if you will knowe agayne what this preaching was it was no more but euen this Blessed be the Lord God of Sem. And tenne ages after that an other In thy seede O Abraham shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Now out of all doubt two meruellous short Sermons as possible can be heard and yet so full of vertue and grace that whosoeuer wroung out the iuice therof and applied it to his sores found euerlasting lyfe thereby but he that trode them vnder foote a biting Serpent whose sting was vnto eternall death and destruction The iudgements of God vpon the Israelits in the time of their being in the wildernes and also vpon their successors vnto the time of Samuel and Saule THus you see then the louing kindnes of the Lord towards the Israelites the seede of Abraham the seede of Sem in that he deliuered them from the Iron furnace the lande of Egypt the house of bondage according to his promise made vnto Abram which was That they should be straungers in a lande that was not theris where they should be afflicted and euill intreated for the space of foure hundreth yeeres But in the ende he woulde iudge that nation and bring them againe to the lande of Canaan in the fourth generation euen so it came to passe For all the host of Israell came out of the lande of Egypt by the blood of a Lambe figuring the seede that was promised to Abraham euen the selfe same day foure hundreth and thirtie yeeres before by whose bloud they were deliuered from that spirituall Pharaoh the Diuell Yet notwithstanding all this this grudging Israell the sonnes of Iacob the seede of Abraham who had seene the meruellous workes of God in the land of Egypt and his wonders in the fielde of Zoan and howe he had brought them thence as vpon the winges of an Eagle and howe he went before them by day in a pyller of a cloude to leade them the way and by night in a pyller of fire to giue them light and how he came downe vpon mount Sina and spake vnto them from heauen and gaue vnto them right iudgements and true lawes ordinaunces and good commaundements and declared vnto them his holy Sabothes and commaunded them precepts ordinances and lawes by the hand of Moses his seruaunt and how he gaue them bread from heauen for their hunger and brought foorth water for them out of the rocke for their thirst and how he rayned flesh vpon them as dust and fethered foule as the sande of the Sea and how he suffered them to lacke nothing for theyr clothes waxed not olde and their feete swelled not And all this hee did to teach them that man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie worde that proceedeth from him Yet notwithstanding I say all these his great benefites bestowed vpon them full soone did they forget his noble actes and the woonderfull workes that he had shewed them and styll they rebelled agaynst him yea full often did they prouoke him in the wyldernesse and greeue him in the Desart they made a Calfe in Horeb and woorshyped the molten Image and thus they turned their glorie into the similitude of a Calfe that eateth Haye Wherefore his wrath was so greatly kindled agaynst them that the fyre burnt vp the wicked yea they prouoked hym so greeuously in misbeleeuyng styll his worde that he swore in his wrath that onely two of sixe hundreth thousande shoulde enter into his rest which by the tyme that fourtie yeeres was expired in the Wildernes their chyldren whom they had sayd shoulde be a pray for the enimie they I say sawe the performaunce of this othe For they saw this wicked company consumed and their Carkeises ouerthrowen in the Wildernesse So that not one of the sixe hundreth thousande was left saue Caleb the sonne of Iephunneh and Ioshua the sonne of Nun. Here then might you pause a lytle and consider with your selfe of the ingratitude of man and how that yf the Lord shoulde deale with vs according to our desertes we shoulde be sure to fynde that we shoulde deserue no better then here you see because as the Apostle sayth these men are euen as very stampes of our owne natures But because I would not haue you to tarry in this Booke I wyl proceede to the rest that when you haue heard all you may consider the drynes of your owne soule and so get you with all speede to the fountayne it selfe wherein you may drinke yf you wyll euen your fyll of those waters of lyfe the which sprang out of the Rocke that here folowed them and also learne to auoyde that vnholsome pit of mistrust the which became vnto them their onely poyson Agayne then when as now it had pleased the Lord to bryng in the younger sort as all vnder twentie by Ioshua or Iesus euen into the borders of his Sanctuarie and to the holy Mountayne which his right hand had purchased that so he myght perfourme his promyse made vnto their fathers and had cast out the Heathen before them and geuen them their possessions and lykewyse had fylled them with all good thinges in great abundance although not of theyr owne desertes Iwis but through his great goodnes Yet notwithstanding they also became disobedient and rebelled agaynst the Lord and cast his heauenly Lawes behinde their backes yea they tempted and prouoked him and kept not his testimonies but turned backe and dealt falsly lyke vnto their fathers yea they turned euen lyke vnto a deceitfull Bowe So that he gaue them vnto the handes of most cruell oppessours that greatly vexed them as vnto the Aramites Moabites Canaanites Midianites Ammonites and the Philistimes Yea they prouoked him to anger in such sort with their high places and moued him to wrath with their grauen Images that in the ende he greatly abhorred Israel euen so farre as that in the dayes of Ely he forsooke the habitation of Shilo euen the Tabernacle where he dwelled amongst them and so he deliuered his power the Arke so called into captiuitie and his beautie into the enimies handes Yea he gaue vp his people to the sworde and was marueylous angrie with his owne inheritaunce For sixe tymes now since they came into the Land had the Lorde suffered them to be most cruelly oppressed by the a forenamed So that here we may say agayne O beholde both the louing kindnes and the seueritie of the Lord. His louing kindnes towardes Israel whyle they tooke good heede vnto the couenaunt that he the Lorde their God made with them and his seueritie when so euer they began to tempt Christ in not obeying his voyce according as the Lord had tolde them Now yf you wyll know in what sort Christe was preached vnto them that they were thus destroyed for not obeying his voyce The answere is euen in as
or his image or receiue hys marke eyther in hys hand or in hys forhead yea or so muche as the prynt of hys name in any part they shoulde then drinke of the pure wyne of the wrath of God and should haue no rest neyther day nor night but be tormented in fire brimstone before the holy Angels and before the lambe of God for euer and euer And yet dare the voyce of this counterfeit Lambe command and forbid the contrary saying vnto al men See that you worship the beast and the image of the beast and that you receiue his marke either in your right hand or in your forheads or at leastwise beare his name or the number of his name for as many as wil not thus do shal neither buy nor sel no nor liue vpon y â— earth And thus you see how plainly God hath noted vnto you the markes not only of the first beast but also of this counterfeyte Lambe the second whose voyce is all one with the thirde that deceiued Adam all three speake the wordes of the Dragon that is of the very deuill himselfe whose rage notwithstanding was most fiercely exercised in the first beast the Romaine Emperours for the space of three hundreth yeares yet coulde he not so preuaile by them but that many stoode as couragious Lyons most manfully to y â— trueth But after that he had bene thus tyed by good christians for the space of a thousand yeares from the dayes of our Lord so that he could not haue his full sway yet then doth he so preuayle by the second beast this lambe the popes whose commings were as you see with all lying signes and wonders and vnder the pretence of religion that al the worlde was made drunken with the wyne of their fornication and deceiued with their inchantmentes But as kinges then gaue their power and authoritie vnto this second beast so God hath told vs that in the end he will put into the heart of kinges to hate the beast and to eate her fleshe and to make her desolate naked and bare The which we giue hym thankes for we see begunne in diuers countries and I trust we dayly more and more shall see for notwithstanding all their strength hitherto yet know you that they are but that Kittim that shall perish in the end euen as Moses the seruant of the Lord from Baalam doth tel you who although he were but a false prophet like vnto these we nowe speake of yet the Lord made hym to speake the trueth herein in spight of hys heart Knowe you agayne that the Lord will consume them with the spirite of his mouth as that holy Apostle saint Paul doth also tell you yea and knowe you once agayne that the holy Ghost doth assure you that he will giue vnto them and their mountayne the discomfiture of Sisera at Magedon yea and that hee will giue vnto them the cup of the wyne of the fiercenesse of his wrath and that the deuill whiche deceiued them I meane the Romaines the first beast as also the false prophets the second beast with all that haue receiued y â— beastes marke I say all these with their author the deuill shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone where they shalbe tormented euen day and night for euermore So that here we may say agayne with the holy Apostle O let vs often behold and beholde agayne the louing kindnesse and the seueritie of the Lord hys louing kindnesse towardes vs in that it hath pleased hym so graciously and louingly to giue vs hys most holy worde by the which wee may see as by a glasse the spottes of this moste filthy state of Rome And his seuere seueritie towardes all those that are depriued of the same Now if you will know the cause here why the Lord doth so deale as to take hys holy word from so many thousandes of people and so by that meanes to suffer them to runne headlong to eternall destruction The answere is because they themselues haue not a loue of the trueth for so speaketh the Apostle when men haue not a loue to the trueth sayth he which is the word of God by the which worde they might be saued it pleaseth the Lord to send them strong delusions that so they shoulde beleeue lyes and also to suffer them to giue heede vnto the spirites of error and doctrines of deuils and so by that meanes to depriue themselues of the true light which should giue them life wherby in y â— end they might be damned and onely because they would neyther receiue nor beleeue the trueth but rather delighted in the preceptes and doctrines of men and as concerning the doctrine of lyfe had no courage to goe on forward but rather delighted to remayne therin as children euer ready to wauour and to be carryed about with euery winde of straunge doctrine and to bee as wandering starres who easily fall from theyr standing And therefore well worthy is the blackenesse of darkenesse reserued to such for euer Wherefore let vs that account our selues Christians be thankfull vnto the Lord that it hath pleased hym to call vs from the power of this damnable darkenesse euen to the most cleere light of the glorious Gospel and let vs not onely be thankfull vnto the Lord for that it hath pleased him to call vs out of this mysticall Babylon but let vs also be much more carefull then heretofore wee haue bene to let the heauenly lerusalem come into our mindes and let vs in any wise giue an entrance to the building of this spirituall worke by the moste holy word of God and euermore hold fast that sworde of the spirite in the one hand while we worke with the other that so we may put in feare al such enemies as would hinder or keep backe this spirituall building And let vs also giue more diligent heede as the Apostle commandeth vs vnto the thinges which we haue heard least at anie time wee should let them slip for if the wordes spoken by Angels was steadfast and euery transgression and disobedience receiued a iust recompence of reward as before we haue seene howe then shall we escape if wee neglect so great saluation since the Lord hath spoken vnto vs in these last dayes by the sonne hymself whose doctrine was further confirmed vnto vs by them that heard hym Therefore let vs in any wise I say giue more aboundant heede vnto the thinges which we haue heard of hym least we also be plucked away with the error of the wicked and so fall from our owne steadfastnesse for assuredly in the same condemnation are all they who liue in ignorance of his truth and despise the knowledge of hys holy word Therefore it is meete you learne to redeeme the tyme euen this very houre and not to moue the patience of God any longer for assure your selfe
houre of the day when Christe the King the most holy that Lambe of God shoulde be killed which was the ende and summe of all Moses sactifices and ceremonies and therefore they shoulde ceasse accordyng as the Angell sayth when Christ shoulde perfourme this the which fell out according to Gods decree vpon the very same day that the Lambe we now speake of was killed And lykewyse that the promyse was made to Abram and also that the commaundement came foorth for the Iewes to returne from Babell and therefore no maruell though Moses tell them it is a woonderfull day yea suche a day as is to be obscru◅d throughout their generations So that yf they shoulde haue had no more teaching but onely this to ha◅e ledde them vnto Christ they myght haue seene him most clecrely herein and had been enough to haue made them voyde of all excuse But many and manifolde wayes besides this was Christ preached vnto them as in all other their bloudie sacrifices For they might well knowe that notwithstanding the bloud of bulles and of goates and the ashes of an heifer being sprinckled sanctified as touching the purifiyng of the flesh yet was it not able be it neuer so often ◅princkled to purge and make cleane their consciences and therefore they were driuen to looke for one to come who through his eternall spirite would offer hymselfe without spot to God that so hee might purge their consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing Lord. Agayne they might well know it was neither burnt offring nor sinne offring that the Lord required or delighted in For what great pleasure could it be vnto the Lord to haue the bodie of a poore beast wholy burnt and therefore they were driuen to looke for one to come who would fully doe the will of God and in whose heart his whole lawe should fully rest and who by offering his owne body once for all should runne through all the fire of afflictions and torments due vnto man Againe he was preached vnto them by y e scape Goate for they might well knowe it was not the backe of a poore goate that could so carrie away their sinnes as neuer to be burthensome againe vpon their owne backes and therfore they were driuen to looke for one to come who should be able being cast down with the burden thereof to raise himselfe vp againe and to carry them so cleane away vppon his backe as that their owne backs should neuer be troubled againe with the weight thereof Furthermore he was preached vnto them by the cloude and pillar of fire in the wildernesse for they might well knowe that he was that pillar that gaue them the true light also that cloude that led them the right way Againe he was preached vnto them by the rocke that followed them and also by the Manna for they might well knowe that he was that spiritual rocke from whom flow gush out waters of life to all those that aske of him and likewise they might as wel know that he was that true Manna which came down from heauen of the which who so eateth spiritually shall liue for euer Againe he was preached vnto them by the brasen serpent for they might wel knowe it was he that must so ◅e lifted vp as that he that beleeueth in him should not perishe but haue eternall life Againe he was preached vnto them by the high sacrificer his whole office for they might well knowe that he was but a figure for the time present because he was not suffered to indure by reason of death and therefore they were driuen to looke for one to come whiche shoulde not be made priest after the lawe of the carnall commandement but after the power of the endlesse life that is one who should liue for euer after the order of Melchisedech being made with an othe by him who will not repent Againe seeing there came no suche perfection by the giftes and sacrifices which their high priest once a yeere offered as to take away either his owne sinnes or the sinnes of the people but that euery yeere there must be a remembrance againe because of this imperfection I say they were driuen to looke for one to come who should be able perfectly to saue those that would come vnto God by him and who would in the end appeare to take away their sinnes by the sacrifice of his owne bodie once made and so enter not into the holy places made with handes but euen into y ◠very heauen it selfe to appeare in the sight of God and there to sit for euer to make intereession for them and by whose bloud they might be bold to enter into that holy place themselues euen by that newe and liuing way which he would prepare for them not through the vaile of silke but euen through the very vaile of his owne flesh And thus was Christ preached vnto them by all the sacrifices and ceremonies done according to the law for they might well know that they were al but as shadowes of those good things which were to come Againe hee was preached vnto them in most plaine speeches euen in the first saying deliuered on the mountaine for whereas the Lord sayth vnto them I am Iehouah thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of boudage it must needes be in respect of Christ that he calleth himselfe their God for otherwise he is vnto men euen A consuming fire Againe and so to conclude this speeche Christ was preached vnto them in most comfortable and also most terrible sort as by the effect they found it Behold saith the Lord I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I haue prepared Beware of him saith the Lord and heare his voyce for I tel thee he will not spare your misdeedes because my name is in him But if thou hearken vnto his voyce and doe all that I speake then I will be an enimie vnto thine enimies and will afflict them that afflict thee for mine angell shall go before thee and bring thee into the land of the Ammorites y ◠Hethites the Peresites the Cananites the Heuites and the Iebuzites and I will destroy them but if ye turne from me and serue their Gods surely it shall be your destruction Now here you see againe in what plaine words Christ was preached vnto thē for they might well know that this Angel must needes be Christ the sonne of God and so the Apostle expoundeth it euen of this Angel of the couenant which Malachie also speaketh of For who is the brightnesse of the glorie or thē ingrauen forme or the verie character of the person of the father but onely Christ In whome as the Apostle saith dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead euen corporally Who although he had not as yet taken the nature of man yet he