsooth that of adulterie do make but a sport They are persuaded that Dauids adulterie doeth make on their side and that place of scripture where wée read that the Lord was fauourable to the adultresse that was taken euen as the déede was in doing Whie doe not these merrie conceipted men cōsider how seuerely the Lord did punish Dauid for that offēce The bloudie house of Dauid was immediately after defiled with filthie inceste For Amnon doth perforce defloure his sister Thamar And streightway vppon the necke of that againe his house is defamed by most cruell parricide while Absalom in a banquet murdered his brother Amnon The verie same Absalom also Dauids sonne defileth or deflowreth his fathers wyues and that openly too laying al feare of God and shame aside Hée driueth his father out of his kingdome and hasteneth on to shorten his dayes Al which calamities Dauid confesseth that hee doth worthily susteine for the adulterie and murther by him committed Lastly many thousands of his people are slaine in the batteile Dauid himself is hardly and with much adoe restoared to his kingdome and afterward being restored hée repented his sinne all dayes of his life Nowe it is meruaile if adulterers consideringe these punishments will goe on yet to alledge the example of Dauid in defence of their naughtinesse Our sauiour did not come into the world to be a iudge but a Sauiour neither did he in any place vsurpe take to himself the right of the sword Who therfore will make any meruayle at it to sée the adultresse not to be condemned by him to be stoned to death Yet hée said Hath no man condemned thee as if he minded not to haue resisted the lawe
Ghostes meaning is not to haue such an order of life obserued as these people do deuise but that euery man should gouerne well his owne house and familie relieue the brethrens necessitie according as his abilitie will suffer and beare To this end also do other places belong 1. Timothe 5. Titus 2. 1. Thessal 4. 2. Thessal 3. And when in all his Epistles almost he prescribeth to parents and children to housbands and wiues to maisters and seruauntes their office and dueties what doth he else but teach how to order our houses families thus much thus farre What may be saide of that more ouer that many wealthie men in the Gospell are reported to haue béene worshippers of God Ioseph of Arimathea which buried the Lord after hée was crucified is said to haue bene a wealthie man a disciple of Christ also The women were welthie which folowed the Lord from Galile and ministred to him and his disciples of their goods substance The gelded treasorer of Quéene Candace was a welthie man Tabitha of Ioppa whoÌ„ Peter raysed from death to life was rich and spent her substance fréely vppon poore and néedie people Lydia the seller of purple was wealthie too and innumerable more who were both godly and faithful people Wheras the Lord therefore did say to the younge man If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell that which thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and come and folowe mee that is no generall lawe or simple doctrine belonging to all men but is a demonstration onely to shew that the yonge man to whom he spake had not yet so perfectly fulfilled the lawe as he thought verily that he had dâ—n for hee thought hée had done all and that nothing was wanting For the younge man sett more by his goods then hée did by God and the voyce of Gods commaundement For he departed sadly and did not as the Lord had bidden him and thereby declared that hée had not yet fulfilled the lawe Moreouer wée may out of other places gather that the Lord did not casâ—e downe his disciples to miserie and beggarie Neither was Paul the Apostle ashamed to make lawes for riche men and to prescribe an order howe they ought to behaue themselues To them that be riche sayth he â–ª in this world giue charge that they bee not highe minded nor trust in vncertaine riches but in the lyuing God which giueth vs abundantly al thinges to enioy that they do good that they bee riche in good woorkes that they be ready to giue glad to distribute laying vp in stoare for them selues a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold vppon eternall life Hereunto belong the admonitions of our Sauiour who sayth Yee cannot serue God mammon at once Againe Riches are thornes that choake the seede of the word of God. And againe Verilie I say vnto you a riche man shal hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen It is easier for a Camel to goe throughe the eye of a needle than for a rich maÌ„ to enter into the kingdome of God. And as the mindes of wealthie men are not vtterly to be discouraged and driuen to desperation as thoughe it were impossible for them to be saued so are they to be admonished of the imminente perills least peraduenture they sléepe securely ouer their riches beeing seduced by Satan to abuse their wealthe when as in déede they ought rather to vse it after the rule of the Apostle which I did euen nowe recite The Gangresian Synode a verie auncient Counsell verily condemned them which taughte That faithfull riche men could haue no hope to bee saued by the Lord vnlesse they did renounce and forsake all the good that they did possesse S. Augustine enrolleth and reckoneth the Apostoliques in his Catologue or beadrowe of heretiques They taking arrogantly this name to themselues did not admitte into their companie any of them which vsed the fellowshipp of their owne wiues or had in 〈◊〉 any proper substaunce â–ª 〈…〉 they therfâ—â—e 〈…〉 because seperating themselues from the Church they thincke that they haue no hope to be saued which vse and enioy the things that they themselues lacke They are like vnto the Encratites and are called also by the name of Apotactites Touching riches they of themselues verily are not euill but the good giftes of God It is the abuse that makes them euil But for the vse of them I wil speake hereafter Here followeth nowe the treatise of the getting of wealth and riches which bée necessarie for the maintenance of our liues and families Touching the getting whereof there is a large discourse among our Lawyers For they say that goods are gotten by the lawe of Nations and by the peculiar lawe of euery particular countrie By the lawe of Nations as by Preuention in possession by captiuitie by finding by byrth by casting vp of water by chaunging the kinde by increase in bondage by mixture by building planting sowing tilling in a ground frée from possession and by deliuerie By the peculiar lawe of euery particular countrie as by continuaunce of possession by prescription by giuing by will by legacie by feoffment by succession by challenge by purchase of all which particularly to speake it would bée a labour too tedious and for you to heare dearely beloued litle profitable That therefore which wée are to saye wée will frame to the manners and customes of oure age and wée will vtter that which shall tend to our auaile Principally and before all thinges wee must close and shutt vpp an euill eye least wee bee carried away with too much concupiscence and desire The light of the body saith oure Sauiour Christe in the Gospell is the eye If therefore thine eye be single thine whoale body shal be lightened but if thine eye bee euill thy body shal bee all darcke The minde of man béeing indued with faith and not infected with concupiscences and naughtie lustes doth giue light to all thinges that hée shall take in hand goe about and doe but if his mind bée corrupt and vncleane then shall his déedes sauour also of corruption and vncleannesse Wherfore faith and an vpright conscience must subdue and beate downe too muche concupiscence and couetousnesse which take their originall and roote from distruste making vnholie and vncleane al the counsells of man all his thoughtes all his woordes and déedes And that wée may be able and of force sufficieÌ„t to captiuate bring them into subiection necessarie it is that the Grace of Christe assiste vs which euery godly minded man and woman doeth aske of God with godly and faithfull prayers Béehoofull it is that wée alwayes set before our eyes and haue déepely grauen in our heartes the doctrine of our Sauiour Christ touching these and the instruction also of his holie Apostles which is not so much but it may bée well borne away Wée will therefore rehearse vnto
and gouernour of al thinges and Abraham with al his séede that is with all the faithfull of what nation or countrie soeuer they bée For so doth the Apostle expounde the séede of Abraham especially in his Epistle to the Galathians where hee saith If ye be Christes then are ye the seede of Abraham and heires by promise The time howe long this league should indure is eternall and without ende or terme of time For although in the renuinges or declarations of the league many things were added which afterwarde did vanish away especially when Christ was come in the fleshe yet notwithstanding in the substantiall and chiefest poyntes ye can finde nothing altered or chaunged For God is alwayes the God of his people he doth alwayes demaunde and require of them faithfull obedience as may moste euidently bee perceiued in the newe testament For there are two poyntes or especiall conditions conteined in this league The first whereof declareth what God doth promise and what hee will doe for his confederates I meane what wee maye looke for at his handes The seconde comprehendeth the duetie of man which he doth owe to God his confederate and souereigne Prince Therefore God for his parte sayeth I will bee thy God and Saddai that is thy fulnesse and sufficiencie I will I say be thy God and the God of thy séede after thée God of him selfe is wholly sufficient to moste absolute perfectnesse and blessednesse neither néedeth hee the helpe of any other since whatsoeuer is in any place wheresoeuer it is both of him hath abyding by him God alone sufficeth man and bee alone is the giuer of all that men desire or doth belong to perfect felicitie And therefore Saturnus peraduenture by occasion of the worde Saddai tooke his name among the heathen and signifieth to suffice or satisfie For he alone is able to satisfie or suffice all who is him selfe verye fulnesse and sufficiencie it selfe But nowe God sheweth by two argumēts that he will bee the sufficiencie or all in all to the séede of Abraham For first he saith To thy seede wil I giue the lande of Chanaan In which promise he comprehendeth all earthly bodily benefites to wite greate wealth felicitie tranquillitie abundaunce of all thinges health glorie notable victories and whatsoeuer else perteineth to the preseruation temporall happinesse of mankinde Nowe howe he did perfourme this promise to the séede of Abraham the holie scripture doth declare by that meanes teaching that the verie true God was the God of Abrahams seed as he had promised to their father Abraham Secondarily he promiseth the séede wherein all the nations of the earth were to bee blessed to witt Christ the Sauiour whome he had promised to Adam many yeares before To blesse is to enriche with al spirituall benediction wherein hee comprehendeth all the spirituall giftes of God the forgiuenesse of sinnes the reuiuing of life and glorie euerlasting To blesse also is to take away a cursse so that this promise of Gods to Abraham is all one with that which he made to Adam saying The seede of the woman shal treade downe the Serpents head For the head of the olde Dragon is nothing else but the power and kingdome of Satan His power is the cursse sinne and death Therefore when his head is crushed or troaden downe the cursse is takē away and in sted of the cursse succéedeth a blessing By this I saye hee doth declare that he will bee the God of Abraham and of his séede The second condition of the league betwixt God and man prescribeth to man what he must do and howe hee must behaue him selfe towarde God his confederate souereigne Prince Walke before mee saith God to man and be vpright Now they walke before God which do direct all their life woordes and woorkes according to the wil of god His will is that we should bee vpright That vprightnesse is gotten by faith hope and charitie in which thrée are conteined all the offices of the Sainctes which are the friendes and confederates of the Lorde Therefore this latter condition of the league doth teach the confederates what to doe and howe to behaue themselues before the Lord to wite to take him for their God to sticke to him alone who is their onely all in all to call vppon him alone to worshippe him alone and through his Messiah to looke for sanctification life euerlasting These were the cōditions of the couenant to whiche the number of ceremonies were not added in Abrahams time which afterwarde were giuen to the Israelites vnder the leading of their Capteine Moses To this confederacie the Lord did adde circumcision as a signe or seale to confirme it withall Seales are put to writings for an effectual force and confirmations sake The tables or writinges do conteine and giue euidence of all the points of the whole league Circumcision therefore is added to the league in stéede of the writing and also of the seale and for that cause circumcision is called the league it selfe euen as the writinges or letters of couenants among vs are commonly called the verie couenant whē as in déede they are nothing else but the euidences of the league which conteine in writing al the order of the confederacie and confirme it with a seale It is verie vsuall that the signes do take the names of the thinges which they do signifie so that it is no meruayle though circumcision be called the league when as in déede the league is not the cutting of the skin but the communion of fellowshippe which wee haue with God. In the seuentéenth of Genesis thus saith the Lorde touching this signe of outwarde circumcision This is my couenaunt which ye shall keepe betwixt mee and you and thy seede after thee Euery male shal be circūcised among you Ye shal circumcise the fleshe of your foreskinne and it shal be for a signe of the couenant betwixt mee and you c. Lo here circumcision in these woordes of the Lordes is first named the couenaunt and afterwarde for expositions sake it is called the signe of the couenaunt In the same sense doth Sainct Stephan call it a testament in the seuēth Chapter of the Acts when he meant that it was the signe or seale of the Testament Moreouer the manner of circumcision is declared Ye shal saith God circumcise the flesh of your foreskin For there is a skinne which doth incompasse couer and hang somewhat ouer the nut or forepart of a mannes yarde and that skinne is called the fleshe of the foreskinne because it doth appeare or hang before the rest This skinne did they cutt away with a knife made of stone and did make bare the topp or nutt of the manchildes priuie member The cutting or taking away of the fleshe was called circumcision But nowe whose office it was to cut that skinne away we finde not expressed It appeareth that the moste honourable in euery house or familie I meane the
which Image as the Apostle expoundeth it was a conformitie and participation of Gods wisedome iustice holinesse trueth integritie innocencie immortalitie and eternall felicitie Therefore what else can the blotting or wiping out of this Image bée but originall sinne that is the hatred of God the ignoraunce of God foolishnesse distrustfulnesse desperation selfeloue vnrighteousnesse vncleannesse lying hypocrisie vanitie corruption violent iniurie wickednesse mortalitie and eternall infelicitie This corrupte Image and likenesse is by propagation deriued into vs all according to that saying in â—he fifte of Genesis Adam begatt a sonne in his owne similitude and likenesse Therefore as our father Adam was him selfe corrupted depraued and full of calamities so hath hee begotten vs his sonnes corrupte depraued and full of miseries so that all we which do descend of his vnpure séede are borne infected with the contagious poyson of sinne For of a rotten roote doe springe as rotten braunches which in like manner put ouer their rottennesse into the little twiggs that shoote out and growe vppon them And this euill verilie this corruption and this sinne althoughe it lye hidd in infants and by reason of their tender age doeth not breake foorthe into any déede dooing yet notwithstanding it is a sinne and such a sinne verilie as maketh them indaungered vnto Gods wrath separateth them from the fellowship of God. For with the most holy God who is a consuming fire no man can abide but hee that is vnspotted and cleane from the filthinesse of sinnes And Paule sayeth All haue sinned and are destitute or haue neede of the glorie of God. This glorie of God is the very image of God whereof because they are destitute they being corrupted with originall sinne are worthilie excluded from the fellowship of god To this place doth belong the whole treatise of concupiscence in the fourth Sermon of this third Decade where I taught you that bare concupiscence which is not yet burst forth to the déed doing is a sinne that to such a sinne as maketh all men subiecte to the curse of god For it is written Cursed be euerie one whiche abideth not in all thinges that are written in the booke of this lawe Therefore the first effecte of originall sinne is this that it bringeth wrath death and damnation vppon verie infants and so consequently vppon all mankinde whereof that it maye the more firmely be settled in euerie mans minde without all scruple of doubting I wil by some store of testimonies out of the scripture make manifest proofe vnto you not by repeating those places againe which I haue alreadie cited in this Sermon in the fourth Sermon of this thirde Decade The Lord in the Gospell sayeth to Nicodemus Verilie I say vnto thee vnlesse a maÌ„ be borne from aboue he caÌ„not see the kingdome of God. And againe Vnlesse a man bee borne of water and of the holie Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdome of god That whiche is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirite is spirite In these words are comprehended two things worthie to be remembred and very consonant to our present argument First none enter into the kingdome of heauen but those that bee regenerate from abcue by the holy Ghost therefore ourâ— fâ—â—st birthe tendeth to death and not to life For in oure first natiuitie wee are borne to death The latter is That which is borne of flesh is flesh therefore in oure first natiuitie wee are all borne flesh But touching the disposition of the flesh and the force thereof the Apostle sayeth The fleshly minde is enimitie against God for it is not obedient to the lawe of God neither can bee Therefore that fleshly birthe ingeÌ„dreth vs not the friends sonnes but the enimies of God and so consequently doth make vs indaungered to the wrath of God. Paul in his second Chapiter to the Ephesians sayeth Wee were by nature the sonnes of wrathe euen as other In which words he pronounceth that all men are damned For al those that are damned or are worthie of eternall death and all such with whom God hath good cause to be offended hée calleth the sonnes of wrath after the proper phrase of the Hebrue speache For the wrath of God doth signifie the punishment which is by the iust iudgment of God layd vppon vs men And he is called the child of death which is adiudged or appointed to be killed So is also the sonne of perdition c. Now marke that he calleth vs all the sonnes of wrath that is the subiectes of paine damnation euen by nature in birth from our mothers wombe But whatsoeuer is naturallie in all men that is originall therefore originall sinne maketh vs the sonnes of wrath that is we are all for our originall corruption made subiecte to death and vtter damnation This place of Paule for the proofe of this argument is worthie to be remembred The same Apostle in the first to the Colossians sayeth God hath deliuered vs from the power of darcknesse and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deere sonne Nowe if we be translated into the kingdome of the sonne of God then were we once in the kingdome of the diuel And to this place belong very many testimonies of the same Apostle in the fifte Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes By one mans sinne many are dead Againe By one that sinned came death For iudgement came by one vnto coÌ„demnation Againe For the sinne of one death reigned by the meanes of one And againe By the sinne of one sinne came vppon all men vnto condemnation Finally original sinne is by Dauid and Paule expressely called sinne therefore death is due to originall sinne For the reward of sinne is death Wée do therefore conclude that infants doe bring damnation with them into this world euen from their mothers wombes because they bring with them a corrupt nature and therefore they perish not by any others but by their owne fault naughtinesse For althoughe S. Augustine doeth in one place séeme to cal this sinne peccatum alienum that is an others sinne that thereby he may shew how it is by propagation deriued from other into vs yet doeth he confesse that it is in very déed and truely proper to all and euery seuerall one of vs And although it bee so that for lacke of age in a newe borne babe this disease hath not alreadie brought foorth the fruite of his iniquitie yet notwithstanding the very whole nature of the babe is nothing but filchie corruption and a certeine séede of sinne and wickednesse whiche cannot choose but bée abhominable vnto the lord For God doth hate al maner of vncleannesse With this agréeth that sentence of Paule where he sayth Where no law is there is no transgression For the Apostle doth not absolutely saye that the sinne or transgression whiche is sinne in very déed in the sight of God is no sinne but hee respecteth the
bare witnes that this is the sonne of God. Herevnto belongeth that which Peter beeing asked of the Lorde But whome do ye say that I am answered in the name of all the Disciples Thou art that Christe the sonne of the liuing God. And againe the Lorde obiecting this Will you also be gone Peter againe made answere in the name of them all Lorde vnto whome shall we goe Thou haste the wordes of euerlasting life and wee beleeue and haue knowne that thou art Christe the sonne of the liuing God. We also verily are called the sonnes of god howbeit by adoption But Christe not by adoption neyther by imputation but by nature For in the 14. chapter of Marke the high Prieste saith vnto our Lord Art thou Christ the sonne of the blessed In Matthe we also the same high priest saith I adiure or charge thee by the liuing God that thou tell vs whether thou be the sonne of the liuing God Iesus answered I am For ye shal see the sonne of man sitting at the right hand of power and comming in the cloudes of heauen Which appeareth to be repeted out of the seuenth chapter of Daniel Furthermore they bring this confession of the Lorde before Pilate as blasphemous and not to be satisfied but with death crying Wee haue a lawe and according to our lawe hee ought to dye by cause he made him selfe the sonne of God. But they them selues in the historie of the gospel thunder out these words against the Lord We are not borne of fornication we haue one father euen God. It is certeyne therefore that the Iewes accused our Sauiour for none other cause of high treason committed against Gods maiestie than for that he named him selfe the naturall not the adopted sonne of god For the firste did not deserue death but the last was worthie of death For we read also in the first of Iohn Therfore the Iewes sought the more to kill him not onely bycause he had broken the Sabboth day but also for that he sayd that God was his father making him selfe equall with God or Gods fellowe Loe thou haste the manner howe he called him selfe the sonne of God not by adoption or reputatiō but by nature substance For yet againe the Lord himselfe obiecteth this to them that would haue stoned him Many good works haue I shewed you frō my father for which of these good works do ye stone me The Iewes answered againe saying for thy good woorkes or wel going wee doe not stone thee but for blasphemie namely bycause thou being a man makest thy selfe God. Loe what could be spoken more plainely Thou makest thy selfe God. And what I praye you had he spoken whereof they gathered these thinges I giue vnto my sheepe euerlasting life neyther shall they perishe for euer neyther shall any plucke thē out of my hande My father whiche gaue them mee is greater than all and none can pull them out of my fathers hande I and the father are one To giue life euerlasting doth belong to the power of God to preserue and so to preserue that none may be able to plucke them out of his handes belongeth to the same power Nowe the Lorde proueth his saying with this argument or reason None is able to pull the shéepe out of my fathers hands therefore none can pul them out of my handes The proofe of his antecedent bycause the father is greater than all that is to say is the greatest of all whose diuine power is aboue all The proofe of his consequent bycause I and my father are one to wit not in will and agréement onely but in maiestie also and power whereof we doe at this present entreate not of concorde or agréement but of power to make aliue and to preserue Touching whiche the Lorde him selfe most plentifully discourseth throughoute the whole fifte chapter of Sainte Iohns Gospell shewing that he forgiueth sinnes that by his power he maketh aliue and rayseth vp from the deade euen as his father doeth therefore that he is of one and the same diuine power and maiestie with God the father These thinges are so euident playne and manifest that albeit we had none other testimonies yet these may aboundantly suffice to proue the assertion of the true Diuinitie or verie Godheade of the sonne of God that the sonne indéede is true and verie God. Againe the selfe same our Lorde and Sauiour with greate libertie of speache and playnenesse of wordes without all manner of riddle darke sentence and obscuritie of wordes openly and expressely sayth to his disciples Let not your hearte be troubled or vexed You beleeue in God beleeue also in mee I am the way the trueth and the life Hee that hath seene mee hath seene the father Doe ye not beleeue that I am in the father and the father in mee And certeine it is that Christe our Lorde is the heauenly doctour or teacher the moste constant defender of the truth who neyther hath seduced neyther yet coulde seduce and leade out of the way no not so muche as one But biddeth vs beleue in him as true and verie god Therefore our Lorde and Sauiour is true and verie god For in another place he sayth moste plainely I am the liuely breade or the breade of life that came downe from heauen Hee that beleeueth in me hath life euerlasting He againe in the Gospell playnely pronounceth and saythe Father the houre is come glorifie thy sonne that thy sonne may also glorifie thee As thou haste giuen him power of al fleshe that so many as thou haste giuen him hee might giue them lyfe euerlasting And this is euerlasting life that they should knowe thee only true GOD and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christe By whiche wordes hée hath expressely proued both the vnitie of GOD that is to say that there is but one GOD againste the Ethnickes who worshipped many GODS and notably touched the distinction of the persons in the meane while likewise declaring him selfe to be verie GOD with the father For by and by he addeth Glorifie thou me O Father with thine owne selfe with the glorie which I had with thee before this worlde was Héere I thinke must not be ouerslipped of me the argument of Tertullian whiche I will recite vnto you Dearely beloued out of his booke De Trinitate wherein he doth gather together verie many most sound and strong reasons of Christe his diuinitie or Godheade If sayth he Christ be only man why hath he appointed set vs downe suche a rule to beléeue wherin he should say And this is life euerlasting y they might know thée y onely true or very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christe If also he would not be knowne to be God why doth he adde And whome thou haste sent Iesus Christe but for that he woulde be taken also for GOD Bycause if he would not be knowne to be GOD he would haue added And whome thou haste
the nature vertue and efficacie of sacramentes of those thinges which are ioyned and of affinitie with them for so the order which I vsed in my diuisiō requireth Touching the vertue and nature of sacramēts that is to say what they worke in man writers haue disputed diuersly plentifully It séemeth vnto me that reuerēce must be vsed in this disputation and that héede must be taken that I do not incline either to the right hand or to the left that is that I do not attribute to much vnto them to the derogating from the doctrine of the Euangelistes Apostles neither that I should diminishe or take from them to mine owne damnation that whiche the scripture the word of God doth attribute vnto them But we shal plentifully giue great praise and glorie to the ordinances of God if we shall say that of them which the spirite of God hath set downe in the holy scriptures to bée willing to attribute more vnto them is not onely an errour in man but a great fault whiche bringeth death and horrible destruction This is declared vnto vs in the holy scripture by examples most worthie of remembrance The arcke of the couenant giuen by Moses to the people of Israel was a wittnesse of Gods presence amonge the people and of the league friendshipp betwene God man For in these words God made a league w the people I will make my dwelling place amonge them walke among them and I will be their God they shal be my people Of that ordinance agréement the arke it selfe was called The Lord God of hostes sittinge betweene the Cherubims as we may sée 2. Sam. 6. and in the booke of the Chronicles It was also called The arke of the couenant of the Lord. For when the prophets of God did attribute these thinges to the sacrament of God they both thought and spake plentifully reuerently enoughe of the sacrament of God but when the ignorant malicious priests and the people corrupted by them did attribute far greater thinges to the arke or Sacrament of God what I pray you came to passe Giue eare first what they attributed to the arke The elders of Israel said wherfore hath the Lord cast vs down this day before the Philistines Let vs fetch the arke of the couenant of the Lord out of Silo vnto vs that when it commeth amonge vs it maye saue vs out of the hands of our enimies You haue heard what they attributed to the ark Now giue eare what they did So the people sent into Silo brought from thence the arke of the couenant of the Lord of hoastes whiche sitteth betweene the Cherubims And it came to passe that when the arke of the couenant of the Lord came into the hoast all Israel showted out a mightie showt so that the earth rang againe And when the Philistines hard the noise of the shout they said what meaneth the soūd of this mightie showt And they vnderstood that the arke of the Lord was come into the hoast And the Philistines cried woe be vnto vs God is come into the hoast Who shal deliuer vs out of the handes of those mightie Gods that smote the Aegyptians But hearken now what happened howe God did declare that the arke was not God as it was called counted of the vnskilful in holy things how he punished the sinnes of his people because they attributed too much to the sacrament It followeth therefore And the Philistines fought and Israel was smitten downe and fledd euerie man into his tent and there was an exceding great slaughter for there were ouerthrown of Israel thirtie thousand footemen Beside that also the arke of God was taken the two sonns of Helie were slaine All these thinges are read in the 1. booke of Sam. 4. ca. Againe when the sacrament of God was vnreuerētly handled of the swinish Philistines they were smitten with a lothsome deadly plague They did boast that their Gods and the religion of the Philistines had ouercome the God and the religion of the Israelits but the gods of the Philistines fel downe are broken in péeces their heathenish religion is confounded What and did not the Israelites perish with a more gréeuous plague thā before when they lightly handled and contrarie to the Lawe of God Num. 4. looked into the Sacrament brought backe by the Philistines into Bethsames For the Lord smote fiftie thousand threescore tenne men 1. Sam. 6. When Moses did negligently deferre the circumcising of his children he fell into great daunger The Sichimites for receiuing circumcision rashly are destroyed And Simeon and Leui For prophaning the sacrament are cursed of their father Genesis 49. To this that agréeth which the Apostle sayth of them which celebrate the supper vnworthilie For this cause many are weake sicke amonge you many sleepe Hetherto also belongeth the example of Oza a man not altogether euill whiche touched this same sacrament that was not lawfull for him to doe Wherefore the Lord stroke him with a soudaine death and that not priuately in the tabernacle but in the fight of all the people Of the whiche déede of God Dauid also speaking in the cōgregation church of the Israelites saith to the Leuits The Lord hath chosen the Leuites to beare the Arcke of the Lord and not that kyne shall draw it in a new cart therefore see that ye be holie that yee maye bring in the Arcke of the Lord God of Israel vnto the place which I haue prepared for it For beecause ye did not this at the first our lord God hath made a rent amonge vs for that wee sought him not as the fashion ought to be And it followeth immediatly The priestes and Leuites sanctified themselues to fetche the Arcke of the Lord God of Israel And the children of the Leuites bare the Arcke of God vpon their shoulders with staues as Moses commaunded according to the word of the Lord. All these thinges are to be séene in the first of the Chronicles Cap. 15. Whereby we gather that the Lord will none of our good meanings or intentes pompous celebrations in celebrating the Sacramentes but that hee onely requireth that wee should so iudge and speake of the Sacraments as he iudgeth and speaketh by his word and that we should so vse and celebrate them as hee himselfe hath instituted and celebrated them Therefore he sufficiently setteth forth the dignitie of sacraments who attributeth that vnto them which GOD himselfe in the holy Scriptures vouchsafeth to giue them Let vs therefore first of all searche out of what dignitie Sacramentes haue béene for the most part in oure time that thereby we may the better vnderstand what is to be attributed and what is not to bée attributed vnto them The common sort of priestes and monkes haue taught that the sacramentes of the newe lawe are not only signes of Grace but together also causes of