matter what it is to let the true Christian religion I do meane those which are confirmable and agreable to the Christian rule and good manners On the contrarie I beséech them to remember a lawe of the Aegyptians by the which the kings of the countrie did adiure and sweare the iudges not to iudge any thing wrongfully yea when the king hath commaunded them expresly and if they do disalowe me in this matter I wil put before their eyes the exhortation which Iehosaphat made vnto the Iudges of Iuda admonishing and warning them to consider that they doe not exercise the iudgment of men but of GOD and that it shall be with them according to the thing iudged to haue the feare of the Lorde before their eyes to know that there is no vnrighteousnes in the Lord your god nor the regarding of persons nor taking of rewardes They haue written this lawe not with ynke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of their heartes To the end that by their arrestes and Edictes they haue moued by that afore the people vnto a rage and furie more then barbarous and Scythian they may be also an occasion that hereafter the Christian people doe breake their swordes and speares to make sithes sickles and sawes thereof From that time foorth shall not one people lift vp weapon against another neither shall they learne to fight from thencefoorth but as the prophet Iob saith that we may all walke in the feare of the Lord let vs acknowledge also on our parte that God hath ben prouoked iustly against vs for our demerites and transgressions according as he doth menace and threaten some time his people by the Prophet that he wil take from them the Captein the Souldier the Iudge and the Prophet the wise and the aged man the worshipfull of fiftie yeare olde and the honourable the Senatours and men of vnderstanding the maisters of craftes and Oratoures and shall giue vnto them to be their Princes children and babes shall haue the rule ouer them The people shal be pilled and polled one shall euer be doing violence and wronge to an other The boye shall presume against the elder and the vile person against the honourable Bicause saith the Prophet that both their wordes and counseils are against the Lorde they prouoke the presence of his maiestie vnto anger Wherefore O Christian and faithfull people let vs consider our wayes and search them and let vs returne vnto the Lorde and bewaile vs for our sinnes Let vs lift vp our heartes with our handes vnto the Lorde that is in heauen saying We haue bene dissemblers and haue offended wilt thou therefore not be intreated thou hast conuerted vs in thy wrath and persecuted vs thou hast slaine vs without any fauour thou hast hidde thy selfe in a cloude that our prayers shoulde not goe thorowe thou hast made vs outcastes and to be dispised among the heathen All our enimies gape vppon vs feare and snare is come vpon vs yea dispite and destruction O Lorde be not so sore displeased and kéepe not our offences too long in thy remembrance but consider that we are all thy people The cities of thy Sanctuarie lie wast Syon is a wildernesse Ierusalem a desert Our holy house which is our beautie where our fathers praised thée is brent vp yea all our pleasures and commodities are wasted away remember not Lorde our offences but finish the worke which thou hast begunne in vs in this meane libertie of the religion that we may all sing in great hope and assurance with the Prophet Dauid mercie and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace kisse each other truth shal rise out of the earth and righteousnesse shall looke downe from heauen Graunt vs O Lorde that grace in the name and fauour of thy welbeloued sonne our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen ESAY 11. c. The Lord shall set vp a token among the Gentils and gather together the dispersed of Israel yea and of the outcastes of Iuda from the foure corners of the worlde A prayer O Lord which doest disperse and breake the counsells of the nations dost bring too nothing the enterprises of the people shed out the bowels of thy mercies vpon those which do fight daily against thée as their forefathers and woulde chase and driue thée from thy celestiall throne as the king of Babilon To conclude doe put and set them selues against thy sonne Christe teachers and liers as that sonne of perdition for to pull vp by the roote that which thou hast planted to destroy to ruinate that which thou hast builded to hinder and stop that which thou hast shed out euen vnto the vttermost ends of the earth yea do go about by all meanes to marre and to spill that which thou hast tried in the furnesse of the earth and purified seuen times in the fier to ad vnto that which thou hast ordeined in all integrie perfection To cōclud would suppresse abolish by force that which thou hast established for euer O Lord giue thē feare that they may acknowledg confesse him whom thou hast raised vp to set vp the kinreds of Iacob to restore the destruction of Israel and whom thou hast giuen for to lighten the Gentiles that he may be thy health vnto the end of the worlde our Lorde Iesus Christe vnto whome be glorie for euer Amen AN ADVERTISEMENT VNto these which doe crie dayly that wee must not suffer two religions Cap. 4. 1. TIMOTH 4. ¶ Therfore we labour and suffer rebuke bicause we beleeue in the liuing God which is the sauiour of all men but especially of all those that beleeue IT is most euident and knowen by the discourse of the holy scripture that as the Lord is true entire perfect so doth hée require of vs an acknowledging of him neither fained nor cloked That is the cause wherfore he did regard rather the sacrifice of Abel then of Cain did commaunde in the lawe that is written that wée must haue a perfecte and a iust measure and weightes and not to haue two manner of weightes he did rebuke Saul because that he did not wholy and fully accomplish his will and desire inasmuch as he did reserue some of the spoiles which they had gotten against the king of Amalech And in the Gospell is more praised the prayer of the Publican then that of the Pharisie To conclude in the booke of the Actes of the Apostles Ananias is punished bicause he deceiued the Apostles of the price of his possession In the same respect also we do greatly abhorre those which do mingle the sacrifice of the liuing God with that of Baal the doings of the Iewes with the fame of the Samaritans the baptisme with the circumcision the Christian lawe with that of Antichrist And yet
not keeping his commaundementes lawes and ordinaunces That when you shall haue the thinges that you desire and your riches and goodes increased then your hart rise and you forget the Lord your God which hath deliuered you frō the hand of your enimies Learne by the example of the people of Israel that he which ought to be right hath kicked he I say which was made fatte thicke and smooth hath forsaken and let God go that made him and despised the God of Israel that saued him As also the same Lord doth witnesse by his Prophet that the iniquitie of Sodome was pride aboundance of bread and idlenesse On the other side submit your selues therfore vnder the mightie hande of God that he may exalte you when the time is come Cast all your care on him for he careth for you Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the diuell as a roring Lyon walketh about séeking whō he may deuoure Sée that ye loue not the worlde neither the things that are in the worlde For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the father but of the worlde and the worlde passeth awaie and the lust thereof but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for euer And truely we knowe that we are of God and that the world lyeth in wickednesse Déerely beloued absteine from fleshly lustes which fight against the soule And as obedient children not fashioning your selues vnto the olde lustes of your ignoraunce But as he which called you is holie euen so be ye holy also in all manner of conuersation And in al sobernes trust perfectly on the grace that is brought vnto you by the reuelatiō of Iesus Christ And beware my brethrē of the great Babilon the mother of fornicatiō with whom haue cōmitted fornicatiō that kings of earth that they are droncken with the wine of hir fornication For although that that woman was araied in purple and crimson and guilded with golde and precious stones and pearles yet truely she had in hir hand a cup ful of abhominations and filthines of hir fornication And as it happened at the subuersion and destruction of Sodome and of Gomorra that Lots wife looking backe was turned into a piller of salt And euen as Dina the daughter of Iacob going out to sée the daughters of the lande was rauished by the Princes of the sayd lande Feare on your part that ye taking to great pleasure in worldly things ye be not seduced and deceiued and forsaking the commaundements of the Lorde ye be not destroied For as it happened that the children of Israel being induced and prouoked by the wiues of the Madianits did trespasse against the Lord bicause of Peor It is also to be feared that you following to much that which is of the world You do altogether forget the homage obedience which you doe owe vnto the Lord. To be short if the enimie doth oppresse you stand therefore and you loynes girde about with veritie hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse and your féete shode with the preparation of the Gospell of peace Aboue all take to you the shield of faith wherewith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked And take the helmet of saluation the swoord of the spirite which is the worde of god And pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put ye on the whole armoure of God that he may stande stedfast against the craftie assaultes of the Diuell for we wrestle not against flesh and bloude but against rulers against powers against the worldly gouernours the Princes of darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesses which are aboue If the world do pursue you set your faith as a fort in expugnable against hir pleasures for this is the victorie that ouercōmeth the world euen our faith By which meanes Samuel Dauid and the other prophets haue subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lyons quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword If your flesh bée weake watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation And beléeue that the Lord which is faithfull shall not suffer you to be tempted aboue your strength but shall in the middest of the temptation make away that yée may be able to beare it To conclude assure your selues vpon the word of God when he saith that his shéepe do heare his voyce and he knoweth them and they followe him and and he will giue vnto them eternall life and they shal neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of his hand bicause that his father which gaue them him is greater then all Remember that Moses and Aaron did not enter into the lande of promise bicause they beléeued not the LORD that he might be sanctified by them in the eies of the children of Israel No more then those which were gone out to search the lande shall sée the same lande which I the LORD sware vnto their Fathers But his seruaunt Caleb bicause there is an other manner spirit with him and bicause he hath followed the Lorde vnto the vttermost God gaue him the saide lande for an heritage Finally bicause that the capitaine of Samaria would not beléeue the promise which the Lord made vnto him by the mouth of the prophet Eliseus foreshewing the great aboundance plentiousnesse within a little space was depriued from the fruites therof and troden vnder foote that he died Wherfore be not as some faithlesse people distrusting of the promises of him which is the God of veritie But rather be ye imitators and followers of Gedeon who béeing come to the assault blewe with his trumpet helde his lampes in his hande and brake his pitchers figuring vnto all true Christians that they ought alwaies to kéepe that light of faith to be like vnto the seruaunts attending their masters when they shall bée retourned from the mariages And as the trumpet to lift vp their voice in the middest of all daungers for to magnifie and praise the Lord. Furthermore if néede bée or if the case so require not to spare their bodies which are but as earthen vessels to that heauenly treasure In so dooing beléeue assuredly that by the same meanes by them which they doe thincke to destroy and ruinate the worke of God by the same meanes it shall be established amplified The which is also figured vnto vs by examples in the booke of Exodus where the king of Aegypt purposing to exterminate and altogether to ruinate and destroye the people of God afflicting them through a long seruitude and bondage in making morter bricke and other bondage worke in the fieldes was partly a cause that the Lorde did multiplie and increase his people aboue al other people and prospered
his faithfull seruaunt Moses amonge the middest of all his enimies In like manner the Lord did set vp Ioseph in the house of Pharao then though his brethren did sell him to the Ismaelites thincking thereby altogether to deface his memorie from the earth Furthermore did bring to naught all the deliberatioÌ„s of Haman conspiring the death of Mardocheus and of the Iewes Finally the same Lord did drawe from those that were slaine a little Ioas against the rage and fuerie of quéene Athalia his mother The same doth sufficiently teach vs that the meanes that our enimies doe take for to subuert the true christian religion the same meanes doe serue for to encrease and defend it against all the enimies of the crosse of Christ For euen as the good hearbe the more that it is pressed the more smelling it is Euen so the good men the more that they are afflicted of the world the more they do magnifie the religion of the lord The which the Apostle doth witnesse by his owne example when he doth write vnto the Phillippians that the thinges which haue happened vnto him are turned to the great furthering of the gospell So that his bandes in Christ are famous throughout all the iudgement hall and in all other places insomuch that many of his bretheren in the Lord are bouldned through his bandes and dare more franckly speake the word And truely God doth not measure his workes according to the thoughtes of men As it is written by the prophet Esaie that his thoughts are not our thoughtes nor our wayes are not his wayes but as farre as the heauens are hier then the earth so farre doe his waies excéede ours and his thoughtes ours Thou doest sée in Daniel that greate and meruailous Image yea of which the beholding of him was terrible and grimme broken by a little stone hewen out of the rocke without mannes hande Figuring that eternall kingdome of Iesus Christ which â—ought to bring to naught and breake all the monarches and kingdomes of the worlde and be established for euer Thou doest reade in the Scripture of one little Dauyd a figure of the true Disciples of the LORD all readie to fight against the great Philistian without swoord buckler or speare but in the name of the Lorde of hoastes the GOD of the hoast and him whom the sayd Goliah hath railed on and despised Within a little while after Dauyd hauing the victorie did bring the head of Goliah into the citie of Hierusalem and he put his armoure in his tent Furthermore the holy scripture doth teach thée that Iosua which was the leader of the people of God at the sound of the trumpets made the walles of the Citie of Iericho to fal downe yea that the Angell of the LORD at the praier of king Ezekiah did kill a hundreth foure score fiue thousand men of the campe of the Assirians To be short we may not bée ignorant that Iesus Christ béeing pursued to death and béeinge asked of the Scribes and Pharises if hée were Iesus of Nazareth at that simple worde I am he did so stonish and amase a bande of soldiers and officers sent by the high priestes by the Pharises that they went backwards fell to the ground Finally we may better knowe that the Apostles of Iesus Christe and those simple and idiotes haue brought to good order a number of people to the obedience of our Lorde Iesus Christ In such sort that by the preaching of the crosse hath bene destroyed the wisdome of the wise and hath cast awaye the vnderstanding of the prudent Forasmuch as the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknes of God is stronger theÌ„ men Also that the Lord hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confounde the wise Assure your selues then of the promises of the Lord though that the world doe conspire men doe imagine mischiefe Fortifie strengthen your selues with a liuely fayth after the example of that good patriarke Abraham and father of all them that beléeue who besides hope did beléeue in hope doubted not in the promises which the Lord made vnto him through vnbeliefe but was made strong in the faith gaue honour vnto God full certified that what he had promised he was able to make good And beléeue that the worke which the Lord hath builded in you shall continue for euer if such and lyke admonitions will not suffice beholde what punishments haue followed those who distrusting of Gods promises haue forsaken the knowen veritie and the true seruice which was due vnto him It is written in the booke of Exodus that when the people sawe that it was long or Moses came downe out of the mountaine they gathered themselues together came vnto Aaron and sayd vnto him vp make vs a god to go before vs For of this Moses the fellowe that brought vs out of the land of Aegypt we wote not what is become of him And Aaron sayd vnto them plucâ— of the golden rings which are in the eares of your wyues your sonnes and of your daughters and of them to make a Calfe of molten metall made an aulter and worshipped it Then the Lord sayd vnto Moses go get the downe for the people which thou broughtest out of the lande of Aegypt haue marred all they are tourned at once out of the way which I commaunded them And the Lord sayd vnto Moses suffer me that my wrath may waxe hot vpon them and that I may consume them Moreouer the children of Israel did committe idolatry and whoredome with the daughters of Moab for that cause the LORDE was angry againste Israel and sayde vnto Moses take all the heades of the people and hang them vp vnto the Lord against the sunne that the wrathe of the Lorde maye tourne away from Israel The said children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord and serued Baalim and forsoke the Lorde God of their fathers which broughte them out of the land of Aegypt followed straunge gods euen of the gods of the nations that were rounde about them and bowed themselues vnto them and angred the lord And so they forsooke the Lord and serued Baal and Astaroth Wherefore the Lord wared angry with Israel and deliuered them into the hands of raueners to spoyle them and solde them into the hands of their enemies rounde about them so that they had no power any longer to stande before their enemies But vnto whatsoeuer thinges they went the hande of the Lord was vpon them with euill lucke afterwarde the Lord raised vp Iudges which deliuered theÌ„ out of the hands of their opressours After the the Iudge was deade they tourned and did worse then theire fathers in followinge straunge gods in seruing them Wherfore the Lord waxed angry and sold them into the handes of Chusarim king of Mesopotamia Within a litle while after the chil
of Israel cried vnto the Lord. And the Lord stirred vp a sauer and saued them one Othoniel the sonne of Kenes Calebs younger brother and the lande had rest fortie years And Othoniel being dead the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord the Lord deliuered them into the hands of Egloh king of Moab whom they serued by the space of xviij years And then they cried vnto the Lorde And the LORD stirred them vp a sauer Ahud the sonne of Gera. Incontinently after the children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord wheÌ„ Ahud was dead And the Lord sold them into the hands of Iabin king of Canaan whose captaine of warre was Sisara At which time Debora a prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel who exhorted Barack the sonne of Abinoam to deliuer the people but the Lorde at the prayer of Debora trounsed Sisara and all his charyottes and all his heaste with the edge of the sword before Barack insomuch that Sisara lighted downe of his chariot and fled a foote And of all the hoast of Sisara there was not a man left And sodeinly the children of Israel did begin againe to do wickedly in the sight of the Lorde And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Madianites by the space of seauen years The Lord had pitie on them and ordeinâ—d Gedeon for a deliuerer of the people 〈◊〉 that tyme there the Madianites were discomfited of a meruailous fashion The same people began againe to committe wickednesse in the sight of the lord And the Lord deliuered them into the hands of the Philstians fortie years but the Lorde hauing compassion of them ordeyned Samson for their deliuerer Saul in the beginning of his kingdome did prosper greatly against his enemies forasmuch as he obeyed the Lord the voice of Samuel But Saul hauing transgressed the commaundement of the Lord who commaunded him to slay all the Amalekites both man and woman infant and suckling and Oxe shéepe Camell and Asse Bicause that he reserued the spoyle is forsaken of the Lorde and his kingdome geuen vnto an other in which place is declared that rebelliousnesse is as the sinne of witchcrafte and stubbernnesse is wickednesse and idolatrie yea to obey is better then offering Dauid bicause that he made alliaunce with the Lorde did profite in going and increasing and the Lord of hoastes was with him insomuch that he wonne many victories that is to say against the Philistians Idumeans Sirians Assone as he had defiled Bethsabe and caused hir husband to bée slaine contemned and despised the word of the lord The Lord said vnto him behold I will stirre vp euill against thée euen of thine owne house and will take thy wiues before thine eyes and giue them vnto thy neighboure which shall sléepe with them in the sight of the sonne And although that the Lord had put away his sinne after his repentaunce notwithstanding bicause in doing this déede he hath giuen the enemies of the Lord a cause to rayle it was sayd vnto him that the childe that was borne of Bethsabe shall dye surely After that time king Dauid being touched wyth greate pride did number his people and the Lord being angry with him did offer him by the prophet Gad to choose of thrée plagues one that is to say famine warre or pestilence And Dauyd choosinge rather to fall into the handes of the Lorde then into the handes of men The Lorde sente a pestilence in Israel And there dyed of the people betwéene Dan and Bersabe lxx thousand men Salomon as long as he serued the Lord prospered wonderfully In the time of his olde age his hearte was tourned after straunge gods the LORD stirred vp aduersaries that is to say Hadad Razon and also Ieroboam Roboam as soone as his kingdome was stablished and made strong forsoke the law of the LORD and all Israel with him wherefore the fith yeare of king Roboam Sesac the king of Aegypt came vp againste Hierusalem bicause he had transgressed against the Lorde And they toke the strong cytyes that were in Iuda and came to Hierusalem Then came Semeiah the prophet to Roboam and to the Lordes of Iuda that were gathered to Hierusalem for feare of Sesac and sayd vnto them Thus saith the LORDE ye haue left mée therefore will I leaue you also in the hands of Sesac Wherevpon the Lords of Israel and the king humbled themselues said the Lord is righteous And when the Lord saw that they submitted themselues the word of the Lorde came to Semiah saying Forasmuch as they humble themselus I wil not destroy them but I wil deliuer them somewhat Ieroboam and the children of Israel were discomfited by Abiah and the children of Iuda fortified bicause they leaned vnto the Lord GOD of their fathers And Ieroboam recouered no streÌ„gth again in the dayes of Abiah And at the last the Lorde plaged him that he dyed Asa the sonne of Abiah reigned in his stéede in whose days the land was in quiet tenne yeares And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his god And Zarah a blacke Morian made warre against him And Asa cryed vnto the Lorde and the LORDE smote the blacke Mores before Asa and Iuda that they fledde Then Azariah the sonne of Obed which had the spiryte of GOD in him went out againste Asa and sayde to him heare me Asa and all Iuda and Beniamin The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seeke him he will be founde of you but and if ye shall forsake him he will forsake you Then Asa and his made a couenant to seeke the Lorde God of their fathers with all their heartes and all their soules so that all that sought not the Lord God of Israel should die for it whether he were small or great man or woman And they sware vnto the Lorde with a loude voice and shooting and with trumpets and hornes And the Lord gaue them rest round about them on euery side Iehosaphat his sonne reigned in his steede and was mightier then Israel And the LORDE was with Iehosaphat bicause hee walked in the olde waies of his father Dauid and sought not Baals But sought the Lord God of his father and walked in his commaundements and not after the dooing of Israel Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdome in his hand all Iuda brought him presents so that he became excéeding riche and glorious and prospered and grew vp on hie The Moabites and the children of Ammon came against Iehosaphat in battell and Iehosaphat bowed himselfe with his face to the Citie and all Iuda and the inhabiters â—f Hierusalem fell before the Lord to bowe â—hemselues vnto the Lorde And as Iehosaphat rose early in the morning to get him â—ut vnto the wildernesse of Thekna he said vnto them heare me Iuda and ye inhabiters of
caused Iezabel to be throwne downe out of a windowe and Iezabel was eaten vp with dogges according to the woord of Hely At the same time Athaliah the mother of Ochoziah séeing that hir son was dead rose vp and slew al the séede of the kingdome except Ioas the sonne of Ochoziah whom Iehosaba the daughter of king Iehoram did steale from amonge the middest of the kinges sonnes that were slaine and hid him from Athaliah that he was not slayne But within a little while after Athaliah is caried out of the Temple when she was come to the gate where the kings horses went out they killed her there Iehoram did rise against the kingdome of his father and when he was setled he slew all his other brethren with the swoord and diuers of the Lordes of Israell there too For which cause the Lord did smite him with an incurable disease in his bowelles And in processe of time euen aboute the ende of two yeares his guttes fell out by reason of his sickenesse and so he dyed of euill diseases Iehoas after the death Iehoida did forsake the Lord and caused Zachariah the Prophet to be killed in the court of the house of the Lord And when the yeare was out the hoast of the Syrians came against him and they came to Iuda and Hierusalem and destroyed all the Lordes of the people from among the people and sent all the spoyle of them vnto the king of Damasco And when they were departed from him though they left him in great diseases yet his owne seruauntes conspired against him for the bloude of the children of Iehoiada the priest and slewe him in his bedde and so he dyed Manasseh shed much innocent bloud so much that he filled Hierusalem from the one side vnto the other But afterwardes he was taken by the Assirians and ledde captiue to Bablilon I wil not here forget Herod who hauing vexed certeine of the congregation and killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword by and by after he was smitten of the Lord and béeing eaten of wormes gaue vp the Ghost Furthermore if we will know wherefore the childreÌ„ of Israel were led captiue to BabiloÌ„ in the time of Zedekiah Iehoachin The scripture doth aunswere that the Lord God sent to them by his messengers sending them betimes for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place But they mocked the messengers of God despised their wordes and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord so rose against his people that it was past remedie And so he brought vpon them the kinge of Caldey and slewe their younge men with the swoorde in the holy Temple and neyther spared young man nor maide neither olde man neither so much as him that stowped for age but gaue all into his hande The Prophet Ieremy doth giue the same reason of the later destruction of Hierusalem which was in the time of Titus and Vespasian when hee sayth neither the kings of the earth nor all the inhabitors of the wolrd woulde haue beléeued that the enimie and aduersarie should haue come in at the gates of the Citie of Hierusalem Which neuerthelesse is come to passe for the sinnes of hir Prophets and for the wickednesse of hir priestes that haue shedde innocentes bloulde wythin hir To that same fault the sonne of Syrach did attribute the destruction not of a Citie and of a coÌ„mon wealth onely Teaching that the kingdome bicause of vnrighteous dealing wrong blasphemies and diuers deceipts shal be translated from one people to an other So our Lord Iesus Christ doth crie so often against the Scribes and Pharises for the bloode of the righteous saying Hierusalem Hierusalem which killest the Prophtes and stonest them which are sent to thée How often woulde I haue gathered thy children together as the henne gathereth hir chickens vnder hir wings but ye wold not Beholdy our habitatioÌ„ shal be left vnto you desolate These are the same matters which that first Deacon of the church did direct vnto them when he saith O ye people stifnecked of vncircumcised hearts eares Ye haue alwaies resisted the holy ghost As your fathers did so doe ye Which of the prophets haue not your fathers persecuted And they haue slaine them which shewed before of the comming of the iust whom ye haue nowe betrayed and murthered What shall I say more the time will not serue mée if I would speake of Nero Domitian Caligula and other Emperours of Rome Who hauing exercised in their life more cruelties theÌ„ Barbarous or Scithian Also in their death haue bene cruellie entreated of their owne subiectes For the like cause it was forbidden the children of Israel not to eate the bloude for the life of all flesh is in the bloud For that same cause I say Dauid was not suffred to build the Lordes house bicause saith the Scripture that he had shed much bloude and made great battailes although that he had no warres but against the enimies of God of his people These things doe sufficiently declare vnto the Kinges and Princes of the earth how odious before God all effusion of bloud and crueltie is According as Salomon doth teach vs that mercy and faythfulnesse preserue the king and with louing kindnesse his seate is holden vp And Iesus Christ doth witnesse that blessed are the meeke for they shall inherite the earth What néede is it to serch the places of the auncient fathers inasmuch as the examples of our time doe giue vnto vs certeine witnesse of the vengeaunce of God against those Who according to their ambition and priuate affection had shed euery where the bloud of the iust which although the Lorde doe suffer many at this time to reigne yet let vs praise his goodnesse and let vs acknowledge that his mercy and long taryinge shall bringe them to repentance Let vs also feare on the other side that through their stubburnnesse and heart that cannot repent they heape vnto themselues the wrath of GOD agaynst the daye of vengeance when shal be opened the righteous iudgement of God. Euen as Iesus Christ did menace somtime the Sâ—â—â—bes and â—harises saying Fulfill ye the measure of yâ—â— fathers that vpon you maye come all the righteous bloud that was shedde vppon the earth from the bloode of righteous Abel vnto the bloude of Zacharias the sonne of Barachias whom ye slew betwéene the temple and the Alter To no purpose some do couer and cloke themselues with the zeale of Phinees which did take a speare in his hand and did thrust through Zambry and Cosby bicause they committed fornication together Alledging the frée will of Hely which killed all the priestes of Baal Furthermore they doe propounde vnto vs the ardent affection of Iehu which caused the lxx sonnes of Achab to be slayne Also they doe shew foorth the zeale feruentnesse of Mathathiah which killed
of our soules our LORD Iesus Christ doth promise vs that whosoeuer shall doe the will of his father whiche is in heauen that he will be his brother sister and mother And that our heauenly father doth assure vs that he will gather vs vp yea when we shal be forsaken of all our parentes and friendes at the time of the restoring of all things when he shall bée all in all Amen Actes 9. a. ¶ It is to hard for thee to kicke against the pricke A Prayer to the same ende O Lord which art wonderfull in puissance and infinite in mercy which desirest not the death of a sinner but rather that hée repent Regard and beholde from thine heauenly throne the rage and furie of our enimies and of those which doe pursue thy name As thou hast of late enclined thy face vpon Balaam willing to force the people whom thou haddest chosen for thine heritage Shew mercy and bring to repentance those which of an indiscéerte zeale not according to knowledge do hinder daily the course and frée passage of thy woord To the ende that they béeing cast downe by the swoord of thy mouth after the example of that vessell of election may acknowledge thy Christ magnifie thy glorious name amonge the middest of the Nations yea that they doe confesse with heart mouth that it is eternall life then to acknowledge thée to be true God and not to varie or any thing decline from the commaūdement of him whō thou hast sent our Lord Iesus Christ vnto whom be glorie for euer Amen ¶ A BRIEFE DEMONSTRAtion vnto those which haue susteined euen hetherto the dooing of the reformed religion for to confirme them more and more in their first will. Cap. 13. Psalme 73 d. ¶ They that forsake thee shall perish thou destroiest all them that commit fornication against thee THE Scripture doth witnesse that at the comming of the sonne of God many false Prophetes shall arise shall deceiue many And bicause iniquitie shal haue the vpper hande the loue of many shall abate But hée that endureth to the ende the same shall bée safe As it is written that hée whiche striueth for a mastrie is not crowned excepte hée striue lawefully And the husbandman must first by laboring receiue the fruites And what he is among you sayth the Lord that is disposed to builde a towre sitteth not downe before and counteth the cost whether he haue sufficient to performe it Least after he hath laide the foundation and is not able to performe it all that beholde it begin to mocke him saying this man began to build and was not able to make an ende I speake this my bretheren least ther be at any time in any of you an euill heart vnfaithfull to depart away frō the liuing god But exhort one another dailie while it is called to day least any of you waxe harde harted through the disceitfulnesse of sinne For we are made pertakers of Christ if we kéepe sure vnto the ende the beginning wherewith we are holden vp And we doe exhort you of this fearing that in forsaking him whiche hath called you by grace you doe transport your selues vnto an other gospell and séeing nowe ye know God yea rather taught of God you doe turne your selues backewarde vnto impotent and beggerlie ceremonies obseruing with the Iewes daies and monethes and times and yeares not for that I doe distrust of your good will. But to the ende that I may so assure you in the faith of the Lord that the course of this present life finished euery one of you may say with the Apostle Sainct Paule I haue fought a good fight and haue fulfilled my course and haue kept the faith From hencefoorth is laide vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lorde that is a righteous Iudge shal giue me at that day not to me onely but vnto all them also that loue his comming In like manner to the end that ye bée not as children caried about with euery winde of doctrine as cōmonly chaunseth vnto men But let vs followe the trueth in loue and in all thinges growe vp into him which is the head that is to say Christ The prophet doth complaine in the olde lawe that his people doe halt betwéene two opinions neither following the liuinge GOD nor Baal The Lorde did rebuke the Angell of the Laodicians bicause that hée was neither hot nor colde insomuch that therfore he will spew him out of his mouth On the other side hée doth promise to him that ouercommeth to sit with him in his throne as it is written no man can serue two masters for either he shall hate the one and loue the other or els he shall leane to the one and despise the other Righteousnesse hath no felowship with vnrighteousnesse neither light hath companie with darkenesse neither Christ accordeth with Belial If then ye haue receiued the word of God be ye not like vnto him which hath sowed his séed vpon stonie ground I do meane him which heareth the worde and anone with ioye receiueth it Yet hath he no rootes in himselfe and therefore dureth but a season for as soone as tribulation or persecutiō ariseth bicause of the word by and by he is offended Also be ye not followers of that foolish man which builded his house vpon the sande and the raine fell and the floudes came and the windes blewe and beat vpon the house and it fell and great was the fall thereof He that is not with me is against me saith the Lord And he that gathereth not with me scattereth That is the cause wherefore Sainct Iohn did complaine of some in his time which did beare office in the church and neuerthelesse did drawe themselues away from the same when hée saith they went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they would doubtlesse haue continued with vs But this cōmeth to passe that it might appeare that they are not all of vs The Apostle sainct Paule speaking of the Apostates saith that if we sinne willingly after that wée haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes For if we after we haue escaped from the filthinesse of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and of the sauiour Iesus Christ are yet tangled againe therein ouercome then is the latter ende worse with vs then the beginning for it had bene better for vs not to haue knowen the way of righteousnesse then after we haue knowen it to turne from the holy commaundement giuen vnto vs according to the true prouerbe The dog is returned to his vomite againe and the sowe that was washed to hir wallowing in the mire Know then my bretheren that God hath nourtered you euen as the father nourtereth his children And beware that thou forget not the Lorde thy GOD in