the worlde to be his chosen nurse to his peculiar persecuted people So may all we her subiectes acknowledge our selues more then most bound to god for her maiestie since we vnder a mayden Prince whose person is vnapt to bodely warres are so defended that against the force of the worlds furie both our soules and bodies are conserued in much peace far aboue the nations rounde about vs The onely cause thereof is Iesus Christ our mighty Michael who himself without our fighting hands or armed bodies breaketh the Dragons force and disapointeth him of his pray The second diabolicall imphe is the domestical foe which the Church harboreth carieth in her arms to quiet make stil his wanton and wrauling cryes Dandleth him on her Mootherly Knée hoping to surpresse his brawling voyce wyth her patient compassion For shew of recompence this poysoned broode calleth her by the name of mother her spouse Christ they worship by the tittle of lord But in déede they are the bond slaues of Agar and beare a deadly hate to Sara Their mindes be set on Sina that gendreth bondage vz. rotten Rome and Hierusalem they séeke but to féede vppon to florishe in to enriche themselues vnder her And espying her liberties and preheminences they doe from time to time busie themselues to betray the same The true church of God now in Englande séeke they to betray to the handes of the wicked and by slaunders to polute the sanctuarie of the lord The engines that these enemies vse agaynst vs are scoffing speches rayling voyces and slaundering wordes Sée you not say these men what discorde sundry sectes and religious are amongest these new broched bretherne how they preach wryte dispute and euer seeke to beate downe another Is not this a marke of Sathans Sinagog And the common refuge of these euilles is to couller their cankred malice with the couert of desired obedience to Lawes whylest such for the most parte liue as though they themselues were priuileadged from all good gouernement The contempt of godly Lawes set downe in this state and present gouernement is to be wyth diligent eye and earnest care redressed And I would to GOD suche rulers Ecclesiastical ciuill were selected as would more diligently looke hereto So should the mouthes of men haue lesse cause of their great outcryes agaynst the present state For I thinke it no reason to pull downe the whole house for the weakenes of on rotten sparre or to cutte of the hande for the fault or defect of a finger or yet vtterly to subuert the state because euery parte hath some infirmitie But as concerning the contentions amongst the learned I answere I lament both the cause and the action yet here by hath the papist no warrant to Blaspheme our Religion or to condemne the Prince or Preachers and professors of the same for if contention amydde the learned and in the Church of God be a sufficient cause to refuse her to slaunder and to reuile her wyth reprochfull tearmes yea and condemne the people state and ministery of christs spoused wife this holy church then shall we finde this Churche in no age among the children of men planted frée from such sharpe censure As if we loke into the church of Israell brought from Pharao into the desert we shall sée the same often to rebell against Moises yet not all the Israelits Wherefore the Church then could not be frée from contentiō Dathan Abiram disliking the priesthood which god ouer them had set vpō Aron his line stirred vp sharpe cōtention tumultuous vprore for the same Consider her condition in the time of Saule his persecuting of Dauid behold small vnitie Saule commended of some Dauid reaping the greater praise What vnity had the church whē 400. salse prophets contended with Helias the prophet of the Lord for the idoll Baal their false god After Israel retorned from her captiuity was not the church cut into diuers sectes factiōs in outward show they professed gods law penned by Moises the Prophets but in déede truth they were seperated into diuers opinions sundrie sects euery party receiued his name according to his opiniō The holy scripture approued authors tell vs that in the Iewes church there were Pharises Saduces Esseis yet who dare say that at this presēt ther was not in the place thē gods holy church It is therfore now no strāg or new thing to haue dissēting opiniōs in amōgst mē professing one religion about some points conteined in the same The new Testamēt witnesseth the like In the time of the Apostles what sharpe contention was there betwixt Paule Peter at Antioch for cause in religiō Peter offēding against the rules therof was openly reproued by Paule Also betwixt Paule Barnabas was such vnitie that they parted asonder the one from the other about John Marke a disciple Notable is that long sharpe disputation sore cōtention which crept into the church betwixt Paule Barnabas on the one part the Pharises which were cōuerted to the gospell at Antioch on the other about iustification whether it came by faith alone or that circūcision the law were of necessitie to be ioined thereto This strife was such that it could not nor was otherwise abandoned the church then by that Apostolicall councell holden at Hierusalem About this time and shortly after the Apostles there arose out of the church sundry sectaries as the Corinthiani Martionisti Gnostici and Carpocratiani The Gentilles then as some papistes doe now sayde the christians are troublesome and contentious they cannot agrée about their christ and his religion but we holde one vnitie in our profession therefore they offer vs more then great cause to haue in suspence our hast to subscribe to their professed Gospel Yet all this their friuolous speches set a part both the Apostles and others wyth them at that presēt ioyning in the sinceritie of the professed trueth were of the true church of god Also that church whereout these wicked Sectories Heritykes came was that and the best beloued Wyfe the Church of Iesus Christ notwithstanding such contentions and variable mindes as then that state caryed to the posteritie And euen so is our church now holding fast the substance of Doctrine geuen by the scriptures and the administration of the Sacraments according to his worde Lykewise in substance though in some matter accidentreth there arise question the same yet offe-no ioy to the professed papist for as they contende so doe both sides striue to be far from popish affects This our Church also I say of and in England is the true church of God the reuerend fathers the Bishops with others the preachers of his holy word in this our nation now gouernment abiding in the truth of doctrine though ther be amids their harmony in the
is on our side and therfore we feare not what the Pope or any other Carnalite can doe against vs. Fourthly where and when is this horne erected Euen there then where and in what place the worlds force is to represse the same euen in the house of his seruant Dauid When did Israel féele most the presence of the horne Whē Pharao entred with greatest rage to destroy the Lordes heritage When did Daniel perceiue his might and where Euen when his friend the Kyng wanted strength to helpe him and in the place prouided for his destruction Where did Helias the good Prophet beholde this wonderfull horne erected But where idolatrie had preuayled ouer all and then also when not one séemed to stand with the lord And did not Israell now decay and the heathen enter into their possessions Was not Dauids house aboue al persecuted Then there did the Lord send his promised horne Christ our Lorde by whose sapience the wisedome of all flesh is proued foolishnesse and through whose strength the strong armed mā is spoyled of his treasure Be of good comfort O thou little flock afflicted for the Lord hath and wil haue his Christ to haue the victorie Yea death is the instrument of life and he maketh persecution to bee the séede time of his Gospel and the bloud of Martirs the budding time of the same Wherfore alwayes with this other such places of the holy Scripture take comfort thou that trustest in the Lord And let the experiment of the last persecution in England assure thée that the power of this horne is eftsones encreased Where and when did this Christ shewe forth to our age his might But when the bloud of his saintes in our English bloudy Church became as riuers of water and in the time of their greatest pride and ripenes of their Butchers actes Then and there hath the Lord againe in this nation erected his Christ and Gospell and from the prison of the Tower hath to the Throne and diademe of this land raysed his more then halfe dead Elizabeth our godly and gracious Quéene vnder whom the ruines of the decayed walles of true Religion are greatly repayred once againe God make vs mindfull of his mercies thankfull for his benefites And giue her Maiestie such encrease of his zealous spirite that the remnant of the Hydra and seuen headed beast may be banished this nation that in her gracious raigne and by her godly hand with the state of her ecclesiastical and ciuil gouernment in God as Gods holy instruments Christ alone may be erected as he is set downe by the Psalmist to be our strength our light So shal her daies be many her throne established and her and our enemies vtterly ashamed And in the meane space graunt vs O Lord for Christes sake true and perfect obedience to her Maiestie with pacient abyding in humble peace till the time which thou hast set to frame her heroical heart further to those things which shall most sound forth thy glory her Maiesties honour and the profite of thy Church that so we may depend vppon Christ our horne of saluation God of strength The Prophet not contented to staye with this summary spéech dilateth the same more amplie sayth as followeth in the next verse Vers 3 As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which haue ben since the world began Least the saluation by him now preached in Christ should séeme to the world a new noueltie fréeed from vtilitie and truth he voucheth the same to be long sith determined of God and the same open to all ages before by the holy Prophets in their times Euē from the voice omnipotent to Satan at the fal of Adam vntill the houre of this ioyful song so sending as to our certaine stay the written word of god As if he had sayd other sauing health to looke for at the handes of God then hée hath promised and to refuse the same by him set and geuen according to his promise is mere wickednes To geue credite to his word and to subscribe therto is true godlines Wherfore come hither ye sonnes of God this is the promised séed the little stone the virgins sonne Jesse his braunch the Messias and the anoynted Sauiour of the Lord promised by al the prophets since the beginning of the world This verse exhibiteth as by hand to our sences excellent matter First that to the whole world aswell before Christ as since and till the last day and houre of the same world there is no saluatiō to be looked for by that perishing world els where then in Dauids house in and by the horne Christ Iesus alone by God and not men erected vp in all sight in that house not set with or vnder other helpes but alone and aboue all other séeking their helpe at him Of saintes the virgin Mary is of most worthy fame yet is she farre of frō hauing power to helpe in earth the sonnes of men Therefore she in her life for a lesson till the end of death to all Dauids house in the Gospell being called vpon of the seruitors at the mariage sayth Whatsoeuer he biddeth you do speaking of her sonne Christ se that ye do it And when Elizabeth this holy priestes wife had saluted her she acknowledged Gods mercie to be the cause and sayd My soule doth magnifie the lord c. And my spirite eke reioyceth in God my Sonne which is my Sauiour for els had I wyth the rest of the sinfull world both soule and bodie perished into eternall fire had not this Christ by the spirite of God my Lord bene conceited and borne not of me alone but to and nor me also Secōdly he hath promised by al his Prophets to deliuer vs from error that this Christ is not to be found els where then in Dauids house by the which as all false Christes are descried so also the true Church is hereby approuedly knowne For as after the flesh Christ is of the line of Dauid so spiritually Dauids house signifieth his new Church and in the same wise Christ is by the Prophets called sundrie times Dauid aswell by Jeremie as Ezechiel where the church is prophesied to serue God and Dauid their king vz. christ the sonne of Dauid For Dauid was now long sith departed to the Lord and again sayth the Lord I will set vp a shepherd ouer them euen my seruaunt Dauid c. And my seruaunt Dauid that is Christ shal be the Prince among them I the lord haue spoken it Therefore good Reader of force it must be so The house wherin this Princely Dauid raigneth and this priestly Prophet teacheth is the church of true Israelites the vnfayned house of Jacob to the which and for the which the Angels discend and ascend dayly by the commaundement of our King to the ministring comfort of his
victorie Adde vnto the holy Scriptures testes our own experimented testymony in the late persecuting time of Queene Marie and therewith well consider the encrease of hys Church number of her children which by the persecuted Preachers then with others their brethren since through their ministerie in the Gospell are begot in Christ and in thys Churche of Englande fostered to the praise and in the profession of the same our lord To conclude let euery faithfull man assure himselfe of the same continuall worke of God in his church to the end of the world For his eyes with remembrance of his promise are euer ouer the righteous to performe to all perpetuity that which by so many holy witnesses as his patriarks prophets he hath to the same promised frō time to time so assuredly Now let vs repaire again to our prophet Zachary who proceding doth set forth at large the performed promise of God and the effectes of the same to his beloued Church saying as followeth Vers 4 That he would send vs deliueraunce from our ennemies and from the hands of all that hate vs. Vers 5 That he would shew mercie towardes our Fathers and remember his holy couenant Vers 6 And the othe which he sware to our Father Abraham Vers 7 Which was that he would graunt to vs that we being deliuered out of the handes of our enemies should serue him with out feare Vers 8 All the daies of our life in holines and righteousnes before him This whole text dependeth vppon the former expounded verse As he promised to our fore c. And declareth by manifest proofe the faithfulnes of God which hath fulfilled his promises and oth not by the Prophets alone but long before made to the Patriarkes that was to Abraham saying I will blesse them that blesse thée and I wil curse them that curse thée And also thy séede shall possesse the gates of their enemies and in thy séede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed and this promis he confirmed with an oth which Zacherie here repeateth saying I haue sworne by my selfe I will blesse thée and multiplie thy seede His liuing couenant also with Abraham was this Moreouer I will stablish my loue betwéene me and thée and thy séede after thée in their generations for an euerlasting couenant to be god vnto thée and to thy séede after thée And I will geue thée and thy séede after thée the land wherein thou art a straunger euen all the land of Canaan for an euerlasting possession I wil be their god And with our Father Dauid he made a couenant also which by oth eke he established that it might be euery way most firme and now in sending his Christ saith Zachary he hath performed the same which erst thus spake I haue made a couenant with my chosē I haue sworne to Dauid my seruant thy séed wil I stablish for euer and set vp thy throne from generation to generations Againe I haue found Dauid my seruant with my holy oyle haue I anointed him Therefore mine hand shal be established with him and my arme shall strengthen him The enemy shall not oppresse him neither shal the wicked hurt him But I will destroy his foes before his face and plague them that hate him My truth and my mercy shal be with him and in my name shall his horne be exalted And albeit that these and such other couenants by GOD with the Fathers made for and to them and the rest of his Churche may séeme to sound temporall thinges yet beside that this Psalme sheweth them to be spirituall our Prophet here as a moste true Paraphrast expoundeth the same couenantes and promises by othe of the LORDE also confirmed to their infallible stabilitie to be vnderstanded of vs spiritually and in Christ to possesse them by him likewyse as victorius men and more then conqueroures to triumph ouer and against our spirituall ennemies sinne Sathan the worlde and the flesh Principalities powers worldly gouernoures that is to say such as gouerne by and for the worldes luste Princes of darknes of this world spirituall wickednesses which are in high places and whatsoeuer openeth it selfe to the worke of our Saluation Neither did Christ deliuer the Iewes from the tirranny and bondage of the Romaines but yéelding himselfe to that authoritye paid the tribute thither due Teachinge vs thereby to looke for a further a more blessed deliuerance of which as before Paule speaketh to the Ephesians And the Angelles from Heauen preached the same to Ioseph saying he shal be called Iesus For he shall saue his people not from temporall gouernment of Straungers but from the spiritual captiuity of their sinnes That being so from feare of sin sathan hell world and flesh spiritually and safely deliuered they may serue the Lord not with Iewish rites or popish deuotion but with sinceritie of hart purenes of handes in euery place in true holynesse and like righteousnesse by him accepted and in his sight frée from hipocrisy al the daies of their life Lo this is the fruite of the blessed promises othe and couenantes which our Prophet here speaketh of This is the victory which God geueth to his faithfull fighting souldiers and sanctified people On this sorte shall they possesse the gates of their ennemies they shal through Christ their head remaine and dwell as Lordes ouer all thinges And shall treade Satan vnder their féete notwithstanding his dayly assaltes and subtil fight The battel is betwixt Sathan and the soule of man it beginneth wyth mans lyfe and is fought in the fielde of a good conscience enduring by fayth till death for both partes sound the retyre But the a victory by Gods spirite is euer assured to the faythfull and shall be perfected wyth b Christ in his kingdome to our endles happie and most blessed state Now hauing the text thus opened by Gods mercies and grace of his spirit let vs according to our former rule obserue some such profitable notes as the same doth reache apparantly to our considerations And first in this seconde verse of this section for of the first we shall speake more herafter Christ so willing let vs vpon the wordes note that the Fathers Patriarkes and Prophets albeit they are of the prophet here called and that truly holy yet did not their holinesse demerit such great treasures and heauenly fruitfulnesse eyther for their selues or their posterity as by his words he here expresseth But sayth the prophet well instructed in the doctrine of truth the Lorde was there vnto brought towardes our Fathers by his mere mercy that wyth them he should make so Solempne and Honorable a couenaunt And if the Fathers whose holinesse the sacred Scriptures so much recounteth had not wherwyth to meritte the couenaunt of peace wyth God Where shall theyr Chyldren obteyne suche pryce Naye such as haue sought by theyr worthynesse and Obedience to the Lawe set
stones with Carbuncle lay thy foundations with Saphire I wil make thy windows of Emraudes thy gates shining stones all thy borders of pleasant stones and all thy Children shal be taught of God and much peace shal be vnto thy Children in righteousnesse shalt thou be established and be farre from oppression for thou shalt not feare it and from feare for it shall not come nie thée Beholde the Enemye shall gather himselfe but wythout me whosoeuer shall gather hymselfe in thée agaynst thée shall fall Beholde I haue made the Smyth that bloweth the Coales in the Fyre and him that bringeth forth an Instrument for his worke and I haue Created the Destroyer to destroy but all the Weapons that are made agaynst thée shall not prosper And euery Tongue that shall aryse vp against thée in Iudgement thou shalt Condemne Thys is the Lordes Heritage and their ryghteousnesse is of mée sayth the LORDE Thus farre the Prophete speaketh to teache thée good Reader great cause of comfort and courage agaynst dispayre though England which is Gods church haue now many enemies risen vp against her her religion yea though her owne skirtes doe carie suche as insult agaynst her she is Promised that theyr Weapons and the smith that framed them shal not prosper Their lybelling bookes which séeke to persecute her though they come from the house of counsell and séeme to procede from the seate of learnings iudgement yet shal this church of God be set a Iudge ouer their wearie trauels and toyling spite and shall condemne them Let that worthy Jewel of famous memory the holy confessor and Saint of and by Iesus Christ treasured vp in the Lapydarie of the heauens for the glory of our God let his excellent workes I say stand for an ample warrant hereto to this age to her posteritie for euer And let others whether at home or abroade looke for the same end of their molesting troubles which they cast into this our age and Church But thou wilt say why doth the Lord suffer so long our weake consciences to be troubled with these contending strifes What art thou O man that wilt dispute with God These troubles to vs yet in respect of the Schismes of old are but as an entring into the first moment of the day Waite thou the lords leysure and be still learne thy song framed by firme hope in truth which Micah hath taught the church of God alwayes in her trouble to sing thou shalt be relieued though thy enemies yet séeke to triumph ouer thée Reioyce not against me O my enemie saith the church there for though I fal I shal arise when I shal sit in darknes the Lord shall be a light vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntil he plead my cause and execute iudgement for me then wil he bring me forth to the light I shal sée his righteousnes Then she that is my enemie shall looke vpon it shame shall couer her which said vnto me Where is the Lord thy God my eyes shall behold her now shal she be troden downe as the myre of the stréets c. Thus much forth of the prophet Micah where thou maist learn to accuse thy self for thy sinne as Dauid did séeing the people afflicted not with Achab to charge the Lord or his profession Prophets whē troubles plagues arise in the church but to turne thy eyes into thy owne conscience sée the booke of thy iniquities there written to confesse before god man that thy sinne is the cause of such trouble plague brought into the church people by Satan his malice the pollicie of these his wicked impes Last of all discourage not at the romish scoffes taunting reproches nor yet despaire in the bottome of her darke dungeons sharpe persecutions for the lord wil comfort thée in them if thou rest vpon his laysure remaine constant in the end deliuering thée wil stampe thy enemie into dirt make thée beautiful in the sight of al men that thou maist serue him thy god thus deliuered frō feare in new holines deuoid of hypocrisie in iustice righteous dealing to with al men in the place of thy abode traffike els where amōgst men in earth And euer respect thy deliuerāce frō sinne regard thy state so that Satan eftsones pul thée not to thy former sinne which cōpelleth his erst bondage for the end of such as so fal is worse then the beginning And thus much for the first part of this Hymne in which I haue bene more prolixe then first I purposed but I trust that the profite which may rise vppon the attentiue reading of the matter simply set downe wil coūteruaile the tedious sight of so much blotted paper sith my willing trauayles hath forced me to dwell in comfortable spéech with the lesse learned some thing the longer because they of themselues can not conceiue such profitable matter as this our text doth exhibite to the serching eye assuredly perswaded that the better so godly learned will vouchsafe soueraigne Censure to this my vnpolished pen. And wherein I erre from the truth if by the same I may heare louingly therof as I hope I haue geuen no poyson to the Church so I wil be glad to reforme that and those thinges which godly reasons with learned truth shall require at my hands The Lord graunt continuance of his gospell in this Nation preseruation to her Maiestie with encrease of Gods knowledge and zeale to his holy name and to vs and his whole Church from all heresies Scismes and ciuill dissentions if it stand with his good wil and pleasure once full deliuerance that we may serue the Lord our god in sinceritie of hart and integritie of life in his sight by his holy spirite all the dayes of our life to whom by and with Christ our Lord to that deitie in the trinal vnitie be al praise power glory for euer Amen Vers 9 And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the most high for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes As the sacred Priest before had declared Gods great benefites and faithfulnes in performing his louing promises to the redemption of his elect So now he returneth to this present action and vsing the person of an interpreter expoundeth the Oracle of God declaring his sonne this child to be the same preacher and Doctor which erst by the Prophet Malachy was promised to precede Christ By whose trauel in Doctrine the way should be prepared for the Lordes comming his and our Messias Which office this babe in his appoynted time executed right wel with sinceritie of hart ▪ sparing no person place time or people or omitted any occasiō when he might most aptly performe such his calling This Baptistes voyce was euer crying against the sinnes of all exhibiting the remedie