when he is come which is the spirit of truth he will lead you into all truth Ans. The promise is directed to the Apostles who with their Apostolicall authoritie had this priuiledge granted them that in the teaching and penning of the gospel they should not erre and therefore in the councell at Ierusalem they conclude thus It seemes good vnto vs and to the holy Ghost And if the promise be further extended to all the Church it must be vnderstood with a limitation that God will giue his spirit vnto the meâ—bers thereof to lead them into all truth so farre forth as shall be needfull for their saluation The second question is wherein stands the dignitie and excellencie of the Church Ans. It stands in subiection and obedience vnto the will and word of his spouse and head Christ Iesus And hence it followes that the Church is not to chalenge vnto her selfe authoritie ouer the Scriptures but onely a ministerie or ministeriall seruice whereby shee is appointed of God to preserue and keepe to publish and preach them and to giue testimonie of them And for this cause it is called the pillar and ground of truth The church of Rome not content with this saith further that the authoritie of the Church in respect of vs is aboue the authoritie of the Scripture because say they we can not know Scripture to be Scripture but by the testimonie of the Church But indeede they speake an vntruth For the testimonie of men that are subiect to errour can not be greater and of more force with vs then the testimonie of God who can not erre Againe the Church hath her beginning from the word for there can not be a Church without faith there is no faith without the word there is no word out of the Scriptures and therefore the Church in respect of vs depends on the Scripture and not the Scripture on the Church And as the lawyer which hath no further power but to expound the law is vnder the law so the Church which hath authoritie onely to publish and expound the Scriptures can not authorize them vnto vs but must submit her selfe vnto them And whereas it is alleadged that faith comes by hearing and this hearing is in respect of the voice of the Church and that therefore faith comes by the voice of the Church the answer is that the place must be vnderstood not of that generall faith whereby we are resolued that Scripture is Scripture but of iustifying faith whereby we attaine vnto saluation And faith comes by hearing the voice of the Church not as it is the Churches voice but as it is a ministerie or meanes to publish the word of God which is both the cause and obiect of our beleeuing Now on the contrarie we must hold that as the carpenter knowes his rule to be straight not by any other rule applied vnto it but by it selfe for casting his eye vpon it he presently discernes whether it be straight or no so we know and are resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe though the Church say nothing so be it we haue the spirit of discerning when we read heare and consider the Scripture And yet the testimonie of the Church is not to be despised for though it breede not a a perswasion in vs of the certenty of the Scripture yet is it a very good inducement thereto The militant Church hath many parts For as the Ocean sea which is but one is deuided into parts according to the regions and countries against which it lieth as into the English Spanish Italian sea c. so the Church dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth is deuided into other particular churches according as the countries are seuerall in which it is seated as into the Church of England and Ireland the Church of France the Church of Germanie c. Againâ— particulaâ— Churches are in a twofold estate sometime lie hid in persecution wanting the publike preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments and sometimes againe they are visible carrying before the eyes of the world an open profession of the name of Christ as the moone is sometime eclipsed and sometime shineth in the full In the first estate was the Church of Israel in the daies of Eliah when he wished to die because the people had forsaken the couenant of the Lord broken downe his altars slaine his Prophets with the sword and he was left alone and they sought to take his life also Behold a lamentable estate when so worthie a Prophet could not finde an other beside himselfe that feared God yet marke what the Lord saith vnto him I haue left seuen thousand in Israel euen all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal and euery mouth that hath not kissed him Againe it is said That Israel had beene a long season without the true God without priest to teach and without the law Neither must this trouble any that God should so farre forth forsake his Church for when ordinarie meanes of saluation faile he then gathereth his Elect by extraordinarie meanes as when the children of Israel wandered in the wildernes wanting both circumcision and the Passeouer he made a supplie by Manna and by the pillar of a cloud Hence we haue direction to answer the Papists who demand of vs where our Church was three-score yeares agoe before the daies of Luther we say that then for the space of many hundred yeares an vniuersall Apostasie ouerspread the whole face of the earth and that our Church then was not visible to the world but lay hid vnder the chaffe of Poperie And the truth of this the Records of all ages manifest The second estate of the Church is when it flourisheth and is visible not that the faith and secret election of men can be seene for no man can discerne these things but by outward signes but because it is apparant in respect of the outward assemblies gathered to the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments for the praise and glorie of God and their mutuall edification And the visible Church may be thus described It is a mixt companie of men professing the faith assembled together by the preaching of the word First of all I call it a mixt companie because in it there be true beleeuers and hypocrites Elect and Reprobate good and badde The Church is the Lords field in which the enemie soweth his tares it is the corne flore in which lieth wheate and chaffe it is a band of men in which beside those that be of valour and courage there be white liuered souldiours And it is called a Church of the better part namely the Elect whereof it consisteth though they be in nuÌ„ber fewe As for the vngodly though they be in the Church yet they are no more parts of it indeede then the superfluous humours in the vaines are parts of the bodie But to proceede
the head to the foote and the throat also cut yet so as life is still remaining wee may better thinke their foule errours considered and their worship of God which is nothing els but a mixture of Iudaisme and Paganisme that it is a rotten and dead corpes voide of spirituall life And therefore we haue seuered our selues from the Church of Rome vpon iust cause neither are we schismaticks in so doing but they rather because the ground and the proper cause of the schisme is in them As for the assâ—mbliâ—s of Anabaptists Libertines Antinomies Tritheits Arrians Samosateâ—â—â—ns they are no churches of God but conspiracies of moÌ„strous heretickes iudâ—â—â—lly condemned in the primitiue Church and againe by the malice of Satan â—â—â—ued and reuiued in this age The same we are to thinke and say of the Familiâ— of loue As for the Churches of Germanie commonly called the Churches of the Lutheranes they are to be reputed of vs as the true churches of God Though their Angustane Confession haue not satisfied the expectation of other Reformed Churches yet haue they all the same enemies in matter of religion doe alike confesse the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost and of the office of the Mediatour of faith and good workes of the Word the Church and the Magistrate are all of one iudgement They differ indeede from vs in the question of the sacrament but it is no sufficient cause to induce vs to holde them as no Church for that there is a true or reall receiuing of the bodie and blood of Christ in the Lords supper we al agree and we ioyntly confesse that Christ is there present so farre forth that he doth truely feede vs with his verie bodie and bloode to eternall life and all the controuersie lies in the manner of receiuing we contenting our selues with that spirituall receiuing which is by the hand of faith they adding thereto the corporall whereby they imagine theÌ„selues to receiue Christ with the hand and mouth of the bodie And though to maintaine this their opinion they be constrained to turne the ascension of Christ into a disparition whereby his bodie beeing visible becomes inuisible yet in the maine points we agree that Christ ascended into heauen that he entred into his kingdome in our name and for vs that we are gouerned and preserued by his power and might and that whatsoeuer good thing we haue or doe proceedes wholly from the grace of his spirit Indeede the opinion of the Vbiquitie of the bodie of Christ reuiueth the condemned heresies of Eutiches and Nestorius and it ouerturneth by necessarie consequent most of the articles of faith but that was priuate to some men as Brentius and others and was not receiued of whole churches and whereas the men were godly learned and we are vncerten with what affection and how long they held this errour we rest our selues in condemning it leauing the persons to God Againe Popish Transustantiation and Lutherian Consubstantiation are both against the trueth of the manhood of Christ yet with great difference Transubstantiation is slatte against an article of faith for if Christs body be made of bread and his blood of wine which must needes bee if there be a conuersion of the one into the other then was not he conceiued and borne of the virgine Marie for it cannot both be made of bakers breade and of the substance of the virgin Againe it abolisheth the outward signe in the Lords supper as also the analogie betweene the signe and the thing signified and so ouerturnes the sacrament but Consubstantiation doth not so neither doeth it ouerturne the substance of any article of Religion but onely a maine point of Philosophie which is that A bodie doth occupie onely one place at once Furthermore the Churches of Helvetia and Savoie and the free citties of Fraunce and the lowe Countries and Scotland are to bee reuerenced as the true Churches of God as their confession make manifest And no lesse must we thinke of our owne Churches in England and Ireland For wee holde beleeue and maintaine and preach the true faith that is the ancient doctrine of saluation by Christ taught and published by the Prophets and Apostles as the booke of the articles of faith agreed vpon in open Parliament doe fully shewe and withall now we are and haue beene readie to testifie this our faith by venturing our liues euen in the cause of religion against forraigne power and especially the Spaniard and hereupon all the Churches in Europe giue vnto vs the hand of fellowship And whereas sundrie among vs that separate and indeede excommunicate themselues giue out that there is no Church in England no Ministers no Sacraments their peremptorie asseuerations wanting sufficient ground are but as paper-shot They alleadge that our assemblies are full of grieuous blottes and enormities Ans. The defects and corruptions of Churches must be distinguished and they bee either in doctrine or manners Againe corruptions in doctrine must further be distinguished some of them are errours indeede but beside the foundation and some errours directly against the foundation and these ouerturne all religion whereas the former doe not Nowe it can not be shewed that in our Churches is taught any one errour that raseth the foundation and consequently annihillateth the truth of Gods Church Indeed there is controuersie among vs touching the point of Ecclesiastical regiment but marke in what manner We all ioyntly agree in the substance of the regiment confessing freely that there must bee preaching of the word administration of the Sacraments according to the institution and the vse of the Power of the Keyes in admonitions suspensions excommunications the difference betweene vs is onely touching the persons and the manner of putting this gouernment in exequution and therfore men on both parts though both hold not the trueth in this point yet because both holde Christ the foundation they still remaine brethren and true members of Christ. As for corruptions in manners they make not a Church to be no church but a badde church When as the wicked Scribes and Pharises sitting in Moses chaire taught the things which he had written the people are commanded to heare them and to doe the things which they say not doing the things which they doe And whereas it is said that wee hold Christ in worde and denie him indeede that is answered thus deniall of Christ is double either in iudgement or in fact deniall in iudgement ioyned with obstinacie makes a Christian to be no christian deniall in fact the iudgement still remaining sound makes not a man to be no christian but a badde christian When the Iewes had crucified the Lord of life they still remained a Church if any vpon earth and notwithstanding this their fact the Apostles acknowledged that the couenaÌ„t the promises stil belonged vnto theÌ„ they neuer made any separation from their Synagogues till such time as they had bin sufficiently coÌ„uicted by the Apostolicall
disciples whereas notwithstanding he might haue said that one of them betraied him another denied him and the rest fled away whereby we note that it is not our dutie at all times and in all places to speake of the faults and wants that we knowe by others Secondly the aunswere which hee makes is onely concerning his doctrine whereby the ministers of God and al men els are taught that beeing called before their enimies to giue reason of their doctrine they are as Saint Peter saith to be alwaies readie to giue an account of the hope that is in them And further we are to consider the wisdome that Christ vseth in answering for he saith nothing of his doctrine in particular but said I speake openly to the worlde I euer taught in the Synagogue and in the temple whither the Iewes resorted in secret haue I taught nothing aske them therfore what I said which heard me Behold they can tell you what I said Now the reason why he answered thus sparingly in generall tearmes is because their examination serued onely to intangle him and out of his words to gather matter of accusation After whose example wee may learne that beeing called to make answere of our faith and doctrine before our enemies wee are to doe it so as thereby we doe not intangle our selues nor giue any aduantage vnto our enemies and hereof we haue a notable example in the Apostle Paul Act. 23. 6. Againe in the words of Christs answere we must obserue two things First that the place where Christ taught was publike Now hence it may be demanmanded whether ministers may handle the worde of God priuately or no Ans. The state of Gods Church is two-fold peaceable or troublesome In the time of peace ministers must preach the word publikely but in time of persecution for the safeâ—â— and preseruation of the Church of God they may with good warrant prâ—â—h priuately and indeede at such times the assemblies of the church make priuate places publike And hence we learne that in time of peace all those that are called to the office of the ministerie must if it be possible spend their labour publikely so as they may doe most good Secondly whereas Christ saith he preached in their synagogues and temple which at that time were places full of disorder in so much as he called the temple a den of theeues and the Scribes and Pharisies had corrupted the doctrine of the Lawe transgressing the commandements of God in their owne traditions and they taught iustification by the workes of the lawe as Paul saith they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their owne righteousnesse which is by workes and not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God Besides all this they were loose and wicked men in their liues and conuersations and therefore Christ commanded the people that they should obserue and doe whatsoeuer the Scribes and Pharisies bidde them sitting in Moses chaire but after their workes they must not doe because they say and doe not Nowe although these corruptions and deformities were in the Iewish Church yet our Sauiour Christ made no separation from it but came and preached both in their temple and synagogues where these seducers and false teachers were And hence we gather that the practise of all those men in our Church which separate themselues from all assemblies for the wants therof holding that our Church is no Church that the grace which is wrought by the preaching of the word among vs is nothing els but a sathanicall illusion that our Sacraments are no Sacraments I say this their practise is condemned by our Sauiour Christs conuersing among the Iewes For if Christ should haue followed their opinion he ought to haue fled from amongst the Iewes not so much as once to haue come into the temple or taught in their Synagogues but contrariwise he ioyned himselfe with them and therfore we can not in good conscience disioyne our selues from the Church of England The second thing to be obserued in Christs answer is that he referres Caiphas to the iudgement of his hearers being resolued of the trueth of his owne doctrine though sundrie of them were his vtter enemies Behold then a good example for all the ministers of Gods word to follow teaching them to deliuer Gods word so purely and sincerely that if they be called into question about the same they may bee bold to appeale to the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of their hearers although they be wicked meÌ„ Nowe after this answer one of the seruants of Caiphas smites Christ with a rodde in whome the saying is verified Like master like seruant that is if the master be wicked seruants commonly will be wicked also if the master be an enemie to Christ his seruant will be Christs enemie also And this is the cause why there are so many lewd apprentises and seruants because there are so many lewd masters Many masters complaine of seruants nowe adaies but there is more cause why they should complaine of themselues for vsually seruants will not become obedient to their masters till their masters first become obedient vnto Christ therefore let masters learne to obey God and then their seruants will obey them also Further Christ being smitten makes this answer If I haue euill spoken beare witnesse of the euill but if I haue well spoken why smitest thou me making complaint of an iniurie done vnto him Nowe hereupon scoffing Iulian the Apostata saith Christ keepes not his owne lawes but goeth against his owne precept when as he said If one strike thee on the one cheeke turne to him the other also But we must knowe that in these wordes Christs meaning is that a man must rather suffer a double wrong then seeke a priuate reuenge And before Christ spake in his owne defence which a man may lawefully doe and not seeke any reuenge for it is one thing to defend his owne cause and another to seeke reuenge Nowe followes the second point in their proceeding which is the producing of false witnesses against him as Saint Mathew saith The whole Counsell sought false witnesse against him and thongh many came yet found they none for they could not agree togither because they alleadged false thinges against him which they could not prooue And thus the members of Christ haue often such enemies as make no bones shamefully to auouch that against them which they cannot be able to iustifie The ten persecutions which were in the first 300. yeares after Christ arose oftentimes of shamelesse reports that men gaue out which said that Christians liued of mans flesh and therefore slewe their owne children 2. that they liued on rawe flesh 3. that they committed incest one with another in their assemblies 4. that they worshipped the head of an asse 5. that they worshipped the Sunne and Moone 6. that they were traitours and sought to vndermine the Romane Empire and lastly
people receiued the wretched and abhominable doctrine of the church of Rome And not many yeares after when it pleased God to bring againe the light of his glorious Gospel by our gracious Prince the same people turned from poperie and embraced the true religion againe And thus with the Iewes one while they crie Hosanna to Christ and receiue his Gospel and shortly after they crie Crucifie him crucifie him by embracing idolatrous poperie Let vs therefore learne in the feare of God by the ficklenes of the Iewesâ— that sing two contrarie songs in so short a space to acknowledge our inconstancie and weaknes in the matter of religion whereby if God leaue vs 〈…〉 â—itle to our selues we shall straightway forsake Christ his Gospel and all Tâ—â—â—â—â—ch of the accusation Now followeth Christs examination before â—oâ—â—â—us Pilate for when the Iewes had thus falsly accused him then Pontius Pilate tooke him and brought him into the common hall and asked him this question Art thou the King of the Iewes Now Christ beeing thus examined made as Paul also testifieth a good confession The summe thereof stands in foure heads The first is that he confesseth himselfe to be a King not such an one as they accused him to be yet a true King Whence we may learne diuers instructions first that euery Christian man in the midst of his miserie and affliction hath one that is most sufficient euery way to defend him against all his enemies the world the flesh and the deuill For this King can doe whatsoeuer he will and therefore when the legion of deuills would enter into a herd of swine they could not without his leaue And when the Centurions daughter was dead he but spake the word and shee arose And when Lazarus was dead and had lien in the graue foure daies he but saide Lazarus come forth and he came forth bound hand and foote Yea euen hell and death giue place to his word and nothing can resist his power And therefore he that is a true member of Christ needes not to feare any enemies be they neuer so great or so many And againe as Christ is able so is he readie and willing to saue and defend all that beleeue in him For he it is that gaue his life for his subiects which no King would doe and shedde his blood for their redemption which he would neuer haue done if he had not desired their saluation Secondly whereas Christ is a mightie King which can doe whatsoeuer he will let all such among vs that haue hitherto liued in ignorance and by reason of ignorance liue in their sinnes at length begin to come vnto him and doe him homage and with penitent hearts fall downe before him otherwise if they continue in their old rebellions let them know whatsoeuer they be high or low that he hath a rod of iron in his hand to bruise them in pieces their soules shall smart for it as both Pilate Caiphas and the rest of the Iewes were with a full cup rewarded for crucifying the Lord of life And if Christ cannot draw thee in this life from thy crooked waies be sure at the houre of death he will breake thee in pieces like a potters vessell This must we learne in regard of the first point that he said plainely He was a King Now follows the second part of his confession namely that his kingdome was not of this world Where he sets downe what kinde of King he is he is no earthly king his kingdome stands not in the power of men nor in earthly and outward gouernment but his kingdome is spirituall and his gouernment is in the very hearts and consciences of men His kingdome is not outward to be seene of men but inward in the heart and â—oule and therefore it is onely begunne in this life and is continued and accomplished in the world to come in the kingdome of glorie where Christ shall be all in all in the hearts and consciences of all the Elect. Now then if this be so howsoeuer Satan haue heretofore raigned in vs and made our hearts as it were his pallaces yet now let vs prepare a roome for Christ that he may come and dwell in vs let him rule our hearts wills and affections that they may become conformable to his will let vs resigne our selues wholly to be ruled by him that his spirituall kingdome may be in vs. This kingdome in the heart and conscience is the pearle and hidde treasure which when a man findeth he sells all that he hath and buieth it Let vs therefore in the feare of God esteeme it as the most pretious thing that may be and so liue in this world as that Christ may rule inwardly in vs by his word and spirit And againe seeing this regiment of Christ is heauenly and the full manifestation of it is reserued till the life to come we must therefore vse this world and all things in it as honour wealth ease and libertie as though we vsed them not As a trauailer vseth his staffe in his iourney as long as it doth further him so long he will carrie it with him but when it hindereth him then he casts it away so must we vse the things of this life namely as long as they are helps to further and make vs fitte for the kingdome of heauen but if they be any hinderance to this spirituall regiment of Christ we must renounce them and cast them away be they neuer so pretious to vs. The third point of Christs confession is concerning the meanes whereby he gouerneth his kingdome I came saith he into this world to beare witnesse of the truth that is to preach the Gospell and doctrine of saluation and hereby he teacheth that the outward administration of his kingdome stands specially in the preaching of the word which is a principall ordinance of his seruing to gather his Church from the beginning of the world to the ende thereof And for this cause he hath in all ages set apart chosen ministers for the publishing of the doctrine of the Gospell And hence it is manifest that the gift of prophecie is the greatest gift that God bestowes on his Church for the building thereof And therfore it ought to be most highly esteemed as a most pretious iewell And for this cause also the schooles of learning are to be reuerenced maintained all other meanes vsed for the furthering of them because they are vnder God the fountaines and welsprings of this gift of prophecie The last point is concerning the subiects of Christs kingdome expressed in these words They which are of the truth heare my voice In which he sets down the true marke of his seruants and subiects that they are hearers of that heauenly and sauing word which he reuealed from the bosome of his father It may be alleadged the most wicked men vpon earth yea the deuils themselues may be hearers of the truth of Christ. Ans. There be
we should walke in them And God hath chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the spirit and faith of the truth The Elect are vessells of honour and therefore all those that will be of the number of the Elect must carrie themselues as vessells of honour For so long as they lie in their sinnes they be like vessells of dishonour imploying themselues to the most base seruice that can be euen to the seruice of the deuill The sunne was ordained to shine in the day and the moone in the night and that order they keepe yea euery creature in his kinde obserueth the course appointed vnto it by creation as the grasse to grow and trees to bring forth fruit now the elect were ordained to this ende to lead a godly life and therefore if we would either perswade our selues or the world that we are indeede chosen to saluation we must be plentifull in all good workes and make conscience of euery euill way and to doe otherwise is as much as to chaunge the order of nature and as if the sunne should cease to shine by day and the moone by night Thirdly when God shall send vpon any of vs in this world crosses and afflictions either in bodie or in minde or any way else as this life is the vaile of miserie and teares and iudgement must beginne at Gods house we must learne to beare them with all submission and contentation of minde For whome God knew before them he hath predestinate to be made like vnto his sonne But wherein is this likenes Paul saith in the fellowship of his afflictions and in a conformitie to his death And the consideration of this that afflictions were ordained for vs in the eternall predestination of God must comfort our hearts and restraine our impatience so oft as we shall goe vnder the burden of them Hence againe we learne that they which perswade themselues that they are in the fauour of God because they liue at ease in wealth and prosperitie are farre deceiued For Saint Paul saith God suffereth with long patience the vessells of wrath prepared to destruction to make knowne his power and to shew forth his wrath on them This beeing so no man then by outward blessings ought to plead that he hath the loue of God Sheepe that goe in fat pastures come sooner to the slaughterhouse then those which are kept vpon the bare common and they which are pampered with the wealth of this world sooner forsake God and therefore are sooner forsaken of God then others Salomon saith No man knoweth loue or hatred that is by outward things for all things come alike to all the same condition is to the iust and to the vniust to the wicked and good to the pure and polluted Lastly it may be an offence vnto vs when we consider that the doctrine of the Gospel is either not knowne or else despised and persecuted of the whole world but we must stay our selues with this consideratiō that nothing comes to passe by chance that God knowes who are his and that there must be some in the world on whome God hath in his eternall counsell purposed to manifest his power and iustice Againe Ministers of the Gospel may be discouraged when after long preaching they see little or no fruit of their labours the people whome they teach remaining as blind impenitent and vnreformed as euer they were But they must also consider that it is the purpose of God to choose some to saluation and to refuse others and that of the first some are called sooner some later and that the second beeing left to themselues neuer come to repentance To this Paul had regard when he said If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that perish And againe We are vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ in them that are saued and in them that perish Hitherto I haue deliuered the truth of this weightie point of religion which also is the doctrine of the church of England now it followeth that we should consider the falshoode Sundrie Diuines haue deuised and in their writings published a new frame or platforme of the doctrine of Predestination the effect whereof is this The nature of God say they is infinite loue goodnesse and mercie it selfe and therefore he propounds vnto himselfe an ende answerable thereunto and that is the communication of his loue and goodnesse vnto all his creatures Now for the accomplishing of this supreame and absolute ende he did foure things First he decreed to create man righteous in his owne image secondly he foresaw the fall of man after his creation yet so as he neither willed nor decreed it thirdly he decreed the vniuersall Redemption of all and euery man effectually by Christ so be it they will beleeue in him fourthly he decreed to call all and euery man effectually so as if they will they may be saued This beeing done he in his eternall counsel foreseeing who would beleeue in Christ did thereupon elect them to eternall saluation and againe foreseeing who would not beleeue but contemne grace offered did thereupon also decree to reiect them to eternall damnation This platforme howsoeuer it may seeme plausible to reason yet indeed it is nothing els but a Deuise of mans braine as will appeare by sundrie defects errours that be in it For first whereas it is auouched that Adams fall came by the bare prescience of God without any decree or will of his it is a flat vntruth The putting of Christ to death was as great a sinne as the fall of Adam nay in some respects greater Now that came to passe not onely by the foreknowledge of God but also by his determinate counsell And therefore as the Church of Ierusalem saith Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together to doe whatsoeuer thine hand and thy counsell had determined before to be done so may we say that Adam in his fall did nothing but that which the hand of God and his counsell had determined before to be done And considering the will of God extends it selfe to the least things that are euen to sparrowes whereof none doe light vpon the ground without our heauenly father how can a man in reason imagine that the fall of one of the most principall creatures that are shall fall out altogether without the will and decree of God And there can be nothing more absurd then to seuer the foreknowledge of God from his counsel or decree For by this meanes things shall come to passe God nilling or not knowing or not regarding them Now if any thing come to passe God nilling it then that is done which God would not haue done and to say so is to bereaue him of his omnipotencie And if we shall say that things fall out God not knowing of them we make him to be imprudent and denie his omniscience lastly if we shall say that
be they neuer so good to haue good magistrates godly rulers to gouerne them by wise and godly counsell The necessitie hereof was well knowne to Iethro Moses father in law though he were a heathen man for he biddeth Moses to prouide among all the people men of couragâ— fearing God men dealing truly hating couetousnesse and appoint them to be rulers ouer the people Teaching vs that if couetous malitious and vngodly men not fearing Godâ— goe before the people they also shall in all likelihood be carried into the like sinnes by their example The next point concernes the place where they accuse him which was at the doore of the common hall for hauing brought him before the counsell at Ierusalem and there condemned him of blasphemie afterward they bring him into the common hall where Pilate sate iudge Yet did they not enter in but staied without at the dore least they should be defiled and be made vnfit to eate the passeouer In which practise of theirs we are to marke an example of most notable both superstition and most grosse hypocrisie For they make no bones to accuse and arraigne a man most iust and innocent and yet are very strict and curious in an outward ceremonie And in like maner they make no conscience to giue thirtie pieces of siluer to betray Christ but to cast the same into the treasurie they make it a great and heinous offence And for this cause Christ pronounceth a woe vnto the Scribes and Pharises calling them hypocrites for saith he you tithe mynt anyse and commin and leaue the weightie matters of the law as iudgement and mercie And the very same thing we see practised of the Church of Rome at this day and of sundrie Papists that liue amoÌ„gst vs they will not eate flesh in Lent or vpon any of the Popes fasting daies for any thing and yet the same men make no conscience of seeking the bloode of the Lords annointed and their dread soueraigne And in this we see the most palpable and most grosse hypocrisie of those that be of that Church But shall we thinke that our owne Church is free from such men no assuredly for take a view of the profession that is vsed among the people of England and it will appeare that they place their whole religion for the most part in the obseruation of certaine ceremonies The manner of most men is to come to the place of assemblies where God is worshipped there mumble vp the Lords prayer the commandements and the beleefe in stead of praiers which being done God is well serued thinke they whereas in the meane season they neglect to learne and practise such things as are taught them for their saluation by the ministers of Gods word At the feast of Easter euery man will be full of deuotion and charitie and come to receiue the Lords Supper as though he were the holiest man in the world but when the time is past all generally turne to their old by as againe and all the yeare after liue as they list making no conscience of lying slandering fraud and deceit in their affaires among men But we must know that there is no soundnes of religion but grosse hypocrisie in all such men they worship God with their lippes but there is no power of godlinesse in their hearts The third point is concerning the partie to whome they make this accusation against Christ namely not to a Iewe but to a Gentile for hauing condemned him in their Ecclesiasticall court before Caiphas the high priest they bring him to Pontius Pilate the deputie of Tiberius Caesar in Iudea Where we must obserue the wonderfull prouidence of God in that not onely the Iewes but the Gentiles also had a stroke in the arraignment of Christ that that might be true which the Apostle saith God shut vp all vnder sinne that he might haue mercie vpon all The fourth point is the matter of their accusation they accuse our Sauiour Christ of three things I. that he seduced the people II. that he forbad to pay tribute to Caesar. III. that he saide he was a king Let vs well consider these accusations especially the two last because they are flat contrarie both to Christs preaching and to his practise For when the people would haue made him a King after he had wrought the miracle of the fiue loaues two fishes the text saith he departed from among them vnto a mountaine himselfe alone Secondly when tribute was demanded of him for Caesar though he were the Kings sonne and therefore was freed yet saith he to Peter least we should offend them goe to the sea and cast in an angle and take the first fish that commeth vp and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt finde a piece of twentie pence that take and giue vnto them for thee and me And when he was called to be a iudge to deuide the inheritance betweene two brethren he refused to doe it saying Who made me a iudge betweene you Therefore in these two things they did most falsly accuse him Whereby we learne that nothing is so false and vntrue but the slanderer dare lay it to the charge of the innocent the tongues of the slanderers are sharpe swords and venemous arrowes to wouÌ„d their enemies their throats are open sepulchres the poyson of aspes is vnder their lippes If a man speake gracious words his tongue is touched with the fire of Gods spirit but as S. Iames saith the tongue of the wicked is fire yea a world of wickednes and it is set on fire with the fire of hell therefore let this example be a caueat to vs all to teach vs to take heede of slandering for the deuill then speakes by vs and kindles our tongues with the fire of hell The fifth point is the manner of their accusation which is diligently to be marked for they doe not onely charge him with a manifest vntruth but they beseech Pilate to put him to death crying Crucifie him crucifie him in so much that Pontius Pilate was afraid of them where we see how these shamelesse Iewes goe beyond their compasse and the bounds of all accusers whose dutie is to testiâ—ie onely what they know Now in the matter of this their accusation appeares their wonderfull inconstancie For a little before when Christ came to Ierusalem riding vpon an asse shewing some signes of his kingly authoritie they cut downe branches from the trees and strawed them in the way crying Hosanna Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord but now they sing another song and in stead of Hosanna they crie Crucifie him crucifie him And the like inconstancie is to be found in the people of these our times They vse to receiue any religion that is offered vnto them for in the daies of King Edward the sixth the people of England receiued the Gospel of Christ but shortly after in Queene Maries time the same