be assembled a plot so horrible as if al the diuels in hel had conspired to ioyne in consultation with them can neuer be forgotten for by this they thought to raise at once such thunder and lightning and storme and tempest if not from aboue yet from hell it selfe as should certainely drowne this poore vessell and ship of Christ the Church of England And for all this they are not ashamed to arrogate the title to themselues of the ship of Christ the Catholike Church and in their mouthes and writings to exclaime against vs as hereticks and to complaine of bitter persecution as though we raised stormes and tempests against them But Quis tulerit Gracchum de seditiâ—ne loquentem Who can endure Gracchus a traytor to pleade against treason or Verres a thiefe to pleade against theft or the Pope and his followers to complaine of persecution We haue here no cruell Spanish Inquisition to â—ift them out neither haue we made any Massacres of them Since the receiuing of the Gospell no Papist euer suffered death or losse of lands for his meere conscience except he made it conscience not to commit or assent to treason and for our selues we say with Saint Paul We confesse that after the way which they call heresie so worship we the God of our fathers beleeuing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets And haue hope towards God that the resurrection of the dead which they themselues also looke for shall be both of iust and vniust And this shall suffice for the tempests and stormes which the ship of Christ that is his Church must continually looke for while it passeth through the sea of the world Fourthly Christ his sleeping is an image of his death by which the diuel thought to haue swallowed vp Christ quite that he might dominiere in the world therefore he entred into Iudas to tempt him for couetousnesse of thirty siluer pieces to betray his Master and stirred vp by all meanes he could the Scribes and Pharisies to conspire his death and the people to be so earnest with Pilate and Pilate and Herod to giue consent vnto it for this death of his was not only a stumbling block to the Iewes and to the Gentiles foolishnes but his owne Disciples could not abide to heare of it before and therfore when Christ foretold it saying that he must go to Ierusalem suffer many things of the Elders and High Priests and Scribes and be slaine and be raised vp the next day Peter tooke hâ—m aside to rebuke him saying Master pitie thy selfe this shall not be to thee And when his time and houre was come they all forsooke him fled And indeed it was so strange a thing that he should sleepe this sleepe and die himself that came to saue others from death that the earth trembled the Sunne was darkned the graues opened the Vaile of the Temple rent in twaine and the Centurion confessed Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissâ—luetur that is Either the God of Nature sâ—ffereth or the frame of the whole world shall haue an end And when he was dead the diuell thought he would keepe him fast enough and therfore he caused the high Priests and Pharisies to call him a deceiuer because he had foretold his resurrection and to hinder that they get commission from Pilat and lay a great stone on the mouth of the sepulcher and seale vp the stone and watch not only him for rising but his disciples also from stealing him away which they made their greatest feare and therefore the text saith that they made their watch sure as they thought But it is no maruell if his enemies thought they had him sure when he was dead and buried and such a watch to keep them in his graue when his bestfriends his owne Disciples and Apostles notwithstanding all that hee had told him while he was aliue with them yet were so dismaied at this his dead sleepe or sleepe of death that they do not as in the former history call vpon him to awake him nay they are past hope of any good from him as those two Disciples tell him that were trauelling to Emaus Nos sperabamus We hoped or trusted that is while he was yet liuing it had been he that should haue deliuered Israâ—l as if they should haue said Now that hee is dead our hope and trust is gone And all the Apostles when they heard the report of his awaking and arising by the women that were certified thereof by Angels yet esteemed no better of it then of an old wiues tale or a fable And when al â—â—e rest had seene him and spoken with him yet Saint Thomas still incredulous told the rest Except I see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes I will not beleeue And therefore he was faine to cast in their teeth their vnbeleefe and hardnes of hart We see then into what excesse of feare this sleep of Christ did cast the Church as if now the ship must needs sink without hope of recouery and yet as there was a necessitie of this sleepe of death in him as he himselfe saith Ought not Christ to suffer thâ—se things So the Apostle giueth the reason That by death he might destroy him thâ—t had the power of death the diuâ—l that he might delâ—uer al them that for feare of death were al their life time subiect to bondage that he might say with the Prophet O death I will be thy death or with the Apostle Death is swallowed vp in victory And therfore the night before he died he did institute the Sacrament of his Supper and told them This is my body which is broken for you This is my blood which is shed for you of which the Apostle saith So oft as you eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shew forth the Lords death vntill he come And thus wee see the correspondence of Christs sleeping in the ship and his death and buriall and the likenesse of the danger and feare of the Church both in the one and in the other Fifthly the arising of Christ in the extremitie of the ships danger to shew his command and authoritie ouer the greatest stormes and tempests that trouble his ship is an image of the resurrection of Christ from death to life thereby leading captiuity captiue and destroying all his and his Churches enemies that now we may truly say of this our Sunâ—e of righteousnesse as the Prophet speaketh of the Sunne in the firmament He commeth forâ—h as a bridegromâ— out of his chamber and reioyceth as a mightie maÌ„ to run his race This is an article of our faith as necessarily to be beleeued as the former without which as the ApoÌ„stle speaketh All our preaching is vaine and
me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as â—e see I haue Some held that in respect of the manhood he had no soule but that the body was in animated by the Godhead who are confuted where he saith My soule is heauie euen to the death but his Diuinitie was not heauie neither could it suffer Lastly some denie the coniunction of these two natures in one person that he was not perfect God and perfect Man who were condemned by such proprieties of speech and phrase in the Scripture where that is spoken of his Godhead that belonged to his Manhood and that of his Manhood which is proper to his Godhead as Feede the Church of God which hee hath purchased with that his owne blood There is blood attributed vnto God which hee had not but as hee was man So on the other side he saith No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he that hath descended from heauen that Sonne of Man which is in heauen Where that is ascribed to the Sonne of Man namely to be in heauen which was proper vnto him as he was God This article therfore of our faith is the ground of Christian Religion and affordeth many comforts to all Christians but especially to Sea-men and those that vndertake long voiages amongst Heathens Infidels and I could wish none might be admitted to go vntill they be well grounded therein which would afford many heauenly meditations For first whereas these men resoluing to leaue their natiue Countrie and to trauell to the furthest parts of the World doe expose themselues to more perils and dangers then other men what sweeter meditation can they haue for the arming of themselues euen against death it selfe the last enemie then to know that they are in the right faith concerning their Sauiour and Redeemer that whatsoeuer shall become of their bodies they haue before prouided for their soules and so are ready â—o liue or die in that faith Secondly when they see preparations made for them by the Merchants and Aduenturers of goodly tall ships with all manner of fit prouisions when they obserue the skill and art of their chiefe Leaders and Commanders that haue been trained vp by long experience not only to guide and gouerne those great Vessels but themselues also in their seuerall places that they trust not in any of these secondarie meanes but to Gods blessing vpon those meanes by and through Christ for Except the Lord build the house they labour in vainâ— that build it Except the Lord keep the Citie the watchman watcheth but in vaine It is Christ God and Man by whom wee receiue all good When they are in the greatest perils to meditate that Christ their Sauiour is God and therefore can and Man and therefore will deliuer and free them if it stand with his glory and with their good 4 When they come to remote places and find Infidels that haue not heard of Christ to remember that they themselues are such by nature and that they haue deserued no better at Gods hand nay they haue deserued much worse because they haue abused Gods blessings yea his long suffering and patience that should lead them â—o repentance And therefore to consider of the great loue of God toward them that passing by so great and huge nations and leauing them in incredulitie hath afforded them the meanes of saluation 5 To meditate that the best way to make a good voiage indeede is to labour by all meanes possible to reduce those Infidels or any of them to the profession of the same faith in Christ there being both a commandement from Christ to doe it and great promises to them that obey that commandement 6 That aboue al they take heed that leauing Christendome they forsake not this faith in Christ they proue not Apostataes they make not shipwracke of faith and of a good conscience for such falling away is the high way to the sinne vnpardonable against the holy Ghost And thus much of the generall doctrine we come now to the particulars of the historie wherein first â—as obserued a Sea-voyage by Christ and his Disciples First of him He entred into a ship Where it may be demanded why Christ would passe the sea when he might haue staid on land For the Philosopher said that a shipman had but foure inches the thicknes of the boardâ— of his ship betwixt him and death And it was one oâ—â—â—e 3 things that Cato in his old age repented him of that he had trauelled by sea when he might haue gone by land It was the charge that Antigonus gaue to his sonnes hauing escaped a dangerous tempest at sea that they should neither aduenture vpon any such danger againe themselues nor forget to aduise their posteritie after them to take heede by their example of that which was like to haue cost them so deare It was the speech of one of the seuen wise men of Greece that Sailers at sea were neither to bee reckoned for liue men nor for dead but betweene both And in Diuinitie it may seeme or at least the diuell will suggest it that to aduenture to trauell by sea is a kind of tempting of God And indeede without a lawfull calling and vsing the meanes which God hath appointed to preserue vs it is as vnlawfull for to trauell by sea as it is for a man in the time of the plague wilfully to run into an infected house or to thrust himselfe into any vnnecessary danger For answere therefore to the former obiection why Christ would enter into a ship if hee would needes goe ouer the sea who could by his word haue diuided the sea into two parts that hee and his might goe ouer as vpon drie land as he did the Read sea for his peoples sake by the minisâ—â—ry of Moses or could haue walked as he did anotheâ—â—â—me vpon the water as vpon firme ground yet he rather taketh the ordinary course to enter into a ship and saile ouer for these reasons 1 He hauing after his long Sermon on the Mount in the three former Chapters done diuers great miracles in this Chapter vpon the land as the clensing of a Leper the curing of the Centurions seruant the healing of Peters wiues mother the â—â—sting forth of diuels out of many that were possessed with them doth now that hee may shew himselfe not only the God of the Mountaines but of the vallies not only the Gâ—d of the Land but of the Sea enter into a ship that thereby he might shew his authority and power on the winds and seas in this miracle 2 Hauing done the foâ—â—er miracles in his Apostles sight only he thought now to doe a miracle vpon themselues whereof being partakers they might be more sensible 3 He was faine by â—his meanes to auoide the presse of the multâ—tude that followed â—im and therefore vpon such occasions sometime he withdrew
hee trieth the heart and the raines Hee hath found that the cogitations of the thoughts of our hearts are onely euill contâ—nually that we were conceiued and borne in sinne that wee haue not power of our selues as of our selues to thinke a good thought How then can we dreame or imagine but to haue our prayer turned into sinne and in stead of a blessing to receiue a curse if we present not our selues and our praiers vnto him in humility acknowledging him our Lord our Father and Master and therefore denying and renouncing our selues and resting vpon him who as a Lord and Master is able and as a tutor and teacher is willing to deliuer vs in his good time And so much for the terme giuen Lord or Master The second followeth that is the request in these words Saue vs. The sense whereof is plaine that the Disciples when they came to Iesus that is the Sauiour of the world when they cry vnto him saue vs doe not speake of eternall saluation of their bodies and soules but onely of the sauing of their liues from that imminent danger wherein they now are being ready to bee drowned as they thought And indeed this life is very sweet and as the diuell said of Iob Skin for skin all that a man hath will he giue for his life The Philosopher can tell vs that death is of all terrible things the most terrible and Christians doe account of death as their last enemie and we know how vnwelcome such an enemie is to any that spares no man and hath a statute for it that all must become his subiects They know also that death is the reward of sinne and consequently that after death must come a iudgement when as euery man must receiue the things that he hath done in the flesh according to that hee hath done be it good or euill As for this life they know it to be a blessing of God and the prolonging thereof promised to the obseruers of the 5. Commandement Wheras iudgements are denounced to the wicked they shall not liue halfe their dayes So that if the death of Gods Saints be precious in his sight and Hee hath giuen his Angels charge ouer them to keepe them in all their waies that they dash not their foot against a stone no maruell if they call to Christ for the sauing of their liues But on the other side if life bee so sweete and death so bitter how commeth it to passe that the godly many times desire death not onely in impatiency vnder the crosse as Iob cursing the day of his birth and Eliah being persecuted by Iezabel that he desired to die and said It is enough O Lord take my soule for I am no better then my fathers And the Prophet Ionah after the Lord had spared the city of Nineueh prayes Now therefore O Lord take I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for mee to die then to liue But euen in a Christian resolution the Apostle Paul saith I desire to bee dissolued and to bee with Christ and old Simeon prayes Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word To this we answere that for Iob and Eliah and Ionah they shewed themselues to be men subiect to passion and are not therin to be imitated and followed by vs and for Saint Paul and Simeon and all holy Martyrs that haue in their desire to be freed from sinne and to bee with Christ waiting Gods leisure when it may best stand with his glory and with their good been desirous to die that is a thing that we should labour and long for not to be vnclothed but to be clothed vpon that is not to be wearie of this life for any crosses or afflictions in it but to haue Christian resolution patiently to endure all that God shall thinke fit to lay vpon vs. But our hope of a better life with which we cannot be clothed till we be vnclothed of this makes vs desire when God sees it good to make vs wearie of the pleasures and delights of this life which are vaine and transitorie in comparison of the other which are eternall I conclude therefore that it is not onely lawfull and conuenient but necessary for a man in extreame danger of death to call vpon God for deliuerance from the danger so that he referre his will to Gods will and be resolued of a better life if it please God to take away this Euery Christian though weake is willing to liue and patient to die as God pleaseth but the strong Christian is patient to liue and willing to die for being assured of the mortality of the soule that it dies not and of the resurrection of the body he knowes that They are blessed that die in the Lord they rest from their labours and being wearied with the great burthen of his sinnes he desireth that rest But here in these words Saue vs we haue before obserued the faith of the Disciples acknowledging his power to saue them and expecting it though very faintly It was their faith whereby they thought hee was able to saue them but the weaknes of their faith that they imagined he could not saue them except he were awake And no maruell if their faith were yet weake for the confirmation wherof this miracle was chiefly wrought being yong schollers fresh-water souldiors newly entertained by our Sauior Christ not fit to be sent forth yet into the world as may appeare in the tenth Chapter of this Gospell Much more fearfull seemes to be the case of Saint Peter who hauing seene this miracle and in it the command that our Sauiour had ouer the winds and sea and hauing receiued commission as a chiefe Apostle not only to preach the Gospell but himselfe to worke miracles doth yet after all this at another time being at the sea and our Sauiour Christ not with them and the ship tossed on the sea with waues and a contrary wind when first hee and the rest were afraid of Christ walking vpon the sea crying out for feare that he had been a spirit and Christ had so comforted them that Peter desired to walke vpon the water to meet him and had warrant from his Master so to doe and accordingly walked vpon the water yet the text saith That when he saw a mighty wind he was afraid and as he began to sinke he cried saying Master saue me So immediately Iesus stretâ—hed forth his hand and caught him and said vnto him O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt If therfore Saint Peter after many more experiences and trials of his Masters power and after commission receiued from Christ did not so venterously desire to walke vpon the water as cowardly stagger in his faith at the sight of a great wind his Lord and Master being so nigh him and awake
wonderfull And as the due consideration of his birth could not but moue amazement and astonishment to men and Angels to see a new thing in the world The Word made Flesh God and Man in one person a Virgin and a Mother in one So the miracles that hee wrought such as neuâ—r any man did could not but worke admiration in those that saw them We say therefore with the Prophet Stay your selues and wonder and with another Prophet Behold among the Heathen and regard and wonder and maruell For all miracles are maruelous and wondrous workes It is therefore an ordinary thing that attended the miracles of Christ that his Disciples and the people wondred The second thing therefore is rather to be considered that is their confession What man is this c. Saint Iohn writing his Gospell last of all the Euangelists purposing thereby to confute Cerinthus and other hereticks that denied the Diuinitie of Christ after he had proued it by his essence and eternitie Secondly by his Creation and preseruation of all things doth set downe certaine excellent Sermons and notable miracles wrought by Christ and omitted by the other Euangelists and at last he concludeth These things are written that ye may beleeuâ— that Iesus is that Christ that sonne of God and that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name thus wrought one strange miracle with Nathanael Rabbi thou art the sonne of God And in the blind man that was cured and instructed by him who said Lord I beleeue and worshâ—pped him And in another miracle at the sea They thaâ— were in the ship came worshipped him saying Of a truâ—h thou art the sonne of God And at his death the Centurion when he saw what was done and they that were with him saw the Earthquake they feared greatly saying Truely this man was the Sonne of God All these brought vnto it by Christs miracles made that good confession concerning his Diuinitie which when Saint Peter made saying Thou art that Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Our Sauiour told him That flesh and bloud had not reuealed it vnto him but his Father which is in heauen And further That vpon this rocke or true confession of him he would build his Church and the gates of hell should not preuaile against it Now howsoeuer the beholders of this miracle proceede not so farre in their confession and acknowledgement yet they are in a good way and doe in a manner confesse as much when they propound it by way of question Who is this that both the winds and the sea obey him For it is as much as if they had said It is impossible that he should bee but a meere man that hath these vnruly creatures at command to check and controle at his pleasure As therefore Christ himself in the next Chapter in another miracle vpon one that was sicke of the Palsey when he had first told him Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And certaine of the Scribes said within themselues This man blasphemeth And Saint Marke addeth their reason Who can forgiue sinnes but God onely That hee might shew himselfe to bee God indeed and so to haue power to forgiue sinnes doth command him to arise take vp his bed and goe vnto his owne house And so thorowly curing the man by his word doth manifestly proue himselfe to be God and to haue power as well in the one as in the other So in this place though they giue him the terme of a man yet enquiring what man and so acknowledging him more then a man by the worke that he hath wrought in commanding the winds and seaes they doe in a sort confesse him to be God For conclusion therefore of the History the meditation rising to sea-men from hence is this that as in the vndertaking of their voyages they must if they haue any hope to make a good and prosperous voyage begin at Christ and be carefull and sure to take him along with them that is to examine the lawfulnesse of their callings and professions either as sea-men or as Merchants and Factors to doe seruice vnto God and to the state wherein they liue committing themselues to that vast element the sea and depending vpon Gods protection and defence and so expecting a blessing from him in all their honest labours so must they prepare themselues before hand especially in long voyages and amongst Infidels for many disasters and counterbuffes not onely of wind weather which our Sauiour Christs ship was subiect to in his short voyage but of many other dangers which cannot possibly be auoided and if Christ seeme to be asleepe in not affoording them present helpe by their earnest and hearty prayers to awake and stirre him vp by faith beleeuing his omnipotent power and by hope expecting and waiting his leisure submitting their willes to his will and ready as well at sea as at land and as well by death as by life to giue him praise and glory And thus much shall suffice for this history of Christs voyage and the meditations thence arising But I haue yet a further taske in the second generall part of the text that is the mysterie In the former I haue endeauoured to teach sea-men to be Christians but now I am to shew that all true Christians bee sea-men and haue a longer voyage in hand then to the East Indies for their whole life is but a voyage from earth to heauen In which voyage they haue a sea to passe thorough and a ship to passe in and in their passage they must looke for great tempests threatning to drowne both them and their ship and they shall find Christ in whom they trust to be asleepe as if he regarded not their danger but if they waken him by their deuout prayers he will arise quickly and not onely make all their enemies to vanish and secure the ship but neuer leaue them nor forsake them till he haue brought them to heauen the hauen where they would be This voyage cannot be performed by factors and seruants but euery Christian man and woman must vndertake it in their owne persons For â—ustus ex fide sua viâ—it in fide sua moriâ—ur that is the godly man doth liue and die doth begin and continue and make an end of this voyage according to his owne faith In this voyage 1. The sea is an image of the world 2. The ship an image of the true Church of Christ. 3. The tempest an image of the rage and fury of heretickes and schismatickes and persecuting tyrants against the Church 4. Christ his sleeping an image of his death 5. His arising an image of his resurrection whereby he subdued all his and our enemies And 6. The calme that followed is an image both of the peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost the first fruits of the spirit which the Church receiueth as the benefits by his
to heauy a burden able to sinke â—he ship as in the case of Ionah and that hypocriticall and pharisaicâ—ll workes with opinion of merit must all bee heaued ouer-board That the riches of this world can neither be carried wâ—th vs to our hauen that is heauen and if they could yet there they are no currant Merchandise That the helme to guide this ship is a good conscience And the compasse whereby to direct our course is the holy Scriptures That the wind that carrieth vs along is the inspiration of the holy Ghost That Christian Magistrates and Ministers are Commanders and Officâ—rs in this ship and all true Christians are painefull saylâ—rs to be ruled and directed by them That Christ is our Suâ—ne of rightâ—ousnesse by true obseruation of whom wee shall neuer faile of a right course in our voyage And that hope is our anchor not only in all perils and dangers in the voyage but at our end and in our end bringing vs safe on land into our hauen Fourthly as no man is so foolish as to thinke hee can make a voyage and crosse the seas without the meanes except he enter into a ship and as none of all the world were preserued from the generall deluge but only Noah and his sâ—nnes and their wiues that entred into the Arke which was a figure of the Church So in the matter of the soule no man may thinke that he can passe through the sea of the world to heauen except by baptismâ— he enter into thâ—s ship of Christ and be made a membâ—r of his Church Neither doth the baptisme consist in outward water that puts away the filth of the flesh but in a confident demanding which a good conscience maketh to God Fiâ—thly as in a ship at sea if any man wilfully lep out of the ship into the sea or be throwne ouer-board without present helpe hee must needes miscarry and die so extra ecclesiam nulla salus there is no saluation to be looked for out of this ship of the Church and if any either by schisme doe forsake the Church or be throwne out by the censure of excommunication as Saint Paul saith of the incestuous person purge out the old leauen except such a one by repentance be receiued backe againe into the Church there is no hope of saluation for him Lastly as there is great danger in keeping dead bodies aboard of infecting the rest so in this ship of the Church A little leauen will sower the whole lumpe and a scabbed sheepe will infect a whole flocke And therefore all such as haue a name to liue but are dead that is that professe they know God but by workes denie him and are abominable and disobedient and vnto euery good work reprobate are not to be kept in the ship of Christ but to be cast into the sea of the world to which they belong as a prey to the deuouring fishes that are there ready to swallow them And thus wee see how this ship is an image of Christs true Church passing the sea of the world Thirdly the tempest is an image of the rage and furie of Hereticks Schismaticks persecuting Tyrants against the Church for as when the sea is neuer so calme it can not continue long so without some storme or tempest so though the world looke neuer so smoothly vpon the Church yet it will not long continue so but send forth procellas spiritualis nequitiae the stormes of spirituall wickednesse as Saint Ambrose calles them or proceâ—â—as mundi the tempests of the world as Saint Cyprian stiles them The hereticks on the one side as S. Paul speakes of Hymenaeus and Alexander hauing themseluâ—s made shipwracke of faith and of a good conscience will labour according to the example of the diuell their master to draw others into the same destruction And Schismaticks on the other side will so rent and teare the sides of the Church that it will be full of leakes and draw in so much water as may bring it in danger of drowning and Tyrants will raise such bitter persecutions that like the Dragon in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn they will bee readie to deuoure the Churches children as soone as she is deliuered And these all rore and rage and storme against the poore Church of Christ. Christ had neuer his Church vpon earth but the diuell had wicked men to raise stormes against it There was a Caine to persecute Abel from the beginning a Nimrod of the off-spring of Cam a mighty hunter and persecutor of the Church there was an Ishmael to persecute Isaac in Abrahams house though he were the father of the faithfull and an Esau that began to wrestle and spurne at Iacob in his mothers wombe and after threatens to kill him expecting onely the time of his fathers death Wee reade how Ioseph was persecuâ—ed by his owne brethren and the Israelites by Pharaoh in Egypt And afterward euen in the land of Promise the Israelites dwelt among the Canaanites the Hittites and the Ammorites and the Perizites and the Hiuites and the Iebuzites all cruell enemies and persecutors of Gods Church What should I speake of Iabin and Sisera of the Madianites and the Philistims and the rest of them for not only Herod and Pilat are ioyned in a league to persecute Christ but as the Prophet complaineth The tabernacle of Edom and the Ishmaelites Moab and the Agarims Gebal and Ammon and Amaleck the Philistims with the inhabitants of Tyrus Ashur also is ioyned vnto them they haue been an arme to the children of Lot And if we should make a catalogue of stormes and tempests raised by hereticks and schismatikes against Christ his ship in the Primatiue Church and the persecutions of it by the Roman Emperours Quis talia fando temperet à laâ—hrymis as the Poet saith they could hardly be either written or read or spoken or heard of without tearâ—s For that which the Apostle saith of the times before Christ and their crueltie against the Church to wit That they were racked and would not be deliuered that they might receiue a better resurrection and others were tried by mockings and scourgings yea moreouer by bonds and prisonment They were stoned they were hewne asunder they were tempted they were slaine with the sword they wandred vp and downe in sheepes skinnes and goates skinnes being destitute afflicted and tormented whom the world was not worthy of All these I say may seeme to be but little clouds threatning somwhat but soone blowne ouer in respect of the new deuised sauage cruelties of the Roman Emperours and the tempestuous stormes raised vp from time to time for the vtter ouerthrow and ruine of this poore ship of Christ his Church that they might set vp their pillers ob deletos Christianos as if they had vtterly rooted out all Christians and Christianitie for the
ten persecutions raised against this ship of Christ by those wicked Tyrants Nero Domitian Traian Antoninus Verus Seuerus Maximinus Decius Valerianus Aurelianus and Dioclesian were such great stormes that as Rabanâ—s saith of the first of them Some were slaine with the sword some sâ—ourged with whips some stabd with forkes of yron Some fastned to the crosse or gibbet some drowned iâ— the sea some had their skins pluckâ— ouer their eâ—res some their tongues cut out some stoned to dâ—ath some killed with cold some starued with huâ—ger some their handâ— cut off and dismembred and left naked c. So Saint Augustine saith of the Christians to them all They were in bonds and imprisonments they were slaine thâ—y were tortured they were beaten with cudgels They were burned they were torne in pieces and yet they multiplied Saint Ierome saith that there was no day in the whole yeere vnto which the number of fiue thousand and Martyrs might not be ascribed except onely the first day of Iaâ—uary Eusebius writes of Neroes persecution of the Church that in his time a man might see Cities lie full of dead â—â—dies the old lying together with the young and the dead bodies of women cast out into the open streetes without reuerence to their sexe This may serue for a taste of the tempests raised against this ship of Christ in the times of these persecuting tyrants But the stormes raised by Arrius the heretick and his followers in good Constanâ—â—ns time were as much if not more dangerous of which Saint Ierom complaines Ingemâ—it orbis Christianus miratur se subito factum esse Arrianum That the Christian world did lament and wonder how vpon the sudden they were al becâ—me Arians And certainely hereticks haue as furiously assailed the Church as euer did Tyrants But when Heresie and Tyranny met together in the Maâ— of sinne the Pope of Rome especially when Boniface the third by the meanes of Phocas that execrable murtherer that by treason conspiracy being but a coÌ„mon souldier did betray and put to death his Lord and Master Mauritius the Emperour hauing first slaine his Empresse and his three sonnes before his face and by this traitrous villany aspired to the Empire when Boniface I say by this persidious Wretches meanes had gotten to be proclaimed The Head of the Vniâ—eâ—sall Church then and from that time Satan being let loose the poore Church or ship of Christ went to wracke which was about sixe hundred and thirteene yeeres after the birth of Christ. Since that time we may truly say his armes are a rauening wolfe his sentence burne burne burne his saying Let vs lay waite for bloud his head is blasphemy his shield tyranny his brest iniurie his eies fire his girdle fornication his breath poyson his tongue the sting of death his feete ready to shed innocent blood his sword violence his crosse persecution his pardons iniquitie his triple Crowne presumption his keyes ambition and all his doings abomination I write this the rather because that Sinagogue of Satan doe boast and brag and challenge to themselues that they are this ship of Christ and that out of their ship there is no saluation that Protestants are hereticks that raise vp stormes and tempests against this ship I confesse the time was to wit in the times of the forenamed persecuting Tyrants that the Church of Rome had her part in Christs ship many of her Bishops were holy Martyrs all those stormes raised by those tyrants might happily fill the ship with water but could not sinke it But how is the faithfull citie become an harloâ— For when Constantine the Great gaue not only peace to the Church but endowed it with worldly promotions they shutting vp their vpper-decks to heauen-ward and opening leakes beneath to the sea of the world thinking they could neuer haue enough of that bitter water except they had the whole sea and world at their command From that time Rome is no longer a ship but a sea for that proud Bishop to sit in though he falsely terme it the sea Apostolick and from that sea haue risen more tempests against Christs ship then from the persecuting tyrants that we may iustly say of Rome as the Prophet said of Niniueh O blâ—udy citie it is full of lies and robbery the prey departeth not c. for this Whore of Babylon is drunken with the bloud of Saints and with the bloud of the Martyrs of Iesus Let their owne Authors speake for them Iohn the twentie two did persecute tâ—e poore Christians of Armenia and hired the Saracens to warre vpon them bâ—cause they would not acknowledge his authoritie A strange expence of the goods of the Church as they call themselues to hire infidels to cut the throats of Christians and to inuade Christendome In the dayes of Queene Marie saith the same Author the Papists procured the slaughter of millions of Christians in France Flanders and other places in that time how many poore Christians were butchered and burned here in England Natalis a Popish Writer saith that threescore thousand Hâ—gonites were murâ—ered in the Massacre of France An. 1572. and therfore he calles that execution cruâ—ll and bitter The Pope in his charitie with his Cardinals hearing of it reioyced went a Procession sang Te Deum and gaue a Iubile Paul the second is reported by diuers torments to haue vexed diuers godly and learned men for very small causes Alexander the sixth would put men to death for euery light word spoken against him Budeus calles Iulius the second Sanguinarium cleri magistrum that is A bloody Master of his Clergy When Charles the Emperour was setting forward against the Turke the common enemy of Christians Cardinal Poole an English Popish traytor was sent to him from the Pope and in an oration extant in print did perswade him to turne his forces from the Turke against Henry the eight as worse then any Turke I need not speak of the Popes Bulles and tempestuous thunder-bolts sent out against Christian Princes to set them together by the eares and sometimes stirring vp the subiects against their Princes and sometime owne son against the father The Bull of Pius Quintus roaring thus against Queene Elizabeth of happy memory Iubemus vt contra Reginam Angliae subditi arma capessant We will and command that the Queene of Englands subiects doe rise vp in armes against her Neither need we to seeke farre to find that the Iesuites his dearest darlings are the fierbrands of all Kingdomes and States in Christendome to goe no further and that they are both contriuers and patrons of the greatest conspiracies and treasons that euer were hatched in the world The Spanish inuasion of England intended in the yere 1588 with their Inuincible Nauy as they termed it and the Gun-powder treason intended against the Parliament-house and the Estates of the land that were there to
death and resurrection in this life as also of that eternall rest in the life to come whereof the other is but a pledge and earnest when the godly shall be partakers of such ioyes as the eye hath not seene the eare hath not heard nor câ—n possibly enter into the heart of man to conceiue For the first the whole current of the fathers tell vs that the sea is an image of the world many waies 1. First the sea hath his name of bitternesse Proptâ—rea mare appellaâ—um quòd eius aquae sunâ— amarae The sea hath his name Mare in the Latine of the Latine word amarum which signifieth bitter because the waters thereof are bitter The sea is very bitter notwithstanding to the fishes that liue and are nourished in it it sauoureth sweetly So the world is very bitter yeâ— to worldly men delighting in the fleshly lusts thereof it seemes sweete and though at first it seeme but as a sport or play yet as Abneâ— saith to Ioab Knowest thou not that iâ— will be bitternesse in the lâ—ttâ—r eâ—d For like a subtill serpent it hath a sting in the taile and insinuates and windes it selfe into vs for to hurt vs. And though worldly men flatter themselues and say as Agag to Samuel Truly the bitternesse of death is pâ—ssed yet they are as much deceiued as Agag was as may appeare in Samuels answere in that place It is the distemperate taste of worldly men that makes the pleasures of the world seeme so sweete vnto them but if euer God effectually call them and they come to the true rellish of them they will say with Naomi the mother of Ruth Call mâ— no more Naomi or beautifull but call mee Mara that is bitter for the Almighty hath giuen me much bitternesse For the greatest pleasures of this world are like the waters of Marah wherof the Israelites Gods people could not drinke for the bitternesse thereof The waters of the sea of the world are like those waters which Saint Iohn saw by vision into which fell a great starre named wormewood and the waters became wormewood and many men died of the waters because they were bitter Let men therefore feare the curse denounced by the Prophet Woe be to them which make sowre sweet and sweet sowre which call euiâ—l good and good euill which make darknesse light and light darknesse For it were easie to shew of all the things in the world as Saint Iohn reckoneth them vp the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life that is the vnlawfull desire of worldly pleasure treasure honor that they be all the bitter waters of the sea of the world And it may bee said of them al as the Wise man saith of the first The lips of a strange woman drop as the hony combe and her mouth is more soft then oyle But the end of her is bitter as wormwood and sharpe as a two edged sword And that wee may see the bitternesse of these waters in this sweet sinne of vncleannesse as the world is not ashamed to call it and thereby to iudge of the rest First Salomon tels vs that it is a punishment in it selfe for such as God is angry withall The mouth saith he of strange women is as a deâ—pe pit He with whom the Lord is angry shall fall therein It is therefore a signe of Gods anger towards vs when he suffereth vs to fall into it Secondly it bringeth men to infamie reproch dishonour He shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer be done away Thirdly it bringeth beggery with it for because of the whorish woman a man is brought to a morsell of bread Fourthly it bringeth filthy and loathsome diseases on a man euen rottennesâ—â— to his bones Fifthly it destroyeth not onely his vnderstanding but his soule also Sixthly it is as a fire that will pursue and follow not onely him but his encrease to â—heir vtter dâ—struction Seuenthly the Apostle maketh it as a punishment of Idolatry to be giuen ouer to these vncleane lusts Let men therefore take heede of these bitter waters and if either they bee afraid of the anger of God or their owne infamie or the wasting of their estates or of the rotting of their bodies or the destroying of their soules oâ— the vndoing of their posterity let them take heed of that which if they looke they may finde hath cost other men so deare and giuen them sharp and bitter sawce to their sweet meate knowing what a poysonfull hooke lyeth vnder that pleasing bait to betray them The same may bee said of the rest of the vices that ouerflow the world as pride couetousnesse intemperance in diet murmuring enuie hatred disobedience to authority they are all the bitter waters of the world The woâ—ld is a sea The sea is bitter Thâ— world is bitter Secondly the sea is inconstant it ebbeth and floweth sometime it is quiet sometimes troubled It followeth the Moone As the Moone changeth so the sea changeth The world is as inconstant altering and changing euery day both in priuate men and in whole states Some borne some die some in health some sicke some rising some falling some in fauour some in disgrace and as Saint Gregory obserued all the actions of our life are but remedia taedij when we are wearie of one thing we seeke for reliefe of the contrary when we are wearie of fasting we eate and being wearie of eating wee fast when wâ—e are wearie of waking we sleepe and being wearie of sleeping we wake In nothing we continue at one stay and as the day succeedes the night and the night the day so variety and contrariety must giue content in all our actions The vse whereof is to teach vs to obserue in the world and our selues liuing in the world the mutability and change of all things vnder the Sunne God only being vnchangeable The Angels in heauen and man in Paradise were subiect to change as they found by miserable experience In God onely is no change nor shadâ—w of change but the world passeth and the concupiscâ—nce thereâ—f As the sea therefore is inconstant so is the world inconstant Thirdly the sea is full of dangers sometime by contrary wiâ—ds sometime by Pyrats sometime by entising mermaids and syrens sometime by rockes somtime by quick-sands and many other waies The world is a sea of dangers yea hath more dangers theÌ„ the sea 1. It hath such coÌ„trary windes that Christs ship his Church is faine with Saint Pauls ship to cast ancor lest it bee driuen backe in her course to heauen 2. It is ful of pyâ—ats that watch their opportunitie to take and make prize of the rich commodities wherewith she is laden to rob and spoile her of that most precious faith which is much more precious then gold that perisheth yea to depriue her of those