mutassediem vt oftenderent exemplum abrogationis legum ceremonialium in die septimo Melanct. tom 2. fol. 363. Whereas therefore the Iewes obserued their Sabbath on the seuenth day wee celebrate the eighth They gaue God the last day of the weeke but Christians better honour him with the first they keepe their Sabbath in honour of the worlds creation but Christians in memoriall of the worlds redemption a worke of greater might and mercie and therefore good reason the greater worke should carrie away the credit of the day See the Gospell on Saint Thomas day The particular rest of the Iewes is ceremoniall also for it is a type of our inward resting from sin in this life Exod. 31. 13. Ezek. 20. 12. and a figure of our eternall Sabbath in the next as S. Paul disputes Heb. 4. Yet this Commandement is morall in the generall As for example wee must keepe one day in the seuen holie to the Lord wherein we must doe no manner of work which may let the ministerie of Gods word and other exercises of pietie We must leaue to doe our worke that the Lord may bring foorth in vs his worke The duties then required on the Lords day be principally two Rest. And a sanctification of this rest A double Sabbath rest from labour and rest from sinne for as our Church doth determine two sorts of people transgresse this Commandement especially 1. Such as will not rest froÌ„ their ordinary labour but driue carry row ferry on SuÌ„day 2. Such as will rest in vngodlines idlely spending this holy day in pampering pointing painting themselues So that God is more dishonoured and the Diuell better serued vpon Sunday then on all the daies of the weeke beside Thou shalt do no manner of worke That is no seruile work of thine ordinarie calling which may be done the day before or left well vndone till the day after But some workes are lawfull namely such as appertaine to the publike worship of God as painfull preaching of the sacred word reading of diuine prayers administring of the blessed Sacraments and euery worke subordinate to these as ringing of bels and trauelling to Church Acts 1. 12. 2. Kings 4. 23. And workes of mercie toward Our selues as prouision of meate and drinke Matth. 12. 1. Other Men our Sauiour healed the man with the dâ—ied hand on the Sabbath Mark 3. 5. Beasts in watering cattell and helping them out of pound and pit Luk. 14. 5. Workes of present necessitie Physitions on the Lords day may visit their patients Midwiues helpe women with child Shepheards attend their flock Mariners their voiage Souldiers may fight and messengers ride post for the great good of the Common-wealth Works of honest recreations also so farre as they may rather helpe then hinder our cheerefull seruing of the Lord and the reason of all this is giuen by Christ Mar. 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath Thou Thy wife is not named because she is presumed to be thy selfe that whatsoeuer is forbidden thy selfe must also be knowne to be forbidden thy second selfe Thy sonne and thy daughter Euery man is a gouernour in his owne house and therefore must take charge of such as are vnder him Adduc eos ad domum dei tecum qui sunt in domo tua tecum mater Ecclesia aliquos à te petit aliquos repetit petit eos quos apud te inuenit repetit quos per te perdidit Thy man seruant This is for Thy good Their good The common good Thy good For hee that on Sunday shall learne his dutie will be more fit all the weeke to doe his dutie such as obey God with a good conscience will serue their master with an vpright heart as Iacob serued Laban and Ioseph Pharaoh Againe it is for thy good often to remember with thankfulnesse that God hath made thee master and him seruant whereas hee might haue made thee seruant and him master For their good that they may know God and whom he hath sent Christ Iesus the way the truth and the life Thy seruants are men of the same mold with thee Iisdem constant nâ—triuntur elementis eundem spiritum ab eodem principio carpunt eodem fruun ur coelo aequa viuunt aeque moriuntur serui sunt imo conserui That is in the words of scripture Thy seruants are all one with thee in Christ made of the same God redeemed with the same price subiect to the same law belonging to the same master Ephes. 6. 9. Pitie then and pietie require that thou see them obserue the Lords day for the good as well of their bodies as soules For the common good For euery man hath iust cause to be ready willingly to labour all the weeke when as he is assured he shall rest on Sunday Thy cattell Hence we may gather much comfort for if God in his mercy prouide for the welfare euen of our brute beasts of which he hath made vs Lords he will assuredly much more respect vs his seruants and children he cannot be carelesse for men who is so carefull for oxen The Commandements are so well knowne and often expounded that as Augustine speakes in the like case Desiderant auditorem magis quà m expositorem I passe therefore from the first table containing all dutie to God vnto the second teaching all dutie to man I say to man as the proper immediat object of them Otherwise these Commandements are done vnto God also for he that clotheth the naked and visiteth the sicke doth it vnto Christ Matth. 25. 40. The law then concerning our neighbour is partly Affirmatiue teaching vs to do him all good Honour thy father and mother c. Negatiue teaching vs to doe him no hurt Thou shalt not kill c. This table begins with honour of our father First because next vnto God we must honour those who are in the place of God Secondly because the neglect of this one Commandement occasioneth all disorder against the rest for if superiours gouerne well and inferiours obey well how can any man be wronged in word or deed Thirdly because of all neighbours our parents are most neere to vs as being most bound to them of whom we haue receiued our life Thy parent is Gods instrument for thy naturall being thy Prince Gods instrument for thy ciuill being thy Pastor Gods instrument for thy spirituall being Wherefore as thou art a man thou must honour thy naturall father as a citizen honour thy ciuill father as a Christian honour thy ecclesiasticall father Honour imports especially 3. things Obedience Reuerence Maintenance Obedience Children obey your parents in all things Coloss 3. 20 that is as Paul doth interpret himselfe Ephes. 6. 1 in the Lord. In all things agreeable to the will of God otherwise for Christs loue wee must hate father and mother Luke 14. 26.
Heauen Strength commeth from heaueâ— 1. Macchab. 3. 19. So that if we aske we shall haue if seeke we shall finde if knocke it shall be opened vnto vs because God is a father Our father our father in heauen Our Admonisheth vs of mutual loue for without loue there is no true faith and without true faith no true prayer Rom. 14. 23. As the Serpent doth cast vp all his poyson before he drinke so wee must degorge our malice before wee pray Father Vsed heere rather essentially then personally So God is a father in creation Deut. 32. 6. In education Esai 1. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 happilie more fitly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In instruction Inwardly by his Spirit Rom. 8. 26. Outwardlie by his Preachers Matth. 10. 20. In compassion Psal. 103. 13. In correction Heb. 12. 6. Quiexcipitur è numero flagellatorum excipitur è numero filiorum In yeeres Dan. 7. 9. But a father in respect of his adoption more principally Rom. 8. 15. 16. In Heaueâ— Mysticall as Augustine and Ambrose construe it in holy men of heauenly conuersation Who are his proper temples and houses in whom hee will dwell Ioh. 14. 23. Materiall as other generally for albeit hee be present euere where yet hee doth manifest himselfe to blessed soules and Angels in heauen and to vs in glory from heauen especially Psal. 19. 1. Gen. 19. 24. 1. Thess. 4. 16. Petition THe petition in the iudgements of neotericall authors hath sixe branches whereof three concerne our loue wherewith wee loue God in himselfe and three wherewith wee loue our selues in God in signe whereof the pronowne Thy is affixed to the three first thy name thy kingdome thy will but the pronownes Vs and Ours to the rest Our bread our trespasses leade vs not c. Or as other diuide the petition is Precatio bonorum Deprecatio maloruÌ„ A request for good things whereof the First concernes Gods glorie Hallowed be thy name Rest our good of Glorie Thy kingdome c. Grace Thy will c. Nature Giue vs this day our dailie bread A deprecation of euill which is of two sorts Malum culpae an euill which is sin Past Forgiue vs our trespasses c. To come Leade vs not into temptatioÌ„ Malum poena an euill which is a punishment for sinne Deliuer vs from euill Internall and hellish conscience Externall bodilie dangers Eternall euerlasting death In one word from all that thou seest euill for vs be it prosperitie or aduersitie so wee pray in the Letanie Good Lord deliuer vs in all time of our tribulation in all time of our wealth c. Nondum enim sumus in eo bono vbinullum patiemur malum Other affirme that the first three petitions are concerning the life to come the last three concerning the life present that which is in the middle Giue vs this day our daily bread concerning both These seuen if wee make so many petitions are correspondent to the seuen gifts of the blessed spirit Esai 11. 2. and seuen beatitudes Matth. 5. against the seuen capitall sinnes Ramus hath obserued that this prayer answereth the Decalogue God is our father Ergo we must haue no other gods In heauen Ergo no grauen Image c. Hallowed be thy name Ergo not take his name in vaine Thy kingdome come thy will be done Ergo wee must sanctifie the Sabbath and worship him according to his word Giue vs this day our daily bread that hauing sufficient we may be rather helpfull Honour thy father c. then hurtfull by wronging our neighbour in deed Thou shalt not kill not commit adultery not steale In word Thou shalt not beare false witnesse c. Leade vs not into temptation Ergo not couet our neighbours house nor his wife c. Forgiue vs our trespasses Ergo bound to keepe the whole law which occasioned Luther to say Docet oratio dominica nos esse quotidianos peccatores totam vitam esse poenitentiam all our life to be nothing else but a Lent to prepare our selues against the Sabbath of our death and Easter of our resurrection Conclusion SOme cauill at our Seruice book for omitting this clause yet Caluin doth acknowledge that it is not extant in any Latine copies of which Erasmus and other Diuines haue sundrie coniectures Howsoeuer the Church is blamelesse seeing our Bible which is Iudex quo receiueth it and the Minister which is Iudex qui the speaking booke doth vsually repeate it and so saying it in their opinion wee doe well and not saying it according to the paterne of all the Latine and some of the Greeke Fathers and of S. Luke himselfe not ill It containes A Reason of our prayer for thine is kingdome c. A testification of our assurance that God will heare our prayer Amen Thine is Earthlie Princes haue kingdome power and glorie from God Dan. 2. 37. but God hath all these from and in himselfe 1. Chron. 29. 11. Seeing he hath interest in all things it is our dutie to come vnto him for euery thing and as he hath right to all so power to dispose of all and therefore we cannot doe any thing we desire but by power receiued of him And if his be power and kingdome then it followeth necessarily that his is all glorie Therefore we must inuocate his holie name that hereby wee may giue him his due This one dutie is Alpha and Omega the first thing wee must beg hallowed be thy name and the last wee must performe Thine is glorie for euer It is a Rabbiâ—icall conceit that the last Psalme hath thirteene Halleluiahs answering thirteene properties in God specified Exod. 34. 6. 7. Now in that the Prophet doth begin and end with Halleluiah stirring vs vp in euery verse of that Psalme and in euery sentence of euery verse to praise the Lord hee doth insinuate that this one is our only seruice for whereas after twelue Halleluiahs a thirteenth is added it doth signifie that when wee haue done all wee must begin againe with Gods praise that as his mercie is from euerlasting to euerlasting from euerlasting predestination to euerlasting glorificatiâ—n so our praise for euer and euer here we must begin the Psalme of glorie but because God hath appointed in this short life that wee should not sing in Longs but as Musitians speake in briefes and semibriefes it must be continued in the quier of heauen heereafter or in this world for euer and euer intentionally though not actually For as the wicked if hee could liue for euer would sinne for euer so the good man if God should suffer him to breathe on earth for euer and euer hee would not cease to serue him euer and euer Amen The which word is the seale of all our petitions to make them authenticall importing
spiritus Dei cum muliere coeat eique sobolis quaedam principia ingoneret 3. The Cerinthians Ebionits and Carpocratian Heretikes held that Christ was the naturall sonne of Ioseph verus merus hâ—mâ— Contrary to text Mat. 1. 25. Luk. 3. 23. See the Gospell Dom. 1. post Epiphan In his birth against Iouinian Durandus Vnto these that of Esay 7 is opposed Ecce 〈…〉 pariet filium The which words are to be construed in censu composito non diuiso scilicet integra permanâ—eâ—â— conceptura paritura nam quale signum vel prodigium esset vt quae fuit virgo conciperet corrupta pareret Hic si ratio quaeritur non erit mirabile Si poscitur exemplum non erit singulare Demus Deum aliquid posse quod nos fateamur inuestigare non posse Fides adsit nulla quaestio remanebit See the Gospell of the purification After his birth against the Old Heluidians New Antidicomarianits holding it a point of zeale to disgrace this holy Virgin whereas it is our dutie rather highly to reuerence her as being the Mother of our Lord a Prophetesse on earth a Saint in heauen as the Fathers vsually the window of heauen through which it pleased the light of the world to illuminate such as fit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Of such estimation in the Church that whereas the first generall Councell was assembled against Arrius to maintaine the honour of the Sonne and so by consequence of the Father The second against Macedonius to maintaine the honour of the holy Ghost The third was assembled against Nestorius to maintaine the dignitie of the blessed Virgin And therefore let not vs giue her too little though the Papists haue giuen her too much See Gospell on the Annunciation Passion Christs passion is set downe First summarily Suffered vnder Pontius Pilat Then particularly Crucified Dead Buried All which our Sauiour did not endure for himselfe but for vs. He was wounded for our transgressions and broken for our iniquities In me pro me doluit qui pro se nihil habuit quod doleret O Domine Iesu doles non tua sed vâ—laera mea He suffered for vs leauing vs an example that his passion might deliuer vs from sinne and his actions direct vs to vertue teaching patience humilitie obedience charitie Greater patience cannot bee found then for the author of life to suffer an ignominious death iniustly no greater humilitie then for the Lord of all Lords to submit himselfe to be crucified among theeues nor greater obedience then to be willing rather to die then not to fulfill the commandement of his Father nor greater charitie then to lose his life to saue his enemies For loue is more shewed in deedes then in words and more in suffering then in doing See Gospell on Sunday before Easter and Epistle 2. Sunday after Easter Nos immortalitate malè vsi sumus vt moreremur Christus mortalitate bene vsus vt viueremus Exaltation Note the Creeds order answerable to the Scripture For Christ first suffered and then entred into glorie Teaching vs hereby that we must first beare with him the Crosse before wee can weare with him the Crowne Christianus as Luther said is Crucianus As a lilie among the thornes so is my loue among the daughters Cant. 2. 2. Christs exaltation hath foure parts his 1. Triumph in hell 2. Resurrection 3. Ascension 4. Session I make Christs descending into hell a part of his aduancement rather then abasement because this generall Creed of the whole Church and the particular confession of our Church make it a distinct article following Christs Suffering Death Buriall and therfore cannot aptly be construed of his agonie in the garden before his death nor of his tortures on the Crosse at his death nor yet of his buriall after his death Ergo Credendum est Christum ad inferos in genere credibile ad inferos damnatorum in specie triumphandi gratia secundùm animans realiter localiter descendisse That as hee did ouercome the world on earth and death in the graue so likewise he did triumph ouer Satan in the courts of hell his owne kingdome For my owne part I rest my self in the iudgement of the Church wherein I liue and hold it enough to beleeue that Christ did so much and suffered so much as was sufficient for all efficient for me praying with the Greeke Fathers in their Liturgie By thine vnknowne sorrowes and sufferings felt by thee but not distinctly manifest to vs haue mercie on vs and saue vs. O gracelesse peeuishnes we scantly follow Christ to heauen albeit wee beleeue that he went for vs into hell Christs resurrection is the locke and key of all our Christian religion and faith on which all other articles hang. See the Gospell on S. Thomas and Easter day In Christs ascension 3. points obseruable Place Mount Oliuet Time When hee had taught his Disciples and while they beheld him Manner A cloud tooke him vp out of their sight Act 1. 9. See the Epistle for Ascension day Christs Session is set foorth by the Place Heauen that is Heauen of heauen Effect Comming to Iudgement To iudge the quick the dead Spiritually The good which liue with the spirituall life of grace The bad which are spiritually dead in sinne Corporally Because at that day most shall be dead and many shall be found aliue who in the twinckling of an eye shall suddenly be changed as S. Paul tels vs. Origen thinketh that the Priest had bels in the lower part of his roabe to put vs in minde of the end of the world Our good God hath prepared such things for vs as eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans heart Si in cor hominis non ascendit cor hominis illuc ascendat Seeing the Iudge shall come from heauen let vs before send thither our hearts to meete him and in the meane while thence to looke for him Philip. 3. 20. He hath said it who is truth it selfe Surely I come quickly Amen euen so come Lord Iesus I beleeue in the holy Ghost The Godhead of the Father is especially manifested in the Law the Godhead of the Sonne especially manifested in the Gospell the Godhead of the holy Ghost especially manifested in the Creed intimating so much in foure words as the whole Bible containes of this argument namely first that the holy Ghost is God otherwise we might not beleeue in him Secondly that hee is a distinct person from the Father and the Sonne I beleeue in the Father in the Sonne in the holy Ghost And thirdly that he proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne infolded in the Title holy Ghost For albeit the Father is holie the Sonne holie the Father a Spirit and the Sonne a Spirit
eâ—aculatas as if they were darts throwne out with a kind of sudden quicknes lest y â— vigilant and erect attention of minde which in deuotion is very requisite should be wasted and dulled through continuance if their prayers were few and long Nam plerumque hoc negotium plus gemitibus quà m sermonibus agitur plus fletu quà m afflatu saith the same Father in the same place Peruse that learned epistle for it is a sufficient apologie both for the length of our whole seruice as also for the shortnes of our seuerall prayers If Augustine now liued and were made vmpire betweene the Nouelists and vs he would rather approue many short praiers in England then those two long praiers one before and the other after sermon in Scotland and Geneua For this particular Dominus vobiscum it is taken out of the second chapter of Ruth an vsuall salutation among Gods people Iudg. 6. 12. Luke 1. 28. And therefore the like among vs as God saue you God blesse you God speed c. are not idle complements or taking Gods holy name in vaine but Christian and commendable duties See Gospell Dom. 6. post Trinit and Gospell on the Annunciation This and the like salutations or benedictions in the time of diuine seruice betweene the Priest and people are of great antiquitie and good vse For in the Liturgies of S. Iames Basil Chrysostome and that of the Aethiopians I finde that the Priest was wont to say Pax vobis and the people replied Et cum spiritus tuo In that old Liturgie of Spaine called Mozarabe because the Christians were mingled with Arabians it is enioyned that the Priest should say Dominus vobiscum as in our booke and the people as ours answered Et cum spiritu tuo Againe Adiuuate me fratres in orationibus vestris and the whole companie replied Adiuuet te Pater filius spiritus sanctus It is reported by Bellarmine and Tritenhemius that one Petrus Damianus hath written an whole booke of this argument intituled Dominus vobiscum in which as it should seeme sundrie needlesse questions are discussed hee liued in the daies of William the Conquerour therefore thought probable that it was vsed in the Latine Church euer since their Liturgie was composed by Damasus about the yeere 376 deduced out of the Greeke Churches into the Romane as Beatus Rhenanus and Master Fox coniecture Cum spiritu tuo THe peoples answere Cum spiritu tuo is taken out of the second Epistle of Paul to Timothie The Lord Iesus Christ be with thy spirit It answereth the reapers answere to Boaz The Lord blesse thee These mutuall salutations insinuate sweete agreement and loue betweene the Pastor and parishioners it is the Ministers office to begin and the peoples dutie to correspond in good affection and kindnes for loue is the adamant of loue When the Minister is a Paul the people must be Galatians if it were possible willing to pull out their eyes and to giue them for his good not only to reuerence his place but also to loue his person A Pastor cannot vse to the people a better wish then The Lord be with you For if God be with them who can be against them and the people cannot make a fitter reply then with thy spirit For as Plato diuinely said euery mans soule is himselfe Againe forasmuch as God is a spirit and ought to bee worshipped in spirit it is meete we should performe this spirituall seruice with all carnest contention and intention of spirit See Magnificat Christ promised Matth. 18. to bee with vs in our deuotion in the middest of vs when wee meete to pray But as Eusebius Emissenus obserueth how shall God be in the middest of thee when as thou art not in the middest of thy selfe Quomodo erit deus in medio tâ—i si tecum ipse non fueris If the aduocate sleepe how shall the Iudge awake No maruell if thou lose thy suite when as in praying thou losest thy selfe Prayer is the Christians gunshot saith Luther Oratio bombardae Christianorum As then a bullet out of a gun so prayers out of our mouth can goe no further then the spirit doth carrie them if they be Timidae they cannot flie far if Tumidae not pearce much only feruent and humble deuotion hitteth the marke penetrating the walles of heauen albeit they were brasse and the gates iron The Church hath placed these mutuall responsories at the very beginning of our prayers after the Lessons and Confession of saith because Christ said Without me ye can doe nothing Wherefore the Church as I haue shewed begins her prayers at the first with O Lord open thou our lips and here praying afresh The Lord be with you begins I say with The Lord bee with you and ends with through Iesus Christ our Lord. Signifying hereby that Christ is Alpha and Omega the first and the last without whom we can neither begin well nor end well And this is the reason why the Church after this interchangeable salutation enioynes vs to pray Lord haue mercie vpon vs Christ haue mercie vpon vs Lord c. vsing an earnest repetition as I coniecture rather to presse this one point then as other write to notifie the three diuine persons And it is worth obseruing that we conclude these short Suffrages as we began for as in the first we desire the Lord to be with vs and our spirit so likewise in the last that hee would not take his holie spirit from vs but accompanie the whole Church vnto the end and in the end I am occasioned in this place iustly to defend the peoples answering the Minister aloud in the Church The beginning of which interlocutorie passages is ascribed by Platina to Damasus Bishop of Rome by Theodoret to Diodorus Bishop of Antioch by Walafridus Strabo to S. Ambrose Bishop of Millane all which liued 1100 yeeres before the Church was acquainted with any French fashions and yet Basil epist. 63. alleageth that the Churches of Egypt Libya Thebes Palestina Phoenicians Syrians MesopotamiaÌ„s vsed it long before Socrates and Strabo write that Ignaetius a scholler vnto Christs owne schollers is thought to be the first author hereof If any shall expect greater antiquitie and authoritie wee can fetch this order euen from the quier of heauen I saw the Lord said Esay set on an high Throne the Seraphims stood vpon it and one cried to another saying Holy holy holy Lord God of hostes all the world is full of his glorie Blessed spirits in praising God answere one another interchangeably though vnhappie scornefull spirits vnmannerly terme this custome Tossing of seruice But it may be said of them as Hâ—erome wrote of Heluidius Existimant loquacitatem esse facundiam maledicere omnibus bonae conscientiae signum arbitrâ—â—tur The Magnificat LVKE 1. 46. My soule doth
men in all things for all times In it obserue Prefaces One of the Law writer God spake all these words c. Another of the Law-giuer I am the Lord thy God c. Precepts of the First table coÌ„cerning our loue to God Second touching our loue to man In the former preface note the Matter all these words Manner When. Who. The matter is these words that is these sentences and all these for Almightie God spake not the first Commandement only nor the second or third and left there but hee spake them all and therefore the Pope proues himselfe Antigod in leauing out one and dispensing with many God gaue so strict a charge to keepe euery one as any one but the Vicar of God abounding with vnlimitted authoritie doth first publish what he list and then expound them as he list To leaue them who thus leaue God is our dutie because God spake them all to beg of him obedience and make conscience to keepe them all as one wittily Totus Tota Totum The whole man The whole law The whole time of his life In the manner I note first the circumstance of time when God spake namely when all the people were gathered together aud sanctified as appeareth in the former Chapter then God spake Whereupon it is well obserued that all men ought to take notice of the law whether they be Commoners or Commanders high or low none so mighty that is greater or so meane that is lesse then a subiect to God and his ordinances and therefore Martin Luther hath worthily reprehended Antinomian preachers who teach that the Law need not be taught in the time of the Gospell Indeed Christ is the end of the Law but as Augustine construes it finis perficiens non interficiens an end not consuming but consummating for as himselfe said I came not to destroy the law but to teach it and doe it Secondly we may learne by this circumstance due preparation when wee come before God either to speake or heare his word Auenzoar vsed to say that hee neuer gaue purgation but his heart did shake many daies before Let the Physition of the soule then tremble to thinke what hurt bad physicke may doe when it is administred abruptly corruptly without either paines in reading or reuerence in speaking Vnto the vngodly said God Why doest thou preach my lawes and takest my couenant in thy mouth when as thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behind thee If hearers of the Law much more Preachers of the Gospell ought to be throughly sanctified In the Millers hand wee lose but our meale in the Farriors hand but our mule in the Lawyers hands but our goods in the Physitians hand but our life but in the hands of a bad Diuine wee may lose that which surpasseth all our soule Hearers also being of vncircumcised hearts and eares ought to fit and prepare themselues as Moses and Iosua were commanded in disburdening their mind when they come to Gods house to heare God speake not only from vnlawfull but also from all lawfull worldly busines presenting themselues and their soules in the righteousnes of Christ a liuing holy acceptable sacrifice to God and it is the dutie both of speaker and hearer to desire the Lord that he would forgiue our want of preparation and so to assist vs with his holy spirit in handling of his holy word as that the whole businesse may be transacted for our good and his glory The second circumstance noted in the manner is the person and that is God Then God spake these words in his owne person attended vpon with millions of glorious Angels in a flame of fire so that there is neuer an idle word but all full of wonderful wisdome so perfect a law that it proues it selfe to be Gods law For the lawes of men albeit they fill many large volumes are imperfect some statutes are added daily which were not thought vpon before many repealed which after experience taught not to be so profitable but this law continueth the same for euer comprehending in a few words all perfection of dutie to God and man inioyning whatsoeuer is good and forbidding whatsoeuer is euill God is author of all holy Scripture but the ten Commandements are his after a more peculiar sort first because himselfe spake them and said in a sound of words and a distinct voice that the people both heard and vnderstood them in which sâ—nse S. Stephen happily calleth them oracula vina liuely oracles not that they did giue life for Paul sheweth that the Law was the ministration of death but liuely words as vttered by liuely voice not of men or Angels as other Scripture but immediatly thundred out by God himselfe Secondly because God himselfe wrote them after a more speciall maner hee did vse men and meanes in penning the Gospels and Epistles and other parts of sacred writ for holy men of God wrote as they were moued by the spirit of God as the Fathers obserue they were the pennes of Gods owne finger but in setting downe the Decalogue Gods owne finger was the pen hee made the tables also wherein they were first written that there might be nothing in them but only Gods immediate worke Since then God had such speciall regard in deliuering the Law wee must hence learne with all humble reuerence to receiue the same If King Eglon a barbarous tyrant respected Ehud a man of meane qualitie when he brought a message from the Lord how much more should we with awfull respect embrace the Decalogue which God in his owne person vttered and it should make vs exceeding zealous also notwithstanding the scoffes of Atheists and carelesse worldlings in obseruing and maintaining the same For what need any feare to defend that which God himselfe spake and whereof Christ said He that is ashamed of me and my words in this world I will be ashamed of him before my father in the world to come As a liuely faith is the best glosse vpon the Gospell so dutifull obedience is the best Commentarie vpon the Law To conclude with Augustine Faciemus iubente imperatore non faciâ—mus iubente creatore Yes Lord speak for thy seruants herare Thus much concerning the first preface The second is of the Law-giuer I am the Lord c. Containing two sorts of arguments to proue that hee may giue a law and that his people are bound to keepe it The first kind of reason is taken from his essence and greatnes in himselfe I am Iehoua The second from his effects and goodnes towards Israel In Generall Thy God More speciall Which haue brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage Now whatsoeuer is said vnto them is said vnto all Almightie God is euer the same which is which was and which is to come who being Iehoua the Lord made vs