should once set a foote out of doores vntil the next morning By which thing it is giuen vs to vnderstand that neither Christ nor our saluation is to bee found without the church in the sects or schismes of wicked heretikes Christe the Lambe of God doth gather al the faithful into one church wherin he kéepeth them lastly doth saue them Last of al this ceremonie did put gods people in mind of their duetie of thākfulnes especially of y studie of godlinesse harmelesse innocencie They therefore did giue thanks to God for these all other his benefites they praised his name and did vtterly absteine from all leauened bread For ye shal finde nothing so seuerely forbidden in this ceremonie as the eating of leauened bread Who soeuer eateth leauened bread saith the Lord his soule shall perishe from amonge the congregation of Israel whether he be a straunger or an Israelite borne The same saying is afterward often times repeated thoroughly beaten into their braines Nowe the Apostle Paule whose cunning and learning was much in the law of Moses expounding what was meant by the leauened bread doth say Therefore let vs keepe the feast not in the olde leauen nor in the leauen of malice and vnrighteousnesse but in vnleauened bread that is in sinceritie trueth Thus muche hitherto touching y eating of y Paschal lamb To these sacraments were also added sacrifices of sundrie sorts many kindes which were not first inuēted and taught by Moses but were taken vp and vsed immediately after the world was created For Caine Abel offered burnte sacrifices to God the maker of the world the one of the fruites of the earth and the other of the cattaile that was in his flock Like wise Seth Noah Sem Abraham Isaac and Iacob with al the other patriarches are knowne to haue sacrificed vnto the Lorde Nowe since the heathenish sacrifices of the Gentiles as the verie heathen writers them selues did testifie were partely like vnto and in many pointes all one with the Iewish sacrifices it is not vnlikely but that the graunde partriarchs of the Gentiles did teach euerie one his owne nation the manner of sacrificing which they had learned of their forefathers Sem Cham Iaphet and of the holie Patriarche Noah him selfe But it is vndoubtedly certein that the holy fathers did bring in nothing of their owne inuention nor adde any thinge to the sacrifices more then they had receiued learned of God who is the author of all goodnesse although Moses did more precisely distinguish certeinly order the sortes the kindes differences betwixt sacrifice and sacrifice And yet whatsoeuer he did that did hee at the Lords appointment God instructed Moses in all that he did For the booke of Leuiticus wherein are especially described all the kindes of sacrifices doth immediatly after the verie beginning testifie that Moses was called by God and that he learned of the Lord all the ceremonies of the sacrifices which he commaunded the Israelites to kéepe And in the 7 Chap. of y booke of Numb we read And when Moses came into the Tabernacle of appointment hee heard the voice of God speakinge vnto him out of the mercie seate Now as I was about to say there were diuers sacrifices sundrily differing in many pointes amōg thēselues yet hauing many thinges cōmon general one with another It was general to al sacrifices not to be offered in any other but one apointed place alone It was general to all sacrifices that they ought of duetie to be offered by faith according as they were taught by y word of god It was general to al sacrifices to be made according to the Lords cōmandement with holy fire not with strange fire or fire prophanely kindled Nadab Abihu the sonnes of Aaron were slaine for nothing else but for because they vsed prophane or strange fire in sacrificing to the lord For when the Israelites or Leuites did first of all sacrifice as the Lord had commaunded them in the tabernacle of appointmēt then did God by sending fire from heauen giue a token that he did like of that manner of sacrifice Whereupon in the sixte of Leuiticus the priestes are charged to mainteine or kéepe the holie fire alwayes burning first in the tabernacle and then in the temple whiche thinge it is manifest that the heathen did imitate in commaunding the vestall virgins at Rome alwayes to kéep the holie fire burning By this perpetual fire is meant the perpetual working of the holie Ghost in the church of Christe which must be kept quicke stirred vp in the heartes of the faithful with feruent prayers with the sincere doctrine of the Lorde with the right vse of his holie Sacraments It was also generall to all sacrifices that in them neither wilde nor vncleane beasts were offered to y lord Moreouer this generall rule of sacrifices is giuen by Moses in the 22. Chapter of Leuiticus saying Let no deformitie bee in the thinge that thou shalt offer If it be blinde or lame or maymed if it haue pusshes or scabbes or tettar ye shall not offer it vnto the Lorde neither shall ye put ought of it vpō his altar Verily if any man had brought a deformed oblation vnto the Lorde hee shewed him selfe plainly to be a contemner vtterly vnthankfull toward his maker And therefore the Lorde in Malachie cryeth out and saith When ye bring the blinde for sacrifice do ye not sinne and when ye bring the lame and sicke do ye not sinne Offer it nowe I praye thee to thy prince or capteine wil he be content with it or wil he accept thy person saith the Lorde of hostes And so I saye my name is in contempt of no estimation among you The iust and true God therefore doth at all times require trueth liberalitie sinceritie and integritie in them that worship him and on the other side he abhorreth and vtterly detesteth vncleanenesse lying and hypocrisie There are certeine other thinges also which be generally cōmon to all sorts of sacrifices but I will not at this time make particular rehersal of euery seuerall iott or minute But what peculiarities euery sundrie sacrifice hath it wil euidently appeare in the exposition of their sundrie sorts which I wil nowe speake of in order as they lye First of all I will expound to you that kinde of sacrifice which in the scripture is called Holocaustum That sacrifice was wholly consumed with fire so that nothing but the skin or hyde of the beast was leafte for the priest The woorde is deriued of the Gréeke For it is called Holocaustū as one should saye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is wholie burnt or consumed with fire This sacrifice was of thrée kindes I meane it was made after thrée sortes to wite with greater with little and with lesse liuing creatures namely with an Oxe a bullocke or a calfe or if any mannes abilitie were not sufficient
fledd away Againe when the fire of the Lord deuoured the vttmost parts of the tents of Israel they cried vnto Moses and Moses againe cried vnto the lord and soudeinly the fire that deuoured them was consumed Againe the people murmured against the Lord and vengeaunce is prepared but Moses by milde continuall prayer quencheth the wrath of god For it is said vnto him I haue let them goe according to thy word Anon after when the people began a fresh to murmur against Moses and Aaron and that the vengeaunce of God had alreadie consumed foureteene thousand seuen hundred men Aaron at the commaundement of Moses burneth incense and standing betwéne the dead and those that were liuing howbeit néere and appointed to death hee pleadeth for and obteineth pardon by prayers Innumerable other of this kinde are read of Moses Iosue Moses successour by prayers made the course of the sunne and moone so long to stay vntil he had reuenged himselfe vpon his enimies Anna without any voyce heard by prayer putteth from her the reproche of barrennes and forthwith is made a fruitfull mother of verie many children Samuel the most godly sonne of godly Anna by prayer vanquisheth the Philistinâ—s and soudeinely in the time of Haruest raised vpp a mightie tempest of thunder and raine Wée doe also read things not vnlike of Helias Ionas in like manner prayed in the Whales bellie and was cast on the shore safe Iosaphat and Ezechias most religious kinges by prayers powred foorth vnto God by faith doe triumphe ouer their most puissaunt enimies Nehemias asked nothing of his king before hee had first prayed to the Lord of heauen therefore hée obteined all thinges The most valiaunt and man-like stomacht Iudith by prayer ouerthrew and slue Holophernes the most proud enimie of Gods people and the terrour of all nations And as Daniel brought all his affaires to passe by prayers vnto God so Hester tooke a déede in hand that was necessarie for Gods people and with thrée dayes fasting and daily prayers bringeth it to an happie end In the most blessed and most desired birth of our Lord IESVS companies of angels are heard singing praises together vnto god What and did not oure Lord when his life was in extreme daunger beetake him selfe to prayer and by and by heard the voice of an angel comforting him The Apostles together with the rest of the church pray with one accord about the third houre of the day and anon they receiue the holy Ghost And when the Apostles were in daungers the church crieth suppliantly for Gods help and presently without delay findeth succour They receiue much libertie to speake woorke very great signes and myracles among the people Peter by an Angel of God is brought out of a verie strong and fenced prison What should I speake of Paule and Silas praying and praysing the Lord in prison Is it not read that the foundations of the prison were all shaken with an earthquake and by that occasion the kéeper of the prison was turned vnto God Examples of which sort truely I could bring innumerable but that I am persuaded that to the Godly these are sufficient And faithfull men doe not attribute these forces effects or vertues to prayer as to a worke of ours but as procéeding from faith and so to God himselfe whiche promiseth these thinges and perfourmeth them to the faithful For the iudgement of Paul touching these is knowen in the 11. to the Hebrues and that all glorie is due to one god Who vouchsafe so to illuminate all our mindes that our prayer may alwayes please him Amen ¶ Of signes and the manner of signes of Sacramentall signes what a Sacrament is of whome for what causes and howe many Sacramentes were instituted of Christe for the Christian Churche Of what things they do consist how these are coÌ„secrated how the signe and the thing signified in the Sacraments are either ioyned together or distinguished of the kind of speeches vsed in the Sacraments ¶ The sixt Sermon THE treatise vppon the sacramentes remaineth which wée heard is ioyned to the woord of God and prayer But in speking of sacraments deliuered by Christ our king and high priest and receiued and lawfully vsed of his holy and catholique Churche I will by Gods grace and assistance obserue this order first to entreate of them generally and thaÌ„ particularly or seuerally And heere before hand I wil determine vppon the certeine signification of a signe or Sacrament wherein if I shal be somewhat longe or tedious I craue pardon déerly beloued therefore for I hope it shal not be altogether fruitlesse Signum a signe the Latine writers call a token a representing a marke and shew of some thing that hath signification So say Tullie and Fabius Fabius sayeth Some call Signum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thoughe some terme it Indicium other some Vestigium a marke or token whereby a thing is vnderstood as slaughter by bloud S. Aurelius Augustine the famous Ecclestastical writer Cap. 4. De magistro sayth We generally call all those things signes which signifie somewhat where also we finde words to bee Againe Lib. 2. de doctrina Christiana cap. 1. he saith A signe is a thing beside the semblance whiche it layeth before our senses making of it selfe somethinge to come into oure mind or thought as by seeing smoke we beleue there is fire The said Aur. August doth diuide signes into signes naturall and signes giuen Naturall he calleth those whiche without any wil or affection to signifie beside theÌ„selues make something else to be knowen as is smoke signifying fire For smoke hath not any will in it selfe to signifie Signes giuen are those which all liuing creatures do giue one to an other to declare as well as they caÌ„ the affections of their mind or any thing which they coÌ„ceiue meane or vnderstand And signes giuen hee diuideth againe by the senses For some belong to the eyes as the ensignes or banners of Capteines mouing of the hands all the members Some againe belong to the eares as the trumpet and other instruments of musicke yea words themselues which are chiefe principall among men when they intend to make their meaning knowen Vnto smelling hee referreth that sweete sauour of oyntment meÌ„tioned in the Gospel whereby it pleaseth the Lord to signifie somewhat To the tast hee referreth the supper of the Lord For saith he by the tasting of the sacrament of his bodie and bloud he gaue or made a signe of his will. He addeth also an exaÌ„ple of touching And wheÌ„ the woman by touching the hemme of his vesture is made whole that is not a signe of nothing but signifieth somewhat In this manner hath Augustine entreated of the kinds differences of signes Other also whose opinioÌ„ doth not much differ from hiâ— distinguish signes according to the order of times For of signes say they some are of thinges present some of thinges past and
haereticorum THe rule of faith is that we out of hande professe openly what our beleefe is which is that in deed wherby we beleeue that there is one God onlie not any other beside the maker of the worlde whiche by his worde sent out firste of all brought foorth all thinges of nothing That worde beeing called his Sonne beeing seene after sundry sortes of the Patriarches beeing alwayes hearde in the Prophetes and lastly by the spirit and power of God the father beeing brought into the virgin Marie beeing made fleash in her wombe and borne of her became Iesus Christ which afterwarde preached the new law and the new promise of the kingdome of Heauen wrought myracles sate at the right hande of the Father was nayled to the crosse roase againe the thirde day was taken into the heaueÌ„s sitteth at the right hand of the Father sent the power of the holie Ghost to gouerne the beleeuers in his owne steed shall come with glorie to take the saintes into the ioy of eternall life and heauenly promises and to condemne the wicked to euerlasting fier when both the parties are raysed vp and haue their fleash restored againe This rule as it shall be prooued beeing ordeyned by Christ hath among vs no doubtes at all but those which heresies bring in and which make men become heretiques The Creede of the blessed Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria taken out of his bookes WHosoeuer will be saued before all things it is necessarie that he holde the Catholique faith Which faith exeept euery one do kepe holy vndefiled without dout he shall perish euerlastingly And the Catholique faith is this that we worship one God in trinitie and trinitie in vnitie Neither confounding the persons nor diuiding the substance For there is one person of the Father another of the Sonne and another of the holy Ghost But the godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost is all one the glory equall the maiestie coeternall Such as the Father is such is the Sonne and such is the holy Ghost The Father vncreate the Sonne vncreate and the holy Ghost vncreate The Father incomprehensible the Sonne incomprehensible and the holy Ghoste incomprehensible The Father eternall the Sonne eternall and the holie Ghost eternall And yet they are not three eternalls but one eternall As also there be not three incomprehensibles nor three vncreated but one vncreated and one incomprehensible So likewise the Father is almightie the Sonne almightie and the holie Ghoste almightie And yet are they not three almighties but one almightie So the Father is God the Sonne is God and the holie Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods but one God. So likewise the father is Lord the Sonne Lord and the holie Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lordes but one Lord. For like as we be coÌ„pelled by the Christian veritie to acknowledge euerie person by him selfe to be God and Lorde So are we forbidden by the Catholique religion to say there be three Gods or three Lordes The father is made of none neither created nor begotten The sonne is of the father alone not made nor created but begotten The holie Ghost is of the father and of the sonne neyther made nor created nor begotten but proceeding So there is one father not three fathers one sonne not three sonnes one holy ghost not three holy ghostes And in this Trinitie none is afore or after other none is greater or lesse than other But the whole three persons be coetâ—rnall together and coequall So that in all things as is aforesaid the vnitie in trinitie and the trinitie in vnitie is to be worshipped He therefore that will be saued must thus thinke of the trinitie Furthermore it is necessarie to euerlasting saluation that he also beleeue rightly in the incarnation of our Lorde Iesus Christ For the right faith is that we beleeue and confesse that our Lorde Iesus Christ the sonne of God is God and man. God of the substance of the father begotten before the worldes and man of the substance of his mother borne in the worlde Perfect God and perfect man of a reasonable soule and humane flesh subsisting Equall to the father as touching his godhead and inferior to the father touching his manhood Who although he be God and man yet he is not two but one Christ One not by the conuersion of the godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God. One altogether not by confusion of substance but by vnitie of person For as the reasonable soule and flesh is one man so God and man is one Christ Who suffered for our saluation descended into hell rose againe the thirde day from the deade He ascended into heauen he sitteth on the right hand of the father God almightie from whence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead At whose comming all men shall rise againe with their bodies and shall giue account for their owne woorkes And they that haue done good shall goe into life euerlasting and they that haue done euill into euerlasting fier This is the Catholique faith which except a man beleeue faithfully he can not be saued The Creede of the blessed Damasus bishop of Rome taken out of the seconde Tome of S. Hierome his woorkes WE beleeue in one God the father almightie and in one Iesus Christ our Lorde the sonne of God and in the holy ghost We worship and confesse God not three Gods but the father the sonne and the holy ghost one God one God not so as though he were alone nor as one which is himselfe father to him selfe and sonne him selfe also but him to be the father which begot him to be the sonne which was begotten but the holy ghost to be neither begotten nor created nor created nor made but proceeding from the father and the sonne coeternall coequal and working together with the father and the sonne because it is written By the worde of the Lorde the heauens were established that is by the sonne of God and by the breath of his mouth all the powers thereof And in another place Sende forth thy breath and they shall be created and thou shalt renew the face of the earth And therfore vnder the name of the father of the sonne of the holy ghost we confesse one God which is the name of the power and not of the propertie The proper name of the father is the father and the proper name of the sonne is the sonne and the proper name of the holy ghost is the holy ghost In this trinitie of persons we worship one god in substance because that which is of one father is of one nature with the father of one substance and one power The father begat the sonne not by will or necessitie but by nature The sonne in the last time came downe from the father to saue vs and to fulfill the scriptures who neuerthelesse neuer ceassed to be with the father And
the vse or effect of the lawe of God and of the fulfilling abrogating of the same Of the likenesse and difference of bothe the Testamentes and people the old and the new 400 9 Of Christian libertie and of offences Of good workes and the reward thereof 440 10 Of sinne and of the kyndes thereof to wit of originall and actuall sinne and of sinne against the Holie Ghoste And lastly of the most sure and iust punishment of sinnes 477 The summe or contentes of the tenne Sermons of the fourth Decade 1 Of the Gospell of the grace of GOD who hath giuen his Sonne vnto the world and in him all thinges necessarie to saluation that wee beleeuing in him might obteine eternall life 525 2 Of repentaunce and the causes thereof of confession and remission of sinnes of satisfaction and indulgences of the olde and newe man of the power or strength of mē the other things perteyning to repentāce 561 3 Of God of the true knowledge of God and of the diuers ways how to know him That God is one in substance three in persons 604 4 That God is the creatour of all things and gouerneth all thinges by his prouidence where mention is also made of the good wil of God to vsward and of Predestination 635 5 Of adoreing or worshipping Of inuocating or calling vpon And of seruing the onely liuing true and euerlasting god Also of true and false religion 648 6 That the sonne of God is vnspeakably begotten of the father that he is consubstantiall with the father and therefore true god That the selfe same sonne is true man consubstantiall with vs and therefore true God and man abiding in two vnconfounded natures and in one vndiuided person 677 7 Of Christ King Priest of his onely euerlasting kingdome and priesthoode and of the name of a Christian 698 8 Of the holie Ghoste the thirde person in Trinitie to be worshipped and of his diuine power 714 9 Of good and euil spirites that is of the holie Angels of God and of diuels or euill spirites of their operations 731 10 Of the reasonable soule of man and of his most certeine saluation after the death of his body 759 The third last Tome and first the summe or cōtents of the ten Sermons of the fift and last Decade 1 Of the holy Catholique Churche what it is how far it extendeth by what marks it is knowne from whence it springeth howe it is mainteyned and preserued whether it may erre Also of the power studies of the Church 812 2 That there is one Catholique Church that without the Churche there is no light or saluation Against Schismatiques Wherefore we depart from the vp-start Churche of Rome That the Church of God is the house vineyard and kingdome of God and the body sheepefolde and spouse of Christe a mother and a virgine 841 3 Of the ministerie and ministers of Gods worde wherefore and for what ende they are instituted of god That the orders giuen by Christe vnto the Churche in times past were equall Whence and howe the prerogatiue of ministers sprang and of the supremacie of the byshop of Rome 870 4 Of calling vnto the ministerie of the word of god What manner of men and after what fashion ministers of the worde must be ordeined in the church Of the keyes of the Churche What the office of them is that be ordeyned Of the manner of teaching the Churche and of the holie life of the Pastours 891 5 Of the fourme and maner how to pray to God that is Of the calling on the name of the Lorde where also the Lordes prayer is expounded and also singing thankesgiuing and the force of prayer is intreated 914 6 Of signes the manner of signes of Sacramentall signes what a sacrament is of whome for what causes and how many Sacraments were instituted of Christ for the christian church Of what thinges they doe consist howe they are consecrated how the sign and the thing signified in the Sacramentes are eyther ioyned together or distinguished and of the kinde of speaches vsed in the Sacramentes 955 7 That we must reason reuerently of Sacramentes that they doe not giue grace neyther haue grace included in them Again what the vertue and lawful end and vse of Sacraments is That they profite not without fayth that they are not superfluous to the faythfull and that they do not depend vpō the worthinesse or vnworthinesse of the minister 995 8 Of holie Baptisme what it is by whome when it was instituted and that there is but one baptisme of water Of the baptisme of fire Of the rite or ceremonie of baptisme howe of whome and to whome it muste be ministred Of Baptisme by Midwiues and of infants dying without baptisme Of the baptisme of infantes againste Anabaptisine or Rebaptising and of the power or efficacie of baptisme 1032 9 Of the Lords holie Supper what it is by whom when and for whome it was instituted after what sort when and howe oft it is to be celebrated of the ends thereof Of the true meaning of the wordes of the supper This is my body O◠the presence of Christ in the supper Of the true eating of Christes body Of the worthy vnworthy eaters thereof how◠euerie mā ought to prepare him self vnto the lords supper 1063 10 Of certeine institutions of the church of god Of scholes Of Ecclesiasticall goods of the vse abuse of the same O◠Churches holie instrument◠of Christians Of the admonition and correction of the ministers of the Church and of the whole Churche Of matrimonie Of widowes Of virgines Of Monkes What the church of Christe determineth concerning the sicke and of funeralls and burials 1112 The second table conteyning such places and testimonies of Scripture both of the old Testament and the Newe as are vsed of the Authour euery where throughout this his whole worke The first number is referred to the Chapter the second to the Page ¶ Out of Genesis 1IN the beginning God created heauen earth c. Pag. 632. 1 Let there be light and there was light c. 977 1 Let vs make man in our Image after our owne likenes c. 490. 633 2 Of the institution of mariage It is not good for man to bee alone c. 222. 2 Thou shalt not eate of the fruite of the trée of knowledge c. 483. 484. 488 3 Ye shall not die the death for God doth know that the same day that ye eate thereof your eyes shal be opened c. 751 3 The Serpent was subtiler than all the beastes of the field c. 749 3 The woman whom thou gauest to be with mée gaue mée of the trée c. 479 3 For dust thou art and into dust thalt thou be turned againe c. 764 3 The séed of the womā shall crush the serpents head c. 687 4 The voice of thy brothers bloud cryeth out of the earth c.
167 5 Adam begat a sonne in his owne similitude c. 500 6 I will destroy all flesh wherein there is breath of life c. 715 8 I will set my raine-bowe in the cloudes that when I sée it I may remember c. 957 9 The eating of beastes or anye thinge that liueth and moueth is graunted c. 385 9 The Lord rayned vpon Sodom and Gomor brimston and fire c. 633 9 Whatsoeuer maÌ„ it be of the house of Israel or of the strangers c. 385 12 Pharao the king of Aegypt coÌ„maunded Sara Abrahams wife to be taken and caried to his palace c 231 14 Giue mée the soules and take the substance or goods to thy self c. 755 16 And she called the name of the Lord which spake vnto her Thou God lookest on me c. 743 16. Hast thée to Zoar and saue thee selfe there for I can do nothing c. 640 17 I will make my couenaunt betwéene mée and thée and thy séed after thée in their generations c. 1051 17 The vncircumcised man child in whose flesh the foreskinne is not circumcised that soule shal be cut off from his people c. 1041. 1046 18 Abraham sawe thrée but with them thrée he talked as with one worshipped one c. 633 18 Wilt thou destroy the iust with the wicked That be farre from thee c. 520 18 And shal I hide from Abraham what I minde to do c. 3 20 Loe thou shalt die because of the womaÌ„ which thou hast taken away c. 232 22 In thy séede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed c. 545 645. 687. 22 God tempted Abraham c. 485 30 Giue me children or else I die c. 658 30 Am I in Gods stéede whiche hath denied thée or withholden froÌ„ thée the fruite of the wombe c. 658 33 And hée going before them bowed himselfe seuen times to the ground c. 649 34 Sichem defiled Dina the daughter of Iacob c. 235 39 Ioseph beeing prouoked to adulterie by his maisters wife c. 232 44 Ye wil bring my gray haires with sorrow to hell or the graue c. 65 48 Leâ— my name be called vppon them c. 655 ¶ Out of Exodus 3 THus shalt thou saye to the childreÌ„ of Israel The Lord God of our fathers the God of Abraham c. 612 3 And Moses said to God Behold when I come vnto the childreÌ„ of Israel to whom thou doest nowe send me and shal say vnto them c. 608 4 Euery manchild whose foresain shall not be circumcised shal be cutt off c. 1029 4 And GOD hardened Pharaos heart c. 493 4 A bloudie husband art thou vnto mée c. 1044 6 I am Iehouah And I appeared to Abraham Isaac Iacob as God Schaddai but in my name Iehouah I was not knowen vnto them c. 611 9 I haue now sinned the Lord is iust but I and my people c. 493 12 When your children shall saye vnto you what meaneth this worship c. 160. 364 13 Sanctifie to mée al the first borne c. 160 17 Whosoeuer sacrificeth to any God c. 200 18 Looke ouer all the people consider them diligently and choose c. 175. 389. 894 19 Talke thou with vs wée will heare but let not God talke c. 870 19 Moses the holy seruant of God is commaunded to sanctifie the people c. 19 19 Sett boundes vnto the people round about the mounteine and say vnto them Take héed to your selues c. 606 20 Thou shalt not bow down nor worship them c. 650 21 Hee that curseth father or mother c. 153 21 The punishment of that kinde of thefte whiche the Lawyers call Plagium 272. 278 22 Thou shalt not haue to do with a false report c. 390 22 If any man shall giue to his neighbour a beast to kéepe c. 131 22 Restitution is flatly commanded of the Lord in the Law c. 280 22 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue c. 197 22 Thou shalt not afflicte the widowes nor fatherlesse children c. 158. 509. 23 Thou shalt not followe a multinide to do euill c. 194 23 Thrice in the yeare shall euery male appeare before the Lord c. 352 30 Whosoeuer shall make for him selfe a composicion or perfume of incense to smell therew c. 658 31 Ye shall kéepe my Sabbâ—â—hes because it is a signe c. 144 32 And Moses said vnto the Leuites Consecrate your handes c. 331. 33 Thou canst not sée my face For no man shall see mée and liue c. 607 616. 34. Behold I will send mine Angel before thee to kéepe thee in the way c. 741 ¶ Out of Leuiticus The chiefest Chapiters of Leuiticus are expounded in the Sermon of the Ceremoniall Lawes 6 CHarge giuen to the priests to kéepe the holy fire alwayes burning c. 368 7 Touching vowed sacrifices or sacrifices offered by couenaunt c. 379 10. Thou and thy sonnes that are with thee shall drincke neither wine nor c. 336 10 The sonnes of Aaron burnt scorâ—â—hâ— vpp with fire from heauen for offering straunge fire c 962 11 Of the cleane and vncleane creatures c. 382 12 13. 14 15. 16. Touching cleansing sacrifices for bodily deâ—ilinges 373. 13 The priestes did iudge betwixt cause and cause and betweene cleane and vncleane c. 338 17 Whosoeuer of the house of Israel shall kill an oâ—e or a sheepe c. 344. 3. 7. 17. 19. The eating of bloud and strangled is forbidden c. 385 18 The abhominable sinne of Sodomie medling with beastes also is plainely forbidden c. 236 19 Ye shall doe no vnrighteousnes in Iudgement c. 194 19 Ye shall not steale ye shall not lye no man shall deale c. 273 19. Ye shall do no vnrighteousnes in iudgement true balances true weightes c. 270 20 Of the punishment of adulterie 236 20 Of the punishment of incest 236 20 A lawe against Sodomie 236 20 The soule that worketh with a spirite or that is a Southsayer shal die c. 755 22 Let no deformitie be in the thing that thou shalt offer c. 368 24 Of the punishment of such as blasphemed Gods name c. 129 26 I wil smite you for your sinns seuen times c. 936 27 Of vowes c. 380 ¶ Out of Numerie 3 ANd thou shalt giue the Leuites vnto Aaron to his sonnes c. 232 3 The Leuits shall kepe all the instruments of the tabernacle c. 338 6 And the Lord spake vnto Moses saying speake vnto Aaron and his sonnes saying On this wise ye shal blesse the children c. 336 6 Touching the discipline of the Nazarites c. 380 10 The trumpets wherewith the congregation was called together were in the Leuites hands c. 338 11 Gather vnto me threescore and tenne men of the elders of Israel
c. 878 15 He that brake the Lords Sabboth by gathering of stickes was stoned to death c. 141 19 How to make the holy clensing water against al defilings c. 376 24 Baalam foretold the ouerthrowe of Hierusalem c. 414 27 Let the God of the spirites of all flesh sett a man ouer the congregation c. 177. 389 27 Iosua the Capteine of Gods people is set before Eleazar c. 181 30 Touching Votories and when their vowes are of force c. 380 ¶ Out of Deuteronomie 1 BRing men of wisedome of vnderstanding and of an honest life c. 176. 389. 894 1 Heare the cause of your brethren and iudge righteously c. 192. 390 4 The Lord spake vnto you from the middest of the fire and a voyce of words ye heard but likenes sawe ye none c. 2. 119 5 These words spake the Lord with a lowde voyce from out of the middest of the fire c. 2 5 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife thou shalt not c. 324 5 I haue heard the voice of the woordes of this people whiche they haue spoken c. 870 6 Heare Israel the Lord our God c. And thou shalt shewe them vnto thy children c. 56 160. 623 6 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. 93 8 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery woord that commeth out of the mouth of c. 947 8 When thou hast eaten therefore and filled thée selfe c. Beware that thou forget not c. 283 8 Saye not thou in thine hearte Mine owne strength the power c. 471 9 The Lord had determined to destroy you therefore I made intercession c. 916 10 And Nowe Israel what doeth the Lord thy God require of thée c. 668. 475 10 Circumcise the foreskin of your heartes and harden not your c. 361. 1025. 10 Thou shalt worshipp the Lord thy God him shalt thou feare c. 655 12 Euery man shall not doe that whiche is righteous in his owne eyes c. 472 12 15. The eating of bloud and strangled is forbidden c. 385 13 The Lord commaundeth that euery citie whiche departeth from God and the worship of God shuld be sett on with warriours c. 211 13 Follow ye the Lord your God feare him c. 113. 671 14 Of cleane vncleane creatures c. 382 15 Beware that thou harden not thine heart nor shutt to thine hand for c. 288 16 God also forbad the magistrate to plant groaues c. 179 16 Thou shalt appoint thée Iudges c. 894 17 When the king sitteth vppon the seat of his kingdome he shal c 252. 391 19 If a false witnesse be founde amonge you then shall you doe vnto him c. 320 20 Lawes made for warre c. 213 21 The parentes them selues are commaunded to bring their disobedient children before the Iudge c. 162 24 No man shall take the neather or the vpper milstone to pledge c. 272 24 Thou shalt not denie nor withhold the wages of an hired seruant c. 272 25 Thou shalt not haue in thy bag two manner of weightes c. 270 28 If thou shalt hearken diligently vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and do c 641 30 The Lord thy God shal circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy séede c. 359. 454 32 Sée nowe howe that I I am God and there is none other God but I I kill c. 623. 658 ¶ Out of Iosua 1 SEe that thou doest obserue and doe according to all the Lawe c. 184 2 Let not the booke of this Lawe depart out of thy mouth c. 252 2 Giue mée a signe by oath that ye will shewe mercie vnto mée And they gaue her a roape to hang out of her windowe c. 956 5 Make thée sharpe kniues of stone go to againe and circumcise the children of Israel the second time c. 1059 28 Of the Lordes Tabernacle at his apointment erected in Silo c. 342 23 When ye shall come in among these nations sée that c. 133 ¶ Out of Iudges 6 HE is called Lord who before was called an angel c. 743 14 And the spirit of the Lord came vpon Samson c. 382 17 Micha instituted vnto the true God a kinde of seruice of his owne c. 676 ¶ Out of the first booke of Samuel 1. 3. OF the Lords Tabernacle at his appointment erected in Silo c. 342 3 And the sinne of the children of Helie was too abhaminable before the face c. 910 4 The elders of Israel said Wherfore hath the lord cast vs downe c. 996. 4 So the people sent into Silo brought from thence the arcke c. 996 4 And thâ— Philistines fought and Israel was smitten downe and fled c. 996 4 5. The vse and abuse of the arke c. 346 6 The Lord smote fiftie thousand thrée score and ten men of Beth-shemesh c. 997 15 Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offeringes and sacrifices as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed c. 472 677 16 The good spirite of God departed from Saule and the euil spirite succéeded c. 722 19 Dauid doth not despise the ayd and shiftes of his wiâ—e Michol c. 640 23 When Abigael saw Dauid shée hasted lighted off her aâ—â—e c 649 28 Samuel or rather Sathan couÌ„terfecting Samuel raised vpp by a witch c. 247 ¶ Out of the second booke of Samuel 6 OZa perished for handling the arche of the Lord otherwise than was commaunded in the law c. 676 7 I wil be his father and he shal be my sonne c. 57 7 Who am I O Lord God and what is the house of my father c. 952 8 Dauids sonns were called priestes c. 880 12 The sword shal not depart from thy house c. 522 12 The Lord hath taken thy sinne 〈◊〉 c. 522 12 Take thou the citie Rabah least I take it and my name be called vppon it c. 655 15 Carrie bache the arcke of God into the citie againe If I shal finde c. 308 15 If I shall finde fauour in the eyes of the Lord hee wil bring mée c. 926 ¶ Out of the first bookâ— of kinges 3 SOlomon loued the Lord c. onely he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places c. 343 3 And when he was come in to the king he worshipped or made obeysaunce c. 650 4 And vnder Solomon they increased and were many in number as the sand c. 284 6 Dauids deuotion was great toward the arke of the Lord c. 824 6. 7. c. The description of Solomons temple c. 344 8 If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thée how much lesse c. 659. 943. 1004 8 And Solomon made a solemne feast and all
33 By the word of the Lord were the heauens made all the hoastes of them by the breath of his mouth c. 633. 34 This poore man cried and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles c. 741 37 A good man is mercifull and lendeth guideth his woords with discretion c. 288 37 Yet a little and the vngodly shal be no where and when thou lookest in his place c. 300 38 Rebuke me not in thine anger O Lord neither chasten me in thy c. 919 38 Thine arrowes stick fast in me and thine hand doth presse mée sore c. 565 45 All the beasts of the woods are mine and the cattel c. 127 45 The Lord shall reigne for euer and his kingdom is a kingdome of all ages c. 638 45 Thy God hath annoynted thée with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes c. 705 50 Offer to the Lord the sacrifice of praise and pay thy vowes c. 113. 657. 922. 50 Why doest thou take my couâ—naunt in thy mouth c. When thou sawest a theefe thou consentedst vnto him c. 237 50 Whosoeuer offereth me thanks and praise he honoureth me c. 953 51 Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thine holy spirite from me c. 722 51 Behold I was borne in wickednes in sinne hath my mother conceuied me 496 51 Make mee a cleane heart O Lord and renue a right spirit within me 819 51 Haue mercie vpon me O God according to the greatnesse of thy mercie For I â–ª c. 572 54 O come lee vs sing vnto the Lord let vs hartily reioyce in God eure saluation c. 651 61 Thou O Lord shalt not leaue my soule in hell neither shalt thou suffer thine holy one to sée corruption c. 764 62 Put your trust in God alwayes powre out your heartes before him c. 282 67 God be mercifull vnto vs and blesse vs snewe vs the light of his c. 944 72 Touching the infelicitie of the vngodly thou verily hast sett them in slipperie places c. 300 73 Touching the prosperitie of the wicked my feete were almost gone my treadings c. 292 75 Make vowes and paye them c. 381 78 The things that we haue heard and knowen suche as our fathers haue â—ould vs c. 622 79 Help vs O Lord of our saluasion for the glorie of thy name c. 921 81 In thine extremities and troubles O Israel thou calledst vppon mée and I deliuered thée c. 657 82 Man is the liuely image of god c 650 89 Thou Lord rulest the raging of the sea thou stillest the waues therof when they arise c. 639 91 Call vppon mee in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thée and thou shalt glorifie mée c. 657 91 There shall no euill come vnto thée neither shall any plagne comâ— néere thy dwelling c. 741 91 Thou art my hope O Lord thou hast set thine house very highâ— c. 305 94 Vnderstand ye vnwise among the people ye fooles at length be wise c. 614 97 Thou Lord art higher than all that are in the earth Thou art exalted farre aboue all Gods c. 610 102 Heare my prayer O God and let my crie come vnto thée c. 914 103 The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slow to anger and of great kindnesse c. 644. 942 103 Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mée blesse c. 952 103 Euen as the father pityeth his children so doeth the Lord pirie them c. 57 103 Praise the Lord O my soule and forgeâ—t not the thinges that hee hath done for thee c. 567 103 O praise the lord all ye angels of his ye that excell in strengthe yée that fulfil his commaundement c. 738 104 Of the fruite of thy works O God shal the earth be filled c. 639. 104 All thinges waite vppon thée that thou mayest giue them meate in due season c. 947 104 Whiche maketh his Angels spirites his ministers a flaming fire c. 714 110 The Lord sware and will not repent hun Thou art a priest for euer after tâ—e order of Melchisedech c. 704 110 The Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand c. 59. 633. 692. 699. 110 In the mightie power of holinesse the dewe of thy byrthe is to thée of the wombe of the morning c. 62 113 The idols of the heathen are siluer and gold the workes of mens hands c. 118 113 The Lord is higher than all nations and his glorie is aboue the heauens c. 610 116 Onely God is true and euery man a liar c. 834 118 The pathe of life shalt thou make knowen to mée the fulnesse c. 71 118 The stone which the builders refused is the head of the corner c. 861 119 Seuen times in a daye doe I praise thée c. 936 119 It is good for me Lord that thou hast troubled mée c. 294 119 I haue longed after thy commaundements c. 324 119 The praise of Gods word c. 253 120 Lord deliuer mee from lying lippes and a deceiptfull tongue c. 324 123 Our GOD is in heauen hée hath done what soeuer pleased him c. 945 128 The labours of thine handes shalt thou eate O well is thée and happie c. 269 135 I know that the Lord is great that he is aboue al Gods c. 639 136 Oh praise the Lord for hée is good because his mercie endureth for euer c. 164. 570 138 Whether shall I goe from the breath of thy mouth and whether shall I flée from thy countenaunce c. 610 139 Thou O Lord knowest my downe-sitting and mine vp-rising thou spyest out all my wayes c. 638 141 Let my prayer bee directed in thy sight as incense and the lifting vpp of my hands as an euening sacrifice c. 658 141 The righteous shall sinite mée friendly but the precious baulmes of the wicked c. 324 142 Enter not into iudgment with thy seruaunt for in thy sight shal no man liuing c. 467. 555 145 When thou giuest it them they gather it when thou openest thy hand they are filled c. 714 145 The Lord is nigh vnto al that call vpon him vnto all such as c. 922 145 The Lord is iust in all his wayes and holy in all his workes c. 494 145 The eyes of all things do loke vpp vnto thée O Lord and thou giuest c. 947 145 The Lord vpholdeth such as fall and lifteth vpp all those that be downe c. 639 147 Great is oure Lord and great is his power and of his wisedome there is none end c. 639 ¶ Out of the Prouerbes of Solomon 1 MY sonne if sinners entice thée consent not vnto them c. 168 3 My sonne refuse not the chastening of
the Lord neither faint c. 295 3 Whom the Lord loueth he chasteneth whom he chasteneth c. 919 3 Honour the Lord with thy substance and the firstlings of all thine increase c. 289 3 Let mercie or well doing and faithfulnesse neuer depart from thée c. 289 5 Be glad with the wife of thy youth let her be as the beloued hinde and pleasaunt Roe c. 238 6 God hateth a false witnesse c 320 6 Goe to the Emmet thou sluggard consider her wayes and learne to be wise c. 269 6 He that goeth in to his neighbours wife and toucheth her cannot be vnguiltie c. 232 6 May a man take fire in his bosome c. Euen so he that goeth in to his neighbours wife c. 232 16 Prophecie is in the lippes of the king therefore his heart c. 219 16 God created al thinges for his owne sake yea the vngodly against c. 494 17 The Lord doth as greatly hate the magistrate that acquiteth a wicked person as him that coÌ„demneth an innocent man c. 168 17 Whosoeuer rewardeth euill for good euill shall not depart from his house c. 153 18 The name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth c. 659. 951. 19 The thought of a foole is sinne and a slanderer is hared of men c. 323 19 A false witnesse shal not escape vnpunished c. 320 20 Two manner of weightes and two manner of measures c. 271 20 Godlines and trueth preserue the king and in godlines c. 178 20 He that despitefully taâ—nteth his father and despiseth the old age of his mother c. 153 21 The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord like as the riuers of water he may turne it c. 638 21 Whosoeuer stoppeth his care at the crie of the poore he shall crie c. 289. 918. 23 Who hath woe who hath sorrow who hath strife c. 239 24 My sonne feare thou the Lord and the king and kéep no companie c. 219 24 The iust man falleth and riseth seuen times in a day c. 700 25 As it is not good to eate much honie so c. 605 25 A man that refraineth not his appetite is like a citie which is broken downe c. 715 28 The woords of a talebearer be as though they were simple c. 323 28 He that turneth his care from hearing the Lawe his prayer shal be c. 923 28 Whosoeuer hideth his iniquities or doth as it were defend theÌ„ nothing shal go well c. 571 29 The rodd and correction giueth wisedom but the child that tunneth at randon c. 161. 30 Two thinges haue I required of thée denie â—â—e them not before I die c. 947 31 The praise of a good housewife c. 268 ¶ Out of Solomons Ecclesiaste or Preacher 7 IT is better to heare the rebuke of a wife man than the song of a foole c. 323 12 The words of the wiâ—e are like prickes and nailes that go through c. 978 ¶ Out of the Canticles or Ballads of Solomon 4 ONe is my done and my beloued c. 841 ¶ Out of the Prophete Isaie 1 IF ye will bâ—e willing and obediâ—nt ye shall eate the good of the laâ—â— c. 641 1 Thus saith the Lord Thoughe your sinnes bee as redd as scarlet they shal be made whâ—ter c. 567 1 Though â—â— make many prayersm yet will I heare nothing aâ— all c. 918. 923. 2 Their land is full of vainâ— gods oâ— idols before the workes of â—heir hande haue they bowed â–ª c. 650 2 They shall turne their swordes into spades and their 〈◊〉 â—nto sythâ—s c. 207 3 I will giue them children to bee their kinges and infantes shal rule them c. 173 3 〈◊〉 to the iust that it shall goâ— weâ—l with him â—or hee shal eate c. 4â—3 3 The Lord shall enâ—er into iudgement wiâ—h the elders and pâ—incâ—s of the people â–ª c 280 4 Let thy name be called vpon vs c. 655 5 The vineâ—ard of the Lord of hostes is the house of Israel c. 863 6 Holie holie holie is the Lord God of Sabbaoth Heauen earth are full of his glorie c. 740 7 Behold a virgin shal conceiue bring forth a sonne c. 63 688. 692 9 A childe is borne vnto vs and a sonne is giuen vs c. 692 11 The spirite of the Lord shal rest vppon him the spirite of wisedome and vnderâ—â—anding c. 727. 729 16 And in mercie shall the seate be prâ—pared and he shal sit vppon it in truth c. 669 5. 28. Gods threateninges against drunkards c. 241 23 Their occupying also and their wares shal be holy vnto the Lord c. 288 26 Goe my people enter into thy chambers and shutt the doores after thée c. 310 29 This people honoureth mee with thâ—ir lippes but their heart is farre from mée c 652 33 The Lord is oure Iudge the Lord is our Lawe giuer c. 905 38 Thou shall die and not liue c. 917 40 Who hath measured the waters with his 〈◊〉 Who hath measured hâ—auen with his spanne c. 622 40 Behold al people to witt compared to GOD are in comparison of him as a drop of a bucket ful c. 119 40 Lift vp your eyes on high and consider who hath made these thinges c. 621 41 They cannot foretell or knowe thinges to come hereafter neither yet can do good or euill c. 676 42 I the Lord HV or I my selfe is my name and my glorie I will not giue to an other c. 609. 623. 658. 686 42 The Lord shall come forth lâ—ke a Giant hee shal take stomache vnto him like a man of warre c. 610 42 I I am hee that blott out thy transcressions and that for mine owne sake c. 568 42 Behold my sonne whome I haue chosen my beloued in whome my soule is pleased c. 634 41 I will powre water vppon the thâ—rstie and flouds vpppon the drie ground c. 707. 725 44 None considereth with hâ—mselfe of this matter and sayth One peâ—ce of the wood I haue burnt in the fire c. 650 44 I will powre my spirite vppon thy seede and my blessing vppon thy stcke c. 725 45 I haue sworne by mine owne selfe the word of righteousnes shal goe out of my mouth c 686 45 I am I am the Lord and there is no Sauiour without me A last God and a sauiour c. 685. 45 Haue not I the Lord and there is none other God beside mee c. 494. 624. 658. 49 Kinges are called noursing fathers and Quéenes noursing mothers c. 432 49 I will lift vp mine hands vnto the Gentiles and set my staÌ„dard to the people c. 180. 699 49 Can a woman forget her child and not haue compassion on the sonne c. 644. 919 52
groweth vp in the Lords field which he forbiddeth to plucke vp c. 818. 1132 13 Riches are the thornes that choke the seede of the word of god c. 263 15 Whatsoeuer entreth in by the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast into the c. 325 15 Out of the heart procéede euill thoughts murthers adulteries whoredomes c. 503 15 This people honoreth me with their lippes but their heart is farre from me c. 652. 925 15 In vaine doe they worship me teaching doctrines the preceptes of men c. 19. 473 827. 906 16 What so euer ye shall loose in earth shal be loosed in heaueÌ„ c. 871 16 If any man will goe after me let him forsake him self c. 65. 309 16 Vpon this rocke I will builde my church c. 860. 861. 887. 890 16 And the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the church c. 816 16 Thou art truely the sonne of God c. 652 16 Fleshe and bloude hath not rellealed these thinges vnto thée but my c. 827 16 I will giue thée the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and what so euer c. 902 16 Who so euer will saue his life shall loose it Againe who so euer will loose his life for my sake shall finde it c. 765 17 Of the transformation or transfiguration of Christ in the c. 87. 88 18 There is none good but one c. 657 18 Woe vnto the world because of offences It must néedes be that offences come c. 452 18 Derily verily I say vnto you except you turne and become c. 881. 958. 1014. 18 If he that offendeth the church wil not regard when he is waâ—â—ed 816 18 I say vnto you that if two of you shall agree in earth as touching c. 915 18 It is not the will of my father which is in heaueÌ„ that one of these â—ittle ones should perish c. 104 18 Where so euer two or thrée be gathered together in my name c. 864 19 Verily I say vnto you a riche man shal hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen c. 263 19 If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandements c 408. 478 19 If thou wilt be perfect go and â—ell that which thou haste and giue to the poore c. 263 20 Ye knowe not what ye aske c 919 21 The Chanaanites cast oute of Gods temple c. 698 22 He which had not on his wedding garment is suffered for a season among the other guestes c. 818 22 One onely vineyarde not two or diuers let out to husbande men c. 842 22 GOD is not the GOD of the deade but of the liuing c. 432 22 Ye â—rre not knowing the scriptures For in the resurrection they neyther marrie c. 732 22 What thinke you of Christe whose â—onne is he They sayd vnto him the sonne of Dauid c. 692 22 Giue to God that whiche belongâ—â—h to God and to Caesar c. 220 22 Loue thy neyghbour as thy selâ—â— c. 96 23 Woe to you Scribes and Phariseis hypocrites whiche 〈◊〉 wâ—dowes houses vnder c. 507. 925 23 Woe vnto you Scribes and Phariseâ—s hypocrites bycause ye 〈◊〉 vppe the kingdome of heauen c 901 23 The Scribes and the Phariseâ—s 〈◊〉 Moâ—es seate All therefore c. 846 23 I send vnto you Prophets and wisemen some of whome ye shall c. 155 24 There shall arise false Christes and false Prophetes and shall shew great signes c. 858 24 The Lorde of that seruant shall come in the day wherein he looketh not for him c. 817 24 Doe ye not sée all these things verily I say vnto you there shal not be left c. 415 24 Then if they shal say vnto you Loe here is Christe or there is Christe doe not beléeue c. 1092 24 Heauen and earth shall passe but in word shall not passe c. 37 25 Come â—e blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the c. 469. 699 25 Depart from meye curssed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his angels c. 747. 1104 25 Verily I say vnto you in that ye did it not to one of the leaste of these ye did it not vnto me c. 1104 26 The Lord Iesus when he had taken breade he gaue thankes and brake it c. 969 26 Whome so euer I shall kisse that same is he take him c. 957 26 Put vppe thy sworde into thy sheath He that taketh c. 28. 832 26 Thinkest thou that I can not pray vnto my father and he shall sende me more than twelue legions of Angels c. 737 26 And Peter remembered the words of the Lorde which he had sayde vnto him before the cocke crowe c. 564 26 He began to be sorrowfull and heauie And Iesus saide My soule is heauie euen vnto death c. 690 27 Father if it be possible let this cuppe passe from me c. 625 27 So they went and made the Scpulchre sure and sealed the stone c. 1012 28 Tell his disciples and Peter that he is riâ—en and goeth before you into Galilée c. 569 28 Teach ye all nations baptisting them in the name of the father c. 821 28 All power is giuen me both in heauen and in earth c. 627. 836. 1053 28 I will reâ—aine with you continually vnto the end of the worlde c. 599. 699. 864. 1095 Out of the Gospell after Saint Marke 1 IOhn baptised in the wildernesse preaching the baptisme of Repenâ—ance c. 968 2 What haue we to doe with thée thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy vs c. 747 3 All sinnes shall be forgiuen vnto the children of men and blasphemies wherewith c. 517 3 My name is Legion bicause we are many c. 748 3 Hee casteth out diuels by the prince of diuels c. 748 9 If thou canst beléeue All things are possible to him that beléeueth c. 35. 646 9 And whensoeuer he taketh him he teareth him and he fometh and guatheth with his teeth and pineth away c. 751 9 And these shall goe into euerlasting punishment but the righteous into life euerlasting c. 717 10 Verily I say vnto you there â—â— no man that hath forsaken house c. 312. 4â—8 10 Suffer the young children to come vnto me and forbid them not c. 1014 11 Whatsoeuer ye desire when ye pray beléeue that ye shall haue it c 922 11 And when ye stande praying forgiue if ye haue ought against c. 924 13 They shall deliuer you vppe to counsels and in their Synagogues they shall scourge you c. 293. 294 14 The poore shal ye haue alwayes with you but me alwayes ye shall not haue c. 692 16 Goe ye into all the worlde and preach the Gospel vnto euerie creature c. 644. 905. 963. 968. 973. 978.
443. 445. 446. Frée 444 Fréemen of Christe abuse not their libertie 445 Fruits that become repentance 593 Fulgentius 74 Furniture of them that would haue accesse to God. 922 G. Gardiansor ouerséers of fatherlesse children 145 Garment to be worne at the Lords supper 1071 Gentiles 102. 104. 105. 106. 148. Gesture in prayer 928 Gestures at the Lords supper 1071 Gospel 326. 527. 526. 528. 558. 530 547. 1010. Giftes of the holy Ghost 729 Giftes of the new testament 438 GOD. 481 God being good created all thinges good 481 God is said to make men blinde 492 God is said to hardeÌ„ in what sense 492 God sometimes afflicteth them whose sinnes hee hath forgiuen 584. God gouernour of all things 637 God is one in substance and thrée in persons 56 God a father 57 God the maker of heauen and earth 58 God almightie 57 Gods sonne 59 God alone forgiueth sinnes 83 God alone to be loued 94 God will not be likened to any thing 118 God a rewarder of his true worshippers 125 God is all in all to his confederats 357 God did forbeare the fall of man. 488 God doth punish sinners iustly 520 God exhibiteth grace by in Christ 532 God shadowed in visions 616 God giueth his giftes fréely 616 God sheweth himselfe to Moses 617 God what he is 618 God doeth euidently open himselâ—e in Christ 618 God is knowen by his works 620 God is shadowed to vs by comparisons 622 God is one in essence or being 623 Gods good will learned by his prouidence God draweth by meanes those that the preâ—estuiared to life 645 God onely alone is to be worshipped 6â—6 God only to be serued 671 God hâ—th his church 855 God present in the ministerie to the worlds end 919 God is moued with the prayers of the 〈◊〉 God deâ—â—â—reth to heare once petitions 919 Godhead and manhoode of Christe mitted 691 Godlinesse 18. 43 Goode of the church 156 Goods of other man ought not to remaâ—ne in thy possession 280 Goods serue to supplye our necessitie 283 Goodes muste serue to relieue the poore 288 Good to whom it must be done 289 Good how we ought to do it 290 Good 〈◊〉 515. 457 Godly 〈◊〉 falsly charged to frussleare the sacramentes 1008 Gouernours of scholes 1114 Grace 529. 530. 531. 360. 1000. 1003. 1006. Gâ—atian Emperour 181 Guiltinesse punishment therof 397 H. Halowed be thy name expounded 943 Herode and Antiochus eaten of wormes aliue 218 Heretikes and false prophets 397 Head of the church 864 Heauen the seate throne or pallace of our king Historie of the Lordes tabernacle 342. 343 Historie of Anabaptisme 1057 Housholder his charge or office 138 141. Honour 146. 147. 149. 151. 153. 154. 155. Honestie 226 Hospitalitie 286 Hope of the faithfull vpholdeth Christian patience 304 Hopâ— 503. Holy day 350 Holy things 391 Holocaustum the burnt offring 368 How God guieth men ouer to a reprobate mynde or sense 491 Howe God is saide to do euill 493 How Christ is receyued 547 Howe often the Lordes supper is to be celebrated 1016 Holinesse that is perfect whence it proceedeth 813 Holy church how to be vnderstanded 814 Holy time 1129 Holy buildings 1126 Holy instruments 1127 Holy Ghoste 715. 716. 718. 719. 722. Holy Ghost is called a comforter 723. 724. Holie Ghoste compared to water fire 〈◊〉 a done 725. 1016 Hoares Canonicall 936 Howe Christ hath giuen his fleshe to be meare 1098 Howe Christes bodie is eaten and his bloud drunken 1098 Howe the vnbeleeuers are made guiltie of Christes body bloud 1104 How we should prepare our selues to the Lords supper 1109 Humanitie of Christ 687 Humbling and acknowledging of sinnes 564 Hart of all kyndes and sortes forbidden 166 Hirelings wages 397 Hire is due but Heritage procéedeth of the parents good will. 469 Hypocrites how they are or may be counted of in the churche of God. 817 I. Iacob 4 Iames defended 426 Iames no patrone of auricular coÌ„fession 580 Idols teach not 122. 266 Idolatrie 392 Idlenesse condemned 266 Iesus the name of the onely begotten sonne 60 Iesus is Christ the looked for Messias 537 Iewes denie that Christe is come or that Iesus is Christ 540 Images 117. 120. 121. 122 Image of patience 303. Image of god 614. 489 Image of the diuell 560 Imperiall lawe against the Anabaptistes 1058 Impenitents are vnhappie 597 Incest 236 Infelicitie of the vngodly 299 Institution of a king and of princes 390 Inheritaunce 393 Incarnation of Christ 687 Indulgences 585 Infants not beléeuing are baptised 1014 Infantes departing without baptisme are saued 1044 Infantes confessing or beléeuing 1052 Infants vnderstande not the mysterie of baptisme 1054 Infants baptised from the time of the Apostles 1057 Intercessour 660 Intercession of Christ 665 Inuocation 185. 586. 656 Inward markes of the church 824 Interpreting to whome it perâ—eyneth 907 Interpreret or teacher what he must not seeke 908 Institution of baptisme by whome 1033 Institution of sacraments 965 Ioas. 254 Iosaphat 253 Ioram 253 Iothan 254 Iosias 255 Ioiada 254 Iudas was present at the Lordes Supper 1103 Iustification 44. 52. 457 Iustifie 45. 1006 Iustified 49. 50. 51. 406. 532 Iudge Iudgement and to Iudge 74. 191. 192. 193. 194. 295. 388. 389. Iudiciall lawes 389. 397 Iubilie Romishe 417 Iustiman Emperour 129 K. Kaliad the grandfather of Moses 4 Keyes of the kingdome of heauen 558 Keyes of the church 901 Keyes are the ministerie of preaching the Gospell 902. 903 Kinsmen and Cousens 146 Killing and to Kill 166. 175. 198 Kindes of Bishops 885 Kindes of prayer 914 Kindes of punishment 199 Kings Kingdomes 218. 252. 256 257. 390. 699. 700. 701. 702. 703. 944 L. Labour commended 266 Lambe a type of Christ c. 365 Lawe and Lawes c. 100. 101. 102 303. 107. 108. 109. 110. 166. 186. 188. 189. 190. 400. 403. 404 405 408. 409. 411. 446. 447. 448. 578 Lauer of brasse 349 Legion of Thunder 215 League 6. 355. 356. 331. 357. Learners two sortes in the church 907 Leuites 331. 332 Libertie of Christians or Christian Libertie 408. 440. 443. 448 591 Light clearest of the first worlde were nine men 3 Lie Lying and kinds of Lyes 320 Licentiousnesse 449 Life eternall and the day of iudgement 6 Life euerlasting 90 Life promised to them that kéep the lawe 408 Likenesse and difference of the â—lde and newe testament and people 428 Loue and Charitie 92. 93. 95 The Lorde hath not burthened his Church with infinite lawes 1112 Lords prayer expounded 941 M. Maiestie and dignitie of the moral lawe 112 Magistrats or rulers 145. 168. 169 170. 171. 172. 175. 177. 178. 187 188. 198. 216 Magistracie thrée kindes 169 Marriage and Married folke 222 227. Marriage 228. 229. 230. 231. 392 Martyrs 724 Manasses 255 Manner of ordeyning those that be called to the ministerie 896 Manner of the auncient singing in the auncient church 933 Manner of prayer 938 Manner of Christes death 64 Mans last day 779 Man old and newe what it is 588 Man conuinced of sinne
Fayth in them that hearde it For they dyed in the desarte And immediately after he sayth Let vs therefore doe our best to enter into that reste so that no man dye in the same example of vnbeliefe If therefore that the worde of God doe sounde in oure eares and therewithall the spirite of God doe shewe foorth his power in our harts and that we in fayth doe truly receiue the word of God then hath the worde of God a mighty sorce and wonderful effect in vs For it driueth away the misty darknesse of errors it openeth our eyes it conuerteth and inlighteneth our mindes and instructeth vs most fully and absolutely in truth and godlines For the Prophet Dauid in his Psalmes beareth witnes sayth The law of the Lord is perfect conuerting the soule the testimony of God is true and geueth wisedome vn to the simple The commaundement of the Lord is pure and geueth light vnto the eies Furthermore the word of God doth féede strengthen confirm and comfort our soules it doth regenerate clense make ioyfull and ioyne vs to god yea and obtaineth al things for vs at Gods handes setting vs in a most happy state in so much that no goods or treasure of the whole worlde are to be compared with the worde of god And thus much do we attribute to the worde of God not without the testimony of Gods worde For the Lord by the prophet Amos doth threa ten hunger thirst not to eate bread and to drinke water but to heare the worde of God. For in the olde new testaments it is sayd that man doth not liue by bread onely but by euery worde that proceedeth out of the mouth of god And the Apostle Paul saith that all things in the scriptures are written for our learning that by patiēce and comfort of the scriptures we might haue hope Also Peter saith ye are born a new not of corruptible seede but of incorruptible by the word of god which liueth lasteth for euer And this is the worde which by the gospell was preached vnto you The Lorde also in the gospell beareth witnesse to the same and sayth Now are ye cleane by the worde which I haue spoken vnto you Againe in the gospell he crieth saying If any man loueth me he will keepe my saying and my father will loue him and we will come into him and make our dwelling place in him Ieremie saith also Thy word became my comfort And the Prophet Dauid saith The statutes of the Lorde are right and reioyce the hart Wherunto adde that saying of the Lordes in the gospell If ye remaine in me and my wordes remaine in you aske what ye will and it shal be done for you In an other place also the Prophet crieth saying If ye be willing and will hearken ye shall eate the good of the land but if ye wil not heare my word the sword shall deuoure you Moreouer Moses doth very often and largely reckon vp the good thinges that shall happen to them which obey the worde of God Leuiticus 26. Deutero 28. Wherefore Dauid durst boldly preferre the word of God before all the pleasures and treasures of this world The feare of the Lorde is cleane and endureth for euer the iudgementes of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they thē gold yea then much fine golde sweeter also then hony and the dropping hony combes For by them thy seruaunt is plainely taught and in keeping of them there is great aduantage Therfore is the lawe of thy mouth more precious vnto me then thousands of siluer and golde Vnlesse my delight had been in thy lawe I had perished in my miserie To this now doth appertaine that parable in the gospell of him which bought the precious pearle and of him also which solde all that he had and bought the grounde wherin he knewe that treasure was hidde For that precious pearle and that treasure are the gospell or worde of God which for the excellencie of it is in the scriptures called a light a fire a Sworde a Maule which breaketh stones a Buckler and by many other names like vnto these Dearely beloued this howre ye haue heard our bountifull Lorde and God who would haue all men saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth how he hath reuealed his word to al men throughout the whole world to the intent that all men in al places of what kinde age or degrée so euer they be may know the trueth and be instructed in the true saluation and may learne a perfect way how to liue rightly well and holily so that the mā of God may be perfect instructed to all good workes For the Lorde in the worde of trueth hath deliuered to his Church all that is requisite to true godlinesse and saluation Whatsoeuer thinges are necessary to be knowne touching God the works iudgments will and commaundements of God touching Christe our faith in Christe and the duties of an holy life all those thinges I say are fully taught in the worde of god Neither néedeth the Church to craue of any other or else with mens supplies to patch vp that which seemeth to be wantinge in the worde of the Lorde For the Lord did not onely by the liuely expressed voice of the Apostles teach our fathers the whole summe of godlinesse and saluation but did prouide also that it by the meanes of the same Apostles shoulde be set down in writing And that doth manifestly appéere that it was done for the posterities sake that is for vs and our successours to the intent that none of vs nor ours should be seduced nor that false traditiōs should be popt into any of our mouthes in stéede of the truth We must all therfore beware we must all watch and sticke fast vnto the worde of God which is left to vs in the scriptures by the Prophetes and Apostles Finally let our care be wholy bent with faith and profite to heare whatsoeuer the Lord declareth vnto vs Let vs cast out and treade vnder foote whatsoeuer by our flesh the world or the deuill is obiected to be a let to godlines We know what the diseases plagues of the séede of Gods worde sowed in the hartes of the faithful are We know how great the power of Gods worde is in them which heare it deuoutly Let vs therfore beséech our Lorde God to powre into our mindes his holy spirite by whose vertue the séede of Gods word may be quickened in our harts to the bringing forth of much fruite to the saluation of our soules and the glory of God our father To whom be glory for euer Of the sense and right exposition of the worde of God and by what maner of meanes it may be expounded ¶ The thirde Sermon DEarly beloued brethren I doe vnderstande that by meanes of my doctrine of the worde of God ther are risen sūdry thoughts in the hartes of many men yea and that of some there
S. Mathew instructinge Ioseph sayth Mary shall bring forth a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iesus For hee shall saue his people from their sinnes So then this sonne of God Iesus is the sauiour of the worlde who forgiueth sinnes and setteth vs free from al the power of our aduersary the deuil Which verily he could not do vnlesse he were very god Hee is also called Christ which is all one as if you saye Annoynted The Iewes cal him Messias Which word is a title proper to a kingdome or priesthoode For they of olde were wonte to annointe their kinges priestes they were annoynted wyth external or figuratiue oyntment or Oyle But very Christ was annoynted with the very true oyntement that is wyth the fulnes of the holy ghoste as is to be seene in the firste third Chapters after S. Iohn Moste properly therfore is this name Christ attributed to our lord For first he is both kinge and prieste of the people of god Then the holy Ghost is powred fully by all meanes and abundantlye into Iesus from whom as it were by a liuely fountayne it floweth into all the members of Christ For this is that Aaron vppon whose heade the Oyle was powred which ranne downe to his bearde and the nethermost skirts of his garment For of his fulnes we haue all receyued The last thinge that is to be noted now in this secōd Article is the we cal the sonne of God our lord The sonne of God verily is for two causes properly called our lord First in respect of the mysterie of our redēption For Christ is the Lord of all the electe whom hee hath deliuered from the power and dominion of Satan sinne and death and hath made them a people of his owne getting for himselfe This similitude is taken of Lordes which wyth theyr monye buy slaues for theyr vse or els which in warres reserue captiues whō they myght haue slaine or which deliuer men condemned from present death So then by this Lords are as it were deliuerers redéemers or sauiours Hereunto verily alludeth Paul where he sayth Ye are bought with a price become not therefore the seruauntes of men And S. Peter saith Ye are redeemed not vvith golde and siluer but with the precious bloud of the vnspotted Lambe Moreouer Christe is called Lord in respect of his Diuine power and nature by which all things are in subiectiō to the sonne of god And for because this word Lord is of a very ample signification as that which conteyneth both the diuine nature and maiestly wee see that the Apostles in theyr writinges vse it very willingly Paule to the Corinthians sayth Although there be many Lords yet haue we but one Lord Iesus Christ by whom all thinges are wee by him Now the third Article of Christian fayth is this Which vvas conceiued by the holie Ghost borne of the Virgin Marie In the seconde article wee haue confessed that wee beleeue in Iesus Christe the sonne of God oure Lorde wherein wee haue as it were in a shadow confessed that wée beléeue assuredly that God the father hath for vs our Saluation giuen to the world his sonne to be a Sauiour and redéemer For hitherto belōg those names Iesus and Lord. Now therefore in this thirde Article I haue to declare the maner and order how he came into the world to wit by Incarnation This article contayneth two things The Conception of Christe and his Natiuity Of both which I will orderly speake after that I haue brieflye declared vnto you the causes of the Lord his Incarnation Men were in a miserable takinge and all mankinde should vtterly haue perished for sinne which wée haue all drawne from the first mā Adam For the reward of sinne is death And for that cause wée that were to be caste into hell could not enter into heauen vnlesse the sonne of God had descēded vnto vs and becomming God with vs had with himself drawne vs into heauen Therefore the chiefe cause of his incarnation is to be a mediatour betwixte God and men and by intercession to ioyne or bring into one thē that were seuered For where a mediatour is there also must needes bée discord and parties The parties are God and men The cause of this discord is sinne Nowe the office of the Mediatour is to bring to agréemente the parties disagréeing which verilye cannot be done vnlesse that sinne the cause of this variaunce be takē cleane away But sinne is neyther clensed nor taken away except that bloud be shed and death do follow This witnesseth Paule in his 9. Chapter to the Hebrewes The mediatour oughte therefore to take on him our flesh and bloud that hée might both dye shead his bloud Furthermore it is needefull that this Aduocate or mediatour be indifferently common to both the parties whom he hath to reconcile wherfore our Lord Christ ought to be very God and very man If hée had béene God alone then should hée haue béene terrible to men and haue stoode them in litle stéede If hée had béen méere man then could hée not haue had accesse to God which is a consuming fyre wherfore our Lord Iesus Christ being both God and man was a fitte mediatour for both the parties Which thing the Apostle witnessing sayth One God and one mediatour of God and men the man Christ Iesus who gaue himselfe the price of redemption for all The same Apostle in the 2 and 9. Cap. to the Hebrewes speaketh many things belonging to this place And in the seconde Chapter rehearsinge an other cause of Christ his incarnatiō he saith It became him in althings to be made likevnto his bretheren that he might be merciful and a faithful high priest in thinges concerninge God for to purge the peoples sinnes For in that he himselfe was tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted An other cause wherfore our Lord was incarnate was that hée mighte instruct vs men in all Godlinesse and righteousnes finally that hée mighte be the light of the world and an ensample of holy lyfe For Paule sayth The grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared vnto vs teaching vs to renounce vngodlines and to liue holilie To conclude hée therfore became one wyth vs by the participation of nature that is to say it pleased him to be incarnate for this cause that hée might ioyne vs againe to God who for sinne were seperated from God receiue vs into the fellowship of himselfe and all other his goodnes beside The nexte is for vs to declare the manner of his incarnation This article of fayth standeth on two mēbers The first is He was conceiued by the holy ghoste Al wée men Christe excepted ace conceyued by the seede of man which of it selfe is vncleane and therefore wée are borne sinners and as Paule sayth Wee are borne the sonns of wrath But the body of Christ I saye our Lord was not conceiued in
rose againe from the dead But now this worde fleshe doth a great deale more significantly expresse the resurrection of this flesh then if wee should say the resurrection of the bodie Verily Cyprian saith that in some Churches of the Easte this article was thus pronoūced I belieue the resurrectiō of this flesh And Augustine also in the tenth chap. of his booke De fide Symbolo sayth Wee must without doubting belieue that this visible which is properlie caled flesh shall rise againe The Apostle Paule doth seeme as it were with his finger to point at this flesh when hee saith This corruptible must put on incorruption When hee saith This hee doth as it were put out his finger vnto this flesh This hath Augustine Moreouer Sainct Hierome compelleth Iohn Eishoppe of Hierusalem openly to confesse the resurrection of the flesh not of the bodie onely Fleshe saith he hath one definition and the bodie an other Al flesh is a bodie but euery body is not fleshe That is flesh properlie which is compacte of bloud veynes boanes and synewes A bodie althoughe it be called fleshe yet sometime is said to be of like substance to the firmamēt or to the ayre which is not subiect to touchinge or seeing and oftentimes too maye be both touched and seene A Wall is a bodie but it is not fleshe Thus much out of Hierome Let vs therefore belieue that mens bodies which are taken of the earth and which liuinge men beare aboute wherein they liue and are which also die and turne into dust and ashes That those bodies I say are quickned and liue againe But thou demaundest howe this fleshe beinge once resolued into duste and ashes and so into nothing can rise againe in the former shape and substaunce as when it is torne with the teeth of beastes or consumed to nothing with the flame of fyre and whē in the graue there is to be founde but a small and little quantitie of dustie powder I referre thee to the omnipotencie of God which the Apostle spake of where hée sayth Christ hath transformed this vile bodie of ours to make it conformable to his glorious bodie by the power wherein hee can make all things subiecte to himselfe Wherefore hee that in the beginning when as yet there was not a man in the world could bring forth man oute of the duste of the earth although the same man be again resolued into that out of which hee was taken I meane into earth as the saying is Dust thou art and into dust shalt thou retourne againe Yet notwithstandinge the same God againe at the ende of the world is able to rayse man out of the earth For the Lorde in the Gospell saith plainely The houre shall come wherein all they that are in the graues shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and shal come forth they that haue done good to the resurrection of life and they that haue done euill to the resurrection of iudgement And now by fayth wee are throughly persuaded As the Apostle sayth that he that hath promised is able also to per forme There are moreouer liuelie examples of this matter and moste euident testimonies of the holie Scripture Ionas is swallowed vp of the Whale in the Syrian sea but the third daye after hee is caste vppe againe alyue vppon the shoare out of the beastes entrailes which is a token that the fleshe shall verily rise againe Wherefore that is not harde to be belieued that in the Apocalipse is said that The Sea casteth vp her dead The force of fyre had no force to hurte the three companions of Daniel yea the rage of wilde beastes contrary to nature absteyned from bytinge Daniell himselfe What marueile is it therefore if at this day neither the force of fyre nor rage of wielde beasts is able to resiste the power of God being disposed to raise his creatures vp againe Did not our Lord Christ rayse vp Lazarus when he had lyen thrée dayes in the graue yea and stancke too to life againe Did not hée himself hauing once brokē the tyrannie of death rise vp againe the thirde day from the deade did he not rise againe in the same substaunce of fleshe and forme of bodie wherein hée hanged on the Crosse and beinge taken downe from the crosse was buried Not without good cause do wée looke back to Christe which is called the first begottē among the dead so often as we thincke in what maner the resurrection of our fleshe shall bee For the members shall rise againe in the same order that the heade is risen vp before them in Wee verilie shall not rise againe the thirde daye after our death but in our maner and order shall wee rise at the last daye yea and that too in the very same body wherin now wée liue I will adde a fewe testimonies to proue the resurrection of oure fleshe Iob confessing his faith touchinge the resurrection of the deade in his greate weakenesse affliction and sicknesse sayth I knowe that my redeemer lyueth and that in the laste day I shall rise out of the earth and shal be clad againe with my skinne in my flesh I shall see God whom euen I my selfe shall see and my eyes shal behold and none other This hope is layde vp in my bosome This testimonie is so euident as that it néedeth no larger an exposition No lesse euident are those testimonies oute of Esaie Cap. 26. Ezech. 37. Psalm 15. Matth. 22. Iohn 5. 6. 11. Throughout the Actes in euerie place is often repeated the resurrection of the dead S. Paule in the 15. Chap. of his first Epistle to the Corrinthians doth make a ful discourse of this resurrection In the fourth Chapter of his 2. Epistle hée sayth Wee which liue are alwayes deliuered to death for Iesus sake that the life of Iesus also mighte appeare in our mortal fleshe Sée now what coulde be spoken more plainlye then that the lyfe of Christe shal be made to appeare in this mortall flesh of ours For by and by after hee saith We know that hée that raysed vp the Lorde Iesus shall rayse vs vp also by the meanes of Iesus And in the fifth Chapiter againe Wee must all appeare before the iudgemente seate of Christe sayth hee that enerye man may receiue the woorkes of his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill Therefore these verie bodyes of ours shall rise againe in the day of iudgement And now déerely beloued I haue to declare vnto you in what manner our bodyes shall rise againe and of what sorte they shal be in the resurrection In the shuttinge vppe and ende of all ages or of this world our Lord Iesus Christe shall come to iudgement with great maiestie and then whomsoeuer that day shall finde alyue they shall in a momente of time be chaunged and first I saye shall all they that dyed from the firste Adam to the laste that shall dye ryse vppe
clearenesse of that Heauenlie brightnesse wherewith they glister are adorned Secondarilie glorie and vilenesse are made contraries For Paul saith Hee shall chaunge our vile bodie to make it in facion like to his glorious bodie In these woordes Vilenesse and Glorie are set the one against the the other Vilenesse comprehendeth the whoale packe of miseries and infirmities passions and affectiōs which for sinne was layde vppon the bodie From all which our bodies are purged in the resurrection of lyfe so that then the glorious bodies are bodies dreyned from the dregges of all corruption passions and infirmities and clad with eternitie heauenly feelinge and glorie For the Apostle sayth It is sowen in corruption it riseth in incorruption it is sowen in dishonour it riseth in glorie it is sowen in infirmitie it riseth in power it is sowen a naturall bodie it riseth a spiritual bodie The giftes therefore of the glorious clarified bodies are very great and many as incorruption glorie popower the quickening spirite For the Apostle himselfe shewing what he ment by the natural spiritual bodie addeth this immediatly sayth There is a naturall body and there is a spirituall body as it is written The firste man Adam was made a liuing Soule and the laste Adam was made a quickening spirite And yet agayne more plainely he sayth Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual but that which is naturall and then that which is spirituall The first man is of the earth earthy the seconde mā is the Lord frō heauen As is the earthy such are they that are earthy as is the heauenlie such are they also that are heauenlie And as wee haue borne the image of the earthy so shal we beare the image of the heauēlie So then Paul calleth that naturall bodie an earthy bodie which wee haue of our first father Adam whose quickening is of the soule and by it doth liue And hee calleth the spiritual bodie an Heauenly body which wee haue of Christe and made to the likenesse of the body of Christe which althoughe it be a verye body in déede and the fleshe thereof be verie fleshe in deede yet notwithstanding it is quickened and preserued by the spirite of Christ and needeth not any power vegetatiue Although therefore these very bodies members which now we beare shall after the resurrection be in Heauen yet neuerthelesse because they are clarified and clensed from all corruption and féelinge of the naturall bodie there shal not be verilie any natural or corruptible sense or affection nor vse of the carnall bodie and members And this doth the Lord affirme againste the Sadduces that dreamte of marriages in Heauen or rather by that absurditie made a mocke of the resurrection where hee sayth The sonnes of this worlde marrie wyues and giue in marriage but they that shal be thought worthy of that world and of the resurrection from the dead do neyther marrie wyues nor giue in marriage neither can they die any more For they are equall to the Angells and are that sonnes of God assoone as they be the sonnes of resurrection To which effect also Paul sayth Flesh and bloude cannot inherite the kingdome of God. And least peraduenture anye man shoulde mistake his wordes and thincke that hee spake of the substaunce of the fleshe hée addeth immediately this for interpretation thereof and sayth Neither shall corruption inherite incorruption Wherefore fleshe and bloud that is to saye the affections and lustes of the fleshe shall not be in the Electe that liue in Heauen For the ioyes of Heauen do differ a greate deale from the ioyes of the earth are so farre forth of an other condition that they cānot admitte such corrupt Creatures to be inheritours of them for that cause the corruptible bodies muste firste be purged from all corruption by that meanes purely clarified The Turkes therefore are deceiued that looke for earthly ioyes Moreouer the bodies of the wicked shal also rise againe For Paule in the Actes sayth I belieue all that is written in the Lawe and the Prophetes hopeing in God that the resurrection of the deade which they themselues looke for also shal be both of the iust and vniust See here the Apostle saith of the vniust also But in this resurrection there shal not be taken out of their bodyes the infirmitie corruption dishonour and miserie for euen then that very body risinge agayne in dishonour shall by the iudgement and power of God be surely shut in dishonour and corruption and so be condemned for euer to beare endlesse tormentes and in death and corruption shall neyther dye nor yet corrupt that euen as on earth are founde certaine bodyes that doe indure euen in the fire so the cursed bodyes of the wicked shall not be worne out nor broken with any torments what so euer for euery minute they shall receiue newe strength to suffer and so by continuall suffering shall abyde their deserued punishmentes for euer and euer and without all end For the Lorde in the Gospell sayeth They that haue done euill shall rise againe to the resurrection of damnation that is to an induring and euerlasting damnation And Daniell before him sayde And the multitude of them that sleepe in the duste of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And in the Gospell againe the Lorde sayth Their worme dyeth not and their fire is not quenched And the very same wordes vsed Esay before him in his 66. Chapter We muste alwayes therefore haue that saying of the Lord in our heartes Feare him that can destroy bothe the body and the soule in Hell. Thus much hitherto touching the resurrection of the flesh The last Article of our beliefe which with good lucke shutteth vp the rest is this And life euerlasting We haue heard and vnderstoode that the soules of men are immortall and that oure bodyes doe rise againe in the ende of the worlde We haue confessed that this is our beliefe It felloweth now in the latter ende of the Créede whether it is that the immortall soul and body raised vp again shal come Therfore in our confession we say And life euerlasting that is I beléeue that I shall haue life and liue for euer bothe in body and soule And that euerlastingnesse verily is perpetual and hath no ende as a litle before is proued out of the holy Scriptures Moreouer the soules are made partakers of this eternall life immediatly after they are departed out of the bodyes as the Lorde him self witnesseth saying Hee that beleeueth in the Sonne of God shall not come into iudgemente but hath escaped from death to life As for the bodyes they are buried and doe putrifie and yet so notwithstanding that they shal not be without life for euer But they shall then at length be receiued into eternall lyfe when being raysed vp they shall after the time of iudgement be
booke Ad Bonifacium c. Nowe touching these Commaundements the Lord hath diuided them into two seuerall orders or tables bicause of the seueral difference of matters handled in either of them For the firste of the two appertayneth to God the second vnto man The first teacheth vs what we haue to thinke concerning God and the worship due vnto him that is it teacheth vs the perfect way to liue vprightly and holily in the sight of god The second is the rule whereby we haue to learne our duetie towarde our neighbour which also teacheth vs humanitie directing vs in the way to liue peaceaand ciuily one with another And in these two tables are so nearely conteined al and euery dutie looked for at mens handes that there can not so much as one iote be added more by all the wise men of the world concerning a godly life and ciuil behauiour which is not conteined in these tenne commaundements The first commaundement of the tenne hath the Lord him selfe expresly spoken in these very wordes that followe I am the Lorde thy God which brought thee out of the lande of Egypt out of the house of bondage thou shalte haue none other Gods before me This commaundement standeth of two branches The very first whereof also conteineth diuers matters For first of al God doth simply offer him selfe to vs and prerisely set downe what he will be to vs ward thereby declaring what he is to all men Wherevpon we againe doe gather what he on the other side doth looke for at our handes and what our duetie is to him Thirdly and last of al he addeth an euident proofe of that where he sayde that he is our God. In the beginning he cryeth out and sayth I am the Lorde thy God. Wherin he declareth what he is and what he will be vnto all men These wordes are like to the wordes of the couenaunt which God made with Abraham and in Abraham with all faithfull beléeuers I am sayeth the Lorde a strong God and I am Schaddai as who should say Saturnus a saturando which is to fill For God is the aboundant fulnesse that satisfieth all men and all things he is the euerlasting well of all good things which neuer is drawne drie And that doth Ieremie declare at large in the seconde chapter of his prophesie All whiche verily God in effect comprehendeth in these fewe wordes I am the Lord thy God. I I say whiche speake to thée from within the fire I and none other Here is expresly ment the vnitie of god We are here taught to acknowledge one God and no more to sticke to one and not to suffer our heartes phantastically to dreame of many I am thy Lorde I am thy god He is a Lorde bycause he alone hath the rule ouer all creatures all things are subiect to him as to their Lord all things do bende and obey him if once he do but becke He as Lorde alone doth gouerne and vpholde all things that are So then in this one worde is conteined the wisedome of God his vertue his power and infinite maiestie Deus whiche worde we vse for God is peraduenture deriued of the Hebrue word Daij whiche signifieth sufficiencie or full abilitie For God alone of him self is vnto him self most perfect blessednesse and absolute felicitie he is also sufficiently able to minister all things most aboundantly to all them that séeke after him in trueth sincerely being of him selfe most liberally welthy to al that call vpon his name Therefore in this braunche the sufficient and full abilitie the liberalitie the goodnesse and mercy of God are to be noted but most especially in this that he sayth I am thy God Thy God I say For God is not good to him selfe alone but euen vnto vs also He desireth to poure and bestowe him selfe wholy with al his goodnesse and gifts of grace vpon the faithful and sincere beléeuers He is no niggard he is not enuious he reioyceth and is glad to bestow and diuide him selfe among vs aboundantly and to our comfort to fill vs with the inioying of him selfe at all times and seasons but especially in time of our necessitie And God verily sayth expresly Thy God and not your God that thereby euery one of vs may vnderstand that the eternall most mightie and holy God both is and will be the God and Lorde of euery particular man that is that he is and will be the kéeper deliuerer redeemer the vnmeasurable mountain and bottomelesse sea of all good giftes of body and soule to all them that eyther are or else euer shall be By this nowe in the seconde place we haue to gather what the good and gracious Lorde requireth againe at our hands and what our dutie to him both is ought to be For this where he saith Thy God betokeneth an euident relation For if he will be mine then I againe of dutie must be his He will be my Lorde and my God therefore must I againe of duetie make accompte of and worship him as my Lorde and my god Wherefore in this commaundement there is required at our handes that we do not only acknowledge the true God to be the true God and so to stay there but also that we do take and account him for our God our Lorde our King our Creator our preseruer and our Father and that we do attribute to him his properties to wit that he is one alone the onely fountaine and giuer of all good things that he liueth is eternall righteous true holie happie mercyfull mightie most excellent and chiefe of all Let vs therefore sticke to him alone let vs obey him in all thinges let vs put our trust in him let vs call on him alone let vs repute him to be the giuer of all good things and craue all good giftes of him let vs thanke him for all benefites whatsoeuer we receiue let vs reuerence him and lastly honour him in feare sincerely in loue most ardently and in hope as constantly as may be For herevnto belong those sentences in the bookes of Moses and the holy Gospell Thou shalt honour the Lorde thy God and him alone shalt thou serue And againe Folowe ye the Lord your God feare him keepe his commaundements hearken to his voyce serue him and sticke to him The Lorde him selfe also in the Psalme cryeth out and sayth Offer to the Lord the sacrifice of praise and pay thy vowes vnto the highest And call vpon me in the day of trouble c. And nowe touching the demonstration whereby he declareth that he hath bene is and will be the God and Lord of vs all of our fathers and of our children that come after vs the proofe thereof is most euident by our deliuerie out of Egypt Therein are conteined all the vertues of God his wisedome his goodnesse his righteousnesse his trueth his power and what not Hee declareth that he is the Lorde in heauen and in earth in all
elements and all creatures His people the Israelites doth he gratiously deliuer defend with sundry giftes adorne and mightily preserue euen in despight and maugre all the heades of the whole Egyptian kingdome And on the other side he doth by sundry meanes very terribly yet notwithstanding iustly punish the Egyptians and laste of all together with their king he ouerwhelmeth them in the red sea By this one myracle of the Lords the Israelites might haue gathered as God is Almightie and the mightiest of all so also that he would be their God as heretofore he had bene the God of their Fathers For by this wonder he did declare what he was then and of howe great power and goodnesse he is eueÌ„ at this day among vs and also what he will be in all ages euen vnto the end To vs that liue in these dayes the deliueraunce which we haue obtained by Iesus Christ our Lorde is farre more fresh in memorte who hath not deliuered vs from the bondage of any Egyptian kingdome nor from the tyranneus handes of any earthly Phaâ—ao but hath set vs frée from the power of darknesse of sinne death and the deuill Whereby we gather that as the eternall true excellent hyghe and holy God is most mightie so also he is our God that he wisheth well to vs and that he careth for and loueth vs according to that saying of the Apostle Who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all howe can it be but that with him he will giue vs all things Verily the mysterie of our redemption by our Lorde Iesus Christe is very manifestly conteined in the first precept of the tenne Commaundements For it is euident the the Israelites frée departure out of Egypt was a type or figure of the deliuerie of the whole compasse of the earth and of all the kingdomes of the world which shoulde be wrought by Christ our Lorde who hath nowe already set all the worlde frée from the bondage of sinne and hell But if any man dout of this let him diligently consider with him self the meaning of the Ceremonie or Sacrament of that bodily deliuerance I meane the very Passeouer For what is he that knoweth not that the Paschall lamb did in a figure represent Christe our redéemer Are Paules wordes vnknown who sayth Christ our Passeouer is offered vp Haue not all the Apostles and Iohn Baptist called our Lorde the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world The wordes of the prophet Esai also in his 52. Chap. are apparantly knowne where he compareth the deliuerie of Israel out of Egypt with the redemption of all the worlde wrought by Christ from the slauerie of sin Wherfore in this firste precept of the tenne Commaundements is conteined the mysterie of Christ our Lorde and our saluation So that as often as those wordes of God shall be recited in our eares we ought not so much to set our eyes and myndes vpon the anncient deliuerie of Israell out of Egypt as vpon the new and latter redemption which we haue by Christ Iesus therby to quicken our hope and not to despaire but that the most excellent and mightie God both is wil be our God as heretofore he hath ben theirs The latter braunch of this first commaundement flatly forbiddeth vs and euery one of vs to haue any straunge Gods that is it taketh from vs all extraordinarie meanes to séeke the safegarde of our liues wher the working finger of God is not whatsoeuer else maye be either diuelishly deuised or vnaduisedly chosen beside the very word of god And therefore the Lorde vseth a most vehement or earnest kind of speaking For sayth he Thou shalt not haue any other Gods before me Sée he saith Thou shalt not haue thou shalt not haue before me or before my face or with me or by me We Germanes say Zu mir oder nabend mir Oder las michs nit sahen ver minen ougeÌ„ For so do fathers speak in their anger when they do earnestly forbid a wicked hainous thing Sée say thei that thou do it not before mine eies for me to sée it But now God is present euery where God séeth all thinges yea he beholdeth our harts hiddeÌ„ secretes of our hartes We must not therefore in any case either openly or priuily haue any straunge Gods that is none of vs must make account of any creature eyther in heauen or earth as of our God none of vs must attribute gods properties to his creatures nor yet the things which we of duetie do owe to God him selfe The properties of God are these to be all ouer and euery where to sée all to knowe all to be able to do all to giue lyfe to deliuer and cleanse from sinnes to saue preserue to iustifie to sanctifie and what so euer else is like to these On the other side our dutie to him is to reuerence God to call on God to feare God to worship God to hope in God to sticke to God to heare God to beléeue God and to obey God. The straunge God therfore is that which is not God properly and by nature yea it is what so euer we doe make to our selues to be our God beside the very liuing and eternal God wherein we truste wherein we hope whereon we call which we doe loue and feare whereon we scttle and fasten our myndes wherevpon we doe depend whereof we make account as of our treasure helpe and safegarde both in prosperitie and our aduersitie When Rahel asketh children of Iacob she hath this answere at his hand Am I God whiche haue made thee barren And again when Ioram king of Israell had by Naaman receyued letters from Benhadad king of Syria requesting to cleanse the leprosie he rente his cloathes for anger and cryed out saying Am I God that I can kyll and restore to life againe Let God alone therefore be our God that is our life and safegarde our helpe and refuge our protection and deliueraunce our hope and loue our feare our dread our trembling and all These if we doe attribute to others and not to God alone then shall we make other Gods to our selues Moreouer what so euer is not ordeined by God him self that is in the Scriptures many times called straunge or other In that sense it is sayde that straunge fyre was carried into the Labernacle to wit not that fyre which God had coÌ„maunded for to kindle In the Prouerbes she is called a straunge woman whose companie the Lorde hath not allowed thée to vse They therefore are straunge Gods whome we haue made to our selues to hang on and to séeke ayde of when God notwithstanding hath not appointed them to haue the charge ouer vs Wherefore the very Saintes them selues triumphant nowe in heauen with Christ our King shall be reputed for straunge Gods the Saintes them selues I say not in respect of them selues but to vs they shall be straunge Gods in respect of
words of my gainsayers but with the examples of those which shewed the contrarie For first mine owne citie Hippone was obiected against mee which wheÌ„ as sometime it held wholie with Donatus was by the feare of the imperiall lawes conuerted to the Catholique vnitie and at this day we see it so greatly to detest the naughtinesse of your herâ—ticall stomaches that it is thought verilie that your heresie was neuer within it And many more places by name were reckoned vppe vnto mee that by the effect of the thing it selfe I might confesse that in such a case as this that may be rightly vnderstoode where it is written Giue a wise man occasion and he wil be the wiser And againe not euerie one that spareth is a friend nor euerie one that striketh is an enimie Better are the stripes of a friend than the voluntarie kisses of an enimie It is better to loue with seueritie than to deceiue with lenitie Hee that byndeth a phrensie man and waketh him that is sick of the lethargie doth trouble them both yet hee loueth them both Who can loue vs more than God himselfe doth and yet as he teacheth vs mildely so hee ceaseth not to terrifie vs to our health Thinckest thou that no man ought to bee compelled to righteousnesse when thou readest that the goodmaÌ„ of the house said to his seruauntes Whomsoeuer yee finde compell them to come in When thou readest that hee that was first called Saul and afterward Paule was constrayned by the violent force of Christe which compelled him to know and keepe fast the trueth of the Gospell And the same Augustine againe In Epist ad Bonifacium comitem 59. saith Where is that now that they were wont to crie and say that it is at euerie ones free choice to belieue or not to belieue Whom did Christ constreine whom did hee compell Loe here they haue the Apostle Paul for an example let them confesse in him that Christ first compelled him than taught him first struck him and afterward comforted him And it is wonderfull how he which by the punishment of his bodie was compelled to the Gospel did after his entring in labour more in the Gospell than all they that were called by word alone and whom the greater feare compelled to charitie his charitie once perfect did caste out al feare Whie then should not the Church therfore compell her lost children to returne since the lost children haue compelled other to their destruction Againe in the same epistle the same Augustine saith Wheras some which would not haue vpright lawes ordeined against their vngodlines do say that the Apostles did neuer require any such thinges of the kinges of the earth they doe not consider that that was an other time not like to this that all thinges are done in their due time and season For what Emperour did at that time belieue in Christe to serue him by making lawes in defeÌ„ce of religion against vngodlines WheÌ„ as yet that Prophecie was in fulfilling Whie did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing The kinges of the earth stoode vppe and the rulers toke counsell against God and against his Christ For as yet that was not begunne which followeth in the Psalme where it is said And now vnderstand ye kinges and be ye learned ye that iudge the earth serue him in feare and reioyce in trembling But how doe kinges serue God in feare but by forbidding punishing with deuout seueritie those thinges which are done against Gods commaundements For in that hee is a man hee serueth him one way but in that he is a king he serueth him an other way Because in that hee is a man hee serueth him by liuing faithfullie but in that hee is a kinge hee serueth him by establishing conuenient lawes to coÌ„maund that which is iust and to forbid the contrarie As Ezechias serued him by destroying the groaues and temples of idols and those highe places that were erected against the Lords commaundement As Iosias serued him by doing the like As the king of Niniuie serued him by compelling the whoale citie to please and appease the anger of the lord As Darius serued him by geuinge the idole into Daniells power to bee broken in peeces and by casting his enimies in amonge the Lyons As Nabuch odonosor serued him by a terrible proclamation which forbadde all men within his Dominion to blaspheme the true and verie god In this therefore should kinges serue God in that that they are kinges by doinge those things which none can doe but kinges Wherefore when as in the Apostles times the kings did not as yet serue the Lord but imagined a vaine thinge against the Lord and against his Christe that the Prophets sayings might bee fulfilled there could not as then I say any lawes bee made to forbid vngodlines but counsell be rather taken to put vngodlines in practise For so the course of times did turne that both the Iewes should kil the Preachers of Christe thinckinge that thereby they did God good seruice that the Gentiles also should freat and rage against the Christians and make the Martyrs constancie ouercome the flames of fyre But afterward when that beganne to be fulfilled which is written And all the kinges of the earth shall worshippe him all nations shall serue him what maÌ„ that were wel in his wittes would say to kinges Tush take yee no care how or by whom the Church of your Lord is defended or defaced within your kingdom let it not trouble you to marke who will be honest who dishonest within your Dominion For since God hath giuen man free will whie should adulterie bee punished and sacrilege left vntouched Is it a lighter matter for the Soule to breake promise with God than a woman with a man Or forbecause those thinges which are not committed by contempte but by ignoraunce of religion are to bee more mildely punished are they therefore to be vtterly neglected It is better who doubteth for men to bee brought to the worshipping of God by teaching rather than for to be compelled to it by feare or griefe of punishmente But because these are the better they which are not such are not therefore to bee neglected For it hath profited many men as wee see by experience first to haue beene compelled with feare and griefe that afterwarde they might either bee taughte or followe that in deede which they had learned in woordes Hetherto I haue rehearsed the words of S. Augustines aunswere to the obiections of them which are of opinion that by no lawe disobedient rebells seduced people and deceiuers ought to be punished in cases of religion I sée my hope doth faile mée wherin I thought that I could haue béene able in this Sermon to haue made an ende of all that I had to say touchinge the magistrate But I perceiue that héere I must staye vnlesse I shoulde goe on déerely beloued and bée too tedious vnto you all I meane to
profitable and moderate magistrates Both in peace and warre agréement and concord are much more auayleable than money vniustly gotten and stronger is that kingdome and firmer that coÌ„mon weale which is vphelde by the loue and agréement of the prince and cominaltie although the common treasure there be verie smal than that countrie or citie which hath innumerable riches heaped vpp together and wrouÌ„g out of the citizeÌ„s entrailes when as continuall grudge and ill wil makes the Prince and people at continuall variaunce I say no more here than the verie truth is experience of all ages is a witnesse that it is so Thus much hether to haue I laide downe before your eyes déerely beloued as briefly as I could touchinge the magistrate taking occasion vppon the sixte comaundement Thou shalt not kill and declaring to what ende and purpose God did ordeine him what his dutie is toward his subiects and what his subiects dutie is toward him New let vs pray and beseech the Lord that hée will graunt both to magistrates and subiectes to walke worthilie in their vocaticus ¶ Of the third precept of the second table which is in order the seuenth of the 10. commaundementes Thou shalt not commit adulterie Of wedlocke against all intemperancie of continencie ¶ The tenth Sermon THE néerest to our life and body is euerie ones seuerall mate in wedlocke For by wedlocke two bodies are ioyned together and are made one For the Lord said And two shal be one flesh In this thirde precept therefore which is next after the forbidding of murther commaundement is giuen for the holie kéepinge of honourable wedlocke and for the true sanctifying of the body against adulteries wandering lustes and al incontinencie Wedlocke is prepared to this end and purpose that honestie chastitie may flourish among good meÌ„ and children may be brought vp in the feare of the lord This commaundement againe is briefly expressed in as fewe words as may bée Thou shalt not commit adulterie In the exposition of this commaundemente by the helpe of Gods good spirite I will first speake of holy matrimonie then of adulterie thirdly I wil shew you what is conteyned vnder the name of adulterie and lastlie I will make an end with a treatise of continencie Wedlock which is also called matrimonie is an alliaunce or holy ioyning together of man and womaÌ„ coupled and brought into one by mutuall coÌ„sent of them both to the intent that they vsing all thinges in common betwixte themselues may liue in chastitie and traine vp their children in the feare of the lord The Gospel verilie calleth wedlocke a ioyning together which god hath made For Christ said What God hath ioyned together let no man separate Neither is it lawful to make any other the author of matrimonie than God himselfe God did by the meane and ministerie of his Angells and chosen men appointe other good and necessarie ordinaunces for mankinds commoditie but he himself did immediately without the ministerie of any person ordeine matrimonie hée himselfe did establish and ratifie it with lawes for the purpose he himself did couple the first married folks and hée being the true high priest in déede did himselfe blesse the couple then whom hée did so ioyne together By this wée may easilie gather the excellent dignitie of marriage or matrimonie For God did ordeine it yea hée ordeyned it in Paradise when maÌ„ as yet was frée from all kinde of calamities Adam when hée was in the great felicitie of Paradise seemed not yet to liue commodiously nor sweetly enough excepte a wife were giuen to be ioyned vnto him It is not good saith God for man to be alone I will make him a helper to tarrie or dwell with him For God brought to Adam al lyuing creatures which he had created for him to name them but among them all there was nothing that Adam had lust vnto his minde and nature did vtterly abhorre to be coupled with any of them God therefore casting Adam into a dead sléepe doth out of his side as hée slepte frame vpp a woman which so soone as Adam set his eye vppon when she was brought vnto him by God who had made her hee streightway crieth that this was such a one as he desiâ—ed that this was such a one as hée could loue and wher with his nature could verie well agree This now saith hee is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh I haue found saith hée I haue found an helpe fitte for mee which hath part of my flesh of my bloud and my verie substance From hence riseth and yet remayneth that naturall pronenesse of men toward women when on the otherside ouerthwarte minglinge and medlinge of cursed men with beastes contrarie to mans nature was longe agoe destroyed by fyre which shewed that God did abhorte it The Lord moreouer said A man shall forsake his father and his mother and cleaue to his wife and two shal be one flesh But in the exposition of the fifte commauÌ„dement wée perceiued how much God doth set by the loue and goodwill of children to their parents and what a charge hée giueth to children to honour them It must néedes bée therefore that wedlocke is a most heauenly ordinaunce since it is preferred before the honouringe of parentes and yet neuerthelesse it is so preferred as that by the lawe of matrimonie the precept for the honour due to parents may not bée abolished but that thereby married folkes may know to behaue themselues so if their parentes goe about to bréede discorde betwixte them and their spouses that then they suffer not themselues for their parentes woordes to be seuered but in all things else to honour them as they should The holie Patriarches kepte the lawe of matrimonie and reuerenced wedlocke verie deuontely For no small parcell of the first and most excellent booke of the Bible called Genesis is spent in rehearceing the marriages of holie men Neither is Moses the péerelesse seruaunte of God ashamed to make mention of the busines and woorkes of wedlocke as pure and excellent which séeme to many at this day to bée foule and filthie Christe himselfe who being the verie naturall sonne of God was himselfe borne in wedlocke although of a pure and vncorrupted Virgine did honour and commend the knotte of matrimonie while hée did vouchsafe to shewe his first miracle at a wedding which was such a myracle as did declare that the Lord is able to make the bitternesse of marriage swéete and the scarcitie thereof to abound with plentie As the Apostles were married men according to the examples of the patriarches kinges princes priestes and prophetes So Paul the chiefe of all the Apostles crieth out and saith Wedlocke is honourable among all and the bedde vndefiled But whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge Hée saith that wedlocke is honourable amonge all hée meaneth all nations For verie fewe people shall you finde that doe not greatly coÌ„mend the state of mariage Xenophon thinketh that amonge
if iudgement had once passed vpon her For hée came not to be a patrone to adulterers nor to breake the lawe but to fulfill it But if it like adulterers well that the adultresse was not condemned of the Lord then let them also like that sentence wherwith the Historie is ended when the Lord saith Go thy wayes and sinne no more Let them therfore leaue off to defile and destroy themselues with filthie adulterie The Lord in his lawe hath expresly named adulterie alone but therewithall hée doth inclusiuely vnderstand all kindes of luste and luxurie and al thinges else which do egge forward and stirre vp fire in men to wātonnesse which hee forbiddeth as seuerely as adulterie it selfe The Lord in the Gospell doth not onely forbidde the outward worke of adulterie but the very affection also and wāton lust of the hart and minde Ye haue heard sayth hée that it was said to them of old Thou shalt not commit adulterie But I say vnto you that whosoeuer loketh on a woman to luste after her hath committed adulterie alreadie with her in his heart In the same place hee teacheth vs to plucke out oure eyes and cut off oure hands that is to extinguishe vncleane affections that rise in oure mindes while yet they bée younge and beginne to bud least peraduenture they breake oute from thoughtes to déedes So then in this precepte euery vncleane thoughte all ribaulde talke and filthines of bodilie déedes are vtterlye forbidden In this precepte is forbidden fornication or that kinde of whoorehunting which is said to be the medlinge of a single man with an vnmarried woman This kinde of whoredome is thought of many either to be a verie small offence or none at all But such kinde of men doth the diuell harten on bewitch and by those ill thoughtes driue on to commit that sinne when as the doctrine of the Euangelists and Apostles doth teach vs the contrary For the Apostles in that Synodal Epistle which they sent from Hierusalem to al nations doe expressely name and forbid fornication S. Peter reckoneth fornication amonge those filthie sinnes from which hee would haue Christians to be most cleare S. Paul saith Flee fornication Againe Let vs not be defiled with fornication as some of them committed fornication and fell in one day three and twentie thousand Fornication doth directlie fighte with the couenaunte of God whereby hée is ioyned to vs and wee to him and whooredome also spoyleth God of his glorie and doth most filthilie pollute the temple of the lord Let vs heare what the Apostle Paule saith touchinge this matter Knowe yee not that your bodies are the members of Christe Shall I therfore take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlotte GOD forbidde What know ye not that hee that is coupled to an harlotte is one bodie For two saith hee shal be one flesh But hee that is coupled to the Lord is one spirite Flee fornication Euerie sinne that a man doth is without the bodie but hee that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body What know ye not that your body is the tēple of the holie ghost which is in you whom ye haue of God and ye are not your owne For ye are bought with a price Therefore fornication shutteth fornicatours out of the kingdome of god For the same Apostle saith Neither whoremongers nor adulterers shal inherite the kingdome of God. And therefore in an other place hée suffereth not fornication to bee so much as once named amonge Christians so farre was hée from admitting stewes and brothel houses amonge Gods people Moreouer whooredome doeth fill the whoale bodie with sondrie diseases it depriueth whoorehaunters of all their goods and substaunce it bringeth them to pouertie and extréeme miserie and driueth them at laste to vtter desperation It ouerthroweth their fame good name with shame and ignominie the viewe wherof is liuely expressed in the holy scriptures by the example of Sampson the strongest man amonge all the Israelites Solomon therefore the most wise of all other doth verie fitly in time and place conueniente admonish all men to flée the enticinge baites and flattering allurementes of whoorish strompets For the ende of them is deadly poyson and they throw a man downe headlonge into a bottomlesse pitte of endlesse miseries By this lawe also that kinde of whoredome is prohibited which consisteth in defloratiō of virgins and violent rapes by which children are perforce defiled and carried from their parents There is difference betwixt a rape perforce and the deflowring of a mayde done without violence Sichem defiled Dina the daughter of Iacob and althoughe hée desired to haue the defloured mayde to his wife and to chaunge his religion yet notwithstanding hée himselfe is slaine by Leui and Simeon the bretherne of Dina his citie is raced and filled with the bloude of murdered men whose goods were ransackte and layd open to spoile The historie is extant in the 34. of Genesis For the rape which Roderychus kinge of the Gothes in Spaine committed vppon the daughter of one Iulianus a liefetenaunt all Spaine in a manner was mingled with fire and bloud For Volaterranus in his second booke of his Geographie saith Roderychus reigned three yeares whose filthie lust brought an end aswell to the name as to the quiet kingdome of the Gothes in Spaine by meanes of the Saracenes that inuaded their land For when it fell oute that hee had defloured the daughter of one Iulianus a lieftenaunte of that part of Mauritania that is called Tingitana priuate griefe did pricke her father to seeke reuengement whereto hee vsed the commoditie of the place Wherefore Iulianus doth priuilie cal the Saracenes oute of Aphrica whoe in the yeare of grace 714. vnder the conduicte of their Capitaine Muzta being sente by Mirmomelinus their king at that time entring in through the streightes of Marrocko did in two yeares space subdue al Spaine almost except Asturia In the space of which time it is reported that seuen hundred thousand men on both sides were destroyed by that warre wherin also the king which had defloured the virgine with all his nobilitie was vtterlie slaine In Israel for that Leuits concubine whō the citizens of Gibea of the tribe of Beniamin had violently rauished were 25000. Beniamites slaine beside them which perished frō among the other eleuen tribes whose number amounted to 40000. men Neither is it vnknowen to anye that the kings were expelled out of the citie of Rome and Troy being wearied with tenne yeares warre which troubled both the East and West was at the laste vtterly sacked and cleane ouerthrowē because Tarquinius had perforce rauished Lucrecia and Alexander Paris had stolne oute of Gréece Menelaus his Helena an other mans wyfe Euerie age almost doth minister an innumerable sorte of such like examples For the most iust God hath alwayes by euidente examples declared how greatly hée is offended with deflowrers of virgines and rauishers of
women And for that cause are lawes and very sharpe punishments ordeyned and appointed for such lasciuious knaues Rapes and such villanies committed perforce the lawes do punish with losse of life but to him that doth defloure a maide not violently that Lord doth say Marrie endowe her Other lawes appoint other penalties Touchinge which more is spoken in the ciuil lawe Moreouer Incest is especially prohibited They call incest an vnlawful medling of a man with a woman against the honour of bloud and affinitie For Cestus signifieth the marriage girdle which the bride did weare to shewe that the marriage was iuste and lawful Wée Germanes call this sinne by the name of Blout schand wherby wee signifie the sinne committed in corrupting or defiling our own bloud or kinred In Leuiticus after the degrées of bloud in which wée are forbidden to marrie the Lord doth presently adde In all these be not ye defiled For in all these thinges are the nations defiled which I caste out before you And hereby the land is defiled and I haue visited the iniquitie thereof vppon it and the land hath spewed out the inhabitaunts thereof Yee shall therefore keepe my statutes and mine ordinaunces and shall not doe any of all these abhominations For whosoeuer shall doe so hee shall be cutte off from amonge his people And in the 20 chapiter of Leuiticus hée hath appointed death to be the punishment of incest which is not changed by the ciuil lawes or Imperiall constitutions The abhominable sinne of Sodomie and medling with beastes also is plainly forbidden Against which wée haue most euident and expresse lawes set downe in the 18. and 20. chapter of Leuiticus Wée haue also a verie senere but yet a most iust punishmente layde by God himselfe vppon the pates of the detestable Sodomites For with fire and stincking brimstone sent downe froÌ„ heauen hée consumed those filthie men to duste and ashes which ashes hée washed away with the waues of the dead sea because hée would not haue so much as the verie cynders to remaine of so wicked men Moreouer their whole cities and fruitefull fields were burnte with fire For it was not requisite that any one iote of the substaunce of those most wicked men should remaine vndestroyed The place where those cities were sometime situated is at this daye ouerflowen with water and called the dead sea Whereby we do consequeÌ„tly gather that the most iust God wil not spare the Gentiles entangled in the verie same sinne althoughe for a time hée wincke at and dissemble it Fire shall destroy both them theirs and they themselues shall for euer burne in hell where nothing shal remaine of them but a reprochfull memorie For in the Reuelation of oure Lord Iesus Christ to his Apostle Iohn we read And fire came downe from God out of Heauen and deuoured them and the diuell which deceiued them was caste into a lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false Prophete shal be tormented day and night for euer more Apoc. 20. Furthermore all thinges else are for hidden that doe incite or allure vs to vnlawfull lustes which baites are the ouer nice pranckinge and decking the body euill and wanton companie gluttonie surfetting dronkennesse For Ezechiel amonge the rest of his Prophecies saith This was the iniquitie of Sodom pride glutonie aboundaunce of all thinges and idlenesse Men are prouoaked to luste eyther by hearing or reading of dishonest ditties and bawdie ballads or by looking on and beholding wanton dauÌ„ces vnséemely sightes ribauld talke and filthie examples They therefore are by this lawe reproued which wincke at or chearish which are the bawdes or bringers together of adulterous persons Vnto the wicked the Lord in the Psalmes doth say Whie doest thou take my couenaunt in thy mouth whereas thou hatest to be refourmed and doest cast my words behind thee when thou sawest a theefe thou consentedst vnto him and hast bin partaker with the adulterers c. The iust Lord therefore doeth punish all these offences in wicked men euery one according to the greatnesse of the sinne For some sinnes are farre more heynous than other some are Hee is an adulterer that in his minde doeth lust after an other mans wife but hée sinneth more gréeuously if hée indeuoure to finishe in déede his wicked thought hée offendeth yet more déepelie if hée do the déede and sinneth most of all if after once hée fall vnto it againe Likewise the adulterer sinneth so doth the bawde and he also that vpholdeth his adulterie The whooremonger sinneth déepely but hée that defileth himselfe with incest sinneth more gréeuously and hée most heynously of al that in medling with beastes committeth filthie Sodomie So then in this 7. precept charge is giuen for the maintenaunce of shamefastnesse modestie sobriâ—tie temperancie chastitie publique honestie and true holinesse of soule and bodie The next is for mée to say somewhat now touching continencie By abstinence we refraine from other mens goods and take froÌ„ no man the thing that is his Some there are that will haue temperancie to extend farther than continencie for they wil make the one to be but a part of the other I in this treatise doe simplie make contiuencie the contrary to intemperancie or incontinencie For continencie is a vertue or power of the minde receiued from the spirit of God which suppresseth affections and doth not in any wise permit vnlawful pleasures This is conuersant doth shew it selfe in the common and vsual talke of men in pleasures that are allowed in apparell in buildings and dweling houses in meate and drinke and in other things also I at this present wil onely examine those points of of continencie which are already rehearsed First of all it is required of vs to kéepe in oure tongue and not to let it loose at randon to the blaspheming of Gods glory or hurt of our neighbour Let the talke of a Christian man bee honeste profitable and seasoned with salte let it be vnacquainted with scoffinge lightnesse lyinge ribauldrie and filthinesse S. Iames in the third Chapiter of his Epistle hath spoken sufficiently of the tongues properties In his first Chapiter also hee sayth Let euery manne bee swifte to heare sloaw to speake and sloaw to anger And Paule saith Let no filthie communication proceede oute of your mouth but that which is good to edifie withall as oft as neede is that it may minister grace vnto the hearers and greeue not the holie spirite of God by whom yee are sealed vnto the daye of Redemption And againe Let not fornication or any vncleannesse or couetousnesse bee once named amonge you as it becommeth Sainctes Neither filthines nor foolishe talkinge nether iesting which are not seemelie but rather giuinge of thanckes Let no man deceiue you with vaine words For for such thinges commeth the wrath of God vppon the children of disobedience For in another place he citeth this sentence oute of Meâ—ander and
significaÌ„tly in the Psalme where he sayth My feete were almost gone my treadings had wel nigh slipped for I was greeued at the wicked when I did see the vngodly in such prosperitie for they are in no peril of deth they are I say troubled with no diseases whereby they are drawne as it were to death but are lustie and strong They come into no misfortune like other meÌ„ but are free froÌ„ the euils wherwith other folk are plagued and this is the cause that they are so holden with pride wrapped in violence as in a garment Their eyes swel with fatnes and they do euen what they lust They stretch forth their mouth vnto heauen and their tongue goeth thoroughe the world Yea they dare to say Tush how shuld God perceiue it Lo these are the vngodly these prosper in the world these haue riches in possession TheÌ„ said I haue I cleÌ„sed my hart in vaine â—ashed mine hands in innocencie â–ª and I beare punisheÌ„t euery day And while I thought thus to my self I had almost departed from the generation of Gods children Now since this is so it followeth consequently to beate out the causes of these calamities For in so doinge wée shal be the better able to iudge rightly of the miseries both of that godly and wicked sort of people The causes of calamities are many of many sortes but the generall and especiall cause is knowen to be sinne For by disobedieÌ„ce sinne entred into that world and death by sinne and so coÌ„sequently diseases and al euills in the world They are very lightheaded and vaine fellowes that referre these causes to I cannot tell what blind constellations and mouinges of Planets For wee by our euill lustes and corrupte affections do heape vp day by day one euill on an others necke And at our elbowes standeth the deuill who roundeth vs in the eares eggeth vs forwards and as helps to spurre vs on there are a crewe of naughtie packes that neuer ceasse to traine vs in and daily there doe rise vp diuers instruments of tribulation wherewith the most wise and iust God doth suffer vs men to be excercised and tormented But the same causes of affliction are not alwayes founde to bee in the holy worshippers of God as are in the wicked despisers of his name The Saintes are often afflicted that by their trouble the glorie of GOD may be knowen to the world For when the disciples of Christ did sée y blind man in the Gospell which was blind from his mothers wombe they said to that Lord Maister who sinned this man or his parents that he was borne blinde Iesus aunswered Neither did this man sinne nor his parentes but that the woorkes of God might be made manifest in him Likewise when the Lord heard say that Lazarus was sicke This disease said hee is not to death but to the glorie of God that by it the sonne of God may be glorified And yet if wee touch this matter to the quicke there can none in the woorld be found without sinne so that if the Lorde will marke oure iniquities hee shall alwayes finde somewhat to be punished in vs As it is at large declared in the booke of Iob. Furthermore the Lord doth suffer his spouse the Church which hée loueth full dearely to bee troubled and afflicted to this end and purpose that hee may openly declare that the electe are defended preserued and deliuered by the power ayde of God and not by the policie or help of man For Paule saith We haue this treasure in earthen vessells that the excellencie of the power may be Gods and not of vs while we are troubled on euerie side but not made sorrowfull Wee are in pouertie but not in extreeme pouertie wee suffer persecution but are not forsaken therein wee are cast downe but wee perish not wee alwayes beare about in the bodie the dying of the Lord Iesus that the life of Iesus might also be made manifest in our body For wee which liue are alwayes deliuered vnto death for Iesus sake that the life also of Iesus might bee made manifest in our mortall fleshe Also the same Apostle saith Vertue is made perfect in infirmitie Againe as the afflictions of the holy martyrs and faithfull Saintes of Christ are testimonies of the doctrine of faith as our Sauiour in the Gospell saith They shall deliuer you vp to counsells in their Synagogues they shall scourge you yea ye shal bee brought before kinges and rulers for my sake that this might bee for a wittnesse to them and the people Euen so in like manner are the Saintes ouerladen wyth miseries made examples for vs to learne by how to ouercome and despise the world and to aspire to heauenly thinges Finally the Lord doeth trie these that bée his by laying the crosse vppon their neckes and purgeth them like gold in the fire hée cutteth from vs many occasions of euill that hee may bring vs to the bearing of greater and more plentifull fruite The wisedome of the Lord doeth therein followe the manner of Goldsmythes who put their gold into the fire to purge and not to marre it And hée imitateth also good husbandmen who when their corne is somewhat too ranke do mowe it downe and prune their trées not to destroy but make them beare more abundant fruite And this flesh of ours verilie in peace and quietnesse is luskish lazie drowsie and slowe to good and honest exercises it is content and séeketh no further than earthly thinges it is whoalie giuen to pleasures it doth vtterly forget God and godly thinges nowe therefore it is not expedient onely but also very necessarie to haue this dull and sluggishe lumpe stirred vpp and excercised with troubles afflicions and sharpe persecutions The Saints herein are like toyron which by vse is somewhat woarne and diminished but by lying stil vnoccupied is eaten more with ruste and canker Most truely therefore said S. Peter Dearely beloued thincke it not straunge that yee are tried wyth fire which thing is to trie you as though some straunge thing happened vnto you But reioyce rather in that yee are partakers of the afflictions of Christ that when his glorie is reucaled yee may be merie and glad For Paule to Timothie saith Remember that Iesus Christe of the seede of Dauid was raised from the dead according to my gospel for which I am afflicted as an euill doer euen vnto bondes and yet I suffer al things for the electes sakes that they might also obteine the saluation which is in Christ Iesus with eternall glorie It is a faithfull saying For if wee bee dead with him we shal also liue with him if we be patient we shal reigne with him if we denie him hee shall also denie vs. For in his epistle to the Romans he saith Those which hee knew before he did also predestinate that they should be like facioned vnto the shape of his sonne that
persecution of the Church of Christe Septimius Seuerus thorough many prouinces did bloudily crowne many a Saint with the garland of martyrdome amonge whome is reckoned Leonidas the father of Origenes Iulius Maximinus was the sixt after Nero that played the tyraunt against the Church in that persecution the preachers and ministers of the churches were especiallie murdered amonge whom beside an innumerable sort of other excellent men Pamphilus and Maximus two notable lightes were especiallie slaughtered The seuenth bloudsucker after beastly Nero was Decius the Emperour who proclaymed most horrible edictes against the faithfull in his time was S. Laurence a deacon of the Church broyled vpon a grateyron and the renowmed virgin Apollonia for her profession did leape into the fire aliue Licinius Valerianus was as cruell as the rest in executing the eighth persecution against the faithfull professours of Christ and his Gospel In that broile were slaine many myllions of Christians and especially S. Cornelius and Cyprian the most excellent doctours in all the world Val. Aurelianus did rather purpose than put in execution the ninth persecution For a thunder rushed before him to the great terrour of them that were about him and shortly after he was slaine as hée iourneyed and so his tyrannie by his death was ended But C. Aurel. Val. Diocletianê° Maximianus Maxentius and Marcus Iulius Licinius being nothing terrified with this horrible example did raise the tenth persecution against the church of Christ which enduring by the space of tenne whole yeares brought to destruction an infinite number of Christians in euerie prouince and quarter of â—he world This broile doth Eusebius CÄ™sariensis passingly painte to the eyes of the reader for hée himselfe was an eye witnesse and looker on of many a bloudie pageant and triumphant victorie of the martyrs which hee rehearseth in the eight booke of his Ecclesiastical historie In that slaughter were killed the first Apostles of our Tigurine Church both martyrs of Christ and professours of his Gospel S. Foelix and his sister Regula After those tenne persecutions there followed many more and more terrible butcheries stirred vâ—pe by many Kinges and 〈◊〉 men â–ª in sundrie quarters of the earth vpon the necke wherof did follow the mercilesse bloudsheddings coÌ„mitted by the Sarracens Turkes and Tartars moreouer the butcherlie bishoppes of Rome did annoy extremely the church of God by shedding in ciuil and forrayne wars more christiaÌ„ bloud than any tongue can possibly tell No new thing therfore doth at this day happeÌ„ to vs that in the Church of Christ do suffer diuers persecutions afflictioÌ„s for we haue exaÌ„ples of great efficacie both new old to confirme our harts that they faint not in calamities And therfore did the Prophets and Apostles and their Lord and maister Iesus Christ foretel these perils calamities and all persecutions because they would haue vs to fortifie oure minds against these miseries at al times and seasons least by being shakeÌ„ with them at vnâ—wares wée should reuoulte from our faith forsake our profession Because I haue chosen you out from the world saith the Lord to his disciples therfore the world doth hate you RemeÌ„ber the words which I sâ—â—ke vnto you saying The seruant is not greater tâ—an his maister If they haue persecuted me they wil also persecute you If they haue kept my words they wil also kepe yours but all these thinges shall they do to you for my names sake because thei know not him that sent me This hauel I said to you that ye should not bee offended They shal driue you from their Synagogues and the time shal come that whosoeuer killeth you shall thinke he doth God good seruice The rest that is like to this I meane not at this time to recite out of the Prophets and Apostles because it caÌ„not be briefly rehearsed let euery one pick out applie to his owne coÌ„fort the playnest most euident testimonies that by reading he shal light vppon And although the saincts do not reioyce at the destruction of their persecuting enimies whoÌ„ they could wish rather to be conuerted and so saued than in this present world to be punished and in the world to come to be damned for euer yet they are gladd when they sée the Lord punish their afflicters because therby they perceiue that God hath a care ouer those that be his seruants They doe gather also by the present vengeance of God vpoÌ„ the wicked that as afflictiens are for the health and amendement of the faithful so they are to the hurt and destruction of the vnbeléeuers For while they persecute other they theÌ„selues are destroyed and while they trouble the church of the lyuing God they kindle a fire of the wrath of god against themselues that wil neuer be quenched For in the Prophecie of Zacharias thus we read that the lord speaketh touching his church Behold I make Hierusalem a cupp of poyson vnto all the people that are round about her yea â—â—da himselfe shal be in the siege against Hierusalem And in that day I wil make HierusaleÌ„ a heauie stone for all people so that al such as lift it vp shal be torne rent all the people of the earth shal be gathered together against it A like saying to this hath the lord in Ieremie where he speaketh against the persecuters of his Church and saith Take this wine cup of indignation from my hand make all the people â–ª to â—hom I send thee to 〈…〉 of it that when they haue drunken thereof they may bee madd and out of their witts for feare of the sword which I wil send among them For I beginne to plague the citie that is called after my name and thinke ye then that ye shal escape vnpunished Ye shal not goe vnpunished And this is that whereto S. Peter alluding sayd The time is that the iudgement of God beginneth at the house of God if it first beginne with vs what shall the ende of them be that beleeue not the Gospell I haue a litle aboue rehearsed in order the tenne persecutions which the Romaine Emperours stirred vp against the Church of Christ now histories make meÌ„tion that there was not one of them but was requited with some notable calamitie And beside the peculiar reuengements that followed euery seueral persecution it is to be noted that the most iuste Lord after the space of 342. yeares for so many yeares are reckoned from the last of Nero vnto the second yeare of the Emperours Honorius and Theodosius did begin more abundantly to requite the death of his Saincts vppon the necke of bloudthirstie Rome For within the space of one hundred and nine thirtic yeares Rome was sixe times taken and brought in subiection to the barbarous nations For in the foure hundreth twelfth yeare of grace which was the second of Honorius and Theodosius his reigne that Wisigothes vnder their captaine Alarichus both toke and sacked the citie vsing notwithstanding great
to stretche to that expence then did he offer a Lambe or a Kidde and yet againe if he could not offer that by reason of his pouertie it was lawful for him to sacrifice birdes not Géese or Cockes or other vncleane foules but Turtels and Doues and suche kinde of cleane birdes Nowe the manner of making this burnt sacrifice was in this order The beast that was to be offered was placed at the one side of the altar vppon which the priest did presently lay his handes and cut the throte of it The bloud was saued to be sprincled round about the altar the skinne was flayed from the slaughtered beast and that alone was all the fées that fel to the portion or share of the priest The legges were chopped off and washed together with the purtenance Immediately after a fire was made vppon the altar whereuppon was layde the whole sacrifice to wite the head the bodie y legges and the purtenance and were altogether burnte vppon the altar before the Lorde But if so be it happened that a Turtle or a Doue were offered for a sacrifice then did the prieste with his finger wreathe about and breake the necke thereof and the bloud was let droppe about the sides of the altar The fethers also were cast at the one side of the altar into a place where ashes laye the winges were ioynted and last of all the whole bodie was burnt vppon the altar This was the manner of the sacrifice or oblation which they did commonly call a burnte offeringe the signification whereof was moste chéerefull pleasant to them which were persuaded that by the burnt offering was prefigured the verie sonne of God to be incarnate of the vnspotted virgine and to be sacrificed once for the cleansinge of all the sinnes of the whole worlde For they in the glasse of that sacrifice did beholde the crosse and passion of the Lorde which tooke our sinnes vppon him selfe and beeing slaine did shead his bloud for the remisson of sinnes offeringe him selfe wholye to God the father in the fire of charitie heauenly zeale The verye same Christe is the Turtle or Pigeon Moreouer beside these ceremonies in the burnt sacrifice it was required that no burnte sacrifice of beastes should at any time bee made without that kinde of offering which they called Minha that oblation was an handfull of corne or of meale or else of crustie bread sodde in a caldron or a bowed piece of bread which we call a Cracknell baked in an ouen or in a frying panne which was burnte with oyle and frankincense vppon the altar of burnt sacrifices And Christ verily is the bread of life who by the eternall spirite as saith the Apostle did offer him selfe to God the father for vs to be the meate and preseruation of our life In the number of burnt sacrifices are reckoned the dayly sacrifices that were offered euery morning and euery euening and the sacrifices of the annoynting or consecrating of priestes Of the daily sacrifice a large exposition is made in the 29 of Exodus and the sixte Chapter of Leuiticus It was called the daily offering beecause euery morning and euening two Lambes were offered to wite one in the morning and another at the euening In these Lambes was Christ most manifestly prefigured who is that lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde whose vertue is alwayes effectuall and of power to take awaye the sinnes of the faithfull For that Lambe was killed frō the beginning of the worlde he was once slaine vppon the crosse but yet his merite and effectuall power endureth still and doth absolue all them that are deliuered from their sinnes Nowe the sacrifices of consecrating I meane of the priestes of the tabernacle and of all the vessels or instrumentes belonginge to the holie ministerie are in many pointes all one with the burnt offeringes and in some things differing from them as is fully to be séene in the 29 of Exodus and the eighth of Leuitic And Christe our Lord did first beginne the priesthood by his passion and after that hallowed all the faithful to be priests vnto him selfe The second kinde of sacrifices was the oblation which they called Minha a gift reward or sacrifice of a wheaten cake and by another name was called a meate offering This sacrifice was of the fruite of the earth was not offered alwayes after one sorte for there are reckoned thrée kindes of this sacrifice For there was offered either parched wheate sticking in the eares or wheate out of the eares or else cleane meale vnbaked or at least wise meale made vppe into bread which breade againe was made thrée sundrie wayes and in thrée sundrye facions For either it was baked in an ouen or fornace or else sodde in a pott or a caldron or else fryed in a frying panne like vnto cakes To these there was added as sauce to the sacrifice salte oyle frankincense Honie and leauen were by a generall rule vtterly barred from all sortes of sacrifices For cakes made with honie were neuer allowed of nor admitted in their offerings Yet in the feast of thankes giuing they did eate leauened bread Therefore when any man did offer wheate it was first annoynted by the prieste with oyle then seasoned with salte and last of all had frankincense put vpon it after that the priest tooke one handfull from out of all but in the sacrifice for the prieste all was burnt and burnt it vppon the altar the rest hee did reserue as a share to him selfe And in al meate offerings frankincense was alwayes vsed except in the sacrifice for sinne and in the sacrifice of ielousie as is to bee séene in the fifth of Leuiticus and the fifth of the booke of Numbers The rest that belongeth to the full rites and ceremonies of the meate offerings whosoeuer is desirous to knowe hee shall finde them in the seconde Chapter of Leuiticus For I meane not here particularly to repeate euery iott and title of their accustomed ceremonies Nowe euen as Christ was before prefigured in beastes and birdes so also is he represented in this bread or cakes For he is the bread of life and hath sundry facions of infirmitie and glorie In Christ thou shalt not finde any leauen that is sinne vncharitablenesse hypocrisie or pride There is in Christe no swéetenesse nor honnylike taste of worldly or wicked pleasures But salte thou mayst finde in him a well seasoned temperature altogether heauenly and moste absolute wisedome because of Christe for his sake all things of ours are acceptable vnto God for Christe his sake our prayers are heard of God the father vppon Christ therefore there is a swéete smelling frankincense in the nose of God the father And in these ceremonies are also shadowed the maner and matter of our sacrifices to wite that they should be without hypocrisie bitternesse hatred enuie fleshly pleasure and should be seasoned with godly continual prayers With the
he offered a sacrifice to the lord There are also other auncient benefits common to all men as that God hath made the world and all that is therein and that thorough Christ he hath redeemed all the faithfull there are daily benefits yea uÌ„nally all things are full of Gods good benefits For all which benefits we must offer our sacrifice to God alone and not to any creatures whiche he hath made yea wee must offer to him with all our hearts al our affections must be halowed to the lord For out of the beastes which were sacrificed to the Lord for thankesgiuing those partes were chosen and giuen to the Lord in which the especiall power of life consisteth For in the kidneys is the power of generation in the bloud the vital spirite in the liuer the springe of all the bloud c. Nowe we must giue thankes by a sacrifice that is by Christ For we are saued for Christ his sake and all good thinges are bestowed on vs by God not for oure owne sakes nor for any creatures sakes but for Christe his sake our only Sauiour and redéemer To them which offered was allowed a sober and merrie banquet because the felicitie of those that are not vnthanckfull is for the most parte augmeÌ„ted twofold double And the knowledge of Christ is a delicate banquet a continuall feast With the sacrifices of thanckesgiuing those offeringes doe much agrée whiche are called vowes and fréewill offerings The fréewill offering was that which procéeded of méere good wil and deuotion of the mind without necessitie or compulsion of any lawe or ordinance As when a seruant giueth to his maister the thing that he oweth him not for a declaration onely of the goodwill that hée beareth vnto him But herein the frée will offeringes do differ from the sacrifice of thankesgiuing because in the sacrifice of thankesgiuing charge was giuen that whatsoeuer was left which was not spent the first day should not be eaten on the morrowe but be burnte wyth fire on the other side in the free will offeringes it was lawfull for them to eate the remnaunt vppon the second day and to burne their leauings vpon the third day Nowe the vowed sacrifices were those which were offered by couenant to the Lord as for example a man being in perill doth vowe to make a sacrifice to God if hee be deliuered out of that imminent daunger it falleth out that hee is deliuered and hee for his deliuerie doeth offer vpp the sacrifice the thing that is so offered is called a vowed sacrifice The Ceremonies of these twaine did wholie agree with the Sacrifice of thanckesgiuing More of them is to be seene in the seuenth Chapiter of Leuiticus The meaning of these Sacrifices were that all good benefites are bestowed vppon vs for Christe his sake and with those benefites wee receiue the very good will whiche wee haue to serue the Lord. Thus much haue I hetherto saide touching the Sacrifices of the people of God not that I haue touched euery point but so many onely as are of most importaunce In these Sacrifices as in a liuely action were set foorthe CHRIST oure Lord his Passion and the effectuall merite of his death so that wee may call the holy actions of the Sacrifices Sermons vpon the Passion of Christ and instructions of our redemption by our Lord and Sauiour Now forbecause we haue already spoken hetherto of vowed sacrifices we must heere consequently borrowe leaue for a digression to say somewhat of their vsuall vowes For vowes belonge to the Iewishe Ceremonies Of the making performing and redéeming of vowes there is a large discourse in the lawe of God but especially in the 27. of Leuiticus To vowe is to promise any thing with an othe solemnly either for our owne or an others welfare And therefore a vowe was an action referred to God alone and that too in an holy and a lawfull thing But in vowes there was a difference because vowed thinges were diuided into foure kindes For some times they vowed men sometimes they vowed other liuing things sometunes houses and somtimes lands or other immoueable substance Againe there was a difference in men according to their ages and after their ages they mighte bee redéemed for cleane liuing creatures there was no redemption permitted at all It was frée either to leaue their houses to the vse of the ministerie or else to redéeme them with such a summe as the priest should value them at In landes redemption was sometimes admitted sometimes not admitted And in the 30. Chapiter of the booke of Numbers there is a precise commandement giuen touching the votories when their vowes are of force and when of smal effecte Where it is diligently beaten into their heads that vowes lawfully made to God are not to be called back againe but streightly kept throughle performed Rashe or vnlawfull vowes the Lord did neuer like off nor receiue Of the lawfull vowes and such as are made to the true and onely God the Prophete speaketh where he saith Make vowes pay them Wée read not that any of y Godly sort did make any vowes to any Saincts or any other creatures neither that they vowed any thing that was not in their power to vow nor that which was coÌ„trary to the will of God to whom they vowed it nor that which was to their neighbours hinderance nor the thing that had not in it some euideÌ„t coÌ„moditie And verilie these kinde of vowes were for none other cause permitted to the Israelits till the time of amendment but that they should remaine in the worship of one true God and not make their vowes to any other strauÌ„g God. To the treatise of vowes belongeth the discipline and order of the Nazarites Of whiche there is alarge discourse in the 6. Chapiter of the booke of Numbers The Nazarits were those who because they would the more freely without let attend vpon Gods seruice or else because they had heretofore liued â—oo licentiously did of their owne accord and wil take vpon them a more stricte and seuere trade of life than the common people vsed kept it for a discipline to make other men to follow their example of vertue and honest liuing Whereuppon it commeth that some do take the Nazarits to haue their name of separation because Nazir amonge the Hobrues signifieth a separation that the Nazarites separating themselues from the common trade of life that other men did lead did giue themselues to a certaine peculiar forme of liuing for God and Godlynesses sake That seuere and strict discipline did continue in some by the lengthe of all their life time as in Samson and Samuel Moreouer such as did wholie giue themselues to the studie of the Scriptures were by the Prophets Amos Ieremie because of their most temperate life which is required of studeÌ„ts and because they were wholie dedicated to the ministerie of God called Nazarites Sometimes also it did endure but for
and in as naturall and playne an order as possibly can bée Of the holie buyldings of the not makinge awaye of such thinges as were consecrated to the Lorde and finally of the mainteining and publishinge of true religion there is large speache euery where throughout the whole Scripture Neither do I thinke it to be greatly to the purpose worde by worde to recite all the lawes nor particularly to make mencion of all the commandments touching those matters Verily of the Heathen and of the ouerthrowing of their Temples and superstitious holie toyes this commaundement is briefely giuen by the Lord him selfe When the Lorde thy God hath cast out many nations before thee thou shalt roote them out neither shalte thou make league with them nor pittie them nor ioyne affinitie with them because they will seduce thy sonnes to serue straunge Goddes and so my furie waxe hoate against thee and I destroy thee But this shalt thou do to them ye shall digge downe their altars ye shall breake their idoles ye shall cut downe their groues and burne their images with fire For an holie people arte thou vnto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people vnto him selfe The same lawe is set downe in the 23 of Exodus and is againe repeated in the twelfth of Deuteron Herevnto belong the laws that were published against idols and images In the ninetéenth of Leuiticus the Lorde saith Looke not backe to idoles neither make you moulten Gods. I am the Lord your God. Also in the 26 Chapter Ye shal make you no idols nor grauen Image neither reare you vp any piller neither shal ye set you vp any Image of stone in your lande to bow downe vnto it for I am the Lord your God. Againe in the 16 of Deuteronomie Thou shalt plant no groue of any trees nighe vnto the altar of the lord thy God neither shalt thou set thee vpp any image which the Lord thy God hateth There are beside these also many other lawes to this ende and purpose in euery place through all the volume of the Scriptures Of the well handling and entreating of the poore of widowes of orphanes and straungers the Lorde giueth this commaundement Ye shall not afflict the widowe nor the fatherlesse But if ye goe on to afflicte them without doubt they shall crye to mee and I wil assuredly heare thē and wil be angrie with you and wil slaye you with the sworde and your wiues shal bee widowes and your children fatherlesse To this beelongeth a good parte of the fiftéenth Chapter of Deuteronomie In the 24 Chapter the Lorde saith Do not peruert the iudgement of the straunger of the fatherlesse and of the widowe Remember rhat thou wast a straunger in the lande of Aegypt Of the receiuinge and refusinge of witnesses and their witnesse bearings in iudgement these fewe notes are giuen in the lawe One witnesse shall not bee of force againste a man whatsoeuer his sinne or offence shall be but in the mouth of two or three witnesses shal euery worde bee established If a false witnesse rise vp against a man to accuse him of trespas the Iudges shal make diligent inquisition and if they finde that the witnesse hath borne false witnes against his brother then shal they do to him as he had thought to haue don to his brother thou shalt put euil awaye from out of the middest of thee Nowe for the othe which the Iudges haue to exact or they that are at variance or else the witnesses haue to take that doth the Lord commaunde to be done by the calling to recorde of his holy name and that too of none other but his name alone Deuteron 10 c. Moreouer that in effect is a kinde of appeale where Moses doeth so often bidd the Iudges in an hard and doubtfull matter to haue recourse vnto the high priest and so as it were to God him self or the Oracle of God for the declaration of the same as is to be seene in the eyghtéenth Chapter of Exodus and in the firste and sixtéenth Chapter of Deuteronomie Of lawfull wedlocke against incestuous and vnprofitable marriages and also of the degrées of consanguinitie and affinitie there are exquisite precepts as well in the eyghtéenth Chapter of Leuiticus as also in other places of the bookes of Moses Verily where lawfull marriages are not there is no matrimonie therefore the children that are so borne are counted bastardes neither is there for them any dowries or inheritance The Lord in many places of his lawe doth charge parents to bring vp their children honestly and to instruct them in the feare of god Among the rest he saith The wordes which I commaunde thee this daye thou shalt shewe vnto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou arte at home in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest downe and when thou risest vp And thou shalt bind them for a signe vppon thine hand they shal be as frōtlets betwixt thine eyes and thou shalt write them vpon the postes of thine house and vpon thy gates c. Againe for the honouring reuerencing and nourishing of parents there are not in the morall onely but also in the Iudiciall lawes some things set downe wherein the honour and duetie to be giuen to parentes is diligently commended to all sortes of people Of which I will speake whē I come to treate of parricidie vnder which title I do comprehend the euill handling and naughtie demeanour of men to their parents Nowe howe greate the authoritie of fathers ouer their children was we may coniecture by that especially where in the 21 of Exod. it is permitted to the father that is in pouertie to sell his daughter Againe in an other place leaue is giuen to the father either to denye or else to giue his deflowred daughter in marriage to him that did defile her And againe it was in the fathers power to breake the vow which the childe had made without his knowledge or consent Numerie 30. But that to disinherite the children if the children had not deserued it but that some corrupte affection had blynded the parents laye not in the power or will of the parents that lawe doth shew which is published in the twentie one Chapter of Deuteronomie and doth forbidde the father to place the seconde in the right of his eldest or firste begotten sonne Concerning the comming to inheritance and the succession of goods or the lawfull succession by kindred there is a precise law in the 27 Chapter of the booke of Numbers There is sett downe the case of the daughters of Zelphad who did request that their fathers name should not be wiped out but that their fathers inheritaunce and name might be giuen vnto and stil remaine with them vpon that occasion was the lawe made that if the sonnes did dye the heritage should
of Gods plague and the shame of the world thou doest daily frequent it openly vse it Séest thou héere by this example howe one and the same sinne doeth increase by degrées and doeth still require a sharper punishment according to the greatnesse and enormitie of the crime Verilie the Lord in the Gospell after Sainct Matthewe confirmeth this and sayeth Ye haue heard how it was said to them of old Thou shalt not kill Whosoeuer killeth shal be in danger of Iudgement But I say vnto you that who so is angrie with his brother vnaduisedly shal be in daunger of Iudgement And who soeuer shall saye vnto his brother Racha shal be in daunger of a Counsell but whosoeuer shall say Thou foole shal be in daunger of hell fire In these wordes of the Lords thou hearest first the differences of sinnes as anger the tokens of angrie minds and open scouldinges whiche doe for the most part end in open fightinges And then thou hearest that as the sinne increaseth so the greatnesse and sharpenesse of the punishmente is still augmented It was therefore no vnapte or sillie distinction that they made in actuall sinne which said that there is one sinne of the thoughte an other of the mouth and an other of the déede which they did againe diuide into certaine kindes and sortes reducing them againe partly into Scelera and partly into Delicta Scelera are those heynous crimes whiche are conceiued and committed of set purpose and pretended malice of whiche sorte are those especiallie whiche are called the Crying sinnes as murther vsurie oppression of the fatherlesse widowes Sodomie and the withheld hire of the néedie labourer For touching murther the voyce of the Lord in Genesis sayeth The voice of thy brothers bloud crieth vnto mee And in the twentie two of Exodus hée sayeth If ye vexe the fatherlesse and widowes and they crie to mee I will heare them and slay you The word of GOD doeth with bitter quippes baighte vsurie and vtterly condemne it The sinne of the Sodomites ascended vpp to heauen requiring vengeaunce to lighte vppon the villaynous beastes And Iames the Apostle saith Behold the hire of the labourers whiche haue reaped downe your fieldes whiche hire of you is kept backe by fraude cryeth and the cries of them which haue reaped are entered into the eares of the Lord of Sabbaoth To these sinnes other men do also annexe those seuen principall vices pride or vaine glorie anger enuie slouth couetousnesse gluttonie and lecherie Yea they make these the séeds and first beginnings of all sinnes and wickednesse and therefore doe they call them the principall sinnes As is to bée séene in the sentences of Peter Lombard Moreouer they call those sinnes delicta which are committed of infirmitie or vnwittingly to witt when the good is forsaken duetie to God or man neglected by a certeine kinde of idle sluggishnesse where peraduenture are to bee numbred the sinne of ignorance the sinne called Alienum and the sinne of vnwillingnesse although euen they also are often times made both heynous crimes and detestable offences Ignoraunce is said to bée of two sortes the one is naturall and verie ignoraunce whiche springeth of originall sinne the other is affected or counterfeite whiche riseth of a sett purpose and pretended malice The naturall ignoraunce is a disease a fault and a sinne because it springeth of a poysened original and is a worke of darcknesse as it appeared aboue by the testimonie of the Apostle Sainct Paule Verilie Sainct Augustine in his third booke De libero arbitrio Cap. 19. sayeth That which euerie one by ignorance doeth not rightlie and that which he cannot doe though he willeth rightlie are therefore called sinnes because they haue their beginning of the sinne of free will. For that precedent did deserue to haue such coÌ„sequents For as we giue the name of Tongue not to that member only which moueth in the mouth while wee speake but euen to that also whiche followeth vppon the mouing of that member to witt the forme and tenour of woordes which the tongue doeth vtter according to whiche phrase of speach wee say that in one man there are diuers tongues meaninge the Greeke and the Latine tongues Euen so wee doe not onely call that sinne which is properly called sinne for it is committed of a free wil wittingly but that also which followeth vppon the punishment of the same Of whiche I haue said somewhat before Other doe cloake their ignorance with that saying of the Lord in the Gospel If I had not come and spoken vnto them they had had wherewithall to cloke â—heir sinne or they should haue had no sinne For herevppon they inferre Therefore they to whome nothing hath béen preached are frée from blame and accusation of sinne But the Lord said not so For first he spake of their pretended colour and not of their innocencie And euery pretence is not iust and lawefull Hee said I coÌ„fesse they should haue had no sinne but he addeth presently Nowe haue they nothing to cloake their sinne withall Secondarilie he doth not vniuersally acquite the ignoraunt from all kinde of sinne but from the sinne of rebellion onely For S. Augustine vppon Iohn sayth They haue an excuse not for euerie sinne but for this only that they beleued not in Christ because hee came not vnto them For all which neither haue heard nor do heare may haue this excuse but they cannot escape condemnation For they that haue sinned without lawe shall perishe without lawe And Paule also in the first to Timothie the first Chapiter sayeth I thanke him because hee hath counted mee faithfull putting mee into the ministerie who was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and an oppressour but yet I obteined mercie because I did it ignorantlie in vnbeleefe Loe heere the Apostle saith that he obteined mercie because hee sinned thorough ignoraunce this ignorance he deriueth of vnbeléefe and attributeth to it most filthie fruites Furthermore wée call that false and counterfeite ignorance which is of very malice feigned by obstinate and stubborne people As if thou when a thing displeaseth thee shouldest say that thou doest not vnderstand it or if wheÌ„ thou mayst thou wilt not vnderstand it Such is the ignorance that was in the Iewes the professed enimies of Gods grace in Christ For Paul sayeth I beare them wittnesse that they haue a zeale of God but not according to knowledge For being ignoraunt of Gods righteousnesse and séeking to set vpp their owne they were not subiecte to the righteousnesse of god For the Lord in the Gospell said to the Phariseis when they demaunded if they were blinde also If ye were blinde ye should haue no sinne but nowe ye say Wee see therefore your sinne abideth The sinnes called Aliena are not those whiche wée oure selues commit but those which other men doe yet not without vs to witt while we allowe helpe forward persuade commaund wincke at giue occasion or doe not
and vnpardonable for which we must not pray that is to saye prayers cannot obteine pardone for it That sinne is contumelious reprochâ— against the holie Ghoste reuolting apostacie and incessant mocking of the Gospell of Christe For in the Gospell after S. Iohn we read Verily verily I saye vnto you if a man keepe my sayings he shall not see death for euer And againe If ye beleeue not that I am ye â—hal dye in your sinnes And apostacie in verie déede is iniquitie and a purposed and perpetuall sinne For what is more sinfull or vniust than to strine against and make a mocke of the knowen veritie The other sinne is veniall not vnto death the which of what sort it is Sainct Iohn declareth when he addeth Wee knowe that euery one which is borne of God sinneth not Nowe that saying must not be so absolutely taken as though hee sinned not at all but wee must vnderstand that hee sinneth not to death For otherwise the verie Sainctes are sinners as it is euident by the first Chapter of this Epistle Furthermore that which doeth immediately followe in Iohn maketh manifest that which went before He that is begotten of God saith he kepeth him selfe that is hee standeth stedfastly in the knowen trueth and taketh heede to him selfe that that euil touch him not that is that he intrap him not stirre him vp against God nor reteine him in rebellion Thus much haue I hitherto saide touching the sinne against the holie Ghoste which Augustine did in one place call finall impenitencie which doth followe vppon Apostacie blasphemie and contempt of the holie Ghost or of the word of trueth reuealed by the holie Ghost And although I haue alreadie in the handling of Originall sinne and sinne against the holie Ghoste partely touched the effectes of sinne yet to coÌ„clude this treatise withall I wil briefly shewe you somewhat touching the iust and assured punishment that shal be layde vppon sinners For in the definition of sinne I sayde that sinne brought vpon vs the wrath of GOD with death and sundrie punishments Of which in this place I meane to speake It is as manifest as what is most manifest by the scriptures that God doeth punishe the sinnes of men yea that he punisheth sinners for their sinnes For many places in the scriptures declare that God is angrie and greeuously offended at the sinnes of mortall men Dauid cryeth The Lorde loueth the iust as for the wicked and violent his soule doeth hate them Vppon the vngodly hee shall rayne snares fire and brimstone storme and tempest this shal be their portion to drinke For the righteous Lord loueth righteousnesse with his countenaÌ„ce he doth behold the thing that is iust In like manner Paule saith The wrath of God is reuealed from heauen against all vngodlinesse and vncleanesse of men which withholde the trueth in vnrighteousnesse And what may be thought of the moreouer that the wrath of God for the sinnes of vs men woulde bee by no meanes appeased but by the death of the sonne of God Wherein verily the excellencie of the greate price of our redemption doth argue the greatnesse and filthinesse of our sinne To all which we may adde that the good Lorde who loued mankinde so well woulde not haue ouerwhelmed vs with so many paynes and exceeding calamities had not our sinne béen passing horrible in the sight of his eyes For who can make a full beadrowe of all the calamities of miserable sinners The Lorde for our sinnes absenteth him selfe from vs But if the Sunne be out of the earth howe greate are the mystes and cloudie darkenesse in it If God be awaye from vs how great is the horror in myndes of men Here therefore as punishementes due to sinners are reckoned the tyrannie of Satan a thousande tormentes of conscience the death of the soule dreadfull feare vtter desperation innumerable calamities of bodie and of our other faculties which Moses the seruaunt of God doeth at large rehearse in the 26. of Leuiticus and the 28 Chapter of Deuteronomium And nowe since newe sinnes are daily scourged with newe kindes of punishements what ende I praye is any man able to make if hee shoulde goe about to reckon them all It is not to be doubted verily but that the Lorde doeth punishe sinners iustly For hee is him selfe a most iust Iudge And for because it is a madd mannes parte to doubte of the iustice omnipotencie and wisedome of god it followeth therefore consequently that all religious and godly men doe holde for a certeintie that the punishments which God doeth laye vppon men are laide vppon them by moste iust iudgement But howe greate and what kinde of punishment is due to euery faulte and seuerall transgression belongeth rather to Gods iudgement to determine than for mortall men too curiously to inquire Wherevppon Sainct Augustine Tracta in Ioan. 89 saide There is as greate diuersitie of punishments as of sinnes which howe it is ordeined the wisedome of God doth more deepely declare than mans coniectures can possibly seeke out or vtter in wordes Hee verily which in his lawe giuen to man gaue this for a rule according to the measure of the sinne so shall the measure of the punishement bee beeing him selfe moste equall and iust doeth not in iudgement exceede measure Abraham in the notable communication had with God which is reported in the 18 of Genesis doth amoÌ„g other things say Wâ—lt thou destroye the iust with the wicked that be farr from thee that thou shouldst do such a thing and slaye the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be as the wicked That is not thy parte that iudgest al the earth thou shalt not make suche iudgement Herevnto also belongeth that notable demonstration which the Lorde vseth towarde Ionas beeing angrie with the Lorde because of his iudgements for hee sheweth that hee hath iustly a care of the infants yea and of the cattel in Niniue The place is extant in the fourth Chapter of the prophecie of Ionas Let vs therefore stedfastly holde that the Lord when he punisheth doth iniurie to no creature which hee hath made Here therefore the disputations and questions come to an ende wherein men are wont to demaunde whye the Lorde doeth sometimes vse so sharpe torments towards infants or sucklings or why he rewardeth temporal offences with eternal punishments For the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holie in all his workes As Dauid did most truly witnesse whereas in another place he saith Thou arte iust O Lord and thy iudgement is right Blessed is hee that stumbleth not here and doeth not murmur against the Lorde But if 〈◊〉 so happen that the Lorde at any time do somewhat long deferre the iudgement and punishment wee must not therefore thinke that hee is vniust because he spareth the wicked and sharpely correcteth his friendes their vices Let vs rather laye before our eyes the Euangelicall parable of the riche glutton and
vnseparable ioyning or knitttng vnto him For Dauid sayeth There is fulnesse of ioyes in thy sight and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore And Sainct Iohn sayeth Nowe are we the sonnes of God and yet it appeareth not what wee shal be But we knowe that when he shall appeare wee shal be like him for we shal see him as hee is Moreouer the Lord in the Gospell sayeth Blessed are the pure in heart for they shal sée god But all men are indued with vnpure hearts therefore no man shall sée god Because no vncleannesse abideth in consuming fire And God is a consuming fire therefore wee cannot bee partakers of saluation vnlesse we be purely cleansed But without the shedding of bloud there is no cleansing or remission of sinnes I doe not meane the bloud of Rammes or Goates but of the onely begotten sonne of GOD oure Lord Christ Iesus Hée therefore toke our fleshe and bloud hée came into the world died willingly for vs and shed his bloud for the remission of oure sinnes and so by that meanes purged the faithfull so that now being cleane they maye be able to stand before the most holye God who is a consuming fire To this may be annexed the coÌ„sideration of the incarnation of oure Lord Iesu Christ his death resurrection and ascension into heauen wherof I did aboue make mention in the definition of the Gospell For in those pointes doeth consist the whole mysterie of our reconciliation Touching whiche I doe in this place speake so much the more brieflye because in the eâ—position of the Apostles Créede I haue handled so much as séemeth to concerne these points of doctrine whiche whosoeuer will knowe may looke and finde them there Now that Christ alone is our most absolute life and saluation it may bée gathered by that whiche is alreadie spoken and yet not withstanding I will héere alledge some testimonies more to the ende that the veritie and sinceritie of the Euangelicall trueth may be the more firme and euident to all men That in Christ alone our life and saluation doth coÌ„sist so that without Christ there is no life and saluation in any other creature y Lord himselfe doth testifie saying Verilie verilie I say vnto you hee that entereth not by the doore into the sheepefold but goeth in some other way hee is a theefe and a robber Verilie verilie I say vnto you I am the doore of the sheepe as many as came before mee are theeues robbers Loe here there is but one doore onely through whiche the way doeth lye vnto eternal life And Christ is that doore They therefore which doe by other meanes than through Christ striue to come to life saluation are theeues robbers For they steale from Christ his honour and glorie considering that hée both is and abideth the onely Sauiour and in so doing they kill their owne soules The same Sauiour in the Gospell sayeth I am the waye the trueth and the life No man commeth to the father but by mee Hath hee not in these fewe wordes reiected and vtterly excluded al other meanes of saluation making himselfe alone our life and saluation This phrase of speach No man commeth to the father but by mee is the same that this is Through Christ alone we come vnto the father Moreouer the Lords Apostles haue so layde Christe alone before oure eyes that no man can choose but vnderstand that without Christ Iesus there is no life to bée founde in any other creature The holy Apostle Sainct Peter in the Actes sayeth There is in none other any Saluation For there is none other name vnder heauen giuen amonge men wherein wee must bee saued And Sainct Paule in the fift Chapiter to the Romanes doeth often times repeate That by the righteousnesse of one man Iesus Christe all the faithfull are iustified Againe the same Paule sayeth Thoroughe him is preached to you the remission of sinnes and throughe him is euerie one that beleeueth iustified from al the thinges from whiche ye could not be iustified by Moses lawe Like to this also hee hath other testimonies in the second Chapiter of his Epistle written to the Galathians It is manifest therefore that thoroughe Christe alone the forgiuenesse of sinnes life euerlasting are fréely bestowed vpon all the faithfull whiche giftes as they are not without Christe at all so are they not bestowed by any other meanes than thorough Christ alone Concerning the remission of sinnes whiche is the chiefe tydinges of the Gospell I haue at large alreadie discoursed in the ninthe Sermon of the first Decade other places more Nowe for the proofe that our Lord doeth fully absolue from sinnes fully remitte sinnes and fully saue repentaunt sinners so that nothing more can be desired or wished for and consequently that the Lord himselfe is the most absolute fulnesse of all the faithfull without whome they that beléeue neither doe nor can wishe for any thinge else to life saluation and absolute felicitie hee doeth himselfe in the Gospell say Euerie one that drinketh of this water shall thirst againe but whosoeuer shall drincke of the water whiche I shal giue him he shal liue eternallie And againe I am the bread of life Hee that commeth to mee shall not hunger and he that beleeueth in mee shall neuer thirste The Apostles therefore after they had eaten this celestiall bread that is after they had once beléeued in Christe when many departed and did forsake Christe being demaunded whether they also would leaue him did aunswere Lord to whome shal wee goe Thou hast the wordes of eternal life and we beleeue and knowe that thou art Christ the sonne of the liuinge God. Loe heere they neither wil nor can forsake Christ Because there is none other to whome they may ioyne themselues For hee alone is the life and saluation of them that beléeue and that too so absolute and perfecte that in him alone they maye contente and stay themselues With the writinges of the Euangelists doth the doctrine of the Apostles fully agrée For Paul to the Colossians sayth It pleased the father that in the sonne shuld dwell all fulnesse And againe In the Sonne doeth dwell all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodilie and ye are fulfilled in him And in the Epistle to the Hebrues he affirmeth that the faithfull haue ful remission of sinnes because sacrifices for sinne doe ceasse to be offered and that God doeth by the Prophete Ieremie promise so absolute remission of sinnes that hee will not so much as once remember or thincke on them hereafter To this place belongeth the whole Epistle written to the Hebrues and the conclusion of the eighth Sermon in the first Decade wherein I reckoned vnto you the treasures that God the father doth giue to vs in Christ his sonne our Lord and Sauiour Vppon this nowe doth follow consequently that they haue not yet rightly vnderstoode the Gospell of Christe nor syncerely preached it whosoeuer doe attribute to
are all the windes all the starrs and all the fierie aerie waterie impressions In the hoste of God are all euill spirites all men Kinges and Princes all the warlike furniture of euery nation finally all creatures both visible and inuisible and al these hee vseth according to his owne pleasure yea according to his owne good iust will when how much and howe long hee listeth to finishe and bring to passe his owne will and iudgements In punishing the first worlde at the deluge he vsed water In destroying of Sodoma and the Cities there about he vsed fire and in rooting out the Chanaanites and Iewes he vsed the meanes of mortall menne or souldiers Somtimes ther is ascribed to the Lord the word Aeleon the Lord is called Aeleon that is to say high For in the 113 Psalme we read The Lord is higher than all nations and his glory is aboue the heauens Who is like the Lorde our God whiche setteth him selfe so high in his habitation And in the 97. Psalme he saith Thou Lord art higher than all that are in the earth thou art exalted farre aboue all Gods. Againe God is called El because of his strength For what he wil that can he doe and therefore is he called a strong God or a Giant For Ieremie saith The Lord is with me as a strong Giant Esay saith The Lord shall come forth like a Giant he shal take stomache vnto him like a man of warre he shall rore and ouercome his enimies And like to this is the word Eloah whose plurall number is Elohim That name betokeneth the presence of God whiche neuer fayleth his woorkmaÌ„ship worshippers Ieremie bringeth in God speaking and saith Am I God that seeth but the thing that is nigh at hand onely and not the thing that is far off May any man hide himselfe so that I shall not see him saith the Lord Doe not I fill Heauen and earth For before him also Dauid said Whether shall I goe from the breath of thy mouth And whether shall I flee from thy countenaunce If I ascend into heauen thou art there and if I descend into hell thou art there also If I take the winges of the morning and dwell in the vtmoste parts of the sea euen there thy hand shall rule me and thy right hande shall holde me fast Therfore the Apostle Paule saith God is not far from euery one of â—s For by him we liue we moue and haue our beeing And for that cause peradueÌ„ture God was of the Gréeks called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of his redinesse and present succour because he neuer faileth mortall men but alwayes and in all places doeth aide and reléeue them Likewise Plato in Cratylo and his interpreter Proclus doe think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is deriued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of running but that course or running is not referred to the presence or help of God but to an other thing For when men saw the Sunne the Moone the starres and heauen it selfe by running still to be turned aboute they thought that they were Gods. Some there are that will deriue it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say of feare or dread For feare or Religion beléeueth and persuadeth men that there is a God. The Latines peraduenture framed their Deus God of the Gréekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But some doo think rather that Deus is deriued A dando of giuing because he giueth all things vnto all men For so among the Hebrues he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I will anon declare or Schadday because he is sufficient to him selfe he lacketh nothing but giueth to all men all good thinges and necessary Some other wil haue God in Latine to be called Deus quód ipsi nihil deest that is because there is nothing wanting in him But now the Scripture doeth attribute the plurall number Elohim not to God alone but also to Angels to iudges and to men in authoritie because God is alwaies present with them while they laboure in that office whiche he hath appointed them vnto and doeth by the ministerie of them worke the things whiche hee him selfe will which are expedient for the welfare of mortall men And although the worde Elohim be of the plurall number yet is it set before Verbes in the singular number as in the first of Genesis we find In the beginning Bara Elohim Creauit Dii God created for Bara created is the singular number Heauen and Earth In that phrase of spéech is shewed vnto vs the mysterie of the reuerend Trinitie For Moses séemeth to haue said in effecte In the beginning that GOD in Trinitie created Heauen and Earth In the 7. chapter of the second booke of Samuel Elohim in the plurall number is ioygned with Verbes of the plurall number to declare that there is a difference of persons in the blessed Trinitie Moreouer in the league whiche God maketh with our father Abraham God giueth him selfe an other name For he saith I God am Schaddai that is sufficient or sufficiencie Therefore God is called Schaddai Some in their translations turne it Vastator a destroyer as if GOD shuld name him selfe a iust reuenger But Moses Aegyptius saith The Nowne Schaddai is compounded of the Verbe Daâ—i which signifieth he sufficeth and the letter * Schin which hath the same meaning that Ascher hath and signifieth He that So that Schaddai is as muche to say as He that sufficeth to him selfe and is the sufficiencie or fulnesse of all things Peraduenture the Heathen haue vppon this occasion deriued their Saturnus whiche name they gaue to them whome they did wickedly take to bee Gods. For as Diurnus commeth of Dies a daye so is Saturnus deriued a Saturando of satisfying or filling Therefore GOD is that He to whome nothing is lacking which in all things and vnto althings is sufficient to him selfe who néedeth no mans ayde yea who alone hath all things which do apperteine to the perfect felicitie bothe of this life and of the world to come and whiche onely and alone can fil and suffice all his people and other creatures For this cause the Germanes call him Gott as who should saye Guot good or best Because as he is full of all goodnesse so he doeth moste liberally bestowe vppon men all maner of good things The Germane word is not muche vnlike to the auncient name wherby the Aegyptians called god For they called God Theuth or Thoth Now if we for Th put G then is it Goth and we saye Gott The Lord him selfe in the sixt chapter of Exodus putteth these two names together Schaddai and Iehouah as two of the moste excellent names that he hath and saith I am Iehouah And I appeared to Abraham Isaac and Iacob as God Schaddai but in my name Iehouah I was not knowen vnto them
thereby gather that God is the chiefe good that his maiestie is in coÌ„prehensible This one place of Esay may staÌ„d in sted of many where in the 40. cha he saith Who hath measured the waters with his fist Who hath mesured heauen with his span Who hath helde the dust of the earth betwixt three fingers and weighed the mounteines and hilles in a balance Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord who gaue him counsell who taught him who is of his counsell to instruct him Beholde all people are in comparison of him as a droppe of a bucket full and counted as the least thing that the balance weigheth Yea he shall cast out the Isles as the smallest crumb of dust Libanus were not sufficient to minister him wood to burne nor the beasts thereof were in ough for one sacrifice vnto him All people in comparison of him are reckoned as nothing and if they bee compared with him they are couÌ„ted as lesse than nothing Vnderstand ye not this hath it not bene preached vnto you since the beginning haue ye not beene taughte this by the fouÌ„dation of the earth It is he that sitteth vpon the circle of the world whose inhabiters are in coÌ„parison of him but as Grashoppers He spredeth out the heauens as a couering stretcheth theÌ„ out as a tent to dwell in He bringeth princes to nothing and maketh the Iudges of the earth as though they were not And so foorth To this place now doe belong the Prosopopeiall spéeches of God of which thou shalt finde suÌ„drie and many beside the visions which we placed in the second way or meane to know god But the moste excellent are extant in the 18. Psalme and in the 5. Chapter of Solomons Ballad bothe which I passe ouer vntouched because I meane not to stay you too long For we muste descend to the other points Last of all God is knowen by the sayings or sentences vttered by the mouthes of the Prophetes Apostles Of which sorte is that notable spéech of Ieremie where he saith Let not the wise man glorie in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches but let him that glorieth glorie in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord and doe mercie iudgement and righteousnesse vpon earth therefore am I delighted in suche things alone saith the Lord. Now by the mercie of God we are saued and adorned with sundrie great benefites By his iudgement he punisheth the wicked and disobedient according to their deserts and therewithal he kéepeth equitie Euen as also his righteousnes doeth truely perfourme that which he promisseth Therefore we say that God is a sauiour a liberall giuer of all good things an vpright iudge assured trueth in performing his promisses And hether now is to be referred the doctrine of the Prophets and apostles which teacheth that to be the true knowledge of God y acknowledgeth God to be one in essence and thrée in persons Concerning the vnitie of the diuine essence by the allegation whereof the pluralitie of the heathen Gods are vtterly reiected and flatly condemned I will cite those testimonies out of the holie Scripture that séeme to be more euidente and excellent than all the other which are in number so many that a man canne hardely reckon them all The notablest is that whiche is grounded vppon the Propheticall and Euangelicall authoritie and béeing cited out of the 6 Chap. of Deuteronomie is in the 12. of Marke set downe in these words Iesus said The first of all the commaundements is Hearken Israel the Lord our GOD is one lord And thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule with all thy minde and with all thy strength This is the first commandement and the second like this is thou shalt loue thy neighboure as thee selâ—e There is none other commaundement greater than these It followeth now in the Gospell And the Scribe said Well maister thou hast saide the trueth that there is one god that there is none other but he and that to loue him with all the hart with all the minde with all the soule and with all the strength and to loue a mans neighboure as him selfe is greater than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices With this testimonie also doe all the other notable ones agrée that are in the lawe For in the 20. of Exodus we reade that the Lord him selfe with his owne mouthe did in mount Sina say I am the Lord thy GOD which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage haue thou none other Gods but me Againe Moses in the end of his Song bringeth in GOD saying Se now how that I I am GOD and there is none other God but I. I kill and make aliue againe I wound and I heale neither is there any that can deliuer out of my hand With the testimonies in the lawe doe those of the Prophets also agrée For Dauid in the 18. Psalme saith The way of God is an vndefiled way the worde of the Lorde also is tryed in the fire He is the defender of all them that put their truste in him For who is God but the Lord or who hath any strength except our God There are of this sorte many other places in the volume of the Psalmes The Lord in Esaie and by Esaie cryeth and saieth I am the Lord Hu is my name and my glorie will I not giue vnto any other nor mine honoure to grauen images I am the first and the laste and beside me there is no god And who is like to me If any be let him call foorthe and openly shewe the thing that is past and lay before me what hath chaunced since I appointed the people of the worlde and let him tell what shall happen hereafter and come to passe I the Lorde do all-things I spred out the heauens alone and I onely haue layed foorthe the earth by mee selfe I make the tokens of witches of none effect and make the soothsayers fooles As for the wise I turne them backwarde and make their wisedome foolishnesse I set vpp the word of my seruant and doe fulfill the counsells of my messingers I am the Lorde and there is else none which created light and darcknesse and maketh peace and trouble yea euen I the Lord doe all these things To these testimonies of the Prophetes we will nowe add one or two out of Sainct Paule the great instructer and Apostle of the Gentiles He in his Epistle to Timothie saith There is one GOD and one mediatour of GOD and men the man Christe Iesus And againe he saith One Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue all and through all and in you all Againe the same Apostle to the Corinthians saith There is none other God but one And though there bee
immediately vppon Christe his death and ascension For after the same manner that I haue hetherto declared vnto you euen from the beginning of the world did all the holy Patriarchs Prophets and electe people of GOD beléeue and ground their faith Although I denie not but that the mysterie of the Trinitie was more cléerely expounded to the world by Christe yet is it euident by some vndoubted testimonies whiche I will adde anon that the mysterie of the Trinitie was very well knowen vnto the Patriarchs the Prophets but first by the way I will admonishe you that the holy Patriarchs and prophets of GOD did hold themselues content with the bare reuelation and woord of GOD not raysinge curious questions about the Vnitie and Trinitie of God. They did clearely vnderstand that there is one God the father of all the onely sauiour and authour of all goodnesse and that without or beside him there is none other God at all And they againe did euidently sée that the Sonne of GOD that promised séed hath all thinges common with the father for they did most plainely heare that hée is called the Sauiour and is the redéemer from whome all good thinges do procéede and are bestowed vppon the faithfull whereby nowe it was easte for them to gather that the father and the sonne are one God althoughe they differ in properties For in so much as they were assuredly certeine that the damnable doctrine of the pluralitie of Gods did spring from the diuel they did not worship many but one God whome notwithstanding they did beléeue to consist of a Trinitie of persons For Moses the vndoubted seruant of God in the very first verse of his first booke sayeth In the beginning Creauit dij God created heauen and earth Hee ioyneth héere a Verbe of the singular number to a Noune of the plurall number not to make incongruitie of speach but to note the mysterie of the Trinitie For the sense is as if hée should haue said That GOD which doeth consiste of thrée persons created heauen and earth For a litle after God consulting with him selfe about the making of man doeth say Let vs make man in our Image Loe héere he sayth Let vs make and not Let me make or I wil make And againe hee sayeth In our Image and not In my Image But least any man should thinke that this consultation was had with the Angels let him heare what God him selfe doeth say in Esaye I the Lord sayeth he make all thinges and stretch out the heauens alone of my selfe that is of mine owne power without any help or fellowe with mée and set the earth fast Therefore the Father consulted with the Sonne by whome also hee created the world And againe least any man should thincke as the Iewes obiecte that these things were after the order and custome of men spoken of God in the plurall number for honours sake and worshipp thou mayest heare what followeth in the end of the third Chapter Behold this man is become as one of vs in knowing good and euill Now heere by Enallage hee putteth these wordes Is become for Shall become or Shall happen so that his meaning is as if he should haue said Behold the same shall happen to Adam that shall come to one of vs that is to the Sonne to witt that hee should haue triall of good and euill that is that hee should féele sundrie fortunes namely sickenesse calamities and death and as the prouerb is should féele both swéete and sowre For that is the lot or condition of man But the Sonne being incarnate for vs not the Father nor the holy Ghost was found in shape as a man and had triall of sundrie fortunes of death whiche was foretold to Adam as it is manifest for consolations sake and not in the way of mockage For as the good Lord did with a garment strengthen the body of oure first parent against the vnseasonablenesse of the ayre when for his sinne he purposed to banishe him out of Paradise so did he comfort and chéere vpp his sorrowfull minde with a full example of the sonnes incarnation and suffering And when he had so armed him in body and soule he casteth him out of the Garden of felicitie into a carefull and miserable exile There are in euery place many examples of this matter like vnto this For Abraham sawe thrée but with them thrée he talked as with one and worshipped one And The Lord rayned vppon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone fire from the Lord out of heauen and ouerthrew those cities But least any man should interprete it and say The Lord rayned from the Lord that is from heauen he himselfe doth presently ad From heauen For as the father created all thinges by the Sonne so doth he by him preserue al things and doth euē still by him worke all things Nexte after Moses the notablest Prophete Dauid in his Psalmes doeth say By the word of the Lord were the heauens made and all the hostes of them by the breath of his mouth So heere thou hearest that there is one Lord in whome is the woord and the spirite both distinguished but not separated For the Lord made the heauens but by the Word the whole furniture of heauen doth stand by the Breath of the mouth of the lord The same Dauid sayeth The Lord sayd to my Lord sitt thou on my right hand vntill I make thine enimies thy footestoole Note that in an other place the same Dauid doth flatly saye that beside the Lord there is none other And yet héere againe he doeth as plainely saye The Lord said to my Lord meaning the father who had placed the sonne whiche was Dauids Lord at his right hand in heauē Out of Esaie may be gathered very many testimonies But the notablest of all the rest is that whiche Matthewe the Apostle citeth in these words Behold my sonne whome I haue chosen my beloued in whome my soule is pleased I will put my spirite vpon him c. With this agréeth that whiche Luke citeth saying The spirite of the Lord vppon me because hee hath annoynted mee to preache the Gospell to the poore hath hee sent mee c. In these testimonies heere thou hast the father the sonne and the holy Ghost A fewe out of many For I do not couet to turne ouer the whole scriptures of the old testament So then this faith wherewith wée doe beléeue in God the father y sonne and the holy Ghoste we haue receiued of God himselfe being deliuered vnto vs by the Prophetes Patriarchs but most euidently of all declared by the sonne of God him selfe oure Lord Iesus Christe and his holy Apostles wherevppon nowe we doe easilie gather wherfore it is that all the sincere bishops or ministers of the Churches together with the whole Church of Christe haue euer since the Apostles time with so firme a cōsent mainteyned and had this faith in honour It were
déed he is serued alone howbeit not after a lawefull manner Vnlawefull seruice procéedeth from the will and imagination of mē and it is contrarie to the word and ordinaunce of god For God is then lawfully serued when he is serued according to his owne wil and word In the law thus hath the Lord commaunded Beware that thou seeke not after the gods of the Gentiles saying How did these nations serue their Gods that I may do so likewise Thou shalt not do so vnto the Lord thy God c. Therfore whatsoeuer I commaund you take heede you do it Thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought there-from Nadab and Abihu offer straunge fire vnto the Lord therefore are they burned vpp in the presence of the Lord with fire from heauen Oza also perished because hee handled the Arcke of GOD otherwise than the Lord had commaunded in his lawe Micha in the booke of Iudges instituted vnto the true God whose name is IEHOVAH an image an altar a chappell and a seruice But it is reproued in the sacred Scripture béecause it was not onely not fetched out of the holy Scripture but was in all respectes quite contrarie and vtterly against the Lawe of god Ieroboam also ordeined passing sumptuous seruice he instituted cathedrall churches and sett vpp golden images all to the God of Israel but for that they were not agréeable to the woord of the Lord they are all one with another vtterly condemned for execrable and accursed sacrileges Yea what wée maye thincke in generall of all the seruices whiche are neither instituted of GOD nor agréeing with the woord of GOD but feigned vppon a good intent and meaning of our owne y onely testimonie of the most excellent prophet Samuel doth declare to vs which he pronounced against Saule and his sacrifices in these woords Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnte offeringes and sacrifices as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed Behold to obey is better than sacrifice to hearken is better than the fatte of rammes For rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednesse and idolatrie Herevnto maketh that whiche we read in Isaie He that killeth a bullock is as if he slue a man He that sacrificeth a sheepe as if hee cutt off a dogges necke He that offereth an oblation as if hee offered swines bloud He that remembreth incense as if hee blessed an idole All these thinges haue they chosē in their owne wayes and their soule is delighted in their owne abhominations Vaine therfore and abhominable are those seruices which are not reduced and framed to the pure word of god For the same Prophete sayeth In vaine doe they serue mee teachinge doctrines of men The liuing true and euerlasting God who will and ought onely and alone to bee worshipped to bee called vppon and to be serued giue vnto all men true religion and deliuer them from all vaine superstition thoroughe Iesus Christoure lord Amen A. F. ¶ That the sonne of God is vnspeakeably begotten of the father that hee is consubstantiall with the father and therefore true god That the selfe same sonne is true man consubstantiall with vs and therefore true God and man abideing in two vnconfounded natures in one vndiuided person ¶ The sixt Sermon THe thinges themselues and their order do require that after I haue spoken generally of God of his Vnitie and of his Trinitie I further entreat particularly of the persons of the reuerend Trinitie first of al of our lord Iesus Christ true God man then of the holy Ghost wherew t if our minds be indued all thinges whatsoeuer we speake and heare shal tend to the glorie of Gods name and to the saluation of our soules Let vs therefore pray c. That euerlasting father the originall and authour of all thinges begott the sonne by an euerlasting and vnspeable begetting For the whole scripture with one agréement doeth call God a father yea truely an eternall or euerlasting father But none is a father of his owne selfe but a father of his sonne and for beecause he is the euerlasting father hee must therefore necessarily haue an euerlasting sonne equall vnto himselfe in all respectes coeternall and consubstantiall with him Sainct Paule vndoubtedly for the confirmation of this catholique veritie alledgeth out of the old testament two testimonies Vnto which sayeth hee of his Angels said GOD at any time Thou art my sonne this daye haue I begotten thee And againe I will be his father and hee shal be my sonne all which wordes he applyeth vnto Christe Iesus the sonne of god Of whome also Micheas beareth witnesse saying And thou Beth-lehem Ephrata art little to bee amonge the thousandes of Iudah yet out of thee shall hee come forth vnto mee that shal be the ruler in Israel whose goeinges foorth or spreadings abroad haue beene from the beginning and from euerlasting Wherevppon the sonne of God himselfe in the Gospell after Iohn sayeth Verilie I say vnto you before Abraham was I am And Iohn sayeth In the beginning was the word the word was with God and God was the word But he doeth vnderstand by The word not the word which is spoken and so vanisheth not the counsell of God but the person of the sonne For by and by hee addeth And the woord beecame or was made slesh And wée doe knowe that the sonne of God not the determination or purpose of God as heretiques doe vainely imagine was incarnate But he which in time was incarnate was with the father from euerlasting and before all beginnings and therefore also true God with the true god For The word sayeth hee was with God God was the word beecause in the beginning namely from euerlasting he was with god These simple and plaine testimonies deliuered vnto vs out of the scriptures therefore most true concerning the euerlasting begetting of the sonne by the father are sufficient I thinke for them that are not curious For the scripture doeth not héere fulfil the vaine desires of curious men neither yet reasoneth of these poinctes subtilely but rather deliuereth and setteth downe but a fewe thinges in which it is our parts to beléeue But that which the scripture either doeth not sett downe or else in fewe woords shadoweth out either wee are ignoraunt of to oure health or else stickinge to that that is sett downe wée séeke not further for more The holy father Cyrill expounding that saying of the Euangelist Iohn In the beginning was the word sayeth Let vs not séeking thinges infinite and which cannot be conteyned within boundes busie our braines about a consideration that cannot bée expressed and neuer can haue an end For neither will wee graunt a beginning of beginning neither yet wil we yéeld that the sonne was begotten of the father in time but wee will confesse that he is with the father from euerlasting For if hee was
out y manifold offices and diuerse operations of Angels whiche we being desirous to comprehend in few woordes haue said that Angels are created of God for the ministerie of God himselfe and men For Dauid said Which maketh his Angels spirites and his ministers a flame of fire And againe in another place O praise the Lord all ye angels of his ye that excell in strength ye that fulfill his commaundement hearken vnto the voice of his words O praise ye the Lord all his hoasts ye seruants of his that doe his pleasure And of Angels Paule also sayth Are not all ministring spirits which are sent out into the ministerie for their sakes which shal be heires of saluation But God vseth the ministerie of Angels vppon no necessitie but of his owne goodwill For hee might bee without them since by his word he bringeth to passe what he will. For hee spake and they were made hee commaunded they were created not one of al the angels iâ—yntly working with him so at this day also hee is able without the help of Angels to bring to passe what he will. But beecause of his speciall goodnesse hee created them to the partaking of euerlasting life and saluation hee vseth their ministerie to vs ward as he also doeth the seruice of other creatures to whom they declare their faith obedience to God ward and God exerciseth his vnspeakeable goodwill both toward them whom by grace he hath made partakers of euer lasting ioy and also toward vs whom he hath vouchsafed to honour with the seruice of so excellent a company For amonge other innumerable and the greatest benefites of God whereat not without cause we are astonished this is not to be accounted the least that he hath giuen vs angels to be our seruants Truely this is an excéeding great token of his fatherly care and regard to vs ward first of all because he frameth himselfe so swéetely to our capacities and dispositions In time past the Lord himselfe spake with his owne mouth in mount Sina with the church or coÌ„gregation of the Israelites but when he vnderstood that they had rather he should speake by their interpretour Moses he toke their wishe offer and afterward he spake by Moses vsing his ministerie toward them Truly God is able to poure most perfecte faith into our minds by his holy spirite without any ioynt-working of men but because he knew it was profitable for vs that it should so bée he instituted the ministerie of his word and planteth the faith of the Apostles by the preaching of the Gospell And that ordinaunce once made he doth so precisely obserue that when he might haue done the same by angels yet by the Angels themselues hee sendeth them that are to bee instructed in the faith to the Apostles For it is manifest what the angels of the Lord in the Actes of the Apostles did with Cornelius whome he sendeth vnto the preaching of Peter Therefore when God séeth the ministerie of angels conuenient for vs then of good wil vppon no necessitie he vseth their ministerie toward meÌ„ And doubtlesse angels loue men excéedingly and that which they do they doe of their owne accord not of constraint nor vnwillingly For they caÌ„not but excéedingly loue them whome they sée to be so déere to their creatour that for their sakes hée spared not his onely begotten sonne but for them deliuered him vpp into most bitter death That I make no mention héere of the most readie obedience whiche they performe to their God who willeth and commaundeth them to serue him and men The Lord in the Gospell witnesseth That the Angels in heauen reioyce at the conuersion and turning of men that bee sinners In Zacharie the angel of the Lord is brought in very sorowfull for the myserie of the captiues in Babylon and carefull for their deliuerance from captiuitie All whiche thinges commend vnto vs the loue and affection of Angels towards mankinde For otherwise those blessed spirites are not moued with affections carefulnesse or sorrowe as wee are in the flesh But they be glad and reioyce as blessed spirites can reioyce in whome there is no humane affection Whiche affections neuerthelesse are not onely attributed to them but to GOD himselfe tropically or by a figure as they say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is after the affection of maÌ„ to the end oure mindes maye the better vnderstand and more easilie conceiue spiritual and heauenly thinges as it were by parables howbeit let vs thincke that parables do not always conteine all thinges therefore our minds must be lifted vp to higher thinges and spirituall thinges must spiritually bee iudged The ministerie of Angels extendeth very farre whiche I will declare by rehearsing certeine kinds of them as briefly and as plainely as I can First they doe seruice vnto God himselfe in all thinges which I thincke is sufficiently declared in that whiche went afore The same God they all magnifie together with euerlasting praises worshipping glorifying reioycing in him For Theodoret reciting certein testimonies of scriptures concerning this matter sayeth The ministerie or seruice of angels is the praising of god singing of hymnes or songes For the holy prophete Esaie saith of the Seraphim that they cried and said Holie holie holie is the lord god of Sabbaoth heaueÌ„ earth are full of his glorie And of the Cherubim the heauenly prophete Ezechiel sayeth that he heard them saying Blessed be the glorie of the Lord out of his place The whole hoast of heauen also singeth a birthe songe to Christe their Prince when hee was borne as is to be séene in S. Luke saying Glorie be to God on high in earth peace and amonge men good-will So they goe before with an example for men to followe teaching what they also should doe that is offer praise and thanke sgiuing to God on high whom the Angels also reuerence and worship with vs. Moreouer the angels loue the truth and are desirous to haue the same spred abroad and the glorie of God by all meanes furthered and therefore they laye blockes in the waye of false prophets hating them with their accursed doctrine and Antichriste For S. Peter testifyeth that the Angels desire to behold the Gospell of the sonne of god In the reuelation of Iesus Christe made to Iohn the Apostle the Angel of the Lord bindeth Sathan and the angels furthering the Gospel of Christ set themselues euery where against false Christians and false teachers For euen in y end of the world The sonne of man shall sende forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all thinges that offend and them whiche do iniquitie and shall caste them into a fornace of fire They themselues stand in the presence of the Allmightie God wayting his commaundement who so soone as he shall commaund them to goe forth and to execute his comaundements by and by they make spéede They come
therefore vnto men to declare the will and commaundementes of god So the Angel Gabriel came first to Zacharie the father of Iohn Baptiste afterward he came to the blessed virgin to shewe vnto her the incarnation of the sonne of god Innumerable examples of this kinde are euery where found in the holie scriptures They watch for our safetie beeing carefull for vs yet without molestation whereof I tould you before They aduertise the faithfull in time conuenient foreshewing dangers to come and they also do comfort the afflicted For the wisemen being warned by the Angel that they should not returne vnto Hierusalem to Herode auoyde great perill Ioseph also béeing commaunded by the Angel slieth into Aegypt deliuering the Christe or annointed of the Lord out of the bloudie handes of Herode Christe also at the mount of Oliuet beeing in a bloudie sweate is comforted by the angel And Hagar the handmaide of Sara béeing in extreme daunger is recreated by the consolation of an angel As also the Apostle S. Paule béeing very néere shippwracke heareth this voice of the Angel of the Lord Feare not Paule thou must be brought before CÄ™sar and loe God hath giuen thee all them that saile with thee Againe angels are sent for reuengement of mischiefous persons to take punishment I meane of those that be wicked and impenitent For the firâ—â— borne of the Aâ—gyptians 〈…〉 of the Angel. In the Acts of the Apostles the Angel of the Lord siniteth Herode Agrippa It is said that in the camp of the Aâ—â—yrians many were sinitten slaine of one Angel And Dauid sawe an Angel with a sword drawen houering betwéen heauen and earth afflicting the people with a most gréeuous plague So we beléeue that the holy Angels shall come with the sonne of man vnto iudgment as Paule witnesseth and sayth Our Lord Iesus Christe shal be reuealed from heauen with the Angels of his power in flaming fire rendering vengeance vnto them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ For in the Reuelation of Iesus Christe also the Angels powre out vialls full of the wrath of God vppon the heads of false Christians Moreouer they take vppon them the charge and defence of vs God so commaunding they are oure kéepers readie at hand watching ouer vs that no aduersitie happen vnto vs and doe guide our ways For hetherto belong the testimonies of the Psalmes and very many examples of the scripture Dauid sayth This poore or afflicted man cryed and the Lord heard him and saued him out of all his troubles The Angel of the Lord pitcheth his tents rounde about them that feare him deliuereth them And in another Psalme hee sayeth There shall no euill come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle or dwelling For he shal giue his Angels charge ouer thee to kepe thee in all thy wayes They shal beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foote against a stone Thou shalt goe or walke vppon the Lion and Addâ—r or aspe the young non and the dragon shalâ— thou 〈◊〉 vnder thy â—eete And the Lord in the Gospell plainely sayeth that little children haue angels without doubt to be their kéepers Iacob â—he 〈◊〉 greatly fearing his brother Esau â–ª 〈◊〉 Angels comming to meete him vnderstandeth that Angels were giuen vnto him as guides and kéepers of him in his way against the â—â—ercenesse of his brothe In the affaires of Heliseus wee read that the king of Syria beséeged the citie Dothan with a great hoast wherein HelisÄ™us at that time ledd his life whom he had purposed to take when the seruaunt of Helisaeus perceiued that and was troubled in minde and lamented his maisters case Helisaeus said Feare not for they that bee with vs are moe than they that be with them the Prophete also prayed and said Lord I beseech thee open his eyes that he may see the lord opened the eyes of the seruaunt and he looked and behold the mounteine was ful of horses and fierie chariots that is to say he was armed and defended with the guard of an hoast of Angels Abraham also sayth to his seruant The Lord God of heauen which said vnto mee Vnto thy seede will I giue this land he shall send his Angel before thee namely to directe thy way to defend thée and bring to passe that thou mayest obteine thy desire For the Lord himselfe said to Moses in Exodus Behold I will send my Angel before thee to keepe thee in the waye to lead thee to the place that I haue prepared In the Actes of the Apostles thou doest often read that Angels serued the Apostles furthered their purpose and defended them against their aduersaries In Daniel Angâ—ls are brought in for princes and presidents or gouernours of kingdomâ— as Michael with Gabriel princes of thâ— Israelitishe kingdomâ—â— and 〈◊〉 other of the Persian 〈…〉 of y Grâ—cian kingdâ—â—â— and eache of them debate the mattâ—r touching his owne kingdome and fight for the same Not that there is any variaunce or disagréement in heauâ—n where doubtlesse there is plentifull peace euerlasting concorde and quietnesse neither that there are conflictes or battells fought betwéene the Angels as betwéene those Gods whom the Poet Homere describeth but by a parable and allusion heauen is compared to the Court of some puissaunt and renowmed prince where Embassadours of sundrie countries debate their diuerse causes which is done in consideration of our weake witt and slender capacitie For thus we ought to coÌ„ceiue in our minde that God who is the only Lord of all kingdomes heareth all mens suites and taketh in hand all mens matters and that Angels at the word and wil of God minister and doe seruice vnto God when it pleaseth him to vse their ministerie and seruice For so Nabuchodonosor also sawe in a vision a watchman coÌ„ming downe from heauen and foretelling the destinie of the trée that was to be hewen downe Neuerthelesse we must héere take héede least contrarie to the nature of true religion wee attribute too much to Angels that we worship them not that we cal not vppon them nor serue them In déed when men he are that Angels are giuen vnto them of God for ministers and that God by them doeth good vnto vs by and by they thincke that some honour is to bee ascriâ—â—ed 〈◊〉 giuen vnto them But â—â—ncere religion doth teach vs to acknowlâ—dâ—â— â–ª GOD the authour of all 〈◊〉 thingâ—â— â–ª that the Angels are â—he minister◠〈◊〉 God and as it were instruments by whome he worketh as wée sée the sonne the mone the starres the Patriarches the Prophets and the Apostles to be and to haue béene But who beeing well in his witts hath worshipped called vppon or serued the Sunne or the starrs though they bée creatures very excellent and beneficial vnto men And what partaker I pray
of some who promise to condemned spirits redeÌ„ption from their punishments a little before the iudgment day But against these very many doctors of the church haue disputed all and euery one of theÌ„ condemning with one voyce an opinion which the 〈◊〉 longe ago condemned For the iudge in the ende of the world 〈◊〉 definitiue sentence against 〈◊〉 than al the wicked shal say Depart â—rom me ye cursed into euerlasting fier which is prepared for the diuell and his â—ngels And by by the Apostle holy Euangelist a witnesse of the truth doth â—dde And these shal go into euerlasting â—unishment but the righteous into life euerlasting For in Marke the lord also â—aid In hell their worme dieth not and â—he fier is not queÌ„ched And in Iohn in more plaine pithie wordes he saith They that haue done good shall come forth vnto the resurrection of life and they that haue done euil vnto the â—esurrection of condemnation He doth not â—ay they shal go either into life or into condemnation but into the resurrection either of life or condemnation that is to remaine euerlastingly in life or death For Daniel of whom the Lorde borowed these wordes hath said And many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt For Iohn the Apostle saith that the smoke of those that are condemned thrown headlong in to hel for euermore shal ascende vp It is certeine therefore that the condemnation of the wicked shal be altogether without ende and euerlasting Furthermore in calling the reuolting Angels spirits we doe not vnderstand by spirite the wicked affection of the hart or the qualitie or passion of the minde or corruption and sinne For the world is not without some which thinke the the diuell is nothing els but a mischefous man or a mischiefous sinnefull â—oÌ„motion or outrage of the minde By spirits therefore we vnderstand spiriâ—uall substances indued with féeling â—nderstanding For in the first chapter of 〈◊〉 sathan came shewed him self among the children or seruaÌ„tâ— of god speaking with the lord The gospel 〈◊〉 reporteth vnto vs that diuels béeâ—â— cast out of a man entred into the herd of swine â— drowned them iâ— the 〈◊〉 of the sea or lake of Gaderen Moreouer the gospel recordeth that the diuel sinned from the beginning that he coltinued not in the truth that he is a lier a murtherer Iudas maketh mentioÌ„ that the angel fought with the diuell In Marke the diuels cry out and say What haue we to do with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy vs but yet for al that our sauiour beinâ— alredy appointed made iudge shal say to the diuels Go into the euerlasting fier Al which testimonies agree to substances by them selues subsistine not to qualities Diuels therfore arâ— spirituall substances But what bodieâ— they be which they often times take in which they appeare vnto men nâ— man I thinke can perfectly tell whicâ— also we tolde you a little before when we entreated of the bodies which good angels toke For truly that diuels puâ— on bodies shapes differing from their owne the historie of Samuel raised vp by a witch manifestly proueth It was not Samuel that was raised from the dead but the capteine-coyner of lyes counterfeiting Samuel deceiued king Saul And Paul witnesseth that sathâ— doth transforme himselfe into an angel of light Histories also declare that the diuel is a maruelous iugling deceiuer in taking on him diuers forms shapes And as I saide of good angels that they are spéedy in their ministerie without burden or lets so there is no doubt that diuels in their kinde worke are well prepared For the scriptures declare that they haue a thousand shiftes wonderfull craftinesse subtiltie and that their knowâ—edge is 〈…〉 reacheth very farre Finally that they are very ready and neuer weary to attempt performe althings They passe through the whole world with excéeding swiftnesse they handle all their matters very craftily and therefore are maruelous names shadowing out their force power allotted vnto them For he is called Sathan the olde serpeÌ„t a deceiuer the prince of this world the prince of darknesse which hath power ouer the aire a roaring Lion. Of which and of other not vnlike I will speake anon more at large when I haue firste tolde you this that there are an infinite route of diuels For vij diuels are cast out of Marie Magdalen That diuell of whom Matthew speaketh being no sooner cast out museth consulteth howe he may be wholy restored againe taking to him vij other spirites worse than himselfe Moreouer in Marks gospell there is mention made of a legion For the vncleane spirit being asked of the lorde what his name was answered My name is legion because we are â—any Therefore when there is mention made of sathan also where in hoâ—ie scripture it is not so to be taken as â—hough there were either but one subâ—â—ance or person of y diuel â–ª For they arâ— comprehended as the members vnder â—he head as particularities vndâ—r geâ—eralities The scripture truely elsewhere maketh mention of the prince of the diuels For the enimies of Christe do often cry out He casteth out diuels by the prince of diuels but yet that saying doth not expresse what manner of principalitie that is whether orderly among them selues those euill spirites be distinguished And it is certein that all the vngodly are vnder one head as all the godly are vnder one Christe the lord It is certein that all the diuels are o◠〈…〉 corrupt 〈…〉 their force only to this end to 〈◊〉 aduersaries vnto god hurtfull enimies to men But of y operations works or effects of diuels I wil speak wher I shal by the way exposid their names or attributes Corrupt wicked spirits generally are called diuels which is asmuch as if you should say slaunderers or false accusers For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Gréekes signifieth slaunder c. And the worde diuel is fetched froÌ„ the Grecians For he soweth slaunders in accusing men vnto god in setting men at variance betwene themselues that now I say nothing how he goeth about to bring god his works into suspicioÌ„ among men Therfore he is elsewhere called a lier the author of lies and the father of al hypocrites therefore the spring of all 〈◊〉 heresies wickednesses And bicause Iudas was an hypocrite a lyer a 〈…〉 traitor the lord rightly gaue him the name of a diuell The Apostle Peter called the diuell an aduersarie For the lord also himselfe called him The enuious man which sowed tarâ—â— in the lords field For he is the 〈◊〉 of God men setting himselfe against the wil of God whose glory also he laboureth to take away
slept neither could sléepe so being deliuered from the burden of the bodie they are muche lesse to bee thought to sléepe To the bodie therefore is sléepe to bee referred For whosoeuer dieth in a true faith hee sléepeth in the lord And as they that sléepe when their 〈…〉 the body is not altogether eâ—tinguished by deathe that it should not liue againe any more but nowe verily 〈…〉 into rest and at the day of iudgemeÌ„t it riseth againe liueth and for this cause holy meÌ„ are sayd in the scriptures to sléepe not to die that therby the mysterie of the resurrection of our flesh may be signified Which thing these grosse headed men vnderstand not wherevpon they attribute that to the soule which is proper to the body Other arguments which they bring to confirme their madnesse are vnworthy to be rehearsed For eyther they violently wrest the scripture from the natural sense or else by their corrupt reasoning they gather falshoode out of those things that are false But they doe erre and are no lesse deâ—eiued than these sléeping doctours which thinke that soules departing from their bodies go not by by the right ready way into heauen but are â—aâ—ght in the middest of their iourney and carried into that purgatorie firâ— wherin they maye be purged from the filthy spots of sinnes whiche they haue gotten in the flesh and that after they be purged they are carried by Angels into the presence of the most holy god For eyther the souls are purged with that purgatorie fire from the filthe of their sinnes or else they are washed and cleansed through the paine and griefe of torments whiche there they do suffer If sinnes be purged by vertue of that fire then it followeth that sinners are not sanctified by the only bloude of the sonne of god But by what scriptures haue they proued vn to vs that this power of purging is giuen to the fire Hath God altered 〈…〉 and purpose and sâ—t 〈◊〉 fire instead of Christe to workâ— our sanctifiâ—ation 〈◊〉 for shame But if for oure sufferings and tormentes sake sinnes are forgiuen then it followeth that we are not purged by the crosse and passion of Christ only Let them teache vs out of the scripture that suche worthinesse is attributed by God to our sufferings But by the onely bloud and passion of Christ all those are sanctified that be sanctified whosoeuer they be therefore purgatoriâ— is a wicked deuise of the diuell whiche darkeneth yea and maketh voyd the crosse and merites of Christ For what other thing do they account purgatorie but a satisfaction for sinnes made by the soules separated froÌ„ their bodies In the Gospell of Iohn there is a question moued by the disciples of Iohn the Baptist touching the purifying of soules And Iohn Baptist declareth that the faythfull are through Christe purified by fayth which thing he is beléeued to haue testified also by holy baptisme Moreouer the most excellent apostles do expresly witnosse that all the faithfull are cleansed by the onely bloude of Christe and by his onely passion and most sufficient merites For Peter who sayeth in the Actes Neyther is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen no other name vnder heauen wherby we must be saued He I say hath written in his firste canonicall Epistle Ye knowe that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as with siluer and golde but with the precious bloude of the immaculate lambe Iohn the Apostle also sayeth The bloude of Christ Iesus the sonne of God cleanseth vs from all sinne And he againe Christ loued vs and washed vs from our â—innes by his owne bloud And Paule â—ath to the Ephesians 〈◊〉 to Titus sheweth that we are purified by the only bloud of the sonne of god Vnto the He brues he sayth By him selfe hath hee purged our sinnes and sâ—ttâ—â—h on the right hande of God in the highest places It was not without signification that he said By him self that he might thereby exclude all other meanes For elswhere he sayth thus If righteousnesse come by the lawe then Christe dyed in vaine For after the same manner we also doe reason If we be cleansed by purgatorie fire then in vaine did Christe shed his bloude to purgâ— vs For what néeded he to haue suffered most grieuous punishment if we could haue ben cleansed by Purgatorie fire Moreouer the whole scripture teacheth vs that Christe is our onely satisfaction and propitiation Which thing we haue at large shewed in other places And therefore soules make no satisfaction in purgatorie vnlesse we wil confesse that men haue no néede of Christe These men doe further feine that the power to purge is giuen to the fire of purgatorie by grace or by the bloude and merites of Christe that this fire purgeth not by his own vertue but by the power of the sonne of god But they haue also forged this most wickedly For the scripture in euerie place as we also said euen nowe sendeth vs back to the sonne of God and the price of his bloude and cleansing wherof it teacheth that we are made partakers while we liue in this world by faith and the holy ghost but of Purgatorie it speaketh not a word in any place neyther saith it in any place that we by the grace of god are purged in an other worlde Therefore they steale away the glorie 〈…〉 proper vnto the 〈…〉 God and giue it to a fire which is altogether forged and 〈…〉 Furthermore then appoint an other time of grace out of this world which is altogether straunge vnto the scriptures For our Lorde cryeth in the Gospel I must worke the workes of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke And Saint Paule sayth Let vs doe good that is to â—ay let vs â—e bountifull and liberall towarde the poore while we haue time Whiche saying he séemeth to haue taken out of Solomons booke of the Preacher saying When the cloudes are full they poure out raine vpon the earth and when the tree falleth whether it be towarde the South or North in what place so euer it fall there it remaineth He vseth two Allegories or darke speaches by the which he teacheth the rich to be liberal The first is taken from the cloudes The cloudes from the earth do gather vp vapours which being thickned are immediatly as out of a sponge pressed out and pâ—â—â—ed vppon the earth to water it Let rich men do the like distributing againe among men suche riches as they haue gotten among men The seconde is taken of trées which being feld lye in the same places in the whithey fall The wise man therefore warneth vs to doe that in due season whiche we oughte to doe for when we are departed from hence there is no place of repentaunce And in the Gospell a trée is oftentimes put for a man where also the right hand is put
Paule baptised as a minister not as one that had power of himselfe but the Lord baptised as he that had power of himselfe Behold if it had pleased him he could haue giueÌ„ this power to his seruants but he would not For if hee should haue giuen this power vnto his seruaunts that it should also haue beene theirs which was the lords then there should haue beene as many sundrie baptismes as seruaunts c. In the Church Christ reserueth that absolute power to himselfe For he continueth the head king bishop of the Church for euer neither is that head whiche giueth life separated from his body at any time But that limitted power he hath giuen vnto the Church Whiche thing it ought to acknowledge to wit an Ecclesiastical iurisdiction hemmed in with certeine lawes whiche procéedeth from God and for that cause it is effectuall and therefore in all thinges ought to haue chiefe regard vnto God and that Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction is for that purpose giuen vnto the church that it might be put in practise for the profite of the Church For S. Paule sayth The Lord hath giuen vs power to the intent we should edifie not for the destruction of the Church And therefore that power whiche tendeth to the hinderance and destruction of the Church is a diuelish tyrannie and not an ecclesiasticall power procéeding from god And it behoueth vs diligently to marke and reteine this ende of Ecclesiasticall power But the limitted power of the church consisteth verie néere in these points to witt in ordeyning of the ministers of the Church in doctrine and in the discerning betwéene doctrines and finally in the ordering of Ecclesiasticall matters Of euery one of which pointes in their order we will speake a litle declaring what manner of authoritie the Church hath and howe farre it is limitted in euery part thereof The Lord himselfe appointed the chiefe doctours of the Church whiche were the Apostles that all men might vnderstand that the Ecclesiastical ministerie is the diuine institution of God himselfe and not a tradition deuised by men And therfore after that the Lord was ascended into heauen S. Peter calling the Church together speaketh out of the scriptures of placing an other Apostle in the stéed of the traytour Iudas by that very facte shewing that power was giuen vnto the Church by God to electe ministers or teachers The same Church also not longe after by the persuasion of Peter and the Apostles so persuading vndoubtedly by the inspiration of the holy Ghost choose seuen deacons The Church of Antioche being manifestly instructed by the holy Ghoste doeth ordeine and sende Paule and Barnabas althoughe they were longe before that time assigned to the ministerie It is read also in the Actes of the Apostles that the churches by the commaundement of the Apostles did ordeine doctours for the holy ministerie as often as néede required And yet notwithstanding they did not ordeine euery one without choice but such onely as were fitt for that office that is to say such as afterward by expresse lawes they themselues did describe to witt If any man were faultles the husband of one wife watchfull sober c. The rule set downe by the Apostle is sufficiently knowen as appeareth in the 1. to Tim. 3. Cap. But as touching the ordeyning of ministers God willing wee will speake in the third sermon of this Decade But if the Church haue receiued power to appoint fitt ministers for the Church I thincke no man will denie that the Church hath authoritie to depose the vnworthie wicked deceiuers and also to correct and amende those thinges whiche being lacking may séeme necessarie for this order And forasmuch as ministers are chosen chiefly to teach it must follow that the Church hath power to teach to exhort to comfort and such like by her lawfull ministers and yet no power to teach euery thing but that onely which she receiued being deliuered vnto her from the Lord by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Teach them sayeth the Lord that whiche I commaunded you Go ye and preach the Gospell to all creatures And S. Paul sayth I am put a part to preach the Gospell of God which he promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures But this ministerie office of preaching is nothing else but the power of the keyes whiche the Church hath receiued The office I saye of binding and loosing of opening shutting heauen In another place also the apostles receiued power from the Lord ouer all ouer all I say not absolutely but ouer all diuels and not ouer all Angels and men and yet that authoritie and power they receiued ouer diuels they receiued it not absolutely for it is added vnto it that they should expell and cast them out And therefore they could not deale with diúels after their owne fancie but that onely so farre forth as he would haue them to dâ—e who hath absolute power ouer all diuels and that they might cast diuels out of men but not to sende them into men thoughe they would haue desired it neuer so much And so also as touching diseases they could not doe what they would else would not S. Paule haue left Trophimos sicke at Miletum who might so greatly haue béene profitable vnto him in the holy ministerie The two disciples if they had béen able to haue done what they would would haue commanded fire from heauen to haue fallen downe vppon Samaria and so would haue taken vengeaunce of the vncourteous and barbarous people of Samaria for that they denied to harbour the Lord Christ In like manner those same Apostles receiued keyes that is to saye power to binde and to lose to open and shutt heauen to forgiue and to reteine sinnes but perfectly limitted For they could not lose y which was bound in hell neither bind them that were liuing in heauen For he said not What soeuer ye binde in heauen but whatsoeuer ye binde vppon earth Neither said he Whatsoeuer ye lose in hell but what soeuer ye lose vppon earth Againe they were not able eyther to binde or lose whom they would not so much as vpon earth For they were not able to lose that is to say to pronounce a maÌ„ frée from sinne that was without faith Againe they could not binde that is say pronounce condemned him that was lightened with faith was truely penitent And surely such as teach other doctrine than this touching the power of the keyes deceiue the whole world of whiche wee will more largly intreat in place conuenient Likewise the Church hath receiued power from Christ to administer the sacraments by ministers but not according to her owne will and pleasure but according to Gods will and the forme and manner sett downe by the Lord himselfe The Church cannot institute sacraments neither yet alter the ends vse of the sacraments Finallie that the Church hath
celebrated in stéede of other ordinances of god came in a high heap of foolish and superstitious Ceremonies whervnto a great number of men yelding made themselues subiect to the sea of Rome In the meane space notwithstanding the church of God was not vtterly extinguished throughout al the world neither the holy ministerie of the word of God the true worship of God vtterly decayed amongest all men For there were found spred abrode in euery place not a few men who neither alowed the Pope and his conspirators nether his corruption in matters of the church But they worshipped the lord Christ whom they acknowledged to be the onely authour of saluation and therfore they kept them selues frée from Popish filthines And god also sent almost in euery age since the beginning of Popedome men that were graue godly and learned who greuously accused the Popes kingdome and tyrannie euen as the Prophets did of old time in the dayes of Ieroboam the idolatrous corruption coÌ„stantly requiring the reformation of the church from Popish corruptions and also teaching the true doctrine of saluation the true vse of the sacramentes And wheras a pure reformation by reason of Antichristes tyrannie could not bée obteined there was notwithstanding found a continual studie of puritie a godly desire of the lawful vse of the sacraments euen as I said there was in the elect members of the true church of God in the dayes of IeroboaÌ„ Achab Manasses in the time of the captiuitie of Babylon But euen as in those times the true prophets of God were not acknowleged for true prophets of the priests of Baal but were coÌ„demned for scismatiques heretiques eueÌ„ so in certeine ages past the bishops of Rome with their conspiratours did excoÌ„municate persecute godly and learned men who preached the word of God called for the reformation of the church many of them did they put to death with fire and sword which thing our Lord and maister himselfe with the prophets and Apostles did foreshewe should come to passe Moreouer God could vndoubtedly reserue to himselfe a mightie church euen vnder the Papisme euen as we doubte not but hee hath done a very gret vnder Mahometanisme for who will thinke that no meÌ„bers of the church of God are remayning in all Asia and Africa Could not our merciful god with his mightie power in the last calamitie and ruine of gods church reserue againe as sometime he did 7000. meÌ„ of whom neuer a one had worshipped the beast or receiued his mark What hath béen don in Turkie or what at this day is don let them declare that can do it best most rightly What hath béene done amongest vs in these last ages no man can denie Through the great goodnesse of God we sée it is come to passe that euen as circumcision the signe of gods couenaunt of old was giueÌ„ vnto the people of god euen in the middest of the falling from god so also at this day in the greatest darcknesse of Antichrist most holy baptisme was giuen to the ChristiaÌ„s to be as a seale of the forgiuenesse of sinnes inheritance of the children of god Surely the purenes of doctrine was prophaned with infinite most grosse traditions by the Popes sworne frends yet in the meane time it was not altogether abolished For that I repeat not againe any thing of that which I haue said of godly and learned men sent of God crying for reformation of the Church and greatly profiting with all the children of God was it not with a certein vniuersall consent receiued for most certeine and vndoubted that in the decalogue or tenne commandements there was set downe a short and most absolute summe of all the commaundements of God and that in the Lords prayer was taughte vs a most ample forme of prayer vnto God And that in the Apostles créed was conteyned a most perfect rule of faith or of y which was to be beléeued Surelie the custome was to recite the créede almost vnto euery one that was departinge out of this world and to those that lay euen at the last gasp as a most perfect rule of that faith whiche bringeth saluation Neither do we doubt that the mercifull God and father of mercies who vouchsafed to saue the théefe vppon the crosse euen at the giuing vp of his life had mercie vppon those that were oppressed with the tyrannie of Antichrist and through his vnmeasurable grace touched the hearts of men both liuing and readie to die taught them by his holy spirite and that they coÌ„fessing one God the father maker of all things and one Iesus Christ the sonne of God redéemer of the world to haue suffered and risen againe and one holy Ghoste and finallie the holie catholique Church that he hath sanctifyed them forgiuing them all their sinnes and hath translated the soules of such faithfull men into life euerlasting according as they beléeued into which place also wee beléeue our flesh being raised againe shal be caried in the end of the world They haue here therfore their answere also who aske whether all oure elders who died beefore these last times wherein the Gospell is reuealed be damned Let therfore those that bee aliue rather looke least for their contempt of the word of God and contâ—ntions raised against the word of God they come to worse end thaÌ„ their forefathers came Therfore thoughe we acknowledge not the Popish Church to be the true Church yet it followeth not thereof that there neither is or was any Church of God in the earth For we say that is the true Church of GOD which beléeueth in Christe and forsaketh not his word which Church also we haue plentifully enough described We know moreouer that wée our selues which at this daye beléeue in Christe are the true Church of Christ our lord For wee cleane by faith to oure onely head Christe and to all the members of the catholique church so as we are not destitute of the true markes of the true Church of God. But we read not say they that vnder the bishops priestes and kings of the Church of the Iewes either the prophets that is to saye the guides of the faithfull or else the faithful themselues did depart away from the high priest from the king or from their vniuersall Church and ordeyned vnto themselues new particular sacrifices as you at this day doe For you departing from the bishopp of Rome from kinges and gouernours and from the vniuersal Church do congregate vnto your selues a Church farre vnlike the vniuersall Church both in preaching and ministring of the Sacraments Wherevnto I aunswere that the old fathers before the comming of oure maister Christe for a certeine prescribed cause did not séeke places to offer new sacrifices in the temple being abused and defiled with idolatrie For it was vnlawfull to offer sacrifice without the bounds of the temple As is to be séene in the 3. of Leuit. and the 12. of Deut. Neither
and all his members And in this sort now a dayes haue wee forsaken that sea of Rome flowing with false doctrine idolatrie and the bloud of innocent martyrs haue embraced the doctrine of the Gospel and of the Apostles and therefore Christ himselfe the head of the church which is the fellowshipp of all sainctes beléeuing in Christ And this hetherto haue I spoken by digression I nowe returne to the treatise of the catholique church that I may make an end of those thinges whiche remaine to be spoken And to that end that greater light and force maye be added to those thinges which I haue hetherto spoken of the churche I will nowe bring out certeine parables out of the holy scriptures whereby those thinges are as it were painted out before our eyes And so shal it be easie for euerie man to put a difference betwéene the inward and the outward churche and to knowe what either apperteyneth properly to euery one or else what is not proper First of all the church is set forth vnto vs vnder the shape and fashion of a house A house is builded to this ende that men maye dwell in it and it is builded by workemen of matter of all sorts of wood of stones and morter the foundation beeing first layde vppon which are set walls which are ioyned together with a corner stone last of all is added or placed alofte the roofe without whiche the whole building by little and little rotting woulde fall downe decay I said that the churche is the house of God the chiefe maister builder whereof is God himselfe who in the figure therof that is to say in the tabernacle made by Moses and temple builded by Solomon did deliuer both vnto Moses and Dauid the fashion of the temple according to whiche patterne they should build it For god from the beginning kept the Angels that they should not fall but repaired man being fallen into sinne death euen streighte wayes after the beginning of the world sanctifying a church vnto himselfe whiche hee also seuered out cōpassing it about with his word And this fashion of the church it is altogether néedful that we kéepe that we receiue not any other fashiō either of Emperor or Pope or deliuered by any other mā The true master builder of this house of God saith in the Gospel Vpō this rock I wil build my church For the same sonne of God is he that maketh vs worthie of his kingdome he giueth vs faith by whiche wee are made true members of the churche of god But albeit the Lord himselfe bée the onely and principall builder of his church yet he refuseth not the labours of men in the building yea rather hee ioyneth men with him in building of the church whome also he vouchsafeth to call maister builders For Paule sayeth As a skilfull maister builder I haue laid the foūdation And againe Who is Paule and who is Apollos but the ministers by whom ye beleeued as the Lord gaue to euery mā I haue planted Apollos watered but God gaue the increase So then neither is hee that planteth any thinge neither hee that watereth but God that giueth the increase Againe We together are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandrie Gods building Wée will make the matter plaine by an example What time God would raise vp a house vnto himselfe amonge the Gentiles first of all hee endued with his grace Cornelius the gouernour of the Italian bande placed by Cęsar or the capiteine and Centurion by by after sending the Apostle Peter he prepared and made readie that house for himselfe For Peter teacheth and baptiseth Cornelius with his household hearkeneth beleeueth is baptised and becommeth the house of god the true church which church the Lord dwelles in by his spirite For euen as a house is dwelt in by men so GOD dwelleth in the church As Paul witnesseth saying The temple of God is holy whiche yee are Againe Knowe you not that your body is the temple of the holie Ghoste which is in you c. The foundation of this house is Christ For God sayeth by Esaie Behold I put or lay in Sion that is to saye in the Churche a stone a tried stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation Hee that beleeueth shal not make hast Which prophecie the Lord expoūding in S. Matthewes Gospel and applying it to himselfe as the foundation of the church saith vnto Peter confessing Iesus to bee the true sonne of the liuing God the Messias that was looked-for And vppon this rocke I will build my church the gates of hell shall not ouercome it There is moreouer to be added herevnto the exposition of S. Peter the Apostle who reciting the verye same words of the prophete Esaie and alluding to that saying of Dauid The stone whiche the builders refused is the head of the corner sayth exprefly that Christe is that liuing stone refused of men but chosen of God a sure foundation vppon whome whosoeuer stayeth shall not be confounded And also Paul the Apostle agreeth with Peter for hee sayeth And the rocke was Christ And againe An other foundation can no man lay than that which is layd which is Iesus Christ Therfore wheras he in another place nameth the selfe same foundation the foundation of the prophets and Apostles it is not so to be taken as if the Apostles and prophets were the foūdation of the church but that they layed Iesus Christ for the foundation of the Church builded the whole building vppon this foundation yea euen thēselues also For mortal men cannot be the obiect of faith and foundation of the church wherevppon the faithfull may stay Dauid crieth The way of God is vncorrupt the word of the Lord is tried in the fier he is ashield to al that trust in him For who is God besides the Lord And who is mightie or a rocke saue our God And Ieremie saith Thus saith the Lord cursed bee the man that trusteth in man maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his heart from the lord Blessed bee the man that trusteth in the Lord whose hope the Lord is So the writings of the prophets and Apostles with one consent shewe vs the rocke that is to say the foundation of the church to be Christ that it is he onely and alone Greatly do they erre therfore whosoeuer they be that do attribute to the bishop of Rome this diuine praise power and prerogatiue which is due only to the sonne of god And if so be it that they obiecte that many interpretours both Gréeke Latine haue vnderstoode by the rocke Peter himselfe we refuse mans authoritie and do affirme bring forth heauenly authoritie Christ said not I will build my church vpon thee but vppon a rocke that selfe same rocke that thou hast cōfessed Yea Peter taketh his name of Petra which signifieth a rocke euen
Gentiles Againe when the same Paule at Corinthe had preached Christe to the Iewes and they resisted and reuiled The Apostle shooke his rayment and sayde Your bloude be vppon your owne heades I am cleane from hencefoorth I will goe vnto the Gentiles And so he did â—â—nd the vnbeléeuers And God confirmed the preaching of Paule bycause it procéeded from God him selfe And vnlesse you put the proper and true keye into the locke you shall neuer open it The true and right keye is the pure worde of God the counterfet and théeuishe key is a doctrine and tradition of man estraunged from the worde of god I thinke I haue sufficiently proued by euident testimonies of the scripture that the keys giuen to the Apostles and Pastours of the Churche and so to the Churche it selfe are nothing else than the ministerie of teaching the Church For by the doctrine of the Gospell as it were with certeine keyes the gate of the kingdome of heauen is opened when a sure and readie meane and waye is shewed to come to atteine vnto the participation of Christe and the ioyes of euerlasting life by true fayth To the testimonie of God mans recorde agréeth For Sainte Iohn Chrysostome vpon Matthewe chapter 23. The keye saythe he is the word of the knowledge of the scriptures by whiche the gate of truthe is opened to men And the key-bearers are the Priests to whom is committed the worde of teaching and interpreting the scriptures Other testimonies of olde interpreters of the Scriptures differing nothing from these of oures for that I am desirous to be briefe I do not bring Since these thinges are thus brethren and are deliuered vnto vs in the expresse Scriptures we will not therefore greatly passe what the Papistes babble touching the power of the keyes and what offices dignities preferments and I knowe not what other thing and what authoritie of Priestes they deriue from thence We haue learned not out of the wordes or opinions of men but out of the manifest worde of GOD that the keys are the ministerie of the preaching of the worde of GOD and that the keyes are giuen to the Apostles and to their successours that is to say the office of preaching remission of sinnes repentaunce and life euerlasting is coÌ„mitted to them Wherevpon we nowe conclude this that the chiefe office of a Pastour of the church is to vse those very keyes whiche the Lorde hath deliuered to his Apostles and no other that is to preache the onely and pureworde of GOD and not to fetche any doctrine from any other place than out of the verie worde of god For there is a perpetuall and inuiolable lawe at this day also layde vpon our Pastours which we reade was layd vpon the most auncient gouernours of the Churche the Lorde him selfe witnessing in Malachie and saying My couenaunt was with Leuie of life and peace and I gaue him feare and he feared me and was afrayde before my name The lawe of truth was in his mouth and there was no iniquitie found in his lippes he walked with me in peace and equitie and turned many from their iniquitie For the Priestes lippes shoulde preserue knowledge and they shoulde seeke the lawe at his mouth for hee is the messinger of the Lorde of hoastes Againe the Lord sayth to Ezechiel Thou shalt heare the word at my mouth and giue them warning from me In Ieremie the Lorde sayth The Prophete that hath a dreame let him tell a dreame and hee that hath my woorde let him speake my woorde faythfully He expressely puts a difference betwéene heauenly things and earthly thinges betwéene those thinges whiche are of the word of GOD and those that are feigned and chosen by man whiche hée willeth to let passe as vncerteine thinges and as dreames For he immediately addeth Is not my worde as fire sayth the Lorde and like a hammer that breaketh the harde stone And againe Heare not the wordes of the Prophetes that preache vnto you and deceiue you truly they teache you vanitie for they speake the meaning of their owne hearte and not out of the mouth of the lord Therefore all the true Prophetes of GOD haue this continually in their mouth Thus sayth the Lorde The mouth of the Lorde hath spoken it And therefore they deliuered vnto the people nothing contrarie vnto the worde of god The olde people had also the Scripture And the Prophetes were nothing else but interpreters of the Lawe applying the same to the place time matters and persons Also oure Lorde Iesus Christe sayth oftentimes that his doctrine is not his owne but the fathers Whiche thing if you vnderstande literally and according to his words I knowe not whether any thing can be spoken more absurde Therefore the Lorde meaneth that his doctrine is not of man but of god Doth not he sende vs continually to the writinges of the Lawe and the Prophetes and confirmeth his owne sayinges by them But Christe is the onely teacher of religion and maister of lyfe appoynted vnto the vniuersall Churche by GOD the father To this Churche he himselfe also sending teachers and shewing them what they shoulde deliuer fayth Teach them to obserue those thinges which I haue commaunded you Also Goe into the whole worlde and preache the Gospell to all creatures But the Apostle Paule witnesseth that the Gospel was promised by the Prophetes of God in the holy Scriptures And this doctrine receiued of Christe the Apostles deliuered to the nations adding nothing vnto it taking nothing from it and there withall also they expounding the auncient writings of the Prophetes yet neyther in this matter trusting any thing to their owne wit nor being ruled by their owne iudgement For the Apostle Peter saith As euery man hath receiued the gift euen so minister the same one to an other as good stewardes of the manifold graces of god If any man speak let him talke as the words of god Tertullian also in his booke intituled De Praescript haeret which I haue also elswhere rehearsed expresly saith It is not lawful for vs in any thing to rest vpoÌ„ our owne fancie or iudgemeÌ„t neither yet to be negligent markers what any other man bringeth foorth of his owne braine We haue the Apostles of the Lord for authours for not they them selues did choose any thing whiche they might establish after their own fancie and the doctrine whiche they receiued of Christe they faythfully deliuered to the nations And therefore if euen an Angel from heauen should preach any otherwise he shal be accurssed at our hands Thus farre he We haue moreouer shewed in our sermons of faith and of the churche that faith dependeth vpon the only worde of God and that it wholy stayeth vpon the onely word of God also that the churches of god are builded and preserued by the worde of God and not by mans doctrine all whiche séeme to apperteine to this matter Neyther is it leâ—t to the byshops
we read Offer vnto God thanksgiuing and pay thy vowes vnto the most highest And Cal vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Againe The Lord is nigh vnto al that call vpon him vnto all such as cal vpon him in trueth or faithfully He wil fulfil the desire of them that feare him he will also heare their crie and will saue them Againe in Esaie the Lord saith And it shal come to passe that before they call I will answere them and while they are but yet thinking how to speake I wil heare them In Matth. the Lord sayth Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and ye shall finde knock and it shal be opened vn-you For whosouer asketh receiueth whosoeuer seeketh findeth to him that knocketh it shal be opened c. In the same Gospell the Lord sayth And al thinges whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer beleeuing ye shall receiue In the 11. of Marke the same sentence is thus alledged Whatsoeuer saith he ye desire when ye pray beleeue that ye shall haue it and it shal be done vnto you Againe in the gospel according to Saint Iohn the Lord saith Whatsoeuer ye shall aske in my name that wil I do Againe Verily verily I say vnto you Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the father in my name hee wil giue it you Aske and ye shall receiue Dauid frameth an argument of the example of the Fathers and saith Our Fathers hoped in thee they trusted in thee and thou diddest deliuer them they called vpon thee and they were helped they did put their trust in the and were not confounded For therevpoÌ„ he gathereth that he also shal not be forsaken of the lord In the hystorie of the Gospell are verie many examples to be séene which excéedingly confirme establish the faith of the Godly But since faith is not a vaine imagination but an effectual power working by the holy Ghost all kinde of good woorkes thoughe they neither trust vnto these neither thinke in consideration of them to be heard yet neuerthelesse suche sinners as are faithfull doe not impudently and without repentaunce trust to their owne wittes dealing onely in wordes with the Lorde but they ioyne a holy life with prayers For Solomon sayth Hee that turneth his eare from hearing the Lawe his prayer shal bee abhominable And the Lorde saith in Esaie Though ye make many prayers yet will I heare nothing at all seeing your handes are full of bloud Of suche impenitent persons we vnderstande that in the Gospell God heareth not sinners But that more is the Saintes shal obteine nothinge if they continue prayer for suche For Ieremie praying earnestly for his people otherwise being obstinately wicked heareth Thou shalt not not pray for this people thou shalte neither giue thankes nor bidde prayer for them make thou no intercession for them for in no wise will I heare thee Seest thou not what they doe in the cities of Iuda The children gather stickes the Fathers kindle the fire the women kneade the doughe to make cakes for the Queâ—ne of heauen They powre out drinke offeringes vnto straunge Gods to prouoke mee vnto wrath After the same manner sayeth the Lorde in Ezechiel If I send a pestilence into this Lande and if Noe Iob and Daniel were therein or in the middest of it as truely as I liue sayth the Lord God they shal deliuer neither sonne nor daughter but saue their owne soules in their righteousnesse Wherefore it followeth that the supplications of vnrepentant men impudently perseuearing in their sinnes thoughe they crie without ceassing Helpe vs O God our Sauiour Deliuer vs O Lorde We beeseeche thee to heare vs are altogether fruitelesse For they desire to be preserued that they might take their further pleasure and committe wickednesse And though God giue vs fréely those thinges whiche we aske yet it is necessarie that an affection or desire to liue wel do accompany so great benefits receiued at the hands of god For here we ought most diligently to take héede that we thinke not we shal be heard for our vertues sake but for the méere mercy of God in Christe Iesu Moreouer whosoeuer desireth to haue his praiers to be acceptable vnto God let him lift vp his mind from earthly things vnto heauenly things Touching that thing the blessed Martyr of Christ Cyprian eloquently and holily intreating sayth When wee stand occupied in prayer wee must with our whole hart watch and be diligent in prayer Let all worldly and fleshly thoughtes departe neither let the mind thinke vpon any thing else at that time than only that whiche it praieth Let thy breast be shut against the aduersarie and let it be open to God only neither let it suffer the enimie of god to enter into it in the time of prayer For he oftentimes stealeth vpon vs and entereth in and subtily deceiuing vs turneth away our prayers from God â–ª that we may haue one thing in our hart another thing in our mouthe but not the sound of the voice but the minde and sense ought to pray vnto God with an vnfeigned affection Thus farre hée But that the minde of him the prayeth may bee lifted vp from earthly thinges vnto heauenly thinges y is chiefly the worke of the spirit of true fayth the stedfastnes of hope and the feruent loue of god if also we haue in remembrance the dreadfull maiestie of God before whose eyes we stande praying Him al the creatures in heauen in earth do worship reuereÌ„ce thousand thousandes of Angels serue him Let vs thinke with our selues how profitable and necessarie things we aske of God without whiche we can not be happie Let vs moreouer remoue froÌ„ vs al those things whiche either deteine and kéepe vs in this world or pull vs backe vnto earthly things of which sort are these slouthfulnes couetousnes surfetting and to be shorte al other sinnes like vnto these And contrariwise let vs applie our selues to watchfulnes sobernes gentlenesse liberalitie Surely the Scripture almost euery where ioyneth vnto prayer fasting and mercy For these vertues make vs more chearfull and readie to pray throughe faith Daniel sayth I turned my face vnto the Lord God and sought him by praier supplicatioÌ„ with fasting sackcloath and ashes Neither vnlike to this doe Ionas and Ioel teache Yea in the Gospel and writinges of the Apostles we euery where heare Watche be feruent in prayer bee sober For the bellie being full either no prayers at all or else fat and vnweildie prayers are made Whereof we reade that saint Augustine said Wilt thou haue thy prayer flie vppe vnto God make it two winges Fasting and Almes deedes For in the Actes of the Apostles the Angel of the Lord saith to Cornelius the Centurion Thyprayers and thine almes deeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God. And surely God requireth
to wit that she should remember she is no Ladie or mistresse ouer the sacraments but a seruant or minister and that she hath no more power or authoritie to institute anye fourme of a sacrament than she hath to abrogate any law of god Aquinas also Part. 3. quaest 46. ariculo 2. saith He instituteth or is the authour of a thing which giueth it force and vertue but the vertue and power of the sacraments commeth from God alone therefore God alone is of power to institute or make sacraments And in déede God alone is of power to institute the true seruice and worship but sacraments belong to his seruice and worship therefore God alone doth institute sacraments If any one in the olde testament had offered sacrifice whiche God commaunded not or offered it not after that manner that God willed it to be offered it was not only nothing auailable vnto him but also his offence in so doing was rewarded with moste terrible and fearefull punishment Who knoweth not that the sonnes of Aaron for offering strange fire were horribly burnt and scortcht vp with fire which fell downe from heauen Suche sacrifices therefore displease God as prophane or vnholy neyther deserue they to be called lawfull sacraments whiche haue not God him selfe for their authour Herevnto is added that sacraments are testimonies and as it were seales of Gods good will and fauour toward vs And who I pray you can better more vprightly or more assuredly beare witnesse of Gods good will to vs-warde than God him selfe In no wise deserueth that to be called or counted the seale of God whereto he neyther set his hand nor printed it with his owne marke yea it is a counterfet seale bycause it coÌ„meth not froÌ„ God and yet in the meane time beareth a shew outwardly of the name of god In this behalfe is reade that saying of S. Augustine whiche is in euerie mans mouth The worde is added to the element and there is made a sacrament Whereby we gather that in the institution of sacraments the worde of God obteyneth principall place and hath most adoe The word I say of God not the worde of men nor yet of the Church Wherevpon it followeth that the signe ought to haue his procéeding euen from God him selfe and not from any manner of meÌ„ be they neuer so many be they neuer so clearklike or lerned be they neuer so harmlesse and holy of life of that nowe there can be no other authour of Sacraments than God him selfe alone As we doe receiue the worde of saluation and grace so it is néedefull also that we receiue the signes of grace Although the worde of God be preached vnto vs by men yet we receiue it not as the worde of man but as the worde of God according to that saying of the Apostle When ye had receiued the worde of God whiche ye hearde of vs ye receyued it not as the worde of men but as it is in deede the woorde of GOD. It is behoneful for vs to haue respect to the first authour thereof who when he sent abroade his disciples sayde Goe into the whole worlde and preache the Gospell to all creatures teaching them to obserue what so euer I haue commaunded you and baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghoste He that heareth you heareth mee and he which despiseth you despiseth me And therefore albeit by the handes of men the Sacramentes are ministred yet are they not receyued of the godly and religious as procéeding from men but as it were from the hande of GOD him selfe the first and principall authour of the same To this belongeth the question which Christe our Lorde asked in the Gospell saying The Baptisme of Iohn was it from heauen or of men Truely Iohn who did baptise was a man but in that he baptised he baptised according to Gods institution and ordinaunce and therefore the baptisme of Iohn was from heauen though the water wherewith he baptised flowed out of the bottomelesse depthe into the riuer Iordan and Iohn him selfe conuersaunt on the earth To this also notably agréeth that which Paule sayth That whiche I deliuered vnto you I receyued of the Lorde Therefore although Sainte Paule were a man yea and a sinner too yet that whiche he deliuered to the Churche he did not deliuer it as from him selfe or as any inuention of man but as Christ had deliuered the same so that it is not his or mans but Christes tradition a diuine and heauenly tradition Besides this oure highe Prieste and euerlasting Byshoppe woorketh euen at this daye in his Churche whose ministerie they execute that is at whose commaundement they baptise and according to whose institution they which are the stewardes or disposers of the mysteries of GOD minister the holie Sacramentes of the Lordes Supper The institution therefore of the Sacramentes must be acknowledged of vs to be the verie worke of god And thus farre touching the authour of Sacramentes Peter Lombard in his sentences reckoneth vp thrée causes why Sacramentes were instituted that is to say why spirituall and heauenly thinges were deliuered and committed vnto vs vnder visible signes fourmes and ceremonies the first of whiche is so colde and weake that I am loathe to moue it to memorie He placeth merite in that that by Gods gouernement and direction as he affirmeth man séeketh saluation in thinges baser and inferioure to him selfe Vnto the whiche he addeth this afterward Although not in them yet in GOD through them he séeketh saluation which also vnaduisedly enoughe he hath vttered and not sufficiently considered The other two causes to wit that Sacramentes were inuented and ordeined vnder visible signes for oure instruction and exercise séeme not altogether absurde or disagréeing from reason The truest and most proper cause why Sacramentes be instituted vnder visible signes séemeth partly to be Gods goodnesse and partly also mans weakenesse For verie hardly doe we reache vnto the knowledge of heauenly thinges if without any visible â—ourme as they bee in their owne nature pure and excellent they be layde before oure eyes but they are better and more easily vnderstoode if they be represented vnto vs vnder the figure of earthly thinges that is to say vnder signes familiarly knowne vnto vs As therefore our bountifull and gratious Lorde did couertly and darkely nay rather euidently and notably set before vs to viewe the kingdome of GOD in parables or darke speaches euen so by signes it pleased him to lay before our eies after a sort the very same thing and to pointe out the same vnto vs as it were painted in a table to renue it a freshe and by liuely representation to mainteine the remembraunce of the same among vs This cause doth Iohn Chrysostome allowe as a chiefe and proper cause who in his eightie and thrée Homilie vppon Matthewe sayeth The Lorde hath deliuered vnto vs nothing that is sensible The
godly yea euen at this day do receiue baptisme as it were at the handes of God him selfe though they be baptised through the ministerie of men For the Lorde establishing his institutions by his spirite worketh saluatioÌ„ in the elect So that it must néeds followe that the vertue or efficacie of Baptisme is not hindered by an euill minister Whereof hath bene already elsewhere and hereafter shal be spoken At that time truly baptisme was instituted and beganne at S. Iohn the Apostle when he began to preache openly that the time was fulfilled and that Christe was exhibited and giuen to the worlde But the signes of thinges to come or of things which should be reuealed the thing it self being present do no more remaine but ought to be chaunged into other signes And Circumcision was a signe of the blessed séede which was to come I meane of the Messias him selfe which by the sheading of his bloud shuld bestow his blessing vpon the whole worlde Therefore when he was come and should forth-with shed-forth his bloud it was néedeful that Circumcision should be chaunged into Baptisme Whereof shal be spoken hereafter Nowe Baptisme consisteth of the signe and of the thing signified of the worde or promise of God and of the holy rite or ceremonie The signe is the outward actioÌ„ that is the sprinkling of water in the name of the Father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghost with the calling vppon of the name of god The promise or worde of God is Baptising them He that shall beleeue and be baptised shall be saued And so forth Whereof we haue spoken aboundantly inough in the sixte Sermon Many in the olde time haue distinguished betwene the baptisme of Iohn and the baptisme of Christ and his Apostles For some of them deny that forgiuenesse of sinnes was comprehended in the baptisme of Iohn but if we diligently view weigh the doctrinâ— of the holy Scripture we shal finde that the baptisme of Iohn and Christ and his Apostles is one and the selfe same Certeinly the doctrine of Iohn of Christe and his Apostles is one and the selfe same euery where For they al with one mouth do preach the gospell and by it repentance and remission of sinnes in the name of Christ Let him that wil conferre those thinges which Iohn the Euangelist writeth of the doctrine of Iohn Baptist in the firste and thirde chapter and that which Luke writes in the â—ourand twentieth chapter of his gospell and in the Acts of the Apostles of the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles and he will say that all their doctrine is one and the selfe same But to their doctrine is baptisme set to as a seale to an euidence Who therefore beléeueth that there are diuerse seals of their doctrine or diuers baptismes S. Iohn baptised with water the Lorde commended no other element to his disciples than water neither baptised they any other wise than with water They themselues baptised into Christ into repentance and remission of sinnes But Saint Mark writeth of Iohn Baptist Iohn baptised in the wildernes preaching the baptisme of repentaunce for the remission of sinnes And S. Paule speakinge of the doctrine baptisme of Iohn saith Iohn baptised with the baptisme of repentaunce saying vnto the people that they should beleue on him which shoulde come after him that is on Iesus Christ By these testimonies who can not gather that the baptisme of Iohn and of Christ is altogether the very same vnlesse this peraduenture séeme to any man to bring some differeÌ„ce that Iohn baptised in him that was to come and should be reuealed but the Apostles into him that was already reuealed But I sée not how so little space of time can bringe any difference especially since Iohn spake so much froÌ„ the beginning of his preaching of him which should be reuealed for immediatly he did both point him out present with his finger and he bare witnesse that he was present and reuealed that he should come no more or be reuealed Herevnto is added that Christ was baptised with no other than with the baptisme of Iohn For if Iohns baptisme were an other baptisme beside the baptisme of the church of Christ it would followe that neither Christ was baptised with our Baptisme neither wee in the Baptisme of Christe But Christe did sanctifie with his bodie the baptisme of Iohn and did vouchsafe to be baptised with vs into the same fellowship so that we at this day are also baptised not with that baptisme of Iohn but of Christe who by Iohn instituted baptisme and he him selfe consecrated the same Wherfore Christe in Matthew 28. Chapter and in Marke the 16. Chapter doeth not abrogate the baptisme whiche Iohn began he doeth not institute a newe but commaundeth to continue and to minister the same to them that beléeue In the name of the Father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghostc Now where as Iohn sayth him selfe I baptise with water but hee shall baptise you with the holie Ghoste hee maketh not difference betwéene his owne baptisme of water and Christes baptisme but hee attributeth some-what more vnto Christ wherein no man or minister for they did erre which in time past baptised with fire had parte with him but hee olone giueth the baptisme of fire that is the singular giftes of the holie Ghoste but firste of all the vse of tongues vnder the fourme of fire For so this matter is expounded in the Actes firste by the Lorde Christe him selfe then by experience in the Church For the Lorde sayth Departe not from Hierusalem but waite for the promise of the father whereof saith hee ye haue heard of mee for Iohn truelie baptised with water but yee shall be baptised with the holie Ghoste after these fewe dayes And consequently vppon the day of Pentecoste they were baptised with the baptisme of Christe not with water againe but were all filled with the holie Ghost clouen tongues as it were fierie sitting vppon eache one of their heads and they began to speake with other tongues In the Actes the Citizens of Samaria are baptised of Philipp with the baptisme of Christe in water lawfully and fullie But the verie same afterwarde are baptised with the peculiar baptisme of Christe while by the laying on of handes by Peter and Iohn they receiue the holie Ghoste Not that hetherto they were altogether voide of the gifte of the holie Ghoste for how coulde they beléeue without the holie ghost but for that they were baptised with the visible Baptisme of fire beside and receiued the gifte of tongues and other excellent graces As it is also read of Cornelius who verilie béeinge firste baptised with fire I meane with the peculiar baptisme of Christe spake with tongues and afterwarde was baptised with water Contrarywise those twelue disciples at Ephesus were firste fullie baptised with the Baptisme of Iohn and with the baptisme of the water of
I haue admonished you elsewhere Therefore it is an horrible offence to iterate the Ceremonie of baptisme it is without example Neither in this matter is there any necessitie for to what ende is it to baptise againe when as baptisme once giuen is sufficient for the whole course of a mans life Beside this since Anabaptisme is nothing else but a confederacie conspiracie and a certeine lincking together by one marke into a newe and seditious or at the least superstitious companie into a newe and scismaticall Church and into a new and straunge kind of doctrine and as contrarie as can bée to the doctrine of Christe and his Apostles truely it is no meruaile that the obstinate Anabaptists are kept vnder and punished by common lawes For otherwise these thinges are damnable and not to be dissembled or suffered of a Christian magistrate But the Anabaptists presently obiecte vnto vs these two places The first out of the fifte Chapiter of Iosua where we read in these words Make thee sharpe kniues of stone and goe to againe and circumcise the children of Israel the second time Behold the second time they could not bee circumcised saye they vnlesse they had béene also circumcised before I answere To circumcise the second time or to doe a thing once againe doeth not signifie to doe that which was done before For when the fore-skinne was once cutt off howe could it be cutt off againe Therefore that which was left vndone for a certeine space is nowe againe renued and is said to be done the second time So that the second time is not applied to them that should bee circumcised but vnto the verie time wherein they that were vncircumcised should bée circumcised For they were first solemnely circumcised in Aegypt before they did eate the Passeouer Nowe entering into the land of Chanaan they are the second time solemnly circumcised which hetherto by reason of the wildernesse and iourneying were not circumcised And so it followeth immediatly in the same Chapter that all the males that came out of Aegypt died in the wildernesse and that their sonnes were vncircumcised so that nowe it was expedient that they should be circumcised as their fathers were before them Therefore the Anabaptistes in this testimonie of the lawe haue no defence at all The latter testimonie to mainteine Anabaptisme or rebaptising they bring out of the 19. Chap. of the Actes where they say that those twelue men of Ephesus were once baptised by Apollos with the baptisme of water and with that of Iohns likewise but the verie same afterward are rebaptised of Paule in the name of Christe I aunswere That those twelue men were not baptised againe of Paule with water They were once baptised with water whiche was sufficient for them But neither could Paule minister another baptisme of water than that of Iohns For I taught and euidently proued anon after the beginning of this Sermon that the baptisme of water ministred by Iohn Christe and his Apostles is one and the selfe same There I declared that the baptisme of fire or of the spirite is peculiar and proper to Christe Those men therefore of Ephesus were baptised with the baptisme of water as the Samaritans were by Philip but they were not as yet fully instructed of the baptisme of fire neither were they baptised with fire yea they confesse they know not whether there be any such baptisme that is whether there be an holy Ghoste whiche in the visible forme of fire shuld come downe vppon men For they could not be altogether ignoraunt that there was a holy Ghost without whom vndoubtedly they had not beléeued yea in whome they had beléeued if they had rightly beléeued Therfore they were onely ignoraunt of that baptisme of fire As therefore Peter and Iohn layed their hands on the Samaritanes and they forthwith receiued the holy Ghoste So Paule layeth handes on the men of Ephesus and they receiue the holy Ghoste For Luke sayeth When they heard these thinges they were baptised in the name of the Lord Iesus And least any man should vnderstand this of the baptisme of water by and by he addeth the manner thereof and a plaine exposition saying And when Paule had layed his handes on them the holy Ghoste came vppon them This I say hee called baptising in the name of the Lord Iesus For it followeth And they spake with tongues and prophecied And this alwayes hath béene the fruite and effecte of the baptisme of fire in the Primitiue Churche as I declared anon after the beginning of this Sermon Wherefore the Anabaptists haue no testimonie out of the scriptures for their Anabaptisme or rebaptising So that all that will gather their witts about them doe plainely sée that they are to be forsaken and shunned of all good men But wée haue sufficiently disputed against them as it séemeth Nowe wée goe forward to expound those things that remaine to be opened touching baptisme whiche are not the last and of least account Now that we are come to intreate of the vertue efficacie of baptisme we will followe that order which wee shadowed out in the description of baptisme knitting vp at least the particulars because in the generall consideration of Sacramentes wée haue spoken largely of them Yet neuerthelesse it is good first of all to knowe what the aduersaries of the Churche haue sometime thought touching the force of baptisme The Manicheis baptised none of their secte For they taught that Baptisme did auaile the receiuers nothing to saluation The Seleucians who are called also Hermiani did likewise sett baptisme at nought The Messalians whiche bee called Euchetes or prayer-makers as I haue shewed in the end of my former Sermon and the Enthusiastes inspired I say by some heauenly power nay rather by some hellishe furie are persuaded that baptisme neither profiteth nor hindereth any man For so they did attribute all meanes of saluation to the inward woorking of the spirite yea to mans prayers in somuch that they loathed and abhorred all outward helpes yea and doctrine also as vnprofitable and without force Whiche Theodoret in his Ecclesiasticall historie Libro 4. cap. 11. rehearseth of them But the holy Scripture teacheth that wée are washed cleane from our sinnes by baptisme For baptisme is a signe a testimonie and sealing of oure cleansing For GOD verilie hath promised sanctification to his Churche and hée for his trueths sake purifyeth his Churche from all sinnes by his Grace thoroughe the bloud of his sonne and regenerateth and clenseth it by his spirite whiche cleansing is sealed in vs by baptisme whiche wée receiue and thereof is it called in the Scriptures cleansing and remission of sinnes purifying newe birthe regeneration and the lauer or founteine of regeneration as circumcision is called the couenaunt and sacrifices sinnes and sanctifications For wée read in the Gospell according to Sainct Marke Iohn baptised in the desart preaching the baptisme of repentaunce for the remission of sinnes
as were religious no not many yeres after For Ezechias the king celebrated the passeouer so likewise did Iosias celebrate the same but not after any other rite or maner than was deliuered from Moses The fathers circūcised their infantes but not after any other maner nor any other rite than was first instituted In times past who so had not sacrificed in the same place according to the same maner which God commaunded by Moses was by the law accused of murther Nadab Abihu are smitten with lightning from heauen for bringing strange fire into the Tabernacle Oza is smitten with souden death for that the Arke of the Lorde of hoastes was not handled in suche sort as was by the law commanded And therefore the maner of celebrating the lords supper as it was by the Lord instituted deliuered to the Church by the Apostles is to be obserued with great religiō vnlesse we wil beléeue that the institutions maners of celebrating our sacraments are more vnperfect than theirs of olde time that God the father doth now a days lesse regard the prophanation or the religious obseruation of his sonnes institutions than these of Moses and the forefathers in olde time But Paule the vessell of election knowing Christes institution to be moste perfect that the same ought to bee kept still in the Churche simplie and without any addition sayth to the Corin. I receiued that of the Lorde which I haue also deliuered vnto you For he thought it an heinous offence to deliuer any other thing to the church than that which he had receiued of the lord Let vs therfore with great religion holde that fast whiche is deliuered vnto vs by the Lord and the Apostles But the Apostle deliuered none other thing to the Corinthians yea many yeares after the Lords ascension into heauen than that which was faithfully set downe vnto vs in writing by the holy Apostles Euaungelistes S. Matthew Marke Luke Certeinly it is well knowen how that certeine hundred yeres after the death of the Apostles this simple maner of celebrating the lords supper was held in the church For the pastour or minister of the church after that he had preached the Gospel giuen publique thanks vnto God in open prayer then came he forth into the mids of the holy assemblie Before the face of the people stoode a table furnished with bread wine behinde the which the minister standing blessed the people saying The Lord be with you The people answered And with thy spirit Thē replied the minister Lift vp your harts admonishing the congregation that the holy mysteries shal be celebrated therefore that they must lift vp their mindes from visible thinges vnto inuisible The people answered We lift thē vp vnto the lord Afterwards exhorting the whole companie to giue thankes he cried aloude Let vs giue thanks vnto the Lord our God. The Congregation aunswered It is meete and right so to do Then procéeded the minister saying It is verie meete and right our bounden duetie and behoful for vs turning himselfe then to the Lord that we giue thanks alwayes and in all places vnto thee Lord holy father almighty and euerlasting god through Christ our lord who the day before that he suffred his passion toke bread gaue thanks brake it gaue it to his discipls with the residue as followeth in the gospel These things being repeated out of the gospell the minister procéeded further saying Let vs pray being admonished by holsome precepts instructed by diuine institution we are imboldened to say Our father which art in heauen c. After the rehearsal of the lords prayer the people receiued the holy mysteries and did communicate together after they had giuē thāks and praised God they were dimissed And of this forme there remaine certeine footsteps in the writings of the auncient fathers to be séen to wit in S. Cyprian S. Augustine others But consequently in later times the prayers blessings the ceremonies grewe to be verie great Moreouer Christes institution was chaunged turned into a strange vse in fine the Masse was patcht together in whiche appeareth but small antiquitie But touching these maters I haue in treted very largely in another place you your selues are verie well séen in this point we which defend hold that the institution of our Lord Christe which is deliuered vnto vs by the Apostles is most pure perfect do nothing regard neither what any man nor at what time any bishop hath added this or that to the holy rite or else hath taken away or changed but rather what he who is before aboue all did first him selfe and cōmanded to be done If the authoritie of him that did institute if learning holines if antiquitie may be of force then the victory is ours who haue Christ on our side with the best chosen cōpanie of the apostles for frō these we haue what we celebrate the which we hold that al godly men ought to celebrate But why the Lord instituted this mysterie vnder the forme of bread wine it is euident For bread comforteth wine maketh glad the harte of man which I also touched wher I intreated of the proportiō agréement of the sacramēts Moreouer our fathers in the figure of Manna did eate bread which rained down frō heauen Also in their sacrifices gratulatorie of thanksgiuing in their drinke offerings they vsed bread and wine But there hath sproung a great contentiō cōcerning the substāce of the lords supper some holding opinion that it ought to be celebrated with vnleuened bread others with such as is leuened But among our fore-fathers of olde there was about these no such cōtentiō for the church vsed both indifferētly as thē pleased It may séeme y at the first supper the lord vsed vnleuened bread at the table acording to the auncient maner of celebrating the Passetouer Whervpon many churches vsed vnleuened bread who notwithstanding cōdemned not them of heresie which vsed leauened bread The Pope his adherents cōceiuing no smal displesure here at hath déepely accursed the gréek church for so trifling a matter But the Artotyrites were vpon some iust cause condemned by the ancient fathers of whō Epiphanius maketh mentiō betwéene the Pepuzianes the Priscillianes setting bread and chéese vpon the table in their celebrating contrary to Christes institutiō It is furthermore disputed vpon whether vnmingled wine or delayed with water is by the faithfull to be vsed at the supper Cyprian the martyr holdeth opinion that in this mystery the wine ought not to be vnmingled but delayed with water so to be offered that is to say drunken by the faithfull For thus he hath written Because Christ hath borne vs al who also bare our sinnes we may perceiue that in the water the people is to bee vnderstoode in the wine the bloud of Christ to be vnderstoode For when water is
not onely the sacramentes of the bodie and bloude of Christ We answere that Paule saieth thus in plaine wordes Who soeuer eateth of this bread and drinketh of the Lords cup. c. Marke this he sayeth Who so eateth this bread drinketh of this cup vnworthily hee saith not Who so eateth the flesh and drinketh the bloud vnworthily For they whiche eate the Lorde are not without faith and Christe dwelleth in them and they in him If thou yet meruaile how the vnbeléeuers can bée guiltie of the Lordes body and bloud being eaten but sacramentally learne this out of other places of the Scripture The Lord saith in Iohn Verilie verilie I say vnto you he that receiueth whomsoeuer I shall send receiueth me and whoso receiueth me receiueth him that sent mee Wherfore whose receiueth not an apostle trespasseth not against y Apostle but against God himself although in y mene while he hath not séene god nor will not séeme to haue repelled him Wee read how y the iudge will say to them that are on his left hand Departe from me you wicked into euerlasting fire For I was hungrie and you gaue me no meat I was thirsty you gaue me no drink c. But harkeÌ„ now how the reprobate wil make exceptions againste thus sentence of the Iudge Lord when did we se thee hungrie or thirstie and ministred not vnto thee TheÌ„ heare again what the iudge wil answere Verily I say vnto you in that yee did it not vnto one of the least of these ye did it not to mee wherfore like as he that sinneth against a minister or a begger sinneth agaiÌ„st Christ himselfe although in y meane while he hath not hurt Christes person in any point so is he also giltie of the body bloud of Christ whosoeuer receiueth the sacrament of the body bloud of Christ vnworthily although in the meane seasoÌ„ he haue not receiued the very body bloud of the lord Paul saith in another place that reuolters do crucifie againe vnto them selues the sonne of god He also denieth in an other place by all manner of meanes that it is possible for Christe to be crucified or to dye any more Therefore Christ cannot be crucified againe by the Apostataes or reuolters how beit their shamefull falling away from him is so estéemed of as if they had crucified the Sonne of God. Although therefore the wicked doe not eate the Lordes verie bodie nor drinke his bloude neuerthelesse they are guiltie of betraying the Lords body and bloud as farre as in them lyeth If a rebell treade vnder his foote y seale or letters of the Prince or Magistrate although hee touche not the Magistrate him selfe nor treade him vnder his foote yet is hee sayde to haue troaden the magistrate vnder his foote and is accused not for hurting the seale or defiling the letters but hee is charged of treason and accused for treading the Prince vnder his féete What meruaile then if we heare it said that they which do eate the Lords bread vnworthily are guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ For the bread and the mysticall cup are a sacrament and seale of it Hetherto haue we disputed of the eating of the bodie of Christe and of drinking of his bloud haÌ„dling euery one point therof with asmuch breuitie as we could Now we go to knit vp the other endes of the Lords supper béeing placed in the description of the supper We said that the supper was instituted by the Lord that it might represent visibly the gifts of God vnto the Church and lay them foorth before the eyes of all men But we haue learned by the whole discourse of this matter that Christ him selfe is a most full rich treasure of all the giftes of God as namely froÌ„ whom béeing deliuered for vs vnto death we haue all things belonging to life remission of sinnes life euerlasting Since these things be inuisible gotten by faith they be also visibly that is to say by sacraments represented almost vnto all the senses to the sight to hearing to tasting and to féeling to the intent that man béeing wholy therwith moued bothe in body and soule may celebrate this moste comfortable mysterie with greate reioycing in heart Héere vnto now apperteyneth that analogie whereof I haue spoken before in the 7. Sermon of this Decade whereby I would haue these things to be better learned Furthermore we haue said that the supper was instituted of the lord that he might visibly gather together into one body all his members which were in a maÌ„ner dispersed throughout all parts of the world Whervppon we haue said that the holie men some where else did call the supper a league or confederacie We are knitt inuistbly with Christe and all his members by vnitie of faith and participation of one spirit but in the supper we are ioyned together euen by a visible coÌ„iunctioÌ„ For now not by words but by déedes also but by mysterie but by sacrament we are very néerly knit and ioyned together opening and declaring to all men by celebrating the supper that we are also of the number of them that beléeue that they are redéemed by Christ and that they are Christes members and people But we binde our selues together vnto Christe and the Church bothe that we will kéepe the sincere faith and promising that wee will vse good déedes and charitie towards all men Looke for more touching this matter in the seuenth Sermon of this Decade Héerevppon truely did S. Paule proue that it is not lawfull for them whiche receiue together at the Lords table to eate of meate offered to Idols and to take parte of prophane sacrifices Which thing if at this day many would rightely weigh and consider they would not séeme to be séene so busie in straunge and for reigne sacrifices We said also that the Lord instituted the Supper that thereby hee might kéepe his death in memorie so that it should neuer be blotted out with obliuion For Christes death is the summarie of all gods benefits He wold haue vs therfore to kéep in memorie the benefite of his inâ—arnatioÌ„ passion redemption and of his loue And although the remembrance of a thinge that is past bee celebrated to wit of his death yet the same belongeth greatly vnto vs quickneth vs. Neither most we thinke that this is the lest end For there is none so diligently expressed as this is For the Lorde repeateth this saying Doe this in the remembraunce of me But the holy rite or holy actioÌ„ béeing ioyned with the word or with the preaching of Christes death the redemption of mankind how mauelously doth it renue from time to time that benefit and suffereth it not to be forgotten Last of al we said that the supper was ordeined of the lord that therby we might be admonished of our duety praise thanksgiuing It is our dutie to be sincere in the faith of Christ to imbrace all our brethren
besech you that you acknowledge theÌ„ that laboure among you and are ouer you in the Lord and admonishe you that you haue them in singular loue through loue for their woorke sake Be at peace with them Let so much therefore of the Churche goodes as is sufficient be giuen vnto the ministers and teachers so farre forth as honest necessitie requireth And thus much haue we spoken concerning the portion that is due vnto pastours In times past the second part of ecclesiasticall goods was allotted vnto clearkes And clearks are the haruest of pastours studious of diuinitie and wholy disposed to the holy ministerie And forasmuch as these haue dedicated themselues and all that they haue wholy to the Church and the ministerie thereof it is most fitt that they shâ—uld be nourished and mainteined by the costes of the Church But it is conuenient they be nourished meanly who ought to bee an example of meane and thriftie liuing to other For to be brought vp delicately doeth nothing agrée with the ministeries of the Churche And therefore Amos found fault that the Nazarites drank wine for that he ment that druÌ„kards did not mainteine the Church but vtterly destroy it Of which matter wée spake in another place Moreouer it is fitt that due portions bée paide to Priestes scholemaisters scholers and to all other ecclesiasticall persons whatsoeuer Finally the third part of ecclesiastical goods are appointed for the poore And there are diuers sortes of poore folke as widowes pupils or phanes and infants cast out whose parents are not knowne Also they that are worne with olde age and spent with diseases There are infinite kindes of diseases whereof the most gréeuous are these leprosie furie and madnesse the Frenche pockes or the scabbe of India or Naples the palsey the gout and a great many moe There are not onely poore men borne within the land but also strangers that are banished their countrie and home for righteousnes sake and for the woord of god There are other who are not yet come to extreme pouertie but are euen now readie to fall into it so that if they be not holpen a little with readie monie they by and by come to be kept by the Church boxe Againe there are some that are consumed by imprisonment by warres by great floudes of waters by fire and diuers other mishapps as by haile frostes and other stormes and distemperatures of the ayre Of all whose health and safegard the Lord willed vs to be mindefull whereas he saith that Whatsoeuer we bestowe vppon the poore we bestowe it vppon him Therefore if wée despise and regard not the poore without al doubt we despise and neglecte euen our Lord God himselfe in the poore Wée ought of duetie to succour the poore of our owne goodwill by counsell comfort medicines cures monie meate drink clothes lodging succouring and by any meanes else that we may and in all such matters and cases as they shall haue néede of our helpe If so be the Church goodes are not sufficient to performe all this at the full then let the abundaunce of all other good faithfull people supplie their want But if there be goods sufficient in stoare layed vp which haue béene in times past contributed by the liberalitie of the godly whiche notwithstanding through negligence or wickednes of the gouernours are taken away so that the necessitie of the poore cannot thereby be succoured for that cause truely most sharpe tempestes of infelicities are powred forth both vppon coÌ„mon wealthes and kingdomes For why they are very sharply punished which doe not giue vnto the poore of their owne priuate goods if they bée able with how much more grieuous calamities may we thincke they shal be plagued which wickedly sacrileqiously forcibly take away to their owne priuate vses those riches which were giuen by others to the common vse of the poore Hee that hath this worldes substaunce and séeth his brother want and shutteth vp his affection from him is cruell therefore hée that taketh from the poore that which is alreadie giuen them is more cruel and committeth sacriledge It is read that the Sodomites with their fellow cities were drowned beecause they strengthened not the hand of the poore but rather weakned it The Moabits and Chaananits are destroyed for disdayning strangers and for hauing no care of the poore But why do we fetch examples so farre of why do we not call to minde the last sentence of the high Iudge vttered from his heauenly iudgment seate which is stablished in the cloudes pronounced in this manner Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome whiche was prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world I haue bin hungrie and you haue giuen me meate I haue bin a thirste and you haue giuen mee drinke I was a stranger and you harboured me I was naked you cloathed me I was sick you visited me I was in prison you came vnto me The Euangelist also addeth that whiche agréeth very much to our purpose Then shal the iust aunswere and say Lord when saw we thee hungrie and gaue thee meate thirstie gaue thee drinke When saw we thee harbourlesse and lodged thee or naked and cloathed thee Or when sawe we thee sick or in prison and came vnto thee The king aunswearing shal say vnto them Verily I saye vnto you in that you did it vnto one of the least of these my brethren you did it vnto mee Then shal he say also vnto them that are at the left hand Depart from mee yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuel his angels For I was hungrie and you gaue me no meate I was thirstie and you gaue me no drinke I was a stranger and you harboured me not I was naked you cloathed mee not I was sicke in prison and you visited me not TheÌ„ shal they answere say vnto him Lord when saw we thee hungrie or thirstie or a straunger or naked or sick or in prison ministred not vnto thee Then shall he answere them saying Verily I say vnto you in as much as you did it not vnto one of the least of these neither did you it vnto me It foloweth after And they shal goe into euerlasting punishmeÌ„t but the righteous into euerlasting life The Lord also in another place in the Gospell substituting the poore in his stéede sayth Ye haue the poore with you alwayes and when ye will ye may do them good but me ye shal not haue alwayes And therfore we reade that the Primitiue Church was carefull in prouiding for the poore eeuen to the working of myracles S. Paule in all places commendeth the poore to the Churche of God hee made collections for the poore almost in all Churches the blessinges which he had gathered he distributed with great iudgement faith and diligence As it wil appeare almost in all his epistles specially in the 15. to the Romanes in
terpretatioÌ„ of the wordes of the supper To argue from the sacrameÌ„ts of the old testament to ours of the newe We may vse sacramentall speaches Sacramentall speaches are to be expounded ☞ A briefe rehersall of such poinctes as he intreated vppon in his former sermon We mustâ— vse reuerence in disputing of sacramentes The arke of the coâ—â—nant To attribute too â—uch to saâ—â—aments It is a greate sin not to attribute so much vnto the sacraments as the scripture doth attribute Num. 4. It is taughte that sacramentes giue grace Augustinâ— taught not that sâ—cramentes giue grace Of the likenes difference of the sacramentes of the old and newe Testament Augustine teacâ—eth that the SacrameÌ„ts of the Iewes and ours are al one Grace â—hat it is SacrameÌ„ts do not coÌ„ferre or giue grace Ieremie 7 Esai 1. Galath 3. The error in the Apostolique churche Actes 15. That grace is giuen freely and receiued by faith Luke 7. Iohn 4. Rom. 5. Their santasy which faine a generall and speciall taith is here confuted Whether the grace of God be conteined â—n the Sacramentes These are soung in the Easter holie daies at their coÌ„sâ—cration of baptisme Bonauentura sayth that grace is not conteined in the Sacraâ—ents The seate of the grace of God. 3. Reg. 8. Actes 7. Actes 17. Iohn 4. The canon of the Nicene counsell touching baptisme The Aâ—ostles bâ—ptised in water not consecrated Actes 8. To include grace in the sacraments causeth idolatrie The godâ—y are first iustified receiued into fauor before theâ— be made partakers of the sacraments Actes 2. 1. Iohn â— 1. Iohn 4. Rom. 10. 1. Iohn 5. Actes 10. Actes 2. 1 Cor. 11. Rom. 12. To euacuate the sacrameÌ„ts and conuince God of a lye SacrameÌ„ts are holy and not prophane thinges SacrameÌ„ts are witnesses of the trueth The gospell is a witnesse SacrameÌ„ts do visibly confirme the good wil of god to vs ward Rom. 4. SacrameÌ„ts are seales and where vnto seales do serue Nehe. 9. Hag 2. â—ere 22. Matth. 27. The place of Paule Rom. 4. is expounded and he receiued a signe of the circumcision c. The matter is made â—laine by 1 Parable SacrameÌ„ts haue a more effectual force than any sealed chancers How bapâ—isme sealeth Mark. 16. Marke 10 Matth. 18. Infantes which beleue not â—re baptised Howe the lords supper is a seale of the righteousâ—es of fayth Ioh. 6. Zuinglius of the Sacramentes which certifie and beare witnesse The holy ghost doth properly sâ—ale The sacraments seal nothing to the vnbeleeuers SacrameÌ„ts representeâ— thinges SacrameÌ„ts doe stirre vppe and healpe faith Of the analogie in baptisme To giue and take names in baptisme Of the analogie in the supper Synaxis a communion How the SacrameÌ„ts do stirre vp faith The efficacie or force in the preaching of Gods worde Zuinglius of the Sacraments vpholding fayth A coniunction with Christ and with the Church By sacraments we are visibly gathered together into one religion and distinguished from others Ephe. 2. Phil. 3. Rom. 15. 1. Cor. 12. The place of Paul. 1. Cor 18. The bread which we breake c is expounded They are the members of the diuell that are partakers of vnlawful Sacraments Zuinglius of binding SacrameÌ„ts c. SacrameÌ„ts â—ut the faithful in minde of their duetie Deut. 10. Iere. 4. Rom. 6. 1. Cor. 11. That the sacraments profite nothing without faith Iohn 12. Hebr. 4. 1. Cor. 11. Rom. 1. Hebr. 11. Matt 22. 1. Cor. 10. Heb. 11. Augustine doth teache that sacramentâ—â— receiued without faith are vnprofitable to the receiuers SacrameÌ„ts depende not on our worthines or vnworthinesse Rom. 3. Of baptisme of infantes Rom. 8. That SacrameÌ„ts or not superfluous or voide to them that haue faith Gen. 17. Exod. 4. Matt. 3. Sacraments are indifferent Many are sanctified without visible sacraments Cyptians error touching the Sacrament of baptisme Iohn 6. Baptisme What baptisme is Who instituted baptisme Iohn 1. Matth. 22. When baptisme was instituted Of What thinges baptisme consisteth One onely baptisme The baptisme of Iohn of Christ and of the Apostles is one and the selfe same Actes 19. Of the baptisme of Christe which is also the baptisme of fire Actes 1. Actes 1. Actes 8. Actes 10. Ephes 4. 1. Cor. 1. Of the ritâ— ceremonies of baptisme â—hon 3. What it is to baptise in the name of the Lorde 1. Cor. 14. Luke â— Ceremonies added in times past to baptisme Whether we ought to baptise with water not consecrated Why the 〈◊〉 commaunded â—o baptise â—ith wâ—â—er â— Pet. 3. â— Cor. 10. Whether once or thrice the infant ought to be dipped in the water Of the place of baptisme The time of Baptisme Gen. 17. What the baptiser worketh Iohn 1. Whether midwiues may baptise 1. Tim. 2. Sepâ—ora circumciseth Exod. 4. 25 2. Sam. 12 of saluatioÌ„ of infantâ—â—â—eparting without â—aptisme Mark. 10. Matt. 18. Gen 17. 1. Cor. 7. Gen. 17. Iohn 3. The Pelagians deny the baptisme of infants and why Lib. 3. Depecâ— meâ— remiss Cap. The exposition of the place The soulâ— of the vncircumcised shal be cut off The exposition of the place Except a man be borne of water c. Iohn 3 De peccatorum meritis remissione lib. 1. ca. 20. Iohn 6. Who ar to be baptised Who be the people of God. Actes 8. Gen. 17. Rom. 5. Infantes confessing or beleuing By what argumeÌ„t tâ—e Anabaptistes â—each that infanâ—es ought not to be baptised Matt. 28. Infantes vnderstaÌ„d not the mysterie of baptisme That the baptisme of infantes is of God and that the Apostles baptised infants Actes 10 1. Cor. 1. Rom. 8. Iohn 4. Col. 2. Iosua 5. The baptisme of in fants hath lasted froÌ„ the time of the Apostles The historie of Anabaptisme Imperiall lawe against the Anabaptistes Ios 5. The places alledged to proue Anabaptisme are confuted The twelue men of Ephesus not rebaptised Actes â— Actes 19. Of the â—orce of Baptisme we are baptised into the remission of sinnes Mark. 1. Luke 3. Iohn 2. Actes 2. Actes 22. Ephes 5. Baptisme is effectual for mans whole life By baptisme we are gathered together to be the people of God. Gal. 3. Tit. 3. Luke 3. 1. Cor. 12. Baptisme serueth for our coÌ„fession Sundrie names of lordes supper The Lords table Communion Breaking of breade A memoriall of the Lords passion A thankes giuing A Sacrament Synaxis An assemblie A Testament What the Lords supper is The supper of the Lord is an holie action Who is the author of the supper When the supper was instituted Wherof iâ— consisteth the words of the supper After what maÌ„ner the supper was celebrated and instituted Wether it be lawfull to ad aniething to the rite c. Leuit. 1â— Leuit. 10. 2. Sam. 9. Num. 4. 1. Cor. 11. How in old time it hath been celebrated in the Church The fourâ—e of the Lordes supper changed Why it was instiâ—â—ted in thâ— fourme 〈◊〉 bread an wine Whether the bread ought to be leauened or vn leauened Whether water is to be mingled with the
apparel For as the man is such is his talk such is his cloathing therefore the rayment doeth note of what conuersation the priests ought to be Whereuppon it commeth that in the Scriptures wee are bidden to put on other cloathing whē the meaning of the holy Ghoste is that wee should chaunge our wicked conuersation so that the very garmentes doe partly instruct the priests what they haue to doe and what is seemely for them But nowe the time and course of this treatise inuiteth mée to speake somewhat of the priests office Their office did consist in many thinges but especially in teaching instructing For the chiefe cause whie the priestes were ordeyned of God was to instruct the Church in true pietie and to teach the people the lawe of god For thus wée read that the Lord did say vnto Aaron Thou thy sonnes that are with thee shall drincke neither wine nor stronge drinke when ye enter into the tabernacle of wittnesse least happily ye die Let it be an euerlasting ordinaunce among your posterities that ye may put disferēce both betwixt holie vnholie betwixt cleane and vncleane that ye may teach the sonnes of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken vnto them by the ministerie of Moses Leuit. 10. The same lawe doth Ezechiel in as many wordes almost rehearse in the 44. Chapiter of his Prophecie And Malachie declareth it also as it is to be seeae in the second of his Prophecie They therefore are vtterly deceyued which thincke that the Leuiticall priestes were appointed onely for to kill the sacrifices Moreouer the lord doth euery where in his lawes minister matter for the Leuitical priesies to instruct his people in and that matter was not the heathenish Philosophie the edicts of kinges or decrees of Senatours but the very woord of God deliuered to them by God himselfe And that this doctrine might be the more conunodiously vttered to the people the priestes appointed certaine holy dayes wherein the people should assemble together to heare them preach the word of God. The next point of their duetie after teaching was to blesse the people That blessing was not free for euerie priest to vse as hee listed but was bounde to a certaine forme of words very solemnly vttered which is thus expressed in the 6. of Numbers And the Lord spake vnto Moses saying Speake vnto Aaron his sonnes saying On this wise ye shall blesse the children of Israel and say vnto them The Lord blesse thee keepe thee The Lord shewe his face vnto thee and be merciful vnto thee the Lord lift vp his countenance vppon thee and giue thee peace This manner of blessing did they vse vndoubtedly in their holy assemblies esspecially at the breaking vpp of the congregation when the people did depart In an other place it is said that God did blesse but here that Aaron and his sonnes did blesie the people whereuppon wée haue to note that God doth woorke inwardly and performe in the faithful what soeuer the priestes in that forme of blessing did wishe vnto the people so that still to blesse is the onely and proper worke of God alone And therfore verie significantly after that solemne blessing vttered by the mouth of the priest God doth add And they shall call or put my name ouer or vpon the children of Israel and I will blesse them The priestes therefore do lay before the people the name of the Lord they commend vnto them the mightie power of his Godhead and shew them that all goodnesse doeth flowe from God teaching them how they may obteyne it through faith in Christ who is the blessed séed that blesseth al that call vppon his name Nowe in this solemne blessing sixe principal points are chiefly conteyned First the priest sayth The Lord blesse thee That is The Lord bestowe vpon thée whatsoeuer belongeth to the safetie of thy bodie and soule Secondarily he saith The Lord keepe thee For it is not sufficient to receiue good thinges at the hand of the Lord vnlesse they bée preserued by his power and not taken from vs by his wrathfull indignation nor lost againe by oure owne negligence Thirdly hee sayth The Lord shew thee his face or The Lord make his face shine vppon thee The Lord doth thē shew vs his louing face when after his anger hee sheweth vs his fauour and doth become good and gratious to vs And therefore in the fourth clause doeth followe a more plaine exposition where the priest sayth The Lord bee mercifull vnto thee as if hee should haue said The Lord be alwayes gentle and fauourable vnto thée in all that thou goest about either in words or déeds The fift blessing is The Lord liftvpp his countenaunce vppon thee Now the Lord lifteth vpp his countenaunce when he looketh vppon vs when hée watcheth ouer vs and doth direct and guide our wayes The last desire is Peace which is taken for the saluation and chiefe goodnesse that happeneth to mankinde although in an other sense it is put for the contrarie to warre or battel and the peace of the conscience is no smal felicitie to mortall men These were the good things that the priestes did wish to light vppon the people teaching them withal to beséech the Lord for those blessings with ardent prayers carnest supplications Euen till this day there doe remaine the Psalmes that the priestes did make for the peoples sake to singe For after that Dauid had brought musick into the temple then did the playing vppon musical instrumentes with swéete melodie and singing of Psalmes beginne to be taken for an office among the priests Touching this musicke vsed in the temple the first booke of Chronicles speaketh very much where it treateth of Dauid and his dealinges how he distributed the singers into 24. orders and that by course Moreouer the priestes were commaunded to minister the Sacraments and to sacrifice For they did circumcise the infants their office was to see the Passeouer eaten and to offer sacrifices of sundrie sorts vnto the Lord of which I will speake hereafter in place cōuenient And that they might more commodiously offer their sacrifices Dauid by the inspiration of the holy ghost diuided the two families of Eleazar and Ithamar into 24. orders For they did minister by course as is to be séen in the 24. Chapiter of the first of Chronicles All the while that their turne to minister did laste the priestes remayned still within and neuer did set a foote out of the temple For there were houses builded within the temple for the priests to dwell in when their lot did come to serue the Lord they neuer went vnto their owne houses vntill their course were expired and their time to minister were fully finished The priestes also did kéepe the holy vessells and make them cleane they kept the candels burning the holy fire that it should not goe out to be short they had the charge of all thinges which
séemed to belong to the seruice of God as oyle franckincense and such like things Now before the temple was erected and that the Israelits had obteyned a place where to settle themselues in the land of promise the priests office was to sée the tabernacle pitched downe taken vp againe and caried to and froo For in the third of Numbers thus wée read The Leuites shal keepe all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation and haue the charge of the children of Israel to doe the seruice of the tabernacle For the tabernacle was so appointed that when they iourneyed it might bée taken into many péeces Therefore when the Israelites were readie to remoue their campe Aaron and his sonnes came with the coueringes appointed for the purpose to wrapp vp and carrie the holy vessells in The Cahatites bare the Arke the table the altar and instrumentes belonging thereunto The Gersonites had charge ouer the cordes the couerings the hangings the curtaynes the vayles and roapes belonging to y tabernacle The Merarites did beare the harder stuffe that was made of wood brasse as the pillers barres stakes and planks Al which whosoeuer desireth to vnderstand more néerly let him read the third and fourth Cap. of the booke of Numbers When the temple was builded there were porters and warders of the temple appointed amonge the Leuites The trumpetts also wherewith the congregation was called together were in the Leuites hands as wée read in the 10. of Numbers The priestes also were appointed to be readie serue in the warres as is to be séene in the 20. of Deut. For the Lord would not haue the lawes to be huisht where armour did clatter for victories do auaile greatly to godlines and the studie of religion Beside this also the priests had yet an other office that was to iudge betwixt cause cause betwéene cleane and vncleane Both which are more largly declared in the 17. of Deut. and in the 13. and 14. cha of Leuiticus For as often as any difficult matter happened to rise amonge them the hearing of it was brought to the mother citie Hierusalem if any man were suspected to be a Leper the Leuiticall priestes did iudge of his disease according to the lawes that were prescribed them So hitherto I haue summarily layed downe the offices of priest hood among the old people reckoning vp only the especiall parts belonging to their seruice Now as those priests did serue the Israelitish church so â—id they liue of the reuenues of the church For the Lord appointed them certain stipends and dwelling places in the land of promise For hée assigned 48. cities for them to inhabite in the land of Israel sire whereof were cities of refuge for men to slye vnto as vnto Sanctuaries Moreouer he comaunded to lay out and appoint for the sustenance of the priestes cattel and families the suburbs and fermes without the walls of the cities within a thousand cubites compasse on euery side In those cities were scholes so conueniently placed throughout all y land that all men mighte easilie goe with very smal paine from y places there about vnto the synagogues to heare the word of god In those cities there was no sacrifices made for they were commaunded to sacrifice in one place alone and thrice a yeare they went vp to the temple to sacrifice vnto the Lord but euery sabboth day the law was taught in euery town wher the synagogues were Moreouer the rents belonging to the priestes were great ample as is to be seen in the 18. of the booke of Numb in the last of Leuit. The wealth of the priests was enough sufficient to maintein their families and to liue themselues honestly And they with that stipend did not giue themselues to riot and idlenes but liuing moderately did apply themselues to learning teaching of the people Thus much hetherto touching the persons belonging to the ministerie of holy religion And for because by lawe they could not sacrifice but in one place alone there was a certaine place appointed to the people wherin as in an holy shop the priestes should exercise their holy ministerie in sacrificing to the Lord and therfore now the very order and course of this argument doth require that I say somewhat touching that holy place That place in the beginning was the tabernacle builte by Moses afterward the temple which Solomon did make The law which forbadd them to sacrifice any where but in that one place alone vnlesse it were by dispensation is extant in the 12. of Deut. and in the 17. Cap. of Leuit and deeth conteyne the mysterie of Christe who was offered vpp but once and in one place to cicanse the sinnes of all the world Of whome I wil speake somwhat more hereafter Now that tabernacle or tent being called the tabernacle of appointment because the Lord appointed it both to giue aunsweares in and to haue his lawfull worship duelie accomplished in was to the people in stéed of a temple so long as they wandered dwelt in the wildernesse For in so much as they strayed 40. yeres in the desart it was not conuenient for them to haue a settled temple but such an one as in their iourneys they might carrie to and fro so oft as they remoued That tabernacle was erected in this order and was in a maner of this forme and facion First of all there were â—â—uck into the earth close by the ground siluer sockets to fasten in and set boords vpon to make a wal withall vnder euerie planke or boord were two sockets For euerie boord had two tâ—nons like pikes whereby they were stucke into the socketts The boordes on either side of the tabernacle North and Southe were twentie in number at the vpper end which was toward the Weste were tenne boordes or planckes all layed ouer with gold and ten cubites high a péece These wheÌ„ they were set vp were stucke or fastened into the sockets vpon the backe sites those bordes had golden ringes throughe whiche were barres of 〈◊〉 wood whiche iâ— thought to be white Thoarne thruste partly to ioyne the boordes cloase together that they might bee like a wall without chincke or creauise and partly to make them stand stedfast without wagging to and fro The Sanctum on the East side was shut vp with a vaile Moreouer there were made tenne curtaynes or hauginges of brodered woorke which were coupled together with loupes or taches These curtaynes were layed vppon the toppes of the boords that were set vpright as it had béene the rafter or rouffe of an house ouer which curtaynes were thrée coueringes more the vppermost whereof was of Taxus leather well able in rayne to kéepe water out Nowe the tabernacle was in length 30. cubites and in breadth 10. cubites as may be gathered by the measure of the boords It was diuided also into three parts The first was called Sanctum sanctorum